Development of Planar Waveguide Based Gas Sensors for Challenging Environments

该项目希望利用CDT在应用光子学方面的专业知识来支持新型光学传感技术的开发，以支持AWE执行其支持和维持英国核威慑力量的任务。传感器技术对于提供实验数据以提高对化学老化过程和机制的理解至关重要。在某些情况下，基于电气的测量可能会带来不可接受的安全风险，因此基于光学的传感器技术为获取经验数据提供了一种可行的替代方案。虽然光学传感是一个相对成熟的领域，但它是一个利基领域，存在许多阻碍这些技术易于应用的挑战，包括缺乏敏感性、缺乏选择性、有限的长期稳定性和化学不兼容性。这个PHD项目将寻求开发基于光纤耦合波导超紧凑型器件的新型光学气体传感器技术，使用绝缘体上的硅平台。应聘者将被要求开发气体专用设备设计，制造这些设计，然后使用圣安德鲁斯大学物理和天文学院提供的无尘室制造设施和光电实验室进行传感器评估。总体目标是使这项技术能够在未来的老化实验中部署。

This project looks to draw on the expertise within the CDT in Applied Photonics to support the development of novel optical sensing technologies to support AWE in its mission to support and maintain the UK's nuclear deterrent.Sensor technologies are essential to provide data from experiments to improve understanding of chemical ageing processes and mechanisms. In some situations, electrical-based measurements may introduce an unacceptable safety risk and as such optical-based sensor technologies provide a viable alternative to obtain empirical data. Although optical sensing is a relatively mature field it is niche, and many challenges exist that prevent these techniques from being readily deployed including lack of sensitivity, lack of selectivity, limited long-term stability and chemical incompatibility. This PhD project will look to develop novel optical gas sensor technologies based upon fibre coupled waveguide ultra-compact devices, using a silicon on insulator platform. The candidate will be required to develop gas specific device designs, fabricate these and then perform sensor evaluations, using the clean room fabrication facilities and optoelectronic laboratories, available in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of St Andrews. The overall aim to enable this technology to deployed within future ageing experiments.