Single Cantilever Gas Sensor for Low Power IoT
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing MEMS MOS gas sensors with multi-cantilever structures face challenges in reducing power consumption, complexity in manufacturing, and difficulty in positioning, which limits their application in rapidly developing fields like mobile terminals and IoT.
Innovation Solution
A single cantilever gas sensor design with a base structure and cantilever structure, featuring a silicon substrate, supporting film, heating resistor, isolation film, detecting electrode, and gas-sensitive material, where the effective region is minimized to reduce power consumption and simplify manufacturing, using a method involving thermal oxidation, lift-off processes, and isotropic/wet etching techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If multi-cantilever structure is used, then power consumption is reduced, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes redundant cantilever structures from the sensor design. By using only a single cantilever instead of multiple cantilevers, the invention eliminates unnecessary structural elements while maintaining the gas sensing function, thus reducing device complexity without significantly increasing power consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple functional elements into a more integrated single-cantilever structure. The single cantilever integrates the sensing function that was previously distributed across multiple cantilevers, simplifying the overall device structure while maintaining operational effectiveness
2Use of energy by moving object
If multi-cantilever structure is used, then power consumption is reduced, but manufacturing efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes redundant manufacturing steps associated with creating multiple cantilevers. By designing a single-cantilever structure, the manufacturing process is simplified, requiring fewer fabrication steps, less material deposition, and simpler alignment procedures, thereby improving manufacturing efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of following the conventional approach of creating multiple cantilevers and then selecting or combining them, the invention inverts the design approach by directly creating a single optimized cantilever structure that performs all necessary functions, reversing the traditional development methodology to achieve better manufacturing efficiency
3Reliability
If multi-cantilever structure is used, then sensing function is maintained, but positioning difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the positioning challenges associated with multiple cantilevers. By using a single cantilever structure, the invention removes the need for precise relative positioning between multiple components, significantly reducing positioning difficulty while maintaining the gas sensing function through the single optimized cantilever design
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 single cantilever design achieves significantly reduced power consumption of 1 milliwatt, higher integration density, and simplified manufacturing, enhancing production efficiency and integration capabilities compared to multi-cantilever sensors.
Implementation Method 1
a heating resistor, wherein the heating resistor includes a second base part and a second cantilever
Implementation Method 2
a supporting film, wherein the supporting film includes a first base part and a first cantilever
Data Source
AI summary
A single cantilever gas sensor includes a silicon substrate, a supporting film, a heating resistor, a isolation film, and a detecting electrode, which are successively stacked. The gas sensor is T-shaped and has a base structure and a cantilever structure The end portion of the cantilever structure is provided with a gas sensitive material. The present invention further provides a sensor array composed of the single cantilever gas sensors and a method for manufacturing the gas sensor. The method includes (1) selecting a silicon substrate; (2) preparing a supporting film; (3) preparing a heating resistor; (4) preparing an isolation film; (5) preparing a detecting electrode; (6) releasing a membrane; (7) loading a gas sensitive material.