Stacked active thick film device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12529606-B2
Application number	US-202217948405-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2022
Priority date	Sep 24, 2021
Publication date	Jan 20, 2026
Grant date	Jan 20, 2026

Abstract

Disclosed is a stacked thick film device including a substrate, a first active element, a second active element, and an insulating dielectric layer separating the first active element and the second active element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A stacked thick film device, comprising:
a substrate; a first active element; a second active element; and an insulating dielectric layer separating the first active element and the second active element, wherein the insulating dielectric layer is a thermally homogenous film having a total fired thickness less than 50 microns and includes three layers with different orientations.

2 . The stacked thick film device of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a large format rigid engineered substrate.

3 . The stacked thick film device of claim 2 , wherein the large format rigid engineered substrate is ceramic.

4 . The stacked thick film device of claim 3 , wherein the large format rigid engineered substrate is a stabilized zirconia ceramic with 20 micro-inch Ra or smoother surface finish and a free-state flatness of less than 25 microns per 150 centimeters.

5 . The stacked thick film device of claim 1 , wherein the first active element includes a heater.

6 . The stacked film device of claim 5 , wherein the heater is a resistive film.

7 . The stacked thick film device of claim 6 , wherein the heater includes at least one high voltage resistive heating element.

8 . The stacked thick film device of claim 6 , wherein the resistive film is less than 15 microns thick.

9 . The stacked thick film device of claim 8 , wherein the resistive film includes a gold conductor having a fired thickness of 9 microns.

10 . The stacked thick film device of claim 1 , wherein the second active element includes at least one measurement element.

11 . The stacked thick film device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one measurement element is configured to be located at a heat transfer surface between a heat source and a cooling fluid.

12 . The stacked thick film device of claim 11 , wherein the at least one measurement element includes at least one measurement circuit configured to be in direct contact with a sensed environment.

13 . The stacked thick film device of claim 12 , wherein the at least one measurement circuit includes at least one temperature sensor.

14 . The stacked thick film device of claim 13 , wherein the at least one temperature sensor is a thermistor.

15 . The stacked thick film device of claim 13 , wherein the temperature sensor is configured to do at least one of:
measure temperature of an actively heated surface; detect boiling initiation at the heated surface; detect an onset of critical heat flux at the heated surface; and detect impingement of coolant droplets on the heated surface.

16 . The stacked thick film device of claim 15 , further comprising an array of temperature sensors.

17 . The stacked thick film device of claim 1 , wherein the first active element and the second active element are vertically collocated on the substrate.

18 . The stacked thick film device of claim 17 , further including an encapsulation film encapsulating the thick film device.

19 . A stacked thick film device, comprising:
a substrate; a first active element; a second active element; and an insulating dielectric layer separating the first active element and the second active element, wherein the insulating dielectric layer is a thermally homogenous film having a total fired thickness less than 50 microns, and the second active element includes a thermistor having a temporal response of approximately 6 microseconds or less.

20 . The stacked thick film device of claim 19 , wherein the thermistor is a film having a resistance between 25 kΩ and 60 kΩ at 21 degrees centigrade.

21 . The stacked thick film device of claim 20 , wherein the thermistor film has a minimal thermal mass and is up to 9 microns thick.

22 . A stacked thick film device, comprising:
a substrate; a first active element; a second active element; and an insulating dielectric layer separating the first active element and the second active element, wherein the insulating dielectric layer is a thermally homogenous film having a total fired thickness less than 50 microns, includes three layers with different orientations, and has a 1000 VDC minimum electrical breakdown strength.

Assignees

• Us Energy
• Us Dept Energy

Inventors

• Odell Randall N

Classifications

• G01K7/22 Primary

  the element being a non-linear resistance, e.g. thermistor (G01K7/26 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01K1/026

  arrangements for monitoring a plurality of temperatures, e.g. by multiplexing · CPC title

• G01K1/143 Primary

  for measuring surface temperatures · CPC title