JP2007256287A - Pressure sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an improved pressure sensor and a sensor inserting assembly. <P>SOLUTION: The sensor inserting assembly for measuring sensors of internal pressure of blood vessels of living body includes an inserting means and a substrate body 8 with a concave portion and equipped with a sensor chip 6 forming a cavity 12 by covering the concave with a pressure sensibility film 10. A piezo-electric element, preferably a piezo-electric film 14 like-shaped one, is combined with the pressure sensibility film to be prepared and an energy supplying means is prepared to generate piezoelectric energy at the piezo-electric element and to generate acoustic wave at the piezo-electric element. In the present case, a piezo-electric element is prepared so as to generate output signal representing pressure of the piezo-electric film according to measured properties of acoustic wave relating with displacement of the pressure sensibility film. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates generally to pressure sensors, and more particularly to a sensor insertion assembly in which a pressure sensor is mounted at or near the distal end of an insertion unit for intravascular measurement of in vivo pressure. It relates to the nature of the sensor element. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the pressure sensor can be naturally placed on any device adapted to be inserted into the body of a living body, such as a cannula, cardiac stimulation electrode lead, or catheter. .

  For example, the need to measure and record physiological pressure in coronary vessels has led to the development of small devices that allow access to very narrow vessels, such as coronary vessels. Typically, a very small size sensor is placed on a guide wire, which is inserted into, for example, an alternative artery and guided to a desired immediate fixed point, such as a coronary vessel. There are problems in integrating the pressure sensor onto a guide wire suitable for the types of measurements described above. The first and most important problem is to make the sensor small enough. Also, the number of electrical connections and leads should be minimized to obtain a flexible enough guidewire so that it can be guided through the coronary vessel to the desired location without much difficulty.

  Sensor and guide wire assemblies in which a sensor is mounted on the distal end of a guide wire are known. U.S. Pat. No. 5,834,648 (US Pat. No. 35,648, assigned to the present applicant) discloses such a sensor and guide wire assembly. In the assembly, the sensor guide is a sensor element, an electronic unit, a signal transmission cable connecting the sensor element and the electronic unit, a flexible tube in which the cable and the sensor element are arranged, a solid metal wire (core wire), and A coil attached to the distal end of the solid wire. This sensor element comprises a pressure-sensitive device, for example one mounting a piezoresistive element connected to the membrane in a Hortonstone bridge arrangement.

  Piezoelectricity refers to the generation of charge by applying mechanical pressure. This phenomenon is reversible. When an appropriate electric field is applied to the piezoelectric material, mechanical stress is generated. Piezoelectric acoustic sensors apply an oscillating electric field to produce a mechanical wave that propagates through the substrate and is then returned to the electric field for measurement.

Among the piezoelectric materials that can be used for acoustic sensors and devices, the most common are quartz (SiO ₂ ), lithium tantalate (LiTaO ₃ ), and to a lesser extent lithium niobate (LiNbO ₃ ). Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, including price, temperature dependence, attenuation and propagation speed. Other commercially possible materials include gallium arsenide (GaAs), silicon carbide (SiC), langasite (LGS), zinc oxide (ZnO), aluminum nitride (AlN), lead zirconium titanate (PZT). ), And polyvinylidene fluoride (PVdF).

  These sensors are often manufactured by a photolithography method. Manufacture begins by carefully polishing and cleaning the piezoelectric substrate. A metal, usually aluminum, is deposited uniformly on the substrate. A photoresist is spin-coated on this apparatus, and baked and cured. This is then exposed with UV light through a mask having opaque areas corresponding to the areas to be metallized on the final device. The exposed areas undergo chemical changes that allow them to be removed with a developer. Finally, the remaining photoresist is removed. The metal pattern remaining on the device is called an interdigital transducer or IDT. By changing the length, width, position and thickness of the IDT, the performance of the sensor can be maximized.

  Instead, if the piezoelectric material is in the form of a piezoelectric film, conventional thin film technology can be used, starting from a substrate, eg a silicon substrate, on which one or more films and electrode regions are placed. To do. In addition to the piezoelectric film, an impedance matching film, an insulating film, and the like can be disposed. This is further explained in the detailed description.

