A novel concept for a protein-ligand docking simulator using Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, in particular the tactile sense technology, was designed and a prototype was developed. Most conventional docking simulators are based on numerical differential calculations of the total energy between a protein and a ligand. However, the basic concept of our method differs from that of conventional ...

This paper reviews kinetic energy harvesting as a potential localised power supply for wireless applications. Harvesting devices are typically implemented as resonant devices of which the power output depends upon the size of the inertial mass, the frequency and amplitude of the driving vibrations, the maximum available mass displacement and the damping. Three transduction mechanisms are curren...

Silicon dioxide and silicon nitride as well as other insulating materials are used in micro-electro-mechanical systems. However, their tendency for electrostatic charging diminishes the device reliability. The charging effect becomes significant when these devices are subjected to ionizing radiation. The irradiation induced charging depends on the nature of irradiation, the underlying metal lay...

This paper describes a study to characterize the performance of surface micromachined electrostatic actuators, with a brief introduction to some MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) mirrors developed at BU incorporating these actuators. Fixed-fixed actuators were extensively tested to determine suitability for optical applications, and specffically for an adaptive optics imagining system. The ...

This work presents the micro-mirror switch array for use on free-space optical interconnect platform which integrated with a digital 1×8 de-multiplexer on-chip control circuit together. The device employs electrostatic actuation for light beam directions control. The diameter of each mirror is about 50 μm and the overall chip size is around 1.8 by 1.8 mm. The professional simulation software wa...

This paper presents a micro electrostatic vibration-toelectricity energy converter. For the 3.3 V supply voltage and 1cm chip area constraints, optimal design parameters were found from theoretical calculation and Simulink simulation. In the current design, the output power is 200 μW/cm for the optimal load of 8 MΩ. The device was fabricated in a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. Mechanical and...

Drift–diffusion model is applied for transport in a one–dimensional field effect transistor. A unified description is given for a semiconductor nanowire and a long single–wall nanotube basing on a self–consistent electrostatic calculations. General analytic expressions are found for basic device characteristic which differ from those for bulk transistors. We explain the difference in terms of w...

This paper describes the design and analysis of a particular micro-electromechanical-system (MEMS) micromirror device that can be used for an optical switching application. Analytical expressions for electrostatic torque and restoring torque of serpentine springs are derived. The performance of the proposed structure is compared with the existing structures having straight torsional beams. The ...

A resonant absorption cavity that couples long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) light into a movable plate has been demonstrated for thermal detectors, especially microbolometers. Each device is continuously tunable over 8.7-11.1 microm by using electrostatic actuation with voltages from 0 to 42 V. The width of the resonance is relatively broad, approximately 1.5 microm, to match the large widths of ...