Situated at the forefront of interdisciplinary research on ferromagnetic microwires and their multifunctional composites, this book starts with a comprehensive treatment of the processing, structure, properties and applications of magnetic microwires. Special emphasis is placed on the giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) effect, which forms the basis for developing high-performance magnetic sensors. After defining the key criteria for selecting microwires for various types of GMI sensors, the book illustrates how ferromagnetic microwires are employed as functional fillers to create a new class of composite materials with multiple functionalities for sensing and microwave applications. Readers are introduced to state-of-the-art fabrication methods, microwave tunable properties, microwave absorption and shielding behaviours, as well as the metamaterial characteristics of these newly developed ferromagnetic microwire composites. Lastly, potential engineering applications are proposed so as to highlight the most promising perspectives, current challenges and possible solutions.

This thesis reports on a novel system for extracellular recordings of the activity of excitable cells, which relies on an organic, charge-modulated field-effect transistor (FET) called OCMFET. The book shows how, thanks to the intrinsic biocompatibility, lightness, and inexpensiveness of the material used, this new system is able to overcome several problems typical of of "classic" electronic and bioelectronic. It provides a full description of the system, together with a comprehensive report of the successful experimental trials carried out on both cardiac and nerve cells, and a concise yet comprehensive overview of bioelectronic interfaces and organic sensors for electrophysiological applications.

This book is the first major work covering applications in thermal engineering and offering a comprehensive introduction to optimal control theory, which has applications in mechanical engineering, particularly aircraft and missile trajectory optimization. The book is organized in three parts: The first part includes a brief presentation of function optimization and variational calculus, while the second part presents a summary of the optimal control theory. Lastly, the third part describes several applications of optimal control theory in solving various thermal engineering problems. These applications are grouped in four sections: heat transfer and thermal energy storage, solar thermal engineering, heat engines and lubrication.Clearly presented and easy-to-use, it is a valuable resource for thermal engineers and thermal-system designers as well as postgraduate students.

This book contains mainly the selected papers of the First International Workshop on Medical and Service Robots, held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in 2012. The high quality of the scientific contributions is the result of a rigorous selection and improvement based on the participants exchange of opinions and extensive peer-review. This process has led to the publishing of the present collection of 16 independent valuable contributions and points of view and not as standard symposium or conference proceedings.

The addressed issues are: Computational Kinematics, Mechanism Design, Linkages and Manipulators, Mechanisms for Biomechanics, Mechanics of Robots, Control Issues for Mechanical Systems, Novel Designs, Teaching Methods, all of these being concentrated around robotic systems for medical and service applications.

The results are of interest to researchers and professional practitioners as well as to Ph.D. students in the field of mechanical and electrical engineering.

This volume marks the start of a subseries entitled New Trends in Medical and Service Robots within the "Machine and Mechanism Science Series," presenting recent trends, research results and new challenges in the field of medical and service robotics.

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3D Integration is being touted as the next semiconductor revolution. This book provides a comprehensive coverage on the design and modeling aspects of 3D integration, in particularly, focus on its electrical behavior. Looking from the perspective the Silicon Via (TSV) and Glass Via (TGV) technology, the book introduces 3DICs and Interposers as a technology, and presents its application in numerical modeling, signal integrity, power integrity and thermal integrity. The authors underscored the potential of this technology in design exchange formats and power distribution.

An important resource for students, engineers and researchers working in the area of thin film deposition using "physical vapor deposition" (e.g. "sputtering") for semiconductor, liquid crystal displays, high density recording media and photovoltaic device (e.g. thin film solar cell) manufacturing. This book also reviews microelectronics industry topics such as history of inventions and technology trends, recent developments in sputtering technologies, manufacturing steps that require sputtering of thin films, the properties of thin films and the role of sputtering target performance on overall productivity of various processes. Two unique chapters of this book deal with productivity and troubleshooting issues.

The content of the book has been divided into two sections: (a) the "first section" (Chapter 1 to Chapter 3) has been prepared for the readers from a range of disciplines (e.g. electrical, chemical, chemistry, physics) trying to get an insight into use of sputtered films in various devices (e.g. semiconductor, display, photovoltaic, data storage), basic of sputtering and performance of sputtering target in relation to productivity, and (b) the "second section" (Chapter 4 to Chapter 8) has been prepared for readers who already have background knowledge of sputter deposition of thin films, materials science principles and interested in the details of sputtering target manufacturing methods, sputtering behavior and thin film properties specific to semiconductor, liquid crystal display, photovoltaic and magnetic data storage applications.

