IEEE Sensors Tutorials – Program (Monday, 10/31/2005)
Time
Sensor Development and Technology
Sensor Application
8 - 9:30
Prof. Mehran Mehregany, Case Western Reserve University
https://www.eecs.cwru.edu/people/faculty/mxm31
Prof. Gerard Meijer, Delft University
https://wwwetis.et.tudelft.nl/people/biography/projectleaders/meijer_gerard.html
9:40 - 11:10
Brian Culshaw, Strathclyde University, UK
Dr Elena Gaura, Coventry University
11:20 - 12:50
High-Performance MEMS Inertial Sensors
Navid Yazdi, Evigia
Testable Design for MEMS Sensors
Prof. Hans Kerkhoff, Twente University
https://tdt.el.utwente.nl/persons/hansk.htm
2:00 - 3:30
Dr Michael Shur
RPI/IBM Center for Broadband Data Transfer Science and Technology
SDM Interfaces for Capacitive Sensors
Dr. Michael Kraft, Southampton University
3:40 - 5:10
Carbon MEMS and NEMS for Sensor Applications
Marc Madou, UC Irvine
https://www.eng.uci.edu/faculty_research/profile/mmadou
Ashwin Seshia, Cambridge University
Abstracts and Biographies for Tutorials at IEEE Sensors, 31. Oct 2005.
Smart Sensors and Smart Sensor Systems
Gerard C.M. Meijer, TUDelft, The Netherlands
Abstract:
The architecture and design of low-cost high-performance smart sensors and smart sensor systems is reviewed. In these systems the functions of sensors and their interfaces are combined in an overall design. These functions include sensing, signal conditioning, analogue-to-digital conversion, bus interfacing and data processing. Also, functions at a higher hierarchical level, such as self-testing, auto-calibration, data evaluation and identification can be included. In many physical and chemical sensors the information bandwidth is rather small, i.e. much smaller than the bandwidth of the electronic part of the system. The surplus of available time/bandwidth of the electronic part can be used to improve the system accuracy, reliability and long-term stability or to lower the power dissipation. It will be shown how the traditional problems of the electronic circuits, such as offset, 1/f noise, interference and long-term drift, can be solved by applying advanced measurement techniques, such as nested chopping, dynamic element matching and auto-calibration.
As a case study for the electronic part of the system the design of universal sensor interface will be discussed. At the system level application-related problems of smart temperature sensors will be discussed. Finally, a summary of currently on-going research and research trends will be presented.
Biography:
Gerard C.M. Meijer was born in Wateringen, The Netherlands in 1945. He received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands, in 1972 and 1982, respectively. Since 1972 he has been a member of the Research and teaching staff of Delft University of Technology, where he is a professor, engaged in research and teaching on Analogue Electronics and Electronic Instrumentation. In 1984-1987 he was part-time seconded to the Delft Instruments Company in Delft where he was involved in the development of industrial level gauges and temperature transducers. In 1996 he has co-founded the company SensArt, where he is a consultant in the field of sensor systems. In 1999 he received the title award of “Simon Stevin Meester” from the Dutch Technology Foundation.
Testable Design and Testing of Microsystems
Hans G. Kerkhoff, TwenTest, The Netherlands
Abstract:
The market of microsystems, incorporating microelectronics with e.g. MEMS-based sensors and actuators increases rapidly. The often non-electrical sensors and actuators are notoriously difficult and/or expensive to test. As the entire micro system has to meet certain quality criteria for specific applications, new techniques are being developed.
This tutorial will show current test practices of several basic categories of microsystems, and also methods to reduce or circumvent test problems. In these approaches, good knowledge on defects in the systems is required, and design modifications or extensions are shown to ease the testing process.
Biography:
Hans G. Kerkhoff received his M.Sc. degree in Telecommunication with honours at the Technical University of Delft in 1977 and the Delft Hogeschool Award for his M.Sc. thesis. In the same year he became staff member of the chair IC-Technology & Electronics at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Twente in Enschede. He obtained a Ph.D. in Technical Science (micro-electronics) at the University of Twente in 1984. In the same year he was appointed associate professor in Testable Design and Testing at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Twente. He advised 15 Ph.D. students in this research area and has (co-) authored over 200 publications.
