Electrothermal controlled-exposure technology

A technology is presented for exposing the contents of microfabricated cavities in a substrate. These contents are hermetically sealed until exposure is triggered by an electronic signal. The exposure mechanism uses electrothermal heating to rupture a metal membrane at one end of the cavity. The device's capability for storing a variety of contents and exposing them on demand makes it well suited for periodic exposure of new sensors as old ones degrade. Two commercialization possibilities are investigated: biowarfare agent detection and in vivo glucose sensing. Both applications employ sensing mechanisms that can be miniaturized and packaged in an array. These sensors are susceptible to fouling or degradation over time from environmental factors. The controlled-exposure technology addresses this problem by periodically exposing fresh sensors. The two applications are thought to be especially favorable markets because of the need for reliable, continuous sensing. The engineering aspects of the technology are investigated by identifying key material properties for each component of the device.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Maloney, John Mapes

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Krystyn J. van Vliet.

• Materials Science and Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/37355

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/37355