CARESS - is a multidisciplinary research project which aims to realize a versatile, low-cost sensing system employing resistive sensors The execution of the activities will bring together the expertise of researchers in the field of materials science, chemistry, physics, and microelectronics technology (IMT Bucharest) and the experts in the field of electronic devices and circuits, electrical measurements (Polytechnica University of Bucharest). The team comprise experienced researchers, post-doctoral researchers, as well as 2 PhD students. We aim to demonstrate how resistive sensors (with a well-established position on the sensor’s market) can be integrated into various applications (wearables, environmental monitoring) through a versatile, low-cost readout circuit, ready for integration in IoT applications. Its main objectives are a) realization of novel sensing materials, based on fluorinated nanocarbon materials (subject of two Romanian patent applications) and b) the design, realization and testing of a versatile readout circuit, ready for various applications (incl. IoT architectures). The process of obtaining fluorinated nanocarbon materials will be carried out in a RF plasma environment, following a well prepared “design of experiments” plan; these will be thoroughly characterized. Specific designs for the interdigitated transducers, including Wheatstone bridges, will be developed and realized on flexible substrates. The envisaged improved electronic architecture concept, based on the Wheatstone half-bridge monolithic sensing element is meant to sequentially acquire signal from multiple types of resistive sensor-structures. A microcontroller included in the electronic circuit architecture, will control the biasing of the bridge and the overall power consumption of the system. The integrated system – bridges, resistive sensor, readout circuit- will be thoroughly characterized and tested, employing dedicated instruments, available at the partners.

National Institute for Research and Development in Microtechnologies – IMT Bucharest
Project Director: Dr. Octavian Buiu
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +40-21-269.07.70; +40-21-269.07.75;
Fax: +40-21-269.07.72; +40-21-269.07.76;
Website: www.imt.ro

Univeristy "Politehnica" Bucharest
Website: www.upb.ro