Date of Award
Summer 2009
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Electrical and Computer Engineering
First Advisor
Josse, Fabien
Second Advisor
Heinrich, Stephen
Third Advisor
Yaz, Edwin
Abstract
A chemical sensor is a device that can detect the presence of a chemical analyte in a given environment. In many cases, the sensor also quantifies the amount or concentration of the chemical. As a transducer, a chemical sensor typically converts chemical energy into an electrical signal. This process generally occurs in many steps as depicted in Fig. 1.1. The analyte first interacts with a chemically sensitive element (often a coating), causing a change in the coating's properties (mechanical or electrical). The sensor platform is designed to be sensitive to these perturbations; as the chemically sensitive element is exposed to the analyte, one or more characteristics of the sensor platform change. This signal is then measured and converted to an electrical signal by the read-out technology...