Final Report Summary - DELPHINS (DESIGN AND ELABORATION OFMULTI-PHYSICS INTEGRATED NANOSYSTEMS)
The ERC project DELPHINS consisted in building a generic multi-sensor design and technology platform for embedded multi-gas-analysis-on-chip, based on a global modelling from the individual NEMS (Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems) sensors to a global multiphysics NEMS-CMOS VLSI (Very large Scale Integration) system.
The idea is to develop in the future portable molecular imaging comparable to today’s minicameras in portable devices.
The latter constitutes a new research field with many potential applications such as in medicine (specific diseases recognition) but also in security (toxic and complex air pollutions), in industry (perfumes, agribusiness) and environment control. NEMS based sensor is one of the most promising technologies to get the required resolutions and sensitivities for few molecules detection.
We focused on the analytical module of the system (sensing part and embedded electronics processing) and included NEMS arrays with state-of the art CMOS transistors. We obtained integrated nano-oscillators individually addressed within innovative architectures and materials. We showed that several orders of magnitude of sensitivity can be achieved thanks to suspended resonant nanowires co-integrated locally with their closed-loop and reading electronics.
This made possible the analysis of complex gases within an integrated portable system, which did not exist yet. The work was made within a fruitful collaboration with CALTECH. This system is now commercialized by a statup company, APIX Analytics in France and USA.
The multigas analysis system can replace for some applications very costly Gas Chromatograph and Gas Spectroscopy system. It is now tested for the security monitoring of industrial plants but also for health prevention. Indeed, this system provides an excellent analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds which is a key feature for applications like indoor quality air monitoring or lung cancer prevention. The feasibility of such VOC analysis with our approach was demonstrated.