In 1991, he became head of the research group "Testable Design and Test of Microsystems" of the MESA+ Research Institute and headed the MESA Test Centre (MTC). In 1992 he spent his sabbatical year at the test company Advantest in San Jose (CA), USA. From 1995 up to1999, he worked in addition part-time at the Philips Research Laboratories in the VLSI Design and Test Group at Eindhoven.
In 2000, he founded the company TwenTest, specializing in consultancy in the area of testable design and test of mixed-signal microsystems.
High-Performance MEMS Inertial Sensors
Navid Yazdi, Evigia Systems, Inc., US
Abstract:
Micromachined inertial sensors have achieved significant performance gains in the past two decades. Commercial accelerometers for automotive and consumer applications are available at low cost, and a number of gyroscopes are making their way into commercial markets. Inertial sensors are needed for self-contained or GPS-augmented navigation and guidance systems. MEMS inertial sensors enable miniature low-power and low-cost portable navigation modules. The inertial navigation applications are typically the most demanding where accelerometers with micro-g’s of resolution and stability, and gyroscopes with 0.001-1 degree/hr resolution and stability are required. This tutorial provides an overview of high-performance MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes for inertial navigation and guidance applications. The presentation reviews the principal of operation of various micromachined sensors, the design challenges, and techniques to improve the performance parameters. Representative fabrication and manufacturing processes for high-performance MEMS inertial sensors are presented as well. Furthermore, packaging, environment isolation, and interface electronics issues and considerations to achieve low-drift and high-sensitivity are described.
Biography:
Navid Yazdi received his Ph.D. degree in 1999 from the University of Michigan in electrical engineering. From November 1998 to May 2002, he was an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University and principal investigator of several government and industry funded projects in MEMS and mixed-signal ICs. In July 2000 he took an academic leave to join Corning IntelliSense Corporation, where he worked on optical-MEMS switches and wavelength management products. Currently he is with Evigia Systems, Inc., a startup that he co-founded in 2004 and is developing high-performance integrated sensors and wireless sensor systems. Dr. Yazdi has also been holding a visiting research scientist position at the University of Michigan since Dec. 2003. He has authored over 40 publications on micromachined inertial sensors, MEMS devices and their fabrication technologies, mixed-signal ICs, and wireless microsystems.
MEMS Enabled Microsystems: From Dumb to Cogent Sensors-design for Intelligence
Elena Gaura, Coventry University, Coventry, UK
Abstract:
The aim of the tutorial is to present the directions of research, development and technological evolution for Electro Mechanical Microsystems, and in particular microsensors. The development of MEMS devices has generally followed a bottom up methodology, reaching now a stage where the capabilities of the devices could be used much more effectively in systems designed from the top down to include them. A holistic view of the requirements of MEMS based systems and the capabilities of the microdevices must be taken if such systems are to deliver the promise that was expected. This tutorial provides the integrative perspective required for workers in all areas of the field, to enable them to appreciate the system level design issues leading to breakthrough sensing applications.
The tutorial would be of interest to MEMS and nanodevices technologists/designers/developers, specialists working at system level in sensors and sensor networks and application developers considering the use of MEMS devices as part of high-level intelligent systems, who will need to understand the opportunities and constraints brought by MEMS technology.
Synopsis: Microsensors are particularly buoyant sector in the industry of man-made complex machines. Traditionally, the main sensor requirements (linearly transferred from the macro sensors industry to the micromachining technologies) were in terms of metrological performance, i.e. the (most often) electrical signal produced by the sensor needed to match relatively accurately the measurand. Such basic sensor functionality is no longer sufficient. The nature of industry demand, and therefore the research goals of the sensing community are presently shifting, away from aiming to design perfect mono-function transducers towards the utilization MEMS based sensors as system components. A new set of requirements for sensing systems and more generally for measurement systems is therefore being generated. Such requirements ultimately imply that components are enhanced with increasingly autonomous functional capabilities. It is here, in the area of data processing and extraction of information, that the author proposes to situate the core of the tutorial, expanding both ways: towards the sensing devices themselves and the MEMS technology which enables their production and towards the application end of the enhanced sensing systems.
