Search results for "Microelectromechanical systems"

Reverberation reduction in capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) by front-face reflectivity minimization

2015

Abstract Front-face acoustic reflectivity of ultrasonic imaging transducers, due to acoustic impedance mismatch with the propagation medium, may cause reverberation phenomena during wideband pulse-echo operation. Front-face reflectivity may be reduced by promoting the transmission of the echoes, received from the medium, to the transducer backing, and by maximizing the mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion and dissipation by tuning the electrical load impedance connected to the transducer. In Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (CMUTs), the energy transfer from the medium to the backing is very low due to the large impedance mismatch between the medium and the transducer su…

Recess photomask contact lithography and the fabrication of coupled silicon photonic and plasmonic waveguide switches

2015

Display Omitted A lithography technique capable of printing submicron-sized features inside deep cavities is presented.A so-called recess photomask adapted to the wafer's topography is employed.Based on a standard mask aligner, Recess Photomask Contact Lithography has moderate cost.Its efficiency for a photonic/plasmonic switch application was demonstrated experimentally.The technique is extensible to any design and to wafers with multiple level recesses. A novel lithographic method is presented, based on the use of a mask aligner in the contact mode with a modified photomask, the so-called recess photomask; its goal is the printing of submicron-sized patterns into deep cavities of a chip, …

Compositional and Optical Gradient in Films of PbZrxTi1-xO3 (PZT) Family

2011

Pb(ZrxTi1-x)O3 (PZT) (x = 0-1) films have attracted the attention of researchers for the past 30 years due to their excellent ferroelectric (FE) and electromechanical properties, which have led to the commercialization of thin PZT films for ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM), forming a market of several millions USD annually. Ferroelectricity of perovskite oxide thin films, especially PZT thin films, can be exploited in semiconductor devices to achieve non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) with high-speed access and long endurance, which can overcome the barriers, encountered in current semiconductor memory technologies. The ferroelectricity can be also exploited to voltage depe…

A MEMS array-type Mirau interferometer for swept-source OCT imaging with applications in dermatology

2017

In the frame the European project VIAMOS (www.viamos.eu) we developed a microsystem based on Mirau interferometry and applied for optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging of living tissues. The objective is to benefit from advanced MOEMS technologies, enabling a new generation of miniature and low-cost instruments using the concept of the swept-source OCT (SS-OCT) microsystem based on spectrally tuned Mirau interferometry, into which a doublet of microlens matrices (4×4) and a wafer of movable reference mirrors are included, building the active Mirau interferometer.

Observation of Knudsen effect with microcantilevers

2003

The Knudsen effect is estimated theoretically and observed experimentally using a U-shaped silicon microcantilever. Though Knudsen forces are extremely small in most cases involving microcantilevers, there exist situations where these forces can be significant and may be important in atomic force microscopy and in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The criteria for the presence of Knudsen forces are outlined and an analytical expression in the form of a linear function of the pressure is given for the force in the free molecular regime. The experimental results display peaks in the transitional regime while varying linearly in the molecular regime.

Devices based on semiconductor nanowires

2009

Recently, nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) have attracted much attention due to their unique properties and possible applications that differ greatly from those of microelectromechanical systems. NEMS operating frequencies may achieve giga- and terahertz levels and their power consumption and heat capacity is extremely low. Moreover, integration levels may reach 1012 devices per cm−2. In this review, we present techniques for integrating semiconductor materials in NEMS. In particular, we examine fabrication, structure, properties and potential applications of two main classes of NEMS, namely, resonators and switches.

Nanomanufacturing/Nanotechnology

2017

This chapter provides comprehensive knowledge regarding the fabrication of nanoproducts and element of micro-electromechanical systems using various techniques and processes. Both well-established techniques, such as nanomachining (ultra-precision) and new trends in improving nanoprocesses taking into account AFM, laser beam machining, electron beam machining processes are overviewed. The background of nanomachining processes, including typical machining operations such as turning, milling and grinding and different construction materials (metallic and nonmetallic), is outlined. The physical mechanisms responsible for the transition from brittle to ductile regime machining are explained. Mo…

MEMS-Based System for Structural Health Monitoring and Earthquake Observation in Sicily

2021

The implementation of systems for Structural Health Monitoring and Earthquake Observation is increasing in the last years owing to the development of new technologies which enable low-cost and small-size devices to be installed in large-scale or high-density applications. This paper introduces the implementation of monitoring systems, either for structural health assessment and earthquake observation. The applications are based in Sicily (Italy), a region characterized by a high seismic hazard and where the buildings are often old and vulnerable. The system relies on a MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems) sensor, a 3-axial accelerometer which has been specifically selected in order to en…

Nanophotonics and Optical MEMS: Building All-Optical Satellites

2006

Evidence of Magnetoresistance in the Prussian Blue Lattice during a Voltammetric Scan

2008

This manuscript reports evidence of magnetoresistance effects in the Prussian Blue lattice during a voltammetric scan at room temperature. Accordingly, the PB is a well-known semiconductor that becomes surprisingly an almost metallic conductor in the presence of an internal magnetic field induced during the voltammetric scan. This offers appealing perspectives for the control of this interesting phenomenon from electrochemical techniques that could be used for the fabrication of the recent phase-change computational memories, which are electronically configurable. Herein, the PB magnetic properties have been monitored in situ by means of resonating magnetic microsensors based on the shift i…