Custom Sensor for many different types of physical stimuli:

With Waddan's expertise customers have the option of obtaining sensors tailored to their specific needs. Waddan Systems can make recommendations based upon the application, cost constraints, and operational environment. In addition to a wishful idea (a thought-sensor), a custom sensor development requires some general information about it (All communication and information dealing with clients is kept confidential):

• Measurand type commonly employed;
• Inertial sensors, e.g., accelerometers and gyros;
• Pressure sensors, absolute or relative or differential;
• Hydrophone, single or doublet;
• Micro-optics, one or two-gimbal supported active mirrors;
• Key sensor requirements;
• allowed zero input off-set, bias;
• scale factor linearity or scale factor error;
• allowed random walk over time;
• measurement range (smallest detectable input to the largest input level measured);
• resolution sensitivity;
• operational environment (temperature, pressure, moisture, particulate matter, handling etc).
• Commonly available sensing partitions;
• Microstructures;
• Microactuators;
• Vacuum Microelectronics;
• Sensors;
• Analytical Instruments;
• Nozzles
• Micro-Optics
• Fiber Aligners
• Flow Systems
• Pumps
• Valves

Integrated Sensors using bulk micromachining, or surface micromachining, micromolding and laser trimming:

The strength of Waddan Systems' sensor making services is its TOTAL VERTICAL MICROFABRICATION FACILITY. Customers get design services, analysis services, mask and tooling design and fabrication services, and sensor manufacturing services. More than one sensor can be co-located in one device. The company provides three different types of microfabrication technologies:

• bulk micromachined devices (ranging from a few mm to 10's of mm) are the most accurate and rugged but their size depends on substrate thickness;
• surface micromachined devices (ranging from 10's of microns to 100's of microns) are the smallest but are generally less accurate and not rugged;
• micromolded devices (ranging from 100's of microns up to a few mm) are very accurate but not rugged and generally larger than surface machined devices;
• laser machining is used generally for minor modifications of the devices;
• Other MEMS related technologies include:
• Anodic bonding
• Flip-Chip technology
• Wire bonding and Die bonding
• Si-based integrated optics
• Fiber optics waveguide alignment
• Related measurement techniques

High temp sensors made in alumina or sapphire:

The micro-sensor industry has borrowed a great deal from the electronic micro-chip industry. Sensors based on silicon and glass substrates can be easily processed, but are not suitable for high temp (from 1000 °C to 2000 °C) applications. These applications require substrates stable at those temperatures. Waddan has developed special etching, machining, dicing and bonding methods for sensors in this class.

• Sensors used in furnaces;
• Combustion environments of jet-engines and gas turbines;
• High temp chemical processing;

Fluidic Sensors with Micro-pumps:

These devices employ most of the time bulk micromachining as the technology can produce almost frictionless channels in silicon--a key requirement for fluidic elements and efficient pumps. Micromolding can also be used for these devices, but is less common. Fluidic sensors and micro-pumps are generally used as sub-sensing elements of more complex sensors dealing with fluids such as blood, contaminated water, body fluids, various types of fuels etc.

Bio Sensors:

Bio-sensors are made for many different applications. Depending upon the design, they incorporate one or more of the other type of sensing elements. Generally, these devices are bulk micromachined.

• Metered/timed drug delivery devices ;
• Bio-marker monitoring through analysis of blood/body fluid samples;
• Implantable devices;
• Micro-surgical tools and devices;
• Closed loop cellular feeders;

Sensor Modelling; Analysis of lumped parameters, finite element analysis:

A model of the sensor is very helpful during the development phase of the sensor. We provide modelling services for sensors that are at a conceptual stage or still at the drawing board. It could be a simple math-model to check out the functional or operational principles involved, or a lumped parameter model (of physical, chemical, optical, biological elements) tied to an Excel spread-sheet for what-if analyses or a detailed finite-element model of the physical structure or temperature distribution or electromagnetic field or fluid flow or bio-chemical reaction or cellular growth etc.