In the photograph, one can see the interconnection from one readout chip to the flexible cable realized with ultrasonic wire bonds (25 microns).

CERN Multimedia

Saba, A

2006-01-01

2 ladders are connected via a multi layer aluminium polyimide flexible cable with a multi chip module containing several custom designed ASICs. The production of the flexible cable was developed and carrier out at CERN. It provides signal and data lines as well as power to the individual readout chipswith a total thickness of only 220 microns. In the photograph, one can see the interconnection from one readout chip to the flexible cable realized with ultrasonic wire bonds (25 microns).

Numerical study of a confocal ultrasonic setup for creation of cavitation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lafond, Maxime, E-mail: maxime.lafond@inserm.fr; Chavrier, Françoise; Prieur, Fabrice [Inserm, U1032, LabTau, Lyon, F-69003 (France); Université de Lyon, Lyon, F-69003 (France); Université Lyon 1, Lyon, F-69003 (France); Mestas, Jean-Louis; Lafon, Cyril [Inserm, U1032, LabTau, Lyon, F-69003 (France); Université de Lyon, Lyon, F-69003 (France); Université Lyon 1, Lyon, F-69003 (France); Caviskills SAS, Vaulx-En-Velin, F-69120 (France)

2015-10-28

Acoustic cavitation is used for various therapeutic applications such as local enhancement of drug delivery, histotripsy or hyperthermia. One of the utmost important parameter for cavitation creation is the rarefaction pressure. The typical magnitude of the rarefaction pressure required to initiate cavitation from gas dissolved in tissue is beyond the range of the megapascal. Because nonlinear effects need to be taken into account, a numerical simulator based on the Westervelt equation was used to study the pressure waveform and the acoustic field generated by a setup for creation of cavitation consisting of two high intensity focused ultrasound transducers mounted confocally. At constant acoustic power, simulations with only one and both transducers from the confocal setup showed that the distortion of the pressure waveform due to the combined effects of nonlinearity and diffraction is less pronounced when both confocal transducers are used. Consequently, the confocal setup generates a greater peak negative pressure at focus which is more favorable for cavitation initiation. Comparison between the confocal setup and a single transducer with the same total emitting surface puts in evidence the role of the spatial separation of the two beams. Furthermore, it has been previously shown that the location of the peak negative pressure created by a single transducer shifts from focus towards the transducers in the presence of nonlinear effects. The simulator was used to study a configuration where the acoustical axes of transducers intersect on the peak negative pressure instead of the geometrical focus. For a representative confocal setup, namely moderate nonlinear effects, a 2% increase of the peak negative pressure and 8% decrease of the peak positive pressure resulted from this configuration. These differences tend to increase by increasing nonlinear effects. Although the optimal position of the transducers varies with the nonlinear regimen, the intersection point

GaN-based integrated photonics chip with suspended LED and waveguide

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xin; Wang, Yongjin; Hane, Kazuhiro; Shi, Zheng; Yan, Jiang

2018-05-01

We propose a GaN-based integrated photonics chip with suspended LED and straight waveguide with different geometric parameters. The integrated photonics chip is prepared by double-side process. Light transmission performance of the integrated chip verse current is quantitatively analyzed by capturing light transmitted to waveguide tip and BPM (beam propagation method) simulation. Reduction of the waveguide width from 8 μm to 4 μm results in an over linear reduction of the light output power while a doubling of the length from 250 μm to 500 μm only results in under linear decrease of the output power. Free-space data transmission with 80 Mbps random binary sequence of the integrated chip is capable of achieving high speed data transmission via visible light. This study provides a potential approach for GaN-based integrated photonics chip as micro light source and passive optical device in VLC (visible light communication).

Wafer Scale Integration of CMOS Chips for Biomedical Applications via Self-Aligned Masking.

Science.gov (United States)

Uddin, Ashfaque; Milaninia, Kaveh; Chen, Chin-Hsuan; Theogarajan, Luke

2011-12-01

This paper presents a novel technique for the integration of small CMOS chips into a large area substrate. A key component of the technique is the CMOS chip based self-aligned masking. This allows for the fabrication of sockets in wafers that are at most 5 µm larger than the chip on each side. The chip and the large area substrate are bonded onto a carrier such that the top surfaces of the two components are flush. The unique features of this technique enable the integration of macroscale components, such as leads and microfluidics. Furthermore, the integration process allows for MEMS micromachining after CMOS die-wafer integration. To demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed technology, a low-power integrated potentiostat chip for biosensing implemented in the AMI 0.5 µm CMOS technology is integrated in a silicon substrate. The horizontal gap and the vertical displacement between the chip and the large area substrate measured after the integration were 4 µm and 0.5 µm, respectively. A number of 104 interconnects are patterned with high-precision alignment. Electrical measurements have shown that the functionality of the chip is not affected by the integration process.

Integrated sample-to-detection chip for nucleic acid test assays.

Science.gov (United States)

Prakash, R; Pabbaraju, K; Wong, S; Tellier, R; Kaler, K V I S

2016-06-01

Nucleic acid based diagnostic techniques are routinely used for the detection of infectious agents. Most of these assays rely on nucleic acid extraction platforms for the extraction and purification of nucleic acids and a separate real-time PCR platform for quantitative nucleic acid amplification tests (NATs). Several microfluidic lab on chip (LOC) technologies have been developed, where mechanical and chemical methods are used for the extraction and purification of nucleic acids. Microfluidic technologies have also been effectively utilized for chip based real-time PCR assays. However, there are few examples of microfluidic systems which have successfully integrated these two key processes. In this study, we have implemented an electro-actuation based LOC micro-device that leverages multi-frequency actuation of samples and reagents droplets for chip based nucleic acid extraction and real-time, reverse transcription (RT) PCR (qRT-PCR) amplification from clinical samples. Our prototype micro-device combines chemical lysis with electric field assisted isolation of nucleic acid in a four channel parallel processing scheme. Furthermore, a four channel parallel qRT-PCR amplification and detection assay is integrated to deliver the sample-to-detection NAT chip. The NAT chip combines dielectrophoresis and electrostatic/electrowetting actuation methods with resistive micro-heaters and temperature sensors to perform chip based integrated NATs. The two chip modules have been validated using different panels of clinical samples and their performance compared with standard platforms. This study has established that our integrated NAT chip system has a sensitivity and specificity comparable to that of the standard platforms while providing up to 10 fold reduction in sample/reagent volumes.

A polymer chip-integrable piezoelectric micropump with low backpressure dependence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Conde, A. J.; Bianchetti, A.; Veiras, F. E.

2015-01-01

We describe a piezoelectric micropump constructed in polymers with conventional machining methods. The micropump is self-contained and can be built as an independent device or as an on-chip module within laminated microfluidic chips. We demonstrate on-chip integrability by the fabrication and tes...

Integration of microelectronic chips in microfluidic systems on printed circuit board

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burdallo, I; Jimenez-Jorquera, C; Fernández-Sánchez, C; Baldi, A

2012-01-01

A new scheme for the integration of small semiconductor transducer chips with microfluidic structures on printed circuit board (PCB) is presented. The proposed approach is based on a packaging technique that yields a large and flat area with small and shallow (∼44 µm deep) openings over the chips. The photocurable encapsulant material used, based on a diacrylate bisphenol A polymer, enables irreversible bonding of polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic structures at moderate temperatures (80 °C). This integration scheme enables the insertion of transducer chips in microfluidic systems with a lower added volume than previous schemes. Leakage tests have shown that the bonded structures withstand more than 360 kPa of pressure. A prototype microfluidic system with two detection chips, including one inter-digitated electrode (IDE) chip for conductivity and one ion selective field effect transistor (ISFET) chip for pH, has been implemented and characterized. Good electrical insulation of the chip contacts and silicon edge surfaces from the solution in the microchannels has been achieved. This integration procedure opens the door to the low-cost fabrication of complex analytical microsystems that combine the extraordinary potential of both the microfluidics and silicon microtechnology fields. (paper)

A scalable neural chip with synaptic electronics using CMOS integrated memristors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cruz-Albrecht, Jose M; Derosier, Timothy; Srinivasa, Narayan

2013-01-01

The design and simulation of a scalable neural chip with synaptic electronics using nanoscale memristors fully integrated with complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) is presented. The circuit consists of integrate-and-fire neurons and synapses with spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP). The synaptic conductance values can be stored in memristors with eight levels, and the topology of connections between neurons is reconfigurable. The circuit has been designed using a 90 nm CMOS process with via connections to on-chip post-processed memristor arrays. The design has about 16 million CMOS transistors and 73 728 integrated memristors. We provide circuit level simulations of the entire chip performing neuronal and synaptic computations that result in biologically realistic functional behavior. (paper)

Improvement of Ultrasonic Distance Measuring System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiang Yu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper mainly introduces a kind of ultrasonic distance measuring system with AT89C51 single chip as the core component. The paper expounds the principle of ultrasonic sensor and ultrasonic ranging, hardware circuit and software program, and the results of experiment and analysis.The hardware circuit based on SCM, the software design adopts the advanced microcontroller programming language.The amplitude of the received signal and the time of ultrasonic propagation are regulated by closed loop control. [1,2]The double closed loop control technology for amplitude and time improves the measuring accuracy of the instrument. The experimental results show that greatly improves the measurement accuracy of the system.

Photonics-on-a-chip: recent advances in integrated waveguides as enabling detection elements for real-world, lab-on-a-chip biosensing applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Washburn, Adam L; Bailey, Ryan C

2011-01-21

By leveraging advances in semiconductor microfabrication technologies, chip-integrated optical biosensors are poised to make an impact as scalable and multiplexable bioanalytical measurement tools for lab-on-a-chip applications. In particular, waveguide-based optical sensing technology appears to be exceptionally amenable to chip integration and miniaturization, and, as a result, the recent literature is replete with examples of chip-integrated waveguide sensing platforms developed to address a wide range of contemporary analytical challenges. As an overview of the most recent advances within this dynamic field, this review highlights work from the last 2-3 years in the areas of grating-coupled, interferometric, photonic crystal, and microresonator waveguide sensors. With a focus towards device integration, particular emphasis is placed on demonstrations of biosensing using these technologies within microfluidically controlled environments. In addition, examples of multiplexed detection and sensing within complex matrices--important features for real-world applicability--are given special attention.

Spectral confocal reflection microscopy using a white light source

Science.gov (United States)

Booth, M.; Juškaitis, R.; Wilson, T.

2008-08-01

We present a reflection confocal microscope incorporating a white light supercontinuum source and spectral detection. The microscope provides images resolved spatially in three-dimensions, in addition to spectral resolution covering the wavelength range 450-650nm. Images and reflection spectra of artificial and natural specimens are presented, showing features that are not normally revealed in conventional microscopes or confocal microscopes using discrete line lasers. The specimens include thin film structures on semiconductor chips, iridescent structures in Papilio blumei butterfly scales, nacre from abalone shells and opal gemstones. Quantitative size and refractive index measurements of transparent beads are derived from spectral interference bands.

Combination of Ultrasonic Vibration and Cryogenic Cooling for Cutting Performance Improvement of Inconel 718 Turning

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, S. Y.; Chung, C. T.; Cheng, Y. Y.

2011-01-01

The main objective of this study is to develop a thermo-elastic-plastic coupling model, based on a combination skill of ultrasonically assisted cutting and cryogenic cooling, under large deformation for Inconel 718 alloy machining process. The improvement extent on cutting performance and tool life promotion may be examined from this investigation. The critical value of the strain energy density of the workpiece will be utilized as the chip separation and the discontinuous chip segmentation criteria. The forced convection cooling and a hydrodynamic lubrication model will be considered and formulated in the model. Finite element method will be applied to create a complete numerical solution for this ultrasonic vibration cutting model. During the analysis, the cutting tool is incrementally advanced forward with superimposed ultrasonic vibration in a back and forth step-by-step manner, from an incipient stage of tool-workpiece engagement to a steady state of chip formation, a whole simulation of orthogonal cutting process under plane strain deformation is thus undertaken. High shear strength induces a fluctuation phenomenon of shear angle, high shear strain rate, variation of chip types and chip morphology, tool-chip contact length variation, the temperature distributions within the workpiece, chip and tool, periodic fluctuation in cutting forces can be determined from the developed model. A complete comparison of machining characteristics between some different combinations of ultrasonically assisted cutting and cryogenic cooling with conventional cutting operation can be acquired. Finally, the high-speed turning experiment for Inconel 718 alloy will be taken in the laboratory to validate the accuracy of the model, and the progressive flank wear, crater wear, notching and chipping of the tool edge can also be measured in the experiments.

Chip-integrated ultrawide-band all-optical logic comparator in plasmonic circuits.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Cuicui; Hu, Xiaoyong; Yang, Hong; Gong, Qihuang

2014-01-27

Optical computing opens up the possibility for the realization of ultrahigh-speed and ultrawide-band information processing. Integrated all-optical logic comparator is one of the indispensable core components of optical computing systems. Unfortunately, up to now, no any nanoscale all-optical logic comparator suitable for on-chip integration applications has been realized experimentally. Here, we report a subtle and effective technical solution to circumvent the obstacles of inherent Ohmic losses of metal and limited propagation length of SPPs. A nanoscale all-optical logic comparator suitable for on-chip integration applications is realized in plasmonic circuits directly. The incident single-bit (or dual-bit) logic signals can be compared and the comparison results are endowed with different logic encodings. An ultrabroad operating wavelength range from 700 to 1000 nm, and an ultrahigh output logic-state contrast-ratio of more than 25 dB are realized experimentally. No high power requirement is needed. Though nanoscale SPP light source and the logic comparator device are integrated into the same plasmonic chip, an ultrasmall feature size is maintained. This work not only paves a way for the realization of complex logic device such as adders and multiplier, but also opens up the possibility for realizing quantum solid chips based on plasmonic circuits.

Dimensional metrology of lab-on-a-chip internal structures: a comparison of optical coherence tomography with confocal fluorescence microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Reyes, D R; Halter, M; Hwang, J

2015-07-01

The characterization of internal structures in a polymeric microfluidic device, especially of a final product, will require a different set of optical metrology tools than those traditionally used for microelectronic devices. We demonstrate that optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging is a promising technique to characterize the internal structures of poly(methyl methacrylate) devices where the subsurface structures often cannot be imaged by conventional wide field optical microscopy. The structural details of channels in the devices were imaged with OCT and analyzed with an in-house written ImageJ macro in an effort to identify the structural details of the channel. The dimensional values obtained with OCT were compared with laser-scanning confocal microscopy images of channels filled with a fluorophore solution. Attempts were also made using confocal reflectance and interferometry microscopy to measure the channel dimensions, but artefacts present in the images precluded quantitative analysis. OCT provided the most accurate estimates for the channel height based on an analysis of optical micrographs obtained after destructively slicing the channel with a microtome. OCT may be a promising technique for the future of three-dimensional metrology of critical internal structures in lab-on-a-chip devices because scans can be performed rapidly and noninvasively prior to their use. © 2015 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2015 Royal Microscopical Society.

Perspective: Fabrication of integrated organ-on-a-chip via bioprinting.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Qingzhen; Lian, Qin; Xu, Feng

2017-05-01

Organ-on-a-chip has emerged as a powerful platform with widespread applications in biomedical engineering, such as pathology studies and drug screening. However, the fabrication of organ-on-a-chip is still a challenging task due to its complexity. For an integrated organ-on-a-chip, it may contain four key elements, i.e., a microfluidic chip, live cells/microtissues that are cultured in this chip, components for stimulus loading to mature the microtissues, and sensors for results readout. Recently, bioprinting has been used for fabricating organ-on-a-chip as it enables the printing of multiple materials, including biocompatible materials and even live cells in a programmable manner with a high spatial resolution. Besides, all four elements for organ-on-a-chip could be printed in a single continuous procedure on one printer; in other words, the fabrication process is assembly free. In this paper, we discuss the recent advances of organ-on-a-chip fabrication by bioprinting. Light is shed on the printing strategies, materials, and biocompatibility. In addition, some specific bioprinted organs-on-chips are analyzed in detail. Because the bioprinted organ-on-a-chip is still in its early stage, significant efforts are still needed. Thus, the challenges presented together with possible solutions and future trends are also discussed.

Accelerated Aging of the Traditional Greek Distillate Tsipouro Using Wooden Chips. Part I: Effect of Static Maceration vs. Ultrasonication on the Polyphenol Extraction and Antioxidant Activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Theodora Taloumi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The Greek traditional grape marc distillate Tsipouro was subjected to accelerated aging, using wooden chips from acacia, cherry, chestnut and oak wood. The processes included treatments under static maceration and ultrasonication and the evolution of the total polyphenol concentration was monitored over a period of 30 days. During this period, leaching of polyphenols from the chips into the distillate was found to obey first-order kinetics, but no statistical differences were shown between the two treatments regarding the enrichment of the liquid in polyphenolic substances. The determination of the antioxidant activity demonstrated that aging with chestnut chips may provide Tsipouro with particularly strong radical scavenging and reducing effects, highlighting its importance as a material that could be used to turn distillates into foods with functional properties.

A Low-Power Integrated Humidity CMOS Sensor by Printing-on-Chip Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chang-Hung Lee

2014-05-01

Full Text Available A low-power, wide-dynamic-range integrated humidity sensing chip is implemented using a printable polymer sensing material with an on-chip pulse-width-modulation interface circuit. By using the inkjet printing technique, poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene/polystyrene sulfonate that has humidity sensing features can be printed onto the top metal layer of a 0.35 μm CMOS IC. The developed printing-on-chip humidity sensor achieves a heterogeneous three dimensional sensor system-on-chip architecture. The humidity sensing of the implemented printing-on-chip sensor system is experimentally tested. The sensor shows a sensitivity of 0.98% to humidity in the atmosphere. The maximum dynamic range of the readout circuit is 9.8 MΩ, which can be further tuned by the frequency of input signal to fit the requirement of the resistance of printed sensor. The power consumption keeps only 154 μW. This printing-on-chip sensor provides a practical solution to fulfill an ultra-small integrated sensor for the applications in miniaturized sensing systems.

A low-power integrated humidity CMOS sensor by printing-on-chip technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Chang-Hung; Chuang, Wen-Yu; Cowan, Melissa A; Wu, Wen-Jung; Lin, Chih-Ting

2014-05-23

A low-power, wide-dynamic-range integrated humidity sensing chip is implemented using a printable polymer sensing material with an on-chip pulse-width-modulation interface circuit. By using the inkjet printing technique, poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene)/polystyrene sulfonate that has humidity sensing features can be printed onto the top metal layer of a 0.35 μm CMOS IC. The developed printing-on-chip humidity sensor achieves a heterogeneous three dimensional sensor system-on-chip architecture. The humidity sensing of the implemented printing-on-chip sensor system is experimentally tested. The sensor shows a sensitivity of 0.98% to humidity in the atmosphere. The maximum dynamic range of the readout circuit is 9.8 MΩ, which can be further tuned by the frequency of input signal to fit the requirement of the resistance of printed sensor. The power consumption keeps only 154 μW. This printing-on-chip sensor provides a practical solution to fulfill an ultra-small integrated sensor for the applications in miniaturized sensing systems.

A Fully Integrated Humidity Sensor System-on-Chip Fabricated by Micro-Stamping Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Che-Wei; Huang, Yu-Jie; Lu, Shey-Shi; Lin, Chih-Ting

2012-01-01

A fully integrated humidity sensor chip was designed, implemented, and tested. Utilizing the micro-stamping technology, the pseudo-3D sensor system-on-chip (SSoC) architecture can be implemented by stacking sensing materials directly on the top of a CMOS-fabricated chip. The fabricated sensor system-on-chip (2.28 mm × 2.48 mm) integrated a humidity sensor, an interface circuit, a digital controller, and an On-Off Keying (OOK) wireless transceiver. With low power consumption, i.e., 750 μW without RF operation, the sensitivity of developed sensor chip was experimentally verified in the relative humidity (RH) range from 32% to 60%. The response time of the chip was also experimentally verified to be within 5 seconds from RH 36% to RH 64%. As a consequence, the implemented humidity SSoC paves the way toward the an ultra-small sensor system for various applications.

An electrochromatography chip with integrated waveguides for UV absorbance detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gustafsson, O; Mogensen, K B; Ohlsson, P D; Kutter, J P; Liu, Y; Jacobson, S C

2008-01-01

A silicon-based microchip for electrochromatographic separations is presented. Apart from a microfluidic network, the microchip has integrated UV-transparent waveguides for detection and integrated couplers for optical fibers on the chip, yielding the most complete chromatography microchip to date in terms of the integration of optical components. The microfluidic network and the optical components are fabricated in a single etching step in silicon and subsequently thermally oxidized. The separation column consists of a regular array of microfabricated solid support structures with a monolayer of an octylsilane covalently bonded to the surfaces to provide chromatographic interaction. The chip features a 1 mm long U-shaped detection cell and planar silicon dioxide waveguides that couple light to and from the detection cell. Microfabricated on-chip fiber couplers assure perfect alignment of optical fibers to the waveguides. The entire oxidized silicon microchip structure is sealed with a glass lid. Reversed phase electrochromatographic separation of three neutral compounds is demonstrated using UV absorbance detection at 254 nm. Baseline separation of the analytes is achieved in less than two minutes

A Fully Integrated Humidity Sensor System-on-Chip Fabricated by Micro-Stamping Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chih-Ting Lin

2012-08-01

Full Text Available A fully integrated humidity sensor chip was designed, implemented, and tested. Utilizing the micro-stamping technology, the pseudo-3D sensor system-on-chip (SSoC architecture can be implemented by stacking sensing materials directly on the top of a CMOS-fabricated chip. The fabricated sensor system-on-chip (2.28 mm × 2.48 mm integrated a humidity sensor, an interface circuit, a digital controller, and an On-Off Keying (OOK wireless transceiver. With low power consumption, i.e., 750 μW without RF operation, the sensitivity of developed sensor chip was experimentally verified in the relative humidity (RH range from 32% to 60%. The response time of the chip was also experimentally verified to be within 5 seconds from RH 36% to RH 64%. As a consequence, the implemented humidity SSoC paves the way toward the an ultra-small sensor system for various applications.

Integrated Ultrasonic-Photonic Devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barretto, Elaine Cristina Saraiva

in channel waveguides and Mach-Zehnder interferometers. Numerical models are developed based on the finite element method, and applied to several scenarios, such as optimization of the geometrical parameters of waveguides, use of slow light in photonic crystal waveguides and use of Lamb waves in membranized......This thesis deals with the modeling, design, fabrication and characterization of integrated ultrasonic-photonic devices, with particular focus on the use of standard semiconductor materials such as GaAs and silicon. The devices are based on the use of guided acoustic waves to modulate the light...... investigated. Comparisons are made with the numerical and experimental results, and they validate the obtained response of the acoustic and photonic components of the device. Finally, a new design for an optical frequency shifter is proposed, posing several advantages over existing devices in terms of size...

Multi-color fluorescent DNA analysis in an integrated optofluidic lab-on-a-chip

OpenAIRE

Dongre, C.; van Weerd, J.; van Weeghel, R.; Martinez-Vazquez, R.; Osellame, R.; Cerullo, G.; Besselink, G.A.J.; van den Vlekkert, H.H.; Hoekstra, Hugo; Pollnau, Markus

2010-01-01

Sorting and sizing of DNA molecules within the human genome project has enabled the genetic mapping of various illnesses. By employing tiny lab-on-a-chip devices for such DNA analysis, integrated DNA sequencing and genetic diagnostics have become feasible. However, such diagnostic chips typically lack integrated sensing capability. We address this issue by combining microfluidic capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection resulting in optofluidic integration towards an...

Chip Integrated, Hybrid EHD/Capillary Driven Thermal Management System

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Chip-Integrated, Hybrid EHD/Capillary-Driven Thermal Management System is a two year that will leverage independently attained yet related prototype hardware...

An Automatic Baseline Regulation in a Highly Integrated Receiver Chip for JUNO

Science.gov (United States)

Muralidharan, P.; Zambanini, A.; Karagounis, M.; Grewing, C.; Liebau, D.; Nielinger, D.; Robens, M.; Kruth, A.; Peters, C.; Parkalian, N.; Yegin, U.; van Waasen, S.

2017-09-01

This paper describes the data processing unit and an automatic baseline regulation of a highly integrated readout chip (Vulcan) for JUNO. The chip collects data continuously at 1 Gsamples/sec. The Primary data processing which is performed in the integrated circuit can aid to reduce the memory and data processing efforts in the subsequent stages. In addition, a baseline regulator compensating a shift in the baseline is described.

Multi-color fluorescent DNA analysis in an integrated optofluidic lab on a chip

OpenAIRE

Dongre, C.

2010-01-01

Abstract: Sorting and sizing of DNA molecules within the human genome project has enabled the genetic mapping of various illnesses. Furthermore by employing tiny lab-on-a-chip device, integrated DNA sequencing and genetic diagnostics have become feasible. We present the combination of capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence for optofluidic integration toward an on-chip bio-analysis tool. Integrated optical fluorescence excitation allows for a high spatial resolution (12 μm) ...

Fully integrated optical system for lab-on-a-chip applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balslev, Søren; Olsen, Brian Bilenberg; Geschke, Oliver

2004-01-01

We present a lab-on-a-chip device featuring a microfluidic dye laser, wave-guides, microfluidic components and photo-detectors integrated on the chip. The microsystem is designed for wavelength selective absorption measurements in the visible range on a fluidic sample, which can be prepared....../mixed on-chip. The laser structures, wave-guides and micro-fluidic handling system are defined in a single UV-lithography step on a 10 μm thick SU-8 layer on top of the substrate. The SU-8 structures are sealed by a Borofloat glass lid, using polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) adhesive bonding....

Integration of Curved D-Type Optical Fiber Sensor with Microfluidic Chip.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Yung-Shin; Li, Chang-Jyun; Hsu, Jin-Cherng

2016-12-30

A curved D-type optical fiber sensor (OFS) combined with a microfluidic chip is proposed. This OFS, based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of the Kretchmann's configuration, is applied as a biosensor to measure the concentrations of different bio-liquids such as ethanol, methanol, and glucose solutions. The SPR phenomenon is attained by using the optical fiber to guide the light source to reach the side-polished, gold-coated region. Integrating this OFS with a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)-based microfluidic chip, the SPR spectra for liquids with different refractive indices are recorded. Experimentally, the sensitivity of the current biosensor was calculated to be in the order of 10 -5 RIU. This microfluidic chip-integrated OFS could be valuable for monitoring subtle changes in biological samples such as blood sugar, allergen, and biomolecular interactions.

The application of confocal technology based on polycapillary X-ray optics in surface topography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Guangcui; Sun, Tianxi; Liu, Zhiguo; Yuan, Hao; Li, Yude; Liu, Hehe; Zhao, Weigang; Zhang, Ruixia; Min, Qin; Peng, Song

2013-01-01

A confocal micro-X-ray fluorescence (MXRF) technology based on polycapillary X-ray optics was proposed for determining surface topography. This confocal topography method involves elemental sensitivity and can be used to classify the objects according to their elemental composition while obtaining their surface topography. To improve the spatial resolution of this confocal topography technology, the center of the confocal micro-volume was overlapped with the output focal spot of the polycapillary X-ray, focusing the lens in the excitation channel. The input focal spot of the X-ray lens parallel to the detection channel was used to determine the surface position of the sample. The corresponding surface adaptive algorithm was designed to obtain the surface topography. The surface topography of a ceramic chip was obtained. This confocal MXRF surface topography method could find application in the materials sciences

Integrated thermal control and system assessment in plug-chip spray cooling enclosure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Wei-Wei; Cheng, Wen-Long; Shao, Shi-Dong; Jiang, Li-Jia; Hong, Da-Liang

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A novel multi-heat source plug-chip spray cooling enclosure was designed. • Enhanced surfaces with different geometric were analyzed in integrated enclosure. • Overall thermal control with adjustable parameters in enclosure was studied. • Temperature disequilibrium of multi-heat source in enclosure was tested. • A comprehensive assessment system used to evaluate the practicality was proposed. - Abstract: Practical and integrated spray cooling system is urgently needed for the cooling of high-performance electronic chips due to the growth requirements of thermal management in workstation. The integration of multi heat sources and the management of integral system are particularly lacking. In order to fill the vacancies in the study of plug-chip spray cooling, an integrated cooling enclosure was designed in this paper. Multi heat sources were placed in sealed space and the heat was removed by spray. The printed circuit board plug-ins and radio frequency resistors were used as analog motherboards and chips, respectively. The enhanced surfaces with four different geometries and the plain surface were studied under the conditions of different inclination angles. The results were compared and the maximum critical heat flux (CHF) was obtained. Moreover, with the intention of the overall management of multi-heat source in integrated enclosure, the effect of the flow rate and the temperature disequilibrium, and the pulse heating in the process of transient cooling were also analyzed. In addition, a comprehensive assessment system, used to evaluate the practicality of spray cooling experimental devices, was proposed and the performance of enclosure was evaluated.

Confocal Raman microscopy

CERN Document Server

Dieing, Thomas; Hollricher, Olaf

2018-01-01

This second edition provides a cutting-edge overview of physical, technical and scientific aspects related to the widely used analytical method of confocal Raman microscopy. The book includes expanded background information and adds insights into how confocal Raman microscopy, especially 3D Raman imaging, can be integrated with other methods to produce a variety of correlative microscopy combinations. The benefits are then demonstrated and supported by numerous examples from the fields of materials science, 2D materials, the life sciences, pharmaceutical research and development, as well as the geosciences.

Confocal Raman Microscopy

CERN Document Server

Dieing, Thomas; Toporski, Jan

2011-01-01

Confocal Raman Microscopy is a relatively new technique that allows chemical imaging without specific sample preparation. By integrating a sensitive Raman spectrometer within a state-of-the-art microscope, Raman microscopy with a spatial resolution down to 200nm laterally and 500nm vertically can be achieved using visible light excitation. Recent developments in detector and computer technology as well as optimized instrument design have reduced integration times of Raman spectra by orders of magnitude, so that complete images consisting of tens of thousands of Raman spectra can be acquired in seconds or minutes rather than hours, which used to be standard just one decade ago. The purpose of this book is to provide the reader a comprehensive overview of the rapidly developing field of Confocal Raman Microscopy and its applications.

Integration of Curved D-Type Optical Fiber Sensor with Microfluidic Chip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yung-Shin Sun

2016-12-01

Full Text Available A curved D-type optical fiber sensor (OFS combined with a microfluidic chip is proposed. This OFS, based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR of the Kretchmann’s configuration, is applied as a biosensor to measure the concentrations of different bio-liquids such as ethanol, methanol, and glucose solutions. The SPR phenomenon is attained by using the optical fiber to guide the light source to reach the side-polished, gold-coated region. Integrating this OFS with a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA-based microfluidic chip, the SPR spectra for liquids with different refractive indices are recorded. Experimentally, the sensitivity of the current biosensor was calculated to be in the order of 10−5 RIU. This microfluidic chip-integrated OFS could be valuable for monitoring subtle changes in biological samples such as blood sugar, allergen, and biomolecular interactions.

Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor With Transmit Beamforming Based on a PMUT Array Bonded to CMOS Circuitry.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Xiaoyue; Tang, Hao-Yen; Lu, Yipeng; Ng, Eldwin J; Tsai, Julius M; Boser, Bernhard E; Horsley, David A

2017-09-01

In this paper, we present a single-chip 65 ×42 element ultrasonic pulse-echo fingerprint sensor with transmit (TX) beamforming based on piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers directly bonded to a CMOS readout application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The readout ASIC was realized in a standard 180-nm CMOS process with a 24-V high-voltage transistor option. Pulse-echo measurements are performed column-by-column in sequence using either one column or five columns to TX the ultrasonic pulse at 20 MHz. TX beamforming is used to focus the ultrasonic beam at the imaging plane where the finger is located, increasing the ultrasonic pressure and narrowing the 3-dB beamwidth to [Formula: see text], a factor of 6.4 narrower than nonbeamformed measurements. The surface of the sensor is coated with a poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer to provide good acoustic impedance matching to skin. Scanning laser Doppler vibrometry of the PDMS surface was used to map the ultrasonic pressure field at the imaging surface, demonstrating the expected increase in pressure, and reduction in beamwidth. Imaging experiments were conducted using both PDMS phantoms and real fingerprints. The average image contrast is increased by a factor of 1.5 when beamforming is used.

Monolithic integration of DUV-induced waveguides into plastic microfluidic chip for optical manipulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khoury Arvelo, Maria; Vannahme, Christoph; Sørensen, Kristian Tølbøl

2014-01-01

A monolithic polymer optofluidic chip for manipulation of microbeads in flow is demonstrated. On this chip, polymer waveguides induced by Deep UV lithography are integrated with microfluidic channels. The optical propagation losses of the waveguides are measured to be 0.66±0.13 dB/mm at a wavelen......A monolithic polymer optofluidic chip for manipulation of microbeads in flow is demonstrated. On this chip, polymer waveguides induced by Deep UV lithography are integrated with microfluidic channels. The optical propagation losses of the waveguides are measured to be 0.66±0.13 d......B/mm at a wavelength of λ = 808 nm. An optimized bead tracking algorithm is implemented, allowing for determination of the optical forces acting on the particles. The algorithm features a spatio-temporal mapping of coordinates for uniting partial trajectories, without increased processing time. With an external laser...

Chip Integrated, Hybrid EHD/Capillary Driven Thermal Management System Project

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Chip-Integrated, Hybrid EHD/Capillary-Driven Thermal Management System is a two year that will leverage independently attained yet related prototype hardware...

Nanoscale on-chip all-optical logic parity checker in integrated plasmonic circuits in optical communication range

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Feifan; Gong, Zibo; Hu, Xiaoyong; Yang, Xiaoyu; Yang, Hong; Gong, Qihuang

2016-01-01

The nanoscale chip-integrated all-optical logic parity checker is an essential core component for optical computing systems and ultrahigh-speed ultrawide-band information processing chips. Unfortunately, little experimental progress has been made in development of these devices to date because of material bottleneck limitations and a lack of effective realization mechanisms. Here, we report a simple and efficient strategy for direct realization of nanoscale chip-integrated all-optical logic parity checkers in integrated plasmonic circuits in the optical communication range. The proposed parity checker consists of two-level cascaded exclusive-OR (XOR) logic gates that are realized based on the linear interference of surface plasmon polaritons propagating in the plasmonic waveguides. The parity of the number of logic 1s in the incident four-bit logic signals is determined, and the output signal is given the logic state 0 for even parity (and 1 for odd parity). Compared with previous reports, the overall device feature size is reduced by more than two orders of magnitude, while ultralow energy consumption is maintained. This work raises the possibility of realization of large-scale integrated information processing chips based on integrated plasmonic circuits, and also provides a way to overcome the intrinsic limitations of serious surface plasmon polariton losses for on-chip integration applications. PMID:27073154

Nanoscale on-chip all-optical logic parity checker in integrated plasmonic circuits in optical communication range.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Feifan; Gong, Zibo; Hu, Xiaoyong; Yang, Xiaoyu; Yang, Hong; Gong, Qihuang

2016-04-13

The nanoscale chip-integrated all-optical logic parity checker is an essential core component for optical computing systems and ultrahigh-speed ultrawide-band information processing chips. Unfortunately, little experimental progress has been made in development of these devices to date because of material bottleneck limitations and a lack of effective realization mechanisms. Here, we report a simple and efficient strategy for direct realization of nanoscale chip-integrated all-optical logic parity checkers in integrated plasmonic circuits in the optical communication range. The proposed parity checker consists of two-level cascaded exclusive-OR (XOR) logic gates that are realized based on the linear interference of surface plasmon polaritons propagating in the plasmonic waveguides. The parity of the number of logic 1s in the incident four-bit logic signals is determined, and the output signal is given the logic state 0 for even parity (and 1 for odd parity). Compared with previous reports, the overall device feature size is reduced by more than two orders of magnitude, while ultralow energy consumption is maintained. This work raises the possibility of realization of large-scale integrated information processing chips based on integrated plasmonic circuits, and also provides a way to overcome the intrinsic limitations of serious surface plasmon polariton losses for on-chip integration applications.

Epoxy Chip-in-Carrier Integration and Screen-Printed Metalization for Multichannel Microfluidic Lab-on-CMOS Microsystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Lin; Yin, Heyu; Mason, Andrew J

2018-04-01

The integration of biosensors, microfluidics, and CMOS instrumentation provides a compact lab-on-CMOS microsystem well suited for high throughput measurement. This paper describes a new epoxy chip-in-carrier integration process and two planar metalization techniques for lab-on-CMOS that enable on-CMOS electrochemical measurement with multichannel microfluidics. Several design approaches with different fabrication steps and materials were experimentally analyzed to identify an ideal process that can achieve desired capability with high yield and low material and tool cost. On-chip electrochemical measurements of the integrated assembly were performed to verify the functionality of the chip-in-carrier packaging and its capability for microfluidic integration. The newly developed CMOS-compatible epoxy chip-in-carrier process paves the way for full implementation of many lab-on-CMOS applications with CMOS ICs as core electronic instruments.

On the integration of ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD with CMOS chip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongyi Mi

2017-03-01

Full Text Available A low temperature deposition of high quality ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD film onto a finished Si-based CMOS chip was performed to investigate the compatibility of the UNCD deposition process with CMOS devices for monolithic integration of MEMS on Si CMOS platform. DC and radio-frequency performances of the individual PMOS and NMOS devices on the CMOS chip before and after the UNCD deposition were characterized. Electrical characteristics of CMOS after deposition of the UNCD film remained within the acceptable ranges, namely showing small variations in threshold voltage Vth, transconductance gm, cut-off frequency fT and maximum oscillation frequency fmax. The results suggest that low temperature UNCD deposition is compatible with CMOS to realize monolithically integrated CMOS-driven MEMS/NEMS based on UNCD.

Double-shell tank integrity assessments ultrasonic test equipment performance test

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pfluger, D.C.

1996-09-26

A double-shell tank (DST) inspection (DSTI) system was performance tested over three months until August 1995 at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, completing a contract initiated in February 1993 to design, fabricate, and test an ultrasonic inspection system intended to provide ultrasonic test (UT) and visual data to determine the integrity of 28 DSTs at Hanford. The DSTs are approximately one-million-gallon underground radioactive-waste storage tanks. The test was performed in accordance with a procedure (Jensen 1995) that included requirements described in the contract specification (Pfluger 1995). This report documents the results of tests conducted to evaluate the performance of the DSTI system against the requirements of the contract specification. The test of the DSTI system also reflects the performance of qualified personnel and operating procedures.

Integrating Fiber Optic Strain Sensors into Metal Using Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing

Science.gov (United States)

Hehr, Adam; Norfolk, Mark; Wenning, Justin; Sheridan, John; Leser, Paul; Leser, Patrick; Newman, John A.

2018-03-01

Ultrasonic additive manufacturing, a rather new three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, uses ultrasonic energy to produce metallurgical bonds between layers of metal foils near room temperature. This low temperature attribute of the process enables integration of temperature sensitive components, such as fiber optic strain sensors, directly into metal structures. This may be an enabling technology for Digital Twin applications, i.e., virtual model interaction and feedback with live load data. This study evaluates the consolidation quality, interface robustness, and load sensing limits of commercially available fiber optic strain sensors embedded into aluminum alloy 6061. Lastly, an outlook on the technology and its applications is described.

Vertically integrated pixel readout chip for high energy physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deptuch, Grzegorz; Demarteau, Marcel; Hoff, James; Khalid, Farah; Lipton, Ronald; Shenai, Alpana; Trimpl, Marcel; Yarema, Raymond; Zimmerman, Tom

2011-01-01

We report on the development of the vertex detector pixel readout chips based on multi-tier vertically integrated electronics for the International Linear Collider. Some testing results of the VIP2a prototype are presented. The chip is the second iteration of the silicon implementation of the prototype, data-pushed concept of the readout developed at Fermilab. The device was fabricated in the 3D MIT-LL 0.15 (micro)m fully depleted SOI process. The prototype is a three-tier design, featuring 30 x 30 (micro)m 2 pixels, laid out in an array of 48 x 48 pixels.

Preliminary study on rotary ultrasonic machining of Bk-7 optical glass rod

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamzah, E.; Izman, S.; Khoo, C.Y.; Zainal Abidin, N.N.

2007-01-01

This paper presents an experimental observation on rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM) of BK7 optical glass rod. BK7 is a common technical optical glass for high quality optical components due to its high linear optical transmission in the visible range and is chemically stable. RUM is a hybrid machining process that combines the material removal mechanisms of diamond grinding and ultrasonic machining (USM) and it is non-thermal, non-chemical, creates no change in the microstructure, chemical or physical properties of the work piece. In the RUM, a controlled static load is applied to the rotating core drill with metal bonded diamond abrasive and is ultrasonically vibrated in the axial direction. A water-soluble coolant was used to cool the tool and sample during machining processes. By using DOE (Design of Experiment) approach, the effect of spindle speed and feed rate to the ultrasonic machinability had been developed. The main effects and two-factor interactions of process parameters (spindle speed) and feed rate) on output variables (MRR, surface roughness, opaqueness, chipping thickness and chipping size) are studied. (author)

On-chip photonic integrated circuit structures for millimeter and terahertz wave signal generation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gordón, C.; Guzmán, R. C.; Corral, V.; Carpintero, G.; Leijtens, X.

2015-01-01

We present two different on-chip photonic integrated circuit (PIC) structures for continuous-wave generation of millimeter and terahertz waves, each one using a different approach. One approach is the optical heterodyne method, using an on-chip arrayed waveguide grating laser (OC-AWGL) which is

Multi-color fluorescent DNA analysis in an integrated optofluidic lab-on-a-chip

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dongre, C.; van Weerd, J.; van Weeghel, R.; Martinez-Vazquez, R.; Osellame, R.; Cerullo, G.; Besselink, G.A.J.; van den Vlekkert, H.H.; Hoekstra, Hugo; Pollnau, Markus

Sorting and sizing of DNA molecules within the human genome project has enabled the genetic mapping of various illnesses. By employing tiny lab-on-a-chip devices for such DNA analysis, integrated DNA sequencing and genetic diagnostics have become feasible. However, such diagnostic chips typically

An integrated micro-chip for rapid detection of magnetic particles

KAUST Repository

Gooneratne, Chinthaka P.

2012-03-09

This paper proposes an integrated micro-chip for the manipulation and detection of magnetic particles (MPs). A conducting ring structure is used to manipulate MPs toward giant magnetoresistance(GMR) sensing elements for rapid detection. The GMRsensor is fabricated in a horseshoe shape in order to detect the majority of MPs that are trapped around the conducting structure. The GMR sensing elements are connected in a Wheatstone bridge circuit topology for optimum noise suppression. Full fabrication details of the micro-chip, characterization of the GMRsensors, and experimental results with MPs are presented in this paper. Experimental results showed that the micro-chip can detect MPs from low concentration samples after they were guided toward the GMRsensors by applying current to the conducting ring structure.

An integrated micro-chip for rapid detection of magnetic particles

KAUST Repository

Gooneratne, Chinthaka P.; Liang, Cai; Giouroudi, Ioanna; Kosel, Jü rgen

2012-01-01

This paper proposes an integrated micro-chip for the manipulation and detection of magnetic particles (MPs). A conducting ring structure is used to manipulate MPs toward giant magnetoresistance(GMR) sensing elements for rapid detection

Ultrasonic characterization of cancellous bone using apparent integrated backscatter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoffmeister, B K [Department of Physics, Rhodes College, 2000 North Parkway, Memphis, TN 38112 (United States); III, C I Jones [Department of Physics, Rhodes College, 2000 North Parkway, Memphis, TN 38112 (United States); Caldwell, G J [Department of Physics, Rhodes College, 2000 North Parkway, Memphis, TN 38112 (United States); Kaste, S C [Department of Diagnostic Imaging, St Jude Children' s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105 (United States)

2006-06-07

Apparent integrated backscatter (AIB) is a measure of the frequency-averaged (integrated) backscattered power contained in some portion of a backscattered ultrasonic signal. AIB has been used extensively to study soft tissues, but its usefulness as a tissue characterization technique for cancellous bone has not been demonstrated. To address this, we performed measurements on 17 specimens of cancellous bone over two different frequency ranges using a 1 MHz and 5 MHz broadband ultrasonic transducer. Specimens were obtained from bovine tibiae and prepared in the shape of cubes (15 mm side length) with faces oriented along transverse (anterior, posterior, medial and lateral) and longitudinal (superior and inferior) principal anatomic directions. A mechanical scanning system was used to acquire multiple backscatter signals from each direction for each cube. AIB demonstrated highly significant linear correlations with bone mineral density (BMD) for both the transverse (R{sup 2} = 0.817) and longitudinal (R{sup 2} = 0.488) directions using the 5 MHz transducer. In contrast, the correlations with density were much weaker for the 1 MHz transducer (R{sup 2} = 0.007 transverse, R{sup 2} = 0.228 longitudinal). In all cases where a significant correlation was observed, AIB was found to decrease with increasing BMD.

Temperature effects in Au piezoresistors integrated in SU-8 cantilever chips

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johansson, Alicia; Hansen, Ole; Hales, Jan Harry

2006-01-01

We present a cantilever-based biosensor chip made for the detection of biochemical molecules. The device is fabricated entirely in the photosensitive polymer SU-8 except for integrated piezoresistors made of Au. The integrated piezoresistors are used to monitor the surface stress changes due to b...

A microfluidic microprocessor: controlling biomimetic containers and cells using hybrid integrated circuit/microfluidic chips.

Science.gov (United States)

Issadore, David; Franke, Thomas; Brown, Keith A; Westervelt, Robert M

2010-11-07

We present an integrated platform for performing biological and chemical experiments on a chip based on standard CMOS technology. We have developed a hybrid integrated circuit (IC)/microfluidic chip that can simultaneously control thousands of living cells and pL volumes of fluid, enabling a wide variety of chemical and biological tasks. Taking inspiration from cellular biology, phospholipid bilayer vesicles are used as robust picolitre containers for reagents on the chip. The hybrid chip can be programmed to trap, move, and porate individual living cells and vesicles and fuse and deform vesicles using electric fields. The IC spatially patterns electric fields in a microfluidic chamber using 128 × 256 (32,768) 11 × 11 μm(2) metal pixels, each of which can be individually driven with a radio frequency (RF) voltage. The chip's basic functions can be combined in series to perform complex biological and chemical tasks and can be performed in parallel on the chip's many pixels for high-throughput operations. The hybrid chip operates in two distinct modes, defined by the frequency of the RF voltage applied to the pixels: Voltages at MHz frequencies are used to trap, move, and deform objects using dielectrophoresis and voltages at frequencies below 1 kHz are used for electroporation and electrofusion. This work represents an important step towards miniaturizing the complex chemical and biological experiments used for diagnostics and research onto automated and inexpensive chips.

Analog integrated circuit for micro-gyro interface realized by multi-chip service in Japan; Multi chip service ni yoru micro gyro interface shuseki kairo no sekkei to shisaku

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maenaka, K.; Fujita, T.; Okamoto, K.; Maeda, M. [Himeji Institute of Technology, Hyogo (Japan)

1998-10-01

This paper deals with an analog integrated circuit for micro-machined gyroscopes with capacitive output. The Integrated circuit was fabricated as a part of the first project from the `Micromachining Multi-Chip Service Cooperative Re-search Committee` organized by The Institute of Electrical Engineers Japan. This multi-chip service project offers a master slice chip with an equivalent of 9 blocks of operational amplifier circuits. Our integrated circuit includes a modulator, demodulator and synchronous rectifier for detecting small changes in the capacitance of a silicon gyroscope. In the paper, the experimental results of fabricated samples will be described. 13 refs., 15 figs.

Effects of Ultrasonics-Assisted Face Milling on Surface Integrity and Fatigue Life of Ni-Alloy 718

Science.gov (United States)

Suárez, Alfredo; Veiga, Fernando; de Lacalle, Luis N. López; Polvorosa, Roberto; Lutze, Steffen; Wretland, Anders

2016-11-01

This work investigates the effects of ultrasonic vibration-assisted milling on important aspects such us material surface integrity, tool wear, cutting forces and fatigue resistance. As an alternative to natural application of ultrasonic milling in brittle materials, in this study, ultrasonics have been applied to a difficult-to-cut material, Alloy 718, very common in high-temperature applications. Results show alterations in the sub-superficial part of the material which could influence fatigue resistance of the material, as it has been observed in a fatigue test campaign of specimens obtained with the application of ultrasonic milling in comparison with another batch obtained applying conventional milling. Tool wear pattern was found to be very similar for both milling technologies, concluding the study with the analysis of cutting forces, exhibiting certain improvement in case of the application of ultrasonic milling with a more stable evolution.

Hybrid Integration of Solid-State Quantum Emitters on a Silicon Photonic Chip.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Je-Hyung; Aghaeimeibodi, Shahriar; Richardson, Christopher J K; Leavitt, Richard P; Englund, Dirk; Waks, Edo

2017-12-13

Scalable quantum photonic systems require efficient single photon sources coupled to integrated photonic devices. Solid-state quantum emitters can generate single photons with high efficiency, while silicon photonic circuits can manipulate them in an integrated device structure. Combining these two material platforms could, therefore, significantly increase the complexity of integrated quantum photonic devices. Here, we demonstrate hybrid integration of solid-state quantum emitters to a silicon photonic device. We develop a pick-and-place technique that can position epitaxially grown InAs/InP quantum dots emitting at telecom wavelengths on a silicon photonic chip deterministically with nanoscale precision. We employ an adiabatic tapering approach to transfer the emission from the quantum dots to the waveguide with high efficiency. We also incorporate an on-chip silicon-photonic beamsplitter to perform a Hanbury-Brown and Twiss measurement. Our approach could enable integration of precharacterized III-V quantum photonic devices into large-scale photonic structures to enable complex devices composed of many emitters and photons.

A novel conductive-polymer-based integration process for high-performance flip-chip packages

Science.gov (United States)

Lohokare, Saurabh

Conductive polymers have recently attracted considerable attention for low-temperature fabrication of lead-free, reworkable, and flexible flip-chip interconnects. Using these materials, I demonstrate in this thesis a process that enables low-cost and high-resolution flip-chip interconnects using conventional micro-fabrication techniques. This fabrication process offers improved performance as compared to conventional flip-chip techniques, such as screen-printing, and allows for definition of interconnects with excellent surface uniformity and control over the bump profile. In order to demonstrate the utility and wide applicability of this process, several test implementations that serve as case studies were investigated. Specifically, novel InGaAsSb avalanche photodiodes (APDs), operating around lambda = 2m and targeted for free-space communication and biomedical spectroscopy applications, were fabricated and flip-chip-integrated to test the static electrical characteristics of the polymer bumps. Additionally, the dynamic electrical performance characteristics of the polymer bumps were studied by using AlGaAsSb/AlGaSb p-i-n photodetectors as a case study. The fabrication of these photodetectors, operating around lambda = 1.55mum and targeted for optical communication applications, was accomplished using a customized inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etch process that resulted in a low dark current and excellent speed (3dB bandwidth of 10GHz) and, responsivity (60% external quantum efficiency) characteristics. Furthermore, flip-chip integration was used to demonstrate a three-dimensional, point-to-point micro-optical interconnect, which was 2.33mm-long in a system 15.27mm3 in volume. Lastly, high-speed parallel optical interconnects were demonstrated using polymer-flip-chip-integrated 10GHz vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) and DOEs. Such interconnects offer the ability to alleviate the communication bottleneck that is projected to occur in future, high

Process monitoring using optical ultrasonic wave detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Telschow, K.L.; Walter, J.B.; Garcia, G.V.; Kunerth, D.C.

1989-01-01

Optical ultrasonic wave detection techniques are being developed for process monitoring. An important limitation on optical techniques is that the material surface, in materials processing applications, is usually not a specular reflector and in many cases is totally diffusely reflecting. This severely degrades the light collected by the detection optics, greatly reducing the intensity and randomly scattering the phase of the reflected light. A confocal Fabry-Perot interferometer, which is sensitive to the Doppler frequency shift resulting from the surface motion and not to the phase of the collected light, is well suited to detecting ultrasonic waves in diffusely reflecting materials. This paper describes the application of this detector to the real-time monitoring of the sintering of ceramic materials. 8 refs., 5 figs

Chip-integrated plasmonic cavity-enhanced single nitrogen-vacancy center emission

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Siampour, Hamidreza; Kumar, Shailesh; Bozhevolnyi, Sergey I.

2017-01-01

High temporal stability and spin dynamics of individual nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond crystals make them one of the most promising quantum emitters operating at room temperature. We demonstrate a chip-integrated cavity-coupled emission into propagating surface plasmon polariton (SPP...

Ultrasonically synthesized organic liquid-filled chitosan microcapsules: part 2: characterization using AFM (atomic force microscopy) and combined AFM-confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Mettu, Srinivas; Ye, Qianyu; Zhou, Meifang; Dagastine, Raymond; Ashokkumar, Muthupandian

2018-04-25

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is used to measure the stiffness and Young's modulus of individual microcapsules that have a chitosan cross-linked shell encapsulating tetradecane. The oil filled microcapsules were prepared using a one pot synthesis via ultrasonic emulsification of tetradecane and crosslinking of the chitosan shell in aqueous solutions of acetic acid. The concentration of acetic acid in aqueous solutions of chitosan was varied from 0.2% to 25% v/v. The effect of acetic acid concentration and size of the individual microcapsules on the strength was probed. The deformations and forces required to rupture the microcapsules were also measured. Three dimensional deformations of microcapsules under large applied loads were obtained by the combination of Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy (LSCM) with Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The stiffness, and hence the modulus, of the microcapsules was found to decrease with an increase in size with the average stiffness ranging from 82 to 111 mN m-1 and average Young's modulus ranging from 0.4 to 6.5 MPa. The forces required to rupture the microcapsules varied from 150 to 250 nN with deformations of the microcapsules up to 62 to 110% relative to their radius, respectively. Three dimensional images obtained using laser scanning confocal microscopy showed that the microcapsules retained their structure and shape after being subjected to large deformations and subsequent removal of the loads. Based on the above observations, the oil filled chitosan crosslinked microcapsules are an ideal choice for use in the food and pharmaceutical industries as they would be able to withstand the process conditions encountered.

Dynamic magnetic particle actuation for integrated lab-on-chip biosensing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jong, de A.M.; Reenen, van A.; Prins, M.W.J.

2014-01-01

The demand for easy to use and cost effective medical technologies inspires scientists to develop innovative lab-on-chip technologies for in-vitro diagnostic testing. We study the use of magnetic particles actuated by magnetic fields to perform different microfluidic handling steps of an integrated

Whole-body ring-shaped confocal photoacoustic computed tomography of small animals in vivo

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Jun; Chatni, Muhammad R.; Maslov, Konstantin; Guo, Zijian; Wang, Kun; Anastasio, Mark; Wang, Lihong V.

2012-05-01

We report a novel small-animal whole-body imaging system called ring-shaped confocal photoacoustic computed tomography (RC-PACT). RC-PACT is based on a confocal design of free-space ring-shaped light illumination and 512-element full-ring ultrasonic array signal detection. The free-space light illumination maximizes the light delivery efficiency, and the full-ring signal detection ensures a full two-dimensional view aperture for accurate image reconstruction. Using cylindrically focused array elements, RC-PACT can image a thin cross section with 0.10 to 0.25 mm in-plane resolutions and 1.6 s/frame acquisition time. By translating the mouse along the elevational direction, RC-PACT provides a series of cross-sectional images of the brain, liver, kidneys, and bladder.

