GaN VOC Sensor
Major competitive advantages of GaN VOC Sensor: Unique detection of analyte VOCs, low power consumption, lower cost of sensor fabrication compared to other technologies.
The Problem
Detection of VOCs, which are widely used in industrial processes and household products, is very important due to significant health hazards associated with them. Current detection techniques require high power and have poor selectivity among VOCs, which is important for proper identification of the source of a problem.
Microcantilevers offer excellent opportunities for molecular sensing because of high sensitivity to various physical parameter changes induced by analyte molecules. Microcantilever heaters, which are extremely sensitive to changes in thermal parameters, have been widely utilized for calorimetry, thermal nano-topography and thermal conductivity measurements. Since only a small area of the microcantilever needs to be heated, they also offer the possibility of reduced power consumption for high temperature operation.
However, achieving repeatable and reliable functionalization of a microcantilever, especially over a small area, is a challenge that has thwarted practical applications of microcantilever-based sensors. On the other hand, unfunctionalized microcantilevers (typically made of Si) are not particularly sensitive toward a specific analyte and are generally accepted to be incapable of performing selective detection. Bulky and more expensive tabletop instruments that are capable of selectively performing VOC detection are ion mobility spectrometers, fourier transform infrared spectrometers, and mass spectrometers. No product of similar type exists that can provide selective detection of VOCs.
Invention Description
The subject invention enables selective detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using a microscale heater made of a wide bandgap semiconductor. The detection is performed at a much lower temperature compared to traditional hot-filament-based VOC detection techniques, enabling operation with low power consumption. This invention addresses at technology gap in the selective detection of VOCs that is not possible with current microscale sensors
Potential Applications
Specific detection of these VOCs, i.e. formaldehyde, which are often responsible for various adverse health effects
Advantages and Benefits
Major competitive advantages of this sensor include:
