Abstract

Advanced Signal Processing for Optofluidic Single-Molecule Sensors

Holger Schmidt, Narinder Kapany Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of California-Santa Cruz

Chip-scale optofluidic devices have emerged as powerful, ultrasensitive sensors for molecular biomarkers. Maintaining outstanding performance in a point-of-care setting introduces new tradeoffs between cost, reliability, and performance. I will discuss the use of advanced signal processing methods that provide optimized information extraction in the presence of limited signal-to-noise ratios that are typically found outside a research lab. Examples include a new, ultrafast wavelet-based signal analysis algorithm, the use of machine learning and neural networks for multiplexing, and a new modulation technique that provides ultrawide dynamic range with a single method. In concert, these techniques allow for real-time, single molecule detection at the edge.