Academic literature on the topic 'Hotplate'

Abstract. First introduced in 2003, approximately 70 Yankee Environmental Systems (YES) hotplate precipitation gauges have been purchased by researchers and operational meteorologists. A version of the YES hotplate is described in Rasmussen et al. (2011; R11). Presented here is testing of a newer version of the hotplate; this device is equipped with longwave and shortwave radiation sensors. Hotplate surface temperature, coefficients describing natural and forced convective sensible energy transfer, and radiative properties (longwave emissivity and shortwave reflectance) are reported for two of the new-version YES hotplates. These parameters are applied in a new algorithm and are used to derive liquid-equivalent accumulations (snowfall and rainfall), and these accumulations are compared to values derived by the internal algorithm used in the YES hotplates (hotplate-derived accumulations). In contrast with R11, the new algorithm accounts for radiative terms in a hotplate's energy budget, applies an energy conversion factor which does not differ from a theoretical energy conversion factor, and applies a surface area that is correct for the YES hotplate. Radiative effects are shown to be relatively unimportant for the precipitation events analyzed. In addition, this work documents a 10 % difference between the hotplate-derived and new-algorithm-derived accumulations. This difference seems consistent with R11's application of a hotplate surface area that deviates from the actual surface area of the YES hotplate and with R11's recommendation for an energy conversion factor that differs from that calculated using thermodynamic theory.

Purpose – One of the key components of the micro-sensors is MEMS micro-hotplate. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a platinum micro-hotplate with the proper geometry using the analytical model based on the heat transfer analysis to improve both heating efficiency and time constant. Design/methodology/approach – This analytical model exhibits that suitable design for the micro-hotplate can be obtained by the appropriate selection of square heater (LH) and tether width (WTe). Based on this model and requirements of routine sample loading, the size of LH and WTe are chosen 200 and 15 μm, respectively. In addition, a simple micro-fabrication process is adopted to form the suspended micro-heater using bulk micromachining technology. Findings – The experimental results show that the heating efficiency and heating and cooling time constants are 21.27 K/mW and 2.5 ms and 2.1 ms, respectively, for the temperature variation from 300 to 400 K in the fabricated micro-hotplates which are in closed agreement with the results obtained from the analytical model with errors within 5 per cent. Originality/value – Our design based on the analytical model achieves a combination of fast time constant and high heating efficiency that are comparable or superior to the previously published platinum micro-hotplate.

This communication reports on the localized growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the surface of classical micro-hotplates with integrated heater and transducing electrodes. A catalytic thermal CVD process has been developed and adapted to grow CNTs by only using the heat provided by the integrated heater. Spatial control of the CNTs' growth was achieved thanks to this method; CNTs are localized only on the heating area of the micro-hotplate, and electrical contact with the integrated electrodes can be obtained. The influence of the catalyst, gas flow, and temperature cycles on the growth of CNT was investigated in order to optimize growth and avoid micro-hotplate degradation. Different strategies were investigated to get the electrical connection between the CNTs and the platinum electrodes. The electrically connected grown CNTs could be used directly as gas-sensitive resistors with superior performance in terms of sensitivity than metal—oxide gas sensors integrated on such platforms.

