• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.233-237
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• 2013

We fabricated electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS) devices using a solution process and measured the sensing properties of EIS devices according to the thicknesses of sensing membrane. For high pH sensitivity and better stability properties, we used $SiO_2/HfO_x$ (OH) layer as a sensing membrane. In this work, $HfO_x$ sensing membranes were deposited on 5 nm thick $SiO_2$ buffer layer by spin coater with thicknesses of 15, 31, 42, 55 nm, respectively. As a result, we founded that the thickness of $HfO_x$ sensing membrane affects to sensitivity and chemical stability of EIS device. Especially, the EIS device with 42 nm thick $HfO_x$ membrane showed superior sensing ability in terms of pH-sensitivity, linearity, hysteresis voltage and drift rate characteristics than the other devices. In conclusion, we confirmed that it is possible to improve the sensing ability and the chemical stability properties using optimized thickness of sensing membrane and proper annealing process.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.125-128
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• 2012

We fabricated the electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS) devices with various high-k sensing membranes to realize a high quality pH sensor. The sensing properties of each high-k dielectric material were compared with those of conventional $SiO_2$ (O) and $SiO_2/Si_3N_4$ (ON) membranes. As a result, the high-k sensing membranes demonstrated better sensitivity and stability than the O and ON membranes. Especially, the $SiO_2/HfO_2$ (OH) stacked layer showed a high sensitivity and the $SiO_2/Al_2O_3$ (OA) stacked layer exhibited an excellent chemical stability. In conclusion, the high-k sensing membranes are expected to have excellent operating characteristics in terms of sensitivity and chemical stability for the biosensor application.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.33-36
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• 2012

In this study, the thickness effects of $Al_2O_3$ layer on the sensing properties of $SiO_2/Al_2O_3$ (OA) stacked membrane were investigated using electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS) structure for high quality pH sensor. The $Al_2O_3$ layers with a respective thickness of 5 nm, 15 nm, 23 nm, 50 nm, and 100 nm were deposited on the 5-nm-thick $SiO_2$ layers. The electrical characteristics and sensing properties of each OA membranes were investigated using metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) and EIS devices, respectively. As a result, the OA stacked membrane with 23-nm-thick $Al_2O_3$ layer shows the excellent characteristics as a sensing membrane of EIS sensor, which can enhance the signal to noise ratio.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.90-95
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• 2012

This paper describes the development of a glucose biosensor based on ion sensitive field effect transistor(ISFET) with a palladium(Pd) modified ion sensing membrane. By adopting Pd as a hydrogen sensitive layer and integrating a screen-printed reference electrode, the sensitivity and stability were considerably improved due to the high permeability and selectivity of the Pd hydrogen selective membrane. This paper suggests a new approach for realizing portable and highly sensitive glucose sensors for diagnosing and treating diabetes mellitus.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.508-513
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• 1997

We exploited a new molecular system - acetylcholine (neurotransmitter) detection system as a building block for the perfect molecular information system (sensing membrane of the chemical sensor) - using water soluble calix[n]arene-p-sulfonates which are useful even in aqueous (water/methanol) neutral solution. This achievement is due to several outstanding properties of these calix[n]arene derivatives such as low $pK_{a}$ values, cation-interactions, and high water-solubility, etc.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1997.11a
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• pp.609-611
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• 1997

Pt thin films flow sensors were fabricated by using aluminum oxide films as medium layer and their characteristics were investigated after annealing at $600^{\circ}C$ for 60min. Aluminum oxide improved adhesion of Pt thin films to $SiO_2$ layer without any chemical reactions to Pt thin films under high annealing temperatures. Output voltages increased as gas flow rate and gas conductivity increased because heat loss of heater, which was integrated with a sensing resistor in the flow sensor, increased. Output voltage of flow sensor fabricated on membrane structure was 101mV at $O_2$ flow rate of 2000sccm, heating power of 0.8W while flow sensor fabricated on Si substrate without membrane had output voltage of 78mV under the same conditions.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.2364-2367
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• 2015

In this study, we fabricated an electrolyte-insulator-metal (EIM) device incorporating a high-k Al₂O₃ sensing membrane using a porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) through a two-step anodizing process for pH detection. The structural properties were observed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD). Electrochemical measurements taken consisted of capacitance-voltage (C-V), hysteresis voltage and drift rates. The average pore diameter and depth of the AAO membrane with a pore-widening time of 20 min were 123nm and 273.5nm, respectively. At a pore-widening time of 20 min, the EIM device using anodic aluminum oxide exhibited a high sensitivity (56mV/pH), hysteresis voltage (6.2mV) and drift rate (0.25mV/pH).

