Ultra-low power metal oxide gas sensor on plastic foil

We report on the design and fabrication of ultra-low power metal-oxide (MOX) gas sensors on plastic foils envisioning their fabrication at large scale and low cost. A complete sensor solution is presented including its packaging at the foil level and the driving/readout circuitry. The latter allowed the sensor to operate in pulsed temperature mode to reduce the power consumption in the sub-mW range. Gas measurements under CO, CH4 and NO2 have proven the proper operation of the sensor. These devices are being developed targeting wireless applications.