STTR Phase I: Non-contact Surface Plasmon Enhanced Electric Field Sensors

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I research project will develop novel light weight, compact, non-contact electric field sensors for biomedical monitoring of low level signals. The sensors will utilize surface plasmon resonator structures fabricated on electro-optic materials such as lithium niobate. A single sensor will have a spatial resolution of a few microns, approaching the size of individual neurons, compared to the minimum several millimeters of existing contact sensors. Sensors can be interrogated using optical fibers for invasive research on brain activity, or grouped in arrays for clinical Electro-Encephalography (EEG) monitoring. This research will demonstrate the principle using a combination of fundamental modeling, test structure fabrication, and optical characterization with laboratory controlled electric fields. The proposed effort to make non-contact electric field sensors will provide a significant advancement in the state of the art in terms of sensitivity and spatial resolution. This would have an impact on brain research. The ease of use of non-contact sensors combined with the patient mobility provided by a wireless data link will make the package attractive for routine clinical brain monitoring.