The presentation clarifies the strands of development in sensing, some of which are linked with the industry demand for “replacement products” (process/instrumentation sensors designed for high accuracy or cheap/minimum size& weight/minimal electronics sensors for liberal use in appliances and automotive industry for example), whilst other strands are under development either to enable new applications or to support the dreams of future machines ( for example large networks of sensors exhibiting collective behaviour and ultimately cogent sensing to enable cogent actuation and eternal vehicles). The evolution process is discussed from a system requirements perspective and supported by an analysis of the components which make a sensor/sensor system, from the simplest such sensor performing straight forward metrology through the self-testing sensor to the fully fledged cogent sensor which can autonomously make informed decisions on the data and perform complex information transformations. The hardware and software requirements of the sensors along this line will be discussed and example implementations will be shown.
The newer pool of potential “big” sensors applications need more than MEMS device technology perfection - the inherent, natural MEMS properties of size and potentially low cost encouraged the liberal usage of these devices in applications (smart skin with thousands of devices embedded, deployable sensor webs, etc) which in turn lead to the need to rely on/add efficient and clever processing of data generated by the sensing device, before such data reaches the outer world. Technology perfection might not, therefore, be, in the new light, the primary aim in developing successful MEMS sensors and particularly sensor systems. Since signal processing is needed anyway by the sensing application, most imperfections could also be, potentially, compensated for in the software/hardware associated/integrated with the sensor, as long as the integration of sensor and processing is resolved.
Attendees will gain the perspective and context of the field in order to make design decisions which optimally utilize current and forthcoming developments in these technologies.
Biography:
Elena received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from the Technical University of Cluj Napoca, Romania, in 1989 and 1991, respectively. In 2000, she received the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Coventry University, UK, where her research focused on the integration of artificial intelligence (in particular Neural Networks) and MEMS sensors to produce enhanced performance microsystems. She joined the Computer Science Department at Coventry University in June 1999 as a Senior Lecturer. Prior to this appointment, she worked as a lecturer for Technical University of Cluj Napoca (1991-1995), her teaching and research focusing on IC design, switched capacitor techniques and control applications of neural networks. From April 1996 to August 1997 she was a research assistant at Brunel University where she worked on modeling of the human respiratory tract and aerosol particles deposition. In 1997 she was employed by Rutherford Appleton Laboratory to support the deployment and use of VLSI CAD tools.
Presently, her research interests pursue the issues of Microsensors-Artificial Intelligence Integration, Sensor Fault Detection, Self-diagnosis, Microsensor Applications to Safety Critical and Biomedical Systems and Sensor Arrays. The work explores the new avenues brought about by MEMS technology to enhance the functionality of micro measurement systems, develop new techniques for integrating sensors, actuators and control functions and ultimately aim at designing autonomous systems which can sense, think and react to their working environment. Much research effort is currently focused on theoretical and practical design aspects for very large networks of autonomous MEMS based sensors.
Her teaching has been for many ears in the area of Computer architectures, Microprocessors and hardware support for pervasive computing systems.
Terahertz Sensing Technology
Michael S. Shur, Center for Broadband Data Transport Science and Technology,
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Abstract:
Terahertz sensing technology has a promise of many breakthrough and enabling applications including detection of biological and chemical hazardous agents, cancer detection, detection of mines and explosives, enhancement of people, building, and airport security, covert communications (in THz and sub-THz windows), and applications in radioastronomy and space research. This tutorial will review the famous THz gap and the-state-of-the-art of existing THz sources, detectors, and sensing systems.
