SOI Digital Accelerometer Based on Pull-in Time Configuration

The operation principle, design, fabrication and measurement results of a quasi digital accelerometer fabricated on a thin silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate is presented. The accelerometer features quasi-digital output, therefore eliminating the need for analogue signal conditioning. The accelerometer can be directly interfaced to digital...

DRIE and Bonding Assisted Low Cost MEMS Processing of In-plane HAR Inertial Sensors

We present a simple, flexible and low cost MEMS fabrication process, developed using deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) and wafer bonding technologies, for manufacturing in-plane high aspect ratio (HAR) inertial sensors. Among examples, the design and fabrication results of a two axis inertial device are presented. Fabricated device thickness...

Shape based Monte Carlo code for light transport in complex heterogeneous tissues

A Monte Carlo code for the calculation of light transport in heterogeneous scattering media is presented together with its validation. Triangle meshes are used to define the interfaces between different materials, in contrast with techniques based on individual volume elements. This approach allows to address realistic problems in a flexible way...

Thermo-optical delay line for optical coherence tomography

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a powerful medical imaging technology. Its ability to non-invasively probe tissues in depth with high resolution has lead to applications in many fields of medicine, with a large potential for surgical guidance. One of the technological challenges impairing faster adoption of OCT is the relative complexity...

Tissue vitality monitoring system and method and surgical technique

Tissue vitality is monitored by means of a sensor attached to the tissue. Preferably, the sensor is attached to the tissue at the end of a surgical intervention, for example after anastomosis of the colon. The sensor is attached to the tissue with a sensitive surface facing the tissue, e.g. at a point of anastomosis. The sensor is designed to...

Surgical drill system and surgical drill bit to be used therein

Surgical drill system comprising a mechanical drill bit and means for imaging the vicinity of the drill bit tip, said means comprising: at least one optical fiber having a distal end and a proximal end, said distal end being located adjacent said drill bit tip, an optical processing unit, said proximal end of said at least one optical fiber...

A Pull-in Operation Mode Accelerometer

A novel method for nanoprecision alignment in wafer bonding applications

Fly's proprioception-inspired micromachined strain-sensing structure: Idea, design, modeling and simulation, and comparison with experimental results

Actuated elastomers with rigid vertical electrodes

Simple optical characterisation for biomimetic micromachined silicon strain-sensing structure

This paper presents an on-going work to develop micromachined silicon-based strain sensor inspired from the campaniform sensillum of insects. We present simple optical setup for the characterisation of a membrane-in-recess structure as an early stage in mimicking the natural sensor. The microstructure is a 500 nm-thick SiO2/SiN circular membrane...

Polarization-insensitive PECVD SiC waveguides for photonic sensing

Planar silicon carbide (SiC) waveguides are proposed for fabrication on a silicon substrate with a oxide isolation layer. Using post deposition annealing it is possible to achieve low Polarization-Dependent Loss (PDL) within optical SiC waveguides fabricated using a low temperature deposition technique. Those waveguides have been successfully...

Biomimetic strain-sensing microstructure for improved strain sensor: Fabrication results and optical characterization