Partners

INDUSTRIAL AND HEALTH-SECTOR COLLABORATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFERS

  1. Alcan International Ltd., Kingston, Ontario, (Dr. Mel Ball: Non-Destructive Evaluation Lab.): We performed a study of a complete technology transfer through the packaging of a can-thickness measuring thermal-wave radiometric instrument for non-contact on-line use with Alcan petfood canning factory in Germany. (1990’s)
  2. Mitel S.C.C. (currently Dalsa Semiconductors) , Bromont, Quebec (Mr.Yan Riopel, I.C. Process R & D): An Infrared photothermal radiometric instrument optimized for semiconductor inspection was developed to correlate Mitel’s Si wafer electronic transport properties with their processing history, including cleaning agents, diffusion and ion implantation. (2000 – 2005)
  3. Ontario Hydro Technologies (OHT), 800 Kipling Avenue, Toronto (Dr. S. Peralta, Electrical Systems Technology): A long-term relationship with OHT on depth profilometric evaluation of laser processed steels ended in 1997 with Hydro’s restructuring. (1990’s)
  4. Imperial Oil, Sarnia, Ontario (Dr. Terrence Ashe, Sr. Research Chemist): A novel pyroelectric thermal-wave resonator cavity was introduced and tested successfully with Imperial’s gasolines to ascertain its suitability as an on-site sensor of quality control at the pump level. (1990’s)
  5. Union Carbide, Washougal, WA (Dr. Milan Kokta, Crystal Growth Div.): Photopyroelectric spectroscopic methods developed at the Unviersity of Toronto were used to monitor the quality of Union Carbide’s Ti:Sapphire laser rod surface polishes. (1992-95)
  6. Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP): The thermal-wave resonant cavity was tested successfully as a non-destructive evaluation (NDE) diagnostic tool of Canadian and US currency counterfeits. (1996-7)
  7. B&W Heating, Kitchener, ON (Dr. Clare Beingessner, President): Thermal-wave depth profilometric inverse-problem technology was used for the non-destructive evaluation of case hardened industrial steels. (1998- 2002).
  8. Edison Welding Institute, Columbus, OH (Dr. Bahram Farahbakhsh, NDE Group Leader): Thermal-wave NDE characterization of thermal-barrier coatings was tested successfully. (1998- 2000).
  9. Sputtek, Inc., Etobicoke, ON (Dr. Lee Segal, President): We have developed an optical thermometer based on laser thermoreflectance and thin-film interferometry principles for remote, non-comtact monitoring of sputtered TiN coating temperatures and film growth in reactor chambers under vacuum. This technology is now at the Market Readiness phase under full development for industrial use by Sputtek and other coating companies, funded by Materials and Manufacturing Ontario. (2000 – 2006).
  10. Metex, Inc., Etobicoke, ON (Mr. S. Bawa, President): A case-depth steel hardness monitoring instrument has been developed for fast, real-time control of the hardening process in industrial steel screws heat-treated by the Company, to replace slow and time-consuming indenter hardness measurements. The technology is the outcome of several years of fundamental thermal-wave depth-profilometric inverse-problem studies. (2007 – 2009).
  11. Four Cell Consulting, Toronto, ON (Dr. Stephen Abrams, DDS): A combined laser-based photothermal radiometric and modulated luminescence technology has been developed for monitoring early sub-surface carious lesions in teeth (enamel or dentin) occlusally or interproximally. The technology has exhibited sensitivity better than dental x-rays and superior lesion contrast without the risk of ionizing radiation. This technology has resulted in a Mandelis-Abrams partnership and the establishment of Quantum Dental Technologies,Inc., in Toronto. It markets the CanaryTM early caries detection system (see entry # 14 below).
  12. Stackpole International, Mississauga, ON (Roger Lawcock, Director of Technology): A laser photothermal technqiue for monitoring cracks in “green” and sintered automotive parts and sprockets was developed. The technique was proven to be able to detect cracks at inner corners and on flat surfaces of Stackpole’s green (pre-sintered) parts, unlike other NDT techniques. A systematic study of the photothermal signal behavior on the nature of these cracks was completed in 2009. That study led to a new collaboration for developing a crack imaging system for the Company based on the thermal-wave radar imager introduced in the CADIPT in 2010.
  13. Ultrasonix Medical Corp., Richmond, British Columbia, Canada: Development of a photoacoustic laser-based imager using a transducer phased array and co-registration of ultrasonic and photoacoustic images. The photoacouctic component is being developed as an accessory to the SonixTOUCH Research imaging apparatus marketed by Ultrasonix (2009 – )
  14. Quantum Dental Technologies (QDT) Inc., Toronto, ON. As a UofT spin-off company, QDT is a natural industrial collaborating partner with the CADIPT (Dr. Mandelis is the CTO of the Company). Primary contact person: Dr. Stephen Abrams, CEO. QDT, Inc., has supported several funded projects as an industrial partner with both in-kind and cash contributions. (2007 – )
  15. MDS Coating Technologies, St. Laurent, Quebec. A preliminary (pilot) project on MDS multi-layered thermal barrier coating thermophysical property measurements was completed (2011).
  16. Avio S.p.A., Torino, Italy. Avio is Italy’s largest aerospace company. A collaboration with the CADIPT to develop steel microhardness non-destructive thermal-wave inspection techniques for large case depths in aerospace gears has produced very promising preliminary results using the thermal-wave pulse-compression radar pioneered in the CADIPT. (2010 – )
  17. Pratt and Whitney Canada, Toronto, ON. A collaboration with PWC was developed in 2013-14 for dynamic non-destructive thermographic imaging of nanocoating flaws for aerospace components. The research is currently branching out into a new laser ultrasonic (photoacoustic) method for monitoring the stress state in PWC components coated with these nanocoatings which are used to extend fatigue life of crucial aerospace engine components (2013 -).
  18. Alcohol Countermeasure Systems, Toronto, ON. A joint project is being pursued to develop an ethyl alcohol sensor for use in alcohol offenders’ vehicles, as well as for equipping the cars of the general public in order to make factual decisions on whether or not to drive after drinking. The non-invasive method used is Wavelength-Modulated Differential Photothermal Radiometry (WM-DPTR). (2013 – )