Micro-hotplate platforms, including the heating and sensing resistors, are fabricated by surface micromachining techniques from nitrogen-doped, polycrystalline SiC films deposited by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition. The resulting heated elements are operated without the need for metal electrodes. For comparison, platinum is also used as the heating/sensing resistor on top of otherwise similar SiC micro-hotplates. After characterizing the fundamental thermal transient response of the resulting micro-hotplates, accelerated aging tests are carried out by increasing the input power until the heating resistors fail. Material-related kinetic degradation analysis is conducted to estimate the life time of such elements as infrared emitters.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore a new possibility of providing high-temperature stable lead-free interconnections for low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) hotplate. For gas-sensing application, a temperature range of 200°C-400°C is usually required by the sensing film to detect different gases which imply the requirement of thermally stable interconnects. To observe the effect of parameters influencing power of the device, electro-thermal simulation of LTCC hotplate is also presented. Simulated LTCC hotplate is fabricated using the LTCC technology. Design/methodology/approach The proposed task is to fabricate LTCC hotplate with interconnects through vertical access. Dedicated via-holes generated on the LTCC hotplate are used to provide the interconnections. These interconnections are based on adherence and bonding mechanism between LTCC and thick film. COMSOL software is used for finite element method (FEM) simulation of the LTCC hotplate structure. Findings Thermal reliability of these interconnections is tested by continuous operation of hotplate at 350°C for 175 h and cycling durability test performed at 500°C. Additionally, vibration test is also carried out for the hotplate with no damage observed in the interconnections. An optimized firing profile to reproduce these interconnections along with the experimental flowchart is presented. Research limitations/implications Research activity includes design and fabrication of LTCC hotplate with metal to thick-film based interconnections through vertical access. Research work on interconnections based on adherence of LTCC and thick film is limited. Practical implications A new way of providing lead-free and reliable interconnections will be useful for gas sensor fabricated on LTCC substrate. The FEM results are useful for optimizing the design for developing low-power LTCC hotplate. Originality/value Adherence and bonding mechanism between LTCC and thick film can be used to provide interconnections for LTCC devices. Methodology for providing such interconnections is discussed.

In this paper, two kinds of suspended micro hotplate with novel shapes of multibeam structure and reticular structure are designed. These designs have a reliable mechanical strength, so they can be designed and fabricated on single-layer SiO2 suspended film through a simplified process. Single-layer suspended film helps to reduce power consumption. Based on the new film shapes, different resistance heaters with various widths and thicknesses are designed. Then, the temperature uniformity and power consumption of different micro hotplates are compared to study the effect of these variables and obtain the one with the optimal thermal performance. We report the simulations of temperature uniformity and give the corresponding infrared images in measurement. The experimental temperature differences are larger than those of the simulation. Experimental results show that the lowest power consumption and the minimum temperature difference are 43 mW and 50 °C, respectively, when the highest temperature on the suspended platform (240 × 240 μm2) is 450 °C. Compared to the traditional four-beam micro hotplate, temperature non-uniformity is reduced by about 30–50%.

In this work Ga doped ZnO thin films have been deposited by RF magnetron sputtering onto a silicon micro-hotplate and their structural, microstructural and gas sensing properties have been studied. ZnO:Ga thin film with a thickness of 50 nm has been deposited onto a silicon based micro-hotplates without any photolithography process thanks to a low cost and reliable stencil mask process. Sub-ppm sensing (500 ppb) of NO2 gas at low temperature (50 °C) has been obtained with promising responses R/R0 up to 18.

In order to improve the thermal stability of silicon micro hotplate, a ceramic hotplate with structure of suspending bridge was designed. The steady-state thermal response of the hotplate and the structure of the micro-heater were simulated by using the finite element method. By using conventional microelectronics technology and laser micro processing technology, the microstructures with thickness of 100 μm and bridge width of 2 mm were produced. The test results show that the ceramic hotplate has higher working temperature than traditional silicon hotplate, and it can be worked steadily at the average temperature of 630 °C on 1.5W heating power. Taking ceramic hotplate as heating platform and nano-SnO2 materials with Pd doping concentration of 0.2 at.% and 10 at.% as sensitive materials respectively, the array with two gas sensors was designed and fabricated. The gas sensor array can be used to detect single gas of CO or CH4 with high sensitivity and good selectivity when it works with constant heating voltage. When the sensor array works with periodic voltage heating pulse, it can realize quantitative detection for mixed gases of CO and CH4.

As an efficient and cost-effective method to synthesize nanomaterials, the hotplate technique has been reviewed in this article. Systematic studies have been carried out on the characterizations of the materials synthesized. In addition to the direct preparation of nanomaterials on metals, this method has been extended to the substrate-friendly and plasma-assisted hotplate synthesis. Apart from chemically pure nanostructures, a few nanohybrids were synthesized, further demonstrating the flexibility of this technique. The investigations on their applications indicate that they are promising material systems with potential applications in field emission devices, gas sensors, Li -ion batteries and ultrafast optical devices.

