Advancing the field of nanotechnology to incorporate the unique properties observed at the nanoscale into functional devices has become a major scientific thrust of the 21st century. New fabrication tools and assembly techniques are required to design and manufacture devices based on one-dimensional nanostructures. Three techniques for manipulating nanomaterials post-synthesis have been developed. Two of them involve direct contact manipulation through the utilization of a physical probe. The third uses optically generated surface acoustic waves to reproducibly control and assemble one-dimensional nanostructures into desired locations. The nature of the third technique is non-contact and limits contamination and defects from being introduced into a device by manipulation. While the effective manipulation of individual nanostructures into device components is important for building functional nanosystems, commercialization is limited by this one-device-at-a-time process. A new approach to nanostructure synthesis was also developed to site-specifically nucleate and grow nanowires between two electrodes. Integrating synthesis directly with prefabricated device architectures leads to the possible mass production of NEMS, MEMS and CMOS systems based upon one-dimensional nanomaterials. The above processes have been pursued to utilize piezoelectric ZnO nanobelts for applications in high frequency electronic filtering as well as biological and chemical sensing. The high quality, single crystal, faceted nature of these materials make them ideal candidates for studying their properties through the designs of a bulk acoustic resonator. The first ever piezoelectric bulk acoustic resonator based on bottom-up synthesized belts will be demonstrated. Initial results are promising and new designs are implemented to scale the device to sub-micron dimensions. Multiple models will be developed to assist with design and testing. Some of models presented will help verify experimental results while others will demonstrate some of the problems plaguing further investigations.

The objective of the work presented in this thesis is to implement high-Q silicon capacitive micromechanical resonators operating in the HF, VHF and UHF frequency bands. Several variations of a fully silicon-based bulk micromachining fabrication process referred to as HARPSS have been developed, characterized and optimized to overcome most of the challenges facing application of such devices as manufacturable electronic components. Several micromechanical structures for implementation of high performance capacitive silicon resonators covering various frequency ranges have been developed under this work. Design criteria and electromechanical modeling of such devices is presented. Under this work, HF and VHF resonators with quality factors in the tens of thousands and RF-compatible equivalent electrical impedances have been implemented successfully. Resonance frequencies in the GHz range with quality factors of a few thousands and lowest motional impedances reported for capacitive resonators to date have been achieved. Several resonator coupling techniques for implementation of higher order resonant systems with possibility of extension to highly selective bandpass filters have been investigated and practically demonstrated. Finally, a wafer-level vacuum sealing technique applicable to such resonators has been developed and its reliability and hermeticity is characterized.

The presented work aims to optimize the performance of piezoresistive cantilevers in cases where the output signal originates either from a static deflection of the cantilever or from the dynamic (resonance) characteristic of the beam. Based on a new stress concentration technique, which utilizes silicon beams and wires embedded in the cantilever, the force sensitivity of the cantilever is increased up to 8 fold with only about a 15% decrease in the cantilever stiffness. Moreover, the developed stress-concentrating cantilevers show almost the same resonance characteristic as conventional cantilevers. The focus of the second part of the present work is to provide guidelines for designing rectangular silicon cantilever beams to achieve maximum quality factors for the fundamental and higher flexural resonance at atmospheric pressure. The applied methodology is based on experimental data acquisition of resonance characteristics of silicon cantilevers, combined with modification of analytical damping models to match the measurement data. To this end, rectangular silicon cantilever beams with thicknesses of 5, 7, 8, 11 and 17 um and lengths and widths ranging from 70 to 1050 um and 80 to 230 um, respectively, have been fabricated and tested. To better describe the experimental data, modified models for air damping have been developed. Moreover, to better understand the damping mechanisms in a resonant cantilever system, analytical models have been developed to describe the cantilever effective mass in any flexural resonance mode. To be able to extract reliable Q-factor data for low signal-to-noise ratios, a new iterative curve fitting technique is developed and implemented. To address the challenge of frequency drift in (mass-sensitive) resonant sensors, and especially cantilever-based devices, the last part of the research deals with a novel compensation technique to cancel the unwanted environmental effects (e.g., temperature and humidity). This technique is based on exploring the resonance frequency difference of two flexural modes. Experimental data show improvements in temperature and humidity coefficients of frequency from -19.5 to 0.2 ppm/˚C and from 0.7 to -0.03 ppm/%RH, respectively. The last part of the work also aims on techniques to enhance or suppress the flexural vibration amplitude in desired overtones.

