Sensors and Transducers
MEMS sensors and transducers are finding increasingly pervasive applications across all industry sectors, as they provide a low cost, convenient, compact interface between the device, system or environment to be monitored, and control and communications systems. Some of the exciting areas of application are described below.
Air, water and environmental quality
INEX has evaluated and assisted clients to develop technologies for the rapid evaluation of air quality in public transport systems (underground trains), assess water quality in reservoirs and rivers, detect radiation, and monitor gas emissions from landfill sites.
Harsh environment applications
Miniaturised sensors are proving invaluable for a range of harsh environment applications from pressure sensing in drilling platforms on oil-rigs, through infra-red detection for use by firemen, real-time temperature sensing in marine engines, to high-altitude navigation devices. Harsh environment MEMS often utilises materials such as silicon carbide and diamond, both of which INEX has experience of processing.
Industry and agriculture
Pressure sensors, vibration measurement devices, roll-over protection, and chemical production in micro-reactors for point-of-use speciality chemical production are all examples of areas where microfabrication technologies are finding increasing application.
