<p>Wireless communications and interconnected devices have become ubiquitous in our everyday life. As the rollout of the 5th generation (5G), wireless communication technology is well underway, the number of interconnected devices is increasing exponentially. Estimations for 2021 predicted that 1.5 billion smart devices would sell globally, representing a $53.45 billion market size by 2022. With the increase of communication channels and transmitted data within these networks, the challenge of coexistence without interference will become prominent. Simultaneously, 5G networks are introducing more frequency bands while densifying the network of communication towers. Forecasts predict a 100X increase of the network at the edge by introducing small cell towers, with projections estimating 45 million installed by 2031. As a result, rapid exponential growth in hardware costs is expected. Also, these dense networks will require a higher degree of self-configuration to prevent adjacent band interference.</p> <p>Tunable filters and large-scale manufacturing technologies are two solutions to address these challenges. Reconfigurable high-quality evanescent-mode (EVA) filters have been extensively presented in the literature. Different mechanisms have been employed for tuning, such as piezoelectric actuators and motors, and magnetostatic and electrostatic actuators. Furthermore, these implementations have been realized with printed circuit board (PCB) technology, computer numerical control (CNC) machining, 3D printing, and silicon (Si) micro-machining. Specifically, PCB manufacturing of three-dimensional front-end tunable filters has been promising and can deliver excellent performance. In addition, they can be integrated into the existing manufacturing lines and circuitry for the RF front-end.</p> <p>Nonetheless, there are limitations in fabrication tolerances that PCB manufacturing could reach. Consequently, there are restrictions on the frequency bands that these devices can be manufactured as dimensions become smaller in higher bands. Moreover, EVA cavities have been proven to yield higher performance filters when compared to unloaded quality factors and power handling of currently used substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) based technologies. Specifically, EVA filters produced with silicon micro-manufacturing combined with MEMS actuators have been demonstrated with remarkable performance up to 100s of GHz. Also, cost limitations per unit built are significant compared to other technologies like injection molding.</p> <p>The research goal of this work is to investigate scalable, low-cost manufacturing processes and techniques while maintaining a high-performance device. Combining knowledge from silicon RF MEMS tuned EVA filters and the cost-effective mass manufacturing injection molding technology to deliver a high-Q, high power handling, low-cost tunable filter. Demonstrating these characteristics within the same manufactured prototype would be a unique solution within the existing literature on tunable filters.</p> <p>This thesis is organized into three parts. The first part is focused on design for manufacturing (DFM). Si micromachining has been used to produce tunable resonators and filters at lower bands, but higher bands have yet to be demonstrated. The low-cost batch fabrication of already established Si micromachining lines makes this an attractive technology to realize these devices. This section presents network densification’s challenges and the economics of scale-up manufacturing. Furthermore, using Si micromachining, the first high Q tunable W band RF resonator is demonstrated tuned with MEMS technology.</p> <p>In the second part, the focus is on design for performance (DFP). Si micromachining is optimized to demonstrate high-performance RF MEMS tunable filters up to 100s GHz. High Q, wide tuning range, and low actuation voltages for the MEMS tuners have been realized.</p> <p>In the third part, the focus is on design for cost (DFC), where injection molding manufacturing technology is proven to have significant advantages in low cost with respect to other large-scale manufacturing technologies. A high-performance tunable resonator and filter in the sub-6 GHz frequency band are manufactured. They prove that simultaneously high Q, widely tunable, high power capable filters can be produced with low-cost scalable manufacturing technology.</p>

A method is described for preset-count irradiations between 1 and 100 ions singling-out individual ions from an ion beam with more than a billion ions arriving per second. The ion tracks are etched in a conductometric system with real-time evaluation of the acquired data. The etch process can be interrupted when reaching a preset channel diameter. Cylindrical channels are obtained by adding surfactants to the etch solution forming a self-assembled barrier between etching medium and polymer. Asymmetric etching of single ion tracks leads to pH sensitive conical pores with diode-like properties. Using etched channels as template, homogeneous and multilayer magnetic single-wires are electrodeposited. The magnetoresistivity of the wires is studied. Single-track applications comprise critical apertures (cylindric, conic, necked), asymmetric pores (pH sensitive, biospecific), Giant Magneto Resistance sensors, and spintronic devices. On the basis of studies with individual ion tracks we tackled tilted multiporous systems such as ion beam lithography with a masked ion beam leading to micro-structures with inclined walls and anisotropic superhydrophobic ion track textures, analogous to biological shingle structures on butterfly wings. We demonstrated qualitatively, that the asymmetry of the texture translates into motion under ultrasonic agitation. This could lead to the development of rotary drives.

