Sensing technology has been widely investigated and utilized for gas detection. Due to the different applicability and inherent limitations of different gas sensing technologies, researchers have been working on different scenarios with enhanced gas sensor calibration. This paper reviews the descriptions, evaluation, comparison and recent developments in existing gas sensing technologies. A classification of sensing technologies is given, based on the variation of electrical and other properties. Detailed introduction to sensing methods based on electrical variation is discussed through further classification according to sensing materials, including metal oxide semiconductors, polymers, carbon nanotubes, and moisture absorbing materials. Methods based on other kinds of variations such as optical, calorimetric, acoustic and gas-chromatographic, are presented in a general way. Several suggestions related to future development are also discussed. Furthermore, this paper focuses on sensitivity and selectivity for performance indicators to compare different sensing technologies, analyzes the factors that influence these two indicators, and lists several corresponding improved approaches.

A Survey on Gas Sensing Technology

Piezoresistive sensors are among the earliest micromachined silicon devices. The need for smaller, less expensive, higher performance sensors helped drive early micromachining technology, a precursor to microsystems or microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The effect of stress on doped silicon and germanium has been known since the work of Smith at Bell Laboratories in 1954. Since then, researchers have extensively reported on microscale, piezoresistive strain gauges, pressure sensors, accelerometers, and cantilever force/displacement sensors, including many commercially successful devices. In this paper, we review the history of piezoresistance, its physics and related fabrication techniques. We also discuss electrical noise in piezoresistors, device examples and design considerations, and alternative materials. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of integrated piezoresistor technology with an introduction to the physics of piezoresistivity, process and material selection and design guidance useful to researchers and device engineers.

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Review: Semiconductor Piezoresistance for Microsystems

The field of cantilever-based sensing emerged in the mid-1990s and is today a well-known technology for label-free sensing which holds promise as a technique for cheap, portable, sensitive and highly parallel analysis systems. The research in sensor realization as well as sensor applications has increased significantly over the past 10 years. In this review we will present the basic modes of operation in cantilever-like micromechanical sensors and discuss optical and electrical means for signal transduction. The fundamental processes for realizing miniaturized cantilevers are described with focus on silicon- and polymer-based technologies. Examples of recent sensor applications are given covering such diverse fields as drug discovery, food diagnostics, material characterizations and explosives detection.

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0034-4885/74/3/036101/pdf

Cantilever-like micromechanical sensors

This review provides a general introduction into the theory of cantilever sensors, including practical design concepts, examples for liquid-phase sensing with particular emphasis on biological applications, and a discussion of future prospects.

Cantilever-based biosensors

6.2. Orthogonality versus Independence 584 6.3. Cross-sensitivity and Diversity 585 6.4. Multiple Roles of Redundancy 585 7. Data Preprocessing 586 7.1. Baseline Correction 586 7.2. Scaling 587 7.2.1. Global Techniques 588 7.2.2. Local Techniques 588 7.2.3. Nonlinear Transforms 588 8. Drift Compensation 588 8.1. Univariate Drift Compensation 589 8.2. Multivariate Drift Compensation 589 9. Feature Extraction from Sensor Dynamics 591 9.1. Transient Analysis 591 9.1.1. Oversampling Procedures 592 9.1.2. Ad hoc Transient Parameters 593 9.1.3. Model-Based Parameters 593 9.1.4. Comparative Studies 595 9.2. Temperature-Modulation Analysis 596 10. Multivariate Calibration 599 10.1. Multiway Analysis 599 10.2. Dynamical Models 602 11. Array Optimization 604 11.1. Sensor Selection 604 11.2. Feature Selection 605 11.3. Optimization of Excitation Profiles 607 12. Conclusion and Outlook 608 13. References 609

Higher-order chemical sensing.

A single-chip gas detection system fabricated in industrial CMOS technology combined with post-CMOS micro-machining is presented. The sensors rely on a chemo-sensitive polymer layer, which absorbs predominantly volatile organic compounds (VOCs). A mass-sensitive resonant-beam oscillator, a capacitive sensor incorporated into a second-order /spl Sigma//spl Delta/-modulator, a calorimetric sensor with low-noise signal conditioning circuitry and a temperature sensor are monolithically integrated on a single chip along with all necessary driving and signal conditioning circuitry. The preprocessed sensor signals are converted to the digital domain on chip. An additional integrated controller sets the sensor parameters and transmits the sensor values to an off-chip data recording unit via a standard serial interface. A 6-chip-array has been flip-chip packaged on a ceramic substrate, which forms part of a handheld VOC gas detection unit. Limits of detection (LOD) of 1-5 ppm n-octane, toluene or propan-1-ol have been achieved.

CMOS single-chip gas detection system comprising capacitive, calorimetric and mass-sensitive microsensors

The paper reviews the state-of-the-art in the field of CMOS-based microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The different CMOS MEMS fabrication approaches, pre-CMOS, intermediate-CMOS, and post-CMOS, are summarized and examples are given. Two microsystems fabricated with post-CMOS micromachining are presented, namely a mass-sensitive chemical sensor for detection of organic volatiles in air and a 10-cantilever force sensor array for application in scanning probe microscopy. The paper finishes with a look into the future, discussing key challenges and future application fields for CMOS MEMS.

CMOS MEMS - present and future

A microfabricated 2×1 array of active and self-detecting cantilevers is presented for applications in atomic force microscopy (AFM). The integrated deflection sensor is based on a stress sensing metal–oxide–semiconductor transistor. Full custom complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor amplifiers for signal readout are combined on the same chip. A sensor sensitivity of 2.25 mV/nm, or a change in current ΔId/Id=2.8×10−6/nm, was obtained at the final output stage. Three Al–Si thermal bimorph actuators are integrated on each cantilever for self-excitation and feedback actuation. The efficiencies of the heaters are 2.4–4.7 K/mW. In the experimental setup, a maximum displacement of 8 μm was achieved at 45 mW input. A pair of parallel AFM images in the constant height mode, a typical tapping mode image, and a constant force image with 1.3 μm high features have been successfully taken with the array probe.

Integrated atomic force microscopy array probe with metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor stress sensor, thermal bimorph actuator, and on-chip complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor electronics

CMOS Cantilever Sensor Systems

1. Introduction.- 2. Design Considerations.- 3. Cantilever Beam Resonators.- 4. Resonant Gas Sensor.- 5. Force Sensors for Parallel Scanning Atomic Force Microscopy.- 6. Conclusions and Outlook.- Appendices.- A.1 Process Sequence Resonant Gas Sensor.- A.2 Process Sequence Resonant Gas Sensor (Maskless).- A.3 Process Sequence AFM Sensor Arrays.- A.4 Material Properties of Thin Film Materials.- References.

D. Lange

Papers

CMOS single-chip gas detection system comprising capacitive, calorimetric and mass-sensitive microsensors

CMOS MEMS - present and future

Integrated atomic force microscopy array probe with metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor stress sensor, thermal bimorph actuator, and on-chip complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor electronics

CMOS Cantilever Sensor Systems

CMOS Cantilever Sensor Systems: Atomic Force Microscopy and Gas Sensing Applications