on-chip optical detection of odors

该项目旨在将一项最新的技术突破整合到一个功能原型中：一种由光学气体传感像素矩阵制成的光学鼻子芯片。与电子鼻相比，集成在芯片上的光学鼻具有功耗低、稳健性好、不受电磁场、遥感和价格低廉等诸多优点。专为检测空气中的化合物而设计的微型芯片传感器对于便携和可大规模部署的廉价监测系统至关重要[1-2]。鉴于我们在片上光学器件方面的经验，更具体地说是我们过去开发的光学气体传感器，Odotech需要我们的帮助来研究片上光学传感器是否能够满足其需求，同时保持令人满意的灵敏度。在最近与Odotech完成的NSERC Engage项目框架内，我们量身定制了我们之前开发的光学传感设备，该设备基于使用专用聚合物基质对气体的可逆吸收。该传感器集成在芯片上，因此体积小、紧凑，并且可以分布在网络中，从而实现低功耗。我们证明，它可以监测几种挥发性有机化合物(VOC)，如醇、醛、酮、羧酸、胺和芳香烃，它在不同的环境条件(温度和湿度)下以可逆方式运行，并以百万分之几(Ppm)的顺序检测浓度。NSERC INNOV方案的目标是开发一种全功能的光学鼻腔原型，它由集成光源和探测器的6传感器矩阵组成。

The project aims at integrating into a functional prototype a recent technological breakthrough: an optical noseon chip made of a matrix of optical gas sensing pixels. Optical noses integrated on chip present numerousadvantages over electronic noses such as low power requirements, robustness, and immunity to electromagneticfields, remote sensing and lower price. Miniaturized on-chip sensor, designed to detect air-borne compounds,are essential for inexpensive monitoring systems that are portable and deployable on a large scale [1-2]. Givenour experience with on-chip optical devices and more specifically optical gas sensors we have developed in thepast, Odotech has required our help to investigate if on-chip optical sensors could answer its needs whileretaining satisfactory sensitivity. Within the frame of a recently completed NSERC Engage project withOdotech, we tailored the optical sensing device we developed previously, which is based on a reversibleabsorption of a gas with a dedicated polymer matrix. The sensor is integrated on chip and is therefore small,compact, and can be distributed in a network enabling low power consumption. We demonstrated that it canmonitor several volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids,amines and aromatics, that it operates in a reversible fashion, under different environmental conditions(temperature and humidity), and that it detects concentrations in the order of parts per million (ppm). Theobjective of this NSERC INNOV proposal is to develop a fully functional prototype of an optical nosecomprising a 6-sensor matrix with integrated light source and detector.