High precision dynamic multi-interface profilometry with optical coherence tomography

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has mostly been used for high speed volume imaging but its profilometry potentials have not been fully exploited. This paper demonstrates high precision (as good as ~50nm) multi-interface profilometry using a Fourier domain OCT system without special anti-vibration devices. The precision is up to two orders of magnitudes better than the depth resolution of the OCT. Detailed analysis of the precision achieved for different surfaces is presented. The multi-interface profiles are obtained as a by-product of the tomography data. OCT has advantage in speed and sensitivity at detecting rough and internal interfaces compared to conventional optical profilometry. An application of the technique to the dynamic monitoring of varnish drying on paint-like substrates is demonstrated, which provides a better understanding of the formation of surface roughness. The technique has potential benefits in the field of art conservation, coatings technology and soft matter physics

Quantum-dot based photonic quantum networks

Quantum dots embedded in photonic nanostructures have in recent years proven to be a very powerful solid-state platform for quantum optics experiments. The combination of near-unity radiative coupling of a single quantum dot to a photonic mode and the ability to eliminate decoherence processes imply that an unprecedented light-matter interface can be obtained. As a result, high-cooperativity photon-emitter quantum interfaces can be constructed opening a path-way to deterministic photonic quantum gates for quantum-information processing applications. In the present manuscript, I review current state-of-the-art on quantum dot devices and their applications for quantum technology. The overarching long-term goal of the research field is to construct photonic quantum networks where remote entanglement can be distributed over long distances by photons

The ergonomics of attention responsive technology

ART (Attention-Responsive Technology) is a new three year UK research project which will enable individuals to access technology efficiently in situations where their mobility is either impaired, as a result of disability or age, or because movement is undesirable due to environmental hazards. The system works by monitoring both the individual and the ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) devices (termed here ‘objects’) in his/her environment and then uses knowledge of the individual’s gaze behaviour to determine to which ICT device they are attending. This information is relayed to a user-configurable control panel, which then displays as a graphical user interface (GUI) only those controls that are appropriate, both to the user and to the particular object in question. The user can then choose to operate the object. ART therefore acts as an enabling technology, with the system fully user configurable and able to cater for future developments in technology

SysMART Indoor Services: A System of Smart and Connected Supermarkets

Smart gadgets are being embedded almost in every aspect of our lives. From smart cities to smart watches, modern industries are increasingly supporting the Internet of Things (IoT). SysMART aims at making supermarkets smart, productive, and with a touch of modern lifestyle. While similar implementations to improve the shopping experience exists, they tend mainly to replace the shopping activity at the store with online shopping. Although online shopping reduces time and effort, it deprives customers from enjoying the experience. SysMART relies on cutting-edge devices and technology to simplify and reduce the time required during grocery shopping inside the supermarket. In addition, the system monitors and maintains perishable products in good condition suitable for human consumption. SysMART is built using state-of-the-art technologies that support rapid prototyping and precision data acquisition. The selected development environment is LabVIEW with its world-class interfacing libraries. The paper comprises a detailed system description, development strategy, interface design, software engineering, and a thorough analysis and evaluation.Comment: 7 pages, 11 figur

IoT Protection Against Cyber Threats Based on Blockchain and Access Control: A Comprehensive Review

The Internet of Things (IoT) has undeniably transformed the way we interact with the world around us. As a revolutionary technology, it seamlessly integrates into our daily routines, offering unparalleled convenience and efficiency. By embedding connectivity into everyday objects, IoT has made it possible for devices to communicate, making our lives significantly easier. This constant communication and data exchange occur everywhere, from our homes to workplaces, and even in public spaces. Unfortunately, whenever connections increase, the threat of attacks increases too. Therefore, there is a critical need for systems that provide robustness at the service level. In this paper, a basic interface to IoT devices’ security architecture along with blockchain is introduced to provide scalability and authentication. This survey differs from the majority of existing reviews in that it presents a more comprehensive review of emerging research to help researchers and readers understand the state-of-the-art IoT protection against cyber threats. Additionally, different types of IoT protection against cyber threats based on blockchain and access control techniques are described in this paper. The findings demonstrate that blockchain technology offers IoT devices security along with scalability

