Sensor With Buried Sensing Material For Shock Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Semiconductor gas sensors face issues with shock resistance, adhesion between sensing materials and electrodes, and heat-induced desorption, leading to poor sensitivity and difficulty in mass production due to weak wire bonding.
Innovation Solution
A sensor design featuring an insulating layer with stacked ceramic plates, multiple heater and sensing electrode patterns separated and connected through conductive materials, with the sensing material buried within the insulating layer to enhance adhesion and shock resistance, and a top cover to improve response and sensitivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a sensing material is coated on a flat sensing electrode, then the sensor structure is simple, but adhesion between the sensing material and electrode is weak leading to poor shock resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a planar 2D electrode structure to a 3D vertically-separated structure where heater patterns and sensing electrode patterns are positioned on different ceramic plates. This dimensional change increases the structural complexity but dramatically improves adhesion strength and shock resistance by eliminating direct contact between the sensing material and heater, preventing heat-induced desorption while maintaining simple manufacturing processes.
2Reliability
If wire bonding is used to connect electrodes, then electrical connection is achieved, but shock resistance is weak and mass production is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the wire bonding process from the manufacturing system. Instead of using external wire bonds to connect electrodes, the design integrates electrical connections through conductive materials embedded within the ceramic plates during the sintering process. This extraction of the wire bonding step dramatically improves shock resistance by removing the weak external connection point and enables mass production through standard ceramic processing techniques.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the heater is positioned close to the sensing material, then heating efficiency is high, but heat shock causes desorption of the sensing material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensional separation by positioning the heater pattern on one ceramic plate and the sensing electrode pattern on a different ceramic plate, with the sensing material filled in the space between them. This vertical separation in the third dimension maintains efficient thermal coupling for heating while preventing direct thermal shock to the sensing material, eliminating heat-induced desorption while preserving heating efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary structure - the ceramic plate configuration with conductive material - that mediates between the heater and sensing material. This intermediary arrangement allows thermal energy to be efficiently transferred to the sensing material for operation while the ceramic structure buffers against thermal shock, preventing sensing material desorption.
4Stability of the object's composition
If multiple heater patterns are used, then heating uniformity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves heating uniformity by distributing multiple heater patterns across different ceramic plates in the vertical dimension rather than concentrating them on a single plane. This spatial distribution in three dimensions provides uniform heating throughout the sensing material volume while maintaining relatively simple individual heater pattern designs on each plate, avoiding excessive complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design improves shock resistance, prevents desorption, enhances sensitivity, and enables surface mount without wire bonding, facilitating mass production and heat efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a heater (heating element) for raising a temperature of the sensing material
Implementation Method 2
when a gas is adsorbed to the sensing material, the semiconductor type gas sensor measures an electrical characteristic change
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a sensor including an insulating layer, at least two heater patterns separated in one direction in the insulating layer and electrically connected to each other, at least two sensing electrode patterns insulated form the heater patterns, separated in the one direction in the insulating layer, and electrically connected to each other, and a sensing material, at least a part of which is buried in the insulating layer to contact the sensing electrode patterns.