Position sensing is one of the most important tasks in the industrial manufacturing of goods and materials. Position sensing can take on a variety of forms and is used in the measurement of a wide range of variables such as distance, speed, the number of revolutions per minute, orientation, identification, and in collision protection. Proximity sensors play a significant role and are used in a plethora of industries including agriculture, consumer goods, transportation, industrial processes, electrical services, medical, military and avionics. This research is aimed at improving the performance and manufacturability of inductive proximity sensors through the design and fabrication of coils using multilayer ceramic technologies common in the manufacturing of hybrid microelectronics components and circuits. As another alternative, multilayer structures utilizing polymer materials and fabrication techniques common to the printed circuit board (PCB) industry were also investigated. Manufacture of the coils utilizing ceramic and polymer materials and hybrid and PCB fabrication techniques would eliminate the problems of repeatability, and the placement and potting of the coil. The fabrication techniques also lend well to the mass production of the coils using techniques that are well established in the electronics industry. The overall result would be a planar inductor with high yield that is suitable for mass production.

Master of Science