A novel thermopile technology using holey silicon enables highly sensitive broadband thermal detection across the entire electromagnetic spectrum.

      State-of-the-art scanning probe microscopy (SPM) systems, including microwave impedance microscopy (MIM) and near-field scanning microscopy (NSOM), typically operate in a dynamic, non-contact “tapping” mode. Lock-in detection at the probe cantilever’s resonant mechanical oscillation frequency mitigates effects of drift and achieves high measurement sensitivity of local material characteristics. Electrical, mechanical, or other material properties can be measured down to the nanoscale. However, a full time-domain tip-sample response would yield a much richer data set. Unfortunately, existing methodologies require moving the entire scan head to sweep the tip-sample separation at rates far below the resonant frequency of the cantilever or tuning fork—yielding slow scan speeds and outputs vulnerable to drift, 1/f noise, and stray coupling.       To overcome these challenges, UC Berkeley researchers have leveraged high-speed data acquisition, wideband detection electronics, and modern real-time computing to acquire hyperspectral datasets at twice the mechanical resonant frequency of the probe. The invention captures up to hundreds of thousands of curves per second, without sacrificing scan speed, resolution, or stability. It can be straightforwardly integrated on most commercial SPM platforms, and for a wide range of resonantly driven probes, including cantilevers, quartz tuning forks, and qPlus sensor. Among other benefits, the technique enables novel post-processing capabilities, including retrospective enhancement of spatial resolution.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed tactile feedback systems that enhance spatial and sensory resolution in sensor arrays through unique signal modulation techniques.

Multimode optical fiber was first introduced in astrophotonics applications as “light pipes” to transport light from telescopes to instruments. The integration of multimode optical fiber helped to maximize light collection but offered little control over the propagation modes from the collected light, which affects the quality and speed of light transmission. Single-mode optical fiber used in interferometry proved invaluable for spatial filtering and wavefront correction, providing a stable, reliable, and flexible way to guide light in precision sensing and imaging. Photonic lanterns were conceived in the early 2000s to help bridge a gap between the light-gathering efficiency of multimode optical fiber and the precision of single-mode optical fiber. Photonic lantern devices have reasonably addressed the efficient conversion needs between multimode/ multi-modal and multiple single-mode light paths. However, challenges remain with respect to improving and scaling of photonic lantern devices, including coupling efficiency/losses, bandwidth limitations, and high-order mode (>20) capabilities.

A groundbreaking system that enables navigation in GPS-denied environments by using intelligent systems to mimic biological systems that recognize locations through visual cues and perform contextually appropriate actions.

This technology represents a significant leap in radar systems, offering millimeter-scale range resolution and high angular resolution.

This technology enhances the sensitivity of sensors through exceptional points of degeneracy in various circuit configurations.

Brief description not available

Brief description not available

An innovative technique for creating high-sensitivity Whispering Gallery Mode (WGM) sensors through advanced microbubble resonator fabrication.

This technology enhances indoor pedestrian localization accuracy using LTE signals by mitigating multipath errors through synthetic aperture navigation.

An innovative approach to indoor localization using LTE signals and IMU data, enhancing accuracy and reliability for navigation.

An innovative approach to vehicle localization and mapping using lidar and cellular LTE data, enhancing accuracy without relying on GNSS signals.

      Microwave impedance microscopy (MIM) is an emerging scanning probe technique that enables non-contact, nanoscale measurement of local complex permittivity. By integrating an ultrasensitive, phase-resolved microwave sensor with a near-field probe, MIM has made significant contributions to diverse fundamental and applied fields. These include strongly correlated and topological materials, two-dimensional and biological systems, as well as semiconductor, acoustic, and MEMS devices. Concurrently, notable progress has been made in refining the MIM technique itself and broadening its capabilities. However, existing literature has focused exclusively on linear MIM based on homodyne architectures, where reflected or transmitted microwave is demodulated and detected at the incident frequency. As such, linear MIM lacks the ability to probe local electrical nonlinearity, which is widely present, for example, in dielectrics, semiconductors, and superconductors. Elucidating such nonlinearity with nanoscale spatial resolution would provide critical insights into semiconductor processing and diagnostics as well as fundamental phenomena like local symmetry breaking and phase separation.       To address this shortcoming, UC Berkeley researchers have introduced a novel methodology and apparatus for performing multi-harmonic MIM to locally probe electrical nonlinearities at the nanoscale. The technique achieves unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution in characterizing complex materials. It encompasses both hardware configurations enabling multi-harmonic data acquisition and the theoretical and calibration protocols to transform raw signals into accurate measures of intrinsic nonlinear permittivity and conductivity. The advance extends existing linear MIM into the nonlinear domain, providing a powerful, versatile, and minimally invasive tool for semiconductor diagnostics, materials research, and device development.

