Room temperature hydrogen gas sensor nanocomposite based on Pd-decorated multi-walled carbon nanotubes thin films

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are successfully processed in the form of thin films (buckypapers), and their morphology and electrical behaviour are characterized. The MWCNTs are synthesized by the floating catalyst chemical vapour deposition process. The effects of a sequence of treatments applied for MWCNTs purification on the buckypapers electrical behaviour are also examined. Nanocomposite thin films constituted of pristine and purified MWCNTs and Pd nanoparticles are prepared in order to evaluate their viability as H₂ sensors at room temperature. For this purpose, the electrical resistance of the nanocomposite films in atmospheres with different H₂ concentrations, is determined. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images show that the buckypapers and the nanocomposite films are 2D structures constituted by randomly oriented MWCNTs. The buckypapers present a semiconductor-like electrical behaviour as determined by the standard four point method. Room temperature resistivity values of around 10⁻³ Ω m are assessed. Nanocomposite films show different electrical behaviour depending on the purification treatment applied to the MWCNTs employed. Furthermore, the electrical resistance of the nanocomposite films is found to increase when the measurements are performed in H₂ atmosphere. Values of H₂ sensitivity at room temperature of the nanocomposite films up to 2.15% are determined for H₂ average concentration higher than 350 ppm with short recovery time.     

Synthesis of ScAlN thin films on Si (100) substrates at room temperature

Microsystem Technologies - Scandium aluminum nitride alloy (ScAlN) thin films have been synthesized using reactive sputtering of a scandium aluminum alloy (Sc0.40Al0.60) target on Si (100)...     

Influence of sputtering power on properties of ZnO thin films fabricated by RF sputtering in room temperature

High mobility and c-axis orientated ZnO thin films were deposited on glass substrates using RF sputtering method at room temperature.Structural properties of ZnO thin films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD).Surface morphology and roughness were studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM).Electrical properties were measured at room temperature using a Hall effect measurement system.The influence of sputtering power on characteristics of ZnO thin films is studied.The results indicate that the sputtering powers have great influence on the crystal quality and mobility of ZnO thin films.By using optimized sputtering conditions,high crystal quality ZnO thin films with Hall mobility of 34 cm 2 /V·s at room temperature were obtained.     

Gas sensing properties of ZnO thin films prepared by microcontact printing

In situ patterned zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were prepared by precipitation of Zn(NO₃)₂/urea aqueous solution and by microcontact printing of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on Al/SiO₂/Si substrates. The visible precipitation of Zn(OH)₂ from the urea containing Zn(NO₃)₂ solution was enhanced by increasing the reaction temperature and the amount of urea. The optimized condition for the ZnO thin films was found to be the Zn(NO₃)₂/urea ratio of 1/8, the precipitation temperature of 80 °C, the precipitation time of 1 h and the annealing temperature of 600 °C, respectively. SAMs are formed by exposing Al/SiO₂/Si to solutions comprising of hydrophobic octadecylphosphonic acid (OPA) in tetrahydrofuran and hydrophilic 2-carboxylethylphosphonic acid (CPA) in ethanol. The ZnO thin film was then patterned with the heat treatment of Zn(OH)₂ precipitated on the surface of hydrophilic CPA. The ZnO gas sensor was exposed to different concentrations of C₃H₈ (5000 ppm), CO (250 ppm) and NO (1000 ppm) at elevated temperatures to evaluate the gas sensitivity of ZnO sensors. The optimum operating temperatures of C₃H₈, CO and NO gases showing the highest gas sensitivity were determined to be 350, 400 and 200 °C, respectively.     

Synthesis of ZnO thin films and their application as humidity sensors

Humidity sensors were fabricated using ZnO thin films synthesized on a Si wafer substrate. The ZnO thin films were grown via a vapor solid (VS) approach at temperatures ranging from 400 to 700 °C. Experiments were executed to observe the relationships between the relative humidity (RH) and resistance of these devices fabricated under various VS temperatures. Experimental results show that the ZnO thin films grown at a temperature of 700 °C using the VS approach exhibits an optimum sensitivity to humidity. The measured sensor resistance ranges from 495 × 10⁶ to 46 × 10³ Ω for RH ranging from 11 to 95 % at room temperature. The variance of sensor resistance exceeds 10⁴ times, indicating that the proposed method can produce a highly sensitive humidity sensor.     

Effect of Mg doping on the hydrogen-sensing characteristics of ZnO thin films

Undoped ZnO and Mg_0.1Zn_0.9O films, both with good crystalline quality and smooth surface, were grown on c-cut sapphire by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. Hydrogen-sensing measurements indicated that the MZO film showed much higher H₂ sensing performance than the undoped ZnO film did. The sensor response is 2.9 for undoped ZnO film to 5000 ppm H₂ at 300 °C. The gas response increased to about 50 for the MZO film measured under the same condition. To understand the enhancement of the sensing performances of the MZO film, the gas sensing mechanism of the films was proposed and discussed.     

