Introduction to Sensors

Description

The need for new types of sensors is more critical than ever. This is due to the emergence of increasingly complex technologies, health and security concerns of a burgeoning world population, and the emergence of terrorist activities, among other factors. Depending on their application, the design, fabrication, testing, and use of sensors, all require various kinds of both technical and nontechnical expertise. With this in mind, Introduction to Sensors examines the theoretical foundations and practical applications of electrochemical, piezoelectric, fiber optic, thermal, and magnetic sensors and their use in the modern era. Incorporating information from sensor-based industries to review current developments in the field, this book: Presents a complete sensor system that includes the preparation phase, the sensing element and platform, and appropriate electronics resulting in a digital readout Discusses solid-state electronic sensors, such as the metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) capacitor, the micromachined capacitive polymer, and the Schottky diode sensors Uses the two-dimensional hexagonal lattice as an example to detail the basic theory associated with piezoelectricity Explores the fundamental relationship between stress, strain, electric field, and electric displacement The magnetic sensors presented are used to determine measurands such as the magnetic field and semiconductor properties, including carrier concentration and mobility. Offering the human body and the automobile as examples of entities that rely on a multiplicity of sensors, the authors address the application of various types of sensors, as well as the theory and background information associated with their development and the materials used in their design. The coverage in this book reveals the underlying rationale for the application of different sensors while also defining the properties and characteristics of each. Content: Introduction The Human Body as a Sensor System Sensors in an Automobile Classification of Sensors Example of a Gas Sensor: The Taguchi Sensor The Sensor as a Passive or Active Element The Sensor as Part of a Measurement System Sensor Properties Historical Development of Sensors Sensor System Electrochemical Sensors Conductimetric Sensors Semiconducting Metal Oxide Sensors Chemiresistors Other Solid-State Electrochemical Gas Sensors Concluding Remarks Piezoelectric Sensors Classification of Piezoelectric Sensors Piezoelectric Materials as Intelligent or Smart Materials The Piezoelectric Effect The Properties of Nonpiezoelectric and Piezoelectric Materials Piezoelectric Stress/Pressure Sensor Piezoelectric Accelerometer Active Piezoelectric Sensors Bulk Acoustic Wave Sensor Bulk Acoustic Wave Sensor Response Measurement Surface Acoustic Wave Sensors Fiber Optic Sensors Theory Light Leaking and Absorption in the Fiber Optic Link Fiber Link and Materials Communication Applications Fiber Optic Sensors Thermal Sensors Resistance Thermometers Theory of Metal-Based Thermometers Properties of Metal-Based Thermometers Theory of Semiconductor-Based Thermometers Thermistor Properties Concluding Remarks Magnetic Sensors Natural and Man-Made Magnetic Fields Materials Used in Magnetic Sensors Principles of Magnetic Sensors Solid-State Magnetic Sensors Index