In Chapters 5 to 8, a general structure has been used, i.e. a description of the applications of sputtered thin films, sputtering target manufacturing methods (including flow charts), sputtering behavior of targets (e.g. current - voltage relationship, deposition rate) and thin film properties (e.g. microstructure, stresses, electrical properties, in-film particles). While discussing these topics, attempts have been made to include examples from the actual commercial processes to highlight the increased complexity of the commercial processes with the growth of advanced technologies. In addition to personnel working in industry setting, university researchers with advanced knowledge of sputtering would also find discussion of such topics (e.g. attributes of target design, chamber design, target microstructure, sputter surface characteristics, various troubleshooting issues) useful.

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Unique coverage of sputtering target manufacturing methods in the light of semiconductor, displays, data storage and photovoltaic industry requirementsPractical information on technology trends, role of sputtering and major OEMs Discussion on properties of a wide variety of thin films which include silicides, conductors, diffusion barriers, transparent conducting oxides, magnetic films etc.Practical case-studies on target performance and troubleshootingEssential technological information for students, engineers and scientists working in the semiconductor, display, data storage and photovoltaic industry

This book is a comprehensive guide to both the fundamentals of thermal sensors and their advanced functions. Key topics include sensor materials, CMOS-compatible sensors, measurement capabilities, thermal management and manufacturing processes. The introductory chapter covers the basic principles of thermal sensors from the essentials of heat transfer to smart wireless sensors. Later chapters illustrate the wide range of thermal sensor uses, from microprocessor thermal sensing to energy converter applications. Modeling and simulation techniques are used to explain the future direction of the field. Designed for researchers and practitioners working with wireless sensors and thermal management, Thermal Sensors: Principles and Applications for Semiconductor Industries is a valuable reference to the benefits and challenges these sensors offer. Advanced-level students studying mechanical or electrical engineering and networks will also find the content useful.

An electronic device is a physical component of an electronic circuit or system, which is used to affect electrons and their associated fields in accordance with the function of that system. Such systems have a very broad range of applications, the main ones being, Industrial automation and motion control, information processing, telecommunication, and signal processing. Understandable Electronic Devices: Key concepts and circuit design provides a concise, easily understandable and convenient guide to electronics circuits. Coverage includes diodes, bipolar junction transistors, field effect transistors, amplifiers, oscillators, and voltage regulators. Each chapter includes worked examples of theorems, and clear summaries of procedures, methods and equations. Reviewing key concepts in modern electronics, this book is a valuable resource for anyone needing an overview of the principles of electronic devices and circuits, or to review or update their knowledge in this field. Written by a highly experienced instructor in the field, the book provides early-career professionals and college and university students with the necessary foundation in electronics. The book is also a useful resource for researchers and research professionals whose main field is not electronics but whose research requires a working knowledge of electronic circuits and devices.

This book introduces the state-of-the-art research progress of system-level EMC, including theories, design technologies, principles and applications in practice. The engineering design, simulation, prediction, analysis, test, stage control as well as effectiveness evaluation are discussed in detail with extensive project experiences, making the book an essential reference for researchers and industrial engineers.

The book aims to describe the microscopic characterization of the soft matter in the light of new advances acquired in the science of microscopy techniques like AFM; SEM; TEM etc. It does not focus on the traditional information on the microscopy methods as well as systems already present in different books, but intends to answer more fundamental questions associated with commercially important systems by using new advances in microscopy. Such questions are generally not answered by other techniques. The contents of the book also reflect this as the chapters are not based on describing only material systems, but are based on the answering the problems or questions arising in their characterization. Both qualitative as well as quantitative analysis using such microscopic techniques is discussed. Moreover, efforts have been made to provide a broader reach as discussions on both polymers as well as biological matter have been included as different sections. Such a text with comprehensive overview of the various characterization possibilities using microscopy methods can serve as a valuable reference for microscopy experts as well as non-experts alike

This book serves as a single-source reference to Current Conveyors and their use in modern Analog Circuit Design. The authors describe the various types of current conveyors discovered over the past 45 years, details of all currently available, off-the-shelf integrated circuit current conveyors, and implementations of current conveyors using other, off-the-shelf IC building blocks. Coverage includes prominent bipolar/CMOS/Bi-CMOS architectures of current conveyors, as well as all varieties of starting from third generation current conveyors to universal current conveyors, their implementations and applications. *Describes all commercially available off-the-shelf IC current conveyors, as well as hardware implementations of current conveyors using other off-the-shelf ICs; * Describes numerous variants of current conveyors evolved over the past forty five years; * Describes a number of Bipolar/CMOS/Bi-CMOS architectures of current conveyors, along with their characteristic features; * Includes a comprehensive collection of over 400 application circuits using current conveyors; * Provides an exhaustive catalogue of current conveyor-based circuits for a variety of applications, including instrumentation amplifiers, precision rectifiers, simulated inductors, filters, sinusoidal oscillators, waveform generators, chaos generators, analog multipliers/dividers, memristive emulators and numerous others.

