Highly sensitive optical displacement detection methods implemented in a small volume and with reduced power consumption have a potential to compete with commonly used capacitance based methods in micromechanical sensor systems. This dissertation presents the design, implementation, and characterization of a miniaturized optomechanical displacement sensor system heterogeneously integrated with a coherent laser source and optoelectronic readout as a step in realizing this potential. The sensor uses a phase-sensitive diffraction grating built on a transparent substrate to achieve interferometric sensitivity in a small volume. The device sensitivity is actively optimized via the built-in electrostatic actuation capability, which may be utilized for self calibration and force feedback operation. Optical interconnect through the backside of the sensor enables compact integration with optoelectronic components. For optical readout, a custom-designed silicon photodiode array has been fabricated including deep reactive ion etching of through-wafer holes. The hybrid-integrated system has been implemented and characterized in an acoustic sensor application using both continuous wave and pulsed lasers to show reduced power consumption potential. Comprehensive diffraction analysis has been carried out for optical design of the integrated sensor. Furthermore, a fully-vectorial method has been formulated for general multilayered grating structures and compared with the scalar diffraction approach to investigate the effects of polarization and grating periods. In addition, a grating-assisted resonant-cavity-enhanced (GARCE) detection method has been proposed to improve the displacement sensitivity in optomechanical microsensors. Fabrication of the GARCE structures based on both metallic and dielectric mirrors has been successfully demonstrated, and preliminary experimental results have shown a good agreement with theoretical predictions. The concepts developed and demonstrated in this thesis form a technology platform which already had an impact in a variety of applications including optical microphones, micromachined ultrasonic transducers and transducers arrays, micromachined inertial sensors, and scanning probe microscopy.

<p dir="ltr">Gyroscopes have become an integral part of many application spaces ranging from consumer electronics to navigation. As navigation and movement tracking becomes necessary through inertial measurement units (that comprises gyroscopes and accelerometers) in myriad of scenarios especially when global navigation and satellite system (GNSS) is not available, stability of gyroscopes plays a detrimental role in the accuracy of navigation. Recent developments in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) based gyroscopes enabled them to penetrate into navigation grade application spaces. MEMS based miniaturization approach also revived the interest in nuclear magnetic resonance gyroscopes (NMRGs). In parallel, emerging atomic gyroscope technologies are getting attention such as using quantum defects in single crystal diamond. </p><p><br></p><p dir="ltr">Considering innovative ways MEMS can improve gyroscopes, we investigate solid state gyroscope technologies in piezoelectric MEMS and nuclear spin based platforms for next generation rotation sensing that is shock and vibration insensitive. For the first part of this study, we explore a piezoelectric resonator that can excite wine-glass mode (WGM) and tangential mode. WGM is used for rotation sensing applications in various excitation mechanisms in literature. However, we demonstrate the capability of exciting WGM without the need for segmented electrodes in piezoelectric domain that allows self-alignment of the excitation electrodes using a unique property of Lead Magnesium Niobate-Lead Titanate (PMN-PT). In the second part of the study, we explore Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centers in diamond to be used as gyroscopes exploiting the rotation sensitivity of nuclear spins. NV center-based gyroscopes provide solid-state solution with comparable or superior performance without any moving parts. We propose mechanical coupling to NV centers in diamond using piezoelectrically excited bulk acoustic waves (BAW) to extend the coherence time of nuclear spins by dynamical decoupling. We explore piezoelectric coupling design space of AlN thin film BAW resonators (FBARs) to enable efficient mechanical drive to improve Rabi oscillations in diamond to overcome one of the most important bottlenecks of realizing a gyroscope, which is the mitigation and control of nuclear spin and electron spin interaction in diamond NV center system.</p>

Cancer is a major health issue that has been associated with over 80 million deaths worldwide in the last decade. Recently, significant improvements have been made in terms of treatment and diagnosis. However, despite these advancements there is still a demand for low-cost, high-accuracy, and easy-to-use technologies capable of classifying cells. Analysis of cell behavior in microfluidic deformability assays provides a label-free method of observing cell response to physical and chemical stimuli. This body of work shows advancements made toward reaching our goal of a robust and cost-effective biosensing device that allows for the identification of normal and cancer cells. These devices can also monitor cell responses to physical and chemical stimuli in the form of mechanical deformation and chemotherapeutic drugs, respectively. Our initial design was a microfluidic device that consisted of three channels with varying deformation and relaxation regions. Cell velocities from the deformations regions allowed us to distinguish between normal and cancer cells at the single-cell level. The next design used a singular deformation channel that was embedded with an array of electrodes in order to measure entry time, transit time and velocities as a single cell passes through the channel. These factors were found to reveal information about the biomechanical properties of single cells. Embedded electrodes were implemented in order to reduce post processing times of the data analysis and provide more insight into the bioelectrical information of cells. Finally, we report a microfluidic device with parallel deformation channels and a single electrode pair to