e-Nose for sensitive and selective gas sensing: addressing the challenges in fabrication
Leuven | More than two weeks ago
Highly sensitive and selective gas sensors are nowadays necessary for a wide range of applications, including environmental monitoring, air quality control, food freshness assessment, and early detection of diseases. A substantial increase in selectivity can be achieved by combining multiple gas sensors in a single device, also known as an e-Nose. However, fundamental limitations of individual gas sensors are still present, leading to the development of e-Noses with several constraints. Among the most common limitations in current gas sensors, poor selectivity, limited sensitivity, high costs, and elevated power consumption are found. By strategically incorporating a microheater, thin-film transistor, and porous crystal in our device, we propose an innovative sensor not only capable of tackling these drawbacks but also offering portability, bendable circuitry, and reversibility. However, to make our device a reality and enable the next generation of gas sensors, different challenges in fabrication must be overcome.
In this project, the student will learn how to fabricate flexible microheaters and thin-film transistors employing some of the most commonly used techniques in microelectronics, such as photolithography, physical vapor deposition, and plasma etching. The student will learn the basic principles of the physics of both microheater and thin-film transistors, therefore being fully able to characterize and address the quality of the devices. The modulation of certain parameters in the fabrication process (e.g. deposition pressure, temperature, etc.) will be studied if needed, so as to determine the impact on our devices and obtain the most optimal processing conditions. Once the individual sensors are demonstrated, the research can be further extended to the development of sensor arrays.
Type of project: Internship
Duration: Minimum 6 months
Required degree: Master of Engineering Technology, Master of Science, Master of Engineering Science
Supervising scientist(s): For further information or for application, please contact: Maider Calderon Gonzalez (Maider.CalderonGonzalez@imec.be)