SBIR Phase I: Ultrasensitive chip-scale ion-sensors for mass spectrometry

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将使残留气体分析仪，质谱仪，离子迁移谱仪，飞行时间谱仪和相关仪器的制造商受益。这些传感器的实施将通过显著降低生产成本，并通过渗透到需要增加灵敏度，降低尺寸，重量，功耗和仪器复杂性的新市场，增加质谱仪商业制造商的收入，收入流和市场份额。该产品，如果成功，将导致分析工具，可以大大有利于教育/研究，空间，生物/健康，农业，国防和安全市场的需求。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将开发基于纳米技术的芯片级离子传感器与超高的内在电荷电流放大因子。这项正在申请专利的技术允许可编程处理的小型化和可扩展性，亚微瓦的固有功率消耗，以及强大的环境压力不可知的操作。由于尺寸、重量和功率要求减小，灵敏度和动态范围增加，这些传感器可以潜在地取代昂贵、笨重和/或高功耗的带电粒子检测器，例如微通道板、戴利检测器、电子倍增管和法拉第杯。在任何环境压力下操作和区分电荷极性的能力可以显著增强现场便携性、交钥匙操作，并增强基于离子感测的应用的分析范围。具体而言，拟议的研究将寻求克服与产生高信号响应相关的挑战（通过增强电子传输参数），高离子传感器相互作用（通过优化传感器设计），以及更低的读出噪声（通过优化材料和设计）该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响进行评估，被认为值得支持审查标准。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will benefit manufacturers of residual gas analyzers, mass spectrometers, ion-mobility spectrometers, time-of-flight spectrometers and related instruments. Implementation of these sensors will increase the revenue, revenue streams and market share of commercial manufacturers of mass spectrometers by significantly lowering production cost, and by enabling penetration into new markets that require increased sensitivity, lowered size, weight, power consumption, and instrument complexity. The product, if successful, will lead to analytical tools that can substantially benefit the needs of education/research, space, bio/health, agricultural, defense and security markets.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop nanotechnology-based chip-scale ion sensors with ultra-high intrinsic charge-to-current amplification factors. This patent-pending technology allows semiconductor-processable miniaturization and scalability, sub-microwatt intrinsic power draw, and robust ambient-pressure-agnostic operation. With reduced size, weight, and power requirements, increased sensitivity and dynamic range, these sensors can potentially replace expensive, bulky, and/or high-power-consuming charged particle detectors such as microchannel plates, Daly detectors, electron-multiplier tubes and Faraday cups. The ability to operate under any ambient pressure and distinguish charge polarity can significantly enhance field-portability, turnkey operations, and enhance analytical reach of ion-sensing-based applications. Specifically, the proposed research will seek to overcome the challenges related to generation of high signal responses (by enhancing the electronic transport parameters), high ion-sensor interaction (by optimizing sensor design), and lower readout noise (by optimizing materials and design).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.