Lateral hydrogen microsensors prepared on-chip by local oxidation of platinum-decorated titanium films

Titanium microstripes on silicon dioxide substrates are oxidized locally by applying voltages on-chip to lateral electrodes under ambient conditions. This technique enables profound modifications of the electronic circuit. As an example, we transform Ti films decorated by a sub-monolayer of platinum into hydrogen gas microsensors in an otherwise completed device by a silicon-MOS compatible process.