Olfactory Sensors and MEMS Based Ultrasonic Transducers

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

With the interest in the “internet of things” & specifically with new instrument networks, research of new sensor technologies is required for many in a number of industrial sectors, including in the automotive industry (acceleration, proximity, imaging), oil, gas & transportation of hazardous material (leak detection), cosmetics & security (odor detection & discrimination at ppm levels), & medicine (sample testing, imaging), to name a few. My research will develop new sensors that combine silicon based technologies & polymer thin films for olfactory sensor arrays & micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) based ultrasonic devices for medical imaging & atmospheric testing.**** One theme of my program is work on integrating of silicon-based devices with specifically design polymer films for sensing volatile organic compounds. Using silicon technology, with all of the required digital & analog circuitry, in a hybrid fashion, each individual sensor is “functionalised” using an application specific polymer films. Using different polymer materials, deposition processes & different dopants, these polymers will be designed to be sensitive to a wide range of olfactory molecules. By using large numbers of sensors statistical & learning (AI) algorithms will be used to fully mimic mammalian olfaction. Such electronic sensor array systems can be used to sense & discriminate between many different chemical compounds for many different applications that could include in the mass production of cosmetics, food & beverages, in the detection of different fuel types in either the shipping &/or aviation industries & even in the recognition of explosives in the areas of bio-terrorism & security.* *** A 2nd theme of this program includes the design of new ultrasonic transducers. A patent-pending transducer was developed by my group for imaging defects in hydro-electric cables and medical imaging. This work is now being expanded to include sensor development for atmospheric testing. MEMS transducers will be designed with different beam shapes, frequencies & power requirements. Some of our past designs are being tested in an microwave/ultrasonic imaging system in collaboration with other researchers at the University of Manitoba and Calgary.. Initial results from our patented multi-membrane transducer are promising, but much work is required.* *** MEMS transducers are also being developed for atmospheric testing in collaboration with researchers at Cornell & Tufts Universities and NASA. These anemometers, for wind speed & direction, need to work in the Martian atmosphere which is much different than Earth's and is mostly CO2 with a pressure 100 times less than Earth's. Our patent-pending sensor, will undergo a re-design to enable its application in future Mars anemometers.******