Integrated compound semiconductor lab-on-chip optical biosensor

传染病的诊断目前依赖于各种基于实验室的测试，例如培养、免疫测定和显微镜检查，这些测试具有各种局限性。共同的缺点是，这些方法需要将待分析的生物样品从护理点运送到配备昂贵仪器的实验室，由有经验的人员进行昂贵而耗时的测试。对于许多传染病来说，在护理点及时诊断并迅速开始治疗至关重要。该项目将纳入一项正在进行的雄心勃勃的研究计划，旨在开发一种超越现有技术的新型光学生物传感器设备。该生物传感器将结合联合收割机的多重功能，一次检测数百种生物标志物，定量实时检测，快速，低成本和用户友好，同时表现出高灵敏度和特异性，代表了生物传感器市场的“游戏规则改变者”。该设备设计基于一种新的芯片实验室方法，其中光学激发，传感元件，并且检测器被制造在同一半导体芯片上。该传感器的构建模块是光子晶体，即光学器件，其中介电材料的周期性结构被设计成定制与光的相互作用，以创造独特的光学特性。项目目标和方法该项目的主要目标是：1）设计设备：学生将有机会获得多物理建模软件（COMSOL），这将被用来模拟光学，电子，和热性能来优化它们的性能。该设备将随后根据设计制造，通过使用最先进的光刻和蚀刻技术。2）设备组件的表征：学生将模拟制造设备的不同组件的电气和光学特性，并将它们与模拟进行比较，为设计/制造步骤提供反馈。这一步骤也将是多生物标志物传感中设备性能的首次演示

The diagnosis of infectious diseases currently relies on a variety of laboratory-based tests, e.g. culture, immunoassays and microscopy, which have various limitations. The common shortcoming is that those approaches require the transport of biological samples to be analysed from the point-of-care to a laboratory equipped with expensive instrumentation where experienced personnel perform costly and time-consuming tests. For many infectious diseases, a timely diagnosis at the point-of-care level resulting in a rapid initiation of the treatment can be critical.This project will be embedded within an on-going ambitious research programme aimed at the development of a novel optical biosensor device which surpasses current technologies. The biosensor will combine multiplex capabilities, detecting hundreds of biomarkers at once, with quantitative real-time detection, miniaturisation, low-cost and user-friendliness, while exhibiting high sensitivity and specificity, representing a 'game-changer' in the biosensors market.The device design is based on a novel lab-on-a-chip approach, where the optical excitation, sensing elements, and detectors are fabricated on the same semiconductor chip. The building blocks of the sensor are photonic crystals, i.e. optical devices where periodic structures of dielectric materials are engineered to tailor the interaction with light, to create unique optical properties.Project aims and methodsThe main objectives of the project are:1) Design of the device: The student will have access to a multi-physics modelling software (COMSOL), which will be used to simulate the optical, electronic, and thermal properties of the device components to optimise their performance. The device will be subsequently fabricated according to the design, by using state-of-the-art lithography and etching techniques.2) Characterisation of the device components: The student will characterise the electrical and optical properties of the different components of the fabricated device and will compare them with the simulations, providing feedback for the design/fabrication steps. This step will also be a first demonstration of the device performance in multi-biomarker sensing