This book presents a basic introduction to micromechanisms and microactuators, particularly to their basic configurations and design. This book fills the persisting gap in the published literature on the mechanical manipulative aspects of micromechanisms. It also helps in offering specialized introductory courses on micromechanisms and microactuators not as part of MEMS sensing devices, but as mechanical manipulative systems. The level of the book is suitable for use in both undergraduate and introductory graduate programmes. The book presents an overview of miniaturization and scaling laws, basic design principles of micro-sized mechanisms and actuators, micro-fabrication processes, and some futuristic issues. The volume contains a large number of figures and illustrations for easy understanding by the readers. It will also be useful to researchers and professionals looking for an introduction to the topic.

This volume studies electron resonant tunneling in two- and three-dimensional quantum waveguides of variable cross-sections in the time-independent approach. Mathematical models are suggested for the resonant tunneling and develop asymptotic and numerical approaches for investigating the models. Also, schemes are presented for several electronics devices based on the phenomenon of resonant tunneling. Devices based on the phenomenon of electron resonant tunneling are widely used in electronics. Efforts are directed towards refining properties of resonance structures. There are prospects for building new nano size electronics elements based on quantum dot systems. However, the role of resonance structure can also be given to a quantum wire of variable cross-section. Instead of an "electrode - quantum dot - electrode" system, one can use a quantum wire with two narrows. A waveguide narrow is an effective potential barrier for longitudinal electron motion along a waveguide. The part of the waveguide between two narrows becomes a "resonator" , where electron resonant tunneling can occur. This phenomenon consists in the fact that, for an electron with energy E, the probability T(E) to pass from one part of the waveguide to the other part through the resonator has a sharp peak at E = Eres, where Eres denotes a "resonant" energy. Such quantum resonators can find applications as elements of nano electronics devices and provide some advantages in regard to operation properties and production technology. The book is addressed to mathematicians, physicists, and engineers interested in waveguide theory and its applications in electronics.

Nanoscience and nanotechnology have had a great impact on the food industry. They have increased the nutritional and functional properties of a number of food products and have aided in food preservation through the addition of antimicrobials or the reduction of water activity. These and many other applications have emerged in recent years to transform food science and technology. This book proposes to look at some of these applications and their effect on food production and innovation.

This book addresses a broad spectrum of areas in both hybrid materials and hierarchical composites, including recent development of processing technologies, structural designs, modern computer simulation techniques, and the relationships between the processing-structure-property-performance. Each topic is introduced at length with numerous  and detailed examples and over 150 illustrations.   In addition, the authors present a method of categorizing these materials, so that representative examples of all material classes are discussed.

This book will introduce the concept of molecular communications and nanonetworks. The publication addresses why nanoscale communication is needed for the sophisticated nano and biotechnology applications. The text introduces the frontier applications of the molecular communication and nanonetworks. The book examines the molecular communication types called active, passive, and gap junction molecular communications. The author presents the molecular transmitter, receiver, encoding and decoding mechanisms used in these systems. Discussing the molecular communication system model and looking at the unique characteristics of practical molecular communication systems and these chemical reactions and their effects on the communication performance. Finally, the book examines the point-to-point, broadcast, and multiple-access molecular channel and shows two promising application examples of the nanonetworks. The first application example is the body area nanonetworks used in nanomedicine. the second nanonetwork application example, i.e., NanoSensor Networks (NSNs) with Molecular Communication.

This volume is dedicated to Professor Okyay Kaynak to commemorate his life time impactful research and scholarly achievements and outstanding services to profession. The 21 invited chapters have been written by leading researchers who, in the past, have had association with Professor Kaynak as either his students and associates or colleagues and collaborators. The focal theme of the volume is the Sliding Modes covering a broad scope of topics from theoretical investigations to their significant applications from Control to Intelligent Mechatronics.

This book focuses on a research field that is rapidly emerging as one of the most promising ones for the global optics and photonics community: the “lab-on-fiber� technology. Inspired by the well-established "lab on-a-chip" concept, this new technology essentially envisages novel and highly functionalized devices completely integrated into a single optical fiber for both communication and sensing applications. Based on the R&D experience of some of the world's leading authorities in the fields of optics, photonics, nanotechnology, and material science, this book provides a broad and accurate description of the main developments and achievements in the lab-on-fiber technology roadmap, also highlighting the new perspectives and challenges to be faced. This book is essential for scientists interested in the cutting-edge fiber optic technology, but also for graduate students.