  A sonic device is described by the mode of wave propagation in or on a piezoelectric substrate. Sound waves are distinguished mainly by velocity and direction of movement, and many combinations are possible depending on the material and boundary conditions. The IDT of each sensor provides the electric field necessary to move the substrate and generate sound waves. This wave propagates through the substrate where it is converted at the opposite IDT and returns to the electric field. Since transverse waves or shear waves can be polarized and move in a direction perpendicular to the direction of wave travel, the particle movement is parallel or orthogonal to the sensing surface. A shear horizontal wave indicates a lateral movement polarized in parallel to the sensing surface, and a shear vertical wave indicates a lateral movement orthogonal to the sensing surface.

  Wave propagation through the substrate is called bulk waves. The most commonly used bulk acoustic wave (BAW) devices are thickness shear mode (TSM) resonators and shear horizontal acoustic plate mode (SH-APM) sensors.

  If the wave propagates on the surface of the substrate, this wave is known as a surface wave. The most widely used surface wave devices are surface acoustic wave sensors and shear horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH-SAW) sensors (also known as surface shear wave (STW) sensors).

  All sonic devices are sensitive to disturbances in many different physical parameters. The output changes if there is a change in the characteristics of the path through which the sound wave propagates.

  Sonic sensors are used in a number of sensing applications, such as temperature, pressure and / or gas sensing devices and systems used to measure tire pressure and temperature to monitor vehicle tires. Examples of surface wave sensors include devices such as acoustic wave sensors that can be used to detect the presence of substances such as chemicals. The sonic device uses, for example, surface acoustic waves (SAW) or bulk acoustic waves (BAW) to operate as a sensor and is sensitive to high surface load sensitivity and low noise resulting from a high intrinsic Q factor. Can provide a high detection mechanism.

  As mentioned above, sonic devices are typically made using photolithography techniques using a skewered interdigital transducer (IDT) placed on a piezoelectric material. The surface acoustic wave device can have either a delay line or a resonator structure. The selectivity of surface sonochemical / biological sensors is generally determined by a selective coating placed on the piezoelectric material. Absorption and / or adsorption of the species to be measured on the selective coating can cause mass loading, elasticity and / or viscoelastic curing of the SAW / BAW device. Changes in acoustic properties due to species absorption and / or adsorption can be interpreted as delay time shifts for delay line surface acoustic wave devices or frequency shifts for resonator (BAW / SAW) sound wave devices.

  An example of an application area for the sensor described above is found in US Pat. No. 6,958,565, which relates to a small passive wireless piezoelectric high performance tire sensor.

  Another example of an application area of the above-mentioned sensor type is US Pat. No. 6,099,056 (Patent Document 3) relating to a surface or bulk acoustic wave device that can be implanted in the human or animal body and monitor its various parameters such as pressure. / 058166 pamphlet). The apparatus comprises a pair of interdigital transducers placed across the surface of the piezoelectric substrate that is exposed to the pressure to be measured. This device is interrogated by a radio signal supplied to one of the transducers and detected after reflection by the other transducer. The parameter is measured by comparing the supplied and received signals.

US Reissue Patent No. 35,648 US Pat. No. 6,958,565 International Publication No. 2005/058166 Pamphlet

  It is an object of the present invention to achieve an improved pressure sensor, in particular a sensor and insertion assembly for in vivo measurement, in particular for intravascular measurement of in vivo pressure.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a pressure sensor including a sensor chip having a substrate body provided with a recess, the cavity being formed by covering the recess with a pressure sensitive film, and a piezoelectric element is disposed in combination with the pressure sensitive film. The piezoelectric element is adapted to receive energy from an energy supply means such that sound waves are generated in the piezoelectric element, wherein the piezoelectric element outputs an output signal representative of the pressure of the pressure sensitive membrane. This is achieved by a pressure sensor characterized in that it is arranged to generate according to the measured nature of the sound wave associated with the displacement of the sensitive membrane.

  Preferred embodiments are described in the dependent claims.

  Accordingly, the present invention relates to a pressure sensor including a sensor chip having a substrate body provided with a recess in which a recess is formed by covering the recess with a pressure sensitive film. A piezoelectric element, preferably in the form of a piezoelectric film, is arranged coupled to the pressure sensitive film, and an energy supply unit is arranged to apply energy to the piezoelectric element, the piezoelectric element being a sound wave indicating the pressure in the film Is generated to produce an output signal such that occurs at the element according to the measured nature of the sound wave associated with the displacement of the pressure sensitive membrane.

  The present invention provides an improved pressure sensor, particularly a sensor and insertion assembly suitable for in vivo measurement, particularly for intravascular measurement of in vivo pressure.