Simultaneous detection of lactate and glucose by integrated printed circuit board based array sensing chip

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Xuelian [Institute for Clean Energy and Advanced Materials, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); Zang, Jianfeng [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708 (United States); Liu, Yingshuai; Lu, Zhisong [Institute for Clean Energy and Advanced Materials, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); Li, Qing, E-mail: Qli@swu.edu.cn [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); Li, Chang Ming, E-mail: ecmli@swu.edu.cn [Institute for Clean Energy and Advanced Materials, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China)

2013-04-10

Highlights: ► An integrated printed circuit board (PCB) based array sensing chip was developed. ► Simultaneous detection of lactate and glucose in serum has been demonstrated. ► The array electronic biochip has high signal to noise ratio and high sensitivity. ► Additional electrodes were designed on the chip to correct interferences. -- Abstract: An integrated printed circuit board (PCB) based array sensing chip was developed to simultaneously detect lactate and glucose in mouse serum. The novelty of the chip relies on a concept demonstration of inexpensive high-throughput electronic biochip, a chip design for high signal to noise ratio and high sensitivity by construction of positively charged chitosan/redox polymer Polyvinylimidazole-Os (PVI-Os)/carbon nanotube (CNT) composite sensing platform, in which the positively charged chitosan/PVI-Os is mediator and electrostatically immobilizes the negatively charged enzyme, while CNTs function as an essential cross-linker to network PVI-Os and chitosan due to its negative charged nature. Additional electrodes on the chip with the same sensing layer but without enzymes were prepared to correct the interferences for high specificity. Low detection limits of 0.6 μM and 5 μM were achieved for lactate and glucose, respectively. This work could be extended to inexpensive array sensing chips with high sensitivity, good specificity and high reproducibility for various sensor applications.

X-CHIP: an integrated platform for high-throughput protein crystallization and on-the-chip X-ray diffraction data collection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kisselman, Gera; Qiu, Wei; Romanov, Vladimir; Thompson, Christine M.; Lam, Robert; Battaile, Kevin P.; Pai, Emil F.; Chirgadze, Nickolay Y.

2011-01-01

The X-CHIP (X-ray Crystallography High-throughput Integrated Platform) is a novel microchip that has been developed to combine multiple steps of the crystallographic pipeline from crystallization to diffraction data collection on a single device to streamline the entire process. The X-CHIP (X-ray Crystallization High-throughput Integrated Platform) is a novel microchip that has been developed to combine multiple steps of the crystallographic pipeline from crystallization to diffraction data collection on a single device to streamline the entire process. The system has been designed for crystallization condition screening, visual crystal inspection, initial X-ray screening and data collection in a high-throughput fashion. X-ray diffraction data acquisition can be performed directly on-the-chip at room temperature using an in situ approach. The capabilities of the chip eliminate the necessity for manual crystal handling and cryoprotection of crystal samples, while allowing data collection from multiple crystals in the same drop. This technology would be especially beneficial for projects with large volumes of data, such as protein-complex studies and fragment-based screening. The platform employs hydrophilic and hydrophobic concentric ring surfaces on a miniature plate transparent to visible light and X-rays to create a well defined and stable microbatch crystallization environment. The results of crystallization and data-collection experiments demonstrate that high-quality well diffracting crystals can be grown and high-resolution diffraction data sets can be collected using this technology. Furthermore, the quality of a single-wavelength anomalous dispersion data set collected with the X-CHIP at room temperature was sufficient to generate interpretable electron-density maps. This technology is highly resource-efficient owing to the use of nanolitre-scale drop volumes. It does not require any modification for most in-house and synchrotron beamline systems and offers

X-CHIP: an integrated platform for high-throughput protein crystallization and on-the-chip X-ray diffraction data collection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kisselman, Gera; Qiu, Wei; Romanov, Vladimir; Thompson, Christine M.; Lam, Robert [Ontario Cancer Institute, Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4 (Canada); Battaile, Kevin P. [Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); Pai, Emil F.; Chirgadze, Nickolay Y., E-mail: nchirgad@uhnresearch.ca [Ontario Cancer Institute, Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4 (Canada); University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8 (Canada)

2011-06-01

The X-CHIP (X-ray Crystallography High-throughput Integrated Platform) is a novel microchip that has been developed to combine multiple steps of the crystallographic pipeline from crystallization to diffraction data collection on a single device to streamline the entire process. The X-CHIP (X-ray Crystallization High-throughput Integrated Platform) is a novel microchip that has been developed to combine multiple steps of the crystallographic pipeline from crystallization to diffraction data collection on a single device to streamline the entire process. The system has been designed for crystallization condition screening, visual crystal inspection, initial X-ray screening and data collection in a high-throughput fashion. X-ray diffraction data acquisition can be performed directly on-the-chip at room temperature using an in situ approach. The capabilities of the chip eliminate the necessity for manual crystal handling and cryoprotection of crystal samples, while allowing data collection from multiple crystals in the same drop. This technology would be especially beneficial for projects with large volumes of data, such as protein-complex studies and fragment-based screening. The platform employs hydrophilic and hydrophobic concentric ring surfaces on a miniature plate transparent to visible light and X-rays to create a well defined and stable microbatch crystallization environment. The results of crystallization and data-collection experiments demonstrate that high-quality well diffracting crystals can be grown and high-resolution diffraction data sets can be collected using this technology. Furthermore, the quality of a single-wavelength anomalous dispersion data set collected with the X-CHIP at room temperature was sufficient to generate interpretable electron-density maps. This technology is highly resource-efficient owing to the use of nanolitre-scale drop volumes. It does not require any modification for most in-house and synchrotron beamline systems and offers

A Novel Analog Integrated Circuit Design Course Covering Design, Layout, and Resulting Chip Measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Wei-Liang; Cheng, Wang-Chuan; Wu, Chen-Hao; Wu, Hai-Ming; Wu, Chang-Yu; Ho, Kuan-Hsuan; Chan, Chueh-An

2010-01-01

This work describes a novel, first-year graduate-level analog integrated circuit (IC) design course. The course teaches students analog circuit design; an external manufacturer then produces their designs in three different silicon chips. The students, working in pairs, then test these chips to verify their success. All work is completed within…

Experimental and theoretical analysis of integrated circuit (IC) chips on flexible substrates subjected to bending

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ying; Yuan, Jianghong; Zhang, Yingchao; Huang, Yonggang; Feng, Xue

2017-10-01

The interfacial failure of integrated circuit (IC) chips integrated on flexible substrates under bending deformation has been studied theoretically and experimentally. A compressive buckling test is used to impose the bending deformation onto the interface between the IC chip and the flexible substrate quantitatively, after which the failed interface is investigated using scanning electron microscopy. A theoretical model is established based on the beam theory and a bi-layer interface model, from which an analytical expression of the critical curvature in relation to the interfacial failure is obtained. The relationships between the critical curvature, the material, and the geometric parameters of the device are discussed in detail, providing guidance for future optimization flexible circuits based on IC chips.

FPGA Implementation of an Amplitude-Modulated Continuous-Wave Ultrasonic Ranger Using Restructured Phase-Locking Scheme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Sumathi

2010-01-01

Full Text Available An accurate ultrasonic range finder employing Sliding Discrete Fourier Transform (SDFT based restructured phase-locked loop (RPLL, which is an improved version of the recently proposed integrated phase-locking scheme (IPLL, has been expounded. This range finder principally utilizes amplitude-modulated ultrasonic waves assisted by an infrared (IR pilot signal. The phase shift between the envelope of the reference IR pilot signal and that of the received ultrasonic signal is proportional to the range. The extracted envelopes are filtered by SDFT without introducing any additional phase shift. A new RPLL is described in which the phase error is driven to zero using the quadrature signal derived from the SDFT. Further, the quadrature signal is reinforced by another cosine signal derived from a lookup table (LUT. The pulse frequency of the numerically controlled oscillator (NCO is extremely accurate, enabling fine tuning of the SDFT and RPLL also improves the lock time for the 50 Hz input signal to 0.04 s. The percentage phase error for the range 0.6 m to 6 m is about 0.2%. The VHDL codes generated for the various signal processing steps were downloaded into a Cyclone FPGA chip around which the ultrasonic ranger had been built.

Electromagnetic design methods in systems-on-chip: integrated filters for wireless CMOS RFICs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Contopanagos, Harry

2005-01-01

We present general methods for designing on-chip CMOS passives and utilizing these integrated elements to design on-chip CMOS filters for wireless communications. These methods rely on full-wave electromagnetic numerical calculations that capture all the physics of the underlying foundry technologies. This is especially crucial for deep sub-micron CMOS technologies as it is important to capture the physical effects of finite (and mediocre) Q-factors limited by material losses and constraints on expensive die area, low self-resonance frequencies and dual parasitics that are particularly prevalent in deep sub-micron CMOS processes (65 nm-0.18 μm. We use these integrated elements in an ideal synthesis of a Bluetooth/WLAN pass-band filter in single-ended or differential architectures, and show the significant deviations of the on-chip filter response from the ideal one. We identify which elements in the filter circuit need to maximize their Q-factors and which Q-factors do not affect the filter performance. This saves die area, and predicts the FET parameters (especially transconductances) and negative-resistance FET topologies that have to be integrated in the filter to restore its performance. (invited paper)

Electromagnetic design methods in systems-on-chip: integrated filters for wireless CMOS RFICs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Contopanagos, Harry [Institute for Microelectronics, NCSR ' Demokritos' , PO Box 60228, GR-153 10 Aghia Paraskevi, Athens (Greece)

2005-01-01

We present general methods for designing on-chip CMOS passives and utilizing these integrated elements to design on-chip CMOS filters for wireless communications. These methods rely on full-wave electromagnetic numerical calculations that capture all the physics of the underlying foundry technologies. This is especially crucial for deep sub-micron CMOS technologies as it is important to capture the physical effects of finite (and mediocre) Q-factors limited by material losses and constraints on expensive die area, low self-resonance frequencies and dual parasitics that are particularly prevalent in deep sub-micron CMOS processes (65 nm-0.18 {mu}m. We use these integrated elements in an ideal synthesis of a Bluetooth/WLAN pass-band filter in single-ended or differential architectures, and show the significant deviations of the on-chip filter response from the ideal one. We identify which elements in the filter circuit need to maximize their Q-factors and which Q-factors do not affect the filter performance. This saves die area, and predicts the FET parameters (especially transconductances) and negative-resistance FET topologies that have to be integrated in the filter to restore its performance. (invited paper)

Integrating photonics with silicon nanoelectronics for the next generation of systems on a chip.

Science.gov (United States)

Atabaki, Amir H; Moazeni, Sajjad; Pavanello, Fabio; Gevorgyan, Hayk; Notaros, Jelena; Alloatti, Luca; Wade, Mark T; Sun, Chen; Kruger, Seth A; Meng, Huaiyu; Al Qubaisi, Kenaish; Wang, Imbert; Zhang, Bohan; Khilo, Anatol; Baiocco, Christopher V; Popović, Miloš A; Stojanović, Vladimir M; Ram, Rajeev J

2018-04-01

Electronic and photonic technologies have transformed our lives-from computing and mobile devices, to information technology and the internet. Our future demands in these fields require innovation in each technology separately, but also depend on our ability to harness their complementary physics through integrated solutions 1,2 . This goal is hindered by the fact that most silicon nanotechnologies-which enable our processors, computer memory, communications chips and image sensors-rely on bulk silicon substrates, a cost-effective solution with an abundant supply chain, but with substantial limitations for the integration of photonic functions. Here we introduce photonics into bulk silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) chips using a layer of polycrystalline silicon deposited on silicon oxide (glass) islands fabricated alongside transistors. We use this single deposited layer to realize optical waveguides and resonators, high-speed optical modulators and sensitive avalanche photodetectors. We integrated this photonic platform with a 65-nanometre-transistor bulk CMOS process technology inside a 300-millimetre-diameter-wafer microelectronics foundry. We then implemented integrated high-speed optical transceivers in this platform that operate at ten gigabits per second, composed of millions of transistors, and arrayed on a single optical bus for wavelength division multiplexing, to address the demand for high-bandwidth optical interconnects in data centres and high-performance computing 3,4 . By decoupling the formation of photonic devices from that of transistors, this integration approach can achieve many of the goals of multi-chip solutions 5 , but with the performance, complexity and scalability of 'systems on a chip' 1,6-8 . As transistors smaller than ten nanometres across become commercially available 9 , and as new nanotechnologies emerge 10,11 , this approach could provide a way to integrate photonics with state-of-the-art nanoelectronics.

Ultrasonic superlensing jets and acoustic-fork sheets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mitri, F.G., E-mail: F.G.Mitri@ieee.org

2017-05-18

Focusing acoustical (and optical) beams beyond the diffraction limit has remained a major challenge in imaging instruments and systems, until recent advances on “hyper” or “super” lensing and higher-resolution imaging techniques have shown the counterintuitive violation of this rule under certain circumstances. Nonetheless, the proposed technologies of super-resolution acoustical focusing beyond the diffraction barrier require complex tools such as artificially engineered metamaterials, and other hardware equipment that may not be easily synthesized or manufactured. The present contribution therefore suggests a simple and reliable method of using a sound-penetrable circular cylinder lens illuminated by a nonparaxial Gaussian acoustical sheet (i.e. finite beam in 2D) to produce non-evanescent ultrasonic superlensing jets (or bullets) and acoustical ‘snail-fork’ shaped wavefronts with limited diffraction. The generalized (near-field) scattering theory for acoustical sheets of arbitrary wavefronts and incidence is utilized to synthesize the incident beam based upon the angular spectrum decomposition method and the multipole expansion method in cylindrical wave functions to compute the scattered pressure around the cylinder with particular emphasis on its physical properties. The results show that depending on the beam and lens parameters, a tight focusing (with dimensions much smaller than the beam waist) can be achieved. Subwavelength resolution can be also achieved by selecting a lens material with a speed of sound exceeding that of the host fluid medium. The ultrasonic superlensing jets provide the impetus to develop improved subwavelength microscopy and acoustical image-slicing systems, cell lysis and surgery, and photoacoustic imaging to name a few examples. Moreover, an acoustical fork-sheet generation may open innovative avenues in reconfigurable on-chip micro/nanoparticle tweezers and surface acoustic waves devices. - Highlights: • Ultrasonic

Lab-on-a-chip systems with integrated optics for biochemical applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mogensen, Klaus Bo; Gustafsson, O; Nunes, Pedro

2008-01-01

Two different applications that take advantage of integrated planar waveguides will be shown. The first example is a silicon chips for capillary electrochromatography (CEC), where the fluidic part contains electrically insulated channels with an injection cross and a chromatography column...

SAW-Based Phononic Crystal Microfluidic Sensor-Microscale Realization of Velocimetry Approaches for Integrated Analytical Platform Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Oseev, Aleksandr; Lucklum, Ralf; Zubtsov, Mikhail; Schmidt, Marc-Peter; Mukhin, Nikolay V; Hirsch, Soeren

2017-09-23

The current work demonstrates a novel surface acoustic wave (SAW) based phononic crystal sensor approach that allows the integration of a velocimetry-based sensor concept into single chip integrated solutions, such as Lab-on-a-Chip devices. The introduced sensor platform merges advantages of ultrasonic velocimetry analytic systems and a microacoustic sensor approach. It is based on the analysis of structural resonances in a periodic composite arrangement of microfluidic channels confined within a liquid analyte. Completed theoretical and experimental investigations show the ability to utilize periodic structure localized modes for the detection of volumetric properties of liquids and prove the efficacy of the proposed sensor concept.

Reducing forces during drilling brittle hard materials by using ultrasonic and variation of coolant

Science.gov (United States)

Schopf, C.; Rascher, R.

2016-11-01

The process of ultrasonic machining is especially used for brittle hard materials as the additional ultrasonic vibration of the tool at high frequencies and low amplitudes acts like a hammer on the surface. With this technology it is possible to drill holes with lower forces, therefor the machining can be done faster and the worktime is much less than conventionally. A three-axis dynamometer was used to measure the forces, which act between the tool and the sample part. A focus is set on the sharpness of the tool. The results of a test series are based on the Sauer Ultrasonic Grinding Centre. On the same machine it is possible to drill holes in the conventional way. Additional to the ultasonic Input the type an concentration of coolant is important for the Drilling-force. In the test there were three different coolant and three different concentrations tested. The combination of ultrasonic vibration and the right coolant and concentration is the best way to reduce the Forces. Another positive effect is, that lower drilling-forces produce smaller chipping on the edge of the hole. The way to reduce the forces and chipping is the main issue of this paper.

High Voltage Dielectrophoretic and Magnetophoretic Hybrid Integrated Circuit / Microfluidic Chip

Science.gov (United States)

Issadore, David; Franke, Thomas; Brown, Keith A.; Hunt, Thomas P.; Westervelt, Robert M.

2010-01-01

A hybrid integrated circuit (IC) / microfluidic chip is presented that independently and simultaneously traps and moves microscopic objects suspended in fluid using both electric and magnetic fields. This hybrid chip controls the location of dielectric objects, such as living cells and drops of fluid, on a 60 × 61 array of pixels that are 30 × 38 μm2 in size, each of which can be individually addressed with a 50 V peak-to-peak, DC to 10 MHz radio frequency voltage. These high voltage pixels produce electric fields above the chip’s surface with a magnitude , resulting in strong dielectrophoresis (DEP) forces . Underneath the array of DEP pixels there is a magnetic matrix that consists of two perpendicular sets of 60 metal wires running across the chip. Each wire can be sourced with 120 mA to trap and move magnetically susceptible objects using magnetophoresis (MP). The DEP pixel array and magnetic matrix can be used simultaneously to apply forces to microscopic objects, such as living cells or lipid vesicles, that are tagged with magnetic nanoparticles. The capabilities of the hybrid IC / microfluidic chip demonstrated in this paper provide important building blocks for a platform for biological and chemical applications. PMID:20625468

Heat management in integrated circuits on-chip and system-level monitoring and cooling

CERN Document Server

Ogrenci-Memik, Seda

2016-01-01

This essential overview covers the subject of thermal monitoring and management in integrated circuits. Specifically, it focuses on devices and materials that are intimately integrated on-chip (as opposed to in-package or on-board) for the purposes of thermal monitoring and thermal management.

Automated, Miniaturized and Integrated Quality Control-on-Chip (QC-on-a-Chip for Advanced Cell Therapy Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David eWartmann

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The combination of microfabrication-based technologies with cell biology has laid the foundation for the development of advanced in vitro diagnostic systems capable of evaluating cell cultures under defined, reproducible and standardizable measurement conditions. In the present review we describe recent lab-on-a-chip developments for cell analysis and how these methodologies could improve standard quality control in the field of manufacturing cell-based vaccines for clinical purposes. We highlight in particular the regulatory requirements for advanced cell therapy applications using as an example dendritic cell-based cancer vaccines to describe the tangible advantages of microfluidic devices that overcome most of the challenges associated with automation, miniaturization and integration of cell-based assays. As its main advantage lab-on-a-chip technology allows for precise regulation of culturing conditions, while simultaneously monitoring cell relevant parameters using embedded sensory systems. State-of-the-art lab-on-a-chip platforms for in vitro assessment of cell cultures and their potential future applications for cell therapies and cancer immunotherapy are discussed in the present review.

On-chip nanofluidic integration of acoustic sensors towards high Q in liquid

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Ji; Liu, Zifeng; Zhang, Hongxiang; Liu, Bohua; Zhang, Menglun; Zhang, Hao; Pang, Wei

2017-11-01

This paper reports an on-chip acoustic sensor comprising a piston-mode film bulk acoustic resonator and a monolithically integrated nanochannel. The resonator with the channel exhibits a resonance frequency (f) of 2.5 GHz and a quality (Q) factor of 436 in deionized water. The f × Q product is as high as 1.1 × 1012, which is the highest among all the acoustic wave sensors in the liquid phase. The sensor consumes 2 pl liquid volume and thus greatly saves the precious assays in biomedical testing. The Q factor is investigated, and real-time viscosity tests of glucose solution are demonstrated. The highly miniaturized and integrated sensor is capable to be arrayed with readout-circuitry, which opens an avenue for portable applications and lab-on-chip systems.

Faraday Waves-Based Integrated Ultrasonic Micro-Droplet Generator and Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Chen S; Mao, Rong W; Tsai, Shirley C; Shahverdi, Kaveh; Zhu, Yun; Lin, Shih K; Hsu, Yu-Hsiang; Boss, Gerry; Brenner, Matt; Mahon, Sari; Smaldone, Gerald C

2017-01-01

An in-depth review on a new ultrasonic micro-droplet generator which utilizes megahertz (MHz) Faraday waves excited by silicon-based multiple Fourier horn ultrasonic nozzles (MFHUNs) and its potential applications is presented. The new droplet generator has demonstrated capability for producing micro droplets of controllable size and size distribution and desirable throughput at very low electrical drive power. For comparison, the serious deficiencies of current commercial droplet generators (nebulizers) and the other ultrasonic droplet generators explored in recent years are first discussed. The architecture, working principle, simulation, and design of the multiple Fourier horns (MFH) in resonance aimed at the amplified longitudinal vibration amplitude on the end face of nozzle tip, and the fabrication and characterization of the nozzles are then described in detail. Subsequently, a linear theory on the temporal instability of Faraday waves on a liquid layer resting on the planar end face of the MFHUN and the detailed experimental verifications are presented. The linear theory serves to elucidate the dynamics of droplet ejection from the free liquid surface and predict the vibration amplitude onset threshold for droplet ejection and the droplet diameters. A battery-run pocket-size clogging-free integrated micro droplet generator realized using the MFHUN is then described. The subsequent report on the successful nebulization of a variety of commercial pulmonary medicines against common diseases and on the experimental antidote solutions to cyanide poisoning using the new droplet generator serves to support its imminent application to inhalation drug delivery.

An Electrochromatography Chip with Integrated Waveguides for UV Absorbance Detection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gustafsson, Omar; Mogensen, Klaus Bo; Ohlsson, Pelle Daniel

2008-01-01

A silicon-based microchip for electrochromatographic separations is presented. Apart from a microfluidic network, the microchip has integrated UV-transparent waveguides for detection and integrated couplers for optical fibers on the chip, yielding the most complete chromatography microchip to date...... to the waveguides. The entire oxidized silicon microchip structure is sealed with a glass lid. Reversed phase electrochromatographic separation of three neutral compounds is demonstrated using UV absorbance detection at 254 nm. Baseline separation of the analytes is achieved in less than two minutes....

In situ ice and structure thickness monitoring using integrated and flexible ultrasonic transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Q; Wu, K-T; Kobayashi, M; Jen, C-K; Mrad, N

2008-01-01

Two types of ultrasonic sensors are presented for in situ capability development of ice detection and structure thickness measurement. These piezoelectric film based sensors have been fabricated by a sol–gel spray technique for aircraft environments and for temperatures ranging from −80 to 100 °C. In one sensor type, piezoelectric films of thickness greater than 40 µm are deposited directly onto the interior of a 1.3 mm thick aluminum (Al) alloy control surface (stabilizer) of an aircraft wing structure as integrated ultrasonic transducers (UTs). In the other sensor type, piezoelectric films are coated onto a 50 µm thick polyimide membrane as flexible UTs. These were subsequently glued onto similar locations at the same control surfaces. In situ monitoring of stabilizer outer skin thickness was performed. Ice build-up ranging from a fraction of 1 mm to less than 1.5 mm was also detected on a 3 mm thick Al plate. Measurements using these ultrasonic sensors agreed well with those obtained by a micrometer. Tradeoffs of these two approaches are presented

Deterministic Integration of Quantum Dots into on-Chip Multimode Interference Beamsplitters Using in Situ Electron Beam Lithography.

Science.gov (United States)

Schnauber, Peter; Schall, Johannes; Bounouar, Samir; Höhne, Theresa; Park, Suk-In; Ryu, Geun-Hwan; Heindel, Tobias; Burger, Sven; Song, Jin-Dong; Rodt, Sven; Reitzenstein, Stephan

2018-04-11

The development of multinode quantum optical circuits has attracted great attention in recent years. In particular, interfacing quantum-light sources, gates, and detectors on a single chip is highly desirable for the realization of large networks. In this context, fabrication techniques that enable the deterministic integration of preselected quantum-light emitters into nanophotonic elements play a key role when moving forward to circuits containing multiple emitters. Here, we present the deterministic integration of an InAs quantum dot into a 50/50 multimode interference beamsplitter via in situ electron beam lithography. We demonstrate the combined emitter-gate interface functionality by measuring triggered single-photon emission on-chip with g (2) (0) = 0.13 ± 0.02. Due to its high patterning resolution as well as spectral and spatial control, in situ electron beam lithography allows for integration of preselected quantum emitters into complex photonic systems. Being a scalable single-step approach, it paves the way toward multinode, fully integrated quantum photonic chips.

Integrated differential high-voltage transmitting circuit for CMUTs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Llimos Muntal, Pere; Larsen, Dennis Øland; Farch, Kjartan

2015-01-01

In this paper an integrated differential high-voltage transmitting circuit for capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) used in portable ultrasound scanners is designed and implemented in a 0.35 μm high-voltage process. Measurements are performed on the integrated circuit in order...... to assess its performance. The circuit generates pulses at differential voltage levels of 60V, 80V and 100 V, a frequency up to 5MHz and a measured driving strength of 1.75 V/ns with the CMUT connected. The total on-chip area occupied by the transmitting circuit is 0.18 mm2 and the power consumption...

CMOS On-Chip Optoelectronic Neural Interface Device with Integrated Light Source for Optogenetics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sawadsaringkarn, Y; Kimura, H; Maezawa, Y; Nakajima, A; Kobayashi, T; Sasagawa, K; Noda, T; Tokuda, T; Ohta, J

2012-01-01

A novel optoelectronic neural interface device is proposed for target applications in optogenetics for neural science. The device consists of a light emitting diode (LED) array implemented on a CMOS image sensor for on-chip local light stimulation. In this study, we designed a suitable CMOS image sensor equipped with on-chip electrodes to drive the LEDs, and developed a device structure and packaging process for LED integration. The prototype device produced an illumination intensity of approximately 1 mW with a driving current of 2.0 mA, which is expected to be sufficient to activate channelrhodopsin (ChR2). We also demonstrated the functions of light stimulation and on-chip imaging using a brain slice from a mouse as a target sample.

Semipolar III–nitride quantum well waveguide photodetector integrated with laser diode for on-chip photonic system

KAUST Repository

Shen, Chao

2017-02-28

A high-performance waveguide photodetector (WPD) integrated with a laser diode (LD) sharing the single InGaN/GaN quantum well active region is demonstrated on a semipolar GaN substrate. The photocurrent of the integrated WPD is effectively tuned by the emitted optical power from the LD. The responsivity ranges from 0.018 to 0.051 A/W with increasing reverse bias from 0 to 10 V. The WPD shows a large 3 dB modulation bandwidth of 230 MHz. The integrated device, being used for power monitoring and on-chip communication, paves the way towards the eventual realization of a III–nitride on-chip photonic system.

Semipolar III–nitride quantum well waveguide photodetector integrated with laser diode for on-chip photonic system

KAUST Repository

Shen, Chao; Lee, Changmin; Stegenburgs, Edgars; Lerma, Jorge Holguin; Ng, Tien Khee; Nakamura, Shuji; DenBaars, Steven P.; Alyamani, Ahmed Y.; El-Desouki, Munir M.; Ooi, Boon S.

2017-01-01

A high-performance waveguide photodetector (WPD) integrated with a laser diode (LD) sharing the single InGaN/GaN quantum well active region is demonstrated on a semipolar GaN substrate. The photocurrent of the integrated WPD is effectively tuned by the emitted optical power from the LD. The responsivity ranges from 0.018 to 0.051 A/W with increasing reverse bias from 0 to 10 V. The WPD shows a large 3 dB modulation bandwidth of 230 MHz. The integrated device, being used for power monitoring and on-chip communication, paves the way towards the eventual realization of a III–nitride on-chip photonic system.

Faraday Waves-Based Integrated Ultrasonic Micro-Droplet Generator and Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen S. Tsai

2017-02-01

Full Text Available An in-depth review on a new ultrasonic micro-droplet generator which utilizes megahertz (MHz Faraday waves excited by silicon-based multiple Fourier horn ultrasonic nozzles (MFHUNs and its potential applications is presented. The new droplet generator has demonstrated capability for producing micro droplets of controllable size and size distribution and desirable throughput at very low electrical drive power. For comparison, the serious deficiencies of current commercial droplet generators (nebulizers and the other ultrasonic droplet generators explored in recent years are first discussed. The architecture, working principle, simulation, and design of the multiple Fourier horns (MFH in resonance aimed at the amplified longitudinal vibration amplitude on the end face of nozzle tip, and the fabrication and characterization of the nozzles are then described in detail. Subsequently, a linear theory on the temporal instability of Faraday waves on a liquid layer resting on the planar end face of the MFHUN and the detailed experimental verifications are presented. The linear theory serves to elucidate the dynamics of droplet ejection from the free liquid surface and predict the vibration amplitude onset threshold for droplet ejection and the droplet diameters. A battery-run pocket-size clogging-free integrated micro droplet generator realized using the MFHUN is then described. The subsequent report on the successful nebulization of a variety of commercial pulmonary medicines against common diseases and on the experimental antidote solutions to cyanide poisoning using the new droplet generator serves to support its imminent application to inhalation drug delivery.

Effect of processing parameters of rotary ultrasonic machining on surface integrity of potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianfu Zhang

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Potassium dihydrogen phosphate is an important optical crystal. However, high-precision processing of large potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystal workpieces is difficult. In this article, surface roughness and subsurface damage characteristics of a (001 potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystal surface produced by traditional and rotary ultrasonic machining are studied. The influence of process parameters, including spindle speed, feed speed, type and size of sintered diamond wheel, ultrasonic power, and selection of cutting fluid on potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystal surface integrity, was analyzed. The surface integrity, especially the subsurface damage depth, was affected significantly by the ultrasonic power. Metal-sintered diamond tools with high granularity were most suitable for machining potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystal. Cutting fluid played a key role in potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystal machining. A more precise surface can be obtained in machining with a higher spindle speed, lower feed speed, and using kerosene as cutting fluid. Based on the provided optimized process parameters for machining potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystal, a processed surface quality with Ra value of 33 nm and subsurface damage depth value of 6.38 μm was achieved.

Optimizing Polymer Lab-on-Chip Platforms for Ultrasonic Manipulation: Influence of the Substrate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Itziar González

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The choice of substrate material in a chip that combines ultrasound with microfluidics for handling biological and synthetic microparticles can have a profound effect on the performance of the device. This is due to the high surface-to-volume ratio that exists within such small structures and acquires particular relevance in polymer-based resonators with 3D standing waves. This paper presents three chips developed to perform particle flow-through separation by ultrasound based on a polymeric SU-8 layer containing channelization over three different substrates: Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA; Pyrex; and a cracked PMMA composite-like structure. Through direct observations of polystyrene microbeads inside the channel, the three checked chips exhibit their potential as disposable continuous concentration devices with different spatial pressure patterns at frequencies of resonance close to 1 Mhz. Chips with Pyrex and cracked PMMA substrates show restrictions on the number of pressure nodes established in the channel associated with the inhibition of 3D modes in the solid structure. The glass-substrate chip presents some advantages associated with lower energy requirements to collect particles. According to the results, the use of polymer-based chips with rigid substrates can be advantageous for applications that require short treatment times (clinical tests handling human samples and low-cost fabrication.

Transparent polymeric cell culture chip with integrated temperature control and uniform media perfusion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petronis, Sarunas; Stangegaard, Michael; Christensen, C.

2006-01-01

Modern microfabrication and microfluidic technologies offer new opportunities in the design and fabrication of miniaturized cell culture systems for online monitoring of living cells. We used laser micromachining and thermal bonding to fabricate an optically transparent, low-cost polymeric chip...... for long-term online cell culture observation under controlled conditions. The chip incorporated a microfluidic flow equalization system, assuring uniform perfusion of the cell culture media throughout the cell culture chamber. The integrated indium-tin-oxide heater and miniature temperature probe linked....... HeLa cells were cultured for up to 2 weeks within the cell culture chip and monitored using a time-lapse video recording microscopy setup. Cell attachment and spreading was observed during the first 10-20 h (lag phase). After approximately 20 h, cell growth gained exponential character...

An integrated circuit with transmit beamforming flip-chip bonded to a 2-D CMUT array for 3-D ultrasound imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Wygant, Ira O; Jamal, Nafis S; Lee, Hyunjoo J; Nikoozadeh, Amin; Oralkan, Omer; Karaman, Mustafa; Khuri-Yakub, Butrus T

2009-10-01

State-of-the-art 3-D medical ultrasound imaging requires transmitting and receiving ultrasound using a 2-D array of ultrasound transducers with hundreds or thousands of elements. A tight combination of the transducer array with integrated circuitry eliminates bulky cables connecting the elements of the transducer array to a separate system of electronics. Furthermore, preamplifiers located close to the array can lead to improved receive sensitivity. A combined IC and transducer array can lead to a portable, high-performance, and inexpensive 3-D ultrasound imaging system. This paper presents an IC flip-chip bonded to a 16 x 16-element capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) array for 3-D ultrasound imaging. The IC includes a transmit beamformer that generates 25-V unipolar pulses with programmable focusing delays to 224 of the 256 transducer elements. One-shot circuits allow adjustment of the pulse widths for different ultrasound transducer center frequencies. For receiving reflected ultrasound signals, the IC uses the 32-elements along the array diagonals. The IC provides each receiving element with a low-noise 25-MHz-bandwidth transimpedance amplifier. Using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) clocked at 100 MHz to operate the IC, the IC generated properly timed transmit pulses with 5-ns accuracy. With the IC flip-chip bonded to a CMUT array, we show that the IC can produce steered and focused ultrasound beams. We present 2-D and 3-D images of a wire phantom and 2-D orthogonal cross-sectional images (Bscans) of a latex heart phantom.

Inline-process and quality control of spotwelds of car bodies - ultrasonic sensors integrated in resistance welding electrodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vogt, G.; Rieger, D.; Koehler, C. [Vogt Werkstoffpruefsysteme, Burgwedel (Germany)

2006-07-01

The self-developed inline ultrasonic testing system SPOTline is used for inspection and process control of resistant spot weldings. SPOTline provides with directly into the welding tong integrated ultrasonic sensors a 100% inspection during the welding process. The through transmission and pulse echo signals will be collected, stored and evaluated by means of fuzzy-logic and neuronal network technic. The results will be transmitted online from the spotline-client in the sql-data-base of the server for processing. World-wide SPOTline is the only ultrasonic inspection system, which is working under real production conditions in a network of welding robots. Test with 2 and 3 plates, high strength steels and all coatings demonstrate the accurately identification of discrepant welds. (orig.)

A scalable single-chip multi-processor architecture with on-chip RTOS kernel

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Theelen, B.D.; Verschueren, A.C.; Reyes Suarez, V.V.; Stevens, M.P.J.; Nunez, A.

2003-01-01

Now that system-on-chip technology is emerging, single-chip multi-processors are becoming feasible. A key problem of designing such systems is the complexity of their on-chip interconnects and memory architecture. It is furthermore unclear at what level software should be integrated. An example of a

Laser-Ultrasonic Testing and its Applications to Nuclear Reactor Internals

Science.gov (United States)

Ochiai, M.; Miura, T.; Yamamoto, S.

2008-02-01

A new nondestructive testing technique for surface-breaking microcracks in nuclear reactor components based on laser-ultrasonics is developed. Surface acoustic wave generated by Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and detected by frequency-stabilized long pulse laser coupled with confocal Fabry-Perot interferometer is used to detect and size the cracks. A frequency-domain signal processing is developed to realize accurate sizing capability. The laser-ultrasonic testing allows the detection of surface-breaking microcrack having a depth of less than 0.1 mm, and the measurement of their depth with an accuracy of 0.2 mm when the depth exceeds 0.5 mm including stress corrosion cracking. The laser-ultrasonic testing system combined with laser peening system, which is another laser-based maintenance technology to improve surface stress, for inner surface of small diameter tube is developed. The generation laser in the laser-ultrasonic testing system can be identical to the laser source of the laser peening. As an example operation of the system, the system firstly works as the laser-ultrasonic testing mode and tests the inner surface of the tube. If no cracks are detected, the system then changes its work mode to the laser peening and improves surface stress to prevent crack initiation. The first nuclear industrial application of the laser-ultrasonic testing system combined with the laser peening was completed in Japanese nuclear power plant in December 2004.

Ultra-thin silicon (UTSi) on insulator CMOS transceiver and time-division multiplexed switch chips for smart pixel integration

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Liping; Sawchuk, Alexander A.

2001-12-01

We describe the design, fabrication and functionality of two different 0.5 micron CMOS optoelectronic integrated circuit (OEIC) chips based on the Peregrine Semiconductor Ultra-Thin Silicon on insulator technology. The Peregrine UTSi silicon- on-sapphire (SOS) technology is a member of the silicon-on- insulator (SOI) family. The low-loss synthetic sapphire substrate is optically transparent and has good thermal conductivity and coefficient of thermal expansion properties, which meet the requirements for flip-chip bonding of VCSELs and other optoelectronic input-output components. One chip contains transceiver and network components, including four channel high-speed CMOS transceiver modules, pseudo-random bit stream (PRBS) generators, a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) and other test circuits. The transceiver chips can operate in both self-testing mode and networking mode. An on- chip clock and true-single-phase-clock (TSPC) D-flip-flop have been designed to generate a PRBS at over 2.5 Gb/s for the high-speed transceiver arrays to operate in self-testing mode. In the networking mode, an even number of transceiver chips forms a ring network through free-space or fiber ribbon interconnections. The second chip contains four channel optical time-division multiplex (TDM) switches, optical transceiver arrays, an active pixel detector and additional test devices. The eventual applications of these chips will require monolithic OEICs with integrated optical input and output. After fabrication and testing, the CMOS transceiver array dies will be packaged with 850 nm vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs), and metal-semiconductor- metal (MSM) or GaAs p-i-n detector die arrays to achieve high- speed optical interconnections. The hybrid technique could be either wire bonding or flip-chip bonding of the CMOS SOS smart-pixel arrays with arrays of VCSELs and photodetectors onto an optoelectronic chip carrier as a multi-chip module (MCM).

Integrated ultrasonic/microbiological treatment of toxic and refractory pollutants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tiehm, A. [Water Technology Center, Karlsruhe (Germany)

2002-07-01

The elimination of environmental pollutants by biodegradation in many cases represents an efficient and reliable method, e.g. in waste waster treatment, treatment of solid wastes, and in the remediation of contaminated soil. Nevertheless, there are situations where biological treatment alone does not result in a successful elimination of the target pollutants. For example, the presence of toxic compounds, an insufficient period of adaptation or a low bioavailability of the pollutants hinder a rapid biodegradation. Physico-chemical techniques, e.g. sonochemical degradation, provide an alternative to eliminate pollutants that are poorly biodegradable. It is the aim of this paper to demonstrate the potential of integrated ultrasound/biodegradation processes in the light of the underlying mechanisms. Optimisation of sonication is discussed with respect to ultrasound frequency and pH of the aqueous phase. Examplarily, two successful combinations of the integrated process are presented: (i) Application of ultrasound to reduce the toxicity of chlorophenols and (ii) ultrasonic irradiation to increase mass transfer and biodegradation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons. (orig.)

Study on boiling heat transfer from diode elements in an integrated circuit chip

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hijikata, Kunio; Nagasaki, Takao; Kurata, Naoki (Tokyo Institute of Technology Faculty of Engineering (Japan))

1989-02-25

By temperature measurement of elements in boiling experiments with diodes in an integrated circuit (IC) chip, characteristics of boiling heat transfer from tiny heat generating elements in an IC chip and thermal transfer characteristics of multiple heating elements adjoining positioned were studied. The Package of an IC was removed by acid to expose the IC chip. Electricity is applied to the diode in the IC to study the heat transfer properties. The heat transfer rate from a tiny heating element on an IC is greater than that from the conventional continual heated surface. In the case of heat generation by two adjoining elements, the relationship between the total amount of heat and the temperature of elements shows the same characteristics as in the case with a single element. The boiling heat transfer properties of an element in an IC chip are influenced by such microstructure surrounding the element as the pattern of wiring. Heat transfer increases with the decreasing size of the heating element by the heat transfer to the substrate beneath the element. 10 refs., 15 figs.

Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor using a piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer array integrated with complementary metal oxide semiconductor electronics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Y.; Fung, S.; Wang, Q.; Horsley, D. A. [Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616 (United States); Tang, H.; Boser, B. E. [Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States); Tsai, J. M.; Daneman, M. [InvenSense, Inc., 1745 Technology Drive, San Jose, California 95110 (United States)

2015-06-29

This paper presents an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor based on a 24 × 8 array of 22 MHz piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs) with 100 μm pitch, fully integrated with 180 nm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuitry through eutectic wafer bonding. Each PMUT is directly bonded to a dedicated CMOS receive amplifier, minimizing electrical parasitics and eliminating the need for through-silicon vias. The array frequency response and vibration mode-shape were characterized using laser Doppler vibrometry and verified via finite element method simulation. The array's acoustic output was measured using a hydrophone to be ∼14 kPa with a 28 V input, in reasonable agreement with predication from analytical calculation. Pulse-echo imaging of a 1D steel grating is demonstrated using electronic scanning of a 20 × 8 sub-array, resulting in 300 mV maximum received amplitude and 5:1 contrast ratio. Because the small size of this array limits the maximum image size, mechanical scanning was used to image a 2D polydimethylsiloxane fingerprint phantom (10 mm × 8 mm) at a 1.2 mm distance from the array.

Chip formation and surface integrity in high-speed machining of hardened steel

Science.gov (United States)

Kishawy, Hossam Eldeen A.

Increasing demands for high production rates as well as cost reduction have emphasized the potential for the industrial application of hard turning technology during the past few years. Machining instead of grinding hardened steel components reduces the machining sequence, the machining time, and the specific cutting energy. Hard turning Is characterized by the generation of high temperatures, the formation of saw toothed chips, and the high ratio of thrust to tangential cutting force components. Although a large volume of literature exists on hard turning, the change in machined surface physical properties represents a major challenge. Thus, a better understanding of the cutting mechanism in hard turning is still required. In particular, the chip formation process and the surface integrity of the machined surface are important issues which require further research. In this thesis, a mechanistic model for saw toothed chip formation is presented. This model is based on the concept of crack initiation on the free surface of the workpiece. The model presented explains the mechanism of chip formation. In addition, experimental investigation is conducted in order to study the chip morphology. The effect of process parameters, including edge preparation and tool wear on the chip morphology, is studied using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The dynamics of chip formation are also investigated. The surface integrity of the machined parts is also investigated. This investigation focusses on residual stresses as well as surface and sub-surface deformation. A three dimensional thermo-elasto-plastic finite element model is developed to predict the machining residual stresses. The effect of flank wear is introduced during the analysis. Although residual stresses have complicated origins and are introduced by many factors, in this model only the thermal and mechanical factors are considered. The finite element analysis demonstrates the significant effect of the heat generated

Comparative study of conventional and ultrasonically-assisted bone drilling.

Science.gov (United States)

Alam, K; Ahmed, Naseer; Silberschmidt, V V

2014-01-01

Bone drilling is a well-known surgical procedure in orthopaedics and dentistry for fracture treatment and reconstruction. Advanced understanding of the mechanics of the drill-bone interaction is necessary to overcome challenges associated with the process and related postoperative complications. The aim of this study was to explore the benefits of a novel drilling technique, ultrasonically-assisted drilling (UAD), and its possible utilization in orthopaedic surgeries. The study was performed by conducting experiments to understand the basic mechanics of the drilling process using high speed filming of the drilling zone followed by measurements to quantify thrust force, surface roughness and cracking of the bone near the immediate vicinity of the hole with and without ultrasonic assistance. Compared to the spiral chips produced during conventional drilling (CD), UAD was found to break the chips in small pieces which facilitated their fast evacuation from the cutting region. In UAD, lower drilling force and better surface roughness was measured in drilling in the radial and longitudinal axis of the bone. UAD produced crack-free holes which will enhance postoperative performance of fixative devices anchoring the bone. UAD may be used as a possible substitute for CD in orthopaedic clinics.

Rapid and Low-Cost CRP Measurement by Integrating a Paper-Based Microfluidic Immunoassay with Smartphone (CRP-Chip)

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Meili; Wu, Jiandong; Ma, Zimin; Peretz-Soroka, Hagit; Zhang, Michael; Komenda, Paul; Tangri, Navdeep; Liu, Yong; Rigatto, Claudio; Lin, Francis

2017-01-01

Traditional diagnostic tests for chronic diseases are expensive and require a specialized laboratory, therefore limiting their use for point-of-care (PoC) testing. To address this gap, we developed a method for rapid and low-cost C-reactive protein (CRP) detection from blood by integrating a paper-based microfluidic immunoassay with a smartphone (CRP-Chip). We chose CRP for this initial development because it is a strong biomarker of prognosis in chronic heart and kidney disease. The microfluidic immunoassay is realized by lateral flow and gold nanoparticle-based colorimetric detection of the target protein. The test image signal is acquired and analyzed using a commercial smartphone with an attached microlens and a 3D-printed chip–phone interface. The CRP-Chip was validated for detecting CRP in blood samples from chronic kidney disease patients and healthy subjects. The linear detection range of the CRP-Chip is up to 2 μg/mL and the detection limit is 54 ng/mL. The CRP-Chip test result yields high reproducibility and is consistent with the standard ELISA kit. A single CRP-Chip can perform the test in triplicate on a single chip within 15 min for less than 50 US cents of material cost. This CRP-Chip with attractive features of low-cost, fast test speed, and integrated easy operation with smartphones has the potential to enable future clinical PoC chronic disease diagnosis and risk stratification by parallel measurements of a panel of protein biomarkers. PMID:28346363

Integrated three-dimensional optical MEMS for chip-based fluorescence detection

Science.gov (United States)

Hung, Kuo-Yung; Tseng, Fan-Gang; Khoo, Hwa-Seng

2009-04-01

This paper presents a novel fluorescence sensing chip for parallel protein microarray detection in the context of a 3-in-1 protein chip system. This portable microchip consists of a monolithic integration of CMOS-based avalanche photo diodes (APDs) combined with a polymer micro-lens, a set of three-dimensional (3D) inclined mirrors for separating adjacent light signals and a low-noise transformer-free dc-dc boost mini-circuit to power the APDs (ripple below 1.28 mV, 0-5 V input, 142 V and 12 mA output). We fabricated our APDs using the planar CMOS process so as to facilitate the post-CMOS integration of optical MEMS components such as the lenses. The APD arrays were arranged in unique circular patterns appropriate for detecting the specific fluorescently labelled protein spots in our study. The array-type APDs were designed so as to compensate for any alignment error as detected by a positional error signal algorithm. The condenser lens was used as a structure for light collection to enhance the fluorescent signals by about 25%. This element also helped to reduce the light loss due to surface absorption. We fabricated an inclined mirror to separate two adjacent fluorescent signals from different specimens. Excitation using evanescent waves helped reduce the interference of the excitation light source. This approach also reduced the number of required optical lenses and minimized the complexity of the structural design. We achieved detection floors for anti-rabbit IgG and Cy5 fluorescent dye as low as 0.5 ng/µl (~3.268 nM). We argue that the intrinsic nature of point-to-point and batch-detection methods as showcased in our chip offers advantages over the serial-scanning approach used in traditional scanner systems. In addition, our system is low cost and lightweight.

Development of coaxial ultrasonic probe for fatty liver diagnostic system using ultrasonic velocity change

Science.gov (United States)

Hori, Makoto; Yokota, Daiki; Aotani, Yuhei; Kumagai, Yuta; Wada, Kenji; Matsunaka, Toshiyuki; Morikawa, Hiroyasu; Horinaka, Hiromichi

2017-07-01

A diagnostic system for fatty liver at an early stage is needed because fatty liver is linked to metabolic syndrome. We have already proposed a fatty liver diagnosis method based on the temperature coefficient of ultrasonic velocity. In this study, we fabricated a coaxial ultrasonic probe by integrating two kinds of transducers for warming and signal detection. The diagnosis system equipped with the coaxial probe was applied to tissue-mimicking phantoms including the fat area. The fat content rates corresponding to the set rates of the phantoms were estimated by the ultrasonic velocity-change method.

The Advances, Challenges and Future Possibilities of Millimeter-Wave Chip-to-Chip Interconnections for Multi-Chip Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amlan Ganguly

2018-02-01

Full Text Available With aggressive scaling of device geometries, density of manufacturing faults is expected to increase. Therefore, yield of complex Multi-Processor Systems-on-Chips (MP-SoCs will decrease due to higher probability of manufacturing defects especially, in dies with large area. Therefore, disintegration of large SoCs into smaller chips called chiplets will improve yield and cost of complex platform-based systems. This will also provide functional flexibility, modular scalability as well as the capability to integrate heterogeneous architectures and technologies in a single unit. However, with scaling of the number of chiplets in such a system, the shared resources in the system such as the interconnection fabric and memory modules will become performance bottlenecks. Additionally, the integration of heterogeneous chiplets operating at different frequencies and voltages can be challenging. State-of-the-art inter-chip communication requires power-hungry high-speed I/O circuits and data transfer over long wired traces on substrates. This increases energy consumption and latency while decreasing data bandwidth for chip-to-chip communication. In this paper, we explore the advances and the challenges of interconnecting a multi-chip system with millimeter-wave (mm-wave wireless interconnects from a variety of perspectives spanning multiple aspects of the wireless interconnection design. Our discussion on the recent advances include aspects such as interconnection topology, physical layer, Medium Access Control (MAC and routing protocols. We also present some potential paradigm-shifting applications as well as complementary technologies of wireless inter-chip communications.

Integrated microelectronic capacitive readout subsystem for lab-on-a-chip applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spathis, Christos; Georgakopoulou, Konstantina; Petrellis, Nikos; Efstathiou, Konstantinos; Birbas, Alexios

2014-01-01

A mixed-signal capacitive biosensor readout system is presented with its main readout functionality embedded in an integrated circuit, compatible with complementary metal oxide semiconductor-type biosensors. The system modularity allows its usage as a consumable since it eventually leads to a system-on-chip where sensor and readout circuitry are hosted on the same die. In this work, a constant current source is used for measuring the input capacitance. Compared to most capacitive biosensor readout circuits, this method offers the convenience of adjusting both the range and the resolution, depending on the requirements dictated by the application. The chip consumes less than 5 mW of power and the die area is 0.06 mm 2 . It shows a broad input capacitance range (capable of measuring bio-capacitances from 6 pF to 9.8 nF), configurable resolution (down to 1 fF), robustness to various biological experiments and good linearity. The integrated nature of the readout system is proven to be sufficient both for one-time in situ (consumable-type) bio-measurements and its incorporation into a point-of-care system. (paper)

Application of Numerical Simulation for the Analysis of the Processes of Rotary Ultrasonic Drilling

Science.gov (United States)

Naď, Milan; Čičmancová, Lenka; Hajdu, Štefan

2016-12-01

Rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM) is a hybrid process that combines diamond grinding with ultrasonic machining. It is most suitable to machine hard brittle materials such as ceramics and composites. Due to its excellent machining performance, RUM is very often applied for drilling of hard machinable materials. In the final phase of drilling, the edge deterioration of the drilled hole can occur, which results in a phenomenon called edge chipping. During hole drilling, a change in the thickness of the bottom of the drilled hole occurs. Consequently, the bottom of the hole as a plate structure is exposed to the transfer through the resonance state. This resonance state can be considered as one of the important aspects leading to edge chipping. Effects of changes in the bottom thickness and as well as the fillet radius between the wall and bottom of the borehole on the stress-strain states during RUM are analyzed.

Multi-color fluorescent DNA analysis in an integrated optofluidic lab on a chip

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dongre, C.

2010-01-01

Abstract: Sorting and sizing of DNA molecules within the human genome project has enabled the genetic mapping of various illnesses. Furthermore by employing tiny lab-on-a-chip device, integrated DNA sequencing and genetic diagnostics have become feasible. We present the combination of capillary

An Integrated Microfabricated Chip with Double Functions as an Ion Source and Air Pump Based on LIGA Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hua Li

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The injection and ionization of volatile organic compounds (VOA by an integrated chip is experimentally analyzed in this paper. The integrated chip consists of a needle-to-cylinder electrode mounting on the Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA substrate. The needle-to-cylinder electrode is designed and fabricated by Lithographie, Galvanoformung and Abformung (LIGA technology. In this paper, the needle is connected to a negative power supply of −5 kV and used as the cathode; the cylinder electrodes are composed of two arrays of cylinders and serve as the anode. The ionic wind is produced based on corona and glow discharges of needle-to-cylinder electrodes. The experimental setup is designed to observe the properties of the needle-to-cylinder discharge and prove its functions as an ion source and air pump. In summary, the main results are as follows: (1 the ionic wind velocity produced by the chip is about 0.79 m/s at an applied voltage of −3300 V; (2 acetic acid and ammonia water can be injected through the chip, which is proved by pH test paper; and (3 the current measured by a Faraday cup is about 10 pA for acetic acid and ammonia with an applied voltage of −3185 V. The integrated chip is promising for portable analytical instruments, such as ion mobility spectrometry (IMS, field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS, and mass spectrometry (MS.

Integration of Solar Cells on Top of CMOS Chips - Part II: CIGS Solar Cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lu, J.; Liu, Wei; Kovalgin, Alexeij Y.; Sun, Yun; Schmitz, Jurriaan

2011-01-01

We present the monolithic integration of deepsubmicrometer complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) microchips with copper indium gallium (di)selenide (CIGS) solar cells. Solar cells are manufactured directly on unpackaged CMOS chips. The microchips maintain comparable electronic performance,

A 32 x 32 capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer array manufactured in standard CMOS.

Science.gov (United States)

Lemmerhirt, David F; Cheng, Xiaoyang; White, Robert; Rich, Collin A; Zhang, Man; Fowlkes, J Brian; Kripfgans, Oliver D

2012-07-01

As ultrasound imagers become increasingly portable and lower cost, breakthroughs in transducer technology will be needed to provide high-resolution, real-time 3-D imaging while maintaining the affordability needed for portable systems. This paper presents a 32 x 32 ultrasound array prototype, manufactured using a CMUT-in-CMOS approach whereby ultrasonic transducer elements and readout circuits are integrated on a single chip using a standard integrated circuit manufacturing process in a commercial CMOS foundry. Only blanket wet-etch and sealing steps are added to complete the MEMS devices after the CMOS process. This process typically yields better than 99% working elements per array, with less than ±1.5 dB variation in receive sensitivity among the 1024 individually addressable elements. The CMUT pulseecho frequency response is typically centered at 2.1 MHz with a -6 dB fractional bandwidth of 60%, and elements are arranged on a 250 μm hexagonal grid (less than half-wavelength pitch). Multiplexers and CMOS buffers within the array are used to make on-chip routing manageable, reduce the number of physical output leads, and drive the transducer cable. The array has been interfaced to a commercial imager as well as a set of custom transmit and receive electronics, and volumetric images of nylon fishing line targets have been produced.

Silicon based cryogenic platform for the integration of qubit and classical control chips

Science.gov (United States)

Leonhardt, T.; Hollmann, A.; Jirovec, D.; Neumann, R.; Klemt, B.; Kindel, S.; Kucharski, M.; Fischer, G.; Bougeard, D.; Bluhm, H.; Schreiber, L. R.

Electrostatically confined electron-spin-qubits proved viable for quantum information processing. Yet their up-scaling not only demands improvement of physical qubits, but also the development and cryogenic integration of classical control hardware. Therefore, we created a platform to integrate quantum chips and classical electronics. These multilayer interposer chips incorporate passive circuit elements, high bandwidth coplanar wave guides and interconnects for electron spin resonant qubit control as well as low impedance DC microstrips reducing EM-crosstalk from AC to DC lines. We used the interposer for measurements of a Si/SiGe quantum dot at 30 mK. We also characterized a commercial voltage controlled oszillator (VCO) based on hetero-bipolar transistors. Tunable about 30 GHz it is ideal for electron spin resonant qubit control. Cooled from 300 to 4 K it exhibits a slightly increased output power and frequency, while the phase noise level is constant. The device remains functional up to magnetic fields of 6 T.

