Gas chemical sensors

Yusheng (Alvin) Zhou

School of Materials Science and
Engieering
04/07/2014
ECE 6200
2
Outline
Background
Working mechanisms of gas sensors
Structures of MEMS based sensors
Advanced nanostructure to enhance sensitivity
References




3
Gas sensors and their applications
Combustible &
Flammable (eg. C
x
H
x
,
H
2
, CO)

Toxic (eg. NH
3
, H
2
S,
NOx)

Oxygen (O
2
)

Pollution (eg. Freon,
SO
2
, CO
2
)
Gas sensors measure the concentration of certain gases
4
Working mechanisms
T. Nakahara, Development of gas sensors and cultivation of
new markets for air quality, in: Proceedings of the 38th
Chemical Sensor
Symposium, 2004, p. 73.
Mechanisms
Optical
Absorbance, reflectance, luminescence, fluorescence, refractive index
etc.
Electrochemical

Electrochemical reactions occurring at a sensing electrode and changes
the electric signal in proportional to concentration
Electrical
The change of electrical properties caused by the interaction of the
analyte. Ig. carrier concentration in semiconductors
Mechanical
(Mass sensitive)
Transform the mass change of the gas to a change in the sensors
mechanical properties. Eg. resonant frequency of a cantilever beam
Others Thermoconductivity, magnetic, thermoelectric, etc.
5
Opticalinfrared gas sensing
Pros: very high selectivity
Cons: complex structure, high cost
Each gas specie has its own absorption spectrum
6
Electrochemical-- solid-state galvanic cells
Pros: low power requirements, excellent repeatability and accuracy
Cons: Solid electrolyte materials (ionic conductors ) are not
commonly used in microfabrication, short life span
Na + NO
2
+ 0.5 O
2
= NaNO
3

(350C)
Generic structure NO
2
sensor
7
Electricalconductivity or work function
Semiconductor metal oxide sensor

(Eg. Pd, Pt)
Metalinsulatorsemiconductor transistor
Pros: Simpler fabrication, high sensitivity, low cost
Cons: Longer response time and high operating temperature (300-500 C)
c is the concentration of the target gas, K is a
measurement constant, and n has values between 0.3
and 0.8. The positive sign is used for oxidizing gases
and the negative sign for reducing gases.
(Eg. SnO
2
)
8
Mechanical cantilever mass sensor
Materials from bottom to top:
SiO
2
, Si
3
N
4
, Ti/Pt, PZT, Pt/Ti, SiO
2
and Au
Zeolite (MFI) is deposited for detecting Freon
Pros: Can be potentially highly sensitive with smaller beam
Cons: Needs external system to detect cantilever deflection
9
Advanced structures for electrical
approaches
Nanostructures (CNT, nanowires ) based (Conductivity or FET)
Porous silicon
Large surface area enhance the gas absorption and thus sensitivity
(below 1 ppm)
10
References
T. Hbert, et al. Hydrogen sensors A review, Sensors and Actuators B, 157 (2011) 329352
M. Noro, K. Suzuki, N. Kishi, H. Hara, T. Watanabe, H. Iwaoka,CO
2
/H
2
O gas sensor using a
tunable Fabry-Perot lter with wide wavelength range, in: Proceedings of the 16th IEEE Annual
International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, Kyoto,Japan, January 1923,
2003, pp. 319322.
Karin Potje-Kamloth, Semiconductor Junction Gas Sensors. Chemical Reviews, 2008, Vol. 108,
No. 2
MEMS based sensor for in-door environment applications
G. Korotcenkov & B. K. Cho Porous Semiconductors: Advanced Material for Gas Sensor
Applications, Critical Reviews in Solid State and Materials Sciences, 35:1, 1-37, (2010)
N. S. Ramgir, Y. Yang and M. Zacharias. Nanowire-Based Sensors. Small 2010, 6, No. 16,
17051722
Eric L. Brosha, Rangachary Mukundan, and Fernando H. Garzon. YSZ-Based Mixed Potential
Sensors for the Detection of Explosives. Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters, 11,12, 92-95
2008
Dentcho V. Ivanov. Advanced Sensors for Multifunctional Applications. JOM-e, 52 (10) (2000)
Marisa Luisa Grilli, etc. Electrochemical NO
x
Sensors Based on Interfacing Nanosized
LaFeO
3
Perovskite-Type Oxide and Ionic Conductors J. Electrochem. Soc. 2001, 148, 9, H98-
H102
Jia Zhou, etc. Self-excited piezoelectric microcantilever for gas detection. Microelectronic
Engineering, Volume 69, Issue 1, August 2003, Pages 3746

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QUESTIONS ?
THANK YOU!
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Mechanical Acoustic gas sensors

Cons: very vulnerable to interference from coexisting gases,
including humidity.