title: Coherent Control of spin-orbit precession with shaped laser pulses

abstract:
  Spin precession in Rubidium atoms is investigated through a pump-probe
technique. The excited wave packet corresponds to a precession of spin and
orbital angular momentum around the total angular momentum. We show that using
shaped laser pulses allows us to control this dynamics. With a Fourier
transform limited pulse, the wave packet is initially prepared in the bright
state (coupled to the initial state) whereas a pulse presenting a $\pi $ step
in the spectral phase prepares the wave packet in the dark state (uncoupled to
the initial state).


title:
First principles calculations of the electronic and geometric structure
  of $Ag_{27}Cu_{7}$ nanoalloy

abstract:
  \emph{Ab initio} calculations of the structure and electronic density of
states (DOS) of the perfect core-shell $Ag_{27}Cu_{7}$ nanoalloy attest to its
$D_{5h}$ symmetry and confirm that it has only 6 non-equivalent (2 $Cu$ and 4
$Ag$) atoms. Analysis of bond-length, average formation energy, heat of
formation of $Ag_{27}Cu_{7}$ and $L1_2$ $Ag-Cu$ alloys provide an explanation
for the relative stability of the former with respect to the other nanoalloys
in the same family. The HOMO-LUMO gap is found to be 0.77 eV, in agreement with
previous results. Analysis of the DOS of $Ag_{27}Cu_{7}$, $L1_2$ $Ag-Cu$ alloys
and related systems provides insight into the effects of low coordination,
contraction/expansion and the presence of foreign atoms on the DOS of $Cu$ and
$Ag$. While some characteristics of the DOS are reminiscent of those of the
phonon-stable $L1_2$ $Ag-Cu$ alloys, the $Cu$ and $Ag$ states hybridize
significantly in $Ag_{27}Cu_{7}$, compensating the $d$-band narrowing that each
atom undergoes and hindering the dip in the DOS found in the bulk alloys.
Charge density plots of $Ag_{27}Cu_{7}$ provide further insights into the
relative strengths of the various interatomic bonds. Our results for the
electronic and geometric structure of this nanoalloy can be explained in terms
of length and strength hierarchies of the bonds, which may have implications
also for the stability of alloy in any phase or size.


title:
Measurement of the branching fraction and charge asymmetry of the decay
  B+ -> D+ D0bar and search for B0 -> D0 D0bar

abstract:
  We report an improved measurement of the B+ -> D+ D0bar and B0 -> D0 D0bar
decays based on 657 10^6 BBar events collected with the Belle detector at KEKB.
We measure the branching fraction and charge asymmetry for the B+ -> D+ D0bar
decay: B(B+ -> D+ D0bar)=(3.85 +- 0.31 +- 0.38) 10^{-4} and Acp(B+ -> D+
D0bar)=0.00 +- 0.08 +- 0.02, where the first error is statistical and the
second is systematic. We also set the upper limit for the B0 -> D0 D0bar decay:
B(B0 -> D0 D0bar)< 0.43 10^{-4}at 90% CL.


title: Generalized Smoluchowski equation with correlation between clusters

abstract:
  In this paper we compute new reaction rates of the Smoluchowski equation
which takes into account correlations. The new rate K = KMF + KC is the sum of
two terms. The first term is the known Smoluchowski rate with the mean-field
approximation. The second takes into account a correlation between clusters.
For this purpose we introduce the average path of a cluster. We relate the
length of this path to the reaction rate of the Smoluchowski equation. We solve
the implicit dependence between the average path and the density of clusters.
We show that this correlation length is the same for all clusters. Our result
depends strongly on the spatial dimension d. The mean-field term KMFi,j = (Di +
Dj)(rj + ri)d-2, which vanishes for d = 1 and is valid up to logarithmic
correction for d = 2, is the usual rate found with the Smoluchowski model
without correlation (where ri is the radius and Di is the diffusion constant of
the cluster). We compute a new rate: the correlation rate K_{i,j}^{C}
(D_i+D_j)(r_j+r_i)^{d-1}M{\big(\frac{d-1}{d_f}}\big) is valid for d \leq
1(where M(\alpha) = \sum+\infty i=1i\alphaNi is the moment of the density of
clusters and df is the fractal dimension of the cluster). The result is valid
for a large class of diffusion processes and mass radius relations. This
approach confirms some analytical solutions in d 1 found with other methods. We
also show Monte Carlo simulations which illustrate some exact new solvable
models.


title:
Modelling solar-like variability for the detection of Earth-like
  planetary transits. I. Performance of the three-spot modelling and harmonic
  function fitting

abstract:
  We present a comparison of two methods of fitting solar-like variability to
increase the efficiency of detection of Earth-like planetary transits across
the disk of a Sun-like star. One of them is the harmonic fitting method that
coupled with the BLS detection algorithm demonstrated the best performance
during the first CoRoT blind test. We apply a Monte Carlo approach by
simulating a large number of light curves of duration 150 days for different
values of planetary radius, orbital period, epoch of the first transit, and
standard deviation of the photon shot noise. Stellar variability is assumed in
all the cases to be given by the Total Solar Irradiance variations as observed
close to the maximum of solar cycle 23. After fitting solar variability,
transits are searched for by means of the BLS algorithm. We find that a model
based on three point-like active regions is better suited than a best fit with
a linear combination of 200 harmonic functions to reduce the impact of stellar
microvariability provided that the standard deviation of the noise is 2-4 times
larger than the central depth of the transits. On the other hand, the
200-harmonic fit is better when the standard deviation of the noise is
comparable to the transit depth. Our results show the advantage of a model
including a simple but physically motivated treatment of stellar
microvariability for the detection of planetary transits when the standard
deviation of the photon shot noise is greater than the transit depth and
stellar variability is analogous to solar irradiance variations.


title: Test of Influence from Future in Large Hadron Collider; A Proposal

abstract:
  We have earlier proposed the idea of making card drawing experiment of which
outcome potentially decides whether Large Hadron Collider (LHC for short)
should be closed or not. The purpose is to test theoretical models which, like
e.g. our own model that has an imaginary part of the action with much a similar
form to that of the real part. The imaginary part has influence on the initial
conditions not only in the past but even from the future. It was speculated
that all accelerators producing large amounts of Higgs particles like the
Superconducting Super Collider (SSC for short) would call for initial
conditions to have been so arranged as to finally not allow these accelerators
to come to work. If there were such effects we could perhaps provoke a very
clear cut "miracle" by having the effect make the drawn card be the one closing
LHC. Here we shall, however, discuss that a total closing is hardly needed and
seek to calculate how one could perform checking experiment for the proposed
type of influence from future to be made in the statistically least disturbing
and least harmful way.
  We shall also discuss how to extract most information about our effect or
model in the unlikely case that a card restricting the running of LHC or the
Tevatron would be drawn at all, by estimating say the relative importance of
high beam energy or of high luminosity for the purpose of our effect.


title: Asymptotic behavior of beta-integers

abstract:
  Beta-integers (``$\beta$-integers'') are those numbers which are the
counterparts of integers when real numbers are expressed in irrational basis
$\beta > 1$. In quasicrystalline studies $\beta$-integers supersede the
``crystallographic'' ordinary integers. When the number $\beta$ is a Parry
number, the corresponding $\beta$-integers realize only a finite number of
distances between consecutive elements and somewhat appear like ordinary
integers, mainly in an asymptotic sense. In this letter we make precise this
asymptotic behavior by proving four theorems concerning Parry $\beta$-integers.


title:
Lie group extensions associated to projective modules of continuous
  inverse algebras

abstract:
  We call a unital locally convex algebra $A$ a continuous inverse algebra if
its unit group $A^\times$ is open and inversion is a continuous map. For any
smooth action of a, possibly infinite-dimensional, connected Lie group $G$ on a
continuous inverse algebra $A$ by automorphisms and any finitely generated
projective right $A$-module $E$, we construct a Lie group extension $\hat G$ of
$G$ by the group $\GL_A(E)$ of automorphisms of the $A$-module $E$. This Lie
group extension is a ``non-commutative'' version of the group $\Aut(\V)$ of
automorphism of a vector bundle over a compact manifold $M$, which arises for
$G = \Diff(M)$, $A = C^\infty(M,\C)$ and $E = \Gamma\V$. We also identify the
Lie algebra $\hat\g$ of $\hat G$ and explain how it is related to connections
of the $A$-module $E$.


title:
Direct observation of the coexistence of pseudogap and superconducting
  quasi-particles in Bi2212 by time-resolved optical spectroscopy

abstract:
  We report the ultra-fast optical response of quasi-particles (QPs) in both
the pseudogap (PG) and superconducting (SC) states of underdoped (UD)
Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+\delta}$ (Bi2212) single crystal measured with
the time-resolved pump-probe technique. At a probe energy
$\hbar\omega_{pr}$=1.55 eV, it is found that the reflectivity change
$\Delta$R/R changes its sign at exactly $T_{c}$, which allows the direct
separation of the charge dynamics of PG and SC QPs. Further systematic
investigations indicate that the transient signals associated with PG and SC
QPs depend on the probe beam energy and polarization. By tuning them below
$T_{c}$ two distinct components can be detected simultaneously, providing
evidence for the coexistence of PG and SC QPs.


title: Palindromic Saturation

abstract:
  We consider two {seemingly} different definitions of infinite words which
contain {the} utmost number of palindromes. We show that these two definitions
coincide. {The keynote of the proof is a meticulous inspection of properties of
complete return words and the application of some basic graph theory.} In fact,
we provide another proof of the result announced in \cite{Zamboni}.


title:
Central extensions of the Ptolemy-Thompson group and quantized
  Teichmuller theory

abstract:
  The central extension of the Thompson group $T$ that arises in the quantized
Teichm\"uller theory is 12 times the Euler class. This extension is obtained by
taking a (partial) abelianization of the so-called braided Ptolemy-Thompson
group introduced and studied in \cite{FK2}. We describe then the cyclic central
extensions of $T$ by means of explicit presentations.


title: Kaon Condensation, Black Holes and Cosmological Natural Selection

abstract:
  It is argued that a well measured double neutron star binary in which the two
neutron stars are more than 4% different from each other in mass or a massive
neutron star with mass M > 2 M_sun would put in serious doubt or simply falsify
the following chain of predictions: (1) nearly vanishing vector meson mass at
chiral restoration, (2) kaon condensation at a density n ~ 3 n_0, (3) the
Brown-Bethe maximum neutron star mass M_max ~ 1.5 M_sun and (4) Smolin's
`Cosmological Natural Selection' hypothesis.