Mechatronics, as the integrating framework of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer technology, control engineering and automation forms a crucial part in the design, manufacture and maintenance of a wide range of engineering products and processes. The mechatronics itself changes rapidly in last decade, from original mixture of subfields into original approach in engineering as a technical discipline. The book you are holding is aimed to help the reader to orient in this evolving field of science and technology. "Mechatronics 2013: Recent Technological and Scientific Advances" is the fourth volume following the previous editions in 2007, 2009 and 2011, providing the comprehensive and accessible coverage of advances in mechatronics presented on the 10th International Conference Mechatronics 2013, hosted this year at the Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic. The contributions, that passed the thorough review process, give an insight into current trends in research and development among Mechatronics 2013 contributing countries, with paper topics covering design and modeling of mechatronic systems, control and automation, signal processing, robotics and others, keeping in mind the innovation benefits of mechatronics design approach, leading to the development, production and daily use of machines and devices possessing a certain degree of computer based intelligence.

Moustafa Nawito describes in detail the development process of a novel platform of Readout Integrated Circuits (ROICs), which enable the realization of miniaturized multi-parameter biomedical implants intended for long-term in-vivo monitoring. He presents new circuits and techniques for fully integrated sinusoidal generation, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy as well as on-chip measurement of pH levels, oxygen concentration and temperature. The author draws conclusions of the development process and delivers guidelines for further innovations.

The crucial need to substitute true leadership for bad management practices such as Management By Objectives (MBO) and the use of fear is now well known and was often championed by Dr. W. Edwards Deming. While significant progress has been made, many organizations (especially outside of manufacturing) are either just getting started with their improvement efforts or they are faking their way forward (going through the motions), trying to imitate what they have read in books or have seen at conferences. The executives of these organizations might give permission for the tools of Lean and Six Sigma to be taught but many of them still refuse to look in a mirror and change their own leadership style. They have built a "facade of excellence" that crumbles quickly whenever a bit of chaos is introduced. Not being able to sustain improvements over the long term is one of the top complaints from improvement professionals. What ingredient is missing that prohibits changes to occur throughout the leadership ranks that might create a culture that embraces teamwork, collaboration and improvement? To start, what exactly do we mean by leadership? The common mistake is to try and put all effective leaders into the same box. Leadership actually has many dimensions and several definitions. This book explores four different styles of leadership that includes "The Crisis Leader," "The Idea Gathering Leader," "The Team Forming Leader," and "The Empowerment Leader." Each of the four styles is appropriate when given a certain set of circumstances (an organization in trouble needs a "Crisis Leader" for example). The goal is to shift the organization, including the leaders and all of the employees at every level, toward collaboration and empowerment. Why go through the pains to rebuild an organization's culture and leaders? In the annual "IndustryWeek Magazine - Best Plants" competition, the companies that have made the transition to high performance, fully empowered teams ("The Empowerment Leader"), in general, demonstrate far better results than all other applicants (and they tend to win "Best Place to Work" awards as well). So, what is keeping organizational leaders, especially those in the middle of the organization chart, from adopting the "The Empowerment" leadership style? This book defines and helps the reader understand what this new normal of leadership consists of and: Explains the four different styles of leaders and how these are different than a typical "old style" manager. Indicates which style is appropriate given a certain set of circumstances and how a leader knows when it is time to migrate from one style to another. Illustrates what it means for an organization to shift from a "dictator" culture to one of collaboration and what steps can be taken to help this transformation. Explores the current definition of a "promotable manager" and how this differs from a new normal definition of an outstanding, effective "Empowerment" leader. Defines Mission, Vision, Strategy, and Values and how these four cultural principles fit into the leadership progression model. Shows how the culture within the organization will be different after the adoption of empowered teams and introduces the concept of "Enthusiastic Productivity."

This book reveals why carbon is playing such an increasingly prominent role as a sensing material. The various steps that transform a raw material in a sensing device are thoroughly presented and critically discussed. The authors deal with all aspects of carbon-based sensors, starting from the various hybridization and allotropes of carbon, with specific focus on micro and nano sized carbons (e.g., carbon nanotubes, graphene) and their growth processes. The discussion then moves to the role of functionalization and the different routes to achieve it. Finally, a number of sensing applications in various fields are presented, highlighting the connection with the basic properties of the various carbon allotropes. Readers will benefit from this book’s bottom-up approach, which starts from the local bonding in carbon solids and ends with sensing applications, linking the local hybridization of carbon atoms and its modification by functionalization to specific device performance. This book is a must-have in the library of any scientist involved in carbon based sensing application.

