Les récents progrès dans le domaine des MEMS organiques suscitent un intérêt croissant dans la substitution de micropoutres inorganiques par des micropoutres organiques pour diverses applications. N’ayant été étudiée qu’en mode statique, la réponse électrostrictive des MEMS organiques est présentée pour la première fois en mode dynamique. L’une des originalités de ce travail est de fabriquer un micro-récupérateur d’énergie mécanique avec une approche « tout-organique ». Dans cette thèse, des matériaux nanocomposites à base d’oxyde de graphène réduit (rGO) dispersé dans du poly-dimethyl siloxane (PDMS), sont utilisés pour la récupération de l'énergie mécanique vibratoire avec une transduction électrostrictive. Le dispositif génère une densité de puissance électrique de 8,15 W/cm3 pour une accélération de 1 g au premier mode de résonance (≈ 17 Hz). / Recent advances in the field of organic MEMS have generated interest in the substitution of inorganic microbeams by organic ones for various applications. Until now, the use of electrostrictive materials is limited to the MEMS operating mostly in static mode. The electrostrictive response of organic MEMS is presented here for the first time in dynamic mode. One of the originality of this work is to produce a micro-mechanical energy harvester fabricated in an all-organic approach. In this thesis, strain sensitive nanocomposite materials based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) dispersed in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) are used for mechanical vibratory energy harvesting with an electrostrictive transducer. With an acceleration of 1 g of the microcantilever base, actuation at the first resonant mode (≈ 17 Hz) generates an electrical power density of 8.15 μW/cm3.

<p>Flexible printed circuit boards (flex PCBs) are used in a wide range of electronic devices today due to their light weight, bendability, extensive wiring possibilities, and low-cost manufacturing techniques. The general trend in the flex PCB industry is further miniaturization alongside increasing functionality per device and reduced costs. To meet these demands, a new generation of low cost manufacturing technologies is being developed to enable structures with smaller lateral dimensions and higher packing densities.</p><p>Wet etching is today the most cost-efficient method for producing a large number of through-foil structures in flex PCBs. However, conventional wet etch techniques do not allow for through-foil structures with aspect ratios over 1 – a fact that either necessitates thin and mechanically weak foils or puts severe limitations on the packing density. The fabrication techniques presented in this thesis allow for through-foil structures with higher aspect ratios and packing densities using wet etching. To achieve high aspect ratios with wet etching, the flex PCB foils are pre-treated with irradiation by swift heavy ions. Each ion that passes through the foil leaves a track of damaged material which can be subsequently etched to form highly vertical pores. By using conventional flex PCB process techniques on the porous foils, high aspect ratio metallized through-foil structures are demonstrated.</p><p>The resulting structures consist of multiple sub-micrometer sized wires. These structures are superior to their conventional counterparts when it comes to their higher aspect ratios, higher possible packing densities and low metallic cross-section. Furthermore, metallized through-foil structures with larger areas and more complicated geometries are possible without losing the mechanical stability of the foil. This in turn enables applications that are not possible using conventional techniques and structures. In this thesis, two such applications are demonstrated: flex PCB vertical thermopile sensors and substrate integrated waveguides for use in millimeter wave applications.</p>

Energy efficiency is a vital key component when designing and miniaturizing self sustained microsystems. The smaller the system, the smaller is the possibility to store enough stored energy for a long and continuous operational time. To move such a system in an energy efficient way, a piezoelectrical locomotion module consisting of four resonating cantilevers has been designed, manufactured and evaluated in this work. The combination of a suitable substrate, a multilayered piezoelectric material to reduce the voltage, and a resonating drive mechanism resulted in a low power demand. A manufacturing process for multilayer cantilever actuators made of P(VDF-TrFE) with aluminum electrodes on a substrate of flexible printed circuit board (FPC), has been developed. An important step in this process was the development of an etch recipe for dry etching the multilayer actuators in an inductive plasma equipment. Formulas for the quasi static tip deflection and resonance frequency of a multilayered cantilever, have been derived. Through theses, it was found that the multilayered structures should be deposited on the polymer side of the FPC in order to maximize the tip deflection. Both a large and a miniaturized locomotion module were manufactured and connected by wires to verify that the three legged motion principal worked to move the structures forward and backward, and turn it right and left. By touching and adding load, to a fourth miniaturized cantilever, its ability to act as a contact sensor and carry object was verified. The presented locomotion module is part of a multifunctional microsystem, intended to be energy efficient and powered by a solar panel with a total volume of less than 25 mm3 and weight 65 mg. The whole system, consisting of a solar cell, an infra red communication module, an integrated circuit for control, three capacitors for power regulating, the locomotion module and an FPC connecting the different modules, was surface mounted using a state of the art industrial facility. Two fully assembled systems could be programmed both through a test connector and through optical sensors in the multifunctional solar cell. One of these was folded together to the final configuration of a robot. However, the entire system could not be tested under full autonomous operating conditions. On the other hand, using wires, the locomotion module could be operated and used to move the entire system from a peak-to-peak voltage of 3.0 V.

