Propane:butane semiconductor gas sensor with low power consumption

Abstract The semiconductor gas sensors which have a reduced power consumption as low as 100 mW were developed for the application to portable gas detection devices. Sensors with a base material of tin dioxide and 4 wt.% of Pd dopant were fabricated by means of thick film technology. Both the composition parameters of the sensing layer and the heater were optimized in order to sense propane/butane in air with the threshold level of 100 ppm. The original method of tin dioxide preparation for the sensing layer and for the thick film heater being stable at temperatures up to 600°C was developed.