Capacitive Sensing with Graphene

Seminar is co-sponsored by ECE Solid State and Nanotechnology Group and IEEE Southeastern Michigan Trident Chapter IV.

Abstract: Passive wireless sensors are increasingly needed devices in the era of mobile health care and internet of things. Devices that can rely on little or no power can be easily added to other gadgets. Furthermore, passive wireless biological sensors are a step towards in-vivo sensing. During my PhD research, graphene quantum capacitance was utilized to engineer variable capacitor to the end goal of making passive wireless glucose sensors. Graphene is an attractive material for sensing applications due to its large surface-to-volume ratio and high electrical conductivity. The concentration-dependent density of states in graphene allows the capacitance in metal-oxide-graphene structures to be tunable with carrier concentration. This feature allows graphene to act as a variable capacitor (varactor). Capacitance tuning range of 1.6:1 was achieved at room-temperature with a back gated structure. A characterization methodology was developed to serve as a diagnostic process to ascertain graphene varactor limitations and capabilities.
Biography Mona Ebrish is a Fulbright Scholarship Recipient who received her B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering in 2007 from the University of Tripoli, Libya. She received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 2011, 2015 respectively, under the supervision of Professor Steven J. Koester. Her research has focused on fabrication, characterization, and analysis of Graphene variable capacitors for wireless sensing applications. Mona's Ph.D. dissertation is one of the earliest studies on utilizing the quantum capacitance effect in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) Graphene to better understand CVD Graphene capabilities in sensing applications. Her research resulted in 13 papers and abstracts in major conferences and journals. Currently she is an Advisory Research Scientist at IBM Research in Albany, NY, USA.