Continuously variable W-band phase shifters based on MEMS-actuated conductive fingers

This paper presents four continuously variable W-band phase shifters in terms of design, fabrication, and radiofrequency (RF) characterization. They are based on low-loss ridge waveguide resonators tuned by electrostatically actuated highly conductive rigid fingers with measured variable deflection between 0.3° and 8.25° (at a control voltage of 0-27.5 V). A transmission-type phase shifter based on a tunable highly coupled resonator has been manufactured and measured. It shows a maximum figure of merit (FOM) of 19.5°/dB and a transmission phase variation of 70° at 98.4GHz. The FOM and the transmission phase shift are increased to 55°/dB and 134°, respectively, by the effective coupling of two tunable resonances at the same device with a single tuning element. The FOM can be further improved for a tunable reflective-type phase shifter, consisting of a transmission-type phase shifter in series with a passive resonator and a waveguide short. Such a reflective-type phase shifter has been built and tested. It shows a maximum FOM of 101°/dB at 107.4GHz. Here, the maximum phase shift varied between 0° and 377° for fingers deflections between 0.3° and 8.25

Towards Internet of Things for event-driven low-power gas sensing using carbon nanotubes

One of most important applications of sensing devices under the Internet of Things paradigm is air quality monitoring, which is particularly useful in urban and industrial environments where air pollution is an increasing public health problem. As these sensing systems are usually battery-powered and gas sensors are power-hungry, energy-efficient design and power management are required to extend the device's lifetime. In this paper, we present a two-stage concept where a novel low-power carbon nanotube is used as a gas detector for an energy-consuming metal-oxide (MOX) semiconductor gas sensor. We propose a design of a heterogeneous sensor node where we exploit the low-power nanotube gas sensor and the more accurate MOX sensor. This work performs energy consumption simulations for three event-driven scenarios to evaluate the power consumption reduction, as well as the limitations of carbon nanotubes. Our results show the benefits of the proposed approach over the scenarios with adaptive duty-cycling with only MOX gas sensors, proved with 20%-35% node lifetime prolongation. The delay introduced due to the nanotube recovery time can be overcome by radio duty-cycled activity for detecting alarm messages from the neighbour nodes

3D TCAD modeling of NO2CNT FET sensors

A new approach for TCAD modeling of CNT FET gas sensors is presented, whose key feature is the use of an effective Gaussian DOS to mimic the 1D CNT DOS. The TCAD procedure has been applied to the simulation of a suspended CNT FET for NO2sensing. Our results indicate that the model is able to provide I-V characteristics in excellent agreement with the experimental data, both before and after gas exposure

Franck-Condon blockade in suspended carbon nanotube quantum dots

Understanding the influence of vibrational motion of the atoms on electronic transitions in molecules constitutes a cornerstone of quantum physics, as epitomized by the Franck-Condon principle of spectroscopy. Recent advances in building molecular-electronics devices and nanoelectromechanical systems open a new arena for studying the interaction between mechanical and electronic degrees of freedom in transport at the single-molecule level. The tunneling of electrons through molecules or suspended quantum dots has been shown to excite vibrational modes, or vibrons. Beyond this effect, theory predicts that strong electron-vibron coupling dramatically suppresses the current flow at low biases, a collective behaviour known as Franck-Condon blockade. Here we show measurements on quantum dots formed in suspended single-wall carbon nanotubes revealing a remarkably large electron-vibron coupling and, due to the high quality and unprecedented tunability of our samples, admit a quantitative analysis of vibron-mediated electronic transport in the regime of strong electron-vibron coupling. This allows us to unambiguously demonstrate the Franck-Condon blockade in a suspended nanostructure. The large observed electron-vibron coupling could ultimately be a key ingredient for the detection of quantized mechanical motion. It also emphasizes the unique potential for nanoelectromechanical device applications based on suspended graphene sheets and carbon nanotubes.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Novel Sensor Integration Approach for Blood Pressure Sensing in Ventricular Assist Devices

An application-specific approach for sensor integration for continuous blood pressure sensing in ventricular assist devices (VAD) is introduced. The piezoresistive absolute pressure sensor is to be located within the VAD's inflow cannula's sidewall. This diaphragm is fabricated by suspending a Parylene-C coating, covering the entirety of the cannula's interior, over a preformed recess. The recess is later sealed from the outside of the cannula, enclosing a silicone oil as pressure transmission liquid and a digital pressure sensor. First characterization measurements show that the resulting sensor assembly behaves linearly and has an absolute measurement error below 104:2Pa (0:21% FS) at a measurement range of 80 kPa-130kPa