Abstract A new instrument designed to measure precipitation, the “hotplate precipitation gauge,” is described. The instrument consists of a heated thin disk that provides a reliable, low-maintenance method to measure precipitation rate every minute without the use of a wind shield. The disk consists of two heated, thermally isolated identical aluminum plates—one facing upward and the other downward. The two plates are heated independently, and both are maintained at constant temperature above 75°C by electronic circuitry that heats the plates depending on the deviation from the set temperature. Precipitation rate is estimated by calculating the power required to either melt or evaporate snow or to evaporate rain on the upward-facing plate, compensated for wind effects by subtracting out the power on the lower, downward-facing plate. Data from the World Meteorological Organization reference standard for liquid-equivalent snowfall rate measurements, the Double Fence Intercomparison Reference (DFIR) shield system, were used as the truth to develop the hotplate algorithm. The hotplate measures the liquid-equivalent precipitation rate from 0.25 to 35 mm h−1 within the National Weather Service standard for solid precipitation measurement. The hotplate was also shown to measure wind speed during severe icing conditions and during vibration. The high update rate (precipitation rate, wind speed, and temperature every 1 min), make this an ideal gauge for real-time applications, such as aircraft deicing and road weather conditions. It serves as an accumulation gauge by integrating the 1-min rates over time. It can also be used as a rain gauge for rainfall rates up to 35 mm h−1.

There has been an increasing demand of hand held battery operated gas monitors because of their widespread applications. However, the existing gas sensors suffer from high power consumption (> 100 mW) and most of them are not CMOS compatible, thus expensive. The aim of this research is to develop a smart micro-hotplate platform for high temperature gas sensor application. The gas sensor devices should consume low power and be fully CMOS compatible. This will enable the monolithic integration of interfacing circuitry with the sensor device on the same chip and thus will make the device performance more reliable and reproducible. The work mainly focused on two aspects: (i) design and development of low power reliable micro-hotplates and (ii) design and integration of intelligent electronic interface for the amplification and read out of the gas sensing signal. The design and simulation were carried out in Cadence and ANSYS software. The devices were fabricated in two batches in XFAB, Germany. Both aluminium and tungsten metallization were used. Tungsten was used to avoid electro migration at high temperature. The first batch was a proof of concept batch, which contains mostly discrete micro-hotplates; whereas electronic integration was the main focus on the second batch. The micro-hotplate contains MOSFETs as the heating elements. The heaters are embedded in thin SOI membrane. The membranes were realized using DRIE technique in Silex, Sweden. The electro-thermal and optical characterisation of the micro-hotplates shows that the membranes are very stable. The devices measured on different positions and wafers show excellent reproducibility. The MOSFET micro-heaters survived temperatures above 500° C. The hotplates consumed low power, operating temperature up to 550° C was achieved at a power cost of only 16 mW, which is much lower than the present gas sensors. The sensing material in the form of a CNT layer was grown on the micro-hotplates (using local growth technique) and the preliminary gas testing results showed lots of promise.

