Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FaradaIC (FaradaIC: Miniaturising Gas Sensors to enable new sensing possibilities in IoT devices)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2023-03-01 do 2024-02-29
In today's rapidly evolving world, the demand for advanced sensor technologies, particularly in the fields of health, fitness, and logistics, is more critical than ever. This demand is driven by the need for compact, cost-effective, and energy-efficient solutions capable of facilitating a wide range of applications—from monitoring air quality to enhancing medical diagnostics and optimizing supply chain operations. However, the development and integration of such technologies face significant challenges, primarily due to the limitations of current gas sensor technologies. These challenges include their large size, high cost, and substantial power consumption, which significantly restrict their applicability in mass-market products where affordability, compactness, and energy efficiency are paramount.
FaradaIC Sensors is at the forefront of addressing these challenges through the development of a groundbreaking miniaturized microfabricated electrochemical gas sensor technology. Our project, supported by the EIC Accelerator, aims to revolutionize the gas sensor market by transitioning our technology from a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 to TRL 8. This involves not only advancing the technical aspects of our sensors, including securing relevant Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and establishing pilot manufacturing processes, but also engaging with pilot customers in identified markets for field testing. Furthermore, we are committed to exploring additional potential markets to expand our technology's applications.
The primary problem with existing gas sensors, and electrochemical gas sensors in particular, is their unsuitability for mass-market applications due to their size, expense, and energy demands. Traditional sensors are calibrated on an individual basis, adding to their cost and complexity. FaradaIC Sensors' technology addresses these issues head-on by enabling the microfabrication of devices on wafers using unique proprietary materials. This innovative approach allows for automated wafer-scale calibration, significantly reducing the cost and complexity of the sensors. Our technology promises to reduce the price per sensor to as low as 10-20 cents in mass production, while the use of microelectrodes ensures low power consumption by minimizing measured currents.
The implications of our project are vast and varied. In the realm of health and fitness, our sensors can be seamlessly integrated into wearable devices for real-time breathing analysis, offering unprecedented benefits for both everyday fitness enthusiasts and medical patients alike. In logistics, our technology can provide cost-effective solutions for monitoring and optimizing supply chain environments, contributing to more sustainable and efficient operations.
By achieving our project's objectives, FaradaIC Sensors not only aims to tackle the identified problems and needs but also to contribute significantly to the EU's strategic goals related to health, environmental sustainability, and digital transformation. The scale and significance of our project's expected impacts are substantial, promising to set new standards in sensor technology and enabling a wide array of applications that were previously deemed impractical or unfeasible.
FaradaIC Sensors is at the forefront of addressing these challenges through the development of a groundbreaking miniaturized microfabricated electrochemical gas sensor technology. Our project, supported by the EIC Accelerator, aims to revolutionize the gas sensor market by transitioning our technology from a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 to TRL 8. This involves not only advancing the technical aspects of our sensors, including securing relevant Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and establishing pilot manufacturing processes, but also engaging with pilot customers in identified markets for field testing. Furthermore, we are committed to exploring additional potential markets to expand our technology's applications.
The primary problem with existing gas sensors, and electrochemical gas sensors in particular, is their unsuitability for mass-market applications due to their size, expense, and energy demands. Traditional sensors are calibrated on an individual basis, adding to their cost and complexity. FaradaIC Sensors' technology addresses these issues head-on by enabling the microfabrication of devices on wafers using unique proprietary materials. This innovative approach allows for automated wafer-scale calibration, significantly reducing the cost and complexity of the sensors. Our technology promises to reduce the price per sensor to as low as 10-20 cents in mass production, while the use of microelectrodes ensures low power consumption by minimizing measured currents.
The implications of our project are vast and varied. In the realm of health and fitness, our sensors can be seamlessly integrated into wearable devices for real-time breathing analysis, offering unprecedented benefits for both everyday fitness enthusiasts and medical patients alike. In logistics, our technology can provide cost-effective solutions for monitoring and optimizing supply chain environments, contributing to more sustainable and efficient operations.
By achieving our project's objectives, FaradaIC Sensors not only aims to tackle the identified problems and needs but also to contribute significantly to the EU's strategic goals related to health, environmental sustainability, and digital transformation. The scale and significance of our project's expected impacts are substantial, promising to set new standards in sensor technology and enabling a wide array of applications that were previously deemed impractical or unfeasible.
In the first year of our project, we have synthesized and screened over 100 innovative gas sensing materials and formulations. These efforts were grounded in FaradaIC's proprietary advanced material technology, for which a patent is currently pending. This rigorous process led to the identification of several standout candidates, distinguished by their exceptional properties for both microfabrication and gas sensing. These materials are crucial for the development of our gas microsensor prototypes, marking a significant leap towards our goal.
The design and development of our sensors underwent a dynamic evolution, with three distinct generations of microsensor designs being conceptualized, fabricated and tested. Each generation brought us closer to our envisioned final product: a compact 1x1 mm analog microfabricated electrochemical gas sensor. This iterative design process was instrumental in addressing and resolving critical technical challenges, particularly concerning sensor electrode materials and their passivation. Such advancements are key to enhancing the durability and performance of our sensors.
To support the rapid and efficient evaluation of our sensor prototypes, we built our own gas testing rigs. These rigs enable high-throughput screening, exceeding commercial counter-parts in cost, response times, gas dead volumes and ease of use. Alongside this, we developed specialized readout algorithms designed for the optimized interpretation of data from our miniaturized gas sensors. These algorithms are vital for ensuring the accuracy and reliability of our sensors across a wide range of applications.
A cornerstone of our project's success has been the collection and analysis of extensive testing data, which has informed the creation of an efficient calibration procedure for our gas microsensors. This procedure is fundamental to achieving high levels of accuracy and consistency.
The design and development of our sensors underwent a dynamic evolution, with three distinct generations of microsensor designs being conceptualized, fabricated and tested. Each generation brought us closer to our envisioned final product: a compact 1x1 mm analog microfabricated electrochemical gas sensor. This iterative design process was instrumental in addressing and resolving critical technical challenges, particularly concerning sensor electrode materials and their passivation. Such advancements are key to enhancing the durability and performance of our sensors.
To support the rapid and efficient evaluation of our sensor prototypes, we built our own gas testing rigs. These rigs enable high-throughput screening, exceeding commercial counter-parts in cost, response times, gas dead volumes and ease of use. Alongside this, we developed specialized readout algorithms designed for the optimized interpretation of data from our miniaturized gas sensors. These algorithms are vital for ensuring the accuracy and reliability of our sensors across a wide range of applications.
A cornerstone of our project's success has been the collection and analysis of extensive testing data, which has informed the creation of an efficient calibration procedure for our gas microsensors. This procedure is fundamental to achieving high levels of accuracy and consistency.
FaradaIC Sensors has made significant strides beyond the current state of the art in electrochemical gas sensing technology, marked by the submission of a patent for a novel microfabrication design. Our research and development efforts have yielded several innovative gas-sensing materials, surpassing the capabilities of those found in existing literature, and led to the fabrication of three generations of gas microsensors. These sensors, rooted in our patented design, showcase enhanced performance and commercial viability. Furthermore, our exploration into new markets, particularly within the logistics sector, highlights the potential of our technology to create new commercial opportunities and meet previously unaddressed needs. The combination of innovative material development, strategic IPR management, and the identification of untapped markets positions FaradaIC Sensors at the forefront of pioneering gas sensing solutions, ready to transform industries and set new benchmarks in sensor technology.