STMicroelectronics has introduced the market’s first MEMS water/liquid-proof absolute pressure sensor with a declared 10-year longevity program for the industrial market.
“With the spread of the Industrial Internet of Things, companies are seeking to gather data from throughout their operations, often in challenging environments both indoors and outdoors,” said Simone Ferri, General Manager, AMS MEMS Sub-Group, STMicroelectronics. “Our latest waterproof MEMS pressure sensors provide the environmental robustness needed to power digital transformation everywhere, with the long-term availability needed to protect customers’ designs.”
ST’s new ILPS28QSW sensor comes in a sealed, cylindrical, surface-mountable package. It features a ceramic substrate that provides high resistance to liquid permeability and a robust potting gel, proven in automotive applications, to protect the internal circuitry. The lid, made from high-grade surgical steel, is sealed with an o-ring and secured with epoxy adhesive. This unique package design ensures an ingress-protection rating of IP58 to withstand immersion in over one meter of water, certified according to IEC 60529 and ISO 20653. In addition, the sensor can sustain up to 10Bar over-pressure.
The ILPS28QSW provides absolute pressure readings, accurate to within 0.5hPa, with selectable full-scale range of 260-1260hPa and 260-4060hPa, and has a wide operating-temperature range, -40°C to 105°C. Its high accuracy and superior environmental robustness are suitable for applications such as gas and water metering equipment, weather monitors, air-conditioning smart filters, and home appliances.
Also featuring ST’s unique Qvar® electrostatic-charge sensing channel, the ILPS28QSW lets developers create additional value in their applications through features such as liquid leakage detection. Qvar combined with the pressure signal enables monitoring of both liquid level and even the tiniest of leaks in home appliances and industrial processes.
With operating current as low as 1.7µA allowing use in power-conscious applications, the ILPS28QSW integrates digital features that simplify system design and management. Temperature compensation, FIFO memory, and an I2C/MIPI-I3C digital communication interface are all built-in and the output data rate is selectable from 1Hz to 200Hz.
The ILPS28QSW is in production now, priced from $3.00 for orders of 1000 pieces.
