RADIATION DETECTING WEARABLE DEVICES

• US 20150346350A1
• Filed: 08/07/2015
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James Francis Ziegler, Razmig Hagop Messerian, Wayne Newhauser
• Original Assignee: James Francis Ziegler, Razmig Hagop Messerian, Wayne Newhauser
• Inventors: Ziegler, James Francis, Messerian, Razmig Hagop, Newhauser, Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 9,759,672 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/501 array
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/6126 tissue
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/026 Semiconductor dose-rate meters
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/085 the device being sensitive to very short wavelength, e.g. X-ray, Gamma-rays

Abstract

One feature pertains to a microdosimeter cell array that includes a plurality of microdosimeter cells each having a semiconductor volume adapted to generate a current in response to incident radiation. The semiconductor volumes of each of the plurality of microdosimeter cells have at least one of a size, a shape, a semiconductor type, and/or a semiconductor doping type and concentration that is associated with one or more cells or cell components of a human eye. A processing circuit is also communicatively coupled to the microdosimeter cell array and generates a signal based on the currents generated by the semiconductor volumes of the plurality of microdosimeter cells. The signal generated by the processing circuit is indicative of an amount of radiation absorbed by the microdosimeter cell array.

Claims

1. A wearable device adapted to be worn by a human user, the wearable device comprising:

a first microdosimeter cell array including a first plurality of microdosimeter cells each having a semiconductor volume adapted to generate a current in response to incident radiation, the semiconductor volumes of each of the first plurality of microdosimeter cells having at least one of a size, a shape, a semiconductor type, and/or a semiconductor doping type and concentration that is associated with one or more cells or cell components of a human eye; and

a processing circuit communicatively coupled to the first microdosimeter cell array and adapted to generate a first signal based on the currents generated by the semiconductor volumes of the first plurality of microdosimeter cells, the first signal indicative of an amount of radiation absorbed by the first microdosimeter cell array.

2. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the one or more cells or cell components of the human eye include epithelial cells of the human eye.

3. The wearable device of claim 1, further comprising:

an output device communicatively coupled to the processing circuit, the output device adapted to output radiation information based on the first signal to the human user.

4. The wearable device of claim 3, wherein the radiation information warns the human user that radiation levels have been detected that may cause cataracts and/or blindness to the human user.

5. The wearable device of claim 1, further comprising:

a frame adapted to couple to a face of the human user, the first microdosimeter cell array coupled to the frame.

6. The wearable device of claim 5, wherein the frame is an eye glass frame.

7. The wearable device of claim 6, wherein the first microdosimeter cell array is positioned on a first rim, a first temple, and/or a bridge of the frame between the first rim and a second rim.

8. The wearable device of claim 7, further comprising:

a second microdosimeter cell array coupled to at least one of the second rim and/or a second temple of the frame, the second microdosimeter cell array including a second plurality of microdosimeter cells each having a semiconductor volume adapted to generate a current in response to incident radiation, the semiconductor volumes of each of the second plurality of microdosimeter cells having at least one of a size, a shape, a semiconductor type, and/or a semiconductor doping type and concentration that is associated with one or more cells or cell components of the human eye, and wherein the processing circuit is communicatively coupled to the second microdosimeter cell array and adapted to generate a second signal based on the currents generated by the semiconductor volumes of the second plurality of microdosimeter cells, the second signal indicative of an amount of radiation absorbed by the second microdosimeter cell array.

9. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the first microdosimeter cell array has a silicon on insulator (SOI) structure having at least a portion of a bottom silicon substrate layer under an insulator layer removed to form a cavity exposing the insulator layer.

10. The wearable device of claim 9, wherein the cavity is filled with a tissue equivalent material.

11. The wearable device of claim 1, further comprising:

a microphone communicatively coupled to the processing circuit and adapted to receive voice commands from the user that retrieve radiation information from the processing circuit, the radiation information indicative of the amount of radiation absorbed by the first microdosimeter cell array.

12. The wearable device of claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless communication interface communicatively coupled to the processing circuit, the wireless communication interface adapted to transmit, to another device, a message that includes information indicative of the amount of radiation absorbed by the first microdosimeter cell array.

13. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor volumes of the first plurality of microdosimeters each have a lateral dimension ranging from 4 μ

m to 100 μ

m.

14. A wearable device adapted to be worn by a human user, the wearable device comprising:

a microdosimeter cell array including a first microdosimeter cell and a second microdosimeter cell, the first microdosimeter cell having a first semiconductor volume configured to generate a first current in response to incident radiation, the first semiconductor volume having at least one of a first size, a first shape, a first semiconductor type, and/or a first semiconductor doping type and concentration that is associated with a first type of human eye cell or human eye cell component, the second microdosimeter cell having a second semiconductor volume configured to generate a second current in response to the incident radiation, the second semiconductor volume having at least one of a second size, a second shape, a second semiconductor type, and/or a second semiconductor doping concentration that is associated with a second type of human eye cell or a human eye cell component, the first type of human eye cell or human eye cell component being different than the second type of human eye cell or human eye cell component, and wherein at least one of the second size is different than the first size, the second shape is different than the first shape, the second semiconductor type is different than the first semiconductor type, and/or the second semiconductor doping concentration is different than the first semiconductor doping concentration; and

a processing circuit communicatively coupled to the microdosimeter cell array and configured to generate a signal based on the first current and the second current, the signal indicative of an amount of radiation absorbed by the microdosimeter cell array.

15. The wearable device of claim 14, wherein the first human eye cell or cell component is an epithelial cell of a human eye.

16. The wearable device of claim 15, further comprising:

an output device communicatively coupled to the processing circuit, the output device adapted to output an audio or visual warning indicating that radiation levels have been detected that may cause cataracts and/or blindness.

17. The wearable device of claim 14, further comprising:

a frame adapted to couple to a face of the human user, the microdosimeter cell array coupled to the frame.

18. A method of manufacturing a wearable device adapted to be worn by a human user, the method comprising:

obtaining at least one of a size of a human eye lens epithelial cell, a shape of the human eye lens epithelial cell, a conductivity of the human eye lens epithelial cell, and/or a linear energy transfer (LET) value of the human eye lens epithelial cell for a first type of radiation; and

forming a first microdosimeter cell array including a plurality of microdosimeter cells each having a semiconductor volume adapted to generate a current in response to incident radiation, the semiconductor volumes of each of the plurality of microdosimeter cells formed to have at least one of (a) a size approximating the size of the human eye lens epithelial cell, a shape approximating the shape of the human eye lens epithelial cell, a semiconductor type having an LET value for the first type of radiation that approximates the LET value of the human eye lens epithelial cell, and/or a semiconductor doping type and concentration having a conductivity that approximates the conductivity of the human eye lens epithelial cell.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

providing a processing circuit adapted to generate a signal based on the currents generated by the semiconductor volumes of the first plurality of microdosimeter cells, the signal indicative of an amount of radiation absorbed by the first microdosimeter cell array; and

communicatively coupling the processing circuit to the first microdosimeter cell array.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

coupling a frame to the first microdosimeter cell array, the frame adapted to be worn on a face of the human user.