A micro graphene high temperature sensor with a single Si3N4 protective layer

Temperature sensors are widely used in industrial production, national defense and military fields. The traditional temperature sensors normally operate in a limited temperature range no more than 200 °C, which cannot be used for extreme high temperature detections. In this paper, a thermal protection method for the sensing graphene membrane is proposed and a graphene high temperature sensor has been fabricated and investigated. By growing a single silicon nitride (Si3N4) protective layer on top of graphene, our design not only solves the problem that graphene is easily oxidized at high temperature, but also prevents graphene from being polluted by impurities, which would lead to the degradation of graphene performance. We further explore the protective effect of Si3N4 layer with different thicknesses on the performance of the sensor. It has been found that the 400 nm Si3N4 protective layer gives the best protective capability. The sensor exhibits a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) from 50 to 600 °C and a maximal temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) value of 0.29% °C−1 at 150 °C is achieved. It has been demonstrated that our graphene high temperature sensor with protective layer structure maintains good stability not only at high temperature up to 600 °C, but also over a long-period of time under room temperature. In short, the high temperature sensor possesses a wide temperature measurement range with micro dimensions, a relatively high TCR and a smaller thermal hysteresis. The thermal protection approach proposed in this paper provides a new idea for the fabrication of high temperature pressure sensor, which is expected to be applied in aerospace engines and oil wells, etc.