Towards a fully integrated electronic nose SoC

Electronic noses (e-nose) have been studied for several years and extensively applied; however, they are limited by their volume and high manufacturing cost. Portable devices have become popular in recent years; therefore, it is crucial to integrate e-noses in portable devices (e.g., mobile phones). This study used TSMC 90nm 1P9M CMOS MSG technology to develop a front-end system-on-chip (SoC) for an electronic nose. The SoC contained interdigitated electrodes, multi-channel sensor interface circuits, an analog to digital converter, and a digital continuous restricted Boltzmann machine (CRBM). Various conducting-polymer materials were titrated on the interdigitated electrodes to form an on-chip sensor array. This SoC was controlled through an external microcontroller to perform odor identification and analysis. The simulation results of the SoC and gas classification show that this chip is suitable for portable applications and further integration.