Abstract
This paper presents the development of a double spiral micro-heater and its reliability testing for gas sensing applications. The design and simulation of the micro-hotplate was carried out using MEMS-CAD Tool COVENTORWARE. The micro-hotplate structure consists of a 1.0 µm-thick thermally grown SiO2 membrane of area 600 µm × 600 µm over which a double spiral platinum resistor has been fabricated. A platinum resistor of 117 Ω is fabricated on SiO2 layer using lift-off technique. The platinum deposition was carried out using DC sputtering technique. The hotplate membrane release was accomplished by using both wet and dry etching of silicon. The temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of platinum as measured was found to be 2.19 × 10−3/°C. This value has been used to estimate the micro-hotplate temperature. The micro-hotplate consumes only 50 mW power when heated up to 500 °C. The results of reliability testing of fabricated device using pulse mode of operation, maximum current capability and thermal stability have been presented. The hotplate has been shown to continuously operate at 500 °C for more than 4 h and sustain maximum current of 23 mA and 130 cycles of pulse mode operation without any damage to the structure.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
M.Y. Afridi, J.S. Suehle, M.E. Zaghloul, D.W. Berning, A.R. Hefner, R.E. Cavicchi, C.J. Taylor, A monolithic CMOS microhotplate based gas sensor system. IEEE Sens. J 2(6), 644–655 (2002)
S.Z. Ali, F. Udrea, W.I. Milne, J.W. Gardner, Tungsten-based SOI microhotplates for smart gas sensors. J. Microelectromech. Syst. 17(6), 1408–1417 (2008)
S. Astié, A.M. Gué, E. Scheid, J.P. Guillemet, Design of low power SnO2 gas sensor integrated on silicon oxynitride membrane. Sens. Actuators B 67, 84–88 (2000)
E. Barborini, S. Vinati, M. Leccardi, P. Repetto, G. Bertolini, O. Rorato, L. Lorenzelli, M. Decarli, V. Guarnieri, C. Ducati, P. Milani, Batch fabrication of metal oxide sensors on micro-hotplates. J. Micromech. Microeng. 18(5), 1–7 (2008)
M. Baroncini, P. Placidi, G.C. Cardinali, A. Scorzoni, Thermal characterization of a microheater for micromachined gas sensors. Sens. Actuators A Phys. 115(1), 8–14 (2004)
J.C. Belmonte, J. Puigcorbe, J. Arbiol, A. Vila, J.R. Morante, N. Sabate, I. Gracia, C. Cane, High-temperature low-power performing micromachined suspended micro-hotplate for gas sensing applications. Sens. Actuators B Chem. 114(2), 826–835 (2006)
G. Benn, Design of a silicon carbide micro-hotplate geometry for high temperature chemical sensing. M.S. thesis, MIT, Cambridge, 2001
P. Bhattacharyya, Technological journey towards reliable microheater development for MEMS gas sensors: a review. IEEE Trans. Device Mater. Reliab. 14(2), 589–599 (2014)
J.M. Bosc, Y. Guo, V. Sarihan, T. Lee, Accelerated life testing for micro-chemical sensors. IEEE Trans. Reliab. 47(2), 135–141 (1998)
D. Briand, S. Colin, J. Courbat, S. Raible, J. Kappler, N.F. de Rooij, Integration of MOX gas sensors on polymide hotplates. Sens. Actuators B Chem. 130(1), 430–435 (2008)
D. Briand, S. Heimgartner, M. Gretillat, B. Schoot, N.F. Rooij, Thermal optimization of microhotplates that have a silicon island. J. Micromech. Microeng. 12(6), 971–978 (2002)
U. Dibbern, A substrate for thin-film gas sensors in microelectronic technology. Sens. Actuators B Chem. 2(1), 63–70 (1990)