title: Spectral representation of some non stationary alpha-stable processes

abstract:
  In this paper, we give a new covariation spectral representation of some non
stationary symmetric $\alpha$-stable processes (S$\alpha$S). This
representation is based on a weaker covariation pseudo additivity condition
which is more general than the condition of independence. This work can be seen
as a generalization of the covariation spectral representation of processes
expressed as stochastic integrals with respect to independent increments
S$\alpha$S processes (see Cambanis (1983)) or with respect to the general
concept of independently scattered S$\alpha$S measures (Samorodnitsky and Taqqu
1994). Relying on this result we investigate the non stationarity structure of
some harmonisable S$\alpha$S processes especially those having periodic or
almost-periodic covariation functions.


title: On the evolution of density perturbations in f(R) theories of gravity

abstract:
  In the context of $f(R)$ theories of gravity, we study the evolution of
scalar cosmological perturbations in the metric formalism. Using a completely
general procedure, we find the exact fourth-order differential equation for the
matter density perturbations in the longitudinal gauge. In the case of
sub-Hubble modes, the expression reduces to a second-order equation which is
compared with the standard (quasi-static) equation used in the literature. We
show that for general $f(R)$ functions the quasi-static approximation is not
justified. However, for those functions adequately describing the present phase
of accelerated expansion and satisfying local gravity tests, it provides a
correct description for the evolution of perturbations.


title: The mapping class group orbit of a multicurve

abstract:
  Given a set equipped with a transitive action of a group, we define the
notion of an almost invariant coloring of the set. We consider the mapping
class group orbit of a multicurve on a compact surface, and prove that in the
case of genus at least two, no such almost invariant coloring exists.
Conversely, in the case of a closed torus, one may find almost invariant
colorings using arbitrarily many colors.


title:
Green's functions for solving differential equations, in non-boundary
  value problems in near-field optics and in quantum transport through point
  contacts

abstract:
  This introduction to Green's functions is based on their role as kernels of
differential equations. The procedures to construct solutions to a differential
equation with an external source or with an inhomogeneity term are put together
to derive the Dyson equation for the Green's function of the inhomogeneous
system. Very different areas of physics such as, for example, electrodynamics
and quantum transport, can profit from this Green's function formalism. The
fundamental homogeneous-medium Green's tensor of electrodynamics is deduced
from the field of a dipole. Based upon that a numerical procedure is presented
to solve the wave-equation for the near-field in a scattering setup for
arbitrary material distributions. The full inhomogeneous system's Green's
function is not explicitly needed to get the fields, although it can be
obtained by a very similar calculation and in optics can be interpreted as a
density of states. It is demonstrated how the transport problem for two open
free-electron gas reservoirs with arbitrary coupling can be solved by finding
the system's Green's function. In this sense the article is an introduction on
Green's functions for treating interaction. A very detailed discussion of the
current formula is given on an elementary basis.


title:
Hot QCD equation of state and quark-gluon plasma-- finite quark chemical
  potential

abstract: withdrawn due to detection of numerical errors


title: Discrete Fracture Model with Anisotropic Load Sharing

abstract:
  A two-dimensional fracture model where the interaction among elements is
modeled by an anisotropic stress-transfer function is presented. The influence
of anisotropy on the macroscopic properties of the samples is clarified, by
interpolating between several limiting cases of load sharing. Furthermore, the
critical stress and the distribution of failure avalanches are obtained
numerically for different values of the anisotropy parameter $\alpha$ and as a
function of the interaction exponent $\gamma$. From numerical results, one can
certainly conclude that the anisotropy does not change the crossover point
$\gamma_c=2$ in 2D. Hence, in the limit of infinite system size, the crossover
value $\gamma_c=2$ between local and global load sharing is the same as the one
obtained in the isotropic case. In the case of finite systems, however, for
$\gamma\le2$, the global load sharing behavior is approached very slowly.


title:
The Redshift Evolution of Wet, Dry, and Mixed Galaxy Mergers from Close
  Galaxy Pairs in the DEEP2 Galaxy Redshift Survey

abstract:
  We study the redshift evolution of galaxy pair fractions and merger rates for
different types of galaxies using kinematic pairs selected from the DEEP2
Redshift Survey. By parameterizing the evolution of the pair fraction as
(1+z)^{m}, we find that the companion rate increases mildly with redshift with
m = 0.41+-0.20 for all galaxies with -21 < M_B^{e} < -19. Blue galaxies show
slightly faster evolution in the blue companion rate with m = 1.27+-0.35 while
red galaxies have had fewer red companions in the past as evidenced by the
negative slope m = -0.92+-0.59. We find that at low redshift the pair fraction
within the red sequence exceeds that of the blue cloud, indicating a higher
merger probability among red galaxies compared to that among the blue galaxies.
With further assumptions on the merger timescale and the fraction of pairs that
will merge, the galaxy major merger rates for 0.1 < z <1.2 are estimated to be
~10^{-3}h^{3}Mpc^{-3}Gyr^{-1} with a factor of 2 uncertainty. At z ~ 1.1, 68%
of mergers are wet, 8% of mergers are dry, and 24% of mergers are mixed,
compared to 31% wet mergers, 25% dry mergers, and 44% mixed mergers at z ~ 0.1.
The growth of dry merger rates with decreasing redshift is mainly due to the
increase in the co-moving number density of red galaxies over time. About 22%
to 54% of present-day L^{*} galaxies have experienced major mergers since z ~
1.2, depending on the definition of major mergers. Moreover, 24% of the red
galaxies at the present epoch have had dry mergers with luminosity ratios
between 1:4 and 4:1 since z ~ 1. Our results also suggest that the wet mergers
and/or mixed mergers may be partially responsible for producing red galaxies
with intermediate masses while a significant portion of massive red galaxies is
assembled through dry mergers at later times.


title:
Strong interaction between light and a single trapped atom without a
  cavity

abstract:
  Coupling of light to an atom at single quanta level with high probability is
a building block for many quantum information processing protocols. It is
commonly believed that efficient coupling is only achievable with the
assistance of a cavity. Here, we report on an observation of substantial
coupling between a light beam and a single $^{87}$Rb atom in a direct
extinction measurement by focusing light to a small spot with a single lens.
Our result opens a new perspective on processing quantum information carried by
light using atoms, and is important to many ongoing experiments that require
strong coupling of single photons to an atom in free space.


title:
Localized dispersive states in nonlinear coupled mode equations for
  light propagation in fiber Bragg gratings

abstract:
  Dispersion effects induce new instabilities and dynamics in the weakly
nonlinear description of light propagation in fiber Bragg gratings. A new
family of dispersive localized pulses that propagate with the group velocity is
numerically found and its stability is also analyzed. The unavoidable different
asymptotic order of transport and dispersion effects plays a crucial role in
the determination of these localized states. These results are also interesting
from the point of view of general pattern formation since this asymptotic
imbalance is a generic situation in any transport dominated (i.e., nonzero
group velocity) spatially extended system.


title:
An exact relation between free energy fluctuations and bond chaos in the
  Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model

abstract:
  Using a variant of the interpolating Hamiltonian technique, we show that
there exists, in the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick spin glass, an exact connection
between the sample-to-sample fluctuations of the free energy and bond chaos
involving 2- and 4-replica overlaps between replicas with different but
correlated bonds. This relation is used to derive an upper bound of the
fluctuations.


title: Nucleon Electromagnetic Form Factors in QCD

abstract:
  The nucleon electromagnetic form factors are calculated in light cone QCD sum
rules framework using the most general form of the nucleon interpolating
current. Using two forms of the distribution amplitudes (DA's), predictions for
the form factors are presented and compared with existing experimental data. It
is shown that our results describe remarkably well the existing experimental
data.


title: Vus and lepton universality from kaon decays with the KLOE detector

abstract:
  KLOE has measured most decay branching ratios of Ks, Kl and K+/- mesons. It
has also measured the Kl and the K+- lifetime and determined the shape of the
form factors involved in kaon semileptonic decays. We present in the following
a description of the above measurements and a well organized compendium of all
of our data, with particular attention to correlations. These data provide the
basis for the determination of the CKM parameter Vus and a test of the
unitarity of the quark flavor mixing matrix. We also test lepton universality
and place bounds on new physics using measurements of Vus from Kl2 and Kl3
decays.


title: The operad Lie is free

abstract:
  We show that the operad Lie is free as a non-symmetric operad. Then we study
the generating series counting the operadic generators, finding a recursive
formula for its coefficients, and showing that the asymptotic density of the
operadic generators is 1/e.


title:
Extended Scaling for the high dimension and square lattice Ising
  Ferromagnets

abstract:
  In the high dimension (mean field) limit the susceptibility and the second
moment correlation length of the Ising ferromagnet depend on temperature as
chi(T)=tau^{-1} and xi(T)=T^{-1/2}tau^{-1/2} exactly over the entire
temperature range above the critical temperature T_c, with the scaling variable
tau=(T-T_c)/T. For finite dimension ferromagnets temperature dependent
effective exponents can be defined over all T using the same expressions. For
the canonical two dimensional square lattice Ising ferromagnet it is shown that
compact "extended scaling" expressions analogous to the high dimensional limit
forms give accurate approximations to the true temperature dependencies, again
over the entire temperature range from T_c to infinity. Within this approach
there is no cross-over temperature in finite dimensions above which
mean-field-like behavior sets in.


title:
Multifrequency monitoring of the blazar 0716+714 during the
  GASP-WEBT-AGILE campaign of 2007

abstract:
  Since the CGRO operation in 1991-2000, one of the primary unresolved
questions about the blazar gamma-ray emission has been its possible correlation
with the low-energy (in particular optical) emission. To help answer this
problem, the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT) consortium has organized the
GLAST-AGILE Support Program (GASP) to provide the optical-to-radio monitoring
data to be compared with the gamma-ray detections by the AGILE and GLAST
satellites. This new WEBT project started in early September 2007, just before
a strong gamma-ray detection of 0716+714 by AGILE. We present the GASP-WEBT
optical and radio light curves of this blazar obtained in July-November 2007,
about various AGILE pointings at the source. We construct NIR-to-UV spectral
energy distributions (SEDs), by assembling GASP-WEBT data together with UV data
from the Swift ToO observations of late October. We observe a contemporaneous
optical-radio outburst, which is a rare and interesting phenomenon in blazars.
The shape of the SEDs during the outburst appears peculiarly wavy because of an
optical excess and a UV drop-and-rise. The optical light curve is well sampled
during the AGILE pointings, showing prominent and sharp flares. A future
cross-correlation analysis of the optical and AGILE data will shed light on the
expected relationship between these flares and the gamma-ray events.