Fabry-Perot confocal resonator optical associative memory

Science.gov (United States)

Burns, Thomas J.; Rogers, Steven K.; Vogel, George A.

1993-03-01

A unique optical associative memory architecture is presented that combines the optical processing environment of a Fabry-Perot confocal resonator with the dynamic storage and recall properties of volume holograms. The confocal resonator reduces the size and complexity of previous associative memory architectures by folding a large number of discrete optical components into an integrated, compact optical processing environment. Experimental results demonstrate the system is capable of recalling a complete object from memory when presented with partial information about the object. A Fourier optics model of the system's operation shows it implements a spatially continuous version of a discrete, binary Hopfield neural network associative memory.

Application of Numerical Simulation for the Analysis of the Processes of Rotary Ultrasonic Drilling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naď Milan

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM is a hybrid process that combines diamond grinding with ultrasonic machining. It is most suitable to machine hard brittle materials such as ceramics and composites. Due to its excellent machining performance, RUM is very often applied for drilling of hard machinable materials. In the final phase of drilling, the edge deterioration of the drilled hole can occur, which results in a phenomenon called edge chipping. During hole drilling, a change in the thickness of the bottom of the drilled hole occurs. Consequently, the bottom of the hole as a plate structure is exposed to the transfer through the resonance state. This resonance state can be considered as one of the important aspects leading to edge chipping. Effects of changes in the bottom thickness and as well as the fillet radius between the wall and bottom of the borehole on the stress-strain states during RUM are analyzed.

Ultrasonically enhanced extraction of bioactive principles from Quillaja Saponaria Molina.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaete-Garretón, L; Vargas-Hernández, Yolanda; Cares-Pacheco, María G; Sainz, Javier; Alarcón, John

2011-07-01

A study of ultrasonic enhancement in the extraction of bioactive principles from Quillaja Saponaria Molina (Quillay) is presented. The effects influencing the extraction process were studied through a two-level factorial design. The effects considered in the experimental design were: granulometry, extraction time, acoustic Power, raw matter/solvent ratio (concentration) and acoustic impedance. It was found that for aqueous extraction the main factors affecting the ultrasonically-assisted process were: granulometry, raw matter/solvent ratio and extraction time. The extraction ratio was increased by Ultrasonics effect and a reduction in extraction time was verified without any influence in the product quality. In addition the process can be carried out at lower temperatures than the conventional method. As the process developed uses chips from the branches of trees, and not only the bark, this research contributes to make the saponin exploitation process a sustainable industry. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Integration of the Omega-3 readout chip into a high energy physics experimental data acquisition system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beker, H.; Chesi, E.; Martinengo, P.

1997-01-01

The Omega-3 readout chip is presented in detail elsewhere in the same proceedings. We here describe the integration of the chip into present and future experiments describing both hardware and software aspects. We cover preliminary tests in the laboratory and on the beam. The WA97 experiment has already used a pixel telescope in the past and intends to upgrade to the Omega-3 chip. A newly proposed experiment at CERN studying strangeness production in heavy ion collisions also plans to use a similar telescope. Finally, we give an outlook on the ongoing developments in the pixel readout architecture in the context of ALICE, the heavy ion experiment at the LHC collider. (orig.)

Effect of ultrasonic streaming on intra-dentinal disinfection and penetration of calcium hydroxide paste in endodontic treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcela Paola Castro ARIAS

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective The antimicrobial effect of ultrasonic agitation of calcium hydroxide (CH pastes in infected bovine dentin and their penetrability were evaluated using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM and microbiological culture. Material and Methods Fifty-two bovine teeth were infected with Enterococcus faecalis using a new contamination protocol; then they received CH paste and were divided into groups with or without ultrasound. Ultrasonic agitation was conducted for 1 min with a plain point insert. After 15 d, the CLSM analyzed the viable and dead bacteria with Live and Dead assay. The dentinal wall debris was collected by burs, and the colony forming units (CFU/mL were counted. The penetrability of the paste inside dentinal tubules was tested using the B-rodamine dye. Results The calcium hydroxide paste showed better results with the use of ultrasonic agitation (p<0.05. Conclusion The ultrasonic agitation of CH paste increased its antimicrobial action and was responsible for intradentinal penetration with the fulfilment of the tubules.

Fluorescence (Multiwave) Confocal Microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Welzel, J; Kästle, Raphaela; Sattler, Elke C

2016-10-01

In addition to reflectance confocal microscopy, multiwave confocal microscopes with different laser wavelengths in combination with exogenous fluorophores allow fluorescence mode confocal microscopy in vivo and ex vivo. Fluorescence mode confocal microscopy improves the contrast between the epithelium and the surrounding soft tissue and allows the depiction of certain structures, like epithelial tumors, nerves, and glands. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Integrated lab-on-chip biosensing systems based on magnetic particle actuation : a comprehensive review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reenen, van A.; Jong, de A.M.; Toonder, den J.M.J.; Prins, M.W.J.

2014-01-01

The demand for easy to use and cost effective medical technologies inspires scientists to develop inno-vative lab-on-chip technologies for in-vitro diagnostic testing. To fulfill the medical needs, the tests should be rapid, sensitive, quantitative, miniaturizable, and need to integrate all steps

Ultrasonic Stir Welding

Science.gov (United States)

Nabors, Sammy

2015-01-01

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) developed Ultrasonic Stir Welding (USW) to join large pieces of very high-strength metals such as titanium and Inconel. USW, a solid-state weld process, improves current thermal stir welding processes by adding high-power ultrasonic (HPU) energy at 20 kHz frequency. The addition of ultrasonic energy significantly reduces axial, frictional, and shear forces; increases travel rates; and reduces wear on the stir rod, which results in extended stir rod life. The USW process decouples the heating, stirring, and forging elements found in the friction stir welding process allowing for independent control of each process element and, ultimately, greater process control and repeatability. Because of the independent control of USW process elements, closed-loop temperature control can be integrated into the system so that a constant weld nugget temperature can be maintained during welding.

Design of a CMOS integrated on-chip oscilloscope for spin wave characterization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eugen Egel

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Spin waves can perform some optically-inspired computing algorithms, e.g. the Fourier transform, directly than it is done with the CMOS logic. This article describes a new approach for on-chip characterization of spin wave based devices. The readout circuitry for the spin waves is simulated with 65-nm CMOS technology models. Commonly used circuits for Radio Frequency (RF receivers are implemented to detect a sinusoidal ultra-wideband (5-50 GHz signal with an amplitude of at least 15 μV picked up by a loop antenna. First, the RF signal is amplified by a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA. Then, it is down-converted by a mixer to Intermediate Frequency (IF. Finally, an Operational Amplifier (OpAmp brings the IF signal to higher voltages (50-300 mV. The estimated power consumption and the required area of the readout circuit is approximately 55.5 mW and 0.168 mm2, respectively. The proposed On-Chip Oscilloscope (OCO is highly suitable for on-chip spin wave characterization regarding the frequency, amplitude change and phase information. It offers an integrated low power alternative to current spin wave detecting systems.

In vivo integrated photoacoustic and confocal microscopy of hemoglobin oxygen saturation and oxygen partial pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yu; Hu, Song; Maslov, Konstantin; Zhang, Yu; Xia, Younan; Wang, Lihong V

2011-04-01

We developed dual-modality microscope integrating photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) and fluorescence confocal microscopy (FCM) to noninvasively image hemoglobin oxygen saturation (sO₂) and oxygen partial pressure (pO₂) in vivo in single blood vessels with high spatial resolution. While PAM measures sO₂ by imaging hemoglobin optical absorption at two wavelengths, FCM quantifies pO₂ using phosphorescence quenching. The variations of sO₂ and pO₂ values in multiple orders of vessel branches under hyperoxic (100% oxygen) and normoxic (21% oxygen) conditions correlate well with the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve. In addition, the total concentration of hemoglobin is imaged by PAM at an isosbestic wavelength.

Chips 2020

CERN Document Server

2016-01-01

The release of this second volume of CHIPS 2020 coincides with the 50th anniversary of Moore’s Law, a critical year marked by the end of the nanometer roadmap and by a significantly reduced annual rise in chip performance. At the same time, we are witnessing a data explosion in the Internet, which is consuming 40% more electrical power every year, leading to fears of a major blackout of the Internet by 2020. The messages of the first CHIPS 2020, published in 2012, concerned the realization of quantum steps for improving the energy efficiency of all chip functions. With this second volume, we review these messages and amplify upon the most promising directions: ultra-low-voltage electronics, nanoscale monolithic 3D integration, relevant-data, brain- and human-vision-inspired processing, and energy harvesting for chip autonomy. The team of authors, enlarged by more world leaders in low-power, monolithic 3D, video, and Silicon brains, presents new vistas in nanoelectronics, promising  Moore-like exponential g...

Polymer Micro- and Nanofabrication for On-Chip Immune Cell Handling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hobæk, Thor Christian

, disposable polymer chips were fabricated by injection molding and ultrasonic welding for the generation of a large number of mature DCs in a closed microfluidic perfusion culture. By using low gas permeable tubings and chip materials, a constant pH and bubble-free culture medium was maintained for 7 days...... olefin copolymer (COC) over large surface areas by injection molding, using nanostructured mold inlays patterned by high-throughput deep-UV stepper photolithography. Injection molding at constant mold temperature below the glass transition point was significantly improved using nanostructured ceramic...... outside a CO2 cell incubator. Numerical simulations of oxygen transport were performed to establish guidelines for medium exchange rates in an impermeable culture system. Maturation of CD83+ mature DCs generated from CD14+ monocytes was demonstrated inside the disposable culture chip, with a yield almost...

3D Image Analysis of Geomaterials using Confocal Microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Mulukutla, G.; Proussevitch, A.; Sahagian, D.

2009-05-01

Confocal microscopy is one of the most significant advances in optical microscopy of the last century. It is widely used in biological sciences but its application to geomaterials lingers due to a number of technical problems. Potentially the technique can perform non-invasive testing on a laser illuminated sample that fluoresces using a unique optical sectioning capability that rejects out-of-focus light reaching the confocal aperture. Fluorescence in geomaterials is commonly induced using epoxy doped with a fluorochrome that is impregnated into the sample to enable discrimination of various features such as void space or material boundaries. However, for many geomaterials, this method cannot be used because they do not naturally fluoresce and because epoxy cannot be impregnated into inaccessible parts of the sample due to lack of permeability. As a result, the confocal images of most geomaterials that have not been pre-processed with extensive sample preparation techniques are of poor quality and lack the necessary image and edge contrast necessary to apply any commonly used segmentation techniques to conduct any quantitative study of its features such as vesicularity, internal structure, etc. In our present work, we are developing a methodology to conduct a quantitative 3D analysis of images of geomaterials collected using a confocal microscope with minimal amount of prior sample preparation and no addition of fluorescence. Two sample geomaterials, a volcanic melt sample and a crystal chip containing fluid inclusions are used to assess the feasibility of the method. A step-by-step process of image analysis includes application of image filtration to enhance the edges or material interfaces and is based on two segmentation techniques: geodesic active contours and region competition. Both techniques have been applied extensively to the analysis of medical MRI images to segment anatomical structures. Preliminary analysis suggests that there is distortion in the

A fast and reliable readout method for quantitative analysis of surface-enhanced Raman scattering nanoprobes on chip surface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Hyejin; Jeong, Sinyoung; Ko, Eunbyeol; Jeong, Dae Hong, E-mail: yslee@snu.ac.kr, E-mail: debobkr@gmail.com, E-mail: jeongdh@snu.ac.kr [Department of Chemistry Education, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Homan [Interdisciplinary Program in Nano-Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Yoon-Sik, E-mail: yslee@snu.ac.kr, E-mail: debobkr@gmail.com, E-mail: jeongdh@snu.ac.kr [Interdisciplinary Program in Nano-Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Ho-Young, E-mail: yslee@snu.ac.kr, E-mail: debobkr@gmail.com, E-mail: jeongdh@snu.ac.kr [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam 463-707 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering techniques have been widely used for bioanalysis due to its high sensitivity and multiplex capacity. However, the point-scanning method using a micro-Raman system, which is the most common method in the literature, has a disadvantage of extremely long measurement time for on-chip immunoassay adopting a large chip area of approximately 1-mm scale and confocal beam point of ca. 1-μm size. Alternative methods such as sampled spot scan with high confocality and large-area scan method with enlarged field of view and low confocality have been utilized in order to minimize the measurement time practically. In this study, we analyzed the two methods in respect of signal-to-noise ratio and sampling-led signal fluctuations to obtain insights into a fast and reliable readout strategy. On this basis, we proposed a methodology for fast and reliable quantitative measurement of the whole chip area. The proposed method adopted a raster scan covering a full area of 100 μm × 100 μm region as a proof-of-concept experiment while accumulating signals in the CCD detector for single spectrum per frame. One single scan with 10 s over 100 μm × 100 μm area yielded much higher sensitivity compared to sampled spot scanning measurements and no signal fluctuations attributed to sampled spot scan. This readout method is able to serve as one of key technologies that will bring quantitative multiplexed detection and analysis into practice.

On-chip synthesis of circularly polarized emission of light with integrated photonic circuits.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Li; Li, Mo

2014-05-01

The helicity of circularly polarized (CP) light plays an important role in the light-matter interaction in magnetic and quantum material systems. Exploiting CP light in integrated photonic circuits could lead to on-chip integration of novel optical helicity-dependent devices for applications ranging from spintronics to quantum optics. In this Letter, we demonstrate a silicon photonic circuit coupled with a 2D grating emitter operating at a telecom wavelength to synthesize vertically emitting, CP light from a quasi-TE waveguide mode. Handedness of the emitted circular polarized light can be thermally controlled with an integrated microheater. The compact device footprint enables a small beam diameter, which is desirable for large-scale integration.

Thin film Ag superlens towards lab-on-a-chip integration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jeppesen, Claus; Nielsen, Rasmus Bundgaard; Boltasseva, Alexandra

2009-01-01

A thin metal film near-field superlens, as originally suggested by Pendry and realized by Fang et al. and Melville et al., is investigated with emphasis on materials suitable for integration on a lab-on-a-chip platform. A chemically resistant cyclo-olefin copolymer (COC), mr-I-T85 from microresist...... technology, is applied as dielectric matrix/spacer for an Ag thin film superlens. The superlens successfully resolves 80 nm half-pitch gratings when illuminated with UV radiation at a free space wavelength of 365 nm. The superlens design, fabrication and characterization is discussed....

System-on-fluidics immunoassay device integrating wireless radio-frequency-identification sensor chips.

Science.gov (United States)

Yazawa, Yoshiaki; Oonishi, Tadashi; Watanabe, Kazuki; Shiratori, Akiko; Funaoka, Sohei; Fukushima, Masao

2014-09-01

A simple and sensitive point-of-care-test (POCT) device for chemiluminescence (CL) immunoassay was devised and tested. The device consists of a plastic flow-channel reactor and two wireless-communication sensor chips, namely, a photo-sensor chip and a temperature-sensor chip. In the flow-channel reactor, a target antigen is captured by an antibody immobilized on the inner wall of the flow-channel and detected with enzyme labeled antibody by using CL substrate. The CL signal corresponding to the amount of antigen is measured by a newly developed radio-frequency-identification (RFID) sensor, which enables batteryless operation and wireless data communication with an external reader. As for the POCT device, its usage environment, especially temperature, varies for each measurement. Hence, temperature compensation is a key issue in regard to eliminating dark-signal fluctuation, which is a major factor in deterioration of the precision of the POCT device. A two-stage temperature-compensation scheme was adopted. As for the first stage, the signals of two photodiodes, one with an open window and one with a sealed window, integrated on the photo-sensor chip are differentiated to delete the dark signal. As for the second stage, the differentiated signal fluctuation caused by a temperature variation is compensated by using the other sensor chip (equipped with a temperature sensor). The dark-level fluctuation caused by temperature was reduced from 0.24 to 0.02 pA/°C. The POCT device was evaluated as a CL immunoassay of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). The flow rate of the CL reagent in the flow channel was optimized. As a result, the detection limit of the POCT device was 0.08 ng/ml (i.e., 0.4 μIU/ml). Copyright © 2014 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simulation and experimental validation of a SU-8 based PCR thermocycler chip with integrated heaters and temperature sensor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

El-Ali, Jamil; Perch-Nielsen, Ivan R.; Poulsen, Claus Riber

2004-01-01

We present a SU-8 based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) chip with integrated platinum thin film heaters and temperature sensor. The device is fabricated in SU-8 on a glass substrate. The use of SU-8 provides a simple microfabrication process for the PCR chamber, controllable surface properties......C/s, respectively, the performance of the chip is comparable with the best silicon micromachined PCR chips presented in the literature. The SU-8 chamber surface was found to be PCR compatible by amplification of yeast gene ribosomal protein S3 and Campylobacter gene cadF. The PCR compatibility of the chamber...

On-chip integration of a superconducting microwave circulator and a Josephson parametric amplifier

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenthal, Eric I.; Chapman, Benjamin J.; Moores, Bradley A.; Kerckhoff, Joseph; Malnou, Maxime; Palken, D. A.; Mates, J. A. B.; Hilton, G. C.; Vale, L. R.; Ullom, J. N.; Lehnert, K. W.

Recent progress in microwave amplification based on parametric processes in superconducting circuits has revolutionized the measurement of feeble microwave signals. These devices, which operate near the quantum limit, are routinely used in ultralow temperature cryostats to: readout superconducting qubits, search for axionic dark matter, and characterize astrophysical sensors. However, these amplifiers often require ferrite circulators to separate incoming and outgoing traveling waves. For this reason, measurement efficiency and scalability are limited. In order to facilitate the routing of quantum signals we have created a superconducting, on-chip microwave circulator without permanent magnets. We integrate our circulator on-chip with a Josephson parametric amplifier for the purpose of near quantum-limited directional amplification. In this talk I will present a design overview and preliminary measurements.

Virtual pinhole confocal microscope

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

George, J.S.; Rector, D.M.; Ranken, D.M. [Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States). Biophysics Group; Peterson, B. [SciLearn Inc. (United States); Kesteron, J. [VayTech Inc. (United States)

1999-06-01

Scanned confocal microscopes enhance imaging capabilities, providing improved contrast and image resolution in 3-D, but existing systems have significant technical shortcomings and are expensive. Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a novel approach--virtual pinhole confocal microscopy--that uses state of the art illumination, detection, and data processing technologies to produce an imager with a number of advantages: reduced cost, faster imaging, improved efficiency and sensitivity, improved reliability and much greater flexibility. Work at Los Alamos demonstrated proof of principle; prototype hardware and software have been used to demonstrate technical feasibility of several implementation strategies. The system uses high performance illumination, patterned in time and space. The authors have built functional confocal imagers using video display technologies (LCD or DLP) and novel scanner based on a micro-lens array. They have developed a prototype system for high performance data acquisition and processing, designed to support realtime confocal imaging. They have developed algorithms to reconstruct confocal images from a time series of spatially sub-sampled images; software development remains an area of active development. These advances allow the collection of high quality confocal images (in fluorescence, reflectance and transmission modes) with equipment that can inexpensively retrofit to existing microscopes. Planned future extensions to these technologies will significantly enhance capabilities for microscopic imaging in a variety of applications, including confocal endoscopy, and confocal spectral imaging.

Integration of Solar Cells on Top of CMOS Chips Part I: a-Si Solar Cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lu, J.; Kovalgin, Alexeij Y.; van der Werf, Karine H.M.; Schropp, Ruud E.I.; Schmitz, Jurriaan

2011-01-01

We present the monolithic integration of deepsubmicrometer complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) microchips with a-Si:H solar cells. Solar cells are manufactured directly on the CMOS chips. The microchips maintain comparable electronic performance, and the solar cells show efficiency values

Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy Imaging-Guided Confocal Single-Molecule Fluorescence Spectroscopy

OpenAIRE

Zheng, Desheng; Kaldaras, Leonora; Lu, H. Peter

2013-01-01

We have developed an integrated spectroscopy system combining total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy imaging with confocal single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy for two-dimensional interfaces. This spectroscopy approach is capable of both multiple molecules simultaneously sampling and in situ confocal fluorescence dynamics analyses of individual molecules of interest. We have demonstrated the calibration with fluorescent microspheres, and carried out single-molecule spectroscop...

Synthesis of on-chip control circuits for mVLSI biochips

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Potluri, Seetal; Schneider, Alexander Rüdiger; Hørslev-Petersen, Martin

2017-01-01

them to laboratory environments. To address this issue, researchers have proposed methods to reduce the number of offchip pressure sources, through integration of on-chip pneumatic control logic circuits fabricated using three-layer monolithic membrane valve technology. Traditionally, mVLSI biochip......-chip control circuit design and (iii) the integration of on-chip control in the placement and routing design tasks. In this paper we present a design methodology for logic synthesis and physical synthesis of mVLSI biochips that use on-chip control. We show how the proposed methodology can be successfully...... applied to generate biochip layouts with integrated on-chip pneumatic control....

Integration of microcoils for on-chip immunosensors based on magnetic nanoparticles capture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olivier Lefebvre

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Immunoassays using magnetic nanoparticles (MNP are generally performed under the control of permanent magnet close to the micro-tube of reaction. Using a magnet gives a powerful method for driving MNP but remains unreliable or insufficient for a fully integrated immunoassay on lab-on-chip. The aim of this study is to develop a novel lab-on-chip concept for high efficient immunoassays to detect ovalbumin (Biodefense model molecule with microcoils employed for trapping MNP during the biofunctionalization steps. The objectives are essentially to optimize their efficiency for biological recognition by assuring a better bioactivity (antibodies-ovalbumin, and detect small concentrations of the targeted protein (~10 pg/mL. In this work, we studied the response of immunoassays complex function of ovalbumin concentration. The impact of MNP diameter in the biografting protocol was studied and permitted to choose a convenient MNP size for efficient biorecognition. We realized different immunoassays by controlling MNP in test tube and in microfluidic device using a permanent magnet. The comparison between these two experiments allows us to highlight an improvement of the limit of detection in microfluidic conditions by controlling MNP trapping with a magnet. Keywords: Bacteria, Lab-on-chip, ELISA, Magnetic nanoparticles, Ovalbumin, Microcoils, Fluorescent microscopy

Three-dimensional integration of nanotechnologies for computing and data storage on a single chip

Science.gov (United States)

Shulaker, Max M.; Hills, Gage; Park, Rebecca S.; Howe, Roger T.; Saraswat, Krishna; Wong, H.-S. Philip; Mitra, Subhasish

2017-07-01

The computing demands of future data-intensive applications will greatly exceed the capabilities of current electronics, and are unlikely to be met by isolated improvements in transistors, data storage technologies or integrated circuit architectures alone. Instead, transformative nanosystems, which use new nanotechnologies to simultaneously realize improved devices and new integrated circuit architectures, are required. Here we present a prototype of such a transformative nanosystem. It consists of more than one million resistive random-access memory cells and more than two million carbon-nanotube field-effect transistors—promising new nanotechnologies for use in energy-efficient digital logic circuits and for dense data storage—fabricated on vertically stacked layers in a single chip. Unlike conventional integrated circuit architectures, the layered fabrication realizes a three-dimensional integrated circuit architecture with fine-grained and dense vertical connectivity between layers of computing, data storage, and input and output (in this instance, sensing). As a result, our nanosystem can capture massive amounts of data every second, store it directly on-chip, perform in situ processing of the captured data, and produce ‘highly processed’ information. As a working prototype, our nanosystem senses and classifies ambient gases. Furthermore, because the layers are fabricated on top of silicon logic circuitry, our nanosystem is compatible with existing infrastructure for silicon-based technologies. Such complex nano-electronic systems will be essential for future high-performance and highly energy-efficient electronic systems.

Method and apparatus to debug an integrated circuit chip via synchronous clock stop and scan

Science.gov (United States)

Bellofatto, Ralph E [Ridgefield, CT; Ellavsky, Matthew R [Rochester, MN; Gara, Alan G [Mount Kisco, NY; Giampapa, Mark E [Irvington, NY; Gooding, Thomas M [Rochester, MN; Haring, Rudolf A [Cortlandt Manor, NY; Hehenberger, Lance G [Leander, TX; Ohmacht, Martin [Yorktown Heights, NY

2012-03-20

An apparatus and method for evaluating a state of an electronic or integrated circuit (IC), each IC including one or more processor elements for controlling operations of IC sub-units, and each the IC supporting multiple frequency clock domains. The method comprises: generating a synchronized set of enable signals in correspondence with one or more IC sub-units for starting operation of one or more IC sub-units according to a determined timing configuration; counting, in response to one signal of the synchronized set of enable signals, a number of main processor IC clock cycles; and, upon attaining a desired clock cycle number, generating a stop signal for each unique frequency clock domain to synchronously stop a functional clock for each respective frequency clock domain; and, upon synchronously stopping all on-chip functional clocks on all frequency clock domains in a deterministic fashion, scanning out data values at a desired IC chip state. The apparatus and methodology enables construction of a cycle-by-cycle view of any part of the state of a running IC chip, using a combination of on-chip circuitry and software.

Single-chip CMUT-on-CMOS front-end system for real-time volumetric IVUS and ICE imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Gurun, Gokce; Tekes, Coskun; Zahorian, Jaime; Xu, Toby; Satir, Sarp; Karaman, Mustafa; Hasler, Jennifer; Degertekin, F Levent

2014-02-01

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and intracardiac echography (ICE) catheters with real-time volumetric ultrasound imaging capability can provide unique benefits to many interventional procedures used in the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and structural heart diseases. Integration of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) arrays with front-end electronics in single-chip configuration allows for implementation of such catheter probes with reduced interconnect complexity, miniaturization, and high mechanical flexibility. We implemented a single-chip forward-looking (FL) ultrasound imaging system by fabricating a 1.4-mm-diameter dual-ring CMUT array using CMUT-on-CMOS technology on a front-end IC implemented in 0.35-μm CMOS process. The dual-ring array has 56 transmit elements and 48 receive elements on two separate concentric annular rings. The IC incorporates a 25-V pulser for each transmitter and a low-noise capacitive transimpedance amplifier (TIA) for each receiver, along with digital control and smart power management. The final shape of the silicon chip is a 1.5-mm-diameter donut with a 430-μm center hole for a guide wire. The overall front-end system requires only 13 external connections and provides 4 parallel RF outputs while consuming an average power of 20 mW. We measured RF A-scans from the integrated single- chip array which show full functionality at 20.1 MHz with 43% fractional bandwidth. We also tested and demonstrated the image quality of the system on a wire phantom and an ex vivo chicken heart sample. The measured axial and lateral point resolutions are 92 μm and 251 μm, respectively. We successfully acquired volumetric imaging data from the ex vivo chicken heart at 60 frames per second without any signal averaging. These demonstrative results indicate that single-chip CMUT-on-CMOS systems have the potential to produce realtime volumetric images with image quality and speed suitable for catheter-based clinical applications.

Towards on-chip integration of brain imaging photodetectors using standard CMOS process.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamrani, Ehsan; Lesage, Frederic; Sawan, Mohamad

2013-01-01

The main effects of on-chip integration on the performance and efficiency of silicon avalanche photodiode (SiAPD) and photodetector front-end is addressed in this paper based on the simulation and fabrication experiments. Two different silicon APDs are fabricated separately and also integrated with a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) front-end using standard CMOS technology. SiAPDs are designed in p+/n-well structure with guard rings realized in different shapes. The TIA front-end has been designed using distributed-gain concept combined with resistive-feedback and common-gate topology to reach low-noise and high gain-bandwidth product (GBW) characteristics. The integrated SiAPDs show higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), sensitivity and detection efficiency comparing to the separate SiAPDs. The integration does not show a significant effect on the gain and preserves the low power consumption. Using APDs with p-well guard-ring is preferred due to the higher observed efficiency after integration.

Confocal microscopy imaging of the biofilm matrix

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schlafer, Sebastian; Meyer, Rikke L

2017-01-01

The extracellular matrix is an integral part of microbial biofilms and an important field of research. Confocal laser scanning microscopy is a valuable tool for the study of biofilms, and in particular of the biofilm matrix, as it allows real-time visualization of fully hydrated, living specimens...... the concentration of solutes and the diffusive properties of the biofilm matrix....

Automatic Quadcopter Control Avoiding Obstacle Using Camera with Integrated Ultrasonic Sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Anis, Hanafi; Haris Indra Fadhillah, Ahmad; Darma, Surya; Soekirno, Santoso

2018-04-01

Automatic navigation on the drone is being developed these days, a wide variety of types of drones and its automatic functions. Drones used in this study was an aircraft with four propellers or quadcopter. In this experiment, image processing used to recognize the position of an object and ultrasonic sensor used to detect obstacle distance. The method used to trace an obsctacle in image processing was the Lucas-Kanade-Tomasi Tracker, which had been widely used due to its high accuracy. Ultrasonic sensor used to complement the image processing success rate to be fully detected object. The obstacle avoidance system was to observe at the program decisions from some obstacle conditions read by the camera and ultrasonic sensors. Visual feedback control based PID controllers are used as a control of drones movement. The conclusion of the obstacle avoidance system was to observe at the program decisions from some obstacle conditions read by the camera and ultrasonic sensors.

Fluorescence confocal microscopy for pathologists.

Science.gov (United States)

Ragazzi, Moira; Piana, Simonetta; Longo, Caterina; Castagnetti, Fabio; Foroni, Monica; Ferrari, Guglielmo; Gardini, Giorgio; Pellacani, Giovanni

2014-03-01

Confocal microscopy is a non-invasive method of optical imaging that may provide microscopic images of untreated tissue that correspond almost perfectly to hematoxylin- and eosin-stained slides. Nowadays, following two confocal imaging systems are available: (1) reflectance confocal microscopy, based on the natural differences in refractive indices of subcellular structures within the tissues; (2) fluorescence confocal microscopy, based on the use of fluorochromes, such as acridine orange, to increase the contrast epithelium-stroma. In clinical practice to date, confocal microscopy has been used with the goal of obviating the need for excision biopsies, thereby reducing the need for pathological examination. The aim of our study was to test fluorescence confocal microscopy on different types of surgical specimens, specifically breast, lymph node, thyroid, and colon. The confocal images were correlated to the corresponding histological sections in order to provide a morphologic parallel and to highlight current limitations and possible applications of this technology for surgical pathology practice. As a result, neoplastic tissues were easily distinguishable from normal structures and reactive processes such as fibrosis; the use of fluorescence enhanced contrast and image quality in confocal microscopy without compromising final histologic evaluation. Finally, the fluorescence confocal microscopy images of the adipose tissue were as accurate as those of conventional histology and were devoid of the frozen-section-related artefacts that can compromise intraoperative evaluation. Despite some limitations mainly related to black/white images, which require training in imaging interpretation, this study confirms that fluorescence confocal microscopy may represent an alternative to frozen sections in the assessment of margin status in selected settings or when the conservation of the specimen is crucial. This is the first study to employ fluorescent confocal microscopy on

Fabrication of Quench Condensed Thin Films Using an Integrated MEMS Fab on a Chip

Science.gov (United States)

Lally, Richard; Reeves, Jeremy; Stark, Thomas; Barrett, Lawrence; Bishop, David

Atomic calligraphy is a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based dynamic stencil nanolithography technique. Integrating MEMS devices into a bonded stacked array of three die provides a unique platform for conducting quench condensed thin film mesoscopic experiments. The atomic calligraphy Fab on a Chip process incorporates metal film sources, electrostatic comb driven stencil plate, mass sensor, temperature sensor, and target surface into one multi-die assembly. Three separate die are created using the PolyMUMPs process and are flip-chip bonded together. A die containing joule heated sources must be prepared with metal for evaporation prior to assembly. A backside etch of the middle/central die exposes the moveable stencil plate allowing the flux to pass through the stencil from the source die to the target die. The chip assembly is mounted in a cryogenic system at ultra-high vacuum for depositing extremely thin films down to single layers of atoms across targeted electrodes. Experiments such as the effect of thin film alloys or added impurities on their superconductivity can be measured in situ with this process.

Ultrasonically Assisted Single Point Diamond Turning of Optical Mold of Tungsten Carbide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhanjie Li

2018-02-01

Full Text Available To realize high efficiency, low/no damage and high precision machining of tungsten carbide used for lens mold, a high frequency ultrasonic vibration cutting system was developed at first. Then, tungsten carbide was precisely machined with a polycrystalline diamond (PCD tool assisted by the self-developed high frequency ultrasonic vibration cutting system. Tool wear mechanism was investigated in ductile regime machining of tungsten carbide. The cutter back-off phenomenon in the process was analyzed. The subsequent experimental results of ultra-precision machining with a single crystal diamond tool showed that: under the condition of high frequency ultrasonic vibration cutting, nano-scale surface roughness can be obtained by the diamond tool with smaller tip radius and no defects like those of ground surface were found on the machined surface. Tool wear mechanisms of the single crystal diamond tool are mainly abrasive wear and micro-chipping. To solve the problem, a method of inclined ultrasonic vibration cutting with negative rake angle was put forward according to force analysis, which can further reduce tool wear and roughness of the machined surface. The investigation was important to high efficiency and quality ultra-precision machining of tungsten carbide.

Integrated on-chip solid state capacitor based on vertically aligned carbon nanofibers, grown using a CMOS temperature compatible process

Science.gov (United States)

Saleem, Amin M.; Andersson, Rickard; Desmaris, Vincent; Enoksson, Peter

2018-01-01

Complete miniaturized on-chip integrated solid-state capacitors have been fabricated based on conformal coating of vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNFs), using a CMOS temperature compatible microfabrication processes. The 5 μm long VACNFs, operating as electrode, are grown on a silicon substrate and conformally coated by aluminum oxide dielectric using atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. The areal (footprint) capacitance density value of 11-15 nF/mm2 is realized with high reproducibility. The CMOS temperature compatible microfabrication, ultra-low profile (less than 7 μm thickness) and high capacitance density would enables direct integration of micro energy storage devices on the active CMOS chip, multi-chip package and passives on silicon or glass interposer. A model is developed to calculate the surface area of VACNFs and the effective capacitance from the devices. It is thereby shown that 71% of surface area of the VACNFs has contributed to the measured capacitance, and by using the entire area the capacitance can potentially be increased.

Monolithically integrated biophotonic lab-on-a-chip for cell culture and simultaneous pH monitoring

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Munoz-Berbel, Xavier; Rodriguez-Rodriguez, Rosalia; Vigues, Nuria; Demming, Stefanie; Mas, Jordi; Buettgenbach, Stephanus; Verpoorte, Elisabeth; Ortiz, Pedro; Llobera, Andreu

2013-01-01

A poly(dimethylsiloxane) biophotonic lab-on-a-chip (bioPhLoC) containing two chambers, an incubation chamber and a monitoring chamber for cell retention/proliferation and pH monitoring, respectively, is presented. The bioPhLoC monolithically integrates a filter with 3 mu m high size-exclusion

Package-friendly piezoresistive pressure sensors with on-chip integrated packaging-stress-suppressed suspension (PS3) technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Jiachou; Li, Xinxin

2013-01-01

An on-chip integrated packaging-stress-suppressed suspension (PS 3 ) technology for a packaging-stress-free pressure sensor is proposed and developed. With a MIS (microholes interetch and sealing) micromachining process implemented only from the front-side of a single-side polished (1 1 1) silicon wafer, a compact cantilever-shaped PS 3 is on-chip integrated surrounding a piezoresistive pressure-sensing structure to provide a packaging-process/substrate-friendly method for low-cost but high-performance sensor applications. With the MIS process, the chip size of the PS 3 -enclosed pressure sensor is as small as 0.8 mm × 0.8 mm. Compared with a normal pressure sensor without PS 3 (but with an identical pressure-sensing structure), the proposed pressure sensor has the same sensitivity of 0.046 mV kPa −1 (3.3 V) −1 . However, without using the thermal compensation technique, a temperature coefficient of offset of only 0.016% °C −1 FS is noted for the sensor with PS 3 , which is about 15 times better than that for the sensor without PS 3 . Featuring effective isolation and elimination of the influence from packaging stress, the PS 3 technique is promising to be widely used for packaging-friendly mechanical sensors. (paper)

Ultrasonic Testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Hyeong Jun; Kuk, Jeong Han

2002-02-15

This book introduces ultrasonic testing, which tells of outline of ultrasonic testing, principle of ultrasonic testing, prosperities of ultrasonic waves, radiographic test and ultrasonic test, basic theory on ultrasonic testing, mode conversion, transmission and diffraction, ultrasonic flaw detection and probe, standard test piece and reference test piece, like KS(JIS) ASME and ASTM, classification and properties of ultrasonic testing, straight beam method, angle beam method, ASME SEC.V.Art.5 ASTMA 388 and KS B 0817 Korean industrial standard.

60 GHz system-on-chip (SoC) with built-in memory and an on-chip antenna

KAUST Repository

Ghaffar, Farhan A.

2014-04-01

A novel 60 GHz transmitter SoC with an on-chip antenna and integrated memory in CMOS 65 nm technology is presented in this paper. This highly integrated transmitter design can support a data rate of 2 GBPS with a transmission range of 1 m. The transmitter consists of a fundamental frequency 60 GHz PLL which covers the complete ISM band. The modulator following the PLL can support both BPSK and OOK modulation schemes. Both stored data on the integrated memory or directly from an external source can be transmitted. A tapered slot on chip antenna is integrated with the power amplifier to complete the front end of the transmitter design. Size of the complete transmitter with on-chip antenna is only 1.96 mm × 1.96 mm. The core circuits consume less than 100 mW of power. The high data rate capability of the design makes it extremely suitable for bandwidth hungry applications such as unencrypted HD video streaming and transmission.

60 GHz system-on-chip (SoC) with built-in memory and an on-chip antenna

KAUST Repository

Ghaffar, Farhan A.; Arsalan, Muhammad; Cheema, Hammad; Salama, Khaled N.; Shamim, Atif

2014-01-01

A novel 60 GHz transmitter SoC with an on-chip antenna and integrated memory in CMOS 65 nm technology is presented in this paper. This highly integrated transmitter design can support a data rate of 2 GBPS with a transmission range of 1 m. The transmitter consists of a fundamental frequency 60 GHz PLL which covers the complete ISM band. The modulator following the PLL can support both BPSK and OOK modulation schemes. Both stored data on the integrated memory or directly from an external source can be transmitted. A tapered slot on chip antenna is integrated with the power amplifier to complete the front end of the transmitter design. Size of the complete transmitter with on-chip antenna is only 1.96 mm × 1.96 mm. The core circuits consume less than 100 mW of power. The high data rate capability of the design makes it extremely suitable for bandwidth hungry applications such as unencrypted HD video streaming and transmission.

Combinatorial materials synthesis and high-throughput screening: an integrated materials chip approach to mapping phase diagrams and discovery and optimization of functional materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiang, X D

Combinatorial materials synthesis methods and high-throughput evaluation techniques have been developed to accelerate the process of materials discovery and optimization and phase-diagram mapping. Analogous to integrated circuit chips, integrated materials chips containing thousands of discrete different compositions or continuous phase diagrams, often in the form of high-quality epitaxial thin films, can be fabricated and screened for interesting properties. Microspot x-ray method, various optical measurement techniques, and a novel evanescent microwave microscope have been used to characterize the structural, optical, magnetic, and electrical properties of samples on the materials chips. These techniques are routinely used to discover/optimize and map phase diagrams of ferroelectric, dielectric, optical, magnetic, and superconducting materials.

Integrate models of ultrasonics examination for NDT expertise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calmon, P.; Lhemery, A.; Lecoeur-Taibi, I.; Raillon, R.

1996-01-01

For several years, the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) has developed a system called CIVA for multiple-technique NDE data acquisition and processing. Modeling tools for ultrasonic non-destructive testing have been developed and implemented within this allowing direct comparison between measured and predicted results. These models are not only devoted to laboratory uses bus also must be usable by ultrasonic operators without special training in simulation techniques. Therefore, emphasis has been on finding the best compromise between as accurate as possible quantitative predictions and ease, simplicity and speed, crucial requirements in the industrial context. This approach has led us to develop approximate models for the different phenomena involved in ultrasonic inspections: radiation, transmission through interfaces, propagation, scattering by defects and boundaries, reception etc. Two main models have been implemented, covering the most commonly encountered NDT configurations. At first, these two models are shortly described. Then, two examples of their applications are shown. Based on the same underlying theories, specific modeling tools are proposed to industrial partners to answer special requirements. To illustrate this, an example is given of a software used a tool to help experts's interpretation during on-site french PWR vessel inspections. Other models can be implemented in CIVA when some assumptions made in the previous models Champ-Sons and Mephisto are not fulfilled, e. g., when less-conventional testing configurations are concerned. We briefly presents as an example a modeling study of echoes arising from cladded steel surfaces achieved in the laboratory. (authors)

Ultrahigh-speed hybrid laser for silicon photonic integrated chips

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chung, Il-Sug; Park, Gyeong Cheol; Ran, Qijiang

2013-01-01

Increasing power consumption for electrical interconnects between and inside chips is posing a real challenge to continue the performance scaling of processors/computers as predicted by D. Moore. In recent processors, energy consumption for electrical interconnects is half of power supplied...... and will be 80% in near future. This challenge strongly has motivated replacing electrical interconnects with optical ones even in chip level communications [1]. This chip-level optical interconnects need quite different performance of optoelectronic devices than required for conventional optical communications....... For a light source, the energy consumption per sending a bit is required to be

An integrated one-chip-sensor system for microRNA quantitative analysis based on digital droplet polymerase chain reaction

Science.gov (United States)

Tsukuda, Masahiko; Wiederkehr, Rodrigo Sergio; Cai, Qing; Majeed, Bivragh; Fiorini, Paolo; Stakenborg, Tim; Matsuno, Toshinobu

2016-04-01

A silicon microfluidic chip was developed for microRNA (miRNA) quantitative analysis. It performs sequentially reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction in a digital droplet format. Individual processes take place on different cavities, and reagent and sample mixing is carried out on a chip, prior to entering each compartment. The droplets are generated on a T-junction channel before the polymerase chain reaction step. Also, a miniaturized fluorescence detector was developed, based on an optical pick-up head of digital versatile disc (DVD) and a micro-photomultiplier tube. The chip integrated in the detection system was tested using synthetic miRNA with known concentrations, ranging from 300 to 3,000 templates/µL. Results proved the functionality of the system.

Flip-chip bonded optoelectronic integration based on ultrathin silicon (UTSi) CMOS

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Sunkwang; Ho, Tawei; Zhang, Liping; Sawchuk, Alexander A.

2003-06-01

We describe the design and test of flip-chip bonded optoelectronic CMOS devices based on Peregrine Semiconductor's 0.5 micron Ultra-Thin Silicon on sapphire (UTSi) technology. The UTSi process eliminates the substrate leakage that typically results in crosstalk and reduces parasitic capacitance to the substrate, providing many benefits compared to bulk silicon CMOS. The low-loss synthetic sapphire substrate is optically transparent and has a coefficient of thermal expansion suitable for flip-chip bonding of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) and detectors. We have designed two different UTSi CMOS chips. One contains a flip-chip bonded 1 x 4 photodiode array, a receiver array, a double edge triggered D-flip flop-based 2047-pattern pseudo random bit stream (PRBS) generator and a quadrature-phase LC-voltage controlled oscillator (VCO). The other chip contains a flip-chip bonded 1 x 4 VCSEL array, a driver array based on high-speed low-voltage differential signals (LVDS) and a full-balanced differential LC-VCO. Each VCSEL driver and receiver has individual input and bias voltage adjustments. Each UTSi chip is mounted on different printed circuit boards (PCBs) which have holes with about 1 mm radius for optical output and input paths through the sapphire substrate. We discuss preliminary testing of these chips.

Advanced flip chip packaging

CERN Document Server

Lai, Yi-Shao; Wong, CP

2013-01-01

Advanced Flip Chip Packaging presents past, present and future advances and trends in areas such as substrate technology, material development, and assembly processes. Flip chip packaging is now in widespread use in computing, communications, consumer and automotive electronics, and the demand for flip chip technology is continuing to grow in order to meet the need for products that offer better performance, are smaller, and are environmentally sustainable. This book also: Offers broad-ranging chapters with a focus on IC-package-system integration Provides viewpoints from leading industry executives and experts Details state-of-the-art achievements in process technologies and scientific research Presents a clear development history and touches on trends in the industry while also discussing up-to-date technology information Advanced Flip Chip Packaging is an ideal book for engineers, researchers, and graduate students interested in the field of flip chip packaging.

One-chip Integrated Module of MEMS Shock Sensor and Sensing Amplifier LSI using Pseudo-SOC Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Iida, Atsuko; Onozuka, Yutaka; Nishigaki, Michihiko; Yamada, Hiroshi; Funaki, Hideyuki; Itaya, Kazuhiko

We have been developing the pseudo-SOC technology for one-chip module integration of heterogeneous devices that realizes high electrical performance and high density of devices embodying the advantages of both SOC technology and SIP technology. Especially, this technology is available for MEMS-LSI integration. We developed a 0.2mm-thickness one-chip module integrating a MEMS shock sensor and a sensing amplifier LSI by applying this technology. The MEMS shock sensor and the sensing amplifier LSI were connected by high-rigidity epoxy resin optimized the material constants to reduce the stress and the warpage resulting from resin shrinkage due to curing. Then the planar insulating layer and the redistributed conducting layer were formed on it for the global layer. The MEMS shock sensor was preformed to be modularized with a glass cap. Electrical contacts were achieved by bonding of Au bumps on the MEMS fixed electrodes and via holes filled with Ag paste of the glass cap. Functional performance was confirmed by obtaining signal corresponding to the reference signal of the pick-up sensor. Furthermore, stress analysis was performed using the FEM model simulation considering the resin shrinkage.

A proposed holistic approach to on-chip, off-chip, test, and package interconnections

Science.gov (United States)

Bartelink, Dirk J.

1998-11-01

The term interconnection has traditionally implied a `robust' connection from a transistor or a group of transistors in an IC to the outside world, usually a PC board. Optimum system utilization is done from outside the IC. As an alternative, this paper addresses `unimpeded' transistor-to-transistor interconnection aimed at reaching the high circuit densities and computational capabilities of neighboring IC's. In this view, interconnections are not made to some human-centric place outside the IC world requiring robustness—except for system input and output connections. This unimpeded interconnect style is currently available only through intra-chip signal traces in `system-on-a-chip' implementations, as exemplified by embedded DRAMs. Because the traditional off-chip penalty in performance and wiring density is so large, a merging of complex process technologies is the only option today. It is suggested that, for system integration to move forward, the traditional robustness requirement inherited from conventional packaging interconnect and IC manufacturing test must be discarded. Traditional system assembly from vendor parts requires robustness under shipping, inspection and assembly. The trend toward systems on a chip signifies willingness by semiconductor companies to design and fabricate whole systems in house, so that `in-house' chip-to-chip assembly is not beyond reach. In this scenario, bare chips never leave the controlled environment of the IC fabricator while the two major contributors to off-chip signal penalty, ESD protection and the need to source a 50-ohm test head, are avoided. With in-house assembly, ESD protection can be eliminated with the precautions already familiar in plasma etching. Test interconnection impacts the fundamentals of IC manufacturing, particularly with clock speeds approaching 1GHz, and cannot be an afterthought. It should be an integral part of the chip-to-chip interconnection bandwidth optimization, because—as we must

Optically Driven Mobile Integrated Micro-Tools for a Lab-on-a-Chip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi-Jui Liu

2013-04-01

Full Text Available This study proposes an optically driven complex micromachine with an Archimedes microscrew as the mechanical power, a sphere as a coupler, and three knives as the mechanical tools. The micromachine is fabricated by two-photon polymerization and is portably driven by optical tweezers. Because the microscrew can be optically trapped and rotates spontaneously, it provides driving power for the complex micro-tools. In other words, when a laser beam focuses on the micromachine, the microscrew is trapped toward the focus point and simultaneously rotates. A demonstration showed that the integrated micromachines are grasped by the optical tweezers and rotated by the Archimedes screw. The rotation efficiencies of the microrotors with and without knives are 1.9 rpm/mW and 13.5 rpm/mW, respectively. The micromachine can also be portably dragged along planed routes. Such Archimedes screw-based optically driven complex mechanical micro-tools enable rotation similar to moving machines or mixers, which could contribute to applications for a biological microfluidic chip or a lab-on-a-chip.

Gastric Tissue Damage Analysis Generated by Ischemia: Bioimpedance, Confocal Endomicroscopy, and Light Microscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nohra E. Beltran

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The gastric mucosa ischemic tissular damage plays an important role in critical care patients’ outcome, because it is the first damaged tissue by compensatory mechanism during shock. The aim of the study is to relate bioimpedance changes with tissular damage level generated by ischemia by means of confocal endomicroscopy and light microscopy. Bioimpedance of the gastric mucosa and confocal images were obtained from Wistar male rats during basal and ischemia conditions. They were anesthetized, and stain was applied (fluorescein and/or acriflavine. The impedance spectroscopy catheter was inserted and then confocal endomicroscopy probe. After basal measurements and biopsy, hepatic and gastric arteries clamping induced ischemia. Finally, pyloric antrum tissue was preserved in buffered formaldehyde (10% for histology processing using light microscopy. Confocal images were equalized, binarized, and boundary defined, and infiltrations were quantified. Impedance and infiltrations increased with ischemia showing significant changes between basal and ischemia conditions (. Light microscopy analysis allows detection of general alterations in cellular and tissular integrity, confirming gastric reactance and confocal images quantification increments obtained during ischemia.

Ultrasonic assessment of additive manufactured Ti-6Al-4V

Science.gov (United States)

Schehl, Norman; Kramb, Vicki; Dierken, Josiah; Aldrin, John; Schwalbach, Edwin; John, Reji

2018-04-01

Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes offer the potential for manufacturing cost savings and rapid insertion into service through production of near net shape components for complicated structures. Use of these parts in high reliability applications such as those in the aerospace industry will require nondestructive characterization methods to ensure post-process material quality in as-built condition. Ultrasonic methods can be used for this quality verification. Depending on the application, the service life of AM components can be sensitive to the part surface condition. The surface roughness and layered structure inherent to the electron-beam powder-bed fusion process necessitates new approaches to evaluate subsurface material integrity in its presence. Experimental methods and data analytics may improve the evaluation of as-built additively manufactured materials. This paper discusses the assessment of additively manufactured EBM Ti-6Al-4V panels using ultrasonic methods and the data analytics applied to evaluate material integrity. The assessment was done as an exploratory study as the discontinuities of interest in these test samples were not known when the measurements were performed. Water immersion ultrasonic techniques, including pulse-echo and through transmission with 10 MHz focused transducers, were used to explore the material integrity of as-built plates. Subsequent destructive mechanical tests of specimens extracted from the plates provided fracture locations indicating critical flaws. To further understand the effect of surface-roughness, an evaluation of ultrasonic response in the presence of as-built surfaces and with the surface removed was performed. The assessment of additive manufactured EBM Ti-6Al-4V panels with ultrasonic techniques indicated that ultrasonic energy was attenuated by the as-built surface roughness. In addition, feature detection was shown to be sensitive to experimental ultrasonic parameters and flaw morphology.

Space division multiplexing chip-to-chip quantum key distribution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bacco, Davide; Ding, Yunhong; Dalgaard, Kjeld

2017-01-01

nodes of the quantum keys to their respective destinations. In this paper we present an experimental demonstration of a photonic integrated silicon chip quantum key distribution protocols based on space division multiplexing (SDM), through multicore fiber technology. Parallel and independent quantum...

Confocal Microscopy of Unfixed Breast Needle Core Biopsies: A Comparison to Fixed and Stained Sections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zavislan James M

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Needle core biopsy, often in conjunction with ultrasonic or stereotactic guided techniques, is frequently used to diagnose breast carcinoma in women. Confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM is a technology that provides real-time digital images of tissues with cellular resolution. This paper reports the progress in developing techniques to rapidly screen needle core breast biopsy and surgical specimens at the point of care. CSLM requires minimal tissue processing and has the potential to reduce the time from excision to diagnosis. Following imaging, specimens can still be submitted for standard histopathological preparation. Methods Needle core breast specimens from 49 patients were imaged at the time of biopsy. These lesions had been characterized under the Breast Imaging Reporting And Data System (BI-RADS as category 3, 4 or 5. The core biopsies were imaged with the CSLM before fixation. Samples were treated with 5% citric acid and glycerin USP to enhance nuclear visibility in the reflectance confocal images. Immediately following imaging, the specimens were fixed in buffered formalin and submitted for histological processing and pathological diagnosis. CSLM images were then compared to the standard histology. Results The pathologic diagnoses by standard histology were 7 invasive ductal carcinomas, 2 invasive lobular carcinomas, 3 ductal carcinomas in-situ (CIS, 21 fibrocystic changes/proliferative conditions, 9 fibroadenomas, and 5 other/benign; two were excluded due to imaging difficulties. Morphologic and cellular features of benign and cancerous lesions were identified in the confocal images and were comparable to standard histologic sections of the same tissue. Conclusion CSLM is a technique with the potential to screen needle core biopsy specimens in real-time. The confocal images contained sufficient information to identify stromal reactions such as fibrosis and cellular proliferations such as intra-ductal and

Confocal Microscopy of Unfixed Breast Needle Core Biopsies: A Comparison to Fixed and Stained Sections

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

Background Needle core biopsy, often in conjunction with ultrasonic or stereotactic guided techniques, is frequently used to diagnose breast carcinoma in women. Confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) is a technology that provides real-time digital images of tissues with cellular resolution. This paper reports the progress in developing techniques to rapidly screen needle core breast biopsy and surgical specimens at the point of care. CSLM requires minimal tissue processing and has the potential to reduce the time from excision to diagnosis. Following imaging, specimens can still be submitted for standard histopathological preparation. Methods Needle core breast specimens from 49 patients were imaged at the time of biopsy. These lesions had been characterized under the Breast Imaging Reporting And Data System (BI-RADS) as category 3, 4 or 5. The core biopsies were imaged with the CSLM before fixation. Samples were treated with 5% citric acid and glycerin USP to enhance nuclear visibility in the reflectance confocal images. Immediately following imaging, the specimens were fixed in buffered formalin and submitted for histological processing and pathological diagnosis. CSLM images were then compared to the standard histology. Results The pathologic diagnoses by standard histology were 7 invasive ductal carcinomas, 2 invasive lobular carcinomas, 3 ductal carcinomas in-situ (CIS), 21 fibrocystic changes/proliferative conditions, 9 fibroadenomas, and 5 other/benign; two were excluded due to imaging difficulties. Morphologic and cellular features of benign and cancerous lesions were identified in the confocal images and were comparable to standard histologic sections of the same tissue. Conclusion CSLM is a technique with the potential to screen needle core biopsy specimens in real-time. The confocal images contained sufficient information to identify stromal reactions such as fibrosis and cellular proliferations such as intra-ductal and infiltrating carcinoma, and

Liquid carry-over in an injection moulded all-polymer chip system for immiscible phase magnetic bead-based solid-phase extraction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kistrup, Kasper, E-mail: kkis@nanotech.dtu.dk [Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology, Technical University of Denmark, DTU Nanotech, Building 345 East, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby (Denmark); Skotte Sørensen, Karen, E-mail: karen@nanotech.dtu.dk [Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology, Technical University of Denmark, DTU Nanotech, Building 345 East, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby (Denmark); Center for Integrated Point of Care Technologies (CiPoC), DELTA, Venlighedsvej 4, DK-2870 Hørsholm (Denmark); Wolff, Anders, E-mail: anders.wolff@nanotech.dtu.dk [Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology, Technical University of Denmark, DTU Nanotech, Building 345 East, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby (Denmark); Fougt Hansen, Mikkel, E-mail: mikkel.hansen@nanotech.dtu.dk [Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology, Technical University of Denmark, DTU Nanotech, Building 345 East, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby (Denmark)

2015-04-15

We present an all-polymer, single-use microfluidic chip system produced by injection moulding and bonded by ultrasonic welding. Both techniques are compatible with low-cost industrial mass-production. The chip is produced for magnetic bead-based solid-phase extraction facilitated by immiscible phase filtration and features passive liquid filling and magnetic bead manipulation using an external magnet. In this work, we determine the system compatibility with various surfactants. Moreover, we quantify the volume of liquid co-transported with magnetic bead clusters from Milli-Q water or a lysis-binding buffer for nucleic acid extraction (0.1 (v/v)% Triton X-100 in 5 M guanidine hydrochloride). A linear relationship was found between the liquid carry-over and mass of magnetic beads used. Interestingly, similar average carry-overs of 1.74(8) nL/µg and 1.72(14) nL/µg were found for Milli-Q water and lysis-binding buffer, respectively. - Highlights: • We present an all-polymer mass producible passive filled microfluidic chip system. • Rapid system fabrication is obtained by injection moulding and ultrasonic welding. • The system is made for single-use nucleic acid extraction using magnetic beads. • We systematically map compatibility of the chip system with various surfactants. • We quantify the volume carry-over of magnetic beads in water and 0.1% triton-X solution.