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.115-123
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• 1999

A micro-gas sensor with heater and sensing electrode on the same plane was fabricated on phosphosilicate glass(PSG, 800nm)/$Si_3N_4$ (150nm) dielectric membrane. PSG film was provided by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition(APCVD), and $Si_3N_4$ film by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD). Total area of the fabricated device was $3.78{\times}3.78mm^2$. The area of diaphragm was $1.5{\times}1.5mm^2$, and that of the sensing layer was $0.24{\times}0.24mm^2$. Finite-element simulation was employed to estimate temperature distribution for a square-shaped diaphragm. The power consumption of Pt heater was about 85mW at $350^{\circ}C$. Tin thin films were deposited on the silicon substrate by thermal evaporation at room temperature and $232^{\circ}C$, and tin oxide films($SnO_2$) were prepared by thermal oxidation of the metallic tin films at $650^{\circ}C$ for 3 hours in oxygen ambient. The film analyses were carried out by SEM and XRD techniques. Effects of humidity and ambient temperature on the resistance of the sensing layer were found to be negligible. The fabricated micro-gas sensor exhibited high sensitivity to butane gas.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.299-303
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• 2013

In this study, a micro gas sensor for $NO_x$ was fabricated using a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology and sol-gel process. The membrane and micro heater of the sensor platform were fabricated by a standard MEMS and CMOS technology with minor changes. The sensing electrode and micro heater were designed to have a co-planar structure with a Pt thin film layer. The size of the gas sensor device was about $2mm{\times}2mm$. Indium oxide as a sensing material for the $NO_x$ gas was synthesized by a sol-gel process. The particle size of synthesized $In_2O_3$ was identified as about 50 nm by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The maximum gas sensitivity of indium oxide, as measured in terms of the relative resistance ($R_s=R_{gas}/R_{air}$), occurred at $300^{\circ}C$ with a value of 8.0 at 1 ppm $NO_2$ gas. The response and recovery times were within 60 seconds and 2 min, respectively. The sensing properties of the $NO_2$ gas showed good linear behavior with an increase of gas concentration. This study confirms that a MEMS-based gas sensor is a potential candidate as an automobile gas sensor with many advantages: small dimension, high sensitivity, short response time and low power consumption.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.402-409
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• 2006

Although microorganisms are, in fact, the most diverse and abundant type of organism on Earth, the ecological functions of microbial populations remains poorly understood. A variety of bacteria including marine Vibrios encounter numerous ecological challenges, such as UV light, predation, competition, and seasonal variations in seawater including pH, salinity, nutrient levels, temperature and so forth. In order to survive and proliferate under variable conditions, they have to develop elaborate means of communication to meet the challenges to which they are exposed. In bacteria, a range of biological functions have recently been found to be regulated by a population density-dependent cell-cell signaling mechanism known as quorum-sensing (QS). In other words, bacterial cells sense population density by monitoring the presence of self-produced extracellular autoinducers (AI). N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL)-dependent quorum-sensing was first discovered in two luminescent marine bacteria, Vibrio fischeri and Vibrio harveyi. The LuxI/R system of V. fischeriis the paradigm of Gram-negative quorum-sensing systems. At high population density, the accumulated signalstrigger the expression of target genes and thereby initiate a new set of biological activities. Several QS systems have been identified so far. Among them, an AHL-dependent QS system has been found to control biofilm formation in several bacterial species, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aeromonas hydrophila, Burkholderia cepacia, and Serratia liquefaciens. Bacterial biofilm is a structured community of bacterial cells enclosed in a self-produced polymeric matrix that adheres to an inert or living surface. Extracellular signal molecules have been implicated in biofilm formation. Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain NT1(traR, tra::lacZ749) and Chromobacterium violaceum strain CV026 are used as biosensors to detect AHL signals. Quorum sensing in lactic acid bacteria involves peptides that are directly sensed by membrane-located histidine kinases, after which the signal is transmitted to an intracellular regulator. In the nisin autoregulation process in Lactococcus lactis, the NisK protein acts as the sensor for nisin, and NisR protein as the response regulator activatingthe transcription of target genes. For control over growth and survival in bacterial communities, various strategies need to be developed by which receptors of the signal molecules are interfered with or the synthesis and release of the molecules is controlled. However, much is still unknown about the metabolic processes involved in such signal transduction and whether or not various foods and food ingredients may affect communication between spoilage or pathogenic bacteria. In five to ten years, we will be able to discover new signal molecules, some of which may have applications in food preservation to inhibit the growth of pathogens on foods.