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Room Temperature Self-Powered Superconductive Quantum Computing with Memory Circuit
Large data centers in the US have extraordinary demand for energy consumption, because the low energy efficiency of computer circuit consuming too much power for computing, storing and moving data. Current computers use many transistors face paramount task to remove produced heat. The quest for room temperature superconductor quantum computing Bit (RTSQCB) devices becomes an urgent need. The RTSQCB viewed as a “Holy Grail” that may revolutionize the electronic industries. Current Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUID) made faster, however hundreds of MHz electromagnetic field applied onto a tank circuit coupled to the SQUID is needed for the system working under cryogenic condition. The SQUIDs are vulnerable to low frequency noise. SuperQ(R) is an innovative quantum computing chip based on flexible Josephson junction toroidal (FJJT) array which comprises 200k qubits and operating at room temperature and self-powering with no energy dissipation, and no heat release, because there is an embedded memristive circuit with non-volatile memory. Our preoperatory material and nanobiomimetic membrane technology has revolutionarily innovated the quantum computing world. Current ABS’s chip can simultaneously quantum compute at multiple states with energy storage function with only 0.003% error at very low frequency.
Thixorion® - Solution Derived Nanocomposite SDN® Multipurpose Functional Coating
Al-Si hybrid nanocomposite coating is an aqueous formulation that has an excellent combination of mechanical, electrical and chemical resistance properties that makes it useful for a variety of applications. Product Features: High dielectric breakdown strength Strong abrasion resistance Resistant to acids and solvents Conformal or planarzing coating Very low surface roughness (Ra)
Autonomous power supply for sensors
The researchers developed a thermoelectric harvester (TEH) prototype, an autonomous energy generator for low power supplies. This thermoelectric harvester is a constant, compact, cheap, capable of providing the energy consumption of the wireless sensors for a long time as a replacement for battery use. The energy source is the gradient that always exists between the pipe and the ambient air temperature. This gradient is converted into electrical energy using a thermoelectric converter. Generators, based on THE, are environmentally friendly, use renewable energy, and do not include gases and / or moving parts. Thermal and electrical optimization was performed. Physical and mathematical models were developed. Simulations and measurements were conducted on various sites for a year.
MEMS Deformable Mirrors for Enhanced Imaging, Remote Sensing and Free Space Optical Communication
MEMS deformable mirror (DM) technology can be used as wavefront correction devices to enhance the throughput of any optical system. They can be used to increase data rates by shaping the light for improved transmission in free space optical communication (FSOC) and improve long range imaging capabilities by better focusing and correcting for atmospheric aberrations. Although DMs have been around for almost 30 years, recently their improved performance in speed and resolution has enabled higher bandwidth optical communication and higher resolution imaging. This is transformational in that it can be used to send data through turbulent atmospheres at much higher data rates and acquire higher quality images over longer distances. This has led to increased interest in the Defense community and spurred projects requiring this technology. It will impact industry in that it will enable higher data transfer rates via secure point-to-point free space optical links and yield more information from reconnaissance missions.
Athens, OH
www.ohio.edu/engineering/ceer/
Booth: 331
Electrochemical Microbial Sensor - Rapid, Precise and Portable Pathogenic Detection
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 48 million people per year get sick from foodborne illnesses. Field deployable sensors that enable real-time detection of pathogens are needed to prevent this problem. Although many sensors have been used on an ad-hoc basis for specific issues, not many have the potential for commercialization or being used for on-field measurements, which is an area of concern. Ohio University has demonstrated a novel electrochemical method to detect Escherichia coli (E. coli) in water: the electrochemical microbial sensor (EMS). The method consists of applying an electrical field to a sample and measuring the current. E. coli interacts with a locally formed nano-electrocatalyst leading to a change in the current as a function of the E. coli concentration. A portable EMS has demonstrated short response time (less than 5 minutes) and promising experimental uncertainty (2-10%) when compare with the standard plate count for enumeration of microbes. In summary, an electrochemical biosensor that combines the advantages of the label-independent with the detection limit of the label-dependent, utilizing relatively cheap materials, and simplified electrode configuration, advances the practicality and feasibility of electrochemical biosensors for E. coli and other pathogens detection in food.