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2004.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 104-105).
This thesis characterizes a micro-hotplate designed at Draper Laboratory. This hotplate will be integrated into a calorimetry system that measures the heat released or absorbed by a reaction. An analytical thermal model is developed to quantify the heat transfer mechanisms between the hotplate and the environment. The analytical model is verified through experimental measurements conducted with the device operating in both ambient conditions and vacuum. In ambient conditions, the heat transfer is dominated by air conduction as predicted by the model. Air conduction can be reduced by operating the device in a medium with a lower thermal conductivity. The relatively short timescale over which the hotplate comes to thermal equilibrium with the environment limits the types of reactions that can be measured with the device. The performance of the hotplate can be improved by operating it in vacuum, by constructing it from a material with a lower emissivity, or by decreasing its surface area. The noise spectral density of the hotplate's resistive temperature sensor is characterized. The hotplate's ability to resolve temperature is limited by the flicker noise in the sensor.
by Radhika Baliga.
M.Eng.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2001.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-129).
Silicon carbide, high temperature, chemical sensors are the next step in chemical detection technology; allowing for the development of low cost, robust, lower power, and widely applicable chemical sensors. SiC offers the thermal conductivity, electrical properties, and operating temperatures not currently available in silicon sensors. Boston Micro Systems, a Wobum, Massachusetts based company, has developed technologies for bulk manufacturing of single crystal SiC material. Using this technology, geometries optimizing thermal and electrical performance have been developed to create a SiC micro-hotplate for chemical sensors. Under etching allows for the manufacturing of micro-hotplates. Micro hotplates allow sensors to discriminate between chemical species by controlling absorption and desorption of chemicals. Optimization of the performance of such a device is achieved by developing hotplates that are suspended by necked tethers. Tether designs minimize heat lose from the hotplate and necking creates heat generation regions. The excellent thermal properties of SiC allow heat to be transferred from the necked tethers to the hotplate; producing a hotplate with a uniform temperature distribution, important to the sensitivity and accuracy of the sensing film. Testing of tethered and necked hotplates identified several areas of improvement in hotplate design. These include under etching, improvement in the plates response to thermal stresses, and p-n junction performance improvements. Using such design improvements as tethers and necking the thermal performance of SiC micro-hotplates has improved by two orders of magnitude. This thesis discusses the design, modeling, and testing of single crystal SiC micro-hotplates.
Gregory Benn.
S.M.

There is great need for the widespread use of indoor gas monitors as modern hermetically-sealed domestic buildings increasingly suffer from indoor air pollution. However, neither modern technologies of gas sensors nor analytical instruments are ideally suited to this purpose. The problems of gas sensors are poor selectivity and the fact that normally they can detect only one gas, and analytical instruments suffer from their large size and high price. Therefore, the aim of the project is "to develop a novel gas sensor with low cost, low power consumption, high reliability, which can detect multiple gases with excellent selectivity" for indoor gas monitoring. In the first part of the project, an SOI-CMOS micro-hotplate with a single crystal silicon (SCS) resistive heater was proposed, fabricated and characterised. The design obviates issues of traditional heater materials i.e. platinum is not CMOS compatible and polysilicon is not thermally stable due to its polycrystalline structure. The SCS micro-hotplate was found to have an ultra low power consumption of 11.6 mW to operate at 500°C, and an excellent reliability with less than 1% drift after 500 hour operation at 500°C. In the second part, a novel temperature modulation technique for a carbon black/polymer composite sensor was theoretically derived based upon linear solvation and Fickian diffusion. The processing technique comprises only two steps; summing the off and on transient conductance signals from a temperature-stepped sensor, and subtracting the steady-state signal. The technique was demonstrated by applying to a carbon black/polyvinylpyrrolidone composite sensor employing the novel micro-hotplate. Identification of water. methanol and ethanol vapours was successfully demonstrated using the peak time of the resultant curve. Furthermore, quantification of those vapours was found to be possible using the height of the peaks, which was linearly proportional to the concentration. In conclusion, a novel low-cost gas sensor has been realised that is capable of detecting more than one gas with a single sensing element and thermal modulation. This has the potential for commercial exploitation in the area of indoor air pollution monitoring.

The subject of this thesis is focused on analysis of three test workplaces for final inspetion of a stove and determination of a workplace most appropriate for optimization. The thesis includes operating instructions of test equipment and test regulations of appliances that are tested on the production line. The analysis of the operation times was based on data measured in the MORA company and led to an idea of reducing the number of electric stoves positions and guaranteeing the same reliability of testing. The re-measurement of data and the comparison of results has been carried out.

