Micro-Systems & Optics

MEMS

There are 2 laboratories under the MEMS Group:

  • Micromachines Lab (N3.1-B3Mb-07) 
  • Micro-Systems Lab (N3.1-B2a-01) 

Research Projects

Development of Micro-sensor and Micro-actuator For Smart Sliders: Head-disk Contact Sensing and Nano Actuating to Achieve 10 Tb/in2
Head-disk contact becomes inevitable when flying height of the magnetic slider in the hard disk drive approaches sub-5 nm for areal densities beyond 500 Gb/in2. Head-disk contact can cause damage to the head-disk interface (HDI) and read/write failure. This project aims to develop a smart slider with built-in ZnO piezoelectric nano-film sensor for head-disk contact detection and an active ZnO-based micro-actuator to prevent contacts and reduce the possibility of data loss.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Du Hejun

Oven Controlled MEMS Oscillator (OCMO) based on silicon micromachining technology
Frequency references are the beating heart of all modern electronics and provide the pulse for digital devices. Presently, quartz crystal references are used in majority of timing sources to provide stable signal to ensure high performance and reliability. However, quartz crystals are not silicon-compatible and cannot benefit from the exponential advances in silicon-based electronic technology. Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) resonators with which the oscillators are built are a fraction of a millimeter across and vibrate at Megahertz frequencies. They are now displacing quartz resonators in timing applications. Stability is the primary performance characteristic of a MEMS oscillator. The aim of this project is to develop an oven-controlled MEMS oscillator (OCMO) for high precision timing applications.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Du Hejun

Mechanics of Micro-Systems
A major research project led to the establishment of Centre for Mechanics of Micro-Systems.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Lin Rongming

Development of MEMS Devices for Vibration and Acoustics Sensing and Actuation Applications.
Develop batch fabrication technique for MEMS microphones, gyroscopes and inertial sensors.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Lin Rongming

Study of Biofilm’s Biophysics in Controlled Environments Using a Microfluidic Platform
Biofilms are aggregates of bacteria on interfaces and are bound by an extra-cellular polymer matrix. A microfluidic platform capable of exerting well-defined physical and chemical environments for biofilm studies will be developed. The development of such robust platform has the potential to provide a better understanding of the fundamentals of biofilms, from formation, growth to detachment, through the ability to exert controllable environments on the biofilm. 

Principal Investigator: Professor Lam Yee Cheong

Electroosmotic Flow Hysteresis
Electroosmotic flow is the flow of fluid in microfluidic channel under an applied electric field. It has been employed for pumping fluid, mixing and separation of samples/analytes in these micro-devices. The hysteretic behaviors when one fluid displacing another fluid under electroosmotic flow will be investigated. It is a fundamental research on the mechanics of electroosmotic flow; the outcome can potentially be applied to enhance pumping and separation efficiency in microchannel. 

Principal Investigator: Professor Lam Yee Cheong

Project PROVEL
This project was awarded by FSTD to fund Temasek Lab’s MEMS team to collaborate with Stanford University’s Prof Roger Howe (funded by DARPA) to transit the previous DARPA funded project using foundry services. It allows our MEMS team to work with the best MEMS researchers in the world to come up with innovative designs based on the technology platform developed by TL.

Principal Investigator: Assistant Professor Li King Ho Holden

Project Yellowbrick
This project aims to research and develop high power semiconductor switches for arrayed antenna application. This work is also built upon the prior fabrication experiences done by the TL MEMS team for the DSO systems engineers. Integration of the switches into module level is the focus.

Principal Investigator: Assistant Professor Li King Ho Holden

Project Legoland
This project is collaboration with DSO in the joint development of microwave antenna system. TL MEMS team is providing technical support in Microsystems integration for the realization of this project.

Principal Investigator: Assistant Professor Li King Ho Holden

Project Maximoff
This project is a proof-of-concept for identification of friend and foe at a standoff distance. In order to obtain fast results and ready-to-apply methodology, the approach is to make use of micromirrors and laser sources to demonstrate the concept of long distance activation/reflection based on laser source.

