Title: “Starting to close the communication gap in technology transfer to the PRC” Level: Final assignment for Master Degree in Business Administration Author: Jiani Yang,  Zhouni Lin Supervisor: Ernst HOLLANDER Examiner:  Akmal HYDER Date: 2012-May Purpose — We have double purpose of promoting SME’s involvement in PRC’s development and technology transfer for sustainability in this research. From the double perspective of Chinese business economics and long run cooperation with Swedish enterprises, we investigate and analysis the main problems faced by SMEs when taking technology transfer to China.  By doing this to help SMEs to overcome the barriers during technology transfer and promote the international technology transfer cooperation in the long run, as well as appeal technology transfer agencies to adopt a holistic approach to help SMEs to plan and implement technology transfer projects effectively and sustainably. Design/methodology/approach — We use the technology transfer project in China’s sewage market as our research case to illustrate our research problems. The discussion is based on the existing literatures regarding technology transfer, former researches and authentic cases about technology transfer to China, and interviews with relevant people. Findings — The findings indicates there is huge potential business opportunities in China’s sewage treatment market. Information transparency plays a critical role to foster the cooperation between transferor and transfers, as well as promoting SME’s involvement in China. Get directly to the leader taking the decisions is one effective way to get access to China’s market in short term. Communication gap becomes one of the main concerns for SMEs when taking technology transfer to China. In mid-term, organize workshop, get to learn with the local employee, promote the understanding between each other; get to the person who is capable to understand the technology and its effect is necessary; For the long run cooperation, technology transfer process transparency needs to be improved. Originality/value — This paper is of value through draw out the fact of common problems of taking technology transfer to China’s sewage market and analysis the reason. Transparency problem during the technology transfer process is drawn and analyzed.  Key points for accessing China’s market by SMEs are produced.

[Truncated abstract] This thesis is split into two parts. In part one; A 50 K dual mode oscillator, the aim of the project was to build a 50 K precision oscillator with frequency stability on the order of 1014 from 1 to 100 seconds. A dual-mode temperature compensation technique was used that relied on a turning point in the frequency-temperature relationship of the difference frequency between two orthogonal whispering gallery modes in a single sapphire crystal. A cylindrical sapphire loaded copper cavity resonator was designed, modelled and built with a turning point in the difference frequency between an E-mode and H-mode pair at approximately 52.5 K . . . The frequencies and Q-factors of whispering spherical modes in the 3-12 GHz range in the fused silica resonator are measured at 6, 77 and 300 K and the Q-factor is used to determine the loss tangent at these temperatures. The frequency and Q-factor temperature dependence of the TM2,1,2 whispering gallery mode at 5.18 GHZ is used to characterise the loss tangent and relative permittivity of the fused silica from 4-300 K. Below 22 K the frequency-temperature dependence of the resonator was found to be consistent with the combined effects of the thermal properties of the dielectric and the influence of an unknown paramagnetic impurity, with a spin resonance frequency at about 138 ± 31 GHz. Below 8 K the loss tangent exhibited a 9th order power law temperature dependence, which may be explained by Raman scattering of Phonons from the paramagnetic impurity ions. A spherical Bragg reflector resonator made from multiple concentric dielectric layers loaded in a spherical cavity that enables confinement of field in the centre of the resonator is described. A set of simultaneous equations is derived that allow the calculation of the required dimensions and resonance frequency for such a resonator and the solution is confirmed using finite element analysis. A spherical Bragg reflector resonator is constructed using Teflon and free-space as the dielectric materials. A Q-factor of 22,000 at 13.87 GHz was measured and found to compare well with the design values.

