Fundamental limitations in resistive wide-range gas-sensor interface circuits design

Abstract

Due to their physical operating principle, resistive gas sensors demand for very widerange interface circuits. As a consequence, the design of read-out devices, with particular emphasis on integrated circuit solutions, has to face off several limitations, like noise contribution and limited voltage supply. The combination of these constrains would lead, in a traditional linear design approach with digital output, to the exploitation of conditioning network circuits and A/D converters with unreliable specifications. This situation is described in the following to define the fundamental limitations. Moreover a design optimization technique for a state-of-the art solution is reported. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.