Interested in digital camera research, biomedical imaging through tissue using optics, or getting a hands introduction to how micro-chips and micro-optical sensors are made? Then get some real lab experience from NSERC summer positions which are available in three areas..  Depending on the students’ there may be more than one student per project.  Students selected for these projects will receive a NSERC funding of $8512.  The descriptions are below or download this page for a description of all 3 projects.

 For PDF Description, NSERC USRA 2021 with Glenn Chapman

URSA Project 1: Helping Improve Digital Camera Sensors
With Prof. Glenn Chapman (ENSC)

Defective pixel effect in digital camera picture	Cosmic Ray path (SEU) created in Digital Camera Sensor

Are you interested in digital photography or optical sensors? Or would you like to make complex chips more reliable? We are exploring ways of ways of improving both digital sensors and regular chips using the CMOS Sensors (Active Pixel Sensors) in Digital Cameras, including cell phone cameras.  There three areas we are working on: the identification of permanent defects as cameras age, the creating new ways to recover the missing pixel information and using these camera sensors to identify regular chip defects called Single Event Upsets (SEUs).  As the digital camera sensors become larger, but their pixels become smaller, the probability of pixel defects increases over the lifetime of the sensor.  These defects in both cameras and regular chips is Cosmic Rays, particle radiation from outer space that hits the earth.  When these high energy particles hit microchips they create either temporary defects (Single Event Upset) that cause the chip to give wrong computations, or if really high energy, permanently damage the chip (see images above).  In cameras these cause defective or dead pixels.  People do not want to throw away expensive cameras just because they have dead pixels in it, but find such dead spots annoying in pictures. In chips the SEUs create real problems in real time systems such as encryption.  Digital cameras let us explore both the temporary (SEU) and permanent effects of this radiation on microchips. Previous students have also been part of published conference papers on these results and part of it has resulted in a patent application.   Want to learn more about defects in cameras – go to the the Image Sensor overview paper1 and Imager SEU paper 2 for a more complete introduction.:

Depending on the student’s background this project would range from:
(1) Experimental testing of digital cameras to identify and evaluate defects.  This can include hardware development for the testing, and software development to run the tests (controlling the cameras).
(2) Developing software programs to analyze the image data to locate the defects, and extract their parameters.
(3) Developing algorithms and software for recovering the true image hidden by the defect. 
(4) Experimental testing of already fabricated chips with new Active Pixel Sensor designs.  This includes both optical, and electronic measurements
(5) The design of new pixel cells (if they have a taken ENSC 450 VLSI design)
Previous summer students have also been part of published conference papers on these results (including one that is part of a patent application), and the project can be expanded into a BASc thesis.  40% of the students working on NSERC summer projects in this group have gone on to win NSERC graduate scholarships, in part aided by their research.

Skills Needed:
Student should be in third year or above.  Some combination of the following skills are needed, but not all are required (i.e. if you have all but 470, 460 or 450 that is fine).  The skill set will determine the type of project.  If you at taking these courses below in spring 2011 that is fine.

(1) A background in digital photography is very helpful, and a general liking of experimental work.
(2) Experience with adobe photoshop, or digital raw files valuable
(3) Good computer skills, Spreadsheets & Matlab and/or C programming very helpful.
(4) Taken an Optics courses: Optical and Laser Engineering Applications (ENSC 470), or an advanced optics from physics (for students making and designing more complicated optical systems.)
(5) Eng. Physics or Electronics background (for the micro-optics).
(6) ENSC 450 VLSI design important for the device design/simulation project area.

USRA Project 2: Studying New Optical Chemical Sensors
With Prof. Glenn Chapman (ENSC)

This project is for students who want to gain experience in optical and chemical sensor methods to detect very sensitive levels of chemicals (eg Ammonia) with optical techniques.   A common way of finding the presence of some gases or biological materials is to synthesize a specialized compound that changes its colour when exposed to the target agent.  Think of the test strips you used in basic chemistry where the paper changed colour in the presence of acids.  An expansion of this is materials that when hit by deep violet or ultraviolet laser light glow a specific color – this is called fluorescence.  The figure bellows shows a material that we are working on that changes from a purple glow originally to a bright greenish one when exposed to Ammonia – an important chemical to detect for industry.