Ion Optics Wins Phase II SBIR From NSF To Develop MEMS-Based Water Vapor Sensors

1 June 2000

Ion Optics Wins Phase II SBIR From NSF To Develop MEMS-Based Water Vapor Sensors

    WALTHAM, Mass.--June 1, 2000--The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded Ion Optics a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract. This project will develop a water vapor sensor using MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) technology to build a lab-quality water vapor sensor onto a single IC (the SensorChip.) The new chip will be light enough and cheap enough for battery-powered single-use measurements in weather balloons and dropsondes. The Water Vapor SensorChip will be sensitive enough to compete with water vapor measurements made by much larger, more complex equipment, but inexpensive enough to be treated as a "throw-away" device.
    Measurements of water vapor and trace gases in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere are important to our understanding of weather phenomenon, ozone depletion, greenhouse gas buildup, acid rain formation, and other aspects of atmospheric chemistry. Current water vapor measurements use either low-cost "hygristors" or high cost, lab-quality instruments. Currently available hygristors, used for balloon and dropsonde experiments, stop working in the upper troposphere as total pressure, water concentration, and temperature drop. They also have a slow response time (minutes) and this translates into poor spatial resolution during weather balloon ascents of 6 meters/second. The alternative is to take accurate, complex, and power-hungry lab instruments up in various manned aircraft. But, due to high equipment and operation costs, this solution cannot be fully deployed - so global coverage is spotty.
    Ion Optics is developing a SensorChip that integrates all the water vapor sensing functions into a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) device, manufactured in high volumes at low cost. This revolutionary approach using new surface modification techniques and semiconductor fabrication methods radically simplifies the design and construction of water vapor sensors. The MEMS-based SensorChip will be sensitive enough to replace much the larger, more complex equipment, but inexpensive enough to be used in many applications.
    Five-year old Ion Optics manufactures proprietary, highly integrated, infrared (IR) sensor components. OEMs in the automotive, air quality, process control and medical instrument markets use our components. Ion Optics' mission is to employ its technologies to develop and manufacture compact, low power, infrared sensors.

    Ion Optics, Inc.
    411 Waverly Oaks Road, Suite 144
    Waltham, Ma 02452
    Phone (781) 788-8777
    Fax (781) 788-8811
    http://www.ion-optics.com