title: Simulation of Free Surface Compressible Flows Via a Two Fluid Model

abstract:
  The purpose of this communication is to discuss the simulation of a free
surface compressible flow between two fluids, typically air and water. We use a
two fluid model with the same velocity, pressure and temperature for both
phases. In such a numerical model, the free surface becomes a thin three
dimensional zone. The present method has at least three advantages: (i) the
free-surface treatment is completely implicit; (ii) it can naturally handle
wave breaking and other topological changes in the flow; (iii) one can easily
vary the Equation of States (EOS) of each fluid (in principle, one can even
consider tabulated EOS). Moreover, our model is unconditionally hyperbolic for
reasonable EOS.

categories: physics.comp-ph cs.NA math.NA physics.ao-ph physics.flu-dyn


title:
Thomae's formulae for non-hyperelliptic curves and spinorial square
  roots of theta-constants on the moduli space of curves

abstract:
  Determinantal formulae for Jacobian theta functions that go back to Klein are
elaborated, via an idea due to Matone and Volpato. Also, the natural square
roots of theta constants on the moduli space of curves whose existence was
shown by Tsuyumine are proved to have a spinorial structure.


title: Asymptotic counting of BPS operators in superconformal field theories

abstract:
  We consider some aspects of counting BPS operators which are annihilated by
two supercharges, in superconformal field theories. For non-zero coupling, the
corresponding multi-variable partition functions can be written in terms of
generating functions for vector partitions or their weighted generalisations.
We derive asymptotics for the density of states for a wide class of such
multi-variable partition functions. We also point out a particular
factorisation property of the finite N partition functions. Finally, we discuss
the concept of a limit curve arising from the large N partition functions,
which is related to the notion of a typical state and discuss some implications
for the holographic duals.

categories: hep-th cond-mat.stat-mech math-ph math.CA math.MP


title:
A remark on the constructibility of real root representations of quivers
  using universal extension functors

abstract:
  In this paper we consider the following question: Is it possible to construct
all real root representations of a given quiver Q by using universal extension
functors, starting with a real Schur representation? We give a concrete example
answering this question negatively.


title:
Deep inelastic inclusive and diffractive scattering at $Q^2$ values from
  25 to 320 GeV$^2$ with the ZEUS forward plug calorimeter

abstract:
  Deep inelastic scattering and its diffractive component, $ep \to
e^{\prime}\gamma^* p \to e^{\prime}XN$, have been studied at HERA with the ZEUS
detector using an integrated luminosity of 52.4 pb$^{-1}$. The $M_X$ method has
been used to extract the diffractive contribution. A wide range in the
centre-of-mass energy $W$ (37 -- 245 GeV), photon virtuality $Q^2$ (20 -- 450
GeV$^2$) and mass $M_X$ (0.28 -- 35 GeV) is covered. The diffractive cross
section for $2 < M_X < 15$ GeV rises strongly with $W$, the rise becoming
steeper as $Q^2$ increases. The data are also presented in terms of the
diffractive structure function, $F^{\rm D(3)}_2$, of the proton. For fixed
$Q^2$ and fixed $M_X$, $\xpom F^{\rm D(3)}_2$ shows a strong rise as $\xpom \to
0$, where $\xpom$ is the fraction of the proton momentum carried by the
Pomeron. For Bjorken-$x < 1 \cdot 10^{-3}$, $\xpom F^{\rm D(3)}_2$ shows
positive $\log Q^2$ scaling violations, while for $x \ge 5 \cdot 10^{-3}$
negative scaling violations are observed. The diffractive structure function is
compatible with being leading twist. The data show that Regge factorisation is
broken.


title:
Mathematical Issues in a Fully-Constrained Formulation of Einstein
  Equations

abstract:
  Bonazzola, Gourgoulhon, Grandcl\'ement, and Novak [Phys. Rev. D {\bf 70},
104007 (2004)] proposed a new formulation for 3+1 numerical relativity.
Einstein equations result, according to that formalism, in a coupled
elliptic-hyperbolic system. We have carried out a preliminary analysis of the
mathematical structure of that system, in particular focusing on the equations
governing the evolution for the deviation of a conformal metric from a flat
fiducial one. The choice of a Dirac's gauge for the spatial coordinates
guarantees the mathematical characterization of that system as a (strongly)
hyperbolic system of conservation laws. In the presence of boundaries, this
characterization also depends on the boundary conditions for the shift vector
in the elliptic subsystem. This interplay between the hyperbolic and elliptic
parts of the complete evolution system is used to assess the prescription of
inner boundary conditions for the hyperbolic part when using an excision
approach to black hole spacetime evolutions.


title: Faraday instability in a two-component Bose Einstein condensate

abstract:
  Motivated by recent experiments on Faraday waves in Bose Einstein condensates
(BEC) we investigate the dynamics of two component cigar shaped BEC subject to
periodic modulation of the strength of the transverse confinement. It is shown
that two coupled Mathieu equations govern the dynamics of the system. We found
that the two component BEC in a phase mixed state is relatively more unstable
towards pattern formation than the phase segregated state.


title:
UV Dust Attenuation in Star-forming Galaxies: II Calibrating the A(UV)
  vs. L_TIR/L_UV relation

abstract:
  We investigate the dependence of the total-infrared (TIR) to UV luminosity
ratio method for calculating the UV dust attenuation A(UV) from the age of the
underlying stellar populations by using a library of spectral energy
distributions for galaxies with different star formation histories. Our
analysis confirms that the TIR/UV vs. A(UV) relation varies significantly with
the age of the underlying stellar population: i.e. for the same TIR/UV ratio,
systems with low specific star formation rate (SSFR) suffer a lower UV
attenuation than starbursts. Using a sample of nearby field and cluster spiral
galaxies we show that the use of a standard (i.e. age independent) TIR/UV vs.
A(UV) relation leads to a systematic overestimate up to 2 magnitudes of the
amount of UV dust attenuation suffered by objects with low SSFR and in
particular HI-deficient star forming cluster galaxies. This result points out
that the age independent $TIR/UV$ vs. $A(UV)$ relation cannot be used to study
the UV properties of large samples of galaxies including low star-forming
systems and passive spirals. Therefore we give some simple empirical relations
from which the UV attenuation can be estimated taking into account its
dependence on the age of the stellar populations, providing a less biased view
of UV properties of galaxies.


title: Complexity of planar and spherical curves

abstract:
  We show that the maximal number of singular moves required to pass between
any two regularly homotopic planar or spherical curves with at most n
crossings, grows quadratically with respect to n. Furthermore, this can be done
with all curves along the way having at most n+2 crossings.


title: Quantum deformations of associative algebras and integrable systems

abstract:
  Quantum deformations of the structure constants for a class of associative
noncommutative algebras are studied. It is shown that these deformations are
governed by the quantum central systems which has a geometrical meaning of
vanishing Riemann curvature tensor for Christoffel symbols identified with the
structure constants. A subclass of isoassociative quantum deformations is
described by the oriented associativity equation and, in particular, by the
WDVV equation. It is demonstrated that a wider class of weakly (non)associative
quantum deformations is connected with the integrable soliton equations too. In
particular, such deformations for the three-dimensional and
infinite-dimensional algebras are described by the Boussinesq equation and KP
hierarchy, respectively.


title:
Direct Measurement of the Gluon Polarisation in the Nucleon via Charmed
  Meson Production

abstract:
  We present the first measurement of the gluon polarisation in the nucleon
based on the photon-gluon fusion process tagged by charmed meson production and
decay to charged K and pi. The data were collected in polarised muon scattering
off a polarised deuteron target by the COMPASS collaboration at CERN during
2002-2004. The result of this LO analysis is <Delta g/g>_x = -0.47 +- 0.44
(stat) +- 0.15 (syst) at <x> ~= 0.11 and a scale mu^2 ~ 13 (GeV/c)^2.


title:
Chaotic synchronizations of spatially extended systems as
  non-equilibrium phase transitions

abstract:
  Two replicas of spatially extended chaotic systems synchronize to a common
spatio-temporal chaotic state when coupled above a critical strength. As a
prototype of each single spatio-temporal chaotic system a lattice of maps
interacting via power-law coupling is considered. The synchronization
transition is studied as a non-equilibrium phase transition, and its critical
properties are analyzed at varying the spatial interaction range as well as the
nonlinearity of the dynamical units composing each system. In particular,
continuous and discontinuous local maps are considered. In both cases the
transitions are of the second order with critical indexes varying with the
exponent characterizing the interaction range. For discontinuous maps it is
numerically shown that the transition belongs to the {\it anomalous directed
percolation} (ADP) family of universality classes, previously identified for
L{\'e}vy-flight spreading of epidemic processes. For continuous maps, the
critical exponents are different from those characterizing ADP, but apart from
the nearest-neighbor case, the identification of the corresponding universality
classes remains an open problem. Finally, to test the influence of
deterministic correlations for the studied synchronization transitions, the
chaotic dynamical evolutions are substituted by suitable stochastic models. In
this framework and for the discontinuous case, it is possible to derive an
effective Langevin description that corresponds to that proposed for ADP.


title:
Linearized Feedforward Control of Two-Level Quantum System by Modulated
  External Field

abstract:
  We propose a model of feedforward (open-loop) optical control of two-level
atom in the linearized form. This model allows to express the general form of
solution for the atomic level populations via the arbitrary shapes of the
control signal. Then we make numerical investigations of different shapes for
the optical control signal.


title:
M1-78: a nitrogen-rich Galactic compact HII region beyond the Perseus
  arm

abstract:
  There is considerable controversy surrounding the nature of M1-78, a compact
nebula located beyond the Perseus arm. It was first classified as a planetary
nebula and is nowadays generally considered to be a compact HII region. To
investigate the nature M1-78 further, we present a detailed spectroscopic study
of M1-78 in the optical and near-infrared. M1-78 is a high-density nebula with
substantial physical differences between its two main morphological zones: a
bright arc to the SW and a blob of emission in the NE. Specifically, the blob
in the NE has a higher electron temperature and visual extinction than the SW
arc. The most important result, however, is the confirmation of a nitrogen
enrichment in M1-78. This enrichment is stronger at the location of the NE blob
and is correlated with a defficiency in the O abundance and a (dubious) He
enrichment. Such an abundance pattern is typical of ejecta nebulae around
evolved massive stars such as Wolf-Rayet and Luminous Blue Variable stars. The
spatial variations in the physical conditions and chemical abundances and the
presence of more than one possible ionizing source indicates, however, that
M1-78 is better described as a combination of a compact HII region + ejecta.
Finally, we detect H2 emission that extends over a large (~30 arcsec) area
around the ionized nebula. Analysis of the near-infrared H2 lines indicates
that the excitation mechanism is UV fluorescence.


