Capacitive humidity sensing behavior of ordered Ni/Si microchannel plate nanocomposites

The preparation and humidity sensing of nickel coated silicon microchannel plate (Ni/Si-MCP) materials are studied. The silicon MCP fabricated by electrochemical etching has ordered channels and macro-porous structures. Nickel is coated by electroless plating onto the inner wall of the silicon MCP for the detection of humidity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) are used to determine the structural and morphological properties. Our results show that the Ni/Si-MCP nanocomposites have high sensitivity and fast response time. They are compatible with current IC processes and have promising applications as integrated micro humidity sensors. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.