Open-air fabrication of dynamic cantilever gas sensor

Sensitive gas sensors are urgently needed for the detection of biomarkers for disease prevention and greenhouse gas emissions for environmental monitoring. Dynamic cantilever gas sensors work by oscillating the cantilever to its natural resonance frequency by typical MEMS (micro electromechanical system)-based actuation methods. The adsorption of a target gas on the cantilever increases its mass and shifts the resonance frequency. Conventional cantilever-type sensors are comprised of a silicon structural layer with a thickness on the order of 1-10 microns. The silicon cantilever is then coated with a thin layer of a receptor material to enable adsorption of specific gases. The project involves the open–air fabrication of innovative, highly-sensitive cantilever gas sensors by Atmospheric Pressure Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition (AP-SALD). Different oxide materials will be deposited by AP-SALD and used to fabricate cantilever gas sensors, where the oxide material acts as both the structural layer and the gas-sensitive receptor layer. The cantilevers will be characterized and tested for sensing of biomarkers and methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Faculty Supervisor:

Kevin Musselman

Student:

Partner:

Institut polytechnique de Grenoble

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Waterloo

Program: