WO2011058481A2 - Particle sensor - Google Patents
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- WO2011058481A2 WO2011058481A2 PCT/IB2010/054998 IB2010054998W WO2011058481A2 WO 2011058481 A2 WO2011058481 A2 WO 2011058481A2 IB 2010054998 W IB2010054998 W IB 2010054998W WO 2011058481 A2 WO2011058481 A2 WO 2011058481A2
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- charge
- airborne particles
- switch
- unit
- particle sensor
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N15/00—Investigating characteristics of particles; Investigating permeability, pore-volume, or surface-area of porous materials
- G01N15/02—Investigating particle size or size distribution
- G01N15/0266—Investigating particle size or size distribution with electrical classification
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N1/00—Sampling; Preparing specimens for investigation
- G01N1/02—Devices for withdrawing samples
- G01N1/22—Devices for withdrawing samples in the gaseous state
- G01N1/2247—Sampling from a flowing stream of gas
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- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Dispersion Chemistry (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
- Biochemistry (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Immunology (AREA)
- Pathology (AREA)
- Other Investigation Or Analysis Of Materials By Electrical Means (AREA)
- Sampling And Sample Adjustment (AREA)
Abstract
The invention relates to a particle sensor for sensing airborne particles, having an improved detection limit for particles larger than about 10 nm, so that it may be used in a clean room of ISO-3 Class standard or higher. The particle sensor (100) comprises an air inlet (110) for entry of an air flow (120) comprising the airborne particles (121), a charging unit (130) for electrically charging at least part of the airborne particles (121) to create electrically charged airborne particles (122), an electrically insulated filtration unit (140) for filtering the electrically charged airborne particles (122) at least partly from the air flow (120), a sensing unit (150) for generating a sensor signal (151) based on the amount of electrically charged airborne particles (122) filtered by the filtration unit (140), and an evaluation unit (160) for deriving, from the sensor signal (151), data relating to the electrically charged airborne particles (122) filtered from the air flow (120) by the filtration unit (140). According to the invention, the particle sensor (100) further comprises a switch (190) between the filtration unit (140) and the sensing unit (150), to enable the particle sensor (100) to be operated in a charge accumulation mode wherein the switch (190) is open during a charge accumulation time to accumulate electric charge in the filtration unit (140), and in a charge release mode wherein the switch (190) is closed during a charge release time to release the accumulated electric charge from the filtration unit (140) into the sensing unit (150), the charge accumulation time being larger than the charge release time by at least a factor of 10.
Description
Particle sensor
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a particle sensor for sensing airborne particles. The particle sensor comprises an air inlet for entry of an air flow comprising the airborne particles, a charging unit for electrically charging at least part of the airborne particles to create electrically charged airborne particles, an electrically insulated filtration unit for filtering the electrically charged airborne particles from the air flow, a sensing unit for generating a sensor signal based on the amount of electrically charged airborne particles filtered by the filtration unit, and an evaluation unit for deriving, from the sensor signal, data relating to the electrically charged airborne particles filtered from the air flow by the filtration unit.
The invention further relates to a switch for use in the particle sensor of the invention, and to a method for sensing airborne particles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the semiconductor manufacturing industry, feature sizes on integrated circuits have shrunk to less than several tens of nanometers, therefore any deposition of airborne particles with a size larger than about 10 nm on the integrated circuit substrates can be detrimental. In the context of this invention, the size of an airborne particle refers to its equivalent diameter. The equivalent diameter of a non-spherical particle is equal to the diameter of a spherical particle that exhibits identical properties to that of the investigated non-spherical particle.
The minimization of the airborne particle concentration in cleanrooms used for manufacturing nanometer-sized products such as integrated circuits, is of utmost importance for guaranteeing reliable manufacturing processes and for obtaining adequate product yields and product quality. The presence in the cleanroom of particle sensors that are capable of monitoring the airborne particle concentration is therefore most desirable for warning purposes and for the control of implemented measures, such as filtration and/or ventilation, to reduce the airborne particle concentration.
According to the cleanroom classification standard ISO 14644-1, one reaches the ISO-3 Class (equivalent to Class 1 of the FED STD 209E classification standard) when the airborne particle concentration for particles larger than 100 nm remains below 1000 particles per cubic meter. This translates in a maximum concentration of about 105 particles per cubic meter for particles larger than 10 nm.