Un dels majors problemes experimentats pels sistemes de detecció de gasos basats en sensors d'òxids metàl·lics és la seva manca de reproduibilitat, estabilitat i selectivitat. A fi i a efecte d'intentar resoldre aquest problemes, diferents estratègies han estat desenvolupades en paral·lel. Algunes es relacionen a la millora dels materials i d'altres impliquen el condicionament o el pre-tractament de les mostres. Les més emprades han consistit en aprofitar que els sensors presenten sensibilitats solapades per construir matrius de sensors i emprar tècniques de processament del senyal o bé utilitzar característiques de la resposta dinàmica dels sensors. En els darrers anys, modular la temperatura de treball del sensors d'òxids metàl·lics s'ha convertit en un dels mètodes més utilitzats per incrementar-ne la selectivitat. Això s'esdevé així donat que la resposta del sensor varia amb la seva temperatura de treball. Per això, en determinats casos, mesurant la resposta d'un sensor a n temperatures de treball diferents pot ser equivalent a tenir una matriu de n sensors diferents. Això permet obtenir informació multivariant de cada sensor individualment i ajuda a mantenir baixa la dimensionalitat del sistema de mesura per resoldre una determinada aplicació. Malgrat que molts i bons resultats han estat publicats dins aquest àmbit, la tria de les freqüències emprades en la modulació de la temperatura de treball dels sensor ha consistit fins ara en un procés empíric que no garanteix la obtenció dels millors resultats per una determinada aplicació. En aquest context, el principal objectiu d'aquesta tesi doctoral ha consistit en desenvolupar un mètode sistemàtic que permeti determinar quines són les freqüències de modulació òptimes que caldria emprar per resoldre un determinat problema d'anàlisi de gasos. Aquest mètode, extret del camp d'identificació de sistemes, ha esta desenvolupat i implementat per primer cop dins l'àmbit dels sensors de gasos. Aquest consisteix en estudiar la resposta dels sensors en presència de gasos mentre la temperatura de treball dels sensors és modulada per un senyal pseudo-aleatori de longitud màxima. Aquest senyals comparteixen algunes propietats amb el soroll blanc, i per tant poden ajudar a estimar la resposta lineal d'un sistema amb no-linealitats (per exemple, la resposta impulsional d'un sistema sensor-gas). El procés d'optimització es duu a terme mitjançant la selecció entre els components espectrals de les estimacions de la resposta impulsional, d'aquells que millor ajuden bé a discriminar o a quantificar els gasos objectiu dins una aplicació d'anàlisi de gasos donada. Tenint en compte que els components espectrals estan directament relacionats amb les xvii Improving the performance of micro-machined metal oxide gas sensors: Optimization of the temperature modulation mode via pseudo-random sequences. freqüències de modulació, la tria d'uns pocs components espectrals resulta en la determinació de les freqüències òptimes de modulació. En els primer experiments, senyals binaris pseudo-aleatoris van ser emprats per modular la temperatura de treball de sensors de gasos basats en òxids metàl·lics micro-mecanitzats dins d'un rang comprès entre 0 i 112,5 Hz. La freqüència superior és lleugerament superior a la frequència de tall de les membranes dels sensors. El resultat principal derivat d'aques estudi va ser que les freqüències de modulació interessants es trobaven en un rang comprès entre 0 i 1 Hz. Això és comprensible donat que la cinètica de les reaccions i dels processos d'adsorció que es produeixen en la superfície dels sensors són lentes i si aquestes s'han de veure modificades per la modulació térmica, llavors caldran senyals de modulació de baixa freqüència. Això explica perquè s'han vingut emprant senyals moduladores de temperatura en el rang dels mHz, malgrat que les membranes d'un dispositiu micromecanitzat presenten respostes tèrmiques molts més ràpides (típicament de l'ordre de 100 Hz). En els experiments que continuaren els primers, un mètode evolucionat per determinar les freqüències de modulació tèrmica òptimes va ser implementat. Aquest es basa en l'ús de seqüències pseudo-aleatòries multi-nivell de longitud màxima. Els senyals de tipus multi-nivell van ser considerats en substitució dels senyals binaris ja que els primers permeten obtenir una millor estimació que els segons de la dinàmica lineal d'un sistema amb no linealitats. I és ben conegut que els sensors de gasos basats en òxids metàl·lics presenten no linealitat en la seva resposta. Aquests estudis sistemàtics van ser completament validats mitjançant la síntesi de senyals multi-sinusoïdals amb les freqüències prèviament identificades emprant sequències pseudo-aleatòries. Quan la temperatura de treball dels sensors va ser modulada amb un senyal, el contingut freqüencial del qual era l'òptim, els gasos i les mescles de gasos considerades van poder ser discriminades perfectament i es va mostrar la possibilitat d'obtenir models de calibració acurats per predir la concentració dels gasos. En alguns casos, aquest procés de validació es va portar a terme emprant sensors que no havien estat utilitzats durant el procés d'optimització (per exemple, una agrupació de sensors diferent però del mateix lot de fabricació). En resum, el nou mètode desenvolupat en aquesta tesi per seleccionar les freqüències de modulació òptimes s'ha mostrat consistent i efectiu. El mètode és d'aplicació general i podria ser emprat en qualsevol problema d'anàlisi de gasos o bé estès a altres tipus de sensors (per exemple sensors polimèrics). Les contribucions científiques d'aquesta tesi s'han recollit en quatre articles en revistes internacionals i 13 llibres d'actes de conferències.
