Trends toward increased integration and miniaturization of optical system components have created pressure to consolidate widely disparate analog and digital functions onto fewer and fewer chips with a goal of eventually built into a single mixed-signal chip. Yet, because of those performance requirements, the frontend circuit has traditionally used III-V compound semiconductor technologies, but the low-level of integration with other digital ICs limits the sustainability of such end products for short-distance applications. On the other hand, their CMOS counter parts, despite having such advantages as low power consumption, high yield that lowers the cost of fabrication, and a higher degree of integration, have not performed well enough to survive in such a noisy environment without sacrificing other important attributes. In this research, a high-speed CMOS preamplifier was designed and fabricated through TSMC 0.18/spl mu/m mixed-signal non-epi CMOS technology, and a 20/spl mu/m diameter InGaAs thin-film Inverted-MSM photodetector with a responsivity of 0.15A/W at a wavelength of 1550/spl mu/m was post-integrated onto the circuit. The circuit has a overall transimpedance gain of 60dB/spl Omega/, and bit-error-rate data and eye-diagram measurement results taken as high as 10Gbit/s are reported in this dissertation.

Copper interconnect requires liner materials that function as a diffusion barrier, a seed layer for electroplating, and an adhesion promoting layer. Ruthenium has been considered as a promising liner material, however it has been reported that Ru itself is not an effective Cu diffusion barrier due to its microstructure, which is polycrystalline with columnar grains. The screening study of Ru precursors revealed that all Ru films were polycrystalline with columnar structure, and, due to its strong 3D growth mode, a conformal and ultrathin Ru film was difficult to form, especially on high aspect ratio features. The microstructure of Ru films can be modified by incorporating P. Amorphous Ru(P) films are formed by chemical vapor deposition at 575 K using a single source precursor, cis-RuH₂(P(CH₃)₃)₄, or dual sources, Ru₃(CO)₁₂ and P(CH₃)₃ or P(C6H5)₃ The films contain Ru and P, which are in zero-valent states, and C as an impurity. Phosphorus dominantly affects the film microstructure, and incorporating > 13% P resulted in amorphous Ru(P) films. Metastable Ru(P) remains amorphous after annealing at 675 K for 3 hr, and starts recrystallization at ~775 K. The density of states analysis of the amorphous Ru(P) alloy illustrates metallic character of the films, and hybridization between Ru 4d and P 3p orbitals, which contributes to stabilizing the amorphous structure. Co-dosing P(CH)₃ with Ru₃(CO)₁₂ improves film step coverage, and the most conformal Ru(P) film is obtained with cis-RuH2(P(CH₃)₃)₄; a fully continuous 5 nm Ru(P) film is formed within 1 µm deep, 8:1 aspect ratio trenches. First principles density functional theory calculations illustrate degraded Cu/Ru adhesion by the presence of P at the interface, however, due to the strong Ru-Cu bonds, amorphous Ru(P) forms a stronger interface with Cu than Ta and TaN do. Cu diffusion studies at 575 K suggests improved barrier property of amorphous Ru(P) films over polycrystalline PVD Ru.

The topic of this thesis is the design of dental X-ray. User problems were identified based on the design and technical analysis for which solutions are presented in the work. The innovative shape and design solution shows a new approach to dental X-rays. The main benefit of the design is the solution to real ergonomic problems that can occur during the interaction of the operator or patient and the device. The design corresponds to current trends in the evolving design field of medical design.