Liquid carry-over in an injection moulded all-polymer chip system for immiscible phase magnetic bead-based solid-phase extraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kistrup, Kasper; Skotte Sørensen, Karen; Wolff, Anders; Fougt Hansen, Mikkel

2015-01-01

We present an all-polymer, single-use microfluidic chip system produced by injection moulding and bonded by ultrasonic welding. Both techniques are compatible with low-cost industrial mass-production. The chip is produced for magnetic bead-based solid-phase extraction facilitated by immiscible phase filtration and features passive liquid filling and magnetic bead manipulation using an external magnet. In this work, we determine the system compatibility with various surfactants. Moreover, we quantify the volume of liquid co-transported with magnetic bead clusters from Milli-Q water or a lysis-binding buffer for nucleic acid extraction (0.1 (v/v)% Triton X-100 in 5 M guanidine hydrochloride). A linear relationship was found between the liquid carry-over and mass of magnetic beads used. Interestingly, similar average carry-overs of 1.74(8) nL/µg and 1.72(14) nL/µg were found for Milli-Q water and lysis-binding buffer, respectively. - Highlights: • We present an all-polymer mass producible passive filled microfluidic chip system. • Rapid system fabrication is obtained by injection moulding and ultrasonic welding. • The system is made for single-use nucleic acid extraction using magnetic beads. • We systematically map compatibility of the chip system with various surfactants. • We quantify the volume carry-over of magnetic beads in water and 0.1% triton-X solution

Research on Automatic Positioning System of Ultrasonic Testing of Wind Turbine Blade Flaws

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Q. X.; Wang, Z. H.; Long, S. G.; Cai, M.; Cai, M.; Wang, X.; Chen, X. Y.; Bu, J. L.

2017-11-01

Ultrasonic testing technology has been used essentially in non-destructive testing of wind turbine blades. However, it is fact that the ultrasonic flaw detection method has inefficiently employed in recent years. This is because the testing result will illustrate a small deviation due to the artificial, environmental and technical factors. Therefore, it is an urgent technical demand for engineers to test the various flaws efficiently and quickly. An automatic positioning system has been designed in this paper to record the moving coordinates and the target distance in real time. Simultaneously, it could launch and acquire the sonic wave automatically. The ADNS-3080 optoelectronic chip is manufactured by Agilent Technologies Inc, which is also utilized in the system. With the combination of the chip, the power conversion module and the USB transmission module, the collected data can be transmitted from the upper monitor to the hardware that could process and control the data through software programming. An experiment has been designed to prove the reliability of automotive positioning system. The result has been validated by comparing the result collected form LABVIEW and actual plots on Perspex plane, it concludes that the system possesses high accuracy and magnificent meanings in practical engineering.

High-throughput particle manipulation by hydrodynamic, electrokinetic, and dielectrophoretic effects in an integrated microfluidic chip

KAUST Repository

Li, Shunbo; Li, Ming; Bougot-Robin, Kristelle; Cao, Wenbin; Yeung Yeung Chau, Irene; Li, Weihua; Wen, Weijia

2013-01-01

Integrating different steps on a chip for cell manipulations and sample preparation is of foremost importance to fully take advantage of microfluidic possibilities, and therefore make tests faster, cheaper and more accurate. We demonstrated particle manipulation in an integrated microfluidic device by applying hydrodynamic, electroosmotic (EO), electrophoretic (EP), and dielectrophoretic (DEP) forces. The process involves generation of fluid flow by pressure difference, particle trapping by DEP force, and particle redirect by EO and EP forces. Both DC and AC signals were applied, taking advantages of DC EP, EO and AC DEP for on-chip particle manipulation. Since different types of particles respond differently to these signals, variations of DC and AC signals are capable to handle complex and highly variable colloidal and biological samples. The proposed technique can operate in a high-throughput manner with thirteen independent channels in radial directions for enrichment and separation in microfluidic chip. We evaluated our approach by collecting Polystyrene particles, yeast cells, and E. coli bacteria, which respond differently to electric field gradient. Live and dead yeast cells were separated successfully, validating the capability of our device to separate highly similar cells. Our results showed that this technique could achieve fast pre-concentration of colloidal particles and cells and separation of cells depending on their vitality. Hydrodynamic, DC electrophoretic and DC electroosmotic forces were used together instead of syringe pump to achieve sufficient fluid flow and particle mobility for particle trapping and sorting. By eliminating bulky mechanical pumps, this new technique has wide applications for in situ detection and analysis.

High-throughput particle manipulation by hydrodynamic, electrokinetic, and dielectrophoretic effects in an integrated microfluidic chip

KAUST Repository

Li, Shunbo

2013-03-20

Integrating different steps on a chip for cell manipulations and sample preparation is of foremost importance to fully take advantage of microfluidic possibilities, and therefore make tests faster, cheaper and more accurate. We demonstrated particle manipulation in an integrated microfluidic device by applying hydrodynamic, electroosmotic (EO), electrophoretic (EP), and dielectrophoretic (DEP) forces. The process involves generation of fluid flow by pressure difference, particle trapping by DEP force, and particle redirect by EO and EP forces. Both DC and AC signals were applied, taking advantages of DC EP, EO and AC DEP for on-chip particle manipulation. Since different types of particles respond differently to these signals, variations of DC and AC signals are capable to handle complex and highly variable colloidal and biological samples. The proposed technique can operate in a high-throughput manner with thirteen independent channels in radial directions for enrichment and separation in microfluidic chip. We evaluated our approach by collecting Polystyrene particles, yeast cells, and E. coli bacteria, which respond differently to electric field gradient. Live and dead yeast cells were separated successfully, validating the capability of our device to separate highly similar cells. Our results showed that this technique could achieve fast pre-concentration of colloidal particles and cells and separation of cells depending on their vitality. Hydrodynamic, DC electrophoretic and DC electroosmotic forces were used together instead of syringe pump to achieve sufficient fluid flow and particle mobility for particle trapping and sorting. By eliminating bulky mechanical pumps, this new technique has wide applications for in situ detection and analysis.

Biasing of Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers.

Science.gov (United States)

Caliano, Giosue; Matrone, Giulia; Savoia, Alessandro Stuart

2017-02-01

Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) represent an effective alternative to piezoelectric transducers for medical ultrasound imaging applications. They are microelectromechanical devices fabricated using silicon micromachining techniques, developed in the last two decades in many laboratories. The interest for this novel transducer technology relies on its full compatibility with standard integrated circuit technology that makes it possible to integrate on the same chip the transducers and the electronics, thus enabling the realization of extremely low-cost and high-performance devices, including both 1-D or 2-D arrays. Being capacitive transducers, CMUTs require a high bias voltage to be properly operated in pulse-echo imaging applications. The typical bias supply residual ripple of high-quality high-voltage (HV) generators is in the millivolt range, which is comparable with the amplitude of the received echo signals, and it is particularly difficult to minimize. The aim of this paper is to analyze the classical CMUT biasing circuits, highlighting the features of each one, and to propose two novel HV generator architectures optimized for CMUT biasing applications. The first circuit proposed is an ultralow-residual ripple (generator that uses an extremely stable sinusoidal power oscillator topology. The second circuit employs a commercially available integrated step-up converter characterized by a particularly efficient switching topology. The circuit is used to bias the CMUT by charging a buffer capacitor synchronously with the pulsing sequence, thus reducing the impact of the switching noise on the received echo signals. The small area of the circuit (about 1.5 cm 2 ) makes it possible to generate the bias voltage inside the probe, very close to the CMUT, making the proposed solution attractive for portable applications. Measurements and experiments are shown to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new approaches presented.

An integrated lab-on-chip for rapid identification and simultaneous differentiation of tropical pathogens.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeslin J L Tan

Full Text Available Tropical pathogens often cause febrile illnesses in humans and are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality. The similarities in clinical symptoms provoked by these pathogens make diagnosis difficult. Thus, early, rapid and accurate diagnosis will be crucial in patient management and in the control of these diseases. In this study, a microfluidic lab-on-chip integrating multiplex molecular amplification and DNA microarray hybridization was developed for simultaneous detection and species differentiation of 26 globally important tropical pathogens. The analytical performance of the lab-on-chip for each pathogen ranged from 102 to 103 DNA or RNA copies. Assay performance was further verified with human whole blood spiked with Plasmodium falciparum and Chikungunya virus that yielded a range of detection from 200 to 4×105 parasites, and from 250 to 4×107 PFU respectively. This lab-on-chip was subsequently assessed and evaluated using 170 retrospective patient specimens in Singapore and Thailand. The lab-on-chip had a detection sensitivity of 83.1% and a specificity of 100% for P. falciparum; a sensitivity of 91.3% and a specificity of 99.3% for P. vivax; a positive 90.0% agreement and a specificity of 100% for Chikungunya virus; and a positive 85.0% agreement and a specificity of 100% for Dengue virus serotype 3 with reference methods conducted on the samples. Results suggested the practicality of an amplification microarray-based approach in a field setting for high-throughput detection and identification of tropical pathogens.

Plastic lab-on-a-chip for fluorescence excitation with integrated organic semiconductor lasers.

Science.gov (United States)

Vannahme, Christoph; Klinkhammer, Sönke; Lemmer, Uli; Mappes, Timo

2011-04-25

Laser light excitation of fluorescent markers offers highly sensitive and specific analysis for bio-medical or chemical analysis. To profit from these advantages for applications in the field or at the point-of-care, a plastic lab-on-a-chip with integrated organic semiconductor lasers is presented here. First order distributed feedback lasers based on the organic semiconductor tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3) doped with the laser dye 4-dicyanomethylene-2-methyl-6-(p-dimethylaminostyril)-4H-pyrane (DCM), deep ultraviolet induced waveguides, and a nanostructured microfluidic channel are integrated into a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrate. A simple and parallel fabrication process is used comprising thermal imprint, DUV exposure, evaporation of the laser material, and sealing by thermal bonding. The excitation of two fluorescent marker model systems including labeled antibodies with light emitted by integrated lasers is demonstrated.

Integrated potentiometric detector for use in chip-based flow cells

Science.gov (United States)

Tantra; Manz

2000-07-01

A new kind of potentiometric chip sensor for ion-selective electrodes (ISE) based on a solvent polymeric membrane is described. The chip sensor is designed to trap the organic cocktail inside the chip and to permit sample solution to flow past the membrane. The design allows the sensor to overcome technical problems of ruggedness and would therefore be ideal for industrial processes. The sensor performance for a Ba2+-ISE membrane based on a Vogtle ionophore showed electrochemical behavior similar to that observed in conventional electrodes and microelectrode arrangements.

Monitoring of PHWR end cap weld quality by ultrasonic testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laxminarayana, B.

1996-01-01

In Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor fuel fabrication, the end cap welding is an important process. Till date about 16,000 welds have been studied ultrasonically. This paper discusses the experimental results and the design of a semi automatic ultrasonic equipment incorporating features for both backward and forward integration. (author)

An Experimentation Platform for On-Chip Integration of Analog Neural Networks: A Pathway to Trusted and Robust Analog/RF ICs.

Science.gov (United States)

Maliuk, Dzmitry; Makris, Yiorgos

2015-08-01

We discuss the design of an experimentation platform intended for prototyping low-cost analog neural networks for on-chip integration with analog/RF circuits. The objective of such integration is to support various tasks, such as self-test, self-tuning, and trust/aging monitoring, which require classification of analog measurements obtained from on-chip sensors. Particular emphasis is given to cost-efficient implementation reflected in: 1) low energy and area budgets of circuits dedicated to neural networks; 2) robust learning in presence of analog inaccuracies; and 3) long-term retention of learned functionality. Our chip consists of a reconfigurable array of synapses and neurons operating below threshold and featuring sub-μW power consumption. The synapse circuits employ dual-mode weight storage: 1) a dynamic mode, for fast bidirectional weight updates during training and 2) a nonvolatile mode, for permanent storage of learned functionality. We discuss a robust learning strategy, and we evaluate the system performance on several benchmark problems, such as the XOR2-6 and two-spirals classification tasks.

Micro flow reactor chips with integrated luminescent chemosensors for spatially resolved on-line chemical reaction monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Gitlin, Leonid; Hoera, Christian; Meier, Robert J; Nagl, Stefan; Belder, Detlev

2013-10-21

Real-time chemical reaction monitoring in microfluidic environments is demonstrated using luminescent chemical sensors integrated in PDMS/glass-based microscale reactors. A fabrication procedure is presented that allows for straightforward integration of thin polymer layers with optical sensing functionality in microchannels of glass-PDMS chips of only 150 μm width and of 10 to 35 μm height. Sensor layers consisting of polystyrene and an oxygen-sensitive platinum porphyrin probe with film thicknesses of about 0.5 to 4 μm were generated by combining spin coating and abrasion techniques. Optimal coating procedures were developed and evaluated. The chip-integrated sensor layers were calibrated and investigated with respect to stability, reproducibility and response times. These microchips allowed observation of dissolved oxygen concentration in the range of 0 to over 40 mg L(-1) with a detection limit of 368 μg L(-1). The sensor layers were then used for observation of a model reaction, the oxidation of sulphite to sulphate in a microfluidic chemical reactor and could observe sulphite concentrations of less than 200 μM. Real-time on-line monitoring of this chemical reaction was realized at a fluorescence microscope setup with 405 nm LED excitation and CCD camera detection.

Microneedle Array Interface to CE on Chip

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lüttge, Regina; Gardeniers, Johannes G.E.; Vrouwe, E.X.; van den Berg, Albert; Northrup, M.A.; Jensen, K.F; Harrison, D.J.

2003-01-01

This paper presents a microneedle array sampler interfaced to a capillary electrophoresis (CE) glass chip with integrated conductivity detection electrodes. A solution of alkali ions was electrokinetically loaded through the microneedles onto the chip and separation was demonstrated compared to a

On-chip antenna: Practical design and characterization considerations

KAUST Repository

Shamim, Atif; Salama, Khaled N.; Sedky, S.; Soliman, E. A.

2012-01-01

This paper highlights the challenges of an emergent field, namely, on-chip antenna design. Consistent with the RF System-on-Chip (SoC) concept, co-design strategy for circuits and on-chip antennas is described. A number of design and layout issues, arising from the highly integrated nature of this kind of systems, are discussed. The characterization difficulties related to on-chip antennas radiation properties are also highlighted. Finally, a novel on-wafer test fixture is proposed to measure the gain and radiation pattern of the on-chip antennas in the anechoic chamber.

On-chip antenna: Practical design and characterization considerations

KAUST Repository

Shamim, Atif

2012-07-28

This paper highlights the challenges of an emergent field, namely, on-chip antenna design. Consistent with the RF System-on-Chip (SoC) concept, co-design strategy for circuits and on-chip antennas is described. A number of design and layout issues, arising from the highly integrated nature of this kind of systems, are discussed. The characterization difficulties related to on-chip antennas radiation properties are also highlighted. Finally, a novel on-wafer test fixture is proposed to measure the gain and radiation pattern of the on-chip antennas in the anechoic chamber.

Drop casting of stiffness gradients for chip integration into stretchable substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naserifar, Naser; LeDuc, Philip R; Fedder, Gary K

2017-01-01

Stretchable electronics have demonstrated promise within unobtrusive wearable systems in areas such as health monitoring and medical therapy. One significant question is whether it is more advantageous to develop holistic stretchable electronics or to integrate mature CMOS into stretchable electronic substrates where the CMOS process is separated from the mechanical processing steps. A major limitation with integrating CMOS is the dissimilar interface between the soft stretchable and hard CMOS materials. To address this, we developed an approach to pattern an elastomeric polymer layer with spatially varying mechanical properties around CMOS electronics to create a controllable material stiffness gradient. Our experimental approach reveals that modifying the interfaces can increase the strain failure threshold up to 30% and subsequently decreases delamination. The stiffness gradient in the polymer layer provides a safe region for electronic chips to function under a substrate tensile strain up to 150%. These results will have impacts in diverse applications including skin sensors and wearable health monitoring systems. (paper)

ReseqChip: Automated integration of multiple local context probe data from the MitoChip array in mitochondrial DNA sequence assembly

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Spang Rainer

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Affymetrix MitoChip v2.0 is an oligonucleotide tiling array for the resequencing of the human mitochondrial (mt genome. For each of 16,569 nucleotide positions of the mt genome it holds two sets of four 25-mer probes each that match the heavy and the light strand of a reference mt genome and vary only at their central position to interrogate all four possible alleles. In addition, the MitoChip v2.0 carries alternative local context probes to account for known mtDNA variants. These probes have been neglected in most studies due to the lack of software for their automated analysis. Results We provide ReseqChip, a free software that automates the process of resequencing mtDNA using multiple local context probes on the MitoChip v2.0. ReseqChip significantly improves base call rate and sequence accuracy. ReseqChip is available at http://code.open-bio.org/svnweb/index.cgi/bioperl/browse/bioperl-live/trunk/Bio/Microarray/Tools/. Conclusions ReseqChip allows for the automated consolidation of base calls from alternative local mt genome context probes. It thereby improves the accuracy of resequencing, while reducing the number of non-called bases.

Ultrasonicly identified seals for safeguards and physical protection purposes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crutzen, S.

The paper provides a general review of an ultrasonic technique available for sealing, marking or otherwise identifying material in such a way that its recognition and guarantee of integrity are inequivocally ensured. Development work on several types of seals and their ultrasonic identification has been performed at Ispra in collaboration with external companies for application to MTRs, HWRs and FBRs

Ion and electron beam assisted fabrication of nanostructures integrated in microfluidic chips

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evstrapov, A.A.; Mukhin, I.S.; Bukatin, A.S.; Kukhtevich, I.V.

2012-01-01

In present work we have designed and fabricated microfluidic chips (MFC) with integrated nets of nanochannels and whisker nanostructures in microchannels for investigation of biological samples in their native environment. We have designed a number of MFC topologies: (a) hydrodynamic traps with nanoscale channels which link microchannels; (b) a structure with regular vertical nanorod (nanowhisker) array, which could be used as a sensitive element. These topologies were created by means of ion and electron beam assisted techniques. These MFCs allow to investigate biological objects by means of high resolution microscopy. Fabricated MFCs were investigated with emulator of biological objects in different buffer solutions.

Lab-on-a-Chip Magneto-Immunoassays: How to Ensure Contact between Superparamagnetic Beads and the Sensor Surface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreas Hütten

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Lab-on-a-chip immuno assays utilizing superparamagnetic beads as labels suffer from the fact that the majority of beads pass the sensing area without contacting the sensor surface. Different solutions, employing magnetic forces, ultrasonic standing waves, or hydrodynamic effects have been found over the past decades. The first category uses magnetic forces, created by on-chip conducting lines to attract beads towards the sensor surface. Modifications of the magnetic landscape allow for additional transport and separation of different bead species. The hydrodynamic approach uses changes in the channel geometry to enhance the capture volume. In acoustofluidics, ultrasonic standing waves force µm-sized particles onto a surface through radiation forces. As these approaches have their disadvantages, a new sensor concept that circumvents these problems is suggested. This concept is based on the granular giant magnetoresistance (GMR effect that can be found in gels containing magnetic nanoparticles. The proposed design could be realized in the shape of paper-based test strips printed with gel-based GMR sensors.

Wireless cardiac action potential transmission with ultrasonically inserted silicon microprobes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen, C J; Ramkumar, A; Lal, A; Gilmour, R F Jr

2011-01-01

This paper reports on the integration of ultrasonically inserted horn-shaped cardiac probes with wireless transmission of 3D cardiac action potential measurement for applications in ex vivo preparations such as monitoring the onset of ventricular fibrillation. Ultrasonically inserted silicon horn probes permit reduced penetration force during insertion, allowing silicon, a brittle material, to penetrate cardiac tissue. The probes also allow recording from multiple sites that are lithographically defined. An application-specific integrated circuit has been designed with a 40 dB amplifying stage and a frequency modulating oscillator at 95 MHz to wirelessly transmit the recorded action potentials. This ultrasonically inserted microprobe wireless system demonstrates the initial results in wireless monitoring of 3D action potential propagation, and the extraction of parameters of interest including the action potential duration and diastolic interval

3D stacked chips from emerging processes to heterogeneous systems

CERN Document Server

Fettweis, Gerhard

2016-01-01

This book explains for readers how 3D chip stacks promise to increase the level of on-chip integration, and to design new heterogeneous semiconductor devices that combine chips of different integration technologies (incl. sensors) in a single package of the smallest possible size.  The authors focus on heterogeneous 3D integration, addressing some of the most important challenges in this emerging technology, including contactless, optics-based, and carbon-nanotube-based 3D integration, as well as signal-integrity and thermal management issues in copper-based 3D integration. Coverage also includes the 3D heterogeneous integration of power sources, photonic devices, and non-volatile memories based on new materials systems.   •Provides single-source reference to the latest research in 3D optoelectronic integration: process, devices, and systems; •Explains the use of wireless 3D integration to improve 3D IC reliability and yield; •Describes techniques for monitoring and mitigating thermal behavior in 3D I...

Coherent matter wave optics on an atom chip

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krüger, Peter; Hofferberth, S.; Schumm, Thorsten

2006-01-01

Coherent manipulation of matter waves in microscopic trapping potentials facilitates both fundamental and technological applications. Here we focus on experiments with a microscopic integrated interferometer that demonstrate coherent operation on an atom chip.......Coherent manipulation of matter waves in microscopic trapping potentials facilitates both fundamental and technological applications. Here we focus on experiments with a microscopic integrated interferometer that demonstrate coherent operation on an atom chip....

Polypyrrole Porous Micro Humidity Sensor Integrated with a Ring Oscillator Circuit on Chip

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Ming-Zhi; Dai, Ching-Liang; Lu, De-Hao

2010-01-01

This study presents the design and fabrication of a capacitive micro humidity sensor integrated with a five-stage ring oscillator circuit on chip using the complimentary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. The area of the humidity sensor chip is about 1 mm2. The humidity sensor consists of a sensing capacitor and a sensing film. The sensing capacitor is constructed from spiral interdigital electrodes that can enhance the sensitivity of the sensor. The sensing film of the sensor is polypyrrole, which is prepared by the chemical polymerization method, and the film has a porous structure. The sensor needs a post-CMOS process to coat the sensing film. The post-CMOS process uses a wet etching to etch the sacrificial layers, and then the polypyrrole is coated on the sensing capacitor. The sensor generates a change in capacitance when the sensing film absorbs or desorbs vapor. The ring oscillator circuit converts the capacitance variation of the sensor into the oscillation frequency output. Experimental results show that the sensitivity of the humidity sensor is about 99 kHz/%RH at 25 °C. PMID:22163459

Three dimensional fuzzy influence analysis of fitting algorithms on integrated chip topographic modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liang, Zhong Wei; Wang, Yi Jun; Ye, Bang Yan; Brauwer, Richard Kars

2012-01-01

In inspecting the detailed performance results of surface precision modeling in different external parameter conditions, the integrated chip surfaces should be evaluated and assessed during topographic spatial modeling processes. The application of surface fitting algorithms exerts a considerable influence on topographic mathematical features. The influence mechanisms caused by different surface fitting algorithms on the integrated chip surface facilitate the quantitative analysis of different external parameter conditions. By extracting the coordinate information from the selected physical control points and using a set of precise spatial coordinate measuring apparatus, several typical surface fitting algorithms are used for constructing micro topographic models with the obtained point cloud. In computing for the newly proposed mathematical features on surface models, we construct the fuzzy evaluating data sequence and present a new three dimensional fuzzy quantitative evaluating method. Through this method, the value variation tendencies of topographic features can be clearly quantified. The fuzzy influence discipline among different surface fitting algorithms, topography spatial features, and the external science parameter conditions can be analyzed quantitatively and in detail. In addition, quantitative analysis can provide final conclusions on the inherent influence mechanism and internal mathematical relation in the performance results of different surface fitting algorithms, topographic spatial features, and their scientific parameter conditions in the case of surface micro modeling. The performance inspection of surface precision modeling will be facilitated and optimized as a new research idea for micro-surface reconstruction that will be monitored in a modeling process

Three dimensional fuzzy influence analysis of fitting algorithms on integrated chip topographic modeling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liang, Zhong Wei; Wang, Yi Jun [Guangzhou Univ., Guangzhou (China); Ye, Bang Yan [South China Univ. of Technology, Guangzhou (China); Brauwer, Richard Kars [Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (India)

2012-10-15

In inspecting the detailed performance results of surface precision modeling in different external parameter conditions, the integrated chip surfaces should be evaluated and assessed during topographic spatial modeling processes. The application of surface fitting algorithms exerts a considerable influence on topographic mathematical features. The influence mechanisms caused by different surface fitting algorithms on the integrated chip surface facilitate the quantitative analysis of different external parameter conditions. By extracting the coordinate information from the selected physical control points and using a set of precise spatial coordinate measuring apparatus, several typical surface fitting algorithms are used for constructing micro topographic models with the obtained point cloud. In computing for the newly proposed mathematical features on surface models, we construct the fuzzy evaluating data sequence and present a new three dimensional fuzzy quantitative evaluating method. Through this method, the value variation tendencies of topographic features can be clearly quantified. The fuzzy influence discipline among different surface fitting algorithms, topography spatial features, and the external science parameter conditions can be analyzed quantitatively and in detail. In addition, quantitative analysis can provide final conclusions on the inherent influence mechanism and internal mathematical relation in the performance results of different surface fitting algorithms, topographic spatial features, and their scientific parameter conditions in the case of surface micro modeling. The performance inspection of surface precision modeling will be facilitated and optimized as a new research idea for micro-surface reconstruction that will be monitored in a modeling process.

Study on Improving Thickness Uniformity of Microfluidic Chip Mold in the Electroforming Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liqun Du

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Electroformed microfluidic chip mold faces the problem of uneven thickness, which decreases the dimensional accuracy of the mold, and increases the production cost. To fabricate a mold with uniform thickness, two methods are investigated. Firstly, experiments are carried out to study how the ultrasonic agitation affects the thickness uniformity of the mold. It is found that the thickness uniformity is maximally improved by about 30% after 2 h electroforming under 200 kHz and 500 W ultrasonic agitation. Secondly, adding a second cathode, a method suitable for long-time electroforming is studied by numerical simulation. The simulation results show that with a 4 mm width second cathode used, the thickness uniformity is improved by about 30% after 2 h of electroforming, and that with electroforming time extended, the thickness uniformity is improved more obviously. After 22 h electroforming, the thickness uniformity is increased by about 45%. Finally, by comparing two methods, the method of adding a second cathode is chosen, and a microfluidic chip mold is made with the help of a specially designed second cathode. The result shows that the thickness uniformity of the mold is increased by about 50%, which is in good agreement with the simulation results.

The Design Of The Ultrasonic Nondestructive Testing System Based On The EMAT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheng Huan Xin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces a kind of based on the electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT metal pipeline detection system, fusion of two dimensional orientation, shape unique technological innovation, implementation of various metal pipe wall corrosion situation of rapid, accurate, fully automated non-destructive testing.In the aspect of hardware design, single-chip microcomputer control was achieved by C language programming the launch of the pulse signal. Pulse signal was sent to launch circuit, ultrasonic signal. Design of preamplifier, controllable gain amplifier two-stage amplifier circuit for receiving signal is amplified. Including data acquisition circuit detection circuit and A/D conversion circuit, single chip microcomputer and the LabVIEW platform via A serial port communication agreement. In the aspect of software design, the design of the EMAT pipe nondestructive testing system based on LabVIEW human-computer interaction interface.

Ultrasonic testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Sung Jin [Sungkwunkwan Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Jeong, Hyun Jo [Wonkwang Univ., Iksan (Korea, Republic of)

2004-02-15

For the proper performance of ultrasonic testing of steel welded joints, and anisotropic material it is necessary to have sound understanding on the underlying physics. To provide such an understanding, it is beneficial to have simulation tools for ultrasonic testing. In order to address such a need, we develop effective approaches to simulate angle beam ultrasonic testing with a personal computer. The simulation is performed using ultrasonic measurement models based on the computationally efficient multi-Gaussian beams. This reach will describe the developed ultrasonic testing models together with the experimental verification of their accuracy.

Development of a high-throughput Candida albicans biofilm chip.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anand Srinivasan

2011-04-01

Full Text Available We have developed a high-density microarray platform consisting of nano-biofilms of Candida albicans. A robotic microarrayer was used to print yeast cells of C. albicans encapsulated in a collagen matrix at a volume as low as 50 nL onto surface-modified microscope slides. Upon incubation, the cells grow into fully formed "nano-biofilms". The morphological and architectural complexity of these biofilms were evaluated by scanning electron and confocal scanning laser microscopy. The extent of biofilm formation was determined using a microarray scanner from changes in fluorescence intensities due to FUN 1 metabolic processing. This staining technique was also adapted for antifungal susceptibility testing, which demonstrated that, similar to regular biofilms, cells within the on-chip biofilms displayed elevated levels of resistance against antifungal agents (fluconazole and amphotericin B. Thus, results from structural analyses and antifungal susceptibility testing indicated that despite miniaturization, these biofilms display the typical phenotypic properties associated with the biofilm mode of growth. In its final format, the C. albicans biofilm chip (CaBChip is composed of 768 equivalent and spatially distinct nano-biofilms on a single slide; multiple chips can be printed and processed simultaneously. Compared to current methods for the formation of microbial biofilms, namely the 96-well microtiter plate model, this fungal biofilm chip has advantages in terms of miniaturization and automation, which combine to cut reagent use and analysis time, minimize labor intensive steps, and dramatically reduce assay costs. Such a chip should accelerate the antifungal drug discovery process by enabling rapid, convenient and inexpensive screening of hundreds-to-thousands of compounds simultaneously.

In situ photo-immobilised pH gradient isoelectric focusing and zone electrophoresis integrated two-dimensional microfluidic chip electrophoresis for protein separation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Fengmin; Yu, Shiyong; Gu, Le; Zhu, Xuetao; Wang, Jianshe; Zhu, Han; Lu, Yi; Wang, Yihua; Deng, Yulin; Geng, Lina

2015-01-01

A method is introduced for open-column photo-induced site-selective immobilization of pH gradients in a layer of PEG-methacrylate in a multi-dimensional microfluidic chip for use in electrophoresis. It has several attractive features: (a) mixtures of fluorescently labelled proteins carbonic anhydrase, catalase and myoglobin in their native state can be separated by pH-gradient isoelectric focusing (IEF) and zone electrophoresis (CZE) using integrated 2D chip electrophoresis; (b) compared to strip packing or monolithic photo-immobilization, it overcomes the shortcomings of free carrier ampholyte-based 2D chip electrophoresis in an easy way; (c) larger amount of sample can be loaded into the open column-mode electrophoresis (d) immobilized pH gradients can be re-used and the chip can be recycled; (e) a multilayer 3D pH gradient is established by a layer-by-layer assembly technique to further increase the separation capacity. In our perception, this strategy has a large potential in microfluidic chip-based separation schemes because of its simplicity, separation power, re-usability, and separation capacity. (author)

Error Control for Network-on-Chip Links

CERN Document Server

Fu, Bo

2012-01-01

As technology scales into nanoscale regime, it is impossible to guarantee the perfect hardware design. Moreover, if the requirement of 100% correctness in hardware can be relaxed, the cost of manufacturing, verification, and testing will be significantly reduced. Many approaches have been proposed to address the reliability problem of on-chip communications. This book focuses on the use of error control codes (ECCs) to improve on-chip interconnect reliability. Coverage includes detailed description of key issues in NOC error control faced by circuit and system designers, as well as practical error control techniques to minimize the impact of these errors on system performance. Provides a detailed background on the state of error control methods for on-chip interconnects; Describes the use of more complex concatenated codes such as Hamming Product Codes with Type-II HARQ, while emphasizing integration techniques for on-chip interconnect links; Examines energy-efficient techniques for integrating multiple error...

Hybrid Rayleigh, Raman and TPE fluorescence spectral confocal microscopy of living cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pully, V.V.; Lenferink, Aufrid T.M.; Otto, Cornelis

2010-01-01

A hybrid fluorescence–Raman confocal microscopy platform is presented, which integrates low-wavenumber-resolution Raman imaging, Rayleigh scatter imaging and two-photon fluorescence (TPE) spectral imaging, fast ‘amplitude-only’ TPE-fluorescence imaging and high-spectral-resolution Raman imaging.

An electrodynamic preconcentrator integrated thermoelectric biosensor chip for continuous monitoring of biochemical process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Yong-Hwan; Kim, Min-gu; Kang, Dong-Hyun; Sim, Jaesam; Kim, Jongbaeg; Kim, Yong-Jun

2012-01-01

This paper proposes an integrated sensor chip for continuous monitoring of a biochemical process. It is composed of a preconcentrator and a thermoelectric biosensor. In the preconcentrator, the concentration of the injected biochemical sample is electrodynamically condensed. Then, in the downstream thermoelectric biosensor, the preconcentrated target molecules react with sequentially injected capture molecules and generate reaction heat. The reaction heat is detected based on the thermoelectric effect, and an integrated split-flow microchannel improves the sensor stability by providing ability to self-compensate thermal noise. These sequential preconcentration and detection processes are performed in completely label-free and continuous conditions and consequently enhance the sensor sensitivity. The performance of the integrated biosensor chip was evaluated at various flow rates and applied voltages. First, in order to verify characteristics of the fabricated preconcentrator, 10 µm -diameter polystyrene (PS) particles were used. The particles were concentrated by applying ac voltage from 0 to 16 V pp at 3 MHz at various flow rates. In the experimental result, approximately 92.8% of concentration efficiency was achieved at a voltage over 16 V pp and at a flow rate below 100 µl h −1 . The downstream thermoelectric biosensor was characterized by measuring reaction heat of biotin–streptavidin interaction. The preconcentrated streptavidin-coated PS particles flow into the reaction chamber and react with titrated biotin. The measured output voltage was 288.2 µV at a flow rate of 100 µl h −1 without preconcentration. However, by using proposed preconcentrator, an output voltage of 812.3 µV was achieved with a 16 V pp -applied preconcentration in the same given sample and flow rate. According to these results, the proposed label-free biomolecular preconcentration and detection technique can be applied in continuous and high-throughput biochemical applications

A 60-GHz energy harvesting module with on-chip antenna and switch for co-integration with ULP radios in 65-nm CMOS with fully wireless mm-wave power transfer measurement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gao, H.; Matters - Kammerer, M.; Harpe, P.J.A.; Milosevic, D.; Roermund, van A.H.M.; Linnartz, J.P.M.G.; Baltus, P.G.M.

2014-01-01

In this paper the architecture and performance of a co-integrated 60 GHz on-chip wireless energy harvester and ultra-low power (ULP) radio in 65-nm CMOS are discussed. Integration of an on-chip antenna with wireless power receiver and wireless data transfer module is the crucial next step to achieve

Ultrasonic flow measurements for irrigation process monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Ziani, Elmostafa; Bennouna, Mustapha; Boissier, Raymond

2004-02-01

This paper presents the state of the art of the general principle of liquid flow measurements by ultrasonic method, and problems of flow measurements. We present an ultrasonic flowmeter designed according to smart sensors concept, for the measurement of irrigation water flowing through pipelines or open channels, using the ultrasonic transit time approach. The new flowmeter works on the principle of measuring time delay differences between sound pulses transmitted upstream and downstream in the flowing liquid. The speed of sound in the flowing medium is eliminated as a variable because the flowrate calculations are based on the reciprocals of the transmission times. The transit time difference is digitally measured by means of a suitable, microprocessor controlled logic. This type of ultrasonic flowmeter will be widely used in industry and water management, it is well studied in this work, followed by some experimental results. For pressurized channels, we use one pair of ultrasonic transducer arranged in proper positions and directions of the pipe, in this case, to determine the liquid velocity, a real time on-line analysis taking account the geometries of the hydraulic system, is applied to the obtained ultrasonic data. In the open channels, we use a single or two pairs of ultrasonic emitter-receiver according to the desired performances. Finally, the goals of this work consist in integrating the smart sensor into irrigation systems monitoring in order to evaluate potential advantages and demonstrate their performance, on the other hand, to understand and use ultrasonic approach for determining flow characteristics and improving flow measurements by reducing errors caused by disturbances of the flow profiles.

Reproduction of pressure field in ultrasonic-measurement-integrated simulation of blood flow.

Science.gov (United States)

Funamoto, Kenichi; Hayase, Toshiyuki

2013-07-01

Ultrasonic-measurement-integrated (UMI) simulation of blood flow is used to analyze the velocity and pressure fields by applying feedback signals of artificial body forces based on differences of Doppler velocities between ultrasonic measurement and numerical simulation. Previous studies have revealed that UMI simulation accurately reproduces the velocity field of a target blood flow, but that the reproducibility of the pressure field is not necessarily satisfactory. In the present study, the reproduction of the pressure field by UMI simulation was investigated. The effect of feedback on the pressure field was first examined by theoretical analysis, and a pressure compensation method was devised. When the divergence of the feedback force vector was not zero, it influenced the pressure field in the UMI simulation while improving the computational accuracy of the velocity field. Hence, the correct pressure was estimated by adding pressure compensation to remove the deteriorating effect of the feedback. A numerical experiment was conducted dealing with the reproduction of a synthetic three-dimensional steady flow in a thoracic aneurysm to validate results of the theoretical analysis and the proposed pressure compensation method. The ability of the UMI simulation to reproduce the pressure field deteriorated with a large feedback gain. However, by properly compensating the effects of the feedback signals on the pressure, the error in the pressure field was reduced, exhibiting improvement of the computational accuracy. It is thus concluded that the UMI simulation with pressure compensation allows for the reproduction of both velocity and pressure fields of blood flow. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Chip-integrated optical power limiter based on an all-passive micro-ring resonator

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Siqi; Dong, Jianji; Zheng, Aoling; Zhang, Xinliang

2014-10-01

Recent progress in silicon nanophotonics has dramatically advanced the possible realization of large-scale on-chip optical interconnects integration. Adopting photons as information carriers can break the performance bottleneck of electronic integrated circuit such as serious thermal losses and poor process rates. However, in integrated photonics circuits, few reported work can impose an upper limit of optical power therefore prevent the optical device from harm caused by high power. In this study, we experimentally demonstrate a feasible integrated scheme based on a single all-passive micro-ring resonator to realize the optical power limitation which has a similar function of current limiting circuit in electronics. Besides, we analyze the performance of optical power limiter at various signal bit rates. The results show that the proposed device can limit the signal power effectively at a bit rate up to 20 Gbit/s without deteriorating the signal. Meanwhile, this ultra-compact silicon device can be completely compatible with the electronic technology (typically complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology), which may pave the way of very large scale integrated photonic circuits for all-optical information processors and artificial intelligence systems.

Fully Integrated On-Chip Coil in 0.13 μm CMOS for Wireless Power Transfer Through Biological Media.

Science.gov (United States)

Zargham, Meysam; Gulak, P Glenn

2015-04-01

Delivering milliwatts of wireless power at centimeter distances is advantageous to many existing and emerging biomedical applications. It is highly desirable to fully integrate the receiver on a single chip in standard CMOS with no additional post-processing steps or external components. This paper presents a 2 × 2.18 mm(2) on-chip wireless power transfer (WPT) receiver (Rx) coil fabricated in 0.13 μm CMOS. The WPT system utilizes a 14.5 × 14.5 mm(2) transmitter (Tx) coil that is fabricated on a standard FR4 substrate. The on-chip power harvester demonstrates a peak WPT efficiency of -18.47 dB , -20.96 dB and -20.15 dB at 10 mm of separation through air, bovine muscle and 0.2 molar NaCl, respectively. The achieved efficiency enables the delivery of milliwatts of power to application circuits while staying below safe power density and electromagnetic (EM) exposure limits.

Pericellular oxygen monitoring with integrated sensor chips for reproducible cell culture experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Kieninger, J; Aravindalochanan, K; Sandvik, J A; Pettersen, E O; Urban, G A

2014-04-01

Here we present an application, in two tumour cell lines, based on the Sensing Cell Culture Flask system as a cell culture monitoring tool for pericellular oxygen sensing. T-47D (human breast cancer) and T98G (human brain cancer) cells were cultured either in atmospheric air or in a glove-box set at 4% oxygen, in both cases with 5% CO2 in the gas phase. Pericellular oxygen tension was measured with the help of an integrated sensor chip comprising oxygen sensor arrays. Obtained results illustrate variation of pericellular oxygen tension in attached cells covered by stagnant medium. Independent of incubation conditions, low pericellular oxygen concentration levels, usually associated with hypoxia, were found in dense cell cultures. Respiration alone brought pericellular oxygen concentration down to levels which could activate hypoxia-sensing regulatory processes in cultures believed to be aerobic. Cells in culture believed to experience conditions of mild hypoxia may, in reality, experience severe hypoxia. This would lead to incorrect assumptions and suggests that pericellular oxygen concentration readings are of great importance to obtain reproducible results when dealing with hypoxic and normoxic (aerobic) incubation conditions. The Sensing Cell Culture Flask system allows continuous monitoring of pericellular oxygen concentration with outstanding long-term stability and no need for recalibration during cell culture experiments. The sensor is integrated into the flask bottom, thus in direct contact with attached cells. No additional equipment needs to be inserted into the flask during culturing. Transparency of the electrochemical sensor chip allows optical inspection of cells attached on top of the sensor. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Pyrolyzed Photoresist Electrodes for Integration in Microfluidic Chips for Transmitter Detection from Biological Cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Simon Tylsgaard; Argyraki, Aikaterini; Amato, Letizia

2013-01-01

In this study, we show how pyrolyzed photoresist carbon electrodes can be used for amperometric detection of potassium-induced transmitter release from large groups of neuronal PC 12 cells. This opens the way for the use of carbon film electrodes in microfabricated devices for neurochemical drug ...... by the difference in photoresist viscosity. By adding a soft bake step to the fabrication procedure, the flatness of pyrolyzed AZ 5214 electrodes could be improved which would facilitate their integration in microfluidic chip devices....

Integrated Confocal and Scanning Probe Microscopy for Biomedical Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B.J. Haupt

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Atomic force microscopy (AFM continues to be developed, not only in design, but also in application. The new focus of using AFM is changing from pure material to biomedical studies. More frequently, it is being used in combination with other optical imaging methods, such as confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM and fluorescent imaging, to provide a more comprehensive understanding of biological systems. To date, AFM has been used increasingly as a precise micromanipulator, probing and altering the mechanobiological characteristics of living cells and tissues, in order to examine specific, receptor-ligand interactions, material properties, and cell behavior. In this review, we discuss the development of this new hybrid AFM, current research, and potential applications in diagnosis and the detection of disease.

On-chip microsystems in silicon: opportunities and limitations

Science.gov (United States)

Wolffenbuttel, R. F.

1996-03-01

Integrated on-chip micro-instrumentation systems in silicon are complete data acquisition systems on a single chip. This concept has appeared to be the ultimate solution in many applications, as it enables in principle the metamorphosis of a basic sensing element, affected with many shortcomings, into an on-chip data acquisition unit that provides an output digital data stream in a standard format not corrupted by sensor non-idealities. Market acceptance would be maximum, as no special knowledge about the internal operation is required, self-test and self-calibration can be included and the dimensions are not different from those of the integrated circuit. The various aspects that are relevant in estimating the constraints for successful implementation of the integrated silicon smart sensor will be outlined in comparison with the properties of more conventional sensor fabrication technologies. It will be shown that the acceptance of on-chip functional integration in an application depends primarily on the added value in terms of improved specification or functionality that the resulting device provides in that application. The economic viability is therefore decisive rather than the technological constraints. This is in contrast to the traditional technology push prevailing in sensor research over market pull mechanisms.

Power-aware transceiver design for half-duplex bidirectional chip-to-chip optical interconnects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sangirov Jamshid; Ukaegbu Ikechi Augustine; Lee Tae-Woo; Park Hyo-Hoon; Sangirov Gulomjon

2013-01-01

A power-aware transceiver for half-duplex bidirectional chip-to-chip optical interconnects has been designed and fabricated in a 0.13 μm complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology. The transceiver can detect the presence and absence of received signals and saves 55% power in Rx enabled mode and 45% in Tx enabled mode. The chip occupies an area of 1.034 mm 2 and achieves a 3-dB bandwidth of 6 GHz and 7 GHz in Tx and Rx modes, respectively. The disabled outputs for the Tx and Rx modes are isolated with 180 dB and 139 dB, respectively, from the enabled outputs. Clear eye diagrams are obtained at 4.25 Gbps for both the Tx and Rx modes. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

Data Transmission and Thermo-Optic Tuning Performance of Dielectric-Loaded Plasmonic Structures Hetero-Integrated on a Silicon Chip

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Giannoulis, G.; Kalavrouziotis, D.; Apostolopoulos, D.

2012-01-01

We demonstrate experimental evidence of the data capture and the low-energy thermo-optic tuning credentials of dielectric-loaded plasmonic structures integrated on a silicon chip. We show 7-nm thermo-optical tuning of a plasmonic racetrack-resonator with less than 3.3 mW required electrical power...

Confocal scanning microscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bariani, Paolo

This report is based on a metrological investigation on confocal microscopy technique carried out by Uffe Rolf Arlø Theilade and Paolo Bariani. The purpose of the experimental activity was twofold a metrological instrument characterization and application to assessment of rough PP injection moulded...... replicated topography. Confocal microscopy is seen to be a promising technique in metrology of microstructures. Some limitations with respect to surface metrology were found during the experiments. The experiments were carried out using a Zeiss LSM 5 Pascal microscope owned by the Danish Polymer Centre...

A Low-Power High-Dynamic-Range Receiver System for In-Probe 3-D Ultrasonic Imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Attarzadeh, Hourieh; Xu, Ye; Ytterdal, Trond

2017-10-01

In this paper, a dual-mode low-power, high dynamic-range receiver circuit is designed for the interface with a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer. The proposed ultrasound receiver chip enables the development of an in-probe digital beamforming imaging system. The flexibility of having two operation modes offers a high dynamic range with minimum power sacrifice. A prototype of the chip containing one receive channel, with one variable transimpedance amplifier (TIA) and one analog to digital converter (ADC) circuit is implemented. Combining variable gain TIA functionality with ADC gain settings achieves an enhanced overall high dynamic range, while low power dissipation is maintained. The chip is designed and fabricated in a 65 nm standard CMOS process technology. The test chip occupies an area of 76[Formula: see text] 170 [Formula: see text]. A total average power range of 60-240 [Formula: see text] for a sampling frequency of 30 MHz, and a center frequency of 5 MHz is measured. An instantaneous dynamic range of 50.5 dB with an overall dynamic range of 72 dB is obtained from the receiver circuit.

A Single-Chip CMOS Pulse Oximeter with On-Chip Lock-In Detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diwei He

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Pulse oximetry is a noninvasive and continuous method for monitoring the blood oxygen saturation level. This paper presents the design and testing of a single-chip pulse oximeter fabricated in a 0.35 µm CMOS process. The chip includes photodiode, transimpedance amplifier, analogue band-pass filters, analogue-to-digital converters, digital signal processor and LED timing control. The experimentally measured AC and DC characteristics of individual circuits including the DC output voltage of the transimpedance amplifier, transimpedance gain of the transimpedance amplifier, and the central frequency and bandwidth of the analogue band-pass filters, show a good match (within 1% with the circuit simulations. With modulated light source and integrated lock-in detection the sensor effectively suppresses the interference from ambient light and 1/f noise. In a breath hold and release experiment the single chip sensor demonstrates consistent and comparable performance to commercial pulse oximetry devices with a mean of 1.2% difference. The single-chip sensor enables a compact and robust design solution that offers a route towards wearable devices for health monitoring.

A Single-Chip CMOS Pulse Oximeter with On-Chip Lock-In Detection.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Diwei; Morgan, Stephen P; Trachanis, Dimitrios; van Hese, Jan; Drogoudis, Dimitris; Fummi, Franco; Stefanni, Francesco; Guarnieri, Valerio; Hayes-Gill, Barrie R

2015-07-14

Pulse oximetry is a noninvasive and continuous method for monitoring the blood oxygen saturation level. This paper presents the design and testing of a single-chip pulse oximeter fabricated in a 0.35 µm CMOS process. The chip includes photodiode, transimpedance amplifier, analogue band-pass filters, analogue-to-digital converters, digital signal processor and LED timing control. The experimentally measured AC and DC characteristics of individual circuits including the DC output voltage of the transimpedance amplifier, transimpedance gain of the transimpedance amplifier, and the central frequency and bandwidth of the analogue band-pass filters, show a good match (within 1%) with the circuit simulations. With modulated light source and integrated lock-in detection the sensor effectively suppresses the interference from ambient light and 1/f noise. In a breath hold and release experiment the single chip sensor demonstrates consistent and comparable performance to commercial pulse oximetry devices with a mean of 1.2% difference. The single-chip sensor enables a compact and robust design solution that offers a route towards wearable devices for health monitoring.

Piezoelectric Nanotube Array for Broadband High-Frequency Ultrasonic Transducer.

Science.gov (United States)

Liew, Weng Heng; Yao, Kui; Chen, Shuting; Tay, Francis Eng Hock

2018-03-01

Piezoelectric materials are vital in determining ultrasonic transducer and imaging performance as they offer the function for conversion between mechanical and electrical energy. Ultrasonic transducers with high-frequency operation suffer from performance degradation and fabrication difficulty of the demanded piezoelectric materials. Hence, we propose 1-D polymeric piezoelectric nanostructure with controlled nanoscale features to overcome the technical limitations of high-frequency ultrasonic transducers. For the first time, we demonstrate the integration of a well-aligned piezoelectric nanotube array to produce a high-frequency ultrasonic transducer with outstanding performance. We find that nanoconfinement-induced polarization orientation and unique nanotube structure lead to significantly improved piezoelectric and ultrasonic transducing performance over the conventional piezoelectric thin film. A large bandwidth, 126% (-6 dB), is achieved at high center frequency, 108 MHz. Transmission sensitivity of nanotube array is found to be 46% higher than that of the monolithic thin film transducer attributed to the improved electromechanical coupling effectiveness and impedance match. We further demonstrate high-resolution scanning, ultrasonic imaging, and photoacoustic imaging using the obtained nanotube array transducers, which is valuable for biomedical imaging applications in the future.

Three-Dimensional Visualization of Interfacial Phenomena Using Confocal Microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Shieh, Ian C.

Surfactants play an integral role in numerous functions ranging from stabilizing the emulsion in a favorite salad dressing to organizing the cellular components that make life possible. We are interested in lung surfactant, which is a mixture of lipids and proteins essential for normal respiration because it modulates the surface tension of the air-liquid interface of the thin fluid lining in the lungs. Through this surface tension modulation, lung surfactant ensures effortless lung expansion and prevents lung collapse during exhalation, thereby effecting proper oxygenation of the bloodstream. The function of lung surfactant, as well as numerous interfacial lipid systems, is not solely dictated by the behavior of materials confined to the two-dimensional interface. Rather, the distributions of materials in the liquid subphase also greatly influence the performance of interfacial films of lung surfactant. Therefore, to better understand the behavior of lung surfactant and other interfacial lipid systems, we require a three-dimensional characterization technique. In this dissertation, we have developed a novel confocal microscopy methodology for investigating the interfacial phenomena of surfactants at the air-liquid interface of a Langmuir trough. Confocal microscopy provides the excellent combination of in situ, fast, three-dimensional visualization of multiple components of the lung surfactant system that other characterization techniques lack. We detail the solutions to the numerous challenges encountered when imaging a dynamic air-liquid interface with a high-resolution technique like confocal microscopy. We then use confocal microscopy to elucidate the distinct mechanisms by which a polyelectrolyte (chitosan) and nonadsorbing polymer (polyethylene glycol) restore the function of lung surfactant under inhibitory conditions mimicking the effects of lung trauma. Beyond this physiological model, we also investigate several one- and two-component interfacial films

Self-Assembly of Chip-Size Components with Cavity Structures: High-Precision Alignment and Direct Bonding without Thermal Compression for Hetero Integration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mitsumasa Koyanagi

2011-02-01

Full Text Available New surface mounting and packaging technologies, using self-assembly with chips having cavity structures, were investigated for three-dimensional (3D and hetero integration of complementary metal-oxide semiconductors (CMOS and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS. By the surface tension of small droplets of 0.5 wt% hydrogen fluoride (HF aqueous solution, the cavity chips, with a side length of 3 mm, were precisely aligned to hydrophilic bonding regions on the surface of plateaus formed on Si substrates. The plateaus have micro-channels to readily evaporate and fully remove the liquid from the cavities. The average alignment accuracy of the chips with a 1 mm square cavity was found to be 0.4 mm. The alignment accuracy depends, not only on the area of the bonding regions on the substrates and the length of chip periphery without the widths of channels in the plateaus, but also the area wetted by the liquid on the bonding regions. The precisely aligned chips were then directly bonded to the substrates at room temperature without thermal compression, resulting in a high shear bonding strength of more than 10 MPa.

Capacitive Micro Pressure Sensor Integrated with a Ring Oscillator Circuit on Chip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheng-Yang Liu

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The study investigates a capacitive micro pressure sensor integrated with a ring oscillator circuit on a chip. The integrated capacitive pressure sensor is fabricated using the commercial CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor process and a post-process. The ring oscillator is employed to convert the capacitance of the pressure sensor into the frequency output. The pressure sensor consists of 16 sensing cells in parallel. Each sensing cell contains a top electrode and a lower electrode, and the top electrode is a sandwich membrane. The pressure sensor needs a post-CMOS process to release the membranes after completion of the CMOS process. The post-process uses etchants to etch the sacrificial layers, and to release the membranes. The advantages of the post-process include easy execution and low cost. Experimental results reveal that the pressure sensor has a high sensitivity of 7 Hz/Pa in the pressure range of 0–300 kPa.

Automatic ultrasonic testing and the LOFT in-service inspection program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hunter, J.A.

1980-01-01

An automatic ultrasonic testing system has been developed which significantly improves the flaw indication detection and characterization capability over the capability of conventional volumetric examination techniques. The system utilizes an accurately located ultrasonic sensor to generate the examination data. A small computer performs and integrates control and data input/output functions. Computer software has been developed to provide a rigorous method for data analysis and ultrasonic image interpretation. The system has been used as part of an in-service inspection program to examine welds in thich austenitic stainless steel pipes in a small experimental nuclear reactor

Polypyrrole Porous Micro Humidity Sensor Integrated with a Ring Oscillator Circuit on Chip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

De-Hao Lu

2010-11-01

Full Text Available This study presents the design and fabrication of a capacitive micro humidity sensor integrated with a five-stage ring oscillator circuit on chip using the complimentary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS process. The area of the humidity sensor chip is about 1 mm2. The humidity sensor consists of a sensing capacitor and a sensing film. The sensing capacitor is constructed from spiral interdigital electrodes that can enhance the sensitivity of the sensor. The sensing film of the sensor is polypyrrole, which is prepared by the chemical polymerization method, and the film has a porous structure. The sensor needs a post-CMOS process to coat the sensing film. The post-CMOS process uses a wet etching to etch the sacrificial layers, and then the polypyrrole is coated on the sensing capacitor. The sensor generates a change in capacitance when the sensing film absorbs or desorbs vapor. The ring oscillator circuit converts the capacitance variation of the sensor into the oscillation frequency output. Experimental results show that the sensitivity of the humidity sensor is about 99 kHz/%RH at 25 °C.

