Integrated CMOS terahertz spectroscopy of biomolecules

本研究的目的是开发一种基于互补金属氧化物半导体(CMOS)的全集成生物分子太赫兹光谱平台。该方法是开发基于器件堆叠和多模现象的可广泛调谐的高功率太赫兹信号源、基于相干太赫兹亚谐波混频器的探测器和基于平面无源传输线的太赫兹谐振器换能器以及相关的用于生物分子分析的微流体。这项研究的智力优势在于开发了工作在所用器件的截止频率之外的太赫兹电路的新设计技术，并克服了大规模硅技术对太赫兹发电所带来的挑战，包括低击穿电压和高有源和无源器件损耗。此外，还将为硅基电子与生物材料的接口开发新的概念。拟议的研究的更广泛影响是它能够为硅电子开辟新的应用。硅电子产品是数字和通信革命的核心。太赫兹频率范围提供了新的应用，可能会以数字和通信革命的方式显著影响生活质量，包括低成本手持医疗成像、用于生物分子识别和疾病诊断的生物光谱，以及极高数据速率通信等。这项拟议的研究还进一步推动了硅电子与湿生物材料的接口，这将影响硅电子在生命科学中的其他应用。这项提议将允许研究人员在结合物理、纳米材料和制造、电路设计和生物应用的跨学科研究环境中培养研究生和本科生。通过在该计划中系统地培训高积极性的高中生，并通过与双重发现计划和哥伦比亚大学科学研究计划的互动，加强与当地K-12教育工作者的互动，将为K-12推广做出重大努力。

The objective of this research is to develop a fully-integrated complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-based platform for terahertz spectroscopy of bio-molecules. The approach is the development of widely-tunable high-power terahertz signal sources based on device stacking and multi-mode phenomena, coherent terahertz sub-harmonic mixer-based detectors and planar passive transmission-line-based terahertz resonator transducers and associated micro-fluidics for bio-molecular analysis.The intellectual merit of this research lies in the development of new design techniques for terahertz circuits that operate beyond the cutoff frequency of the devices used, and overcome the challenges posed by scaled silicon technologies for terahertz power generation, including low breakdown voltage and high active and passive device loss. Additionally, new concepts will be developed for the interfacing of silicon-based electronics with biological material.The broader impact of the proposed research is its ability to open up new applications for silicon electronics. Silicon electronics lies at the heart of the digital and communication revolutions. The terahertz frequency range offers new applications that could significantly impact quality of life much in the way the digital and communication revolutions have, including low-cost hand-held medical imaging, bio-spectroscopy for bio-molecular recognition and disease diagnosis, and extremely-high-data-rate communication to name a few. The proposed research also furthers efforts to interface silicon electronics with wet biological material, which will impact other applications of silicon electronics in the life sciences. This proposal will allow the investigators to train graduate and undergraduate students in a cross-disciplinary research environment combining physics, nano-scale materials and fabrication, circuit design, and biology applications. Significant effort will be made for K-12 outreach by systematically training highly motivated high school students within the program and also enhancing the interaction with the local K-12 educators through interaction with the Double Discovery Program and the Columbia University Science Research Program.