The voice technology today is limited to explicit interaction and does not take advantage of the connotation of voice modalities. Research has shown that it is possible to sense emotions and feelings as well as the context of information based on the tone of voice. Building on existing theory and Research through Design, this thesis aims to speculate the use of whispering in human-computer interaction. It also discusses how this might lead to a more preferred future or cause tensions within addictive technology and the politics of voice assistants. The results argue that whispering has an impact on the relationship and trust between a human and a machine and that it could be used as an active interaction mode with voice assistants. Further research is needed to identify the effect of whispering on different users and the influence of different voice modalities. / Röstteknologin idag är begränsad till explicit interaktion och utnyttjar inte konnotationen av röstmodaliteter. Forskning har visat att det är möjligt att identifiera känslor och sammanhang med information baserad på tonfallet. Med utgångspunkt i befintlig teori och Research through Design, syftar denna avhandling till att spekulera kring användningen av viskning i interaktion mellan människor och datorer. Det diskuteras hur detta kan leda till en mer gynnsam framtid alternativt orsaka konflikt inom beroendeframkallande teknik och röstassistenternas politik. Resultaten menar att viskning påverkar förhållandet och förtroendet mellan människa och maskin och att den kan användas som ett aktivt interaktionsläge hos röstassistenter. Ytterligare forskning behövs för att identifiera effekten av viskning på olika användare och påverkan av olika röstmodaliteter.

During the past decades, femtosecond laser micro-fabrication has gained growing interests owing to its several unique features including direct and maskless fabrication, flexible choice of materials and geometries, and truly three-dimensional fabrication. Moreover, fiber-optic sensors have demonstrated distinct advantages over traditional electrical sensors such as the immunity to electromagnetic interference, miniature footprint, robust performance, and high sensitivity. Therefore, the marriage between femtosecond laser micro-fabrication and optical fibers have enabled and will continue to offer vast opportunities to create novel structures for sensing applications. This dissertation focuses on design, fabrication and characterization of optical-fiber based interferometric devices for sensing applications. Three novel devices have been proposed and realized, including point-damage-based Fiber Bragg gratings in single-crystal sapphire fibers, all-sapphire fiber-tip Fabry-Pérot cavity, and in-fiber Whispering-Gallery mode resonator / Doctor of Philosophy / Optical fibers are an optical platform with cylindrical symmetry with overall diameter typically within 50 to 500 μm. The miniature footprint and large aspect ratio make it attractive in sensing applications, where intrusion, flexibility, robustness and small size are key design parameters. Beyond that, fiber-optic sensors also possess distinct operational advantages over traditional electrical sensors such as high sensitivity, immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI), and fully distributed deployment. Owing to the above advances, fiber-optic sensors have been one of the key technologies in the broader sensing field for the past decades. However, the unique cylindrical shape of optical fiber makes it naturally less compatible to those well-developed fabrication technologies in the current sophisticated semiconductor industry. During the past decades, the possibility of three-dimensional (3D) writing inside transparent materials with tightly focused ultrafast laser pulses has attracted attention widely among the academy as well as the industry. Therefore, the marriage between ultrafast laser micro-fabrication and optical fibers have enabled and will continue to offer vast opportunities to create novel structures for sensing applications. This dissertation focuses on design, fabrication and characterization of optical-fiber based interferometric devices for sensing applications. Three novel devices have been proposed and realized, including point-damage-based Fiber Bragg gratings in single-crystal sapphire fibers, all-sapphire fiber-tip Fabry-Pérot cavity, and in-fiber Whispering-Gallery mode resonator.

This thesis presents an investigation of the dynamic properties of wide range of interfacial systems, from colloidal particles in solution, through the realm of aerosols and onto studies of molecular adsorption at an interface. The primary experimental technique utilized is optical tweezers. An exploration of the history of the use of radiation pressure to manipulate matter is presented, followed by an introduction to how optical tweezers work. Some of the more advanced methods of tweezing are discussed, with an emphasis on the use of spatial light modulators (SLMs) to realise dynamic holographic optical tweezers (DHOTs), an example of which has been constructed within our laboratory using off-the-shelf optical components, and combined with a spectrometer to facilitate high resolution spectroscopic studies of microscopic systems. The spectroscopic analysis of microparticles is greatly enhanced by optical feedback generated when the wavelength of light utilized is an integer number of wavelengths around the circumference of the microsphere. Enhanced signal