Guest Speaker: Prof. PHAN Hoang-Phuong
School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
UNSW Sydney
Prof. Hoang-Phuong PHAN received his B.E. and M.E. degrees from The University of Tokyo, Japan (2011, 2013), and his Ph.D. from Griffith University, Australia (2016). He is an Associate Professor and Head of the Intelligent Microsystem Laboratory in the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at UNSW Sydney. His research focuses on MEMS/NEMS, integrated sensors, flexible electronics, and three-dimensional micro-architectures. Prof. Phan has held visiting scholar appointments at AIST (Japan), Stanford University (USA), and Northwestern University (USA). He has authored over 140 journal papers in leading journals including Nature Communications, Science Advances, PNAS, Science Robotics, ACS Nano, Advanced Functional Materials, Angewandte Chemie, and Nano Energy, along with 3 patents and 5 book chapters. Phan has received several awards such as Springer Outstanding Thesis Award, the ARC DECRA Fellowship, Griffith Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence in Research Award, UNSW GROW Award, and the ARC Future Fellowship.
Abstract
Inorganic semiconductors are the key building block for most industrial integrated circuits, from computing processors to laser modules and power converters. Engineering these materials into free-standing nanomembrane architectures enables flexibility and stretchability, opening new avenues for biosensing and biomedical applications that demand mechanical compliance with soft tissues.
This talk highlights our recent efforts to engineer nanomembrane semiconductors, including silicon and silicon carbide, for three classes of biomedical systems: organ-on-chip (for disease modeling and drug screening), wearable (for on-skin monitoring/diagnosis), and implantable devices (for invasive interventions). In the first example, we harness the multiphysics coupling of liquid surface tension and gas compression in nanoscale silicon cantilevers to create biomechanical well plate (BWP) arrays for autonomous, longitudinal monitoring of organoid and engineered heart tissue contractions. In the second, we integrate silicon cantilever chips with wireless, flexible circuitry to realize a miniaturized auscultation patch (AusculPatch) – recently patented technology for home-based health monitoring. This platform captures vital body sounds including respiration, pulse waves, heart sounds, and vocal cord vibrations, supporting the diagnosis of conditions such as valvular disease and sleep apnea. In the third, we advance transfer printing techniques for wide bandgap semiconductor membranes (e.g., SiC), enabling long-term implantable electronics such as robust biobarriers, stimulation electrodes, and strain sensors.
Together, these technologies establish a toolkit of semiconductor-based platforms that accelerate the transition away from animal models, enable telehealth solutions, and support chronic disease management.