• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.135-139
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• 2009

$H_2S$ micro-gas sensors have been developed employing $SnO_2$:CuO composite thin films. The films were prepared by e-beam evaporation of Sn and Cu metals on silicon substrates, followed by oxidation at high temperatures. Results of various studies, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveal that $SnO_2$ and CuO are mutually non-reactive. The CuO grains, which in turn reside in the inter-granular regions of $SnO_2$, inhibit grain growth of $SnO_2$ as well as forming a network of p-n junctions. The film showed more than a 90% relative resistance change when exposed to $H_2S$ gas at 1 ppm in air at an operating temperature of $350^{\circ}C$ and had a short response time of 8 sec.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.315.2-315.2
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• 2014

Pt-functionalized ZnS nanowires were synthesized on Au-deposited c-plane sapphire substrates by thermal evaporation of ZnS powders followed by wet Pt coating and annealing. The $NO_2$ gas sensing properties of multiple-networked Pt-functionalized ZnS nanowire sensors were examined. Scanning electron microscopy showed the nanowires with diameters of 20-80 nm. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction showed that the nanowires were wurtzite-structured ZnS single crystals. The Pt-functionalized ZnS nanowire sensors showed enhanced sensing performance to $NO_2$ gas at $150^{\circ}C$ compared to pristine ZnS nanowire sensors. Pristine and Pt-functionalized ZnS nanowire sensors showed responses of 140-211% and 207-488%, respectively, to 1-5 ppm $NO_2$, which are better than or comparable to those of many oxide semiconductor sensors. In addition, the underlying mechanism of the enhancement of the sensing properties of ZnS nanowires by Pt functionalization is discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Physical Society
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• v.73 no.10
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• pp.1444-1451
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• 2018

The surface-to-volume ratio of one-dimensional (1D) semiconductor metal-oxide sensors is an important factor for achieving good gas sensing properties because it offers a wide response area. To exploit this effect, in this study, we determined the optimal calcination temperature to maximize the specific surface area and thereby the sensitivity of the sensor. The $In_2O_3$ nanorods were synthesized by using vapor-liquid-solid growth of $In_2O_3$ powders and were decorated with the Pt nanoparticles by using a sol-gel method. Subsequently, the Pt nanoparticle-decorated $In_2O_3$ nanorods were calcined at different temperatures to determine the optimal calcination temperature. The $NO_2$ gas sensing properties of five different samples (pristine uncalcined $In_2O_3$ nanorods, Pt-decorated uncalcined $In_2O_3$ nanorods, and Pt-decorated $In_2O_3$ nanorods calcined at 400, 600, and $800^{\circ}C$) were determined and compared. The Pt-decorated $In_2O_3$ nanorods calcined at $600^{\circ}C$ showed the highest surface-to-volume ratio and the strongest response to $NO_2$ gas. Moreover, these nanorods showed the shortest response/recovery times toward $NO_2$. These enhanced sensing properties are attributed to a combination of increased surface-to-volume ratio (achieved through the optimal calcination) and increased electrical/chemical sensitization (provided by the noble-metal decoration).

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.19-24
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• 2014

We report the nitrogen monoxide (NO) gas sensing properties of p-type CuO-nanorod-based gas sensors. We synthesized the p-type CuO nanorods with breadth of about 30 nm and length of about 330 nm by a hydrothermal method using an as-deposited CuO seed layer prepared on a $Si/SiO_2$ substrate by the sputtering method. We fabricated polycrystalline CuO nanorod arrays at $80^{\circ}C$ under the hydrothermal condition of 1:1 morality ratio between copper nitrate trihydrate [$Cu(NO_2)_2{\cdot}3H_2O$] and hexamethylenetetramine ($C_6H_{12}N_4$). Structural characterizations revealed that we prepared the pure CuO nanorod array of a monoclinic crystalline structure without any obvious formation of secondary phase. It was found from the gas sensing measurements that the p-type CuO nanorod gas sensors exhibited a maximum sensitivity to NO gas in dry air at an operating temperature as low as $200^{\circ}C$. We also found that these CuO nanorod gas sensors showed reversible and reliable electrical response to NO gas at a range of operating temperatures. These results would indicate some potential applications of the p-type semiconductor CuO nanorods as promising sensing materials for gas sensors, including various types of p-n junction gas sensors.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.222-222
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• 2012

Metal oxide gas sensors based on semiconductor type have attracted a great deal of attention due to their low cost, flexible production and simple usability. However, most works have been focused on n-type oxides, while the characteristics of p-type oxide gas sensors have been barely studied. An investigation on p-type oxides is very important in that the use of them makes possible the novel sensors such as p-n diode and tandem devices. Monoclinic cupric oxide (CuO) is p-type semiconductor with narrow band gap (~1.2 eV). This is composed of abundant, nontoxic elements on earth, and thus low-cost, environment-friendly devices can be realized. However, gas sensing properties of neat CuO were rarely explored and the mechanism still remains unclear. In this work, the neat CuO layers with highly ordered mesoporous structures were prepared by a template-free, one-pot solution-based method using novel ink solutions, formulated with copper formate tetrahydrate, hexylamine and ethyl cellulose. The shear viscosity of the formulated solutions was 5.79 Pa s at a shear rate of 1 s-1. The solutions were coated on SiO2/Si substrates by spin-coating (ink) and calcined for 1 h at the temperature of $200{\sim}600^{\circ}C$ in air. The surface and cross-sectional morphologies of the formed CuO layers were observed by a focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) and porosity was determined by image analysis using simple computer-programming. XRD analysis showed phase evolutions of the layers, depending on the calcination temperature, and thermal decompositions of the neat precursor and the formulated ink were investigated by TGA and DSC. As a result, the formation of the porous structures was attributed to the vaporization of ethyl cellulose contained in the solutions. Mesoporous CuO, formed with the ink solution, consisted of grains and pores with nano-meter size. All of them were strongly dependent on calcination temperature. Sensing properties toward H2 and C2H5OH gases were examined as a function of operating temperature. High and fast responses toward H2 and C2H5OH gases were discussed in terms of crystallinity, nonstoichiometry and morphological factors such as porosity, grain size and surface-to-volume ratio. To our knowledge, the responses toward H2 and C2H5OH gases of these CuO gas sensors are comparable to previously reported values.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.16.1-16.1
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• 2011

