Development and characterization of a miniaturized flame ionization detector in ceramic multilayer technology for field applications

A new type of a miniaturized flame ionization detector (μFID) for industrial and environmental field applications is presented. It is fabricated in Low Temperature Cofired Ceramics (LTCC) using multilayer technology. The developed solution integrates the fluidic structure with feed pipes, reaction chamber and exhaust and the electrical structure with electrodes for ignition and measurement as well in a monolithic ceramic component. The novel μFID was characterized using a varying methane concentration in a nitrogen sample gas. An absolute sensitivity of 9.4 mC/gC combined with a reduced gas consumption of 20 ml/min hydrogen in comparison to conventional FID systems were achieved.