The main activities carried out at the Sensing Technology Lab are related to printed, flexible, environmentally-friendly, disposable, and biodegradable electronic devices used in a wide range of applications, from internet of things, food science, biotechnology, smart environment and agriculture, to wearable and medical systems. Our laboratory is working on sensors, biosensors, energy harvesters, as well as actuators based on a wide range of nanomaterials. The final aim of the laboratory is the development of fully autonomous systems incorporating sensing, energy harvesting, storage, read-out, and wireless communication functionality, based on printed and flexible technologies and a wide range of nanomaterials. This is performed through basic research on novel materials, devices, and integration technologies, as well as through the field application of these devices and systems.

Research Focus

• Printed and large-area electronics
• Sensors and biosensors
• Internet of things
• Environmentally friendly production of electronic devices
• Design and simulation of electronic devices
• Disposable and biodegradable electronics

Main Instrumentation

The laboratory equipment of the Sensing Technology Lab is dedicated to the synthesis and deposition of novel active and passive materials, to the device fabrication and characterization, as well as to the integration of these devices into more complex systems.

Our current laboratories in piazza Università 1 (E1.21, E1.23, E2.11) include the following equipment for the fabrication and characterization of printed devices and systems:

• Screen printer
• Inkjet printer
• Dispense printer
• Spray-coating robot
• 3D printer
• Spin-coater
• Plasma asher
• Fourier-transform infrared spectroscope (FTIR)
• Reflectometer
• Optical profilometer
• Optical reflection microscope
• Impedance analyzer
• Network analyzer
• Potentiostat
• Oscilloscopes, power supplies, function generator, source meters, and digital multimeter
• Thermal camera

Our new laboratories at NOI Techpark (A2.3.05c, A2.3.05d, A2.3.05e) funded by the European Regional Development Fund Investment for Growth and Jobs Programme 2014-2020 include the following equipment for the material synthesis, deposition and analysis, as well as for the device fabrication and characterization:

• ISO 5 clean-room with mask aligner
• Spin coaters, microbalances, hot plates
• Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of carbon nanotubes and graphene
• Atomic layer deposition (ALD) of oxides
• Glovebox with e-beam and thermal evaporators of metals and insulators
• Chemical wet hoods
• Probe sonicator, centrifuge, and ultrasonic bath
• Atomic force microscope (AFM)
• Optical microscope
• Optical setup for transmittance and quantum efficiency measurements
• Probe station equipped with parameter and network analyzer
• Oscilloscopes, source meters, data acquisition switch with multiplexer, and power supplies

Location

E1.21, E1.23, E2.11, A2.3.05c, A2.3.05d, A2.3.05e

Team

Biresaw Demelash Abera
Enrico Avancini
Ali Douaki
Pietro Ibba
Sarwar Inam
Paolo Lugli
Asma Mushtaq
Luisa Petti
Bajramshahe Shkodra
Mattia Petrelli
Elia Scattolo
Raheel Riaz
Mukhtar Ahmad
Maria Rivola
Sonnet Malakaran George
Sahira Carolina Vasquez Baez
Martina Aurora Costa
Denis Garoli

Head
Paolo Lugli

Vice head
Luisa Petti