The name of the project:
The nanolelectron sensor elements with the sensitivity on the molecular level ("an artificial "nose")

1.1. An essence of the project
The problem of an implementation of an artificial "nose" with the maximal sensitivity on the level of the registration of the separate molecules is highly actual. Such devices are required for ecology, definition of dangerous substances (explosive, drugs and so on), in an industry, for the realization of the intellectual processors, controlling by an environment of the man living. The sensors, developed today, are, as rule, indirect and considerably concede on sensitivity (on many orders) to bodies of sense of smell of animals and insects.
1.2. A purpose of the project
The development of the nanoelectron sensor elements with the sensitivity on the level of the separate molecules. Thus should be developed as sensors for registration of the certain substance (group of substances), and tunable universal sensors.
1.3. A scientific level of the project
The current methods of the detection of the small quantity of a substance, as a rule, are connected with the use of the complex spectroscopic equipment under the laboratory conditions either with the sensors, using chemical or physical adsorption in the active layers of the transducers, transformed at the end in the changes of the electrical signal on the device output. A low sensitivity of the sensors in comparison with an use of relatively large quantity of the substance for the decomposition, ionization, chemical reactions and so on.
At the same time exist the oscillating and rotary spectrums of the molecules, characterizing strictly one or another substance. These spectrums are in a range of tens - thousands Gigahertz, that is, in a that range of a frequency, which intensively began to develop only at last time. This is promoted by development of the nanoelectron and quantum structures and the devices. An use of the semiconductor heterostructures with the resonant tunneling effect allow to realize the generators and the receivers on the given frequency range and the use of the tuned micromechanical resonators will provide the selectivity and the sensitivity increase. The works on creation of generators and receivers are abroad conducted, however messages on development of sensors in the accessible scientific literature is not present.
1.4. The basing of the project
The present project is based on the joining of the achievements of two impetuous developing technologies: nanotechnology and micromechanics. The first technology allow to realize the necessary structures with the layer of the nanometer thickness (the methods of the molecular and vapor - phase epitaxy), the second technology allow to develop the necessary micromovements, providing the positioning with the Angstrem precision (beam and membrane constructions, cantilevers in the scanning probe microscopes). Just the joining of these technologies allows to pass to creation essentially of new devices.