A Low-Cost Micro Btu Sensor System Fabricated By Cmos Mems Technology

An integrated low-cost micro BTU (mu BTU) sensor system, including a thermoresistive micro calorimetric flow (TMCF) sensor and a resistance temperature detector (RTD), is reported for the first time using a proprietary InvenSense CMOS MEMS technology integrated with a digital signal processing (DSP) unit. The proposed BTU sensor features an integrated micro-channel enabling the simultaneous measurement of fluid temperature and flow rates with a sensitivity of 11.1 Omega/degrees C and 0.33 mV/sccm, respectively. This Omega BTU system achieves a range of 1.5 similar to 15 milli-BTU/h and an accuracy less than 6%. The performance achieved by the Omega BTU device combined with its high level of integration and low-cost makes it possible to deploy as a sensing node in Internet of Things (IoT) for energy monitoring in smart buildings.