Glaskeramische Komposite, deren Herstellung von Glas- und kristallinen Pulvern ausgeht, bieten vielfältige Möglichkeiten, Werkstoffeigenschaften, wie z.B. Sinterverhalten, thermische Dehnung, mechanische Eigenschaften, chemische Beständigkeit, dielektrische Eigenschaften und Oberflächenqualität für spezielle Anwendungszwecke gezielt einzustellen. Glaskeramische Kompositpulver können zu Folien verarbeitet werden, aus denen mittels der LTCC (Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics)- Technologie keramische Multilayer hergestellt werden, die insbesondere für das Electronic Packaging von Mikrosystemen eingesetzt werden. Problematisch ist die beim freien Sintern der LTCC-Multilayer auftretende laterale Schwindung, die von relativ hohen Schwindungstoleranzen begleitet ist. Zur Vermeidung der lateralen Schwindung werden Zero Shrinkage-Techniken eingesetzt. Eine neue Möglichkeit Zero Shrinkage beim Sintern von LTCC-Multilayern zu erreichen, besteht in der Anwendung eines self-constrained Laminates. Hierbei wird ein Multilayer eingesetzt, der aus zwei unterschiedlichen Folienarten für innere und äußere Lagen mit deutlich verschiedenen Sintertemperaturen (ΔT > 50 K) aufgebaut wird. Die Entwicklung von LTCC-Werkstoffen, die als innere Lagen eines self-constrained Laminates zur Verringerung der lateralen Sinterschwindung auf nahezu Null eingesetzt werden können, war Gegenstand der vorliegenden Arbeit. Es wurden hierfür LTCC-Werkstoffe aus dem Stoffsystem CaO-La2O3-Al2O3-B2O3 untersucht, die bei Temperaturen unterhalb 800 °C dicht gesintert werden können. Ausgehend von der Entwicklung geeigneter Gläser auf der Basis von Calciumlanthanborat- sowie Calciumlanthanalumoboratgläsern wurden glaskeramische Komposite unter Zusatz von Korundpulver hergestellt. Die Komposite kristallisieren während des Brennprozesses nahezu vollständig. Aus der Glasphase kristallisiert Lanthanborat aus und aufgrund der festkörperchemischen Reaktion der calciumboratreichen Restglasphase mit dem Korund bilden sich vor allem Calciumalumoborat bzw. Calciumalumoboratoxid. Die Anteile an neuen Phasen bestimmen die thermischen und dielektrischen Eigenschaften der Werkstoffe. Die wichtigsten der sich bildenden kristallinen Phasen der Komposite, Lanthanborat und Calciumalumoboratoxid wurden separat hergestellt und charakterisiert. Das Sinter- und Kristallisationsverhalten sowie die thermischen und dielektrischen Eigenschaften der glaskeramischen Komposite wurden in Abhängigkeit von den entwickelten Gläsern, dem Volumenverhältnis von Glas- und kristalliner Komponente im Kompositpulver und der Brenntemperatur untersucht. Die entwickelten LTCC-Werkstoffe wurden bzgl. ihrer thermischen Eigenschaften an einen zuvor ausgewählten LTCC-Werkstoff für die äußeren Lagen eines self-constrained Laminates angepasst. Erzielt wurden die Eigenschaftswerte: TEC: ca. 5 x 10-6/K, er: ca. 7 und tan δ: ≤ 1 x 10-3. Zur Überprüfung der Anwendbarkeit wurde der entwickelte LTCC-Werkstoff als innere Lagen in einem LTCC-Multilayer verarbeitet. Dadurch konnte die laterale Schwindung des Multilayers beim Sintern auf < 0,4 % verringert werden.

