Tübingen (Germany) and sensors research: Ikersens, founding the company

"During those three days (21-23 August 2009), I was in the University (Universität) of Tübingen and its city.

(See previous post: Research centre (2-year fellowship): sensors research)

[...] Driven by the growing need for high performance gas sensors, a large number of innovative deposition techniques have been introduced and investigated. At the University of Tübingen (see third image), flame spray pyrolysis was studied for gas sensor preparation. This versatile and effective technique allows to produce metal oxide powders and to deposit thin films over substrate with the possibility to control film morphology and powder particle size in the nm range.

In addition, CMOS integration technology benefit not only from the capability of silicon to realize both sensing and electronic functions, but also from the manufacturing maturity that CMOS technology has reached so far. We believe that the combination of CMOS technology with more recent MEMS processing is now mature enough to deliver the exacting demands required to make low-power, low-cost smart gas sensors in high volume and this should result in a new generation of CMOS gas sensors. These new integrated, mass-produced gas sensors could open up mass markets and affect our everyday lives through application in cars, smartphones, watches, etc.

In conclusion, the ubiquitous CMOS gas sensor will become a reality in the next decade and we may also see the introduction of new sensing materials from the field of nanotechnology, such as gas sensitive nanotubes, nanorods, or nanofibers."