Physical Sensors & Devices

High sensitivity, low cost, low power, and direct integration with MEMS inertial sensors, such as accelerometers and gyroscopes, make the MEMS magnetic sensor a very attractive option in consumer electronic devices. The goal of this project is to develop a low-power three axis MEMS magnetic sensor suitable for use as an electronic compass in smart phones and portable electronics. Our objective is to achieve a resolution of 100 nT/rt-Hz and power consumption of 0.1 mW/axis with DC power supply of 1.8 V. Although past devices designed by our group have demonstrated that our resolution...

Chronic cutaneous wounds affect millions of people each year and take billions of dollars to treat. Formation of pressure ulcers is considered a "never event" - an inexcusable, adverse event that occurs in a healthcare setting. Current monitoring solutions (pressure-distributing beds, repositioning patients every few hours, etc) are very expensive and labor intensive. In response to this challenge, we are developing a novel, flexible monitoring device that utilizes impedance spectroscopy to measure and characterize tissue health, thus allowing physicians to objectively monitor...

State-of-the-art (SOA) physical sensors used to monitor changes in the environment require active electronics that continuously consume power (in the order of mW) limiting the sensor lifetime to months or less. This project targets the integration of low frequency sensors with wake-up electronics that operates below 10nW (50dB lower than the SOA) and achieve high probability of detection (POD) (>95%) and low false alarm rate (FAR) (<1h^-1). To improve the sensor performance at low frequencies we design piezoelectric AlN MEMS microphones and accelerometers with high voltage...

There is tremendous interest in reducing losses caused by the metal contacts in silicon photovoltaics, particularly the optical and resistive losses of the front metal grid. One commonly sought after goal is the creation of high aspect-ratio metal fingers which provide an optically narrow and low resistance pathway to the external circuit. Currently, the most widely used metal contact deposition techniques are limited to widths and aspect-ratios of ~40 μm and ~0.5, respectively. In this study, we introduce the use of a micropatterned polydimethylsiloxane encapsulation layer to form...