title:
Affine symmetry in mechanics of collective and internal modes. Part I.
  Classical models

abstract:
  Discussed is a model of collective and internal degrees of freedom with
kinematics based on affine group and its subgroups. The main novelty in
comparison with the previous attempts of this kind is that it is not only
kinematics but also dynamics that is affinely-invariant. The relationship with
the dynamics of integrable one-dimensional lattices is discussed. It is shown
that affinely-invariant geodetic models may encode the dynamics of something
like elastic vibrations.


title:
Affine symmetry in mechanics of collective and internal modes. Part II.
  Quantum models

abstract:
  Discussed is the quantized version of the classical description of collective
and internal affine modes as developed in Part I. We perform the Schr\"odinger
quantization and reduce effectively the quantized problem from $n^{2}$ to $n$
degrees of freedom. Some possible applications in nuclear physics and other
quantum many-body problems are suggested. Discussed is also the possibility of
half-integer angular momentum in composed systems of spin-less particles.


title:
The rooting issue for a lattice fermion formulation similar to staggered
  fermions but without taste mixing

abstract:
  To investigate the viability of the 4th root trick for the staggered fermion
determinant in a simpler setting, we consider a two taste (flavor) lattice
fermion formulation with no taste mixing but with exact taste-nonsinglet chiral
symmetries analogous to the taste-nonsinglet $U(1)_A$ symmetry of staggered
fermions. M. Creutz's objections to the rooting trick apply just as much in
this setting. To counter them we show that the formulation has robust would-be
zero-modes in topologically nontrivial gauge backgrounds, and that these
manifest themselves in a viable way in the rooted fermion determinant and also
in the disconnected piece of the pseudoscalar meson propagator as required to
solve the U(1) problem. Also, our rooted theory is heuristically seen to be in
the right universality class for QCD if the same is true for an unrooted mixed
fermion action theory.


title:
A Molecular Line Observation toward Massive Clumps Associated with
  Infrared Dark Clouds

abstract:
  We have surveyed the N2H+ J=1-0, HC3N J=5-4, CCS J_N=4_3-3_2, NH3 (J, K) =
(1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3), and CH3OH J=7-6 lines toward the 55 massive clumps
associated with infrared dark clouds by using the Nobeyama Radio Observatory 45
m telescope and the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment 10 m telescope.
The N2H+, HC3N, and NH3 lines are detected toward most of the objects. On the
other hand, the CCS emission is detected toward none of the objects. The
[CCS]/[N2H+] ratios are found to be mostly lower than unity even in the Spitzer
24 micron dark objects. This suggests that most of the massive clumps are
chemically more evolved than the low-mass starless cores. The CH3OH emission is
detected toward 18 out of 55 objects. All the CH3OH-detected objects are
associated with the Spitzer 24 micron sources, suggesting that star formation
has already started in all the CH3OH-detected objects. The velocity widths of
the CH3OH J_K=7_0-6_0 A+ and 7_{-1}-6_{-1} E lines are broader than those of
N2H+ J=1-0. The CH3OH J_K=7_0-6_0 A+ and 7_{-1}-6_{-1} E lines tend to have
broader linewidth in the MSX dark objects than in the others, the former being
younger or less luminous than the latter. The origin of the broad emission is
discussed in terms of the interaction between an outflow and an ambient cloud.


title: Equivalences entre conjectures de Soergel

abstract:
  Soergel's category B_k(V) over a field k is defined from a Coxeter system
(W,S) and a k-linear representation V of W. It's a categorification of the
Hecke algebra of (W,S). In this article we prove that for some representations
V and V' of W, Soergel's conjecture over B_k(V') is equivalent to that over
B_k(V). In particular, when k=IR we can choose V' to be the geometric
representation.


title: Unstable Rotational States of Closed String with Massive Points

abstract:
  For the closed string carrying 2 or 3 point-like masses the stability problem
for central and linear rotational states is considered. This problem is
important for applications of these model to describing baryons, glueballs or
other exotic hadrons. The linear rotational state correspond to an uniform
rotation of the system with rectilinear string segments, connecting massive
points. The state is named ``central'' one, if there is a massive point at the
rotational center. It is shown that the linear rotational states with 2 massive
points are stable with respect to small disturbances. But the central
rotational states with 3 masses are not stable, if the central mass it less
than energy of the string with other massive points. This effect may change
properties of excited hadron states, in particular, increase their width.


title:
The formation and evolution of planetary systems: Grain growth and
  chemical processing of dust in T Tauri systems

abstract:
  This paper is one in a series presenting results obtained within the
Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems (FEPS) Legacy Science Program on
the Spitzer Space Telescope. Here we present a study of dust processing and
growth in seven protoplanetary disks. Our spectra indicate that the
circumstellar silicate dust grains have grown to sizes at least 10 times larger
than observed in the interstellar medium, and show evidence for a
non-negligible (~5 % in mass fractions) contribution from crystalline species.
These results are similar to those of other studies of protoplanetary disks. In
addition, we find a correlation between the strength of the amorphous silicate
feature and the shape of the spectral energy distribution. This latter result
is consistent with the growth and subsequent gravitational settling of dust
grains towards the disk mid-plane. Further, we find a change in the relative
abundance of the different crystalline species: more enstatite relative to
forsterite is observed in the inner warm dust population at ~1 AU, while
forsterite dominates in the colder outer regions at ~5 to 15 AU. This change in
the relative abundances argues for a localized crystallization process rather
than a radial mixing scenario where crystalline silicates are being transported
outwards from a single formation region in the hot inner parts of the disk.
Last, we report the detection of emission from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
molecules in five out of seven sources. We find a tentative PAH band at 8.2
micron, previously undetected in the spectra of disks around low-mass
pre-main-sequence stars.


title: Characterization of the Lovelock gravity by Bianchi derivative

abstract:
  We prove the theorem: The second order quasi-linear differential operator as
a second rank divergence free tensor in the equation of motion for gravitation
could always be derived from the trace of the Bianchi derivative of the fourth
rank tensor, which is a homogeneous polynomial in curvatures. The existence of
such a tensor for each term in the polynomial Lagrangian is a new
characterization of the Lovelock gravity.


title: A conjectural presentation of fusion algebras

abstract:
  Let g be a semisimple Lie algebra over the complex numbers. Fix a positive
integer l (called the level). Let R(l,g) be the fusion algebra at level l.
Then, there is an algebra homomorphism from the representation ring R(g) of g
to R(l,g). We study a presentation of its kernel. The generators for the kernel
were given by Gepner, Gepner-Schwimmer, Bourdeau-Mlawer-Riggs-Schnitzer for g
of type A and C series. We make a conjecture for other classical groups and
also for g of type G2. We also have some partial results for F4 and E series.


title:
Nonlinear stability of stationary solutions for curvature flow with
  triple junction

abstract:
  In this paper we analyze the motion of a network of three planar curves with
a speed proportional to the curvature of the arcs, having perpendicular
intersections with the outer boundary and a common intersection at a triple
junction. As a main result we show that a linear stability criterion due to
Ikota and Yanagida is also sufficient for nonlinear stability. We also prove
local and global existence of classical smooth solutions as well as various
energy estimates. Finally, we prove exponential stabilization of an evolving
network starting from the vicinity of a linearly stable stationary network.


title:
Fabrication of Miniaturized Variable-focus Lens Using Liquid Filling
  Technique

abstract:
  This paper describes a simple method for fabricating a variable-focus lens by
using PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) and filling with liquid for the
variable-focus lens. The lens diameter of 2-mm was designed in this experiment
and expected to reach the focal length in the range of 3 ~ 12 mm. The
theoretical value between the liquid volume and the lens contact angle at
different focal lengths were simulated and measured. The pumped-in volumes
ranged from 200 to 1400 $\mu$l, the contact angles ranged from 14.25 degrees to
49.02 degrees. Changing the deformation of PDMS film using different
micro-fluidic volume produces the variable focal length from 4 10 mm in this
experiment. The proposed method successfully fabricated a variable-focus lens.
Bonding PDMS only once using no expensive instrument such as oxygen plasma was
accomplished. The final objective is to insert the variable focus lens into
portable optical imagery products.


title:
A Novel X-Axis Tuning Fork Gyroscope with "8 Vertical Springs-Proofmass"
  Structure on (111)-Silicon

abstract:
  A novel x-axis tuning fork MEMS gyroscope with "8 vertical springs-proofmass"
structure for Coriolis effect detection is presented. Compared with the common
single-plane springs, the 8 vertical springs, symmetrically located at the top
and bottom sides, more stably suspend the large thick proofmass featuring large
capacitance variation and low mechanical noise. A bulk-micromachining
technology is applied to obtain the large proofmass and twins-like dual beams.
During the fabrication process, the dimensions of the 8 vertical springs are
precisely confined by thermal oxide protected limit trenches (LTs) sidewalls
and the extreme slowly etched (111)-planes; therefore a small mismatch of less
than 30 Hz is achieved before tuning. Initial test shows a sensitivity of
0.15mV/(deg/s) and rate resolution around 0.1deg/s under atmosphere pressure.


title:
Approximate formulae for pricing zero-coupon bonds and their asymptotic
  analysis

abstract:
  We analyze analytic approximation formulae for pricing zero-coupon bonds in
the case when the short-term interest rate is driven by a one-factor
mean-reverting process with a volatility nonlinearly depending on the interest
rate itself. We derive the order of accuracy of the analytical approximation
due to Choi and Wirjanto. We furthermore give an explicit formula for a higher
order approximation and we test both approximations numerically for a class of
one-factor interest rate models.


title: Fabrication of MEMS Resonators in Thin SOI

abstract:
  A simple and fast process for micro-electromechanical (MEM) resonators with
deep sub-micron transduction gaps in thin SOI is presented in this paper. Thin
SOI wafers are important for advanced CMOS technology and thus are evaluated as
resonator substrates for future co-integration with CMOS circuitry on a single
chip. As the transduction capacitance scales with the resonator thickness, it
is important to fabricate deep sub-micron trenches in order to achieve a good
capacitive coupling. Through the combination of conventional UV-lithography and
focused ion beam (FIB) milling the process needs only two lithography steps,
enabling therefore a way for fast prototyping of MEM-resonators. Different FIB
parameters and etching parameters are compared in this paper and their effect
on the process are reported.