Universiẗat, Diss., 2002--Mainz.

Dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) technologies are applicable to a wide variety of mobile wireless communication systems. The principal energy loss mechanism for this type of antenna is the dielectric loss, and then using modern ceramic materials, this may be very low. These antennas are typically of small size, with a high radiation efficiency, often above 95%; they deliver wide bandwidths, and possess a high power handling capability. The principal objectives of this thesis are to investigate and design DRA for low profile personal and nomadic communications applications for a wide variety of spectrum requirements: including DCS, PCS, UMTS, WLAN, UWB applications. X-band and part of Ku band applications are also considered. General and specific techniques for bandwidth expansion, diversity performance and balanced operation have been investigated through detailed simulation models, and physical prototyping. The first major design to be realized is a new broadband DRA operating from 1.15GHz to 6GHz, which has the potential to cover most of the existing mobile service bands. This antenna design employs a printed crescent shaped monopole, and a defected cylindrical DRA. The broad impedance bandwidth of this antenna is achieved by loading the crescent shaped radiator of the monopole with a ceramic material with a permittivity of 81. The antenna volume is 57.0  37.5  5.8 mm3, which in conjunction with the general performance parameters makes this antenna a potential candidate for mobile handset applications. The next class of antenna to be discussed is a novel offset slot-fed broadband DRA assembly. The optimised structure consists of two asymmetrically located cylindrical DRA, with a rectangular slot feed mechanism. Initially, designed for the frequency range from 9GHz to 12GHz, it was found that further spectral improvements were possible, leading to coverage from 8.5GHz to 17GHz. Finally, a new low cost dual-segmented S-slot coupled dielectric resonator antenna design is proposed for wideband applications in the X-band region, covering 7.66GHz to 11.2GHz bandwidth. The effective antenna volume is 30.0 x 25.0 x 0.8 mm3. The DR segments may be located on the same side, or on opposite sides, of the substrate. The end of these configurations results in an improved diversity performance.

Title: Magnetic nanostructures for recording and optical sensors Author: Eva Lišková Department: Institute of Physics, Charles University Supervisor: Prof. Ing. Štefan Višňovský, DrSc. Abstract: Magneto-optical (MO) spectra of multilayered structures with enhanced MO effect were studied using the polar and longitudinal Kerr spectroscopy with oblique angle of light incidence in the photon energy range 1.2 eV to 5 eV. The samples with Fabry- Perot cavity like architecture, were modeled using Yeh matrix formalism. Two sets of samples, with composition FeF2/Fe/FeF2 and AlN/Fe/AlN, were prepared by molecular beam epitaxy and sputtering. The relations were studied between the position of the enhanced peak in the MO spectra and the structure. Second part of this work was devoted to the Pt/Co/Pt structures and the influence of the ion implantation on MO spectra and structural composition. The studied multilayer structures present interest for MO sensor and memory applications. Keywords: Magneto-optical Kerr effect, Magneto-optical sensor, Fabry-Perot resonator, Ion implantation

