Products

Sensors Quarterly Update

June 2010

ProKera™: New Brand Name for Synkera Sensors

Our existing family of chemical sensor products got a new name in May 2010. They are now branded the ProKera™ line of sensors. These are the same rugged, reliable, semiconductor based sensors our customers have come to know and trust. The new identity creates a clear separation between our existing products, and the new micromachined sensor platform introduced in May 2010

MikroKera™: New, Low Power Micromachined H₂ and VOC Sensors Available

Synkera's new MikroKera™ H₂ Sensor

Synkera has introduced the first two products in our new MikroKera™ line of sensors. Designed for low power, reliability and excellent performance, the new MikroKera™ H₂ and VOC sensors will meet the needs of customers in safety, air quality and process control applications.

The sensors use the same materials that have been deployed in our longstanding ProKera™ VOC (P/N 707) and H₂ (P/N 701) sensors, but at ~25% of the ProKera™ power consumption. Click here for a data sheet for H₂ (P/N 724) and VOC (P/N 725), or contact Synkera to order your sensors for evaluation today. Look for MikroKera™ Cl₂, NH₃ and H₂S sensors to be introduced later this year.

Events

May, 2010: Synkera attended AIHce and hosted an Open House May 25. The Open House featured Oskar Blues beer and catering, and visits by current and future Synkera customers.
June, 2010: Synkera exhibited at Sensors Expo in Chicago, June 8-9. This conference was a big success, and Synkera introduced our new MikroKera™ product line to many current and future customers .
June, 2010: Synkera will attend the Joint CBRN 2010 conference in Ft. Leonard Wood, MO June 22-24. Contact us for an appointment to meet with Synkera and discuss your application.
October, 2010: Synkera will attend the NSC Congress and Expo, October 4-6 in San Diego, CA. Contact us for an appointment to meet with Synkera and discuss your application.

Debra Deininger and Brent Lutz at Sensors Expo

Notes From the Lab: Test Set-up

Beginning in this issue, Synkera will include information on popular topics and questions about sensor use and performance in each quarterly newsletter. Today’s topic is how to set up and test Synkera sensors.

The performance of metal oxide semiconductor based sensors is dependent on a number of factors, and it is important to take these into account when setting-up systems for evaluation and/or calibration. A major consideration is achieving the target temperature of the sensor element. The temperature of the sensor is controlled by the power input to on-board heater, as specified on the relevant data sheet. It is important that potential heat transfer issues be considered while setting up the testing and operation of this type of sensor. The factory recommended heater voltage to be applied to the sensor heater is for optimum performance in a set-up that allows for the sensor to be thermally isolated and where the gas flow rate is moderate compared to the volume of the test chamber.

Synkera recommends the following guidelines for testing and use of our metal oxide, chemiresistor sensors:

Position the sensor, making contact only to the sensor pins, in the environment that the sensor is going to be used. It is particularly important that the sensor can is not in contact with anything that will act as a heat sink and transfer heat away from the sensor element, thus reducing sensor performance.
If using the sensor in a flow system, use moderate flow rates relative to the chamber the sensor is in. A chamber volume of 10 to 20% of the gas flow rate per minute is recommended. Thus, if a flow rate of 500 ml/min is used a chamber volume of 50 to 100 ml is an appropriate range. Slight variations in flow rate and chamber volume should not have a significant impact on sensor performance; however, larger changes will likely affect the performance of the sensor. Excessive flow of gas across the sensor leads to heat loss, which, in-turn, leads to the degradation of sensor performance. Very low flow rates will affect the apparent response and recovery times of the sensor due to the time it takes to introduce and remove the analyte gas.
Try to mimic, as closely as possible, the actual application when setting-up a system for sensor evaluation and/or calibration. This includes not only the above considerations that affect heat transfer from the sensor, but also environmental considerations such as ambient temperature and humidity. In addition, the gas composition where the sensor will be exposed to (for non-ambient applications) should be considered. This includes the oxygen level and potential cross-interferent gases in the gas stream.

In the next issue, we will discuss the use of constant resistance heater control circuits for maintaining sensor temperature under varying environmental conditions. For more information on this or any other sensor question, please contact Synkera.