Gas dependent changes in the electrical behavior of selective metal-oxide layers

To overcome the lack of selectivity in semiconducting metal-oxide based sensors material research plays a crucial role. The fundamental understanding of the surface effects and the respective underlying processes is necessary for a future exploitation as sensing principle. Recently, copper(II)oxide (CuO) gained increased interest due to the highly selective reaction towards hydrogen sulfide (H2S). However, the profound shifts in material properties make reliable data acquisition very challenging. We present some of the current results on CuO and a measurement technique to precisely monitor the changes in the overall electronic characteristics. The phase transition from semiconducting to conducting behavior in CuO sensing layers is measured in-situ under H2S exposure, thereby deepening the understanding of the underlying interactions.