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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering

Insulator Charging In Rf Mems Capacitive Switches, Jay F. Kucko Jun 2005

Insulator Charging In Rf Mems Capacitive Switches, Jay F. Kucko

Theses and Dissertations

While capacitive radio frequency microelectromechanical (RF MEM) switches are poised to provide a low cost, high isolation, low power alternative to current RF switch technologies, there are still reliability issues limiting switch lifetime. Previous research identified insulator charging as a primary cause of switch failure. Changes in switch pull-in and release voltages were measured to provide insight into the mechanisms responsible for charging and switch failure. A spatial and temporal dependent model was developed to describe silicon nitride's time-dependent charging as a function of applied bias. This model was verified by applying constant biases to metal-silicon nitride-silicon capacitors and tracking …


Head Tracking For 3d Audio Using A Gps-Aided Mems Imu, Jacque M. Joffrion Mar 2005

Head Tracking For 3d Audio Using A Gps-Aided Mems Imu, Jacque M. Joffrion

Theses and Dissertations

Audio systems have been developed which use stereo headphones to project sound in three dimensions. When using these 3D audio systems, audio cues sound like they are originating from a particular direction. There is a desire to apply 3D audio to general aviation applications, such as projecting control tower transmissions in the direction of the tower or providing an audio orientation cue for VFR pilots who find themselves in emergency zero-visibility conditions. 3D audio systems, however, require real-time knowledge of the pilot's head orientation in order to be effective. This research describes the development and testing of a low-cost head …