A 4-degrees-of-freedom microrobot with nanometer resolution

A new type of microrobot is described. Its simple and compact design is believed to be of promise in the microrobotics field. Stepping motion allows speeds up to 4mm/s. Resolution smaller than 10 nm is achievable. Experiments in an open-loop motion demonstrated a repeatability better than 50µm on a 10 mm displacement at an average speed of 0.25 mm/s. A position feedback based on a microvision system will be developed in order to achieve a submicron absolute position accurac

Low-power hermetically sealed on-chip plasma light source micromachined in glass

We report on the fabrication and testing of a chip-scale plasma light source. The device consists of a stack of three anodically bonded Pyrex wafers, which hermetically enclose a gas-filled cavity in which electrodes are used to ignite a low power (≪500 mW) RF plasma

Microlever with combined integrated sensor/actuator functions for scanning force microscopy

A novel silicon microfabricated sensor head for the scanning force microscope (SFM) is presented. The force sensor consists of a cantilever and an adjacent counter-electrode forming the two plates of a capacitor. Force-induced cantilever deflections are monitored by capacitive detection. Typical lever dimensions of 800 um x 40 um and a gap of 3 um yield an active sensing capacitance C=O.l pF. The expected sensitivity in terms of vertical cantilever motion is dC/dz=10 fF/m. In addition to the sensing capability, the microlever can also be z-actuated by applying controlled voltages. This allows both the tip-to-sample distance and the cantilever/system compliance to be adjusted. Expressions are derived for the amplitude of cantilever deflections under electrostatic actuation in the static and dynamic modes as pertinent to applications of SFM in the contact and non-contact modes. The microlever is fabricated using silicon bulk- and surface-micromachining techniques including fusion bonding and sacrificial layer etching. First measurements of the static and dynamic deflections of cantilevers are analysed and show promising results. The reported device basically represents a module of an SFM microsystem with integrated cantilever deflection sensor and adjustment capability

Microlever with combined integrated sensor/actuator functions for scanning force microscopy

A novel silicon microfabricated sensor head for the scanning force microscope (SFM) is presented. The force sensor consists of a cantilever and an adjacent counter-electrode forming the two plates of a capacitor. Force-induced cantilever deflections are monitored by capacitive detection. Typical lever dimensions of 800 um x 40 um and a gap of 3 um yield an active sensing capacitance C=O.l pF. The expected sensitivity in terms of vertical cantilever motion is dC/dz=10 fF/m. In addition to the sensing capability, the microlever can also be z-actuated by applying controlled voltages. This allows both the tip-to-sample distance and the cantilever/system compliance to be adjusted. Expressions are derived for the amplitude of cantilever deflections under electrostatic actuation in the static and dynamic modes as pertinent to applications of SFM in the contact and non-contact modes. The microlever is fabricated using silicon bulk- and surface-micromachining techniques including fusion bonding and sacrificial layer etching. First measurements of the static and dynamic deflections of cantilevers are analysed and show promising results. The reported device basically represents a module of an SFM microsystem with integrated cantilever deflection sensor and adjustment capability

First AMBER/VLTI observations of hot massive stars

AMBER is the first near infrared focal instrument of the VLTI. It combines three telescopes and produces spectrally resolved interferometric measures. This paper discusses some preliminary results of the first scientific observations of AMBER with three Unit Telescopes at medium (1500) and high (12000) spectral resolution. We derive a first set of constraints on the structure of the circumstellar material around the Wolf Rayet Gamma2 Velorum and the LBV Eta Carinae

Massive stars as thermonuclear reactors and their explosions following core collapse

Nuclear reactions transform atomic nuclei inside stars. This is the process of stellar nucleosynthesis. The basic concepts of determining nuclear reaction rates inside stars are reviewed. How stars manage to burn their fuel so slowly most of the time are also considered. Stellar thermonuclear reactions involving protons in hydrostatic burning are discussed first. Then I discuss triple alpha reactions in the helium burning stage. Carbon and oxygen survive in red giant stars because of the nuclear structure of oxygen and neon. Further nuclear burning of carbon, neon, oxygen and silicon in quiescent conditions are discussed next. In the subsequent core-collapse phase, neutronization due to electron capture from the top of the Fermi sea in a degenerate core takes place. The expected signal of neutrinos from a nearby supernova is calculated. The supernova often explodes inside a dense circumstellar medium, which is established due to the progenitor star losing its outermost envelope in a stellar wind or mass transfer in a binary system. The nature of the circumstellar medium and the ejecta of the supernova and their dynamics are revealed by observations in the optical, IR, radio, and X-ray bands, and I discuss some of these observations and their interpretations.Comment: To be published in " Principles and Perspectives in Cosmochemistry" Lecture Notes on Kodai School on Synthesis of Elements in Stars; ed. by Aruna Goswami & Eswar Reddy, Springer Verlag, 2009. Contains 21 figure