This thesis combines highly accurate optical spectroscopy data on the recently discovered iron-based high-temperature superconductors with an incisive theoretical analysis. Three outstanding results are reported: (1) The superconductivity-induced modification of the far-infrared conductivity of an iron arsenide with minimal chemical disorder is quantitatively described by means of a strong-coupling theory for spin fluctuation mediated Cooper pairing. The formalism developed in this thesis also describes prior spectroscopic data on more disordered compounds. (2) The same materials exhibit a sharp superconductivity-induced anomaly for photon energies around 2.5 eV, two orders of magnitude larger than the superconducting energy gap. The author provides a qualitative interpretation of this unprecedented observation, which is based on the multiband nature of the superconducting state. (3) The thesis also develops a comprehensive description of a superconducting, yet optically transparent iron chalcogenide compound. The author shows that this highly unusual behavior can be explained as a result of the nanoscopic coexistence of insulating and superconducting phases, and he uses a combination of two complementary experimental methods - scanning near-field optical microscopy and low-energy muon spin rotation - to directly image the phase coexistence and quantitatively determine the phase composition. These data have important implications for the interpretation of data from other experimental probes.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to spintronics-based computing for the next generation of ultra-low power/highly reliable logic. It will cover aspects from device to system-level, including magnetic memory cells, device modeling, hybrid circuit structure, design methodology, CAD tools, and technological integration methods. This book is accessible to a variety of readers and little or no background in magnetism and spin electronics are required to understand its content. The multidisciplinary team of expert authors from circuits, devices, computer architecture, CAD and system design reveal to readers the potential of spintronics nanodevices to reduce power consumption, improve reliability and enable new functionality.

This revised and updated edition of the well-received book by C. Klingshirn provides an introduction to and an overview of all aspects of semiconductor optics, from IR to visible and UV. It has been split into two volumes and rearranged to offer a clearer structure of the course content. Inserts on important experimental techniques as well as sections on topical research have been added to support research-oriented teaching and learning. Volume 1 provides an introduction to the linear optical properties of semiconductors. The mathematical treatment has been kept as elementary as possible to allow an intuitive approach to the understanding of results of semiconductor spectroscopy. Building on the phenomenological model of the Lorentz oscillator, the book describes the interaction of light with fundamental optical excitations in semiconductors (phonons, free carriers, excitons). It also offers a broad review of seminal research results augmented by concise descriptions of the relevant experimental techniques, e.g., Fourier transform IR spectroscopy, ellipsometry, modulation spectroscopy and spatially resolved methods, to name a few. Further, it picks up on hot topics in current research, like quantum structures, mono-layer semiconductors or Perovskites. The experimental aspects of semiconductor optics are complemented by an in-depth discussion of group theory in solid-state optics. Covering subjects ranging from physics to materials science and optoelectronics, this book provides a lively and comprehensive introduction to semiconductor optics. With over 120 problems, more than 480 figures, abstracts to each chapter, as well as boxed inserts and a detailed index, it is intended for use in graduate courses in physics and neighboring sciences like material science and electrical engineering. It is also a valuable reference resource for doctoral and advanced researchers.

Lasers have a wide and growing range of applications in medicine. Lasers for Medical Applications summarises the wealth of recent research on the principles, technologies and application of lasers in diagnostics, therapy and surgery.
Part one gives an overview of the use of lasers in medicine, key principles of lasers and radiation interactions with tissue. To understand the wide diversity and therefore the large possible choice of these devices for a specific diagnosis or treatment, the respective types of the laser (solid state, gas, dye, and semiconductor) are reviewed in part two. Part three describes diagnostic laser methods, for example optical coherence tomography, spectroscopy, optical biopsy, and time-resolved fluorescence polarization spectroscopy. Those methods help doctors to refine the scope of involvement of the particular body part or, for example, to specify the extent of a tumor. Part four concentrates on the therapeutic applications of laser radiation in particular branches of medicine, including ophthalmology, dermatology, cardiology, urology, gynecology, otorhinolaryngology (ORL), neurology, dentistry, orthopaedic surgery and cancer therapy, as well as laser coatings of implants. The final chapter includes the safety precautions with which the staff working with laser instruments must be familiar.
With its distinguished editor and international team of contributors, this important book summarizes international achievements in the field of laser applications in medicine in the past 50 years. It provides a valuable contribution to laser medicine by outstanding experts in medicine and engineering.
Describes the interaction of laser light with tissueReviews every type of laser used in medicine: solid state, gas, dye and semiconductorDescribes the use of lasers for diagnostics

