POLARSENSE: Polaritonic compact gas sensor demonstrator

Monitoring gases and particles through the use of smart sensors has a crucial role in a wide range of applications, from environmental control to breath analysis for diagnostics.

With the information provided by these sensors, we are able to predict, prevent and act in potentially dangerous situations.

In order for the data to be effectively transferred, the gas sensors must be integrated into portable devices with wireless connectivity, and must be miniaturized concurrently.

To meet this requirement, the sensors must possess high sensitivity, selectivity, speed, ultra-low power consumption, and compatibility with silicon technology. However, currently no existing technology on the market fulfils all of these criteria.

POLARSENSE aims out to develop an optical (infrared) gas sensor demonstrator chip based on a novel graphene electro-polaritonic platform that is designed to address all of the aforementioned technical and commercial requirements.

This will be demonstrated through its functionality and performance, with the capability of detecting multiple gases in a scalable, CMOS compatible system with a sensitivity of 0.1 ppm, alongside specific optically active elements and an electrical detector all integrated within one single device. The result is a highly compact and efficient sensing platform that does not require an external photodetector.

To achieve this, POLARSENSE will simulate, design, and fabricate a demonstrator chip in accordance with the specifications of our industrial partners, and test with a compact interferometer with a broadband infrared source to evaluate the performance.

We will then validate the sensing performance of the demonstrator system with acetone gas in a matrix containing different concentrations of ethanol and/or water vapor that are typically present in breath analyzer and environmental monitoring applications.