MEMS Multi-Mode, Multi-Parameter Shipping Container Sensors

A solution for critical security sensing scenarios has often been a high-cost scale reduction of large laboratory-based instrumentation. Even though this approach sometimes produces data for a single stimuli that is beyond reproach, it also often produces a very delicate, bulky, and costly system that can not be universally applied. An alternative approach could involve the use of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) based sensors which typically results in low-cost devices but with sometimes dubious quality data. Our approach integrates multiple orthogonal stimuli within a single chip to produce a MEMS array sensor that has a very high degree of signal confidence. Each individually sensed stimulus may only produce moderate confidence data, but combining multiple independent stimuli significantly improves detection reliability in a coin-sized package that can be introduced in every shipping container. This could quickly provide universal container interrogation due to the ultra-low cost of these devices in large quantity. The detection of targets such as "dirty bombs" would be ideal with this technology since multiple signatures will be present from such a device. Individually we have previously examined MEMS-based infrared, acoustic, chemical, biological, magnetic field, and nuclear radiation sensors. We believe that integrating these stimuli, and eventually many others, onto the same MEMS array within a single chip will represent a major step in sensing technology since the sensor fusion is inherent in the hardware of this approach.