MUMBAI, India, Aug. 10 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202641091848 A) filed by Richard Pinto; and Mangalore University on July 29, 2026, for Photo-Assisted Hydrogen Sensing Device Comprising Gold Nanoparticles Functionalized Indium Doped Zinc Oxide Field-Effect Thin Film Transistor.
Inventors include Sudharshan Kotaraguttu Ravindra; Narayana Yerol; Jayarama Arasalike; Richard Pinto; Arjun Hari Madhu; and Shriganesh Prabhu.
The application for the patent was published on July 31, 2026, under issue no. 31/2026.
Abstract: The present invention relates to a photo-assisted field-effect hydrogen sensing device comprising a thin film transistor architecture having Indium doped Zinc Oxide semiconductor channel functionalized with ultra-thin gold metal nanoparticles (AuNPs). The sensing device comprises a highly doped silicon substrate, an aluminium gate electrode, multilayered gate dielectric stack comprising SiO2 and HfO2, an AuNPS-IZO semiconductor channel layer, and silver source-drain electrodes configured to form a thin film transistor. Ultra-thin AuNPs are disposed on an exposed surface of the IZO semiconductor channel to facilitate interaction with hydrogen molecules and electromagnetic radiation (light). Upon exposure to hydrogen gas, catalytic dissociation and charge transfer processes occur at the metal nanoparticle- semiconductor interface, resulting in modulation of one or more electrical characteristics of the thin film transistor. The sensing response is further enhanced through electromagnetic illumination including ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared radiation. The enhancement will arise from a collective combination of catalytic activity, photo-induced charge transfer, plasmon-assisted carrier generation, and field-effect amplification. The disclosed sensing platform enables hydrogen detection at or near room temperature while providing low-power operation, gate-voltage tunability, compatibility with semiconductor fabrication processes, and suitability for large-area sensing applications.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
