The effect of ultraviolet irradiation on the ultra-thin HfO2 based CO gas sensor

In this work, an effort has been made to fabricate ultrathin HfO2/Al2O3 sample by atomic layer deposition method for the fast detection of CO gas at room temperature. The effect of the operating temperature and the UV light on the gas sensing characteristics has been studied. We investigated the optimum operating temperature for the sample by sensing 25 ppm CO and CO2 gases from room temperature to 150 degrees C for 10 degrees C steps. The maximum response was obtained at 150 degrees C for both gases in the measurement temperature range. Also, the photoresponse measurements clearly show the effect of UV light on the sample. At room temperature, sensor showed superior response (14%) for 5 ppm CO gas. The response time of sensor is 6 s to 5 ppm CO gas concentration. The ultrathin HfO2 based sample shows acceptable gas sensitivity for 5 ppm CO gas at room temperature under UV light irradiation. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.