Effects of Thin-Film Thickness on Sensing Properties of SnO2-Based Gas Sensors for the Detection of H2S Gas at ppm Levels

Abstract

SnO2 thin-film gas sensors were easily created using the ion sputtering technique. The as-deposited SnO2 thin films consist of a tetragonal SnO2 phase and densely packed nanosized grains with diameters of approximately 20−80 nm, which are separated by microcracks. The as-deposited SnO2 thin film is well crystallized, with a dense columnar nanostructure grown directly onto the alumina material and the Pt electrodes. The grain size and thickness of SnO2 thin films are easily controlled by varying the sputtering time of the ion coater. The responses of the SnO2 thin-film sensors decrease as the SnO2 film thickness is increased, indicating that a negative association exists between the sensor response and the SnO2 film thickness due to gas diffusion from the surface. The SnO2 thin-film sensor, which was created by ion sputtering for 10 min, shows an excellent sensor response (Ra/Rg where Ra is the electric resistance under air and Rg is the electric resistance under the test gas) for detecting 1 ppm H2S at 350°C.