Calculation of self-consistent electrophysical parameters of semiconductor gas sensors based on samarium sulfide for semiconductor Fourier spectroscopy of volatile hydrocarbons contained in atmospheric air

Abstract

The developed method of semiconductor gas Fourier spectroscopy is based on the relationship of the obtained calibration characteristics of the concentration sensors for volatile hydrocarbons contained in atmospheric air (in our case, it is methane and propane), with electrophysical parameters of the gas sensitive layers. The study used gas sensors based on samarium sulfide with reproducible and stable calibration characteristics. The working layers of hydrocarbon concentration sensors were obtained by two different methods: the explosive spraying method and the sol-gel coating technology. In this paper we present a system of equations that includes the main electrophysical characteristics of a gas-sensitive film which is solved by numerical methods. These equations reflect a unique relationship between the Debye screening length (Ld), film thickness (d), Fermi level (EF), concentration of impurity levels (Nd), dielectric constant of the medium (ε), crystal lattice constant (a), and mobility of the main charge carriers (μ) with the observed data on the change in the conductivity of thin films of samarium sulfide in the processes of adsorption of methane and propane molecules on their surface. In the present work, we obtained the first calculated data of such parameters for the current prototype images of gas sensors of methane and propane.