The incorporation of active piezoelectric elements and fluidic components into micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) is of great interest for the development of sensors, actuators, and integrated systems used in microfluidics. Low temperature cofired ceramics (LTCC), widely used as electronic packaging materials, offer the possibility of manufacturing highly integrated microfluidic systems with complex 3-D features and various co-firable functional materials in a multilayer module. It would be desirable to integrate high performance lead zirconate titanate (PZT) based ceramics into LTCC-based MEMS using modern thick film and 3-D packaging technologies. The challenges for fabricating functional LTCC/PZT devices are: 1) formulating piezoelectric compositions which have similar sintering conditions to LTCC materials; 2) reducing elemental inter-diffusion between the LTCC package and PZT materials in co-firing process; and 3) developing active piezoelectric layers with desirable electric properties. The goal of present work was to develop low temperature fired PZT-based materials and compatible processing methods which enable integration of piezoelectric elements with LTCC materials and production of high performance integrated multilayer devices for microfluidics. First, the low temperature sintering behavior of piezoelectric ceramics in the solid solution of Pb(Zr0.53,Ti0.47)O3-Sr(K0.25, Nb0.75)O3 (PZT-SKN) with sintering aids has been investigated. 1 wt% LiBiO2 + 1 wt% CuO fluxed PZT-SKN ceramics sintered at 900oC for 1 h exhibited desirable piezoelectric and dielectric properties with a reduction of sintering temperature by 350oC. Next, the fluxed PZT-SKN tapes were successfully laminated and co-fired with LTCC materials to build the hybrid multilayer structures. HL2000/PZT-SKN multilayer ceramics co-fired at 900oC for 0.5 h exhibited the optimal properties with high field d33 piezoelectric coefficient of 356 pm/V. A potential application of the developed LTCC/PZT-SKN multilayer ceramics as a microbalance was demonstrated. The final research focus was the fabrication of an HL2000/PZT-SKN multilayer piezoelectric micropump and the characterization of pumping performance. The measured maximum flow rate and backpressure were 450 μl/min and 1.4 kPa respectively. Use of different microchannel geometries has been studied to improve the pumping performance. It is believed that the high performance multilayer piezoelectric devices implemented in this work will enable the development of highly integrated LTCC-based microfluidic systems for many future applications.

Low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) electronic packaging materials are applied for their electrical and mechanical properties, high reliability, chemical stability and ease of fabrication. Three dimensional features can also be prepared allowing integration of microfluidic channels and cavities inside LTCC modules. Mechanical, optical, electrical, microfluidic functions have been realized in single LTCC modules. For these reasons LTCC is attractive for biomedical microfluidics and Lab-on-a-Chip systems. However, commercial LTCC systems, optimized for microelectrics applications, have unknown cytocompatibility, and are not compatible with common surface functionalization chemistries. The first goal of this work is to develop biocompatible LTCC materials for biomedical applications. In the current work, two different biocompatible LTCC substrate materials are conceived, formulated and evaluated. Both materials are based from well-known and widely utilized biocompatible materials. The biocompatibilities of the developed LTCC materials for in-vitro applications are studied by cytotoxicity assays, including culturing endothelial cells (EC) both in LTCC leachate and directly on the LTCC substrates. The results demonstrate the developed LTCC materials are biocompatible for in-vitro biological applications involving EC. The second goal of this work is to develop functional capabilities in LTCC microfluidic systems suitable for in-vitro and biomedical applications. One proposed application is the evaluation of oxygen tension and oxidative stress in perfusion cell culture and bioreactors. A Clark-type oxygen sensor is successfully integrated with LTCC technique in this work. In the current work, a solid state proton conductive electrolyte is used to integrate an oxygen sensor into the LTCC. The measurement of oxygen concentration in Clark-type oxygen sensor is based on the electrochemical reaction between working electrode and counter electrode. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry are measured to determine the electrochemical properties of oxygen reduction in the LTCC based oxygen sensor. The reduction current showed a linear relationship with oxygen concentration. In addition, LTCC sensor exhibits rapid response and sensitivity in the physiological range 1─9 mg/L. The fabricated devices have the capabilities to regulate oxygen supply and determination of local dissolved oxygen concentration in the proposed applications including perfusion cell culture and biological assays.