World’s most intelligent wireless charging surface
Currently, there is no effective solution that provides high-capacity wireless charging, and existing solutions have limitations such as the need for perfect alignment, non-scalable for multiple devices and different types of devices. Our technology fills this gap by transforming individual chargers into a cost-effective, adaptive, and cognitive network of coils which collaborate through surface charging pad. It introduces a shift from today existing spot charging solutions to on-demand any-location charging over small and large surfaces. Additionally, it provides high-capacity power delivery to charge multiple and different types of devices from large laptops and UAVs to asymmetrical game controllers and medical devices. This technology ensures safety through patented energy cancellation technique. Our technology can impact different markets from education and healthcare to IoT and industrial devices. It will improve productivity and increase the concentration, supports charging various types of asymmetric shape such as medical devices and game controllers, and enables human-free autonomous UAV charging.
A Biopolymer-based Simple Lead Check in Tap Water
The technology here will advance the technology currently used to determine trace levels of Lead (Pb) in tap water samples, in situ. Currently, methods used to determine lead concentrations require transportation of desired sample to a laboratory, trained personnel, and the use of mercury: a highly toxic, non-biodegradable heavy metal. This technology aims to overcome such limitations by utilizing chitosan: a natural, low-cost, biopolymer, and alternate to mercury. The carbon screen-printed aspect allows for a sensor that can be used under time and locational constraints. The ability to modify a screen- printed sensor allows for target object specifications to be met at a low-cost, highly- reproducible rate.
A Low-Cost and Cloud-Based Device for Real-Time Monitoring of Lead Levels in Drinking Water
Lead contamination in drinking water is often a close-to-home contamination caused by corroded lead service pipes connecting households to main lines or lead-based pluming within households. As water suppliers’ compliance with the current Lead and Copper Rule offers no guarantee that lead-in-water levels at individual homes are not high or even extremely high, it is needed to monitor lead levels at individual consumers’ water taps. This project is aimed to develop a low-cost device that can be deployed to individual households and easily installed at consumers’ water taps to monitor lead concentration in drinking water. As lead contamination usually occurs at extremely low concentration levels (parts per billion), measurement of lead levels in drinking water are currently done through laboratory testing of water samples using expensive and sophisticated instruments. In this project, a highly sensitive electrochemical sensing membrane is developed to detect lead at trace levels. The sensing membrane constitutes of ionophores distributed in polymer matrix and is selective to lead ions. The sensing membrane is integrated with a custom-built miniature potentiostat connected to a microcontroller to enable taking readings of lead levels. The device has the potential to disrupt the traditional way of testing lead levels in drinking water.
Antenna-less RFID Tag
Technology: Georgia Tech inventors have developed an antenna-less RFID tag which requires neither a tag antenna nor RF front-end circuits, thus leading to a system that does not have limitations on frequency at which tag can operate, can be reprogrammed to perform different functions such as emitting static bits or having dynamic communication, and overall leads to much simpler, smaller, and more reliable system. This technology is based on toggling electronic inverters that switch between two impedance states that can be read using any RF interrogator and a backscatter channel, which allows the information obtained by the RFID tag to be collected without the use of an antenna. This tag has the capability to operate at any frequency and can store a large number of static bits needed for asset identification and tracking or can be used for high data rate communication. Additionally, the technology enables easy programming of the tag such that existing hardware such as FPGAs can be programmed to behave as RFID tags.
Enhanced Performance of Lithium-Ion Batteries
Background: Lithium(Li)-ion batteries are one of the most commonly used type of battery used in home and portable electronics. Current high capacity Li-ion batteries are limited in their stability and reusability due to the breakage of electronic pathways that occur with massive volume changes.Nanomaterials have increasingly been incorporated into electronics, optics, and other areas of materials science due to their extraordinary properties. In particular, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) can possess either metallic or semiconducting behaviors and are great conductors. SWNT’s have also become inexpensive and very easy to handle. Utilizing SWNTs provides a way to prevent degradation of high capacity active materials within batteries. Technology: Georgia Tech Inventors have anchored SWNTs to the surface of high-capacity anode materials using conjugated polymers with polar functionalities. This has enabled the formation of SWNT electrical networks, enabling Li-ion batteries to withstand repeated high capacity active material volume changes that occur during charging and discharging. This configuration of SWNTs also allows for a reduction in electrode resistance, higher stability, and enhanced electrode kinetics within the batteries. By anchoring the SWNTs, electrochemical performance and longevity is increased within batteries and can contribute to their implementation in industry.
