The coming opportunities in microsensor systems

Challenges and opportunities confronting the development of integrated sensing systems in the 1990s are discussed. Silicon microsensors can offer significant advantages over alternative technologies, employing features such as self-testing, autocalibration, digital compensation, and bus-compatibility to improve system reliability and performance while reducing cost. A system architecture which permits all of these features to be implemented is described. Each node in this distributed sensing system is composed of sensors, actuators, and a monolithic microprocessor-driven interface chip and is realized as a multichip module. A discrete prototype of this system achieves 12-b accuracy with the ability to read over 700 sensors per second. All data transfers include parity checking and polynomial-based sensor data compensation in the host computer. Over 300 Mbytes of data have been transferred error-free. Needs for further research in these areas are described, and the application of the prototype system to the measurement of pressure, flow, wafer temperature, and other variables in a reactive ion etching system is discussed.<>