In all industries, the global competition has expanded the needs to reform businesses in   orderto stay ahead of competition. All organizations have to find ways to work with complex problems and big challenges concerning the understanding of the present and intuiting the future. Also they should be prepared to see what will come next to the market and if this challenges their current position. Interestingly, a concept called Design Thinking intends to provide one way to work with these demanding issues. Even though the concept has relatively scarce study basis concerning its empirical usage and also critique towards it exists, it has an emerging interest while several companies are adapting the concept in their operations on a growing basis. Interestingly, this concept is proposed to be applicable also in technology design activities in a supplier-­‐customer relationship. Hence, this study is conducted to discover what is the empirical foundation of Design Thinking in this technology design context to create new knowledge both to the academic community and to practitioners working with technology design activities. By conducting a case study at SAP, one of the first movers using Design Thinking in technology design activities, stimulating results are discovered about the value creation and value delivery of the phenomenon in the context. The study results show that Design Thinking states to create value especially with two  elements in technology design: ideation capability and business and technology alignment. These stated value elements deliver value to companies with three different value delivery logics: functional improvement capability perspective, problem solving capability perspective and business innovation capability perspective. However, since this study has both its limitations and delimitations, these stimulating findings provide mostly key guidelines and points of discussion rather than exact facts. Especially it is an area of interest if these findings can be confirmed in further research. / I alla branscher har den globala konkurrensen utökat behovet av företagsreformer för att ligga steget före konkurrenterna. Alla organisationer måste hitta sätt att arbeta med komplexa problem och stora utmaningar för att skapa ökad förståelse för pågående och framtida händelser. De bör också vara förberedda på förändringar som kommer att ske på marknaden och undersöka om dessa utmanar deras nuvarande position. Ett koncept som kallas designtänkande möjliggör ett sätt att arbeta med dessa krävande frågor. Trots att dess empiriska användning har en relativt begränsad studiegrund och att det finns kritik mot konceptet, finns det ett framväxande intresse då företag tillämpar konceptet i en ökande grad. Några föreslår att konceptet även är applicerbar i teknologidesign i en leverantör kundrelation. Denna studie är därmed genomförd för att upptäcka vad som är den empiriska grunden för designtänkande i denna teknologidesign sammanhanget för att bidra till ny kunskap både för akademiska världen och utövare som arbetar med teknologidesign.  Genom att genomföra en fallstudie på SAP, ett av de första företag som använder designtänkande i teknologidesign, har stimulerande resultat upptäcks om värdeskapande och värdeleverans av konceptet i sammanhanget. Studieresultaten visar att designtänkande skapar värde framförallt med två element i teknologidesign: idéutformningskapacitet och affärs och teknikinriktningssammanhållning. Dessa angivna värde element levererar värde till  företag med tre olika värdeleveranslogiker:funtionellt förbättringsförmågaperspektiv, problemlösningsförmågaperspektiv och affärsinnovationsförmågaperspektiv. Eftersom denna studie har både sina begränsningar och avgränsningar, bidrar dessa stimulerande iakttagelser mestadels med viktiga riktlinjer och diskussionspunkter snarare än Exakt fakta.  Det är speciellt ett område av intresse om dessa resultat kan bekräftas i ytterligare forskning.

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Equestrian sports are amongst the largest sports and leisure activities in Sweden. One of the major reasons for engaging with horses is the bond to the horse. Just recently technology has found its way into the horse industry which otherwise is a very traditional sport. This paper explores possible consequences technology may have in the future in the environment around horses and on the horse-rider relationship. The exploration was done by combining auto-ethnographic research and a co-speculation workshop. The ideas that were gathered were then the starting point for the creation of a design fiction, in which the ideas were developed and explored. The design fiction also serves as an approachable way of mediating the consequences of technology to the equestrian community. The imagined technology for equestrian sports had both positive and negative impact on the sport and the relationship between horse and human. / Ridsporten är en av Sveriges mest populära idrotter. En av de viktigaste anledningarna till att hålla på med hästar är relationen till hästen, enligt dess utövare. Nyligen har tekniken hittat in i ridsporten, som annars är en mycket traditionell sport, i form av sensorteknik, träningsappar och videoövervakning. Trots ridsportens utbredning, är tekniken eftersatt i förhållande till andra idrotter. Detta arbete utforskar, analyserar och diskuterar möjliga konsekvenser som tekniken kan medföra i framtiden i miljön kring hästar, i ridsporten och på relationen mellan häst och ryttare. Studien utfördes genom att kombinera etnografiska metoder och en spekulativ workshop ihop med ryttare. Idéerna från dessa blev utgångspunkten för skapandet av en fiktiv tidning, i vilken idéerna vidareutvecklades och utforskades i sitt sammanhang. Den fiktiva tidningen fungerar även som ett sätt att förmedla studien och dess resultat till ridsportens utövare. Teknikens frammarsch i ridsporten kan tänkas ha både positiv och negativ inverkan på sporten och relationen mellan häst och ryttare.

