Low-voltage thin-film piezoelectric sense-actuate fan pair for chip-scale gas-sensor

Abstract

Chip-scale gas sensing devices based on ion-mobility measurements of analytes offer the potential for fast and reliable detection of toxic compounds and chemical warfare agents, which maybe odorless or colorless. The ability to produce required ion-flow rates using low-power architectures is critical in order to maximize sampled air volume for fast detection. In this paper, we present a novel thin-film piezoelectric sense and actuate pair of fans as a component for controlled ion flow in ion-mobility-based gas detectors. The drive-fan achieves low-power operation (13.5 mW/sccm), low voltage (10.8V/sccm) with sufficiently small form-factor (0.1mm3/sccm) along with feedback flow signal from the sense-fan to measure the flow and detect the onset of turbulent flow. This device has the potential for monolithic integration with CMOS devices for chip-scale label-free gas detection.