PIEZOCRYST: Advanced Sensorics GmbH

June 2007

With the launch of our bi-annual newsletter, we would like to take the opportunity to announce a number of exciting sensor developments and co-operations with our new partners. Together with Virginia Beach Sensors and Hottinger Baldwin Messtechnik two completely new areas of application in the coating technology and in the industrial force sensor technology are now available.

Co-Operation on Piezoelelectric Force Sensors

Piezocryst and HBM recently announced an alliance in development and distribution of piezoelectric force sensors for industrial production monitoring. In this cooperation Piezocryst develops and manufactures dynamic force sensors, which are distributed exclusively under the HBM label. For the market, this alliance offers a greater selection from the extended technology portfolio and custom-made solutions with proven HBM quality.

New Family of High Pressure Sensors

The long term co-operation of Piezocryst and HPI High Pressure Instrumentation resulted in an entirely new family of ballistic pressure sensors. Recently they were introduced to the market and raised a lot of interest not only in NATO's professional groups. The family consists of three sensors ranging up to 2000, 6000 and 8000 bar, each of them comprising distinct features that help to overcome existing limitations.

Miniaturised Cavity Pressure Sensors

Even smaller injection molding sensors with 1.8mm and 2.5mm diameters have been added to our well proven sensor family with front diameters of 2.5 and 4 mm. These sensors allow for positioning in places that so far have been inaccessible. For the first time sensors of these dimensions provide an automated sensitivity detection and a mechanical decoupling from the respective mounting bore.

Extending the Boundaries of Conventional Thin Film Monitoring

The use of quartz crystals microbalances (QCMs) to monitor the deposition of thin films in vacuum processes has been an industry norm since years. Due to its frequency-temperature behavior, however, quartz is limited to operating temperatures of approx. 100 ºC. With the invention of single crystal gallium orthophosphate (GaPO4) this temperature limit had been raised, to a practical operating ceiling of 800ºC.