This book provides a broad yet detailed introduction to neural networks and machine learning in a statistical framework. A single, comprehensive resource for study and further research, it explores the major popular neural network models and statistical learning approaches with examples and exercises and allows readers to gain a practical working understanding of the content. This updated new edition presents recently published results and includes six new chapters that correspond to the recent advances in computational learning theory, sparse coding, deep learning, big data and cloud computing. Each chapter features state-of-the-art descriptions and significant research findings. The topics covered include: * multilayer perceptron; * the Hopfield network; * associative memory models;* clustering models and algorithms; * t he radial basis function network; * recurrent neural networks; * nonnegative matrix factorization; * independent component analysis; *probabilistic and Bayesian networks; and * fuzzy sets and logic. Focusing on the prominent accomplishments and their practical aspects, this book provides academic and technical staff, as well as graduate students and researchers with a solid foundation and comprehensive reference on the fields of neural networks, pattern recognition, signal processing, and machine learning.

Mismatch or best match? This book demonstrates that best matching of individual entities to each other is essential to ensure smooth conduct and successful competitiveness in any distributed system, natural and artificial. Interactions must be optimized through best matching in planning and scheduling, enterprise network design, transportation and construction planning, recruitment, problem solving, selective assembly, team formation, sensor network design, and more. Fundamentals of best matching in distributed and collaborative systems are explained by providing: Methodical analysis of various multidimensional best matching processes Comprehensive taxonomy, comparing different best matching problems and processes Systematic identification of systems' hierarchy, nature of interactions, and distribution of decision-making and control functions Practical formulation of solutions based on a library of best matching algorithms and protocols, ready for direct applications and apps development. Designed for both academics and practitioners, oriented to systems engineers and applied operations researchers, diverse types of best matching processes are explained in production, manufacturing, business and service, based on a new reference model developed at Purdue University PRISM Center: "The PRISM Taxonomy of Best Matching". The book concludes with major challenges and guidelines for future basic and applied research in the area of best matching.

This book provides a cohesive overview of the current technological advances in computational radiology, and their applications in orthopaedic interventions. Contributed by the leading researchers in the field, this volume covers not only basic computational radiology techniques such as statistical shape modeling, CT/MRI segmentation, augmented reality and micro-CT image processing, but also the applications of these techniques to various orthopaedic interventional tasks. Details about following important state-of-the-art development are featured: 3D preoperative planning and patient-specific instrumentation for surgical treatment of long-bone deformities, computer assisted diagnosis and planning of periacetabular osteotomy and femoroacetabular impingement, 2D-3D reconstruction-based planning of total hip arthroplasty, image fusion for computer-assisted bone tumor surgery, intra-operative three-dimensional imaging in fracture treatment, augmented reality based orthopaedic interventions and education, medical robotics for musculoskeletal surgery, inertial sensor-based cost-effective surgical navigation, and computer assisted hip resurfacing using patient-specific instrument guides. Edited and authored by leading researchers in the field, this work is an essential reference for biomedical engineers, computer scientists and orthopaedic surgeons to develop or use computational radiology approaches for orthopaedic surgery and interventions.

This book provides techniques to tackle the design challenges raised by the increasing diversity and complexity of emerging, heterogeneous architectures for embedded systems. It describes an approach based on techniques from software engineering called aspect-oriented programming, which allow designers to control today's sophisticated design tool chains, while maintaining a single application source code. Readers are introduced to the basic concepts of an aspect-oriented, domain specific language that enables control of a wide range of compilation and synthesis tools in the partitioning and mapping of an application to a heterogeneous (and possibly multi-core) target architecture. Several examples are presented that illustrate the benefits of the approach developed for applications from avionics and digital signal processing. Using the aspect-oriented programming techniques presented in this book, developers can reuse extensive sections of their designs, while preserving the original application source-code, thus promoting developer productivity as well as architecture and performance portability. Describes an aspect-oriented approach for the compilation and synthesis of applications targeting heterogeneous embedded computing architectures. Includes examples using an integrated tool chain for compilation and synthesis. Provides validation and evaluation for targeted reconfigurable heterogeneous architectures. Enables design portability, given changing target devices* Allows developers to maintain a single application source code when targeting multiple architectures.

