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The purpose of this study is to find a new design that can increase the sensitivity of the sensor without sacrificing the linearity. A novel and very efficient method for increasing the sensitivity of MEMS pressure sensor has been proposed for the first time. Rather than perforation, we propose patterned thinning of the diaphragm so that specific regions on it are thinner. This method allows the diaphragm to deflect more in response with regard to the pressure. The best excavation depth has been calculated and a pressure sensor with an optimal pattern for thinned regions has been designed. Compared to the perforated diaphragm with the same pattern, larger output voltage is achieved for the proposed sensor. Unlike the perforations that have to be near the edges of the diaphragm, it is possible for the thin regions to be placed around the center of the diaphragm. This significantly increases the sensitivity of the sensor. In our designation, we have reached a 60 per cent thinning (of the diaphragm area) while perforations larger than 40 per cent degrade the operation of the sensor. The proposed method is applicable to other MEMS sensors and actuators and improves their ultimate performance.

Instead of perforating the diaphragm, we propose a patterned thinning scheme which improves the sensor performance.

By using thinned regions on the diaphragm rather than perforations, the sensitivity of the sensor was improved. The simulation results show that the proposed design provides larger membrane deflections and higher output voltages compared to the pressure sensors with a normal or perforated diaphragm.

The proposed MEMS piezoelectric pressure sensor for the first time takes advantage of thinned diaphragm with optimum pattern of thinned regions, larger outputs and larger sensitivity compared with the simple or perforated diaphragm pressure sensors.

The prestigious policy advisor, World Economic Forum (WEF), underlines that “governments, businesses and civil society organisations” must find “new ways of tackling the systemic risks that affect us all”. Paradoxically, policy’s and politicians’ great trust in the basic forces of the business world is accompanied with a disinterest in how they are captured in analytical approaches. The purpose of this paper is to discuss what consequences different approaches to interaction present for policy attempts to use business forces to achieve change.

The discussion of theoretical approaches available for policy aiming to use the basic forces of business exchange for efficiency, innovation and industrial/societal renewal in specific directions is designed as follows: The authors identify two main choices of dimensions in the conceptualisation of business exchange, based on the acknowledgement of thin or thick interactions. The authors discuss how these are related to how interaction patterns appear in empirical studies of exchange. Based on the identification of conceptualisations and empirical findings, the authors discuss the ability for the public sphere to use the basic characteristics of business exchange to cope with societal challenges.

Research experiences on thick interaction and its consequences, that businesses and their input and output are interdependent, systemic and promote certain development paths, are largely ignored in approaches used in policy circles. Instead, policy advisors’ and policy commissioners’ understanding of business interaction patterns is coloured by mainstream economies assumption of thin interaction. The content and function of the market as depicted in this tradition are within EU, the basic foundation for legal regulations and limitations of businesses interaction patterns. Simply put, actors as well as the activities and resources that they are related to are approached as independent.

This paper is focussed on the conceptual underpinnings of contemporary policy advices and commissions. This paper does not investigate deviations from these advices and commission made by policy practitioners on a local level

The message given by theoretical approaches recognising thick interaction is that the thicker it is, the more intervening, broader and more differentiated the policy tools and measures have to be. But that also puts high demands on policy actors on all levels to have both general and specific knowledge about thick interaction patterns. However, given the big challenges the society is facing, increased speed of change and, above all, increased influence over the direction of change are needed.

WEF recognises the systemic features of the contemporary challenges to society with climate change in the foreground, and it stresses the need for finding new ways for public bodies and private businesses to cooperate to solve this. This implies the need to consider what theoretical approaches that should guide policy advice and measures. Hence, there is a need for the use of more sophisticated analytical approaches to the collective level, instead of those relying on that the interaction pattern of the business world is thin, straightforward and easy manageable.