improve throughput and automate data collection of deformability assays. This thesis demonstrates how microfluidic deformability assays, with and without embedded electrodes, show promising capabilities to classify different cells based on their biophysical traits which can be utilized as a valuable tool for testing responses to physical and chemical stimuli. / MS / Cancer is a worldwide health issue with approximately 1.7 million new cases each year in the United State alone. Although a great amount of research has been conducted in this field, the numerous uncertainties and heterogeneity among tumors, which is amplified by the large diversity between patients, has limit progress in both diagnostics and therapy. Traditionally, cancer studies have primarily focused on biological and chemical techniques. However, more recently, researchers have begun to leverage engineering techniques to acquire a new perspective on cancer to better understand the underlying biophysical attributes. Thus far, various engineering methodologies have produced meaningful results, but these techniques are costly and tend to be laborious. As a result, there is a need for low-cost, high-accuracy, and easy-to-use technologies to aid with cancer research, diagnostics, and treatment. An emerging field to alleviate these concerns is microfluidics, which is a science involving the flow of fluids in micro-scale channels. The field of microfluidics shows a great deal of promise for the development of clinically ready devices for analyzing cancer cells at both the population and single cell levels. Investigating the behavior of cancer cells at a single cell level can provide valuable information to help better understand the responsiveness of tumors to physical or chemical stimuli, such as chemotherapeutic drugs. This thesis reports multiple robust and cost-effective biomedical micro-devices that are used to analyze normal and cancerous cells. These devices consist of a microfluidic channel with sensors and are created using micro-fabrication techniques. The unique designs have enabled the evaluation of cells based on their mechanical and electrical properties. Specifically, the mechanical properties can be measured by forcing a cell into a microfluidic channel that is smaller than the diameter of the cell and recording its response to this physical stimulus. Electrical properties are measured simultaneously as the cells are probed for their mechanical properties. In general, the mechanical and electrical properties of cells can be altered when they undergo internal change (i.e. diseased cells) or experience external stimuli. Thus, these properties can be utilized as indicators of cancer progression and can be used to distinguish tumorigenic from non-tumorigenic cells. Data collection from these devices is automated, allowing for the rapid acquisition of mechanical and electrical properties of cells with minimal post-processing. Results from these devices have been promising in their ability to indicate significant differences among various normal and cancer populations based on their mechanical and electrical attributes.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1999 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Obtaining a projectile’s free-flight motion profile and its aerodynamic coefficients is typically accomplished at indoor test ranges using photographic techniques synchronized to timing stations. Since these ranges are relatively short, many discrete tests are necessary to compile a complete understanding of the projectile’s behavior. When Time Space Position Information (TSPI) is requested over long-range flights, it has been gathered with expensive video, laser, and radar trackers. These can be inaccurate at times and are limited to locations where the range equipment is able to track the projectile’s entire flight. With the ever-increasing sophistication of ordnance, such as smart and competent munitions that have multi-stage thrusting and maneuvering capability, it is becoming increasingly difficult to make the necessary measurements using current measurement techniques. Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) sensors and other electro-optical and magnetic sensors referenced to the sun and earth allow the projectile’s angular rates (spin, pitch, and yaw) and accelerations (axial and radial) to be measured throughout the flight. These sensors have been packaged into miniaturized telemetry instrumentation systems and placed within empty voids of the munition or in place of the fuze or warhead section. By combining this sensor data with a 6-DOF trajectory code, many of the projectiles aerodynamic coefficients including drag, static moment, and damping moment over a large Mach Number range and over multiple flight paths have been obtained. These techniques decrease the number of test shots required, reduce the complexity of the test setup, and reduce the test costs. Test data from instrumented tank, artillery, and rocket flight tests are presented in this report to show the current capability of making inflight measurements using telemetry-based techniques.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1999 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / It is tempting to conceive a program that is self-contained and to fiscally control the all the necessary developments. Such a path will lead to a program that is technically stovepiped and extremely expensive. For the test and evaluation (T&E) community, products are often developed only for single application. We do not exist in such times. The use of other program’s products and commercial products is basically required. This is the path that the Hardened Subminiature Telemetry and Sensor System (HSTSS) has taken. The HSTSS philosophy required that the technologies common to telemetry systems be examined for reduction in cost, size, ease of use, and above all the survivability under high-g or high shock environments. It was clear that HSTSS could not support all of these requirements for transmitters, batteries, electronic packaging, and sensors and be realistically affordable with a good return on investment. This paper describes how the HSTSS program has accomplished the development of new batteries, transmitters, and data acquisition devices based upon a leveraged acquisition strategy.