Sensors are used in a multitude of applications from molecular biology, chemicals detection to wireless communications. Researchers at the University of California Irvine have invented a new type of electronic circuit that utilizes exceptional points of degeneracy to improve the sensitivity of signal detection.

      Pebble bed reactors (PBRs) are an emerging advanced nuclear reactor design where fuel pebbles constantly circulate through the core, as opposed to housing static fuel assemblies, generating numerous advantages including the ability for online refueling versus expensive shutdowns. Online refueling is overall beneficial but poses an operation challenge in that the pebbles must be measured and analyzed for burnup characteristics very quickly (in under 40 seconds), without much time to cool down, challenging the high Purity Germanium (HPGe) detectors historically used for burnup measurements. HPGe detectors can normally only be operated up to tens of thousands of counts per second, far below radiation rates from freshly discharged fuel, and are therefore operated at large distances from sources, with significant shielding. Only a small fraction of detected counts comes from burnup markers, yielding high uncertainty, or can be completely masked by effects of Compton scattering within the detectors.      To overcome the challenges of using HGPe detectors to measure burnup in continuously fueled reactors, UC Berkeley researchers have developed a novel technology capable of measuring gamma rays within a fine energy ranges and without the interference of Compton scattering. The device is also significantly cheaper than HPGe detectors and offers a reduced detector footprint. Nuclides including but not limited to Np-239, Eu-156, and Zr-95 can be measured and analyzed for burnup, path information through the core, and fast and thermal fluence. Furthermore, precise measurement of the Np-239 content provides better data for reactor safeguard purposes. The technology offers meaningful improvements in measurement accuracy, footprint, and cost, for PBRs and other continuously fueled reactors, such as molten salt reactors (MSRs).

      Poorly designed healthcare environments can increase patient stress and delay recovery, particularly in pediatric settings (see, e.g., Devlin & Andrade 2017; Park et al. 2018; Jafarifiroozabadi et al. 2023). Traditional methods for gathering architectural design feedback, such as interviews, surveys, and focus groups, rely heavily on subjective user input, and often fail to capture the voices of children by relying on parent proxies. Physical mock-ups, a common alternative to traditional methods, provide a full-scale model of a room or space, often constructed from materials like cardboard or foam. While these mock-ups allow for some degree of spatial exploration, they are time-intensive, and limited in their ability to replicate real-world conditions; high-fidelity mock-ups which incorporate more realistic materials and finishes add expense and limit flexibility for testing multiple design iterations.       To overcome these challenges UC Berkeley researchers have developed an innovative participatory design methodology that leverages advanced virtual reality (VR), eye-tracking, and physiological/emotional biofeedback technologies to evaluate the design of pediatric healthcare environments. This comprehensive system is further enhanced by custom-developed workflows for creating dynamic, interactive room simulations that are randomized to ensure rigorous, unbiased data collection. The methodology is uniquely capable of gathering objective, quantifiable data on how pediatric patients and their families respond physiologically and emotionally to specific environmental design features.

Charge detection mass spectrometry (CDMS) measurements of individual ions using either Orbitrap or electrostatic ion trap-based instruments have heretofore been performed under ultra-high vacuum conditions (10-9 Torr or lower). The rationale for this expensive and often cumbersome requirement is that these measurements need to be performed in an environment where collisions with background gas do not adversely affect the measurements.  UC Berkeley researchers have developed systems and methods  that enable accurate CDMS mass measurements at pressures that are as high as 1 × 10−4 Torr, multiple orders of magnitude higher than previously demonstrated. Consistent, accurate masses were obtained for pentameric antibody complexes (~800 kDa), adeno-associated viruses (~4.8 MDa), and both ~50 and ~100 nm diameter polystyrene nanoparticles (~35 MDa and ~330 MDa, respectively) at pressures ranging from 1 × 10−8 Torr to 1 × 10−6 Torr. 

Current methods for designing metamaterials to achieve a specific, complex physical response curve are often time-consuming, computationally intensive, and struggle with precisely programming nonlinear functional responses. This innovation, developed by UC Berkeley researchers, addresses this by offering a novel, accelerated inverse design method that leverages a hybrid machine learning approach combining imitation learning and reinforcement learning with Monte Carlo tree search (MCTS). This unique combination allows for the rapid and precise generation of metamaterial structures that meet a plurality of target physical response features, significantly outperforming traditional iterative or purely generative design methods in efficiency and programmability. The resulting metamaterial designs exhibit highly programmable and non-intuitive functional properties.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a Doppler radar front end to overcome detection nulls without quadrature demodulation.

