Abstract: Alignment of a first micro-electronic component to a receiving surface of a second micro-electronic component is realized by a capillary force-induced self-alignment, combined with an electrostatic alignment. The latter is accomplished by providing at least one first electrical conductor line along the periphery of the first component, and at least one second electrical conductor along the periphery of the location on the receiving surface of the second component onto which the component is to be placed. The contact areas surrounded by the conductor lines are covered with a wetting layer. The electrical conductor lines may be embedded in a strip of anti-wetting material that runs along the peripheries to create a wettability contrast. The wettability contrast helps to maintain a drop of alignment liquid between the contact areas so as to obtain self-alignment by capillary force.

Abstract: A method and device for the sorting and focusing of suspended particles is disclosed. The device has a micro-fluidic channel, at least one inlet and a number of outlets for providing, sorting and receiving particles. A patterned array of grooves is present inside the micro-fluidic channel. The inlets and outlets are connected to the micro-fluidic channel. The particles are sorted by the array of grooves. The method consists of providing particles in a flow-focused manner to one end of the micro-fluidic channel using at least one inlet. The particles are sorted by the array of grooves present in the micro-fluidic channel. Particles are collected by a number of outlets which are connected to the other end of the micro-fluidic channel.

Abstract: A sensor for sensing a substance such as for example glucose. The sensor is implantable in the body of a living creature. The sensor has a photonic integrated circuit, e.g. silicon-photonics integrated circuit, for spectrally processing radiation interacting with the sample. A continuous monitoring system can also include such a sensor.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to an impedance spectroscopy system for bio-impedance measurement. The impedance spectroscopy system includes a signal generator configured to generate a signal with a broadband frequency spectrum and to generate an analog injection current from the signal with the broadband frequency spectrum. The analog injection current has a high pass frequency characteristic. The impedance spectroscopy system also includes an amplifier configured to measure a voltage signal in response to the analog injection current and to simultaneously measure a biopotential signal. Further, the impedance spectroscopy system includes a processor configured to analyze the voltage signal to derive a bio-impedance spectrum as well to derive further information from the biopotential signal.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to reconfigurable voltaic modules. One example embodiment includes a photovoltaic module. The photovoltaic module includes a plurality of photovoltaic cells arranged in a grid having logical rows and columns. The photovoltaic module also includes a plurality of non-reconfigurable interconnects electrically interconnecting subsets of the plurality of photovoltaic cells to form a plurality of cell strings. In addition, the photovoltaic module includes a plurality of reconfigurable interconnects. Each cell string includes at least four photovoltaic cells connected in an electrical series from a first cell to a last cell, the first cell and the last cell being located on a same edge of the grid.

Abstract: A solid-state device configured to generate an electric signal indicative of a presence or an absence of a magnetic topological soliton is disclosed. The solid-state device includes a storage element configured to store a magnetic topological soliton. The storage element includes a topological insulator. The storage element also includes a magnetic strip arranged on the topological insulator. The solid-state device also includes a magnetic topological soliton detector configured to generate the electric signal indicative of the presence or the absence of the magnetic topological soliton in a detection region of the storage element. The magnetic topological soliton detector is adapted for detecting a spin-independent difference in tunneling amplitude, a difference in electrical resistance, or a difference in electrical conductivity through the topological insulator in the detection region due to the presence or the absence of the magnetic topological soliton in the detection region.

Abstract: A two-axes MEMS magnetometer includes, in one plane, a freestanding rectangular frame having inner walls and four torsion springs, wherein opposing inner walls of the frame are contacted by one end of only two torsion springs, each torsion spring being anchored by its other end, towards the center of the frame, to a substrate. In operation, the magnetometer measures the magnetic field in two orthogonal sensing modes using differential capacitance measurements.

Abstract: The disclosed technology generally relates to semiconductor devices and more particularly to memory devices having a resistance switching element, and to methods of operating such memory devices. In one aspect, a memory cell includes a first electrode and a second electrode formed of one of a metallic material or a semiconducting material. The memory cell additionally includes a resistance switching element formed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The memory cell additionally includes a tunnel rectifier formed between the resistance-switching element and the first electrode. The tunnel rectifier includes a multi-layer tunnel stack comprising at least two dielectric layers each having a dielectric constant (ki), a conduction band offset (?i), and a thickness, wherein one of the dielectric layers has a higher dielectric constant, a lower conduction band offset and a higher thickness compared to any other dielectric layer of the multi-layer tunnel stack.

Abstract: The disclosed technology generally relates to semiconductor fabrication, and more particularly to plasma etching of dielectric materials having pores. In one aspect, a method for etching a porous material in an environment includes contacting the porous material with an organic gas at a pressure and a temperature. The organic gas is such that at the pressure and the temperature, the organic gas remains in a gas state when outside of the porous material, while the organic gas condenses into an organic liquid upon contacting the porous material. Upon contacting the porous material, the organic gas thereby fills the pores of the porous material with the organic liquid. Subsequent to contacting the porous material, the method additionally includes plasma etch-treating of the porous material having filled pores, thereby evaporating a fraction of the organic liquid filling the pores of the porous material.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method of cleaning a process chamber of a capacitively coupled plasma reactor, the method comprising: a) Introducing a gas comprising 80-100% in volume of inert gas into the process chamber, wherein said inert gas is selected from the group consisting of neon, argon, krypton, xenon and combinations thereof; and b) Forming a plasma from said inert gas, thereby cleaning said process chamber.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to directed self-assembly using trench assisted chemoepitaxy. An example embodiment includes a method of forming a pre-patterned structure for directing a self-assembly of a self-assembling material that includes a first and a second component having different chemical natures. The method includes providing an assembly includes a substrate, a layer of pinning material overlying the substrate, and a resist pattern overlaying the layer of pinning material. The method also includes modifying a chemical nature of an exposed part of a top surface of the layer of pinning material. The method further includes removing the resist pattern. In addition, the method includes attaching a neutral layer to the layer of pinning material.

