Enhanced Humidity Sensing Response of SnO2/Silicon Nanopillar Array by UV Irradiation

Wei Li; Linlin Wang; Yun Cai; Peifeng Pan; Jinze Li; Qingying Ren; Jie Xu

doi:10.3390/s19092141

Enhanced Humidity Sensing Response of SnO₂/Silicon Nanopillar Array by UV Irradiation

Sensors (Basel). 2019 May 9;19(9):2141. doi: 10.3390/s19092141.

Authors

Wei Li^{1

2}, Linlin Wang³, Yun Cai⁴, Peifeng Pan⁵, Jinze Li⁶, Qingying Ren⁷, Jie Xu⁸

Affiliations

¹ College of Electronic and Optical Engineering & College of Microelectronics, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China. Liw@njupt.edu.cn.
² School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China. Liw@njupt.edu.cn.
³ College of Electronic and Optical Engineering & College of Microelectronics, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China. 1217022824@njupt.edu.cn.
⁴ College of Electronic and Optical Engineering & College of Microelectronics, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China. 1017020831@njupt.edu.cn.
⁵ College of Electronic and Optical Engineering & College of Microelectronics, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China. 1216022745@njupt.edu.cn.
⁶ College of Electronic and Optical Engineering & College of Microelectronics, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China. lijinze@njupt.edu.cn.
⁷ College of Electronic and Optical Engineering & College of Microelectronics, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China. Rqy@njupt.edu.cn.
⁸ College of Electronic and Optical Engineering & College of Microelectronics, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China. jiexu@njupt.edu.cn.

Abstract

In this work, a silicon nanopillar array was created with nanosphere lithography. SnO₂ film was deposited on this nanostructure by magnetron sputtering to form an SnO₂/silicon nanopillar array sensor. The humidity sensitivity, response time, and recovery time were all measured at room temperature (25 °C) with UV or without UV irradiation. As a result, the humidity sensitivity properties were improved by enlarging the specific surface area with ordered nanopillars and irradiating with UV light. These results indicate that nanostructure sensors have potential applications in the field of sensors.

Keywords: SnO2 film; UV light; humidity sensing; silicon nanopillar array.

Grants and funding

11504177/National Natural Science Foundation of China