“Wireless Autonomous Transducer Solutions for Healthcare Applications”

by Dr. Sywert Brongersma, Principal Researcher, IMEC, Belgium

Joint meeting with SCV-EDS

Abstract: Wireless sensor and actuator systems monitor physical or environmental conditions and are able to initiate an appropriate response to external stimuli if so required. They are indispensable for a wide range of commercial and industrial applications that would be difficult or more expensive to realize using wired systems. Their unique characteristics include small-scale, limited power consumption (<100mW) and complex algorithms that are implemented in the sensor nodes. In contrast, existing systems typically make use of bulky macro sensors and actuators that consume several 100mW of power.

In 2005, IMEC co-initiated the Holst Centre in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Here they now run their program line on ‘Wireless Autonomous Transducer Solutions’ whilst looking for synergies with a program on ‘Systems in Foil’ that was initiated by the Dutch TNO. IMEC’s activities at Holst Centre encompass the full range of technologies required for enabling miniaturized autonomous systems. This starts with harvesting energy from the environment in order to provide the energy required by the system from e.g. thermal differences, motion, and solar energy. This energy is then used for interaction with the outside world (sensing and actuating), signal conditioning and conversion (both analog to digital and DC-DC), digital signal processing and communication. Reducing power consumption of such a system also includes basic trade-off considerations between local processing and communication data rates.

To show functionality of the various technologies, demonstrators are built that presently focused on healthcare applications (although opportunities in other application areas are being explored). This is part of a wider IMEC effort in this area, helping to develop technologies that will make healthcare more cost efficient by using wireless technologies for delivery of care. Present examples include sleep staging and emotion monitoring using a generic platform on which new sensors can be implemented. These are being developed in parallel, with focus on sensing of gasses based on a wide range of transducer principles. The objective is to reduce power consumption of existing principles by e.g. eliminating the need for elevated temperatures whilst maintaining or improving selectivity and sensitivity. Because of the low power requirement, novel concepts and micro/nano-fabrication techniques are essential and a cornerstone of this activity that ranges from nanowire based FETs to MEMS based systems.

Bio: Dr. Sywert H. Brongersma studied applied Physics at the Technical University of Eindhoven. He graduated in 1991 on thin film deposition using laser ablation at the Philips NatLab in Eindhoven and obtained his Ph.D. at the Free University of Amsterdam in the field of superconductivity.

After a postdoc at the University of Western Ontario (Canada) he joined IMEC’s Advanced Silicon Processing division in 1998. Here, he became a principal scientist for both the Cu/Low-k back-end-of-line integration and the Post-CMOS nano-technology affiliation programs. In November 2006, he transferred to IMEC’s new site in Eindhoven that is part of the Holst Centre. At present, he is principal researcher for the wireless autonomous transducer solutions program and managing the sensors & actuators activity.