$TiO_2$ is a promising material for gas sensors. To achieve high sensitivities, the material should exhibit a large surface-to-volume ratio and possess the high accessibility of the gas molecules to the surface. Accordingly, a wide variety of porous $TiO_2$ nanomaterials synthesized by wet-chemical methods have been reported for gas sensor applications. Nonetheless, achieving the large-area uniformity and comparability with well-established semiconductor production processes of the methods is still challenging. An alternative method is soft-templating which utilizes nanostructured inorganic or organic materials as sacrificial templates for the preparation of porous materials. Fabrication of macroporous $TiO_2$ films and hollow $TiO_2$ tubes by soft-templating and their gas sensing applications have been reported recently. In these porous materials composed of assemblies of individual micro/nanostructures, the form of links or necks between individual micro/nanostructures is a critical factor to determine gas sensing properties of the material. However, a systematic study to clarify the role of links between individual micro/nanostructures in gas sensing properties of a porous metal oxide matrix is thoroughly lacking. In this work, we have demonstrated a fabrication method to prepare highly-ordered, embossed $TiO_2$ films composed of anatase $TiO_2$ hollow hemispheres via soft-templating using polystyrene beads. The form of links between hollow hemispheres could be controlled by $O_2$ plasma etching on the bead templates. This approach reveals the strong correlation of gas sensitivity with the form of the links. Our experimental results highlight that not only the surface-to-volume ratio of an ensemble material composed of individual micro/nanostructures but also the links between individual micro/nanostructures play a critical role in evaluating the sensing properties of the material. In addition to this general finding, the facileness, large-scale productivity, and compatability with semiconductor production process of the proposed fabrication method promise applications of the embossed $TiO_2$ films to high-quality sensors.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.235-240
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• 2010

We investigated the carbon monoxide (CO) gas-sensing properties of nanostructured Al-doped zinc oxide thin films deposited on self-assembled Au nanodots (ZnO/Au thin films). The Al-doped ZnO thin film was deposited onto the structure by rf sputtering, resulting in a gas-sensing element comprising a ZnO-based active layer with an embedded Pt/Ti electrode covered by the self-assembled Au nanodots. Prior to the growth of the active ZnO layer, the Au nanodots were formed via annealing a thin Au layer with a thickness of 2 nm at a moderate temperature of $500^{\circ}C$. It was found that the ZnO/Au nanostructured thin film gas sensors showed a high maximum sensitivity to CO gas at $250^{\circ}C$ and a low CO detection limit of 5 ppm in dry air. Furthermore, the ZnO/Au thin film CO gas sensors exhibited fast response and recovery behaviors. The observed excellent CO gas-sensing properties of the nanostructured ZnO/Au thin films can be ascribed to the Au nanodots, acting as both a nucleation layer for the formation of the ZnO nanostructure and a catalyst in the CO surface reaction. These results suggest that the ZnO thin films deposited on self-assembled Au nanodots are promising for practical high-performance CO gas sensors.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.130-133
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• 1999

In this work, a capacitance-type alcohol gas sensor using porous silicon layer is developed to apply for breath alcohol measurement and its characteristics are estimated at room temperature. Current alcohol sensors using metal oxides such as tin-oxide are not only difficult to measure low alcohol concentration, but also should heat at $200\;to\;400^{\circ}C$ to improve the sensitivity. But the sensor using porous silicon layer has good sensitivity even at room temperature by very large effective surface area and suitable structure to fabricate integrated micro sensors. In the experiment, the capacitance was measured for the range of 0 to $0.5\%$ alcohol concentration with the interval of $0.05\%$, in which alcohol solution was kept at 25, 36, and $45^{\circ}C$ by a heater. As the result, good linearity was observed and the capacitance increased about 1.1, 2.6 and $4.6\%$ per the increment of $0.1\%$ alcohol concentration each temperature, respectively, at the frequency of 120 Hz.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers C
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.69-75
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• 1999

The characteristics of $H_2$ gas detection have been investigated using the Pt-MIS capacitor composed of the LPCVD nitride on the oxide. The flat band voltage shift is measured as 0.1 V in 1,000 ppm $H_2$ gas ambient and to be independent of Pt catalyst thickness. It is found that the flatband voltage shift is proportional to the hydrogen concentrations. The response and recovery time of Pt-MIS capacitor are 5 mins and 25 mins respectively. The samples of 30nm thick Pt revealed much higher sensitivity than that of 150nm samples. The samples of 150nm Pt showed that the flatband voltage shift of the device is due to the formation of the dipole layer of the adsorbed hydrogen atoms at the Pt-insulator interface.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.106-110
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• 2003

Nano-sized powders of Indium Tin Oxide(ITO) were synthesized by a coprecipitation method. In order to investigate the gas sensing characteristics in the nanocrystalline ITO thick films with various particle sizes, ITO powders with the average particle diameter of 15, 30, and 70 nm respectively were synthesized. And the sensitivity of ITO thick films was measured upon exposure to a target gas($C_2$$H_{5}$ /OH) and some other Volatile Organic Compounds(VOCs), such as, toluene, methanol, benzene, chloroform. As a result, ITO thick films had high sensitivity for ethanol and higher sensitivity with smaller particle size.