640-381 Principles and Applications of Sensors

 

Lecturing Staff:

 

Professor Steven Prawer

School of Physics

e-mail: s.prawer@unimelb.edu.au

 

Tutor:

 

David Hoxley

School of Physics

e-mail:  d.hoxley@physics.unimelb.edu.au

 

Text Book:

 

There is no prescribed text, but the following references will be useful:

 

Modern Physics, by R.A. Serway, C.J. Moses & C.A. Moyer. (Saunders College publishing, 2nd edition), 1997

 

Handbook of Modern Sensors: Physics, Designs, and Applications, Jacob Fraden,

(AIP Press-Springer, 2nd edition), 1996

 

Sensors, Principles and Applications, Peter Hauptmann, (Carl Hanser Verlag, Prentice Hall), 1991.

 

More references will be suggested during the course.

 

Lecture/Tutorial time slots:

 

                                         

Tuesday                      9:00am - 10:00am          Hercus Theatre            Lecture

 

Thursday                   9:00am – 10:00am          Hercus Theatre            Lecture

 

Friday                       9:00am – 10:00am           Hercus Theatre            Tutorial

 

Friday                       1:00pm – 2:00pm             Hercus Theatre             Spare

 

NOTE: We will only use 2 of these slots per week for lectures and one of them for tutorials. The lecture time slots will be Tuesday 9:00-10:00 am and Thursday 9:00-10:00 am, with the tutorial on Friday 9:00-10:00 am.  Please note that in response to students’ needs and lecturer’s commitments there maybe some flexibility in changing the tutorial and lecture time slots.

 

Purpose of the subject

 

This subject integrates the principles of physics and electrical engineering so that upon completion of the subject students will understand the fundamentals of the operation of sensors and transducers for the measurement of temperature, pressure, light, stress, composition, fatigue and the chemical environment. Students will be able to design a solution to a particular sensing problem based on their knowledge of the physical principles underpinning the operation of each type of sensor.

 

Fundamentals to be covered include the basic principles of the quantum theory of atoms, molecules and solids and the application of these principles to a wide range of materials which are of key importance in modern electronics and sensor technology.

 

Using these fundamental ideas, the topics to be covered include introduction to various types of sensors and the basic physical phenomena underpinning their operation; chemical sensors; pressure sensors; temperature sensors (remote and contact); light sensors (including photodiodes, photomultipliers, CCD cameras, and optical fibre sensors); examples and applications; signal processing for sensor; and sources of error and limitations.

 

Assessment

 

Final end of semester examination:                        50%

Tutorial Assignment – see hand-out                     30%

Laboratory Reports                                                 20%

 

 

Syllabus:

 

The following is a very general outline. A more detailed syllabus will be distributed later on in the course.

 

 

1.      Introduction to Sensor Technology

 

• Sensor characteristics (specifications, stimuli)

• Sensor types (direct, indirect, inferential)

• Role of sensors in modern technology

 

2.      Electrical Sensors

 

• Technologies: capacitive, inductive, magnetic, inductive,

resistance, piezoelectric, magnetostrictive, Peltier

• Theory: classical electromagnetism

• Applications: position, level, displacement, occupancy,

motion, velocity, acceleration, force, strain, pressure, flow,

acoustic, humidity, moisture, temperature, breeze

 

3              Mechanical Sensors

 

• Technologies: gyroscopic, bellows, membranes, thin plates,

enclosed fluids, ultrasonics

• Theory: classical dynamics and kinematics

• Applications: changes in direction, pressure, flow

 

4              Chemical Sensors

• Technologies: enzymic, catalytic, electrochemical

• Theory: elementary chemistry

• Applications: identification of chemical species, odour, taste, changes in chemical concentrations

 

5              Optical Sensors

 

• Technologies: lasers, photoemission, photodiodes, CCD cameras, optical fibres.

• Theory: elementary quantum mechanics (Planck’s blackbody radiation Photoelectric effect, deBroglie wavelength.)

• Used for sensing: position, level, displacement, occupancy, motion, velocity, acceleration, force, strain, pressure, flow, acoustic, humidity, moisture, temperature, breeze, chemical species.

 

6              Measurement of Microstructure

 

• Technologies: microtechnologies

• Theory: introductory quantum mechanics

• Applications: STM (scanning tunnelling microscope), AFM (atomic force microscope)