Characterization Systems Development of Electronic and Electrochemical Devices

A lot of research is being done around the world on the development of MEMS-based devices. Pakistan is also trying to catch up in this research field, especially in printed electronics that will be the future of electronic device manufacturing. Development of these devices is being carried out in a

Project Title

Characterization Systems Development of Electronic and Electrochemical Devices

Project Area of Specialization

Electrical/Electronic Engineering

Project Summary

A lot of research is being done around the world on the development of MEMS-based devices. Pakistan is also trying to catch up in this research field, especially in printed electronics that will be the future of electronic device manufacturing. Development of these devices is being carried out in a number of research institutes, laboratories, and universities but the lack of availability of proper characterization systems is creating a big hurdle in the due development course. No such equipment is being developed in Pakistan and the commercial equipment available for import for device-based evaluation systems is so expensive that even universities can’t afford those systems without strong financial backing. The reasons behind the hefty costs of these types of systems are the profiles of the companies manufacturing them and the additional features they have that are only meant to be used in industrial level R&D. Universities are forced to buy these equipments as there is no other option available specifically for research purpose. Many of the features remain unused even if some institutes buy these systems after paying a high cost.

The aim of this project is to indigenously develop a set of characterization systems specifically designed for various target devices like FET’s, TFT’s, Diodes, OLED’s, Sensors (Environmental and Biosensors), Memristors, Nano-generators, etc. A whole series of cheap systems with specialized features will be developed for each device type. The systems will be fully supported with proper hardware and software to make sure users and researchers get all requirements fulfilled. Circuit design, embedded systems, and software design will be used along with some CAD tools to build mechanical chambers. Finished and ready to use products with support and tutorials after purchase will be the end goal.

Project Objectives

Characterization is defined as for various system inputs the output response of a system. This response helps us to figure out how a system is going to behave in a particular environment. Characterization is very important when any design of a system is in the works. Characterization of a system also helps to understand the behavior of a system over time. For example, we have a silicon diode in a series circuit and now the output of the system after some time is changed so in order to detect what has caused that change, we might plot the characteristic graph of the diode and see how it is different than the characterization graph of a standard silicon diode. The main objectives of our characterization system are as follow:

Objective 1: 

Semiconductor parameter analyzer with current-voltage (IV) measurement capabilities.

• Spot, sweep, and pulse measurement.
• Current measurement ranges from ±10 µA to ±1000 µA.
• Voltage output ranges from ±1 V to ±5 V.
• Real-time data logging and plotting of I-V measurements.

Suitable for electronic devices, materials, active or passive components, semiconductors, or any other kind of electronic equipment.

    Figure 1. Characteristic Curve of a Diode

Objective 2: 

A potentiostat setup to perform electrochemical measurements with real-time data logging and plotting.

• Current measurement ranges from ±1 µA to ±100 µA.
• Voltage output ranges from ±1 V to ±5 V.
• Real-time data logging and plotting of C-V measurements, I-V measurements, Chronoamperometry, etc.

Suitable for Chemical Species Identification, Amperometric Applications, Electrochemical Blood Glucose Meter, etc.

    Figure 2. A Typical Voltammogram

Objective 3:

Automatic precision impedance analyzer with frequency sweep up to 100 kHz.

• Impedance measurement range from 1 k? to 10 M?.

Suitable for Electrochemical Analysis, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, Impedance Spectroscopy, Complex Impedance Measurement, Fuel Cell/Battery Condition Monitoring, etc.

Figure 3. Impedance of an RLC network (an example of Impedance analyzer)

Project Implementation Method

Phase 1. (Objective 1,2)

The Semiconductor parameter analyzer (Objective 1) and a potentiostat network (Objective 2) are quite similar when it comes to hardware implementation. For semiconductor parameter analyzer Working and Reference Electrodes are connected and the device under test is connected between Working and Counter Electrode. For Potentiostat setup (Objective 2) the device is connected to working, counter, and reference electrode.

Here is the block diagram of how we are going to implement Semiconductor Paramter Analyzer and Potentiostat setup.

Figure 4. Block Diagram of Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer and Potentiostat setup.

It is to note that we are getting two voltages from the device. One voltage is Load/Applied Voltage and the other Voltage is the function of current that is when we receive this Voltage value just by dividing the Resistance of Trans Impedance Amplifier we get the current through the device. In this way, we get applied voltage and current passed through the device and we can plot its IV curve on GUI.

Phase 2. (Objective 3)

The impedance analyzer does not require a signal conditioning network. It is relatively easy as we are using AD5933 IC. AD5933 provides desired frequency sweep and also gives us the Impedance as output. Here is the Block Diagram of its implementation.

  Figure 5. Block Diagram of Impedance Analyzer.

Benefits of the Project

The main benefit of this project as mentioned in the summary is that this type of device is not available in the market anywhere. Although we can get a Semiconductor Parameter analyzer, Potentiostat, and Impedance Analyzer from the market but they are to be bought separately. Currently, no manufacturer offers these devices integrated into a single device. The Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer, Potentiostat, and Impedance Analyzer available in the market are far more superior and offer a wide range of features that are useful in Industrial research and development but these excess features remain unused in educational/academic research. Universities and researchers are forced to buy three expensive devices and they end up getting more features than they can utilize. We are targetting this particular group of customers who are interested in the Characterization System all three of them integrated into one with adequate features for educational/academic research purposes. 

We believe our project is unique and has huge potential and demand in educational research. With the right resources and the proper guidance from our supervisor, we will be able to channel the gap for researchers that had no other option but to buy expensive devices from the market. 

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

By the end of this project, we aim to deliver a unique characterization system. The details of which are,

GUI:

1. The user will be asked to insert which function of the device is going to be performed (Semiconductor Parameter analyzer/Potentiostat/Impedance analyzer).

2. Based on that for,

   a) Semiconductor parameter analyzer a user will have to enter

• Maximum Voltage
• Minimum Voltage
• Sweep Type (Single, Double, Pulse)
• Minimum Step Size
• Step Time

   b) Potentiostat Setup a user will have to enter 

• Maximum Voltage
• Minimum Voltage
• Sweep Type (Single, Double, Pulse)
• Minimum Step Size
• Step Time

   c) Impedance Analyzer a user will have to enter

• Frequency Range.
• Frequency Step Size.
• Sweep Type (Single, Double, Pulse).

3. The user will be asked to connect the device.

4. User will Press start and the appropriate Graph will be displayed with data logging in real-time.

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Core Industry

Education

Other Industries

IT , Medical , Energy , Manufacturing , Others , Health

Core Technology

Others

Other Technologies

Sustainable Development Goals

Quality Education, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Responsible Consumption and Production, Partnerships to achieve the Goal

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com