Ceramic Sensors

Book excerpt: From the Author's Preface Ceramic sensors have been in use for more than thirty years. Since ceramics exhibit a number of specific characteristics that enable their cost to become lower and their reliability to increase, they have occupied a significant position in sensor technology. This is why many companies and universities have directed their efforts towards investigating and developing new ceramic sensors and expanding their areas of application. To the best of our knowledge.., there [has been] no book treating different sensors on the basis of their common physical and chemical properties, technological principles, and applications. This book [is] a detailed survey of ceramic sensors and a generalization of the results achieved in this field so far. Ceramic sensors for different physical quantities are discussed without going too deep into theory... The concept of ceramic sensors includes all sensors that are produced using ceramic technology. It also covers thick film sensors, since from a structural and technological point of view, they can be regarded as a variety of ceramic sensors. The subject of scientific research in this book is humidity, gas. temperature, and pressure sensors on the basis of semiconductor and dielectric ceramic materials and solid electrolytes. Special attention is paid to the physical and chemical, as well as the technological, bases of ceramic sensors, their classification, the types of materials used... , the methods of controlling their parameters and characteristics, the areas of application, and the electric circuits for connecting the sensors.