Longwall Top Coal Caving (LTCC) technology has great potential for more efficient mining of Australian thick coal seams. LTCC can potentially double (or greater) the longwall recoverable tonnes, per metre of gateroad development and improve the safety standards in longwall operation. Accurate cavability assessment of the coal seam is the key pre-requisite for successful application of LTCC method. Although some cavability criteria were developed in previous studies, their shortcomings limit their application. Apart from the lack of suitable cavability criterion, the caving principles and mechanisms in longwall operation (and LTCC) is still not well understood. The main objectives of this research work were: 1. to improve the general understanding about the caving mechanisms involved in LTCC operation, 2. to develop a new cavability assessment criterion, and 3. to characterise and classify the caving behaviour in selected Australian longwall operations. For this study a combination of analytical, observational and empirical engineering methods were used to reduce the shortcoming of individual design methods. For analytical study, the Distinct Element Method (DEM) was selected for computational analysis as the most suitable technique for this type of study. For observational methods, the size distribution of particles in goaf was used as a monitoring measure for caving performance evaluation and this method was performed in three Australian longwall operations (Ulan, West Wallsend and Broadmeadow). The Empirical assessment was performed by using the results of observational/computational analyses along with basic geological/geotechnical data from selected mine sites to back analyse and re-evaluate the results. The most significant outcomes of this study include: 1. a new cavability assessment system (Top Coal Cavability Rating, TCCR) that was developed based on computational analysis and by back analysis of past LTCC experience in China, 2. Improved understanding of caving mechanism, deformation mechanism and drawing mechanism of top coal in LTCC method, 3. advanced numerical models (UDEC, 3DEC and PFC models) that not only can be used for future research but can also be employed for LTCC design purposes, 4. characterisation and classification of caving behaviour in three Australian longwall operations. The results of this study can be effectively used by Australian coal industry in feasibility and design studies of LTCC operation. The new cavability criterion can be used to identify and quantify the major risks that may be involved in LTCC application.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:34:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3155.pdf: 2015851 bytes, checksum: 2836d2c476f122b61cd0efa3758deaf5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-03-05 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / Zeolites are aluminosilicates with a three dimensional framework structure bearing AlO4 and SiO4 tetrahedra. These are linked to each other by sharing all of the oxygen to form interconnected cages and channels containing mobile water molecules and exchangeable cations. In this work, samples of natural zeolites, originating from mines in different countries, were characterized by physical and chemical methods and then evaluated as an adsorbent material for contaminants commonly found in industrial effluents. The micro devices construction was based on LTCC technology with zeolite inside and using the zeolite as a natural fertilizer support in a fertirrigation experiment employing vinasse in alfafa culture. The characterization experiments showed that the samples Zeolite 1 and Zeolite 2 consist in zeolites of the chinoptilolite type and the composition that the Zeolite 3 in maiming predominated by stilbite zeolite. Adsorption studies indicated the ability of the use of zeolites to metallic ions metal Cd(II), Co(II), Cr(III), Cu(II), K(I), Ni(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II) remotion from aqueous solutions and the possibility to remove of PO4 3- anion pre-concentration. The three evaluated zeolites showed capacity to remove Cr(III) and Pb(II) higher then other studied analytes. Time and pH were evaluated owing their interference in the ions adsorption ability. Miniaturized natural zeolite device inside the LTCC was construed and applied to aqueous ions adsorption presented be versatile in different system s detection. In the fertirrigation experiment was possible to detect the positive influence of the zeolite to increase the alfafa productivity. / Zeólitas são aluminossilicatos com arranjo estrutural composto por um esqueleto formado pela combinação tridimensional de tetraedros de AlO4 e SiO4, unidos entre si através de átomos de oxigênio. Sua estrutura apresenta canais e cavidades, nas quais se encontram moléculas de água e cátions trocáveis. Neste trabalho, amostras de zeólitas naturais, oriundas de minas de diferentes países, foram caracterizadas por diferentes métodos físicos e químicos e posteriormente avaliadas como material adsorvente de elementos contaminantes comumente presentes em efluentes industriais. Avaliou-se a possibilidade de construção de micro dispositivos baseados na tecnologia LTCC com a integração de zeólitas naturais em seu interior e a viabilidade de emprego das zeólitas naturais como fertilizante natural no campo em um experimento de fertirrigação com a vinhaça em uma cultura de alfafa. Os experimentos de caracterização demonstraram que as amostras de zeólita 1 e 2 são constituídas por zeólitas da família das clinoptilolitas, enquanto que na composição da amostra de zeólita 3 predomina a zeólita estibilta. Os estudos de adsorção indicam a viabilidade de emprego dessas zeólitas na remoção dos cátions metálicos Cd(II), Co(II), Cr(III), Cu(II), K(I), Ni(II), Pb(II) e Zn(II) de soluções aquosas e ainda a possibilidade de pré-concentração do ânion PO4 3-. As três zeólitas apresentaram maior capacidade de remoção do Cr3+ e do Pb2+ das soluções. Fatores como o tempo e o valor do pH da solução foram avaliados, uma vez que interferem na capacidade de adsorção desses íons. A integração da zeólita natural no interior do dispositivo LTCC foi realizada com êxito, foram obtidos dispositivos miniaturizados aplicáveis na adsorção de íons de solução aquosas e versáteis na integração em diferentes sistemas de detecção. No experimento de fertirrigação a vinhaça foi possível detectar a influência das zeólitas naturais no aumento da produtividade da alfafa.