Uno de los mayores problemas experimentados en los sistemas de detección de gases basados en dispositivos de óxidos metálicos es su falta de reproducibilidad, estabilidad y selectividad. Con el fin de intentar resolver estos problemas, diferentes estrategias han sido desarrolladas en paralelo. Algunas de ellas se relacionan con la mejora de los materiales y otras implican acondicionamiento o pre-tratamiento de las muestras. Otras estrategias ampliamente empleadas consisten en aprovechar que los sensores presentan sensibilidades solapadas para construir matrices de sensores y emplear técnicas de procesamiento de señal o bien utilizar características de la respuesta dinámica de los sensores.En los últimos años, modular la temperatura de trabajo de los sensores de óxidos metálicos se ha convertido en uno de los métodos más utilizados para incrementar su selectividad. Esto se debe a, dado que la respuesta del sensor varía con su propia temperatura de trabajo, entonces, en determinados casos, midiendo la respuesta de un sensor a n temperaturas de trabajo diferentes, es equivalente a tener una matriz de n sensores diferentes. Esto permite obtener información multivariante de cada sensor individualmente y ayuda a mantener baja la dimensionalidad del sistema de medida para resolver una determinada aplicación. A pesar de los buenos resultados que han sido publicados dentro de este ámbito, la selección de las frecuencias empleadas en la modulación de la temperatura de trabajo de los sensores ha consistido, hasta el momento, en un proceso empírico lo que no garantiza la obtención de los mejores resultados para una determinada aplicación.En este contexto, el principal objetivo de esta tesis doctoral ha consistido en desarrollar un método sistemático que permita determinar cuales son las frecuencias de modulación óptimas que podrían emplearse para resolver un determinado problema de análisis de gases. Este método, extraído del campo de identificación de sistemas, ha sido desarrollado e implementado por primera vez dentro del ámbito de los sensores de gases. Éste consiste en estudiar la respuesta de los sensores en presencia de gases mientras la temperatura de trabajo de los sensores es modulada mediante una señal pseudo-aleatoria de longitud máxima. Estas señales comparten algunas propiedades con el ruido blanco, y por tanto pueden ayudar a estimar la respuesta lineal de un sistema con no-linealidades (por ejemplo, la respuesta impulsional de un sistema sensor-gas).El proceso de optimización es llevado a cabo mediante la selección entre las componentes espectrales de las estimaciones de la respuesta impulsional, de aquellas que más ayudan ya sea a discriminar o a cuantificar los gases objetivo dentro de una aplicación de análisis de gases dada. Teniendo en cuenta que las componentes espectrales están directamente relacionadas con las frecuencias de modulación, la selección de unas pocas componentes espectrales resulta en la determinación de las frecuencias optimas de modulación.En los primeres experimentos, señales binarias pseudo-aleatorias fueron utilizadas para modular la temperatura de trabajo de los sensores de gases basados en óxidos metálicos micro-mecanizados en un rango comprendido entre 0 a 112.5 Hz. La frecuencia superior es ligeramente mayor a la frecuencia de corte de las membranas de los sensores. El resultado principal derivado de estos estudios fue que las frecuencias de modulación interesantes se encuentran en un rango comprendido entre 0 y 1 Hz. Esto es comprensible dado que la cinética de las reacciones y de los procesos de adsorción que se producen en la superficie del sensor son lentos y si estos se han de alterar mediante la modulación térmica, se habrá de elaborar señales de modulación a bajas frecuencias. Esto explica por que se han venido empleado señales moduladoras de temperatura en el rango de los mHz, a pesar que las membranas de un dispositivo micro-mecanizado presentan respuestas mucho más rápidas (típicamente en el orden de los 100 Hz).En los experimentos posteriores a los primeros, un método evolucionado para determinar las frecuencias de modulación óptimas de los sensores micro-mecanizados fue implementado, el cual se basa en el uso de secuencias pseudo-aleatorias multi-nivel de longitud máxima (MLPRS). Las señales de tipo multi-nivel fueron consideradas en lugar de las binarias ya que las primeras permiten obtener una mejor estimación que las segundas de la dinámica lineal de un sistema con no linealidades. Y es bien conocido que los sensores de gases basados en óxidos metálicos presentan no-linealidades en su respuesta.Estos estudios sistemáticos fueron completamente validados mediante la síntesis de señales multi-senoidales con las frecuencias previamente identificadas utilizando secuencias pseudo-aleatorias. Cuando la temperatura de trabajo de los sensores fue modulada por una señal, el contenido frecuencial de la cual es el óptimo, los gases y mezclas de gases considerados pudieron ser discriminados perfectamente y se verificó la posibilidad de obtener modelos de calibración precisos para predecir la concentración de los gases. En algunos casos, estos procesos de validación se llevaron a cabo con sensores que no habían sido utilizados durante el proceso de optimización (por ejemplo, una agrupación de sensores diferentes pero del mismo lote de fabricación).En resumen, El nuevo método desarrollado in esta tesis para seleccionar las frecuencias de modulación optimas se a mostrado consistente y efectivo. El método es de aplicación general y podría ser utilizado en cualquier problema de análisis de gases o bien extendido a otro tipo de sensores (por ejemplo sensores poliméricos).Las contribuciones científicas de esta tesis se han recogido en 4 artículos en revistas internacionales y trece actas de conferencias.
