Understanding Smart Sensors - Nomads.usp

Glossary 363spread spectrum technique used to reduce and avoid interference by takingadvantage of statistical means to send a signal between two points. A figure ofmerit for spread spectrum systems is “spreading gain” measured in decibels.The two types of commercial spread spectrum techniques are frequency hoppingand direct sequence.sputter semiconductor process to deposit a thin film of material, typically ametal, on the surfacesqueeze-film damping effect of ambient gases and spacing on the movementof micromachined structuresstability the ability of a sensor to retain specified characteristics after beingsubjected to designated environmental or electrical test conditionsstandard reference temperature the thermistor body temperature at whichnominal zero-power resistance is specified (e.g., 25°C)state machine logic circuitry that, when clocked, sequences through logicaloperations and can be a preprogrammed set of instructions or logic statesstiction static friction; the adhering of surface micromachined layers due tocapillary forces generated during wet etchingstorage temperature range the range of temperature between minimumand maximum that can be applied without causing the sensor (unit) to fail tomeet the specified operating characteristicssubmicron measurement of the geometries or critical spacing used for complex,highly integrated circuitssuperscalar the ability of an MPU to dispatch multiple instructions perclock from a conventional linear instruction streamsupply voltage (current) the voltage (current) applied to the positive andnegative (ground) terminalssurface micromachining a process for depositing and etching multiple layersof sacrificial and structural thin films to build complex microstructurestelemetry remote measurement that permits data to be interpreted at a distancefrom the detectortemperature coefficient of full-scale span the percentage change in thefull-scale span per unit change in temperature relative to the full-scale span at aspecified temperature