occurs at these wavelengths, termed whispering gallery modes (WGMs). The absolute position of these resonances depends strongly upon the shape, size and refractive index of the particle, and is predicted by Mie theory. A discussion of the concepts behind Mie theory, as well as how to use an experimental WGM spectrum to deduce the size and composition of a microparticle, is provided. This technique is then put to use in a detailed study on the properties of single aerosols, comprised of sodium chloride solution, and generated using a handheld medical nebulizer. Studies have been carried out on both evaporating and growing droplets trapped with a Gaussian beam; in the latter case, periods of size stability are observed, owing to resonant absorption of radiation at the trapping laser wavelength. The SLM can be used to change the trapping laser to a Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) mode, and an investigation of how this affects the dynamics of the droplet is presented. It is found that the use of LG modes with $ellgeq10$ produced Raman spectra with significantly more intense WGMs, and also suppressed droplet evaporation. Through observations made with fluorescent polystyrene microspheres, it is argued that the LG modes are more efficient at coupling into WGMs of the droplets. Leading on from these experiments on salt water droplets, experiments have been conducted using ionic liquids (ILs). These fluids have many fascinating properties and potential applications. The optical trapping of droplets comprised of aqueous solutions of the ionic liquid ethylammonium nitrate (EAN) and water has been demonstrated for the first time. These droplets are analysed spectroscopically by illuminating them with the output from a broadband LED; WGMs that are observed in the backscattered light are used to determine their size and composition. The response of the droplets to conditions of varying relative humidity has also been investigated. In order to characterise the relative humidity experienced by both the salt water and IL droplets, the concentration of water vapour within the trapping cells has been measured using diode laser absorption spectroscopy. The spatially modulated laser beam is then utilized in a different fashion; instead of optically tweezing a sample, a low numerical aperture objective lens is utilized to focus the laser onto the surface of a gold coated microscope slide. When a colloidal sample is placed on this surface, the thermal gradients cause the particles to form two dimensional crystals. The SLM is utilized to form multiple nucleation sites, and the dynamics of the crystals are directly observed in real time using video microscopy. It is found that grain rotation-induced grain coalescence (GRIGC) occurs, with the rotation of both crystals before coalescence. Control over the grain size is achieved by altering the separation of the laser spots, and shows that the time scale for grain boundary annealing in our system is in good agreement with theoretical expressions formulated for nanocrystal growth. Finally, as a complimentary technique to the microparticle spectroscopy previously discussed, a bulk interface is probed by using evanescent wave broadband cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy (EW-BBCEAS) specifically to study the adsorption of cytochrome c (cyt c) to a fused silica surface. Visible radiation from a supercontinuum source is coupled into an optical cavity consisting of a pair of broadband high reflectivity mirrors, and a total internal reflection (TIR) event at the prism/water interface. Aqueous solutions of cyt c are placed onto the TIR footprint on the prism surface and the subsequent protein adsorption is probed by the resulting evanescent wave. The time integrated cavity output is directed into a spectrometer, where it is dispersed and analysed. The broadband nature of the source allows observation of a wide spectral range (ca 250 nm in the visible). The system is calibrated by measuring the absorption spectra of dyes of a known absorbance. Absorption spectra of cyt c are obtained for both S and P polarized radiation, allowing information about the orientation of the adsorbed protein to be extracted.

L’objectif de ce travail porte sur l’étude et la réalisation de résonateurs optiques à état liquide en microfluidique digitale. Les gouttes sphériques constituent des résonateurs à mode de galerie, dans lesquels la lumière peut être piégée par réflexion totale interne. A l’échelle microscopique, elles exhibent des propriétés optiques remarquables. Leurs facteurs de qualité très élevés en font notamment des objets propices à l’étude de phénomènes optiques non linéaires, tel l’effet laser, et leur confèrent un potentiel certain en spectroscopie. Par ailleurs, la microfluidique digitale, qui a trait aux systèmes multiphasiques dans des microcanaux artificiels, offre une grande liberté de manipulation des microgouttes : génération au kHz, transport, encapsulation, fusion, division, stockage, triage… Aussi, pour les laboratoires-sur-puce, le développement de ces microgouttes en cavités résonantes constitue une opportunité d’intégrer des outils d’analyse optique capables de sonder des échantillons allant du picolitre au nanolitre.Après un exposé des propriétés optiques des résonateurs à modes de galerie, ce mémoire rapporte les travaux réalisés. Une présentation des méthodes de microfabrication et du montage expérimental précède l’étude de la génération de cavités optiques liquides