This study investigates the flow behaviors of the microflow in a sudden expansion microfluidic channel with a rectangular block structure. 2D and 3D numerical simulations are used to predict the vortex formation behavior and experimental approaches are adopted to confirm the simulated results. A novel microfluidic rectifier is proposed by operating the designed microfluidic device under opposite flow conditions. The performance of the flow rectifier is also evaluated under difference flow velocities. There are three parts finished in this thesis. Firstly, the vortex formation behavior is investigated for the microchannel with the block at different distances downstream the sudden expansion channel. The size of the fully developed vortices is measured and analyzed. Results show that the size of the vortex reaches stable while the distance between the block and sudden expansion channel is longer than 1000 £gm. Secondly, this study also investigates the sequence of the vortex formation under different flow velocity (Reynolds number). Results indicate that there are four stages for the vortex formation in the microfluidic channel. Vortices are formed firstly at the sudden expansion channel and then behind the block. Two small vortices are then formed once beside the block and then merge with the two big vortices behind the block under increasing velocity conditions. The flow becomes instable once the Reynolds number higher than 555, two symmetrical shedding flows are observed behind the block structure. This flow behavior is rarely observed in a microfluidic channel due to the big viscous force of the flow in the microchannel. Thirdly, this study measures the pressure drops for the forward and backward flows under different flow speeds. Results show that the vortex formation behavior in backward flow is different from it is in forward conditions. Two symmetric vortexes are formed beside the channel while the Reynolds number higher than 416. The squeezed vortices form a virtual valve structure and increase the flow resistance of the microflow, resulting in a high performance valve structure. The calculated results indicate that the diodicity (Di) of the designed microchannel is as high as 1.76 and 1.5 for the numerical result and experimental result, respectively. The rectifying performance of the developed microchip device is higher than the reported devices fabricated using delicate processes and designed. The results of this research will give valuable knowledge for the flow behavior in a microchannel and the design of microfluidic chips.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2001. / Bibliography: leaves 75-82.

Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Homeland Security and Defense))--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2004. / Thesis advisor(s): Paul Stockton. Includes bibliographical references (p. 49-52). Also available online.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Queensland, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Block copolymers are an ideal solution for a wide variety of nanolithographic opportunities due to their tendency to self-assemble on nanoscopic length scales. High etch selectivity and thin-film orientation are crucial to the success of this technology. Most conventional block copolymers have poor etch selectivity; however, incorporating silicon into one block produces the desired etch selectivity. A positive side effect of the silicon addition is that the χ value (a block-to-block interaction parameter) of the block copolymer increases. This decreases the critical dimension of potential features. Unfortunately, one negative side effect is the increase in the surface energy difference between the blocks. Incorporating silicon decreases the surface energy of that block. Typically, annealing is used to induce the chain mobility that is required for the block copolymer to reach its minimum thermodynamic energy state. Thermal annealing is the easiest annealing technique; however, if the glass transition temperature (Tg) of one block is above the thermal decomposition temperature of the other block, the latter will degrade before the former can reorient. In addition, annealing silicon-containing block copolymers usually results in a wetting layer and parallel orientation since the lower surface energy block favors the air interface, minimizing the free energy. Solvent annealing replaces the air interface with a solvent, thereby changing the surface energy. The solvent plasticizes the block copolymer, effectively decreasing the Tgs of both blocks. Another benefit is the ability to reversibly alter the orientation by changing the solvent or solvent concentration. The challenge with solvent annealing is that it depends on a number of parameters including: solvent selection, annealing time, and vapor concentration, which generate a very large variable space that must be searched to find optimum screening conditions. / text

The multi-billion dollar per year lithography industry relies on the fusion of chemistry, materials science, and engineering to produce technological innovations that enable continual improvements in the speed and storage density of microelectronic devices. A critical prerequisite to improving the computers of today relies on the ability to economically and controllably form thin film structures with dimensions on the order of tens of nanometers. One class of materials that potentially meets these requirements is block copolymers since they can self-assemble into structures with characteristic dimensions circa three to hundreds of nanometers. The different aspects of the block copolymer lithographic process are the subject of this dissertation. A variety of interrelated material requirements virtually necessitate the synthesis of block copolymers specifically designed for lithographic applications. Key properties for the ideal block copolymer include etch resistance to facilitate thin film processing, a large interaction parameter to enable the formation of high resolution structures, and thin film orientation control. The unifying theme for the materials synthesized herein is the presence of silicon in one block, which imparts oxygen etch resistance to just that domain. A collection of silicon-containing block copolymers was synthesized and characterized, many of which readily form features on approximately the length scale required for next-generation microelectronic devices. The most important thin film processing step biases the orientation of block copolymer domains perpendicular to the substrate by control of interfacial interactions. Both solvent and thermal annealing techniques were extensively studied to achieve orientation control. Ultimately, a dual top and bottom surface functionalization strategy was developed that utilizes a new class of "top coats" and cross-linkable substrate surface treatments. Perpendicular block copolymer features can now be produced quickly with a process amenable to existing manufacturing technology, which was previously impossible. The development of etching recipes and pattern transfer processes confirmed the through-film nature of the features and the efficacy of both the block copolymer design and the top coat process. / text

