Porous Semiconductors: Advanced Material for Gas Sensor Applications

Abstract

The present review article is devoted to the analysis of the problems related to the design of gas sensors based on porous semiconductors (PS). The peculiarities of the semiconductor porosification by anodic etching and the principles of gas sensor design based on porous semiconductors, including gas sensor construction and main operating characteristics, are considered in the article. It is shown that the influence of the surrounding atmosphere on such parameters of porous semiconductors as refractive index, the intensity of photoluminescence, electroconductivity, dielectric constant, and surface potential might be used for gas sensor design. Based on the conducted analysis it is concluded that porous semiconductors have a great potential for the above-mentioned applications. However, the realization of those opportunities is restrained by such factors as bad reproducibility, increased temporal drift of characteristics, low selectivity, and an unsatisfactory level of understanding of the operating mechanism of sensors fabricated on the basis of porous semiconductors.