Ultrasonic Structural Health Monitoring to Assess the Integrity of Spinal Growing Rods In Vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Oetgen, Matthew E; Goodley, Addison; Yoo, Byungseok; Pines, Darryll J; Hsieh, Adam H

2016-01-01

Rod fracture is a common complication of growing rods and can result in loss of correction, patient discomfort, and unplanned revision surgery. The ability to quantitate rod integrity at each lengthening would be advantageous to avoid this complication. We investigate the feasibility of applying structural health monitoring to evaluate the integrity of growing rods in vitro. Single-rod titanium 4.5-mm growing rod constructs (n = 9), one screw proximally and one distally connected by in-line connectors, were assembled with pedicle screws fixed in polyethylene blocks. Proximal and distal ends were loaded and constructs subjected to cyclic axial compression (0-100 N at 1 Hz), with incrementally increasing maximum compressive loads of 10 N every 9k cycles until failure. Four piezoceramic transducers (PZTs) were mounted along the length the constructs to interrogate the integrity of the rods with an ultrasonic, guided lamb wave approach. Every 9k cycles, an 80 V excitatory voltage was applied to a PZT to generate high-frequency vibrations, which, after propagating through the construct, was detected by the remaining PZTs. Amplitude differences between pre- and postload waveform signals were calculated until rod failure. Average construct lifetime was 88,991 ± 13,398 cycles. All constructs failed due to rod fracture within 21 mm (mean = 15 ± 4.5 mm) of a screw or connector. Amplitude differences between pre- and postload increased in a stepwise fashion as constructs were cycled. Compared to baseline, we found a 1.8 ± 0.6-fold increase in amplitude 18k cycles before failure, a 2.2 ± 1.0-fold increase in amplitude 9k cycles before failure, and a 2.75 ± 1.5-fold increase in amplitude immediately before rod fracture. We describe a potential method for assessing the structural integrity of growing rods using ultrasonic structural health monitoring. These preliminary data demonstrate the ability of periodic rod assessment to detect structural changes in cycled growing

Re-scan confocal microscopy (RCM) improves the resolution of confocal microscopy and increases the sensitivity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Luca, Giulia; Breedijk, Ronald; Hoebe, Ron; Stallinga, Sjoerd; Manders, Erik

2017-01-01

Re-scan confocal microscopy (RCM) is a new super-resolution technique based on a standard confocal microscope extended with a re-scan unit in the detection path that projects the emitted light onto a sensitive camera. In this paper the fundamental properties of RCM, lateral resolution, axial

Re-scan confocal microscopy (RCM) improves the resolution of confocal microscopy and increases the sensitivity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Luca, G.; Breedijk, R.; Hoebe, R.; Stallinga, S.; Manders, E.

Re-scan confocal microscopy (RCM) is a new super-resolution technique based on a standard confocal microscope extended with a re-scan unit in the detection path that projects the emitted light onto a sensitive camera. In this paper the fundamental properties of RCM, lateral resolution, axial

Diffusion driven optofluidic dye lasers encapsulated into polymer chips

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wienhold, Tobias; Breithaupt, Felix; Vannahme, Christoph

2012-01-01

Lab-on-a-chip systems made of polymers are promising for the integration of active optical elements, enabling e.g. on-chip excitation of fluorescent markers or spectroscopy. In this work we present diffusion operation of tunable optofluidic dye lasers in a polymer foil. We demonstrate that these ......Lab-on-a-chip systems made of polymers are promising for the integration of active optical elements, enabling e.g. on-chip excitation of fluorescent markers or spectroscopy. In this work we present diffusion operation of tunable optofluidic dye lasers in a polymer foil. We demonstrate...... that these first order distributed feedback lasers can be operated for more than 90 min at a pulse repetition rate of 2 Hz without fluidic pumping. Ultra-high output pulse energies of more than 10 μJ and laser thresholds of 2 μJ are achieved for resonator lengths of 3 mm. By introducing comparatively large on......-chip dye solution reservoirs, the required exchange of dye molecules is accomplished solely by diffusion. Polymer chips the size of a microscope cover slip (18 × 18 mm2) were fabricated in batches on a wafer using a commercially available polymer (TOPAS® Cyclic Olefin Copolymer). Thermal imprinting...

Laser-assisted patterning of double-sided adhesive tapes for optofluidic chip integration

Science.gov (United States)

Zamora, Vanessa; Janeczka, Christian; Arndt-Staufenbiel, Norbert; Havlik, George; Queisser, Marco; Schröder, Henning

2018-02-01

Portable high-sensitivity biosensors exhibit a growing demand in healthcare, food industry and environmental monitoring sectors. Optical biosensors based on photonic integration platforms are attractive candidates due to their high sensitivity, compactness and multiplexing capabilities. However, they need a low-cost and reliable integration with the microfluidic system. Laser-micropatterned double-sided biocompatible adhesive tapes are promising bonding layers for hybrid integration of an optofluidic biochip. As a part of the EU-PHOCNOSIS project, double-sided adhesive tapes have been proposed to integrate the polymer microfluidic system with the optical integrated waveguide sensor chip. Here the adhesive tape should be patterned in a micrometer scale in order to create an interaction between the sample that flows through the polymer microchannel and the photonic sensing microstructure. Three laser-assisted structuring methods are investigated to transfer microchannel patterns to the adhesive tape. The test structure design consists of a single channel with 400 μm wide, 30 mm length and two circular receivers with 3 mm radius. The best structuring results are found by using the picosecond UV laser where smooth and straight channel cross-sections are obtained. Such patterned tapes are used to bond blank polymer substrates to blank silicon substrates. As a proof of concept, the hybrid integration is tested using colored DI-water. Structuring tests related to the reduction of channel widths are also considered in this work. The use of this technique enables a simple and rapid manufacturing of narrow channels (50-60 μm in width) in adhesive tapes, achieving a cheap and stable integration of the optofluidic biochip.

Ultrasonic signature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borloo, E.; Crutzen, S.

1974-12-01

The unique and tamperproof identification technique developed at Ispra is based on ultrasonic Non-Destructive-Techniques. Reading fingerprints with ultrasonic requires high reproducibility of standard apparatus and transducers. The present report gives an exhaustive description of the ultrasonic technique developed for identification purposes. Different applications of the method are described

Generation and manipulation of entangled photons on silicon chips

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matsuda Nobuyuki

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Integrated quantum photonics is now seen as one of the promising approaches to realize scalable quantum information systems. With optical waveguides based on silicon photonics technologies, we can realize quantum optical circuits with a higher degree of integration than with silica waveguides. In addition, thanks to the large nonlinearity observed in silicon nanophotonic waveguides, we can implement active components such as entangled photon sources on a chip. In this paper, we report recent progress in integrated quantum photonic circuits based on silicon photonics. We review our work on correlated and entangled photon-pair sources on silicon chips, using nanoscale silicon waveguides and silicon photonic crystal waveguides. We also describe an on-chip quantum buffer realized using the slow-light effect in a silicon photonic crystal waveguide. As an approach to combine the merits of different waveguide platforms, a hybrid quantum circuit that integrates a silicon-based photon-pair source and a silica-based arrayed waveguide grating is also presented.

Characterization of nuclear graphite elastic properties using laser ultrasonic methods

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Fan W.; Han, Karen; Olasov, Lauren R.; Gallego, Nidia C.; Contescu, Cristian I.; Spicer, James B.

2015-05-01

Laser ultrasonic methods have been used to characterize the elastic behaviors of commercially-available and legacy nuclear graphites. Since ultrasonic techniques are sensitive to various aspects of graphite microstructure including preferred grain orientation, microcrack orientation and porosity, laser ultrasonics is a candidate technique for monitoring graphite degradation and structural integrity in environments expected in high-temperature, gas-cooled nuclear reactors. Aspects of materials texture can be assessed by studying ultrasonic wavespeeds as a function of propagation direction and polarization. Shear wave birefringence measurements, in particular, can be used to evaluate elastic anisotropy. In this work, laser ultrasonic measurements of graphite moduli have been made to provide insight into the relationship between the microstructures and the macroscopic stiffnesses of these materials. In particular, laser ultrasonic measurements have been made using laser line sources to produce shear waves with specific polarizations. By varying the line orientation relative to the sample, shear wave birefringence measurements have been recorded. Results from shear wave birefringence measurements show that an isostatically molded graphite, such as PCIB, behaves isotropically, while an extruded graphite, such as H-451, displays significant ultrasonic texture. Graphites have complicated microstructures that depend on the manufacturing processes used, and ultrasonic texture in these materials could originate from grain orientation and preferred microcrack alignment. Effects on material isotropy due to service related microstructural changes are possible and the ultimate aim of this work is to determine the degree to which these changes can be assessed nondestructively using laser ultrasonics measurements.

A homodyne detector integrated onto a photonic chip for measuring quantum states and generating random numbers

Science.gov (United States)

Raffaelli, Francesco; Ferranti, Giacomo; Mahler, Dylan H.; Sibson, Philip; Kennard, Jake E.; Santamato, Alberto; Sinclair, Gary; Bonneau, Damien; Thompson, Mark G.; Matthews, Jonathan C. F.

2018-04-01

Optical homodyne detection has found use as a characterisation tool in a range of quantum technologies. So far implementations have been limited to bulk optics. Here we present the optical integration of a homodyne detector onto a silicon photonics chip. The resulting device operates at high speed, up 150 MHz, it is compact and it operates with low noise, quantified with 11 dB clearance between shot noise and electronic noise. We perform on-chip quantum tomography of coherent states with the detector and show that it meets the requirements for characterising more general quantum states of light. We also show that the detector is able to produce quantum random numbers at a rate of 1.2 Gbps, by measuring the vacuum state of the electromagnetic field and applying off-line post processing. The produced random numbers pass all the statistical tests provided by the NIST test suite.

Price of forest chips decreasing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hakkila, P.

2001-01-01

carried out from final cutting areas there the production of forest chips can be integrated to harvesting of industrial wood. Moisture content and the share of needles of logging residue chips are higher, and the particle size of it is inhomogeneous. Improved harvesting technology is the main reason for the decrease of the price of logging residue chips. Automating of felling made the piling of residues nearly free of charge. Competition in the machine and transportation services decreased the costs of industrial wood by 20-30% in a decade. Average price of forest chips has decreased because the share of logging residues of the forest chips production has increased. The price (excl. VAT) of forest chips for heating plants in Finland varies between 40 - 80 FIM/MWh, the average being 53 FIM/MWh, and in Sweden about 80 FIM/MWh, and 75 FIM/MWh for industry. The taxation of fossil fuel in Sweden is higher than in Finland. Sweden uses over 3 M m 3 of forest chips, the corresponding figures for Finland being about 1 M m 3 . Forest chips are used as a mixture with industrial wood residues. Production costs of industrial wood residues are lower than those of the forest chips. Alternative fuels for plants using forest chips are bark, sawdust and peat. Target price of Bioenergy research program for forest chips was 45 FIM/MWh

4Pi-confocal microscopy of live cells

Science.gov (United States)

Bahlmann, Karsten; Jakobs, Stefan; Hell, Stefan W.

2002-06-01

By coherently adding the spherical wavefronts of two opposing lenses, two-photon excitation 4Pi-confocal fluorescence microscopy has achieved three-dimensional imaging with an axial resolution 3-7 times better than confocal microscopy. So far this improvement was possible only in glycerol-mounted, fixed cells. Here we report 4Pi-confocal microscopy of watery objects and its application to the imaging of live cells. Water immersion 4Pi-confocal microscopy of membrane stained live Escherichia coli bacteria attains a 4.3 fold better axial resolution as compared to the best water immersion confocal microscope. The resolution enhancement results into a vastly improved three-dimensional representation of the bacteria. The first images of live biological samples with an all-directional resolution in the 190-280 nm range are presented here, thus establishing a new resolution benchmark in live cell microscopy.

Analysis of a Non-resonant Ultrasonic Levitation Device

Science.gov (United States)

Andrade, Marco A. B.; Pérez, Nicolás; Adamowski, Julio C.

In this study, a non-resonant configuration of ultrasonic levitation device is presented, which is formed by a small diameter ultrasonic transducer and a concave reflector. The influence of different levitator parameters on the levitation performance is investigated by using a numerical model that combines the Gor'kov theory with a matrix method based on the Rayleigh integral. In contrast with traditional acoustic levitators, the non-resonant ultrasonic levitation device allows the separation distance between the transducer and the reflector to be adjusted continually, without requiring the separation distance to be set to a multiple of half-wavelength. It is also demonstrated, both numerically and experimentally, that the levitating particle can be manipulated by maintaining the transducer in a fixed position in space and moving the reflector in respect to the transducer.

Confocal scanning microscope for nuclear photoemulsion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batusov, Yu.A.; Kovalev, Yu.S.; Soroko, L.M.

2005-01-01

The application of the confocal scanning microscope to the objects in the nuclear photoemulsion is described. An array of 27 microtomograms of single silver grain is shown. The cross sections of the same particle track of diameter 1 μm, detected by means of the confocal scanning microscope with open and annular apertures, are presented. It was shown that the confocal scanning microscope opens indeed new opportunities for the nuclear photoemulsion technique to get previously inaccessible information for physics of the short-living particles

Integrable topological billiards and equivalent dynamical systems

Science.gov (United States)

Vedyushkina, V. V.; Fomenko, A. T.

2017-08-01

We consider several topological integrable billiards and prove that they are Liouville equivalent to many systems of rigid body dynamics. The proof uses the Fomenko-Zieschang theory of invariants of integrable systems. We study billiards bounded by arcs of confocal quadrics and their generalizations, generalized billiards, where the motion occurs on a locally planar surface obtained by gluing several planar domains isometrically along their boundaries, which are arcs of confocal quadrics. We describe two new classes of integrable billiards bounded by arcs of confocal quadrics, namely, non-compact billiards and generalized billiards obtained by gluing planar billiards along non-convex parts of their boundaries. We completely classify non-compact billiards bounded by arcs of confocal quadrics and study their topology using the Fomenko invariants that describe the bifurcations of singular leaves of the additional integral. We study the topology of isoenergy surfaces for some non-convex generalized billiards. It turns out that they possess exotic Liouville foliations: the integral trajectories of the billiard that lie on some singular leaves admit no continuous extension. Such billiards appear to be leafwise equivalent to billiards bounded by arcs of confocal quadrics in the Minkowski metric.

Ultrasonic horn design for ultrasonic machining technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naď M.

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Many of industrial applications and production technologies are based on the application of ultrasound. In many cases, the phenomenon of ultrasound is also applied in technological processes of the machining of materials. The main element of equipments that use the effects of ultrasound for machining technology is the ultrasonic horn – so called sonotrode. The performance of ultrasonic equipment, respectively ultrasonic machining technologies depends on properly designed of sonotrode shape. The dynamical properties of different geometrical shapes of ultrasonic horns are presented in this paper. Dependence of fundamental modal properties (natural frequencies, mode shapes of various sonotrode shapes for various geometrical parameters is analyzed. Modal analyses of the models are determined by the numerical simulation using finite element method (FEM design procedures. The mutual comparisons of the comparable parameters of the various sonotrode shapes are presented.

Microsphere imaging with confocal microscopy and two photon microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chun, Hyung Su; An, Kyung Won; Lee, Jai Hyung

2002-01-01

We have acquired images of polystyrene and fused-silica microsphere by using conventional optical microscopy, confocal microscopy and two-photon microscopy, and performed comparative analysis of these images. Different from conventional optical microscopy, confocal and two-photon microscopy had good optical sectioning capability. In addition, confocal microscopy and two-photon microscopy had better lateral resolution than conventional optical microscopy. These results are attributed to confocality and nonlinearity of confocal microscopy and two photon microscopy, respectively.

A compact PE memory for vision chips

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Cong; Chen Zhe; Yang Jie; Wu Nanjian; Wang Zhihua

2014-01-01

This paper presents a novel compact memory in the processing element (PE) for single-instruction multiple-data (SIMD) vision chips. The PE memory is constructed with 8 × 8 register cells, where one latch in the slave stage is shared by eight latches in the master stage. The memory supports simultaneous read and write on the same address in one clock cycle. Its compact area of 14.33 μm 2 /bit promises a higher integration level of the processor. A prototype chip with a 64 × 64 PE array is fabricated in a UMC 0.18 μm CMOS technology. Five types of the PE memory cell structure are designed and compared. The testing results demonstrate that the proposed PE memory architecture well satisfies the requirement of the vision chip in high-speed real-time vision applications, such as 1000 fps edge extraction. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

Single-Chip Computers With Microelectromechanical Systems-Based Magnetic Memory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Carley, L. Richard; Bain, James A.; Fedder, Gary K.; Greve, David W.; Guillou, David F.; Lu, Michael S.C.; Mukherjee, Tamal; Santhanam, Suresh; Abelmann, Leon; Min, Seungook

This article describes an approach for implementing a complete computer system (CPU, RAM, I/O, and nonvolatile mass memory) on a single integrated-circuit substrate (a chip)—hence, the name "single-chip computer." The approach presented combines advances in the field of microelectromechanical

Sputtered Pd as hydrogen storage for a chip-integrated microenergy system.

Science.gov (United States)

Slavcheva, E; Ganske, G; Schnakenberg, U

2014-01-01

The work presents a research on preparation and physical and electrochemical characterisation of dc magnetron sputtered Pd films envisaged for application as hydrogen storage in a chip-integrated hydrogen microenergy system. The influence of the changes in the sputtering pressure on the surface structure, morphology, and roughness was analysed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AMF). The electrochemical activity towards hydrogen adsorption/desorption and formation of PdH were investigated in 0.5 M H2SO4 using the methods of cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic polarisation. The changes in the electrical properties of the films as a function of the sputtering pressure and the level of hydrogenation were evaluated before and immediately after the electrochemical charging tests, using a four-probe technique. The research resulted in establishment of optimal sputter regime, ensuring fully reproducible Pd layers with highly developed surface, moderate porosity, and mechanical stability. Selected samples were integrated as hydrogen storage in a newly developed unitized microenergy system and tested in charging (water electrolysis) and discharging (fuel cell) operative mode at ambient conditions demonstrating a stable recycling performance.

Prediction of strength of wood composite materials using ultrasonic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahmoud, M.K.; Emam, A.

2005-01-01

Wood is a biological material integrating a very large variability of its mechanical properties (tensile and compressive), on the two directional longitudinal and transverse Ultrasonic method has been utilized to measure both wood physical and / or wood mechanical properties. The aim of this article is to show the development of ultrasonic technique for quality evaluation of trees, wood material and wood based composites. For quality assessment of these products we discuss the nondestructive evaluation of different factors such as: moisture content, temperature, biological degradation induced by bacterial attack and fungal attack. These techniques were adapted for trees, timber and wood based composites. The present study discusses the prediction of tensile and compressive strength of wood composite materials using ultrasonic testing. Empirical relationships between the tensile properties, compression strength and ultrasonic were proposed. The experimental results indicate the possibility of establishing a relationship between tensile strength and compression values. Moreover, the fractures in tensile and compressive are discussed by photographic

Manually operatable on-chip bistable pneumatic microstructures for microfluidic manipulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Arnold; Pan, Tingrui

2014-09-07

Bistable microvalves are of particular interest because of their distinct nature of requiring energy consumption only during the transition between the open and closed states. This characteristic can be highly advantageous in reducing the number of external inputs and the complexity of control circuitries since microfluidic devices as contemporary lab-on-a-chip platforms are transferring from research settings to low-resource environments with high integrability and a small form factor. In this paper, we first present manually operatable, on-chip bistable pneumatic microstructures (BPMs) for microfluidic manipulation. The structural design and operation of the BPM devices can be readily integrated into any pneumatically powered microfluidic network consisting of pneumatic and fluidic channels. It is mainly composed of a vacuum activation chamber (VAC) and a pressure release chamber (PRC), of which users have direct control through finger pressing to switch either to the bistable vacuum state (VS) or the atmospheric state (AS). We have integrated multiple BPM devices into a 4-to-1 microfluidic multiplexor to demonstrate on-chip digital flow switching from different sources. Furthermore, we have shown its clinical relevance in a point-of-care diagnostic chip that processes blood samples to identify the distinct blood types (A/B/O) on-chip.

Integration of micro-optics and microfluidics in a glass chip by fs-laser for optofluidic applications

Science.gov (United States)

Osellame, Roberto; Martinez, Rebeca; Laporta, Paolo; Ramponi, Roberta; Cerullo, Giulio

2009-02-01

A lab-on-a-chip (LOC) is a device that incorporates in a single substrate the functionalities of a biological laboratory, i.e. a network of fluidic channels, reservoirs, valves, pumps and sensors, all with micrometer dimensions. Its main advantages are the possibility of working with small samples quantities (from nano- to picoliters), high sensitivity, speed of analysis and the possibility of measurement automation and standardization. They are becoming the most powerful tools of analytical chemistry with a broad application in life sciences, biotechnology and drug development. The next technological challenge of LOCs is direct on-chip integration of photonic functionalities for sensing of biomolecules flowing in the microchannels. Ultrafast laser processing of the bulk of a dielectric material is a very flexible and simple method to produce photonic devices inside microfluidic chips for capillary electrophoresis (CE) or chemical microreactors. By taking advantage of the unique three-dimensional capabilities of this fabrication technique, more complex functionalities, such as splitters or Mach-Zehnder interferometers, can be implemented. In this work we report on the use of femtosecond laser pulses to fabricate photonic devices (as waveguides, splitters and interferometers) inside commercial CE chips, without affecting the manufacturing procedure of the microfluidic part of the device. The fabrication of single waveguides intersecting the channels allows one to perform absorption or Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) sensing of the molecules separated inside the microchannels. Waveguide splitters are used for multipoint excitation of the microfluidic channel for parallel or higher sensitivity measurements. Finally, Mach-Zehnder interferometers are used for label-free sensing of the samples flowing in the microfluidic channels by means of refractive index changes detection.

Chip-to-chip SnO2 nanowire network sensors for room temperature H2 detection

Science.gov (United States)

Köck, A.; Brunet, E.; Mutinati, G. C.; Maier, T.; Steinhauer, S.

2012-06-01

The employment of nanowires is a very powerful strategy to improve gas sensor performance. We demonstrate a gas sensor device, which is based on silicon chip-to-chip synthesis of ultralong tin oxide (SnO2) nanowires. The sensor device employs an interconnected SnO2 nanowire network configuration, which exhibits a huge surface-to-volume ratio and provides full access of the target gas to the nanowires. The chip-to-chip SnO2 nanowire device is able to detect a H2 concentration of only 20 ppm in synthetic air with ~ 60% relative humidity at room temperature. At an operating temperature of 300°C a concentration of 50 ppm H2 results in a sensitivity of 5%. At this elevated temperature the sensor shows a linear response in a concentration range between 10 ppm and 100 ppm H2. The SnO2-nanowire fabrication procedure based on spray pyrolysis and subsequent annealing is performed at atmospheric pressure, requires no vacuum and allows upscale of the substrate to a wafer size. 3D-integration with CMOS chips is proposed as viable way for practical realization of smart nanowire based gas sensor devices for the consumer market.

Ultrasmall volume molecular isothermal amplification in microfluidic chip with advanced surface processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Guoliang; Yang Xiaoyong; Ma Li; Yang Xu

2011-01-01

In this paper, we developed a metal micro-fluidic chip with advanced surface processing for ultra-small volume molecular isothermal amplification. This method takes advantages of the nucleic acid amplification with good stability and consistency, high sensitivity about 31 genomic DNA copies and bacteria specific gene identification. Based on the advanced surface processing, the bioreaction assays of nucleic acid amplification was dropped about 392nl in volume. A high numerical aperture confocal optical detection system was advanced to sensitively monitor the DNA amplification with low noise and high power collecting fluorescence near to the optical diffraction limit. A speedy nucleic acid isothermal amplification was performed in the ultra-small volume microfluidic chip, where the time at the inflexions of second derivative to DNA exponential amplified curves was brought forward and the sensitivity was improved about 65 folds to that of in current 25μl Ep-tube amplified reaction, which indicates a promising clinic molecular diagnostics in the droplet amplification.

Essential issues in SOC design designing complex systems-on-chip

CERN Document Server

Lin, Youn-long Steve

2007-01-01

Covers issues related to system-on-chip (SoC) design. This book covers IP development, verification, integration, chip implementation, testing and software. It contains valuable academic and industrial examples for those involved with the design of complex SOCs.

Femtosecond laser microfabrication of optical waveguides in commercial microfluidic lab-on-a-chip

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Osellame, R.; Martinez-Vazquez, R.; Ramponi, R.; Cerullo, G.; Dongre, C.; Dekker, R.; Hoekstra, Hugo; Pollnau, Markus

One of the main challenges of lab-on-a-chip technology is the on-chip integration of photonic functionalities by manufacturing optical waveguides for sensing biomolecules flowing in the microchannels. Such integrated approach has many advantages over traditional free-space optical sensing, such as

Microscopia confocal en operados de queratoplastia perforante Confocal microscopy in patients operated from penetrating keratoplasty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zulema Gómez Castillo

2009-06-01

Full Text Available La microscopia confocal es un examen exploratorio, práctico y poco invasivo que permite conocer las características microscópicas del tejido corneal después del trasplante, por lo que constituye una herramienta muy útil en el manejo de los pacientes operados de queratoplastia. El presente trabajo tiene como finalidad describir las características del tejido corneal en pacientes operados de este tipo de trasplante, mediante la microscopia confocal in vivo. MÉTODOS: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo, de corte transversal, en 40 ojos de 40 pacientes operados de queratoplastia perforante, en el Servicio de Córnea del Instituto Cubano de Oftalmología "Ramón Pando Ferrer", de marzo de 2006 a marzo de 2007. Se confeccionó una historia clínica oftalmológica y se les realizó a todos el examen de microscopia confocal en el injerto corneal con el microscopio confocal CONFOSCAN 4. RESULTADOS: La queratopatía bullosa pseudofáquica fue la afección más frecuente previa a la cirugía y estuvo presente en el 77,5 % de los pacientes. En el 72,5 % de los intervenidos se encontró una disminución del grosor corneal. El epitelio presentó alteraciones en el 62,5 % de los pacientes. Todos presentaron afectación de la forma y el tamaño celular endotelial. En el 82,5 % de los pacientes se observó ausencia de plexos nerviosos. CONCLUSIONES: La microscopia confocal como nueva ciencia en el campo de la oftalmología, favorece el seguimiento evolutivo de las queratoplastias perforantes y con esto no solo a prevenir la aparición de posibles complicaciones, sino además de garantizar el éxito de la cirugía y la función refractiva de la córnea.Confocal microscopy is a practical, exploratory and less invassive examination that allows finding out the microscopic characteristics of the corneal tissue after transplantation, so it is a very useful tool for the management of patients operated from keratoplasty. The present paper was aimed at describing

A contact-lens-shaped IC chip technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Ching-Yu; Yang, Frank; Teng, Chih-Chiao; Fan, Long-Sheng

2014-01-01

We report on novel contact-lens-shaped silicon integrated circuit chip technology for applications such as forming a conforming retinal prosthesis. This is achieved by means of patterning thin films of high residual stress on top of a shaped thin silicon substrate. Several strategies are employed to achieve curvatures of various amounts. Firstly, high residual stress on a thin film makes a thin chip deform into a designed three-dimensional shape. Also, a series of patterned stress films and ‘petal-shaped’ chips were fabricated and analyzed. Large curvatures can also be formed and maintained by the packaging process of bonding the chips to constraining elements such as thin-film polymer ring structures. As a demonstration, a complementary metal oxide semiconductor transistor (CMOS) image-sensing retina chip is made into a contact-lens shape conforming to a human eyeball 12.5 mm in radius. This non-planar and flexible chip technology provides a desirable device surface interface to soft tissues or non-planar bio surfaces and opens up many other possibilities for biomedical applications. (paper)

On-chip single photon filtering and multiplexing in hybrid quantum photonic circuits.

Science.gov (United States)

Elshaari, Ali W; Zadeh, Iman Esmaeil; Fognini, Andreas; Reimer, Michael E; Dalacu, Dan; Poole, Philip J; Zwiller, Val; Jöns, Klaus D

2017-08-30

Quantum light plays a pivotal role in modern science and future photonic applications. Since the advent of integrated quantum nanophotonics different material platforms based on III-V nanostructures-, colour centers-, and nonlinear waveguides as on-chip light sources have been investigated. Each platform has unique advantages and limitations; however, all implementations face major challenges with filtering of individual quantum states, scalable integration, deterministic multiplexing of selected quantum emitters, and on-chip excitation suppression. Here we overcome all of these challenges with a hybrid and scalable approach, where single III-V quantum emitters are positioned and deterministically integrated in a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor-compatible photonic circuit. We demonstrate reconfigurable on-chip single-photon filtering and wavelength division multiplexing with a foot print one million times smaller than similar table-top approaches, while offering excitation suppression of more than 95 dB and efficient routing of single photons over a bandwidth of 40 nm. Our work marks an important step to harvest quantum optical technologies' full potential.Combining different integration platforms on the same chip is currently one of the main challenges for quantum technologies. Here, Elshaari et al. show III-V Quantum Dots embedded in nanowires operating in a CMOS compatible circuit, with controlled on-chip filtering and tunable routing.

Sensory and Quality Evaluation of Traditional Compared with Power Ultrasound Processed Corn (Zea Mays) Tortilla Chips.

Science.gov (United States)

Janve, Bhaskar; Yang, Wade; Sims, Charles

2015-06-01

Power ultrasound reduces the traditional corn steeping time from 18 to 1.5 h during tortilla chips dough (masa) processing. This study sought to examine consumer (n = 99) acceptability and quality of tortilla chips made from the masa by traditional compared with ultrasonic methods. Overall appearance, flavor, and texture acceptability scores were evaluated using a 9-point hedonic scale. The baked chips (process intermediate) before and after frying (finished product) were analyzed using a texture analyzer and machine vision. The texture values were determined using the 3-point bend test using breaking force gradient (BFG), peak breaking force (PBF), and breaking distance (BD). The fracturing properties determined by the crisp fracture support rig using fracture force gradient (FFG), peak fracture force (PFF), and fracture distance (FD). The machine vision evaluated the total surface area, lightness (L), color difference (ΔE), Hue (°h), and Chroma (C*). The results were evaluated by analysis of variance and means were separated using Tukey's test. Machine vision values of L, °h, were higher (P power ultrasound as potential tortilla chips processing aid. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

Ultrasonic inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satittada, Gannaga

1984-01-01

Ultrasonic inspection is one of the most widely used methods for nondestructive inspection. The beam of high-frequency sound wave, ultrasonic wave, is introduced into the material. It travels through the material with some attendant loss of energy and can be reflected at interfaces. The reflected beam is detected and analyzed. Ultrasonic inspection is used to detect flaws in metal parts as well as in welded, brazed and bonded joints during research work and developing production and service. It is also used to detect and locate porosity, pipe, and flakes. In addition, it can be used for the measurement of metal thickness. Ultrasonic inspection is therefore used for quality control and material inspection in all major industries

Ultrasonic Communication Project, Phase 1, FY1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haynes, H.D.; Akerman, M.A.; Baylor, V.M.

2000-06-01

This Phase 1 project has been successful in identifying, exploring, and demonstrating methods for ultrasonic-based communication with an emphasis on the application of digital signal processing techniques. During the project, at the direction of the agency project monitor, particular attention was directed at sending and receiving ultrasonic data through air and through pipes that would be commonly found in buildings. Efforts were also focused on development of a method for transmitting computer files ultrasonically. New methods were identified and evaluated for ultrasonic communication. These methods are based on a technique called DFS. With DFS, individual alphanumeric characters are broken down into a sequence of bits, and each bit is used to generate a discrete ultrasonic frequency. Characters are then transmitted one-bit-at-a-time, and reconstructed by the receiver. This technique was put into practice through the development of LabVIEW{trademark}VIs. These VIs were integrated with specially developed electronic circuits to provide a system for demonstrating the transmission and reception/reconstruction of typed messages and computer files. Tests were performed to determine the envelope for ultrasound transmission through pipes (with and without water) versus through air. The practical aspects of connections, efficient electronics, impedance matching, and the effect of damping mechanisms were all investigated. These tests resulted in a considerable number of reference charts that illustrate the absorption of ultrasound through different pipe materials, both with and without water, as a function of distance. Ultrasound was found to be least attenuated by copper pipe and most attenuated by PVC pipe. Water in the pipe provides additional damping and attenuation of ultrasonic signals. Dramatic improvements are observed, however, in ultrasound signal strength if the transducers are directly coupled to the water, rather than simply attaching them to the outside of

Liquid carry-over in an injection moulded all-polymer chip system for immiscible phase magnetic bead-based solid-phase extraction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kistrup, Kasper; Sørensen, Karen Skotte; Wolff, Anders

2014-01-01

We present an all-polymer, single-use microfluidic chip system produced by injection moulding and bonded by ultrasonic welding. Both techniques are compatible with low-cost industrial mass-production. The chip is produced for magnetic bead-based solid-phase extraction facilitated by immiscible......-binding buffer for nucleic acid extraction (0.1 (v/v)% Triton X-100 in 5 M guanidine hydrochloride). A linear relationship was found between the liquid carry-over and mass of magnetic beads used. Interestingly, similar average carry-overs of 1.74(8) nL/µg and 1.72(14) nL/µg were found for Milli-Q water and lysis...

Considerations for ultrasonic testing application for on-orbit NDE

Science.gov (United States)

Koshti, Ajay M.

2015-04-01

The paper addresses some on-orbit nondestructive evaluation (NDE) needs of NASA for International Space Station (ISS). The presentation gives NDE requirements for inspecting suspect damage due to micro-meteoroids and orbital debris (MMOD) impact on the pressure wall of the ISS. This inspection is meant to be conducted from inside of the ISS module. The metallic wall of the module has a fixed wall thickness but also has integral orthogrid ribs for reinforcement. Typically, a single MMOD hit causes localized damage in a small area causing loss of material similar to pitting corrosion, but cracks may be present too. The impact may cause bulging of the wall. Results of the ultrasonic and eddy current demonstration scans on test samples are provided. The ultrasonic technique uses shear wave scans to interrogate the localized damage area from the surrounding undamaged area. The scanning protocol results in multiple scans, each with multiple "vee" paths. A superimposition and mosaic of the three-dimensional ultrasonic data from individual scans is desired to create C-scan images of the damage. This is a new data reduction process which is not currently implemented in state-of-art ultrasonic instruments. Results of ultrasonic scans on the simulated MMOD damage test plates are provided. The individual C-scans are superimposed manually creating mosaic of the inspection. The resulting image is compared with visibly detected damage boundaries, X-ray images, and localized ultrasonic and eddy current scans for locating crack tips to assess effectiveness of the ultrasonic scanning. The paper also discusses developments needed in improving ergonomics of the ultrasonic testing for on-orbit applications.

On-chip power delivery and management

CERN Document Server

Vaisband, Inna P; Popovich, Mikhail; Mezhiba, Andrey V; Köse, Selçuk; Friedman, Eby G

2016-01-01

This book describes methods for distributing power in high speed, high complexity integrated circuits with power levels exceeding many tens of watts and power supplies below a volt. It provides a broad and cohesive treatment of power delivery and management systems and related design problems, including both circuit network models and design techniques for on-chip decoupling capacitors, providing insight and intuition into the behavior and design of on-chip power distribution systems. Organized into subareas to provide a more intuitive flow to the reader, this fourth edition adds more than a hundred pages of new content, including inductance models for interdigitated structures, design strategies for multi-layer power grids, advanced methods for efficient power grid design and analysis, and methodologies for simultaneously placing on-chip multiple power supplies and decoupling capacitors. The emphasis of this additional material is on managing the complexity of on-chip power distribution networks.

Description of the SAltro-16 chip for gas detector readout

CERN Document Server

Aspell, P; Garcia Garcia, E; de Gaspari, M; Mager, M; Musa, L; Rehman, A; Trampitsch, G

2010-01-01

The S-ALTRO prototype chip is a mixed-signal integrated circuit designed to be one of the building blocks of the readout electronics for gas detectors. Its architecture is based in the ALTRO (ALICE TPC Read Out) chip, being its main difference the integration of the charge shaping amplifier in the same IC. Just like ALTRO chip, the prototype architecture and programmability make it suitable for the readout of a wider class of detectors. In one single chip, 16 analogue signals from the detector are shaped, digitised, processed, compressed and stored in a multi-acquisition memory. The Analogue-to- Digital converters embedded in the chip have a 10-bit dynamic range and a maximum sampling rate up to 40MHz. After digitisation, a pipelined Data Processor is able to remove from the input signal a wide range of perturbations, related to the non- ideal behaviour of the detector, temperature variation of the electronics, environmental noise, etc. Moreover, the Data Processor is able to suppress the pulse tail within 1�...

Evaluation of the x-ray response of a position-sensitive microstrip detector with an integrated readout chip

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rossington, C.; Jaklevic, J.; Haber, C.; Spieler, H.; Reid, J.

1990-08-01

The performance of an SVX silicon microstrip detector and its compatible integrated readout chip have been evaluated in response to Rh Kα x-rays (average energy 20.5 keV). The energy and spatial discrimination capabilities, efficient data management and fast readout rates make it an attractive alternative to the CCD and PDA detectors now being offered for x-ray position sensitive diffraction and EXAFS work. The SVX system was designed for high energy physics applications and thus further development of the existing system is required to optimize it for use in practical x-ray experiments. For optimum energy resolution the system noise must be decreased to its previously demonstrated low levels of 2 keV FWHM at 60 keV or less, and the data handling rate of the computer must be increased. New readout chips are now available that offer the potential of better performance. 15 refs., 7 figs

Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Ditlev Nytoft; Karstensen, John Gásdal; Riis, Lene Buhl

2015-01-01

included. Next, eligible studies were analysed with respect to several parameters, such as technique and clinical aim and definitions of outcomes. RESULTS: Confocal laser endomicroscopy has been used for a wide range of purposes in inflammatory bowel disease, covering assessment of inflammatory severity...... of confocal laser endomicroscopy for inflammatory bowel disease. METHODS: Available literature was searched systematically for studies applying confocal laser endomicroscopy in Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. Relevant literature was reviewed and only studies reporting original clinical data were...... of histological features such as colonic crypts, epithelial gaps and epithelial leakiness to fluorescein. CONCLUSIONS: Confocal laser endomicroscopy remains an experimental but emerging tool for assessment of inflammatory bowel disease. It is the only method that enables in vivo functional assessment...

The design and performance evaluation of the ultrasonic random coil identity-integrity element for underwater safeguards seals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, V.H.; Backer, S.; Smith, M.T.

1983-06-01

Irradiated fuel discharged from CANDU power reactors is stored underwater and, in order to comply with the requirements of International Safe-guards, the fuel is stacked in sealed containers which are examined at intervals by IAEA inspectors. The seals are verified for identity and integrity and this report describes the design of an identity/integrity element for the seals. The element is in the form of a random coil of wire which is interrogated by ultrasonic methods. An evaluation of thirty-six seals is reported. The application of seals to stacks of fuel was simulated in a water-filled bay at CRNL and repetitive verification measurements were made which simulated inspection procedures. The seal identity signatures were compared using cross-correlation methods and the results show that a broken or tampered seal can be identified with a high level of confidence

Efficient generation of single and entangled photons on a silicon photonic integrated chip

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mower, Jacob; Englund, Dirk

2011-01-01

We present a protocol for generating on-demand, indistinguishable single photons on a silicon photonic integrated chip. The source is a time-multiplexed spontaneous parametric down-conversion element that allows optimization of single-photon versus multiphoton emission while realizing high output rate and indistinguishability. We minimize both the scaling of active elements and the scaling of active element loss with multiplexing. We then discuss detection strategies and data processing to further optimize the procedure. We simulate an improvement in single-photon-generation efficiency over previous time-multiplexing protocols, assuming existing fabrication capabilities. We then apply this system to generate heralded Bell states. The generation efficiency of both nonclassical states could be increased substantially with improved fabrication procedures.

Novel intelligent PID control of traveling wave ultrasonic motor.

Science.gov (United States)

Jingzhuo, Shi; Yu, Liu; Jingtao, Huang; Meiyu, Xu; Juwei, Zhang; Lei, Zhang

2014-09-01

A simple control strategy with acceptable control performance can be a good choice for the mass production of ultrasonic motor control system. In this paper, through the theoretic and experimental analyses of typical control process, a simpler intelligent PID speed control strategy of TWUM is proposed, involving only two expert rules to adjust the PID control parameters based on the current status. Compared with the traditional PID controller, this design requires less calculation and more cheap chips which can be easily involved in online performance. Experiments with different load torques and voltage amplitudes show that the proposed controller can deal with the nonlinearity and load disturbance to maintain good control performance of TWUM. Copyright © 2014 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Confocal microlaparoscope for imaging the fallopian tube

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Tzu-Yu; Rouse, Andrew R.; Chambers, Setsuko K.; Hatch, Kenneth D.; Gmitro, Arthur F.

2014-11-01

Recent evidence suggests that ovarian cancer can originate in the fallopian tube. Unlike many other cancers, poor access to the ovary and fallopian tubes has limited the ability to study the progression of this deadly disease and to diagnosis it during the early stage when it is most amenable to therapy. A rigid confocal microlaparoscope system designed to image the epithelial surface of the ovary in vivo was previously reported. A new confocal microlaparoscope with an articulating distal tip has been developed to enable in vivo access to human fallopian tubes. The new microlaparoscope is compatible with 5-mm trocars and includes a 2.2-mm-diameter articulating distal tip consisting of a bare fiber bundle and an automated dye delivery system for fluorescence confocal imaging. This small articulating device should enable the confocal microlaparoscope to image early stage ovarian cancer arising inside the fallopian tube. Ex vivo images of animal tissue and human fallopian tube using the new articulating device are presented along with in vivo imaging results using the rigid confocal microlaparoscope system.

High harmonic terahertz confocal gyrotron with nonuniform electron beam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fu, Wenjie; Guan, Xiaotong; Yan, Yang [THz Research Center, School of Physical Electronics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054 (China)

2016-01-15

The harmonic confocal gyrotron with nonuniform electron beam is proposed in this paper in order to develop compact and high power terahertz radiation source. A 0.56 THz third harmonic confocal gyrotron with a dual arc section nonuniform electron beam has been designed and investigated. The studies show that confocal cavity has extremely low mode density, and has great advantage to operate at high harmonic. Nonuniform electron beam is an approach to improve output power and interaction efficiency of confocal gyrotron. A dual arc beam magnetron injection gun for designed confocal gyrotron has been developed and presented in this paper.

Extrinsic factors affecting accuracy of ultrasonic flowmeters for LMFBRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Managan, W.W.

1976-08-01

Assuming that ultrasonic flowmeters of suitable intrinsic accuracy are feasible, this report explores factors extrinsic to the flowmeter which affect the accuracy such as asymmetric flow profile, regions of high turbulence and thermal stratification. By integrating isovelocity flow profile maps, the predicted performance of various flowmeter configurations may be compared to experimental data. For the two pipe arrangements analyzed, the single diametral path flowmeter results were within 5 percent of true flow rate. Theoretical correction factors could reduce the error for the straight pipe but increased the error for asymmetrical flow. On the same pipe arrangements a four path ultrasonic flowmeter spaced for Gaussian integration gave less than 1 percent error. For more general conclusions a range of flow profiles produced by typical LMFBR piping arrangements must be analyzed

Simultaneous fingerprint and high-wavenumber confocal Raman spectroscopy enhances early detection of cervical precancer in vivo.

Science.gov (United States)

Duraipandian, Shiyamala; Zheng, Wei; Ng, Joseph; Low, Jeffrey J H; Ilancheran, A; Huang, Zhiwei

2012-07-17

Raman spectroscopy is a vibrational spectroscopic technique capable of nondestructively probing endogenous biomolecules and their changes associated with dysplastic transformation in the tissue. The main objectives of this study are (i) to develop a simultaneous fingerprint (FP) and high-wavenumber (HW) confocal Raman spectroscopy and (ii) to investigate its diagnostic utility for improving in vivo diagnosis of cervical precancer (dysplasia). We have successfully developed an integrated FP/HW confocal Raman diagnostic system with a ball-lens Raman probe for simultaneous acquistion of FP/HW Raman signals of the cervix in vivo within 1 s. A total of 476 in vivo FP/HW Raman spectra (356 normal and 120 precancer) are acquired from 44 patients at clinical colposcopy. The distinctive Raman spectral differences between normal and dysplastic cervical tissue are observed at ~854, 937, 1001, 1095, 1253, 1313, 1445, 1654, 2946, and 3400 cm(-1) mainly related to proteins, lipids, glycogen, nucleic acids and water content in tissue. Multivariate diagnostic algorithms developed based on partial least-squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) together with the leave-one-patient-out, cross-validation yield the diagnostic sensitivities of 84.2%, 76.7%, and 85.0%, respectively; specificities of 78.9%, 73.3%, and 81.7%, respectively; and overall diagnostic accuracies of 80.3%, 74.2%, and 82.6%, respectively, using FP, HW, and integrated FP/HW Raman spectroscopic techniques for in vivo diagnosis of cervical precancer. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis further confirms the best performance of the integrated FP/HW confocal Raman technique, compared to FP or HW Raman spectroscopy alone. This work demonstrates, for the first time, that the simultaneous FP/HW confocal Raman spectroscopy has the potential to be a clinically powerful tool for improving early diagnosis and detection of cervical precancer in vivo during clinical colposcopic examination.

Atom chips: mesoscopic physics with cold atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krueger, P.; Wildermuth, S.; Hofferberth, S.; Haller, E.; GAllego Garcia, D.; Schmiedmayer, J.

2005-01-01

Full text: Cold neutral atoms can be controlled and manipulated in microscopic potentials near surfaces of atom chips. These integrated micro-devices combine the known techniques of atom optics with the capabilities of well established micro- and nanofabrication technology. In analogy to electronic microchips and integrated fiber optics, the concept of atom chips is suitable to explore the domain of mesoscopic physics with matter waves. We use current and charge carrying structures to form complex potentials with high spatial resolution only microns from the surface. In particular, atoms can be confined to an essentially one-dimensional motion. In this talk, we will give an overview of our experiments studying the manipulation of both thermal atoms and BECs on atom chips. First experiments in the quasi one-dimensional regime will be presented. These experiments profit from strongly reduced residual disorder potentials caused by imperfections of the chip fabrication with respect to previously published experiments. This is due to our purely lithographic fabrication technique that proves to be advantageous over electroplating. We have used one dimensionally confined BECs as an ultra-sensitive probe to characterize these potentials. These smooth potentials allow us to explore various aspects of the physics of degenerate quantum gases in low dimensions. (author)

A Scalable, Timing-Safe, Network-on-Chip Architecture with an Integrated Clock Distribution Method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjerregaard, Tobias; Stensgaard, Mikkel Bystrup; Sparsø, Jens

2007-01-01

Growing system sizes together with increasing performance variability are making globally synchronous operation hard to realize. Mesochronous clocking constitutes a possible solution to the problems faced. The most fundamental of problems faced when communicating between mesochronously clocked re...... is based purely on local observations. It is demonstrated with a 90 nm CMOS standard cell network-on-chip design which implements completely timing-safe, global communication in a modular system......Growing system sizes together with increasing performance variability are making globally synchronous operation hard to realize. Mesochronous clocking constitutes a possible solution to the problems faced. The most fundamental of problems faced when communicating between mesochronously clocked...... regions concerns the possibility of data corruption caused by metastability. This paper presents an integrated communication and mesochronous clocking strategy, which avoids timing related errors while maintaining a globally synchronous system perspective. The architecture is scalable as timing integrity...

Ultrasonic mammography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hueneke, B.

1982-01-01

608 women are examined by means of ultrasonic mammography during the period of 1 year. 432 patients were examined with the compound method with the U.I. Octoson, a water tank scanner, and 176 patients with the real time method with a directly connected linear-array-scanner. The following results were obtained at the end of the examination period: In the ultrasonic and also in the X-ray mammogram tumour diameters can be determined with an error rate of +- 30%. In the diagnosing of carcinomas, a significant dependence of the exactness on the sice of the tumour is found for the combination of the five methods tested (clinical examination, X-ray mammography, ultrasonic mammography, thermography, cytology). Classifying the individual methods with regard to their exactness, X-ray mammography ranks in front of ultrasonic mammography. Mastopathic changes in the breast can be screened by means of ultrasonic mammography. The structure of the changes can be determined more exactly than with an X-ray picture which is due to the possibility of differentiating solid and cystic structures. In diagnosing fibro-adenomas and establishing diagnoses on young women with dense gland bodies, ultrasonic mammography is superior to radiology both in the ability of screening a finding of a fibro-adenoma (US=88%, X-ray=75%) and in the possibility of classifying it as ''more benign than malignant''. (orig./MG) [de

Development and evaluation of a real-time fluorogenic loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay integrated on a microfluidic disc chip (on-chip LAMP) for rapid and simultaneous detection of ten pathogenic bacteria in aquatic animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Qian-Jin; Wang, Lei; Chen, Jiong; Wang, Rui-Na; Shi, Yu-Hong; Li, Chang-Hong; Zhang, De-Min; Yan, Xiao-Jun; Zhang, Yan-Jun

2014-09-01

Rapid, low-cost, and user-friendly strategies are urgently needed for early disease diagnosis and timely treatment, particularly for on-site screening of pathogens in aquaculture. In this study, we successfully developed a real-time fluorogenic loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay integrated on a microfluidic disc chip (on-chip LAMP), which was capable of simultaneously detecting 10 pathogenic bacteria in aquatic animals, i.e., Nocardia seriolae, Pseudomonas putida, Streptococcus iniae, Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio anguillarum, Vibrio fluvialis, Vibrio harveyi, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio rotiferianus, and Vibrio vulnificus. The assay provided a nearly-automated approach, with only a single pipetting step per chip for sample dispensing. This technique could achieve limits of detection (LOD) ranging from 0.40 to 6.42pg per 1.414μL reaction in less than 30 min. The robust reproducibility was demonstrated by a little variation among duplications for each bacterium with the coefficient of variation (CV) for time to positive (Tp) value less than 0.10. The clinical sensitivity and specificity of this on-chip LAMP assay in detecting field samples were 96.2% and 93.8% by comparison with conventional microbiological methods. Compared with other well-known techniques, on-chip LAMP assay provides low sample and reagent consumption, ease-of-use, accelerated analysis, multiple bacteria and on-site detection, and high reproducibility, indicating that such a technique would be applicable for on-site detection and routine monitoring of multiple pathogens in aquaculture. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spoked-ring microcavities: enabling seamless integration of nanophotonics in unmodified advanced CMOS microelectronics chips

Science.gov (United States)

Wade, Mark T.; Shainline, Jeffrey M.; Orcutt, Jason S.; Ram, Rajeev J.; Stojanovic, Vladimir; Popovic, Milos A.

2014-03-01

We present the spoked-ring microcavity, a nanophotonic building block enabling energy-efficient, active photonics in unmodified, advanced CMOS microelectronics processes. The cavity is realized in the IBM 45nm SOI CMOS process - the same process used to make many commercially available microprocessors including the IBM Power7 and Sony Playstation 3 processors. In advanced SOI CMOS processes, no partial etch steps and no vertical junctions are available, which limits the types of optical cavities that can be used for active nanophotonics. To enable efficient active devices with no process modifications, we designed a novel spoked-ring microcavity which is fully compatible with the constraints of the process. As a modulator, the device leverages the sub-100nm lithography resolution of the process to create radially extending p-n junctions, providing high optical fill factor depletion-mode modulation and thereby eliminating the need for a vertical junction. The device is made entirely in the transistor active layer, low-loss crystalline silicon, which eliminates the need for a partial etch commonly used to create ridge cavities. In this work, we present the full optical and electrical design of the cavity including rigorous mode solver and FDTD simulations to design the Qlimiting electrical contacts and the coupling/excitation. We address the layout of active photonics within the mask set of a standard advanced CMOS process and show that high-performance photonic devices can be seamlessly monolithically integrated alongside electronics on the same chip. The present designs enable monolithically integrated optoelectronic transceivers on a single advanced CMOS chip, without requiring any process changes, enabling the penetration of photonics into the microprocessor.

A study on Computer-controlled Ultrasonic Scanning Device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huh, H.; Park, C. S.; Hong, S. S.; Park, J. H.

1989-01-01

Since the nuclear power plants in Korea have been operated in 1979, the nondestructive testing (NDT) of pressure vessels and/or piping welds plays an important role for maintaining the safety and integrity of the plants. Ultrasonic method is superior to the other NDT method in the viewpoint of the detectability of small flaw and accuracy to determine the locations, sizes, orientations, and shapes. As the service time of the nuclear power plants is increased, the radiation level from the components is getting higher. In order to get more quantitative and reliable results and secure the inspector from the exposure to high radiation level, automation of the ultrasonic equipment has been one of the important research and development(R and D) subject. In this research, it was attempted to visualize the shape of flaws presented inside the specimen using a Modified C-Scan technique. In order to develop Modified C-Scan technique, an automatic ultrasonic scanner and a module to control the scanner were designed and fabricated. IBM-PC/XT was interfaced to the module to control the scanner. Analog signals from the SONIC MARK II were digitized by Analog-Digital Converter(ADC 0800) for Modified C-Scan display. A computer program has been developed and has capability of automatic data acquisition and processing from the digital data, which consist of maximum amplitudes in each gate range and locations. The data from Modified C-Scan results was compared with shape from artificial defects using the developed system. Focal length of focused transducer was measured. The automatic ultrasonic equipment developed through this study is essential for more accurate, reliable, and repeatable ultrasonic experiments. If the scanner are modified to meet to appropriate purposes, it can be applied to automation of ultrasonic examination of nuclear power plants and helpful to the research on ultrasonic characterization of the materials

Application of Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy in Biology and Medicine

OpenAIRE

I. A. Volkov; N. V. Frigo; L. F. Znamenskaya; O. R. Katunina

2014-01-01

Fluorescence confocal laser scanning microscopy and reflectance confocal laser scanning microscopy are up-to-date highend study methods. Confocal microscopy is used in cell biology and medicine. By using confocal microscopy, it is possible to study bioplasts and localization of protein molecules and other compounds relative to cell or tissue structures, and to monitor dynamic cell processes. Confocal microscopes enable layer-by-layer scanning of test items to create demonstrable 3D models. As...

Ultrasonic physics

CERN Document Server

Richardson, E G

1962-01-01

Ultrasonic Physics, Second Edition, provides an introduction to the fundamental principles of ultrasonic physics. The book opens with a discussion of the sources of ultrasound. This is followed by separate chapters on the properties and detection of ultrasonic radiation; measurement of propagation constants, i.e., the velocity and absorption, of ultrasound; ultrasound propagation in gases, liquids, and solids; and ultrasound propagation in aerosols, suspensions, and emulsions. The final chapter covers miscellaneous physical and physico-chemical actions, including dispersion and coagulation of

New generation of single-chip microcomputers focused on cost performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akao, Y.; Iwashita, H. (Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo (Japan))

1993-06-01

A single-chip microcomputer which incorporates a CPU (central processing unit), memory, and peripheral functions in one chip has been increasingly applied to various fields as the heart of electronic equipment in terms of its economy, compactness, lightness, and suitability for mass production. In response to a wide variety of needs, a lineup must have substantial breadth with regard to performance, on-chip memory capacity, on-chip peripheral functions, operating voltage, and packaging. In particular, low-voltage high-speed operation, high integration, expanded address space, and improved software productivity, which are required for mobile communication terminals, are the common needs for single-chip microcomputers. In accordance with these needs, Hitachi has been actively developing new products. The present paper introduces Hitachi's lineup of single-chip microcomputers. 10 figs., 1 tab.

