Study of pulsed operating mode of a microstructured pellistor to optimize sensitivity and poisoning resistance

Pellistors based on micro hotplates realized using MEMS technology have been studied for a long time but are only now commercially available. These sensors offer additional potential for improved performance, in terms of sensitivity and selectivity but also to improve stability by reducing poisoning effects by making use of their short thermal time constants to identify an optimal pulsed operating mode. In this contribution, first results of a comprehensive study to optimize the sensor performance by temperature cycled operation are presented, which indicate the great potential of this approach also for pellistor sensors.