L'électroporation est un procédé physique qui consiste à appliquer des impulsions de champ électrique pour perméabiliser de manière transitoire ou permanente la membrane plasmique. Ce phénomène est d'un grand intérêt dans le domaine clinique ainsi que dans l'industrie en raison de ses diverses applications, notamment l'électrochimiothérapie qui combine les impulsions électriques à l'administration d'une molécule cytotoxique, dans le cadre du traitement des tumeurs. L'analyse de ce phénomène est traditionnellement réalisée à l'aide des méthodes optique et biochimique (microscopie, cytométrie en flux, test biochimique). Elles sont très efficaces mais nécessitent l'utilisation d'une large gamme de fluorochromes et de marqueurs dont la mise en œuvre peut être laborieuse et coûteuse tout en ayant un caractère invasif aux cellules. Durant ces dernières années, le développement de nouveaux outils biophysiques pour l'étude de l'électroporation a pris place, tels que la diélectrophorèse et la spectroscopie d'impédance (basse fréquence). Outre une facilité de mise en œuvre, ces méthodes représentent un intérêt dans l'étude des modifications membranaires de la cellule. De là vient l'intérêt d'opérer au-delà du GHz, dans la gamme des micro-ondes, pour laquelle la membrane cytoplasmique devient transparente et le contenu intracellulaire est exposé. L'extraction de la permittivité relative suite à l'interaction champ électromagnétique/cellules biologiques reflète alors l'état cellulaire. Cette technique, la spectroscopie diélectrique hyperfréquence, se présente comme une méthode pertinente pour analyser les effets de l'électroporation sur la viabilité cellulaire. De plus, elle ne nécessite aucune utilisation des molécules exogènes (non-invasivité) et les mesures sont directement réalisées dans le milieu de culture des cellules. Deux objectifs ont été définis lors de cette thèse dont les travaux se situent à l'interface entre trois domaines scientifiques : la biologie cellulaire, l'électronique hyperfréquence et les micro-technologies. Le premier objectif concerne la transposition de l'électroporation conventionnelle à l'échelle micrométrique, qui a montré une efficacité aussi performante que la première. La deuxième partie du travail concerne l'étude par spectroscopie diélectrique HyperFréquence de cellules soumises à différents traitements électriques (combinés ou non à une molécule cytotoxique). Ces travaux présentent une puissance statistique et montrent une très bonne corrélation (R2 >0 .94) avec des techniques standards utilisées en biologie, ce qui valide 'biologiquement' la méthode d'analyse HF dans le contexte d'électroporation. Ces travaux montrent en outre que la spectroscopie diélectrique hyperfréquence s'avère être une technique puissante, capable de révéler la viabilité cellulaire suite à un traitement chimique et/ou électrique. Ils ouvrent la voie à l'analyse 'non-invasive' par spectroscopie diélectrique HyperFréquence de cellules électroporées in-situ. / Electroporation is a physical process that consists in applying electric field pulses to transiently or permanently permeabilize the plasma membrane. This phenomenon is of great interest in the clinical field as well as in the industry because of its various applications, in particular electrochemotherapy which combines electrical pulses with the administration of a cytotoxic molecule in the treatment of tumors. The evaluation of this phenomenon is raditionally carried out using optical and biochemical methods (microscopy, flow cytometry, biochemical test). They are very effective but require the use of a wide range of fluorochromes and markers, which can be laborious and costly to implement, while being invasive to the cells. In recent years, the development of new biophysical tools for the study of electroporation has taken place, such as dielectrophoresis and impedance spectroscopy (low frequency). In addition to the ease of implementation, these methods are of interest in the study of membrane modifications of the cell. Hence the advantage of operating beyond the GHz, in the range of microwaves, for which the cytoplasmic membrane becomes transparent and the intracellular content is exposed. The extraction of the relative permittivity as a result of the electromagnetic field / biological cell interaction then reflects the cell state. This technique, microwave dielectric spectroscopy, is a relevant method for analyzing the effects of electroporation on cell viability. Moreover, it does not require any use of the exogenous molecules (non-invasive) and the measurements are directly carried out in the culture medium of the cells. Two objectives were defined during this thesis whose work is located at the interface between three scientific fields: cellular biology, microwave electronics and micro-technologies. The first objective concerns the transposition of conventional electroporation to the micrometric scale, which has shown an efficiency as efficient as the first. The second part of the work concerns the study by HighFrequency dielectric spectroscopy of cells subjected to different electrical treatments (combined or not with a cytotoxic molecule). This work presents a statistical power and shows a very good correlation (R2> 0.94) with standard techniques used in biology, which biologically validates the HF analysis method in the context of electroporation. This work also shows that microwave dielectric spectroscopy proves to be a powerful technique capable of revealing cell viability following chemical and / or electrical treatment. They open the way to 'non-invasive' analysis by hyper-frequency dielectric spectroscopy of electroporated cells in situ.