Analysis of ultra-high sensitivity configuration in chip-integrated photonic crystal microcavity bio-sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chakravarty, Swapnajit; Hosseini, Amir; Xu, Xiaochuan; Zhu, Liang; Zou, Yi; Chen, Ray T.

2014-01-01

We analyze the contributions of quality factor, fill fraction, and group index of chip-integrated resonance microcavity devices, to the detection limit for bulk chemical sensing and the minimum detectable biomolecule concentration in biosensing. We analyze the contributions from analyte absorbance, as well as from temperature and spectral noise. Slow light in two-dimensional photonic crystals provide opportunities for significant reduction of the detection limit below 1 × 10 −7 RIU (refractive index unit) which can enable highly sensitive sensors in diverse application areas. We demonstrate experimentally detected concentration of 1 fM (67 fg/ml) for the binding between biotin and avidin, the lowest reported till date

Towards pH sensing in blood-vessel-on-a-chip

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tanumihardja, Esther; Olthuis, Wouter; van den Berg, Albert

2017-01-01

The Vascular Engineering on chip using differentiated Stem Cells (VESCEL) project aims to realize an on-chip model of human vasculature, where living cells are cultured and perfused in micrometer size compartments to mimic human vasculature function. This part of the VESCEL project aims to integrate

Design and length optimization of an adiabatic coupler for on-chip vertical integration of rare-earth-doped double tungstate waveguide amplifiers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mu, Jinfeng; Sefünç, Mustafa; García Blanco, Sonia Maria

2014-01-01

The integration of rare-earth doped double tungstate waveguide amplifiers onto passive technology platforms enables the on-chip amplification of very high bit rate signals. In this work, a methodology for the optimized design of vertical adiabatic couplers between a passive Si3N4 waveguide and the

A Low Cost Single Chip VDL Compatible Transceiver ASIC

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Robert

2004-01-01

Recent trends in commercial communications system components have focussed almost exclusively on cellular telephone technology. As many of the traditional sources of receiver components have discontinued non-cellular telephone products, the designers of avionics and other low volume radio applications find themselves increasingly unable to find highly integrated components. This is particularly true for low power, low cost applications which cannot afford the lavish current consumption of the software defined radio approach increasingly taken by certified device manufacturers. In this paper, we describe a low power transceiver chip targeting applications from low VHF to low UHF frequencies typical of avionics systems. The chip encompasses a selectable single or double conversion design for the receiver and a low power IF upconversion transmitter. All local oscillators are synthesized and integrated into the chip. An on-chip I-Q modulator and demodulator provide baseband modulation and demodulation capability allowing the use of low power, fixed point signal processing components for signal demodulation. The goal of this program is to demonstrate a low cost VDL mode-3 transceiver using this chip to receive text weather information sent using 4-slot TDMA with no support for voice. The data will be sent from an experimental ground station. This work is funded by NASA Glenn Research Center.

Microcomputer-controlled ultrasonic data acquisition system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simpson, W.A. Jr.

1978-11-01

The large volume of ultrasonic data generated by computer-aided test procedures has necessitated the development of a mobile, high-speed data acquisition and storage system. This approach offers the decided advantage of on-site data collection and remote data processing. It also utilizes standard, commercially available ultrasonic instrumentation. This system is controlled by an Intel 8080A microprocessor. The MCS80-SDK microcomputer board was chosen, and magnetic tape is used as the storage medium. A detailed description is provided of both the hardware and software developed to interface the magnetic tape storage subsystem to Biomation 8100 and Biomation 805 waveform recorders. A boxcar integrator acquisition system is also described for use when signal averaging becomes necessary. Both assembly language and machine language listings are provided for the software

Confocal filtering in cathodoluminescence microscopy of nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Narváez, Angela C.; Weppelman, I. Gerward C.; Moerland, Robert J.; Hoogenboom, Jacob P.; Kruit, Pieter

2014-06-01

Cathodoluminescence (CL) microscopy allows optical characterization of nanostructures at high spatial resolution. At the nanoscale, a main challenge of the technique is related to the background CL generated within the sample substrate. Here, we implement confocal detection of the CL signal to minimize the background contribution to the measurement. Nano-phosphors were used as point sources to evaluate the filtering capabilities of our confocal CL system, obtaining an axial intensity profile with 2.7 μm full width at half maximum for the central peak, in good correspondence with theoretical expectations. Considering the electron interaction volume, we found that the confocal filter becomes effective for electron energies above 20 keV, when using a 25 μm pinhole (0.86 Airy units). To illustrate our approach, we present confocal CL imaging of gold nanowires and triangular shaped plates deposited on an indium-tin oxide covered glass substrate, comparing the images with those obtained in standard unfiltered CL detection. The results show that confocal CL microscopy is a valuable tool for the investigation of nanostructures on highly cathodoluminescent substrates, widely used in biological and optical applications.

Confocal filtering in cathodoluminescence microscopy of nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Narváez, Angela C., E-mail: a.c.narvaez@tudelft.nl, E-mail: j.p.hoogenboom@tudelft.nl; Weppelman, I. Gerward C.; Moerland, Robert J.; Hoogenboom, Jacob P., E-mail: a.c.narvaez@tudelft.nl, E-mail: j.p.hoogenboom@tudelft.nl; Kruit, Pieter [Imaging Physics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg 1, 2628CJ Delft (Netherlands)

2014-06-23

Cathodoluminescence (CL) microscopy allows optical characterization of nanostructures at high spatial resolution. At the nanoscale, a main challenge of the technique is related to the background CL generated within the sample substrate. Here, we implement confocal detection of the CL signal to minimize the background contribution to the measurement. Nano-phosphors were used as point sources to evaluate the filtering capabilities of our confocal CL system, obtaining an axial intensity profile with 2.7 μm full width at half maximum for the central peak, in good correspondence with theoretical expectations. Considering the electron interaction volume, we found that the confocal filter becomes effective for electron energies above 20 keV, when using a 25 μm pinhole (0.86 Airy units). To illustrate our approach, we present confocal CL imaging of gold nanowires and triangular shaped plates deposited on an indium-tin oxide covered glass substrate, comparing the images with those obtained in standard unfiltered CL detection. The results show that confocal CL microscopy is a valuable tool for the investigation of nanostructures on highly cathodoluminescent substrates, widely used in biological and optical applications.

Detecting a single molecule using a micropore-nanopore hybrid chip.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Lei; Zhu, Lizhong; Ni, Zhonghua; Chen, Yunfei

2013-11-21

Nanopore-based DNA sequencing and biomolecule sensing have attracted more and more attention. In this work, novel sensing devices were built on the basis of the chips containing nanopore arrays in polycarbonate (PC) membranes and micropores in Si3N4 films. Using the integrated chips, the transmembrane ionic current induced by biomolecule's translocation was recorded and analyzed, which suggested that the detected current did not change linearly as commonly expected with increasing biomolecule concentration. On the other hand, detailed translocation information (such as translocation gesture) was also extracted from the discrete current blockages in basic current curves. These results indicated that the nanofluidic device based on the chips integrated by micropores and nanopores possessed comparative potentials in biomolecule sensing.

Microfluidic chip-capillary electrophoresis devices

CERN Document Server

Fung, Ying Sing; Du, Fuying; Guo, Wenpeng; Ma, Tongmei; Nie, Zhou; Sun, Hui; Wu, Ruige; Zhao, Wenfeng

2015-01-01

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) and microfluidic chip (MC) devices are relatively mature technologies, but this book demonstrates how they can be integrated into a single, revolutionary device that can provide on-site analysis of samples when laboratory services are unavailable. By introducing the combination of CE and MC technology, Microfluidic Chip-Capillary Electrophoresis Devices broadens the scope of chemical analysis, particularly in the biomedical, food, and environmental sciences. The book gives an overview of the development of MC and CE technology as well as technology that now allows for the fabrication of MC-CE devices. It describes the operating principles that make integration possible and illustrates some achievements already made by the application of MC-CE devices in hospitals, clinics, food safety, and environmental research. The authors envision further applications for private and public use once the proof-of-concept stage has been passed and obstacles to increased commercialization are ad...

Integration of systems biology with organs-on-chips to humanize therapeutic development

Science.gov (United States)

Edington, Collin D.; Cirit, Murat; Chen, Wen Li Kelly; Clark, Amanda M.; Wells, Alan; Trumper, David L.; Griffith, Linda G.

2017-02-01

"Mice are not little people" - a refrain becoming louder as the gaps between animal models and human disease become more apparent. At the same time, three emerging approaches are headed toward integration: powerful systems biology analysis of cell-cell and intracellular signaling networks in patient-derived samples; 3D tissue engineered models of human organ systems, often made from stem cells; and micro-fluidic and meso-fluidic devices that enable living systems to be sustained, perturbed and analyzed for weeks in culture. Integration of these rapidly moving fields has the potential to revolutionize development of therapeutics for complex, chronic diseases, including those that have weak genetic bases and substantial contributions from gene-environment interactions. Technical challenges in modeling complex diseases with "organs on chips" approaches include the need for relatively large tissue masses and organ-organ cross talk to capture systemic effects, such that current microfluidic formats often fail to capture the required scale and complexity for interconnected systems. These constraints drive development of new strategies for designing in vitro models, including perfusing organ models, as well as "mesofluidic" pumping and circulation in platforms connecting several organ systems, to achieve the appropriate physiological relevance.

Recent advances in nanoplasmonic biosensors: applications and lab-on-a-chip integration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lopez Gerardo A.

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Motivated by the recent progress in the nanofabrication field and the increasing demand for cost-effective, portable, and easy-to-use point-of-care platforms, localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR biosensors have been subjected to a great scientific interest in the last few years. The progress observed in the research of this nanoplasmonic technology is remarkable not only from a nanostructure fabrication point of view but also in the complete development and integration of operative devices and their application. The potential benefits that LSPR biosensors can offer, such as sensor miniaturization, multiplexing opportunities, and enhanced performances, have quickly positioned them as an interesting candidate in the design of lab-on-a-chip (LOC optical biosensor platforms. This review covers specifically the most significant achievements that occurred in recent years towards the integration of this technology in compact devices, with views of obtaining LOC devices. We also discuss the most relevant examples of the use of the nanoplasmonic biosensors for real bioanalytical and clinical applications from assay development and validation to the identification of the implications, requirements, and challenges to be surpassed to achieve fully operative devices.

Digital differential confocal microscopy based on spatial shift transformation.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, J; Wang, Y; Liu, C; Wilson, T; Wang, H; Tan, J

2014-11-01

Differential confocal microscopy is a particularly powerful surface profilometry technique in industrial metrology due to its high axial sensitivity and insensitivity to noise. However, the practical implementation of the technique requires the accurate positioning of point detectors in three-dimensions. We describe a simple alternative based on spatial transformation of a through-focus series of images obtained from a homemade beam scanning confocal microscope. This digital differential confocal microscopy approach is described and compared with the traditional Differential confocal microscopy approach. The ease of use of the digital differential confocal microscopy system is illustrated by performing measurements on a 3D standard specimen. © 2014 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2014 Royal Microscopical Society.

Optical chromatography using a photonic crystal fiber with on-chip fluorescence excitation

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Ashok, AC

2010-03-01

Full Text Available The authors describe the realization of integrated optical chromatography, in conjunction with on-chip fluorescence excitation, in a monolithically fabricated poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic chip. The unique endlessly-single-mode guiding...

Rapid, Sensitive, and Reusable Detection of Glucose by a Robust Radiofrequency Integrated Passive Device Biosensor Chip

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Nam-Young; Adhikari, Kishor Kumar; Dhakal, Rajendra; Chuluunbaatar, Zorigt; Wang, Cong; Kim, Eun-Soo

2015-01-01

Tremendous demands for sensitive and reliable label-free biosensors have stimulated intensive research into developing miniaturized radiofrequency resonators for a wide range of biomedical applications. Here, we report the development of a robust, reusable radiofrequency resonator based integrated passive device biosensor chip fabricated on a gallium arsenide substrate for the detection of glucose in water-glucose solutions and sera. As a result of the highly concentrated electromagnetic energy between the two divisions of an intertwined spiral inductor coupled with an interdigital capacitor, the proposed glucose biosensor chip exhibits linear detection ranges with high sensitivity at center frequency. This biosensor, which has a sensitivity of up to 199 MHz/mgmL−1 and a short response time of less than 2 sec, exhibited an ultralow detection limit of 0.033 μM and a reproducibility of 0.61% relative standard deviation. In addition, the quantities derived from the measured S-parameters, such as the propagation constant (γ), impedance (Z), resistance (R), inductance (L), conductance (G) and capacitance (C), enabled the effective multi-dimensional detection of glucose. PMID:25588958

Confocal Raman Microscopy; applications in tissue engineering

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Apeldoorn, Aart A.

2005-01-01

This dissertation describes the use of confocal Raman microscopy and spectroscopy in the field of tissue engineering. Moreover, it describes the combination of two already existing technologies, namely scanning electron microscopy and confocal Raman spectroscopy in one apparatus for the enhancement

Various on-chip sensors with microfluidics for biological applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hun; Xu, Linfeng; Koh, Domin; Nyayapathi, Nikhila; Oh, Kwang W

2014-09-12

In this paper, we review recent advances in on-chip sensors integrated with microfluidics for biological applications. Since the 1990s, much research has concentrated on developing a sensing system using optical phenomena such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) to improve the sensitivity of the device. The sensing performance can be significantly enhanced with the use of microfluidic chips to provide effective liquid manipulation and greater flexibility. We describe an optical image sensor with a simpler platform for better performance over a larger field of view (FOV) and greater depth of field (DOF). As a new trend, we review consumer electronics such as smart phones, tablets, Google glasses, etc. which are being incorporated in point-of-care (POC) testing systems. In addition, we discuss in detail the current optical sensing system integrated with a microfluidic chip.

Effect of Ultrasonic Frequency on Lactic Acid Fermentation Promotion by Ultrasonic Irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Shimada, Tadayuki; Ohdaira, Etsuzo; Masuzawa, Nobuyoshi

2004-05-01

The authors have been researching the promotion of lactic acid fermentation by ultrasonic irradiation. In the past research, it was proven that ultrasonic irradiation is effective in the process of fermentation, and the production of yoghurt and kefir was promoted. In this study, the effect of the ultrasonic frequency in this fermentation process was examined. In the frequency range of this study, it was found that the action of fermentation promotion was exponentially proportionate to the irradiated ultrasonic frequency.

Surface profile measurement by using the integrated Linnik WLSI and confocal microscope system

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei-Chung; Shen, Ming-Hsing; Hwang, Chi-Hung; Yu, Yun-Ting; Wang, Tzu-Fong

2017-06-01

The white-light scanning interferometer (WLSI) and confocal microscope (CM) are the two major optical inspection systems for measuring three-dimensional (3D) surface profile (SP) of micro specimens. Nevertheless, in practical applications, WLSI is more suitable for measuring smooth and low-slope surfaces. On the other hand, CM is more suitable for measuring uneven-reflective and low-reflective surfaces. As for aspect of surface profiles to be measured, the characteristics of WLSI and CM are also different. WLSI is generally used in semiconductor industry while CM is more popular in printed circuit board industry. In this paper, a self-assembled multi-function optical system was integrated to perform Linnik white-light scanning interferometer (Linnik WLSI) and CM. A connecting part composed of tubes, lenses and interferometer was used to conjunct finite and infinite optical systems for Linnik WLSI and CM in the self-assembled optical system. By adopting the flexibility of tubes and lenses, switching to perform two different optical measurements can be easily achieved. Furthermore, based on the shape from focus method with energy of Laplacian filter, the CM was developed to enhance the on focal information of each pixel so that the CM can provide all-in-focus image for performing the 3D SP measurement and analysis simultaneously. As for Linnik WLSI, eleven-step phase shifting algorithm was used to analyze vertical scanning signals and determine the 3D SP.

Electromagnetic ultrasonic guided waves

CERN Document Server

Huang, Songling; Li, Weibin; Wang, Qing

2016-01-01

This book introduces the fundamental theory of electromagnetic ultrasonic guided waves, together with its applications. It includes the dispersion characteristics and matching theory of guided waves; the mechanism of production and theoretical model of electromagnetic ultrasonic guided waves; the effect mechanism between guided waves and defects; the simulation method for the entire process of electromagnetic ultrasonic guided wave propagation; electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement; pipeline axial guided wave defect detection; and electromagnetic ultrasonic guided wave detection of gas pipeline cracks. This theory and findings on applications draw on the author’s intensive research over the past eight years. The book can be used for nondestructive testing technology and as an engineering reference work. The specific implementation of the electromagnetic ultrasonic guided wave system presented here will also be of value for other nondestructive test developers.

A Laser-based Ultrasonic Inspection System to Detect Micro Fatigue Cracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Seung Kyu; Baik, Sung Hoon; Park, Moon Cheol; Lim, Chang Hwan; Cha, Hyung Ki

2005-01-01

Laser-based ultrasonic techniques have been established as a viable non-contact alternative to piezoelectric transducers for generating and receiving ultrasound. Laser-based ultrasonic inspection system provides a number of advantages over the conventional generation by piezoelectric transducers, especially a non-contact generation and detection of ultrasonic waves, high spatial scanning resolution, controllable narrow-band and wide-band spectrum, absolute measurements of the moving distance, use of fiber optics, and an ability to operate on curved and rough surfaces and at hard-to-access locations like a nuclear power plant. Ochiai and Miura used the laser-based ultrasound to detect micro fatigue cracks for the inspection of a material degradation in nuclear power plants. This widely applicable laser-based ultrasonic inspection system is comparatively expensive and provides low signal-to-noise ratio to measure ultrasound by using the laser interferometer. Many studies have been carried out to improve the measuring efficiency of the laser interferometer. One of the widely used laser interferometer types to measure the ultrasound is the Confocal Fabry-Perot Interferometer(CFPI). The measurement gain of the CFPI is slightly and continually varied according to the small change of the cavity length and the fluctuations of the measuring laser beam frequency with time. If we continually adjust the voltage of a PZT which is fixed to one of the interferometer mirrors, the optimum working point of the CFPI can be fixed. Though a static stabilizer can fix the gain of the CFPI where the CW laser beam is targeted at one position, it can not be used when the CW laser beam is scanned like a scanning laser source(SLS) technique. A dynamic stabilizer can be used for the scanning ultrasonic inspection system. A robust dynamic stabilizer is needed for an application to the industrial inspection fields. Kromine showed that the SLS technique is effective to detect small fatigue cracks

Ultrasonic viewing device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Juro.

1979-01-01

Purpose: To improve the safety of reactor operation by enabling to detect the states and positions of fuel assemblies over a wide range with a set of ultrasonic viewing device comprising a rotatable ultrasonic transmitter-receiver and a reflector mounted with an adjustable angle. Constitution: A driving portion for a ultrasonic viewing device is provided to a rotary plug closing the opening of a reactor vessel and a guide pipe suspending below the coolant level is provided to the driving portion. An ultrasonic transmitter-receiver is provided at the end of the holder tube in the guide pipe. A reflector is provided at the upper position of the reactor core so as to correspond to the ultrasonic transmitter-receiver. The ultrasonic transmitter-receiver, positioned by the driving portion, performs horizontal movement for scanning the entire surface of the top of the reactor core, as well as vertical movement covering the gap between the upper mechanism on the reactor and the reactor core, whereby the confirmation for the separation of the control rod and the detection for the states of the reactor core can be conducted by the reflection waves from the reflector. (Moriyama, K.)

Disposable world-to-chip interface for digital microfluidics

Science.gov (United States)

Van Dam, R. Michael; Shah, Gaurav; Keng, Pei-Yuin

2017-05-16

The present disclosure sets forth incorporating microfluidic chips interfaces for use with digital microfluidic processes. Methods and devices according to the present disclosure utilize compact, integrated platforms that interface with a chip upstream and downstream of the reaction, as well as between intermediate reaction steps if needed. In some embodiments these interfaces are automated, including automation of a multiple reagent process. Various reagent delivery systems and methods are also disclosed.

Fabrication of pseudo-spin-MOSFETs using a multi-project wafer CMOS chip

Science.gov (United States)

Nakane, R.; Shuto, Y.; Sukegawa, H.; Wen, Z. C.; Yamamoto, S.; Mitani, S.; Tanaka, M.; Inomata, K.; Sugahara, S.

2014-12-01

We demonstrate monolithic integration of pseudo-spin-MOSFETs (PS-MOSFETs) using vendor-made MOSFETs fabricated in a low-cost multi-project wafer (MPW) product and lab-made magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) formed on the topmost passivation film of the MPW chip. The tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio of the fabricated MTJs strongly depends on the surface roughness of the passivation film. Nevertheless, after the chip surface was atomically flattened by SiO2 deposition on it and successive chemical-mechanical polish (CMP) process for the surface, the fabricated MTJs on the chip exhibits a sufficiently large TMR ratio (>140%) adaptable to the PS-MOSFET application. The implemented PS-MOSFETs show clear modulation of the output current controlled by the magnetization configuration of the MTJs, and a maximum magnetocurrent ratio of 90% is achieved. These magnetocurrent behaviour is quantitatively consistent with those predicted by HSPICE simulations. The developed integration technique using a MPW CMOS chip would also be applied to monolithic integration of CMOS devices/circuits and other various functional devices/materials, which would open the door for exploring CMOS-based new functional hybrid circuits.

Experimental verification of on-chip CMOS fractional-order capacitor emulators

KAUST Repository

Tsirimokou, G.

2016-06-13

The experimental results from a fabricated integrated circuit of fractional-order capacitor emulators are reported. The chip contains emulators of capacitors of orders 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6 and 0.7 with nano-Farad pseudo-capacitances that can be adjusted through a bias current. Two off-chip capacitors are used to set the bandwidth of each emulator independently. The chip was designed in Austria microsystems (AMS) 0.35μ CMOS. © 2016 The Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Experimental verification of on-chip CMOS fractional-order capacitor emulators

KAUST Repository

Tsirimokou, G.; Psychalinos, C.; Salama, Khaled N.; Elwakil, A.S.

2016-01-01

The experimental results from a fabricated integrated circuit of fractional-order capacitor emulators are reported. The chip contains emulators of capacitors of orders 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6 and 0.7 with nano-Farad pseudo-capacitances that can be adjusted through a bias current. Two off-chip capacitors are used to set the bandwidth of each emulator independently. The chip was designed in Austria microsystems (AMS) 0.35μ CMOS. © 2016 The Institution of Engineering and Technology.

3D-SoftChip: A Novel Architecture for Next-Generation Adaptive Computing Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Mike Myung-Ok

2006-01-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces a novel architecture for next-generation adaptive computing systems, which we term 3D-SoftChip. The 3D-SoftChip is a 3-dimensional (3D vertically integrated adaptive computing system combining state-of-the-art processing and 3D interconnection technology. It comprises the vertical integration of two chips (a configurable array processor and an intelligent configurable switch through an indium bump interconnection array (IBIA. The configurable array processor (CAP is an array of heterogeneous processing elements (PEs, while the intelligent configurable switch (ICS comprises a switch block, 32-bit dedicated RISC processor for control, on-chip program/data memory, data frame buffer, along with a direct memory access (DMA controller. This paper introduces the novel 3D-SoftChip architecture for real-time communication and multimedia signal processing as a next-generation computing system. The paper further describes the advanced HW/SW codesign and verification methodology, including high-level system modeling of the 3D-SoftChip using SystemC, being used to determine the optimum hardware specification in the early design stage.

Analysis of ultra-high sensitivity configuration in chip-integrated photonic crystal microcavity bio-sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chakravarty, Swapnajit, E-mail: swapnajit.chakravarty@omegaoptics.com; Hosseini, Amir; Xu, Xiaochuan [Omega Optics, Inc., Austin, Texas 78757 (United States); Zhu, Liang; Zou, Yi [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78758 (United States); Chen, Ray T., E-mail: raychen@uts.cc.utexas.edu [Omega Optics, Inc., Austin, Texas 78757 (United States); Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78758 (United States)

2014-05-12

We analyze the contributions of quality factor, fill fraction, and group index of chip-integrated resonance microcavity devices, to the detection limit for bulk chemical sensing and the minimum detectable biomolecule concentration in biosensing. We analyze the contributions from analyte absorbance, as well as from temperature and spectral noise. Slow light in two-dimensional photonic crystals provide opportunities for significant reduction of the detection limit below 1 × 10{sup −7} RIU (refractive index unit) which can enable highly sensitive sensors in diverse application areas. We demonstrate experimentally detected concentration of 1 fM (67 fg/ml) for the binding between biotin and avidin, the lowest reported till date.

Radial vibration and ultrasonic field of a long tubular ultrasonic radiator.

Science.gov (United States)

Shuyu, Lin; Zhiqiang, Fu; Xiaoli, Zhang; Yong, Wang; Jing, Hu

2013-09-01

The radial vibration of a metal long circular tube is studied analytically and its electro-mechanical equivalent circuit is obtained. Based on the equivalent circuit, the radial resonance frequency equation is derived. The theoretical relationship between the radial resonance frequency and the geometrical dimensions is studied. Finite element method is used to simulate the radial vibration and the radiated ultrasonic field and the results are compared with those from the analytical method. It is concluded that the radial resonance frequency for a solid metal rod is larger than that for a metal tube with the same outer radius. The radial resonance frequencies from the analytical method are in good agreement with those from the numerical method. Based on the acoustic field analysis, it is concluded that the long metal tube with small wall thickness is superior to that with large wall thickness in producing radial vibration and ultrasonic radiation. Therefore, it is expected to be used as an effective radial ultrasonic radiator in ultrasonic sewage treatment, ultrasonic antiscale and descaling and other ultrasonic liquid handling applications. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Design and development of Pc-based TOFD ultrasonic scanning system for welds inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suhairy Sani; Mohamad Pauzi Ismai; Muhammad Faiz Mohd Shukri; Amry Amin Abas

2010-01-01

This paper describes the design and development of a portable PC-based ultrasonic scanning system for industrial applications. The system which is called TOFD Ultrasonic Scanning System (TOFUSS) is used to create a gray scale imaging techniques are applied to the RF (AC) signal phase and enables weld integrity to be observed in real time. TOFD consists of a separate ultrasonic transmitter and receiver. The Probes are aimed at the same point in the weld volume. The entire weld is flooded with ultrasound allowing inspection of the weld. With a time of flight path, the ultrasonic velocity and the spatial relationship of the two probes, location and height of the defects can be very accurately calculated. The algorithm and complete system were implemented in a computer software developed using Microsoft Visual BASIC 6.0. (author)

Diffractive elements performance in chromatic confocal microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garzon, J; Duque, D; Alean, A; Toledo, M; Meneses, J; Gharbi, T

2011-01-01

The Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) has been widely used in the semiconductor industry and biomedicine because of its depth discrimination capability. Subsequent to this technique has been developed in recent years Chromatic Confocal Microscopy. This method retains the same principle of confocal and offers the added advantage of removing the axial movement of the moving system. This advantage is usually accomplished with an optical element that generates a longitudinal chromatic aberration and a coding system that relates the axial position of each point of the sample with the wavelength that is focused on each. The present paper shows the performance of compact chromatic confocal microscope when some different diffractive elements are used for generation of longitudinal chromatic aberration. Diffractive elements, according to the process and manufacturing parameters, may have different diffraction efficiency and focus a specific wavelength in a specific focal position. The performance assessment is carried out with various light sources which exhibit an incoherent behaviour and a broad spectral width.

Ultrasonic decontamination robot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patenaude, R.S.

1984-01-01

An ultrasonic decontamination robot removes radioactive contamination from the internal surface of the inlet and outlet headers, divider plate, tube sheet, and lower portions of tubes of a nuclear power plant steam generator. A programmable microprocessor controller guides the movement of a robotic arm mounted in the header manway. An ultrasonic transducer having a solvent delivery subsystem through which ultrasonic action is achieved is moved by the arm over the surfaces. A solvent recovery suction tube is positioned within the header to remove solvent therefrom while avoiding interference with the main robotic arm. The solvent composition, temperature, pressure, viscosity, and purity are controlled to optimize the ultrasonic scrubbing action. The ultrasonic transducer is controlled at a power density, frequency, and on-off mode cycle such as to optimize scrubbing action within the range of transducer-to-surface distance and solvent layer thickness selected for the particular conditions encountered. Both solvent and transducer control actions are optimized by the programmable microprocessor. (author)

Extreme-temperature lab on a chip for optogalvanic spectroscopy of ultra small samples - key components and a first integration attempt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berglund, Martin; Khaji, Zahra; Persson, Anders; Sturesson, Peter; Breivik, Johan Söderberg; Thornell, Greger; Klintberg, Lena

2016-01-01

This is a short summary of the authors’ recent R and D on valves, combustors, plasma sources, and pressure and temperature sensors, realized in high-temperature co-fired ceramics, and an account for the first attempt to monolithically integrate them to form a lab on a chip for sample administration, preparation and analysis, as a stage in optogalvanic spectroscopy. (paper)

Addressing On-Chip Power Converstion and Dissipation Issues in Many-Core System-on-a-Chip Based on Conventional Silicon and Emerging Nanotechnologies

Science.gov (United States)

Ashenafi, Emeshaw

Integrated circuits (ICs) are moving towards system-on-a-chip (SOC) designs. SOC allows various small and large electronic systems to be implemented in a single chip. This approach enables the miniaturization of design blocks that leads to high density transistor integration, faster response time, and lower fabrication costs. To reap the benefits of SOC and uphold the miniaturization of transistors, innovative power delivery and power dissipation management schemes are paramount. This dissertation focuses on on-chip integration of power delivery systems and managing power dissipation to increase the lifetime of energy storage elements. We explore this problem from two different angels: On-chip voltage regulators and power gating techniques. On-chip voltage regulators reduce parasitic effects, and allow faster and efficient power delivery for microprocessors. Power gating techniques, on the other hand, reduce the power loss incurred by circuit blocks during standby mode. Power dissipation (Ptotal = Pstatic and Pdynamic) in a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuit comes from two sources: static and dynamic. A quadratic dependency on the dynamic switching power and a more than linear dependency on static power as a form of gate leakage (subthreshold current) exist. To reduce dynamic power loss, the supply power should be reduced. A significant reduction in power dissipation occurs when portions of a microprocessor operate at a lower voltage level. This reduction in supply voltage is achieved via voltage regulators or converters. Voltage regulators are used to provide a stable power supply to the microprocessor. The conventional off-chip switching voltage regulator contains a passive floating inductor, which is difficult to be implemented inside the chip due to excessive power dissipation and parasitic effects. Additionally, the inductor takes a very large chip area while hampering the scaling process. These limitations make passive inductor based on-chip

Ultrasonic testing device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawrie, W.E.

1978-01-01

The ultrasonic transmitter made of polarized ferroelectric ceramic material (lead zirconate titanate) is arranged in a strip carrier which allows it to be introduced between the fuel elements of a fuel subassembly in a water cooled nuclear reactor. The ultrasonic transmitter is insulated relative to the carrier. The echo of the ra dal ultrasonic pulse is recorded which changes as faulty water filled fuel elements are detected. (RW) [de

Various On-Chip Sensors with Microfluidics for Biological Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hun Lee

2014-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we review recent advances in on-chip sensors integrated with microfluidics for biological applications. Since the 1990s, much research has concentrated on developing a sensing system using optical phenomena such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS to improve the sensitivity of the device. The sensing performance can be significantly enhanced with the use of microfluidic chips to provide effective liquid manipulation and greater flexibility. We describe an optical image sensor with a simpler platform for better performance over a larger field of view (FOV and greater depth of field (DOF. As a new trend, we review consumer electronics such as smart phones, tablets, Google glasses, etc. which are being incorporated in point-of-care (POC testing systems. In addition, we discuss in detail the current optical sensing system integrated with a microfluidic chip.

Sol-gel zinc oxide humidity sensors integrated with a ring oscillator circuit on-a-chip.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Ming-Zhi; Dai, Ching-Liang; Wu, Chyan-Chyi

2014-10-28

The study develops an integrated humidity microsensor fabricated using the commercial 0.18 μm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. The integrated humidity sensor consists of a humidity sensor and a ring oscillator circuit on-a-chip. The humidity sensor is composed of a sensitive film and branch interdigitated electrodes. The sensitive film is zinc oxide prepared by sol-gel method. After completion of the CMOS process, the sensor requires a post-process to remove the sacrificial oxide layer and to coat the zinc oxide film on the interdigitated electrodes. The capacitance of the sensor changes when the sensitive film adsorbs water vapor. The circuit is used to convert the capacitance of the humidity sensor into the oscillation frequency output. Experimental results show that the output frequency of the sensor changes from 84.3 to 73.4 MHz at 30 °C as the humidity increases 40 to 90%RH.

Characterization of porous silicon integrated in liquid chromatography chips

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tiggelaar, Roald M.; Verdoold, Vincent; Eghbali, H.; Desmet, G.; Gardeniers, Johannes G.E.

2009-01-01

Properties of porous silicon which are relevant for use of the material as a stationary phase in liquid chromatography chips, like porosity, pore size and specific surface area, were determined with high-resolution SEM and N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms. For the anodization conditions

On-chip Magnetic Separation and Cell Encapsulation in Droplets

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, A.; Byvank, T.; Bharde, A.; Miller, B. L.; Chalmers, J. J.; Sooryakumar, R.; Chang, W.-J.; Bashir, R.

2012-02-01

The demand for high-throughput single cell assays is gaining importance because of the heterogeneity of many cell suspensions, even after significant initial sorting. These suspensions may display cell-to-cell variability at the gene expression level that could impact single cell functional genomics, cancer, stem-cell research and drug screening. The on-chip monitoring of individual cells in an isolated environment could prevent cross-contamination, provide high recovery yield and ability to study biological traits at a single cell level These advantages of on-chip biological experiments contrast to conventional methods, which require bulk samples that provide only averaged information on cell metabolism. We report on a device that integrates microfluidic technology with a magnetic tweezers array to combine the functionality of separation and encapsulation of objects such as immunomagnetically labeled cells or magnetic beads into pico-liter droplets on the same chip. The ability to control the separation throughput that is independent of the hydrodynamic droplet generation rate allows the encapsulation efficiency to be optimized. The device can potentially be integrated with on-chip labeling and/or bio-detection to become a powerful single-cell analysis device.

Optical bio-sensors in microfluidic chips

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pollnau, Markus; Dongre, C.; Pham Van So, P.V.S.; Bernhardi, Edward; Worhoff, Kerstin; de Ridder, R.M.; Hoekstra, Hugo

2012-01-01

Direct femtosecond laser writing is used to integrate optical waveguides that intersect the microfluidic channels in a commercial optofluidic chip. With laser excitation, fluorescently labeled DNA molecules of different sizes are separated by capillary electrophoresis with high operating speed and

Measurement of a 3D Ultrasonic Wavefield Using Pulsed Laser Holographic Microscopy for Ultrasonic Nondestructive Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xing Wang

2018-02-01

Full Text Available In ultrasonic array imaging, 3D ultrasonic wavefields are normally recorded by an ultrasonic piezo array transducer. Its performance is limited by the configuration and size of the array transducer. In this paper, a method based on digital holographic interferometry is proposed to record the 3D ultrasonic wavefields instead of the array transducer, and the measurement system consisting of a pulsed laser, ultrasonic excitation, and synchronization and control circuit is designed. A consecutive sequence of holograms of ultrasonic wavefields are recorded by the system. The interferograms are calculated from the recorded holograms at different time sequence. The amplitudes and phases of the transient ultrasonic wavefields are recovered from the interferograms by phase unwrapping. The consecutive sequence of transient ultrasonic wavefields are stacked together to generate 3D ultrasonic wavefields. Simulation and experiments are carried out to verify the proposed technique, and preliminary results are presented.

Contribution of dynamic focusing to ultrasonic defect characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahaut, S.

1997-01-01

Non destructive testing of vessels of pressurized water reactors uses ultrasonic focused transducers, with spherically shaped emitting surface or requiring an acoustic lens. But a mechanically focused transducer has to be used for a given inspection zone and for a fixed control configuration. The aim of this thesis is to improve ultrasonic defect characterization using adaptive dynamic focusing. Such a technique makes use of a ultrasonic defect characterization using adaptive dynamic focusing. Such a technique makes use of an ultrasonic transducer split into an array of individually controlled elements, allowing to apply delay and amplitude laws, calculated from modeling or experimentally deduced. Acoustical characteristics of the ultrasonic beam in the inspected specimen this can be electronically controlled; refraction angle, depth focusing, beam width. We briefly describe in the first chapter a theoretical modeling of the ultrasonic field radiated through a fluid/solid interface, extended to phase array transducers. This model is based on the integral formulation of Rayleigh, modified to take into account transmission through a fluid/solid (homogeneous and isotropic), of planar or cylindrical shape. In the second chapter an experimental study of this technique, with delay and amplitude laws given from the model, is presented, showing the efficiency of this method to adjust the acoustic performances. In he third chapter, experimental delay laws, extracted from the time distribution of signals received by the array (issued from a preliminary detected reflector), are used to provide an optimal imaging of the defect. This self-focusing procedure shows to adapt to a defect without using theoretical delays. The last chapter is dedicated to different applications devoted to improved defect characterization. The first application uses amplitude distribution received by the array, pointing out geometric characteristics of the reflector, while the second application

Characterizing Rat PNS Electrophysiological Response to Electrical Stimulation Using in vitro Chip-Based Human Investigational Platform (iCHIP)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khani, Joshua [Georgetown Univ., Washington, DC (United States); Prescod, Lindsay [Georgetown Univ., Washington, DC (United States); Enright, Heather [Georgetown Univ., Washington, DC (United States); Felix, Sarah [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Osburn, Joanne [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Wheeler, Elizabeth [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Kulp, Kris [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2015-08-18

Ex vivo systems and organ-on-a-chip technology offer an unprecedented approach to modeling the inner workings of the human body. The ultimate goal of LLNL’s in vitro Chip-based Human Investigational Platform (iCHIP) is to integrate multiple organ tissue cultures using microfluidic channels, multi-electrode arrays (MEA), and other biosensors in order to effectively simulate and study the responses and interactions of the major organs to chemical and physical stimulation. In this study, we focused on the peripheral nervous system (PNS) component of the iCHIP system. Specifically we sought to expound on prior research investigating the electrophysiological response of rat dorsal root ganglion cells (rDRGs) to chemical exposures, such as capsaicin. Our aim was to establish a protocol for electrical stimulation using the iCHIP device that would reliably elicit a characteristic response in rDRGs. By varying the parameters for both the stimulation properties – amplitude, phase width, phase shape, and stimulation/ return configuration – and the culture conditions – day in vitro and neural cell types - we were able to make several key observations and uncover a potential convention with a minimal number of devices tested. Future work will seek to establish a standard protocol for human DRGs in the iCHIP which will afford a portable, rapid method for determining the effects of toxins and novel therapeutics on the PNS.

Reconfigurable Integrated Optoelectronics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard Soref

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Integrated optics today is based upon chips of Si and InP. The future of this chip industry is probably contained in the thrust towards optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEICs and photonic integrated circuits (PICs manufactured in a high-volume foundry. We believe that reconfigurable OEICs and PICs, known as ROEICs and RPICs, constitute the ultimate embodiment of integrated photonics. This paper shows that any ROEIC-on-a-chip can be decomposed into photonic modules, some of them fixed and some of them changeable in function. Reconfiguration is provided by electrical control signals to the electro-optical building blocks. We illustrate these modules in detail and discuss 3D ROEIC chips for the highest-performance signal processing. We present examples of our module theory for RPIC optical lattice filters already constructed, and we propose new ROEICs for directed optical logic, large-scale matrix switching, and 2D beamsteering of a phased-array microwave antenna. In general, large-scale-integrated ROEICs will enable significant applications in computing, quantum computing, communications, learning, imaging, telepresence, sensing, RF/microwave photonics, information storage, cryptography, and data mining.

Turbulence enhancement by ultrasonically induced gaseous cavitation in the CO2 saturated water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Seung Youp; Choi, Young Don

2002-01-01

Recent primary concern for the design of high performance heat exchanger and highly integrated electronic equipment is to develop an active and creative technologies which enhance the heat transfer without obstructing the coolant flows. In this study, we found through the LDV measurement that the gaseous cavitation induced by ultrasonic vibration applied to the CO 2 saturated water in the square cross-sectioned straight duct flow enhances the turbulence much more than the case of non-ultrasonic or normal ultrasonic conditions without gaseous cavitation does. We also found that gaseous cavitation can enhance effectively the turbulent heat transfer between the heating surfaces and coolants by destructing the viscous sublayer

Thermal-Aware Scheduling for Future Chip Multiprocessors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro Trancoso

2007-04-01

Full Text Available The increased complexity and operating frequency in current single chip microprocessors is resulting in a decrease in the performance improvements. Consequently, major manufacturers offer chip multiprocessor (CMP architectures in order to keep up with the expected performance gains. This architecture is successfully being introduced in many markets including that of the embedded systems. Nevertheless, the integration of several cores onto the same chip may lead to increased heat dissipation and consequently additional costs for cooling, higher power consumption, decrease of the reliability, and thermal-induced performance loss, among others. In this paper, we analyze the evolution of the thermal issues for the future chip multiprocessor architectures and show that as the number of on-chip cores increases, the thermal-induced problems will worsen. In addition, we present several scenarios that result in excessive thermal stress to the CMP chip or significant performance loss. In order to minimize or even eliminate these problems, we propose thermal-aware scheduler (TAS algorithms. When assigning processes to cores, TAS takes their temperature and cooling ability into account in order to avoid thermal stress and at the same time improve the performance. Experimental results have shown that a TAS algorithm that considers also the temperatures of neighboring cores is able to significantly reduce the temperature-induced performance loss while at the same time, decrease the chip's temperature across many different operation and configuration scenarios.

Programmable lab-on-a-chip system for single cell analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Thalhammer, S.

2009-05-01

The collection, selection, amplification and detection of minimum genetic samples became a part of everyday life in medical and biological laboratories, to analyze DNA-fragments of pathogens, patient samples and traces on crime scenes. About a decade ago, a handful of researchers began discussing an intriguing idea. Could the equipment needed for everyday chemistry and biology procedures be shrunk to fit on a chip in the size of a fingernail? Miniature devices for, say, analysing DNA and proteins should be faster and cheaper than conventional versions. Lab-on-a-chip is an advanced technology that integrates a microfluidic system on a microscale chip device. The "laboratory" is created by means of channels, mixers, reservoirs, diffusion chambers, integrated electrodes, pumps, valves and more. With lab-ona- chip technology, complete laboratories on a square centimetre can be created. Here, a multifunctional programmable Lab-on-a-Chip driven by nanofluidics and controlled by surface acoustic waves (SAW) is presented. This system combines serial DNA-isolation-, amplification- and array-detection-process on a modified glass-platform. The fluid actuation is controlled via SAW by interdigital transducers implemented in the chemical modified chip surface. The chemical surface modification allows fluid handling in the sub-microliter range. Minute amount of sample material is extracted by laser-based microdissection out of e.g. histological sections at the single cell level. A few picogram of genetic material are isolated and transferred via a low-pressure transfer system (SPATS) onto the chip. Subsequently the genetic material inside single droplets, which behave like "virtual" beaker, is transported to the reaction and analysis centers on the chip surface via surface acoustic waves, mainly known as noise dumping filters in mobile phones. At these "biological reactors" the genetic material is processed, e.g. amplified via polymerase chain reaction methods, and genetically

3D Printing of Organs-On-Chips.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Hee-Gyeong; Lee, Hyungseok; Cho, Dong-Woo

2017-01-25

Organ-on-a-chip engineering aims to create artificial living organs that mimic the complex and physiological responses of real organs, in order to test drugs by precisely manipulating the cells and their microenvironments. To achieve this, the artificial organs should to be microfabricated with an extracellular matrix (ECM) and various types of cells, and should recapitulate morphogenesis, cell differentiation, and functions according to the native organ. A promising strategy is 3D printing, which precisely controls the spatial distribution and layer-by-layer assembly of cells, ECMs, and other biomaterials. Owing to this unique advantage, integration of 3D printing into organ-on-a-chip engineering can facilitate the creation of micro-organs with heterogeneity, a desired 3D cellular arrangement, tissue-specific functions, or even cyclic movement within a microfluidic device. Moreover, fully 3D-printed organs-on-chips more easily incorporate other mechanical and electrical components with the chips, and can be commercialized via automated massive production. Herein, we discuss the recent advances and the potential of 3D cell-printing technology in engineering organs-on-chips, and provides the future perspectives of this technology to establish the highly reliable and useful drug-screening platforms.

Cracks assessment using ultrasonic technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martinez, Maria Pia; Tomasella, Marcelo [OLDELVAL S.A. Oleoductos del Valle, Rio Negro (Argentina). Pipeline Integrity Dept.

2005-07-01

The goal of Oldelval Integrity Program is to prevent ruptures and leaks, developing strategies for a better handling of the integrity of our pipelines. In order to achieve it we have studied and modeled each process that involved in the integrity pipeline. Those processes are mainly based on defects reported by an internal inspection tool and supplied with field inspection and monitoring data. Years of evaluation, study and the continuous effort overturned towards a phenomenon that worries to the industry, as it is the SCC. Since 1998 up to 2004 SCC was included in the integrity program with some preventive maintenance programs. The accomplishment of the inspection based on ultrasound tools, is the culmination of years of evaluation and investigations supported by field digs and materials susceptibility. This paper describes Oldelval's results with ultrasonic crack detection tool, and how it can be reliably to detect SCC. (author)

Confocal laser endomicroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karstensen, John Gásdal; Săftoiu, Adrian; Brynskov, Jørn

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) has been shown to predict relapse in ulcerative colitis in remission, but little is currently known about its role in Crohn's disease. The aim of this study was to identify reproducible CLE features in patients with Crohn's disease...

Reconfigurable radio-frequency arbitrary waveforms synthesized in a silicon photonic chip.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jian; Shen, Hao; Fan, Li; Wu, Rui; Niu, Ben; Varghese, Leo T; Xuan, Yi; Leaird, Daniel E; Wang, Xi; Gan, Fuwan; Weiner, Andrew M; Qi, Minghao

2015-01-12

Photonic methods of radio-frequency waveform generation and processing can provide performance advantages and flexibility over electronic methods due to the ultrawide bandwidth offered by the optical carriers. However, bulk optics implementations suffer from the lack of integration and slow reconfiguration speed. Here we propose an architecture of integrated photonic radio-frequency generation and processing and implement it on a silicon chip fabricated in a semiconductor manufacturing foundry. Our device can generate programmable radio-frequency bursts or continuous waveforms with only the light source, electrical drives/controls and detectors being off-chip. It modulates an individual pulse in a radio-frequency burst within 4 ns, achieving a reconfiguration speed three orders of magnitude faster than thermal tuning. The on-chip optical delay elements offer an integrated approach to accurately manipulating individual radio-frequency waveform features without constraints set by the speed and timing jitter of electronics, and should find applications ranging from high-speed wireless to defence electronics.

Ion Chromatography-on-a-chip for Water Quality Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Kidd, R. D.; Noell, A.; Kazarians, G.; Aubrey, A. D.; Scianmarello, N.; Tai, Y.-C.

2015-01-01

We report progress towards developing a Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS)- based ion chromatograph (IC) for crewed spacecraft water analysis. This IC-chip is an offshoot of a NASA-funded effort to produce a high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC)-chip. This HPLC-chip system would require a desalting (i.e. ion chromatography) step. The complete HPLC instrument consists of the Jet Propulsion Labortory's (JPL's) quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer integrated with a state-of-the-art MEMS liquid chromatograph (LC) system developed by the California Institute of Technology's (Caltech's) Micromachining Laboratory. The IC version of the chip consist of an electrolysis-based injector, a separation column, two electrolysis pumps for gradient generation, mixer, and a built-in conductivity detector. The HPLC version of the chip also includes a nanospray tip. The low instrument mass, coupled with its high analytical capabilities, makes the LC chip ideally suitable for wide range of applications such as trace contaminant, inorganic analytical science and, when coupled to a mass spectrometer, a macromolecular detection system for either crewed space exploration vehicles or robotic planetary missions.

μOrgano: A Lego®-Like Plug & Play System for Modular Multi-Organ-Chips.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Loskill

Full Text Available Human organ-on-a-chip systems for drug screening have evolved as feasible alternatives to animal models, which are unreliable, expensive, and at times erroneous. While chips featuring single organs can be of great use for both pharmaceutical testing and basic organ-level studies, the huge potential of the organ-on-a-chip technology is revealed by connecting multiple organs on one chip to create a single integrated system for sophisticated fundamental biological studies and devising therapies for disease. Furthermore, since most organ-on-a-chip systems require special protocols with organ-specific media for the differentiation and maturation of the tissues, multi-organ systems will need to be temporally customizable and flexible in terms of the time point of connection of the individual organ units. We present a customizable Lego®-like plug & play system, μOrgano, which enables initial individual culture of single organ-on-a-chip systems and subsequent connection to create integrated multi-organ microphysiological systems. As a proof of concept, the μOrgano system was used to connect multiple heart chips in series with excellent cell viability and spontaneously physiological beat rates.

μOrgano: A Lego®-Like Plug & Play System for Modular Multi-Organ-Chips.

Science.gov (United States)

Loskill, Peter; Marcus, Sivan G; Mathur, Anurag; Reese, Willie Mae; Healy, Kevin E

2015-01-01

Human organ-on-a-chip systems for drug screening have evolved as feasible alternatives to animal models, which are unreliable, expensive, and at times erroneous. While chips featuring single organs can be of great use for both pharmaceutical testing and basic organ-level studies, the huge potential of the organ-on-a-chip technology is revealed by connecting multiple organs on one chip to create a single integrated system for sophisticated fundamental biological studies and devising therapies for disease. Furthermore, since most organ-on-a-chip systems require special protocols with organ-specific media for the differentiation and maturation of the tissues, multi-organ systems will need to be temporally customizable and flexible in terms of the time point of connection of the individual organ units. We present a customizable Lego®-like plug & play system, μOrgano, which enables initial individual culture of single organ-on-a-chip systems and subsequent connection to create integrated multi-organ microphysiological systems. As a proof of concept, the μOrgano system was used to connect multiple heart chips in series with excellent cell viability and spontaneously physiological beat rates.

Microcomputer-controlled ultrasonic data acquisition system. [LMFBR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simpson, W.A. Jr.

1978-11-01

The large volume of ultrasonic data generated by computer-aided test procedures has necessitated the development of a mobile, high-speed data acquisition and storage system. This approach offers the decided advantage of on-site data collection and remote data processing. It also utilizes standard, commercially available ultrasonic instrumentation. This system is controlled by an Intel 8080A microprocessor. The MCS80-SDK microcomputer board was chosen, and magnetic tape is used as the storage medium. A detailed description is provided of both the hardware and software developed to interface the magnetic tape storage subsystem to Biomation 8100 and Biomation 805 waveform recorders. A boxcar integrator acquisition system is also described for use when signal averaging becomes necessary. Both assembly language and machine language listings are provided for the software.

Development and characterisation of a radiation hard readout chip for the LHCb outer tracker detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stange, U.

2005-01-01

The reconstruction of charged particle tracks in the Outer Tracker detector of the LHCb experiment requires to measure the drift times of the straw tubes. A Time to Digital Converter (TDC) chip has been developed for this task. The chip integrates into the LHCb data acquisition schema and fulfils the requirements of the detector. The OTIS chip is manufactured in a commercial 0.25 μm CMOS process. A 32-channel TDC core drives the drift time measurement (25 ns measurement range, 390 ps nominal resolution) without introducing dead times. The resulting drift times are buffered until a trigger decision arrives after the fixed latency of 4 μs. In case of a trigger accept signal, the digital control core processes and transmits the corresponding data to the following data acquisition stage. Drift time measurement and data processing are independent from the detector occupancy. The digital control core of the OTIS chip has been developed within this doctoral thesis. It has been integrated into the TDC chip together with other constituents of the chip. Several test chips and prototype versions of the TDC chip have been characterised. The present version of the chip OTIS1.2 fulfils all requirements and is ready for mass production. (Orig.)

Ultrasonic unit for line-by-line ultrasonic scanning of bodies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soldner, R.

1978-01-01

The ultrasonic unit for medical diagnostics operates by the sectorial scanning principle, which avoids direct coupling of the transducer head to the surface of the body. For this purpose, several transmitter/receiver units (approx. 100) are arranged on a partial ring of a circular arc and the ultrasonic beams, which can be triggered sequentially in time, are directed at a common intersection behind the ultrasonic window of the unit, i.e., outside the unit. A mechanical system is employed to set and adjust the partial ring carrying the transmitter/receiver units. (DG) [de

Silicon Chip-to-Chip Mode-Division Multiplexing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baumann, Jan Markus; Porto da Silva, Edson; Ding, Yunhong

2018-01-01

A chip-to-chip mode-division multiplexing connection is demonstrated using a pair of multiplexers/demultiplexers fabricated on the silicon-on-insulator platform. Successful mode multiplexing and demultiplexing is experimentally demonstrated, using the LP01, LP11a and LP11b modes.......A chip-to-chip mode-division multiplexing connection is demonstrated using a pair of multiplexers/demultiplexers fabricated on the silicon-on-insulator platform. Successful mode multiplexing and demultiplexing is experimentally demonstrated, using the LP01, LP11a and LP11b modes....

Ultrasonic defect characterization using parametric-manifold mapping

Science.gov (United States)

Velichko, A.; Bai, L.; Drinkwater, B. W.

2017-06-01

The aim of ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation includes the detection and characterization of defects, and an understanding of the nature of defects is essential for the assessment of structural integrity in safety critical systems. In general, the defect characterization challenge involves an estimation of defect parameters from measured data. In this paper, we explore the extent to which defects can be characterized by their ultrasonic scattering behaviour. Given a number of ultrasonic measurements, we show that characterization information can be extracted by projecting the measurement onto a parametric manifold in principal component space. We show that this manifold represents the entirety of the characterization information available from far-field harmonic ultrasound. We seek to understand the nature of this information and hence provide definitive statements on the defect characterization performance that is, in principle, extractable from typical measurement scenarios. In experiments, the characterization problem of surface-breaking cracks and the more general problem of elliptical voids are studied, and a good agreement is achieved between the actual parameter values and the characterization results. The nature of the parametric manifold enables us to explain and quantify why some defects are relatively easy to characterize, whereas others are inherently challenging.

A Single-Chip Solar Energy Harvesting IC Using Integrated Photodiodes for Biomedical Implant Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhiyuan; Law, Man-Kay; Mak, Pui-In; Martins, Rui P

2017-02-01

In this paper, an ultra-compact single-chip solar energy harvesting IC using on-chip solar cell for biomedical implant applications is presented. By employing an on-chip charge pump with parallel connected photodiodes, a 3.5 × efficiency improvement can be achieved when compared with the conventional stacked photodiode approach to boost the harvested voltage while preserving a single-chip solution. A photodiode-assisted dual startup circuit (PDSC) is also proposed to improve the area efficiency and increase the startup speed by 77%. By employing an auxiliary charge pump (AQP) using zero threshold voltage (ZVT) devices in parallel with the main charge pump, a low startup voltage of 0.25 V is obtained while minimizing the reversion loss. A 4 V in gate drive voltage is utilized to reduce the conduction loss. Systematic charge pump and solar cell area optimization is also introduced to improve the energy harvesting efficiency. The proposed system is implemented in a standard 0.18- [Formula: see text] CMOS technology and occupies an active area of 1.54 [Formula: see text]. Measurement results show that the on-chip charge pump can achieve a maximum efficiency of 67%. With an incident power of 1.22 [Formula: see text] from a halogen light source, the proposed energy harvesting IC can deliver an output power of 1.65 [Formula: see text] at 64% charge pump efficiency. The chip prototype is also verified using in-vitro experiment.

