Research Objectives and Approaches: The objective of this research is to develop ultra-sensitive and compact magnetometers, featuring the direct on-chip integration of magnetoelectric sensors, with advanced microelectronics, for non-invasive medical imaging. The approach is based on the potential of picoTesla magnetic sensitivity using integrated magnetoelectric composites. This research aims to further improve the sensitivity beyond those based on the direct stress mediated magnetoelectric coupling by improving the mechanical impedance match between the constituents, by exploring totally new magnetoelectric coupling, and by incorporating MEMs-based structures as resonant moving gates of MOSFETs for further amplification.
Intellectual Merit: The demonstration of a heterogeneous integration strategy at the devices and circuits level that seamlessly merges microelectronics with sensors holds great promise of enabling transformational shifts in the semiconductor and sensor industry. Further, the proposed research will provide fundamental understanding on the magnetic energy transfer efficiency between the constituents of the composites. The research will also provide insight into design and fabrication of resonant moving gate transistors that markedly improve the sensor performance.
Broader Impact: The successful development of chip scale magnetic sensors will revolutionize the field of biomagnetic field detection and imaging. Moreover, the availability of low cost diagnostic tools will greatly facilitate early disease detection. On the education and outreach font, this research will foster an interdisciplinary educational program that will inspire students to understand fundamental materials science and device physics and incorporate them into solid-state device fabrication to address complex detection and diagnosis problems in the life science and biomedical imaging area.