title: Usage of Porous Al2O3 Layers for RH Sensing

abstract:
  At the Department of Electron Devices a cheap, more or less CMOS process
compatible capacitive type RH sensor has been developed. Capacitive sensors are
based on dielectric property changes of thin films upon water vapour uptake
which depends on the surrounding media's relative humidity content. Because of
the immense surface-to-volume ratio and the abundant void fraction, very high
sensitivities can be obtained with porous ceramics. One of the ceramics to be
used is porous Al2O3, obtained by electrochemical oxidation of aluminium under
anodic bias. The average pore sizes are between 6...9 nm. In our paper we
intend to demonstrate images representing the influence of the technological
parameters on the porous structure and the device sensitivity.


title: Modeling of large area hot embossing

abstract:
  Today, hot embossing and injection molding belong to the established plastic
molding processes in microengineering. Based on experimental findings, a
variety of microstructures have been replicated so far using the processes.
However, with increasing requirements regarding the embossing surface and the
simultaneous decrease of the structure size down into the nanorange, increasing
know-how is needed to adapt hot embossing to industrial standards. To reach
this objective, a German-Canadian cooperation project has been launched to
study hot embossing theoretically by a process simulation and experimentally.
The present publication shall report about the first results of the simulation
- the modeling and simulation of large area replication based on an eight inch
microstructured mold.


title:
Liquid Density Sensing Using Resonant Flexural Plate Wave Device with
  Sol-Gel PZT Thin Films

abstract:
  This paper presents the design, fabrication and preliminary experimental
results of a flexure plate wave (FPW) resonator using sol-gel derived lead
zirconate titanates (PZT) thin films. The resonator adopts a two-port structure
with reflecting grates on the composite membrane of PZT and SiNx. The design of
the reflecting grate is derived from a SAW resonator model using COM theory to
produce a sharp resonant peak. The comparison between the mass and the
viscosity effects from the theoretical expression illustrates the applications
and the constraints of the proposed device in liquid sensing. Multiple coatings
of sol-gel derived PZT films are adopted because of the cost advantage and the
high electromechanical coupling effect over other piezoelectric films. The
fabrication issues of the proposed material structure are addressed.
Theoretical estimations of the mass and the viscosity effects are compared with
the experimental results. The resonant frequency has a good linear correlation
with the density of low viscosity liquids, which demonstrate the feasibility of
the proposed device.


title:
Design, Fabrication and Characterization of a Piezoelectric
  Microgenerator Including a Power Management Circuit

abstract:
  We report in this paper the design, fabrication and experimental
characterization of a piezoelectric MEMS microgenerator. This device scavenges
the energy of ambient mechanical vibrations characterized by frequencies in the
range of 1 kHz. This component is made with Aluminum Nitride thin film
deposited with a CMOS compatible process. Moreover we analyze two possible
solutions for the signal rectification: a discrete doubler-rectifier and a full
custom power management circuit. The ASIC developed for this application takes
advantage of diodes with very low threshold voltage and therefore allows the
conversion of extremely low input voltages corresponding to very weak input
accelerations. The volume of the proposed generator is inferior to 1mm3 and the
generated powers are in the range of 1$\mu$W. This system is intended to supply
power to autonomous wireless sensor nodes.


title: Cellular structure in system of interacting particles

abstract:
  The general description of formation the cellular structure in the system of
interacting particles is proposed. Interactions between particles are
presumably well-understood and the phase transition in which can be studied in
the scale of particle resolution. We presented analytical results of possible
cellular structures for suspension of colloidal particles, in system particles
immersed in liquid crystal and gravitational system. We have shown that
cellular structure formation can occur in system of interacting particles for
realistic values of temperature and particles concentration.


title:
A complete study of electroactive polymers for energy scavenging:
  modelling and experiments

abstract:
  Recent progresses in ultra low power microelectronics propelled the
development of several microsensors and particularly the self powered
microsystems (SPMS). One of their limitations is their size and their autonomy
due to short lifetime of the batteries available on the market. To ensure their
ecological energetic autonomy, a promising alternative is to scavenge the
ambient energy such as the mechanical one. Nowadays, few microgenerators
operate at low frequency. They are often rigid structures that can perturb the
application or the environment; none of them are perfectly flexible. Thus, our
objective is to create a flexible, non-intrusive scavenger using electroactive
polymers. The goal of this work is to design a generator which can provide
typically 100 ?W to supply a low consumption system. We report in this paper an
analytical model which predicts the energy produced by a simple electroactive
membrane, and some promising experimental results.


title: Step-up converter for electromagnetic vibrational energy scavenger

abstract:
  This paper introduces a voltage multiplier (VM) circuit which can step up a
minimum voltage of 150 mV (peak). The operation and characteristics of this
converter circuit are described. The voltage multiplier circuit is also tested
with micro and macro scale electromagnetic vibrational generators and the
effect of the VM on the optimum load conditions of the electromagnetic
generator is presented. The measured results show that 85% efficiency can be
achieved from this VM circuit at a power level of 18 ?W.


title:
Gas Damping Coefficient Research for MEMS Comb Linear Vibration
  Gyroscope

abstract:
  Silicon-MEMS gyroscope is an important part of MEMS (Micro Electrical
Mechanical System). There are some disturb ignored in traditional gyroscope
that must be evaluated newly because of its smaller size (reach the level of
micron). In these disturb, the air pressure largely influences the performance
of MEMS gyroscope. Different air pressure causes different gas damping
coefficient for the MEMS comb linear vibration gyroscope and different gas
damping coefficient influences the quality factor of the gyroscope directive.
The quality factor influences the dynamic working bandwidth of the MEMS comb
linear vibration gyroscope, so it is influences the output characteristic of
the MEMS comb linear vibration gyroscope. The paper shows the relationship
between the air pressure and the output amplified and phase of the detecting
axis through analyzing the air pressure influence on the MEMS comb linear
vibration gyroscope. It discusses the influence on the frequency distribute and
quality factor of the MEMS comb linear vibration gyroscope for different air
pressure.


title:
Comparison of Two Low-Power Electronic Interfaces for Capacitive Mems
  Sensors

abstract:
  The paper discusses the importance and the issues of interfacing capacitive
sensors. Two architectures applicable for interfacing capacitive sensors are
presented. The first solution was designed to interface a capacitive humidity
sensor designed and built for a humidity-dependent monolithic capacitor
developed at Budapest University of Technology and Economics. The second case
presents the possible read-out solutions for a SOI-MEMS accelerometer. Both of
the architectures were built and tested in a discrete implementation to qualify
the methods before the integrated realization. The paper presents a detailed
comparison of the two methods


title: High Efficiency 3-Phase Cmos Rectifier with Step Up and Regulated

abstract:
  This paper presents several design issues related to the monolithic
integration of a 3-phase AC to DC low voltage, low power rectifier for 3-phase
micro source electrical conditioning. Reduced input voltage operation (down to
1V), high efficiency, and output voltage regulations are implemented, based on
commercially available CMOS technology. Global design and system issues are
detailed. The management of start-up sequences under self supplied conditions
as well as output voltage regulations are specifically addressed. Simulation
results, practical implementation and validation are presented. They are based
on the association of three micro elements : a 3-phase micro-generator, a stand
alone 3-phase AC to DC integrated rectifier, and an output voltage conditioner
based on a commercially available IC.


title: Silicon on Nothing Mems Electromechanical Resonator

abstract:
  The very significant growth of the wireless communication industry has
spawned tremendous interest in the development of high performances radio
frequencies (RF) components. Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) are good
candidates to allow reconfigurable RF functions such as filters, oscillators or
antennas. This paper will focus on the MEMS electromechanical resonators which
show interesting performances to replace SAW filters or quartz reference
oscillators, allowing smaller integrated functions with lower power
consumption. The resonant frequency depends on the material properties, such as
Young's modulus and density, and on the movable mechanical structure dimensions
(beam length defined by photolithography). Thus, it is possible to obtain multi
frequencies resonators on a wafer. The resonator performance (frequency,
quality factor) strongly depends on the environment, like moisture or pressure,
which imply the need for a vacuum package. This paper will present first
resonator mechanisms and mechanical behaviors followed by state of the art
descriptions with applications and specifications overview. Then MEMS resonator
developments at STMicroelectronics including FEM analysis, technological
developments and characterization are detailed.


title: Copper Planar Microcoils Applied to Magnetic Actuation

abstract:
  Recent advances in microtechnology allow realization of planar microcoils.
These components are integrated in MEMS as magnetic sensor or actuator. In the
latter case, it is necessary to maximize the effective magnetic field which is
proportional to the current passing through the copper track and depends on the
distance to the generation microcoil. The aim of this work was to determine the
optimal microcoil design configuration for magnetic field generation. The
results were applied to magnetic actuation, taking into account technological
constraints. In particular, we have considered different realistic
configurations that involve a magnetically actuated device coupled to a
microcoil. Calculations by a semi-analytical method using Matlab software were
validated by experimental measurements. The copper planar microcoils are
fabricated by U.V. micromoulding on different substrates: flexible polymer
(Kapton) and silicate on silicon. They are constituted by a spiral-like
continuous track. Their total surface is about 1 mm2.


title: Ni-MH battery modelling for ambient intelligence applications

abstract:
  Mobile devices, like sensor networks and MEMS actuators use mobile power
supplies to ensure energy for their operation. These are mostly batteries. The
lifetime of the devices depends on the power consumption and on the quality and
capacitance of the battery. Though the integrated circuits and their power
consumption improve continually, their clock frequency also increases with the
time, and the resultant power consumption seems not to vary, or slightly
increase. On the other hand, the properties of batteries are developing much
slower, necessitating the optimization of their usage on system level.


