ELECTROCHEMICAL OXYGEN MICROSENSORS

Recent developments in the field of silicon microfabrication technique s offer advanced technologies to improve the sensing part of macroscop ic electrochemical gas sensors by means of a miniature chip. The minia turized, low-size and low-cost devices are changing the market: the ex isting market is reshuffled and new applications in biotechnologies an d environmental control are opened. We have realized oxygen microsenso rs providing a different packaging able to work in liquid or gaseous p hases. These oxygen microsensors are based on the basic electrochemica l principle of the Hersch cell. The device is made of two micromachine d silicon wafers: the lower wafer supports the sensitive part (electro des, cavity filled with electrolyte) and the upper one supports the me mbrane. According to applications, microsensors are packaged and condi tioned differently. Laboratory tests are promising.