Aufgrund der Klimakrise und der Notwendigkeit CO2-Emissionen zu reduzieren, ist in Zukunft mit einer steigenden Nachfrage an Leichtbaumaterialien wie textilverstärkten Verbundwerkstoffen zu rechnen. Aufgrund steigender Rohstoff- und Energiekosten verspricht der Einsatz von endkonturnahen Verbundwerkstoffen eine Reduktion der Herstellungskosten und des Abfalls. Herkömmliche Textiltechnologien sind nur begrenzt in der Lage die erforderlichen komplex geformten Textilien herzustellen. Um dieses Problem durch den Einsatz alternativer, noch nicht industriell etablierter Technologien zu lösen, beschäftigt sich diese Arbeit ausführlich mit der Entwicklung einer Häkelmaschine sowie der Untersuchung entsprechender Textilien. Häkeln ist eine maschenbildende Technologie, bei der im Gegensatz zum Stricken die Schlaufen, die eine Masche bilden, sowohl vertikal als auch horizontal aus zuvor gebildeten Maschen entspringen. Mit dem vielseitigen Häkeln ist es insbesondere möglich, komplexe dreidimensionale (3D) Formen zu erzeugen, da an jeder beliebigen Stelle eines Textils neue Maschen gebildet werden können. Bisherige Häkelmaschinenansätze sind unzureichend und bezüglich ihrer Skalierbarkeit zu einer industriell einsetzbaren Maschine stark eingeschränkt. Industriell etablierte Maschinen, die Häkelmaschinen genannt werden, sind in ihrer Bezeichnung irreführend, da es sich um Wirkmaschinen handelt, die nur grob die Häkelstruktur nachahmen, aber keine echten Häkelmaschen bilden können. Die hier entwickelte und patentierte Häkelmaschine namens Crochet Automaton (CroMat) ermöglicht erstmals die automatisierte Herstellung von Luftmaschen, Kettmaschen, festen Maschen, halben Stäbchen, Übergängen der Maschenreihen, Zunahmen sowie Abnahmen und auch anderen Operationen nach dem Prinzip des Flachhäkelns auf Basis einer Luftmaschenreihe. Darüber hinaus können neue Maschen durch ein manuelles Umhängen des produzierten Textils an nahezu beliebigen Stellen gebildet werden. Damit können komplex geformte 3D-Textilien entsprechend den Vorteilen des Häkelns hergestellt werden. Mit dem entwickelten CroMat-Prototyp lassen sich Formen herstellen, die für endkonturnahe Faserverbundwerkstoffe wie bspw. Doppel-T-Träger potenziell geeignet sind. Durch ein Aufhängen verschiedener Maschenreihen oder Textilien auf denselben Nadeln der Maschine ist es ebenfalls möglich diese mit dem Häkeln einer verbindenden Reihe zu fügen. Neben dem mechatronischen Prototyp mit zehn Achsen wird das weltweit erste Software-Tool für den Entwurf von maschinell gehäkelten Textilien entwickelt. Es beinhaltet eine Fehlerüberprüfung, die automatische Generierung des G-Codes für die Maschinensteuerung und eine Vorschau der entworfenen Textilien. Neben einer grafischen Benutzeroberfläche mit standardisierten Häkelsymbolen wird auch die Möglichkeit zur automatischen Generierung der Häkelstruktur entsprechend der Form eines zweidimensionalen (2D) Polygons geboten. Für die Vorschau wurde das erste Topologie-basierte Modellierungs-Framework für maschinell herstellbare Häkelstrukturen entwickelt. Eine ähnliche Modellierung wurde für manuell gehäkelte Stoffe entwickelt, die sich von den maschinell hergestellten nur darin unterscheiden, dass der Stoff nach jeder Reihe gewendet wird und somit die Maschen von verschiedenen Seiten aus gebildet werden. Beide Modellarten können als Grundlage für simulative Untersuchungen mit der Finite-Elemente-Methode (FEM) verwendet werden, die in dieser Arbeit zum ersten Mal zur Simulation von gehäkelten Textilien eingesetzt wurde. Darüber hinaus wurden erstmals die Zugeigenschaften von manuell gehäkelten Textilien systematisch untersucht und die Eigenschaften der ersten Faserverbundwerkstoffe mit gehäkelten Textilien erforscht. Gehäkelte Textilien (und entsprechende Verbundstoffe) haben grundsätzlich ähnliche Eigenschaften wie gestrickte Textilien, können aber tendenziell höheren Kräften standhalten. Zusammen mit den Formgebungsmöglichkeiten ist die CroMat-Häkelmaschine generell vielversprechend für die Automatisierung des Häkelns und insbesondere für die zukünftige Produktion von endkonturnahen Faserverbundwerkstoffen.:1 Introduction 1 1.1 Motivation 1 1.2 Aim 2 1.3 Work structure 3 2 Technical and scientific background 4 2.1 Crochet 4 2.1.1 Technique and stitch formation 5 2.1.2 Crocheting a fabric 8 2.1.3 Applications of crochet 11 2.1.4 Research overview on crochet 11 