High-Performance Humidity Sensors Based on Nanowire Arrays with Controlled Temperatures

High-performance humidity sensors play a crucial role in high-precision industrial manufacturing and scientific research. In this study, a temperature-controlled humidity sensor employing nanowire arrays as the humidity-sensing material is demonstrated to exhibit high performance. In this sensor, the temperature of the sensing material is regulated by a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) based on Peltier effect, which induces a change in the localized relative humidity (RH) around the sensing material, thereby resulting in different responses of the device. When the TEC is operational, the sensitivity of the device is enhanced by 139% within a low RH range of 10%–40% RH, and it also contributes to a reduction of the sensor’s recovery time at high RH levels by 67.6%. Because small-sized TECs of varying capabilities can be fabricated at the wafer level using bonding technique, the approach presented in this study holds significant potential for low-cost mass production. Therefore, this study lays the foundation for the development of miniaturized and high-performance humidity sensors for diverse applications.