Provided herein are devices and methods suitable for sequencing, amplifying, analyzing, and performing sample preparation procedures for nucleic acids and other biomolecules.

Provided is a method of inspecting an assembly defect of a gas sensor in a mass-production process. The sensor element included in a second constituting member includes a heater therein and an electrode terminal for a heater in its surface, and the first constituting member includes a contact point member contacting the terminal in a state where the sensor element is inserted into its opening. A first heater resistance value before incorporated is measured to associate the resistance value with an identification information of the sensor element, a second heater resistance value is measured via a contact point member, in a state where the first and second constituting members are integrated with each other, to associate the resistance value with the identification information of the sensor element, and when a difference value between these resistance values associated with the identical identification information exceeds a threshold value, it is determined that an assembly defect occurs.

An electrochemical sensor comprising a probe immersible in a measured medium and having at least two electrodes of a first electrically conductive material and at least one probe body of a second, electrically non-conductive material. The electrodes are at least partially embedded in the probe body and insulated from one another by the probe body, wherein the at least two electrodes are embodied of at least one conductive material and the probe body of at least one electrically insulating ceramic, wherein the electrodes are embodied of thin, measuring active layers of a conductive material and sit in an end face of the probe body of a ceramic material, and wherein the electrodes are electrically contacted via connection elements extending through the probe body.

A system for measuring a variable of a liquid and a method operation the system is disclosed. The system comprises: a sensor located on an end section of an elongated sensor support and embodied to measure the variable; a containment device that is open at the top; the containment device including: a bottom section given by a liquid impermeable retainment basin, a top section having a side wall surrounding an interior of the top section and apertures extending through the side wall of the top section; and fasteners embodied to at a measurement site mount the sensor support in a fixed sensor support position in relation to a fixed device position of the containment device such that the sensor is located inside the retainment basin.

A gas sensor (1) including a sensor element (10) and a separator (90) having an element hole (90 h), as viewed from one of a forward-end or a rear-end side in the axial direction. The separator has end surfaces (90 e) located axially farthest toward the one of the forward-end or the rear-end side, recess regions (90 h), (90 r 1) and (90 r 2) recessed from the end surfaces, and regions R1 and R2. First regions R1 are determined by eliminating a region SB occupied by the sensor element from a region SA defined by imaginary short-side lines and the outer edge of the separator. Second regions R2 are determined by eliminating the region SB from a region SC defined by imaginary long-side lines and the outer edge of the separator. S2/S1≥0.5 is satisfied, where S1 is the total area of R1 and R2, and S2 is the total area of the recess regions.

A gas sensor element includes a heating portion and a ceramic layer. The ceramic layer has a first and second face, and is configured to be heated by the heating portion. The ceramic layer has an open-hole portion extending therethrough in a thickness direction from the first face toward the second face and constituting a through-hole for electrically connecting the first face to the second face. The open-hole portion is demarcated by a first inner wall face, and a second inner wall defining a recessed portion that is recessed inward of the ceramic layer. With the ceramic layer having a thickness of 1, the length of the recessed portion to the most distal position thereof from a position on the first inner wall face that is closest to a center axis of the open-hole portion is 0.05 or more and 0.20 or less.

A gas sensor includes a sensor element, at least one powder compact, and at least one dense body. The sensor element includes an element body, a detection portion, at least one connector electrode, a porous layer, and a water intrusion reducing portion. The water intrusion reducing portion includes a plurality of dense layers that are arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction and have a porosity of less than 10%, each of the plurality of dense layers being disposed such that a position thereof in the longitudinal direction overlaps an inner circumferential surface of any of the at least one dense body.

A sensor (1) comprising: a sensor element (10); metal terminals; and a front side separator (90) and a rear side separator (95) to hold the metal terminals, the metal terminals each include a front side metal terminal (30) and a rear side metal terminal (40) respectively held by the front side separator and the rear side separator, a first connection portion (33) is provided on a rear side of the front side metal terminal, a second connection portion (43) is provided on a front side of the rear side metal terminal, and an axis P2 of one of the first and the second connection portion, in all of the plurality of metal terminals, is displaced toward a radially outer side of the sensor element relative to an axis P1 of a counterpart thereof, and the first connection portion and the second connection portion are in contact with each other.

A gas sensor including a plate-shaped sensor element having an electrode pad on an outer surface of the sensor element on a rear end side thereof, and a metal terminal member electrically connected to the electrode pad. The metal terminal member includes a body portion and an element abutting portion extending from the body portion and bent toward the electrode pad. A portion of the element abutting portion is in contact with the electrode pad in a state in which the element abutting portion is elastically deflected. The element abutting portion has a flat main surface facing the sensor element, and a sloping surface provided on at least one of end portions in a width direction of the metal terminal member. The sloping surface is connected to the main surface and extends toward an opposite side in a thickness direction of the element abutting portion.

A compact microelectronic gas sensor module includes electrical contacts formed in such a way that they do not consume real estate on an integrated circuit chip. Using such a design, the package can be miniaturized further. The gas sensor is packaged together with a custom-designed Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) that provides circuitry for processing sensor signals to identify gas species within a sample under test. In one example, the output signal strength of the sensor is enhanced by providing an additional metal surface area in the form of pillars exposed to an electrolytic gas sensing compound, while reducing the overall package size. In some examples, bottom side contacts are formed on the underside of the substrate on which the gas sensor is formed. Sensor electrodes may be electrically coupled to the ASIC directly, or indirectly by vias.