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Semiconductor gas sensor based on tin oxide nanorods prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition with postplasma treatment

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2106006· OSTI ID:20706386
; ; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. Microelectronics Center, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798 (Singapore)

SnO{sub 2} thin films were deposited by radio-frequency inductively coupled plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Postplasma treatments were used to modify the microstructure of the as-deposited SnO{sub 2} thin films. Uniform nanorods with dimension of null-set 7x100 nm were observed in the plasma-treated films. After plasma treatments, the optimal operating temperature of the plasma-treated SnO{sub 2} thin films decreased by 80 deg. C, while the gas sensitivity increased eightfold. The enhanced gas sensing properties of the plasma-treated SnO{sub 2} thin film were believed to result from the large surface-to-volume ratio of the nanorods' tiny grain size in the scale comparable to the space-charge length and its unique microstructure of SnO{sub 2} nanorods rooted in SnO{sub 2} thin films.

OSTI ID:
20706386
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters Journal Issue: 16 Vol. 87; ISSN APPLAB; ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English