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Fabrication of Carbon Nanotube High-Frequency Nanoelectronic Biosensor for Sensing in High Ionic Strength Solutions
Published on: July 22, 2013
Gigantic enhancement in sensitivity using Schottky contacted nanowire nanosensor
Te-Yu Wei1, Ping-Hung Yeh, Shih-Yuan Lu
1School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|December 3, 2009
Summary
A novel zinc oxide nanowire gas sensor utilizes a Schottky contact for ultrahigh sensitivity in detecting carbon monoxide (CO). This breakthrough in nanosensor technology offers a significant advancement for gas detection systems.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Chemical Sensing
Background:
- Gas sensors are crucial for environmental monitoring and industrial safety.
- Traditional sensors often face limitations in sensitivity and response time.
- Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires offer unique properties for sensing applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate an ultrahigh-sensitivity gas sensor based on a single ZnO nanowire.
- To investigate the effect of Schottky contacts on gas sensing performance.
- To develop a novel sensing mechanism for enhanced gas detection.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a single ZnO nanowire device with Ohmic and Schottky contacts.
- Utilizing the Schottky contact as a gate to control current flow.
- Operating the device in reverse bias mode at elevated temperatures for gas detection.
- Testing sensitivity and response/reset times for carbon monoxide (CO) detection.
Main Results:
- Achieved ultrahigh sensitivity (32,000%) for 400 ppm CO detection using the Schottky contacted device.
- Demonstrated a sensitivity enhancement of 4 orders of magnitude compared to Ohmic contact devices.
- Reduced response and reset times by a factor of 7.
- Identified a new sensing mechanism involving Schottky barrier modulation and nanowire amplification.
Conclusions:
- The Schottky contacted ZnO nanowire nanosensor exhibits exceptional sensitivity and rapid response for gas sensing.
- The demonstrated sensing mechanism provides a new pathway for developing advanced gas detection systems.
- This approach is highly applicable to various other gas sensing applications.