Principal Investigator: Assistant Professor Li King Ho Holden

Project Teardown
This project employs MEMS sensors in an urban GPS denied environment for situation awareness and mapping. Our team comprises of experts in Electrical engineering, Civil engineering and Mechanical engineering to provide a wireless sensor networking system for information extraction, for example 3D indoor mapping, sensor network localization, moving object detection, temperature, indoor air quality, pressure, sound etc.

Principal Investigator: Assistant Professor Li King Ho Holden

Development of an integrated point-of-care microfluidic platform for leukocyte sorting and functional characterization in type 2 diabetes patients
This project employs Bio-MEMS sensors to develop an integrated point-of-care testing platform for leukocyte (white blood cell) functional characterization in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. It is an interdisciplinary research with the LKCMedicine.

Principal Investigator: Assistant Professor Li King Ho Holden

Electrohydrodynamic instability of immiscible fluids in microfluidic systems
Many microfluidic devices exploit the liquid-liquid interfacial instability at small Reynolds numbers. We have shown the use of electroosmosis to control the stream width of hydrodynamic focusing of multiple liquids streams. The widths of the sheath streams depend on the directions and the applied electric field strengths. The fluid with low electroosmotic mobility (non conducting fluid) is focused and switched to the desired outlet ports by the interfacial forces of the conducting fluids as well as by the pressure gradient. This approach is further extended to the design of an optofluidic in-plane bi-concave lens to perform both light focusing and diverging using the combined effect of pressure driven flow and electro-osmosis.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Wong Teck Neng

Cyborg Insect: insect-machine hybrid system for locomotion control

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Hirotaka Sato

Optics & Metrology

There are 1 research centre and 1 laboratory under the Optics & Metrology Group:

Research Projects

Nanoscale Optics
This project focuses on developing new generation non contact high aspect ratio nanoscale features that can find potential applications in semiconductor industry, improving thin film Si solar cell efficiency and for biomedical optics. Both conventional and near filed optics such as evanescent waves and plasmonics are heavily researched over the last few years. Current research focuses on achieving the forecasted technology nodes of sub 10nm as well as generating of new devices using such structures.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Murukeshan Vadakke Matham

Multi- modality Biomedical Optics and Imaging
This project aims at developing new generation multi optical and hybrid optical imaging methodologies as well as molecular probes for early disease diagnosis focusing on colon, breast and ocular). High resolution (axial, temporal and spatial) and clinician and patient friendly design adoption are targeted in this research while developing the technology. Two patents are already filed and many technology disclosures are in the pipeline in this challenging area. Multi and Hyperspectral Imaging, High resolution specialty fiber optic probes, Photoacoustic Imaging, Special beam profile assisted imaging will be integrated in a single setting to derive the benefits of different imaging modalities.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Murukeshan Vadakke Matham

Improved Broad band absorption thin film solar cells
Tapping natural resources for energy has become the current focus of research all over the world and harnessing of solar energy tops the priority list. In this context, photovoltaics is emerging as a promising technology for converting solar energy into electricity in usable as well as storable forms, renewing the hopes of mankind to solve the energy crisis looming large particularly over the technological progress of the coming generations. Conventional solar cell is not feasible economically at present, in view of the high costs of silicon materials and processing. Therefore thin film solar cells are of great interest in solar cell market because of the small film thickness. But the absorbance of light in the near bandgap region is small and hence structuring of layers and proper configuration of the layered structure of thin film solar cell are very crucial. This project in this context focuses on the specific objectives of achieving improved light absorption and conversion efficiency in thin film solar cells using the proposed strategies. Plasmonics, gap modes concepts will be employed with novel configurations for achieving the targeted conversion efficiency.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Murukeshan Vadakke Matham

