| ||
|
Nanopowders, Thin Films, and Devices | |
| ||
       
|
 |
 The need for simple, accurate and inexpensive chemical and biological sensors exists in many important applications, including food inspection for bacteria or other pathogens, real-time feedback in chemical or petroleum production, continuous monitoring of drinking water for contamination, and point of care medical diagnostics. This technology is in urgent demand for sensors to monitor against the terrorist threat of chemical and biological attacks. In fact, President Bush toured the lab where this technology originated at Georgia Tech. To expand on one example, current medical diagnostic technologies are so complex that testing is largely constrained to the slow and costly process of collecting samples for subsequent analysis at remote laboratories. nGimat's nano-surface sensor technology would enable this diagnostic process to be inexpensively taken to the patient. nGimat has developed a unique integrated optic chip technology, in the ReliaSenseTM Optical Sensor, that provides a fundamental simplification in sensing. The detection circuits in nGimat's patented optical chip permit direct, real-time measurement of chemicals and biomolecules in both liquids and gases. Furthermore, multiple sensing circuits can easily be defined on a single optical chip, allowing simultaneous measurement of many substances. These integrated optic chips are relatively inexpensive to make, leveraging off nGimat's expertise in the deposition of electro-optic thin films and subsequent processing techniques developed for the semiconductor industry. The sensitivity is due to the target agent being only a few nanometers from the light waveguide. 
Cross-section of a waveguide illustrating overlap of an evanescent guided wave with target antigen nanobound to a waveguide surface.  Layout of a single channel interferometric sensor. |
 |