2.2 Knitting machines 15 2.2.1 Weft knitting 16 2.2.2 Warp knitting 19 2.2.3 Crochet gallon machines 21 2.3 Existing crochet machine approaches 23 2.3.1 First approach to automate crochet 23 2.3.2 Circular crochet machine approach 25 2.3.3 Crocheting with a robotic arm 27 2.3.4 Further attempts to automate crocheting 29 2.4 Rapid prototyping 30 2.4.1 Development approach 30 2.4.2 3D printing 31 2.5 Electric motors 33 2.5.1 Stepper 33 2.5.2 Servo motors 34 2.5.3 G-code 35 2.6 Textile composites 37 2.6.1 Composite production 37 2.6.2 Near net-shaped composites 38 3 Crochet machine development 39 3.1 CroMat innovation process 39 3.1.1 Development phases 39 3.1.2 Analyzing the first crochet machine approach 41 3.1.3 Definition of crochet machine prototype requirements 43 3.1.4 Crochet needle insertion process 47 3.1.5 Suspending stitches on auxiliary needles 55 3.1.6 Yarn guide and patent 57 3.2 Improvements beyond the patent 60 3.2.1 Analyzing the yarn feeding problem 60 3.2.2 Systematic identification of possible solutions 61 3.2.3 Implementation of the most suited solution 64 3.3 Automated crochet stitch formation 67 3.3.1 Initial situation 67 3.3.2 Slip stitch 68 3.3.3 Single crochet 71 3.3.4 Half double crochet 73 3.3.5 Turn 75 3.3.6 Chain stitch and skipping a stitch within a course 77 3.3.7 Increase stitches 79 3.3.8 Decrease stitches 82 3.3.9 Further methods for changing the fabric’s width 84 3.3.10 More complex stitches 87 3.4 Technical implementation of CroMat prototype 89 3.4.1 CroMat machine overview 89 3.4.2 Auxiliary needles 94 3.4.3 Crochet needle 100 3.4.4 Yarn guide 106 3.4.5 Stress on yarn and machine elements 109 3.4.6 Yarn tension 115 3.4.7 Firmware and motor control 117 3.5 Crocheting with the CroMat prototype 120 3.5.1 Producing an exemplary crocheted fabric 120 3.5.2 Movements for SC formation 122 3.6 Development of CroMat crochet design tool 125 3.6.1 Tool overview 125 3.6.2 User interface 126 3.6.3 Error checking 129 3.6.4 Preview of the fabric 130 3.6.5 Generating G-code 130 3.6.6 Discussing the design tool 132 3.7 CroMat requirement fulfillment 134 4 Research on crocheted fabrics 137 4.1 Modeling and simulation of manually crocheted fabrics 137 4.1.1 Modeling approaches for textiles 137 4.1.2 Developed modeling of crochet structures 138 4.1.3 FEM investigations 143 4.2 Mechanical characteristics of manually crocheted fabrics 146 4.2.1 Study overview 146 4.2.2 Materials and Methods 146 4.2.3 Influence of the crocheter 148 4.2.4 Influence of the crochet structure 150 4.2.5 Crochet composite 152 4.2.6 Evaluation of the results 155 4.3 Modeling and simulation of machine-crocheted fabrics 157 4.3.1 Modeling machine-crocheted fabrics 157 4.3.2 Modeling of INC and DEC 159 4.3.3 Simulative comparison of hand- and machine-crocheted fabrics 161 4.4 Generating machine producible crochet patterns in shapes of 2D polygons 164 4.4.1 Background 164 4.4.2 Developed polygon subdivision algorithm 165 4.4.3 Improving the subdivision’s quality 168 4.4.4 Crochet subdivision results for exemplary polygons 170 4.4.5 Discussing the results 176 4.5 Exemplary machine-crocheted fabrics 178 4.5.1 Basic fabric structure 178 4.5.2 Advanced possible structures 181 4.5.3 Poisson’s ratio investigation 185 5 Conclusion 189 5.1 Summary 189 5.2 Outlook 191 6 References 193 6.1 References of the author 193 6.2 Further references 193 / In the future, due to the climate crisis and the need to reduce CO2 emissions, an increasing demand for lightweight materials such as textile reinforced composites can be expected. Because of rising raw material and energy costs, the application of more near net-shaped composites is promising for reducing manufacturing costs and waste. However, conventional textile technologies are limited in their ability to produce the necessary complex-shaped textiles. In order to address this problem by using alternative technologies that have not yet been industrially established, this thesis deals extensively with the development of a crochet machine and the investigation of respective textiles. Crochet is a stitch-forming technology in which, unlike knitting, the loops of a stitch originate both vertically and horizontally from previously formed stitches. With versatile crochet, it is especially possible to create complex three-dimensional (3D) shapes because new stitches can be formed at any point on a fabric. Previous