| Discrete Microwave Spectroscopy using Planar ResonatorThis work presents wideband harmonic based liquid sensing using planar microwave resonators. A thin layer LTCC substrate is utilized to design and fabricate a ring resonator sensor, monitoring its harmonics up to 40GHz. Non-constant permittivity frequency spectrum of liquids generate correlated nonlinear frequency shifts in the harmonic frequencies. This information can then be employed to backtrack the liquid properties and permittivity across a wideband frequency. Sample reading in a frequency range of 3GHz to 40 GHz represents a satisfactory distinction between different kinds of the liquids under the test. Using de-ionized (DI) water, methanol and propanol, different frequency responses are gathered over the full frequency range of 40 GHz for 5-sample points as reference harmonics.
| Publication | 2019-05-01 | Navid Hosseini, Masoud Baghelani, Mojgan Daneshmand |
| Selective Measurement of Water Content in Multivariable Biofuel Using Microstrip Split Ring Resonators | Publication | 2020-01-01 | Masoud Baghelani, Navid Hosseini, Mojgan Daneshmand |
| Focused Session on "Microwave and Hot Carrier Sensors" at IEEE Sensors 2022, Dallas TXI am organizing a Focused Session on Microwave and Hot Carrier Sensors at IEEE Sensors 2022 together with Prof. Mohammad Zarifi from the University of British Columbia. IEEE Sensors is a large conference with multiple parallel tracks & sessions, and several thousand attendees every year. The conference is being organized in an in-person format in Dallas, TX from October 30 to November 03, 2022. | Activity | 2022-04-29 | Karthik Shankar, "Mohammad Zarifi" |
| COUPLED MICROWAVE RESONATORS FOR DISTANT SENSING APPLICATIONSShe contributed to MST01-T07-P04NP (UofA) milestone.
"For the past two decades, planar microwave resonators have been used for sensing and monitoring applications due to their unique characteristics such as non-contact and real-time sensing capability, simple and low-cost fabrication process, which make them a high performance alternative to traditional bulky waveguide sensors. However, the limitation of electronic readout circuitry in harsh environment sensing, low-sensitivity, and distance limited sensing performance are the important challenges and limitations for their successful implementation into a wireless sensing system and the Internet of Thing (IoT) ecosystem. The work presented in this thesis focuses on distance and resolution enhancement of coupled split-ring resonator (SRR) based structures, and several highly sensitive distant sensing systems and their applications are presented.
To address the distance limited sensing performance in the conventional SRR-based sensors, a reader-tag structure based on coupled SRR structures is designed. The presence of the second resonator, the tag, enhances the design's sensitivity significantly and enables the sample under the test to be placed at further distances from the reader. Applications of the proposed technology in non-contact real-time hazardous gas sensing, humidity percentage monitoring, and non-invasive glucose concentration sensing is investigated.
In the second step, sensing distance in the reader-tag structure is enhanced using a locally strong coupled microwave resonator. Backed with theory, simulations, optimization, and experimental results, this concept demonstrates the ability to significantly increase the distance between the tag and the reader. The flexible ultra-thin tag resonator empowers the proposed design to perform real-time noncontact sensing using an inexpensive sensing element that could be easily mounted on any material container. The design applications in high-temperature bitumen sensing, humidity monitoring, and disposable microfluidic biomedical sensors are explored.
Furthermore, to enhance the resolution of the sensing, an active feedback loop has been added to the conventional SRR-based planar structure to compensate for different sources of loss and create a sharp high-Q response, capable of high-resolution sensing performance. The application of high-resolution active sensors is investigated for pH level sensing in biomedical and pipeline integrity.
Finally, in order to enable microwave sensing systems to be capable of high-resolution measurement and protect them is harsh environment applications, the active feedback loop and the tag-reader coupled structure are combined in one structure and a flexible low-cost, RF chipless tag-reader sensor is developed, capable of ultra high-quality factor performance. The chipless RF tag is a great candidate for harsh environment sensing applications since the main sensing element in the design is a passive structure. The high level of sensitivity offered by design, empowers it for concentration measurement in nano-liter samples. The presented technique provides a practical solution for highly sensitive, non-invasive, and real-time sensing applications." | Publication | 2021-01-01 | Zahra Abbasi |
| Volume Fraction Sensing of Multivariable Systems using Multi-Resonances of Planar Microwave ResonatorsHe contributed to MST04-T07-P04NP (UofA) milestone.