It is known to detect the presence of airborne particles in a cleanroom by using an optical particle counter. However, optical particle counters suffer from the drawback that they are not capable of detecting airborne particles smaller than 100 nm. Therefore, when using an optical particle counter, the concentration of particles smaller than 100 nm remains unknown.
It is also known to detect the presence of airborne particles with an ultrafme particle sensor, such as disclosed in WO-2006/016346. This ultrafme particle sensor is capable of sensing airborne particles in a range of approximately 5 to 2500 nm.
The known ultrafme particle sensor comprises an ammeter that records an electric current, which constitutes the sensor signal representing the total amount of particle charge that deposits per unit time in a particle filter that is disposed in a Faraday cage inside the sensor. Prior to capture in the Faraday cage, the airborne particles are first electrically charged by means of an ionizing needle-tip electrode that is set at a sufficiently high voltage to ionize the air near the needle tip. The airborne particles are then electrically charged by means of diffusion charging by bringing them in contact with unipolar airborne ions that are repelled by the needle-tip electrode.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the known ultrafme particle sensor, an electric current of at least about 10~15 A (1 fA) can be measured. At a typical airflow through the particle sensor of 10 liter per minute (equivalent to 0.6 cubic meter per hour), and an achievable particle charge level according to p = 10·(ύ?ρ/300), wherein p represents the number of elementary particle charges on a particle of diameter dv (in nm), it can be readily derived that an electric current of 10~15 A is measured at a particle concentration of about 25· 106 particles per cubic meter at an average particle size of 50 nm.
The measuring sensitivity can be increased in direct proportion with the airflow through the particle sensor. However, this will normally be limited to a factor of about 10 to 100, as higher airflows are not desirable because of the increase in particle sensor volume, the larger required footprint, and the creation of air turbulences.
The maximum airflow through the known particle sensor will therefore be about 10 to 100 cubic meter per hour, resulting in a detection limit of about 106 particles per cubic meter, for particles larger than 10 nm.
For use in a cleanroom of ISO-3 Class standards or higher, the particle concentration detection limit needs to be improved (i.e. reduced) by at least a factor of 10, but preferably by a factor of 100 to 1000 so that it becomes possible to also detect airborne particles at very low particle concentration levels.
It is an object of the invention to provide a particle sensor for sensing airborne particles, having an improved particle concentration detection limit for particles larger than 10 nm.
According to the invention, the object is realized by a particle sensor according to the opening paragraph, that further comprises a switch between the filtration unit and the sensor unit, to enable the particle sensor to be operated in a charge accumulation mode wherein the switch is open during a charge accumulation time to accumulate electric charge in the filtration unit, and in a charge release mode wherein the switch is closed during a charge release time to release the accumulated electric charge from the filtration unit into the sensor unit, the charge accumulation time being larger than the charge release time, by at least a factor of 10.
The particle sensor according to the invention performs a method for sensing airborne particles, comprising a charging step, wherein electrically charged airborne particles are created by electrically charging at least part of the airborne particles in an air flow, a charge accumulation step, wherein electric charge is accumulated during a charge accumulation time by filtering the electrically charged airborne particles at least partly from the air flow, a charge release step, wherein the electric charge accumulated during the charge accumulation step is released during a charge release time, a sensing step, wherein a sensing signal is generated based on the amount of electric charge released during the charge release step, and an evaluation step, wherein data relating to the electrically charged airborne particles filtered from the air flow is derived, wherein the charge accumulation time is larger than the charge release time by at least a factor of 10.
By keeping the switch of the particle sensor open during the charge accumulation time (Tl), particle charge is allowed to accumulate inside the electrically insulated filtration unit. By subsequently closing the switch during the charge release time (T2), the accumulated electric charge is released through the sensing unit during this time period. The measured electric current pulse accounts for the total amount of electric charge
accumulated inside the filtration unit. The increase in measurement sensitivity due to this method for sensing airborne particles is then equal to at least a factor T1/T2, which is at least 10, but which can easily reach a magnitude of 100 to 1000.
Preferably, the particle sensor further comprises a pre-charge controller for applying a pre-charge voltage to the filtration unit, to enable the particle sensor to provide unambiguous and reliable results in situations wherein the filtration unit is not sufficiently charged by deposited electrically charged particles, for example in the case when the concentration of airborne particles is very low or close to zero. The pre-charge controller is preferably arranged to apply the pre-charge voltage via the switch 190.
In an embodiment of the particle sensor according to the invention, the switch is a thermal relay switch, which enables a very gentle opening and closing of electrical contacts, with reduced generation of electronic noise when measuring electric charges in the sub-picocoulomb regime.
