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Silicon Based Surface Acoustic Wave Gas Sensors

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Sensors and Sensory Systems for an Electronic Nose

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((NSSE,volume 212))

Abstract

Acoustic wave devices are attractive for chemical gas sensor applications. After a short historical overview, the physical and electronic aspects are treated. These include basic acoustic wave physics and electronics as well as design considerations for chemical sensors. Research on acoustic wave chemical sensors deals with the development of suitable chemical interfaces that transduce signals from the chemical domain to the physical domain as selectively as possible. Chemical interface design philosophies are explained. The second part of the paper deals with silicon-based surface acoustic wave chemical sensors for NO2. Such a sensor consisting of two identical Si-SiO2-ZnO layered delay-lines has been realised. Together with a dual automatic gain controlled amplifier a dual delay-line oscillator system is formed. Results of the system when used as a sensor for NO2 are presented. One of the delay-lines is covered with copper phthalocyanine as the chemical interface, grown by a physical vapour deposition technique. The experimental performance has been compared with previous results obtained with a similar chemical sensor system based on quartz. Parameters such as sensitivity, selectivity, drift, response time and noise have been examined. Furthermore, a beneficial effect of a passivation layer was found on the response of the reference delay-line, i.e. a more passive reference delay-line was obtained. In contrast, a passivating silicon nitride layer within the measuring delay-line dramatically reduced chemical sensitivity.

Due to illness the author was unable to attend the NATO ARW.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Prins Maurits Laboratory TNO, P O Box 45, 2280 AA, Rijswijk, The Netherlands

    M. S. Nieuwenhuizen & A. J. Nederlof

Authors
  1. M. S. Nieuwenhuizen
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  2. A. J. Nederlof
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK

    Julian W. Gardner

  2. School of Chemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK

    Philip N. Bartlett

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© 1992 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Nieuwenhuizen, M.S., Nederlof, A.J. (1992). Silicon Based Surface Acoustic Wave Gas Sensors. In: Gardner, J.W., Bartlett, P.N. (eds) Sensors and Sensory Systems for an Electronic Nose. NATO ASI Series, vol 212. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-7985-8_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-7985-8_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-4150-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-015-7985-8

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