"In recent years, sensing and selectivity have been the subject of many types of research due to their practical challenges. The main issue is the limited number of output data that confine the degree of freedom to solve the unknown problem. The majority of multi-variable experiments seek more assisting parameters and independent features for finalizing their solution. Microwave resonators as detecting devices can help gather the required data from the material under test in different experiments. Their resonance shift is one of the features that is mainly utilized for sensing purposes. But, for the detection of multi-variable parameters like multi-subcomponent volumes in a solvent or mixture, more than one independent feature is required. For overcoming this bottleneck, a new material characteristic is required, generating and defining the new independent features. Having more independent features out of the sensor response enables unknown variables identification. In this thesis, the term “harmonic” represents the resonance modes of the microwave resonator. One of the simplest forms of microwave resonators is the split ring resonator (SRR) and ring resonators. These kinds of structures are low-cost, non-invasive, and real-time devices making them a proper candidate for sensing applications. Like any other resonator, their microwave profile can be easily perturbed by introducing the external load and altering their Q-factor as a result. Generally, the rings are resonating structures that generate multiple resonant modes in their frequency response. These resonant mode frequencies are dependent features of the rings as they iterate themselves and their operational band. To make these elements change uniquely and independently, the variant permittivity profile of the materials under test can be considered as a new parameter. Developing the frequency shift of the resonances as a function of real relative permittivity variations defines the multiple independent features and authorizes the multi-variable diagnosis along with material senses. This can be realized by forming the linear system of equations for each independent resonant mode and solving them for volumetric unknowns or sub-component concentrations."
| Publication | 2021-01-01 | Navid Hosseini |
| Wireless Sensor Technology For Heavy Oil ApplicationsA presentation on Wireless Sensor Technology For Heavy Oil Applications broadcasted on YouTube through FES Channel. | Activity | 2020-08-17 | Masoud Baghelani |
| Temperature Sensing in Harsh EnvironmentsSteam Assisted Gravity Drainage systems, or SAGD, are a vital piece of Alberta’s energy sector and the
subject of several other Future Energy Systems projects.
SAGD wells go deep underground, with one injecting steam into the oil reservoir to reduce its viscosity,
while the other collects the oil and pumps it to the surface. Reliable, robust sensors are required for
real-time monitoring of factors such as blockages, corrosion, pressure and temperature - each of which
can impact productivity and environmental safety.
Our project focuses on producing a temperature sensor which can operate as a standalone device, or as
an integrable component for temperature calibration of other sensors. | Activity | 2021-04-29 | Brent Leier |
| Microwave Sensor System and MethodMy invention describes a low-cost, single wire, self-resonance, microwave sensor for multivariable analysis of oilsands at high-temperature and high-pressure environmental conditions. The structure of the sensor includes a self-resonance system constructed from a metallic coil capable of withstanding extremely high temperatures well beyond the conditions of downhole Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) applications.
The sensor offers multiple resonance frequencies throughout its spectrum and according to the significant change in the dielectric permittivities of the target materials downhole SAGD (water, bitumen, and clay), the system is able to measure volumetric concentrations of the target materials.
Since the system is exposed directly to the target medium without utilizing a substrate, very high sensitivity is expected especially in the direct vicinity of its structure. Moreover, the pure metallic structural material of the sensor guarantees the sensor's capability to tolerate temperatures up to even 1000C which is well beyond the requirement of SAGD applications. This sensor is essential for improving the water and energy consumption rates, and therefore environmental protection.
