Proteins are commonly found molecules in biological systems: our fingernails, hair, skin, blood, muscle, and eyes are all made of protein. Many diseases simply arise because a protein is not folded properly. Therefore, knowledge of protein structure is considered a prerequisite to understanding protein function and, by extension, a cornerstone for drug design and for the development of therapeutic agents. Protein crystallography is a tool that allows structural biologists to discern protein structures to the highest degree of detail possible in three dimensions. The recording of x-ray diffraction data from the protein crystal is a central part of protein crystallography. As such, an important challenge in protein crystallography research is to design x-ray detectors to accurately determine the structures of proteins. This research presents the design and evaluation of a solid-state large area at panel detector for protein crystallography based on an amorphous selenium (a-Se) x-ray sensitive photoconductor operating in avalanche mode integrated with an amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) charge storage and readout pixel. The advantages of the proposed detector over the existing imaging plate (IP) and charge coupled device (CCD) detectors are large area, high dynamic range coupled to single x-ray detection capability, fast readout, high spatial resolution, and inexpensive manufacturing process. The requirement of high dynamic range is crucial for protein crystallography since both weak and strong diffraction spots need to be imaged. The main disadvantage of a-Si:H thin film transistor (TFT) array is its high electronic noise which prohibits quantum noise limited operation for the weak diffraction spots. To overcome the problem, the x-ray to charge conversion gain of a-Se is increased by using its internal avalanche multiplication gain. Since the detector can be made approximately the same size as the diffraction pattern, it eliminates the need for image demagnification. The readout time of the detector is usually within the ms range, so it is appropriate for crystallographic application. The optimal detector parameters (such as, detector size, pixel size, thickness of a-Se layer), and operating parameters (such as, electric field across the a-Se layer) are determined based on the requirements for protein crystallography. A complete model of detective quantum efficiency (DQE) of the detector is developed to predict and optimize the performance of the detector. The performance of the detector is evaluated in terms of readout time (< 1 s), dynamic range (~10^5), and sensitivity (~ 1 x-ray photon), thus validating the detector's efficacy for protein crystallography. The design of an in-house a-Si:H TFT pixel array for integration with an avalanche a-Se layer is detailed. Results obtained using single pixel are promising and highlight the feasibility of a-Si:H pixels coupled with avalanche a-Se layer for protein crystallography application.

In this thesis the magnetic and structural properties of ultra-thin 3d transition metals films have been investigated, in particular Fe, Ni and Co films. X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD) has provided element specific spin (ms ) and orbital (ml ) moments per atom by utilizing the magneto optic sum-rules. Element specific hysteresis curves have been measured by means of X-ray Resonant Magnetic Scattering (XRMS), and the local crystallographic structure has been investigated using Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS). By performing XMCD on Fe/Ag(100) we observe a spin reorientation from in-plane to out-of-plane as the Fe thickness is lowered. At temperatures below 300K it occurs around 5-7 mono layers (ML) of Fe. While reorienting the magnetization out-of-plane the orbital moment increases with 125% but only a minor increase (5%) of the spin moment is observed. Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) measurements indicate that films 6 ML and thicker have a bulk-like bcc structure. For the thin out-of-plane films, the local crystallographic structure is more complicated. The spin reorientation of the Au/Co/Au tri-layer system has been studied as a function of temperature, Co layer and Au cap thickness. An unexpected behavior of the orbital moment upon spin reorientation is found in these systems. An ex-situ prepared sample shows a smooth spin reorientation from an in-plane to an out-of-plane easy magnetization direction as the temperature is lowered from 300K to 200K. In-situ prepared samples have also been investigated and a novel phase diagram has been identified. The Au/Co interface has been explored during the Au capping by means of photoemission measurements. In the bi- and tri-layer system of Fe and Ni we have been able to manipulate the spin reorientation by varying the Fe and Ni thickness. A novel non-collinear interlayer exchange interaction for 3d ferro magnets in direct contact has been discovered for a set of samples. This exchange interaction is found to be strongly dependant on the preparation conditions.

