20551 - Sensor and Actuators

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will get basic knowledge to understand sensor systems and electronic interfaces. More specifically, the student will acquire a design methodology based on generic principle, instead of a collection of single topics or technology. The instruments will be focused on the demanding need to be prepared on the ever-changing new technology that the sensor micro- and nano-systems are providing for the Information and Communication Technologies and Bioengineering. 

Course contents

The goal of the course is to provide to students the fundamental know-how regarding sensor and transducer systems design. The course scheme avoids to tackle the subject as a collection of different cases of sensing systems. Instead, it is structured to underline the common backgrounds of the sensing paradigms such as noise floor and sensing limits. More specifically, a generic sensor acquisition chain will be analyzed from the sensitivity and resolution point of view with respect to the background and devise noises. The learning outcomes are 1) understanding basic physical aspects of sensing and noise principles 2) analysis and design of electronic interfaces for sensors. Lectures are often based on a bottom-up approach to better understand principles from examples.

COURSE CONTENT
    •    Molecular Brownian noise. Source of noise in electronic and mechanical systems.
    •    Noise in electronic components and noise figures calculation.
    •    Aspects of physical-electrical transduction: sensitivity, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), dynamic range.
    •    Examples of SNR analysis in electronic systems.
    •    Electronic circuits for capacitive and resistive sensors. Analog conversion of data: voltage, current and charge sensing.
    •    Analog-to-digital (A/D) conversions, basic principles and features. Quantization noise.
    •    Optimizations of sensing acquisition systems. Trade-offs between sensitivity and dynamic range.
    •    Lock-in amplifiers and Sigma-Delta conversion. Noise shaping in Sigma-Delta conversion.
    •    Mechanical and inertial sensors.
    •    Magnetic sensors.
    •    Optical transducers. Optical parameters and conversion principles. Arrays of optical sensors: CCDs and CMOS sensors. Noise in optical sensors. Quantum noise.
    •    Principles of ionics. Liquid-metal interfaces.
    •    Polarization of matter. Principles of impedance spectroscopy. Nyquist diagrams.
    •    Nanosensors: nanowires, nanopores and nanotubes. Ionic channels as sensors.
    •    Acquisition and communication systems for wired sensor networks: I2C and 1-Wire buses.
    •    Acquisition and communication systems for wireless sensor networks: Zig-Bee and Zensys protocols.
    •    Principles of microfabrication techniques.
    •    Examples of microfluidic systems.

Readings/Bibliography

Physical principles:
R. Feynman et al., The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Addison Wesley, 1963
Noise:
P. Gray, R. Meyer, Analysis and Design of Analog Integrated Circuits,  Wiley 1993
B. Razavi, Design of Analog CMOS Integrated Circuits, McGraw-Hill, 2000
Electrochemistry/Electrokinetics:
J. Bockris, A. Reddy, Modern Electrochemistry-2 Electrodics, Plenum, 1998
H. Morgan, N. Green, AC Electrokinetics: colloids and nanoparticles, RSP Press, 2001
Microfluidics & Microfabrication:
M. Madou, Fundamentals of Microfabrication, CRC Press, 2002
N.T. Nguyen, S. Wereley, Fundamentals and Application of Microfluidics, Artech, 2002
Sensors & signal conditioning:
R. Pallas-Areny, J. Webster Sensors and Signal Conditioning, Wiley, 2001
A/D - D/A conversion:
D. Johns, K. Martin, Analog Integrated Circuit Design, Wiley, 1997

Assessment methods

Oral examination, 40-45m.

Teaching tools

Class lectures, 80% board, 20% slides.

Links to further information

http://www.unibo.it/SitoWebDocente/default.htm?mat=030933

Office hours

See the website of Marco Tartagni