Contact: Heejin Choi
Email: hjchoi2@etri.re.kr
Phone: +82. 42. 860. 4946
Subminiature Gas Sensor
Technology for Managing
Indoor Air Quality
Subminiature Gas Sensor Technology for
Managing Indoor Air Quality
2
TECHNOLOGY BRIEF
▣ Technology Overview
Subminiature Gas Sensor Technology for Managing Indoor Air Quality
u
Senses gas by a change of electrical resistance occurred by electron swap
between sensing material and gas, and activates reaction by partially heating
with heater.
u
Sensing material uses a method evaporating large area like screen printing,
inkjet printing, chemical vapor deposition, sputtering, and etc.
u
Especially making high-thermal efficiency and high-stiffness designed micro
heater with CMOS-MEMS process and applying it to gas sensor, enables
materialization of subminiature low-power-consumption sensor.
Subminiature, Indoor Air Quality, VOC(Volatile Organic
Compounds), Gas Sensor, MEMS(Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System
□ Keywords
□ TRL
< Gas Sensing Mechanism and Diagram of Micro Heater>
Heater
Sensor
Electrode
Sensing
Material
Heater
Si
5
Technology Classification Code
Sector
Sub Sector
Industry
ICT Device
ICT Device
Sensor/Device/Material
3
TECHNOLOGY BRIEF
Subminiature Gas Sensor Technology for Managing Indoor Air Quality
(Low-price Low-power-consumption Micro Heater Device Technology
▶ High-sensitivity Gas Sensing Material Technology
▶ Low-power MEMS Heater and Sensor Production/Evaluation Technology
• Hybrid nano material functionalization technology
• Gas sensing material evaporation technology for mass production
• Minimum area gas sensing material consecutive evaporation technology
• Low-power bulk processing type MEMS heater design/production technology
• MEMS heater feature evaluation technology
• Low-power MEMS gas sensor production/evaluation technology
▣ Technology Description
▣ Application Fields
TO Can
Heater
Electrode
Sensor
Electrode
Sensing
Material
▶ Indoor Air Quality Management Field
▶ Public Air Quality Management Field
▶ Atmosphere Environment Management Field
4
u
There is sensors with various sensing methods on sale, but this technology
is ful y adopted to the flow of global sensor technology development, and
it is a device having intel igent features fol owing the IoT generation with
low-power-consumption, subminiature, and low-price mass production.
u
Among the above features, low-power-consumption is materialized by
applying high-efficiency micro heater which can be produced massively
with semiconductor process.
u
As applications with sensor equipped are consistently asking for smal er
sizes and main sensor companies are launching smal er sensors
consistently, this technology is also materialized with subminiature design
and semiconductor process.
Low-price low-power-consumption micro heater based indoor air quality
sensor made by ETRI with its own technology. This sensor is aiming for
providing services equipped in smartphone of IoT sensor node, and has
features of subminiature low-power-consumption and possible for mass
production
▣ Outstanding Features
▣ IPR Status
Korean patent 1 article registered
Korean patent 1 article applied
5
• In Korea, not MEMS but bulk
semiconductor typed gas
sensors are taking most of the
market.
• To deal with market demand for
MEMS gas sensor, research is
running actively with labs and
companies but yet non has been
commercialized.
• Even in foreign, most of
semiconductor typed gas sensors
are heavy consuming bulk
semiconductors.
• In Japan, Figaro, which is a
representative semiconductor
typed gas sensor enterprise,
recently launched low-power-
consumption gas sensor with
MEMS technology applied.
u
VOCs like formaldehyde are classified as class 1 carcinogens but when
new house, office, and public facilities uses cheap interior, these gases
will contaminate indoor air quality.
u
Instead of using expensive equipment for precise measurement, there are
many technological demands for implementing alarm function of indoor
air quality with simple and low-price sensors.
u
When subminiature low-power-consumption micro heater technology is
applied to this, a lot more various IoT services or mobile gas sensor can
be materialized.
u
IoT sensor node mainly applied for low-battery consuming hygrothermal
sensors has limited service range but with low-battery-consumption gas
sensor loaded, various services are possible while ecobusiness is also
expected.
□ Korea
□ Global
▣ Technology Trend
6
기술수요
적용처
Application
Industry
Smartphone, Sensor
Node, Automobile, Air
Cleaner, Air Conditioner
Management of Personal,
Indoor, Automobile Air
Qualities
u
Global market of gas sensor is expected to grow 5.2% every year average
from $4.8 billion at 2015 to $5.9 billion at 2019.
- Global market of sensor node is expected to be scaled from $12.3 billion
at 2015 to $43.5 billion at 2019, and at least 50% gas sensor will be
loaded.
u
Domestic market of gas sensor is expected to grow 6.1% every year
average from 490 billion \ at 2015 to 6200 billion \ at 2019.
• Recently
indoor
environment
sensing or safety management
and renewable energy field are
more likely to look for gas
sensors, and Figaro, e2v, City
Tech., Honeywel are companies
with high share
• EU STX Co. has launched bulk
processing MEMS gas sensor
items, but needs lesser power-
consumption to be used at mobile
devices or sensor nodes.
▣ Market Trend
□ Market Leaders
□ Technology Demand
7
• Silicon based micro heater design and manufacturing process technology
• Silicon based micro heater characteristic measuring and analyzing technology
§
Low-power-consumption MEMS Heater Technology
• Large area gas sensing material evaporating and analyzing technology
• Gas sensing characteristic evaluation equipment technology
• Gas sensing characteristic measuring and analyzing technology
• Gas sensor module design technology
• Gas sensing algorithm technology
§
Subminiature Air Quality Sensor Technology for Mass Production
▶ Gas sensor for super slim mobile devices like smartphones
▶ Gas sensor for IoT sensor node
▶ Gas sensor for home appliance devices/automobiles
▶ Since there are few cases of commercialized subminiature low-power-
consumption featured gas sensor technology, advantageous to create
various services other than existing services.
▶ Air conditioning or noxious environment monitoring services are
possible at appliances/automobile, public facilities and office or
working environments
▣ Applications and Effects
▣ Scope of Technology Transfer
