STMicro packages MEMS pressure sensor in water-resistant package
Suitable for gas and water metering equipment, weather monitoring, air conditioning, and home appliances, the ILPS28QSW is believed to be the market’s first MEMS water / liquid-proof absolute pressure sensor. It is available from STMicroelectronics and has a 10-year longevity programme for the industrial market.
“With the spread of the Industrial Internet of Things, companies are seeking to gather data from throughout their operations, often in challenging environments both indoors and outdoors,” said Simone Ferri, general manager, AMS MEMS sub-group, STMicroelectronics. The waterproof MEMS pressure sensors provide the environmental robustness needed to power digital transformation everywhere, with the long-term availability needed to protect customers’ designs, he added.
The ILPS28QSW sensor is provided in a sealed, cylindrical, surface mount package. It features a ceramic substrate that provides high resistance to liquid permeability and a robust potting gel, proven in automotive applications, to protect the internal circuitry. The lid, made from high-grade surgical steel, is sealed with an o-ring and secured with epoxy adhesive. This package design ensures an ingress protection rating of IP58 to withstand immersion in over one meter of water, certified according to IEC 60529 and ISO 20653. In addition, the sensor can sustain up to 10Bar over-pressure.
The ILPS28QSW provides absolute pressure readings, accurate to within 0.5hPa, with selectable full-scale range of 260 to 1260hPa and 260 to 4060hPa. It has a wide operating temperature range of -40 to +105 degrees C.
The sensor also features ST’s Qvar electrostatic charge sensing channel, allowing developers to create additional value in their applications through features such as liquid leakage detection. When Qvar is combined with the pressure signal it enables monitoring of both liquid level and even the tiniest of leaks in home appliances and industrial processes.
Operating current is as low as 1.7 microA, suitable for power-conscious applications. The ILPS28QSW also integrates digital features that simplify system design and management. For example, temperature compensation, FIFO memory, and an I2C / MIPI-I3C digital communication interface are all built-in and the output data rate is selectable from 1.0Hz to 200Hz.
The ILPS28QSW is in production now.