This book focuses on the experimental and theoretical aspects of the time-dependent breakdown of advanced dielectric films used in gigascale electronics. Coverage includes the most important failure mechanisms for thin low-k films, new and established experimental techniques, recent advances in the area of dielectric failure, and advanced simulations/models to resolve and predict dielectric breakdown, all of which are of considerable importance for engineers and scientists working on developing and integrating present and future chip architectures. The book is specifically designed to aid scientists in assessing the reliability and robustness of electronic systems employing low-k dielectric materials such as nano-porous films. Similarly, the models presented here will help to improve current methodologies for estimating the failure of gigascale electronics at device operating conditions from accelerated lab test conditions. Numerous graphs, tables, and illustrations are included to facilitate understanding of the topics. Readers will be able to understand dielectric breakdown in thin films along with the main failure modes and characterization techniques. In addition, they will gain expertise on conventional as well as new field acceleration test models for predicting long term dielectric degradation.

This book contains a collection of the state-of-the-art reviews written by the leading researchers in the areas of nanoscale mechanics, molecular dynamics, nanoscale modeling of nanocomposites and mechanics of carbon nanotubes. No other book provides reviews of recent discoveries such as a nanoscale analog of the Pauli’s principle, i.e., effect of the spatial exclusion of electrons or the SEE effect, a new Registry Matrix Analysis for the nanoscale interfacial sliding and new data on the effective viscosity of interfacial electrons in nanoscale stiction at the interfaces. This volume is also an exceptional resource on the well tested nanoscale modeling of carbon nanotubes and nanocomposites, new nanoscale effects, unique evaluations of the effective thickness of carbon nanotubes under different loads, new data on which size of carbon nanotubes is safer and many other topics. Extensive bibliography concerning all these topics is included along with the lucid short reviews. Numerous illustrations are provided for molecular dynamic simulations, fascinating nanoscale phenomena and remarkable new effects. It is of interest to a wide range of researchers and students.

The influence of size effects on the properties of nanostructures is subject of this book. Size and interfacial effects in oxides, semiconductors, magnetic and superconducting nanostructures, from very simple to very complex, are considered. The most general meaning is assumed for size effects, including not only the influence of a reduced dimension/dimensionality, but also specific interfacial effects. Preparation and characterization tools are explained for various nanostructures. The specific applications are discussed with respect to size-related properties. A logic implication of type phenomenon-property-material-application is envisaged throughout this work.

The book presents the fabrication and circuit modeling of quantum dot gate field effect transistor (QDGFET) and quantum dot gate NMOS inverter (QDNMOS inverter). It also introduces the development of a circuit model of QDGFET based on Berkley Short Channel IGFET model (BSIM). Different ternary logic circuits based on QDGFET are also investigated in this book. Advanced circuit such as three-bit and six bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) were also simulated.

The authors examine in detail the fundamentals and mathematical descriptions of the dynamics of automobiles. In this context different levels of complexity will be presented, starting with basic single-track models up to complex three-dimensional multi-body models. A particular focus is on the process of establishing mathematical models on the basis of real cars and the validation of simulation results. The methods presented are explained in detail by means of selected application scenarios.

This book presents 8 selected reviews from the 2013 International Conference on Manufacturing, Optimization, Industrial and Material Engineering, held in Bandung, Indonesia, 09-10 March 2013. The chapters focus on new advances and research results in the fields of Nanotechnology and Materials Science, from metals to thin films technology.

The present volume is a collection of review articles highlighting the fundamental advances made in this area by the internationally acclaimed research groups , most of them being pioneers themselves and coming together for the first time.

This book presents a complete and updated overview of Flame Spray process, from its History to the Apparatus necessary for the synthesis of nanostructures. It addresses not only the materials produced by this technique, but also their properties, such as crystallinity and crystallite size, specific surface area, particle size and morphology. Also, the principles of nanoparticle formation are described. It is a useful read to all those interested in low cost synthesis of nanostructured powders and coatings.

