Method of fabrication of air/fuel sensors based on electrochemical pumping and sensors made thereby

Claim 1

A method for making planar oxygen pumping devices by a batch technique, which method comprises: providing a substantially uniform layer of a ceramic material having an inner surface in contact with a first surface of a substantially uniform layer of etchable material; then forming grooves in a second surface opposite said first surface of said etchable material by etching away, in a predetermined pattern, substantially parallel, rectangular solid strips of said etchable material to expose, as a bottom surface of each said groove, corresponding, substantially parallel rectangular surface portions of the inner surface of said layer of ceramic material, leaving at least a first set of substantially identical, substantially parallel, rectangular solid projecting strips of said etchable material; then depositing a layer of first electrode material over at least on a portion of a top surface of each said rectangular solid projecting strip and at least a portion of one said groove bottom surface adjacent each said rectangular solid projecting strip, said layer of first electrode material extending laterally continuously from at least the middle of the top surface of each of said first set of rectangular solid projecting strips to at least about the middle of said adjacent groove bottom; then depositing a cover layer of an oxygen-ion conductive electrolyte material over the first electrode material and any exposed (i) etchable material and (ii) said inner surface of said ceramic material; then depositing a layer of second electrode material over at least a portion of a top surface of said oxygen-ion conductive electrolyte material to form a layered article, said layer of said second electrode material extending laterally continuously at least from the middle of the top surface of each of said first set of said rectangular solid projecting strips to at least about the middle of an adjacent groove bottom; then cutting through said layered article perpendicular to the plane of said layered article in a grid pattern comprising (a) cuts between adjacent ones of said first set of rectangular solid projecting strips to expose for each one first and second electrode material and (b) cuts along lines perpendicular to said first cuts to produce a plurality of individual structures; and then etching away the remaining etchable material from said individual structures to form said devices.

Claim 2

A method for making planar oxygen pumping devices by a batch technique, which method comprises: providing a substantially uniform layer of a ceramic material having an inner surface in contact with a first surface of a substantially uniform layer of etchable material; then forming grooves in a second surface opposite said first surface of said etchable material by etching away, in a predetermined pattern, substantially parallel, rectangular solid strips of said etchable material to expose, as a bottom surface of each said groove, corresponding, substantially parallel rectangular surface portions of the inner surface of said layer of ceramic material, leaving at least a first set of substantially identical, substantially parallel, rectangular solid projecting strips of said etchable material; then depositing a layer of first electrode material over at least on a portion of a top surface of each said rectangular solid projecting strip and at least a portion of one said groove bottom surface adjacent each said rectangular solid projecting strip, said layer of first electrode material extending laterally continuously from at least the middle of the top surface of each of said first set of rectangular solid projecting strips to at least about the middle of said adjacent groove bottom; then depositing a cover layer of an oxygen-ion conductive electrolyte material over the first electrode material and any exposed (i) etchable material and (ii) said inner surface of said ceramic material; then depositing a layer of second electrode material over at least a portion of a top surface of said oxygen-ion conductive electrolyte material to form a layered article, said layer of said second electrode material extending laterally continuously at least from the middle of the top surface of each of said first set of said rectangular solid projecting strips to at least about the middle of an adjacent groove bottom; then cutting through said layered article perpendicular to the plane of said layered article in a grid pattern comprising (a) cuts between adjacent ones of said first set of rectangular solid projecting strips to expose for each one first and second electrode material and (b) cuts along lines perpendicular to said first cuts to produce a plurality of individual structures; and then etching away the remaining etchable material from said individual structures to form said devices.