I. Elmi, S. Zampolli, E. Cozzani, M. Passini, G.C. Cardinali, M. Severi, Development of ultra low power consumption hotplates for gas sensing applications, in Proc. IEEE Sensors, pp. 243–246 (2006)
A. Friedberger, P. Kreisl, E. Rose, G. Muller, G. Kuhner, J. Wollenstein, H. Bottner, Micromechanical fabrication of robust low-power metal oxide gas sensors. Sens. Actuators B 93, 345–349 (2003)
P. Fujres, C. Ducso, M. Adam, J. Zettner, I. Barsony, Thermal characterization of micro-hotplates used in sensor structures. Superlattices Microstruct. 35(3–6), 455–464 (2004)
K.G. Girija, S. Chakraborty, M. Menaka, R.K. Vatsa, A. Topkar, Low-cost surface micromachined microhotplates for chemiresistive gas sensors. Microsyst. Technol. 24(8), 3291 (2018) (p 7)
M. Graf, D. Barrettino, H.P. Baltes, A. Hierlemann, CMOS Hotplate Chemical Microsensors (Springer, Berlin, 2007)
M. Graf, D. Barrettino, K.U. Kirstein, A. Hierlemann, CMOS microhotplate sensor system for operating temperatures up to 500 °C. Sens. Actuators B 117, 346–352 (2006)
B. Guo, A. Bermak, P.C.H. Chan, G. Yan, An integrated surface micromachined convex microhotplate structure for tin oxide gas sensor array. IEEE Sens. J 7(12), 1720–1726 (2007)
E.E. Karpov, E.F. Karpov, A. Suchkov, S. Mironov, A. Baranov, V. Sleptsov, L. Calliari, Energy efficient planar catalytic sensor for methane measurement. Sens. Actuators A Phys. 194, 176–180 (2013)
H.J. Kim, J.H. Lee, Highly sensitive and selective gas sensors using p-type oxide semiconductors: overview. Sens. Actuators B 192(1), 607–627 (2013)
L. Kulhari, P.K. Khanna, Design, simulation and fabrication of LTCC-based microhotplate for gas sensor applications. Microsyst. Technol. 24, 2169–2175 (2018)
D.S. Lee, S.W. Ban, M. Lee, D.D. Lee, Micro gas sensor array with neural network for recognizing combustible leakage gases. IEEE Sens. J. 5(3), 530–536 (2005)
P. Maccagnani, R. Angelucci, P. Pozzi, A. Poggi, L. Dori, G.C. Cardinali, P. Negrini, Thick oxidised porous silicon layer as a thermoinsulating membrane for high-temperature operating thin-and thick-film gas sensors. Sens. Actuators B 49, 22–29 (1998)
L. Mele, F. Santagata, E. Iervolino, M. Mihailovic, T. Rossi, A.T. Tran, H. Schellevis, J.F. Creemer, P.M. Sarro (2012), A molybdenum MEMS microhotplate for high temperature operation, Sens. Actuators A 188, 173–180
Y. Mo, Y. Okawa, K. Inoue, K. Natukawa, Low-voltage and low power optimization of micro-heater and its on-chip drive circuitry for gas sensor array. Sens. Actuators A Phys. 100(1), 94–101 (2002)
A. Mozalev, R. Calavi, R.M. Va´zquez, I. Gra`cia, C. Cane, X. Correig, X. Vilanova, F.G. Guirado, J.H. lek, E. Llobet (2013), MEMS-microhotplate-based hydrogen gas sensor utilizing the nanostructured porous-anodic-alumina-supported WO3 active layer, Int. J. Hydrog. Energy 38, 8011–8021
K. Oblova, I. Anastasia, S. Sergey, S. Nikolay, L. Alexandr, V. Alexey, S. Andrey, Fabrication of microhotplates based on laser micromachining of zirconium oxide. Phys. Proc. 72, 485–489 (2015)
A. Oprea, J. Courbat, N. Barsan, D. Briand, N.F. de Rooij, U. Weimar, Temperature, humidity and gas sensors integrated on plastic foil for low power applications. Sens. Actuators B 140, 227–232 (2009)
R. Phatthanakun, P. Deelda, W. Pummara, C. Sriphung, C. Pantong, N. Chomnawang, Design and fabrication of thin-film aluminum microheater and nickel temperature sensor, in Proc. IEEE NEMS, Kyoto, pp. 112–115 (2012)
M. Prasad, Design, development and reliability testing of a low power bridge-type micromachined hotplate. J. Microelectron. Reliab. 55(06), 937–944 (2015)
