This work reports electrothermal MEMS parallel plate-rotation (PPR) for a single-imager based stereoscopic endoscope. A thin optical plate was directly connected to an electrothermal MEMS microactuator with bimorph structures of thin silicon and aluminum layers. The fabricated MEMS PPR device precisely rotates an transparent optical plate up to 37° prior to an endoscopic camera and creates the ...

The decreasing dimensions of IC devices is rendering the conventional heat diffusion equation highly inaccurate for electrothermal simulations of deep submicron devices. This work integrates the phonon Boltzmann Transport Equation (BTE) in deep sub-micron silicon devices and presents a general methodology for solving the BTE. The approach developed is applicable to both Si bulk and SOI devices ...

Four tests for the evaluation of lead poisoning are reviewed from both the clinical and methodological aspects. Whole blood or erythrocyte lead measurements appear to provide the best means of assessing the bodily burden of lead with electrothermal and Delves cup flame atomic absorption spectorphotometric techniques providing accurate and precise results. Urine lead is less reliable as a screen...

Electrical breakdown induced by systematic electrostatic discharge (ESD) stress of thin-film transistors used as switches in active matrix addresses liquid crystal displays has been studied using electrical measurements, electrical simulations, electrothermal simulations, and postbreakdown observations. Breakdown due to very short pulses (up to 1 s) shows a clear dependence on the channel lengt...

This paper introduces an optical 2-axis Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) micromirror actuated by a pair of electrothermal actuators and a set of passive torsion bars. The actuated element is a dual-reflective circular mirror plate of 1 mm in diameter. This inner mirror plate is connected to a rigid frame via a pair of torsion bars in two diametrically opposite ends located on the rotation...

Nanocarbons show great promise for establishing the next generation of Joule heating systems, but suffer from the limited maximum temperature due to precociously convective heat dissipation from electrothermal system to surrounding environment. Here we introduce a strategy to eliminate such convective heat transfer by inserting highly stable and conductive microcapsules into the electrothermal ...

1. Pulsed Plasma Thruster Pulsed plasma thrusters (PPTs) are expected to be used as a thruster for a small satellite. The PPT has some features superior to other kinds of electric propulsion. It has no sealing part, simple structure and high reliability, which are benefits of using a solid propellant, mainly Teflon (poly-tetrafluoroethylene: PTFE). However, performances of PPTs are generally lo...

We have studied a stacked-type electrostatic actuator by folding two ribbon electrodes in an alternate configuration. The energy efficiency of this type of actuator was investigated using the thick-electrode-part actuator and triangle-shaped actuator. The maximum energy efficiency levels were 30–40% for the thick-electrode-part actuator and 40–50% for the triangle-shaped actuator.

We present an experimental study of a composite voltage-biased superconducting bolometer (VSB). The tested VSB consists of a Ti-film superconducting thermometer (T(c) ~375 mK) on a Si substrate suspended by NbTi superconducting leads. A resistor attached to the substrate provides calibrated heat input into the bolometer. The current through the bolometer is measured with a superconducting quant...