Abstract: A compliable unit in an compliable network comprises a first layer including at least one device component at a first region of the first layer, and a second layer including at least one compliable element at a first region of the second layer to transfer the at least one device component to a desired location. The first layer and the second layer are arranged in a stack.

Abstract: An electronic circuit structure comprising a substrate, a dielectric layer on top of the substrate and comprising a cavity having side-walls, a manganese or manganese nitride layer covering the side-walls, and a self-assembled monolayer, comprising an organic compound of formula Z-L-A, covering the manganese or manganese nitride layer, wherein Z is selected from the list consisting of a primary amino group, a carboxylic acid group, a thiol group, a selenol group and a heterocyclic group having an unsubstituted tertiary amine in the cycle, wherein L is an organic linker comprising from 1 to 12 carbon atoms and from 0 to 3 heteroatoms, and wherein A is a group attaching the linker to the manganese or manganese nitride layer.

Abstract: The disclosure is related to an SSRM method for measuring the local resistivity and carrier concentration of a conductive sample. The method includes contacting the conductive sample at one side with an AFM probe and at another side with a contact electrode, modulating, at a modulation frequency, the force applied to maintain physical contact between the AFM probe and the sample while preserving the physical contact between the AFM probe and the sample, thereby modulating at the modulation frequency the spreading resistance of the sample; measuring the current flowing through the sample between the AFM probe and the contact electrode; and deriving from the measured current the modulated spreading resistance. Deriving the modulated spreading resistance includes measuring the spreading current using a current-to-voltage amplifier, converting the voltage signal into a resistance signal, and filtering out from the resistance signal, the resistance amplitude at the modulation frequency.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes methods and devices relating to electrode holding arrangements for bioelectric use. An example electrode holding arrangement includes a piece of flexible material configured to be fixed to a body part and at least one electrode spring element. The at least one electrode spring element is created by cutting out a certain geometric profile from the piece of flexible material. When the piece of flexible material is fixed to the body part having a body tissue surface, and an electrode is attached to the at least one electrode spring element and is positioned on the body tissue surface so that the body tissue surface generates a first force that makes the electrode spring element protrude outside a horizontal plane of the piece of flexible material, the at least one electrode spring element generates a second force that presses the electrode against the body tissue surface.

Abstract: A device and method for sorting objects immersed in a flowing medium are disclosed. An example device comprises a holographic imaging unit comprising one or more holographic imaging elements, a fluid handling unit comprising one or more microfluidic channels configured to conduct flowing medium along a corresponding holographic imaging element and at least one microfluidic switch arranged downstream of an imaging region in the microfluidic channel configured to direct objects in the flowing medium into a one of a plurality of outlets. The example device also comprises a processor configured to determine real-time characterizations of holographic diffraction images obtained for the moving objects. The processing unit is further configured to control the at least one microfluidic switch in response to the real-time characterizations.

Abstract: A DNA chip with micro-channel for DNA analysis of DNA included in an analyte according to a PCR method is a DNA chip with micro-channel for DNA analysis in which is silicon (first layer) and plastic (second layer) are laminated, wherein the second layer is formed on a partial area of the first layer, and the second layer includes: a reagent; a liquid transporting system; and a sensor, and the first layer includes a PCR reactor provided on an area on which the second layer is not formed.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method for verifying a printed pattern. In an example embodiment, the method includes defining sectors of at least a portion of the features in the reference pattern, determining a contour of the printed pattern, and superimposing the contour of the printed pattern on the reference pattern. The method also includes determining surface areas of sectors of the printed pattern that correspond to the sectors of the reference pattern and calculating one or more parameters as a function of at least one of the surface areas, the parameters being related to a single sector or to multiple sectors. The method additionally includes evaluating the parameters with respect to a reference value.

Abstract: An energy harvesting circuit is based on a switch mode inductive DC-DC converter circuit. The inductor current is sensed and a duration of an on-time is controlled in dependence on the sensed inductor current. A duration of an overall switching period of the converter circuit is controlled in dependence on an on-time set by a first timing control circuit and input and output voltages. This converter circuit enables independent control of the on-time and a full period of a converter cycle. Very rapid switching can be avoided which can give rise to very high energy consumption. The full cycle period can be set to achieve a desired constant value of an input resistance of the DC-DC converter, and thereby maximize power transfer.

Abstract: A test circuitry is configured to test for transition delay defects in a first inter-die interconnect connecting a first die and a second die. A test data value is initially received and temporarily stored in a data storage element. The test data is subsequently looped between the storage element and the second die through a feedback loop including the first inter-die interconnect and a second inter-die interconnect. A data conditioner conditions the test data value received from the second die so as to make it distinguishable from the test data value sent to the second die. A clock pulse generator generates a delayed clock pulse. A selection logic applies the generated delayed clock pulse and the conditioned fed back test data value to the data storage element. A readout unit for reading out a test data value stored in the data storage element.