LAUSR

Femtosecond laser-induced periodic structures (LIPSS) have been processed on ZnO thin film gas sensor devices for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) detection. From the morphology point of view, the nanostructures have been identified as high spatial frequency LIPSS (HSFL) with an average period of 145 nm. Through Raman analysis, a decrease of the typical wurtzite ZnO structure is shown, with a possible increase of defects such as Zn interstitials. The response under NO2 is enhanced if compared with the only-annealed ZnO thin film for concentrations as low as 1 ppm, reaching 1 ppb of detection limit (LOD) for the sensors with LIPSS. The Zn interstitials defects could be the source of the adsorbed NO2 species increasing the sensitivity. Reproducible results have been measured during 11 weeks in a row.