en dynamique. Ces cavités résonantes sont ensuite appliquées aux sources lasers microfluidiques. En particulier, un effet laser a été mis en évidence dans des microgouttes sphériques d’éthylène glycol contenant de la rhodamine 6G. Enfin, une ouverture sur des systèmes couplant microgouttes et cavités Fabry-Perot présente d’autres perspectives telles que l’analyse de gouttes passives en intravité laser ou bien la commutation rapide de la longueur d’onde d’émission de lasers microfluidiques monomodes. / The purpose of this work is to study and realize liquid state optical resonators in digital microfluidics. Spherical droplets may behave as whispering gallery mode resonators, in which light is trapped by total internal reflections. At the microscopic scale, they exhibit outstanding optical properties. Their high quality factors make them attractive for studying non-linear optical phenomena, such as lasing, and for spectroscopy. In another field of research, digital microfluidics, that deals with multiphase fluid systems in artificial microchannels, also involves microdroplets. It offers a high degree of freedom in handling microdroplets: kHz generation, transport, encapsulation, fusion, division, stockpiling, sorting… Therefore, in lab-on-chip systems, turning microdroplets into resonant microcavities constitutes an opportunity for integrating optical analysis tools that can probe picoliter to nanoliter samples.After a review of the optical properties of whispering gallery mode resonators, this thesis reports the experimental results. A presentation of the methods of microfabrication and of the experimental bench top precedes the study of the dynamic generation of liquid optical microcavities. Then, these resonant cavities are applied to microfluidic laser sources. In particular, lasing effect has been demonstrated in spherical microdroplets of ethylene glycol and rhodamine 6G. Finally, an opening towards systems that combine microdroplets and Fabry-Perot cavities presents other perspectives such as the analysis of passive droplets in laser intacavity or the capability of fast switching the output wavelength of single mode microfluidic dye lasers.

Les microrésonateurs à mode de galerie passifs à base de cristal ou de verre fabriqués par la méthode de fusion possèdent un facteur de qualité limité à quelques 10E8. Ceci est généralement dû à la contamination de la surface du résonateur lors de sa fusion. Dans ces travaux, nous proposons de contourner cette limitation en utilisant des microrésonateurs actifs pour compenser les pertes. Afin de caractériser les microrésonateurs actifs de très haut facteur de qualité ainsi obtenu, nous nous appuyons sur la méthode CRDM (Cavity Ring Down Measurement). Cette méthode interférométrique est d'une part bien adaptée à la caractérisation de résonateurs de très haut facteur de qualité et d'autre part elle permet de remonter de manière univoque aux facteurs de qualité intrinsèque Qo et extrinsèque Qe du résonateur. Dans un régime de compensation de pertes, nous avons pu atteindre tous les régimes de couplage et obtenus des facteurs de qualité intrinsèques excédant les 10E10. En régime d'amplification sélective, nous avons démontré expérimentalement que l'on pouvait obtenir des gains élevés allant jusqu'à 33 dB et des retards de groupe excédant 2,3 µs dans ces microrésonateurs actifs. Ces microrésonateurs de très haut facteur de qualité et de très haute finesse peuvent présenter un couplage modal se manifestant par un doublet de résonances. Une confrontation théorie/expérience avec la méthode CRDM permet de mesurer un écart très faible entre les doublets. Par ailleurs, ces microrésonateurs présentant un fort confinement spatial et une forte surtension, sont propices à l'observation d'effets non-linéaires. Une modélisation intégrant l'effet thermique et l'effet Kerr a été réalisée. Une confrontation théorie/expérience nous a permis d'estimer la puissance réellement injectée dans le mode ainsi qu'à estimer le volume du mode. / Glass-based whispering gallery mode (WGM) microresonators are easy to produce by melting techniques. However, they suffer from surface contamination which limits their long term quality factor to only about 10E8. In this thesis, we show that an optical gain provided by erbium ions can compensate for residual losses. The optical characterization method is based on frequency-swept “Cavity-Ring-Down-Measurement”. This method can fully describe the linear properties of microcavities such as coupling regime and group delay. In compensation loss regime we demonstrate that it is possible to control the coupling regime of an ultrahigh Q-factor microresonator from undercoupling to spectral selective amplification. Under the selective amplification regime, we obtain an internal Q-factor exceding 10E10. In selective amplification, we experimentally show that it is possible to obtain high amplification up to 33 dB and a high group delay. The microresonators with high Q-factor and high finesse could give rise to a modal coupling which exhibits a splitting of the resonance in the transmission. A characterization of this phenomenon with the cavity ring down method was realized. Moreover, these microresonators, are conducive to the non-linear effect observation. A model incorporating the thermal effect and the Kerr effect has been achieved. Confrontation between theory and experiment allowed us to estimate the real optical power injected into the mode as well as estimating the mode volume.

