Panasonic Corporation

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan

Seiko Epson Corporation

Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd.

Zhiqiang Wei

Takeshi Takagi

Shunsaku Muraoka

Kazunari Homma

Koji Katayama

Satoru Fujii

Yoshihiko Kanzawa

Satoru Mitani

Takeki Ninomiya

Yoshio Kawashima

Takumi Mikawa

Mitsuteru Iijima

Kazuhiko Shimakawa

Koji Sumi

Tsutomu Nishiwaki

Yoshikazu Katoh

Hong Qiu

Shinichi Yoneda

Masanori Okuyama

Ryotaro Azuma

Ken Kawai

Atsushi Himeno

Ichirou Takahashi

Ryoichi Suzuki

Hiroyuki Akinaga

Hisashi Shima

Yasuhisa Naito

A gas sensor includes: a gas-sensitive body layer disposed above a substrate and including a metal oxide layer; a first electrode on the gas-sensitive body layer; and a second electrode on the gas-sensitive body layer, being apart from the first electrode by a gap. The gas-sensitive body layer has a resistance change characteristic that reversibly transitions to a high-resistance state and a low-resistance state on basis of a voltage applied across the first electrode and the second electrode. At least a part of the gas-sensitive body layer is exposed to the gap. The gas-sensitive body layer has a resistance that decreases when gas containing a hydrogen atom is in contact with the second electrode.

Gas sensor and fuel cell vehicle

A gas monitoring system includes at least one sensor device that detects gas and outputs a detection result; and a gateway that receives the detection result. The at least one sensor device includes a sensor module having a gas sensor that detects gas; an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter that processes the detection result outputted from the gas sensor; a communication module that communicates with the sensor module and transmits information processed by the A/D converter exteriorly of the at least one sensor device; a power source that is an electric power source of the sensor module; and a power source that is an electric power source of the communication module.

Sensor device and gas monitoring system

Provided is a gas detection device that includes a gas sensor, a power supply circuit that applies voltage to the gas sensor, and a control circuit that determines whether a leak of gas is present. The power supply circuit includes a reset power source that generates a first voltage, and a detection power source that generates a detection voltage for measuring resistance of a metal-oxide layer of the gas sensor. When a value of a current flowing through the metal-oxide layer is a predetermined value ITH or greater, the reset power source applies the first voltage to the gas sensor to perform a reset of resetting the metal-oxide layer of the gas sensor to a high-resistance state, and the control circuit determines that a leak of gas is present, depending on a state in which the reset is performed after the reset is performed for the first time.

Gas detection device, gas detection system, fuel cell vehicle, and gas detection method

A gas sensor includes: a first electrode; a metal oxide layer that is on the first electrode and has a resistance value that changes when the metal oxide layer contacts hydrogen atoms; a second electrode on the metal oxide layer; and an insulating film that covers at least a part of side surfaces of the first electrode, the metal oxide layer, and the second electrode. In the metal oxide layer, a part of a first interface between the first electrode and the metal oxide layer is not covered by the insulating film and is exposed to a gas.

Gas sensor, gas detection apparatus, fuel cell powered vehicle, and manufacturing method of gas sensor

A gas sensor includes a first electrode having a first main surface and a second main surface opposite to the first main surface; a second electrode having a third main surface facing the second main surface and a fourth main surface opposite to the third main surface; a metal oxide layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, and being in contact with the second main surface and the third main surface; and an insulating film covering at least a part of the first electrode, a part of the second electrode, and at least a part of the metal oxide layer. At least a part of the fourth main surface is exposed to gas which contains a gas molecule including a hydrogen atom. A resistance value of the metal oxide layer decreases when the second electrode is in contact with the gas molecule.

Gas sensor including first electrode, second electrode, metal oxide layer, and insulating film, and fuel-cell vehicle including the gas sensor

A gas sensor device includes gas sensors and switches. The switches are connected to the respective gas sensors in series. The gas sensors each include: a first conductive layer; a second conductive layer; a metal oxide layer disposed between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer; and an insulation layer covering the first conductive layer, the second conductive layer, and the metal oxide layer and having an opening from which a portion of the second conductive layer is exposed. The resistance of the gas sensor is decreased when a gas containing a hydrogen atom comes into contact with the second conductive layer.

Gas sensor device including gas sensors and switches, gas sensor module, and gas detection method

A hydrogen detection method using a gas sensor, in which the gas sensor includes a first conductive layer; a second conductive layer including a first region having a first thickness and a second region having a second thickness larger than the first thickness; a metal oxide layer disposed between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer; and an insulation layer covering the first conductive layer, the second region of the second conductive layer, and the metal oxide layer and not covering the first region of the second conductive layer. The hydrogen detection method includes allowing a gas to come into contact with the first region of the second conductive layer; and detecting a hydrogen gas contained in the gas by detecting a decrease in resistance between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.

