Study of a platinum nanoparticle (Pt NP)/amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O (A-IGZO) thin-film-based ammonia gas sensor

Abstract A new ammonia (NH3) gas sensor, based on the incorporation of platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) and an amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O (a-IGZO) thin film, is fabricated by thermal evaporation (TE) and sputtering approaches. Due to the increased specific surface area and remarkable catalytic activity of Pt NPs, excellent ammonia sensing properties, including a very high sensing response of 1467 (in 1000 ppm NH3/air gas at 250 °C), an extremely low detecting level of 1 ppm NH3/air, a relatively low optimum operating temperature of 250 °C, and a relatively fast sensing speed, are obtained. In addition, the studied Pt NP/a-IGZO device exhibits the advantages of a simple structure, easy fabrication, and a high selectivity towards ammonia gas. The studied device is, therefore, promising for high-performance ammonia sensing applications.