A suitable thermal relay switch for use in the particle sensor according to the invention is a thermal relay switch comprising a fixed terminal and a movable terminal, the thermal relay switch having an open state wherein the fixed terminal and the movable terminal are separated by a gap, and a closed state wherein the fixed terminal and the movable terminal are in electrically conductive contact with each other, the thermal relay switch further comprising a terminal carrier carrying the movable terminal, the terminal carrier comprising a thermo -responsive material, such as Nylon, and a temperature variation unit for varying the temperature of the thermo-responsive material to move the movable terminal towards the fixed terminal to switch between the open state and the closed state.
Preferably, the terminal carrier of the thermal relay switch is provided on a first body, and the fixed terminal is provided on a second body, the first body and the second body being spaced apart by a spacer comprising the thermo-responsive material. In this way, the spacer will compensate for the change of the length of the terminal carrier when the ambient temperature changes, thereby keeping the gap between the movable terminal and the fixed terminal constant and independent of the ambient temperature.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 shows a schematic cross section of a particle sensor according to the invention.
Fig. 2 shows a schematic cross section of a thermal relay switch for use in a particle sensor according to the invention.
Fig. 3 schematically shows the method for sensing airborne particles that is performed by a particle sensor according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
Fig. 1 shows a schematic cross section of the particle sensor 100 according to the invention.
The particle sensor 100 comprises air inlet 110 for entry of air flow 120 comprising airborne particles 121.
The particle sensor 100 also comprises the charging unit 130, for electrically charging at least part of the airborne particles 121 to create electrically charged airborne particles 122. In this embodiment, the charging unit 130 comprises a corona discharge source 131, a porous screen electrode 132 at least partially surrounding the corona discharge source 131, a reference electrode 133 at least partially surrounding the porous screen electrode 132, and means 134 for applying an electric potential difference between the porous screen electrode 132 and the reference electrode 133. Particle charging occurs during passage of airborne particles in the air flow 120 through a conduit located between the porous screen electrode 132 and the reference electrode 133. By keeping the electric field between the porous screen electrode 132 and the reference electrode 133 preferably below 500 V/cm, particle charging occurs at a relatively low electric field strength, which warrants a minimal charging-induced loss of airborne particles (for example through deposition on the reference electrode 133) to occur inside the charging unit 130. Particle charging under these conditions is commonly referred to as particle diffusion charging. Other types of charging units would also be possible, such as a charging unit comprising a UV light source or through ionizing radiation. In less critical situations, wherein some loss of charged particles inside the charging unit 130 is tolerable, the porous screen electrode 132 may be omitted for reasons of simplicity and ease of construction.
The particle sensor 100 further comprises the electrically insulated filtration unit 140 for filtering the electrically charged airborne particles 122 at least partly from the air flow 120. In this embodiment, the filtration unit 140 comprises the particle filter 141 disposed within the electrically conductive Faraday cage 142. The particle filter 141 is capable of capturing at least part of the electrically charged airborne particles 122 from the air flow 120 passing through the Faraday cage 142. Other types of filtration units may also be used, such as a filtration unit comprising a parallel-plate precipitator that is arranged to
produce an electric field between its plates which is capable of precipitating at least part of all electrically charged airborne particles in an air flow passing between the plates.
Next, the particle sensor 100 comprises the sensing unit 150 for generating the sensor signal 151 based on the amount of electrically charged airborne particles 122 filtered by the filtration unit 140. For this purpose, the sensing unit 150 comprises the ammeter 152 which is capable of sensing the charge associated with electrically charged particles 122 that are captured by the filtration unit 140 from the air flow 120, the size of the captured electrically charged particles being in a range of approximately 10 nm to 2.5 μιη, preferably approximately 15 nm to 500 nm, most preferably approximately 20 nm to 300 nm.
The particle sensor 100 further comprises the evaluation unit 160 for deriving, from the sensor signal 151, data relating to the electrically charged airborne particles 122 filtered from the air flow 120 by the filtration unit 140. These data comprise information about the time-averaged concentration level of charged particles 122 in the air flow 120.
Additionally, the particle sensor 100 comprises the ventilator 170 for establishing the air flow 120, and the air outlet 180. Instead of a ventilator, another air displacement device may also be used, such as a pump or a heating element that is arranged to displace air by means of a thermal chimney effect caused by local differences in air density. An air displacement device does not have to be part of the particle sensor, but may also be located externally.