ACADEMIC LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS (ONGOING)

  1. 2010 – present: BONE LOSS (OSTEOPOROSIS) DIAGNOSIS INSTRUMENTATION & METHODOLOGY. Ongoing collaboration with Dr. Marc Grynpas, Mount Sinai Hospital, Bone Biology Lab., Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, and with Dr. Thomas Willett, Mount Sinai Hospital, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute. The collaboration has resulted in a further collaboration with Professor Richard S. Cobbold, IBBME.
  2. 2008 – present: BLOOD GLUCOSE BIOSENSOR DEVELOPMENT Ongoing collaboration with Dr. Bernard Zinman, Director, Samuel Lunenfeld Diabetes Center, Mount Sinai Hospital.
  3. 2006 – present: DENTAL THERMOPHOTONIC IMAGING Ongoing collaboration with Prof. Yoav Finer, Dept. of Dentistry, UofT, and Dr.Stephen Abrams (DDS, Cliffcrest Dental Clinic, Scarborough). This activity resulted in a successful dental instrumentation spin-off company (Quantum Dental Technologies, QDT, Inc.)
  4. 2008 – present: ANALYTICAL SPECTROSCOPIC TECHNIQUES FOR CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOMATERIALS. Ongoing collaboration with Dr. Kirk Michaelian, Research Scientist and Manager, Advanced & Standard Analytical Group, Natural Resources Canada, Innovation and Energy Technology Sector, CanmetENERGY–Devon, AB.
  5. 2004 – present: BIOMEDICAL PHOTOACOUSTIC IMAGING. Ongoing collaboration with Dr. Alex Vitkin (Princess Margaret Hospital) and a new collaboration with ultrasound specialist Dr. Stuart Foster of Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto, ON, on biomedical photoacoustic imaging.
  6. 2010- present: NANOPARTICLE-BASED CONTRAST ENHANCEMENT IN PHOTOACOUSTIC RADAR IMAGING. Ongoing collaboration with Professor Frank Gu, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Univ. of Waterloo.
  7. 2010 – present: LOCK-IN AND HETERODYNE CARRIEROGRAPHIC IMAGING OF SOLAR CELLS. With Prof. Nazir Kherani, ECE, UofT. Dr. Kherani and I intend to develop the new techniques for quality control in the solar-cell industry.
  8. 2009 – present: PHOTOCARRIER RADIOMETRY OF QUANTUM-WELL SOLAR CELLS. An ongoing collaboration with Prof. Edward (Ted) Sargent, ECE, UofT.
  9. 2013 – : INTRAVASCULAR PHOTOACOUSTIC IMAGING USING A HYBRID CATHETER. A first-time collaboration with Dr. Stuart Foster, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Dr. Brian Courtney, heart surgeon and President, Colibri Technologies, Toronto, ON, to the development of a co-registered photoacoustic and ultrasonic catheter imager for coronary artery disease diagnosis.
  10. 2009 – present: BLOOD GLUCOSE BIOSENSOR. An ongoing collaboration with Pranalytica, Inc., Santa Monica,CA USA.
  11. 2012 – present: BIOMEDICAL ASPECTS OF FREQUENCY-DOMAIN PHOTOACOUSTIC IMAGING. A growing collaboration with the Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen (Technical University of my 2012-13 sabbatical research leave as part of my Humboldt Re-invitation Award.
  12. 2011 – present: DIFFUSION-WAVE DIAGNOSTIC AND IMAGING INSPECTION METHODS FOR OPTOELECTRONIC MATERIALS AND DEVICES. A growing collaboration with the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu, China, Professor Gao Chunming, Vice Dean, School of Optoelectronic Information.
  13. 2007- present: DEVELOPMENT OF ADVANCED MATHEMATICAL THERMAL-WAVE METHODOLOGIES FOR THE QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF THERMOPHYSICAL PROEPRTEIS OF CURVILINEAR AND FINITE GEOMETRY SOLIDS. Ongoing collaboration with Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China, Professor Chin-Hua Wang.
  14. 2012 – : ADVANCED DYNAMIC INFRARED THERMOGRAPHIES FOR THE NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING OF INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURED MATERIALS. Just started collaboration with the University of the Basque Country, Spain, Professor Agustin Salazar.
  15. 2011 – present: THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL INFRARED IMAGING TECHNIQUES OF SPATIALLY THERMALLY ANISOTROPIC COATINGS. Ongoing collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences, Wels, Austria, Professor and Acting Dean Guenther Hendorfer.
  16. 2013 – present: GRO Medical Technology: Ultrasound/Hybrid Acoustic Imaging System for Molecular Imaging: “Wavelength-Modulated Differential Photoacoustic Spectroscopy (WM-DPAS) Imager for very early detection of breast cancer” Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Suwon, South Korea.