This paper takes a novel approach to policy advice and policy commissions through focussing on what kind of theoretical concepts and approaches that actually are available for policy advisors and policy commissioners interested in using the basic forces of business exchange to increase efficiency and innovation in the public setting in general and furthermore to solve specific problems and to create new, specific development paths. Hence, both approaches adopted and neglected by policy are considered.

The purpose of this paper is to present results from the EC funded project SHIFT (Smart High Integration Flex Technologies) on the embedding in and the assembly on flex substrates of ultrathin chips.

Methods to embed chips in flex include flip‐chip assembly and subsequent lamination, or the construction of a separate ultra‐thin chip package (UTCP) using spin‐on polyimides and thin‐film metallisation technology. Thinning and separation of the chips is done using a “dicing‐by‐thinning” method.

The feasibility of both chip embedding methods has been demonstrated, as well as that of the chip thinning method. Lamination of four layers of flex with ultrathin chips could be achieved without chip breakage. The UTCP technology results in a 60 μm package where also the 20 μm thick chip is bendable.

Further development work includes reliability testing, embedding of the UTCP in conventional flex, and construction of functional demonstrators using the developed technologies.

Thinning down silicon chips to thicknesses of 25 μm and lower is an innovative technology, as well as assembly and embedding of these chips in flexible substrates.

The Hybrid Microelectronics Laboratory in the Bradley Department of Electrical Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPI & SU), also named Virginia Tech, was established during the 1979–1980 academic year in order to provide classroom/laboratory instruction and research capabilities in the area of hybrid microelectronics. The laboratory was initially designed for the hybrid and thick film areas of microelectronics. Thin film design and fabrication capability was added in the Fall Semester, 1987. Currently, efforts are under way to develop the area of monolithic diffusion and processing of semiconductor wafers using both elemental and compound materials, initiated in the Fall Semester, 1991.

Nanobiosensors based on nanogap capacitor are widely used for measuring dielectric properties of DNA, protein and biomolecule. The purpose of this paper is to report on the fabrication and characterization polysilicon nanogap patterning using novelties technique.

Overall, the polysilicon nanogap pattern was fabricated based on conventional lithographic techniques. For size expansion technique, by employing simple dry thermal oxidation, the couple of nanogap pattern has been expanded to lowest nanogap value. The progress of nanogap pattern expansion was verified by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Conductivity, resistivity, and capacitance test were performed to characterize and to measure electrical behavior of full device fabrication.

SEM characterization emphasis on the expansion of polysilicon nanogap pattern increasing with respect to oxidation time. Electrical characterization shows that nanogap enhanced the sensitivity of the device at the value of nano ampere of current.

These simple least‐cost method does not require complicated nanolithography method of fabrication but still possible to serve as biomolecular junction. This approach can be applied extensively to different design of nanogap structure down to several nanometer levels of dimensions. A method of preparing a nanogap electrode according to the present innovation has an advantage of providing active surface that can be easily modified for immobilizations of biomolecules.

The purpose of this paper is to characterize the interfaces between manufacturing companies and the Internet of Things (IoT) suppliers involved in their digital servitization.

This paper builds on an explorative case study of a manufacturing firm and its IoT suppliers. This paper relies on the Industrial Network Approach to study interfaces between buying firms and their suppliers.

This paper identifies three distinct types of supplier interfaces: connected, digital and digital-physical. They all contain technical resource interfaces with additional organizational and/or technical complexities that need to be managed. Connectivity, an Agile approach to software development and strong technical dependence emerged as key factors that impact the interactions between manufacturing firms and IoT suppliers and how their resources are combined.

This paper offers managerial implications regarding the importance of internal organization (such as appropriate cross-functional teams) to manage the dynamics of collaborations required by digital technologies, maintain interactions with IoT suppliers and identify and manage interdependences between IoT suppliers. Building close relationships with suppliers of crucial infrastructure (e.g. IoT cloud platform and data security systems) can also be beneficial for manufacturing firms to reduce risks. Finally, attention should be given to IoT technology strategy, which impacts both digital and digital-physical supplier interfaces.

