Projects / Laboratory and scientific instruments
Laboratory FAIMS prototype with high-voltage generator, DC offset channel, synchronization and electrometer module for picoamp detector-current measurement.
The task was to develop the electronic basis for FAIMS experiments: generate an asymmetric high-voltage field, control DC offset and measure extremely small detector currents. The difficulty is that one setup combines kilovolt-level signals and picoamp-level measurements.
A laboratory prototype of the key FAIMS electronic subsystems was developed: high-voltage generator, compensation-voltage channel and sensitive detector-current meter. The project closes the main engineering risks of the research setup, but is not positioned as a finished serial analyzer.
Project materials
Engineering context
The high-voltage part has to generate the field for ion separation.
The measurement part has to work with extremely small currents without being overwhelmed by interference.
The generator and detector have to be synchronized with each other.
For a laboratory prototype, available components, clear debugging and adjustable modes are important.
Work done
FAIMS prototype architecture.
High-voltage generator and transformer driver.
DC offset channel.
Electrometer current-to-voltage amplifier.
Filtering and buffer stages of the measurement path.
STM32L432 firmware for the high-voltage and measurement boards.
RS-485/Modbus, debug UART and synchronization signals.
Details
The generator forms the field for the electrode system and allows laboratory modes to be controlled. For this type of experiment, signal shape repeatability matters together with amplitude.
The detector module is built around a sensitive current-to-voltage path. This part requires careful analog design, filtering, leakage protection and attentive PCB layout.
This project shows work at the boundary of high-voltage, analog and measurement electronics: one device has to control the field and register a weak measurement signal at the same time.
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