Smart Contact lens for intraocular pressure monitoring and drug release
Glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness worldwide, is expected to affect about 80 million people by 2023. Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is a primary contributing factor to this disease and its measurements are used for glaucoma diagnosis and patient monitoring. It is well known that IOP is highly fluctuating, and occasional IOP measurements in the clinician’s office are not always sufficient for glaucoma management. Hence, continuous or home monitoring of IOP in selected cases of patients with glaucoma is greatly needed. Iowa State University researchers have developed a new type of contact lens device for a noninvasive optical monitoring of IOP in real-time, and for the in situ extended drug delivery by the same contact lens. The contact lens provides a technical platform for achieving simple monitoring of IOP and its fluctuation in real-time during the course of the disease and treatment; thus facilitating a better monitoring and treatment of glaucoma. In addition, the real-time monitoring of IOP will provide new insights into the therapeutic effect of anti-glaucoma drugs, which cannot be achieved by traditional, periodic IOP monitoring at the ophthalmologist's office.
Berkeley, CA
www.lbl.gov/ https://ipo.lbl.gov/for-industry/tech-index/
Booth: 303
Convolutional Filtering to Locate Potential Transformer Failures in the Power Grid
To ensure reliability, the power grid is monitored for partial discharge events – a symptom of insulation weakness and the most common cause of transformer failure. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a technology to locate the position of partial discharge events based on the information from a set of ultra-high frequency (UHF) sensors from the transformer. The two-step technology determines the signal arrival time using a convolutional filtering method to reduce the impact of background noise. Time difference of arrival reveals the partial discharge source. In tests using two sets of UHF measurements with different signal to noise ratios, the LBNL technology provided more accurate locations than existing methods, particularly when signals were weak. With weak signals, the best existing method predicted the location within 300 mm in 13% of the test cases compared to 48% of the test cases for the LBNL approach.
Chipless RFID tag and reader
RFID systems are composed of a sender that sends out radio waves, a tag that contains information and a reader that receives information stored on the tag. Tags can either be active, e.g. battery powered, which enables the tag to send signals over a long distance. Alternatively, tags may be passive without a power source. Passive tags may contain an IC (integrated circuit) that is able to perform computations or tags may be chipless, e.g. no computations on the tag are possible. Chipless passive RFID tags are cheap and resilient however restricted in communication bandwidth and data stored on the tag. Chipless tags are particularly well positioned for item tagging in supply chain management or for supermarkets. Our family of inventions are improvements of chipless RFID tag and reader technology. Part of our invention increases the information density that can be stored on the tag and communication bandwith, other parts address error correction an ability that is required to correct corrupted signals. One drawback of some chipless RFID tags is that they are orientation sensitive; our portfolio addresses orientations sensitivity too. Lastly, we built complete chipless RFID systems relevant for supermarkets and supply chain management.
Wearable Fabric Sensor for Hydration Monitoring
In spite of advances made towards the detection of biomarkers in sweat, there is no sensor capable of long-term detection in constricted or load-bearing applications where other flexible plastic sensors might cause discomfort. RooSense developed a flexible fabric sensor made of carbon nanotube-functionalized nylon. The material is further functionalized with a molecule that reacts with sodium ions. As the sensor reacts with sodium ions in sweat, a complex-molecule forms which impedes the flow of an electrical current, allowing the sensor to quantify the amount of sodium present. As sodium ion levels in the sweat increase, athletes must replace these electrolytes to remain hydrated. These dehydration patterns are unique and vary based on diet, weather conditions, and human physiological cycles. Therefore, there is not a “one size fits all” hydration program. The ability to monitor an individual’s hydration parameters is unique to the RooSense sensor and gives it a competitive advantage over “sweat monitors” that monitor water lost or “water timers” that remind the athlete to drink water every 20 minutes. This is the first lightweight fabric sensor to provide real-time information regarding hydration levels during exercise or training through selective determination of sodium ion levels.
