Combined light/heat/gas sensor with decoupled electrical and thermal resistances

This work extends our previously reported idea of maintaining a hot surface by means of dissipating power at a nano-scale conductive link (antifuse). Two approaches to the device design are considered: the hot surface can be either reduced to a sub-μm-size hotspot or maintained within a larger diameter of a few microns. The designs have an advantage of decoupling the electrical resistance and thermal resistance of the device. This paper contains the results of theoretical modelling and practical realization of the antifuse-based devices. The so-called pillar-shape antifuses have been practically realised and measured. The sensitivity to different sources of energy and thermo-electrical properties have been investigated. It appeared that a pillar-shape antifuse could perform as a combined nano-scale heat detector and light sensor. Furthermore, because of the ability to generate heat, we have studied the use of the pillar-shape antifuses for vapour sensing. First promising results showed a high response after introducing acetone (ethanol) vapour into the measuring chamber. No catalytic layer aiming at decreasing the operating temperature and increasing the sensitivity was deposited on the device surface.