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:34:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 5318.pdf: 2120275 bytes, checksum: 195991f57b16646d738d331400f4262b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-07-14 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / The objective of this study was to develop automatic flow analyzers for the determination of pharmaceutical analytes using a micro-device based on LTCC (Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics) and a mini-photometer as the detection system. To perform this task, the following devices were developed: 1) A mini-photometer based on RGB-LED (Red Green Blue- Light Emitting Diode) which wavelengths of maximum emission are 465, 525, and 640 nm, respectively, was used as the radiation source. A photodiode (PD) was used as a detector; 2) An optical cell for flowing analysis. A software was developed in graphic language using LabView® 7.0 in order to control and acquire analytical data. The mini-photometer for flowing analysis and software were developed for the determination of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), captopril (CAP), adrenaline (DNA), dopamine (DPN) and ascorbic acid (AAc) in pharmaceutical formulations. First, the mini-photometer was developed and used as a photometric detector. Then, a labmade valve actuator (VA) connected to a computer interface for data acquisition (National Instruments USB 6008) was used to switch on/off the solenoid valves. This interface also enabled to control the mini-photometer as well as the acquisition and processing of transient signals generated in the LTCC. In all determinations, the miniphotometer, the LTCC and the flow system with multicommutation employing threeway solenoid valves were used, except for NAC and CAP where an analyzer with manual injector was used. Solid-phase reactors were also used due to lower reagents consumption. The results from the developed system were compared with reference and validated methods (found in the literature) and there were no significant differences at 95% confidence level. The developed system with LTCC employs low volume of reagents and samples and can be used to determine several analytes in different matrices. applied in any other used (due to), along with a system of universal (able to be applied in any other application in flow) were other good features of this developed system. The good stability and sensibility of the developed mini-photometer (4 x 4 cm) enabled an adequate performance during the determinations. / O presente trabalho tem como objetivo o desenvolvimento de analisadores automáticos em fluxo para a determinação de analitos de interesses farmacêutico utilizando um micro-dispositivo LTCC (Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics) e um minifotômetro como sistema de detecção. Para tal, foram desenvolvidos os seguintes componentes: 1) minifotômetro a base de LED-RGB (Light Emitting Diode Red Green Blue) cujos comprimentos de onda de máxima emissão são 472, 525 e 640 nm respectivamente como fonte de radiação e um fotodiodo (FD) como detector; 2) uma célula óptica para análise em fluxo baseada em LTCC. Um software foi criado em linguagem gráfica LabView® 7.0, para controle e aquisição de dados do sistema analítico. O minifotômetro para análise em fluxo e o software foram desenvolvidos para a determinação de N-acetilcisteína (NAC), captopril (CAP), adrenalina (ADN), dopamina (DPN) e ácido ascórbico (AAc) em formulações farmacêuticas. Primeiramente foi desenvolvido um minifotômetro baseado em LED-RGB como detector fotométrico. Em seguida, foi construído um acionador de válvulas (AV), o qual foi utilizado para controlar o tempo de acionamento das válvulas solenóides. Este controle foi executado utilizando um programa desenvolvido em Labview o qual foi acoplado a uma interface de aquisição de dados, USB 6008 da National Instruments, acoplada a um microcomputador. Com esta interface foi possível controlar também o minifotômetro construído bem como a aquisição e tratamento dos sinais gerados no LTCC*. Em todos os casos, o minifotômetro, o LTCC e o sistema em fluxo com multicomutação empregando válvulas solenóides de três vias (Thee-way) e reatores em fase sólida foram utilizados, exceto para a determinação de NAC e CAP onde um analisador com injetor comutador manual foi empregado. Os resultados obtidos com o sistema desenvolvido foram sempre comparado com métodos de referência ou validados na literatura, e não houve uma diferença significativa a um nível de confiança de 95%. Além disso, um baixo volume de reagentes e amostras utilizados (devido ao uso do LTCC), juntamente com um sistema de caráter universal (apto a ser aplicado em qualquer outra aplicação em fluxo) foram outros diferenciais deste trabalho. O minifotômetro desenvolvido, de apenas 4 x 4 cm apresentou uma boa estabilidade e corroborou para os bons resultados obtidos neste trabalho.