This thesis reports the development and analysis of high performance CMOS readout electronics for increasing the performance of MEMS gyroscopes developed at Middle East Technical University (METU). These readout electronics are based on unity gain buffers implemented with source followers. High impedance node biasing problem present in capacitive interfaces is solved with the implementation of a transistor operating in the subthreshold region. A generalized fully differential gyroscope model with force feedback electrodes has been developed in order to simulate the capacitive interfaces with the model of the gyroscope. This model is simplified for the single ended gyroscopes fabricated at METU, and simulations of resonance characteristics are done. Three gyroscope interfaces are designed by considering the problems faced in previous interface architectures. The first design is implemented using a single ended source follower biased with a subthreshold transistor. From the simulations, it is observed that biasing impedances up to several gigaohms can be achieved. The second design is the fully differential version of the first design with the addition of a self biasing scheme. In another interface, the second design is modified with an instrumentation amplifier which is used for fully differential to single ended conversion. All of these interfaces are fabricated in a standard 0.6 &micro / m CMOS process. Fabricated interfaces are characterized by measuring their ac responses, noise response and transient characteristics for a sinusoidal input. It is observed that, biasing impedances up to 60 gigaohms can be obtained with subthreshold transistors. Self biasing architecture eliminates the need for biasing the source of the subthreshold transistor to set the output dc point to 0 V. Single ended SOG gyroscopes are characterized with the single ended capacitive interfaces, and a 45 dB gain improvement is observed with the addition of capacitive interface to the drive mode. Minimum resolvable capacitance change and displacement that can be measured are found to be 58.31 zF and 38.87 Fermi, respectively. The scale factor of the gyroscope is found to be 1.97 mV/(&deg / /sec) with a nonlinearity of only 0.001% in &plusmn / 100 &deg / /sec measurement range. The bias instability and angle random walk of the gyroscope are determined using Allan variance method as 2.158 &deg / /&amp / #8730 / hr and 124.7 &deg / /hr, respectively.

