University of Victoria

<p><strong>University of Victoria</strong></p>
<p>The University of Victoria (UVic) is located in Victoria, British Columbia on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. We are widely recognized for leadership in research, inspired teaching, community engagement and industry partnerships. UVic works with local, national and international innovators in research and development to maintain its standing at #1 in North America for Published Research Based on International Collaborations (Leiden rankings, 2011-2019). Researchers at UVic work to discover technologies that make a difference, making contributions to a wide range of fields from fuel cells to cancer cells to climate change and cultural change. We are small enough to be personable and agile, and big enough to make an impact on the world. We strive to make change through research excellence, and a diverse research portfolio for continued growth and further global prominence. UVic has an innovative spirit with a desire to see new ideas and discoveries come to life. </p>
<p><strong>Research Partnerships</strong></p>
<p>The Research Partnerships office manages all commercialization and technology transfer activities for UVic. Our office builds relationships with external partners and supports the engaged research environment. We manage the innovation process via disclosure, evaluation and protection of intellectual property. We have filed 550+ patents, received 1100+ invention disclosures and launched 170+ start-up companies since our office’s inception in 1992. Industry-academic partnerships are the most valuable way industry can leverage UVic’s expertise. We welcome inquiries from companies interested in collaborating with UVic or from those wanting to learn more about our licensing opportunities.</p>


<h1 id="background">Background</h1>
<p>Terahertz (THz) electromagnetic systems and technology are rapidly growing in the marketplace in the fields of general analysis, diagnostics and communications. THz applications include, breathalyzers (local and remote), metabolic monitoring, CO monitoring in neonates, NO monitoring for asthma, <sup>13</sup>CO<sub><sup>2</sup></sub> for <em>H. pylori</em> infection, branched hydrocarbons for heart transplant rejection, NH<sub>3</sub> for kidney/liver dysfunction, acetone for diabetes, pollutant monitoring, trace gas detection and so much more. There are currently two main THz spectrometers, enabled by photoconductive antennae (PCA) on the market today, The older PCS LT‑GaAs and the newer PCA InGaAs. These two technologies offer cost advantages and operate at 1550 nm. This is key to developing a low‑cost and portable system. However, THz systems operating at 1550 nm are not very efficient and have a reduced bandwidth than those operating at 800 nm. </p>
<p>There need to be efficient and higher‑power photoconductive switches that operate at wavelengths near 1550 nm.</p>
<h1 id="technology-overview">Technology Overview</h1>
<p>UVic researchers have developed a Terahertz (THz) photoconductive antenna (PCA), a plasmon-enhanced, low temperature GaAs (PELT-GaAs) chip technology, that demonstrates improved performance at a lower anticipated cost when compared to InGaAs PCAs currently in the marketplace. Use of the PE-LT-GaAs chip leverages low-cost high-performance 1550 nm technology developed for fiber optics communications (instead of the expensive, competing 800 nm technology) without the concomitant sacrifice of performance necessitated by the use of InGaAs.</p>
<h1 id="benefits">Benefits</h1>
<ul>
<li>Have orders of magnitude higher resistivity (reduced dark current and noise), compared to competitors</li>
<li>Shorter carrier lifetimes</li>
<li>Lower cost (less material required and it is commercially available at lower cost).</li>
</ul>
<h1 id="applications">Applications</h1>
<ul>
<li>Biomedical</li>
<li>Engineering</li>
<li>Environmental</li>
</ul>
