This work presents the first-reported freely moving parts, including out-of-plane hinges and rotating parts, fabricated in SU-8 that require no post-development bonding step. The technology used is a PolyMUMPs®-like SU-8 process developed by the authors, called the planar self-sacrificial multilayer SU-8 (PSALMS) process. The PSALMS process allows the independent patterning of planar SU-8 layers, so that the SU-8 acts as both the structural and sacrificial material. Each layer is a bilayer consisting of a standard SU-8 layer below a layer of SU-8 modified to heavily absorb UV by the addition of SC1827 resist. The use of this bilayer structure creates a greatly increased processing window, in which an exposure can expose the uppermost bilayer without affecting underlying bilayers. The ability to independently pattern layers allows for the creation of overhanging structures and freely moving parts. So far the PSALMS process has incorporated four structural layers, which allows for the creation of structures such as gears and out-of-plane hinges. A description of the underlying fabrication principle and processing details is presented in this paper. Also presented are gears and hinges that have been fabricated and display proper functionality.
This paper reports on a radio frequency micro-strip T-resonator that is integrated to a parallel droplet microfluidic system. The T-resonator works as a feedback system to monitor uniform droplet production and to detect, in real-time, any malfunctions due to channel fouling or clogging. Emulsions at different W/O flow-rate ratios are generated in a microfluidic device containing 8 parallelized generators. These emulsions are then guided towards the RF sensor, which is then read using a Network Analyzer to obtain the frequency response of the system. The proposed T-resonator shows frequency shifts of 45MHz for only 5% change in the emulsion's water in oil content. These shifts can then be used as a feedback system to trigger alarms and notify production and quality control engineers about problems in the droplet generation process.
This work presents a study of photoconductive (PC) terahertz (THz) emitters based upon varied bow-tie (BT) antenna structures on the semi-insulating (SI) forms of GaAs and InP. The BT antennas have electrodes in the form of a Sharp BT, a Broad BT, an Asymmetric BT, a Blunted BT, and a Doubled BT. The study explores the main features of PC THz emitters for spectroscopic studies and sensors application in terms of THz field amplitude and spectral bandwidth. The emitters’ performance levels are found to depend strongly upon the PC material and antenna structure. The SI-InP emitters display lower THz field amplitude and narrower bandwidth compared to the SI-GaAs emitters with the same structure (and dimensions). The characterized Doubled BT structure yields a higher THz field amplitude, while the characterized Asymmetric BT structure with flat edges yields a higher bandwidth in comparison to the sharp-edged structures. This knowledge on the PC THz emitter characteristics, in terms of material and structure, can play a key role in future implementations and applications of THz sensor technology.
<p>Unravelling the timing and rate of subduction-zone metamorphism requires linking the composition of petrogenetic indicator minerals in blueschists and eclogites to time. Garnet is a key mineral in this regard, not in the least because it best records P-T conditions and changes therein and can be dated, using either Lu-Hf or Sm-Nd chronology. Bulk-grain garnet ages are the norm and can provide important and precise time constraints on reactions across both facies. Domain dating, i.e., dating of individual growth zones, moves beyond that. Domain dating by combining mechanical micro-milling and Sm-Nd chronology yielded important constraints on garnet-growth and fluid-release rates for blueschists (e.g., Dragovic et al., 2015). Developing this method for Lu-Hf chronology and, importantly, for "common-sized" garnet (&#8804;1 cm) provides an important opportunity to further explore the potential of this approach.</p><p>We combined a low-loss micro-sampling technique in laser cutting with a refined Lu-Hf routine to precisely date multiple growth zones of a sub-cm-sized garnet in a blueschist. The targeted grain from a glaucophane-bearing micaschist from Syros Island, Greece, was chemically characterized by major- and trace-element mapping (EPMA, LA-ICPMS) and five zones were extracted using a laser mill. The three core and inner mantle zones are chemically comparable and identical in age within a 0.1 Myr precision (2&#963;). The outer two zones are chemically distinct and are resolvably younger (0.2-0.8 Myr). The timing of these two major garnet-growth episodes, together with the variations in trace-element chemistry, constrain important fluid-release reactions, such as chloritoid-breakdown. The data show that the integral history of garnet growth in subduction zones may be extremely short (<1 Myr), but may, even in that short timeframe, consist of multiple short pulses. Garnet-forming reactions clearly are localized and, thus, associated with focussed high-flux fluid flow. Beyond subduction-zone processes, our new protocol for zoned garnet Lu-Hf geochronology of "common-sized" garnet opens possibilities for constraining the causes and rates of garnet growth and in turn, the pace of tectonic processes in general.</p><p>&#160;</p><p><sub><em>Dragovic, B., Baxter, E.F. and Caddick, M.J., 2015. Pulsed dehydration and garnet growth during subduction revealed by zoned garnet geochronology and thermodynamic modeling, Sifnos, Greece. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 413, pp.111-122.</em></sub></p>
Fabrication of GaN devices presents a number of processing issues. Since the AlGaN/GaN material and sapphire substrates are transparent in the ultraviolet, light scattering can degrade the quality of the lithography. GaN and AlGaN are chemically inert materials, highly resistant to wet etching. Schottky contacts are fabricated with noble metals (Pt, Au) which present adhesion problems. The approaches to solving these difficulties and the routes to fabrication of high performance GaN-based modulation doped field effect transistors are presented. The light scattering has been addressed by the deposition of amorphous Si on the backside of the wafers. Mesa etching for device isolation has been performed with both chemically assisted ion beam etching and a newly developed wet etching technique. Finally, metal adhesion has been greatly improved by the initial deposition of a thin sputtered Pt layer, followed by a thick layer of Pt/Au by e-beam evaporation. A 100 μm wide device showed a maximum dc current density of 946 mA/mm, a peak transconductance of 160 mS/mm, a short circuit current gain cutoff frequency of 15.6 GHz, and a maximum oscillation frequency of 49.4 GHz.
This Letter analyzes photoconductive (PC) terahertz (THz) emitters based on the semi-insulating (SI) forms of GaAs and InP. The dependencies of the emitters are studied under the extremes of the bias field and pump fluence to reveal the underlying physics of charge carrier photoexcitation, transport, and emission. The bias field dependence shows that SI-GaAs PC THz emitters are preferentially subject to space-charge-limited current, under the influence of trap states, while SI-InP PC THz emitters are preferentially subject to sustained current, due to a prolonged charge carrier lifetime and the ensuing joule heating. The pump fluence dependence shows space-charge and near-field screening for all emitters, with SI-GaAs predisposed to near-field screening (under the influence of transient mobility) and SI-InP predisposed to space-charge screening. Such findings can support a deeper understanding of the underlying physics and optimal performance of SI-GaAs and SI-InP PC THz emitters.
Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) is an effective method for materials detection and identification at the macro scale, however, integration of microfluidic chips with THz spectroscopy is still needed to miniaturize this detection technology. Taking into consideration the polymer and microfabrication cost, several factors play an important role in the integration of such a technology, the optical absorption of the chip material is one of the significant factors. In this work, we study THz absorption spectra of two low-cost polymers as potential THz microfluidic chip materials, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). We then micro-fabricated two identical chips, one made by using PET and the other chip using UHMWPE to measure the absorption spectrum of Sylgard®184 silicone elastomer curing-agent (PDMS-CA) as a low-absorption test fluid.
