Ionic-conducting resistor for exhaust constituent sensors

A gas-sensing-device suitable for use to control an internal combustion engine, said device comprising:

• a substrate formed of a ceramic-material;
• a heater which heats the device in response to receiving electrical energy;
• a sensing-element in thermal communication with the heater, wherein the sensing-element detects oxygen in an exhaust-stream and outputs a sensing-signal based on a concentration of the oxygen in the exhaust-stream;
• a resistor-element in thermal communication with the heater, said resistor-element formed of an ion-conducting material that has a resistance-value which is influenced by an oxygen-presence in a gas when the resistor-element is heated by the heater above a temperature-threshold, wherein the resistor-element overlies the substrate, and wherein said substrate is located between the heater and the resistor-element;
• and
• conductive-leads formed of a catalytic-metal that are in communication with the gas and in electrical contact with the resistor-element, whereby the concentration of the oxygen in the exhaust-stream is indicated based on the resistance-value and the sensing-signal.