This thesis reports the development of high-performance symmetric and decoupled micromachined gyroscopes for tactical-grade inertial measurement applications. The symmetric structure allows easy matching of the resonance frequencies of the drive and sense modes of the gyroscopes for achieving high angular rate sensitivity / while the decoupled drive and sense modes minimizes mechanical cross-coupling for low-noise and stable operation. Three different and new symmetric and decoupled gyroscope structures with unique features are presented. These structures are fabricated in four different micromachining processes: nickel electroforming (NE), dissolved-wafer silicon micromachining (DWSM), silicon-on-insulator (SOI) micromachining, and silicon-on-glass (SOG) micromachining. The fabricated gyroscopes have capacitive gaps from 1.5&micro / m to 5.5&micro / m and structural layer thicknesses from 12&micro / m to 100&micro / m, yielding aspect ratios up to 20 depending on the fabrication process. The size of fabricated gyroscope chips varies from 1x1mm2 up to 4.2x4.6mm2. Fabricated gyroscopes are hybrid-connected to a designed capacitive interface circuit, fabricated in a standard 0.6&micro / m CMOS process. They have resonance frequencies as small as 2kHz and as large as 40kHz / sense-mode resonance frequencies can be electrostatically tuned to the drive-mode frequency by DC voltages less than 16V. The quality factors reach to 500 at atmospheric pressure and exceed 10,000 for the silicon gyroscopes at vacuum. The parasitic capacitance of the gyroscopes on glass substrates is measured to be as small as 120fF. The gyroscope and interface assemblies are then combined with electronic control and feedback circuits constructed with off-the-shelf IC components to perform angular rate measurements. Measured angular rate sensitivities are in the range from 12&micro / V/(deg/sec) to 180&micro / V/(deg/sec), at atmospheric pressure. The SOI gyroscope demonstrates the best performance at atmospheric pressure, with noise equivalent rate (NER) of 0.025(deg/sec)/Hz1/2, whereas the remaining gyroscopes has an NER better than 0.1(deg/sec)/Hz1/2, limited by either the small sensor size or by small quality factors. Gyroscopes have scale-factor nonlinearities better than 1.1% with the best value of 0.06%, and their bias drifts are dominated by the phase errors in the demodulation electronics and are over 1deg/sec. The characterization of the SOI and SOG gyroscopes at below 50mTorr vacuum ambient yield angular rate sensitivities as high as 1.6mV/(deg/sec) and 0.9mV/(deg/sec), respectively. The NER values of these gyroscopes at vacuum are smaller than 50(deg/hr)/Hz1/2 and 36(deg/hr)/Hz1/2, respectively, being close to the tactical-grade application limits. Gyroscope structures are expected to provide a performance better than 10 deg/hr in a practical measurement bandwidth such as 50Hz, provided that capacitive gaps are minimized while preserving the aspect ratio, and the demodulation electronics are improved.

Orientador: Euripedes Guilherme de Oliveira Nobrega / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-06T12:28:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Costa_JulianoNunes_M.pdf: 1943364 bytes, checksum: 37bfdc87a8b3b47e435c8aadfe91806a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Resumo: Hoje em dia, os microssistemas eletromecânicos (MEMS) constituem uma das áreas mais promissoras e de rápido crescimento entre as novas tecnologias. Uma área de destaque na utilização de MEMS é a microfluídica, onde diversos tipos de equipamentos miniaturizados são necessários. As microbombas têm um papel fundamental neste tipo de microdispositivos, devido a sua função de prover quantidades muito pequenas de fluidos de maneira segura e uniforme. O presente trabalho apresenta o processo de desenvolvimento de uma microbomba de diafragma oscilante sem válvulas e com atuação pneumática. Para se construir a microbomba sem válvulas, primeiramente foi feito um estudo sobre os elementos bocaljdifusor, que representam na microbomba o papel das válvulas. Com o objetivo de se analisar o comportamento da microbomba, foi feita uma simulação numérica utilizando-se a analogia por circuitos elétricos equivalentes, reconhecidamente um método simples e eficiente' de simulação de sistemas multidomínios, onde a grande maioria dos microdispositivos podem ser classificados. Por fim, foram projetados e montados protótipos da microbomba utilizahdo-se a tecnologia de microfabricação Litografia Profunda em polímeros flexográficos, onde se faz o uso de radiação ultravioleta. Tal opção se deve a que esta é uma tecnologia de baixo custo e de fácil utilização. Foi feito em seguida o levantamento de desempenho da microbomba, onde vários testes foram realizados para se conhecer a relação de pressão versus vazão / Abstract: Nowadays, Micro-Electromechanical systems (MEMS) constitute one of the most promising and fast expanding fields among the new technologies. Microfiuidic systems are a noteworthy sub-area of MEMS, demanding several types of microdevices to be developed. Micropumps have a fundamental role in thee systems, due to the need of supplying minimal amounts of fiuid in a guaranteed and uniform way. This work presents the process of development of. prototypes of aval veless micropump based upon reciprocating diaphragm and pneumatic actuation. To construct the valveless