201 research outputs found
Inverted Fluorescence Microscope
The Inverted Fluorescence Microscope senior project team at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo designed, assembled, and tested a proof-of-concept inverted fluorescence microscope for the university’s Microfabrication Laboratory. Administrators of the laboratory wished to use fluorescence for research and experiments involving cell growth and flow visualization on the micro-scale, and did not have the budget to purchase one of the costly commercially available options. The scope of this design challenge was to produce a low-cost inverted fluorescence microscope employing available optical components and additional readily sourced parts to expand the use of fluorescence microscopy accessible to undergraduate students in the Microfabrication Laboratory.
This document is an account of the final microscope design as well as the engineering design process, project management procedures, and timeline followed to produce a working design verification prototype. The final product successfully resolved images of microfluidic devices in brightfield mode with automated maneuverability in the X-Y plane. It is equipped with fluorescence capabilities, and will serve as a valuable, low-cost research tool and platform for future student projects
Chemical patterning for the highly specific and programmed assembly of nanostructures
We have developed a new chemical patterning technique based on standard lithography-based processes to assemble nanostructures on surfaces with extraordinarily high selectivity. This patterning process is used to create patterns of aminosilane molecular layers surrounded by highly inert poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) molecules. While the aminosilane regions facilitate nanostructure assembly, the PEG coating prevents adsorption of molecules and nanostructures, thereby priming the semiconductor substrate for the highly localized and programmed assembly of nanostructures. We demonstrate the power and versatility of this manufacturing process by building multilayered structures of gold nanoparticles attached to molecules of DNA onto the aminosilane patterns, with zero nanocrystal adsorption onto the surrounding PEG regions. The highly specific surface chemistry developed here can be used in conjunction with standard microfabrication and emerging nanofabrication technology to seamlessly integrate various nanostructures with semiconductor electronics
Development of the ALMA-North America Sideband-Separating SIS Mixers
As the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) nears completion,
73 dual-polarization receivers have been delivered for each of Bands 3 (84-116
GHz) and 6 (211-275 GHz). The receivers use sideband-separating superconducting
Nb/Al-AlOx/Nb tunnel-junction (SIS) mixers, developed for ALMA to suppress
atmospheric noise in the image band. The mixers were designed taking into
account dynamic range, input return loss, and signal-to-image conversion (which
can be significant in SIS mixers). Typical SSB receiver noise temperatures in
Bands 3 and 6 are 30 K and 60 K, resp., and the image rejection is typically 15
dB.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Tech., June 2013. 10 pages,
21 figure
Automated Microscope Stage
This document seeks to describe the background information, customer requirements, design specifications, indications for use, selected materials, proposed budget, prototypes, final design, manufacturing processes, and testing methods regarding the CellOptimizer automated microscope stage product
IC-processed micro-motors: design, technology, and testing
Micro-motors having rotors with diameters between 60 and 120 μm have been fabricated and driven electrostatically to continuous rotation. These motors were built using processes derived from IC (integrated circuit) microcircuit fabrication techniques. Initial tests on the motors show that friction plays a dominant role in their dynamic behavior. Observed rotational speeds have thus far been limited to several hundred r.p.m., which is a small fraction of what would be achievable if only natural frequency were to limit the response. Experimental starting voltages are at least an order of magnitude larger than had been expected (60 V at minimum and above 100 V for some structures). Observations of asynchronous as well as synchronous rotation between the driving fields and the rotors can be explained in terms of the torque/rotor-angle characteristics for the motors
Experimental evidence for a surface distribution of two-level systems in superconducting lithographed microwave resonators
We present measurements of the temperature-dependent frequency shift of five
niobium superconducting coplanar waveguide microresonators with center strip
widths ranging from 3 m to 50 m, taken at temperatures in the range
100-800 mK, far below the 9.2 K transition temperature of niobium. These data
agree well with the two-level system (TLS) theory. Fits to this theory provide
information on the number of TLS that interact with each resonator geometry.
The geometrical scaling indicates a surface distribution of TLS, and the data
are consistent with a TLS surface layer thickness of order a few nm, as might
be expected for a native oxide layer.Comment: 3 figures, submitted to AP
A fully integrated high-Q Whispering-Gallery Wedge Resonator
Microresonator devices which posses ultra-high quality factors are essential
for fundamental investigations and applications. Microsphere and microtoroid
resonators support remarkably high Q's at optical frequencies, while planarity
constrains preclude their integration into functional lightwave circuits.
Conventional semiconductor processing can also be used to realize
ultra-high-Q's with planar wedge-resonators. Still, their full integration with
side-coupled dielectric waveguides remains an issue. Here we show the full
monolithic integration of a wedge-resonator/waveguide vertically-coupled system
on a silicon chip. In this approach the cavity and the waveguide lay in
different planes. This permits to realize the shallow-angle wedge while the
waveguide remains intact, allowing therefore to engineer a coupling of
arbitrary strength between these two. The precise size-control and the
robustness against post-processing operation due to its monolithic integration
makes this system a prominent platform for industrial-scale integration of
ultra-high-Q devices into planar lightwave chips.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
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