Flexible printed circuit boards (flex PCBs) are used in a wide range of electronic devices today due to their light weight, bendability, extensive wiring possibilities, and low-cost manufacturing techniques. The general trend in the flex PCB industry is further miniaturization alongside increasing functionality per device and reduced costs. To meet these demands, a new generation of low cost manufacturing technologies is being developed to enable structures with smaller lateral dimensions and higher packing densities. Wet etching is today the most cost-efficient method for producing a large number of through-foil structures in flex PCBs. However, conventional wet etch techniques do not allow for through-foil structures with aspect ratios over 1 – a fact that either necessitates thin and mechanically weak foils or puts severe limitations on the packing density. The fabrication techniques presented in this thesis allow for through-foil structures with higher aspect ratios and packing densities using wet etching. To achieve high aspect ratios with wet etching, the flex PCB foils are pre-treated with irradiation by swift heavy ions. Each ion that passes through the foil leaves a track of damaged material which can be subsequently etched to form highly vertical pores. By using conventional flex PCB process techniques on the porous foils, high aspect ratio metallized through-foil structures are demonstrated. The resulting structures consist of multiple sub-micrometer sized wires. These structures are superior to their conventional counterparts when it comes to their higher aspect ratios, higher possible packing densities and low metallic cross-section. Furthermore, metallized through-foil structures with larger areas and more complicated geometries are possible without losing the mechanical stability of the foil. This in turn enables applications that are not possible using conventional techniques and structures. In this thesis, two such applications are demonstrated: flex PCB vertical thermopile sensors and substrate integrated waveguides for use in millimeter wave applications. / wisenet

The first version of the Senior processor was created as part of a thesis projectin 2007. This processor was completed and used for educational purposes atLinköpings University. In 2008 several parts of the processor were optimized andthe processor expanded with additional functionality as part of another thesisproject. In 2009 an EU funded project called MULTI-BASE started, in which theComputer Division at the Department of Electrical Engineering participated in.For their part of the MULTI-BASE project, the Senior processor was selected tobe used. After continuous revision and development, this processor was sent formanufacturing. The assignment of this thesis project was to test and verify the different func-tions implemted in the Senior processor. To do this a PCB was developed fortesting the Senior processor together with a Virtex-4 FPGA. Extensive testingwas done on the most important functions of the Senior processor. These testsshowed that the manufactured Senior processor works as designed and that it alonecan perform larger calculations and use external hardware accelerators with thehelp of its various interfaces. / Den första versionen av Senior processorn skapades som en del i ett examensarbe-te under 2007, denna processor färdigställdes och användes i utbildningssyfte påLinköping Universitet. 2008 optimerades flera delar av processorn och utökadesmed extra funktionalitet som del av ytterligare ett examensarbete. 2009 startadeett EU finansierat projekt vid namn MULTI-BASE, som ISYs Datortekniks avdel-ning deltar i. Till deras del av MULTI-BASE projektet valdes Senior processorn attanvändas, efter ytterligare utveckling skickades denna processor för tillverkning. Detta examensarbete hade i uppgift att testa och verifiera de olika funktionernasom Senior processorn har implementerats med. För att göra detta tillverkades ettkretskort som ska användas för att testa Senior processorn tillsammans med enVirtex-4 FPGA. Utförliga tester gjordes på de viktigaste funktionerna hos Seniorprocessorn, dessa tester visade att den tillverkade Senior processorn fungerar somplanerat. Den kan på egen hand utföra större beräkningar och använda sig avexterna hårdvare acceleratorer med hjälp av sina olika gränssnitt.

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to identify particular features and attributes  that communicate quality in printed advertisements in order to further understand consumer perception of these quality features. Background: Nowadays, cultural images of youthfulness are promoted by media and advertising. Previous research indicate that price, brand name and store names are the most influencing features concerning the quality perception for consumers. However, advertising permits consumers to have access only to a specific level of information regarding the product. Printed advertisement do not present the common attributes such as price or store name that permit to evaluate quality. Therefore this study will examine the features and attributes that communicate quality in printed advertisements from the consumer’s perspective. Method: The purpose of this thesis was fulfilled by conducting a magazine content analysis of advertisements and by conducting interviews with women in the age between 45-60 years old. To analyze the results, theories connected to quality perception and advertising were used. Conclusion: Three interrelated categories were identified to play a significant role in the quality perception: credibility, exclusivity and emotions. When in accordance with each other and in balance, the presence of these categories influence the quality perception. / Syfte: Syftet med den här studien är att identifiera särskilda faktorer och attribut som kommunicerar kvalité i tryckt reklam i syfte att vidare förstå konsumenters uppfattning av dessa kvalitetsattribut. Bakgrund: Nuförtiden främjas bilder av ungdomlighet i media och reklambranschen. Tidigare studier indikerar att pris, varumärke och butiksnamn är de faktorer som mest påverkar  konsumenters kvalitetsuppfattning. Dock tillåter reklam konsumenter att ha tillgång endast till en specifik nivå av information angående produkten. Tryckt reklam presenterar inte allmänna attribut såsom pris eller butiksnamn som tillåter utvärdering av kvalité. Därför kommer den här studien att granska faktorer och attribut som kommunicerar kvalité i tryckt reklam från konsumentens perspektiv. Metod: Syftet med den här studien blev uppfyllt genom utförandet av en innehållsanalys av anti-age reklamer i tidningar och genom intervjuer med kvinnor i åldern mellan 45-60 år. Till analysen av resultaten användes teorier med anknytning till kvalitetsuppfattning och reklam.  Slutsats: Tre sammanhängande kategorier var identifierade att spela en betydande roll i kvalitetsuppfattning: trovärdighet, exklusivitet och känslor.  När i enlighet med varandra och i balans, gör närvaron av dessa kategorier att kvalitetsuppfattningen påverkas.