Les MEMS et NEMS résonants sont d'excellents candidats pour la réalisation de systèmes de détection de gaz haute résolution et faible couts ayant des applications dans les domaines de la sécurité, la défense, l'environnement et la santé. Cependant, la question du choix des techniques de transduction est toujours largement débattue. La transduction piézoélectrique pourrait être avantageusement exploitée mais elle est encore peu connue à l'échelle nanométrique. L'objectif de cette thèse est donc de progresser vers la réalisation de capteur de gaz à haute résolution à l'aide résonateurs à base de micro / nano poutres piézoélectriques en couvrant la chaîne de prototypage complète depuis les techniques de dépôt des matériaux jusqu'à l'expérience de preuve de principe de mesure de gaz. Pour cela, notre première contribution concerne la modélisation analytique des performances et l'optimisation, design et système, d'un capteur de gaz à base de poutres résonantes piézoélectriques. En particulier, nous démontrons que la diminution de l'épaisseur du film piézoélectrique actif sous la barre des 100 nm permet d'atteindre les meilleures performances. La deuxième contribution concerne la fabrication, la caractérisation et la démonstration des performances capteur de poutres résonantes de 80 μm de long exploitant un film piézoélectrique en AlN de 50 nm d'épais. Ainsi nous avons démontré expérimentalement la stabilité fréquentielle exceptionnelle de ces dispositifs atteignant des déviations standard de l'ordre de 〖10〗^(-8), au niveau de l’état de l'art. Ainsi, ils permettent la détection de vapeurs Di -Methyl -méthyl- phosphonates, un simulateur de gaz sarin, avec des concentrations aussi faibles que 10 ppb. Bien que le niveau d'intégration de notre système de détection ne soit pas suffisant, ces résultats prouvent le fort potentiel de ces résonateurs cantilever piézoélectriques pour un développement industriel futur. / Resonant MEMS and NEMS are excellent candidate for the realization of low cost and high resolution gas sensing systems that have several applications in security, defense, and environment and health care domains. However, the question of the transduction technique used to couple micro or nano scale signals to the macro scale is still a key issue. Piezoelectric transduction can be advantageously exploited but has been rarely studied at the nano-scale. The objective of this PhD is thus to progress toward the realization of high-resolution gas sensor using piezoelectric micro/nano cantilevers resonators and cover the whole prototyping chain from device fabrication to proof of principle experiment. Our first contribution in this research relates the analytical modeling of the sensing performance and the system and design optimization. In particular we demonstrate that decreasing the piezoelectric active film thickness below 100 nm is particularly beneficial. The second contribution relates the fabrication, characterization and demonstration of the high sensing performances of 80 μm long cantilevers embedding a 50 nm thick piezoelectric AlN film for transduction. These devices exhibit state of the art performances in terms of resonance frequency deviation down to the 〖10〗^(-8) range. They allow thus the detection of Di-Methyl-Methyl-Phosphonate vapors, a sarin gas simulant, with concentration as low as 10 ppb. Although the level of integration of our sensing system is not sufficient for real life application, these results prove the high potential of these piezoelectric cantilever resonators for future industrial development.

The objectives of this work are to review, investigate and model the microwave planar filters of the modern wireless communication system. The recent main stream of microwave filters are classified and discussed separately. Various microwave filters with detailed applications are investigated in terms of their geometrical structures and operational performances. A comprehensive theoretical study of microwave filters is presented. The main types of microwave filters including the basic low-pass filters such as Butterworth and Chebyshev filters are fully analysed and described in detail. The transformation from low-pass prototype filters to high-pass filters, band-pass filters and band-stop filters are illustrated and introduced. Research work on stepped impedance resonator (SIR) and asymmetric stepped impedance resonator (ASIR) structure is presented. The characteristics of λg/4, λg/2 and λg (λg is the guided wavelength of the fundamental frequency in the free space) type SIR resonators, and the characteristic of asymmetric SIR resonator are categorized and investigated. Based on the content mentioned above, novel multi-standard high performance asymmetric stepped impedance resonator single-wideband and dual-wideband filters with wide stopbands are proposed. The methodologies to realize wide passband and wide stop-band filters are detailed. In addition, multi-standard high performance triplewideband, quadruple-wideband and quint-wideband filters are suggested and studied. The measurement results for all prototype filters agree well with the theoretical predictions and simulated results from Ansoft HFSS software. The featured broad bandwidths over single/multiple applicable frequency bands and the high performances of the proposed filters make them very promising for applications in future multistandard wireless communication.