Ammonia sensing properties of polypyrrole thin films at room temperature

Polypyrrole thin films were synthesized in situ by chemical polymerization. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed formation of polypyrrole. The morphological studies by scanning electron microscopy showed formation of uniform granular structure with average grain size of 0.6 μm. The film composition was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for chemical composition in polypyrrole film. These films were investigated for their sensing behaviour towards NH₃ and NO at room temperature. It has been observed that these films are selective for NH₃ and the sensitivity exhibited a linear response in range of 4-80 ppm.     

CeO2掺杂对ZnO薄膜气敏特性的影响

ZnO薄膜进行CeO2掺杂,研究掺杂含量和热氧化对薄膜结构、表面、晶粒尺寸及气敏特性的影响.结果显示,用热蒸发制备的高纯Zn膜经500℃热氧化,获得c轴取向ZnO多晶薄膜.掺CeO2可抑制晶粒生长使颗粒细化平均粒径减小,同时改善了ZnO薄膜的体相化学计量比,Zn与O的比例从未掺杂时1∶1.28降到1∶1.191.XPS...     

Piezoelectric properties of microfabricated (K,Na)NbO3 thin films

A novel microfabrication method of lead-free piezoelectric sodium potassium niobate [(K,Na)NbO₃, KNN] thin films was proposed, and the piezoelectric characteristics of the KNN microactuators were evaluated. The KNN thin films were directly deposited on microfabricated Si microcantilevers. The transverse piezoelectric coefficient d₃₁ of the KNN films was calculated as −53.5 pm/V at 20 V_pp from the tip displacement of the microcantilevers. However, the tip displacement showed large electric-field dependence because of the extrinsic piezoelectric effect, and the intrinsic piezoelectric effect of the KNN microcantilevers was smaller than that of KNN on unprocessed thick substrates. In contrast, the extrinsic piezoelectric effect was almost independent of the microfabrication of the KNN films.     

Interaction of thin films of hydroxo-oxobis(8-quinolyloxo) vanadium (V) with ammonia vapour

Hydroxo-oxobis(8-quinolyloxo) vanadium (V) organometallic complex has been prepared as thin films from dichloromethane solution by spin coating and the kinetics of its interaction with ammonia vapour is investigated using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique. Thin film parameters are deduced from SPR measurements as well as spectroscopic ellipsometry and UV–vis spectral absorption measurements. Initial exposure to ammonia vapour has resulted in a permanent change to the baseline of the measured kinetic response, which is explained by the formation of the ammonium salt of the complex. Further exposures to ammonia vapour after 24 h and beyond, are shown to be highly reversible, which can be ascribed to formation of hydrogen bonding of second ammonia molecule with the highly negatively charged ammonium salt of the vanadium complex. Exposures to other organic vapours such as ethanol, chloroform and benzene are also studied in order to examine the selectivity of this material to ammonia vapour.     

Sensing properties of chemically sprayed TiO2 thin films using Ni, Ir, and Rh as catalysts

The purpose of this work is double, to analyze the influence of (i) the addition of different catalysts and (ii) the implementation of different procedures to introduce them in the titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films, in order to improve the film sensitivity for detecting oxygen. For reaching these objectives, TiO₂ thin films were deposited on alumina substrates by the ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) technique employing titanium(IV) oxide acetylacetonate (TiO(acac)₂) as a titanium precursor, and pure methanol as a solvent. Iridium, nickel, and rhodium were the three catalysts used, which were incorporated by impregnation and USP onto the TiO₂ thin films surface. The electrical characterization, consisting in surface resistance measurements of the films, in a mixture of oxygen and zero-grade air, was performed using interdigitated gold electrodes contacted on the alumina substrates. From these, the film response or resistance change of the TiO₂ films was estimated. Single TiO₂ thin films measured at 400 °C displayed a response of the order of 0.02 and 0.18 to oxygen of 1000 and 10,000 ppm, respectively, whereas TiO₂ thin films using impregnated rhodium proved to have the highest response to O₂, with a value in the order of 2.5 to a concentration of 1000 ppm of O₂ diluted in zero-grade air at an optimal operating temperature of 250 °C.     

Fabrication and characteristics of ZnO thin films deposited by RF sputtering on plastic substrates for flexible display

ZnO thin films were successfully grown on flexible plastic substrates using radio-frequency mag-netron sputtering method at room temperature.The effects of the sputtering power on the quality of the ZnO films have been investigated.The results show that thin films were polycrystalline,with wurtzite structure and a strong preferred c-axis orientation (002).The root-mean-square (rms) surface roughness of the ZnO thin films is 22.1 nm.The ZnO thin films fabricated by sputtering with 70 W sputtering power have a high mobility of 34.33 cm 2 /V·s.The ZnO films are shown to be compatible with flexible display on plastic substrates.     

钼掺杂降低TiO2氧敏薄膜最佳工作温度研究

用直流反应磁控溅射法在陶瓷基片上制备出TiO2薄膜.并进行1100℃,2h的退火处理.配置钼酸铵溶液,利用浸渍法处理TiO2薄膜若干时间.取出后,进行500℃,3h退火处理.用气敏测试箱对制备出的TiO2薄膜的氧敏特性进行试验测试,发现对氧气有很好的敏感特性,比未经此项工艺处理的TiO2薄膜的最佳工作温度降低100℃,为300℃左右,并进行SEM测试,分析其表面结构,研究气敏机理.     

