Characterization of AgInSbTe-SiO2 Nanocomposite Thin Film for Hydrogen Gas Sensor Applications

Abstract

ABSTRACTHydrogen (H2) sensing property of AgInSbTe (AIST)-SiO2 nanocomposite thin film prepared by target-attachment sputtering method was investigated in this work. The sample subjected to a 400°C-annealing for 90 sec exhibits a significant sensitivity (58.9 %) and short response time (75 sec) upon the exposure to an ambient containing 200 ppm H2 at 75°C. The gas sensing capability is ascribed to the presence of antimony oxides, e.g., Sb2O3 and Sb2O5, in nanocomposite layer which provide the charge carriers for sensing reactions. Moreover, the high specific-surface-area (SSA) feature of AIST nanocrystals in nanocomoposite layer provided numerous sites for reduction/oxidation reactions and thus a good H2 gas sensing property can be achieved.