CAREER: Ultra Low Power Passive Microsystems for Medication Compliance Monitoring

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CAREER: Ultra Low Power Passive Microsystems for Medication Compliance MonitoringPI: Rizwan BashirullahProposal No: ECS-0547057AbstractThis Career proposal focuses on the development of ultra low power silicon based passive microsystems for deep in-body communications. Central to the concept of in-body communication passive devices is the idea of RF energy scavenging from weak incident fields using novel power conditioning circuits and reradiating, from deep inside the body, externally detectable amounts of power using highly efficient circuit topologies.Intellectual Merit: This study will, (1) characterize voltage multipliers to determine fundamental tradeoffs in input voltage, leakage, reliability and efficiency for RF scavenging, (2) develop on-chip multi-resonant passive structures that will lead to amplifier integration and isolation, (3) evaluate and understand amplifier and multiplier interactions and (4) test the effectiveness of these power conditioning circuits for in-body signaling using human biological phantoms (i.e. solutions with equivalent electrical properties as the human body). The PI will build upon previous research in implantable integrated electronics and use advanced CMOS technology to bring forth fundamental advances in knowledge and innovation on miniature passive devices for in-body communications. Broader Impacts: A specific high-impact engineering application of a miniature passive device with integrated RF subsystem is in medication compliance monitoring, as it is estimated that the annual cost to the U.S. healthcare system from non-compliance with medication regimens exceeds $100 billion. The proposed plan is intended to promote interest in multidisciplinary research that will provide graduate, undergraduate and high school students exposure to innovative integrated circuit technologies. The proposed educational plan will emphasize the participation of underrepresented groups at the high school level via educational modules with theoretical and experimental components in the integrated research and academic programs.