Semiconductor-Type MEMS Gas Sensor for Real-Time Environmental Monitoring Applications

Low power consuming and highly responsive semiconductor-type microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) gas sensors are fabricated for real-time environmental monitoring applications. This subsystem is developed using a gas sensor module, a Bluetooth module, and a personal digital assistant (PDA) phone. The gas sensor module consists of a NO2 or CO gas sensor and signal processing chips. The MEMS gas sensor is composed of a microheater, a sensing electrode, and sensing material. Metal oxide nanopowder is drop-coated onto a substrate using a microheater and integrated into the gas sensor module. The change in resistance of the metal oxide nanopowder from exposure to oxidizing or deoxidizing gases is utilized as the principle mechanism of this gas sensor operation. The variation detected in the gas sensor module is transferred to the PDA phone by way of the Bluetooth module.