Design and Integration of a Cylindrical Ion Trap Array for a Micro-Total-Chemical-Analysis System

研究：这项探索性研究的小额赠款是根据NSF 02-2：“下一代化学和生物传感器和传感系统”资助的。该研究的目标是设计、建模、制造、测试和集成一个微型质量分析仪，以增强芯片上整个微分析系统的现有化学分析能力。 更小、更快、更便宜和更准确的质量分析仪也可能在空间应用、化学战和生物武器检测、环境监测和医疗诊断中有用。 已经进行了可行性分析，以评估功能的圆柱形离子阱阵列，每个陷阱在微米尺度。 通过改变离子阱的物理尺寸和/或操作频率，可以改变质量范围以检测低质量化学品和大质量生物分子。 它已被证明，可以保持在这些微质量分析仪的分辨率和灵敏度，使现场和便携式设备成为可能。 这种小型化的质量分析仪将集成一个微型气相色谱柱，一个微型热导检测器，一个表面声波检测器，和一个内部校准单元，用于化学和生物sensing.Impact：研究成果将被整合到一个新的本科生实验室课程半导体制造和微制造，给化学工程师在制造和测试微型化学传感系统的实践经验，并有机会与来自其他学科的工程专业的学生一起工作。 高级项目，暑期实习和研究项目将提供给高中生，本科生和研究生，特别是妇女，根据计划的研究，以帮助他们在学术界和工业界的长期职业发展。

Research:This Small Grant for Exploratory Research is being funded under NSF 02-2: "Next Generation Chemical and Biological Sensors and Sensing Systems." The objective of the research is to design, model, fabricate, test, and integrate a miniature mass analyzer to augment the existing chemical analysis capability of a total micro-analytical system on a chip. A smaller, faster, cheaper, and more accurate mass analyzer may also be useful in space applications, chemical warfare and biological weapons detection, environmental monitoring, and medical diagnostics. A feasibility analysis has been carried out to assess the functionality of a cylindrical ion trap array with each trap at micrometer scales. The mass range can be varied to detect low mass chemicals and large mass biological molecules by changing the physical dimension of the ion trap and/or the operation frequency. It has been shown that the resolution and sensitivity can be maintained in these micro-mass analyzers, making a fieldable and portable device possible. This miniaturized mass analyzer will be integrated with a miniature gas-chromatograph column, a micro-thermal conductivity detector, a surface acoustic wave detector, and an internal calibration unit, for chemical and biological sensing.Impact:The research outcome will be integrated into a new undergraduate laboratory course on Semiconductor Manufacturing and Micro-Fabrication to give chemical engineers hands-on experience in fabricating and testing miniature chemical sensing systems and the opportunity to work with engineering students from other disciplines. Senior projects, summer internships, and research projects will be offered to high school students, undergraduate and graduate students, especially women, based on the planned research to help their long-term career development in academia and industry.