An optimized microelectromechanical systems Pirani sensor with increased sensitivity for pressure measurements in the fine and high vacuum regime (from 100 to 10−6 Torr) is presented. Theoretical calculations of the signal voltage as a function of pressure are in good agreement with the measured voltage–pressure response. Fabrication technologies, design optimization using thermal modeling and finite element method simulations, and measurement results are presented.

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A method for measuring the thermal accommodation coefficient α for surface-/gas interfaces is presented. It allows the determination of α for thin films produced by a variety of deposition technologies, such as chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, and atomic layer deposition (ALD). The setup is based on two microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) Pirani sensors facing each other in a defined positioning. Because these MEMS sensors show a very high sensitivity in their individual molecular flow regimes, it is possible to measure the accommodation coefficients of gases without the disturbing influence of the transition regime. This paper presents the analytical background and the actual measurement principle. The results for air and nitrogen molecules on sputtered Au and Pt surfaces are presented.

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