Biasing Voltage Dependence of Sensitivity of Electron Beam Evaporated SnO2 Thin Film CO Sensor

Thin films of tin oxide were deposited by electron beam evaporation. The effectsof the sensor biasing voltage and film thickness on the CO-sensing of tin oxide thin filmswere investigated. The films were characterized using X-ray diffraction and X-rayphotoelectron spectroscopy All the films were found to be amorphous. The current-voltagecharacteristic of the sensor in air has shown that semiconductor-metal interface formsSchottky barrier. It was found that the CO-sensing properties depend on the sensor biasingvoltage and film thickness. For lower biasing voltages the sensitivity was much higher thanfor the higher voltages. It was found that the sensitivity of the films to CO increased withthe film thickness.