Laser applications in large area optical sensors and biomedical imaging

本文主要研究增强探测阵列及其探测能力的方法。这些都有光学连接方法的一般连接主题，特别是那些在传感器操作或制造中使用激光的方法。这个项目扩展了我以前在国家科学研究委员会发现资助下开始的四个项目。第一种方法创造了对缺陷非常免疫的传感阵列。本研究探讨了一系列方法，如容错主动像素传感器的应用，从正常操作条件下拍摄的图像中检测缺陷和识别缺陷类型的软件算法，以及从缺陷类型的知识中恢复阵列信息的算法。这使得构建非常大面积的传感器阵列（提高成品率）并延长成像仪的使用寿命，特别是在故障率高的恶劣环境中。第二种是基于主动像素传感器（APS）概念的光学成像仪，可以实现现有成像仪无法实现的检测方式。先前的APS研究为我们指出了许多新的探测器：编码照明的相敏检测，通过消除像素缩小到几微米以下时APS灵敏度的损失来提高分辨率，扩大成像仪的动态范围，增强的光门APS'，与目前的设备不同，它对蓝光高度敏感。第三篇探讨了一种称为角域成像的新方法，用于散射介质（如组织）的光学断层扫描。该系统采用激光和微机械准直阵列与光学成像阵列相结合，将携带内部结构信息的高度散射光与未散射光或轻微散射光分离。与现有的系统不同，这种方法既适用于短距离的高散射介质(例如：医学成像)和较低的远距离散射（雾，或浑浊的水）。最后，在之前的NSERC发现拨款中，我们开发了一种新的无机抗蚀剂Bi/ in，它在激光暴露于透明导电氧化物时氧化。这种激光直写氧化使我们能够探索这种材料在电子设备中的应用，例如新型x射线探测器和透明晶体管。

This research focuses on methods of enhancing detecting arrays and their detection capabilities. These have the general connecting theme of being optically connected methods, especially those making use of lasers, in either sensor operation or fabrication. This program extends four projects started under my previous NSERC discovery grants. The first creates sensing arrays which are very immune to defects. This explores a set of methodologies such as the application of Fault Tolerant Active Pixel Sensors, software algorithms to detect defects and identify the defect type from images taken under normal operating conditions, and algorithms to recover array information from knowledge of the defect type. This enables the building of very large area sensor arrays (yield improvement) and extends imager lifetime, especially in hostile environments where failure rates are high. The second creates optical imagers, based on Active Pixel Sensor (APS) concepts, that allow detection in ways that existing imagers cannot. Previous APS research has pointed us to a number of new detectors: phase sensitive detection of encoded illumination, better resolution by removing the loss of APS sensitivity as pixels shrink below a few microns, expanding dynamic range for imagers, enhanced photogate APS' which, unlike current devices, are highly sensitive in blue light. The third explores a new approach, called Angular Domain Imaging, to optical tomography in scattering media such as tissue. This employs lasers and micromachined collimating arrays combined with optical imaging arrays to separate the highly scattered light from the unscattered or slightly scattered light which carries internal structural information. Unlike existing systems, this methodology lends itself both to highly scattering media of short distances (eg. medical imaging) and lower scattering over longer distances (fog, or turbid water). Finally in the previous NSERC discovery grant, we developed a new inorganic resist Bi/In, which oxidizes on laser exposure to a transparent conducting oxide. This laser direct write oxidation allows us to explore this material's application in electronic devices, such as new types of X-ray detectors and transparent transistors.