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Welcome to the wiki page for the course PC5271: Physics of Sensors "(in AY25/26 Sem 2)!
This is the repository where projects are documented. You will need to create an account for editing/creating pages. If you need an account, please contact Christian.
Logistics: Our location is S11-02-04, time slots for "classes" are Tue and Fri 10:00am-12:00noon.
Projects[edit | edit source]
Project 1 (Example)[edit | edit source]
Keep a very brief description of a project or even a suggestion here, and perhaps the names of the team members, or who to contact if there is interest to join. Once the project has stabilized, keep stuff in the project page linked by the headline.
Inductor Sensors of Ultra-high Sensitivity Based on Nonlinear Exceptional Point[edit | edit source]
Team members: Yuan Siyu; Zhu Ziyang; Wang Peikun; Li Xunyu
We are building two coupled oscillating circuits: one that naturally loses energy (lossy) and one that gains energy (active) using a specific amplifier that saturates at high amplitudes. When tuning these two circuits to a nonlinear Exceptional Point (NEP), the system becomes extremely sensitive to small perturbations in inductance, following a steep cubic-root response curve, while remaining resistant to noise.
CK: We likely have all the parts for this, but let us know the frequency sowe can find the proper amplifier and circuit board.
EA Spectroscopy as a series of sensors: Investigating the Impact of Film-Processing Temperature on Mobility in Organic Diodes[edit | edit source]
Team members: Li Jinhan; Liu Chenyang
We will use EA spectroscopy, which will include optical sensors, electrical sensors, and lock-in amplifiers, among other components as a highly sensitive, non-destructive optical sensing platform to measure the internal electric field modulation response of organic diodes under operating conditions, and to quantitatively extract carrier mobility based on this measurement. By systematically controlling the thin film preparation temperature and comparing the EA response characteristics of different samples, the project aims to reveal the influence of film preparation temperature on device mobility and its potential physical origins.
Optical Sensor of Magnetic Dynamics: A Balanced-Detection MOKE Magnetometer[edit | edit source]
Team members: LI Junxiang; Patricia Breanne Tan Sy
We will use a laser-based magneto-optical Kerr effect setup featuring a high-sensitivity differential photodiode array to measure the Kerr rotation angle induced by surface magnetism. This system serves as a versatile optical platform to investigate how external perturbations such as magnetic fields or radiation source alter the magnetic ordering of materials, allowing for the quantitative extraction of the magneto-optical coupling coefficients of various thin films.
Resources[edit | edit source]
Books and links[edit | edit source]
- A good textbook on the Physics of Sensors is Jacob Fraden: Handbook of Mondern Sensors, Springer, ISBN 978-3-319-19302-1 or doi:10.1007/978-3-319-19303-8. There shoud be an e-book available through the NUS library at https://linc.nus.edu.sg/record=b3554643
- Another good textbook: John B.Bentley: Principles of Measurement Systems, 4th Edition, Pearson, ISBN: 0-13-043028-5 or https://linc.nus.edu.sg/record=b2458243 in our library.
Software[edit | edit source]
- Various Python extensions. Python is a very powerful free programming language that runs on just about any computer platform. It is open source and completely free.
- Gnuplot: A free and very mature data display tool that works on just about any platform used that produces excellent publication-grade eps and pdf figures. Can be also used in scripts. Open source and completely free.
- Matlab: Very common, good toolset also for formal mathematics, good graphics. Expensive. We may have a site license, but I am not sure how painful it is for us to get a license for this course. Ask if interested.
- Mathematica: More common among theroetical physicists, very good in formal maths, now with better numerics. Graphs are ok but can be a pain to make looking good. As with Matlab, we do have a campus license. Ask if interested.
Apps[edit | edit source]
Common mobile phones these days are equipped with an amazing toolchest of sensors. There are a few apps that allow you to access them directly, and turn your phone into a powerful sensor. Here some suggestions:
- Physics Toolbox sensor suite on Google play store or Apple App store.
Data sheets[edit | edit source]
A number of components might be useful for several groups. Some common data sheets are here:
- Photodiodes:
- Generic Silicon pin Photodiode type BPW34
- Fast photodiodes (Silicon PIN, small area): S5971/S5972/S5973
- PT 100 Temperature sensors based on platinum wire: Calibration table
- Thermistor type B57861S (R0=10kΩ, B=3988Kelvin). Search for Steinhart-Hart equation. See Thermistor page here as well.
- Humidity sensor
- Sensirion device the reference unit: SHT30/31
- Thermopile detectors:
- G-TPCO-035 / TS418-1N426: Thermopile detector with a built-in optical bandpass filter for light around 4μm wavelength for CO2 absorption
- Resistor color codes are explained here
- Fluxgate magnetometer FCL100
- Lasers
- Red laser diode HL6501MG
- Generic amplifiers
Some wiki reference materials[edit | edit source]
Old wikis[edit | edit source]
You can find entries to the wiki from AY2024/25 Sem 2 and AY2023/24 Sem 2.
