Sulfur surface chemistry on the platinum gate of a silicon carbide based hydrogen sensor

Abstract

We have investigated the effects of sulfur contamination on a Pt-gate silicon carbide based field-effect gas sensor, under ultrahigh vacuum conditions, at a temperature of 527°C. Exposure to hydrogen sulfide, even in the presence of hydrogen or oxygen at partial pressures of 20–600 times greater than the H2S level, rapidly coated the gate with a monolayer of sulfur. Sulfur contamination reduced the magnitude of the sensor’s response to alternating hydrogen and oxygen pulses by about 70%, as compared to the uncontaminated gate. There was no evidence of irreversible changes in device behavior due to sulfur deposition and removal. The adsorbed sulfur could not be removed by exposure to hydrogen at the pressures accessible. Oxygen was effective at removing the sulfur. The rate of sulfur oxidation was suppressed at high sulfur coverages, but not as strongly as on low-index single-crystal surfaces. These results are discussed in the context of prior experiments on Pt crystals and films.