SOI CMOS gas sensors

In this paper we review the development of CMOS compatible gas sensors, introduce the recent concept of SOI smart gas sensors, and discuss in detail the advantages/disadvantages of micromachined SOI technology compared to bulk technology. We begin by discussing the concept of integrated sensors and the need for low-cost, reliable and battery-operated gas-sensing systems. We continue with a review of the main types of CMOS-compatible gas sensors together with their advantages/drawbacks and future challenges. We introduce SOI technology and describe its importance in microelectronics followed by a detailed discussion of its use as a generic platform technology for gas sensors. Finally, we present a brief report on our novel approach to making high-temperature low-power (HTLP) SOI gas sensors using CMOS micro-FET heaters.