M. Prasad, R.P. Yadav, V. Sahula, V.K. Khanna, FEM simulation of platinum-based microhotplate using different dielectric membranes for gas sensing applications. J. Sens. Rev. 32(1), 59–65 (2012)
C. Rossi, P.T. Boyer, D. Estbve, Realization and performance of thin SiO2, SiNx membrane for microheater applications. Sens. Actuators A 64, 241–245 (1998)
J. Sama, G. Domenech, R.R. Guillem, S. Albert, S. Michael, S. Barth, J. Santander, C. Calaza, I. Gracia (2017), Low temperature humidity sensor based on Ge nanowires selectively grown on suspended microhotplates, Sens. Actuators B 243, 669–677 (p 9)
F. Samaeifar, A. Afifi, H. Abdollahi, Simple fabrication and characterization of a platinum microhotplate based on suspended membrane structure. Exp. Tech. 40, 755–763 (2016)
N.N. Samotaev, B.I. Podlepetsky, A.A. Vasiliev, A.V. Pisliakov, A.V. Sokolov, Metal-oxide gas sensor high-selective to ammonia. Autom. Remote Control 74, 308–312 (2013)
T. Seiyama, A. Kato, K. Fujushi, M. Nagatani, A new detector for gaseous components using semiconductive thin films. Anal. Chem. 34(11), 1502–1503 (Oct. 1962)
J.C. Shim, G.S. Chung, Fabrication and Characteristics of Pt/ZnO NO Sensor Integrated SiC Micro Heater, in IEEE Sensors Conference, pp. 350–353 (2010)
O. Sidek, M.Z. Ishak, M.A. Khalid, M.Z. Abu Bakar, M.A. Miskam, Effect of heater geometry on the high temperature distribution on a MEMS microhotplate. in IEEE, 3rd Asia Symposium on Quality Electronic Design (2011)
I. Simon, I.N. Barsan, M. Bauer, U. Weimar, Micromachined metal oxide gas sensors: opportunities to improve sensor performance. Sens. Actuators B Chem. 73(1), 1–26 (2001)
R.M. Tiggelaar, Silicon-based microreactors for high-temperature heterogeneous partial oxidation reactions. Ph.D. dissertation. Univ. Twente, Enschede, 2004
G. Velmathi, N. Ramshanker, S. Mohan, Design, electro-thermal simulation and geometrical optimization of double spiral shaped microheater on a suspended membrane for gas sensing, in Proc. 36th Annu. Conf. IEEE Ind. Electron. Soc., pp. 1258–1262 (2010)
D. Vincenzi, M.A. Butturi, V. Guidi, M.C. Carotta, G. Martinelli, V. Guarnieri, S. Brida, B. Margesin, F. Giacomozzi, M. Zen, G.U. Pignatel, A.A. Vasiliev, A.V. Pisliakov, Development of a low-power thick-film gas sensor deposited by screen-printing technique onto a micromachined hotplate. Sens. Actuators B Chem. 77, 95–99 (2001)
J. Wang, Z.A. Tang, A CMOS-compatible temperature sensor based on the gaseous thermal conduction dependent on temperature. Sens. Actuators A 176, 72–77 (2012)
L. Xu, T. Li, X. Gao, Y. Wang, Development of a reliable micro-hotplate with low power consumption. IEEE Sens. J. 11(4), 913–919 (2011)
Q. Zhou, A. Sussman, J. Chang, J. Dong, A. Zettl, W. Mickelson, Fast response integrated MEMS microheaters for ultra low power gas detection. Sens. Actuators A Phys. 223, 67–75 (2015)
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the Director, CSIR-CEERI, Pilani for encouragement and guidance. They are also thankful to all members of Smart Sensor Area for helpful discussions, technical assistance and support.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Prasad, M., Dutta, P.S. Development of micro-hotplate and its reliability for gas sensing applications. Appl. Phys. A 124, 788 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-018-2210-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-018-2210-4