  The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Where applicable, the same reference numerals are used in all figures to denote the same or equivalent.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a sensor / insertion assembly 2 for intravascular measurement of pressure in a living body according to the present invention. This sensor / insertion assembly includes an insertion unit 4 and a sensor chip 6.

  According to one preferred embodiment, the present invention relates generally to pressure sensors for performing in vivo measurements of pressure, such as intravascular measurements, but also to other in vivo measurements such as measuring intracranial pressure.

  According to a second preferred embodiment, the sensor and insert assembly is disclosed, for example, in the aforementioned US Reissue Patent 35,648, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. A guide wire assembly including a type of core wire is provided.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a sensor chip 6 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The sensor chip 6 includes a substrate body 8, and the substrate body 8 includes a recess that is covered with a pressure sensitive film 10 to form a cavity 12.

  The piezoelectric element 14 is disposed in combination with a pressure sensitive membrane, and the energy supply unit 16 (see FIG. 7) is adapted to apply energy to the piezoelectric element such that sound waves are generated in the piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element then generates an output signal indicative of the pressure in the membrane according to the measured properties of the sound wave associated with the displacement of the pressure sensitive membrane.

  In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the piezoelectric element is in the form of an elastic piezoelectric film which is a pressure sensitive film.

  FIG. 2a is a schematic diagram of a sensor chip according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the pressure sensitive membrane is attached to the substrate body and the piezoelectric membrane is attached on the pressure sensitive membrane.

  FIG. 2b is a schematic view of a sensor chip according to a third embodiment of the present invention, in which the piezoelectric film is attached to the substrate body and the pressure sensitive film is attached on the piezoelectric film.

  In the first, second and third embodiments described above, energy is preferably applied to and obtained from the piezoelectric film via a pair of interdigital transducers (IDT) 20 and 22 (see FIG. 5). It is done. These are shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic top view of the sensor chip according to the present invention. These IDTs are arranged either on the side of the piezoelectric film facing the substrate body or on the opposite side of the piezoelectric film. The present inventor has found that an advantageous impedance performance can be obtained by arranging these IDTs on the side of the piezoelectric film facing the substrate body.

  As an alternative, one of the IDTs is placed on one side of the piezoelectric film and the other is placed on the opposite side.

  In the second and third embodiments described above, the piezoelectric film preferably covers the entire recess, but as an alternative, the piezoelectric film covers only a portion of the recess.

  According to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, the piezoelectric element is a piezoelectric beam 14 'disposed on the pressure sensitive membrane. This embodiment is shown in FIG. 3, which is a schematic cross-sectional view of a sensor chip. In this embodiment, the piezoelectric beam is encapsulated and placed at a position where maximum signal amplitude is expected according to the displacement of the piezoelectric film (eg, it may be near the recess boundary). A single piezoelectric beam may be provided to obtain the reference pressure, in which case this beam is placed at a very low position where no signal is expected. As an alternative, the piezoelectric beam 14 'may be placed in a recess, i.e. below the pressure sensitive membrane.

  In general, according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4 a, the pressure sensitive film covering the recess is electrically insulated from the substrate body by the insulating film 15. A piezoelectric element, preferably in the form of a piezoelectric crystal 14 ″, is connected to the pressure sensitive membrane and the substrate body so that a capacitive pressure sensor is formed which is a resonant circuit having a resonant frequency according to the pressure on the piezoelectric membrane. The formed electric capacity (capacitance) is indicated by a capacitor (dotted line) between the piezoelectric film and the substrate body in the drawing.

  In FIG. 4 b, a variant of the fifth embodiment is shown, in which a piezoelectric element in the form of a piezoelectric film 14 ″ ″ is arranged in the cavity 12 and separated from the pressure sensitive film 10 by an insulating film 15. As in some of the previous embodiments, energy is preferably applied and obtained from the piezoelectric film via a pair of interdigital transducers (not shown). This variant therefore falls within the general concept of placing the piezoelectric element in the cavity or physically connecting it to the reference cavity of the capacitive pressure sensor. One of the electrodes used to apply energy to the piezoelectric membrane can also be used to connect to a pressure sensitive membrane. As an alternative, the electrodes used to connect to the piezoelectric membrane and the pressure sensitive membrane can each be connected to each other outside the cavity.

  Although applicable to all embodiments, the energy supplied to the piezoelectric element is supplied by an energy supply unit connected to an electrical cable connected to an external energy generator (not shown). As an alternative, the energy supply unit is connected to an antenna for wireless connection to an external energy generating device. As a further alternative, the energy supply means can be connected to a small battery means (not shown) arranged in connection with the sensor chip.

