Multimodal Sensor-on-Silicon (MUSE)

Project Objectives:
Design and prototyping of a low-cost integrated multimodal wireless sensor chip that can be used as a platform for a wide variety of applications. The project’s scope includes basic sensor devices, integrated sensor-on-silicon architectures, wireless communication, sensor networks & protocols, and end-user application concepts/trials. The goal is to produce a prototype multimodal sensor-on-silicon (MUSE) chip that would be a key enabling technology component for emerging sensor applications including biomedical, environmental and pervasive computing.

Technology Rationale:
Wireless sensors have recently become an increasingly important technology with valuable applications in both government (e.g., military, public safety, environmental monitoring, infrastructure management, etc.) and commercial (e.g., medical, home and office security, transportation, inventory control) sectors. Looking further, wireless sensors will also be the key building block of the future “pervasive computing” networked society in which not only computing devices, but also people and objects are seamlessly connected to the Internet. The key concept behind WINLAB’s proposed research program is to develop a low-cost, multipurpose silicon architecture that can be used to mass-produce devices for various sensing applications including biochemical, biomedical, pharm-aceutical, motion, ultra-violet and infra-red radiation, radio-frequencies, images and sound. The proposed MUSE chip will leverage recent Rutgers University breakthroughs in ZnO sensors, MEMS and wireless system-on-chip technologies to achieve a significant cost/performance gains (10x or higher) over conventional wireless sensor implementations.

Technical Approach:
WINLAB is leading a multidisciplinary initiative involving Rutgers University, UMDNJ, Princeton U and several local companies to initiate a major research program aimed at fundamental breakthroughs in multimodal wireless sensor-on-silicon technology. The program emphasizes joint work with industrial partners to strengthen the research team, as well as to explore applications and commercialize the results. The proposed research program will focus on the following primary areas:

• Device technologies for multimode sensors (RF, optical, acoustic, MEMS & biochemical)
• Integrated sensor-on-silicon architecture for multimodal wireless sensors
• Wireless communication technologies for low-cost, robust, self-organizing sensor networks
• Sensor network architecture, protocols and information processing software
• End-user application concepts and trials
  

Results To Date and Future Work Plan:
Dr. Yicheng Lu’s group at WINLAB has developed innovative zinc-oxide (ZnO) device technology for multimodal UV sensors under ongoing NSF-funded research programs. In parallel, several other WINLAB faculty are working on sensor modem technologies (including novel ultra-wideband (UWB) approaches), low-power chip design, and ad-hoc sensor network architectures and protocols. Sample ZnO-based UV sensor prototypes shown below have been fabricated and tested. (insert ZnO chip picture from MUSE annual report). Detailed performance characterization work on these devices has been carried out, and they have also been successfully interfaced with an 802.11b wireless communication module as part of a system-level proof-of-concept prototype. In the networking area, the project has resulted in a novel hierarchical ad-hoc self-organizing wireless network (SOHAN) with significant capacity and performance advantages over conventional ad-hoc sensor nets. This system has also been prototyped at WINLAB, and potential sensor applications have been demonstrated. The medical sensor application groups at Rutgers and UMDNJ have developed in-vitro sensors for use in monitoring of heart patients and treatment of diabetes.

WINLAB (in partnership with UMDNJ, Princeton University and several NJ-based companies) was awarded a 5-yr Center of Excellence grant by the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology (NJCST) in 2002. Several related NSF funded projects are also being carried out by faculty members associated with this research initiative.