Abstract Low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) based system-in-package (SiP) is an emerging multilayer module technology for wireless communication applications, mainly due to its excellent high-frequency material properties. LTCC-SiP modules are typically soldered onto an organic motherboard, but the lifetime of the 2nd-level solder joints is often poor due to the high stress level of the joints in test/field conditions. Moreover, using lead-free solders in the interconnections of LTCC modules raised new questions about the feasibility and reliability of the solder joints in LTCC applications. Therefore, the characteristic features of the 2nd-level solder joint configuration were determined in this thesis work. It was proved that collapsible Sn4Ag0.5Cu spheres are not a feasible option in LTCC/PWB assemblies with a large global thermal mismatch; a non-collapsible ball grid array (BGA) joint with a plastic core solder balls (PCSBs) was required to attain an adequate lifetime for such assemblies. To enhance the thermal fatigue endurance of the non-collapsible lead-free joints, a novel BGA joint consisting of Sn7In4.1Ag0.5Cu solder and PCSBs was developed. Moreover, this work proved that there is a relationship between the primary failure mechanisms of various Sn-based lead-free solders and thermomechanically induced stress level in the present non-collapsible BGA joint configuration. The effect of the plating material of the solder lands on the failure mechanism of the BGA joints in the LTCC/PWB assemblies was studied. The results showed that the adverse phenomena related to the sintered Ag-based metallization materials can be avoided using electroless nickel with immersion gold (ENIG) as a deposit material. On the other hand, this study also demonstrated that the inadequate adhesion strength of the commercial base metallization in the ENIG-plated modules resulted in the disadvantageous failure mechanism of the test assemblies. Therefore, the criteria for material selection and the design aspects of reliable 2nd-level interconnections are discussed thoroughly in this thesis.

Abstract A stripline structure is closed and therefore protected against surrounding EMI and it is easy to bury in multiplayer structures, which offer higher circuit density. This thesis focuses on the evaluation (and verification via actual structures) of the correct simulation of striplines and, as a new aspect, the advantages of using a dual-stripline. Multiple design methods and electromagnetic simulation systems were tested and properties of these are compared. For a reliable design it is still necessary to use at least two tools, at first a very fast tool having excellent circuit parameter optimization methods and then some electromagnetic simulator, which can be used to the complete the realizable layout. That is, because all the electromagnetic simulators suffer from the same limiting factors, the memory capacity of the computer and the unacceptable calculation time. It has been discovered through modelling that the "cat-eye" shape having many more and larger local inaccuracies at the thinned edge areas of the sintered conductor in LTCC structures increases the conductor losses. Therefore it is important to develop new manufacturing methods capable of producing better-shaped conductors. A combination of broadside coupled parallel connected striplines has been tested both in High Temperature Superconducting ( HTS ) and LTCC materials. A two-conductor stripline, a dual stripline, raises the power handling capability of a microwave bandpass HTS filter. In addition, it offers the possibility to use a normal metal protection layer at the surface of the superconductor without degradation of electrical properties, thus increasing the power handling capability even more. The dual stripline solution in LTCC would offer some preferable properties in high power filters only. The shape of the ground plane used for trimming the coupling between resonators was also found to have a remarkable influence on the quality factor of the resonator. A quite narrow ground strip can offer a much better quality factor with the same coupling level than a meshed or continuous ground plane, but it requires accurate design and manufacturing methods. It would help to design filters with lower loss in the passband without compromises in the attenuation outside the passband.