crochet machine approaches are inadequate and severely limited in scalability to an industrially applicable machine. Industrially established machinery called crochet machines are misleading in their designation because they are knitting machines that can only roughly mimic crochet structure but cannot form true crocheted fabrics. The Crochet Automaton (CroMat) crochet machine developed and patented here enables for the first time the automated production of chain stitches (CHs), slip stitches (SLs), single crochet stitches (SCs), half double crochet stitches (HDCs), turns (T1 and T2), increase stitches (INCs) as well as decrease stitches (DECs) and other operations according to the principle of flat crocheting based on a chain line. In addition, by manually removing and re-hanging the produced fabric, new stitches can be formed at almost any point to produce complex-shaped 3D textiles according to the capabilities of crochet. For example, it is possible to produce shapes relevant for near net-shaped composites such as double T-beams with the developed CroMat prototype. With manually suspending different stitch rows or fabrics on the machine, it is also possible to join them by simultaneously crocheting a course through them. In addition to the mechatronic prototype with ten axes, the world's first tool for designing machine-crocheted textiles is developed. It includes error checking, generation of the G-code for machine control and a preview of the designed fabrics. Beyond a graphical user interface (GUI) with standardized crochet symbols, a higher-level programmability is added through specifying a shape by 2D polygons and automatically generating corresponding, machine-crochetable patterns. The first topology-based modeling framework for machine-producible crochet structures was developed for the preview. A similar modeling was developed for manually crocheted fabrics, which differ from the machine-produced ones only in the fact that the fabric is turned after each row and thus the stitches are formed from different sides. Both models can be used as a basis for simulative finite element method (FEM) investigations, which were used in this work to simulate crocheted fabrics for the first time. Furthermore, the tensile properties of manually crocheted fabrics were systematically investigated for the first time and the properties of the first crochet composites were researched. Crocheted textiles (and corresponding composites) have basically similar properties as knitted textiles but have a tendency to withstand higher forces. Together with the shaping capabilities, the CroMat crochet machine is generally highly promising for the automation of crochet and especially for the future production of near net-shaped composite reinforcements.:1 Introduction 1 1.1 Motivation 1 1.2 Aim 2 1.3 Work structure 3 2 Technical and scientific background 4 2.1 Crochet 4 2.1.1 Technique and stitch formation 5 2.1.2 Crocheting a fabric 8 2.1.3 Applications of crochet 11 2.1.4 Research overview on crochet 11 2.2 Knitting machines 15 2.2.1 Weft knitting 16 2.2.2 Warp knitting 19 2.2.3 Crochet gallon machines 21 2.3 Existing crochet machine approaches 23 2.3.1 First approach to automate crochet 23 2.3.2 Circular crochet machine approach 25 2.3.3 Crocheting with a robotic arm 27 2.3.4 Further attempts to automate crocheting 29 2.4 Rapid prototyping 30 2.4.1 Development approach 30 2.4.2 3D printing 31 2.5 Electric motors 33 2.5.1 Stepper 33 2.5.2 Servo motors 34 2.5.3 G-code 35 2.6 Textile composites 37 2.6.1 Composite production 37 2.6.2 Near net-shaped composites 38 3 Crochet machine development 39 3.1 CroMat innovation process 39 3.1.1 Development phases 39 3.1.2 Analyzing the first crochet machine approach 41 3.1.3 Definition of crochet machine prototype requirements 43 3.1.4 Crochet needle insertion process 47 3.1.5 Suspending stitches on auxiliary needles 55 3.1.6 Yarn guide and patent 57 3.2 Improvements beyond the patent 60 3.2.1 Analyzing the yarn feeding problem 60 3.2.2 Systematic identification of possible solutions 61 3.2.3 Implementation of the most suited solution 64 3.3 Automated crochet stitch formation 67 3.3.1 Initial situation 67 3.3.2 Slip stitch 68 3.3.3 Single crochet 71 3.3.4 Half double crochet 73 3.3.5 Turn 75 3.3.6 Chain stitch and skipping a stitch within a course 77 3.3.7 Increase stitches 79 3.3.8 Decrease stitches 82 