Robert Bruce Darling, Ph.D., P.E.

Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle
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Projects
Grants

Description of Research Areas

Device Modeling  Development of detailed physical models for semiconductor devices and the electron and photon transport processes occurring within them. Past work has emphasized modeling of compound semiconductor field-effect transistors, photodiodes, photoconductors, laser diodes, microwave diodes, and high-speed/high-power switches. Development of compact models for circuit and system level simulation of electronic and electromechanical devices. Present work is on compact modeling and layout extraction of MEMS mechanical sensors, CMOS ESD protection structures, and radiation effects on SOI-CMOS.

Optical Sensors  Development of integrated optoelectronics solutions for high-speed and image preprocessing applications.  Present work is on smart pixels with smart illumination (SPSI), high-speed photoconductive switching, photodetectors integrated with CMOS, and digital light processing for microscopy. 

Chemical Sensors  Development of integrated microelectrode arrays for electrochemical analyses.  Present work is on microdisk and microband arrays for environmental water quality applications, integration of microelectrodes with microfluidic flow cells, and miniaturized mass spectrometer systems and their components. 

Microfabrication Processes  Development and integration of special purpose microfabrication processes which enable sensor integration with microelectronics circuitry. Present work is on focused ion beam micromachining and lithography, ultra-violet laser micromachining, atomic force microscope nanolithography, and on the development of several silicon-on-insulator CMOS processes for RF MEMS and biochemical sensing applications.

Instrument Development  Development of compact, portable, field instrumentation for chemical analysis and medical diagnostics.  Present work is on the development of modular microfluidics integration technology, portable water analysis instruments, miniaturized mass spectrometer instruments, and instruments for rapid chemical and biochemical detection in harsh environments.  Development of ultra-compact instrumentation for human physiological monitoring.