Next, the particle sensor 100 comprises the switch 190, that enables the particle sensor 100 to be operated in a charge accumulation mode wherein the switch 190 is open during a charge accumulation time Tl to accumulate electric charge in the filtration unit 140, and in a charge release mode wherein the switch 190 is closed during a charge release time T2 to release the accumulated electric charge from the filtration unit 140 into the sensing unit 150.
The charge accumulation time Tl and the charge release time T2 are predetermined time periods, wherein Tl is larger than T2, with the ratio T1/T2 being at least equal to 10. For this purpose, the switch 190 is controlled by the switch controller 191.
Preferably, the charge integration time Tl is much larger than the time it takes to close the switch 190, to reduce the measurement uncertainty.
The closing of the switch 190 is detected by switch controller 191 from recording the electric current that passes the sensing unit 150. When the electric current as measured by the ammeter 152 is detected to exceed a predetermined trigger level, the switch controller 191 "knows" that the switch 190 is closed. Following the charge release time T2,
the electric current is integrated up to the time when it has decreased to a value near zero, after which the switch controller 191 opens the switch 190 again.
Preferably a pre-charge voltage is applied to the filtration unit 140, for example when the particle sensor 100 is powered up, and at each time when during operation the switch controller 191 opens the switch 190. In this way, the closing of the switch 190 is also detected by switch controller 191 in a situation wherein the filtration unit 140 is not sufficiently charged by deposited electrically charged particles, for example in the case when the concentration of airborne particles is very low or close to zero. For this purpose, the particle sensor 100 comprises the pre-charge controller 143 arranged to provide the pre- charge voltage 144 to the Faraday cage 142 of the filtration unit 140.
Alternatively to what is shown in Figure 1, the pre-charge voltage 144 may be provided to the Faraday cage 142 via the switch 190. In this configuration, during operation of the particle sensor 100, the pre-charge voltage 144 is applied to the Faraday cage 142 when the switch 190 is closed. During application of the pre-charge voltage 144, the switch 190 will open, and the Faraday cage 142 remains pre-charged.
Preferably, the switch controller 191 comprises an additional electronic noise level detector. When the detected electronic noise level falls below a pre-set trigger level, the switch controller 191 unambiguously recognizes when the switch 190 is closed, independent of the charge level present in the filtration unit 140. This is because the self-generated electronic input noise of sensing unit 150 becomes reduced (i.e. electronically filtered) by the capacitance of the Faraday cage 142 when the Faraday cage 142 is electrically connected to the sensing unit 150 via the switch 190.
In case a charge level less than the imposed pre-charge level on the Faraday cage 142 is measured by the sensing unit 150 following closure of the switch 190, evidence is obtained about the occurrence of charge leakage from the filtration unit 140 during the period of time wherein the switch 190 is open, and a subsequent warning message may be issued by the evaluation unit 160. Charge leakage from the filtration unit 140 may be caused by spurious electrical conduction across electrical insulation material and can indicate contamination of the electrical insulation material or another undesirable electrical malfunctioning.
With the particle sensor 100, the total electric charge Q of the electrically charged particles that have deposited in the filtration unit 140 during the charge accumulation mode can be obtained by integrating the electric current I(t), and subsequently correcting for the applied pre-charge voltage 144 according to:
wherein Vis the magnitude of the pre-charge voltage 144, and C is the capacitance of the Faraday cage 142.
Fig. 2 shows a schematic cross section of the thermal relay switch 200, that can be used as the switch 190 in the particle sensor 100. Next to a thermal relay switch, other suitable switches may be used in a particle sensor according to the invention.
The thermal relay switch 200 comprises an enclosure 240, preferably an electrically conductive enclosure for shielding the interior from exposure to external electric fields, such as a steel enclosure.
The thermal relay switch 200 further comprises a movable terminal 210 and a fixed terminal 220, provided on electrically insulative mounts 211 and 221, respectively, to electrically isolate the terminals from the rest of the system. Preferably, the electrically insulative mounts 211 and 221 comprise sapphire but other electrically insulative materials may also be used. The movable terminal 210 may be for electrical connection to the sensing unit 150, and the fixed terminal 220 for electrical connection to the filtration unit 140 (or vice versa). The movable terminal 210 and the fixed terminal 220 may be gold-plated copper terminals.
