SnO_2 sub-micron wires for gas sensors

In the present work a novel semiconductor metal-oxide (MOX) gas sensor is developed by means of lithographic techniques. The basic idea is to replace the continuous sensing film of standard MOX sensors with a pattern of wires in the sub-micron scale. Two approaches are followed: a plain lift-off process and a substrate patterning process. This work presents a comparison of the results of the two processes. The fabricated sensors are characterized by electrical measurements in different atmospheres and their responses are compared to with the ones of continuous film based sensors. An improvement of the performances of the patterned sensor is highlighted by the experimental data. (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier B.V.