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Non-MEMS Devices

Latest Innovations
Long-Range Energy Transfer via Quenching Surfaces for the Detection of Biomolecular Binding and Un-Binding This technology is a rapid, simple and sensitive method for detecting the binding or unbinding of biomolecules using a silicon wafer. It is a novel method... Read More This technology is a rapid, simple and sensitive method for detecting the binding or unbinding of biomolecules using a silicon wafer. It is a novel method for detecting when two biomolecules unbind. The target biomolecule is placed on the silicon wafer, and then the partner biomolecules is fluorescently labeled and allowed to bind to target protein. At this point, the fluorescent label is quenched as it is brought into proximity of the silicon substrate. The technology works best for detecting disassociation or unbinding, such as screening for drugs that interfere with protein-protein binding. Compared to quenching by the common technique of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), the technology yields much larger quenching (signal/background ratio); provides robust signals even on the largest biomolecules complexes; and simplifies labeling since only one protein must be labeled (compared with two labels needed for FRET). Also, position or rigidity of the labeling site is relatively unimportant compared with polarized fluorescence assays. Because silicon is used, photolithographic techniques can potentially be used to miniaturize and integrate excitation, detection, and sample handling. Finally, the technology is fluorescence-based so it is highly sensitive and safe without the need for radioactivity. Applications This technology would be highly useful in therapeutic drug screening, and should be of interest to major pharmaceutical companies. High-throughput screening for drug discovery Works best for measuring disassociation/unbinding Benefits Long-quenching range: more efficient at energy transfer than the standard fluoresce resonance energy transfer (FRET), thus larger complexes still receive energy transfer Simplified Labeling: acceptor protein does not have to be labeled and is less critical where dye is attached to donor Scalable: Possible to miniaturize technology Safe: Technology does not use radioactivity
Aligned Free-Standing Copper Nanowires This invention fabricates copper nanowires using thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) at temperatures of about 200 to 400 C. The method can produce vertically... Read More This invention fabricates copper nanowires using thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) at temperatures of about 200 to 400 C. The method can produce vertically aligned copper nanowires on various metallic, oxide, and plastic substrates without the need for pores, templates, catalysts, or lithography of the substrate surface. The CVD process does not use hydrogen and is compatible with standard silicon processing technologies. Copper wires with diameters of 70 to100 nanometers and lengths of several microns can be produced and characterized. Electron emission properties have been measured and are superior to most other materials including carbon nanotubes. The processing conditions are adjusted so as to promote the growth of wires instead of films. Applications: Flat panel display devices Computing Medical imaging Entertainment Home appliances Wireless communication Remote sensors Benefits: Simplicity and scalability - A straightforward CVD process that uses standard equipment is utilized. This technique does not require complex substrate preparation. Compatibility - The process is compatible with most standard semiconductor processing protocols. The wires can be grown on a wide variety of materials including metals, silicon, and plastics.
Nanoscale, Electrified Liquid Jets for High Resolution Printing of Charge The ability to print a polarized electrical charge onto a medium, or charge patterning, is currently in the early stages of development. A similar technology... Read More The ability to print a polarized electrical charge onto a medium, or charge patterning, is currently in the early stages of development. A similar technology commonly used in office printers, Xerography, thrives in large size regimes. There exist only a few competitive technologies capable of printing at the nanometer scale. Current technologies use processes that provide only low resolutions and relatively poor control over the printed charges. For example, current atomic force microscopy probes can provide suitable charges, but are only able for use on specialized materials. This technology has been designed to enable the printing of electrical charges on a nanoscale resolution. This technology works by modifying an E-Jet printer so that electric charges are used to manipulate a fluid medium and imprint a net positive or negative charge onto a nearly any surface. Applications This technology may be used for: Electrostatic control of nano-electric mechanical devices Guided assembly of charged particles or nanostructures Modulation of activity in biological systems Invisible, printed security codes Benefits Enables complex patterns of alternating charge with nanoscale resolutions Allows highly controlled amounts of material transfer Printing can be performed on nearly any surface
Droplet Manipulation through Novel Fluidic Channel Geometries Dr. Bailey from the University of IL has invented a new fluidic device for droplet manipulation for use in droplet-based analysis, such as PCR in DNA sequencing.... Read More Dr. Bailey from the University of IL has invented a new fluidic device for droplet manipulation for use in droplet-based analysis, such as PCR in DNA sequencing. Sample preparation has been longing an high through-put, automated solution due to its intensive labor cost. This chip-scale fluidic device enables multiple droplet manipulations, such as splitting, addition, extraction in one single geometry. With further development it even has possibility to change droplet concentration.
Femto-Joule Atomic Scale Reversible Switch A device that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a memory array having a first array of nanotubes, a second array of... Read More A device that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a memory array having a first array of nanotubes, a second array of nanotubes, and a resistive change material located between the first and second array of nanotubes. Other embodiments are disclosed.