There is a need for robust and reliable electrochemical oxygen sensing, particularly in ambient environments. This innovation, developed by UC Berkeley researchers, addresses this opportunity by providing electrochemical sensors and methods for oxygen sensing using zinc-air battery chemistry. The sensor is a compact electrochemical cell that utilizes an anode (comprising a substrate and a current collector), a cathode (comprising a gas permeable substrate and a current collector), and a separator containing an electrolyte positioned between them. An electronic unit electrically couples the anode and cathode and is configured to receive electrical signals indicative of the oxygen level in the ambient environment. This system offers a novel, potentially cost-effective and efficient approach to oxygen measurement compared to conventional sensing technologies.

As the density and performance of electronics continues to increase, thermal challenges have become a primary concern. Removing heat from electronic components can be extremely challenging, given their small size, electrical activity, and mechanical constraints. This necessitates the design of cooling solutions for a wide variety of electronic designs in applications such as datacenters, renewables, aircraft, etc. To address this problem, researchers at UC Berkeley have developed a thermal test vehicle (TTV) for characterizing the performance of electronics cooling solutions under a wide variety of operating conditions. All of the TTV circuitry required to perform measurements and temperature estimations can be included on one printed circuit board (PCB). This represents a simple, highly flexible approach for thermal test vehicle design. The overall size of the array can be scaled to any desired amount. This novel TTV represents a simple, highly flexible approach for thermal test vehicle design. Furthermore, its use of standard commercial electronic components allows for a vast reduction in cost compared to existing commercial solutions.

Optical atomic clocks have taken a giant leap in recent years, with several experiments reaching uncertainties at the 10−18 level. The development of synchronized clock networks and transportable clocks that operate in extreme and distant environments would allow clocks based on different atomic standards or placed in separate locations to be compared. Such networks would enable relativistic geodesy, tests of fundamental physics, dark matter searches, and more. However, the leading neutral-atom optical clocks operate on wavelengths of 698 nm (Sr) and 578 nm (Yb). Light at these wavelengths is strongly attenuated in optical fibers, posing a challenge to long-distance time transfer. Those wavelengths are also inconvenient for constructing the ultrastable lasers that are an essential component of optical clocks. To address this problem, UC Berkeley researchers have developed a new, laser-cooled neutral atom optical atomic clock that operates in the telecommunication wavelength band. The leveraged atomic transitions are narrow and exhibit much smaller black body radiation shifts than those in alkaline earth atoms, as well as small quadratic Zeeman shifts. Furthermore, the transition wavelengths are in the low-loss S, C, and L-bands of fiber-optic telecommunication standards, allowing the clocks to be integrated with robust laser technology and optical amplifiers. Additionally, the researchers have identified magic trapping wavelengths via extensive studies and have proposed approaches to overcome magnetic dipole-dipole interactions. Together, these features support the development of fiber-linked terrestrial clock networks over continental distances.

         Recent advancements in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy have underscored the need for novel instrumentation, but current commercial instrumentation performs well primarily for pre-existing, mainstream applications. Modalities involving, in particular, integrated electron-nuclear spin control, dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), and non-traditional NMR pulse sequences would benefit greatly from more flexible and capable hardware and software. Advances in these areas would allow many innovative NMR methodologies to reach the market in the coming years.          To address this opportunity, UC Berkeley researchers have developed a novel high-speed, high-memory NMR spectrometer and hyperpolarizer. The device is compact, rack-mountable and cost-effective compared to existing spectrometers. Furthermore, the spectrometer features robust, high-speed NMR transmit and receive functions, synthesizing and receiving signals at the Larmor frequency and up to 2.7GHz. The spectrometer features on-board, phase-sensitive detection and windowed acquisition that can be carried out over extended periods and across millions of pulses. These and additional features are tailored for integrated electron-nuclear spin control and DNP. The invented spectrometer/hyperpolarizer opens up new avenues for NMR pulse control and DNP, including closed-loop feedback control, electron decoupling, 3D spin tracking, and potential applications in quantum sensing.

      Quantum sensing is rapidly reshaping our ability to discern chemical processes with high sensitivity and spatial resolution. Many quantum sensors are based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, with nanodiamonds (NDs) providing a promising approach to chemical quantum sensing compared to single crystals for benefits in cost, deployability, and facile integration with the analyte. However, high-precision chemical quantum sensing suffers from large statistical errors from particle heterogeneity, fluorescence fluctuations related to particle orientation, and other unresolved challenges.      To overcome these obstacles, UC Berkeley researchers have developed a novel microfluidic chemical quantum sensing device capable of high-precision, background-free quantum sensing at high-throughput. The microfluidic device solves problems with heterogeneity while simultaneously ensuring close interaction with the analyte. The device further yields exceptional measurement stability, which has been demonstrated over >103s measurement and across ~105 droplets.  Greatly surpassing the stability seen in conventional quantum sensing experiments, these properties are also resistant to experimental variations and temperature shifts. Finally, the required ND sensor volumes are minuscule, costing only about $0.63 for an hour of analysis.