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Electronic Theses and Dissertations

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Full-Text Articles in Electronic Devices and Semiconductor Manufacturing

Design, Fabrication, And Integration Of Robotic Skin Sensors For Human Robot Interaction., Olalekan Olakitan Olowo Dec 2023

Design, Fabrication, And Integration Of Robotic Skin Sensors For Human Robot Interaction., Olalekan Olakitan Olowo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Enhancing physical human-robot interaction in modern robotics relies on refining the tactile perception of robot skin sensors. This research focuses on crucial aspects of the development process, including fabrication techniques, miniaturization, and integration for a more efficient collaborative human-robot interface. The fabrication process of robot skin sensors, designed to mimic human skin, is explored both within and outside cleanroom environments. An enhanced technique is presented to increase fabrication yield and create more miniaturized sensor designs with feature sizes in the tens of microns. These sensors function as piezoresistive arrays using organic polymers like PEDOT: PSS as the pressure-sensing medium. Various …


Investigating Mems Devices In Flow Conditions Relevant To Flow-Through Systems., Mohammad Shafquatul Islam Dec 2023

Investigating Mems Devices In Flow Conditions Relevant To Flow-Through Systems., Mohammad Shafquatul Islam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Advancements in microscale actuating technologies has substantially expanded the possibilities of interacting with the surrounding environment. Microstructures that deflect in response to mechanical forces are one of the largest application areas of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). MEMS devices, functioning as sensors, actuators, and support structures, find applications in inertial sensors, pressure sensors, chemical sensors, and robotics, among others. Driven by the critical role of catalytic membrane reactors, this dissertation aims to evaluate enzyme activity on polymeric membranes and explore how fabrication methods from the field of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) can incorporate sensing and actuation into these porous surfaces. Toward …


Automatic Testing Of Organic Strain Gauge Tactile Sensors., Brian P. Goulet May 2022

Automatic Testing Of Organic Strain Gauge Tactile Sensors., Brian P. Goulet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human-Robot Interaction is a developing field of science, that is posed to augment everything we do in life. Skin sensors that can detect touch, temperature, distance, and other physical interaction parameters at the human-robot interface are very important to enhancing the collaboration between humans and machines. As such, these sensors must be efficiently tested and characterized to give accurate feedback from the sensor to the robot. The objective of this work is to create a diversified software testing suite that removes as much human intervention as possible. The tests and methodology discussed here provide multiple realistic scenarios that the sensors …


Additive Manufacturing Using Robotic Manipulators, Fdm, And Aerosol Jet Printers., Alexander Curry Dec 2021

Additive Manufacturing Using Robotic Manipulators, Fdm, And Aerosol Jet Printers., Alexander Curry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Additive manufacturing has created countless new opportunities for fabrication of devices in the past few years. Advances in additive manufacturing continue to change the way that many devices are fabricated by simplifying processes and often lowering cost. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is the most common form of 3D printing. It is a well-developed process that can print various plastic materials into three-dimensional structures. This technology is used in a lot of industries for rapid prototyping and sometimes small batch manufacturing. It is very inexpensive, and a prototype can be created in a few hours, rather than days. This is useful …


Characterization, Analysis, And Application Of Wbg Power Devices For Future Power Conversion Systems, Ali Mahmoud Salman Al-Bayati Jan 2021

Characterization, Analysis, And Application Of Wbg Power Devices For Future Power Conversion Systems, Ali Mahmoud Salman Al-Bayati

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Semiconductor power devices are the most momentous constituents of any power converter system. Fast switching, compactness, high performance and efficiency, and high temperature operation are the exacting challenges experienced by conventional silicon (Si) power device based power converters in many applications. In this dissertation, the wide bandgap (WBG) power devices are studied and used to transcend the limitations imposed by the Si power devices. It mainly focuses on characterization and analysis of the behavior of WBG power devices as well as design and development of efficient, high performance, and reliable dc–dc power converters based on WBG technology. First, using computer …


Thermal Performance Of Algan/Gan Based Power Switching Devices For Transformerless Inverters, Mahesh B. Manandhar Jan 2021

Thermal Performance Of Algan/Gan Based Power Switching Devices For Transformerless Inverters, Mahesh B. Manandhar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wide Bandgap (WBG) semiconductors like Silicon Carbide (SiC), Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Aluminum Gallium Nitride (AlGaN) have superior material properties as compared to Silicon (Si) like higher electrical breakdown voltages and bandgap energies as well as lower leakage currents as compared to Si which make them ideal to operate at higher voltage with lower thermal losses. These properties make WBG materials ideal for power devices like Vertical Double-diffused Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (VDMOSFETs). The use of digital prototyping through computer simulation increases the speed and flexibility of the design iterations while reducing the cost and time required for …


Fabrication Of Silicon Microneedles For Dermal Interstitial Fluid Extraction In Human Subjects, Caleb A. Berry Aug 2020

