A NEW METHOD FOR DETECTING VACUUM LEAKAGE OF A PRESSURE SENSOR USING A PULSE DISCHARGE TECHNIQUE

A new method for estimating the degree of vacuum of a pressure sensor has been proposed and demonstrated to be applicable for detecting vacu um leakage. The principle of this method is based on the discharge cha racteristics of Paschen's law. The shielding body case and the electro de terminals in the sensor are employed as the electrodes for the disc harge. The discharge potential is measured under a linearly increasing voltage supply, and from this value the pressure in the sensor is est imated. This method is very simple, offering nondestructive testing qu ality. The measurable range is between 80 and 200 Pa, which is an impo rtant pressure range for judging the occurrence of vacuum leakage in p ressure sensors.