Toward an Accurate IR Remote Sensing of Body Temperature Radiometer Based on a Novel IR Sensing System Dubbed Digital...

Area of Science:

• Micro/Nano Engineering
• Sensor Technology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Accurate body temperature measurement is crucial for health monitoring, particularly during pandemics like COVID-19.
• Current remote infrared sensing methods for forehead temperature lack accuracy due to surface emissivity variations.
• Existing commercial instruments for fever screening are widely used but show measurement inaccuracies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel uncooled thermal sensor for accurate remote temperature and emissivity sensing.
• To create a high-performance, low-cost, low-power radiometer for mobile fever screening.
• To validate the sensor's performance through extensive modeling and application in identifying individuals with fever.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a novel suspended transistor thermal sensor (Digital TMOS) using standard CMOS-SOI process and dry etching.
• Development of a two-channel radiometer utilizing nano-metric CMOS-SOI-NEMS technology.
• Extensive modeling of the developed thermal sensor to understand its performance characteristics.

Main Results:

• The Digital TMOS sensor demonstrates internal gain, low power consumption, and high temperature sensitivity.
• The developed radiometer achieves high accuracy and resolution in remote sensing of forehead and body temperatures.
• The study addresses the significant impact of surface emissivity on infrared remote sensing accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The novel Digital TMOS thermal sensor and radiometer offer a promising solution for accurate, low-cost, low-power mobile fever screening.
• This technology has significant potential for rapid public health screening, especially for infectious diseases like COVID-19.
• The integration of advanced sensor technology with comprehensive modeling provides a pathway for improved remote thermal monitoring.