The design, construction and optimization of a low power-high temperature heated ceramic sensor to detect leaking of halogen gases in refrigeration systems are presented. The manufacturing process was done with microelectronic assembly and the Low Temperature Cofire Ceramic (LTCC) technique. Four basic sensor materials were fabricated and tested: Li2SiO3, Na2SiO3, K2SiO3, and CaSiO3. The evaluation of the sensor material, sensor size, operating temperature, bias voltage, electrodes size, firing temperature, gas flow, and sensor life was done. All sensors responded to the gas showing stability and reproducibility. Before exposing the sensor to the gas, the sensor was modeled like a resistor in series and the calculations obtained were in agreement with the experimental values. The sensor response to the gas was divided in surface diffusion and bulk diffusion; both were analyzed showing agreement between the calculations and the experimental values. The sensor with 51.5%CaSiO3 + 48.5%Li2SiO3 shows the best results, including a stable current and response to the gas.

[EN] Microfluidic systems have been emerged as a promising technology for molecular analysis, biodefence and microelectronics. The properties of the microfluidic devices, such as rapid sample processing and the precise control of fluids, have made them attractive candidates to replace traditional experimental approaches. Microfluidic devices are characterized by fluidic channels with dimensions on the order of tens to hundreds of micrometers. Structures with this size enable the integration of lab-on-chip technology, which allows processing miniaturized devices for fluid control and manipulation. Fluid sensing by microwave sensors based on the RF analysis offers new possibilities for the characterization of mediums by non-invasive methods. Dielectric measurement of fluids is important because it can provide the electric or magnetic characteristics of the materials, which proved useful in many research and development fields, such as molecular biology and medical diagnosis. Several techniques are available in the frequency domain for analyzing the dielectric properties of liquids and their composition. We are focused in resonant cavity techniques for fluid characterization in the millimeter-wave range. However, these techniques are incompatible with lab-on-chip process due its dimensions in this frequency range. In this context, a new structure called gap waveguide appears as a good candidate to overcome the principal drawbacks of the classical resonant cavities. This thesis presents the development of the gap waveguide technology in the millimeter-wave band. Other conventional technologies are discussed as well, to compare them with the performance in terms of losses of the gap waveguide. We also present the resonator design based on gap waveguide with the purpose of making the gap waveguide a technology capable of working in the microfluidic sensing domain. In this context, we propose a comparative study between gap waveguide and Substrate Integrated Cavity (SIC) with the aim to characterize the fluid permittivity at 60 GHz. With this purpose, several prototypes have been manufactured with PCB ("Printed Circuit Board") and Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC) technologies. A work in the LTCC laboratory has been done with the purpose of validating some steps in the LTCC process which are key in the gap waveguide manufacturing, especially those related with the creation of cavities (external and internal) using LTCC materials. / [ES] Los sistemas microfluídicos han emergido como una tecnología prometedora para el análisis molecular, biodefensa y microelectrónica. Las propiedades de los dispositivos microfluídicos tales como el procesamiento rápido de las muestras y el control de los fluidos, les han hecho atractivos candidatos para reemplazar los tradicionales métodos experimentales. Los dispositivos microfluídcos están caracterizados por canales fluídicos con dimensiones del orden de decenas a centenares de micrómetros. Las estructuras con estos tamaños permiten la integración de la tecnología "lab-on-chip", la cual permite el procesamiento de dispositivos miniaturizados para el control y la manipulación de fluidos. La detección de fluidos a través de sensores de microondas basados en el análisis de radiofrecuencia ofrece nuevas posibilidades para la caracterización de medios a través de métodos no invasivos. Las medidas dieléctricas de los fluidos son importantes debido a que pueden proporcionar información las características eléctricas o magnéticas de los materiales, siendo útil en muchos campos de investigación y desarrollo tales como biología