Most existing terahertz sources have low power and rely on optical means of the terahertz radiation. THz quantum cascade lasers using over thousand alternating layers of gallium arsenide and aluminum gallium arsenide have achieved the highest THz powers generated by optical means. Since the energy of a terahertz photon (4.2 meV for 1 THz) is much smaller than the thermal energy at room temperature, room temperature operation of THz lasers might be limited to the high frequency boundary of the terahertz range of frequencies (e.g. close to 30 THz). Improved designs and using quantum dot medium for THz laser cavities are expected to result in improved THz laser performance. Huge THz powers are generated using free electron lasers.
Two-terminal semiconductor devices are capable of operating at the low bound of the THz range, with the highest frequency achieved using Schottky diode frequency multipliers (exceeding 1 THz). High speed three terminal electronic devices (FETs and HBTs) are approaching the THz range (with cutoff frequencies and maximum frequencies of operation around 600 GHz and 340 GHz for InGaAs and SiGe technologies, respectively). A new approach called plasma wave electronics recently demonstrated terahertz emission and detection in GaAs-based and GaN-based HEMTs and in Si MOS and SOI, including the resonant THz detection at room temperature.
As application examples, I will discuss the THz sensing of biological materials, broadband THz reflection and transmission detection of concealed objects, THz explosive identification, THz nanocomposite spectroscopy, and THz remote sensing.
THz tomography
Courtesy X.C. Zhang, RPI
Imaging Breast Cancer
From Opto & Laser Europe October 2002
THz image of human tooth. From https://www.teraview.com/ab_imageLibrary.asp
Biography:
Michael Shur received his MSEE degree (with honors) from LETI, PhD in Physics and Doctor of Science degrees from A. F. Ioffe Institute, and Honorary Doctorate from St. Petersburg Technical University. He is now Chair Professor and Director of Broadband Data Transport Center at RPI. He is a Fellow of IEEE, of American Physical Society, Electrochemical Society, and of World Innovation Foundation and Editor-in-Chief of IJHSES, of the book series “Special Topics in Electronics and Systems”, and Regional Editor for physica status solidi. His area of expertise is physics of semiconductors and high speed and THz semiconductor devices.
Sigma-Delta Modulator Interfaces for Capacitive Sensors
Speaker: Dr Michael Kraft Southampton University UK
Abstract:
MEMS capacitive sensors, such as pressure sensors, accelerometers and gyroscopes have been one of the most successful examples of micro-system technology. They are routinely used in many applications; the most important being automotive safety systems. These sensors are typically open-loop and have low to medium performance specifications. Recently, there has been an emerging requirement for more high performance sensors for more advanced automotive applications and many others. To fulfil this requirement it appears a very promising approach to apply some more advanced control and electronic interface techniques to existing micromachined sensing elements. Incorporation of a capacitive sensing element in a sigma-delta modulator (SDM) control architecture is an elegant way to improve the sensors’ performance; especially concerning their linearity, dynamic range and bandwidth. Additionally, this type of control system yields a digital output signal that can directly interface to a standard digital signal processor. So far, MEMS capacitive sensors have mainly been incorporated in lower order SDM architectures. A typical example of such a sensing system will be reviewed in detailed and their operation described.
In such a system the sensing element solely acts as the loop filter, and provides noise-shaping only up to order two. However, to provide higher order noise-shaping it is necessary to add additional electronic integrators. In this tutorial, higher order SDM architectures will be discussed which may be used with MEMS capacitive sensors. Various higher order SDM topologies will be presented and their advantages and shortcomings discussed. Simulation results will be presented, and of the most promising ones, also measurement results.
Biography:
Michael Kraft was born in Nürnberg, Germany, in 1966 and received his Dipl.-Ing. (Univ.) in electrical and electronics engineering from the Friedrich Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in 1993. In the same year he joined the Nonlinear System Design Group at Coventry University, UK where he worked on the design of a digital micromachined accelerometer and received his Ph.D in 1997. He then spent two years at the Berkeley Sensors and Actuator Center, University of California at Berkeley, USA, working on the design of integrated micromachined gyroscopes. He is currently employed as an academic member of staff at the Nanoscale Systems Integration Group at Southampton University, UK. His principle interests include micromachined inertial sensors, MEMS sensors and actuators, micro-fabrication, intelligent control systems for MEMS devices and electronic circuit design.
