High spatial resolution tactile sensing imager using optical exceptional point structures

标题：采用光学异常点结构的高空间分辨率触觉传感成像仪非技术描述：触觉传感器已广泛应用于智能手机的触摸屏上，以响应触摸力。这种力传感、监测和映射在智能系统驱动的医疗保健、机器人和军事应用中具有极大的兴趣。各种电子和光学触觉传感器被开发出来，以接近理想的高空间分辨率和极大灵活性的触觉传感成像器。然而，最先进的触觉传感器的主要缺点是空间分辨率低，因为它们的基本限制是传感器像素大小在亚厘米/毫米量级。在这项工作中，研究人员将利用量子光子学的最新进展来开发一种高空间分辨率的触觉传感系统，该系统具有高度可扩展的传感器像素，可以在微尺度上监测应变响应。它与智能手机的集成可以创建一个紧凑和便携的触觉传感器平台，克服了最先进的触觉传感器在低空间分辨率、高成本和高仪器复杂性方面的障碍。这项研究与现有的教育活动紧密结合，为本科生和研究生提供了以创新的方式参与前沿科技的机会。调查人员还提供教育宣传活动，以促进K-12学生的兴趣和参与，并扩大代表不足的群体的参与。技术描述：本研究项目的主要重点是开发具有光学异常点的新型平面光学系统，并将其布置在棋盘形状的柔性塑料平台上，以实现高空间分辨率的触觉传感和成像。光学异常点结构由于其平面性质，可以支持使用广泛使用的光刻技术进行高度可扩展的制造，其空间分辨率甚至可以在大范围内降至微米级。这种基于柔性塑料平台的微尺度触觉传感成像仪不仅可以进行高通量的实时微观应变检测，还可以以微观分辨率同时测量应变和温度。触觉传感器平台可以进一步与便携式电子设备(例如手持智能手机)集成，这将创建一个紧凑和便携式的触觉传感器成像器平台，用于微生物学和医疗保健中的实时检测，例如检测生物分子的机械特性。主要研究人员在光学理论、先进的微/纳米制造技术和器件集成方面拥有高度互补的专业知识，以设计和制造基于新型光学异常点结构的独特便携式高空间分辨率触觉传感平台。实现的触觉传感系统有望代表着在微尺度应变传感、测绘和监测方面的重大技术突破，其灵敏度将比最先进的触觉传感器高出数量级。

Title: High Spatial Resolution Tactile Sensing Imager Using Optical Exceptional Point StructuresNon-technical description:Tactile sensors have been widely used in touch screens of smart phones to respond to touching force. Such force sensing, monitoring, and mapping are of great interest in smart system-driven healthcare, robotics and military applications. A variety of electronic and optical tactile sensors have been developed to approach the desirable tactile sensing imager with high spatial resolution and great flexibility. However, the major drawback of the state-of-the-art tactile sensors is low spatial resolutions due to their fundamental limitations on the sensor pixel size on the order of sub-centimeter/millimeter. In this work, the investigators will leverage recent advances in quantum-inspired photonics to develop a high spatial resolution tactile sensing system with highly scalable sensor pixels that can monitor strain response at a microscale. Its integration with smart phones can create a compact and portable tactile sensor platform overcoming barriers in low spatial resolution, high cost, and high instrumental complexity of the state-of-the-art tactile sensors. This research is closely integrated with the existing educational activities, providing both undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to participate in cutting-edge science and technology in an innovative way. The investigators also provide educational outreach activities to promote the interests and participations of K-12 students and broaden the participations from underrepresented groups. Technical description: The primary focus of this research project is to develop novel planar optical systems with optical exceptional points and arrange them on a flexible plastic platform in a chessboard configuration for high spatial resolution tactile sensing and imaging. The optical exceptional point structures, due to their planar nature, can support highly scalable fabrication using the widely used photolithography technique with spatial resolution down to even the microscale in a large area. Based upon a flexible plastic platform, this microscale tactile sensing imager can not only perform high-throughput real-time microscopic strain detection, but also enable simultaneous strain and temperature measurement with a microscopic resolution. The tactile sensor platform can be further integrated with portable electronic devices (e.g. hand-held smart phones), which would create a compact and portable tactile sensor imager platform for real-time detection in microbiology and healthcare, for example, the detection of mechanical properties of biomolecules. The principal investigators have highly complementary expertise in optics theory, advanced micro/nanofabrication technology, and device integration to design and fabricate the unique portable high spatial resolution tactile sensing platform based on novel optical exceptional point structures. The realized tactile sensing systems are expected to represent an important technological breakthrough in strain sensing, mapping and monitoring at a microscale with sensitivities orders of magnitude better than the state-of-the-art tactile sensors.