On-Chip Microwave Quantum Hall Circulator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. C. Mahoney

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Circulators are nonreciprocal circuit elements that are integral to technologies including radar systems, microwave communication transceivers, and the readout of quantum information devices. Their nonreciprocity arises from the interference of microwaves over the centimeter scale of the signal wavelength, in the presence of bulky magnetic media that breaks time-reversal symmetry. Here, we realize a completely passive on-chip microwave circulator with size 1/1000th the wavelength by exploiting the chiral, “slow-light” response of a two-dimensional electron gas in the quantum Hall regime. For an integrated GaAs device with 330  μm diameter and about 1-GHz center frequency, a nonreciprocity of 25 dB is observed over a 50-MHz bandwidth. Furthermore, the nonreciprocity can be dynamically tuned by varying the voltage at the port, an aspect that may enable reconfigurable passive routing of microwave signals on chip.

CMOS foveal image sensor chip

Science.gov (United States)

Bandera, Cesar (Inventor); Scott, Peter (Inventor); Sridhar, Ramalingam (Inventor); Xia, Shu (Inventor)

2002-01-01

A foveal image sensor integrated circuit comprising a plurality of CMOS active pixel sensors arranged both within and about a central fovea region of the chip. The pixels in the central fovea region have a smaller size than the pixels arranged in peripheral rings about the central region. A new photocharge normalization scheme and associated circuitry normalizes the output signals from the different size pixels in the array. The pixels are assembled into a multi-resolution rectilinear foveal image sensor chip using a novel access scheme to reduce the number of analog RAM cells needed. Localized spatial resolution declines monotonically with offset from the imager's optical axis, analogous to biological foveal vision.

Ultrasonic characterization of GRC with high percentage of fly ash substitution.

Science.gov (United States)

Genovés, V; Gosálbez, J; Miralles, R; Bonilla, M; Payá, J

2015-07-01

New applications of non-destructive techniques (NDT) with ultrasonic tests (attenuation and velocity by means of ultrasonic frequency sweeps) have been developed for the characterization of fibre-reinforced cementitious composites. According to new lines of research on glass-fibre reinforced cement (GRC) matrix modification, two similar GRC composites with high percentages of fly ash and different water/binder ratios will be studied. Conventional techniques have been used to confirm their low Ca(OH)(2) content (thermogravimetry), fibre integrity (Scanning Electron Microscopy), low porosity (Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry) and good mechanical properties (compression and four points bending test). Ultrasound frequency sweeps allowed the estimation of the attenuation and pulse velocity as functions of frequency. This ultrasonic characterization was correlated successfully with conventional techniques. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Conversion efficiency of implanted ions by confocal micro-luminescence mapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deshko, Y.; Huang, Mengbing; Gorokhovsky, A.A.

2013-01-01

We report on the further development of the statistical approach to determine the conversion efficiency of implanted ions into emitting centers and present the measurement method based on the confocal micro-luminescence mapping. It involves the micro-luminescence mapping with a narrow-open confocal aperture, followed by the statistical analysis of the photoluminescence signal from an ensemble of emitting centers. The confocal mapping method has two important advantages compared to the recently discussed aperture-free method (J. Lumin. 131 (2011) 489): it is less sensitive to errors in the laser spot size and has a well defined useful area. The confocal mapping has been applied to the Xe center in diamond. The conversion efficiency has been found to be about 0.28, which is in good agreement with the results of the aperture-free method. - Highlights: ► Conversion efficiency of implanted ions into emitting centers – statistical approach. ► Micro-luminescence mapping with open and narrow confocal aperture – comparison. ► Advantages of the confocal micro-luminescence mapping. ► Confocal micro-luminescence mapping has been applied to the Xe center in diamond. ► The conversion efficiency has been found to be about 0.28.

Dual filtered backprojection for micro-rotation confocal microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laksameethanasan, Danai; Brandt, Sami S; Renaud, Olivier; Shorte, Spencer L

2009-01-01

Micro-rotation confocal microscopy is a novel optical imaging technique which employs dielectric fields to trap and rotate individual cells to facilitate 3D fluorescence imaging using a confocal microscope. In contrast to computed tomography (CT) where an image can be modelled as parallel projection of an object, the ideal confocal image is recorded as a central slice of the object corresponding to the focal plane. In CT, the projection images and the 3D object are related by the Fourier slice theorem which states that the Fourier transform of a CT image is equal to the central slice of the Fourier transform of the 3D object. In the micro-rotation application, we have a dual form of this setting, i.e. the Fourier transform of the confocal image equals the parallel projection of the Fourier transform of the 3D object. Based on the observed duality, we present here the dual of the classical filtered back projection (FBP) algorithm and apply it in micro-rotation confocal imaging. Our experiments on real data demonstrate that the proposed method is a fast and reliable algorithm for the micro-rotation application, as FBP is for CT application

In situ ultrasonic examination of high-strength steam generator support bolts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jusino, A.

1985-01-01

Currently employed high-strength steam generator support bolting material (designed prior to ASME Section III Part NF or Component Supports), 38.1 mm in diameter, in combination with high preloads are susceptible to stress corrosion cracking because of the relatively low stress corrosion resistance (K/sub ISCC/) properties. These bolts are part of the pressurized water reactor steam generator supports at the integral support pads (three per steam generator, with each pad housing six, eight, or ten bolts depending on the design). The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission concerns for high-strength bolting were identified in NUREG-0577, ''Potential for Low Fracture Toughness and Laminar Tearing in PWR Steam Generator and Reactor Coolant Pump Supports,'' which was issued for comment on unresolved safety issue A-12. Subsequently, the bolting issues were addressed in generic issue B29. One of the issues deals specifically with high-strength bolting materials, which are vulnerable to stress corrosion cracking. A Westinghouse Owners Group funded program was established to develop in situ ultrasonic examination techniques to determine steam generator support bolting integrity at the head-to-shank and first-thread locations. This program was established in order to determine bolting integrity in place. Ultrasonic techniques were developed for both socket-head and flat-head bolt configurations. As a result of this program, in situ ultrasonic examination techniques were developed for examination of PWR steam generator support bolts. By employing these techniques utilities will be able to ensure the integrity of this in-place bolting without incurring the costs previously experienced during removal for surface examinations

Sol-Gel Zinc Oxide Humidity Sensors Integrated with a Ring Oscillator Circuit On-a-Chip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming-Zhi Yang

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The study develops an integrated humidity microsensor fabricated using the commercial 0.18 μm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS process. The integrated humidity sensor consists of a humidity sensor and a ring oscillator circuit on-a-chip. The humidity sensor is composed of a sensitive film and branch interdigitated electrodes. The sensitive film is zinc oxide prepared by sol-gel method. After completion of the CMOS process, the sensor requires a post-process to remove the sacrificial oxide layer and to coat the zinc oxide film on the interdigitated electrodes. The capacitance of the sensor changes when the sensitive film adsorbs water vapor. The circuit is used to convert the capacitance of the humidity sensor into the oscillation frequency output. Experimental results show that the output frequency of the sensor changes from 84.3 to 73.4 MHz at 30 °C as the humidity increases 40 to 90%RH.

Sub-Airy Confocal Adaptive Optics Scanning Ophthalmoscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Sredar, Nripun; Fagbemi, Oladipo E; Dubra, Alfredo

2018-04-01

To demonstrate the viability of improving transverse image resolution in reflectance scanning adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy using sub-Airy disk confocal detection. The foveal cone mosaic was imaged in five human subjects free of known eye disease using two custom adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopes (AOSLOs) in reflectance with 7.75 and 4.30 mm pupil diameters. Confocal pinholes of 0.5, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 Airy disk diameters (ADDs) were used in a retinal conjugate plane before the light detector. Average cone photoreceptor intensity profile width and power spectrum were calculated for the resulting images. Detected energy using a model eye was recorded for each pinhole size. The cone photoreceptor mosaic is better resolved with decreasing confocal pinhole size, with the high spatial frequency content of the images enhanced in both the large- and small-pupil AOSLOs. The average cone intensity profile width was reduced by ∼15% with the use of a 0.5 ADD pinhole when compared to a 1.0 ADD, with an accompanying reduction in signal greater than a factor of four. The use of sub-Airy disk confocal pinhole detection without increasing retinal light exposure results in a substantial improvement in image resolution at the cost of larger than predicted signal reduction. Improvement in transverse resolution using sub-Airy disk confocal detection is a practical and low-cost approach that is applicable to all point- and line-scanning ophthalmoscopes, including optical coherence tomographers.

Active Fault Tolerant Control for Ultrasonic Piezoelectric Motor

Science.gov (United States)

Boukhnifer, Moussa

2012-07-01

Ultrasonic piezoelectric motor technology is an important system component in integrated mechatronics devices working on extreme operating conditions. Due to these constraints, robustness and performance of the control interfaces should be taken into account in the motor design. In this paper, we apply a new architecture for a fault tolerant control using Youla parameterization for an ultrasonic piezoelectric motor. The distinguished feature of proposed controller architecture is that it shows structurally how the controller design for performance and robustness may be done separately which has the potential to overcome the conflict between performance and robustness in the traditional feedback framework. A fault tolerant control architecture includes two parts: one part for performance and the other part for robustness. The controller design works in such a way that the feedback control system will be solely controlled by the proportional plus double-integral PI2 performance controller for a nominal model without disturbances and H∞ robustification controller will only be activated in the presence of the uncertainties or an external disturbances. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed fault tolerant control architecture.

Enabling rapid behavioral ecotoxicity studies using an integrated lab-on-a-chip systems

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yushi; Nugegoda, Dayanthi; Wlodkowic, Donald

2015-12-01

Behavioral ecotoxicity tests are gaining an increasing recognition in environmental toxicology. Behavior of sensitive bioindicator species can change rapidly in response to an acute exposure to contaminants and thus has a much higher sensitivity as compared to conventional LC50 mortality tests. Furthermore, behavioral endpoints seems to be very good candidates to develop early-warning biomonitoring systems needed for rapid chemical risk assessment. Behavioral tests are non-invasive, fast, do not harm indicator organisms (behavioural changes are very rapid) and are thus fully compatible with 3R (Replacement - Reduction - Refinement) principle encouraging alternatives to conventional animal testing. These characteristics are essential when designing improved ecotoxicity tests for chemical risk assessment. In this work, we present a pilot development of miniaturized Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) devices for studying toxin avoidance behaviors of small aquatic crustaceans. As an investigative tool, LOCs represent a new direction that may miniaturize and revolutionize behavioral ecotoxicology. Specifically our innovative microfluidic prototype: (i) enables convening "caging" of specimens for real-time videomicroscopy; (ii) eliminates the evaporative water loss thus providing an opportunity for long-term behavioral studies; (iii) exploits laminar fluid flow under low Reynolds numbers to generate discrete domains and gradients enabling for the first time toxin avoidance studies on small aquatic crustaceans; (iv) integrates off-the-chip mechatronic interfaces and video analysis algorithms for single animal movement analysis. We provide evidence that by merging innovative bioelectronic and biomicrofluidic technologies we can deploy inexpensive and reliable systems for culture, electronic tracking and complex computational analysis of behavior of bioindicator organisms.

Design and Performance Analysis of an Intrinsically Safe Ultrasonic Ranging Sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hongjuan; Wang, Yu; Zhang, Xu; Wang, Dong; Jin, Baoquan

2016-06-13

In flammable or explosive environments, an ultrasonic sensor for distance measurement poses an important engineering safety challenge, because the driving circuit uses an intermediate frequency transformer as an impedance transformation element, in which the produced heat or spark is available for ignition. In this paper, an intrinsically safe ultrasonic ranging sensor is designed and implemented. The waterproof piezoelectric transducer with integrated transceiver is chosen as an energy transducing element. Then a novel transducer driving circuit is designed based on an impedance matching method considering safety spark parameters to replace an intermediate frequency transformer. Then, an energy limiting circuit is developed to achieve dual levels of over-voltage and over-current protection. The detail calculation and evaluation are executed and the electrical characteristics are analyzed to verify the intrinsic safety of the driving circuit. Finally, an experimental platform of the ultrasonic ranging sensor system is constructed, which involves short-circuit protection. Experimental results show that the proposed ultrasonic ranging sensor is excellent in both ranging performance and intrinsic safety.

In situ ZnO-PVA nanocomposite coated microfluidic chips for biosensing

Science.gov (United States)

Habouti, Salah; Kunstmann-Olsen, Casper; Hoyland, James D.; Rubahn, Horst-Günter; Es-Souni, Mohammed

2014-05-01

Microfluidic chips with integrated fluid and optical connectors have been generated via a simple PDMS master-mould technique. In situ coating using a Zinc oxide polyvinylalcohol based sol-gel method results in ultrathin nanocomposite layers on the fluid channels, which makes them strongly hydrophilic and minimizes auto contamination of the chips by injected fluorescent biomarkers.

Improved On-Chip Measurement of Delay in an FPGA or ASIC

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yuan; Burke, Gary; Sheldon, Douglas

2007-01-01

An improved design has been devised for on-chip-circuitry for measuring the delay through a chain of combinational logic elements in a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In the improved design, the delay chain does not include input and output buffers and is not configured as an oscillator. Instead, the delay chain is made part of the signal chain of an on-chip pulse generator. The duration of the pulse is measured on-chip and taken to equal the delay.

Re-scan confocal microscopy: scanning twice for better resolution.

Science.gov (United States)

De Luca, Giulia M R; Breedijk, Ronald M P; Brandt, Rick A J; Zeelenberg, Christiaan H C; de Jong, Babette E; Timmermans, Wendy; Azar, Leila Nahidi; Hoebe, Ron A; Stallinga, Sjoerd; Manders, Erik M M

2013-01-01

We present a new super-resolution technique, Re-scan Confocal Microscopy (RCM), based on standard confocal microscopy extended with an optical (re-scanning) unit that projects the image directly on a CCD-camera. This new microscope has improved lateral resolution and strongly improved sensitivity while maintaining the sectioning capability of a standard confocal microscope. This simple technology is typically useful for biological applications where the combination high-resolution and high-sensitivity is required.

3D integrated superconducting qubits

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenberg, D.; Kim, D.; Das, R.; Yost, D.; Gustavsson, S.; Hover, D.; Krantz, P.; Melville, A.; Racz, L.; Samach, G. O.; Weber, S. J.; Yan, F.; Yoder, J. L.; Kerman, A. J.; Oliver, W. D.

2017-10-01

As the field of quantum computing advances from the few-qubit stage to larger-scale processors, qubit addressability and extensibility will necessitate the use of 3D integration and packaging. While 3D integration is well-developed for commercial electronics, relatively little work has been performed to determine its compatibility with high-coherence solid-state qubits. Of particular concern, qubit coherence times can be suppressed by the requisite processing steps and close proximity of another chip. In this work, we use a flip-chip process to bond a chip with superconducting flux qubits to another chip containing structures for qubit readout and control. We demonstrate that high qubit coherence (T1, T2,echo > 20 μs) is maintained in a flip-chip geometry in the presence of galvanic, capacitive, and inductive coupling between the chips.

Field-programmable lab-on-a-chip based on microelectrode dot array architecture.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Gary; Teng, Daniel; Lai, Yi-Tse; Lu, Yi-Wen; Ho, Yingchieh; Lee, Chen-Yi

2014-09-01

The fundamentals of electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) digital microfluidics are very strong: advantageous capability in the manipulation of fluids, small test volumes, precise dynamic control and detection, and microscale systems. These advantages are very important for future biochip developments, but the development of EWOD microfluidics has been hindered by the absence of: integrated detector technology, standard commercial components, on-chip sample preparation, standard manufacturing technology and end-to-end system integration. A field-programmable lab-on-a-chip (FPLOC) system based on microelectrode dot array (MEDA) architecture is presented in this research. The MEDA architecture proposes a standard EWOD microfluidic component called 'microelectrode cell', which can be dynamically configured into microfluidic components to perform microfluidic operations of the biochip. A proof-of-concept prototype FPLOC, containing a 30 × 30 MEDA, was developed by using generic integrated circuits computer aided design tools, and it was manufactured with standard low-voltage complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology, which allows smooth on-chip integration of microfluidics and microelectronics. By integrating 900 droplet detection circuits into microelectrode cells, the FPLOC has achieved large-scale integration of microfluidics and microelectronics. Compared to the full-custom and bottom-up design methods, the FPLOC provides hierarchical top-down design approach, field-programmability and dynamic manipulations of droplets for advanced microfluidic operations.

Fatigue crack growth studies on a tee junction using ultrasonic non-destructive methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subramanian, C.V.; Thavasimuthu, M.; Ramesh, A.S.; Jayakumar, T.; Kalyanasundaram, P.; Baldev Raj

1996-01-01

Fatigue cracks need to be detected and sized to maintain structural integrity. The significance of cracks detected in service must also be assessed. This paper describes the on-line ultrasonic testing carried out on a Tee joint subjected to fatigue loading. The initiation and growth of the cracks were monitored for every 5,000 cycles up to 40,000 cycles. The study demonstrated the use of ultrasonic testing for fatigue crack growth detection and sizing. (author)

Biosensors-on-chip: a topical review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Sensen; Shamsi, Mohtashim H

2017-01-01

This review will examine the integration of two fields that are currently at the forefront of science, i.e. biosensors and microfluidics. As a lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technology, microfluidics has been enriched by the integration of various detection tools for analyte detection and quantitation. The application of such microfluidic platforms is greatly increased in the area of biosensors geared towards point-of-care diagnostics. Together, the merger of microfluidics and biosensors has generated miniaturized devices for sample processing and sensitive detection with quantitation. We believe that microfluidic biosensors (biosensors-on-chip) are essential for developing robust and cost effective point-of-care diagnostics. This review is relevant to a variety of disciplines, such as medical science, clinical diagnostics, LOC technologies including MEMs/NEMs, and analytical science. Specifically, this review will appeal to scientists working in the two overlapping fields of biosensors and microfluidics, and will also help new scientists to find their directions in developing point-of-care devices. (topical review)

3D Printing of Organs-On-Chips

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Hee-Gyeong; Lee, Hyungseok; Cho, Dong-Woo

2017-01-01

Organ-on-a-chip engineering aims to create artificial living organs that mimic the complex and physiological responses of real organs, in order to test drugs by precisely manipulating the cells and their microenvironments. To achieve this, the artificial organs should to be microfabricated with an extracellular matrix (ECM) and various types of cells, and should recapitulate morphogenesis, cell differentiation, and functions according to the native organ. A promising strategy is 3D printing, which precisely controls the spatial distribution and layer-by-layer assembly of cells, ECMs, and other biomaterials. Owing to this unique advantage, integration of 3D printing into organ-on-a-chip engineering can facilitate the creation of micro-organs with heterogeneity, a desired 3D cellular arrangement, tissue-specific functions, or even cyclic movement within a microfluidic device. Moreover, fully 3D-printed organs-on-chips more easily incorporate other mechanical and electrical components with the chips, and can be commercialized via automated massive production. Herein, we discuss the recent advances and the potential of 3D cell-printing technology in engineering organs-on-chips, and provides the future perspectives of this technology to establish the highly reliable and useful drug-screening platforms. PMID:28952489

3D Printing of Organs-On-Chips

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hee-Gyeong Yi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Organ-on-a-chip engineering aims to create artificial living organs that mimic the complex and physiological responses of real organs, in order to test drugs by precisely manipulating the cells and their microenvironments. To achieve this, the artificial organs should to be microfabricated with an extracellular matrix (ECM and various types of cells, and should recapitulate morphogenesis, cell differentiation, and functions according to the native organ. A promising strategy is 3D printing, which precisely controls the spatial distribution and layer-by-layer assembly of cells, ECMs, and other biomaterials. Owing to this unique advantage, integration of 3D printing into organ-on-a-chip engineering can facilitate the creation of micro-organs with heterogeneity, a desired 3D cellular arrangement, tissue-specific functions, or even cyclic movement within a microfluidic device. Moreover, fully 3D-printed organs-on-chips more easily incorporate other mechanical and electrical components with the chips, and can be commercialized via automated massive production. Herein, we discuss the recent advances and the potential of 3D cell-printing technology in engineering organs-on-chips, and provides the future perspectives of this technology to establish the highly reliable and useful drug-screening platforms.

Monolithic integration of a silica AWG and Ge photodiodes on Si photonic platform for one-chip WDM receiver.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishi, Hidetaka; Tsuchizawa, Tai; Kou, Rai; Shinojima, Hiroyuki; Yamada, Takashi; Kimura, Hideaki; Ishikawa, Yasuhiko; Wada, Kazumi; Yamada, Koji

2012-04-09

On the silicon (Si) photonic platform, we monolithically integrated a silica-based arrayed-waveguide grating (AWG) and germanium (Ge) photodiodes (PDs) using low-temperature fabrication technology. We confirmed demultiplexing by the AWG, optical-electrical signal conversion by Ge PDs, and high-speed signal detection at all channels. In addition, we mounted a multichannel transimpedance amplifier/limiting amplifier (TIA/LA) circuit on the fabricated AWG-PD device using flip-chip bonding technology. The results show the promising potential of our Si photonic platform as a photonics-electronics convergence.

Dog-Bone Horns for Piezoelectric Ultrasonic/Sonic Actuators

Science.gov (United States)

Sherrit, Stewart; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Chang, Zensheu; Bao, Xiaoqi

2007-01-01

A shape reminiscent of a dog bone has been found to be superior to other shapes for mechanical-amplification horns that are components of piezoelectrically driven actuators used in a series of related devices denoted generally as ultrasonic/sonic drill/corers (USDCs). The first of these devices was reported in Ultrasonic/Sonic Drill/Corers With Integrated Sensors (NPO-20856), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 25, No. 1 (January 2001), page 38. The dog-bone shape was conceived especially for use in a more recent device in the series, denoted an ultrasonic/ sonic gopher, that was described in Ultrasonic/Sonic Mechanisms for Drilling and Coring (NPO-30291), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 27, No. 9 (September 2003), page 65. The figure shows an example of a dog-bone-shaped horn and other components of an ultrasonic gopher. Prerequisite to a meaningful description of this development is an unavoidably lengthy recapitulation of the principle of operation of a USDC and, more specifically, of the ultrasonic/sonic gopher as described previously in NASA Tech Briefs. The ultrasonic actuator includes a stack of piezoelectric rings, the horn, a metal backing, and a bolt that connects the aforementioned parts and provides compressive pre-strain to the piezoelectric stack to prevent breakage of the rings during extension. The stack of piezoelectric rings is excited at the resonance frequency of the overall ultrasonic actuator. Through mechanical amplification by the horn, the displacement in the ultrasonic vibration reaches tens of microns at the tip of the horn. The horn hammers an object that is denoted the free mass because it is free to move longitudinally over a limited distance between hard stops: The free mass bounces back and forth between the ultrasonic horn and a tool bit (a drill bit or a corer). Because the longitudinal speed of the free mass is smaller than the longitudinal speed of vibration of the tip of the horn, contact between the free mass and the horn tip usually occurs at a

Artificial Intelligence Assists Ultrasonic Inspection

Science.gov (United States)

Schaefer, Lloyd A.; Willenberg, James D.

1992-01-01

Subtle indications of flaws extracted from ultrasonic waveforms. Ultrasonic-inspection system uses artificial intelligence to help in identification of hidden flaws in electron-beam-welded castings. System involves application of flaw-classification logic to analysis of ultrasonic waveforms.

A simple method for fabricating multi-layer PDMS structures for 3D microfluidic chips

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Mengying

2010-01-01

We report a simple methodology to fabricate PDMS multi-layer microfluidic chips. A PDMS slab was surface-treated by trichloro (1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl) silane, and acts as a reusable transferring layer. Uniformity of the thickness of the patterned PDMS layer and the well-alignment could be achieved due to the transparency and proper flexibility of this transferring layer. Surface treatment results are confirmed by XPS and contact angle testing, while bonding forces between different layers were measured for better understanding of the transferring process. We have also designed and fabricated a few simple types of 3D PDMS chip, especially one consisting of 6 thin layers (each with thickness of 50 μm), to demonstrate the potential utilization of this technique. 3D fluorescence images were taken by a confocal microscope to illustrate the spatial characters of essential parts. This fabrication method is confirmed to be fast, simple, repeatable, low cost and possible to be mechanized for mass production. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2010.

Smartphone confocal microscopy for imaging cellular structures in human skin in vivo.

Science.gov (United States)

Freeman, Esther E; Semeere, Aggrey; Osman, Hany; Peterson, Gary; Rajadhyaksha, Milind; González, Salvador; Martin, Jeffery N; Anderson, R Rox; Tearney, Guillermo J; Kang, Dongkyun

2018-04-01

We report development of a low-cost smartphone confocal microscope and its first demonstration of in vivo human skin imaging. The smartphone confocal microscope uses a slit aperture and diffraction grating to conduct two-dimensional confocal imaging without using any beam scanning devices. Lateral and axial resolutions of the smartphone confocal microscope were measured as 2 and 5 µm, respectively. In vivo confocal images of human skin revealed characteristic cellular structures, including spinous and basal keratinocytes and papillary dermis. Results suggest that the smartphone confocal microscope has a potential to examine cellular details in vivo and may help disease diagnosis in resource-poor settings, where conducting standard histopathologic analysis is challenging.

Confocal laser endomicroscopy in ulcerative colitis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karstensen, John Gásdal; Săftoiu, Adrian; Brynskov, Jørn

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Confocal laser endomicroscopy enables real-time in vivo microscopy during endoscopy and can predict relapse in patients with inflammatory bowel disease in remission. However, little is known about how endomicroscopic features change with time. The aim of this longitudinal study...... was to correlate colonic confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) in ulcerative colitis with histopathology and macroscopic appearance before and after intensification of medical treatment. METHODS: Twenty-two patients with ulcerative colitis in clinical relapse and 7 control subjects referred for colonoscopy were...

Micromachined capacitive ultrasonic immersion transducer array

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Xuecheng

Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (cMUTs) have emerged as an attractive alternative to conventional piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers. They offer performance advantages of wide bandwidth and sensitivity that have heretofore been attainable. In addition, micromachining technology, which has benefited from the fast-growing microelectronics industry, enables cMUT array fabrication and electronics integration. This thesis describes the design and fabrication of micromachined capacitive ultrasonic immersion transducer arrays. The basic transducer electrical equivalent circuit is derived from Mason's theory. The effects of Lamb waves and Stoneley waves on cross coupling and acoustic losses are discussed. Electrical parasitics such as series resistance and shunt capacitance are also included in the model of the transducer. Transducer fabrication technology is systematically studied. Device dimension control in both vertical and horizontal directions, process alternatives and variations in membrane formation, via etch and cavity sealing, and metalization as well as their impact on transducer performance are summarized. Both 64 and 128 element 1-D array transducers are fabricated. Transducers are characterized in terms of electrical input impedance, bandwidth, sensitivity, dynamic range, impulse response and angular response, and their performance is compared with theoretical simulation. Various schemes for cross coupling reduction is analyzed, implemented, and verified with both experiments and theory. Preliminary results of immersion imaging are presented using 64 elements 1-D array transducers for active source imaging.

Flip chip assembly of thinned chips for hybrid pixel detector applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fritzsch, T; Zoschke, K; Rothermund, M; Oppermann, H; Woehrmann, M; Ehrmann, O; Lang, K D; Huegging, F

2014-01-01

There is a steady trend to ultra-thin microelectronic devices. Especially for future particle detector systems a reduced readout chip thickness is required to limit the loss of tracking precision due to scattering. The reduction of silicon thickness is performed at wafer level in a two-step thinning process. To minimize the risk of wafer breakage the thinned wafer needs to be handled by a carrier during the whole process chain of wafer bumping. Another key process is the flip chip assembly of thinned readout chips onto thin sensor tiles. Besides the prevention of silicon breakage the minimization of chip warpage is one additional task for a high yield and reliable flip chip process. A new technology using glass carrier wafer will be described in detail. The main advantage of this technology is the combination of a carrier support during wafer processing and the chip support during flip chip assembly. For that a glass wafer is glue-bonded onto the backside of the thinned readout chip wafer. After the bump deposition process the glass-readout chip stack is diced in one step. Finally the glass carrier chip is released by laser illumination after flip chip assembly of the readout chip onto sensor tile. The results of the flip chip assembly process development for the ATLAS IBL upgrade are described more in detail. The new ATLAS FEI4B chip with a size of 20 × 19 mm 2 is flip chip bonded with a thickness of only 150 μm, but the capability of this technology has been demonstrated on hybrid modules with a reduced readout chip thickness of down to 50 μm which is a major step for ultra-thin electronic systems

Flip-chip integration of Si bare dies on polymeric substrates at low temperature using ICA vias made in dry film photoresist

Science.gov (United States)

Vásquez Quintero, Andrés; Briand, Danick; de Rooij, Nico F.

2015-04-01

In this paper, a low temperature flip-chip integration technique for Si bare dies is demonstrated on flexible PET substrates with screen-printed circuits. The proposed technique is based on patterned blind vias in dry film photoresist (DP) filled with isotropic conductive adhesive (ICA). The DP material serves to define the vias, to confine the ICA paste (80 µm-wide and potentially 25 µm-wide vias), as an adhesion layer to improve the mechanical robustness of the assembly, and to protect additional circuitry on the substrate. The technique is demonstrated using gold-bumped daisy chain chips (DCCs), with electrical vias resistances in the order to hundreds of milliohms, and peel/shear adhesion strengths of 0.7 N mm-1 and 3.2 MPa, respectively, (i.e. at 1.2 MPa of bonding pressure). Finally, the mechanical robustness to bending forces was optimized through flexural mechanics models by placing the neutral plane at the DCC/DP adhesive interface. The optimization was performed by reducing the Si thickness from 400 to 37 µm, and resulted in highly robust integrated assemblies withstanding 10 000 cycles of dynamic bending at 40 mm of radius, with relative changes in vias resistance lower than 20%. In addition, the electrical vias resistance and adhesion strengths were compared to samples integrated with anisotropic conductive adhesives (ACAs). Besides the low temperature and high integration resolution, the proposed method is compatible with large area fabrication and multilayer architectures on foil.

Estimate the thermomechanical fatigue life of two flip chip packages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pash, R.A.; Ullah, H.S.; Khan, M.Z.

2005-01-01

The continuing demand towards high density and low profile integrated circuit packaging has accelerated the development of flip chip structures as used in direct chip attach (DCA) technology, ball grid array (BOA) and chip scale package (CSP). In such structures the most widely used flip chip interconnects are solder joints. The reliability of flip chip structures largely depends on the reliability of solder joints. In this work solder joint fatigue life prediction for two chip scale packages is carried out. Elasto-plastic deformation behavior of the solder was simulated using ANSYS. Two dimensional plain strain finite element models were developed for each package to numerically compute the stress and total strain of the solder joints under temperature cycling. These stress and strain values are then used to predict the solder joint lifetime through modified Coffin Manson equation. The effect of solder joint's distance from edge of silicon die on life of the package is explored. The solder joint fatigue response is modeled for a typical temperature cycling of -60 to 140 degree C. (author)

Biostability of an implantable glucose sensor chip

Science.gov (United States)

Fröhlich, M.; Birkholz, M.; Ehwald, K. E.; Kulse, P.; Fursenko, O.; Katzer, J.

2012-12-01

Surface materials of an implantable microelectronic chip intended for medical applications were evaluated with respect to their long-term stability in bio-environments. The sensor chip shall apply in a glucose monitor by operating as a microviscosimeter according to the principle of affinity viscosimetry. A monolithic integration of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) into the sensor chip was successfully performed in a combined 0.25 μm CMOS/BiCMOS technology. In order to study material durability and biostability of the surfaces, sensor chips were exposed to various in vitro and in vivo tests. Corrosional damage of SiON, SiO2 and TiN surfaces was investigated by optical microscopy, ellipsometry and AFM. The results served for optimizing the Back-end-of-Line (BEoL) stack, from which the MEMS was prepared. Corrosion of metal lines could significantly be reduced by improving the topmost passivation layer. The experiments revealed no visible damage of the actuator or other functionally important MEMS elements. Sensor chips were also exposed to human body fluid for three month by implantation into the abdomen of a volunteer. Only small effects were observed for layer thickness and Ra roughness after explantation. In particular, TiN as used for the actuator beam showed no degradation by biocorrosion. The highest degradation rate of about 50 nm per month was revealed for the SiON passivation layer. These results suggest that the sensor chip may safely operate in subcutaneous tissue for a period of several months.

Biostability of an implantable glucose sensor chip

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fröhlich, M; Ehwald, K E; Kulse, P; Fursenko, O; Katzer, J; Birkholz, M

2012-01-01

Surface materials of an implantable microelectronic chip intended for medical applications were evaluated with respect to their long-term stability in bio-environments. The sensor chip shall apply in a glucose monitor by operating as a microviscosimeter according to the principle of affinity viscosimetry. A monolithic integration of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) into the sensor chip was successfully performed in a combined 0.25 μm CMOS/BiCMOS technology. In order to study material durability and biostability of the surfaces, sensor chips were exposed to various in vitro and in vivo tests. Corrosional damage of SiON, SiO 2 and TiN surfaces was investigated by optical microscopy, ellipsometry and AFM. The results served for optimizing the Back-end-of-Line (BEoL) stack, from which the MEMS was prepared. Corrosion of metal lines could significantly be reduced by improving the topmost passivation layer. The experiments revealed no visible damage of the actuator or other functionally important MEMS elements. Sensor chips were also exposed to human body fluid for three month by implantation into the abdomen of a volunteer. Only small effects were observed for layer thickness and R a roughness after explantation. In particular, TiN as used for the actuator beam showed no degradation by biocorrosion. The highest degradation rate of about 50 nm per month was revealed for the SiON passivation layer. These results suggest that the sensor chip may safely operate in subcutaneous tissue for a period of several months.

Ultrasonic grinding method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyahara, Shuji.

1990-01-01

An ultrasonic generator and a liquid supply nozzle are opposed to an object to be ground and a pump is started in this state to supply an organic solvent. Matters to be decontaminated which adheres to the surface of the object to be ground and are difficult to be removed by a mere mechanical removing method can be eliminated previously by the surface active effect of the organic solvent such as ethanol prior to the oscillation of the ultrasonic generator. Subsequently, when the ultrasonic generator is oscillated, scales in the floated state can be removed simply. Further, since the organic solvent can penetrate to provide the surface active effect even in such a narrow portion that the top end of the ultrasonic generator is difficult to the intruded at the surface of the object to be ground, the decontaminating treatment can be applied also to such a narrow portion. (T.M.)

Verification procedures of ultrasonic flow meters for natural gas applications; Procedimento de verificacao de medidores ultra-sonicos para gas natural

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lourenco, Tulio C. [TRANSPETRO, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2009-12-19

In recent years, the use of ultrasonic flow meters for natural gas applications has grown significantly, especially after the issuance of AGA Report 9 and AGA Report 10. The reasons this technology has stood out from the others, such as orifice-plates or turbines, are: accuracy, wide range ability, it is bi-directional, robustness, low maintenance and, mainly, integrated diagnostic parameters, such as sound velocity, signal quality and profile velocity analysis. TRANSPETRO currently operates 56 ultrasonic natural gas flow-meter systems. For operational control applications, 90% of the meters are ultrasonic, of which 85% are provided with internal diagnostic tools through the manufacturer's software. Within this perspective, it is essential and unquestionable that there are procedures and routines for ultrasonic flow-meter verification and analysis, in order to monitor their performance and integrity, in addition to the early identification of potential problems. This paper discusses the practical application of several tools and diagnostic parameters inherent in ultrasonic flow meters in periodical verifications using TRANSPETRO's procedure. (author)

A Zinc Oxide Nanorod Ammonia Microsensor Integrated with a Readout Circuit on-a-Chip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chyan-Chyi Wu

2011-11-01

Full Text Available A zinc oxide nanorod ammonia microsensor integrated with a readout circuit on-a-chip fabricated using the commercial 0.35 mm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS process was investigated. The structure of the ammonia sensor is composed of a sensitive film and polysilicon electrodes. The ammonia sensor requires a post-process to etch the sacrificial layer, and to coat the sensitive film on the polysilicon electrodes. The sensitive film that is prepared by a hydrothermal method is made of zinc oxide. The sensor resistance changes when the sensitive film adsorbs or desorbs ammonia gas. The readout circuit is used to convert the sensor resistance into the voltage output. Experiments show that the ammonia sensor has a sensitivity of about 1.5 mV/ppm at room temperature.

ULTRASONIC ASSEMBLY [REVIEW

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PORAV Viorica

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The paper exposes the possibility of machine producesers to optimize the costs of clothes assembling. Ultrasonic systems being frequently utilized have many advantages on semi products of synthetic textile and technical textile. First of all, sewing – cutting process can be accomplished under high speeds and rate of losses can be minimized. Cutting seal applications are frequently used for underwear and sportswear. Slicing and unit cutting machines, as well as portable sealing machines are available for labeling sector. Products such as bag, pocket and cover can be sewed in a seamless manner for promotion purposes. All objects in terms of accessories are obtained in same standard. Our quilting machines are preferred in worldwide due to its threadless, high quality sealing. An alternative to the classic sewing assembly, with thread and needles is ultrasonic seaming. In ultrasonic welding, there are no connective bolts, nails, soldering materials, or adhesives necessary to bind the materials together. Ultrasonic is defined as acoustic frequencies above the range audible to the human ear. Ultrasonic frequencies are administered to the fabric from the sonotrode of bonding machine. The high frequency and powerful energy produced, when is release in one special environment, the ultrasound heating this environment. The ability to ultrasonic weld textiles and films depend on their thermoplastic contents and the desired end results. The paper defines the weld ability of more common textiles and films. The welding refers to all types of bonding and sealing, as in point bonding of fabric, or continuous sealing of film.

On-Chip Bondwire Magnetics with Ferrite-Epoxy Glob Coating for Power Systems on Chip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jian Lu

2008-01-01

Full Text Available A novel concept of on-chip bondwire inductors and transformers with ferrite epoxy glob coating is proposed to offer a cost effective approach realizing power systems on chip (SOC. We have investigated the concept both experimentally and with finite element modeling. A Q factor of 30–40 is experimentally demonstrated for the bondwire inductors which represents an improvement by a factor of 3–30 over the state-of-the-art MEMS micromachined inductors. Transformer parameters including self- and mutual inductance and coupling factors are extracted from both modeled and measured S-parameters. More importantly, the bondwire magnetic components can be easily integrated into SOC manufacturing processes with minimal changes and open enormous possibilities for realizing cost-effective, high-current, high-efficiency power SOCs.

CMOS active pixel sensor type imaging system on a chip

Science.gov (United States)

Fossum, Eric R. (Inventor); Nixon, Robert (Inventor)

2011-01-01

A single chip camera which includes an .[.intergrated.]. .Iadd.integrated .Iaddend.image acquisition portion and control portion and which has double sampling/noise reduction capabilities thereon. Part of the .[.intergrated.]. .Iadd.integrated .Iaddend.structure reduces the noise that is picked up during imaging.

Investigations on the performance of ultrasonic drilling process with special reference to precision machining of advanced ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adithan, M.; Laroiya, S.C.

1997-01-01

Advanced ceramics are assuming an important role in modern industrial technology. The applications and advantages of using advanced ceramics are many. There are several reasons why we should go in for machining of advanced ceramics after their compacting and sintering. These are discussed in this paper. However, precision machining of advanced ceramics must be economical. Critical technological issues to be addressed in cost effective machining of ceramics include design of machine tools, tooling arrangements, improved yield and precision, relationship of part dimensions and finish specifications to functional performance, and on-line inspection. Considering the above ultrasonic drilling is an important process used for the precision machining of advanced ceramics. Extensive studies on tool wear occurring in the ultrasonic machining of advanced ceramics have been carried out. In addition, production accuracy of holes drilled, surface finish obtained and surface integrity aspects in the machining of advanced ceramics have also been investigated. Some specific findings with reference to surface integrity are: a) there were no cracks or micro-cracks developed during or after ultrasonic machining of advanced ceramics, b) while machining Hexoloy alpha silicon carbide a recast layer is formed as a result of ultrasonic machining. This is attributed to the viscous heating resulting from high energy impacts during ultrasonic machining. While machining all other types of ceramics no such formation of recast layer was observed, and , c) there is no change in the microstructure of the advanced ceramics as a result of ultrasonic machining

Microfluidic "Pouch" Chips for Immunoassays and Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests.

Science.gov (United States)

Mauk, Michael G; Liu, Changchun; Qiu, Xianbo; Chen, Dafeng; Song, Jinzhao; Bau, Haim H

2017-01-01

Microfluidic cassettes ("chips") for processing and analysis of clinical specimens and other sample types facilitate point-of-care (POC) immunoassays and nucleic acid based amplification tests. These single-use test chips can be self-contained and made amenable to autonomous operation-reducing or eliminating supporting instrumentation-by incorporating laminated, pliable "pouch" and membrane structures for fluid storage, pumping, mixing, and flow control. Materials and methods for integrating flexible pouch compartments and diaphragm valves into hard plastic (e.g., acrylic and polycarbonate) microfluidic "chips" for reagent storage, fluid actuation, and flow control are described. We review several versions of these pouch chips for immunoassay and nucleic acid amplification tests, and describe related fabrication techniques. These protocols thus offer a "toolbox" of methods for storage, pumping, and flow control functions in microfluidic devices.

Aorta Fluorescence Imaging by Using Confocal Microscopy

OpenAIRE

Wang, Chun-Yang; Tsai, Jui-che; Chuang, Ching-Cheng; Hsieh, Yao-Sheng; Sun, Chia-Wei

2011-01-01

The activated leukocyte attacked the vascular endothelium and the associated increase in VEcadherin number was observed in experiments. The confocal microscopic system with a prism-based wavelength filter was used for multiwavelength fluorescence measurement. Multiwavelength fluorescence imaging based on the VEcadherin within the aorta segment of a rat was achieved. The confocal microscopic system capable of fluorescence detection of cardiovascular tissue is a useful tool for measuring the bi...

Recording length criteria as applied in ultrasonic testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, E.; Kroening, M.; Schober, H.; Fischdick, H.

1983-01-01

An appreciable method used to assess the quality and integrity of safety-related components in light water reactors is the ultrasonic examination, in which case great importance is attributed to the criteria pertaining to recording length and permissible defect size. The development of the recording length criteria as applied when employing this method of examination is portrayed, the latter being based on the criteria which have proven themselves throughout long years of practice in the examination of conventional components. When taking these criteria into account the application of conventional ultrasonic techniques often leads to problems in the case of thick-walled components the reason being that indications are overrated. Taking the design of reactor components as the basic point of consideration, modified criteria are derived particularly when the size of discontinuities calculated by fracture mechanics analyses is taken into account. The introduction of new ultrasonic examination techniques such as, for example, focussed probes revealed that a considerably more realistic assessment is possible and consequently results in a reduction of unnecessary repairs. A comparison of the size of indications determined using conventional and analytical technqiues renders possible the anchoring of an intermediate stage in the evaluation of indications which is encompassed in the consideration of the bundle divergence. Thus a new concept is realized for the evaluation of ultrasonic indications detected in reactor components, which in the meantime has found its way into the associated regulatory guides. (orig.)

Fused oblique incidence reflectometry and confocal fluorescence microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Risi, Matthew D.; Rouse, Andrew R.; Gmitro, Arthur F.

2011-03-01

Confocal microendoscopy provides real-time high resolution cellular level images via a minimally invasive procedure, but relies on exogenous fluorophores, has a relatively limited penetration depth (100 μm) and field of view (700 μm), and produces a high rate of detailed information to the user. A new catheter based multi-modal system has been designed that combines confocal imaging and oblique incidence reflectometry (OIR), which is a non-invasive method capable of rapidly extracting tissue absorption, μa, and reduced scattering, μ's, spectra from tissue. The system builds on previous developments of a custom slit-scan multi-spectral confocal microendoscope and is designed to rapidly switch between diffuse spectroscopy and confocal fluorescence imaging modes of operation. An experimental proof-of-principle catheter has been developed that consists of a fiber bundle for traditional confocal fluorescence imaging and a single OIR source fiber which is manually redirected at +/- 26 degrees. Diffusely scattered light from each orientation of the source fiber is collected via the fiber bundle, with a frame of data representing spectra collected at a range of distances from the OIR source point. Initial results with intralipid phantoms show good agreement to published data over the 550-650 nm spectral range. We successfully imaged and measured the optical properties of rodent cardiac muscle.

Confocal Raman microscopy to monitor extracellular matrix during dental pulp stem cells differentiation

Science.gov (United States)

Salehi, Hamideh; Collart-Dutilleul, Pierre-Yves; Gergely, Csilla; Cuisinier, Frédéric J. G.

2015-07-01

Regenerative medicine brings promising applications for mesenchymal stem cells, such as dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). Confocal Raman microscopy, a noninvasive technique, is used to study osteogenic differentiation of DPSCs. Integrated Raman intensities in the 2800 to 3000 cm-1 region (C-H stretching) and the 960 cm-1 peak (ν1 PO43-) were collected (to image cells and phosphate, respectively), and the ratio of two peaks 1660 over 1690 cm-1 (amide I bands) to measure the collagen cross-linking has been calculated. Raman spectra of DPSCs after 21 days differentiation reveal several phosphate peaks: ν1 (first stretching mode) at 960 cm-1, ν2 at 430 cm-1, and ν4 at 585 cm-1 and collagen cross-linking can also be calculated. Confocal Raman microscopy enables monitoring osteogenic differentiation in vitro and can be a credible tool for clinical stem cell based research.

Study of a Microfluidic Chip Integrating Single Cell Trap and 3D Stable Rotation Manipulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Huang

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Single cell manipulation technology has been widely applied in biological fields, such as cell injection/enucleation, cell physiological measurement, and cell imaging. Recently, a biochip platform with a novel configuration of electrodes for cell 3D rotation has been successfully developed by generating rotating electric fields. However, the rotation platform still has two major shortcomings that need to be improved. The primary problem is that there is no on-chip module to facilitate the placement of a single cell into the rotation chamber, which causes very low efficiency in experiment to manually pipette single 10-micron-scale cells into rotation position. Secondly, the cell in the chamber may suffer from unstable rotation, which includes gravity-induced sinking down to the chamber bottom or electric-force-induced on-plane movement. To solve the two problems, in this paper we propose a new microfluidic chip with manipulation capabilities of single cell trap and single cell 3D stable rotation, both on one chip. The new microfluidic chip consists of two parts. The top capture part is based on the least flow resistance principle and is used to capture a single cell and to transport it to the rotation chamber. The bottom rotation part is based on dielectrophoresis (DEP and is used to 3D rotate the single cell in the rotation chamber with enhanced stability. The two parts are aligned and bonded together to form closed channels for microfluidic handling. Using COMSOL simulation and preliminary experiments, we have verified, in principle, the concept of on-chip single cell traps and 3D stable rotation, and identified key parameters for chip structures, microfluidic handling, and electrode configurations. The work has laid a solid foundation for on-going chip fabrication and experiment validation.

Co-design of on-chip antennas and circuits for a UNII band monolithic transceiver

KAUST Repository

Shamim, Atif

2012-07-28

The surge of highly integrated and multifunction wireless devices has necessitated the designers to think outside the box for solutions that are unconventional. The new trends have provided the impetus for low cost and compact RF System-on-Chip (SoC) approaches [1]. The major advantages of SoC are miniaturization and cost reduction. A major bottleneck to the true realization of monolithic RF SoC transceivers is the implementation of on-chip antennas with circuitry. Though complete integrated transceivers with on-chip antennas have been demonstrated, these designs are generally for high frequencies. Moreover, they either use non-standard CMOS processes or additional fabrication steps to enhance the antenna efficiency, which in turn adds to the cost of the system [2-3]. Another challenge related to the on-chip antennas is the characterization of their radiation properties. Most of the recently reported work (summarized in Table I) shows that very few on-chip antennas are characterized. Our previous work [4], demonstrated a Phase Lock Loop (PLL) based transmitter (TX) with an on-chip antenna. However, the radiation from the on-chip antenna experienced strong interference due to 1) some active circuitry on one side of the chip and 2) the PCB used to mount the chip in the anechoic chamber. This paper presents, for the first time, a complete 5.2 GHz (UNII band) transceiver with separate TX and receiver (RX) antennas. To the author\\'s best knowledge, its size of 3 mm2 is the smallest reported for a UNII band transceiver with two on-chip antennas. Both antennas are characterized for their radiation properties through an on-wafer custom measurement setup. The strategy to co-design on-chip antennas with circuits, resultant trade-offs and measurement challenges have also been discussed. © 2010 IEEE.

Control Synthesis for the Flow-Based Microfluidic Large-Scale Integration Biochips

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Minhass, Wajid Hassan; Pop, Paul; Madsen, Jan

2013-01-01

In this paper we are interested in flow-based microfluidic biochips, which are able to integrate the necessary functions for biochemical analysis on-chip. In these chips, the flow of liquid is manipulated using integrated microvalves. By combining severalmicrovalves, more complex units, such asmi......In this paper we are interested in flow-based microfluidic biochips, which are able to integrate the necessary functions for biochemical analysis on-chip. In these chips, the flow of liquid is manipulated using integrated microvalves. By combining severalmicrovalves, more complex units...

Real-time measurement of relative sensor position changes using ultrasonic signal evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yastrebova, O.; Bulavinov, A.; Kroening, M. [Fraunhofer Institute Nondestructive Testing IZFP, Saarbruecken (Germany)

2008-07-01

Ultrasonic testing is considered to be one of the most commonly applied nondestructive testing techniques for flaw detection and material characterization. Traditional Nondestructive Testing (NDT) provides detection of material discontinuities that may cause failure within the designed lifetime of a part or component. In addition, Quantitative Nondestructive Testing (QNDT) provides means to obtain required information about type, size and location of deficiencies to the integrity of the inspected structure and further use under specific, given load conditions. The ''Acoustic Mouse'' technique has been developed as a tool for manual ultrasonic inspection to provide test results that can be evaluated quantitatively. The ultrasonic data are processed by real-time variation methods to extract position information from backscattered acoustic noise and geometric scatter signals in the inspection volume. The position and positional changes of the ''Acoustic Mouse'' sensor (transducer) are determined by the sequential analysis of ultrasonic data (highresolution sector-scans), which are acquired and reconstructed using the Sampling Phased Array technique. The results of first experiments conducted with linear scanning and intentional lift-offs demonstrate sufficient accuracy in position measurements. (orig.)

Review of piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers and their applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Joontaek; Lee, Wonjun; Kang, Woojin; Shin, Eunjung; Choi, Hongsoo; Ryu, Jungho

2017-01-01

In recent decades, micromachined ultrasonic transducers (MUTs) have been investigated as an alternative to conventional piezocomposite ultrasonic transducers, primarily due to the advantages that microelectromechanical systems provide. Miniaturized ultrasonic systems require ultrasonic transducers integrated with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor circuits. Hence, piezoelectric MUTs (pMUTs) and capacitive MUTs (cMUTs) have been developed as the most favorable solutions. This paper reviews the basic equations to understand the characteristics of thin-film-based piezoelectric devices and presents recent research on pMUTs, including current approaches and limitations. Methods to improve the coupling coefficient of pMUTs are also investigated, such as device structure, materials, and fabrication techniques. The device structure improvements include multielectrode pMUTs, partially clamped boundary conditions, and 3D pMUTs (curved and domed types), where the latter can provide an electromechanical coupling coefficient of up to 45%. The piezoelectric coefficient ( e 31 ) can be increased by controlling the crystal texture (seed layer of γ -Al 2 O 3 ), using single-crystal (PMN-PT) materials, or control of residual stresses (using SiO 2 layer). Arrays of pMUTs can be implemented for various applications including intravascular ultrasound, fingerprint sensors, rangefinders in air, and wireless power supply systems. pMUTs are expected to be an ideal solution for applications such as mobile biometric security (fingerprint sensors) and rangefinders due to their superior power efficiency and compact size. (topical review)

Rodent ultrasonic vocalizations are bound to active sniffing behavior

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yevgeniy B Sirotin

2014-11-01

Full Text Available During rodent active behavior, multiple orofacial sensorimotor behaviors, including sniffing and whisking, display rhythmicity in the theta range (~5-10 Hz. During specific behaviors, these rhythmic patterns interlock, such that execution of individual motor programs becomes dependent on the state of the others. Here we performed simultaneous recordings of the respiratory cycle and ultrasonic vocalization emission by adult rats and mice in social settings. We used automated analysis to examine the relationship between breathing patterns and vocalization over long time periods. Rat ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs, ’50 kHz’ were emitted within stretches of active sniffing (5−10 Hz and were largely absent during periods of passive breathing (1-4 Hz. Because ultrasound was tightly linked to the exhalation phase, the sniffing cycle segmented vocal production into discrete calls and imposed its theta rhythmicity on their timing. In turn, calls briefly prolonged exhalations, causing an immediate drop in sniffing rate. Similar results were obtained in mice. Our results show that ultrasonic vocalizations are an integral part of the rhythmic orofacial behavioral ensemble. This complex behavioral program is thus involved not only in active sensing but also in the temporal structuring of social communication signals. Many other social signals of mammals, including monkey calls and human speech, show structure in the theta range. Our work points to a mechanism for such structuring in rodent ultrasonic vocalizations.

Review of piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers and their applications

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Joontaek; Lee, Wonjun; Kang, Woojin; Shin, Eunjung; Ryu, Jungho; Choi, Hongsoo

2017-11-01

In recent decades, micromachined ultrasonic transducers (MUTs) have been investigated as an alternative to conventional piezocomposite ultrasonic transducers, primarily due to the advantages that microelectromechanical systems provide. Miniaturized ultrasonic systems require ultrasonic transducers integrated with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor circuits. Hence, piezoelectric MUTs (pMUTs) and capacitive MUTs (cMUTs) have been developed as the most favorable solutions. This paper reviews the basic equations to understand the characteristics of thin-film-based piezoelectric devices and presents recent research on pMUTs, including current approaches and limitations. Methods to improve the coupling coefficient of pMUTs are also investigated, such as device structure, materials, and fabrication techniques. The device structure improvements include multielectrode pMUTs, partially clamped boundary conditions, and 3D pMUTs (curved and domed types), where the latter can provide an electromechanical coupling coefficient of up to 45%. The piezoelectric coefficient (e 31) can be increased by controlling the crystal texture (seed layer of γ-Al2O3), using single-crystal (PMN-PT) materials, or control of residual stresses (using SiO2 layer). Arrays of pMUTs can be implemented for various applications including intravascular ultrasound, fingerprint sensors, rangefinders in air, and wireless power supply systems. pMUTs are expected to be an ideal solution for applications such as mobile biometric security (fingerprint sensors) and rangefinders due to their superior power efficiency and compact size.

Miniature stick-packaging--an industrial technology for pre-storage and release of reagents in lab-on-a-chip systems.

Science.gov (United States)

van Oordt, Thomas; Barb, Yannick; Smetana, Jan; Zengerle, Roland; von Stetten, Felix

2013-08-07

Stick-packaging of goods in tubular-shaped composite-foil pouches has become a popular technology for food and drug packaging. We miniaturized stick-packaging for use in lab-on-a-chip (LOAC) systems to pre-store and on-demand release the liquid and dry reagents in a volume range of 80-500 μl. An integrated frangible seal enables the pressure-controlled release of reagents and simplifies the layout of LOAC systems, thereby making the package a functional microfluidic release unit. The frangible seal is adjusted to defined burst pressures ranging from 20 to 140 kPa. The applied ultrasonic welding process allows the packaging of temperature sensitive reagents. Stick-packs have been successfully tested applying recovery tests (where 99% (STDV = 1%) of 250 μl pre-stored liquid is released), long-term storage tests (where there is loss of only <0.5% for simulated 2 years) and air transport simulation tests. The developed technology enables the storage of a combination of liquid and dry reagents. It is a scalable technology suitable for rapid prototyping and low-cost mass production.