Four-dimensional hyperspectral/hypertemporal imager for AI-controlled robotic manipulation of objects in manufacturing process
SSI’s 4D hyperspectral/hypertemporal (HSI/HTI) sensor produces spatial, spectral and temporal data for each pixel in the acquired image and serves as “eyes and ears” of an enhanced machine-vision system that reveals object’s spectral (“color” variation in the infrared) and temporal (vibration frequency) characteristics, together with shape and motion. Data acquired by the sensor are delivered to a master processor, the system’s “brain,” to enable real-time control of object manipulation based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other algorithms. Infrared HSI facilitates object identification by characterizing the object’s shape, orientation and surface material chemical composition, while HTI optical vibrometry characterizes object activation and simultaneously monitors the functionality of machinery on the factory floor through their characteristic acoustic vibration signatures. The advanced, diamond-machined, single-block imaging spectrometer sensor core makes the instrument compact (6”x6”x12”) and lightweight (<10lb) - suitable for integration with robotic systems on the manufacturing floor.
Unique technology that enables MEMS to autonomously self-calibrate.
What is transformational?: This unique technology expresses mechanical quantities in terms of electrical measurands. The EMM circuits can be packaged along with MEMS. The method is uniquely comprehensive, repeatable, reliable, and accurate. How is it different?: Existing methods can only accurately measure resonance, where all other mechanical quantities remain unknown or poorly measured due to large uncertainties. Existing in-factory methods can be 25 to 75% of manufacturing costs. Existing methods are time-consuming, impractical, cannot be packed with the device, have unknown accuracy, require highly specialized equipment, and bottleneck throughput. EMM remedies such issues. Potential impact?: Without accuracy, no form of reliable science is possible. EMM brings accuracy to the micro/nanoscale. IoT industries will be able to base analyses on accurate distributions of sensor data. Inertial navigation sensors will be more accurate. Implantable sensors will be able to re-calibrate before each measurement. Biomedical industries will be able to develop more accurate predictive models based on more accurate measurements of molecular bonds and other phenomena. The cost in-factory calibration will be eliminated, making MEMS less expensive.
PODMEMS: Enables MEMS to change performance on demand (POD).
What is transformational?: A PODMEMS device is one that is able to monitor its state and feed back forces onto its proof mass that are proportional to displacement, velocity, or acceleration. Such feedback effectively increases or decreases the system's effective stiffness, damping, or mass. Effective quantities may be positive, zero, or negative. How is it different from existing technologies?: Existing MEMS have a constant mass, damping, and stiffness, which are subject to process variations, so no two MEMS behave identically. Existing MEMS are limited by manufacturing constraints. Incremental advances of existing MEMS are made by pushing the limits of manufacturing, which reduces yield and robustness. PODMEMS can change such quantities on demand. What is the potential impact?: PODMEMS are able to correct for process variations, behave identically, drastically change resonance frequencies, change damping to over-damped or under-damped, lock into a frequency that is independent of temperature, match primary to secondary modes in a gyro, increase effective quality factor, increase nonlinearity, mimic the behavior of another device, behave as a smaller or larger sized device, etc. PODMEMS enable behaviors that are far beyond the limits of existing manufacturing methods.
Method for fabricating low-cost solid-state thermal neutron detectors with extremely high detection efficiency and sensitivity
Neutron detectors are used in monitoring activities of fissile materials, such as detection of illicit special nuclear material or a nuclear device, and for the monitoring of radioactivity in industrial facilities. Neutron detection relies on indirect measurements that can be recorded when neutrons react with nuclei in materials that proceed to release one or more charged particles capable of producing electric signals. The technology are detectors made from single crystal boron-10 enriched boron nitride (10BN) semiconductors in thin film. Additionally, these films are able to achieve high detection sensitivity by lateral conduction and array configurations.
