Monolithic CMOS multi-transducer gas sensor microsystem for organic and inorganic analytes

A monolithically integrated multi-transducer microsystem to detect organic and inorganic gases is presented. The system comprises two polymer-based sensor arrays based on capacitive and gravimetric transducers, a metal-oxide-based sensor array, the respective driving and signal processing electronic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sensors and actuators. B, Chemical Chemical, 2007-10, Vol.126 (2), p.431-440
Main Authors: Li, Y., Vancura, C., Barrettino, D., Graf, M., Hagleitner, C., Kummer, A., Zimmermann, M., Kirstein, K.-U., Hierlemann, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actuators
Cantilever
Capacitor
Chips
CMOS
Electronics
Gas sensor
Humidity
Metal oxide
Microhotplate
Micromachining
Multi-transducer system
Polymer
Sensor arrays
Sensors
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Summary:A monolithically integrated multi-transducer microsystem to detect organic and inorganic gases is presented. The system comprises two polymer-based sensor arrays based on capacitive and gravimetric transducers, a metal-oxide-based sensor array, the respective driving and signal processing electronics and a digital communication interface (see the first figure). The chip has been fabricated in industrial 0.8-μm, complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology with subsequent post-CMOS micromachining. The simultaneous detection of organic and inorganic target analytes with the single chip multi-transducer system has been demonstrated. The system is very flexible and can provide different information of interest: the capacitive sensors can, e.g., act as humidity sensors to deal with the cross-sensitivity of the metal-oxide-based sensors to water, or the capacitive sensors can be coated with differently thick polymer layers to detect organic volatiles even in a background of water. The multi-transducer approach provides a wealth of information that can be used to improve the system discrimination capability and performance in gas detection.
ISSN:0925-4005
1873-3077
DOI:10.1016/j.snb.2007.03.035