Fabrication Of Silicon Microneedles For Dermal Interstitial Fluid Extraction In Human Subjects, Caleb A. Berry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this project is to design and develop a fabrication process for silicon microneedle arrays to extract dermal interstitial fluid (ISF) from human skin. ISF is a cell- free, living tissue medium that is known to contain many of the same, clinical biomarkers of general health, stress response and immune status as in blood. However, a significant barrier to adoption of ISF as a diagnostic matrix is the lack of a rapid, minimally invasive method of access and collection for analysis. Microfabricated chips containing arrays of microneedles that can rapidly and painlessly access and collect dermal ISF for …


Microrobots For Wafer Scale Microfactory: Design Fabrication Integration And Control., Ruoshi Zhang May 2020

Microrobots For Wafer Scale Microfactory: Design Fabrication Integration And Control., Ruoshi Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Future assembly technologies will involve higher automation levels, in order to satisfy increased micro scale or nano scale precision requirements. Traditionally, assembly using a top-down robotic approach has been well-studied and applied to micro-electronics and MEMS industries, but less so in nanotechnology. With the bloom of nanotechnology ever since the 1990s, newly designed products with new materials, coatings and nanoparticles are gradually entering everyone’s life, while the industry has grown into a billion-dollar volume worldwide. Traditionally, nanotechnology products are assembled using bottom-up methods, such as self-assembly, rather than with top-down robotic assembly. This is due to considerations of volume handling …


Exploration Of Radiation Damage Mechanism In Mems Devices., Pranoy Deb Shuvra Dec 2018

Exploration Of Radiation Damage Mechanism In Mems Devices., Pranoy Deb Shuvra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We explored UV, X-ray and proton radiation damage mechanisms in MEMS resonators. T-shaped MEMS resonators of different dimensions were used to investigate the effect of radiation. Radiation damage is observed in the form of resistance and resonance frequency shift of the device. The resistance change indicates a change in free carrier concentration and mobility, while the resonance frequency change indicates a change in mass and/or elastic constant. For 255nm UV radiation, we observed a persistent photoconductivity that lasts for about 60 hours after radiation is turned off. The resonance frequency also decreases 40-90 ppm during irradiation and slowly recovers at …


Hybrid Perovskite Characterization And Device Applications., Kasun Fernando Aug 2018

Hybrid Perovskite Characterization And Device Applications., Kasun Fernando

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hybrid perovskites are a group of materials that has shown a great impact in the field of scientific research in the past decade due to the efficiency gain within a short period of time. Hot casting is one technique that has been producing high efficient and stable solar cells. Electrical transportation of lateral device structure by such film is explored to understand basic properties and predict possible device applications using it. Under dark, memristive ability of the film was explored using various experiments. Unique uni-polar memristor ability was observed. Using the experimental results, a model is hypothesized using the concepts …


Challenges In Flexible Microsystem Manufacturing : Fabrication, Robotic Assembly, Control, And Packaging., Danming Wei May 2018

Challenges In Flexible Microsystem Manufacturing : Fabrication, Robotic Assembly, Control, And Packaging., Danming Wei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Microsystems have been investigated with renewed interest for the last three decades because of the emerging development of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology and the advancement of nanotechnology. The applications of microrobots and distributed sensors have the potential to revolutionize micro and nano manufacturing and have other important health applications for drug delivery and minimal invasive surgery. A class of microrobots studied in this thesis, such as the Solid Articulated Four Axis Microrobot (sAFAM) are driven by MEMS actuators, transmissions, and end-effectors realized by 3-Dimensional MEMS assembly. Another class of microrobots studied here, like those competing in the annual IEEE Mobile …


Surface Reaction And Diffusion Kinetics In Semiconducting Metal Oxide Film Gas Sensors, Aravind Reghu May 2018

Surface Reaction And Diffusion Kinetics In Semiconducting Metal Oxide Film Gas Sensors, Aravind Reghu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chemiresistive metal oxide gas sensors based on materials such as SnO2, ZnO, and TiO2, have been investigated extensively by many researchers for a wide range of applications. The band bending model, based on the surface chemistry of highly reactive ionosorbed species (O2- or O-) and the semiconducting material properties of SnO2, TiO2 and ZnO, adequately predicts the dependence of the change in sensor conductivity (Δσ) as a function of target gas pressure and temperature. However, the band bending model is not applicable to gas sensors based on reducible oxides …


Vertical Gallium Nitride Schottky Diodes For Power Switching Applications., Sowmya Kolli May 2018

Vertical Gallium Nitride Schottky Diodes For Power Switching Applications., Sowmya Kolli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gallium nitride (GaN) has enormous potential for use in devices operating at high power, frequency and temperature. Its wide band gap, high critical electric field and favourable carrier properties lead to lower switching losses and conduction losses in power electronic devices. However, most GaN rectifiers reported to date exhibit an ON-resistance (Ron) versus breakdown voltage much below theoretical predictions. Heteroepitaxial growth of GaN on substrates such as SiC, Si, and sapphire suffer from a high density of threading dislocations defects due to the mismatch in lattice constants and thermal expansion coefficients. Vertical devices, in which a bulk GaN substrate is …


A Novel Design For A Silicon And Cadmium Telluride Tandem Solar Cell., Jacob A Vittitow May 2018