Planar microphone array for spatial audio recording
Capture and reproduction of 3D audio is becoming increasingly important for many applications including AR/VR, media, human-machine communications, smart homes, hearing aids, teleconferencing and active noise control in confined spaces. Current microphone arrays used to capture 3D sound are binaural, tetrahedral or spherical in shape, making them bulky and difficult to integrate into miniaturized devices. ANU researchers have addressed this limitation by developing a planar 2D microphone array technology that allows 3D spatial sound to be recorded by a compact microphone array arranged in a planar geometry. This system exploits a special property of the Legendre functions (which represents the sound field) and uses a combination of omni-directional microphone units to achieve the full functionality of a spherical microphone array in a very compact, planar form factor. Custom developed algorithms associated with the planar array produce spatial audio signal streams in the form of ‘Higher Order Ambisonics” which is compatible with the latest industrial standard for spatial sound encoding (MPEG-H) as well as the spatial sound format commonly used for YouTube VR contents. Thus, the planar array is compatible with most spatial sound rendering engines on the market and its compact size makes it incorporable into various consumer electronics.
Control of electromagnetic wave scattering via a Huygens’ metadevice
Our time-varying metadevice is made of both electric and magnetic meta-atoms with independently controlled modulation, and the phase of this modulation is imprinted on the scattered parametric waves (sidebands), controlling their shapes and directions. Using optimized modulation signals, we achieve a high conversion efficiency of over 75% from the carrier wave to the target sidebands and the sideband scatterings are fully controlled by the amplitude and phase of modulation. Manipulation of these sidebands is of great importance from both a fundamental and application point-of-view. A number of optical systems with dynamic modulation rely on sideband control, e.g. sideband cooling and magnet-free optical isolation. Time-modulated linear arrays (TMAs) also rely on the ability to generate multiple beams at different sidebands, with different shapes and features, for use in multi-function radars, direction finding and in mobile wireless communication. Our metadevice can be applied to a wide-range of devices and applications, and as such, it could benefit a variety of company types and may present multiple potential licensing opportunities. We are interested in identifying industry partners that have a need for this technology, in order to create functional prototype devices. This technology is patent protected.
Micro-spectrometer fishnet array
The design is based on nanostructured, high-refractive index doped-semiconductor substrate. Standard nano-lithographic techniques are used to create arrays of vertical dielectric slab waveguides. The nanostructure with a mesh or fishnet-like pattern enables the responsivity spectra of the silicon photodiodes to be engineered. This has been demonstrated by the reconstruction of light illuminating the array and measuring the photocurrents across the fishnet pixels and its responsivity spectra. By tailoring the width and period of each waveguide array it is possible to control the guided-mode dispersion to maximize the absorption of light at a particular wavelength. As such, the array can be engineered to the desired responsivity spectrum.
Quantum Dot Laser Portfolio
This technology includes a way to epitaxially grow quantum dot lasers on Si that are free of misfit dislocation. These misfit dislocation free quantum dot lasers offer an extended lifetime and improve device performance reliability while maintaining high performance levels. It also offers a process of using a less expensive alternative for growing light emitting material and a low-cost, highly scalable approach to integrating a compound-semiconductor laser or light source with silicon-photonic circuitry that provides an enabling technology for the low-cost manufacture of efficient lasers on silicon. Last, the portfolio includes a technology that proposes a photonic integrated circuit based on quantum dots, grown on Si that allows lasers, modulators, and photodetectors to be integrated.
MicroLEDs with Ultralow Leakage Current
As the ratio of the sidewall perimeter to emitting area of an LED increases, the effects of sidewall damage and surface recombination are more pronounced. Therefore, microLEDs with light-emitting areas less than 100x100 µm2, are especially susceptible to parasitic leakage. Normally, sidewall passivation using conformal dielectric deposition is employed to reduce leakage current. However, sidewall passivation using merely dielectric deposition is insufficient to remove the effects of sidewall damage and surface recombination in microLEDs. This technology describes a sidewall passivation method by chemical treatment on microLEDs that minimizes the effects of sidewall damage and surface recombination. The passivated microLEDs can achieve higher efficiency, and at smaller device sizes, than devices without sidewall treatments.
