Abstract: A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) structure includes a substrate, an epitaxial polysilicon cap located above the substrate, a first cavity portion defined between the substrate and the epitaxial polysilicon cap, and a first graphene component having at least one graphene surface immediately adjacent to the first cavity portion.

Abstract: A device for etching a substrate includes a first reaction chamber into which a first gas is introduced; a second reaction chamber into which a second gas is introduced; and a coil device that generates an electromagnetic alternating field. At least one first reactive species is generated by applying the electromagnetic alternating field to the first gas and at least one second reactive species is generated by applying the electromagnetic alternating field to the second gas. The device further includes a separating device that prevents a direct gas exchange between the first and second reaction chambers; an etching chamber configured to receive the substrate to be anisotropically etched; and a mixing device configured such that the reactive species enter the mixing device, are mixed together, and in the mixed state act on the substrate so as to anisotropically etch the substrate in the etching chamber.

Abstract: A normally closed valve for microfluidic components includes a polymer substrate and a polymer membrane film arranged on the polymer substrate. The polymer substrate has a first chamber, a second chamber, and a fluidic barrier element configured to separate the first chamber from the second chamber. The first chamber is fluidically coupled to the second chamber by the polymer membrane film, and, in an initial configuration, a connection of the polymer membrane film to the fluidic barrier element prevents a fluidic communication of the first chamber to the second chamber. The first chamber is at least partially filled with a substance in the initial configuration, and a transfer of the substance from the first chamber into the second chamber takes place by applying a pressure to the substance. The pressure is chosen to be great enough to disconnect the connection of the polymer membrane film to the fluidic barrier element.

Abstract: An electronic sensor apparatus for detecting chemical or biological species includes a semiconductor chip, a sensor device, and a substrate. The chip is produced from a semiconductor substrate and is configured for one or more functions such as: amplifying and/or evaluating an electrical voltage, amplifying and/or evaluating an electric current, amplifying and/or evaluating an electrical charge, and amplifying and/or reading out capacitance changes. The sensor device has an active surface configured to detect chemical or biological species and generate an electrical signal based on a species-characteristic interaction with the active surface. The electrical signal can be an electrical voltage, an electric current, an electrical charge and/or a capacitance change. The substrate is produced from a melt-moldable material and has a surface including first and second regions. The chip is at least partly embedded in the first region, and the sensor device is at least partly embedded in the second region.

Abstract: An analysis unit is configured to carry out a polymerase chain reaction. The analysis unit includes a lid element with at least one lid recess and a base element with at least one base recess. The base recess is arranged opposite the lid recess to form a reaction chamber. The analysis unit further includes a film arranged, at least in the region of the lid recess, between the lid element and the base element. The analysis unit also includes at least one channel formed between the lid element and the base element and configured to channel a fluid into and/or out of the base recess of the reaction chamber. The analysis unit includes a probe carrier arranged in the base recess and including at least one indicator material as the probe, for identifying a biochemical material. The indicator material on the probe carrier is in a solid aggregate state.

Abstract: A method for processing a sample of biological material containing target cells and companion cells in order to extract nucleic acids of the target cells includes accumulating the target cells of the sample by separating the target cells or the companion cells from the sample. The method additionally includes decomposing the target cells by chemical or physical lysis in order to produce a target cell lysate containing the nucleic acids of the target cells. The method further includes purifying the nucleic acids from the target cell lysate in order to extract the nucleic acid of the target cells.

Abstract: A method for preparing a sample of biological materials containing target cells and accompanying cells for extracting nucleic acids of the target cells includes accumulating the target cells of the sample by separating the target cells or the accompanying cells from the sample. The method also includes digesting the target cells via chemical and/or physical lysis in order to produce a target cell lysate containing the nucleic acids of the target cells. The method furthermore includes purifying the nucleic acids from the target cell lysate in order to extract the nucleic acids of the target cells.

Abstract: A method and a device for controlling a drive unit of a vehicle are provided in which, starting from the comparison of a first acceleration variable, which is calculated at least from the operating state of the drive unit, and a second acceleration variable, an error is detected. The second acceleration variable includes a first component, in the direction of the vehicle longitudinal axis, and a second component, perpendicular to the vehicle longitudinal axis.

Abstract: A method for masking a surface, in particular a surface having silicon oxide, aluminum or silicon, includes providing a substrate having a surface to be masked, in particular having a surface having silicon oxide, aluminum or silicon; and producing a defined masking pattern by locally selective forming of colloidal silicon oxide on the surface. The method allows for the creating of an extremely stable masking in a simple and cost-effective manner, in contrast to a plurality of etching media, in particular in contrast to hydrofluoric acid, in order to thus create extremely accurate and defined structures such as by an etching process.

Abstract: A micro-dosing pump includes a pump chamber substrate, a flexible membrane, a fluid line, a valve disk, a magnetizable actuator disk, and a drive unit. The pump chamber substrate has a pump chamber. The flexible membrane is on a first side of the pump chamber substrate and covers the pump chamber in a fluid-tight manner. The fluid line is on a second side of the pump chamber substrate such that fluid can enter and leave the pump chamber. The valve disk, arranged inside the pump chamber, has a fluid through-opening and is configured to close the fluid line by rotating and to open it via the through-opening. The actuator disk is coupled to the valve disk such that rotating the actuator disk rotates the valve disk. The drive unit has a pump plunger configured to move the membrane for suction or ejection of fluid and to rotate the actuator disk.

