Distributed Microsystems Laboratory: Developing Microsystems that Make Sense

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Distributed Microsystems LaboratoryDeveloping
Microsystems that Make Sense

• Goals To perform true systems integration for
  existing or incrementally advanced sensor
  technologies in such a way as to meet
  system-level constraints related to
• power consumption
• robustness in real-world environments
• auto-calibration capability
• small size, portable deployment
• self-diagnostic capability
• multi-stimulus detection
• sensitivity limits
• without sacrificing stimulus recognition
  capability

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Distributed Microsystems LaboratoryDeveloping
Microsystems that Make Sense

• Areas of Research in Microsystems Development
• Chemical Sensing Microsystems
• Modeling of front-end olfaction in sensor array
  design and architecture to enhance system
  robustness, resilience to broken sensors,
  auto-calibration capability, and sensitivity
  floor (detection limit).
• Streamlining of signal processing to adapt
  chemical discrimination algorithms to
  lower-overhead equivalents for implementation in
  portable systems
• Sensor platform development for extraction of
  multiple features from a single micro-sensor in
  an array (including instrument development)
• Miniaturization of existing larger chemical
  sensors and systems
• Optimization of signal conditioning and readout
  circuits to reduce superfluous information and
  enhance signal-to-noise ratios

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Distributed Microsystems LaboratoryDeveloping
Microsystems that Make Sense

• Areas of Research in Microsystems Development
• Chemical Sensing Microsystems Available Sensor
  Technologies
• ChemFETs
• streamlined signal processing,
• sensor platform development,
• miniaturization of systems,
• optimization of signal conditioning.
• Composite Polymer Sensors
• olfactory modeling,
• streamlined signal processing,
• sensor platform development,
• miniaturization
• Metal-oxide Sensors
• olfactory modeling,
• sensor platform development
• SPR (surface plasmon resonance)
• streamlined signal processing
• miniaturization of systems

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Distributed Microsystems LaboratoryDeveloping
Microsystems that Make Sense

• Areas of Research in Microsystems Development
• Other Microsystems
• Development of application specific integrated
  CMOS imagers and auditory systems modeled after
  biology
• Development of imaging and auditory microsystems
  for streamlined, low-power implementation
• Development of integrated pressure sensors for
  characterizing and controlling biopsy sample
  preparation
• Development of integrated platforms for
  evaluating fluorescence of living, dead, and
  lysed cells
• Radio Frequency Identification systems for
  monitoring health of trees to increase their
  market value (and thereby decrease the number of
  trees that need to be cut down).

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Distributed Microsystems LaboratoryDeveloping
Microsystems that Make Sense

• What Drives Research in this Laboratory? (e.g.
  the Vision)
• LINK TO INDUSTRY THE APPLICATIONS
• Environment
• Environmental monitoring and remediation
  (groundwater and airborne pollutants)
• Protecting health and welfare of human beings
• Chemical and Biological Warfare Sensor Systems
  useful for widespread distributed implementation
• Improved Sensor Systems for Biomedical Research
• ENGINEERING PERSPECTIVE SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
• MAUV
• SCIENCE PERSPECTIVE MODELLING OF BIOLOGY
• Olfactory, Auditory, and Vision Modelling

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Distributed Microsystems LaboratoryDeveloping
Microsystems that Make Sense

• What Drives Research in this Laboratory? (e.g.
  the Vision)
• PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE AND CONVICTIONS
• Teaching
• Classes critical thinking are weighted as
  heavily as topical skills
• Laboratory teamwork, maturity and
  responsibility, long-term potential and vision of
  students should be developed with as much
  seriousness as the topical experience. Dont
  clone graduate students!
• Use (constructive) criticism and high
  expectations as a tool to driving students toward
  reaching their potential.
• Research
• No weapons of mass destruction ever
• Keep making the world a better place at the top
  of the priority list
• Service
• Be kind, give easily, dont get overextended.

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SPR (Surface Plasmon Resonance) Chemical Sensing
Microsystems
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SPR (Surface Plasmon Resonance) Chemical Sensing
Microsystems
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Chemical Sensing MicroSystems Modeled after
Front-End Olfaction
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Chemical Sensing Systems What does
front-end olfaction tell us?

• Fact Olfactory Mucous pre-concentration ignores
  odors beyond a saturation level and below a
  threshold level
• Engineering Implication concentration detection
  and odor discrimination should be performed
  independent of one other

Source Kendall and Schwartz Principles of
Neural Science
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Scale-Invariant A/D Conversion applied to a CMOS
Imager

• System Architecture

Focal Plane Processing, Integrating/Reset Circuits
Pixel Selection, Digital Readout
Circuits, Readout Amplifiers
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Scale-Invariant A/D Conversion applied to a CMOS
Imager

• Ratio-based A/D Conversion Example

75/25 high/low
50/50 high/low
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Chemical Sensing Microsystems Scaling
Down Larger Systems
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Chemical Sensing Microsystems Overcoming
CMOS Compatibility Issues