The novelties of this invention rely on 1) utilizing multiple resonances for enabling multivariable analysis, 2) employing a single wire completely metallic structure capable of withstanding extreme conditions such as very high temperature and pressures, and 3) very high sensitivity of the structure as the result of removing the substrate. The elements of this novel structure are therefore non-obvious. | IP Management | 2022-08-25 | Masoud Baghelani |
| A Microwave Stripline Ring Resonator Sensor Exploiting the Thermal Coefficient of Dielectric Constant for High-Temperature SensingThe paper describes the design and fabrication of a temperature sensor for use in harsh environments. The sensor uses a stripline transmission-line-based design that exploits the thermal coefficient of the dielectric constant of the microwave substrate material. The design includes a ring resonator and gap-coupled transmission lines, with upper and lower ground planes to shield the sensor from environmental disturbances. Compared to similar designs using microstrip technology, this design provides improved sensitivity due to the homogeneous dielectric. The fabricated sensor requires temperature-conditioning, and experiments show a linear sensitivity of ≈500 kHz/°C. The sensor is suitable for long-term temperature monitoring applications. University of Alberta | Publication | 2022-10-05 | Brent Leier, Masoud Baghelani, Iyer, A. |
| A Single-Wire Microwave Sensor for Selective Water and Clay in Bitumen Analysis at High Temperatures | Publication | 2021-01-01 | Masoud Baghelani |
| Artificial Intelligence Assisted Non-Contact Microwave Sensor for Multivariable Biofuel Analysis | Publication | 2020-01-01 | Masoud Baghelani, Navid Hosseini, Mojgan Daneshmand |
| Locally Strong-Coupled Microwave Resonator Using PEMC Boundary for Distant Sensing Applications | Publication | 2019-10-01 | Mehdi Nosrati, Zahra Abbasi, Masoud Baghelani, Sharmistha Bhadra, Mojgan Daneshmand |
| Non-contact real-time water and brine concentration monitoring in crude oil based on multi-variable analysis of microwave resonators | Publication | 2021-01-01 | Masoud Baghelani, Navid Hosseini, Mojgan Daneshmand |
| Noncontact high sensitivity chipless tag microwave resonator for bitumen concentration measurement at high temperatures | Publication | 2020-04-01 | Masoud Baghelani, Zahra Abbasi, Mojgan Daneshmand |
| Planar microwave resonator with electrodeposited ZnO thin film for ultraviolet detectionA ZnO thin film is electrodeposited on the conducting strips of a planar microwave ring resonator to enable the formation of a novel sensor for ultraviolet irradiation. The fabrication of the sensor involves a low-cost process that basically utilizes a printed circuit board and an aqueous precursor solution. The resonator with no ZnO coating operates with a resonant frequency of 6.2 GHz and a quality factor of 170. The time-resolved microwave photoresponse of the sensor to UV illumination, under ambient conditions, is assessed through measurements of the resonance profile of the S21 parameter. The resonance frequency exhibited a highly sensitive downshift of ~ 6 MHz after a UV illumination time of ~ 3 min. This downshift is mostly attributed to the change in the dielectric constant of the ZnO film caused largely by the additional creation of bound charges. The usually reported long-lived and persistent post-illumination effects were not observed. The measurements of the resonance amplitude carried out at 20% and 70% relative humidities revealed average excess carrier relaxation lifetimes of 213 s and 185 s, respectively. Concomitantly, the measured resonance frequency downshifts increased with increased humidity. These results highlight the difference in the interaction mechanisms of photogenerated carriers with water and oxygen molecules on the surface and grain boundaries of the ZnO film. To our knowledge, this UV irradiation sensor is the first ZnO-based sensor device implemented with planar microwave circuit technology. In addition, the capabilities demonstrated by this simple photo-sensing method to determine induced carrier lifetimes make it a valuable technique for an in-depth investigation of the material properties. | Publication | 2019-12-01 | M Benlamri, S Deif, Najia Mahdi, Masoud Baghelani, M H Zarifi, D W Barlage, Karthik Shankar, Mojgan Daneshmand |
| Selective real-time non-contact multi-variable water-alcohol-sugar concentration analysis during fermentation process using microwave split-ring resonator based sensor | Publication | 2021-01-01 | Navid Hosseini, Masoud Baghelani |
| Selective Volume Fraction Sensing Using Resonant-Based Microwave Sensor and its Harmonics | Publication | 2020-01-01 | Navid Hosseini, Masoud Baghelani, Mojgan Daneshmand |
| Wide-Band Label-Free Selective Microwave Resonator-Based Sensors for Multi-Component Liquid Analysis | Publication | 2022-02-01 | Masoud Baghelani |