Abstract: In a method for manufacturing at least one mechanical-electrical energy conversion system including multiple individual parts, and a mechanical-electrical energy conversion, multiple different individual parts are positioned in an assembly device and joined in joining areas assigned to the individual parts in the assembly device, the individual parts including at least one piezoelectric element, one support structure and one seismic mass.

Abstract: A manufacturing method for a porous microneedle array includes: forming a plurality of porous microneedle arrays, each having at least one microneedle and a porous carrier zone lying beneath it on the face of a semiconductor substrate; forming an interlayer between a non-porous residual layer of the semiconductor substrate located on the back side of the semiconductor substrate and the carrier zone, which has greater porosity than the carrier zone; detaching the residual layer from the carrier zone by breaking up the interlayer; and separating the microneedle arrays into corresponding chips.

Abstract: A microphone assembly includes two MEMS components each having a micromechanical microphone structure, each microphone structure having: a diaphragm configured to be deflected by sound pressure and provided with at least one diaphragm electrode of a capacitor system; and a stationary acoustically permeable counter-element that acts as bearer for at least one counter-electrode of the capacitor system. The microphone assembly is configured such that under the action of sound the spacing between the diaphragm and the counter-element of the two microphone structures changes in opposite directions.

Abstract: A method for selective etching of an SiGe mixed semiconductor layer on a silicon semiconductor substrate by dry chemical etching of the SiGe mixed semiconductor layer with the aid of an etching gas selected from the group including ClF3 and/or ClF5, a gas selected from the group including Cl2 and/or HCl being added to the etching gas.

Abstract: A concept is proposed for a MEMS microphone which may be operated at a relatively low voltage level and still have comparatively high sensitivity. The component according to the present invention includes a micromechanical microphone structure having an acoustically active diaphragm which functions as a deflectable electrode of a microphone capacitor (1), and a stationary acoustically permeable counterelement which functions as a counter electrode of the microphone capacitor (1).

Abstract: A method for producing a pneumatically actuatable microfluidic analysis cartridge includes closing a joining side of a fluidic part of the analysis cartridge with a first fluid-tight elastic membrane and/or closing a joining side of a pneumatic part of the analysis cartridge with a second membrane. The fluidic part is configured to perform fluidic basic operations of a biochemical analysis process, and the pneumatic part is configured to control the basic operations using air pressure. The joining side of the fluidic part and the joining side of the pneumatic part are aligned, and the fluidic part and the pneumatic part are connected to form the analysis cartridge.

Abstract: A system and method are described for reducing the current consumption of a microphone component without adversely affecting performance. The system includes a micromechanical microphone capacitor, an acoustically inactive compensation capacitor, an arrangement for applying a high-frequency sampling signal to the microphone capacitor and for applying the inverted sampling signal to the compensation capacitor, an integrating operational amplifier which integrates the sum of the current flow through the microphone capacitor and the current flow through the compensation capacitor as a charge amplifier, a demodulator, which is synchronized with the sampling signal, for the output signal of the integrating operational amplifier, and a low-pass filter which uses the output signal of the demodulator to obtain a microphone signal that corresponds to the changes in capacitance of the microphone capacitor. The sampling signal is composed of a periodic sequence of sampling pulses and pause times.

Abstract: A normally closed valve for microfluidic components includes a polymer substrate and a polymer membrane film arranged on the polymer substrate. The polymer substrate has a first chamber, a second chamber, and a fluidic barrier element configured to separate the first chamber from the second chamber. The first chamber is fluidically coupled to the second chamber by the polymer membrane film, and, in an initial configuration, a connection of the polymer membrane film to the fluidic barrier element prevents a fluidic communication of the first chamber to the second chamber. The first chamber is at least partially filled with a substance in the initial configuration, and a transfer of the substance from the first chamber into the second chamber takes place by applying a pressure to the substance. The pressure is chosen to be great enough to disconnect the connection of the polymer membrane film to the fluidic barrier element.

Abstract: Substrate-side overload protection for the diaphragm structure of a microphone component having a micromechanical microphone structure which impairs the damping properties of the microphone structure as little as possible, in which the microphone structure includes a diaphragm structure having at least one acoustically active diaphragm which is formed in a diaphragm layer above a semiconductor substrate. The diaphragm structure spans at least one sound opening in the rear side of the substrate. A stationary, acoustically permeable counter element is formed in the layer structure of the component above the diaphragm layer. According to the invention, at least projections are formed at the outer edge area of the diaphragm structure which protrude beyond the edge area of the sound opening, so that the edge area of the sound opening acts as a substrate-side stop for the diaphragm structure.

Abstract: An electronic sensor apparatus for detecting chemical or biological species includes a semiconductor chip, a sensor device, and a substrate. The chip is produced from a semiconductor substrate and is configured for one or more functions such as: amplifying and/or evaluating an electrical voltage, amplifying and/or evaluating an electric current, amplifying and/or evaluating an electrical charge, and amplifying and/or reading out capacitance changes. The sensor device has an active surface configured to detect chemical or biological species and generate an electrical signal based on a species-characteristic interaction with the active surface. The electrical signal can be an electrical voltage, an electric current, an electrical charge and/or a capacitance change. The substrate is produced from a melt-moldable material and has a surface including first and second regions. The chip is at least partly embedded in the first region, and the sensor device is at least partly embedded in the second region.