STTR Phase I: Non-contact Surface Plasmon Enhanced Electric Field Sensors

这个小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段研究项目将开发新型的重量轻，紧凑，非接触式电场传感器，用于低电平信号的生物医学监测。该传感器将利用表面等离子体共振器结构制造的电光材料，如锂。单个传感器将具有几微米的空间分辨率，接近单个神经元的大小，而现有的接触式传感器最小只有几毫米。传感器可以使用光纤进行询问，用于对大脑活动的侵入性研究，或者分组成阵列用于临床脑电图（EEG）监测。本研究将使用基本建模、测试结构制造和光学表征与实验室控制电场的组合来演示原理。所提出的制作非接触式电场传感器的努力将在灵敏度和空间分辨率方面提供现有技术的显著进步。这将对大脑研究产生影响。非接触式传感器的易用性与无线数据链路提供的患者移动性相结合，将使该包对常规临床脑监测具有吸引力。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I research project will develop novel light weight, compact, non-contact electric field sensors for biomedical monitoring of low level signals. The sensors will utilize surface plasmon resonator structures fabricated on electro-optic materials such as lithium niobate. A single sensor will have a spatial resolution of a few microns, approaching the size of individual neurons, compared to the minimum several millimeters of existing contact sensors. Sensors can be interrogated using optical fibers for invasive research on brain activity, or grouped in arrays for clinical Electro-Encephalography (EEG) monitoring. This research will demonstrate the principle using a combination of fundamental modeling, test structure fabrication, and optical characterization with laboratory controlled electric fields. The proposed effort to make non-contact electric field sensors will provide a significant advancement in the state of the art in terms of sensitivity and spatial resolution. This would have an impact on brain research. The ease of use of non-contact sensors combined with the patient mobility provided by a wireless data link will make the package attractive for routine clinical brain monitoring.