Temperature sensor readout circuit for microheaters

Abstract

This paper analyzes power consumption of microelectromechanical-system (MEMS) heater design in combination with Negative Temperature Coefficient (NTC) thermistor in Wheatstone bridge circuit. The simulation of heater design is carried out based on the minimal power usage depends on heater shape, resistance and current supply. Temperature measurement of the heater is recorded through resistive sensor, which is NTC thermistor. Resistance value of thermistor is selected based on the heater design parameters. For temperature readout circuit, NTC thermistor and heater is combined together in Wheatstone bridge. Results show that by using Wheatstone bridge principle, it offers the simplest and low cost application especially for microheater gas sensor array design.