Metamaterials are humanly engineered artificial electromagnetic materials which produce electromagnetic properties that are unusual, yet can be observed readily in nature. These unconventional properties are not a result of the material composition but rather of the structure formed. The objective of this thesis is to investigate and design smaller and wideband metamaterial-inspired antennas for personal communication applications, especially for WiMAX, lower band and higher band WLAN applications. These antennas have been simulated using HFSS Structure Simulator and CST Microwave Studio software. The first design to be analysed is a low-profile metamaterial-inspired CPW-Fed monopole antenna for WLAN applications. The antenna is based on a simple strip loaded with a rectangular patch incorporating a zigzag E-shape metamaterial-inspired unit cell to enable miniaturization effect. Secondly, a physically compact, CSRR loaded monopole antenna with DGS has been proposed for WiMAX/WLAN operations. The introduction of CSRR induces frequency at lower WLAN 2.45 GHz band while the DGS has provided bandwidth enhancement in WiMAX and upper WLAN frequency bands, keeping the radiation pattern stable. The next class of antenna is a compact cloud-shaped monopole antenna consisting of a staircase-shaped DGS has been proposed for UWB operation ranges from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz. The novel shaped antenna along with carefully designed DGS has resulted in a positive gain throughout the operational bandwidth. Finally, a quad-band, CPW-Fed metamaterial-inspired antenna with CRLH-TL and EBG is designed for multi-band: Satellite, LTE, WiMAX and WLAN.