micropump, firstly it was made a study on the nozzlej diffuser elements, which represent in these micropumps the valve function. Aiming to analyse the behavior of the micropump, a numeric simulation was studied using electrical equivalent networks, known as a simple and eflicient method of simulation of multidomain systems, a classification most MEMS follow. Finally, it was designed and constructed prototypes of the micropumps using the Deep Lithography in fiexographics polymers micro-manufacture technology. This option is due to the low cost characteristic of this technology and also because it is very easy to learn how to produce the prototypes. ln the sequence, the nerformance of the micropump was studied through several experimental tests in order to know its pressure and fiow behavior / Mestrado / Mecanica dos Sólidos e Projeto Mecanico / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

<p>Over the years, research and development of micro-force sensing techniques has gained a lot of traction, especially for microrobotic applications, such as micromanipulation and biomedical material characterization studies. Moreover, in recent years, new microfabrication techniques have been developed, such as two-photon polymerization (TPP), which enables fast prototyping, high resolution features, and the utilization of a wide range of materials. In general, the main goals of this work are to improve the resolution and range of novel vision-based force sensors, create microrobotic and micromanipulation systems capable of tackling a multitude of applications, and ensuring these systems are flexible and provide a sold foundation to the advancement of the field as a whole.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The current work can be divided into three main parts: (i) a wireless magnetic microrobot with 2D vision-based force sensing, (ii) a 3D vision-based force sensing probe for tethered micromanipulators, and (iii) a micromanipulation system capable of accurately controlling and performing advanced tasks. The vision-based force sensors developed here have resolutions ranging from the mN range to even sub-$\mu$N range, depending on the material used, geometry, and overall footprint. </p> <p><br></p> <p>In part (i), the microrobot has been developed mainly for biomedical applications \textit{in vitro}, with the ability to perform mechanical characterization and microassembly tasks of different rigid and biomedical materials. In part (ii), a similar sensor mechanic is used, but now adapted to a micromanipulation probe, which is able to detect forces in three dimensions and work in dry environments. In conjunction with the micromanipulation system described in part (iii), the system is capable of performing advanced assembly applications, including accurate assembly and 3D mounting of microparts. </p> <p><br></p> <p>With the introduction of TPP technologies to these works, the next generation of adaptable microrobotics and micromanipulation systems for advanced biomedical applications is starting to take shape, ever more versatile, smaller, more accurate, and with more advanced capabilities. This work shows the progression of these overall systems and gives a glimpse of what is possible with TPP and the technologies to come.</p>

The focus of this research is the isolation of waterborne pathogens which are one of the grand challenges to human health, costing the lives of about 2.5 million people worldwide each year. The aim was to develop new microfluidic techniques for selectively concentrating and detecting waterborne pathogens. Detection of microbes in water can greatly help reduce deaths; however, analytical instruments cannot readily detect them due to the extreme dilution of these microbes, and hence, require significant sample concentration. Current methods are expensive and either require days to process or are not sufficiently robust for water monitoring. Microfluidic chips based on insulator-based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) provide a promising solution to these problems and have been previously used to selectively concentrate biological particle such as bacteria. The microfluidic devices in this work were created with a 3D mircofabrication technique, which we also developed as part of this project. The core process of the technique is the etching of 3D structures in silicon with a single plasma etch utilizing an effect known as reactive ion etch lag (RIE lag). Using this unique process, 3D devices are fabricated in both silicon and the polymer polydimenthylsiloxane (PDMS). Using both numerical modeling and experimental results, we show how these 3D structures enhance the performance of the dielectrophoretic devices. The main findings indicate that 3D structures can help reduce Joule heating in the devices and lower the applied voltage necessary to operate the devices. Additionally, within this work, we develop a new dielectrophoresis technique called off-chip passivated-electrode, insulator-based dielectrophoresis microchip (O"DEP). This technique combines the sensitivity of electrode-based dielectrophoresis (eDEP) with the high-throughput and inexpensive device characteristics of insulator-based dielectrophoresis. The result is a cartridge based system which is accessible, economical, high-performance, and high-throughput technologies allowing timely detection of pathogenic bacteria. / Ph. D.