This thesis work was performed at AB Sandvik Coromant and aimed to enhance the knowledge about the relationships between the performance of TiN and TiAlN-coated cutting tools in metal turning and their mechanical and chemical properties. Measurements of coating material properties and turning wear tests in annealed tool steel Sverker 21, stainless steel 316L, grey cast iron V314 and nodular cast iron SS0727 were performed. The cutting temperatures were estimated from FEM-simulations. To find the dominant wear mechanism and identify the properties that are most important for the resistance against that particular wear, a correlation analysis was performed together with a wear study using LOM, SEM and EDS. The results show that relations between cutting performance and mechanical properties and/or composition of the coatings can be established. The FEM-simulations suggested that the peak tool temperature was highest, ~750°C, for turning in 316L and lowest for turning in Sverker 21, ~300°C. Turning in cast iron resulted in temperatures around 500-550°C. A mechanism for the growth of the crater on inserts tested in stainless steel 316L is proposed. Wear due to thermo-mechanical load and adhesion are believed to be the dominating wear mechanisms. The performance of the tool showed a high correlation to the composition of the coatings, with a decreased tool life for higher Al-contents. The reason for this might lie in an increased brittleness of these coatings, accelerating formation of lateral cracks above the crater. Calculated ratios of bulk and shear modulus suggests an increased brittleness for higher Al-contents. A higher tendency to stick to the work piece material might also contribute to a decrease in tool life. An Increased Al-content could also drive the formation of c-AlN to h-AlN, causing even higher wear rates. The coatings with higher substrate bias showed an enhanced performance, even though the crack pattern was worsened for these variants. The reason for the enhanced performance seen for these variants might instead originate in an enhanced adhesion to the substrate. In the flank wear resistance test in Sverker 21 the Al-content proved to be important, with an improved performance for higher Al-contents. In contrast to the test in 316L, a change in bias or hardness had no effect on the performance in this test. Scratch patterns on the flank supports that an abrasive wear mechanism is present, but no correlation between hardness and tool life could be obtained. Either some other material property than hardness is of importance for the abrasive resistance in this test, or another wear mechanism, occurring simultaneously with abrasion, is the wear rate deciding. The second part of this thesis work was to evaluate the ability of a quantum mechanical computational method, density functional theory, to predict material properties. The method predicts the lattice parameters and bulk moduli in excellent agreement with experimental values. The method also well predicts other elastic properties, with results consistent with reference values. There seems to be a constant shift of about 50-100 GPa between the calculated elastic modulus and the experimentally measured values, probably originating in contributions from grain boundaries, texture, stresses and defects present in the real coatings, and possibly also in errors in the experimental method due to an influence from the substrate. The calculated hardness values did not follow the trend of an increased hardness for TiAlN compared to TiN, which is seen in experiments.

Conducting polymers (CP) have received great attention in both academic and industrial areas in recent years. They exhibit unique characteristics (electrical conductivity, solution processability, light weight and flexibility) which make them promising candidates for being used in many electronic applications. Recently, there is a renewed interest to consider those materials for thermoelectric generators that is for energy harvesting purposes. Therefore, it is of great importance to have in depth understanding of their thermal and electrical characteristics. In this diploma work, the thermal conductivity of PEDOT:PSS is investigated by applying 3-omega technique which is accounted for a transient method of measuring thermal conductivity and specific heat. To validate the measurement setup, two benchmark substrates with known properties are explored and the results for thermal conductivity are nicely in agreement with their actual values with a reasonable error percentage. All measurements are carried out inside a Cryogenic probe station with vacuum condition. Then a bulk scale of PEDOT:PSS with sufficient thickness is made and investigated. Although, it is a great challenge to make a thick layer of this polymer since it needs to be both solid state and has as smooth surface as possible for further gold deposition. The results display a thermal conductivity range between 0.20 and 0.25 (W.m-1.K-1) at room temperature which is a nice approximation of what has been reported so far. The discrepancy is mainly due to some uncertainty about the exact value of temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of the heater and also heat losses especially in case of heaters with larger surface area. Moreover, thermal conductivity of PEDOT:PSS is studied over a wide temperature band ranging from 223 - 373 K.

