Improved Sensitivity SiC Hydrogen Sensor

We have produced silicon carbide sensors by two techniques: palladium coating and low energy palladium implantation. The palladium implantation was done at 550°C into the Si face of 6H, n-type SiC at various energies and at various fluences. The sensitivity of each sensor was measured at temperatures between 20°C to 400°C. The response of the SiC sensors produced by Pd implantation has revealed a completely different behavior than the SiC sensors produced by Pd deposition. In the Pd deposited SiC sensors, as well as in the ones reported in the literature [1, 2], the current rises in the presence of hydrogen at room temperature as well as at elevated temperatures. In the case of Pd implanted SiC sensors, the current decreases in the presence of hydrogen whenever the temperature is raised above 100°C [3].