molecular o para realizar diagnósticos médicos. En el dominio frecuencial, varias tecnologías están disponibles en el mercado para analizar las propiedades dieléctricas y la composición de los líquidos. En esta tesis, estamos enfocados en las técnicas basadas en cavidades resonantes para la caracterización de fluidos en el rango de las ondas milimétricas. Sin embargo, estas técnicas son incompatibles con los procesos "lab-on-chip" debido a sus dimensiones en esta banda de frecuencia. En este contexto, una nueva estructura guía onda denominada "gap waveguide" aparece como un buen candidato para solventar los principales inconvenientes de las clásicas cavidades resonantes. En esta tesis se ha desarrollado la tecnología "gap waveguide" en la banda de ondas milimétricas. Otras tecnologías convencionales serán estudiadas para comparar el rendimiento de todas ellas en términos de pérdidas. También se presenta en esta tesis, el diseño de resonadores basados en la tecnología "gap waveguide" con el propósito de hacer esta tecnología compatible con la detección microfluídica. En este contexto, proponemos un estudio comparativo entre las tecnologías "gap waveguide" y "Substrate Integrated Cavity" (SIC) con el objetivo de caracterizar la permitividad de los fluidos a 60 GHz. Con este propósito, varios prototipos han sido fabricados usando las tecnologías PCB ("Printed Circuit Board") y LTCC ("Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic". Un importante trabajo en el laboratorio LTCC se realizó para validar algunas de las etapas del proceso LTCC que eran la clave para la fabricación de prototipos basados en "gap waveguide", como la creación de cavidades (externas e internas) usando materiales LTCC. / [CAT] Els sistemes microfluídics han emergit com una tecnologia prometedora per a l'anàlisi molecular, biodefensa i microelectrònica. Les propietats dels dispositius microfluídics com el processament ràpid de les mostres i control dels fluids, els han fet atractius candidats per a reemplaçar les tradicionals aproximacions experimentals. Els dispositius microfluídcs estan caracteritzats per canals fluídics amb dimensions de l'orde de desenes a centenars de micròmetres. Les estructures amb estes grandàries permeten la integració de la tecnologia "lab-on-chip", la qual permet el processament de dispositius miniaturitzats per al control i la manipulació de fluids. La detecció de fluids a través de sensors de microones basats en l'anàlisi de radiofreqüència oferix noves possibilitats per a la caracterització de sistemes a través de mètodes no invasius. Les mesures dielèctriques dels fluids són importants pel fet que poden proporcionar informació sobre les característiques elèctriques o magnètiques dels materials, sent útil en molts camps d'investigació i desenvolupament com biologia molecular o per a realitzar diagnòstics. En el domini freqüencial, diverses tecnologies estan disponibles en el mercat per analitzar les propietats dielèctriques i la composició dels líquids. En aquesta tesi, estem enfocats en les tècniques basades en cavitats ressonants per a la caracterització de fluids en el rang de les ones mil·limètriques. No obstant això, aquestes tècniques són incompatibles amb els processos "lab-on-chip" a causa de les seues dimensions en aquesta banda de freqüència. En aquest context, una nova estructura guia onda denominada "gap waveguide" apareix com un bon candidat per a resoldre els principals inconvenients de les clàssiques cavitats ressonants. En aquesta tesi s'ha desenvolupat la tecnologia "gap waveguide" en la banda d'ones mil·limètriques. Altres tecnologies convencionals seran estudiades per a comparar el rendiment de totes elles en termes de pèrdues.També es presenta en esta tesi el disseny de ressonadors basats en la tecnologia "gap waveguide" amb el propòsit de fer esta tecnologia compatible amb la detecció microfluídica. En aquest context, proposem un estudi comparatiu entre les tecnologies "gap waveguide" i "Substrate Integrated Cavity" (SIC) amb l'objectiu de caracteritzar la permitivitat dels fluids a 60 GHz. Amb aquest propòsit, diversos prototips han sigut fabricats usant les tecnologies PCB ("Printed Circuit Board") i LTCC ("Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic". Un important treball en el laboratori LTCC es va realitzar per a validar algunes de les etapes del procés LTCC que eren la clau per a la fabricació de prototips basats en "gap waveguide", com la creació de cavitats (externes i internes) usant materials LTCC. / Arenas Buendia, C. (2016). Enhanced fluid characterization in the millimeter-wave band using Gap Waveguide Technology [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/62781 / TESIS