"New Approaches to Image Processing Based Failure Analysis of Nano-Scale ULSI Devices" introduces the reader to transmission and scanning microscope image processing for metal and non-metallic microstructures.

Engineers and scientists face the pressing problem in ULSI development and quality assurance: microscopy methods can t keep pace with the continuous shrinking of feature size in microelectronics. Nanometer scale sizes are below the resolution of light, and imaging these features is nearly impossible even with electron microscopes, due to image noise.

This book presents novel "smart" image processing methods, applications, and case studies concerning quality improvement of microscope images of microelectronic chips and process optimization. It explains an approach for high-resolution imaging of advanced metallization for micro- and nanoelectronics. This approach obviates the time-consuming preparation and selection of microscope measurement and sample conditions, enabling not only better electron-microscopic resolution, but also more efficient testing and quality control. This in turn leads to productivity gains in design and development of nano-scale ULSI chips.

The authors also present several approaches for super-resolving low-resolution images to improve failure analysis of microelectronic chips.
Acquaints users with new software-based approaches to enhance high-resolution microscope imaging of microchip structuresDemonstrates how these methods lead to productivity gains in the development of ULSI chipsPresents several techniques for the superresolution of images, enabling engineers and scientists to improve their results in failure analysis of microelectronic chips"

Focusing on connection technologies used for both single-mode and multimode fibers, this book explains multifiber connections such as mass-fusion splice and multifiber connectors. Information on fluoride glass fibers, doped fibers (EDFA), and components is included.

This thesis sheds important new light on the puzzling properties of Strontium Ruthenate. Using a sophisticated weak-coupling approach, exact within certain limits, it shows that proper treatment of spin-orbit and multi-band effects is crucial to the physics. Based on the results of these calculations, it resolves a crucial, long-standing puzzle in the field: It demonstrates why the experimentally observed time-reversal breaking is not incompatible with the observed lack of measurable edge currents. Lastly, the thesis makes predictions for the properties of the material under uniaxial strain, which are in good agreement with recent experiments -resolving the mystery of the so-called 3K phase, and suggesting the intriguing possibility that under strain the superconductor may become conventional.

This book presents the latest achievements in the theory and practice of SEMS Group interaction by scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences. It also discusses the development of methods for the design and simulation of SEMS Group interaction based on the principles of safety, flexibility and adaptability in behavior and intelligence and parallelism in information processing, computation and control. Recently, the task has been to ensure the functioning of robots within the framework of collective collaboration, so that they function efficiently, reliably and safely in real time. The topics covered include, but are not limited to, the following: - the planning behavior of the SEMS group;- methods and principles of designing of automatic control systems;- mathematical and computer modeling group interaction;- safety, flexibility and adaptability of the SEMS Group;- information-measuring soft- and hardware. This book is intended for students, scientists and engineers specializing in the field of smart electromechanical systems and robotics.

Metamaterials, artificial electromagnetic media achieved by structuring on the subwave-length-scale were initially suggested for the negative index and superlensing. They became a paradigm for engineering electromagnetic space and controlling propagation of waves. The research agenda is now shifting on achieving tuneable, switchable, nonlinear and sensing functionalities. The time has come to talk about the emerging research field of metadevices employing active and tunable metamaterials with unique functionalities achieved by structuring of functional matter on the subwave-length scale. This book presents the first systematic and comprehensive summary of the reviews written by the pioneers and top-class experts in the field of metamaterials. It addresses many grand challenges of the cutting edge research for creating smaller and more efficient photonic structures and devices.

This volume is the first of the new series Advances in Dynamics and Delays. It offers the latest advances in the research of analyzing and controlling dynamical systems with delays, which arise in many real-world problems. The contributions in this series are a collection across various disciplines, encompassing engineering, physics, biology, and economics, and some are extensions of those presented at the IFAC (International Federation of Automatic Control) conferences since 2011. The series is categorized in five parts covering the main themes of the contributions: * Stability Analysis and Control Design * Networks and Graphs * Time Delay and Sampled-Data Systems * Computational and Software Tools * Applications This volume will become a good reference point for researchers and PhD students in the field of delay systems, and for those willing to learn more about the field, and it will also be a resource for control engineers, who will find innovative control methodologies for relevant applications, from both theory and numerical analysis perspectives.