KETI Miniaturizes and Lowers Cost of Expensive Anion Concentration Verification Equipment
Planned to be utilized as a semiconductor gas sensor for detecting harmful gases, formaldehyde, etc.

A way has been opened to easily detect negative ions in the air that have sterilization, deodorization, and fine dust removal effects.

Although negative ions are being adopted in home appliances such as air purifiers and humidifiers, it was difficult to determine when to replace them because the equipment capable of checking their concentration was expensive, costing between 2 million and 3 million won.

The Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI) announced that it has developed a nano semiconductor FET sensor and an operating algorithm for detecting negative ions in the air.



This technology can be miniaturized and made inexpensive, so if applied to home appliances, anyone can easily check whether negative ions are being generated and their concentration. It is developed as an IoT sensor, and the negative ion generation status can also be monitored in real time through a website.

The nano semiconductor FET sensor is an ultra-small semiconductor sensor that maximizes the sensor's detection capability by configuring the channel thickness of the silicon FET to nanometers, increasing sensitivity and stability, and can further improve sensitivity by increasing the area of the sensing gate electrode.

In addition, since an algorithm is applied to set the sensor's operating range and initialize it by adjusting the control gate electrode voltage, there is no need for a separate electrode structure or MEMS process for initialization, making manufacturing simple and reducing costs.


KETI stated that because the power consumption is low at several microwatts, it is expected to be utilized in various fields by combining it with IoT technology, and that by adding a sensing material that specifically adsorbs gas molecules in addition to negative ion detection, it can also be applied as a semiconductor gas sensor, which is expected to create a new market in the field of hazardous gases.

Lee Kuk-nyung, a principal at KETI’s Human Care System Research Center, said, “We have currently gone through the demonstration phase of the airborne negative ion detection sensor and are discussing follow-up research with domestic gas sensor companies for demonstration and commercialization in the hazardous gas sector.”