Properties of palladium doped tin oxide thin films for gas sensors grown by PLD method combined with sputtering process

Abstract The gas sensors based on tin dioxide (SnO 2 ) thin films and doped with different amount of palladium (Pd) were synthesized by a new developed preparation system using the pulsed Nd:YAG (532 nm) laser deposition method combined with d.c. sputtering. The Pd-doped SnO 2 (SnO 2 –Pd) thin films have been grown on Si (1 0 0) and alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) substrates using SnO 2 targets. The composition ratio and the bonding states of SnO 2 –Pd thin films were characterized by an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Surface morphology and structure of the films have been obtained by atomic force microscope and glancing-angle X-ray diffraction measurement. The effects of the sputtering discharge power of Pd on the properties of the SnO 2 –Pd thin films are discussed. The gas sensing properties of SnO 2 –Pd thin films prepared by this new pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method are also investigated over the temperature range 200–600 °C, using 0.31 vol.%H 2 as a test gas. Experimental results suggest that SnO 2 –Pd thin films can be prepared using this new PLD method. Atomic concentration ratio of Pd in the SnO 2 –Pd film depends on the sputtering discharge power of Pd and varies from 1 to 6%. The maximum sensitivity of SnO 2 –Pd thin film gas sensor synthesized by this new PLD method is approximately 3 times higher than that of pure SnO 2 thin film gas sensor grown by the conventional PLD method.

[1]  Jow-Lay Huang,et al.  The effects of heat treatment on the gas sensitivity of reactively sputtered SnO2 films , 1996 .

[2]  Katarzyna Zakrzewska,et al.  SnO2–TiO2 solid solutions for gas sensors , 1998 .

[3]  N. Yamazoe.  New approaches for improving semiconductor gas sensors , 1991 .

[4]  E. Richter,et al.  Gas-sensor properties of SnO2 films implanted with gold and iron ions , 1997 .

[5]  Y. Schneider,et al.  The covalent grafting of fibronectin at the surface of poly(ethylene terephthalate) track-etched membranes improves adhesion of rat hepatocytes , 1996 .

[6]  Yasutaka Ozaki,et al.  Effects of surface modification with platinum and ruthenium on temperature and humidity dependence of SnO2-based CO gas sensors , 2000 .

[7]  S. Morrison.  Selectivity in semiconductor gas sensors , 1987 .

[8]  D. Kohl.  The role of noble metals in the chemistry of solid-state gas sensors , 1990 .

[9]  Michel Trudeau,et al.  Pulsed laser deposition of nanostructured tin oxide films for gas sensing applications , 2001 .

[10]  M. Ivanovskaya,et al.  The influence of molybdenum on the properties of SnO2 ceramic sensors , 1998 .

[11]  Zhang Jiancheng,et al.  Selective detection of ethanol vapor and hydrogen using Cd-doped SnO2-based sensors , 1999 .

[12]  A. Grisel,et al.  A new SnO2 low temperature deposition technique for integrated gas sensors , 1993 .

[13]  Chul-Soo Kim,et al.  A study on thin film gas sensor based on SnO2 prepared by pulsed laser deposition method , 2001 .

[14]  D. Briand,et al.  Pd-doped SnO2 thin films deposited by assisted ultrasonic spraying CVD for gas sensing: selectivity and effect of annealing , 1998 .

[15]  M. Gaidi,et al.  Electrical properties evolution under reducing gaseous mixtures (H2, H2S, CO) of SnO2 thin films doped with Pd/Pt aggregates and used as polluting gas sensors , 2000 .

[16]  Norio Miura,et al.  Electronic Interaction between Metal Additives and Tin Dioxide in Tin Dioxide-Based Gas Sensors , 1988 .

[17]  Mana Sriyudthsak,et al.  Methanol and ammonia sensing characteristics of sol–gel derived thin film gas sensor , 2000 .

[18]  S. Manorama,et al.  SnO2/Bi2O3 : A suitable system for selective carbon monoxide detection , 1998 .

[19]  János Mizsei,et al.  Structural studies of sputtered noble metal catalysts on oxide surfaces , 1998 .

[20]  Z. G. Liu,et al.  Comparative study of laser ablation techniques for fabricating nanocrystalline SnO2 thin films for sensors , 1996 .

[21]  L. Kong,et al.  Size effect and gas sensing characteristics of nanocrystalline xSnO2-(1−x)α-Fe2O3 ethanol sensors , 2000 .

[22]  N. Jaffrezic‐Renault,et al.  A simple REFET for pH detection in differential mode , 1999 .

[23]  P. Siciliano,et al.  CO sensing characteristics of reactively sputtered SnO2 thin films prepared under different oxygen partial pressure values , 1996 .

[24]  Noboru Yamazoe,et al.  Effects of additives on semiconductor gas sensors , 1983 .