A Novel Design For A Silicon And Cadmium Telluride Tandem Solar Cell., Jacob A Vittitow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Semiconductor Design And Manufacturing Interplay To Achieve Higher Yields At Reduced Costs Using Smart Techniques, Ankush Bharati Oberai Jan 2018

Semiconductor Design And Manufacturing Interplay To Achieve Higher Yields At Reduced Costs Using Smart Techniques, Ankush Bharati Oberai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the outset of IC Semiconductor market there has been a gap between its design and manufacturing communities. This gap continued to grow as the device geometries started to shrink and the manufacturing processes and tools got more complex. This gap lowered the manufacturing yield, leading to higher cost of ICs and delay in their time to market. It also impacted performance of the ICs, impacting the overall functionality of the systems they were integrated in. However, in the recent years there have been major efforts to bridge the gap between design and manufacturing using software solutions by providing closer …


Designing And Testing 3-D Printed Wafer-Box With Embedded Pzt Sensors To Identify The Shape Effect On Energy Harvesting, Ahmad Jami Safayet Jan 2018

Designing And Testing 3-D Printed Wafer-Box With Embedded Pzt Sensors To Identify The Shape Effect On Energy Harvesting, Ahmad Jami Safayet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Piezoelectric energy has been recently paid attention in the field of alternative energy. Day by day the traditional energy sources including Coal tar and oils are becoming scarce. People are heading to an alternative energy source to meet the future energy demand. Piezoelectric energy is one of the competitive energy sources compared to the conventional renewable energy sources including solar, wind, and geothermal power and so on. This energy production method bears enormous research potential because it can be used as the roadway for a new method of power generation. This research project aimed to identify which shaped wafer-box produced …


Strategies And Techniques For Fabricating Mems Bistable Thermal Actuators., Dilan Ratnayake Dec 2016

Strategies And Techniques For Fabricating Mems Bistable Thermal Actuators., Dilan Ratnayake

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bistable elements are beginning to appear in the field of MEMS as they allow engineers to design sensors and actuators which require no electrical power and possess mechanical memory. This research focuses on the development of novel strategies and techniques for fabricating MEMS bistable structures to serve as no electrical power thermal actuators. Two parallel strategies were explored for the design and fabrication of the critical bistable element. Both strategies involved an extensive material study on candidate thin film materials to determine their temperature coefficient of expansion and as-deposited internal stress properties. Materials investigated included titanium tungsten, Invar, silicon nitride …


A Multi-Channel 3d-Printed Bioreactor For Evaluation Of Growth And Production In The Microalga Dunaliella Sp, Cristian A. Cox Dec 2016

A Multi-Channel 3d-Printed Bioreactor For Evaluation Of Growth And Production In The Microalga Dunaliella Sp, Cristian A. Cox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We explored the capabilities of additive manufacturing using a photo-cured jetted material 3D printer to manufacture a milli-microfluidic device with direct application in microalgae Dunaliella sp growth and intracellular compounds biosynthesis tests. A continuous microbioreactor for microalgae culture was CAD designed and successfully built in 1 hour and 49 minutes using black photopolymer cured by UV and a support material. The microreactor was made up of 2 parts including the bioreactor itself and a microchannel network for culture media fluids and microalgae. Both parts were assembled to form a single unit. Additional optical and auxiliar components were added. An external …


Direct Band Gap Gallium Antimonide Phosphide (Gasbxp1-X) For Solar Fuels., Harry Benjamin Russell May 2016

Direct Band Gap Gallium Antimonide Phosphide (Gasbxp1-X) For Solar Fuels., Harry Benjamin Russell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Photoelectrochemical water splitting has been identified as a promising route for achieving sustainable energy future. However, semiconductor materials with the appropriate optical, electrical and electrochemical properties have yet to be discovered. In search of an appropriate semiconductor to fill this gap, GaSbP, a semiconductor never tested for PEC performance is proposed here and investigated. Density functional theory (DFT+U) techniques were utilized to predict band gap and band edge energetics for GaSbP alloys with low amount of antimony. The overall objective of this dissertation is to understand the suitability of GaSbxP1-x alloys for photoelectrochemical water splitting application. Specifically, …


High-Speed Digital And Mixed-Signal Components For X– And Ku–Band Direct Digital Synthesizers In Indium Phosphide Dhbt Technology, Steven Eugene Turner May 2006

High-Speed Digital And Mixed-Signal Components For X– And Ku–Band Direct Digital Synthesizers In Indium Phosphide Dhbt Technology, Steven Eugene Turner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently reported double heterojunction bipolar transistor (DHBT) devices manufactured in Indium Phosphide (InP) technology with ft and fmax both over 300 GHz enable advanced high-speed digital and mixed-signal circuits. In this thesis, the use of InP DHBT devices for high-speed accumulator circuits and X– and Ku–band direct digital synthesizer (DDS) circuits are investigated. At these frequencies, new technological challenges in the design of digital and mixed-signal circuits arise in areas including power consumption and clock distribution. This thesis addresses the speed/power tradeoffs in high-speed accumulator designs, the design of DDS circuits, and clock distribution simulation. The results of six accumulator …