People > Faculty
Martin Afromowitz
 |
Martin Afromowitz Professor Microtechnology, sensors, biomedical instrumentation 426 EE/CSE Box 352500 University of Washington Seattle, WA 98195 |
| Phone: (206) 543-6244 E-mail: afromowitz@ee.washington.edu |
Columbia University 1969 PhD
Columbia University 1966 MS
Columbia University 1965 BS
Biosketch
Dr. Afromowitz has been at the University of Washington since 1974. He has been active in the areas of solid state optics and devices, sensors and microfabrication since the mid 1970's. He attended Columbia University from 1962 until 1969, where he received his BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering.
As a member of the technical staff at Bell Labs between 1969 and 1974, he worked in the groups developing the GaP light-emitting diode and the GaAs heterostructure laser. He is well-known for some ingenious optics-based measurements of properties of the GaAlAsP alloy system, such as the thermal conductivity and lattice constant.
He holds seven patents in the general area of sensors. Since 1980, he has perfected an optical technique for characterizing burn wounds, which yields much higher diagnostic accuracy than that of an experienced burn surgeon. As a consultant to industry, he has worked on optical fiber sensors for acceleration, pressure, temperature, electric field, and pH. Other activities involved the development of fiber optic-based sensors for physical measurements of gases, including flow, thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and viscosity. He also developed an optical fiber sensor for monitoring the curing of thermoset resins and helped develop a fiber optic probe for the detection of subgingival dental calculus. He is currently pursuing research in three-dimensional lithography and microfluidics.
Honors
NIH Research Career Development Award, 8/77 - 7/82
Research Interests
Professor Afromowitz is currently working on the development of advanced microfabrication technologies, specifically for micro-optic and microfluidic applications; he also maintains an active interest in sensors and biomedical instrumentation.
Current Projects:
1) Gray-scale etching and 3-D photolithographic structures: Professor Afromowitz is investigating alternative processing of thick photoresists in order to develop techniques for creating microstructures with smoothly-varying depth profiles. There are many applications for such structures in micro-optics and microfluidics.
2) We are working on techniques for fabricating high-aspect-ratio structures in SU-8 photoresist, for applications in the development of high-sensitivity accelerometers and gyroscopes.
Selected Publications
C. Wu, M. A. Kenny, M. Huang, M. A. Afromowitz and P.Yager, "Feasibility Study for the Measurement of Oxyhemoglobin Using Whole Blood Without Pretreatment," Clinical Chemistry, 42:S283, (1996).
Recent Conference Papers
R. L. Bardell, F. K. Forster, R. J. Penney, N. R. Sharma and M. A. Afromowitz, Designing High-Performance Micro-pumps based on No-Moving-Parts Valves, DSC-Vol. 62/HTD-Vol. 354, Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) ASME 1997, pp. 47-53.
M-C. Huang, M. Afromowitz, G. vanden Engh, B. H. Weigl and P. Yager, Development of a Flow Cytometery Based Miniature Chemical Fluid Analysis System using Fluorescent Microbeads, Proc. of SPIE, Vol. 3256, 178-185 (1998).
M. Afromowitz and M-C. Huang, Silicon Microfabricated Device for Non-Sheath-Flow Cytometer, Proc. of SPIE, Vol. 3570, 209-216 (1998).
M. Afromowitz and M-C. Huang, Silicon Microfabricated Device for Non-Sheath-Flow Cytometer, BiOS Europe 98, Stockholm, 8-12 September 1998.
M. A. Afromowitz, Breakthrough in Correlation Flow Sensing, DARPA Microflumes PI Meeting, San Diego, Dec. 1-3, 1998.
Patents
F. K. Forster, R. L. Bardell, A. P. Blanchard, M. A. Afromowitz and N. R. Sharma, Micropumps with fixed valves, US Patent #5,876,187, issued March 2, 1999.
M. A. Afromowitz, M-C. Huang, F. K. Forster and P. Yager, Microfluidic Particle Focusing Device, provisional patent submitted Sept. 1998.
Recent Graduate Students
Ming-Chieh Huang, Ph.D. EE, "Silicon microfabricated device for non-sheath-flow cytometer-based chemical analysis and microchannel flow sensing," March 3, 1999.
Bryon D. Bhagwandin, Ph.D. Bioengineering, Integrated optical micro-calorimeter, June 3, 1999.