title:
Analysis of polysilicon micro beams buckling with temperature-dependent
  properties

abstract:
  The suspended electrothermal polysilicon micro beams generate displacements
and forces by thermal buckling effects. In the previous electro-thermal and
thermo-elastic models of suspended polysilicon micro beams, the
thermo-mechanical properties of polysilicon have been considered constant over
a wide rang of temperature (20- 900 degrees C). In reality, the
thermo-mechanical properties of polysilicon depend on temperature and change
significantly at high temperatures. This paper describes the development and
validation of theoretical and Finite Element Model (FEM) including the
temperature dependencies of polysilicon properties such as thermal expansion
coefficient and Young's modulus. In the theoretical models, two parts of
elastic deflection model and thermal elastic model of micro beams buckling have
been established and simulated. Also, temperature dependent buckling of
polysilicon micro beam under high temperature has been modeled by Finite
Element Analysis (FEA). Analytical results and numerical results using FEA are
compared with experimental data available in literature. Their reasonable
agreement validates analytical model and FEM. This validation indicates the
importance of including temperature dependencies of polysilicon
thermo-mechanical properties such as Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) in
the previous models.


title:
Parameter Identification of Pressure Sensors by Static and Dynamic
  Measurements

abstract:
  Fast identification methods of pressure sensors are investigated. With regard
to a complete accurate sensor parameter identification two different
measurement methods are combined. The approach consists on one hand in
performing static measurements - an applied pressure results in a membrane
deformation measured interferometrically and the corresponding output voltage.
On the other hand optical measurements of the modal responses of the sensor
membranes are performed. This information is used in an inverse identification
algorithm to identify geometrical and material parameters based on a FE model.
The number of parameters to be identified is thereby generally limited only by
the number of measurable modal frequencies. A quantitative evaluation of the
identification results permits furthermore the classification of processing
errors like etching errors. Algorithms and identification results for membrane
thickness, intrinsic stress and output voltage will be discussed in this
contribution on the basis of the parameter identification of relative pressure
sensors.


title:
New Horizontal Frustum Optical Waveguide Fabrication Using UV Proximity
  Printing

abstract:
  This paper presents a novel method to fabricate the horizontal frustum
structure as a planar optical waveguide by using the proximity printing
technique. A horizontal frustum optical waveguide with a both lateral and
vertical taper structure was produced. The orthogonal and inclined masks with
the diffraction effect were employed in lithography process. This method can
precisely control each horizontal frustum optical waveguide geometric profile
in the fabrication process. The horizontal frustum optical waveguide and its
array with the same inclined angle were generated. The beam propagation
simulation software (BPM_CAD) was used to modeling the optical performance. The
simulation results reveal that the mode profile matched into horizontal frustum
optical waveguide and fiber from the laser diode. The optical loss of
horizontal hemi-frustum structure of optical waveguides was less than 0.2dB.
The horizontal hemifrustum waveguide will be used for fiber coupling on boards
for further optical communication systems.


title:
A Fully Parameterized Fem Model for Electromagnetic Optimization of an
  RF Mems Wafer Level Package

abstract:
  In this work, we present a fully parameterized capped transmission line model
for electromagnetic optimization of a wafer level package (WLP) for RF MEMS
applications using the Ansoft HFSS-TM electromagnetic simulator. All the
degrees of freedom (DoF's) in the package fabrication can be modified within
the model in order to optimize for losses and mismatch (capacitive and
inductive couplings) introduced by the cap affecting the MEMS RF behaviour.
Ansoft HFSS-TM was also validated for the simulation of capped RF MEMS devices
by comparison against experimental data. A test run of capped 50 transmission
lines and shorts was fabricated and tested.


title: Nonlinear model of source of a elastic field

abstract:
  A general description of the long-range elastic interaction is proposed. The
far-field type of the interaction is determined by the way of symmetry breaking
of the distribution of the elastic field produced by the topological defect as
isolated inclusions. Every topological defect can be present as the source of
the elastic field and can be described in the terms of this field. At the short
distance the source can be described as nonlinear object which present charge
of linear theory of elastic field at the far distance. In this article the
nonlinear models of source of a elastic field was proposed.


title: Development of a Nanostructual Microwave Probe Based on GaAs

abstract:
  With the development of nanotechnology, the measurement of electrical
properties in local area of materials and devices has become a great need.
Although a lot kind of scanning probe microscope have been developed for
satisfying the requirement of nanotechnology, a microscope technique which can
determine electrical properties in local area of materials and devices is not
yet developed. Recently, microwave microscope has been an interest to many
researchers, due to its potential in the evaluation of electrical properties of
materials and devices. The advance of microwave is that the response of
materials is directly relative to the electromagnetic properties of materials.
However, because of the problem of the structure of probes, nanometer-scale
resolution has not been successful. To achieve the goal, a new structure
microwave probe is required. In this paper, we report a nanostructural
microwave probe. To restrain the attenuation of microwave in the probe, GaAs
was used as the substrate of the probe. To obtain the desired structure, wet
etching was used to fabricate the probe. Different with the dry etching, a
side-etching will occur under the etching mask. Utilizing this property, a
micro tip can be fabricated by etching a wafer, of which a small mask was
introduced on the surface in advance.


title: Characterisation of an Electrostatic Vibration Harvester

abstract:
  Harvesting energy from ambient vibration is proposed as an alternative to
storage based power supplies for autonomous systems. The system presented
converts the mechanical energy of a vibration into electrical energy by means
of a variable capacitor, which is polarized by an electret. A lumped element
model is used to study the generator and design a prototype. The device has
been micromachined in silicon, based on a two-wafer process. The prototype was
successfully tested, both using an external polarization source and an
electret.


title:
Surface Generation Analysis in Micro End-Milling Considering the
  Influences of Grain

abstract:
  Micro end-milling method is a universal micro manufacturing method, which can
be used to fabricating complex 3D structures and parts with many materials. But
compared with their micrometer order size, their surface roughness quality is
not satisfied. In this paper, the different metal phase grains influences are
researched, and the micro end-milling process is described while the material
is anisotropic. In this paper, the physical characteristics of different
grains, especially friction coefficient and elastic module, are very critical
to determine the chip formation process and surface generation. The chip is
often discontinues because of the grain boundary effect. Through the micro
end-milling experiment, the bottom surface results correlate very well with the
theory analysis.


title:
An Integrated Circuit Compatible Compact Package for Thermal Gas
  Flowmeters

abstract:
  An original packaging method suitable for integrated thermal mass flow
sensors is presented. The method consists in the application of a plastic
transparent adapter to the chip surface. The adapter is sealed to the chip
surface by means of a thermal procedure. By this approach it is possible to
selectively convey the fluid flow to reduced chip areas, avoiding contact with
the pads. Fabrication and testing of a very compact flow sensor is described.


title:
A High Power Density Electrostatic Vibration-to-Electric Energy
  Converter Based On An In-Plane Overlap Plate (IPOP) Mechanism

abstract:
  In this paper, design, fabrication and characterization issues of a bulk
silicon-based, vibration powered, electric energy generator are addressed. The
converter is based on an In-Plane Overlap Plate (IPOP) configuration [1].
Measurements have shown that with a theoretically lossless electronics and a
starting voltage of 5 V, power density of 58 $\mu$W/cm3 is achievable at the
resonance frequency of 290 Hz. It can be further improved by reducing the
parasitic capacitance, which can be achieved by silicon etching, but a
considerable mass is lost. In [2], it is shown that 19% of mass reduction
improves power density from 12.95 $\mu$W/cm3 to 59 $\mu$W/cm3. Hence an
enhancement in fabrication process is proposed, which is termed as Backside
DRIE. It helps in increasing power density without loosing an important
quantity of mass. Simulations have shown that 2.5% of mass removal improves
power density up to 76.71 $\mu$W/cm3. Initial simulation results and problems
of associated electronics are also discussed.


title:
Formation of Embedded Microstructures by Thermal Activated Solvent
  Bonding

abstract:
  We present a thermal activated solvent bonding technique for the formation of
embedded microstrucutres in polymer. It is based on the temperature dependent
solubility of polymer in a liquid that is not a solvent at room temperature.
With thermal activation, the liquid is transformed into a solvent of the
polymer, creating a bonding capability through segmental or chain
interdiffusion at the bonding interface. The technique has advantages over the
more commonly used thermal bonding due to its much lower operation temperature
(30 degrees C lower than the material's Tg), lower load, as well as shorter
time. Lap shear test indicated bonding shear strength of up to 2.9 MPa. Leak
test based on the bubble emission technique showed that the bonded microfluidic
device can withstand at least 6 bars (87 psi) of internal pressure (gauge) in
the microchannel. This technique can be applied to other systems of polymer and
solvent.


title:
Design and Modeling of Micromechanical GaAs based Hot Plate for Gas
  Sensors

abstract:
  For modern Gas sensors, high sensitivity and low power are expected. This
paper discusses design, simulation and fabrication of new Micromachined Thermal
Converters (MTCs) based on GaAs developed for Gas sensors. Metal oxide gas
sensors generally work in high temperature mode that is required for chemical
reactions to be performed between molecules of the specified gas and the
surface of sensing material. There is a low power consumption required to
obtain the operation temperatures in the range of 200 to 500 oC. High thermal
isolation of these devices solves consumption problem and can be made by
designing of free standing micromechanical hot plates. Mechanical stability and
a fast thermal response are especially significant parameters that can not be
neglected. These characteristics can be achieved with new concept of GaAs
thermal converter.


title:
Set-up and characterization of a humidity sensor realized in
  LTCC-technology

abstract:
  A new type of integrated temperature and humidity sensor applying
LTCC-technology has been developed and characterized. In this approach, sensing
elements are implemented using heated metal resistors (Pt-elements), where one
is exposed to the humid environment that causes the sensor element to cool down
with increased humidity, while the other one is sealed from the environment.
Sensor design is based on FEA (Finite Element Analyses) where the critical
design parameters have been analyzed with regard to the performance
characteristic of the device. The set-up of sensor element will be shown and
the functional capability will be demonstrated by experimental results.


title:
Micromachined Polycrystalline Sige-Based Thermopiles for Micropower
  Generation on Human Body

abstract:
  This paper presents a polycrystalline silicon germanium (poly-SiGe)
thermopile specially designed for thermoelectric generators used on human body.
Both the design of the single thermocouple and the arrangement of the
thermocouple array have been described. A rim structure has been introduced in
order to increase the temperature difference across the thermocouple junctions.
The modeling of the thermocouple and the thermopile has been performed
analytically and numerically. An output power of about 1 $\mu$W at an output
voltage of more than 1 V is expected from the current design of thermopiles in
a watch-size generator. The key material properties of the poly-SiGe have been
measured. The thermopile has been fabricated and tested. Experimental results
clearly demonstrate the advantage of the rim structure in increasing output
voltage. In presence of forced convection, the output voltage of a non-released
thermopile can increase from about 53 mV/K/cm2 to about 130 mV/K/cm2 after the
rim structure is formed. A larger output voltage from the thermopile is
expected upon process completion.


