Integration of MOX gas sensors on polyimide hotplates

In this communication, we report on the integration of metal-oxide gas sensors on polymeric micro-hotplates made on polyimide and silicon substrates. Low-power consumption micro-hotplates with platinum electrodes and heaters were fabricated on polyimide membranes. Their thermal behavior was optimized using temperature probing at the micro-scale level coupled with thermal simulations. Tin oxide thick films were successfully integrated on these polyimide micro-hotplates using the drop coating technique. The annealing process of the tin oxide drops on the polyimide substrate was investigated and gas measurements are presented. Compared to the polyimide, hotplates on silicon substrates, the hotplates made on polyimide sheets are simpler to process and more robust, and therefore, they are more suitable for the integration of metal-oxide films. Finally, a wafer level packaging technique using multiple polyimide layers was developed and led to a polymeric platforrn for metal oxide sensors. The technology is also promising for the integration of polyimide humidity sensors, of resistive and capacitive gas-sensitive polymeric films to realise fully flexible gas sensor arrays. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.