A Semiconductor Gas Sensor Based on Nonlinearity: Utilization of the Effect of Competition on the Sensor Responses to Gaseous Mixtures

A novel gas-sensing system based on a dynamic nonlinear response is reported to evaluate the effect of competition on the response of the sensor to gaseous mixtures of two samples. A sinusoidal temperature perturbation is applied to a semiconductor gas sensor and the resulting conductance of the sensor is analyzed. The sensor response changes characteristically depending on the composition of the gaseous mixtures and can be characterized by fast Fourier transformation (FFT). The effect of competition on the response to two samples is theoretically simulated by considering the kinetics of gas molecules on the semiconductor surface.