Alpha M.o.s.

Sébastien Pelletier

Jean-Christophe Mifsud

François Loubet

Chang Hyun Shim

Sandrine Isz

In a gas sensor having a gas-sensitive layer and a heating element to heat the gas-sensitive layer, the heating element comprises a heater track having first and second outer electric terminals and at least one inner electric terminal located between the outer electric terminals. The gas sensor includes a control unit configured to control the electric potentials that are applied to the electric terminals during use, and the control unit is configured to be capable of varying the set of electric potentials applied to the electric terminals. In certain applications the control unit may select the terminals to which power is applied, in order to assure the gas-sensitive layer is heated to a specified temperature. In certain applications the gas sensor has multiple measurement electrodes and the control unit selects the set of electric potentials so that different temperatures are attained at locations where different measurement electrodes are located.

Gas sensor with a configurable heating element, and methods exploiting the configurability

A hybrid device comprising Metal Oxide Sensors in a Gas Chromatography column is described, whereby the readings from the MOS devices will vary along the column in reaction to the sample reflecting the differential delays imposed on the components of the sample depending on the elutive effect of the adsorbent lining the column for the respective component. By this means, a family of readings is obtained, any one of which may be easier to interpret for a particular sample, and which may be compared amongst themselves providing an additional measurement dimension. The behavior of later sections of column or sensors may be modified dynamically during a measurement cycle depending on the readings obtained at the earlier stages.

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Auzeville Tolosane, France

Sébastien Pelletier