The field of coupled resonant systems is a rich research area with enumerable real-world applications, including the fields of neural computing and pattern recognition, energy harvesting, and even modeling the behavior of certain types of biological systems. This work is primarily focused on the study of the behaviors of two subsets of this field: large networks of globally coupled resonators (which, in this work, refers to passive, damped resonant elements which require external stimulus) and smaller networks of oscillators (referring to active devices capable of self-sustained motion), which are coupled through a network of light-sensitive resistive elements. In the case of the former, we begin by developing an analytical and experimental framework to examine the behaviors of this system under various conditions, such as different coupling modalities and element-level parametric mistunings. Once a proper understanding of the dynamics of these systems has been established, we go on to develop the system into a single-input, single-output, multi-analyte volatile organic compound sensor. For the study of oscillator networks, we begin by building a device which utilizes a network of Colpitts oscillators, coupled through a series of color-filtered CdSe photocells. We then establish that through the analysis of particular emergent behaviors (most notably, frequency locking within the network), this type of system may show promise as a threshold color sensor. By exploiting these behaviors, this type of system may find applications in neuromorphic computing (particularly in optical pattern recognition).

Fabrication of hemispherical structures for application in hemispherical resonator gyro-scopes (HRG) is an integral part of modern sensing systems, especially in relation to space navigation. First, it is important for these structures to be as symmetric as possible in order to accurately track both in-plane and out-of-plane acceleration that occurs in fast moving satellites and space crafts. Next, they need to be larger for easier application in current mm scale systems and to maintain a lower noise floor and high quality factor. The work in this paper introduces a methodology for the analyzation of the micromachining process for larger symmetric hemispherical shell resonators (HSR). This is in order to increase their size while maintaining symmetry through isotropic etching using HNA and the pop-up ring mask design. The implementation of the pop-up ring mask allows for symmetric etching of<111> silicon and larger MEMS structures at a low cost while giving more design control to the user in comparison to alternative designs such as the pinhole. The investigation of how hemispheric structures are affected based on the adjustment of the pop-up ring design serves to both create larger symmetric HSRs and create a better model for future designs and applications. During this investigation, a range of design tests were done to create the hemispherical resonator molds in order to gauge the effectiveness of the pop-up ring changes. These results were then used to develop a method for achieving the desired larger symmetric HSRs.

