Research into New Sensors to Monitor Drugs, Speed Up Cancer Detection and Measure Climate Change impact
Written by AZoOpticsApr 13 2021
A team of photonics engineers, healthcare clinicians and oceanographers are set to lead an ambitious project to develop the next generation of photonics technology that will enable rapid diagnostic medical screening and environmental monitoring.
Vision of low cost sensor technology for measuring drug concentrations Image Credit: David Rowe, University of Southampton.
Silicon photonics has transformed data communications technology thanks to its low cost and high performance. This new research project will aim to bring the benefits of this technology to a range of new applications that could be manufactured at a mass scale to solve societal challenges and transform peoples’ lives. Currently silicon photonics applications operate in the near-infrared wavelength range (1.2 μm – 1.6 μm). Key to this project will be the development of chip-scale sensors in the mid-infrared wavelengths (3-15μm); this is known as the “fingerprint region” as it enables sensors to spot unique identifiers in biological and chemical molecules.