3.3.9 Further methods for changing the fabric’s width 84 3.3.10 More complex stitches 87 3.4 Technical implementation of CroMat prototype 89 3.4.1 CroMat machine overview 89 3.4.2 Auxiliary needles 94 3.4.3 Crochet needle 100 3.4.4 Yarn guide 106 3.4.5 Stress on yarn and machine elements 109 3.4.6 Yarn tension 115 3.4.7 Firmware and motor control 117 3.5 Crocheting with the CroMat prototype 120 3.5.1 Producing an exemplary crocheted fabric 120 3.5.2 Movements for SC formation 122 3.6 Development of CroMat crochet design tool 125 3.6.1 Tool overview 125 3.6.2 User interface 126 3.6.3 Error checking 129 3.6.4 Preview of the fabric 130 3.6.5 Generating G-code 130 3.6.6 Discussing the design tool 132 3.7 CroMat requirement fulfillment 134 4 Research on crocheted fabrics 137 4.1 Modeling and simulation of manually crocheted fabrics 137 4.1.1 Modeling approaches for textiles 137 4.1.2 Developed modeling of crochet structures 138 4.1.3 FEM investigations 143 4.2 Mechanical characteristics of manually crocheted fabrics 146 4.2.1 Study overview 146 4.2.2 Materials and Methods 146 4.2.3 Influence of the crocheter 148 4.2.4 Influence of the crochet structure 150 4.2.5 Crochet composite 152 4.2.6 Evaluation of the results 155 4.3 Modeling and simulation of machine-crocheted fabrics 157 4.3.1 Modeling machine-crocheted fabrics 157 4.3.2 Modeling of INC and DEC 159 4.3.3 Simulative comparison of hand- and machine-crocheted fabrics 161 4.4 Generating machine producible crochet patterns in shapes of 2D polygons 164 4.4.1 Background 164 4.4.2 Developed polygon subdivision algorithm 165 4.4.3 Improving the subdivision’s quality 168 4.4.4 Crochet subdivision results for exemplary polygons 170 4.4.5 Discussing the results 176 4.5 Exemplary machine-crocheted fabrics 178 4.5.1 Basic fabric structure 178 4.5.2 Advanced possible structures 181 4.5.3 Poisson’s ratio investigation 185 5 Conclusion 189 5.1 Summary 189 5.2 Outlook 191 6 References 193 6.1 References of the author 193 6.2 Further references 193

If you have ever used your phone while on a date to send a text message, or snapped a picture with a friend to upload to Facebook, or cut a sentence down to 140 characters to broadcast on Twitter, you may agree with some leading Social Scientists that technology is changing the way we relate with one another. Our interactions through technology seem to be getting increasingly short with less sophisticated language. More and more, our thoughts are broadcast to everyone instead of intended for someone special. Yet, there is something profoundly human and central to our development that is neglected in these interchanges. Close human relationships---with families, significant others, friends---need complex, intimate, ongoing conversations in order to create and maintain empathic connectivity. In these types of conversations, individuals become part of one another, defined by each other. Together, they change, they grow, they find meaning in life. This is, in essence, what I call Empathic Communication. Until now, this concern has been largely neglected in the field of Human-Computer Interaction, a community of researchers and technology designers who are arguably best positioned to address it. To suggest one path forward, in this dissertation I raise the question of whether computer technologies can become brokers of Empathic Communication between people who care about each other, with a specific focus on intimate partners. How can we conceptualize Empathic Communication, how can we build tools that support it, and how do we know if we have succeeded? I address these questions by creating a simplified model of the therapeutic process of intimate reconnection, or the 4Rs framework---Repattern, Reflect, Restory, Reconnect. Using the 4Rs framework as an ideation tool, I designed and field-tested a technology concept for a dyadic journaling application, Diary Built for Two, that might help romantic partners reconnect through deep communication. Using the 4Rs framework as an evaluation tool, I found that Diary Built for Two enabled more intimate, more thoughtful, more Empathic Communication that changed the way partners saw themselves, one another, and their relationship. Unexpectedly, I found that research interviews I conducted with intimate partners had the same type of therapeutic effect. Simply asking partners questions about their relationship caused