In digital servitization, manufacturing firms are heavily reliant on external resources for IoT technology. Despite this, few studies have investigated the characteristics of their interfaces with IoT suppliers, how these can be managed and how resources are combined.

This paper aims to describe two manufacturing techniques for selective patterning of Poly‐3‐4‐ethyleneoxythiophene/poly‐4‐sytrensulfonate (PEDOT/PSS) for flexible electronic applications. The paper also includes methods to tailor the electrical conductivity of the patterned polymeric films.

Line patterning and inkjet printing methods were used to pattern PEDOT/PSS onto mechanically flexible substrates including polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide and paper.

PEDOT/PSS thin films with controlled spatial resolution and strong adhesion passing a laboratory Scotch‐tape test were patterned onto flexible substrates using both line patterning and inkjet printing techniques. After annealing, the sheet resistivities of patterned PEDOT/PSS lines increased slightly. Treating the electrodes with ethylene glycol dramatically increased the electrical conductivity.

There has been extensive work on selective deposition of solution processable active materials onto mechanically flexible substrates. Many techniques including line patterning and inkjet printing are currently being used to fabricate devices for flexible electronic applications. However, there is a need for tailoring the electrical conductivity of the patterned polymeric active materials.

In this study, two very cost effective methods for the selective deposition of the water soluble PEDOT/PSS onto flexible substrates with controlled spatial resolution and electrical conductivity are reported.

The problem of determining the optimal location and length of a slit to obtain a desired value of resistance in polygonal integrated circuit thin‐film resistors prior to laser trimming them has applications in IC fabrication technology. The optimal location of the slit can be determined which gives minimum changes in the value of the resistance for small variations in the length of the slit. This can lead to fabrication of highly accurate resistors. Another criterion for optimality can be the location of the slit which will result in the smallest length of the slit. This can lead to a faster and cheaper IC fabrication process. In this paper, the author describes a method of numerical conformal mapping for computing the length of a slit to obtain the desired value of resistance and the near optimal location of the slit when the shape of the polygon is given. Depending upon the optimality criterion chosen, the near optimal location of the slit will either reduce the variations in the value of resistance for small variations in the length of the slit which may be caused by tolerance in the laser trimming system or will give a smaller length of the slit. The extended Schwarz‐Christoffel transformation developed by the author and others will be used when polygons with curved segments are encountered.

The problem of determining the shape of a polygonal integrated circuit planar resistor to a desired value of resistance has applications in the IC fabrication technology. The resistor design problem can be simplified for modular applications and fabrication by changing only one parameter of the polygon, e.g., length of a slit, to achieve the desired value of resistance. This paper describes a method of numerical conformal mapping to compute the length of the slit to obtain the desired value of resistance when the shape of the polygon is given. The extended Schwarz‐Christoffel transformation developed by the author and others is used when polygons with curved segments are encountered. The resulting algorithm is easily programmable and accurate. Rapid convergence is achieved. Examples are given and other applications of the method are presented.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate electromechanical properties of a new stretchable interconnect design for “fine pitch” applications in stretchable electronics.

A patterned metal interconnect with a zigzag shape is adhered on an elastomeric substrate. In situ home‐built electromechanical measurement is carried out by the four‐probe technique. Finite element method is used to analyze the deformation behavior of a zigzag shape interconnect under uniaxial tensile loading.

The electrical resistance remains constant until metal breakdown at elongations beyond 40 percent. There is no significant local necking in either the transverse or the thickness direction at the metal breakdown area as shown by both scanning electron microscopy micrographs and resistance measurements. Micrographs and simulation results show that a debonding occurs due to the local twisting of a metal interconnect, out‐of‐plane peeling, and strain localized at the crest of a zigzag structure.

In this paper, the zigzag shape is, for the first time, proven as a promising design for stretchable interconnects, especially for fine pitch applications.