Microscale Liquid Conductivity Sensors Conductivity of a liquid solution provides valuable information about the solution, but commercially available conductivity probes are costly and have diameters... Read More Conductivity of a liquid solution provides valuable information about the solution, but commercially available conductivity probes are costly and have diameters greater than 1cm, limiting their potential applications. Microscale thin-film liquid conductivity sensors are a novel application of semiconductor processing methodology and are capable of measuring ion concentrations in nanoliter size samples of liquid. The devices can be readily commercialized for small volume sample analysis or for in-vivo measurement in chemical or biological processes and mesoscale machines. Sensors can be fabricated as part of an integrated circuit and may be integrated with other sensors for multiparameter measurements. These robust, low-cost sensors also have potential for a wide range of commercial and industrial monitoring and control applications. Current, commercially available liquid conductivity sensors are bulky, expensive and unable to measure small sample volumes or to be used for in-vivo and in-situ applications. A newly developed surface and bulk micromachining technique enables the fabrication of low cost, robust sensor probes with temperature compensation and improved packaging on silicon wafers. From 200 to 2000 devices (depending on desired size) can be fabricated on a 4" silicon wafer, greatly reducing fabrication cost. Pt-black electroplating reduces the electrode/solution interfacial impedance, maintaining measurement accuracy while significantly reducing operation frequency. Reduction of operation frequency eliminates dependence on expensive measurement electronics. With the new process and 4-electrode measurement, sensor probes can be fabricated with tip widths much less than 100 microns. To improve device accuracy, an RTD temperature sensor can be integrated on the sensor probe tip to provide local temperature compensation. The bulk micromachining method also allows the thermal mass of the sensor to be reduced, thus improving the response time of the probe. Applications Analysis of chemical and biological fluids. In-vivo and in-situ measurements for medical testing. Controls for washing machine and dishwasher rinse cycles. Monitors to improve the performance and safety of water and ice dispensers and water purifiers. Devices for monitoring ultrapure water and measuring seawater salinity. Benefits Sensors can measure electrical conductivity in nanoliter size samples over a wide range of solution conductivity. The sensor tip accommodates an integrated temperature sensor that enhances sensor accuracy by measuring local temperature. A four-electrode design provides independent measurement of current and voltage. The device is hundreds of times smaller than commercially available conductivity probes; future devices may be miniaturized to 100 micron tip width. Sensors can be operated at very low current and power consumption and are ideal for low-power or battery-operated applications. Sensors can be driven at relatively high electric currents, with the resulting high temperature acting to de-foul the electrodes. Because of low fabrications costs, sensors can be disposable.
Extreme Miniaturization of On-Chip Filters for High Frequency or Wearable Electronics using Self-Rolled-up Membrane (S-RUM) Technology Dr. Xiuling Li from the University of IL has developed a new radio frequency filter structure using her Self-Rolled-Up Membrane (S-RUM) structure. The... Read More Dr. Xiuling Li from the University of IL has developed a new radio frequency filter structure using her Self-Rolled-Up Membrane (S-RUM) structure. The technology reduces the component size by two orders of magnitude to the state of the art technology and allows the devices to reach frequency ranges of up to 82 GHz, while retaining a comparable insertion loss. Furthermore, the performance of the device is not effected by the deformation of the substrate, and it is compatible for use in curved devices
Extreme Miniaturized 3D Spiral On-Chip Inductors, Transformers, and Transmission Lines Inductors Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a novel design of on-chip inductors using multiple turn microtubes based on stain-... Read More Inductors Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a novel design of on-chip inductors using multiple turn microtubes based on stain-induced self-rolled-up nanotechnology. This technology would allow nearly 200x smaller footprint compared to conventional planar inductors while achieving significant performance improvements in all aspects. Transformers Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a novel design of on-chip transformers using multiple turn microtubes based on strain-induced, self-rolled-up nanotechnology. This design allows a nearly 12x smaller footprint compared to conventional planar transformers, while achieving significant performance improvements. Transmission Lines Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a novel design of on-chip transmission lines using multiple turn microtubes based on strain-induced, self-rolled-up nanotechnology. This design allows transmission lines to operate at Terahertz frequencies with significant performance improvements and reductions in interference and loss.
Self-Rolled up On-Chip Transformer for Extreme Size Reduction and Performance Enhancement Inductors Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a novel design of on-chip inductors using multiple turn microtubes based on stain-... Read More Inductors Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a novel design of on-chip inductors using multiple turn microtubes based on stain-induced self-rolled-up nanotechnology. This technology would allow nearly 200x smaller footprint compared to conventional planar inductors while achieving significant performance improvements in all aspects. Transformers Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a novel design of on-chip transformers using multiple turn microtubes based on strain-induced, self-rolled-up nanotechnology. This design allows a nearly 12x smaller footprint compared to conventional planar transformers, while achieving significant performance improvements. Transmission Lines Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a novel design of on-chip transmission lines using multiple turn microtubes based on strain-induced, self-rolled-up nanotechnology. This design allows transmission lines to operate at Terahertz frequencies with significant performance improvements and reductions in interference and loss.
On-Chip Terahertz Cozxial Transmission Line Based on Local Stress controlled Self-Rolled-up SiNx Nanomembrane Technology Inductors Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a novel design of on-chip inductors using multiple turn microtubes based on stain-... Read More Inductors Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a novel design of on-chip inductors using multiple turn microtubes based on stain-induced self-rolled-up nanotechnology. This technology would allow nearly 200x smaller footprint compared to conventional planar inductors while achieving significant performance improvements in all aspects. Transformers Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a novel design of on-chip transformers using multiple turn microtubes based on strain-induced, self-rolled-up nanotechnology. This design allows a nearly 12x smaller footprint compared to conventional planar transformers, while achieving significant performance improvements. Transmission Lines Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a novel design of on-chip transmission lines using multiple turn microtubes based on strain-induced, self-rolled-up nanotechnology. This design allows transmission lines to operate at Terahertz frequencies with significant performance improvements and reductions in interference and loss.

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