Micro/Nanofabricated Biochemical Sensors
Speaker: Ashwin Seshia, Cambridge University, UK
Abstract:
A multitude of interacting molecular systems can be studied using micro/nanofabricated biochemical sensor technology. The basic principle is to couple a molecular recognition process to a physico-chemical transducer that results in a sensitive signature of the molecular event. Examples of biochemical processes that can be studied include DNA hybridisation and protein-antibody recognition. The development of micro/nanofabrication technology has allowed for the miniaturisation of certain macro-scale sensing techniques as well as the development of novel sensor technologies. Potential widespread applications of miniaturised biochemical sensor technologies are seen in low-cost medical diagnostic equipment, drug discovery, and as a novel research tool for proteomics.
Biosensor miniaturisation using micro/nanofabrication technology is driven by several forces. Certain expected benefits are shared with established MEMS sensor technologies including smaller size, lower per unit manufacturing costs, improved sensitivity, batch manufacturing and lower energy consumption per analysis. In addition, particular benefits for biosensor applications include the handling of smaller sample volumes, scalability to large arrays, the potential for label-free detection, shorter analysis times, extended measurement bandwidth, differential measurements and suitable construction of experimental controls. The benefits obtained from miniaturisation using micro/nanofabrication technologies are often measured in orders of magnitude as compared to presently available commercial technologies.
The course will begin with a review of the basics of biosensors and a survey of presently available biosensor technology. An overview of a range of micro/nanofabricated biochemical sensors are presented, covering a range of transduction techniques. Examples of sensor technologies presented include ISFETs, micro/nanomechanical cantilevers, magnetic bead technologies, carbon nanotube sensors, and holographic sensors. We will study a subset of these technologies in detail and their relevance to the study of enzymatic reactions and molecular binding events. The technologies are compared and contrasted on the basis of suitable figures of merit. The efficient coupling of the biological system to the physico-chemical sensing layer is key to the functionality of the sensors. System integration aspects relating to sample handling, sensor packaging and interfacing are discussed. The issues dealing with sensor calibration and error correction will be addressed and projections for the future development of miniature biosensor technology are presented.
Biography:
Dr Ashwin A. Seshia obtained his B.Tech. in Engineering Physics in 1996 from IIT Bombay, and M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California at Berkeley in 1999 and 2002 respectively. He is a Lecturer in MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) in the Cambridge University Engineering Department, a Fellow of Queens' College and a member of the Micromechanics and Nanoscience research groups in the Engineering Department. His research interests include integrated micromechanical resonant structures for sensor and timing applications, micromachined devices for in-vivo monitoring, biological sensor systems and MEMS Design.
Silicon Carbide Micro/Nano Systems for Harsh Environment and Demanding Applications
Speaker: Mehran Mehregany, Case Western University, USA
Abstract:
Micro/nano systems enable the development of smart products and systems by augmenting the computational ability of microelectronics with the perception and control capabilities of sensors and actuators. Micro/nano systems are also known as micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS), and have been commercialized in a wide range of applications including crash sensing, blood pressure measurement, optical projection, fluid flow control to name a few. Silicon, in single- and polycrystalline form, has traditionally been the platform semiconductor material underpinning the fabrication of the mechanical and electronic elements of micro/nano systems. However, the materials properties of silicon impose limitations on its use in harsh environment and demanding applications. Such applications involve operation in the presence of high temperatures, corrosive media, high shock loads, erosive flows, and/or high radiation, or involve performance requirements for the mechanical elements that are beyond silicon’s capabilities. Silicon carbide (SiC) is an alternative platform semiconductor material that enables such applications because of its wider bandgap and higher melting/sublimation temperature, elastic modulus, fracture toughness, hardness, chemical inertness, and thermal conductivity. This tutorial will highlight recent material, process, and device advances in the context of the effort to establish a SiC micro/nano systems technology. This technology enables sensing and actuation in propulsion, power generation, resource exploration, nuclear reactor instrumentation, deep space exploration, and communications to name a few.
