— Biocompatible graphene transistor array reads cellular signals — Researchers have demonstrated, for the first time, a graphene-based transistor array that is compatible with living biological cells and capable of recording the electrical signals…
— Researchers find some smartphone models more vulnerable to attack — New research from North Carolina State University shows that some smartphones specifically designed to support the Android mobile platform have incorporated additional features that…
— MIT: New algorithm may improve defensive driving — In 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2.3 million automobile crashes occurred at intersections across the United States, resulting in some 7,000…
— Researchers use CT to recreate Stradivarius violin — Using computed tomography (CT) imaging and advanced manufacturing techniques, a team of experts has created a reproduction of a 1704 Stradivarius violin. Three-dimensional images of…
— Terminator-style info-vision takes step towards reality — The streaming of real-time information across your field of vision is a step closer to reality with the development of a prototype contact lens that could potentially provide the wearer…
— Scientists invent long-lasting, near infrared-emitting material — Materials that emit visible light after being exposed to sunlight are commonplace and can be found in everything from emergency signage to glow-in-the-dark stickers. But until now,…
— Team of researchers develop world's lightest material — A team of researchers from UC Irvine, HRL Laboratories and the California Institute of Technology have developed the world's lightest material - with a density of 0.9 mg/cc - about…
— Humans can control a cursor with power of thought — The act of mind reading is something usually reserved for science-fiction movies but researchers in America have used a technique, usually associated with identifying epilepsy, for…
— Nanoparticles improve solar collection efficiency — Using minute graphite particles 1000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, mechanical engineers at Arizona State University hope to boost the efficiency - and profitability…
Tiny 'on-chip detectors' count individual photons
A team of researchers has integrated tiny detectors capable of counting individual photons on computer chips. These detectors, called 'single-photon avalanche diodes (SPAD),' act like mini Geiger counters, producing a 'tick' each time a photon is detected.
The researchers present their findings in Applied Physics Letters, a journal published by the American Institute of Physics.
'In the past, making these detectors required specialised processes, but recently there has been tremendous progress in making these devices in 'standard' integrated circuit processes - those used to make computer chips,' says Ryan Field, a Ph.D. candidate in the department of electrical engineering at Columbia University. 'This has dramatically decreased the cost of making detectors and enabled them to be integrated on the same chip with complex circuitry.'
The team has produced such detectors with extremely low noise, which means that there's a low probability of getting a 'tick' without a photon present.
'These detectors are being used for specialised camera chips to measure fluorescence, which is extremely important to biological imaging,' explains Field. 'Fluorescent labels are used throughout biology to image processes in vivo and in vitro. One of the properties of fluorescence is that it decays after the excitation source has been removed, with a characteristic decay time known as the 'lifetime.' By photon counting, we can measure this lifetime with our SPAD-based camera, forming a high-frame-rate lifetime imager that can provide further insight into the nature of biological processes.'
Or subscribe for our Newsletter, a free e-mail publication. It is published practically every day.
Apple unveils an all new MacBook family
Model predicts system remaining life, links to inventory
Gecko foot adhesive gets stronger, directional gripping
CSIRO oversees rescue of 'Outback Joe'