Fig. 2 shows an open state of the thermal relay switch 200, wherein the movable terminal 210 and the fixed terminal 220 are separated by a gap of, for example, 100 μιη. In a closed state of the thermal relay switch 200, the movable terminal 210 and the fixed terminal 220 are in electrically conductive contact with each other. Preferably, the movable terminal 210 and the fixed terminal 220 are both provided with a spherically-shaped electrically conductive tip with a diameter of about 2 mm to obtain a well-defined contact point between the terminals 210 and 220 when they are in the closed state.
The thermal relay switch 200 also comprises the terminal carrier 230, carrying the movable terminal 210. The terminal carrier 230 preferably comprises Nylon, but other suitable thermo -responsive materials may also be used.
The thermal relay switch 200 further comprises a temperature variation unit in the form of the heating coil 232. When a voltage is provided to the heating coil 232, its temperature, and consequently that of the Nylon in the terminal carrier 230, will be increased. While heating up, the terminal carrier 230 will elongate in a direction from the second end
232 to the first end 231. In other words, upon heating of the terminal carrier 230, the first end 231 will move away from the second end 232, so that the gap between the movable terminal 210 and the fixed terminal 220 will be closed to bring the terminals into electrically conductive contact with each other, thereby switching the thermal relay switch 200 from the open state to the closed state. After removing the voltage from the heating coil 232, the Nylon in the terminal carrier 230 will cool down, and the terminal carrier will return to its original shape. In other words, while cooling down the first end 231 will move towards the second end 232, thereby breaking the electrically conductive contact between the movable terminal 210 and the fixed terminal 220, and switching the thermal relay switch 200 back into its open state. Instead of the heating coil 232, any other suitable temperature variation unit may be used. For example, an electrical heating element may also be incorporated inside a terminal carrier.
Via the sapphire mount 221, the fixed terminal 220 is mounted on a first body in the form of the steel bridge 250. The terminal carrier 230 is mounted on a second body in the form of the carrier plate 260. The steel bridge 250 and the carrier plate 260 are spaced apart by first and second spacers 270 and 280, respectively, each comprising Nylon.
With the terminal carrier 230 and the spacers 270 and 280 each comprising the same thermo -responsive material, viz. Nylon, they all have the same coefficient of thermal expansion, which is defined as the degree of expansion divided by the change in temperature. In this way, the spacers 270 and 280 will compensate for the change of the length of the terminal carrier 230 when the ambient temperature changes, thereby keeping the gap between the movable terminal 210 and the fixed terminal 220 constant and independent of the ambient temperature.
The particle sensor according to the invention performs a method for sensing airborne particles. This method is schematically illustrated in Fig. 3.
The method 300 comprises the charging step 310, wherein electrically charged airborne particles are created by electrically charging at least part of the airborne particles in an air flow, the charge accumulation step 320, wherein electric charge is accumulated during the charge accumulation time Tl by filtering the electrically charged airborne particles at least partly from the air flow, the charge release step 330, wherein the electric charge accumulated during the charge accumulation step is released during the charge release time T2, the sensing step 340, wherein a sensing signal is generated based on the amount of electric charge released in the charge release step 330, and the evaluation step 350, wherein data relating to the concentration level of electrically charged airborne particles filtered from
the air flow is derived. In the method 300, the charge accumulation time Tl is larger than the charge release time T2, by at least a factor of 10.
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.
Claims
1. A particle sensor (100) for sensing airborne particles (121), comprising:
an air inlet (110) for entry of an air flow (120) comprising the airborne particles (121),
a charging unit (130) for electrically charging at least part of the airborne particles (121) to create electrically charged airborne particles (122),
an electrically insulated filtration unit (140) for filtering the electrically charged airborne particles (122) at least partly from the air flow (120),
a sensing unit (150) for generating a sensor signal (151) based on the amount of electrically charged airborne particles (122) filtered by the filtration unit (140), and - an evaluation unit (160) for deriving, from the sensor signal (151), data relating to the electrically charged airborne particles (122) filtered from the air flow (120) by the filtration unit (140),
characterized in that the particle sensor (100) further comprises a switch (190) between the filtration unit (140) and the sensing unit (150), to enable the particle sensor (100) to be operated in a charge accumulation mode wherein the switch (190) is open during a charge accumulation time to accumulate electric charge in the filtration unit (140), and in a charge release mode wherein the switch (190) is closed during a charge release time to release the accumulated electric charge from the filtration unit (140) into the sensing unit (150), the charge accumulation time being larger than the charge release time by at least a factor of 10.