Cette thèse synthétise les travaux récents de l’auteur sur l’utilisation de résonateurs mécaniques pour la détermination simultanée de la viscosité et de la masse volumique de liquides. Ces travaux ont été réalisés entre 2010 et 2015 dans le cadre d’une thèse en cotutelle entre l’Institut de Microélectronique et des Microcapteurs de l’Université Johannes Kepler à Linz en Autriche et le Laboratoire de l’Intégration du Matériau au Système de l’Université de Bordeaux en France. Dans des études précédentes effectuées sur ce sujet par les groupes des deux laboratoires, le concept de l’utilisation de résonateurs mécaniques actionnés et mesurés électriquement pour la détermination de la viscosité et de la masse volumique deliquide avait été établi et validé. Ces travaux antérieurs ont montré que la fréquence de résonance et le facteur de qualité de résonateurs immergés dépendent à la fois de la viscosité et de la masse volumique du fluide environnant.L’intérêt d’utiliser de tels microcapteurs résonants vient du fait qu’il est possible de les utiliser in-situ,notamment pour des applications industrielles. Pour ce type d’applications, il est important que les capteurs aient entre autre une bonne résistance physique, une bonne stabilité à long terme, une bonne fiabilité, ainsi qu’une bonne précision de mesure. Pour satisfaire ces exigences et compte tenu des résultats des travaux antérieurs, les objectifs principaux de cette thèse étaient (1) la mise en oeuvre de configurations de mesure robustes offrant une bonne stabilité à long terme et une bonne précision de mesure, ce qui nécessite une faible sensibilité à la température, (2) la mesure simultanée de la viscosité et de la masse volumique avec un seul capteur et (3) la modélisation et la comparaison des performances des différents dispositifs mis au point et testés. Ces trois objectifs ont été atteints en combinant des approches expérimentales et théoriques (hydrodynamique, mécanique du solide et électrodynamique). [...] / This thesis summarizes the author’s recent work on the topic of mechanical resonators for liquidviscosity and mass density sensing, which were achieved between 2010 and 2015 in the course of aninternational joint doctorate program performed at the Institute for Microelectronics and Microsensorsat the Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria and the Laboratoire de l’Intégration du Matériau auSystème in Bordeaux, France. In previous studies performed by work groups of both laboratories,the concept of using electrically actuated and read-out mechanical resonators for the determination ofliquids’ viscosities and mass densities has been established and elaborated. These works showed that theresonance frequencies and quality factors of immersed resonators are affected by the liquids’ viscositiesand mass densities, respectively. The investigated concepts included devices using structured polymeror wet-etched new silver sheets as well as micro-machined silicon and screen-printed PZT resonators.The motivation for investigating and developing such miniaturized resonators was formed, amongstothers, by their capability for in-line, in-situ and handheld-devices for laboratory as well as for industrialapplications. Especially for the latter, physical robustness, long-term stability and reliability,as well as accurate measurement results are basic requirements. To satisfy these requirements andconsidering the results and insights of earlier works, the objectives of this thesis were first, implementingrobust measuring setups featuring long-term stability and high measurement accuracy, where thelatter furthermore requires low cross-sensitivity to temperature. Second, investigating the capabilityof measuring both, a liquid’s mass density and viscosity with a single device as well as providing anestimate of achievable measurement accuracies for both quantities. And third, enabling the modelingof the performance of different viscosity and mass density sensors on the one side and their comparisonon the other side. These three specifications were accomplished by following mainly experimental approachesand investigations but also by elaborating the underlying theory of hydrodynamics, structuralmechanics, and electrodynamics. [...] / Die vorliegende Dissertation fasst die rezenten Forschungsergebnisse des Verfassers im Bereich mechanischerResonatoren für Viskositäts- und Dichtesensorik zusammen, welche zwischen 2010 und 2015 imRahmen eines international joint doctorate programs am Institut für Mikroelektronik und Mikrosensorikder Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, sowie am Laboratoire de l’Intégration du Matériau auSystème der Université de Bordeaux erreicht wurden. In den Vorarbeiten von Arbeitsgruppen beiderInstitute wurden bereits Konzepte für elektrisch angeregte und ausgelesene mechanische Resonatorenzur Bestimmung von Viskosität und Dichte von Flüssigkeiten erarbeitet und umgesetzt. Hierbei konntegezeigt werden, dass die Resonanzfrequenz und Güte eingetauchter Resonatoren abhängig sindvon Viskosität und Dichte der jeweiligen Flüssigkeiten. Die dabei untersuchten Konzepte beinhaltetenstrukturierte Polymerfolien, nass-chemisch geätzte Neusilberbleche, mikromechanisch hergestellte Siliziumstrukturen,sowie siebgedruckte PZT Resonatoren.Die Motivation zur Untersuchung und Entwicklung solcher miniaturisierter Resonatoren resultiert unteranderem aus deren Anwendbarkeit für Inline-, Insitu- und Handgeräte für Labor- bzw. industrielle Anwendungen.Besonders für Letztere sind Robustheit, Langzeitstabilität und Zuverlässigkeit, aber auchpräzise Messergebnisse Grundvoraussetzung. Um den Anforderungen der Ergebnisse und Erkenntnisseder zuvor genannten Arbeiten gerecht zu werden, wurden folgende Ziele für diese Dissertationdefiniert. Erstens, die Entwicklung robuster, langzeitstabiler Messaufbauten zur Erreichung präziserMessergebnisse, wodurch eine geringe Temperaturquerempfindichkeit als weitere Bedingung aufgestelltwurde. Zweitens sollte untersucht werden ob und mit welcher Genauigkeit sowohl Viskosität als auchDichte mit einem einzigen Instrument gemessen werden können. Drittens, sollte einerseits das Verhaltenverschiedener Viskositäts- und Dichtesensoren modelliert bzw. deren Vergleich ermöglicht werden.Basierend auf einer vorwiegend experimentellen Herangehensweise und unter Miteinbeziehung der zugrundeliegendenTheorien von Strömungs- und Strukturmechanik sowie der Elektrodynamik, konntendie o.g. Anforderungen erfüllt werden. [...]