A new method for fast identification of gases and gas mixtures after sensor power up

We present a method for identifying and quantifying different gases and gas mixtures immediately after power up of a semiconductor gas sensor. The required information is obtained from the temporal behavior of the resistance reflecting the chemical interaction of the sensing layer with the gases. Due to the low thermal mass of the microsensors used in our experiments, identification and quantification of air, CO and H₂ is possible within a few seconds. In addition, the method also allows identification of components in a gas mixture based on calibration data gained from the individual gases. Experiments with different sensors have shown that this method of data extraction has a large potential for gas detection systems based on dynamic operation.