Metrological characteristics of ZNO oxygen sensor at room temperature

ZnO films were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering in an argon atmosphere, on glass and p-silicon substrates. The morphological characteristics of the as deposited films were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that these films were granular and homogeneous. The study of gas sensing properties of the samples was carried out through the change in resistivity due to the adsorption and desorption of the atmospheric oxygen. It was shown that the gas sensitive properties are strongly correlated with the fabricated microstructure which depends on the deposition parameters and on the substrate nature. Thus, ZnO films are very promising materials for the application as gas sensor at room temperature through their electrical resistance change on different atmospheres.