Struktura

The Department of Electronics and Information Technology comprises four research departments and one laboratory:

•  Department of Electronics and Technical Physics,
• Department of Telematics and Medical Diagnostics,
• Department of Optoelectronics and Telematic Networks,
• Department of Diagnostics and Measurement Analysis,
• Laboratory of Combustion Process Diagnostics

Department of Electronics and Technical Physics.

Two research teams operate within the Department: the Electronics Team and the Mössbauer Spectroscopy Applications Team. The scientific and research activities of the Electronics Team focus on the following areas:

• design of custom electronic and optoelectronic circuits,
• semiconductor technology (silicon and silicon carbide),
• integration of various technologies and instruments for interdisciplinary applications,
• modelling of semiconductor devices and MEMS structures,
• characterisation of semiconductor devices.

The scientific and research activities of the Mössbauer Spectroscopy Applications Team cover the following topics:

• ultra-fine interactions in binary and ternary iron alloys produced by mechanical synthesis and electrolytic deposition,
• investigations of thin metallic films using conversion electron spectroscopy (CEMS),
• magnetic properties of various grades of structural steel,
• structure and magnetic properties of bismuth ferrite-based ceramic materials produced by sintering,
• technology for producing multiferroic materials by mechanochemical activation,
• ultrafine interactions in nanocrystalline and amorphous iron alloys produced by mechanical synthesis.

Department of Telematics and Medical Diagnostics.

The Department comprises: 3 senior researchers and 3 PhDs.

The Department’s research activities focus on the following areas:

• design of telemedicine systems for diagnostics,
• design of embedded systems for intelligent sensors monitoring patients’ vital signs,
• applications of mobile systems in telemedicine,
• development of methods and research equipment for mass population screening and pre-clinical diagnosis of vascular pathologies,
• digital analysis of biomedical data in cardiovascular diseases,
• development of liquid crystal temperature sensors for medical applications,
• numerical analysis, in particular the finite element method (FEM), the boundary element method (BEM), and hybrid FEM-BEM methods in medical and industrial applications,
• inverse problems in electromagnetic fields, optimal shape design, shape reconstruction and image reconstruction methods in industrial and medical tomography,
• diffusion optical tomography and its medical applications. The application of neural networks to solving
• inverse problems in electromagnetic field theory. The Set Level Method for solving inverse problems in industrial and medical tomography.

Department of Optoelectronics and Telematic Networks.

The Department of Optoelectronics and Telecommunications Networks conducts research into fibre-optic technology and engineering. In the technology section, the department is equipped with production lines for manufacturing fibre-optic periodic structures, including fibre Bragg gratings (FBGs). The equipment enables the production of long-period gratings (LPGs) written onto quartz and multicomponent glass fibres, as well as a wide range of Bragg gratings written using the phase mask method onto telecommunications, birefringent and photonic fibres.

In the field of fibre-optic technology, research is being conducted, among other things, into sensor applications of optical fibres. The research covers groups of amplitude, phase and Bragg grating-based sensors. The range of physical quantities measured includes stress, linear strain, lateral pressure, bending, hydrostatic pressure and temperature. The research unit also specialises in high-resolution measurements of linear stress distribution in small objects using fibre-optic Bragg gratings. These measurements utilise a new measurement method developed by our research team. Research is also being conducted into chemical sensors using fibre-optic technology. The scope of the research includes measurements of pH and gas concentrations, including carbon monoxide. In the field of telecommunications applications, work is underway on a new type of optical switch that enables fully fibre-optic signal transmission in optical paths, without the need for conversion of the optical signal to an electrical one. The Department also carries out advanced numerical calculations of periodic fibre-optic structures, enabling the design of manufactured fibre-optic systems.

One of the main areas of research with high potential for practical application is the development of fibre-optic optical switches. This solution is expected to be used in optical networks, but also in signal regeneration circuits, optical logic circuits, optical memory circuits, wavelength conversion circuits with signal regeneration, as well as in the development of new electronics based on modern photonic devices. In the field of fibre-optic sensing, too, the potential applications of the research findings are promising. Work on sensors for selected physical quantities is currently widely used in measurements such as stress in building structures or in aviation. The developed method for measuring linear stresses is unique and currently has no equivalent in the field of fibre-optic sensors. It also possesses a number of properties that give it a significant advantage over the electronic sensors currently in use. Another area with great potential is the detection, using absorptive fibre-optic sensors, of the concentration of chemical substances, e.g. gases.

Department of Diagnostics and Measurement Analysis

Staff: 2 senior researchers, 2 PhD holders and 2 Master’s degree holders.

The Department’s research activities focus primarily on the use of fibre optics and image processing in the diagnosis of combustion processes (coal dust, mixtures of coal dust and biomass, synthesis gas) and biomass gasification. In addition, the research topics undertaken also include:

optoelectronic control and measurement systems for industrial processes,

the design and prototyping of complex control algorithms (NI PXI, cRIO, MyRio, PLC controllers),

analysis of measurement data (Matlab, Mathematica, Statistica, LabView, R), both classical and using artificial intelligence algorithms.

The Department’s research tasks are carried out in the Laboratory of Computerised Diagnostic and Control Systems for Thermal Processes and the Laboratory of Intelligent Sensors and Optoelectronic Systems. The main piece of equipment in the first of these laboratories is a combustion chamber designed for burning gaseous and liquid fuels with a thermal output of 150 kW (gaseous fuels) and 70 kW (liquid fuels). It enables the combustion of synthesis gas, natural gas and light liquid fuels to be carried out across a wide range of power settings. The test rig is equipped with a laser flow measurement system (Particle Image Velocimetry), a laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) system and a high-speed image capture system, which enable non-invasive studies of the combustion process. The test rig is also equipped with a laboratory-scale biomass gasification reactor, complete with a supply system for the gasification agent and fuel. The combustion and gasification processes are monitored by a computerised control and measurement system, which also allows for data archiving.

The Intelligent Sensors and Optoelectronic Systems Laboratory is dedicated to the design of sensors and intelligent optoelectronic systems – specifically for applications in the energy sector and environmental protection. It covers all necessary stages, i.e. design, prototyping, synthesis and optimisation, leading to the development of a product ready for commercialisation. The Laboratory comprises design, monitoring and validation stands assembled within a certified experimental production line. This consists of independently operating, modular stands.