Gas sensor having a laminate comprising solid electrolyte layers and alumina substrate

Abstract

A gas sensor () having a laminate including an alumina substrate () having a heating resister () embedded in the alumina substrate (); a first oxygen-ion conductive solid electrolyte layer () containing zirconia and alumina and partly constituting an oxygen-detecting cell () and the first solid electrolyte layer () being laminated with said alumina substrate (); a second oxygen-ion conductive solid electrolyte layer () containing zirconia and alumina and partly constituting an oxygen-pumping cell (); an ion-leakage preventing ceramic spacer () for preventing oxygen-ions from leaking from the second oxygen-ion conductive solid electrolyte layer () to the first oxygen-ion conductive solid electrolyte layer (), the spacer () being laminated between the first and second oxygen-ion conductive solid electrolyte layers (); and a gas-diffusion space () formed between an electrode () of the oxygen-detecting cell () and an electrodes () of the oxygen-pumping cell (). Furthermore, the laminate () is co-fired. Preferably, the zirconia contained at least in the second solid electrolyte layer is made of partially stabilized zirconia, the phase formed in the zirconia consisting essentially of tetragonal and cubic phases. Additionally, an ionic migration-preventing electrode () is optionally embedded in the alumina substrate () for preventing metal ion migration.