Controlled Photoelectrochemical (PEC) Etching for Small III-Nitride LEDs and Other Light Emitting Devices
What is transformational about this technology? How is it different from existing technologies? What is the potential impact on industry, markets and society? For future high density, near-eye, flexible, and transparent displays, there is a need for much smaller light emitting devices, or pixels, with lateral dimensions in the micron to sub-micron length scale regime. However, the PEC etch technique for removing the device from the native substrate, in its current, industrially-used form, is not suitable for such small devices because it generates roughness and removes large portions of the device material, which severely degrades performance and often renders small LED devices inactive. This technology uses selective PEC etching parameters, namely low etchant concentration and/or etching temperatures, to slow down etching in certain directions. This reduces roughness length scales and renders smooth the surfaces of c-plane-based nanoLEDs or other optoelectronic devices while releasing these devices from their growth substrates.
Unidirectional Photoluminescence with GaN/InGaN Quantum Well Metasurfaces
This nano-patterned GaN/InGaN quantum well metasurface exhibits high unidirectional photoluminescence and can be used for the development of compact light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with highly directional emission. This invention redirects light in a unidirectional manner by using independently excited incoherent spontaneous emission from InGaN quantum wells from within each GaN resonator. It ensures highly polarized and unidirectional emission, which breaks the inherent symmetry of the nanostructure. This invention may be a breakthrough in the development of LEDs with its unique advantage that allows for efficient implementation in display and lighting devices. Currently, there exists technology to efficiently collect and collimate the light coming out of the LEDs; however, it is diffused and requires external bulk optical components. This technology solves the current limitations through its enhanced efficiency and compactness.
Tunable Graphene-Based Method for Detecting Mid-Infrared (IR) Radiation
UCF researchers have invented a low-cost method that can enable ultrafast, tunable mid-IR detection and imaging without the need for expensive and complex cryogenic cooling. The novel graphene-based method paves the way for multi-spectral imaging in the mid-IR domain, which is not available in current technologies. Companies can use the invention for IR detection and imaging in the 3-5 µm range band and the 8-12 µm band for areas such as space exploration, spectroscopy, chemical/biological identification, short-range communication and remote sensing. Current mid-IR detection and imaging systems (both cooled and uncooled) have drawbacks. For example, cooled IR detectors can achieve the high sensitivity needed to detect mid-IR photons, but they require expensive cryogenic cooling to do so. Uncooled detectors are more cost-effective, but they suffer from low sensitivity, slow response time, and require tedious, multi-step complex lithographic processes. More importantly, both types of mid-IR detectors today lack frequency tunability, since they are all single pixel (bucket) detectors that generate an integrated signal. This results in a loss of multi-spectral IR detection and imaging information. The UCF invention overcomes all of these drawbacks and limitations.
Low-Cost Manufacturing Process For High-Performing Intermediate Band Solar Cells
UCF researchers have invented a novel additive manufacturing system and methods for thin film fabrication specifically useful in fabricating higher performance solar photovoltaic (PV) cells at a fraction of the cost of traditional PV cell manufacturing methods. A manufacturer can use the invention to produce a thin film based IBSC and structural arrays or to realize quantum dots, narrow lines and thin films. The technology was developed to manufacture flexible electronics using nanoparticles. The deposition of semiconductor material nanodots in a rapid manner will allow the fabrication of new architecture optoelectronic devices such as conformal solar cells. For the thin films, the laser electrospray printhead operates in a steady cone-jet mode to deposit micro-droplets of nanoparticles onto glass or flexible substrates, such as polyimide plastics. For the structural arrays, the electrospray uses microdripping as well as the cone-jet spray mode to fabricate micro‐ and nano-dot superlattices. Rapid heating and cooling, inherent in laser processing, enables the system to heat a thin layer of materials without melting the substrate. Thus, the technology offers an advantage over other deposition techniques, especially for making solar cells on plastic substrates.
