Design of MEMS Based Gas Senor with Inplane Integrated IDT And Micro-Heater

Abstract

Gas sensors are employed to ensure that levels of various harmful (e.g. toxic, flammable, etc.) gases are within an acceptable range. These monitors are indispensable in industrial facilities that produce such gases (e.g. oil and natural gas refining), but are also critical for hazardous conditions in residential and other commercial settings. Hydrogen sensors have obtained increased interest with the widened application of hydrogen energy in recent years. In this work, MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) sensor with interdigitated electrodes have been designed and simulated. It is observed that micro-heater design parameters imposed different impacts on the sensor performance. A gas chamber around the device has been designed and the effects of the hydrogen gas on the sensor device have been studied. In order to achieve small, robust, low cost and fast hydrogen sensor with high sensitivity, the designing and its optimization is performed. The effect of the applied voltage on the sensor is also studied.