Objective
Objectives and content
The industrial need for the RTD work here proposed arises
from the continuing pressure from industry and Society
for low cost gas sensors which can be used for a wide
range of applications which can be broadly classified as
"improved air quality". These markets are in part being
driven by legislation and regulation. Existing and
emerging markets now require from these components the
demanding combination of a significant improvement in
performance at a much lower price.
The multiple facets of the planar solid state gas sensors
which unify this proposal are: multiple electrodes
underneath multiple layers of sensor material, each layer
with controlled microstructure so as to optimise the
performance of the device. Electrode spacing, overall
device geometry and microstructure are optimised so as to
create, in effect, a crude but inexpensive gas
chromatograph for resolving mixtures of molecules, as
found in the "real world".
The objective of the work is to establish and demonstrate
a sound technological basis for the optimisation of the
design and manufacturing processes for the sensors, and
to fabricate them and demonstrate their suitability, in
association with appropriate signal processing
electronics, for the multi-sectorial applications
identified by the user Partners. None of the important
industrial (and environmentally significant) target
applications can be resolved using current sensor
technologies, though the potential of the technology here
proposed to achieve this objective has been demonstrated.
The optimised devices will be subsequently designed into
solid state sensor systems ranging in complexity from the
relatively simple and low cost to electronic noses. The
designing-in phase is likely to take 2-3 years following
completion of the work. If accomplished successfully,
this will create new markets for the sensors and systems,
the market for sensors alone being estimated to be many
millions of units per annum at a price of a few ecus
each. Overall this market could be worth 500 Mecus.
Annual process savings arising from their use can exceed
this sum.
The consortium is well balanced, with typically two
representatives from each of the stages in the
knowledge/product supply chain: universities, sensor
suppliers, subsystem and system companies, and end users
relevant to the automotive, process and industrial health
and safety sectors. Of the eight partners, from four
countries, five are world leaders in their chosen
spheres.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringmanufacturing engineering
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsignal processing
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringair pollution engineering
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
- natural sciencesmathematicspure mathematicsgeometry
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
OX11 7HP DIDCOT,HARWELL,CHILTON
United Kingdom