Kolkata, March 20:

A premier nuclear physics institute here has come up with India’s first indigenously designed microchip that will facilitate research on the Big Bang theory in Geneva’s CERN, the world’s largest particle physics laboratory.

Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics’ (SINP) invention, a product of collaborative research with Semiconductor Complex Ltd of Chandigarh and Aligarh Muslim University, will not only help the global research taking place at CERN but also benefit common people in several medical and non-medical services.

“The microchip, Multiplexed ANAlog Signal (MANAS) processor, can be used to detect the smallest tumours which, sometimes, cannot be detected by MRI or CAT scan. Since it’s a heavily powerful imaging device it can also detect tissue tumours,” Sukalyan Chattopadhyay, project head of MANAS at SINP, said on the sidelines of a press conference.

“Its cost of manufacturing is only $10. So it will not only give accurate results to detect cancerous tumours but would also bring down scanning expenses.” He said this chip would

also help in airport scanning as it can capture digital images of the smallest particles located inside any object. Bikash Sinha, director of SINP, said this microchip would help scientists find

out from where the particles are coming and where they are going.

“With this we can learn about the evolution of earth till date,” Sinha said, adding this was the first step towards indigenous chip development in India.