Monolithic Micro Light-Emitting Diode/Metal Oxide Nanowire Gas Sensor with Microwatt-Level Power Consumption

High-performance, monolithic photoactivated gas sensors based on the integration of gas-sensitive semiconductor metal oxide nanowires on micro light-emitting diodes (mu LEDs) are introduced. The mu LEDs showed improved irradiance and energy conversion efficiency (i.e., external quantum efficiency, EQE), as the size of LEDs was reduced from 200 x 200 mu m(2) (irradiance of 46.5 W/cm(2) and EQE of 4%) to 30 x 30 mu m(2) (irradiance of 822.4 W/cm(2) and EQE of 9%). Gas-sensitive zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires were directly synthesized on top of the mu LED through a hydrothermal reaction. The direct contact between the sensing component and mu LED sensor platform leads to high light coupling efficiency, minimizing power consumption of the sensor. Furthermore, the sensing performance (i.e., sensitivity) at optimal operating power was improved as the LED size was reduced. The smallest fabricated gas sensor (active area = 30 x 30 mu m(2)) showed excellent NO2 sensitivity (Delta R/R, = 605% to 1 ppm NO2) at the optimal operating power (similar to 184 pW). In addition, the sensor showed a low limit of detection (similar to 14.9 ppb) and robustness to high humidity conditions, which demonstrate its potential for practical applications in mobile internet of things (IoT) devices.