Summary:
Belarusian university has developed a two-sensor gas microsystem on a nanostructured substrate of anodic alumina for monitoring the gas environment.
The university is interested in research and technical cooperation with industrial and scientific partners for the joint development and testing of semiconductor gas microsystems.
Description:
Belarusian university with strong expertise in microelectronics and nanotechnologies has developed the two-sensor gas microsystem on nanostructured substrate of anodic alumina, designed to determine extremely low concentrations of toxic and explosive gases.
The microsystem can be used as:
- sensitive component of fire alarm systems,
- in systems for analyzing multicomponent gas media,
- for environmental monitoring (e.g., in the automotive industry to control the emission of CO into the atmosphere),
- for monitoring the working environment of industrial enterprises (e.g., in chemical laboratories to control the leakage of toxic gases).
Modern sensor devices to monitor and control technological gas media and complex compositions in limited space have number of unsolved problems:
1) increasing the sensitivity of gas layers without compromising the selectivity of gas components in a gas mixture
2) increasing the thermomechanical properties of the layers used, that allow the devices to operate at elevated temperatures up to 500-600 C,
3) reducing energy consumption to the microwave range in continuous operation.
The use of nanoporous anodic alumina with increased mechanical characteristics, elasticity and wear resistance as a passive dielectric substrate or membrane allows one to ensure:
- fast response, low power consumption, sensitivity to extremely low concentrations of toxic gases;
- selectivity to certain types of gases depending on the material and structuring of the active layers;
- minimized heat losses due to the sensor design;
- consistency of the thermomechanical properties of the materials in use;
- simultaneous formation of several different-type sensors on a single microsystem crystal while maintaining the size of a single-crystal structure, which allows for the recognition of the composition of multicomponent gas media.
Structurally, the microsystem consists of two crystals of anodic alumina with thickness of 55-60 microns and pores with diameter of 50 nm. The planar side of the crystals has two pairs of platinum information electrodes with sensitive layers deposited in between, which are nanostructured metal oxide films with thickness of 150-400 nm. Heating elements in the meander form are on the reverse side of the crystals.
The operating principle of the two-sensor gas microsystem is based on changing in the electrophysical characteristics of heated metal oxide sensitive layers during their interaction with the gas medium. Sensors with gas-sensitive layers working in parallel and detecting one gas, as well as sensors with gas-sensitive layers working in series and detecting gases of different composition can be located on one chip. The sensors of the developed microsystem are calibrated for certain concentrations of the following gases or their mixtures: ethanol, СО, Н2, С3Н8, NO2, NH3. The operating temperature of the structures is from 200 to 450 C, the power consumption is up to 40 mW.
The university is seeking for partners (scientific organizations, universities, production facilities, and private companies) to develop and test new designs and manufacturing technology of gas microsystems consisting of 16 or more sensors, in which the problem of processing and separating signals from different sensors is eliminated.
The proposal aims to establish research cooperation agreement with industrial and scientific partners in order to improve the current manufacturing technology of the semiconductor gas microsystems, as well as to research and develop new designs of these microsystems with improved parameters.
Collaboration with an industrial partner within technical cooperation agreement is possible for carrying out joint pilot testing of the developed two-sensor gas microsystem.
Type (e.g. company, R&D institution…), field of industry and Role of Partner Sought:
An industrial partner as part of the technical cooperation agreement for carrying out work on the pilot operation of two-sensor gas microsystem as sensitive component of fire detector systems, in systems for analyzing multicomponent gas media and environmental monitoring systems. The partner requires equipment and experience to conduct pilot operation of gas microsystems.
An industrial partner as part of the research cooperation agreement to improve the developed manufacturing technology and design of the gas microsystem. The partner is required to have technologies and equipment, as well as experience in modeling, designing and precise formation of MEMS elements.
A scientific partner as part of the research cooperation agreement for the development of new designs and technologies for the manufacture of sensor microsystems with improved parameters. The partner is required to have experience in modeling thermochemical and thermodynamic processes in porous materials.
Stage of Development:
Available for demonstration
Comments Regarding Stage of Development:
The technology for manufacturing substrates made of anodic alumina that meet the requirements of manufacturability and mechanical strength during the formation of microsystem crystal has been developed. Variants of designs and manufacturing processes have been developed; models of microsensor system have been manufactured and studied.
For example, sensors sensitive to NO2 reveal the energy consumption level not higher than 60 μW, the concentration measurement range fr om 10-6 to 100%, the operating temperature up to 350 C; the sensitivity lim it for CO is ≥ 10 ppm with a power consumption of ≤ 10 mW. Such parameters are practically not achievable for the majority of sensors produced in Belarus and abroad.
IPR Status:
Patents granted
External code:
TOBY20210930001