A single microfluidic chip with dual surface properties for protein drug delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Bokharaei, Mehrdad; Saatchi, Katayoun; Häfeli, Urs O

2017-04-15

Principles of double emulsion generation were incorporated in a glass microfluidic chip fabricated with two different surface properties in order to produce protein loaded polymer microspheres. The microspheres were produced by integrating two microfluidic flow focusing systems and a multi-step droplet splitting and mixing system into one chip. The chip consists of a hydrophobic and a hydrophilic section with two different heights, 12μm and 45μm, respectively. As a result, the protein is homogenously distributed throughout the polymer microsphere matrix, not just in its center (which has been studied before). In our work, the inner phase was bovine serum albumin (BSA) in phosphate buffered saline, the disperse phase was poly (lactic acid) in chloroform and the continuous phase was an aqueous solution of poly(vinyl alcohol). After solvent removal, BSA loaded microspheres with an encapsulation efficiency of up to 96% were obtained. Our results show the feasibility of producing microspheres loaded with a hydrophilic drug in a microfluidic system that integrates different microfluidic units into one chip. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A compact PE memory for vision chips

Science.gov (United States)

Cong, Shi; Zhe, Chen; Jie, Yang; Nanjian, Wu; Zhihua, Wang

2014-09-01

This paper presents a novel compact memory in the processing element (PE) for single-instruction multiple-data (SIMD) vision chips. The PE memory is constructed with 8 × 8 register cells, where one latch in the slave stage is shared by eight latches in the master stage. The memory supports simultaneous read and write on the same address in one clock cycle. Its compact area of 14.33 μm2/bit promises a higher integration level of the processor. A prototype chip with a 64 × 64 PE array is fabricated in a UMC 0.18 μm CMOS technology. Five types of the PE memory cell structure are designed and compared. The testing results demonstrate that the proposed PE memory architecture well satisfies the requirement of the vision chip in high-speed real-time vision applications, such as 1000 fps edge extraction.

Chip bonding of low-melting eutectic alloys by transmitted laser radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Hoff, Christian; Venkatesh, Arjun; Schneider, Friedrich; Hermsdorf, Jörg; Bengsch, Sebastian; Wurz, Marc C.; Kaierle, Stefan; Overmeyer, Ludger

2017-06-01

Present-day thermode bond systems for the assembly of radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips are mechanically inflexible, difficult to control, and will not meet future manufacturing challenges sufficiently. Chip bonding, one of the key processes in the production of integrated circuits (ICs), has a high potential for optimization with respect to process duration and process flexibility. For this purpose, the technologies used, so far, are supposed to be replaced by a transmission laser-bonding process using low-melting eutectic alloys. In this study, successful bonding investigations of mock silicon chips and of RFID chips on flexible polymer substrates are presented using the low-melting eutectic alloy, 52In48Sn, and a laser with a wavelength of 2 μm.

Enhancement of the automatic ultrasonic signal processing system using digital technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koo, In Soo; Park, H. Y.; Suh, Y. S.; Kim, D. Hoon; Huh, S.; Sung, S. H.; Jang, G. S.; Ryoo, S. G.; Choi, J. H.; Kim, Y. H.; Lee, J. C.; Kim, D. Hyun; Park, H. J.; Kim, Y. C.; Lee, J. P.; Park, C. H.; Kim, M. S.

1999-12-01

The objective of this study is to develop the automatic ultrasonic signal processing system which can be used in the inspection equipment to assess the integrity of the reactor vessel by enhancing the performance of the ultrasonic signal processing system. Main activities of this study divided into three categories such as the development of the circuits for generating ultrasonic signal and receiving the signal from the inspection equipment, the development of signal processing algorithm and H/W of the data processing system, and the development of the specification for application programs and system S/W for the analysis and evaluation computer. The results of main activities are as follows 1) the design of the ultrasonic detector and the automatic ultrasonic signal processing system by using the investigation of the state-of-the-art technology in the inside and outside of the country. 2) the development of H/W and S/W of the data processing system based on the results. Especially, the H/W of the data processing system, which have both advantages of digital and analog controls through the real-time digital signal processing, was developed using the DSP which can process the digital signal in the real-time, and was developed not only firmware of the data processing system in order for the peripherals but also the test algorithm of specimen for the calibration. The application programs and the system S/W of the analysis/evaluation computer were developed. Developed equipment was verified by the performance test. Based on developed prototype for the automatic ultrasonic signal processing system, the localization of the overall ultrasonic inspection equipment for nuclear industries would be expected through the further studies of the H/W establishment of real applications, developing the S/W specification of the analysis computer. (author)

Remote consulting based on ultrasonic digital immages and dynamic ultrasonic sequences

Science.gov (United States)

Margan, Anamarija; Rustemović, Nadan

2006-03-01

Telematic ultrasonic diagnostics is a relatively new tool in providing health care to patients in remote, islolated communities. Our project facility, "The Virtual Polyclinic - A Specialists' Consulting Network for the Islands", is located on the island of Cres in the Adriatic Sea in Croatia and has been extending telemedical services to the archipelago population since 2000. Telemedicine applications include consulting services by specialists at the University Clinical Hospital Center Rebro in Zagreb and at "Magdalena", a leading cardiology clinic in Croatia. After several years of experience with static high resolution ultrasonic digital immages for referral consulting diagnostics purposes, we now also use dynamic ultrasonic sequences in a project with the Department of Emmergency Gastroenterology at Rebro in Zagreb. The aim of the ongoing project is to compare the advantages and shortcomings in transmitting static ultrasonic digital immages and live sequences of ultrasonic examination in telematic diagnostics. Ultrasonic examination is a dynamic process in which the diagnostic accuracy is highly dependent on the dynamic moment of an ultrasound probe and signal. Our first results indicate that in diffuse parenchymal organ pathology the progression and the follow up of a disease is better presented to a remote consulting specialist by dynamic ultrasound sequences. However, the changes that involve only one part of a parenchymal organ can be suitably presented by static ultrasonic digital images alone. Furthermore, we need less time for digital imaging and such tele-consultations overall are more economical. Our previous telemedicine research and practice proved that we can greatly improve the level of medical care in remote healthcare facilities and cut healthcare costs considerably. The experience in the ongoing project points to a conclusion that we can further optimize remote diagnostics benefits by a right choice of telematic application thus reaching a

Ultrasonic flow meter

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lötters, Joost Conrad; Snijders, G.J.; Volker, A.W.F.

2014-01-01

The invention relates to an ultrasonic flow meter comprising a flow tube for the fluid whose flow rate is to be determined. The flow meter comprises a transmitting element for emitting ultrasonic waves, which is provided on the outer jacket of the flow tube. A receiving element, which is provided on

Ultrasonic Low-Friction Containment Plate for Thermal and Ultrasonic Stir Weld Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Graff, Karl; Short, Matt

2013-01-01

The thermal stir welding (TSW) process is finding applications in fabrication of space vehicles. In this process, workpieces to be joined by TSW are drawn, by heavy forces, between "containment plates," past the TSW tool that then causes joining of the separate plates. It is believed that the TSW process would be significantly improved by reducing the draw force, and that this could be achieved by reducing the friction forces between the workpieces and containment plates. Based on use of high-power ultrasonics in metal forming processes, where friction reduction in drawing dies has been achieved, it is believed that ultrasonic vibrations of the containment plates could achieve similar friction reduction in the TSW process. By applying ultrasonic vibrations to the containment plates in a longitudinal vibration mode, as well as by mounting and holding the containment plates in a specific manner such as to permit the plates to acoustically float, friction between the metal parts and the containment plates is greatly reduced, and so is the drawing force. The concept was to bring in the ultrasonics from the sides of the plates, permitting the ultrasonic hardware to be placed to the side, away from the equipment that contains the thermal stir tooling and that applies clamping forces to the plates. Tests demonstrated that one of the major objectives of applying ultrasonics to the thermal stir system, that of reducing draw force friction, should be achievable on a scaled-up system.

Confocal Raman microspectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Puppels, G.J.

1991-01-01

Raman spectroscopy is a technique that provides detailed structural information about molecules studied. In the field of molecular biophysics it has been extensively used for characterization of nucleic acids and proteins and for investigation of interactions between these molecules. It was felt that this technique would have great potential if it could be applied for in situ study of these molecules and their interactions, at the level of single living cell or a chromosome. To make this possible a highly sensitive confocal Raman microspectrometer (CRM) was developed. The instrument is described in detail in this thesis. It incorporates a number of recent technological developments. First, it employs a liquid nitrogen cooled CCD-camera. This type of detector, first used in astronomy, is the ultimate detector for Raman spectroscopy because it combines high quantum efficiency light detection with photon-noise limited operation. Second, an important factor in obtaining a high signal throughput of the spectrometer was the development of a new type of Raman notch filter. In the third place, the confocal detection principle was applied in the CRM. This limits the effective measuring volume to 3 . (author). 279 refs., 48 figs., 11 tabs

Computer automation of ultrasonic testing. [inspection of ultrasonic welding

Science.gov (United States)

Yee, B. G. W.; Kerlin, E. E.; Gardner, A. H.; Dunmyer, D.; Wells, T. G.; Robinson, A. R.; Kunselman, J. S.; Walker, T. C.

1974-01-01

Report describes a prototype computer-automated ultrasonic system developed for the inspection of weldments. This system can be operated in three modes: manual, automatic, and computer-controlled. In the computer-controlled mode, the system will automatically acquire, process, analyze, store, and display ultrasonic inspection data in real-time. Flaw size (in cross-section), location (depth), and type (porosity-like or crack-like) can be automatically discerned and displayed. The results and pertinent parameters are recorded.

Development of a synchrotron timing system on a programmable chip

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin Feiyu; Qiao Weimin; Wang Yanyu; Guo Yuhui

2009-01-01

A synchrotron requires extremely high time constraints for timing signals, so timing system is very important for a synchrotron control system. A FPGA+ARM+Linux+DSP architecture has been mainly used in timing control of the HIRFL-CSR control system. In this paper, we report the development of the SOPC(System On a Programmable Chip) based on FPGA and uClinux.It can integrate all the functions of ARM+Linux in one single FPGA chip, hence no need of the dedicated ARM chip, and the reduced cost. The maximum operation frequency of this system is 185 MHz. The hardware consumes less than 4% of total resources of FPGA chip. And both the hardware system and the operating system of the SOPC are reconfigurable. The SOPC system has a wide prospect of applications in accelerator engineering and many fields of scientific research. (authors)

Real time detection of antibody-antigen interaction using a laser scanning confocal imaging-surface plasmon resonance system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Hong-Yan; Yang Li-Quan; Ning Ting-Yin; Liu Wei-Min; Sun Jia-Yu; Wang Peng-Fei; Meng Lan; Nie Jia-Cai

2012-01-01

A laser scanning confocal imaging-surface plasmon resonance (LSCI-SPR) instrument integrated with a wavelength-dependent surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor and a laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) is built to detect the bonding process of human IgG and fluorescent-labeled affinity purified antibodies in real time. The shifts of resonant wavelength at different reaction time stages are obtained by SPR, corresponding well with the changes of the fluorescence intensity collected by using LSCM. The instrument shows the merits of the combination and complementation of the SPR and LSCM, with such advantages as quantificational analysis, high spatial resolution and real time monitor, which are of great importance for practical applications in biosensor and life science. (general)

Ultrasonic inspection of austenitic welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baikie, B.L.; Wagg, A.R.; Whittle, M.J.; Yapp, D.

1976-01-01

The ultrasonic examination of austenitic stainless steel weld metal has always been regarded as a difficult proposition because of the large and variable ultrasonic attenuations and back scattering obtained from apparently similar weld deposits. The work to be described shows how the existence of a fibre texture within each weld deposit (as a result of epitaxial growth through successive weld beads) produces a systematic variation in the ultrasonic attenuation coefficient and the velocity of sound, depending upon the angle between the ultrasonic beam and the fibre axis. Development work has shown that it is possible to adjust the welding parameters to ensure that the crystallographic texture within each weld is compatible with improved ultrasonic transmission. The application of the results to the inspection of a specific weld in type 316 weld metal is described

Irradiation Testing of Ultrasonic Transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daw, J.; Rempe, J.; Palmer, J.; Tittmann, B.; Reinhardt, B.; Kohse, G.; Ramuhalli, P.; Montgomery, R.; Chien, H.T.; Villard, J.F.

2013-06-01

Ultrasonic technologies offer the potential for high accuracy and resolution in-pile measurement of numerous parameters, including geometry changes, temperature, crack initiation and growth, gas pressure and composition, and microstructural changes. Many Department of Energy-Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) programs are exploring the use of ultrasonic technologies to provide enhanced sensors for in-pile instrumentation during irradiation testing. For example, the ability of single, small diameter ultrasonic thermometers (UTs) to provide a temperature profile in candidate metallic and oxide fuel would provide much needed data for validating new fuel performance models. Other efforts include an ultrasonic technique to detect morphology changes (such as crack initiation and growth) and acoustic techniques to evaluate fission gas composition and pressure. These efforts are limited by the lack of existing knowledge of ultrasonic transducer material survivability under irradiation conditions. To address this need, the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) was awarded an Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility (ATR NSUF) project to evaluate promising magnetostrictive and piezoelectric transducer performance in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor (MITR) up to a fast fluence of at least 10 21 n/cm 2 (E> 0.1 MeV). This test will be an instrumented lead test; and real-time transducer performance data will be collected along with temperature and neutron and gamma flux data. By characterizing magnetostrictive and piezoelectric transducer survivability during irradiation, test results will enable the development of novel radiation tolerant ultrasonic sensors for use in Material and Test Reactors (MTRs). The current work bridges the gap between proven out-of-pile ultrasonic techniques and in-pile deployment of ultrasonic sensors by acquiring the data necessary to demonstrate the performance of ultrasonic transducers. (authors)

Chips with everything

CERN Document Server

CERN. Geneva

2007-01-01

In March 1972, Sir Robin Saxby gave a talk to the Royal Television Society called 'TV and Chips' about a 'state of the art' integrated circuit, containing 50 resistors and 50 transistors. Today's 'state of the art' chips contain up to a billion transistors. This enormous leap forward illustrates how dramatically the semiconductor industry has evolved in the past 34 years. The next 10 years are predicted to bring times of turbulent change for the industry, as more and more digital devices are used around the world. In this talk, Sir Robin will discuss the history of the Microchip Industry in parallel with ARM's history, demonstrating how a small European start-up can become a world player in the IT sector. He will also present his vision of important applications and developments in the next 20 years that are likely to become even more pervasive than the mobile phone is today, and will provide anecdotes and learning points from his own experience at ARM. About ARM: Sir Robin and a group of designers from Acorn...

On-chip mode division multiplexing technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ding, Yunhong; Frellsen, Louise Floor; Guan, Xiaowei

2016-01-01

Space division multiplexing (SDM) is currently widely investigated in order to provide enhanced capacity thanks to the utilization of space as a new degree of multiplexing freedom in both optical fiber communication and on-chip interconnects. Basic components allowing the processing of spatial...... photonic integrated circuit mode (de) multiplexer for few-mode fibers (FMFs)....

Numerical modelling of so-called secondary ultrasonic echoes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langenberg, K.J.; Fellinger, P.; Hofmann, C.

1994-01-01

The formation of secondary ultrasonic echoes is discussed for a particularly simple testing situation. This discussion is based upon the intuitive visualization of elastic wave propagation as obtained with the numerical EFIT-Code (Elastodynamic Finite Integration Technique). The resulting travel times for the econdary echoes contain well-defined limits as they originate from the simple model of grazing incidence plane longitudinal wave mode conversion. (orig.) [de

Ultrasonic evaluation of the physical and mechanical properties of granites.

Science.gov (United States)

Vasconcelos, G; Lourenço, P B; Alves, C A S; Pamplona, J

2008-09-01

Masonry is the oldest building material that survived until today, being used all over the world and being present in the most impressive historical structures as an evidence of spirit of enterprise of ancient cultures. Conservation, rehabilitation and strengthening of the built heritage and protection of human lives are clear demands of modern societies. In this process, the use of nondestructive methods has become much common in the diagnosis of structural integrity of masonry elements. With respect to the evaluation of the stone condition, the ultrasonic pulse velocity is a simple and economical tool. Thus, the central issue of the present paper concerns the evaluation of the suitability of the ultrasonic pulse velocity method for describing the mechanical and physical properties of granites (range size between 0.1-4.0 mm and 0.3-16.5 mm) and for the assessment of its weathering state. The mechanical properties encompass the compressive and tensile strength and modulus of elasticity, and the physical properties include the density and porosity. For this purpose, measurements of the longitudinal ultrasonic pulse velocity with distinct natural frequency of the transducers were carried out on specimens with different size and shape. A discussion of the factors that induce variations on the ultrasonic velocity is also provided. Additionally, statistical correlations between ultrasonic pulse velocity and mechanical and physical properties of granites are presented and discussed. The major output of the work is the confirmation that ultrasonic pulse velocity can be effectively used as a simple and economical nondestructive method for a preliminary prediction of mechanical and physical properties, as well as a tool for the assessment of the weathering changes of granites that occur during the serviceable life. This is of much interest due to the usual difficulties in removing specimens for mechanical characterization.

Microprocessors: From basic chips to complete systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dobinson, R.W.

1985-01-01

These lectures aim to present and explain in general terms some of the characteristics of microprocessor chips and associated components. They show how systems are synthesized from the basic integrated circuit building blocks which are currently available; processor, memory, input-output (I/0) devices, etc. (orig./HSI)

Low Loss Nanostructured Polymers for Chip-scale Waveguide Amplifiers.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, George F R; Zhao, Xinyu; Sun, Yang; He, Chaobin; Tan, Mei Chee; Tan, Dawn T H

2017-06-13

On-chip waveguide amplifiers offer higher gain in small device sizes and better integration with photonic devices than the commonly available fiber amplifiers. However, on-chip amplifiers have yet to make its way into the mainstream due to the limited availability of materials with ideal light guiding and amplification properties. A low-loss nanostructured on-chip channel polymeric waveguide amplifier was designed, characterized, fabricated and its gain experimentally measured at telecommunication wavelength. The active polymeric waveguide core comprises of NaYF 4 :Yb,Er,Ce core-shell nanocrystals dispersed within a SU8 polymer, where the nanoparticle interfacial characteristics were tailored using hydrolyzed polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-graft-poly(methyl methacrylate) to improve particle dispersion. Both the enhanced IR emission intensity from our nanocrystals using a tri-dopant scheme and the reduced scattering losses from our excellent particle dispersion at a high solid loading of 6.0 vol% contributed to the outstanding optical performance of our polymeric waveguide. We achieved one of the highest reported gain of 6.6 dB/cm using a relatively low coupled pump power of 80 mW. These polymeric waveguide amplifiers offer greater promise for integrated optical circuits due to their processability and integration advantages which will play a key role in the emerging areas of flexible communication and optoelectronic devices.

Chip-scale white flip-chip light-emitting diode containing indium phosphide/zinc selenide quantum dots

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Bingfeng; Yan, Linchao; Lao, Yuqin; Ma, Yanfei; Chen, Zimin; Ma, Xuejin; Zhuo, Yi; Pei, Yanli; Wang, Gang

2017-08-01

A method for preparing a quantum dot (QD)-white light-emitting diode (WLED) is reported. Holes were etched in the SiO2 layer deposited on the sapphire substrate of the flip-chip LED by inductively coupled plasma, and these holes were then filled with QDs. An ultraviolet-curable resin was then spin-coated on top of the QD-containing SiO2 layer, and the resin was cured to act as a protecting layer. The reflective sidewall structure minimized sidelight leakage. The fabrication of the QD-WLED is simple in preparation and compatible with traditional LED processes, which was the minimum size of the WLED chip-scale integrated package. InP/ZnS core-shell QDs were used as the converter in the WLED. A blue light-emitting diode with a flip-chip structure was used as the excitation source. The QD-WLED exhibited color temperatures from 5900 to 6400 K and Commission Internationale De L'Elcairage color coordinates from (0.315, 0.325) to (0.325, 0.317), under drive currents from 100 to 400 mA. The QD-WLED exhibited stable optoelectronic properties.

Ultrasonic dip seal maintenance system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poindexter, A.M.; Ricks, H.E.

1978-01-01

Disclosed is a system for removing impurities from the surfaces of liquid dip seals and for wetting the metal surfaces of liquid dip seals in nuclear components. The system comprises an ultrasonic transducer that transmits ultrasonic vibrations along an ultrasonic probe to the metal and liquid surfaces of the dip seal thereby loosening and removing those impurities

Quantum interference in heterogeneous superconducting-photonic circuits on a silicon chip.

Science.gov (United States)

Schuck, C; Guo, X; Fan, L; Ma, X; Poot, M; Tang, H X

2016-01-21

Quantum information processing holds great promise for communicating and computing data efficiently. However, scaling current photonic implementation approaches to larger system size remains an outstanding challenge for realizing disruptive quantum technology. Two main ingredients of quantum information processors are quantum interference and single-photon detectors. Here we develop a hybrid superconducting-photonic circuit system to show how these elements can be combined in a scalable fashion on a silicon chip. We demonstrate the suitability of this approach for integrated quantum optics by interfering and detecting photon pairs directly on the chip with waveguide-coupled single-photon detectors. Using a directional coupler implemented with silicon nitride nanophotonic waveguides, we observe 97% interference visibility when measuring photon statistics with two monolithically integrated superconducting single-photon detectors. The photonic circuit and detector fabrication processes are compatible with standard semiconductor thin-film technology, making it possible to implement more complex and larger scale quantum photonic circuits on silicon chips.

Progress on TSV technology for Medipix3RX chip

Science.gov (United States)

Sarajlić, M.; Pennicard, D.; Smoljanin, S.; Fritzsch, T.; Zoschke, K.; Graafsma, H.

2017-12-01

The progress of Through Silicon Via (TSV) technology for Medipix3RX chip done at DESY is presented here. The goal of this development is to replace the wire bonds in X-ray detectors with TSVs, in order to reduce the dead area between detectors. We obtained the first working chips assembled together with Si based sensors for X-ray detection. The 3D integration technology, including TSV, Re-distribution layer deposition, bump bonding to the Si sensor and bump bonding to the carrier PCB, was done by Fraunhofer Institute IZM in Berlin. After assembly, the module was successfully tested by recording background radiation and making X-ray images of small objects. The active area of the Medipix3RX chip is 14.1 mm×14.1 mm or 256×256 pixels. During TSV processing, the Medipix3RX chip was thinned from 775 μm original thickness, to 130 μm. The diameter of the vias is 40 μm, and the pitch between the vias is 120 μm. A liner filling approach was used to contact the TSV with the RDL on the backside of the Medipix3RX readout chip.

On-chip dual-comb source for spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Dutt, Avik; Joshi, Chaitanya; Ji, Xingchen; Cardenas, Jaime; Okawachi, Yoshitomo; Luke, Kevin; Gaeta, Alexander L; Lipson, Michal

2018-03-01

Dual-comb spectroscopy is a powerful technique for real-time, broadband optical sampling of molecular spectra, which requires no moving components. Recent developments with microresonator-based platforms have enabled frequency combs at the chip scale. However, the need to precisely match the resonance wavelengths of distinct high quality-factor microcavities has hindered the development of on-chip dual combs. We report the simultaneous generation of two microresonator combs on the same chip from a single laser, drastically reducing experimental complexity. We demonstrate broadband optical spectra spanning 51 THz and low-noise operation of both combs by deterministically tuning into soliton mode-locked states using integrated microheaters, resulting in narrow (lasers or microwave oscillators. We demonstrate high signal-to-noise ratio absorption spectroscopy spanning 170 nm using the dual-comb source over a 20-μs acquisition time. Our device paves the way for compact and robust spectrometers at nanosecond time scales enabled by large beat-note spacings (>1 GHz).

Microfluidic Platform for the Long-Term On-Chip Cultivation of Mammalian Cells for Lab-On-A-Chip Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Bunge, Frank; Driesche, Sander van den; Vellekoop, Michael J

2017-07-10

Lab-on-a-Chip (LoC) applications for the long-term analysis of mammalian cells are still very rare due to the lack of convenient cell cultivation devices. The difficulties are the integration of suitable supply structures, the need of expensive equipment like an incubator and sophisticated pumps as well as the choice of material. The presented device is made out of hard, but non-cytotoxic materials (silicon and glass) and contains two vertical arranged membranes out of hydrogel. The porous membranes are used to separate the culture chamber from two supply channels for gases and nutrients. The cells are fed continuously by diffusion through the membranes without the need of an incubator and low requirements on the supply of medium to the assembly. The diffusion of oxygen is modelled in order to find the optimal dimensions of the chamber. The chip is connected via 3D-printed holders to the macroscopic world. The holders are coated with Parlyene C to ensure that only biocompatible materials are in contact with the culture medium. The experiments with MDCK-cells show the successful seeding inside the chip, culturing and passaging. Consequently, the presented platform is a step towards Lab-on-a-Chip applications that require long-term cultivation of mammalian cells.

Thermoelasticity of SSP Materials: An Integrated Ultrasonic and X-radiation Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baosheng Li

2008-01-01

It has been a very productive year for accomplishing the tasks outlined in the original proposal. Quite a few crystalline materials [tantalum (Ta), molybdenum (Mo), cerium (Ce) beryllium (Be)] and amorphous materials [zirconium tungstate (ZrW2O8), SiO2, and germanium diselenide (GeSe2) glasses] have been assessed at high pressures up to 12 GPa and acoustic velocities and densities have been obtained simultaneously using our unique technique. Major activities include sample preparation, high pressure cell assembly testing, and conducting ultrasonic and X-ray diffraction measurements at BNL as well as resonance ultrasonic spectroscopy (RUS) measurements at UCLA on appropriate samples. Sample preparations for Ce and Be were made at Los Alamos National Lab for which special grades and specialized machining of the sample are required. Pilot experiments for optimizing high pressure cell assemblies were conducted using the 1000-ton multi-anvil press (USCA-1000) in the High Pressure Lab at Stony Brook, and simultaneous ultrasonic and X-ray diffraction experiments were conducted using the DDIA apparatus installed at X17B2 of NSLS at BNL. New data analysis protocols have been developed for deriving density of amorphous materials at high pressure and therefore its equation of state. Following on previous years effort, attempts have been made to derive single crystal elastic constants based on the current measurements on polycrystalline samples at high pressure in conjunction with previous data as well as the current RUS measurements at ambient conditions. Single crystal elastic constants of Tantalum have been measured using RUS techniques at room pressure and high temperature. Educational and training opportunities have been provided for postdoctoral associate researchers, Drs. Wei Liu (project leader for Mo, and ZrW2O8 and SiO2 glass) and Qiong Liu (Ta project leader) and graduate students Mr. Matthew Whitaker (Project Ce and FeSi) and Sytle Antao (GeSe2 glass project). A

Synchronization of Integrated Systems on a Chip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

González-Díaz O.

2012-04-01

Full Text Available In the present paper, the non-conventional interconnected and coupled ring oscillators approach working as clock distribution networks to synchronize electronic systems on a chip (SoC is proposed. Typical CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor N-well 0.35 µm Austria Micro Systems process parameters were used for conventional and non-conventional clock distribution nets design and simulation. Experimental results from local and global clock distribution networks fabricated using a CMOS 0.35 µm process show that the use of interconnected rings arrays, as globally asynchronous locally synchronous (GALS clock distribution networks, represent an appropriate approach due to good performance regarding scalability, low clock-skew, high-speed, faults tolerant and robust under process variations, regularity, and modularity.

Real-time tunability of chip-based light source enabled by microfluidic mixing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Brian Bilenberg; Rasmussen, Torben; Balslev, Søren

2006-01-01

We demonstrate real-time tunability of a chip-based liquid light source enabled by microfluidic mixing. The mixer and light source are fabricated in SU-8 which is suitable for integration in SU-8-based laboratory-on-a-chip microsystems. The tunability of the light source is achieved by changing...... the concentration of rhodamine 6G dye inside two integrated vertical resonators, since both the refractive index and the gain profile are influenced by the dye concentration. The effect on the refractive index and the gain profile of rhodamine 6G in ethanol is investigated and the continuous tuning of the laser...

Ultrasonic neuromodulation

Science.gov (United States)

Naor, Omer; Krupa, Steve; Shoham, Shy

2016-06-01

Ultrasonic waves can be non-invasively steered and focused into mm-scale regions across the human body and brain, and their application in generating controlled artificial modulation of neuronal activity could therefore potentially have profound implications for neural science and engineering. Ultrasonic neuro-modulation phenomena were experimentally observed and studied for nearly a century, with recent discoveries on direct neural excitation and suppression sparking a new wave of investigations in models ranging from rodents to humans. In this paper we review the physics, engineering and scientific aspects of ultrasonic fields, their control in both space and time, and their effect on neuronal activity, including a survey of both the field’s foundational history and of recent findings. We describe key constraints encountered in this field, as well as key engineering systems developed to surmount them. In closing, the state of the art is discussed, with an emphasis on emerging research and clinical directions.

Clinical applications of corneal confocal microscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mitra Tavakoli

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Mitra Tavakoli1, Parwez Hossain2, Rayaz A Malik11Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Manchester and Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK; 2University of Southampton, Southampton Eye Unit, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UKAbstract: Corneal confocal microscopy is a novel clinical technique for the study of corneal cellular structure. It provides images which are comparable to in-vitro histochemical techniques delineating corneal epithelium, Bowman’s layer, stroma, Descemet’s membrane and the corneal endothelium. Because, corneal confocal microscopy is a non invasive technique for in vivo imaging of the living cornea it has huge clinical potential to investigate numerous corneal diseases. Thus far it has been used in the detection and management of pathologic and infectious conditions, corneal dystrophies and ecstasies, monitoring contact lens induced corneal changes and for pre and post surgical evaluation (PRK, LASIK and LASEK, flap evaluations and Radial Keratotomy, and penetrating keratoplasty. Most recently it has been used as a surrogate for peripheral nerve damage in a variety of peripheral neuropathies and may have potential in acting as a surrogate marker for endothelial abnormalities.Keywords: corneal confocal microscopy, cornea, infective keratitis, corneal dystrophy, neuropathy

Development of an intelligent system for ultrasonic flaw classification in weldments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Sung-Jin; Kim, Hak-Joon; Cho, Hyeon

2002-01-01

Even though ultrasonic pattern recognition is considered as the most effective and promising approach to flaw classification in weldments, its application to the realistic field inspection is still very limited due to the crucial barriers in cost, time and reliability. To reduce such barriers, previously we have proposed an intelligent system approach that consisted of the following four ingredients: (1) a PC-based ultrasonic testing (PC-UT) system; (2) an effective invariant ultrasonic flaw classification algorithm; (3) an intelligent flaw classification software; and (4) a database with abundant experimental flaw signals. In the present work, for performing the ultrasonic flaw classification in weldments in a real-time fashion in many real word situations, we develop an intelligent system, which is called the 'Intelligent Ultrasonic Evaluation System (IUES)' by the integration of the above four ingredients into a single, unified system. In addition, for the improvement of classification accuracy of flaws, especially slag inclusions, we expand the feature set by adding new informative features, and demonstrate the enhanced performance of the IUES with flaw signals in the database constructed previously. And then, to take care of the increased redundancy in the feature set due to the addition of features, we also propose two efficient schemes for feature selection: the forward selection with trial and error, and the forward selection with criteria of the error probability and the linear correlation coefficients of individual features

Flip chip assembly of thinned chips for hybrid pixel detector applications

CERN Document Server

Fritzsch, T; Woehrmann, M; Rothermund, M; Huegging, F; Ehrmann, O; Oppermann, H; Lang, K.D

2014-01-01

There is a steady trend to ultra-thin microelectronic devices. Especially for future particle detector systems a reduced readout chip thickness is required to limit the loss of tracking precision due to scattering. The reduction of silicon thickness is performed at wafer level in a two-step thinning process. To minimize the risk of wafer breakage the thinned wafer needs to be handled by a carrier during the whole process chain of wafer bumping. Another key process is the flip chip assembly of thinned readout chips onto thin sensor tiles. Besides the prevention of silicon breakage the minimization of chip warpage is one additional task for a high yield and reliable flip chip process. A new technology using glass carrier wafer will be described in detail. The main advantage of this technology is the combination of a carrier support during wafer processing and the chip support during flip chip assembly. For that a glass wafer is glue-bonded onto the backside of the thinned readout chip wafer. After the bump depo...

Imaging theory of nonlinear second harmonic and third harmonic generations in confocal microscopy

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

TANG Zhilie; XING Da; LIU Songhao

2004-01-01

The imaging theory of nonlinear second harmonic generation (SHG) and third harmonic generation (THG) in confocal microscopy is presented in this paper. The nonlinear effect of SHG and THG on the imaging properties of confocal microscopy has been analyzed in detail by the imaging theory. It is proved that the imaging process of SHG and THG in confocal microscopy, which is different from conventional coherent imaging or incoherent imaging, can be divided into two different processes of coherent imaging. The three-dimensional point spread functions (3D-PSF) of SHG and THG confocal microscopy are derived based on the nonlinear principles of SHG and THG. The imaging properties of SHG and THG confocal microscopy are discussed in detail according to its 3D-PSF. It is shown that the resolution of SHG and THG confocal microscopy is higher than that of single-and two-photon confocal microscopy.

Mechanical and electrical properties of ultra-thin chips and flexible electronics assemblies during bending

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Den Ende, D.A.; Van De Wiel, H.J.; Kusters, R.H.L.; Sridhar, A.; Schram, J.F.M.; Cauwe, M.; Van Den Brand, J.

2014-01-01

Ultra-thin chips of less than 20 μm become flexible, allowing integration of silicon IC technology with highly flexible electronics such as food packaging sensor systems or healthcare and sport monitoring tags as wearable patches or even directly in clothing textile. The ultra-thin chips in these

Looking to the future of organs-on-chips: interview with Professor John Wikswo.

Science.gov (United States)

Wikswo, John P

2017-06-01

John Wikswo talks to Francesca Lake, Managing Editor: John is the founding Director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education (VIIBRE). He is also the Gordon A Cain University Professor; a B learned Professor of Living State Physics; and a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and Physics. John earned his PhD in physics at Stanford University (CA, USA). After serving as a Research Fellow in Cardiology at Stanford, he joined the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Vanderbilt University (TN, USA), where he went on to make the first measurement of the magnetic field of an isolated nerve. He founded VIIBRE at Vanderbilt in 2001 in order to foster and enhance interdisciplinary research in the biophysical sciences, bioengineering and medicine. VIIBRE efforts have led to the development of devices integral to organ-on-chip research. He is focusing on the neurovascular unit-on-a-chip, heart-on-a-chip, a missing organ microformulator, and microfluidic pumps and valves to control and analyze organs-on-chips.

Ultrasonic colour Doppler imaging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Evans, David H; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt; Nielsen, Michael Bachmann

2011-01-01

Ultrasonic colour Doppler is an imaging technique that combines anatomical information derived using ultrasonic pulse-echo techniques with velocity information derived using ultrasonic Doppler techniques to generate colour-coded maps of tissue velocity superimposed on grey-scale images of tissue...... anatomy. The most common use of the technique is to image the movement of blood through the heart, arteries and veins, but it may also be used to image the motion of solid tissues such as the heart walls. Colour Doppler imaging is now provided on almost all commercial ultrasound machines, and has been...

A Vision Chip for Color Segmentation and Pattern Matching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ralph Etienne-Cummings

2003-06-01

Full Text Available A 128(H × 64(V × RGB CMOS imager is integrated with region-of-interest selection, RGB-to-HSI transformation, HSI-based pixel segmentation, (36bins × 12bits-HSI histogramming, and sum-of-absolute-difference (SAD template matching. Thirty-two learned color templates are stored and compared to each image. The chip captures the R, G, and B images using in-pixel storage before passing the pixel content to a multiplying digital-to-analog converter (DAC for white balancing. The DAC can also be used to pipe in images for a PC. The color processing uses a biologically inspired color opponent representation and an analog lookup table to determine the Hue (H of each pixel. Saturation (S is computed using a loser-take-all circuit. Intensity (I is given by the sum of the color components. A histogram of the segments of the image, constructed by counting the number of pixels falling into 36 Hue intervals of 10 degrees, is stored on a chip and compared against the histograms of new segments using SAD comparisons. We demonstrate color-based image segmentation and object recognition with this chip. Running at 30 fps, it uses 1 mW. To our knowledge, this is the first chip that integrates imaging, color segmentation, and color-based object recognition at the focal plane.

Improvement of landfill leachate biodegradability with ultrasonic process.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amir Hossein Mahvi

Full Text Available Landfills leachates are known to contain recalcitrant and/or non-biodegradable organic substances and biological processes are not efficient in these cases. A promising alternative to complete oxidation of biorecalcitrant leachate is the use of ultrasonic process as pre-treatment to convert initially biorecalcitrant compounds to more readily biodegradable intermediates. The objectives of this study are to investigate the effect of ultrasonic process on biodegradability improvement. After the optimization by factorial design, the ultrasonic were applied in the treatment of raw leachates using a batch wise mode. For this, different scenarios were tested with regard to power intensities of 70 and 110 W, frequencies of 30, 45 and 60 KHz, reaction times of 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes and pH of 3, 7 and 10. For determining the effects of catalysts on sonication efficiencies, 5 mg/l of TiO(2 and ZnO have been also used. Results showed that when applied as relatively brief pre-treatment systems, the sonocatalysis processes induce several modifications of the matrix, which results in significant enhancement of its biodegradability. For this reason, the integrated chemical-biological systems proposed here represent a suitable solution for the treatment of landfill leachate samples.

Ultrasonic flowmeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wittekind, W.D.

1979-01-01

A prototype ultrasonic flowmeter was assembled and tested. The theoretical basis of this prototype ultrasonic flowmeter is reviewed; the equipment requirements for a portable unit are discussed; the individual electronic modules contained in the prototype are described; the operating procedures and configuration are explained; and the data from preliminary calibrations are presented. The calibration data confirm that the prototype operates according to theoretical predictions and can indeed provide nonintrusive flow measurements to predicted accuracies for pipes larger than two inches, under single phase stable flow conditions

Pattern manipulation via on-chip phase modulation between orbital angular momentum beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Huanlu; Strain, Michael J.; Meriggi, Laura; Sorel, Marc; Chen, Lifeng; Zhu, Jiangbo; Cicek, Kenan; Wang, Jianwei; Thompson, Mark G.; Cai, Xinlun; Yu, Siyuan

2015-01-01

An integrated approach to thermal modulation of relative phase between two optical vortices with opposite chirality has been demonstrated on a silicon-on-insulator substrate. The device consists of a silicon-integrated optical vortex emitter and a phase controlled 3 dB coupler. The relative phase between two optical vortices can be actively modulated on chip by applying a voltage on the integrated heater. The phase shift is shown to be linearly proportional to applied electrical power, and the rotation angle of the interference pattern is observed to be inversely proportional to topological charge. This scheme can be used in lab-on-chip, communications and sensing applications. It can be intentionally implemented with other modulation elements to achieve more complicated applications

Pattern manipulation via on-chip phase modulation between orbital angular momentum beams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Huanlu [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TR (United Kingdom); School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Rankine Building, Oakfield Avenue, Glasgow G12 8LP (United Kingdom); Strain, Michael J. [School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Rankine Building, Oakfield Avenue, Glasgow G12 8LP (United Kingdom); Wolfson Centre, Institute of Photonics, University of Strathclyde, 106 Rottenrow East, Glasgow G4 0NW (United Kingdom); Meriggi, Laura; Sorel, Marc [School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Rankine Building, Oakfield Avenue, Glasgow G12 8LP (United Kingdom); Chen, Lifeng; Zhu, Jiangbo; Cicek, Kenan [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TR (United Kingdom); Wang, Jianwei; Thompson, Mark G. [Centre for Quantum Photonics, H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory and Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UB (United Kingdom); Cai, Xinlun, E-mail: caixlun5@mail.sysu.edu.cn [Centre for Quantum Photonics, H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory and Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UB (United Kingdom); State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies and School of Physics and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Yu, Siyuan, E-mail: s.yu@bristol.ac.uk [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TR (United Kingdom); State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies and School of Physics and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China)

2015-08-03

An integrated approach to thermal modulation of relative phase between two optical vortices with opposite chirality has been demonstrated on a silicon-on-insulator substrate. The device consists of a silicon-integrated optical vortex emitter and a phase controlled 3 dB coupler. The relative phase between two optical vortices can be actively modulated on chip by applying a voltage on the integrated heater. The phase shift is shown to be linearly proportional to applied electrical power, and the rotation angle of the interference pattern is observed to be inversely proportional to topological charge. This scheme can be used in lab-on-chip, communications and sensing applications. It can be intentionally implemented with other modulation elements to achieve more complicated applications.

Pulsed ultrasonic stir welding system

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, R. Jeffrey (Inventor)

2013-01-01

An ultrasonic stir welding system includes a welding head assembly having a plate and a rod passing through the plate. The rod is rotatable about a longitudinal axis thereof. During a welding operation, ultrasonic pulses are applied to the rod as it rotates about its longitudinal axis. The ultrasonic pulses are applied in such a way that they propagate parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rod.

On-chip concentration of bacteria using a 3D dielectrophoretic chip and subsequent laser-based DNA extraction in the same chip

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Yoon-Kyoung; Kim, Tae-hyeong; Lee, Jeong-Gun

2010-01-01

We report the on-chip concentration of bacteria using a dielectrophoretic (DEP) chip with 3D electrodes and subsequent laser-based DNA extraction in the same chip. The DEP chip has a set of interdigitated Au post electrodes with 50 µm height to generate a network of non-uniform electric fields for the efficient trapping by DEP. The metal post array was fabricated by photolithography and subsequent Ni and Au electroplating. Three model bacteria samples (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus mutans) were tested and over 80-fold concentrations were achieved within 2 min. Subsequently, on-chip DNA extraction from the concentrated bacteria in the 3D DEP chip was performed by laser irradiation using the laser-irradiated magnetic bead system (LIMBS) in the same chip. The extracted DNA was analyzed with silicon chip-based real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The total process of on-chip bacteria concentration and the subsequent DNA extraction can be completed within 10 min including the manual operation time.

Real-time ultrasonic weld evaluation system

Science.gov (United States)

Katragadda, Gopichand; Nair, Satish; Liu, Harry; Brown, Lawrence M.

1996-11-01

Ultrasonic testing techniques are currently used as an alternative to radiography for detecting, classifying,and sizing weld defects, and for evaluating weld quality. Typically, ultrasonic weld inspections are performed manually, which require significant operator expertise and time. Thus, in recent years, the emphasis is to develop automated methods to aid or replace operators in critical weld inspections where inspection time, reliability, and operator safety are major issues. During this period, significant advances wee made in the areas of weld defect classification and sizing. Very few of these methods, however have found their way into the market, largely due to the lack of an integrated approach enabling real-time implementation. Also, not much research effort was directed in improving weld acceptance criteria. This paper presents an integrated system utilizing state-of-the-art techniques for a complete automation of the weld inspection procedure. The modules discussed include transducer tracking, classification, sizing, and weld acceptance criteria. Transducer tracking was studied by experimentally evaluating sonic and optical position tracking techniques. Details for this evaluation are presented. Classification is obtained using a multi-layer perceptron. Results from different feature extraction schemes, including a new method based on a combination of time and frequency-domain signal representations are given. Algorithms developed to automate defect registration and sizing are discussed. A fuzzy-logic acceptance criteria for weld acceptance is presented describing how this scheme provides improved robustness compared to the traditional flow-diagram standards.

Ultrasonic stir welding process and apparatus

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, R. Jeffrey (Inventor)

2009-01-01

An ultrasonic stir welding device provides a method and apparatus for elevating the temperature of a work piece utilizing at least one ultrasonic heater. Instead of relying on a rotating shoulder to provide heat to a workpiece an ultrasonic heater is utilized to provide ultrasonic energy to the workpiece. A rotating pin driven by a motor assembly performs the weld on the workpiece. A handheld version can be constructed as well as a fixedly mounted embodiment.

Color sensor and neural processor on one chip

Science.gov (United States)

Fiesler, Emile; Campbell, Shannon R.; Kempem, Lother; Duong, Tuan A.

1998-10-01

Low-cost, compact, and robust color sensor that can operate in real-time under various environmental conditions can benefit many applications, including quality control, chemical sensing, food production, medical diagnostics, energy conservation, monitoring of hazardous waste, and recycling. Unfortunately, existing color sensor are either bulky and expensive or do not provide the required speed and accuracy. In this publication we describe the design of an accurate real-time color classification sensor, together with preprocessing and a subsequent neural network processor integrated on a single complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit. This one-chip sensor and information processor will be low in cost, robust, and mass-producible using standard commercial CMOS processes. The performance of the chip and the feasibility of its manufacturing is proven through computer simulations based on CMOS hardware parameters. Comparisons with competing methodologies show a significantly higher performance for our device.

Imaging techniques for ultrasonic testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

These seminar proceedings contain 16 lectures on the following topics: 1. From imaging to quantification - ultrasound methods in medical diagnostics; 2. SAFT, TOFD, Phased Array - classical applications and recent developments in ultrasonic imaging; 3. Innovative ultrasonic imaging methods in research and application; 4. Industrial ultrasonic testing of fibre-reinforced structures of complex geometry; 5. Visualisation of crack tips in the inspection of wheel set shafts with longitudinal boreholes as a means of avoiding unnecessary wheel set changes; 6. Areal analysis of the propagation of Lamb waves on curved, anisotropic structures; 7. High-resolution representation in immersion technique testing; 8. Variants in generating images from phased array measurement data - practical examples involving copper, carbon-fibre reinforced plastic and other materials; 9. GIUM - an unconventional method of microstructure imaging using ultrasonic stimulation and laser vibrometry scanning; 10. Innovative air-ultrasonic testing concepts for improved imaging; 11. Use of imaging methods for improving the quality of test results from nondestructive testing; 12. Modelling and visualisation of EMUS stimulation for transducer optimisation; 13. Use of SAFT in the manufacture of energy conversion machines; 14. Ultrasonic imaging tests for improved defect characterisation during weld seam inspection on longitudinally welded large-diameter pipes; 15. SAFT reconstruction for testing austenitic weld seams and dissimilar metal weld seams for transverse cracks; 16. Imaging-based optimisation method for quantitative ultrasonic testing of anisotropic inhomogeneous austenitic welded joints with determination and utilisation of their elastic properties. One contribution has been abstracted separately. [de

Application of Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) on Single V-Butt Weld Integrity Determination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amry Amin Abas; Mohd Kamal Shah Shamsudin; Norhazleena Azaman

2015-01-01

Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) utilizes arrays of piezoelectric elements that are embedded in an epoxy base. The benefit of having such kind of array is that beam forming such as steering and focusing the beam front possible. This enables scanning patterns such as linear scan, sectorial scan and depth focusing scan to be performed. Ultrasonic phased array systems can potentially be employed in almost any test where conventional ultrasonic flaw detectors have traditionally been used. Weld inspection and crack detection are the most important applications, and these tests are done across a wide range of industries including aerospace, power generation, petrochemical, metal billet and tubular goods suppliers, pipeline construction and maintenance, structural metals, and general manufacturing. Phased arrays can also be effectively used to profile remaining wall thickness in corrosion survey applications. The benefits of PAUT are simplifying inspection of components of complex geometry, inspection of components with limited access, testing of welds with multiple angles from a single probe and increasing the probability of detection while improving signal-to-noise ratio. This paper compares the result of inspection on several specimens using PAUT as to digital radiography. The specimens are welded plates with single V-butt weld made of carbon steel. Digital radiography is done using blue imaging plate with x-ray source. PAUT is done using Olympus MX2 with 5 MHz probe consisting of 64 elements. The location, size and length of defect is compared. (author)

Ultrasonic variables affecting inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lautzenheiser, C.E.; Whiting, A.R.; McElroy, J.T.

1977-01-01

There are many variables which affect the detection of the effects and reproducibility of results when utilizing ultrasonic techniques. The most important variable is the procedure, as this document specifies, to a great extent, the controls that are exercised over the other variables. The most important variable is personnel with regards to training, qualification, integrity, data recording, and data analysis. Although the data is very limited, these data indicate that, if the procedure is carefully controlled, reliability of defect detection and reproducibility of results are both approximately 90 percent for reliability of detection, this applies to relatively small defects as reliability increases substantially as defect size increases above the recording limit. (author)

Model wavefront sensor for adaptive confocal microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Booth, Martin J.; Neil, Mark A. A.; Wilson, Tony

2000-05-01

A confocal microscope permits 3D imaging of volume objects by the inclusion of a pinhole in the detector path which eliminates out of focus light. This configuration is however very sensitive to aberrations induced by the specimen or the optical system and would therefore benefit from an adaptive optics approach. We present a wavefront sensor capable of measuring directly the Zernike components of an aberrated wavefront and show that it is particularly applicable to the confocal microscope since only those wavefronts originating in the focal region contribute to the measured aberration.

Full-field ultrasonic inspection for a composite sandwich plate skin-core debonding detection using laser-based ultrasonics

Science.gov (United States)

Chong, See Yenn; Victor, Jared J.; Todd, Michael D.

2017-04-01

In this paper, a full-field ultrasonic guided wave method is proposed to inspect a composite sandwich specimen made for an aircraft engine nacelle. The back skin/core interface of the specimen is built with two fabricated disbond defects (diameters of 12.7 mm and 25.4 mm) by removing areas of the adhesive used to bond the back skin to the core. A laser ultrasonic interrogation system (LUIS) incorporated with a disbond detection algorithm is developed. The system consists of a 1-kHz laser ultrasonic scanning system and a single fixed ultrasonic sensor to interrogate ultrasonic guided waves in the sandwich specimen. The interest area of 400 mm × 400 mm is scanned at a 0.5 mm scan interval. The corresponding full-field ultrasonic data is obtained and generated in the three-dimensional (3-D) space-time domain. Then, the 3-D full-field ultrasonic data is Fourier transformed and the ultrasonic frequency spectra are analyzed to determine the dominant frequency that is sensitive to the disbond defects. Continuous wavelet transform (CWT) based on fast Fourier transform (FFT) is implemented as a single-frequency bandpass filter to filter the full-field ultrasonic data in the 3-D space-time domain at the selected dominant frequency. The LUIS has shown the ability to detect the disbond with diameters of 11 mm and 23 mm which match to the pre-determined disbond sizes well. For future research, a robust signal processing algorithm and a model-based matched filter will be investigated to make the detection process autonomous and improve detectability

21 CFR 872.4850 - Ultrasonic scaler.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... DEVICES DENTAL DEVICES Surgical Devices § 872.4850 Ultrasonic scaler. (a) Identification. An ultrasonic scaler is a device intended for use during dental cleaning and periodontal (gum) therapy to remove calculus deposits from teeth by application of an ultrasonic vibrating scaler tip to the teeth. (b...

Conductus makes high-Tc integrated circuit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1991-01-01

This paper reports that researchers at Conductus have successfully demonstrated what the company says is the world's first integrated circuit containing active devices made from high-temperature superconductors. The circuit is a SQUID magnetometer made from seven layers of material: three layers of yttrium-barium-copper oxide, two layers of insulating material, a seed layer to create grain boundaries for the Josephson junctions, and a layer of silver for making electrical contact to the device. The chip also contains vias, or pathways that make a superconducting contact between the superconducting layers otherwise separated by insulators. Conductus had previously announced the development of a SQUID magnetometer that featured a SQUID sensor and a flux transformer manufactured on separate chips. What makes this achievement important is that the company was able to put both components on the same chip, thus creating a simple integrated circuit on a single chip. This is still a long way from conventional semiconductor technology, with as many as a million components per chip, or even the sophisticated low-Tc superconducting chips made by the Japanese, but the SQUID magnetometer demonstrates all the elements and techniques necessary to build more complex high-temperature superconductor integrated circuits, making this an important first step

Fluorescence confocal endomicroscopy in biological imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Delaney, Peter; Thomas, Steven; Allen, John; McLaren, Wendy; Murr, Elise; Harris, Martin

2007-02-01

In vivo fluorescence microscopic imaging of biological systems in human disease states and animal models is possible with high optical resolution and mega pixel point-scanning performance using optimised off-the-shelf turn-key devices. There are however various trade-offs between tissue access and instrument performance when miniaturising in vivo microscopy systems. A miniature confocal scanning technology that was developed for clinical human endoscopy has been configured into a portable device for direct hand-held interrogation of living tissue in whole animal models (Optiscan FIVE-1 system). Scanning probes of 6.3mm diameter with a distal tip diameter of 5.0mm were constructed either in a 150mm length for accessible tissue, or a 300mm probe for laparoscopic interrogation of internal tissues in larger animal models. Both devices collect fluorescence confocal images (excitation 488 nm; emission >505 or >550 nm) comprised of 1024 x 1204 sampling points/image frame, with lateral resolution 0.7um; axial resolution 7um; FOV 475 x 475um. The operator can dynamically control imaging depth from the tissue surface to approx 250um in 4um steps via an internally integrated zaxis actuator. Further miniaturisation is achieved using an imaging contact probe based on scanning the proximal end of a high-density optical fibre bundle (~30,000 fibres) of small animal organs, albeit at lower resolution (30,000 sampling points/image). In rodent models, imaging was performed using various fluorescent staining protocols including fluorescently labelled receptor ligands, labelled antibodies, FITC-dextrans, vital dyes and labelled cells administered topically or intravenously. Abdominal organs of large animals were accessed laparoscopically and contrasted using i.v. fluorescein-sodium. Articular cartilage of sheep and pigs was fluorescently stained with calcein-AM or fluorescein. Surface and sub-surface cellular and sub-cellular details could be readily visualised in vivo at high

Laser ultrasonic receivers based on photorefractive materials in non-destructive testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zamiri Hosseinzadeh, S.

2014-01-01

The field of laser ultrasonics is one of the most interesting topics in which laser light is used for the generation and the detection of ultrasound waves in materials. This contactless method is extremely useful for materials inspection being nondestructive and contactless, especially for hazardous environments. In this method a pulsed laser with a short pulse length of e.g. nano- or even picoseconds is focused on the surface of a specimen and then ultrasonic waves, nanometer vibrations, such as surface and bulk waves are generated and propagate in all directions on to the material. For contactless detection of ultrasonic waves several interferometers such as confocal Fabry-Perot, Michelson, and long path difference interferometers have been applied. Each of them has its individual advantages and disadvantages concerning, e.g., frequency responses and sensitivity. However, most of these interferometers work best on mirror-like surfaces and exhibit reduced sensitivity on rough surfaces. Also these kinds of interferometer are sensible to external noise as air fluctuations, sample vibrations or thermal deformations, thus requiring relatively complex stabilization techniques. This hinders their applicability in industrial applications with harsh environmental conditions. As an alternative to the before mentioned techniques interferometers based on photorefractive materials (PR) have been established. A typical two wave mixing interferometer (TWMI) configuration enables broadband ultrasonic measurements on rough surfaces. These types of interferometers have a good sensitivity up to 3e-7 nm(W/Hz) 1/2 spatially for samples with a high rough surface unlike the Michelson interferometer. By using ferroelectric photorefractive crystals such as LiNbO:Fe+2, sensitivity even is enhanced to 4e-8 nm(W/Hz) 1/2 but response time in these crystals is slower. In this work, contactless interferometer set ups based on photorefractive materials such as BSO (Bismuth Silicon Oxide: Bi 12

Study of different ultrasonic focusing methods applied to non destructive testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)