One of the major problems in gas sensing systems that use metal oxide devices is the lack of reproducibility, stability and selectivity. In order to tackle these troubles experienced with metal oxide gas sensors, different strategies have been developed in parallel. Some of these are related to the improvement of materials, or the use of sample conditioning and pre-treating methods. Other widely used techniques include taking benefit of the unavoidable partially overlapping sensitivities by using sensor arrays and pattern recognition techniques or the use of dynamic features from the gas sensor response.In the last years, modulating the working temperature of metal oxide gas sensors has been one of the most used methods to enhance sensor selectivity. This occurs because, since, the sensor response is different at different working temperatures, and therefore, measuring the sensor response at n different temperatures is, in some cases, similar to the use of an array comprising n different sensors. This allows for measuring multivariate information from every single sensor and helps in keeping low the dimensionality of the measurement system needed to solve a specific application. Although the good results reported, until now, the selection of the frequencies used to modulate the working temperature remained an empirical process and that is not an accurate method to ensure that the best results are reached for a given application.In view of this context, the principal objective of this doctoral thesis was to develop a systematic method to determine which are the optimal temperature modulation frequencies to solve a given gas analysis problem. This method, which is borrowed from the field of system identification, has been developed and introduced for the first time in the area of gas sensors. It consists of studying the sensor response to gases when the operating temperature is modulated via maximum-length pseudo-random sequences. Such signals share some properties with white noise and, therefore, can be of help to estimate the linear response of a system with non-linearity (e.g., the impulse response of a sensor-gas system).The optimization process is conducted by selecting among the spectral components of the impulse response estimates, the few that better help either discriminating or quantifying the target gases of a given gas analysis application. Since spectral components are directly related to modulating frequencies, the selection of spectral components results in the determination of the optimal temperature modulating frequencies.In the first experiments, pseudo-random binary signals (PRBS) were employed to modulate the working temperature of micro-machined metal oxide gas sensors in a frequency range from 0 up to 112.5 Hz. The upper frequency is slightly higher than the cutoff frequency of the sensor membranes. The outcome of this initial study was that the important modulating frequencies were in the range between 0 and 1 Hz. This is understandable, since the kinetics of reaction and adsorption processes taking place at the sensor surface (i.e., physisorption/chemisorption/ionosorption) are slow and if these are to be altered by the thermal modulation, low frequency modulating signals need to be devised. This explains why low-frequency temperature-modulating signals (i.e. in the mHz range) have been used with micro-hotplate gas sensors, even though the thermal response of their membranes is much faster (typically, near 100 Hz).In the experiments that followed the first ones, an evolved method to determine the optimal temperature modulating frequencies for micro-hotplate gas sensors was introduced, which was based on the use of maximum length multilevel pseudo-random sequences (MLPRS). Multilevel signals were considered instead of the binary ones because the former can provide a better estimate than the latter of the linear dynamics of a process with non-linearity. And it is well known that temperature-modulated metal oxide gas sensors present non-linearity in their response.These systematic studies were fully validated by synthesizing multi-sinusoidal signals at the optimal frequencies previously identified using pseudo-random sequences. When the sensors had their operating temperatures modulated by a signal with a frequency content that corresponded to the optimal, the gases and gas mixtures considered could be perfectly discriminated and the building of accurate calibration models to predict gas concentration was found to be possible. In some cases, the validation process was conducted on sensors that had not been used for optimization purposes (e.g. a different sensor array from the same fabrication batch).Summarizing, the new method developed in this thesis for selecting the optimal modulating frequencies is shown to be consistent and effective. The method applies generally and could be used in any gas analysis problem or extended to other type of sensors (e.g. conducting polymer sensors).The scientific contributions of this thesis are collected in four journal papers and thirteen conference proceedings.

