Autonomous Implantable Sensors/Actuators Using MEMS and CMOS platforms

Research on modern sensing devices necessitates interdisciplinary expertise in readout circuit and transducer device design. Power autonomy is among the challenging specifications of the new generation of sensors. Supplying power from alternative energy sources in the sensing environment is as important as lowering the power consumption in conditioning circuits.

The focus of our research is on biomedical instrument applications. For example, autonomous implant transducers is a priority for our research that translates to integrated energy harvesting and sensing/actuating devices for bio applications such as pace makers and in-vivo health monitoring implants. In this project we will pursue new techniques in Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) for the transducer design as well as low power, high efficiency conditioning CMOS circuits. In our research group we investigate innovative approaches to integrate the sensing and energy harvesting circuits and transducers on the same platform. We target MEMS for the device part and CMOS technologies for the circuit part. Microfabrication technologies are accessible through a fabless approach, wherein we design circuits and devices using CAD tools (such as Coventorware for MEMS and Cadence for IC) and send the designs to external foundries for fabrication.

Design, characterisation and measurement of the chips are carried out in our labs in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, in-house cleanrooms at David Bullett Nanofabrication Facility (http://www.bath.ac.uk/facilities/nanofab/) and Centre for Advanced Sensor Technology (http://www.bath.ac.uk/elec-eng/research/cast/).

Applicants with a first degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, who are interested in MEMS design are highly encouraged to apply for this position.