Hydrogen detection method using gas sensor having a metal oxide layer

A gas sensor includes: a first conductive layer; a second conductive layer including a first region having a first thickness and a second region having a second thickness larger than the first thickness; a metal oxide layer disposed between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, the metal oxide layer including a bulk region and a local region surrounded by the bulk region, a degree of oxygen deficiency of the local region being higher than that of the bulk region; and an insulation layer covering the first conductive layer, the second region of the second conductive layer, and the metal oxide layer and not covering the first region of the second conductive layer.

Gas sensor including metal oxide layer and hydrogen detection method using gas sensor

A hydrogen sensor includes: a first electrode; a second electrode; a metal oxide layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode and including a bulk area and a local area; a first insulation film covering the first electrode, the second electrode, and the metal oxide layer and having an opening reaching the second electrode; and a second insulation film being in contact with the second electrode in the opening.

Hydrogen sensor including pair of electrodes and metal oxide layer and method of detecting hydrogen with hydrogen sensor

A gas-detecting apparatus includes a measurement circuit including a gas sensor and a measurement instrument and a decision circuit. Detection cells, included in the gas sensor, each include a first electrode, a second electrode having a surface exposed from an insulation layer, and a metal oxide layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The resistance values of the detection cells are each allowed to decrease by a contact of gas containing hydrogen atoms with the second electrode. The measurement instrument monitors the resistance values of the detection cells. The decision circuit decides whether the gas is detected or not based on at least one change of the resistance values.

Gas-detecting apparatus including gas sensor and method of detecting hydrogen using gas sensor

A gas-detecting apparatus includes a gas sensor and a power supply circuit. The gas sensor includes: a first electrode; a second electrode; a metal oxide layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode; and an insulation film covering the first electrode, the second electrode, and the metal oxide layer. The insulation file having an opening from which a surface of the second electrode is exposed. The resistance value of the metal oxide layer decreases when gas containing hydrogen atoms comes into contact with the second electrode. The power supply circuit applies a predetermined voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode to increase the resistance value of the metal oxide layer before and/or after the decrease in the resistance value of the metal oxide layer.

A gas sensor includes an insulation layer and detection cells covered with the insulation layer. Each of the plurality of detection cells includes: a first electrode; a second electrode having a surface exposed from the insulation layer; and a metal oxide layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. In each of the detection cells, a resistance value of the metal oxide layer decreases with a response time, which is different in each of the detection cells, when a gas containing a hydrogen atom comes into contact with the second electrodes.

Gas sensor including detection cells, and method for determining hydrogen concentration

An estimation method for a variable resistance element including (i) a first electrode, (ii) a second electrode, and therebetween (iii) a variable resistance layer in which a local region is formed which has resistive status that reversibly changes according to an electric pulse applied between the first electrode and the second electrode, the estimation method including: obtaining, when changes are made to the resistive status of the local region, measurement values each indicating a resistance state after one of the changes; and determining, based on a distribution of the obtained measurement values, an estimated amount of a physical parameter regarding structural characteristics of the local region by a calculation.

Estimation method, estimation device, and inspection device for variable resistance element, and nonvolatile memory device

A method of driving a nonvolatile memory element including a variable resistance element having a state reversibly changing between low and high resistance states by an applied electrical signal and a transistor serially connected to the variable resistance element. The method including: setting the variable resistance element to the low resistance state by applying a first gate voltage to a gate of the transistor and applying a first write voltage negative with respect to a first electrode; and changing a resistance value of the transistor obtained in a low-resistance write operation, when a value of current passing through the variable resistance element in the setting of the low resistance state or a resistance value of the nonvolatile memory element in the case where the variable resistance element is in the low resistance state is outside a predetermined range.

Method of driving nonvolatile memory element and nonvolatile memory device

In a nonvolatile memory element, when a voltage value of an electric pulse has a relationship of V2&#x3e;V1&#x3e;0 V&#x3e;V3&#x3e;V4 and a resistance value of a variable resistance layer has a relationship of R3&#x3e;R2&#x3e;R4&#x3e;R1, the resistance value of the variable resistance layer becomes: R2, when the electric pulse having a voltage value of V2 or greater is applied between electrodes; R4, when the electric pulse having a voltage value of V4 or smaller is applied between the electrodes; R3, when the resistance value of the variable resistance layer is R2 and the electric pulse having a voltage value of V3 is applied between the electrodes; and R1, when the resistance value of the variable resistance layer is R4 and the electric pulse having a voltage value of V1 is applied between the electrodes.

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Osaka, Japan

Zhiqiang Wei