Enhanced sensing properties of WO3 and its binary systems for thin films gas sensors

Abstract

Thin films of pure WO3 and the binary systems of TiO2:WO3,MoO3:WO3,Cr2O3:WO3, and SnO2:WO3 were prepared by pulsed laser deposition method. The single and binary compounds were sintered at 1273K for five hours. The deposition were done under vacuum of 2x10-2 Torr at various substrates like glass and single crystal silicon wafer with negative conductance at ambient temperature thickness of ≍150 nm. The structures and morphology of pure WO3 and the binary systems TiO2:WO3,MoO3:WO3,Cr2O3:WO3, and SnO2:WO3 compounds and the deposited thin films were studied by X–ray diffraction and AFM atomic force microscope. The optical properties imply optical energy gap as well as optical constants for all the single and binary system were determined and discussed. The results of gas sensing measurements to NO2 gas showed that MoO3:WO3 sensors prepared on n- Si substrate showed maximum sensitivity (194.5%) at operating temperature 300K.