Light Addressable Thin Film Sensor System for High Resolution Imaging

Abstract title: A Light Addressable Thin Film Sensor System for High Resolution Imaging Principal investigator: Jinghua Li, The Ohio State University

Biofluids in human bodies contain a variety of chemical biomarkers that can reveal health status and age-based conditions. Recording the spatiotemporal distribution of these biomarkers within the surfaces of soft tissues can provide valuable information about bio-related dynamic, heterogeneous processes which could potentially contribute to the early diagnosis and effective treatment of diseases.

However, there is a knowledge gap in understanding these processes due to the lack of bio-integrated analytical tools with sufficient spatial and temporal resolutions. This study aims to build a flexible, high-resolution imaging system using thin film semiconductor nanomembranes. When paired with a focused, addressable, and modulated laser beam, the imaging system can generate a quantifiable photocurrent, the amplitude of which scales with the local concentration of target biomarkers.

This project seeks to contribute to the education of undergraduate and high school students by providing training and research opportunities in technologically relevant areas such as optoelectronics, physics, and biomedical engineering. Results obtained from this study will be used to create “deformable-imaging-film” demo kits for high school students participating in the Design Learning Center Capstone Experience Program to inspire their pursuits of STEM careers.

The proposed research will investigate a series of fundamental questions related to the design principles of the high-resolution imaging system based on the field effect in semiconductor physics. Exploration of the flexible and light addressable system will enhance the understandings of optical-electrical coupling in submicron semiconductors for biosensing on curvilinear and soft surfaces.

The hypothesis is that the proposed thin film sensing platform can unprecedentedly combine functionalities needed for imaging biomarkers on/within soft tissues, including flexibility, scalability, high spatiotemporal resolution, and multifunctionality. Specific aims of this project include: (1) develop flexible semiconductor nanomembranes on polymer substrates, and explore bias voltage induced formation of depletion regions within the semiconductors in liquid environment; (2) investigate optical-electrical coupling behaviors in the semiconductors with the radiation of a focused, modulated laser beam, and uncover the structure-interface-resolution correlations; and (3) establish the viability of using the resulting polymer-supported nanomembranes for imaging the distribution of multiple biomarkers.

Overall, the research outcomes will provide understandings of the chemical, electrical, optical, and biological phenomena at the solution-electronics interface within the flexible and light addressable imaging system. The codesign of thin film electronics, biochemical interfaces, and recording hardware will create new knowledge at the intersection of conventional fields of technical study.

The sensing technologies, interface designs, theoretical models, and device concepts can be transformative in multiple research fields spanning nanotechnology, optoelectronics, biomedical engineering, and clinical medicine. For future applications, the high-resolution imaging of chemical and/or biological markers in large scale can provide accurate information for early diagnosis, intervention, and cure of diseases when combined with data science and artificial intelligence.

In addition to monitoring biological processes, this imaging technology could also be useful in areas such as quality control of industrial lubricants, fuel cells, and food.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.