  The generated output signal can be transmitted wirelessly to the processing unit 18 (see FIG. 7) or transmitted to the processing unit via an electrical cable. The processing unit is preferably arranged on the same substrate as the pressure sensor. This is particularly advantageous from a manufacturing point of view, but also to achieve a high signal-to-noise ratio. Another alternative is to place the processing unit as a separate part located at the distal end of the core wire close to the sensor chip. A further alternative is to place the processing unit in the external unit 24 (FIG. 6).

  The processing unit then determines the pressure based on the nature of the output signal. The nature of the output signal is derived by measuring bulk acoustic waves (BAW) through the piezoelectric element, measuring surface acoustic waves (SAW) on the piezoelectric element, or measuring Lamb waves of the piezoelectric element. Can do. These measured properties include acoustic wave delay or changes in acoustic resonance frequency.

  In the embodiment described above, the cavity is preferably evacuated so that the generated pressure signal represents absolute pressure. If the cavity is not evacuated, the reference pressure should be used as a reference value for the pressure determined by the pressure sensor.

The pressure sensitive film is preferably made of silicon (Si), and the piezoelectric film is made of either PZT, ZnO, BaTiO ₃ or ANI. The piezoelectric film has a thickness of less than 100 μm, preferably in the range of 0.1 to 20 μm.

  The sensor chip is preferably between 0.05 and 2 mm in thickness, preferably less than 10 mm in length and less than 2 mm in width.

  The pressure sensor according to the invention can also be a separate self-supporting device, i.e. not placed on any insertion means, and then perform medical applications such as intracranial measurements and non-medical applications such as tires and It can be used both for making pressure measurements in hazardous environments. In both medical and non-medical applications, the pressure sensor must include energy means, such as a small battery or a rechargeable capacitor, and must include communication means, such as a telemetry coil.

  According to another embodiment, the assembly includes temperature compensation means to compensate for temperature variations that affect the measurement.

  According to another embodiment, the assembly further comprises temperature measuring means adapted to measure the body temperature of the living body. This embodiment is shown in FIG. 8, which is a top view of a sensor chip according to another embodiment of the present invention. The sensor chip 6 is provided with a recess 12, which is preferably covered by a flexible membrane (not shown) and a piezoelectric element 14, here in the form of a strip above a portion of the recess. The sensor chip 6 further comprises an additional strip-shaped piezoelectric element 14 ″ ″ ″. Energy is applied to the additional piezoelectric element 14 ″ ″ ″ via the IDT 20 and an output signal that varies according to the ambient temperature is obtained at the IDT 22. The energy applied to the pressure sensor via the IDT 20 can have a first resonance frequency f1, and the energy applied to the temperature sensor via the IDT 22 can have a second resonance frequency f2. The frequency of the output signal varies according to the measured pressure and temperature.

  The present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments described above. Various alternatives, modifications and equivalents can be used. Therefore, the above-described embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a sensor chip according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the sensor chip by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the sensor chip by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the sensor chip by the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the modification of the sensor chip by the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of another modification of the sensor chip by the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic top view of the sensor chip of the present invention. It is the schematic of the sensor and insertion assembly of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram explaining operation | movement of this invention. 6 is a schematic top view of a sensor chip according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

2 Sensor / insertion assembly 4 Insertion unit 6 Sensor chip 8 Substrate body 10 Pressure sensitive membrane 12 Cavity (recess)
14 Piezoelectric element 14 'Piezoelectric beam 14''' Piezoelectric film 14 '''' Piezoelectric element 16 Energy supply unit 15 Insulating film 18 Processing unit 20, 22 Interdigital transducer (IDT)
24 external unit f1 first resonance frequency f2 second resonance frequency

Claims (37)

