A review of graphene-based temperature sensors

Abstract

Temperature sensors convert non-electrical physical quantities into electrical quantities using the temperature-dependent properties of their core part, such as resistance/capacitance, for accurate temperature measurement and device control. Thanks to the universality of temperature sensor, it is widely applied in industrial production, medical electronics, food processing, national defense and military. Compared with the traditional temperature sensor, which has the shortcoming of large volume and high cost, the Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) temperature sensor has more advantages in miniaturization and integration. As a representative of two-dimensional (2D) material, graphene has the characteristics of large specific surface area, high thermal conductivity and high carrier mobility. It stands out among carbon-based sensitive materials as the obvious choice for temperature sensors' fabrication. In this paper, the development history of graphene-based MEMS temperature sensors is introduced. The main mechanism of graphene's sensitivity to temperature is discussed. Then, the recent research status of graphene-based temperature sensors is listed. By comparing the performance of graphene temperature sensors with different materials and structures, the current application of them in different fields is analyzed. Finally, the future development direction of graphene temperature sensors is mentioned, which provides a new idea for the design and fabrication of graphene-based temperature sensors with higher performance.