Pre-pulse-driven temperature modulation based on semiconductor gas sensor: A low-temperature strategy for gas detection

Abstract

Semiconductor gas sensor has the advantages of low cost, simple detection principle and fast detection speed, so it has been widely used in gas detection in industrial processes. Sensors are usually maintained at high operating temperatures to maintain high performance, which is not only high power consumption but also the risk of explosion when the target gas concentration is too high. In this paper, the method of pre-pulse-driven temperature modulation is proposed to solve this problem. The sensor structure with ceramic-based micro-hot plate substrate has faster temperature change speed, which lays the foundation for high response. This method keeps the sensor operating at low temperature and obtains high response when it is in contact with the target gas. In addition, it is accompanied by the reduction of power consumption and the improvement of response speed. In this paper, SnO2 sensor is used to verify the effectiveness of the pre-pulse-drivn temperature modulation strategy, and then In2O3 and ZnO sensors are used to verify its universality. Finally, the effect of oxygen accumulation on the sensitization of pre-pulse-driven temperature modulation method is analyzed. It has been verified that pre-pulse-driven is an effective method to reduce temperature and improve sensitivity, which is worthy of promotion and further optimization.