Selective Deposition of PdO Nanoparticles on Si Nanodevices for Hydrogen Sensing

In this paper, we present a method, involving plasma-enhancedatomiclayer deposition and constant-power device-localized Joule heating(DLJH), for the selective deposition of palladium oxide (PdO) nanoparticlesat the n(-) region of n(+)/n(-)/n(+) polysilicon nanobelt (PNB) devices. These PdO-decoratedPNB devices were then operated under DLJH so that the temperatureof the n(-) region was maintained during the sensingof H-2 gas. From their measured responses, the devices operatedat a temperature of 339 K exhibited the most reactive interactionsbetween PdO and H-2. Considering the possibility of humidityinterference, we also characterized the PdO-decorated PNB devicesfor H-2 sensing at various relative humidities. The PdOnanoparticles on the PNB devices having a grain distance that sustaineda spillover effect were almost immune to RH interference.