EAGER: Collaborative Research: Graphene Nanoelectromechanical Oscillators for Extreme Temperature and Harsh Environment Sensing

能够在高温下以高精度和稳定性工作的传感器对于新兴的恶劣和极端环境非常感兴趣和重要，包括但不限于野火，航空航天，发动机，核电站和其他关键应用。当今主流的最先进的高温传感解决方案涉及多个组件，分布在不同温度的遥远区域，并通过高温电缆或光纤连接，导致传感系统体积庞大且效率低下。因此，微型高温传感器非常需要，以提供小尺寸的实时传感和监控功能，特别是面向未来适应恶劣环境的物联网（IoT）。迄今为止，由于传感元件和接口电路缺乏器件技术，集成高温（高达1000℃）传感器仍然具有挑战性。除了开发合适的平台外，还需要对~1000℃高温对器件的影响进行基础研究。该项目致力于利用石墨烯固有的高温耐久性和独特的电学、热学和机械性能组合，在集成石墨烯纳米机电谐振器和石墨烯电子器件的基础上，创新1000种能行走的传感器。这项研究将为开发超紧凑、超低重量的传感器奠定基础，这些传感器可以在非常高的温度和恶劣的环境下工作，特别是在能源和航空航天工业，以及环境和灾害监测（例如，协助无人机扑灭野火）。原子薄晶体及其器件的研究结果将为从K-12到研究生院的学生提供迷人的体验式学习材料和灵感。该项目还为扩大代表性不足和经济上处于不利地位的群体的参与创造了机会，并为建立伙伴关系以弥合学术界和工业界在规模制造业方面的差距创造了机会。该项目旨在设计、建模、制造和实验展示一种新型的低功耗谐振纳米机电传感器，用于极高或极端温度，以及温度可能超过1000℃的恶劣环境应用。提出的研究将通过系统地研究原子薄石墨烯二维（2D）谐振纳米机电换能器，二维纳米电子电路及其集成系统来实现这些目标。基于对先进设备和系统的基本原理和局限性的理解，本项目利用石墨烯谐振纳米机电系统（NEMS）平台在高温下机械、电气和热领域之间的多物理场耦合，高效、明智地利用石墨烯固有的高温耐受性在高温环境中独特存在的内部转导效应。具体来说，这个EAGER项目将展示具有实时传感能力的石墨烯NEMS振荡器，通过共同设计和制造石墨烯NEMS和石墨烯电子器件，采用高温互连技术集成芯片对芯片。在成功构建石墨烯振荡器后，将演示高达1000℃甚至更高的温度传感，以验证石墨烯NEMS振荡器的传感功能。这项研究将在器件电路协同设计和纳米系统集成方面获得新的创新和见解，因为高温环境会使几乎所有传统材料和器件的传感器性能恶化。石墨烯NEMS和石墨烯电子器件的异质集成将为高温和极端环境提供下一代高耐用的小型化低功耗传感器。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Sensors capable of operating at high temperatures with high precision and stability are of great interest and importance for emerging harsh and extreme environments, including but not limited to wildfire, aerospace, engine, nuclear plant, and other critical applications. Today’s mainstream state-of-the-art high-temperature sensing solutions involve multiple components distributed in distant zones at various temperatures and connected via high-temperature cables or fibers, resulting in bulky and ineffective sensing systems. Miniature high-temperature sensors are thus highly desirable, to provide real-time sensing and monitoring capabilities in small form factor, particularly toward future internet of things (IoT) adaptable to harsh environments. To date, integrated high-temperature (up to 1000C) sensors remain challenging due to the lack of device technologies in both sensing elements and interfacing circuits. In addition to developing a suitable platform, fundamental studies of the effects of ~1000C high temperature upon devices are greatly needed. This project is focused on innovating 1000C-capable sensors based on integrating graphene nanoelectromechanical resonators and graphene electronics, by exploiting the inherent high-temperature durability and unique combination of the electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of graphene. This research will lay the foundation for developing ultracompact, ultralow-weight sensors that can operate at very high temperatures and in harsh environments, especially in energy and aerospace industry, and for environment and disaster monitoring (e.g., to assist drones for fighting wildfires). Findings in this research of atomically thin crystals and their devices will generate fascinating experiential learning materials and inspirations for students from K-12 through graduate school. The project also creates opportunities for broadening the participation of underrepresented and economically disadvantageous groups, and for partnership to bridge the gap between academia and industry in scaled manufacturing. This project aims to design, model, fabricate, and experimentally demonstrate a new class of low-power resonant nanoelectromechanical sensors for very high or extreme temperature, and harsh-environment applications where temperature of interest can exceed 1000C. The proposed research will achieve these goals by systematically investigating atomically thin graphene two-dimensional (2D) resonant nanoelectromechanical transducers, 2D nanoelectronic circuits, and their integrated systems. Built on understanding fundamental principles and limitations in state-of-the-art devices and systems, this project exploits multiphysics coupling among mechanical, electrical, and thermal domains at high temperature in graphene resonant nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) platform, to carry out efficient and judicious use of the internal transduction effects that uniquely exist in high-temperature environment, thanks to the inherent high-temperature endurance of graphene. Specifically, this EAGER project will demonstrate graphene NEMS oscillators with real-time sensing capabilities, by co-designing and fabricating graphene NEMS and graphene electronics that are chip-to-chip integrated using high-temperature interconnects. After successful construction of graphene oscillators, temperature sensing up to 1000C or even higher will be demonstrated, to validate sensing function of the graphene NEMS oscillators. This research will attain new innovations and insights in device-circuit co-design and nanosystems integration, since otherwise high-temperature environments deteriorate sensor performance for nearly all conventional materials and devices. The heterogeneous integration of the graphene NEMS and graphene electronics will enable next-generation highly durable miniaturized low-power sensors for high-temperature and extreme environments.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.