<div> <div> <div> <p>Organic-inorganic halide perovskite solar cells have increased efficiencies substantially (from 3% to > 22%), within a few years. However, these solar cells degrade very rapidly due to humidity and no longer are capable of converting photons into electrons. Methylammonium Lead Triiodide (CH3NH3PbI3 or MAPbI3) is the most common type of halide perovskite solar cell and is the crystal studied in this thesis. Graphene is an effective encapsulation method of MAPbI3 perovskite to reduce degradation, while also being advantageous because of its excellent optical and conductive properties. Using a PMMA transfer method graphene was chemical vapor depostion (CVD) grown graphene was transferred onto MAPbI3 and reduced the MAPbI3 degradation rate by over 400%. The PMMA transfer method in this study is scalable for roll-to- roll manufacturing with fewer cracks, impurites, and folds improving upon dry transfer methods. To characterize degradation a fluorescent microscope was used to capture photoluminescence data at initial creation of the samples up to 528 hours of 80% humidity exposure. Atomic force microscopy was used to characterize topographical changes during degradation. The study proves that CVD graphene is an effective encapsulation method for reducing degradation of MAPbI3 due to humidity and retained 95.3% of its initial PL intensity after 384 hours of 80% humidity exposure. Furthermore, after 216 hours of 80% humidity exposure CVD graphene encapsulated MAPbI3 retained 80.2% of its initial number of peaks, and only saw a 35.1% increase in surface height. Comparatively, pristine MAPbI3 only retained 16% of its initial number of peaks and saw a 159% increase in surface height. </p> </div> </div> </div>

<p align='justify'>L’adaptation des surfaces pour des fonctions prédéterminées par le choix des matériaux métalliques ou des couches minces ayant des propriétés mécaniques avancées peut potentiellement permettre de réaliser des nouvelles applications à petites échelles. Concevoir de telles applications utilisant des nouveaux matériaux nécessite en premier lieu la connaissance des propriétés mécaniques des matériaux ciblés à l’échelle microscopique et nanoscopique. Une méthode souvent appliquée pour caractériser les matériaux à petites échelles est la nanoindentation, qui peut être vue comme une mesure de dureté à l’échelle nanoscopique.</p><p><p align='justify'>Ce travail présente une contribution relative à l'interprétation des résultats de la nanoindentation, qui fait intervenir un grand nombre de phénomènes physiques couplés à l'aide de simulations numériques. A cette fin une approche interdisciplinaire, adaptée aux phénomènes apparaissant à petites échelles, et située à l’intersection entre la physique, la mécanique et la science des matériaux a été utilisée. Des modèles numériques de la nanoindentation ont été conçus à l'échelle atomique (modèle discret) et à l'échelle des milieux continus (méthode des éléments finis), pour étudier le comportement du nickel pur. Ce matériau a été choisi pour ses propriétés mécaniques avancées, sa résistance à l'usure et sa bio-compatibilité, qui peuvent permettre des applications futures intéressantes à l'échelle nanoscopique, particulièrement dans le domaine biomédical. Des méthodes avancées de mécanique du solide ont été utilisées pour prendre en compte les grandes déformations locales du matériau (par la formulation corotationelle), et pour décrire les conditions de contact qui évoluent au cours de l'analyse dans le modèle à l'échelle des milieux continus (traitement des conditions de contact unilatérales et tangentielles par une forme de Lagrangien augmenté).</p><p><p align='justify'>L’application des modèles numériques a permis de contribuer à l’identification des phénomènes qui gouvernent la nanoindentation du nickel pur. Le comportement viscoplastique du nickel pur pendant nanoindentation a été identifié dans une étude expérimentale-numérique couplée, et l'effet cumulatif de la rugosité et du frottement sur la dispersion des résultats de la nanoindentation a été montré par une étude numérique (dont les résultats sont en accord avec des tendances expérimentales).</p> <p><p align='justify'>Par ailleurs, l’utilisation de l’outil numérique pour une autre application à petites échelles, la manipulation des objets par contact, a contribué à la compréhension de la variation de l’adhésion électrostatique pendant micromanipulation. La déformation plastique des aspérités de surface sur le bras de manipulateur (en nickel pur) a été identifiée comme une source potentielle d’augmentation importante de l'adhésion pendant la micromanipulation, qui peut potentiellement causer des problèmes de relâche et de précision de positionnement, observés expérimentalement.</p><p><p align='justify'>Les résultats présentés dans cette thèse montrent que des simulations numériques basées sur la physique du problème traité peuvent expliquer des tendances expérimentales et contribuer à la compréhension et l'interprétation d'essais couramment utilisé pour la caractérisation aux petites échelles. Le travail réalisé dans cette thèse s’inscrit dans un projet de recherche appelé "mini-micro-nano" (mµn), financé par la Communauté Française de Belgique dans le cadre de "l'Action de Recherche Concertée", convention 04/09-310.</p> / Doctorat en Sciences de l'ingénieur / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

