As an inventor, Dr. Hengky Chandrahalim recognizes the accomplishment of being awarded a patent. So, the significance of initiating a family of seven is huge for the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) professor.
“A patent is more than just a certificate with our names on it,” said Dr. Chandrahalim, who received help from the Air Force Research Lab’s Strategic Partnering directorate for his patents. “It represents the recognition that an idea is new, useful and worth protecting. Holding seven patents in this area isn't only a personal milestone, it's also a way to ensure that these innovations can serve the nation and the Department of Defense (DOD).”
Dr. Chandrahalim’s family of patents revolutionizes the world of microscale optomechanical sensors, which are integrated onto optical fiber tips with this innovation. His sensors use light and movement to detect and measure physical changes, like pressure or temperature, at a highly localized level. These innovations leverage advanced three-dimensional nanofabrication techniques combined with standard semiconductor processes.
“Imagine taking a strand of hair and putting a complete measuring tool right on its tip,” said Dr. Chandrahalim, who worked on these patented inventions with his graduate students at AFIT. “That is essentially what we have done. These tiny sensors sit at the end of an optical fiber, which is as thin as a human hair, and they can measure things like temperature, pressure or even the speed of flowing air or liquid.
“These sensors act like little ‘eyes and ears’ that bring us information from hidden or hard-to-reach places, opening up possibilities that simply didn’t exist before.”
The motivation to innovate was based on the limitations of current sensors. Dr. Chandrahalim describes them as large, costly and rigid.
“They take up valuable space, consume too much power and are difficult to adapt to new environments,” he said. “For the military, where every ounce of weight and every bit of space matters, this has always been a serious challenge.”
Based on those restraints, size and construction were focal points for the AFIT professor’s sensors.
“Their miniaturized design enables deployment in spaces previously inaccessible to conventional sensors, fostering revolutionary advancements across multiple industries,” Dr. Chandrahalim said. “By integrating two-photon polymerization and metal-deposition processes utilized in integrated circuit fabrication, these patented optomechanical sensors achieve intricate microscale designs with nanometer-scale resolution, ensuring exceptional reliability and performance.”
Another asset worth considering with the modernization of these sensors is a resistance to temperature changes.
“Most sensors are affected by changes in temperature, even when they aren't supposed to be measuring it,” Dr. Chandrahalim said. “This can cause their readings to drift, leading to inaccurate results. In critical situations, such as in aircraft or satellites, even small errors can have big consequences. When we say our sensors are ‘temperature immune,’ it means they are designed to ignore these unwanted temperature effects. They stay accurate even as the environment heats up or cools down.”
The long-term benefits of the family of patents potentially span across different fields. The attention to temperature changes, size and construction, for example, propels work being done in healthcare.
“Imagine a doctor performing a delicate procedure, such as guiding a thin tube into a patient’s lungs to help them breathe,” Dr. Chandrahalim said. “Right now, doctors have to rely on external equipment to estimate airflow or pressure, which can be slow and imprecise. With our sensors, a tiny device as thin as a strand of hair could be placed right at the tip of that tube, giving real-time readings of airflow directly inside the lungs. This would help doctors adjust treatments immediately and make procedures safer for patients.”
As a professor at AFIT, Dr. Chandrahalim sees the military sector benefitting, as well.
“For the military, it dramatically reduces the size, weight, cost and power requirements of traditional sensors while maintaining superior performance,” he said. “This provides breakthrough solutions for multifunctional sensing applications in highly constrained environments, such as fighter aircraft, microsatellites used in space operations and unmanned aerial vehicles, directly enhancing capabilities for the Air Force and advancing warfighter technology.”
Whatever the concentration, these patented technologies will unlock remarkable capabilities.
“What excites me most is the chance to see this technology make a real difference for national defense and everyday life,” Dr. Chandrahalim said. “For the Department of Defense, these sensors can strengthen critical systems by giving our military new ways to monitor the health of aircraft, spacecraft and other equipment with unmatched size, flexibility and precision. That means greater safety for service members and greater reliability for the missions that protect our country.
“At the same time, the very same technology can bring benefits to society. I imagine it helping doctors perform safer medical procedures, giving communities better tools to monitor pollution and making industries more efficient and sustainable. The fact that a sensor smaller than the width of a hair can do all of this is what makes the future so exciting.”
United States Patent Office Patent: # 10,942,313B2, 11,156,782B2, 11,204,468B2, 11,287,575B2, 11,320,596B2, 11,326,970B2, 11,635,315B2
Patent License Agreements are offered through the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Technology Transfer and Transition (T3) program office. A comprehensive suite of T3 mechanisms for partnering with industry and academia is offered through the office. To find out how you can partner with the T3 Program, please visit https://www.aft3.af.mil. TechLink assists the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs by actively marketing its available patented technologies to prospective companies and facilitating license agreements.