Tapered transmission line technique based graded matching layers for thickness mode piezoelectric transducers

Conventionally, in order to acoustically match thickness mode piezoelectric transducers to a low acoustic impedance load medium, multiple quarter wavelength (QW) matching layers are employed at the front face of the device. Typically a number of layers, 2-4 in number, are employed resulting in discrete impedance steps within the acoustic matching scheme. This can result in impedance matching with limited bandwidth characteristics. This paper investigates the application of tapered transmission line filter theory to implement a graded impedance profile, through the thickness of the matching layer scheme, to solve the impedance mismatch problem whilst accounting for enhanced transducer sensitivity and bandwidth

An Approach to Assess Solder Interconnect Degradation Using Digital Signal

Department of Human and Systems EngineeringDigital signals used in electronic systems require reliable data communication. It is necessary to monitor the system health continuously to prevent system failure in advance. Solder joints in electronic assemblies are one of the major failure sites under thermal, mechanical and chemical stress conditions during their operation. Solder joint degradation usually starts from the surface where high speed signals are concentrated due to the phenomenon referred to as the skin effect. Due to the skin effect, high speed signals are sensitive when detecting the early stages of solder joint degradation. The objective of the thesis is to assess solder joint degradation in a non-destructive way based on digital signal characterization. For accelerated life testing the stress conditions were designed in order to generate gradual degradation of solder joints. The signal generated by a digital signal transceiver was travelling through the solder joints to continuously monitor the signal integrity under the stress conditions. The signal properities were obtained by eye parameters and jitter, which represented the characteristics of the digital signal in terms of noise and timing error. The eye parameters and jitter exhibited significant increase after the exposure of the solder joints to the stress conditions. The test results indicated the deterioration of the signal integrity resulted from the solder joint degradation, and proved that high speed digital signals could serve as a non-destructive tool for sensing physical degradation. Since this approach is based on the digital signals used in electronic systems, it can be implemented without requiring additional sensing devices. Furthermore, this approach can serve as a proactive prognostic tool, which provides real-time health monitoring of electronic systems and triggers early warning for impending failure.ope

Low-loss directional cloaks without superluminal velocity or magnetic response

The possibility of making an optically large (many wavelengths in diameter) object appear invisible has been a subject of many recent studies. Exact invisibility scenarios for large (relative to the wavelength) objects involve (meta)materials with superluminal phase velocity (refractive index less than unity) and/or magnetic response. We introduce a new approximation applicable to certain device geometries in the eikonal limit: piecewise-uniform scaling of the refractive index. This transformation preserves the ray trajectories, but leads to a uniform phase delay. We show how to take advantage of phase delays to achieve a limited (directional and wavelength-dependent) form of invisibility that does not require loss-ridden (meta)materials with superluminal phase velocities.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figure

A CMOS four-quadrant analog current multiplier

A CMOS four-quadrant analog current multiplier is described. The circuit is based on the square-law characteristic of an MOS transistor and is insensitive to temperature and process variations. The circuit is insensitive to the body effect so it is not necessary to place transistors in individual wells. The multiplier has a large -3-dB bandwidth (50 MHz with 10-¿m transistors) and an approximately constant input impedance. The circuit was realized on a CMOS semicustom array. Measurements have shown that the nonlinearity is less than 1% at the maximum input current range and less than 0.2% when the input range is restricted to 50% of the maximu

Design and characterization of optical-THz phase-matched traveling-wave photomixers

Design and characterization of optical-THz phase-matched traveling-wave photomixers for difference-frequency generation of THz waves are presented. A de-biased coplanar stripline fabricated on low-temperature-grown GaAs is illuminated by two non-collinear laser beams which generate moving interference fringes that are accompanied by THz waves. By tuning the offset angle between the two laser beams, the velocity of the interference fringe can be matched to the phase velocity of the THz wave in the coplanar stripline. The generated THz waves are radiated into free space by the antenna at the termination of the stripline. Enhancement of the output power was clearly observed when the phase-matching condition was satisfied. The output power spectrum has a 3-dB bandwidth of 2 THz and rolls off as ~9 dB/Oct which is determined by the frequency dependent attenuation in the stripline, while the bandwidth of conventional photomixer design has the limitation by the RC time constant due to the electrode capacitance. The device can handle the laser power of over 380 mW, which is 5 times higher than the maximum power handring capability of conventional small area devices. The results show that the traveling-wave photomixers have the potential to surpass small area designs, especially at higher frequencies over I THz, owing to their great thermal dissipation capability and capacitance-free wide bandwidth

Length mode piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer for inspection of solid objects

The transducer is constructed from individual transducer elements arranged in an array and configured to exhibit a predominant, longitudinal mode transversely to the array. The elements are interconnected through thin flexible sheets. Each element is individually damped, and the transducer as a whole is electrically damped through resonance with the clamped capacitance and dissipation. Electrical control permits inphase operation of all transducer elements or control with preselected phase differences

Origin and reduction of wakefields in photonic crystal accelerator cavities

Photonic crystal (PhC) defect cavities that support an accelerating mode tend to trap unwanted higher-order modes (HOMs) corresponding to zero-group-velocity PhC lattice modes at the top of the bandgap. The effect is explained quite generally from photonic band and perturbation theoretical arguments. Transverse wakefields resulting from this effect are observed in a hybrid dielectric PhC accelerating cavity based on a triangular lattice of sapphire rods. These wakefields are, on average, an order of magnitude higher than those in the waveguide-damped Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) copper cavities. The avoidance of translational symmetry (and, thus, the bandgap concept) can dramatically improve HOM damping in PhC-based structures.Comment: 11 pages, 18 figures, 2 table