This report discuss the developement of a MATLAB-based tool for the analysis ofsurface area coverage of carbon nanotube networks from atomic force microscopyimages. The tool was compared with a manual method and the conclusion was that ithas, at least, the same accuracy as the manual mehtod, and it needs much less time forthe analysis. The tool couldn’t analyze images of carbon nanotube networks if theimages were to noisy or the networks to dense. The tool can help in the research ofthin-film transistors with carbon nanotube networks as the semiconducting channelmaterial.

The recent developments of high resolution flat panel imagers have prompted interests in fabricating smaller on-pixel transistors to obtain higher fill factor and faster speed. This thesis presents fabrication and modeling of short channel amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) vertical thin film transistors (VTFT). <br /><br /> A variety of a-Si:H VTFTs with different channel lengths, from 100 nm to 1 &mu;m, are successfully fabricated using the discussed processing steps. Different structural and electrical characteristics of the fabricated device are measured. The results of I-V and C-V characteristics are comprehensively discussed. The 100 nm channel length transistor performance is diverged from regular long channel TFT characteristics, as the short channel effects become dominant in the device, giving rise to necessity of having a physical model to explain such effects. <br /><br /> An above threshold model for a-Si:H VTFT current characteristics is extracted. The transport mechanisms are explained and simulated for amorphous silicon material to be used in the device model. The final model shows good agreement with experimental results. However, we used numerical simulation, run in Medici, to further verify the model validity. Simulation allows us to vary different device and material parameters in order to optimize fabrication process for VTFT. The capacitance behavior of the device is extensively studied alongside with a TFT breakdown discussion.

The hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin-film transistors (TFTs) are widely used as switching elements in LCD displays and large area matrix addressed senor arrays. In recent years, a-Si:H TFTs have been used as analog active components in OLED displays. However, a-Si:H TFTs exhibit a bias induced metastability. This problem causes both threshold voltage and subthreshold slope to shift with time when a gate bias is applied. These instabilities jeopardize the long-term performance of a-Si:H TFT circuits. Nevertheless a-Si:H TFTs show an exponential transfer characteristic in the subthreshold region. Moreover, the typical power consumptions for TFTs in the subthreshold region are in the order of nano-watts, thus making them suitable for low power design. For these reasons, a-Si:H TFT I-V characteristics in the forward subthreshold operation are investigated. First, we have derived the static and dynamic models of a-Si:H TFT in the forward subthreshold region. Second, we have verified our theoretical models with experimental results. Third, we have proven that a-Si:H TFT experiences no subthreshold slope degradation or threshold voltage shift in the forward subthreshold operation. Finally, we have studied a-Si:H TFT current mirror circuit applications. Measurements regarding the fidelity of current matching in the forward subthreshold region have been performed, and results are shown.

Microfluidics is gaining in importance due to its wide ranging benefits and applicability in chemical and biological analysis. Although traditional microfluidic devices are created with glass or silicon based fabrication technologies, polymer based devices are gaining in popularity. Soft lithography and replica molding are techniques for the rapid prototyping of such devices, utilizing Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the dominant material. Other benefits include its low costs and ease of fabrication. Even though soft lithography is a well researched and developed fabrication process, new applications have been discovered in which the technology can be applied. Often, changes in the fabrication process are necessary for their application in other areas of research. This thesis will address several microfluidic applications using soft lithography. These areas of research include microfluidic thermometry, isoelectric focusing (IEF), and micromixers. In microfluidic thermometry, a novel thin film PDMS/Rhodamine B has been developed allowing whole-chip temperature measurements. In addition, compatibility problems between Rhodamine B and PDMS microfluidic devices were resolved. The thin film fabrication process, experimental results, and issues with its use are discussed. Future work and attempts at improving the thin film performance are also provided. IEF involves applications in which samples are separated according to its electrostatic charge. Two types of IEF applications are shown in which soft lithography has been shown to be beneficial to its development and performance. In isoelectric focusing with the use of thermally generated pH gradients, soft lithography allows for the rapid design, production and testing of different channel layouts. In general, due to PDMS insulation and overall low heat transfer rates, the temperatures detected are more gradual than those previously reported in literature. IEF using carrier ampholytes are also discussed, with preliminary results in which devices fabricated using soft lithography are compared to commercially available IEF cartridges. Its fabrication issues are discussed in detail. In micromixers, soft lithography fabrication issues and overall integration with flow mechanisms is discussed. In general it is difficult to perform mixing in the microscale due to the predominantly laminar flow and flow rate restrictions. Channel geometry is insignificant, as can be seen through numerical simulations.

