Electronics

Prof. Wasserman and Prof. Gong from the ECE department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, have partnered to develop a new sensor for infrared light. Combining the specific wavelength absorption of metamaterials and high sensitivity to temperature of laterally vibrating resonators, they have created new IR sensors that specifically detect target wavelengths, are 100X more sensitive than current detectors, and also are compatible to standard CMOS fabrication. These new IR sensors could be used in many different applications ranging from thermal detection, spectroscopy, or gas sensing. 

Publications: 
Gong, Songbin, Nai-Kuei Kuo, and Gianluca Piazza. "A 1.75 GHz piezoelectrically-transduced SiC lateral overmoded bulk acoustic-wave resonator." Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems Conference (TRANSDUCERS), 2011 16th International. IEEE, 2011. 
Mason, Joshua, et al. "Strong coupling of molecular and mid-infrared perfect absorber resonances." Photonics Technology Letters, IEEE 24.1 (2012): 31-33. 
Mason, J. A., S. Smith, and D. Wasserman. "Strong absorption and selective thermal emission from a midinfrared metamaterial." Applied Physics Letters98.24 (2011): 241105

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Dr. Paul Braun from the University of IL has developed a novel method for forming tunable gradient refractive index optical elements. He has achieved very high changes in RI over very short distances. The innovation can be made with standard semiconductor manufacturing equipment and processes.

A necessary function for microfluidic devices used in biology is the ability to "hold" a cell or other object (e.g., embryo) in a known physical location while maintaining the flow around it. This is particularly useful in bioproduction and applications such as incubation/maturation, infection, fertilization, or chemical treatment of a biological object. Although lithographic etching can be used to construct the holding areas (i.e., constriction regions), this method is expensive and complex. This technology uses a simple and inexpensive method -- polymerization -- to construct flow constriction regions. A prepolymer mixture if flowed into the microfluidic channel and polymerized using an ultraviolet source. As it is polymerized, the polymer shrinks, creating a small gap at the top of the channel. This gap allows the fluid flow to continue while the cell/object is held in place. Thus, this technology enables microfluidic devices to be constructed more cost-efficiently.

The graphene-on-diamond on-chip power inductor is made though a self-rolled-nanomembrane technology. It has a small footprint along with high power inductance and high heat dissipation. This structure can be arranged into arrays to meet specific power converting needs in a smaller size than current methods.