them to reflect on and change their understandings of their relationship and each other. To guide other researchers and designers of Empathic Communication Technologies (ECTs), I present a set of specific outcomes of my study. First, I present Symmetric and Asymmetric interface profiles, which identify new human-technology configurations that may better support deep communication---for example, having one shared device between two people, as opposed to one separate device for each. I also share some of the ways in which research interviews may positively and negatively affect study participants towards reconsidering current informed consent practices. Both of these findings showcase the utility of selectively conceptualizing our technology designs as well as our research methods as therapeutic interventions; when we apply the therapy metaphor, new design and research opportunities become apparent. / Ph. D.

Developments of commercial self-driving vehicle (SDV) technology has a potential for a paradigm shift in traffic control technology. Contrary to some previous research approaches, this research argues that, as any other technology, traffic control technology for SDVs should be developed having in mind improved quality of life through a sustainable developmental approach. Consequently, this research emphasizes upon the social perspective of sustainability, considering its neglect in the conventional control principles, and the importance of behavioral considerations for accurately predicting impacts upon economic or environmental factors. The premise is that traffic control technology can affect the distribution of advantages and disadvantages in a society, and thus it requires a framework of social justice. The framework of social justice is inspired by John Rawls' Theory of Justice as fairness, and tries to protect the inviolability of each user in a system. Consequently, the control objective is the distribution of delay per individual, considering for example that the effect of delay is not the same if a person is traveling to a grocery store as opposed to traveling to a hospital. The notion of social justice is developed as a priority system, with end-user responsibility, where user is able to assign a specific Priority Level for each individual trip with SDV. Selected Priority Level is used to determine the right-of-way for each self-driving vehicle at an intersection. As a supporting mechanism to the priority system, there is a structure of non-monetary Priority Credits. Rules for using Priority Credits are determined using knowledge from social science research and through empirical evaluation using surveys, interviews, and web-based experiment. In the physical space, the intersection control principle is developed as hierarchical self-organization, utilizing communication, sensing, and in-vehicle technological capabilities. This distributed control approach should enable robustness against failure, and scalability for future expansion. The control mechanism has been modeled as an agent-based system, allowing evaluation of effects upon safety and user delay. In conclusion, by reaching across multiple disciplines, this development provides the promise and the challenge for evolving SDV control technology. Future efforts for SDV technology development should continue to rely upon transparent public involvement and understanding of human decision-making. / Ph. D.

Recently, microelectronics designs have reached extremely high operating frequencies as well as very small die and package sizes. This has made signal integrity an important bottleneck in the design process, and resulted in the inclusion of signal integrity simulation in the computer aided design flow. However, such simulations are often difficult because in many cases it is impossible to derive analytical models for certain passive elements, and the only available data are frequency-domain measurements or full-wave simulations. Furthermore, at such high frequencies these components are distributed in nature and require a large number of poles to be properly characterized. Simple lumped equivalent circuits are therefore difficult to obtain, and more systematic approaches are required. In this thesis we study the Vector Fitting techniques for obtaining such equivalent model and propose a more streamlined approach for preserving passivity while maintaining accuracy.