Electrical and structural characterisation of plasma-polymerized TEOS thin films as humidity sensors
N. Guermat, A. Bellel, S. Sahli, Y. Segui, P. Raynaud
Abstract
In this study, we used plasma polymerization of TEOS to deposit thin water molecule sensitive layers on two intredigitated aluminum electrodes evaporated on glass substrate. Electrical and structural analyses of the deposited sensitive layers have been evaluated through current-impedance responses and FTIR spectroscopy. The elaborated humidity resistive sensor exhibited a detectable response to relative humidity (RH) percentages ranging from 20 to 95%. The films showed good sensitivity to water molecule due to the presence of hydroxyl groups OH. These groups provide the adsorption sites for water and play an important role to the humidity sensor properties. The low impedance, good sensitivity as characterized by a linear change in impedance from 106 to 103 Ω over RH interval of 20–80% and low observed hysteresis of about 4%, make the elaborated layer a promising candidate for humidity sensors development.