Fabrication Nanostructures on Field Effect Transistors for Methane Gas Sensing

Field Effect Transistors (FETs) have emerged as promising platforms for gas detection because of their high sensitivity, scalability, and tunable surface properties through chemical or structural functionalization. However, the integration of one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures, specifically transition metal trichalcogenides (TMTs), onto FET surfaces for gas sensing applications remains largely unexplored. This research aims to exploit the high surface area-to-volume ratio and anisotropic properties of 1D TMTs to enhance the sensitivity and lower the response and recovery times of these devices. The 1D TMTs are fabricated and characterized using SEM and photoluminescence measurements. These nanostructures are then integrated onto FET surfaces and tested with various methane concentrations to determine the sensor performance, including sensitivity, response, and recovery times. Current efforts focus on device integration and testing under controlled methane exposure. The expected outcome of this experiment is to create a TMT functionalized FET gas sensor capable of detecting methane as low as 10 ppm with potential applications in environmental monitoring, industry safety, and space exploration.