Beveled microneedles with channel for transdermal injection and sampling, fabricated with minimal steps and standard MEMS technology.

Microneedles hold the potential for enabling shallow skin penetration applications where biomarkers are extracted from the interstitial fluid (ISF) and drugs are injected in a painless and effective manner. To this purpose, needles must have an inner channel. Channeled needles were demonstrated using custom silicon microtechnology, having several needle tip geometries.

FPGA Readout for Frequency-Multiplexed Array of Micromechanical Resonators for Sub-Terahertz Imaging.

Field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) have not only enhanced traditional sensing methods, such as pixel detection (CCD and CMOS), but also enabled the development of innovative approaches with significant potential for particle detection. This is particularly relevant in terahertz (THz) ray detection, where microbolometer-based focal plane arrays (FPAs) using microelectromechanical (MEMS) resonators are among the most promising solutions. Designing high-performance, high-pixel-density sensors is challenging without FPGAs, which are crucial for deterministic parallel processing, fast ADC/DAC control, and handling large data throughput.

Supercooled condensation droplets sliding on frost: Origin and anti-frosting effect observed on Cotinus coggygria leaf.

Fascinated by the purple color, water-repellent, and self-cleaning properties of leaves, we studied their morphology, wetting, and condensation frosting. Wax nanotubules confer high contact angles, enabling coalescence-induced condensation droplet (out-of-plane) jumping, which, as known, contributes to slowing down frost. Another type of movement-this time in-plane-becomes predominant in reducing the frosting velocity ( ) within a sub-cooling temperature range.

Single Condensation Droplet Self-Ejection from Divergent Structures with Uniform Wettability.

Coalescence-induced condensation droplet jumping has been extensively studied for anti-icing, condensation heat transfer, water harvesting, and self-cleaning. Another phenomenon that is gaining attention for potential enhancements is the self-ejection of individual droplets. However, the mechanism underlying this process remains elusive due to cases in which the abrupt detachment of an interface establishes an initial Laplace pressure difference.

A C-shaped hinge for displacement magnification in MEMS rotational structures.

The design, analysis, fabrication, and characterization of two distinct MEMS rotational structures are provided; these structures include a classical symmetrical lancet structure and a novel symmetrical C-shaped structure provided with a tilted arm, and both are actuated by thermal actuators. Our proposed C-shaped structure implemented a curved beam mechanism to enhance the movement delivered by the thermal actuators. The geometrical parameters of our proposed device were optimized using the design of experiment (DOE) method.

High Frequency MEMS Capacitive Mirror for Space Applications.

Free space optics laser communication using modulating retroreflectors (MR) is a challenging application for an active mirror, due to the high frequencies (>100 kHz) required to enable sufficient data transfer. Micro Electromechanical (MEMS) mirrors are a promising option for high-frequency applications, given the very small moving mass typical of such devices. Capacitive MEMS mirrors are presented here for free space communications, based on a novel fabrication sequence that introduces a single-layer thin film aluminum mirror structure with an underlying silicon oxide sacrificial layer.

Performance Analysis of a CSFH-Based Microgripper: Analytical Modeling and Simulation.

Microgrippers are promising tools for micro-manipulation and characterization of cells. In this paper, a biocompatible electro-thermally actuated microgripper with rotary capacitive position sensor is presented. To overcome the limited displacement possibilities usually provided by electrothermal actuators and to achieve the desired tweezers output displacement, conjugate surface flexure hinges (CSFH) are adopted.

Design, Fabrication, Testing and Simulation of a Rotary Double Comb Drives Actuated Microgripper.

This paper presents the development of a new microgripper actuated by means of rotary-comb drives equipped with two cooperating fingers arrays. The microsystem presents eight CSFH flexures (Conjugate Surface Flexure Hinge) that allow the designer to assign a prescribed motion to the gripping tips. In fact, the adoption of multiple CSFHs gives rise to the possibility of embedding quite a complex mechanical structure and, therefore, increasing the number of design parameters.

Optimization of a Low-Power Chemoresistive Gas Sensor: Predictive Thermal Modelling and Mechanical Failure Analysis.

The substrate plays a key role in chemoresistive gas sensors. It acts as mechanical support for the sensing material, hosts the heating element and, also, aids the sensing material in signal transduction. In recent years, a significant improvement in the substrate production process has been achieved, thanks to the advances in micro- and nanofabrication for micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technologies.

MEMS Membranes with Nanoscale Holes for Analytical Applications.

Micro-electro-mechanical membranes having nanoscale holes were developed, to be used as a nanofluidic sample inlet in novel analytical applications. Nanoscopic holes can be used as sampling points to enable a molecular flow regime, enhancing the performance and simplifying the layout of mass spectrometers and other analytical systems. To do this, the holes must be placed on membranes capable of consistently withstanding a pressure gradient of 1 bar.

RF-MEMS Monolithic K and Ka Band Multi-State Phase Shifters as Building Blocks for 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) Applications.

RF-MEMS, i.e., Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) for Radio Frequency (RF) passive components, exhibit interesting characteristics for the upcoming 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) scenarios, in which reconfigurable broadband and frequency-agile devices, like high-order switching units, tunable filters, multi-state attenuators, and phase shifters will be necessary to enable mm-Wave services, small cells, and advanced beamforming.

Design and Validation of a Single-SOI-Wafer 4-DOF Crawling Microgripper.

This paper deals with the manipulation of micro-objects operated by a new concept multi-hinge multi-DoF (degree of freedom) microsystem. The system is composed of a planar 3-DoF microstage and of a set of one-DoF microgrippers, and it is arranged is such a way as to allow any microgripper to crawl over the stage. As a result, the optimal configuration to grasp the micro-object can be reached.

Oscillations During Flow Boiling in Single Microchannels.

Flow boiling of degassed double-distilled water in a single 50 × 50 μm and 100 × 50 μm microchannel was investigated on the basis of experimental measurements and high-speed visualization. The visualized events during boiling were analyzed in terms of the bubble frequencies and boiling front oscillations in microchannels. A digital image sequence analysis algorithm was composed to determine the time dependence of bubble and meniscus locations.

New MEMS Tweezers for the Viscoelastic Characterization of Soft Materials at the Microscale.

As many studies show, there is a relation between the tissue's mechanical characteristics and some specific diseases. Knowing this relationship would help early diagnosis or microsurgery. In this paper, a new method for measuring the viscoelastic properties of soft materials at the microscale is proposed.