Highly Integrated Flow Sensor for a Sample Analysis System for Planetary Exploration

In this thesis, an integrated flow sensor for an optogalvanic spectrometer is studied. Optogalvanic spectroscopy can be used for carbon isotope analysis when, e.g., searching life in space. At the heart of the spectrometer is a microplasma source, in which the analysis is performed. This master thesis examines the possibilities to integrate a flow sensor inside the microplasma source, to be able to improve the isotopic analysis. The report covers design, manufacturing and evaluation of both the device and the experimental setup. The device was manufactured by milling and lamination of printed circuit board, in which both the plasma source and sensors were incorporated. The final results shows that the sensor had a linear and reliable flow response in a range between 1-15 sccm, and, quite surprisingly, that is simultaneously could measure the pressure in a range between 1-6 Torr. In other words, not only one but two sensors were integrated in the spectrometer at once. The work has been done at the Ångström Space Technology Center - a research group within the Department of Engineering Science at Uppsala University