This study describes the fabrication of an ammonia gas sensor (AGS) using a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)–microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technique. The structure of the AGS features interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) and a sensing material on a silicon substrate. The IDEs are the stacked aluminum layers that are made using the CMOS process. The sensing material; polypyrrole/reduced graphene oxide (PPy/RGO), is synthesized using the oxidation–reduction method; and the material is characterized using an electron spectroscope for chemical analysis (ESCA), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and high-resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD). After the CMOS process; the AGS needs post-processing to etch an oxide layer and to deposit the sensing material. The resistance of the AGS changes when it is exposed to ammonia. A non-inverting amplifier circuit converts the resistance of the AGS into a voltage signal. The AGS operates at room temperature. Experiments show that the AGS response is 4.5% at a concentration of 1 ppm NH₃; and it exhibits good repeatability. The lowest concentration that the AGS can detect is 0.1 ppm NH₃

This study involves the fabrication and measurement of a flexible thermoelectric generator (FTG) using micromachining and electroplating processes. The area of the FTG is 46 × 17 mm², and it is composed of 39 thermocouples in series. The thermoelectric materials that are used for the FTG are copper and nickel. The fabrication process involves patterning a silver seed layer on the polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) substrate using a computer numerical control (CNC) micro-milling machine. Thermoelectric materials, copper and nickel, are deposited on the PMMA substrate using an electroplating process. An epoxy polymer is then coated onto the PMMA substrate. Acetone solution is then used to etch the PMMA substrate and to transfer the thermocouples to the flexible epoxy film. The FTG generates an output voltage (OV) as the thermocouples have a temperature difference (ΔT) between the cold and hot parts. The experiments show that the OV of the FTG is 4.2 mV at ΔT of 5.3 K and the output power is 429 nW at ΔT of 5.3 K. The FTG has a voltage factor of 1 μV/mm²K and a power factor of 19.5 pW/mm²K². The FTG reaches a curvature of 20 m⁻¹.

The fabrication and characterization of a magnetic micro sensor (MMS) with two magnetic field effect transistors (MAGFETs) based on the commercial complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process are investigated. The magnetic micro sensor is a three-axis sensing type. The structure of the magnetic microsensor is composed of an x/y-MAGFET and a z-MAGFET. The x/y-MAGFET is employed to sense the magnetic field (MF) in the x- and y-axis, and the z-MAGFET is used to detect the MF in the z-axis. To increase the sensitivity of the magnetic microsensor, gates are introduced into the two MAGFETs. The sensing current of the MAGFET enhances when a bias voltage is applied to the gates. The finite element method software Sentaurus TCAD was used to analyze the MMS’s performance. Experiments show that the MMS has a sensitivity of 182 mV/T in the x-axis MF and a sensitivity of 180 mV/T in the y-axis MF. The sensitivity of the MMS is 27.8 mV/T in the z-axis MF.

In this study, we developed a glucose fiber sensor incorporating heterodyne interferometry to measure the phase difference produced by the chemical reaction between glucose and glucose oxidase (GOx). Both theoretical and experimental results showed that the amount of phase variation is inversely proportional to glucose concentration. The proposed method provided a linear measurement range of the glucose concentration from 10 mg/dL to 550 mg/dL. The experimental results indicated that the sensitivity is proportional to the length of the enzymatic glucose sensor, and the optimum resolution can be obtained at a sensor length of 3 cm. The optimum resolution of the proposed method is better than 0.6 mg/dL. Moreover, the proposed sensor demonstrates good repeatability and reliability. The average relative standard deviation (RSD) is better than 10% and satisfied the minimum requirement for point-of-care devices.

The study investigates a magnetic field (MF) microsensor with isolated cavities manufactured utilizing complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-microelectromechanical system technology. This microsensor, which is a type of magnetic transistor, comprises four identical magnetic sensing elements, each featuring an emitter, a base, two collectors, and an additional collector. The magnetic transistor operates on the principles of the Lorentz force. This force is employed to modulate the electrical properties of the transistor, responding to changes in the surrounding MF. The MF microsensor chip is fabricated using the commercial CMOS process. Upon completing the CMOS process, post-processing is employed to etch the silicon substrate of the microsensor chip, generating isolated cavities on the silicon substrate. These isolated cavities effectively mitigate substrate leakage current, enhancing the sensitivity of the MF microsensor. The experimental results reveal that the sensitivity of the microsensor without isolated cavities is 60 mV T⁻¹. In contrast, the microsensor with isolated cavities exhibits a sensitivity of 121 mV T⁻¹. A comparison between microsensors with and without isolated cavities depicts that the sensitivity of the MF microsensor with isolated cavities doubled.

The design, fabrication, and measurement of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) three-axis magnetic field sensor (MFS) based on the commercial complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process are investigated. The MFS is a magnetic transistor type. The performance of the MFS was analyzed employing the semiconductor simulation software, Sentaurus TCAD. In order to decrease the cross-sensitivity of the three-axis MFS, the structure of the MFS is planed to accommodate two independent sensing components, a z-MFS utilized to sense magnetic field (M-F) in the z-direction and a y/x-MFS composed of a y-MFS and a x-MFS to be utilized to sense M-F in the y- and x-directions. The z-MFS incorporates four additional collectors to increase its sensitivity. The commercial 1P6M 0.18 μm CMOS process of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is utilized to manufacture the MFS. Experiments depict that the MFS has a low cross-sensitivity of less than 3%. The sensitivities of z-, y-, and x-MFS are 237 mV/T, 485 mV/T, and 484 mV/T, respectively.