title:
Silicon microneedles array with biodegradable tips for transdermal drug
  delivery

abstract:
  This paper presents the fabrication process, characterization results and
basic functionality of silicon microneedles array with biodegradable tips. In
order to avoid the main problems related to silicon microneedles : broking of
the top part of the needles inside the skin, a simple solution can be
fabrication of microneedles array with biodegradable tips. The silicon
microneedles array was fabricated by using reactive ion etching while the
biodegradable tips were performed using and anodization process that generates
selectively porous silicon only on the top part of the skin. The paper presents
also the results of in vitro release of calcein using microneedles array with
biodegradable tips


title:
2-D Analysis of Enhancement of Analytes Adsorption Due to Flow Stirring
  by Electrothermal Force in The Microcantilever Sensor

abstract:
  Ac electrokinetic flows are commonly used for manipulating micron-scale
particles in a biosensor system. At the solid-liquid state there are two kinds
of processes in the reaction between analytes and ligands: the mass transport
process and the chemical reaction process. The mass transport process is
related to convection and diffusion. Total or partial limit of mass transport
would retard the diffusion from the bulk fluid to the interface of reaction.
This effect decreases the possibility of adsorption of analyte and ligand
because the chemical reaction is faster than the diffusion. In order to solve
this problem, we apply an ac electric field to induce a vortex field by the
electrothermal effect, which helps in increasing the rate of diffusion. By
using the finite element analysis software, COMSOL Multiphysics, we optimized
several parameters of the microelectrode structures and the position of the
reacting surface, i.e. the microcantilever, by a simplified 2-D model and a 3-D
model. It is successful in accelerating the reacting rate of the molecule which
is limited by mass transport. The factor of the efficiency is about 1.429 when
the operating voltage is 15 Vrms peak-to-peak. In addition, the surface
concentration of the complex on the microcantilever has been simulated.


title:
Development and Application of a Diaphragm Micro-Pump with Piezoelectric
  Device

abstract:
  In this study, a new type of thin, compact, and light weighed diaphragm
micro-pump has been successfully developed to actuate the liquid by the
vibration of a diaphragm. The micro-diaphragm pump with two valves is
fabricated in an aluminum case by using highly accurate CNC machine, and the
cross-section dimension is 5mm x 8mm. Both valves and diaphragm are
manufactured from PDMS. The amplitude of vibration by a piezoelectric device
produces an oscillating flow which may change the chamber volume by changing
the curvature of a diaphragm. Several experimental set-ups for performance test
in a single micro-diaphragm pump, isothermal flow open system, and a closed
liquid cooling system is designed and implemented. The performance of one-side
actuating micro-diaphragm pump is affected by the design of check valves,
diaphragm, piezoelectric device, chamber volume, input voltage and frequency.
The measured maximum flow rate of present design is 72 ml/min at zero total
pump head in the range of operation frequency 70-180 Hz.


title: Simulation of valveless micropump and mode analysis

abstract:
  In this work, a 3-D simulation is performed to study for the solid-fluid
coupling effect driven by piezoelectric materials and utilizes asymmetric
obstacles to control the flow direction. The result of simulation is also
verified. For a micropump, it is crucial to find the optimal working frequency
which produce maximum net flow rate. The PZT plate vibrates under the first
mode, which is symmetric. Adjusting the working frequency, the maximum flow
rate can be obtained. For the micrpump we studied, the optimal working
frequency is 3.2K Hz. At higher working frequency, say 20K Hz, the fluid-solid
membrane may come out a intermediate mode, which is different from the first
mode and the second mode. It is observed that the center of the mode drifts.
Meanwhile, the result shows that a phase shift lagging when the excitation
force exists in the vibration response. Finally, at even higher working
frequency, say 30K Hz, a second vibration mode is observed.


title: Enhanced Sensing Characteristics in MEMS-based Formaldehyde Gas Sensor

abstract:
  This study has successfully demonstrated a novel self-heating formaldehyde
gas sensor based on a thin film of NiO sensing layer. A new fabrication process
has been developed in which the Pt micro heater and electrodes are deposited
directly on the substrate and the NiO thin film is deposited above on the micro
heater to serve as sensing layer. Pt electrodes are formed below the sensing
layer to measure the electrical conductivity changes caused by formaldehyde
oxidation at the oxide surface. Furthermore, the upper sensing layer and
NiO/Al2O3 co-sputtering significantly increases the sensitivity of the gas
sensor, improves its detection limit capability. The microfabricated
formaldehyde gas sensor presented in this study is suitable not only for
industrial process monitoring, but also for the detection of formaldehyde
concentrations in buildings in order to safeguard human health.


title:
Mems Q-Factor Enhancement Using Parametric Amplification: Theoretical
  Study and Design of a Parametric Device

abstract:
  Parametric amplification is an interesting way of artificially increasing a
MEMS Quality factor and could be helpful in many kinds of applications. This
paper presents a theoretical study of this principle, based on Matlab/Simulink
simulations, and proposes design guidelines for parametric structures. A new
device designed with this approach is presented together with the corresponding
FEM simulation results.


title:
Biodegradable Polylactic Acid (PLA) Microstructures for Scaffold
  Applications

abstract:
  In this research, we present a simple and cost effective soft lithographic
process to fabricate PLA scaffolds for tissue engineering. In which, the
negative photoresist JSR THB-120N was spun on a glass subtract followed by
conventional UV lithographic processes to fabricate the master to cast the PDMS
elastomeric mold. A thin poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) layer was used as a mode
release such that the PLA scaffold can be easily peeled off. The PLA precursor
solution was then cast onto the PDMS mold to form the PLA microstructures.
After evaporating the solvent, the PLA microstructures can be easily peeled off
from the PDMS mold. Experimental results show that the desired microvessels
scaffold can be successfully transferred to the biodegradable polymer PLA.


title: Solving functional reliability issue for an optical electrostatic switch

abstract:
  In this paper, we report the advantage of using AC actuating signal for
driving MEMS actuators instead of DC voltages. The study is based upon micro
mirror devices used in digital mode for optical switching operation. When the
pull-in effect is used, charge injection occurs when the micro mirror is
maintained in the deflected position. To avoid this effect, a geometrical
solution is to realize grounded landing electrodes which are electro-statically
separated from the control electrodes. Another solution is the use of AC signal
which eliminates charge injection particularly if a bipolar signal is used.
Long term experiments have demonstrated the reliability of such a signal
command to avoid injection of electric charges.


title:
Identification of Test Structures for Reduced Order Modeling of the
  Squeeze Film Damping in Mems

abstract:
  In this study the dynamic behaviour of perforated microplates oscillating
under the effect of squeeze film damping is analyzed. A numerical approach is
adopted to predict the effects of damping and stiffness transferred from the
surrounding ambient air to oscillating structures ; the effect of hole's cross
section and plate's extension is observed. Results obtained by F.E.M. models
are compared with experimental measurements performed by an optical
interferometric microscope.


title: Out-of-Plane Cmos Compatible Magnetometers

abstract:
  Three-dimensional MEMS magnetometers with use of residual stresses in thin
multilayers cantilevers are presented. Half-loop cantilevers based on
Lorentz-force deflection convert magnetic flux in changes, thanks to
piezoresistive transducers mounted in Wheatstone bridge. Magnetic field in the
order of 10 Gauss was measured with a sensitivity of 0.015 mV/Gauss. A Finite
Element Model of the device has been developed with Ansys for static and
dynamic simulations. Novel out-of-plane ferromagnetic nickel plate magnetometer
is also presented.


title: Tuneable Capacitor based on dual picks profile of the sacrificial layer

abstract:
  In this paper, we present a novel dual gap tuneable capacitor process based
on the profile of the sacrificial layer. This profile involves a tri-layer
photo-resist process with only one mask level. This realization is based on a
special profile of the sacrificial layer designed by two picks. The mechanism
of the sacrificial layer realisation is dependent on resist thickness, resist
formulation (viscosity, type of polymer and/or solvent, additives...), design
of the patterned layer (size or width) and the conditions under which this
layer is prepared: thermal treatment, etch back processes... In this
communication we demonstrate influence of the later parameters and discuss how
a dual pick profile was achieved.


title:
Reduced 30% scanning time 3D multiplexer integrated circuit applied to
  large array format 20KHZ frequency inkjet print heads

abstract:
  Enhancement of the number and array density of nozzles within an inkjet head
chip is one of the keys to raise the printing speed and printing resolutions.
However, traditional 2D architecture of driving circuits can not meet the
requirement for high scanning speed and low data accessing points when nozzle
numbers greater than 1000. This paper proposes a novel architecture of
high-selection-speed three-dimensional data registration for inkjet
applications. With the configuration of three-dimensional data registration,
the number of data accessing points as well as the scanning lines can be
greatly reduced for large array inkjet printheads with nozzles numbering more
than 1000. This IC (Integrated Circuit) architecture involves three-dimensional
multiplexing with the provision of a gating transistor for each ink firing
resistor, where ink firing resistors are triggered only by the selection of
their associated gating transistors. Three signals: selection (S), address (A),
and power supply (P), are employed together to activate a nozzle for droplet
ejection. The smart printhead controller has been designed by a 0.35 um CMOS
process with a total circuit area, 2500 x 500 microm2, which is 80% of the
cirucuit area by 2D configuration for 1000 nozzles. Experiment results
demonstrate the functionality of the fabricated IC in operation, signal
transmission and a potential to control more than 1000 nozzles with only 31
data access points and reduced 30% scanning time.


title: Analysis of Asymmetric Piezoelectric Composite Beam

abstract:
  This paper deals with the vibration analysis of an asymmetric composite beam
composed of glass a piezoelectric material. The Bernoulli's beam theory is
adopted for mechanical deformations, and the electric potential field of the
piezoelectric material is assumed such that the divergence-free requirement of
the electrical displacements is satisfied. The accuracy of the analytic model
is assessed by comparing the resonance frequencies obtained by the analytic
model with those obtained by the finite element method. The model developed can
be used as a tool for designing piezoelectric actuators such as micro-pumps.