<p>This study is the first one devoted solely to the writings of the South African black novelist Miriam Tlali. It argues that her works constitute literary resistance not only to apartheid, noted by previous scholars, but also to South African patriarchies. Examining Tlali’s novels <i>Muriel at Metropolita</i>n (1975) and <i>Amandla!</i> (1980), and several short stories from <i>Mihloti</i> (1984) and <i>Footprints in the Quag</i> (1989), the study pits these texts against the black literary tradition dominated by men and also reads them within the social context of South African patriarchies, with its social restrictions on women and its taboos concerning sexualities. To distance herself from the patriarchal values inherent in the male literary tradition and to negotiate social and sexual restrictions on women, I argue, Tlali deploys narrative strategies like generic difference, generic dialogism, a double-voiced discourse, “whispering,” and “distancing.”</p><p>Drawing on the theories of Mikhail Bakhtin and Julia Kristeva, this study first explores “novelistic” traits in <i>Muriel</i> which function both to resist male literary conventions, like the epic mode of narrative, and to criticise their patriarchal ideology. Second, relying on Bakhtin, it analyses the generic dialogism and double-voicedness in <i>Amandla!</i>. Finally, making use of Kristeva’s semiotics and her theory of sacrifice, the study traces the development of a sacrificial discourse of gendered violence from <i>Amandla!</i> to some of Tlali’s short stories. Supported by Martha J. Reinecke’s explication of Kristeva, I show that Tlali’s texts insist that gendered violence upholds the sacrificial economies of both patriarchal apartheid and African patriarchy. The strategies of “whispering” and “distancing,” I claim, surface in Tlali’s addressing of the sensitive issues of black women’s victimisation and gendered violence. “Whispering” entails muting the criticism of the perpetrators of gendered violence, whereas “distancing” results in dis/placing gendered violence on the margins of the community. This study also examines the literary/social context of Tlali’s oeuvre: it explores specific traits of the South African black literary tradition, how the issue of rape has been addressed there, and the depiction of African patriarchy in autobiographies by South African black women.</p>

Recent advances in molecular biology and nanotechnology have enabled scientists to study biological systems at molecular and atomic scales. This level of sophistication demands for new technologies to emerge for providing the necessary sensing tools and equipment. Recent studies have shown that terahertz technology can provide revolutionary sensing techniques for organic and non-organic materials with unprecedented accuracy and sensitivity. This is due to the fact that most of the macromolecules have vibrational and/or rotational resonance signatures in terahertz range. To further increase the sensitivity, terahertz radiation is generated and interacted with the bio-sample on a miniaturized test site or the so-called biochip. From the view point of generation and manipulation of terahertz radiation, the biochip is designed based on the same rules as in high frequency electronic chips or integrated circuits (IC). By increasing the frequency toward terahertz range, the conventional IC design methodologies and analysis tools fail to perform accurately. Therefore, development of new design methodologies and analysis tools is of paramount importance for future terahertz integrated circuits (TIC) in general and terahertz biochips in particular. In this thesis, several advancements are made in design methodology, analysis tool and architecture of terahertz and millimeter-wave integrated circuits when used as a biochip. A global and geometry independent approach for design and analysis of the travelling-wave terahertz photomixer sources, as the core component in a TIC, is discussed in details. Three solvers based on photonic, semiconductor and electromagnetic theories are developed and combined as a unified analysis tool. Using the developed terahertz photomixer source, a resonance-based biochip structure is proposed, and its operation principle, based on resonance perturbation method, is explained. A planar metallic resonator acting as a sample holder and transducer is designed, and its performance in terms of sensitivity and selectivity is studied through simulations. The concept of surface impedance for electromagnetic modeling of DNA self-assembled monolayer on a metal surface is proposed, and its effectiveness is discussed based on the available data in the literature. To overcome the loss challenge, Whispering Gallery Mode (WGM) dielectric resonators with high Q factor are studied as an alternative for metallic resonator. The metallic loss becomes very high at terahertz frequencies, and as a result of that planar metallic resonators do not exhibit high Q factor. Reduced Q factor results in a low sensitivity for any sensor using such resonators. Theoretical models for axially and radially layered dielectric resonators acting on WGM are presented, and the analytical results are compared with the measured data. Excitation of WGM through dielectric waveguide is proposed, and the critical coupling condition is explained through analytical formulation. The possibility of selecting one resonance among many for sensing application is also studied both theoretically and experimentally. A high sensitivity sensor based on WGM resonance in mm-wave and terahertz is proposed, and its sensitivity is studied in details. The performance of the proposed sensor is tested for sensing drug tablets and also liquid droplets through various measurements in mm-wave range. The comprehensive sensitivity analysis shows the ability of the proposed sensor to detect small changes in the order of 10−4 in the sample dielectric constant. The results of various experiments carried out on drug tablets are reported to demonstrate the potential multifunctional capabilities of the sensor in moisture sensing, counterfeit drug detection, and contamination screening. The measurement and simulation results obtained in mm-wave hold promise for WGM to be used for sensing biological solutions in terahertz range with very high sensitivity.