The aim of my master’s thesis has been to examine the situation of the price lists in the National Library of Sweden, in Uppsala University Library and in the Nordiska Museet Library. The starting point was that the institutes have been operating within different institutional practices. These operational differences between the institutes have affected the collecting, the organizing and the accessibility to the information of the price lists. My master‘s thesis is based on Birger Hjørlands theories of domains and knowledge organization. The main sources of the information in the thesis are interviews conducted with informants within these three institutes. The findings of the study show that the main differences in how the institutes have been organizing the price lists, results from the different assignments the institutes have in collecting the material. Based upon the facts that have emerged in the interviews, some general and some specific problem areas have been highlighted. These problem areas have been discussed in the thesis and possible solutions in how to proceed have been presented.

Topic of the thesis is the production of unipolar digital circuits by means of mass-printing technologies. For this purpose accumulation-mode and depletion-mode field-effect transistors have been used. To realize depletion-mode field-effect transistors charges are injected and stored in the gate-dielectric. Consequently, the charge transport on the semiconductor-dielectric interface is influenced and the threshold voltage can be controlled. To inject charges into the dielectric different technologies have been used and will be discussed in terms of their process parameters. Finally, fully-printed digital circuits with enhanced performance are introduced. / Gegenstand der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die drucktechnische Herstellung von unipolaren digitalen Schaltungen durch eine Kombination von organischen Feldeekttransistoren vom Anreicherungs- und Verarmungstyp. Zur Realisierung von Transistoren vom Verarmungstyp werden Überschussladung in den Gate- Isolator eingebracht und gespeichert, wodurch der Ladungstransport im Transistorkanal insbesondere die Schwellspannung beeinflusst wird. Es werden verschiedene Aufladungstechnologien und deren Prozessparameter diskutiert. Abschließend werden vollständig mit Massendruckverfahren prozessierte, digitale Schaltungen mit verbesserter Signalübertragungscharakteristik vorgestellt.

In this dissertation, a series of printed multiband antennas for slim mobile communication devices are presented. The study mainly focuses on how to effectively enhance the impedance bandwidth. With the equivalent LC matching circuit integrated in the antennas, wide impedance bandwidth can be obtained without increasing the size of the antennas. Note that the equivalent matching circuit can be formed by the coupling strip and the shorting strip to generate capacitance and inductance, respectively. In addition, the effects on the user's hand, head and whole body will be analyized. Also, the issue of the hearing aid compatibility will be discussed in this dissertation.

The demands of consumer electronic products to support multi-functionality such as computing, communication and multimedia applications with reduced form factor and low cost is the driving force behind packaging technologies such as System on Package (SOP). SOP aims to enhance the functionality of the package while providing form factor reduction by the integration of active and passive components. However, embedding components within mixed signal packages causes unwanted interferences across the digital and analog-radio frequency (RF) sections of the package, which is a major challenge yet to be addressed. This dissertation focused on the chip-last method of embedding chips within cavities in organic packages and addressed the challenges for preserving power integrity in such packages. The challenges associated with electromagnetic coupling in packages when chips are embedded within the substrate layers are identified, analyzed and demonstrated. The presence of the chip embedded within the package introduces new interaction mechanisms between the chip and package that have not been encountered in conventional packages with surface mounted chips. It is of significant importance to understand the chip-package interaction mechanisms, for ensuring satisfactory design of systems with embedded actives. The influence of the electromagnetic coupling from the package on the bulk substrate and bond-pads of the embedded chip are demonstrated. Solutions that remedy the noise coupling using Electromagnetic Band-Gap structures (EBGs) along with design methodologies for their efficient implementation in multilayer packages are proposed. This dissertation presents guidelines for designing efficient power distribution networks in multilayer packages with embedded chips.