Biography:
Mehran Mehregany received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri in 1984, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1986 and 1990, respectively. From 1986 to 1990, he was a consultant to the Robotic Systems Research Department at AT&T Bell Laboratories, where he was a key contributor to ground-breaking research in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). In 1990, he joined the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics at Case Western Reserve University as an Assistant Professor. He was awarded the Nord Assistant Professorship in 1991, was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in July 1994 and was promoted to Full Professor in July 1997. He held the George S. Dively Professor of Engineering endowed chair from January 1998 until July 2000, when he was appointed to the Goodrich Professor of Engineering Innovation endowed chair. He served as the Director of the MEMS Research Center at Case from July 1995 until December 2002. Since January 2003, he has been Chairman of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at Case. Professor Mehregany is well known for his research in the area of MEMS; he has over 270 publications describing his work, holds 15 U.S. patents, and is the recipient of a number of awards/honors. He served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering from (January 1996 to December 1997), Assistant-to-the-President of the Transducers Research Foundation (1994 to 2004) and is currently an Editor for the Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems. His research pursues innovation in high-performance sensors and actuators for demanding and harsh environment applications by combining leading-edge capabilities in devices and circuits, design and modeling, materials and fabrication, and testing and packaging.
In 1993, Professor Mehregany founded Advanced MicroMachines Incorporated (Cleveland, OH) to develop and commercialize silicon microsystems for high-value-added, high-performance (e.g., aerospace) applications; the company was acquired by the Goodrich Corporation in March 1999. In 2000, Professor Mehregany co-founded FLX Micro, Inc. (Cleveland, OH) which develops silicon carbide pressure sensors for harsh environment applications. Also in 2000, Professor Mehregany founded NineSigma, Inc. (Cleveland, OH) which provides companies with tools and services for identifying and acquiring science and technology solutions from a global network of innovators.
Carbon MEMS and NEMS for Sensor Applications
Speaker: Marc Madou, University of California, Irvine
Abstract:
A novel fabrication process was developed to create high aspect ratio (> 10:1) carbon posts, all-carbon suspended bridges and wires, self-organized bunches of carbon posts, and carbon plates supported by carbon beams. The structures are all made from a two-step pyrolysis process with SU-8 photoresist as the starting material. In this presentation we describe the fabrication of these various new C-MEMS structures and detail several important applications of C-MEMS. The carbon post arrays can be reversible charged/discharged with Li ions, an application that may greatly impact the application of C-MEMS in three-dimensional microbatteries. Complex suspended C-MEMS structures, such as wires, plates, ribbons, and self-organized bunches of posts are structures that can be used to make very sensitive sensor substrates and to connect carbon nanotubes. Methods to accurately and repeatedly fabricate all the above 3D C-MEMS structures will be presented. Below are some representative structures made with this new manufacturing process. We believe that the versatility of this carbon manufacturing process and the many forms carbon comes in could give Si a run for its money.
