Title :
A H2 microsensor based on nanocolumnar tungsten oxide grown by template-assisted anodization
Author :
Calavia, R. ; Mozalev, A. ; Kahtko, V. ; Gorokh, G. ; Vilanova, X. ; Correig, X. ; Gràcia, I. ; Cané, C. ; Llobet, E.
Author_Institution :
MINOS, Univ. Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
Abstract :
Sensors embedded in micro fuel cells can help in controlling some important parameters such as temperature, humidity or gas concentration. In this paper we introduce the fabrication procedure for MEMs-compatible nanocolumnar tungsten oxide gas microsensors and show the results of measuring their responses to H2, CO and humidity. Tungsten oxide nanoculumns were grown by smart anodization of Al/W layers on silicon micro-hotplate substrates. An excellent linear sensor response was observed for hydrogen in the 0-20 ppm concentration range and a low response to CO and moisture in the usual operating conditions of micro fuel cells. The sensors operated at moderate temperature due to the high surface-to-volume ratio and the nanostructured morphology of the sensing films.
Keywords :
anodisation; fuel cells; humidity; microfabrication; microsensors; nanofabrication; nanostructured materials; thin film sensors; tungsten compounds; H2 gas microsensor; MEMs-compatible nanocolumnar fabrication; Si; WO3Al-W-Si; gas concentration; humidity; micro fuel cells; nanocolumnar tungsten oxide growth; nanostructured morphology; sensing films; silicon microhotplate substrate; surface-to-volume ratio; template-assisted anodization; Fabrication; Fuel cells; Gas detectors; Humidity control; Humidity measurement; Intelligent sensors; Microsensors; Temperature control; Temperature sensors; Tungsten;
Conference_Titel :
Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems Conference, 2009. TRANSDUCERS 2009. International
Conference_Location :
Denver, CO
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-4190-7
Electronic_ISBN :
978-1-4244-4193-8
DOI :
10.1109/SENSOR.2009.5285872
