ZnO nanowires (NWs) are good candidates for chemical sensing because of their high surface-to-volume ratio. In this work, ZnO nanobridge sensors were fabricated utilizing a novel method which uses carbonized photoresist (C-PR) as a nucleation layer. The use of C-PR allows simultaneous growth and integration of NWs to lithographically-defined features. The nanobridge sensors are shown to be sensitive to the presence of O₂, H₂O, CO, and H₂/N₂ gas. However, since ZnO dissolves in water, a protective layer is necessary for these sensors to be used in the liquid or vapor phase. A chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process for amino-[2,2]paracyclophane (parylene-A) was developed and used to successfully protect the NWs. Gas sensing measurements were performed on bare and parylene-A coated devices with and without UV illumination. The parylene-A layer was found to attenuate sensitivity to O₂ and H₂O, and UV illumination was found to decrease the response time. / Graduation date: 2012
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/21925 |
| Date | 01 July 2011 |
| Creators | Mason, Ashley D. |
| Contributors | Conley, John F. Jr |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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