Biography:
Marc Madou earned his doctorate degree at the University of Ghent in Belgium in the Solid State Physics lab of Professor Dekeyser (1978). After his studies he joined the Department of Materials Science of Dr. S. Roy Morrison at SRI International, Menlo Park, California, USA, as a visiting scientist. The research focussed on liquid junction solar cells. In 1981 he returned to the University of Ghent, Belgium, to become an Assistant Professor working with Professor Gomes. He rejoined SRI in 1982 to work briefly on batteries with Dr. Michael McKubre. In 1983 he founded SRI’s Microsensor Department in The Physical Electronics Laboratory. In 1989 he wrote his first science book (Chemical Sensing with Solid State Devices, Academic Press) and founded Teknekron Sensor Development Corporation (TSDC) one of the first MEMS/BIOMEMS companies in the Silicon Valley. Out of that very creative group came early work and patents on MEMS based responsive drug delivery systems, micromachined switches planar zirconia-based oxygen sensors, SOI based micro-mirrors, AFM tips, fast electrochemical oxygen and CO sensors and solid state pH electrodes. From the original TSDC team, people like Dr. Fariborz Maseeh (founder of IntelliSense) and Dr. Armand Neukermans (founder of Xros, acquired by Nortel) emerged as some of the most successful MEMS entrepreneurs yet. In 1992 he became a Visiting Miller Professor at University of California Berkeley and a NASA Ames Associate. Here, working with Professor Richard White, his interests shifted to polymer actuators and carbon based MEMS structures (C-MEMS) and he started writing “Fundamentals of Microfabrication” (CRC Press, 1997). In 1997 he accepted an Endowed Chair professorship (Center for Materials Research Scholar) at the Ohio State University’s Materials Science and Engineering Department, combined with an appointment in the Chemistry Department. While at OSU, he started a fruitful and ongoing collaboration with Drs. Daunert and Bachas from the University of Kentucky, a husband and wife team, skilled in genetic engineering of proteins and biomimetic sensing strategies. Combining their biomimetic sensing chemistries with compact disc based fluidic platforms and novel in vivo drug delivery vehicles, a long list of papers and a few new start-ups resulted. Missing California and more and more intrigued with nanotechnology he joined Nanogen, Inc. in 2001 as Vice President of Research and Development. Their work focussed on active DNA arrays and their integration in fluidic platforms. In July 2002, he accepted the position of Chancellor’s Professor at UC Irvine in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering with a joint appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. The Second Edition of Fundamentals of Microfabrication (CRC press) appeared early 2002 and has become a well accepted textbook in the MEMS field.
Fibre Optic Sensors
Speaker: Brian Culshaw, Strathclyde University, UK
Abstract:
Fibre optic sensor technology was first investigated around 40 years ago – predating early thoughts on the realistic potential for fibre communications. The basic concept is simple: use fibres to guide light to and from a modulation zone in which the light is modified in response to some external measurand. Interest in the technology stems from its inherent immunity to electromagnetic interference, its ability to interact with a very wide range of measurands and quite remarkable chemical and biochemical environmental tolerance.
The tutorial will first explore the basic principles of fibre sensors and explain how external phenomena can modulate the phase intensity and colour of an optical signal. Incorporating these modulation mechanisms into a practical system requires careful optical electronic and sensor head design to optimise desired interactions and minimise cross modulation fix. Some of the approaches which are available to implement these procedures will be described, and in common with many other sensor technologies, the question of thermal compensation is often particularly important.
Fibre sensor technology is currently advancing rapidly in both application context and as a fundamental tool to explore the world around us. The former includes the realisation of “smart structures” and numerous environmental monitoring systems. In both these domains the initial benefits of fibre technology mentioned earlier are complemented by the ability to operate over extremely large interrogation distances, extending in some cases to many tens of kilometres. At the more fundamental level the technology promises new methods to probe the physical and chemical properties of materials on a micrometer scale and can also – possibly be used to realise new generations of sensor systems for emerging environmental and safety critical requirements. The second part of the tutorial will cover a few examples of the very wide range of current and potential applications.
Biography:
Brian Culshaw is currently Professor of Optoelectronics at Strathclyde University, Glasgow, Scotland. He has extensive experience in research and development in optical fibre sensor technologies, including both system realisation and basic research.
His work has encompassed fibre interferometers, particularly gyroscopes and hydrophones, optically interrogated MEMS structures and remote spectroscopic monitoring systems, particularly for gas measurements.
He has published several books conference proceedings on the subject and chaired or co-chaired numerous international meetings on fibre sensors and related technologies. He has served as Topical Editor for Applied Optics and as Guest Editor/Editorial Board Member for several other journals. He currently acts as Secretary of SPIE (President Elect for 2006). Within the University he has acted as Vice Dean for the Engineering Faculty and served 5 years as Head of Department.