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The microelectronics industry is driven by the need to produce smaller transistors at lower costs, and this requires an ever-changing approach to the chemistry involved in their fabrication. While photolithography has been able to keep pace with Moore’s law over the past four decades, alternative patterning technologies are now receiving increased attention to keep up with market demand. The first project describes work towards increasing the sensitivity of electron-beam resists by incorporating electron-withdrawing groups into the alpha position of methacrylates. After monomer design and synthesis, several polymers were synthesized that investigated the role of fluorine in the resists performance. G-values, electron-beam contrast curves, and EUV imaging showed that these fluorinated polymethacrylates outperformed current industrial resists. The next project deals with the design, synthesis, and evaluation of a resist that seeks to decouple chemical amplification from acid diffusion. While work was shown that a system comprised of a photo-labile polyphthalaldehyde and x novolak could achieve this process, the high dose required to image was problematic. An aliphatic dialdehyde was envisioned to account for these issues, but its synthesis was never achieved. A polyethylene glycol aldehyde was synthesized and polymerized, but its material properties did not perform the intended function. Ultimately, the stability of aliphatic aldehydes proved to be too unstable for this project to continue. While the synthesis was troublesome, a fundamental study of ceiling temperatures was undertaken. Numerical and analytical solutions were developed that describe the exact nature of the equilibrium constant on a living polymer system. These results were verified by a VT-NMR experiment, which accurately predicted the ceiling temperature of polythalaldehyde with a Van’t Hoff plot. Lastly, the self-assembly of block copolymers was investigated as a means to produce high resolution, high density nano-imprint lithography templates for bit patterned media. The first set of experiments involved synthesizing polymeric cross-linked surface treatments from substituted styrenes. The aryl substituent was shown to largely effect the surface energy, and after anionically synthesizing PS-b-PMMA, these materials were shown to effect block copolymer orientation. To produce a 3-D pattern of the self-assembled features, silicon was incorporated into one block to provide adequate etch resistance. Several monomers were investigated, and two, an isoprene and methacrylate analog, were successfully incorporated into two block copolymers. The silicon containing methacrylate derivative polymer was shown to successfully self-assemble in thin films under solvent annealing conditions. / text

Η παρούσα εργασία περιλαµβάνει την µοντελοποίηση του block cipher αλγόριθµου κρυπτογραφίας Anubis σε γλώσσα VHDL, και την επαλήθευση λειτουργίας του επί πλακέτας FPGA. Ο αλγόριθµος Anubis ήταν µεταξύ των συµµετεχόντων αλγορίθµων στον ευρωπαϊκό διαγωνισµό NESSIE. Στο Κεφάλαιο 1 γίνεται µία σύντοµη παρουσίαση των βασικών όρων και εννοιών της κρυπτογραφίας, και παρουσιάζεται ο τρόπος λειτουργίας των σύγχρονων αλγορίθµων κρυπτογραφίας. Στο Κεφάλαιο 2 παρουσιάζεται ο αλγόριθµος Anubis και οι µαθηµατικές συνιστώσες των δύο λειτουργιών που τον απαρτίζουν: της λειτουργίας υπολογισµού της key sequence και της καθαυτό λειτουργίας κρυπτογράφησης/αποκρυπτογράφησης δεδοµένων. Στο Κεφάλαιο 3 παρουσιάζονται εν συντοµία τα υλικά και τα προγράµµατα που χρησιµοποιήθηκαν για την ανάπτυξη της παρούσας εργασίας. Στο Κεφάλαιο 4 αναλύεται η υλοποίηση του αλγορίθµου, µε την περιγραφή των δοµικών του στοιχείων, του υποσυστήµατος ελέγχου και χρονισµού, µε ιδιαίτερη έµφαση σε σηµεία όπου έγιναν ιδιαίτερες σχεδιαστικές επιλογές. Στο Κεφάλαιο 5 παρουσιάζεται η προσαρµογή και εφαρµογή του VHDL µοντέλου pου αναπτύχθηκε σε πλακέτα FPGA της οικογένειας Virtex-5, καθώς και οι µετρήσεις που ελήφθησαν σε αυτή. Το σύστηµα που σχεδιάστηκε αρχικά αφορά τον πλήρη αλγόριθµο, για όλο το δυνατό εύρος κλειδιών από 128 έως 320 bits και για είσοδο plaintext/ciphertext των 128 bits. Δεν περιλαµβάνονται στη σχεδίαση περιφερειακά συστήµατα όπως γεννήτρια κλειδιών ή µνήµες και µονάδες εισόδου/εξόδου. Έγινε µερική µόνο υλοποίηση των λειτουργιών αυτών µέσω ενός προγράµµατος wrapper ώστε να δοκιµαστεί η λειτουργία του επί του FPGA. Λόγω περιορισµών του FPGA που διετίθετο, η υλοποίηση που δοκιµάστηκε αφορούσε έκδοση των 256 bits. Σε αντίθεση µε άλλους, πιο διαδεδοµένους αλγόριθµους, ως τώρα δεν υπάρχει κάποια αντίστοιχη υλοποίηση για τον Anubis. Ως εκ τούτου συγκρίσεις για την απόδοσή του ως προς ταχύτητα ή κατανάλωση επιφανείας µπορούν να γίνουν µόνο µε τις software εκδοχές του και µε άλλους παρεµφερείς αλγόριθµους. / VHDL design and testing on FPGA of the Anubis block cipher.

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