Integrated gas sensor device, in particular for detecting carbon monoxide (CO)

• US 9,746,439 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2014
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V. (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Porro, Fabrizio, Casuscelli, Valeria, Foncellino, Francesco, Salzillo, Giovanna, Occhipinti, Luigi Giuseppe
• Primary Examiner(s): Sines, Brian J
• Application Number:
  US14/318,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20150001076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 422 83, 422 98, 436 43
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/26 by investigating electrochemical variables; by using electrolysis or electrophoresis
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/4045 for gases other than oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0027 concerning the detector

Abstract

It is described an integrated gas sensor device comprising a silicon substrate and an oxide layer on the silicon substrate, as well as a working electrode, a counter electrode and a reference electrode, on the oxide layer, the working electrode and the counter electrode having respective active area exposed to an environmental air through at least a plurality of first openings and a plurality of second openings in the oxide layer in correspondence of the working electrode and of the counter electrode, further comprising an electrolyte layer portion and a hydrogel layer portion on the electrolyte layer portion, the electrolyte and hydrogel layer portions having a same size, suitable to cover at least the working, counter and reference electrodes, the hydrogel layer portion acting as a “quasi solid state” water reservoir.

Claims

1. An integrated gas sensor device comprising:

a substrate having a first surface and a second surface and having one or more first through holes that extend between the first and second surfaces;

an insulating layer on said first surface of said substrate, the insulating layer including a plurality of second through holes and a plurality of third through holes;

a working electrode, a counter electrode and a reference electrode on said insulating layer, said working electrode and said counter electrode having active areas, respectively, that are exposed to an environment external to the device by the plurality of second through holes and the plurality of third through holes, respectively, and the one or more first through holes in the substrate;

an electrolyte layer on the working electrode, the counter electrode and the reference electrode; and

a hydrogel layer on said electrolyte layer, said electrolyte and hydrogel layers having a substantially same perimeter and covering at least said working, counter and reference electrodes, said hydrogel layer configured act as a water reservoir.

2. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 1, wherein said active areas of said working and counter electrodes have grid shapes that include respective pluralities of fourth and fifth through holes.

3. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 2, wherein said active areas of said working and counter electrodes have hexagonal grid shapes.

4. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 2, wherein said electrolyte layer fills said fourth through holes of said working electrode and said fifth through holes of said counter electrode.

5. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 2, wherein the insulating layer has a treated surface that promotes adhesion with said electrolyte layer.

6. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 2, wherein said second through holes in said insulating layer are at least one of aligned and overlapping with said fourth through holes, respectively, and said third through holes in said insulating layer are at least one of aligned and overlapping with said fifth through holes, respectively.

7. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 2, wherein said second and third through holes have a same dimension and shape as said fourth and fifth through holes.

8. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 2, wherein said second and third through holes have a smaller dimension and shape than said fourth and fifth through holes.

9. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 1, wherein said working, counter and reference electrodes include a first metal covered by a second metal.

10. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 9, wherein said first metal is titanium and said second metal is platinum.

11. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 1, wherein said one or more first through holes in the substrate exposes said insulating layer and said second and third through holes of said insulating layer.

12. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the one or more first through holes is a single through hole that has a tapered shape in cross section that decreases in diameter from the second surface to the first surface.

13. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 1, wherein said one or more first through hole is a plurality of first through holes.

14. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 13, wherein said plurality of first through holes have substantially a same size and shape as said second and third through holes of said insulating layer.

15. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 1, further comprising a capping layer covering said electrolyte layer and said hydrogel layer.

16. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 15, wherein said capping layer touches said electrolyte layer and said hydrogel layer.

17. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 1, wherein said electrolyte layer is one of an aqueous system that includes one of acids, bases and salts, a polymer electrolyte, and a non-aqueous system that includes one of propylene carbonate, lithium perchlorate, polyethylene oxide lithium chloride, and ionic liquids.

18. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 1, wherein said electrolyte layer is made of a sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene based fluoropolymer-copolymer.

19. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 1, wherein said hydrogel layer comprises an electrolytic hydrogel that combines said electrolyte layer and hydrogel layer in a single layer having the functionalities of both electrolyte and hydrogel layers.

20. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 19, wherein said electrolytic hydrogel is one of 2-Hydroxyethylmethacrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol diacrylate.

21. The integrated gas sensor device according to claim 1, wherein said insulating layer is an oxide layer and said substrate is a silicon substrate.