Magnetic properties of Dy(Tb)Co/Cr thin films for hybrid recording

The magnetic properties of a DyCo layer with and without a Cr underlayer has been investigated. Optimal sputtering conditions of TbCo/Cr films for higher coercivity have been researched. Magnetron sputtering was used here to produce Cr/Dy(Tb)Co _x /Cr films on glass substrates. It was found that both the magnetic and the Cr underlayer thickness could influence the coercivity of DyCo films. A coercivity as high as 3,500 Oe was obtained in 255 nm Dy₃₁Co₆₉ films with a 65 nm thick Cr underlayer, but it was only about 2,000 Oe for the same thickness Dy₃₁Co₆₉ films without Cr underlayer. The Cr underlayer thickness was varied in the range 16–330 nm to study its effect on magnetic properties in the films. Under optimal sputtering conditions, a coercivity as high as 6.5 kOe was obtained in TbCo/Cr films. The results indicate that Cr underlayers are suitable for DyCo layers in order to increase the coercivity and the Dy(Tb)Co/Cr film are good candidates for high density recording media.     

Studies on SiC, DLC and TiO2 thin films as piezoresistive sensor materials for high temperature application

The use of thin films as sensing elements for microsensor applications has been shown very attractive due to their low-cost fabrication, potential for integration with standard CMOS technologies and possibility of deposition on different substrate types. In particular, piezoresistive sensors based on thin films have been commonly developed because can be easily implemented using microfabrication processes and present the best relation between sensitivity and system complexity, which showing great advantages in term of device integration. In our previous works (Fraga et al. 2010, 2011a), we studied undoped and nitrogen-doped PECVD a-SiC thin films as alternative materials to replace the silicon piezoresistors in strain and pressure sensors for harsh environments. Here, we focused our attention on the piezoresistive properties of sputtered silicon carbide (SiC), diamond-like carbon (DLC) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films. These materials were evaluated in terms of sensitivity or gauge factor and of the influence of the temperature on this sensitivity, allowing a preliminary analysis of the applicability of these thin films in high temperature piezoresistive sensors.     

Ozone and gamma radiation sensing properties of In2O3:ZnO:SnO2 thin films

Both gamma radiation and ozone sensing properties of mixed oxides in the form of thin films are explored. External effects, such as radiation and ozone, cause defects in the materials it interacts with and, consequently, it causes changes in their properties. These changes manifest themselves as the alterations in both the electrical and the optical parameters, which are being measured and employed for dosimetry sensor development. An Edwards E306A thermal coating system was used for In₂O₃:ZnO:SnO₂ (90%:5%:5%) films deposition. For the electrical properties measurements, Cu electrodes were manufactured on the glass substrate via thermal evaporation of Cu; then AZ5214 photoresist was spin-coated over it and exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light via the acetate, containing the desired electrodes patterns. After the exposure, the substrate was placed in Electrolube PDN250ML developer solution and then rinsed in water and placed in the etching solution of SEMO 3207 fine etch crystals to reveal the electrode pattern. The optical properties of In₂O₃:ZnO:SnO₂ thin films were explored using CARY 1E UV–visible spectrophotometer. The values of the optical band gap E_opt are estimated in the view of the Mott and Davis’ theory. Doping of In₂O₃ with 5% ZnO and 5% SnO₂ dramatically changes the overall structure of the film and thus affects its sensing to gamma radiation and ozone. Mixing metal oxides in certain proportions provides a tool for controlling the sensors response. This paper is an extended version of the SPIE-6589-45 paper, presented at SPIE Microsystem Technologies Conference, Las Palmas, 2–4 May 2007.     

Evaluation of elastic properties and temperature effects in Si thin films using an electrostatic microresonator

Laterally driven microresonators were used to estimate the temperature-dependent elastic modulus of single-crystalline Si for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The resonators were fabricated through surface micromachining from silicon-on-glass wafers. They were moved laterally by alternating electrostatic force at a series of frequencies, and then a resonance frequency was determined, under temperature cycling in the range of 25/spl deg/C to 600/spl deg/C, by detecting the maximum displacement. The elastic modulus was obtained in the temperature range by Rayleigh's energy method from the detected resonance frequency. At this time, the temperature dependency of elastic modulus was affected by surface oxidation as well as its intrinsic variation: a temperature cycle permanently reduces the resonance frequency. The effect of Si oxidation was analyzed for thermal cycling by applying a simple composite model to the measured frequency data; here the oxide thickness was estimated from the difference in the resonance frequency before and after the temperature cycle, and was confirmed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy. Finally, the temperature coefficient of the elastic modulus of Si in the <110> direction was determined as -64/spl times/10/sup -6/[/spl deg/C/sup -1/]. This value was quite comparable to those reported in previous literatures, and much more so if the specimen temperature is calibrated more exactly.