The Doctrine of Exhaustion of Union Remedies

High-k/metal gate stacks have been introduced in CMOS technology during the last decade in order to sustain continued device scaling and ever-improving circuit performance. Starting from the 45 nm technology node, the stringent requirements in terms of equivalent oxide thickness and gate current density have rendered the replacement of the conventional SiON/poly-Si stack unavoidable. Although Hf-based technology has become the de facto industry standard for high-k/metal gate MOSFETs, problematic long-term scalability has motivated the research of novel materials and solutions to fulfill the target performances expected of gate stacks in future technology nodes. In this work, integration of a high-k interfacial layer has been identified as the most promising approach to improve gate dielectric scalability, since this technology presents the advantage of potential compatibility with both current Hf-based and plausible future higher-k materials. Thulium silicate has been selected as candidate material for integration as interfacial layer, thanks to its unique properties which enabled the development of a straightforward integration process achieving well-controlled and repeatable growth in the sub-nm thickness regime, a contribution of 0.25+-0.15 nm to the total EOT, and high quality of the interface with Si. Compatibility with industry-standard CMOS integration flows has been kept as a top priority in the development of the new technology. To this aim, a novel ALD process has been developed and characterized, and a manufacturable process flow for integration of thulium silicate in a generic gate stack has been designed. The thulium silicate interfacial layer technology has been verified to be compatible with standard integration flows, and fabrication of high-k/metal gate MOSFETs with excellent electrical characteristics has been demonstrated. The possibility to achieve high performance devices by integration of thulium silicate in current Hf-based technology has been specifically demonstrated, and the TmSiO/HfO2 dielectric stack has been shown to be compatible with the industrial requirements of operation in the sub-nm EOT range (down to 0.6 nm), reliable device operation over a 10 year expected lifetime, and compatibility with common threshold voltage control techniques. The thulium silicate interfacial layer technology has been especially demonstrated to be superior to conventional chemical oxidation in terms of channel mobility at sub-nm EOT, since the TmSiO/HfO2 dielectric stack achieved ~20% higher electron and hole mobility compared to state-of-the-art SiOx/HfO2 devices at the same EOT. Such performance enhancement can provide a strong advantage in the EOT-mobility trade-off which is commonly observed in scaled gate stacks, and has been linked by temperature and stress analyses to the higher physical thickness of the high-k interfacial layer, which results in attenuated remote phonon scattering compared to a SiOx interfacial layer achieving the same EOT.QC 20140512</p

The Interface is Obsolete: A Critical Investigation of the Digital interface in Interactive New Media Installations

My thesis proposes a critical framework for understanding the digital interface in interactive new media installations. I aim at dispelling the instrumental, cybernetic, “action-reaction” myth that surrounds the functions of the interface and that constitutes one of the main limitations in its conceptualization today. I argue that a rethinking of the digital interface in terms of its aesthetic and cultural properties is essential if we are to take digital interfaces seriously as devices that inform or even, to some extent, structure our relationship with technology. Theorists who work in the interdisciplinary field of interface studies have historically been preoccupied with the technical and instrumental functions the interface performs – specifically with how it acts and reacts to pre-programmed information. To do this, they have predominantly drawn on computer science and engineering perspectives. Thus digital interfaces have commonly been understood as the symbolic software that enables humans to use computers. My thesis approaches the digital interface from a different direction, concentrating on the aesthetic and cultural aspects of the digital interface, and drawing on scholarship from the fields of art history and media studies. In particular, I focus on critically examining how various interfaces are defined within art environments and how they influence the way subjects, objects, and the relationships and processes that exist between them are understood in these disciplinary fields and practices. Throughout, I propose a more expansive definition of the digital interface in interactive new media installations, positioning it as a dynamic, hybrid, aesthetic and cultural process. I thus reformulate the problem of the digital interface as a problem of making the often invisible aspects of the device legible. Ultimately, I argue that the interface mediates, thus creates, to an extent, relationships between viewer/participants, artists and artworks as well as influences the movements and perceptions of those interacting with it. This reading enables me to conclude that the digital interface can be seen as an important actor in positioning and (re)shaping specific ways in which the self relates to technology, to artistic practice and to other human and nonhuman beings in the current media culture. At the heart of this thesis is the notion that the digital interface matters and that a critical exploration of it in aesthetic contexts can help us understand and possibly reconfigure our human relationship with technology

Art and Design Practices as a Driver for Deformable Controls, Textures and Screen Interactions

In this thesis, we demonstrate the innovative uses of deformable interfaces to help de-velop future digital art and design interactions. The great benefits of advancing digital art can often come at a cost of tactile feeling and physical expression, while traditional methods celebrate the diverse sets of physical tools and materials. We identified these sets of tools and materials to inform the development of new art and design interfaces that offer rich physical mediums for digital artist and designers. In order to bring forth these unique inter-actions, we draw on the latest advances in deformable interface technology. Therefore, our research contributes a set of understandings about how deformable interfaces can be har-nessed for art and design interfaces. We identify and discuss the following contributions: insights into tangible and digital practices of artists and designers; prototypes to probe the benefits and possibilities of deformable displays and materials in support of digital-physical art and design, user-centred evaluations of these prototypes to inform future developments, and broader insights into the deformable interface research.Each chapter of this thesis investigates a specific element of art and design, alongside an aspect of deformable interfaces resulting in a new prototype. We begin the thesis by studying the use of physical actuation to simulate artist tools in deformable surfaces. In this chapter, our evaluations highlight the merits of improved user experiences and insights into eyes-free interactions. We then turn to explore deformable textures. Driven by the tactile feeling of mixing paints, we present a gel-based interface that is capable of simulating the feeling of paints on the back of mobile devices. Our evaluations showed how artists endorsed the interactions and held potential for digital oil painting.Our final chapter presents research conducted with digital designers. We explore their colour picking processes and developed a digital version of physical swatches using a mod-ular screen system. This use of tangible proxies in digital-based processes brought a level of playfulness and held potential to support collaborative workflows across disciplines. To conclude, we share how our outcomes from these studies could help shape the broader space of art and design interactions and deformable interface research. We suggest future work and directions based on our findings