Alvaro Ortiz Perez

Odor-Sensing System to Support Social Participation of People Suffering from Incontinence.

This manuscript describes the design considerations, implementation, and laboratory validation of an odor sensing module whose purpose is to support people that suffer from incontinence. Because of the requirements expressed by the affected end-users the odor sensing unit is realized as a portable accessory that may be connected to any pre-existing smart device. We have opted for a low-cost, low-power consuming metal oxide based gas detection approach to highlight the viability of developing an inexpensive yet helpful odor recognition technology. The system consists of a hotplate employing, inkjet-printed p-type semiconducting layers of copper(II) oxide, and chromium titanium oxide. Both functional layers are characterized with respect to their gas-sensitive behavior towards humidity, ammonia, methylmercaptan, and dimethylsulfide and we demonstrate detection limits in the parts-per-billion range for the two latter gases. Employing a temperature variation scheme that reads out the layer’s resistivity in a steady-state, we use each sensor chip as a virtual array. With this setup, we demonstrate the feasibility of detecting odors associated with incontinence.

Miniature Low-Cost Carbon Dioxide Sensor for Mobile Devices

We present our recent advances on developing a miniature sensor for carbon dioxide that may be used in mobile devices. Until now, limiting factors for the implementation of gas sensors in mobile devices, such as smartphones, include their production costs and large size, which is associated with the comparatively poor sensitivity. To overcome these constraints, we employ a photoacoustic-based infrared detection technology to gauge the light intensity of a mid-infrared LED. The photoacoustic detector mainly consists of a commercially available microphone inside a hermetically sealed, carbon dioxide filled cell. To save space and minimize intensity losses, a novel waveguide is used to direct the LED radiation to the detector. The waveguide simultaneously forms the measuring chamber. Because of the high sensitivity of our device, the overall size can be reduced to a level where it is compatible with standard IC sockets. Gas measurements were performed that demonstrate the suitability of the sensor. While providing high sensitivity, the influence of humidity on the sensor signal is insignificant and influences due to temperature shifts may be compensated for.

Photo-Induced Room-Temperature Gas Sensing with a-IGZO Based Thin-Film Transistors Fabricated on Flexible Plastic Foil

We present a gas sensitive thin-film transistor (TFT) based on an amorphous Indium–Gallium–Zinc–Oxide (a-IGZO) semiconductor as the sensing layer, which is fabricated on a free-standing flexible polyimide foil. The photo-induced sensor response to NO2 gas at room temperature and the cross-sensitivity to humidity are investigated. We combine the advantages of a transistor based sensor with flexible electronics technology to demonstrate the first flexible a-IGZO based gas sensitive TFT. Since flexible plastic substrates prohibit the use of high operating temperatures, the charge generation is promoted with the help of UV-light absorption, which ultimately triggers the reversible chemical reaction with the trace gas. Furthermore, the device fabrication process flow can be directly implemented in standard TFT technology, allowing for the parallel integration of the sensor and analog or logical circuits.

Inkjet-printed, functional heterolayers of ZnO@CuO for stoma pouch monitoring

Many bowel cancer patients are in need of an artificial stoma as part of their surgical treatment, and associated post-surgical odours caused by leaking stoma pouches may lead to social isolation, which is why inconspicuous monitoring of this situation is important for affected persons. The integration of micro- and nanotechnology may offer low-cost, low-power consumption and small solutions to this challenge. To this end, we present an inkjet-printed, heterostructured gas sensor that has been built by incorporating nanosized p-type semiconducting CuO in a porous n-type ZnO matrix. The functional layer is fabricated using a combination of a colloidal suspension and sol–gel approach optimized for inkjet printing thus offering an industry-ready method for integration of nanomaterials in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) structures. Using a thermal modulation scheme we enhance the information content and classify different events. We demonstrate that a simple MEMS device using a novel hetero-nanomaterial may be used to reliably identify situations where stoma pouch content escapes.

Carbon dioxide sensor for mobile devices: A novel approach for low-power consuming, highly sensitive NDIR sensors

In this work, a miniature sensor for carbon dioxide is presented. Until now, limiting factors for the implementation of gas sensors in smartphones include their production costs, large size and the comparatively poor sensitivity. A small-scale sensor for carbon dioxide suitable for integration in a smartphone is introduced that overcomes these constraints. The sensor components are low-cost, low-power consuming only. As light source a mid-infrared LED is employed and to gauge the light intensity a photoacoustic detector consisting of a commercially available microphone inside a hermetically sealed carbon dioxide cell is used. To save space and minimize intensity losses, a novel waveguide is used to direct the LED radiation to the detector. The waveguide simultaneously forms the measuring chamber. At the same time, because of the high sensitivity of our detector, the overall size can be reduced to a level where it is compatible with standard IC sockets. Gas measurements were performed that emphasize the suitability of the sensor. While providing high sensitivity, the influence of cross-sensitivities to humidity are insignificant and influences due to temperature shifts may be compensated for.