Projects for Easter term 2009
1.Finding applications for micro-hotplates as gas sensors and more
Contact: Dr. Florin Udrea, fu10000@hermes.cam.ac.uk, Electrical Engineering
Mentor: Adrian Swinburne
The team of researchers led by Dr Udrea have been developing micro-hotplates using CMOS silicon-on-insulator technology, with the intention of using them as gas sensors. However, the devices may have a broader usefulness, and the i-Team will be asked to investigate.
Cambridge CMOS Sensors is a new Cambridge University spinout, founded by Dr. Florin Udrea (co-founder of CamSemi), Dr. Julian Gardner (head of the Sensor Research Laboratory) and Professor Bill Milne (co-founder of Nanoinstruments, and Head of Electrical Engineering and CAPE), to exploit the CMOS hotplate design.
The CMOS tungsten micro-hotplates can be heated up to 500C. With appropriate coatings they can be used to detect gases such as CO and NOx, or even used as alcohol breathalysers. With no coating they can be used as IR detectors. They are small, inexpensive to manufacture (especially in high volumes), low power (no more than 5-10mW), and can be turned on and off in milliseconds. Existing sensors have a significantly higher power consumption (around 1W), and a much slower response time, limiting their scope of use.
The challenge for the i-Team is to investigate and identify the most attractive sensor markets for this technology, as well as finding partners who can provide suitable coatings for further development of the sensors. In addition, there may be other (non-sensor) uses for micro-hotplates, which the team will need to evaluate.
2. Measuring peripheral vision in small children
Contact: Dr. Adar Pelah, CUED & York University, ap114@cam.ac.uk, and Dr. Louise Allen, Consultant Paediatric Ophthalmologist, Addenbrookes Hospital
Mentor: Bob Pettigrew & Dr. Nicky Athanassopoulou
Dr. Pelah and Dr. Allen have designed a new ophthalmic device (perimeter) which can measure the visual field of small children. A first prototype is currently being built by an MEng student at York University, and should be available for demonstration by the time the i-Team starts work.
Although devices already exist to perform these measurements in adults, these are not suitable for small children, who are fidgety and have short attention spans. Currently, clinicians must rely on crude and inaccurate assessments for such patients. Yet very serious neurological conditions, such as tumours of the optic chiasm and pituitary gland, can be diagnosed if early visual field loss can be detected, allowing sight-saving therapy. The new device is designed to be child-friendly and to allow accurate measurements to be made quickly using the inadvertent cooperation of the patient, whose attention would be engaged in viewing the cartoon characters or similar presented on the device.
The new product is believed to be unique in its field and application. The challenge for the i-Team is to investigate the market for such a device, and to recommend the best route to market for the inventors. It is expected that they will contact a number of experts in paediatric ophthalmology, including those working within and outside of hospitals, as well as distributors and manufacturers of other ophthalmic devices. Key questions include whether or not this can be a viable stand-alone device, or whether it would need to be combined with others to create a more complete visual measurement system, as well as viable price levels, and how these might affect its rate of adoption.
3. Finding real-world uses for microcantilever chemical sensors
Professor Stephen Elliott, sre@cam.ac.uk, Chemistry
Mentor: Dr. Julian White
The team of researchers led by Professor Elliott have been developing a system of MEMS-based sensors for measuring chemical compositions, including both sampling and callibration techniques.
The method uses commercially-available MEMS chips which contain an array of microcantilevers. The microcantilevers are coated with polymer-based receptor layers, and then bend up or down when other chemicals bind to the receptors. The deflection can be measured either statically or dynamically, and provides a means of measuring the concentration of the chemicals being targeted. This method has been shown to be highly sensitive, able to detect femtograms of material, and is also cheap, compact and robust. The microcantilevers can either be coated with the same receptor, or with different receptors, to increase the sensitivity and reliability of the sensor.
The research so far has successfully developed a new optical interferometry technique to measure the deflection of the microcantilevers, and also a new sample cell for detection of both liquid and gaseous samples. Much of the research has concentrated on counter-terrorism uses, such as detection of nerve agents, but the sensor also has much more general applicability, including a range of medical uses (for example PSA prostate antigens, blood sugar testing for diabetes, TB testing). It could also be used as an 'electronic nose' for complex products like wines and perfumes which are frequently counterfeited.
The next stage is to focus in on particular applications to allow the technology to be successfully commercialised. The challenge for the i-Team will be to identify high-value markets which can be addressed quickly by the technology and generate short-term revenues, as well as longer-term high-volume markets (such as home diagnosis kits) which will allow the technology to be widely used.