MISiCFET chemical gas sensors for high temperature and corrosive environment applications

A chemical gas sensor based on a silicon carbide field effect transistor with a catalytic gate metal has been under development for a number of years. The buried gate design allows the sensor to operate at high temperatures, routinely up to 600degreesC and for at least three days at 700degreesC. The chemical inertness of silicon carbide makes it a suitable sensor technology for applications in corrosive environments such as exhaust gases and flue gases from boilers. The selectivity of the sensor devices is established through the choice of type and structure of the gate metal as well as the operation temperature. In this way NH3 sensors with low cross sensitivity to NOx have been demonstrated as potential sensors for control of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx by urea injection into diesel exhausts. The hardness of the silicon carbide makes it for example more resistant to water splash at cold start of a petrol engine than existing technologies, and a sensor which can control the air to fuel ratio, before the exhaust gases are heated, has been demonstrated. Silicon carbide sensors are also tested in flue gases from boilers. Efficient regulation of the combustion in a boiler will decrease fuel consumption and reduce emissions.