The advent of microelectromechanic system (MEMS) technologies and nanotechnologies has resulted in a multitude of structures and devices with ultra compact dimensions and with vastly enhanced or even completely novel properties. In the field of photonics it resulted in the appearance of new paradigms, including photonic crystals that exhibit photonic bandgap and represent an optical analog of semiconductors and metamaterials that have subwavelength features and may have almost arbitrary values of effective refractive index, including those below zero. In addition to that, a whole new field of plasmonics appeared, dedicated to the manipulation with evanescent, surface-bound electromagnetic waves and offering an opportunity to merge nanoelectronics with all-optical circuitry. In the field of infrared technologies MEMS and nanotechnologies ensured the appearance of a new generation of silicon-based thermal detectors with properties vastly surpassing the conventional thermal devices. However, another family of infrared detectors, photonic devices based on narrow-bandgap semiconductors, has traditionally been superior to thermal detectors. Literature about their micro and nanophotonic enhancement has been scarce and scattered through journals. This book offers the first systematic approach to numerous different MEMS and nanotechnology-based methods available for the improvement of photonic infrared detectors and points out to a path towards uncooled operation with the performance of cryogenically cooled devices. It is shown that a vast area for enhancement does exists and that photonic devices can readily keep their leading position in infrared detection. The various methods and approaches described in the book are also directly applicable to different other types of photodetectors like solar cells, often with little or no modification.

This book presents bond graph model-based fault detection with a focus on hybrid system models. The book addresses model design, simulation, control and model-based fault diagnosis of multidisciplinary engineering systems. The text beings with a brief survey of the state-of-the-art, then focuses on hybrid systems. The author then uses different bond graph approaches throughout the text and provides case studies.

This book systematically describes the design options for micro systems as well as the equations needed for calculating the behavior of their basic elements. The fundamental equations needed to calculate the effects and forces that are important in micro systems are also provided. Readers do not require previous knowledge of fabrication processes. This second edition of the volume is a thoroughly revised and extended update. The target audience primarily comprises experts in the field of micro systems and the book is also suitable for graduate engineering students. For quick reference, equations are presented in tables that can be found in an index at the end of the book.

This book provides a new approach to systems architecting not previously available. The book provides a compact innovative procedure for architecting any type of system. Systems Architecting: Methods and Examples describes a method of system architecting that is believed to be a substantial improvement over "methods" previously covered in other systems architecting books. Incorporates analytic procedure (decision analysis) Defines and evaluates alternative architectures Improves upon existing architecting methods Considers cost-effectiveness of alternatives Provides for competitive analysis and its advantages Shows alternatives on one simple and easily understood page With the book's relatively straightforward approach, it shows how to architect systems in a way that both developers and clients/customers can readily understand. It uses one of the essential principles suggested by Rechtin and Maier, namely, Simplify, Simplify, Simplify. Systems engineers as well as students taking systems engineering courses will find this book of interest.

Covering the complete design cycle of nanopositioning systems, this is the first comprehensive text on the topic. The book first introduces concepts associated with nanopositioning stages and outlines their application in such tasks as scanning probe microscopy, nanofabrication, data storage, cell surgery and precision optics. Piezoelectric transducers, employed ubiquitously in nanopositioning applications are then discussed in detail including practical considerations and constraints on transducer response. The reader is then given an overview of the types of nanopositioner before the text turns to the in-depth coverage of mechanical design including flexures, materials, manufacturing techniques, and electronics. This process is illustrated by the example of a high-speed serial-kinematic nanopositioner. Position sensors are then catalogued and described and the text then focuses on control. Several forms of control are treated: shunt control, feedback control, force feedback control and feedforward control (including an appreciation of iterative learning control). Performance issues are given importance as are problems limiting that performance such as hysteresis and noise which arise in the treatment of control and are then given chapter-length attention in their own right. The reader also learns about cost functions and other issues involved in command shaping, charge drives and electrical considerations. All concepts are demonstrated experimentally including by direct application to atomic force microscope imaging. Design, Modeling and Control of Nanopositioning Systems will be of interest to researchers in mechatronics generally and in control applied to atomic force microscopy and other nanopositioning applications. Microscope developers and mechanical designers of nanopositioning devices will find the text essential reading.

This unique book covers the fundamental principle of electron diffraction, basic instrumentation of RHEED, definitions of textures in thin films and nanostructures, mechanisms and control of texture formation, and examples of RHEED transmission mode measurements of texture and texture evolution of thin films and nanostructures. Also presented is a new application of RHEED in the transmission mode called RHEED pole figure technique that can be used to monitor the texture evolution in thin film growth and nanostructures and is not limited to single crystal epitaxial film growth. Details of the construction of RHEED pole figures and the interpretation of observed pole figures are presented. Materials covered include metals, semiconductors, and thin insulators. This book also: Presents a new application of RHEED in the transmission mode Introduces a variety of textures from metals, semiconductors, compound semiconductors, and their characteristics in RHEED pole figures Provides examples of RHEED measurements of texture and texture evolution, construction of RHEED pole figures, and interpretation of observed pole figures RHEED Transmission Mode and Pole Figures: Thin Film and Nanostructure Texture Analysis is ideal for researchers in materials science and engineering and nanotechnology.