ACM TechNews

EU Project NEMSIC Targets Better Sensor Detection Technology

Nanotechwire.com (07/11/08)

European researchers working on the nano-electro-mechanical-system-integrated-circuits (NEMSIC) project aim to laRnch the world's smallest, high performance, low-power silicon-based sensor. The sensor features the co-integration of single-electron transistors (SETs) and nano-electro-mechanical (NEM) systems on a common silicon technology platform. University of Southampton professor Hiroshi Mizuta says the current focus is on power consumption because devices use power whether they are actively running or not. "The single-electron transistor combined with the NEM device technology reduces power consumption at both ON and OFF states of the sensor," says Mizuta, adding that the ability to create a full "sleep" with the NEM when it switches to off will help stand-by power consumption fall to zero. The researchers are developing the single-electron transistor with a suspended silicon nanobridge that will have the capability to detect biological and chemical molecules. "This is the first time that anyone has combined these two nanotechnologies to develop a smart sensor," Mizuta says.

http://nanotechwire.com/news.asp?nid=6272

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