Electrical & Computer Engineering
Trapping and releasing of telecom rainbow
We show how the graded grating structures developed for “trapped rainbow” in THz domain can be transferred to telecom frequencies for future possible optical communication and various nano photonic applications.
Novel MEMS-Based Technology for Measuring the Mechanical Properties of a Live Biological Cell
This paper presents an experimental platform for measuring the mechanical properties of live biological cells. The polymer-based MEMS device integrates a V-shaped electrothermal actuator (ETA) array, a force sensor, a displacement sensor, a thermal sensor, and a cell-positioning system in a single chip. The integrated cell-positioning system based on dielectrophoresis precisely places a cell to a designed spot, the MEMS ETA array provides a predefined deformation to the cell, the force and displacement sensors measure the magnitude of the force applied to the cell and the corresponding cell deformation, and the thermal sensor monitors temperature in the liquid cell medium environment during the experiment. This MEMS device was able to compress a NIH3T3 fibroblast cell and cause 25% mechanical strain.
Polymer MEMS System for Measuring the Mechanical Modulus of a Biological Cell
The measurements of the mechanical modulus of biological cells are critical to studies of pathophysiology and the research for an effective treatment. This research has developed a rapid and cost effective technique in order to measure the Poissons ratio and mechanical modulus of a live biological cell by utilizing microelectromechanical system (MEMS) techniques in a biological application. The design, fabrication, and characterization of a polymer-based MEMS system that integrates a V-shaped electrothermal actuator array and a cell-positioning system in a single microelectronics chip are presented here. This BioMEMS device compressed a NIH3T3 fibroblasts cell and caused up to 25% mechanical strain.
Effect of mechanical strain on mobility of polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistors fabricated on stainless steel foil
The effect of uniaxial tensile strain parallel to the channel on mobility of polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistors on stainless steel foil has been investigated. The electron mobility increases by 20% while the hole mobility decreases by 6% as the strain increases to 0.5% and both followed by saturation as the strain increases further. The off current decreases for both types TFTs under strain. All TFTs remained functional at the applied strain of 1.13%.