Ion Optics and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have won an Advanced Technology Program (ATP) award from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This three-year project will develop an infrared (IR) gas "sensor-on-a-chip," which integrates all the elements of a high-end industrial gas and chemical sensor onto a single integrated circuit (IC). The MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) sensor will take advantage of new silicon IC manufacturing techniques developed at JPL. It will provide an accurate and reliable gas sensor at the high volumes and low costs required for mass market applications, such as carbon monoxide detectors, natural gas detectors, indoor air quality monitors, and various automotive sensors. The ATP is a unique partnership between government and private industry to accelerate the development of high-risk technologies that promise significant commercial payoffs and widespread benefits for the economy. This NIST/ATP award is an important indicator of the market need and the promise of the "sensor-on-a-chip."

IR gas and chemical sensors have historically been reliable, accurate, and the measurement of choice for laboratory and industrial instruments. But IR sensors have not achieved appreciable penetration into mass markets. This is because conventional IR gas and chemical sensors are expensive, high performance units for high-end niche applications. Like computers in the early 1970s, they consist of cabinets full of discrete components, many of which are custom-made for specific instruments. Radically simpler, standardized IC component technology is needed to lower costs and bring these high-quality sensors to mass markets.

The "sensor-on-a-chip" will integrate all active optical functions of existing IR gas sensors onto a single die so that the functions can be performed with inexpensive, molded, snap-on reflectors. The MEMS-based device will be more reliable and have greater accuracy than existing units based on electrochemical sensors, and it will have reduced maintenance requirements over its expected operating life (10-20 years). New advanced surface modification technology and semiconductor fabrication methods will be used to simplify radically the design and construction of IR absorption-based gas and chemical sensors. This instrument will be sensitive enough to compete with much larger, more complex equipment, but inexpensive enough to penetrate the mass market applications. This new, integrated approach replaces discrete-component instruments in much the same way ICs have superseded distributed elements in electronic systems.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detection: While there are many toxic gases at industrial locations, CO ranks as the most prevalent toxic gas in the home. Nearly 300 people in the United States die and thousands more are injured from unintentional CO poisoning every year. CO poisoning causes as many as 11,000 emergency room visits each year. These public safety concerns have generated a substantial market demand for home CO alarms. Wider market acceptance has been slow, at least in part, because existing units exhibit reliability problems and high false alarm rates. The U.S. Census Bureau's American Housing Survey estimates there are 102 M housing units, of which 71% are heated using a combustion process. Appliance Magazine expects annual CO detector sales to be 18 MU in 1999, stabilizing at 24 MU in 2002. Although both OEMs and end users are concerned about reliability and false alarms, there is also a need for low power draw, small size, and no maintenance.

Natural Gas Leak Detection: The devastating fires following recent earthquakes in Northridge, CA, and Kobe, Japan, highlight the need for natural gas distribution systems to incorporate sensors and automatic shutoff valves. In the Kobe earthquake alone, there were 380 ignitions of natural gas fires, resulting in 20,000 homeless, 2,600 injuries, and 500 fatalities. Monitors could have helped prevent this, while saving $14 billion in property damage. Natural gas sensors will be useful not only in earthquake zones but also in regions with aging or deteriorating infrastructure, particularly older urban areas. The U.S. Census Bureau's American Housing Survey estimates there are 102 M housing units, of which 51% are heated with piped gas.

Air Quality Monitoring: There are approximately 50 M people with asthma in the United States who could benefit from knowing the quality of the air around them in the home and in the car. Air quality monitors watch the levels of a number of toxic gases known to cause problems with asthma and chemically sensitive individuals. It may ultimately be possible to check air quality at a number of locations (including your home) over the Internet. So if someone was planning a trip to the mall (or another city), he or she could look up the air quality at that location. The potential sales volume for a distributed network of gas and chemical sensors is unknown today. Likewise, a portable personal air quality monitor represents a new untapped market, larger than the existing market for home air cleaners and air conditioners. Appliance Magazine expects annual home air-cleaner sales to be 3.2 MU from 1999 to 2004 and home air-conditioner sales to grow from 8.7 MU in 1999 to 9.3 MU in 2004.

Automotive Sensors: There are many applications for NDIR sensors in automobiles, such as exhaust monitoring, "cabin" air quality, gas vapor emissions monitoring, oil quality monitoring, and gasoline leak detection. Car emissions have been regulated for many years, but onboard sensors could actively control emissions during cold start, since most of an automobile's emissions occur when it is first started. As in the home, asthmatics will be concerned with monitoring the air quality in their cars. In 2000, all new cars in production will have to meet lower emissions during refueling. Automobile manufacturers need a sensor to monitor the process of capturing evaporated fuel, mixing it with air, and sending the mixture back to the engine. A simple IR sensor can be used to monitor the oil in the car for changes that would signal a fault in the car or that the oil needed to be changed. With an industry push to make cars maintenance-free, this type of sensor would be desirable. Gasoline represents the most flammable liquid/vapor in an automobile and may be responsible for many of the nearly 400,000 car fires that occur every year. Ion Optics' IR sensor could detect gasoline leaks quickly.

Other Applications: Other applications for low-cost gas sensors are home food-spoilage monitors, home fire/burnt-cooking detectors, water-quality monitoring, and noninvasive blood-glucose monitoring.

Five-year-old Ion Optics manufactures proprietary, highly integrated IR sensor components that reduce parts count, integration cost, and complexity of IR gas and chemical sensors. OEMs in the automotive, air quality, industrial process control, and medical instrument markets use these components to introduce smaller, less costly instruments with higher margin. Ion Optics' mission is to employ its proprietary technologies and designs to develop and manufacture compact, low power IR sensors. Ion Optics is actively working with market leaders to develop the next generation of smaller, simpler, more integrated sensors.