A three-semester interdisciplinary educational program in microsystems engineering

Journal ArticleMotivated by an NSF IGERT grant in the general area of microfluidics, a sequence of three interdisciplinary technical courses has been developed in the emerging area of microsystems engineering. Designed to be taken in series, these courses take students, both graduate and upper-level undergraduates from multiple disciplines, who have virtually no knowledge of the microscale and nanoscale engineering and science field, and provide them with the ability to design and fabricate complete microscale and nanoscale systems

Building academic, research, and commercialization programs in micro and nano science and engineering at the University of Utah

Journal ArticleAbstract-This paper presents a case-study of some University /Government / Industry interactions at the University of Utah that build research and academic programs and create opportunities fur economic growth in the areas of micro and nanu science and engineering

Microchannel fluid behavior using micropolar fluid theory

Journal ArticleIn this paper, we describe microchannel fluid behavior using a numerical model based on micropolar fluid theory and experimentally verify the model using micromachined channels. The micropolar fluid theory augments the laws of classical continuum mechanics by incorporating the effects of fluid molecules on the continuum. The behavior of fluids was studied using surface micromachined rectangular metallic pipette arrays. A downstream port for static pressure measurement was used to eliminate entrance effects. The numerical model of the micropolar fluid theory compares favorably with the experimental data

Miniaturization technologies for advanced energy conversion and transfer systems

Microfabrication technologies have made possible the development of meso-scale energy conversion and chemical processing systems with microscale features. Scaling effects, such as the linear increase in surface-area-to-volume ratio that affects surface processes such as convection heat transfer, adsorption, and catalytic chemical conversion processes, provide some of the motivation for the miniaturization efforts. Other mechanical, thermal, and fluid scaling effects are presented. Fabrication and material limitations, as well as scaling effects, must be considered in the design process and may result in miniaturized systems that are considerably different than their full-scale prototypes. System and component development efforts at Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratories are highlighted. A fuel atomizer for gas turbine engines and a multicomponent fuel processor for the production of on-demand hydrogen are microscale components that show potential for improving current large-scale systems. Complete miniaturized systems such as a gas turbine, a vapor-absorption heat pump, and a Joule-Thompson cryocooler could be used for mobile power production and cooling of electronics and individuals. Components for miniaturized systems include microbatteries with multiple definable voltage levels and a high degree of integratability and a combustor/evaporator for methane combustion with low levels of harmful emissions

The Robotic Multi-Object Focal Plane System of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI)

A system of 5,020 robotic fiber positioners was installed in 2019 on the Mayall Telescope, at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The robots automatically re-target their optical fibers every 10 - 20 minutes, each to a precision of several microns, with a reconfiguration time less than 2 minutes. Over the next five years, they will enable the newly-constructed Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) to measure the spectra of 35 million galaxies and quasars. DESI will produce the largest 3D map of the universe to date and measure the expansion history of the cosmos. In addition to the 5,020 robotic positioners and optical fibers, DESI's Focal Plane System includes 6 guide cameras, 4 wavefront cameras, 123 fiducial point sources, and a metrology camera mounted at the primary mirror. The system also includes associated structural, thermal, and electrical systems. In all, it contains over 675,000 individual parts. We discuss the design, construction, quality control, and integration of all these components. We include a summary of the key requirements, the review and acceptance process, on-sky validations of requirements, and lessons learned for future multi-object, fiber-fed spectrographs

The Robotic Multi-Object Focal Plane System of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI)

International audienceA system of 5,020 robotic fiber positioners was installed in 2019 on the Mayall Telescope, at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The robots automatically re-target their optical fibers every 10 - 20 minutes, each to a precision of several microns, with a reconfiguration time less than 2 minutes. Over the next five years, they will enable the newly-constructed Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) to measure the spectra of 35 million galaxies and quasars. DESI will produce the largest 3D map of the universe to date and measure the expansion history of the cosmos. In addition to the 5,020 robotic positioners and optical fibers, DESI's Focal Plane System includes 6 guide cameras, 4 wavefront cameras, 123 fiducial point sources, and a metrology camera mounted at the primary mirror. The system also includes associated structural, thermal, and electrical systems. In all, it contains over 675,000 individual parts. We discuss the design, construction, quality control, and integration of all these components. We include a summary of the key requirements, the review and acceptance process, on-sky validations of requirements, and lessons learned for future multi-object, fiber-fed spectrographs

The Robotic Multi-Object Focal Plane System of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI)

A system of 5,020 robotic fiber positioners was installed in 2019 on the Mayall Telescope, at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The robots automatically re-target their optical fibers every 10 - 20 minutes, each to a precision of several microns, with a reconfiguration time less than 2 minutes. Over the next five years, they will enable the newly-constructed Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) to measure the spectra of 35 million galaxies and quasars. DESI will produce the largest 3D map of the universe to date and measure the expansion history of the cosmos. In addition to the 5,020 robotic positioners and optical fibers, DESI's Focal Plane System includes 6 guide cameras, 4 wavefront cameras, 123 fiducial point sources, and a metrology camera mounted at the primary mirror. The system also includes associated structural, thermal, and electrical systems. In all, it contains over 675,000 individual parts. We discuss the design, construction, quality control, and integration of all these components. We include a summary of the key requirements, the review and acceptance process, on-sky validations of requirements, and lessons learned for future multi-object, fiber-fed spectrographs