FABRICATION AND PROPERTIES OF A SI-BASED HIGH-SENSITIVITY MICROCALORIMETRIC GAS SENSOR

A differential catalytic microcalorimeter has been fabricated using si licon micromachining techniques. The steady-state device response to d ifferent combustible gases was investigated in the laboratory as a fun ction of concentration of the combustible species, oxygen level, and g as flow. The device output was found to be proportional to the concent ration of the different combustible gases, while the relative sensitiv ity to different reactants depends on the specific catalyst used. This paper discusses the design issues and the fabrication process for max imizing the detection limit of the device.