Biomimetic Light Harvesting Design for Heterojunction Solar Cells
This invention is a biomimetic light trapping scheme for ultrathin flexible graphene silicon Schottky junction solar cells. An all-dielectric approach consisting of lossless silica and titania nanoparticles is used for mimicking the two essential light trapping mechanisms of a leaf- (a) focusing and waveguiding and (b) scattering. The light trapping scheme uses two optically tuned layers and does not employ any nanostructuring of the active silicon substrate, thereby ensuring that the optical gain is not offset due to recombination losses. Complete decoupling of the optical and electrical systems is achieved enabling independent optimization of the light trapping scheme. The ratio of the nanoparticle diameters of the two optical layers plays a crucial role in achieving advanced light management, which is omnidirectional, polarization independent, and more pronounced in the high wavelength regime. The optimized light trapping scheme also requires a silicon absorber thickness to maximize the absorption of the incident solar spectrum and a power conversion efficiency of ~9% is achieved in 20 µm ultrathin absorber. The solar cell characteristics remain unaltered for 103 bending cycles for a bend radius as low as 3 mm demonstrating the durability and reliability of the fabricated device.
Printed Electrical Connector Using Additive Manufacturing Technology
Dr. Craig Armiento and Dr. Alkim Akyurtlu from UMass Lowell have designed an electrical connector that is capable of being manufactured using current additive manufacturing technologies. The printed electrical connector design is comprised of a top plate and bottom plate, both including a plurality of conductive traces. Both plates are printed using thermoplastic insulator material to form mechanical alignment features. The new printed connector allows for printed electrical and electronic devices and circuits to be manufactured and interfaced with other electrical and electronic devices and circuits. The design of such electrical connector will allow the connector to be consistent with the desired form factor (flexible, wearable, or conformable) of the circuits and make the printing circuit technology more feasible. Applications • Printed electrical/electronic circuits & devices • Healthcare industry • Media industry • Transportation industry • Aerospace industry
Liquid Crystal Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds
This technology is a new sensor for volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The sensor operates by liquid crystals that change phases and colors upon contact with VOCs. These features allow the users to quickly see when recommended exposure levels have been exceeded. Traditional passive chemical sensors require sending samples for analytical testing, which increase the cost and creates a considerable lag time between exposure and notification. This technology can also sense aromatic VOCs, which are difficult to detect using electrochemical methods.
Aligned Nanotube Technology (ANT)
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are among the best semiconductor materials ever discovered offering dramatically greater efficiency, lower energy requirements, and less heat generation for a variety of electronic devices and biosensors. Aligned arrays of CNTs offer up to five times faster performance and consume less energy (roughly 1/5) than silicon transistors. In addition, aligned nanotubes (ANTs) will enable rapid and controllable change in a current signal traveling across it, leading to substantial gains in the sensitivity of biosensors and bandwidth of wireless communications. However, the enormous promise of these materials is only possible if the CNTs are purified and properly aligned. Addressing a twenty-year materials challenge, Dr. Arnold has developed the capability to extract semiconducting nanotubes from raw powders to create electronics-grade inks using removable polymer wrappers. Moreover, his team discovered multiple scalable, fluid-based techniques that deposit nanotubes as aligned arrays over large surface areas including a 4x4 in2 wafer. Using these methods, Dr. Arnold’s lab has demonstrated thin film transistors with mobility between 50 and 200 cm2V-1s. The lab has also created transistors with current density exceeding silicon and gallium arsenide.
Curve3d
Certified on the Verizon wireless and wired networks, vClick3d is the only bandwidth and storage solution using no compression and operating at true zero with 100% evidentiary data. vClick3d can be installed on existing analog and digital cameras and instantly achieve 28x bandwidth and storage reductions. Applied to autonomous vehicles vClick3d provides for revenue streams across global highways bringing driverless cars to market much faster with higher reliability.
LiTell: Robust Indoor Localization Using Unmodified Light Fixtures
LiTell is a ready-to-use, easy-to-deploy indoor localization system that entirely relies on unmodified light fixtures and off-the-shelf smartphones to provide location-based services for a variety of indoor venues. LiTell utilizes existing fluorescent or LED lights as the sensing medium to overcome the reliability issues associated with radio- and motion-based localization techniques. Visible light provided by fluorescent and LED lights contains a characteristic frequency that varies from one light to the next. The characteristic frequency is not visible to the human eye, but exists in the following lighting mediums: • Tube fluorescents: Characteristic frequency is generated by the ballast • Compact fluorescents: Characteristic frequency is generated by the internal ballast • LED: Characteristic frequency is generated by the oscillating circuitry within the bulb Given an indoor environment, LiTell first conducts a fingerprinting procedure to map the indoor space using a light sensor to capture the characteristic frequency of each light. At runtime, a users smartphone camera captures an image of the light, determines the characteristic frequency, and looks up the database to fix its location. LiTell can reliably achieve decimeter of location precision, using either smartphone cameras or small light sensors.