Near field Optics Controlled random media- Fundamental Investigation with Potential applications
Nearfield optical concepts are introducing a paradigm shift in a wide variety of science and engineering fields and the most significant applications of this fundamental physics-optics concepts have been towards meeting the applied engineering problems of today. Furthermore, non contact optical methodologies for writing patterned structures or features have enabled such near field assisted device fabrication and related applications. Optics technology that focuses on the above mentioned areas has seen the impact of the same with a challenging trend to achieve smaller features at the nanoscale. Integrated near filed concepts exploiting such features and nanoscale metal particles in a random disordered media is one of the latest thrust research area, which is expected to make potential impacts in a wide variety of fields. The major research contents of this project in this context aim at the fundamental research and investigation into such Near field Optics Controlled random media- Both Fundamental Investigation and potential device fabrication will be explored.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Murukeshan Vadakke Matham

Feasibility study on image fiber integration into a hyper-spectral imaging unit with a sophisticated mechanical and conceptual design
Multi- or Hyper-spectral imaging is the acquisition of spectra information, together with spatial information. 2D spatial information is generally done via scanning of the sample. However, it was always challenging to integrate speciality optical fibers such as image fibers to integrate into such system for simultaneous imaging and fluorescence sensing which can find specific applications in different targeted fields. This project entitled “Feasibility study on image fiber integration into a hyper-spectral imaging unit with a sophisticated mechanical and conceptual design” has the following main objective:
To investigate and conduct a feasibility study on the physical constraint, to improvise, devise and design a flexible system to couple image fiber into a hyper-spectral imaging unit.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Murukeshan Vadakke Matham

Investigations into Digital Analysis of Hyperspectral Data
Hyper-spectral imaging is the acquisition of spectra information, together with spatial information. 2D spatial information is generally done via scanning of the sample. However, a sophisticated software with targeted objectives is a challenge. Hence this project aims at coming up with a digital analysis and classification approach to extract useful information from raw hyper-spectral data. The investigation will primarily be on feasibility and subsequent integration with the hardware.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Murukeshan Vadakke Matham

Surface Finish Measurement of Difficult to Access areas and Internal Channels
Traditional surface finish measurement systems are either stylus based or benchtop optical systems. Both are unable to effectively measurement difficult to access areas because of the geometry of the part, or internal channels. Therefore, there is a need to develop a capable measurement system to address this gap. The aim of this project in this context is to research and develop non- contact probe metrology solutions for Surface Finish Measurement of Difficult to Access areas and Internal Channels.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Murukeshan Vadakke Matham

Next generation large area dimensional measurement
This project would focus on non-contact optical in-situ measurement techniques to detect feature presence/intensity of feature presence and will serve as an important feed-back loop to adapt the advanced mechanized finishing process. The research will mainly focuses on the diagnostic monitoring that can detect features on the surface, measure sharp edges and represent the surface in 2 D and 3D highlighting the detected features.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Murukeshan Vadakke Matham

Ocular imaging of irido-corneal angle with overlay of fluorescent emission distribution
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, with primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) a major form of glaucoma in Singapore and Asia. High resolution anterior segment imaging of the human eye for the diagnosis and management of various eye diseases (including corneal diseases and glaucoma) is an area of unmet need. This is due to limitations with the current available technologies related to the diagnosis and quantification of angle closure.
In this project, we aim to develop a novel anterior segment diagnostic device using self-constructing beam imaging coupled with fluorescence imaging, that can image the drainage pathway (trabecular meshwork) of the eye directly and provide 3D images with better resolution (<10 m) than currently available, as well as explore dynamic features of aqueous humor flow.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Murukeshan Vadakke Matham

Feasibility study on underwater sound detection by LASER
This project, funded by Singapore Temasek Laboratory, is to develop a single-point laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) with glint tracking system for detection of underwater acoustic signals from the water surface.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Huang Xiaoyang

Design and development of a compact swept source optical coherence tomography (SSOCT) imaging system with enhanced imaging capability for bio imaging applications.
The project aim to develop a novel fiber optic interferometer and galvo mirror based beam delivery system. The system is capable of real-time data acquisition using high speed digitizer and control signal generation for laser beam steering setup for imaging. The SSOCT system uses an efficient wavenumber calibration scheme. The developed system can be applied to 1) In situ and quantitative imaging of bacterial biofilm using OCT/OCM, 2) Nanoparticle based contrast enhancement and photothermal applications, and 3) Anterior chamber imaging for Glaucoma detection. 

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Seah Leong Keey