In a pressure sensor comprising a sensor chip having a substrate body provided with a recess, the recess formed by covering the recess with a pressure sensitive film,
A piezoelectric element is disposed in combination with the pressure sensitive membrane, the piezoelectric element being adapted to receive energy from an energy supply means such that sound waves are generated in the piezoelectric element, wherein the piezoelectric element is A pressure sensor arranged to generate an output signal representative of the pressure-sensitive membrane pressure in accordance with a measured property of a sound wave associated with displacement of the pressure-sensitive membrane.   The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric element is in the form of a resilient piezoelectric film arranged as a layer on the pressure sensitive film.   The pressure sensor according to claim 2, wherein the pressure sensitive film is attached to the substrate body, and the piezoelectric film is attached on the pressure sensitive film.   The pressure sensor according to claim 2, wherein the piezoelectric film is attached to the substrate body, and the pressure sensitive film is attached on the piezoelectric film.   The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric film is in the form of an elastic piezoelectric film which is the pressure sensitive film.   The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensitive film is made of silicon (Si).   6. The pressure sensor according to claim 2 or 5, wherein the energy is applied to and received from the piezoelectric film via a pair of interdigital transducers (IDT).   The pressure sensor according to claim 7, wherein the IDT is disposed on a side of the piezoelectric film facing the substrate body.   The pressure sensor according to claim 7, wherein the IDT is disposed on a side of the piezoelectric film not facing the substrate body.   The pressure sensor according to claim 7, wherein one of the IDTs is disposed on one side of the piezoelectric film and the other is disposed on the other side.   The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric element is a piezoelectric beam disposed on the pressure sensitive film.   The pressure sensitive film covering the recess is electrically insulated from the substrate body by an insulating film, and the piezoelectric element is a resonance circuit having a resonance frequency according to the pressure on the piezoelectric film on the pressure sensitive film and the substrate body. The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor is connected so as to form a capacitive pressure sensor.   The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric element and the pressure sensitive film are disposed on the same substrate body.   The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the pressure signal is derived by measuring a property of a bulk acoustic wave (BAW) through the piezoelectric element.   The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor is derived by measuring a property of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) on the piezoelectric element.   2. The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the pressure signal is derived by measuring a Lamb wave property of the piezoelectric element.   The pressure sensor of claim 1, wherein the measured property includes acoustic wave delay.   The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the measured property includes a change in a resonance frequency of a sound wave.   The pressure sensor of claim 1, wherein the cavity is sunk and the generated pressure signal then represents an absolute pressure. The pressure sensor according to claim 2, wherein the piezoelectric film is made of any one of PZT, ZnO, BaTiO _{3, and} ANI.   The pressure sensor according to claim 2, wherein the piezoelectric film has a thickness of less than 100 μm.   The pressure sensor according to claim 2, wherein the piezoelectric film has a thickness of 0.5 to 100 μm.   The pressure sensor according to claim 2, wherein the piezoelectric film has a thickness of about 1 μm.   The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor chip has a length of less than 5 mm, and a width and a thickness of less than 0.5 mm, respectively.   The pressure sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensor is adapted for in vivo measurement of biological pressure.   A sensor / insertion assembly (2) for measuring intravascular pressure in a living body, comprising an insertion means (4) and the pressure sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 25. Sensor / insert assembly.   27. The assembly is a guidewire assembly, comprising insertion means that is a core wire of the guidewire assembly, wherein the pressure sensor is disposed in a distal end region of the corewire. Sensor / insertion assembly according to 1.   27. The sensor and insertion assembly according to claim 26, wherein the energy supply means is connected to an electrical cable connected to an external energy generator.   27. The sensor / insert assembly according to claim 26, wherein the energy supply means is connected to an antenna for wireless connection to an external energy generator.   27. The sensor / insert assembly according to claim 26, wherein the energy supply means is connected to small battery means connected to the sensor chip.   27. The sensor and insertion assembly of claim 26, wherein the generated output signal is applied to a processing unit that determines pressure based on the nature of the output signal.   32. The sensor / insert assembly according to claim 31, wherein the processing unit is disposed on the substrate body.   32. The sensor and insertion assembly according to claim 31, wherein the generated output signal is wirelessly transmitted to the processing unit.   32. The sensor and insertion assembly according to claim 31, wherein the generated pressure signal is transmitted to the processing unit via an electrical cable.   32. The sensor / insert assembly according to claim 31, wherein the assembly comprises temperature compensation means for compensating for temperature fluctuations affecting the measurement.   The sensor / insert assembly according to claim 31, wherein the assembly further comprises temperature measuring means adapted to measure temperature in the living body.   The sensor chip (6) further comprises an additional piezoelectric element (14 ′ ″) in the form of a strip which is a temperature measuring means, and energy is applied to the additional piezoelectric element (14 ″ ″) in the IDT (20 37. The sensor and insertion assembly according to claim 36, wherein an output signal is obtained at the IDT (22) that is applied via the IDT and varies according to ambient temperature.

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