Patent issued to CHTM faculty member Mani Hossein-Zadeh

January 18, 2017 - CHTM

Mani Hossein-Zadeh

Mani Hossein-Zadeh

The Science & Technology Corporation at the University of New Mexico (STC.UNM or STC), announces that a new patent has been issued to a UNM Center for High Technology Materials (CHTM) faculty member. As the technology transfer and economic development organization for the University of New Mexico (UNM), STC.UNM protects and commercializes technologies developed at UNM by filing patents and copyrights and transferring the technologies to the marketplace.

U.S. Patent No. 9,541,528, “Sensors using optical RF oscillators," has been issued to Dr. Mani Hossein-Zadeh by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO).

Hossein-Zadeh is an Associate Professor with UNM's Electrical and Computer Engineering Department (ECE) and a CHTM faculty member. He is the Principal investigator for the M.H.Z Microwave Photonics Group at CHTM. Hossein-Zadeh is a recipient of the 2011 National Science Foundation (NSF) Career Award. He joined UNM after three years of postdoctoral research at the T. J. Watson Labs of Applied Physics at California Institute of Technology (Caltech). His research interests include: Electro-optics, microwave-photonic devices and systems, ultra high-Q optical microresonators, optomechanical interaction in UH-Q optical resonators, optical communication, photonic sensors, optofluidics and plasmonics.

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Abstract

An optical microresonator based RF oscillator sensor for measuring mass, temperature, and particle/molecule concentration. An optical energy source is coupled to the optical microresonator to generate optical power oscillations at Rf frequencies. A stable or reference RF oscillation frequency is established which allows for measuring oscillation frequency variations induced by the interaction of the substance with the optical microresonator.

Background

Microresonator based optical and mechanical sensors are devices that can detect and quantify molecules and small particles (micron or nano size) through the sensitivity of their resonant frequency. In resonant optical sensors the interaction between the evanescent optical field and the molecules/particles shifts the resonant frequency (wavelength) of the corresponding optical mode that is directly monitored using temporal or spectral power monitoring. In micro/nano-electromechanical (MEMS and NEMS) sensors the particle molecules that land on the microresonator surface, change the mechanical resonant frequency that is monitored using electronic or optical techniques (mainly non-resonant techniques). The resolution of both resonant optical and mechanical sensors is limited by the linewidth of the corresponding mode. In the case of resonant mechanical sensors external actuation and consequently self-sustained oscillation can be used to increase the oscillation amplitude and decrease the oscillation linewidth.

Source:
U.S. Patent No. 9,541,528

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