Low Power Silicon Microheaters for Gas Sensors

摘要

Silicon-based SnO_2 gas sensors are commonly operated at relatively high temperatures (up to 400 deg C and even beyond for specific applications), thus necessitating suitable heating modules to guarantee high temperature uniformity over the sensitive surface area with minimal power consumption. Silicon micromachining allows low-power microheaters to be fabricated, with a low-cost (for mass production) technology, which is potentially suitable for the integration of the sensor, the heating element, as well as the required electronics into the same battery-operated microsystem.