We studied the temperature transient behavior of an airpit-insulated micro hotplate (µHP) and aerogel-insulated µHP with different airpit heights and aerogel thicknesses. The µHP insulated by 1.3µm-thick aerogel consumes 26.7mW of power at 82°C with a time constant of 114.5 µsec, while the µHP insulated by 4?µm-thick aerogel consumes 35.6mW of power to provide 220°C with a time constant of 211.6 µsec. At the same time, a 100 µm-deep airpit-insulated ?HP consumes 18mW of power to reach approximately 400°C. The time constant of aerogel does not depend just on material properties but also on the structural design of the micro-heater. The temperature transient response time of µHPs is continued to improve from using air-pited, recessed silica aerogel, to thick-film silica aerogel.

This report collects selected outstanding scientific and technological results obtained within the frame of the European project "FLASiC" (Flash LAmp Supported Deposition of 3C-SiC) but also other work performed in adjacent fields. Goal of the project was the production of large-area epitaxial 3C-SiC layers grown on Si, where in an early stage of SiC deposition the SiC/Si interface is rigorously improved by energetic electromagnetic radiation from purpose-built flash lamp equipment developed at Forschungszentrum Rossendorf. Background of this work is the challenging task for areas like microelectronics, biotechnology, or biomedicine to meet the growing demands for high-quality electronic sensors to work at high temperatures and under extreme environmental conditions. First results in continuation of the project work – for example, the deposition of the topical semiconductor material zinc oxide (ZnO) on epitaxial 3C-SiC/Si layers – are reported too.

Abstract The present paper proposes novel microvalves remotely controlled without electrical wiring on each valve. The proposed microvalves are controlled utilizing heat from magnetic nanoparticles in an alternating magnetic field. A procedure for fabrication of the microvalves was established. the fabricated microvalves operated on a hotplate.