Influence of erbium doping on electrical properties and thermal sensitivity of tin oxide based temperature sensor

Erbium (Er) -dopedtin oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles were prepared through co-precipitation method followed by thin film deposition via electron beam evaporation technique. The phase component was estimated using the X-ray diffraction technique. I-V characteristics were recorded at different temperatures to study the conduction mechanism. By analyzing the resistivity-temperature characteristics, the related temperature sensitivity was studied in a wide temperature range 30-325°C. The results show that the deposited films have a rutile structure and possess a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) characteristics. By varying the concentration of Er doping in SnO2 films, the temperature coefficient of resistance amounting to −8.59×10−3(°C)−1 was obtained.