Powerboard Smart Building Technology
The core technology, a paper-thin triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), produces electricity from the application of human movements applied to it. A typical one-square-inch of this nanogenerator can generate electricity of ~35V and ~0.4mA upon a finger tap. The generated electricity can be used as a sensing signal or can be used to charge low-power electronics. The size of the nanogenerator can be as large as tens of square feet due to the easy scalability of the fabrication process. This nanogenerator can be used as a renewable power source or a self-powered sensor in a wide variety of applications, ranging from green buildings, wearable electronics, to self-sufficient implantable medical devices. An initial application, which was the subject of a high profile demonstration at the UW-Madison student union, is a nanogenerator subfloor sensor mat (Powerboard) that integrates with standard flooring products to generate power and sense occupancy. By laying this Powerboard mat below standard flooring materials, acquisition and tracking of occupancy data can be readily achieved. Building owners adopting this technology can use the resulting occupancy analytics to better utilize working spaces, increase productivity, improve store layouts, and optimize traffic flow in public spaces.
Liquid Crystal Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds
This technology is a new sensor for volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The sensor operates by liquid crystals that change phases and colors upon contact with VOCs. These features allow the users to quickly see when recommended exposure levels have been exceeded. Traditional passive chemical sensors require sending samples for analytical testing, which increase the cost and creates a considerable lag time between exposure and notification. This technology can also sense aromatic VOCs, which are difficult to detect using electrochemical methods.
Photovoltaic Devices Based on Guided Nanowire Arrays
Most nanowire-based photovoltaic cells and photodetectors are based on vertical arrays, which can only be integrated in parallel (not in series), limiting their open-circuit voltage to less than 1V, whereas the voltage necessary to power certain devices can be several volts or more. Current nanowire technologies also lack compatibility with existing platforms, primarily with silicon technology. This new nanowire technology achieved through a novel method for guided planar nanowire growth enables fabrication of high voltage photovoltaic cells necessary to power a variety of microsystems by in-series nanowire integration. Moreover, such cells can be integrated with other systems on the same chip. To date, a voltage of 2.5V was already obtained by integrating four CdS-Cu2S core-shell, one-dimensional nanostructure cells connected in series. This technology enables photovoltaic integration into autonomous microsystems, higher solar energy utilization, and expansion of photovoltaic cell applications. Additionally, this technology is silicon-compatible and can, therefore, be easily integrated into existing silicon-based platforms. With the growing need for systems allowing renewable energy harvesting, and ever-increasing performance demands – such as speed, efficiency, size, and lower cost, an efficient nanowire-based photovoltaic technology can be of high value and is applicable in a variety of market sectors.
Miniaturized Zero-Power Flame Detectors for Ubiquitous Fire Monitoring
State-of-the-art sensors consume electrical power continually to scan the environment and process the data even when the signal of interest is not present. Our group has recently developed first-of-their-kind light sensors working in infrared (IR) spectral range that do not consume any power in standby. The sensor harvests the energy contained in the IR signal of interest to mechanically create a conducting channel between two electrical contacts without the need of any additional power source. IR radiation is everywhere around us: radiators, car exhaust fumes, fires and even human bodies, they all emit IR in different wavelengths. Our zero-power infrared (ZIR) sensors not only can detect the IR radiation without using power, but also differentiate between the IR sources through their emission spectrum. Therefore, an extremely low false alarm rate is guaranteed when the sensors are configured to detect a specific IR source. By leveraging the mature semiconductor manufacturing processes, our miniaturized sensors can be produced at high volume with very low cost per unit. Equipped with low-power and long-range wireless connectivity, the zero-power flame detectors based on our groundbreaking technology will enable ubiquitous fire monitoring in warehouses and the wilderness for several sectors.
