A National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center (ERC) was established at the University of Michigan in 2000 for the purpose of developing wireless integrated micro-systems (WIMS). A test bed for the WIMS ERC is a completely micro-fabricated GC-based vapor analysis system for environmental applications. The instrument will be capable of targeting 30-50 analytes per analysis from large-volume air samples with detection limits in the low ppb range. The battery-powered instrument will be completely autonomous relying on ambient air as carrier gas, two-way wireless communication for instrument programming and data transmission and remote battery charging. Design features and system components for the wristwatch size instrument will be described. Design, fabrication and evaluation of columns made from etched silicon channels will be presented. Boron-doped silicon is used to provide direct resistive heating of the channel wall for temperature-programmed GC. Resolving power corresponding to 5,000-10,000 theoretical plates is obtained for non-polar dimethyl polysiloxane and moderately polar trifluropropylmethyl polysiloxane coated channels. Isothermal and temperature-programmed chromatograms will be presented.
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