2. The particle sensor (100) according to claim 1, further comprising a pre-charge controller (143) for applying a pre-charge voltage (144) to the filtration unit (140).
3. The particle sensor (100) according to claim 2, wherein the pre-charge controller (143) is arranged to apply the pre-charge voltage (144) via the switch 190.
4. The particle sensor (100) according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the switch
(190) is a thermal relay switch.
5. Thermal relay switch for use in the particle sensor of claim 4, comprising a fixed terminal and a movable terminal, the thermal relay switch having an open state wherein the fixed terminal and the movable terminal are separated by a gap, and a closed state wherein the fixed terminal and the movable terminal are in electrically conductive contact with each other, the thermal relay switch further comprising a terminal carrier carrying the movable terminal, the terminal carrier comprising a thermo -responsive material, and a temperature variation unit for varying the temperature of the thermo-responsive material to move the movable terminal towards the fixed terminal to switch between the open state and the closed state.
6. The thermal relay switch according to claim 5, wherein the terminal carrier is provided on a first body, and the fixed terminal is provided on a second body, the first body and the second body being spaced apart by a spacer comprising the thermo-responsive material.
7. The thermal relay switch according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the thermo- responsive material is Nylon.
8. Method (300) for sensing airborne particles, comprising:
- a charging step (310), wherein electrically charged airborne particles are created by electrically charging at least part of the airborne particles in an air flow,
a charge accumulation step (320), wherein electric charge is accumulated during a charge accumulation time (Tl) by filtering the electrically charged airborne particles at least partly from the air flow,
- a charge release step (330), wherein the electric charge accumulated during the charge accumulation step (320) is released during a charge release time (T2),
a sensing step (340), wherein a sensing signal is generated based on the amount of electric charge released in the charge release step (330), and
an evaluation step (350), wherein data relating to the electrically charged airborne particles filtered from the air flow is derived,
wherein the charge accumulation time (Tl) is larger than the charge release time (T2) by at least a factor of 10.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP09175539 | 2009-11-10 | ||
| EP09175539.7 | 2009-11-10 |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
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| WO2011058481A2 true WO2011058481A2 (en) | 2011-05-19 |
| WO2011058481A3 WO2011058481A3 (en) | 2011-07-14 |
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Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2010/054998 WO2011058481A2 (en) | 2009-11-10 | 2010-11-04 | Particle sensor |
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| WO (1) | WO2011058481A2 (en) |
Citations (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2006016346A1 (en) | 2004-08-11 | 2006-02-16 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. | Air pollution sensor system |
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| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US2308522A (en) * | 1939-08-22 | 1943-01-19 | Tung Sol Lamp Works Inc | Thermal relay switch |
| US4556849A (en) * | 1983-03-01 | 1985-12-03 | Vsesojuzny Nauchno-Issledovatelsky Institut Nerudnykh Stroitelnykh Materialov Gidromekhanizatsii | Apparatus for measuring the grain-size composition of powders |
| DE3907387A1 (en) * | 1989-03-08 | 1990-09-13 | Singer Hermann | METHOD FOR MEASURING PARTICLES IN POLYDISPERSE SYSTEMS AND OF PARTICLE CONCENTRATIONS OF MONODISPERS AEROSOLS AND MEASURING DEVICE FOR IMPLEMENTING THE METHOD |
| DE19517314A1 (en) * | 1995-05-04 | 1996-11-07 | Brose Fahrzeugteile | Thermal relay for excess current and temp control |
| EP1924836B1 (en) * | 2005-06-28 | 2017-11-29 | Koninklijke Philips N.V. | Ultra fine particle sensor |
| US20080105567A1 (en) * | 2006-11-08 | 2008-05-08 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Sensing device and method |
| KR20090125114A (en) * | 2007-03-15 | 2009-12-03 | 니뽄 가이시 가부시키가이샤 | Particulate matter detection device and particulate matter detection method |
| EP2223079B8 (en) * | 2007-12-12 | 2020-04-01 | Koninklijke Philips N.V. | Device for characterizing a size distribution of electrically-charged airborne particles in an air flow |
| FI20080182A0 (en) * | 2008-03-04 | 2008-03-04 | Navaro 245 Oy | Measurement method and apparatus |
-
2010
- 2010-11-04 WO PCT/IB2010/054998 patent/WO2011058481A2/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2006016346A1 (en) | 2004-08-11 | 2006-02-16 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. | Air pollution sensor system |
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| WO2011058481A3 (en) | 2011-07-14 |
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