Recent advances in molecular biology and nanotechnology have enabled scientists to study biological systems at molecular and atomic scales. This level of sophistication demands for new technologies to emerge for providing the necessary sensing tools and equipment. Recent studies have shown that terahertz technology can provide revolutionary sensing techniques for organic and non-organic materials with unprecedented accuracy and sensitivity. This is due to the fact that most of the macromolecules have vibrational and/or rotational resonance signatures in terahertz range. To further increase the sensitivity, terahertz radiation is generated and interacted with the bio-sample on a miniaturized test site or the so-called biochip. From the view point of generation and manipulation of terahertz radiation, the biochip is designed based on the same rules as in high frequency electronic chips or integrated circuits (IC). By increasing the frequency toward terahertz range, the conventional IC design methodologies and analysis tools fail to perform accurately. Therefore, development of new design methodologies and analysis tools is of paramount importance for future terahertz integrated circuits (TIC) in general and terahertz biochips in particular. In this thesis, several advancements are made in design methodology, analysis tool and architecture of terahertz and millimeter-wave integrated circuits when used as a biochip. A global and geometry independent approach for design and analysis of the travelling-wave terahertz photomixer sources, as the core component in a TIC, is discussed in details. Three solvers based on photonic, semiconductor and electromagnetic theories are developed and combined as a unified analysis tool. Using the developed terahertz photomixer source, a resonance-based biochip structure is proposed, and its operation principle, based on resonance perturbation method, is explained. A planar metallic resonator acting as a sample holder and transducer is designed, and its performance in terms of sensitivity and selectivity is studied through simulations. The concept of surface impedance for electromagnetic modeling of DNA self-assembled monolayer on a metal surface is proposed, and its effectiveness is discussed based on the available data in the literature. To overcome the loss challenge, Whispering Gallery Mode (WGM) dielectric resonators with high Q factor are studied as an alternative for metallic resonator. The metallic loss becomes very high at terahertz frequencies, and as a result of that planar metallic resonators do not exhibit high Q factor. Reduced Q factor results in a low sensitivity for any sensor using such resonators. Theoretical models for axially and radially layered dielectric resonators acting on WGM are presented, and the analytical results are compared with the measured data. Excitation of WGM through dielectric waveguide is proposed, and the critical coupling condition is explained through analytical formulation. The possibility of selecting one resonance among many for sensing application is also studied both theoretically and experimentally. A high sensitivity sensor based on WGM resonance in mm-wave and terahertz is proposed, and its sensitivity is studied in details. The performance of the proposed sensor is tested for sensing drug tablets and also liquid droplets through various measurements in mm-wave range. The comprehensive sensitivity analysis shows the ability of the proposed sensor to detect small changes in the order of 10−4 in the sample dielectric constant. The results of various experiments carried out on drug tablets are reported to demonstrate the potential multifunctional capabilities of the sensor in moisture sensing, counterfeit drug detection, and contamination screening. The measurement and simulation results obtained in mm-wave hold promise for WGM to be used for sensing biological solutions in terahertz range with very high sensitivity.