Trench-Based Sensor Component for Gas and Liquid Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas and liquid sensors lack sensitivity for detecting low concentrations of materials in small volumes, requiring large amounts of sensitive semiconductor material and having high costs and large constructive space requirements.
Innovation Solution
A sensor component with a substrate having trenches filled with sensitive semiconductor particles or crystals, where the inner side surfaces of the trenches are spaced to match or slightly exceed the diameter of the particles, and a surface-active bond is formed between the particles and the trench structure, allowing for increased sensitivity with reduced material usage and smaller sensor size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a large amount of sensitive semiconductor material is used to improve detection sensitivity, then the sensitivity increases, but the cost increases and the constructive space requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor component divides the sensitive semiconductor material into individual particles or grains with diameters between 0.1 μm and 10 μm, which are distributed within trenches on the substrate. This segmentation allows the material to be arranged in a space-efficient manner, maximizing the active detection surface area within a compact volume while using minimal total material quantity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from traditional planar sensor configurations to a three-dimensional structure where sensitive semiconductor particles are embedded within trenches extending through the substrate. This vertical arrangement in the third dimension increases the effective detection surface area without proportionally increasing the footprint or total material consumption.
2Measurement precision
If a large amount of sensitive semiconductor material is used to improve detection sensitivity, then the sensitivity increases, but the cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the sensitive semiconductor material into fine particles (0.1-10 μm diameter) and distributing them within trenches, the invention achieves high detection sensitivity with minimal material quantity. This reduces material costs while maintaining performance, and the standardized trench structure enables efficient manufacturing processes.
3Volume of moving object
If the sensor size is reduced to improve compactness, then the constructive space requirement decreases, but the detection sensitivity may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention achieves compact sensor design by arranging sensitive semiconductor particles vertically within trenches through the substrate thickness. This three-dimensional configuration maintains high detection sensitivity equivalent to larger planar sensors while reducing the horizontal footprint and overall volume to a fraction of traditional designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The trenches are strategically positioned and dimensioned to concentrate the sensitive semiconductor material precisely where detection is most effective. The local optimization of material placement within the trench structure maximizes detection sensitivity per unit volume, enabling compact sensor design without sacrificing performance.
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 sensor component achieves higher sensitivity for detecting materials in small volumes, enabling reliable detection of low concentrations and reducing material costs while allowing for compact and efficient sensor design.
Implementation Method 1
a sensitive semiconducting metal oxide layer is applied over the printed conductors. The sensitive semiconducting metal oxide layer can have a spongelike structure, or can be fashioned as a composite of grains sintered together
Implementation Method 2
The sensor includes a substrate having two printed conductors having comb-type interlacing at their head ends. In the area of the interlaced ends, a sensitive semiconducting metal oxide layer is applied over the printed conductors
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor component is described for a gas and/or liquid sensor having a substrate having at least one first printed conductor and a second printed conductor, which are fashioned such that a voltage can be applied, and having at least one sensitive semiconductor material, additionally including at least one trench a contact segment of the first printed conductor and a contact segment of the second printed conductor being situated on two inner side surfaces at a distance from one another, and the at least one sensitive semiconductor material being filled into the at least one trench in the form of at least one particle, grain, and/or crystal, at least between the first contact segment of the first printed conductor and the first contact segment of the second printed conductor. Also described is a production method for a sensor component for a gas and/or liquid sensor. In addition, also described is a method for detecting at least one material in a gaseous and/or liquid medium.