Ultrathin Serpentine Insulation Layer Architecture for Ultralow Power Gas Sensor

Toxic gases have surreptitiously influenced the health and environment of contemporary society with their odorless/colorless characteristics. As a result, a pressing need for reliable and portable gas-sensing devices has continuously increased. However, with their negligence to efficiently microstructure their bulky supportive layer on which the sensing and heating materials are located, previous semiconductor metal-oxide gas sensors have been unable to fully enhance their power efficiency, a critical factor in power-stringent portable devices. Herein, an ultrathin insulation layer with a unique serpentine architecture is proposed for the development of a power-efficient gas sensor, consuming only 2.3 mW with an operating temperature of 300 degrees C (approximate to 6% of the leading commercial product). Utilizing a mechanically robust serpentine design, this work presents a fully suspended standalone device with a supportive layer thickness of only approximate to 50 nm. The developed gas sensor shows excellent mechanical durability, operating over 10 000 on/off cycles and approximate to 2 years of life expectancy under continuous operation. The gas sensor detected carbon monoxide concentrations from 30 to 1 ppm with an average response time of approximate to 15 s and distinguishable sensitivity to 1 ppm (Delta.R/R0 = 5%). The mass-producible fabrication and heating efficiency presented here provide an exemplary platform for diverse power-efficient-related devices.

Automated summary

A method for developing efficient gas sensors using an ultrathin insulation layer and a unique serpentine architecture is proposed, which can effectively improve the energy efficiency of the sensors while maintaining mechanical durability and long lifespan.