STTR Phase I: High Resolution Spectrometer-on-a-Chip Based on Nano-Optic Plasmonic Device

这个小型企业技术转移(STTR)第一阶段项目将研究开发一种基于等离子体纳米线阵列的超紧凑、高分辨率和低成本的单芯片光谱仪的可行性。为了响应对非侵入性医疗点诊断日益增长的需求，已经有许多使用各种传统技术的小型化光学光谱仪的努力。然而，它们还不利于大幅度小型化，也不利于以低成本获得高频谱性能。与体积庞大、价格昂贵的传统衍射光学器件不同，所提出的纳米光学器件利用了金属纳米线表面和金属纳米线之间的间隙上发生的与波长相关的等离子体现象。这种纳米滤光片阵列有望在芯片上实现高分辨率光谱仪，克服了衍射光学的限制。如果成功，建议的超紧凑、高分辨率、低成本的单芯片光谱仪可用于各种应用，如移动/可穿戴健康监测、多种气体检测和高分辨率颜色传感。消费电子产品制造商、便携式医疗设备供应商和无线传感器节点供应商都可能是潜在客户。作为这些市场的一个关键组成部分，预计2012年，拟议的单芯片光谱仪的潜在市场总额将超过10亿美元。拟议的活动将通过实现非侵入性、可靠、高通量、低成本的传感、检测和诊断，为推进个性化的医疗保健、环境监测和国土安全做出贡献。总体而言，它将导致医疗成本的降低，并提高生活质量。他们还将提供对光与纳米结构金属相互作用时发生的现象的坚实理解。该项目的成功完成还将在信息、生物和纳米技术的融合领域开辟新的应用机会。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will investigate the feasibility of developing an ultra-compact, high-resolution and low-cost spectrometer-on- a-chip, based on plasmonic nanowire arrays. In response to the growing demands for non-invasive point-of-care diagnostics, there have been many efforts to miniaturize optical spectrometers using various conventional technologies. However they are not yet conducive to both dramatic miniaturization and also high spectral performance at low production cost. Unlike the bulky and expensive conventional diffractive optical devices, the proposed nano-optic device utilizes the wavelength-dependent plasmonic phenomena occurring on metal nanowire surfaces and the gaps between the metal nanowires. This nano-optic filter array is expected to enable a high resolution spectrometer on a chip, overcoming the limits of diffractive optics. If successful the proposed ultra-compact high-resolution low-cost spectrometer-on-a-chip can be used in various applications such as mobile/wearable health monitoring, multiple gas detection, and high-resolution color sensing. Consumer electronics manufacturers, portable medical device vendors, and wireless sensor node suppliers can be all potential customers. As a key component to these markets, it is anticipated that the total addressable market for the proposed spectrometer-on-a-chip will be over $1 billion in 2012. The proposed activities will contribute to advancing personalized point-of-care, environmental monitoring, and homeland security by enabling non-invasive, reliable, high-throughput, low-cost sensing, detection and diagnostics. Overall it will result in health care cost reduction, and enhancement of the quality of life. They will also provide solid understanding of the phenomena occurring when a light interacts with nanostructured metal. Successful completion of this project will also open up new application opportunities in the convergence areas of information, bio and nanotechnologies.