An experimental technique has been presented to probe the mechanical behavior of thin film materials. The method is capable of tensile testing thin films on substrate and free-standing thin film specimens. A mechanical gripper was designed to address the current challenges in gripping thin film specimens. In order to measure the strain field across the gage section, the moire interferometry technique was used and the respective optical setup was designed. A versatile microfabrication process has been developed to fabricate free-standing dog-bone specimens. Aluminum was used as the model material; however, any other metallization material can be integrated in the process. Thin film specimens have been characterized using SEM, AFM, and TEM. A process has been developed to fabrication diffraction gratings on the specimen by FIB milling. Different grating geometries were fabricated and the diffraction efficiency of the gratings was characterized. The structural damage induced by the Ga+ ions during the FIB milling of the specimens was partially characterized using STEM and EDS. In order to extract the strain field information from the moire interferogram data, a numerical postprocessing technique was developed based on continuous wavelet transforms (CWT). The method was applied on simulated uniform and nonuniform strain fields and the wavelet parameters were tuned to achieve the best spatial localization and strain accuracy.

Proteins are commonly found molecules in biological systems: our fingernails, hair, skin, blood, muscle, and eyes are all made of protein. Many diseases simply arise because a protein is not folded properly. Therefore, knowledge of protein structure is considered a prerequisite to understanding protein function and, by extension, a cornerstone for drug design and for the development of therapeutic agents. Protein crystallography is a tool that allows structural biologists to discern protein structures to the highest degree of detail possible in three dimensions. The recording of x-ray diffraction data from the protein crystal is a central part of protein crystallography. As such, an important challenge in protein crystallography research is to design x-ray detectors to accurately determine the structures of proteins. This research presents the design and evaluation of a solid-state large area at panel detector for protein crystallography based on an amorphous selenium (a-Se) x-ray sensitive photoconductor operating in avalanche mode integrated with an amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) charge storage and readout pixel. The advantages of the proposed detector over the existing imaging plate (IP) and charge coupled device (CCD) detectors are large area, high dynamic range coupled to single x-ray detection capability, fast readout, high spatial resolution, and inexpensive manufacturing process. The requirement of high dynamic range is crucial for protein crystallography since both weak and strong diffraction spots need to be imaged. The main disadvantage of a-Si:H thin film transistor (TFT) array is its high electronic noise which prohibits quantum noise limited operation for the weak diffraction spots. To overcome the problem, the x-ray to charge conversion gain of a-Se is increased by using its internal avalanche multiplication gain. Since the detector can be made approximately the same size as the diffraction pattern, it eliminates the need for image demagnification. The readout time of the detector is usually within the ms range, so it is appropriate for crystallographic application. The optimal detector parameters (such as, detector size, pixel size, thickness of a-Se layer), and operating parameters (such as, electric field across the a-Se layer) are determined based on the requirements for protein crystallography. A complete model of detective quantum efficiency (DQE) of the detector is developed to predict and optimize the performance of the detector. The performance of the detector is evaluated in terms of readout time (< 1 s), dynamic range (~10^5), and sensitivity (~ 1 x-ray photon), thus validating the detector's efficacy for protein crystallography. The design of an in-house a-Si:H TFT pixel array for integration with an avalanche a-Se layer is detailed. Results obtained using single pixel are promising and highlight the feasibility of a-Si:H pixels coupled with avalanche a-Se layer for protein crystallography application.