Application Note: Automotive Sensors

50 years ago, "sensor technology" in a car was limited to a handful of mechanical, or at best, electromechanical instruments, such as tachometers or rev counters. In contrast, a modern car, has numerous microprocessor-controlled electronic sensors and actuators that carry out complex measurement, monitoring and control tasks. An indispensable tool in the development and production of these silent assistants are modern, non-contact optical metrology processes.

Modern sensor elements in cars have to a large extent been realized as micro-components, as so-called MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical- Systems). They compactly combine mechanical, electrical and also electronic functions on a chip. MEMS can thus interact with their environment as sensors or actuators. This means that a system based on MEMS technology can react electrically or mechanically to corresponding physical or chemical "stimulants".

As MEMS components in modern cars are increasingly taking on safety-relevant tasks, high sensor precision combined with extremely high, lifelong reliability is of decisive importance. To reach these quality targets, you need precise measurement technology to characterize and verify the system properties of prototypes during development, and for control measurements during MEMS production.

SOURCE: Polytec