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.