Sensors and sensing methods
OwnerJames J. Myrickinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Sensors and sensing methods are provided which can be highly sensitive but relatively inexpensive and small, which are suitable for uses such UAVs, distributed field monitors, medical diagnosis, and environmental monitoring. Various of these sensors can be characterized by one or more features which produce extreme insect antenna sensitivity and identification capability for chemical analytes.
Claims7
An avalanche biomimetic organodiode gas sensor for multiplying the number of electronic charge carriers produced by interaction with a single gas analyte molecule, having a Geiger mode bandwidth exceeding the neuron-firing bandwidth (<100 Hz) of an insect olfactory neuron, the sensor comprising:
- an electronic carrier generating means having an outer sensor surface for generating electronic carriers in response to an organic analyte molecule at said outer surface, and an inner surface for electrical contact
- an integrated circuit semiconductor avalanche diode means having an outer electronic charge carrier input layer in adherent electrical contact with said electronic carrier generating means inner electrical contact surface for successively receiving-a single electronic charge carrier transported through said carrier generating means from said outer sensor surface to said inner surface, and a fully depleted reverse biased high avalanche electric field layer epitaxially adjacent said inner surface electrical contact layer for multiplying said single electronic charge carrier by carrier avalanche through a high avalanche electric field within said avalanche electric field layer remote from said outer electron input layer to produce an avalanche Geiger mode multiplied carrier output signal in response to a single electron charge carrier transported through said carrier generating means from said outer sensor surface to said inner surface and into said high avalanche electric field layer epitaxially adjacent said inner surface electrical contact layer, wherein said carrier generating means is a thin MOX sensor material layer adherently deposited on said outer surface of said heterojunction avalanche diode means, and
- avalanche output signal detection means for detecting and processing individual avalanche multiplied carrier output signals generated from successive single electronic carriers multiplied by carrier avalanche through a high avalanche electric field within said avalanche electric field layer.
A gas analyte sensor for direct sensing of MOX charge carriers released by interaction of analyte as to time and location of carrier release comprising:
- a gas analyte detecting layer for generating electronic carriers and/or a change in transmitted interrogation light in response to reactive gas analyte contact, and an integrated circuit two dimensional CMOS or CCD imager array having pixel charge wells in direct electrical contact with said gas analyte detecting layer for transporting electronic carriers and/or changes in transmitted interrogation light generated at said gas analyte detecting layer to charge wells of immediately adjacent pixels of said imager array.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.