<div>A microheater and resistance temperature detector (RTD) are designed and fabricated for various applications. First, a hierarchical manifold microchannel heatsink with an integrated microheater and RTDs is demonstrated. Microfluidic cooling within the embedded heat sink improves heat dissipation, with two-phase operation offering the potential for dissipation of very high heat fluxes while maintaining moderate chip temperatures. To enable multi-chip stacking and other heterogeneous packaging approaches, it is important to densely integrate all fluid flow paths into the device. Therefore, the details of heatsink layouts and fabrication processes are introduced. Characterization of two-phase cooling as well as reliability of the microheater/RTDs are discussed. In addition, another application of microheater for mining particle detection using interdigitated capacitive sensor. While current personal monitoring devices are optimized for monitoring microscale particles, a higher resolution technique is required to detect sub-micron and nanoscale particulate matters (PM) due to smaller volume and mass of the particles. The detection capability of the capacitive sensor for sub-micron and nanoparticles are presented, and an incorporated microheater improved stable capacitive sensor reading under air flow and various humidity. </div><div>This paper also introduces the characterization of nanomaterials such as metallic nanowires (NWs) and single layer graphene. First, the copper nanowire (CuNW)/graphene hybrid networks for transparent conductors (TC) is investigated. Though indium tin oxide (ITO) has been widely used, demands for the next generation of TC is increasing due to a limited supply of indium. Thus, the optical and electrical properties of CuNW/graphene hybrid network are compared with other transparent conductive materials including ITO. Secondly, silver nanowire (AgNW) growth technique using electrodeposition is introduced. A vertically aligned branched AgNW arrays is made using a porous anodic alumina template and the optical properties of the structure are discussed.</div><div><br></div>

Recent advances in atomically thin two-dimensional materials have led to various promising technologies such as nanoelectronics, sensing, energy storage, and optoelectronics applications. Graphene with sp2-bonded carbon atoms densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice has attracted tremendous interest with excellent electrical, optical, mechanical, and chemical properties. In this work, graphene’s mechanical properties, chemical properties, and piezoelectric properties are explored as graphene is implemented in the automotive electrical distribution system. Graphene is useful in friction reduction, corrosion protection, and piezoelectric energy harvesting cell improvement. Besides graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), which are the metal atoms sandwiched between two chalcogen atoms, have also attracted much attention. Unlike graphene, many TMDs are semiconductors in nature and possess enormous potential to be used as a potential channel material in ultra-scaled field-effect transistors (FETs). In this work, chemical doping strategies are explored for the tunnel FETs applications using different metal phthalocyanines and polyethyleneimines as dopants. TMDs FETs can also be used as a selective NO₂ gas sensor with a polydimethylsiloxane filter and a highly sensitive photo-interfacial gated photodetector application.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Osteogenesis imperfecta is a rare congenital disease commonly characterized by brittle bones caused by mutations in the genes encoding Type I collagen, the single most abundant protein produced by the body. The murine model (oim) exists as a natural mutation of this protein, converting its heterotrimeric structure of two Col1a1 molecules and a single Col1a2 molecule into homotrimers composed of only the former. This defect impacts bone mechanical integrity, greatly weakening their structure. Femurs from male wild type (WT), heterozygous (oim/+), and homozygous (oim/oim) mice, all at 12 weeks of age, were assessed using assays at multiple length scales with minimal sample processing to ensure a near-physiological state. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) demonstrated detectable differences in the organization of collagen at the nanometer scale that may partially attribute to alterations in material and structural behavior obtained through mechanical testing and reference point indentation (RPI). Changes in geometric and chemical structure through the use of µ-Computed Tomography and Raman spectroscopy respectively indicate a smaller, brittle phenotype caused by oim. Changes within the periodic D-spacing of collagen point towards a reduced mineral nucleation site, supported by reduced mineral crystallinity, resulting in altered material and structural behavior in oim/oim mice. Multi-scale analyses of this nature offer much in assessing how molecular changes can compound to create a degraded, brittle phenotype.