title: A High-Q Microwave MEMS Resonator

abstract:
  A High-Q microwave (K band) MEMS resonator is presented, which empolys
substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) and micromachined via-hole arrays by ICP
process. Nonradiation dielectric waveguide (NRD) is formed by metal filled
via-hole arrays and grounded planes. The three dimensional (3D) high
resistivity silicon substrate filled cavity resonator is fed by current probes
using CPW line. This monolithic resonator results in low cost, high performance
and easy integration with planar cicuits. The measured quality factor is beyond
180 and the resonance frequency is 21GHz.It shows a good agreement with the
simulation results. The chip size is only 4.7mm x 4.6mm x 0.5mm. Finally, as an
example of applications, a filter using two SIW resonators is designed.


title:
Lamination And Microstructuring Technology for a Bio-Cell Multiwell
  array

abstract:
  Microtechnology becomes a versatile tool for biological and biomedical
applications. Microwells have been established long but remained
non-intelligent up to now. Merging new fabrication techniques and handling
concepts with microelectronics enables to realize intelligent microwells
suitable for future improved cancer treatment. The described technology depicts
the basis for the fabrication of a elecronically enhanced microwell. Thin
aluminium sheets are structured by laser micro machining and laminated
successively to obtain registration tolerances of the respective layers of
5..10\^A$\mu$m. The microwells lasermachined into the laminate are with
50..80\^A$\mu$m diameter, allowing to hold individual cells within the well.
The individual process steps are described and results on the microstructuring
are given.


title:
Monotonic and fatigue testing of spring-bridged freestanding microbeams
  application for MEMS

abstract:
  Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technologies are developing rapidly
with increasing study of the design, fabrication and commercialization of
microscale systems and devices. Accurate knowledge on the mechanical behaviors
of thin film materials used for MEMS is important for successful design and
development of MEMS. Here a novel electroplating spring-bridge micro-tensile
specimen integrates pin-pin align holes, misalignment compensate spring, load
sensor beam and freestanding thin film is demonstrated and fabricated. The
specimen is fit into a specially designed micro-mechanical apparatus to carry
out a series of monotonic tensile testing on sub-micron freestanding thin
films. Certain thin films applicable as structure or motion gears in MEMS were
tested including sputtered gold, copper and tantalum nitride thin films. Metal
specimens were fabricated by sputtering; for tantalum nitride film samples,
nitrogen gas was introduced into the chamber during sputtering tantalum films
on the silicon wafer. The sample fabrication method involves three steps of
lithography and two steps of electroplating copper to hold a dog bone
freestanding thin film. Using standard wet etching or lift off techniques, a
series of microtensile specimens were patterned in metal thin films, holes, and
seed layer for spring and frame structure on the underlying silicon oxide
coated silicon substrate. Two steps of electroplating processing to distinct
spring and frame portion of the test chip. Finally, chemical etched away the
silicon oxide to separated electroplated specimen and silicon substrate.


title: Non-Hydrostatic Effects in the Interaction between Flow and Orography

abstract:
  The interaction between flows and orography is a fundamental aspect of
theoretical fluid dynamics for its direct applications (e.g., in dynamical
meteorology); a comprehensive description is nowadays still lacking in some
aspects. In this work, in particular, the authors would like to face the
problem of flow-blocking and of the streamlines pattern formation, examining
the role of stratification (i.e., Brunt-Vaisala frequency) and Froude number on
these problems. In particular this work wants to investigate the role of
vertical advection on flow-blocking and on streamlines geometry. The importance
of streamlines curvature and stratification for the formation of pressure
perturbation, then their role in flow-blocking will be shown. Moreover it will
be shown how flow-blocking cannot be easly predict using only a stratification
parameter or the Froude number.


title:
Profile Control of a Borosilicate-Glass Groove Formed by Deep Reactive
  Ion Etching

abstract:
  Deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) of borosilicate glass and profile control of
an etched groove are reported. DRIE was carried out using an anodically bonded
silicon wafer as an etching mask. We controlled the groove profile, namely
improving its sidewall angle, by removing excessively thick polymer film
produced by carbonfluoride etching gases during DRIE. Two fabrication processes
were experimentally compared for effective removal of the film : DRIE with the
addition of argon to the etching gases and a novel combined process in which
DRIE and subsequent ultrasonic cleaning in DI water were alternately carried
out. Both processes improved the sidewall angle, and it reached 85o independent
of the mask-opening width. The results showed the processes can remove
excessive polymer film on sidewalls. Accordingly, the processes are an
effective way to control the groove profile of borosilicate glass.


title:
Selection of High Strength Encapsulant for MEMS Devices Undergoing High
  Pressure Packaging

abstract:
  Deflection behavior of several encapsulant materials under uniform pressure
was studied to determine the best encapsulant for MEMS device. Encapsulation is
needed to protect movable parts of MEMS devices during high pressure transfer
molded packaging process. The selected encapsulant material has to have surface
deflection of less than 5 ?m under 100 atm vertical loading. Deflection was
simulated using CoventorWare ver.2005 software and verified with calculation
results obtained using shell bending theory. Screening design was used to
construct a systematic approach for selecting the best encapsulant material and
thickness under uniform pressure up to 100 atm. Materials considered for this
study were polyimide, parylene C and carbon based epoxy resin. It was observed
that carbon based epoxy resin has deflection of less than 5 ?m for all
thickness and pressure variations. Parylene C is acceptable and polyimide is
unsuitable as high strength encapsulant. Carbon based epoxy resin is considered
the best encapsulation material for MEMS under high pressure packaging process
due to its high strength.


title: A Two-Step Etching Method to Fabricate Nanopores in Silicon

abstract:
  A cost effectively method to fabricate nanopores in silicon by only using the
conventional wet-etching technique is developed in this research. The main
concept of the proposed method is a two-step etching process, including a
premier double-sided wet etching and a succeeding track-etching. A special
fixture is designed to hold the pre-etched silicon wafer inside it such that
the track-etching can be effectively carried out. An electrochemical system is
employed to detect and record the ion diffusion current once the pre-etched
cavities are etched into a through nanopore. Experimental results indicate that
the proposed method can cost effectively fabricate nanopores in silicon.


title: A Reconfigurable Impedance Matching Network Employing RF-MEMS Switches

abstract:
  We propose the design of a reconfigurable impedance matching network for the
lower RF frequency band, based on a developed RF-MEMS technology. The circuit
is composed of RF-MEMS ohmic relays, metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors and
suspended spiral inductors, all integrated on a high resistivity Silicon
substrate. The presented circuit is well-suited for all applications requiring
adaptive impedance matching between two in principle unknown cascaded
RF-circuits. The fabrication and testing of a monolithic integrated prototype
in RF-MEMS technology from ITC-irst is currently underway.


title:
Towards a Methodology for Analysis of Interconnect Structures for
  3D-Integration of Micro Systems

abstract:
  Functional aspects as well as the influence of integration technology on the
system behavior have to be considered in the 3D integration design process of
micro systems. Therefore, information from different physical domains has to be
provided to designers. Due to the variety of structures and effects of
different physical domains, efficient modeling approaches and simulation
algorithms have to be combined. The paper describes a modular approach which
covers detailed analysis with PDE solvers and model generation for system level
simulation.


title: Modeling of a piezoelectric micro-scanner

abstract:
  Micro-scanners have been widely used in many optical applications. The
micro-scanner presented in this paper uses multimorph-type bending actuators to
tilt a square plate mirror. This paper presents a complete analytical model of
the piezoelectric micro-scanner. This theoretical model based on strength of
material equations calculates the force generated by the multimorphs on the
mirror, the profile of the structure and the angular deflection of the mirror.
The proposed model, used to optimize the design of the piezoelectric silicon
micro-scanner, is intended for further HDL integration, allowing in this way
system level simulation and optimization.


title:
A novel method for fatigue testing of MEMS devices containing movable
  elements

abstract:
  In this paper we present an electronic circuit for position or capacitance
estimation of MEMS electrostatic actuators based on a switched capacitor
technique. The circuit uses a capacitive divider configuration composed by a
fixed capacitor and the variable capacitance of the electrostatic actuator for
generating a signal that is a function of the input voltage and capacitive
ratio. The proposed circuit can be used to actuate and to sense position of an
electrostatic MEMS actuator without extra sensing elements. This approach is
compatible with the requirements of most analog feedback systems and the
circuit topology of pulsed digital oscillators (PDO).


title: Noise and thermal stability of vibrating micro-gyrometers preamplifiers

abstract:
  The preamplifier is a critical component of gyrometer's electronics. Indeed
the resolution of the sensor is limited by its signal to noise ratio, and the
gyrometer's thermal stability is limited by its gain drift. In this paper, five
different kinds of preamplifiers are presented and compared. Finally, the
design of an integrated preamplifier is shown in order to increase the gain
stability while reducing its noise and size.


title: 0-level Vacuum Packaging RT Process for MEMS Resonators

abstract:
  A new Room Temperature (RT) 0-level vacuum package is demonstrated in this
work, using amorphous silicon (aSi) as sacrificial layer and SiO2 as structural
layer. The process is compatible with most of MEMS resonators and Resonant
Suspended-Gate MOSFET [1] fabrication processes. This paper presents a study on
the influence of releasing hole dimensions on the releasing time and hole
clogging. It discusses mass production compatibility in terms of packaging
stress during back-end plastic injection process. The packaging is done at room
temperature making it fully compatible with IC-processed wafers and avoiding
any subsequent degradation of the active devices.


title: From MEMS Devices to Smart Integrated Systems

abstract:
  The smart integrated systems of tomorrow would demand a combination of
micromechanical components and traditional electronics. On-chip solutions will
be the ultimate goal. One way of making such systems is to implement the
mechanical parts in an ordinary CMOS process. This procedure has been used to
design an oscillator consisting of a resonating cantilever beam and a CMOS
Pierce feedback amplifier. The resonating frequency is changed if the beam is
bent by external forces. The paper describes central features of this procedure
and highlights the design considerations for the CMOS-MEMS oscillator. The
circuit is used as an example of a "VLSI designer" way of making future
integrated micromechanical and microelectronic systems on-chip. The possibility
for expansion to larger systems is reviewed.


title: Interconnect Challenges in Highly Integrated MEMS/ASIC Subsystems

abstract:
  Micromechanical devices like accelerometers or rotation sensors form an
increasing segment beneath the devices supplying the consumer market. A hybrid
integration approach to build smart sensor clusters for the precise detection
of movements in all spatial dimensions requires a large toolbox of interconnect
technologies, each with its own constraints regarding the total process
integration. Specific challenges described in this paper are post-CMOS
feedthroughs, front-to-front die contact arrays, vacuum-compliant lateral
interconnect and fine-pitch solder balling to finally form a Chip-Scale
System-in-Package (CSSiP).