New Introductions to the Product Family of Ultra-low Power Miniature Gas Sensors

Cambridge CMOS (UK) sensors today announces the launch of the CCS800 product family of ultra-low power miniature gas sensors, enabling a new generation of environmental sensor solutions. The CCS800 product family can be used for detecting Ethanol (Alcohol) and hazardous gases such as Carbon Monoxide (CO) and a wide range of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) including Formaldehyde, and is supported in an ultra-compact SMD package.

Cambridge CMOS’ patented CMOS MEMS Micro-hotplate technology provides a unique silicon platform for their CCS800 product family of gas sensors, enabling sensor miniaturisation, significantly lower power consumption, and ultra-fast stabilisation and response times.

The Micro-hotplates are suspended in a high reliability membrane and act as heater elements for a metal oxide (MOX) based sensing material. The material resistance will change due to reactions to selected gases and concentrations at temperatures typically between 200°C to 400°C. Through enabling very fast cycle times, advanced temperature modulation techniques can be used to ensure maximum sensitivity, stability and gas selectivity, and to minimise measurement times.

Traditionally, MOX gas sensors are big, expensive, high power consumption and suffer from the following limitations: Cross Sensitivity – Non-specific and react to a multitude of gases; Drift  – Baseline and sensitivity will vary from sensor to sensor and over time; and Stabilisation  – Time to reach a stable baseline is hours to days.

To counter these limitations expensive and frequent calibration is normally required. In addition expensive filters are required to reduce cross sensitivity.

Through Cambridge CMOS’ unique technology, the CCS800 product family offers: Outstanding Miniaturisation – 0.99mm x 2.0mm x 3.0mm SMD package as standard; Ultra-lower power – >95% reduction in power consumption vs traditional MOX gas sensors; Cross Sensitivity and Stabilisation – by enabling very fast cycle times, advanced temperature modulation techniques can be used to ensure maximum sensitivity and stability to a target gas, and minimise measurement times.

This enables the use of their gas sensors in application areas that have not been physically possible before now, such as, smartphones, tablets and wearable devices.

Paul Wilson, Product Marketing Director at Cambridge CMOS sensors said, "Sensors are the fastest growing area of innovation in Smartphones, tablets and accessories. The CCS800 product family is the world’s smallest and lowest power MOX gas sensors. They enable compelling use cases for monitoring indoor air quality including Carbon Monoxide (CO) and a wide range of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), protecting you and your family from invisible danger”

The CCS800 product family is available in three variants, which are sampling now; the CCS80 (Ultra-low power multi-gas sensor for air quality monitoring), the CCS802 (Ultra-low power gas sensor for monitoring carbon monoxide), the CCS803 (Ultra-low power gas sensor for monitoring ethanol), and the CCS_EVK02 (Evaluation kit for the CCS800 product family of ultralow power gas sensors).