This book describes the physics behind the optical properties of plasmonic nanostructures focusing on chiral aspects. It explains in detail how the geometry determines chiral near-fields and how to tailor their shape and strength. Electromagnetic fields with strong optical chirality interact strongly with chiral molecules and, therefore, can be used for enhancing the sensitivity of chiroptical spectroscopy techniques. Besides a short review of the latest results in the field of plasmonically enhanced enantiomer discrimination, this book introduces the concept of chiral plasmonic near-field sources for enhanced chiroptical spectroscopy. The discussion of the fundamental properties of these light sources provides the theoretical basis for further optimizations and is of interest for researchers at the intersection of nano-optics, plasmonics and stereochemistry.

Designing complex integrated circuits relies heavily on mathematical methods and calls for suitable simulation and optimization tools. The current design approach involves simulations and optimizations in different physical domains (device, circuit, thermal, electromagnetic) and in a range of electrical engineering disciplines (logic, timing, power, crosstalk, signal integrity, system functionality). COMSON was a Marie Curie Research Training Network created to meet these new scientific and training challenges by (a) developing new descriptive models that take these mutual dependencies into account, (b) combining these models with existing circuit descriptions in new simulation strategies and (c) developing new optimization techniques that will accommodate new designs. The book presents the main project results in the fields of PDAE modeling and simulation, model order reduction techniques and optimization, based on merging the know-how of three major European semiconductor companies with the combined expertise of university groups specialized in developing suitable mathematical models, numerical schemes and e-learning facilities. In addition, a common Demonstrator Platform for testing mathematical methods and approaches was created to assess whether they are capable of addressing the industry's problems, and to educate young researchers by providing hands-on experience with state-of-the-art problems.

This volume contains papers that have been selected after review for oral presentation at ISRM 2015, the Fourth IFToMM International Symposium on Robotics and Mechatronics held in Poitiers, France 23-24 June 2015. These papers provide a vision of the evolution of the disciplines of robotics and mechatronics, including but not limited to: mechanism design; modeling and simulation; kinematics and dynamics of multibody systems; control methods; navigation and motion planning; sensors and actuators; bio-robotics; micro/nano-robotics; complex robotic systems; walking machines, humanoids-parallel kinematic structures: analysis and synthesis; smart devices; new design; application and prototypes. The book can be used by researchers and engineers in the relevant areas of robotics and mechatronics.

This book covers graphene reinforced polymers, which are useful in electronic applications, including electrically conductive thermoplastics composites, thermosets and elastomers. It systematically introduces the reader to fundamental aspects and leads over to actual applications, such as sensor fabrication, electromagnetic interference shielding, optoelectronics, superconductivity, or memory chips. The book also describes dielectric and thermal behaviour of graphene polymer composites - properties which are essential to consider for the fabrication and production of these new electronic materials. The contributions in this book critically discuss the actual questions in the development and applications of graphene polymer composites. It will thus appeal to chemists, physicists, materials scientists as well as nano technologists, who are interested in the properties of graphene polymer composites.

This book covers the continually expanding field of metal nanoparticles and clusters, in particular their size-dependent properties and quantum phenomena. The approaches to the organization of atoms that form clusters and nanoparticles have been advancing rapidly in recent times. These advancements are described through a combination of experimental and computational approaches and are covered in detail by the authors. Recent highlights of the various emerging properties and applications ranging from plasmonics to catalysis are showcased.

The development of new-generation micro-manufacturing technologies and systems has revolutionised the way products are designed and manufactured today with a s- nificant impact in a number of key industrial sectors. Micro-manufacturing techno- gies are often described as disruptive, enabling and interdisciplinary leading to the creation of whole new classes of products that were previously not feasible to ma- facture. While key processes for volume manufacture of micro-parts such as mach- ing and moulding are becoming mature technologies, micro-assembly remains a key challenge for the cost-effective manufacture of complex micro-products. The ability to manufacture customizable micro-products that can be delivered in variable volumes within relatively short timescales is very much dependent on the level of development of the micro-assembly processes, positioning, alignment and measurement techniques, gripping and feeding approaches and devices. Micro-assembly has developed rapidly over the last few years and all the pred- tions are that it will remain a critical technology for high-value products in a number of key sectors such as healthcare, communications, defence and aerospace. The key challenge is to match the significant technological developments with a new gene- tion of micro-products that will establish firmly micro-assembly as a mature manuf- turing process. th The book includes the set of papers presented at the 5 International Precision - sembly Seminar IPAS 2010 held in Chamonix, France from the 14th to the 17th February 2010.

This book provides a systematic presentation of the principles and practices behind the synthesis and functionalization of graphene and grapheme oxide (GO), as well as the fabrication techniques for transparent conductors from these materials. Transparent conductors are used in a wide variety of photoelectronic and photovoltaic devices, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), solar cells, optical communication devices, and solid-state lighting. Thin films made from indium tin oxide (ITO) have thus far been the dominant source of transparent conductors, and now account for 50% of indium consumption. However, the price of Indium has increased 1000% in the last 10 years. Graphene, a two-dimensional monolayer of sp2-bonded carbon atoms, has attracted significant interest because of its unique transport properties. Because of their high optical transmittance and electrical conductivity, thin film electrodes made from graphene nanosheets have been considered an ideal candidate to replace expensive ITO films. Graphene for Transparent Conductors offers a systematic presentation of the principles, theories and technical practices behind the structure-property relationship of the thin films, which are the key to the successful development of high-performance transparent conductors. At the same time, the unique perspectives provided in the applications of graphene and GO as transparent conductors will serve as a general guide to the design and fabrication of thin film materials for specific applications.

Since process variation and chip performance uncertainties have become more pronounced as technologies scale down into the nanometer regime, accurate and efficient modeling or characterization of variations from the device to the architecture level have become imperative for the successful design of VLSI chips. This book provides readers with tools for variation-aware design methodologies and computer-aided design (CAD) of VLSI systems, in the presence of process variations at the nanometer scale. It presents the latest developments for modeling and analysis, with a focus on statistical interconnect modeling, statistical parasitic extractions, statistical full-chip leakage and dynamic power analysis considering spatial correlations, statistical analysis and modeling for large global interconnects and analog/mixed-signal circuits. Provides readers with timely, systematic and comprehensive treatments of statistical modeling and analysis of VLSI systems with a focus on interconnects, on-chip power grids and clock networks, and analog/mixed-signal circuits; Helps chip designers understand the potential and limitations of their design tools, improving their design productivity; Presents analysis of each algorithm with practical applications in the context of real circuit design; Includes numerical examples for the quantitative analysis and evaluation of algorithms presented. Provides readers with timely, systematic and comprehensive treatments of statistical modeling and analysis of VLSI systems with a focus on interconnects, on-chip power grids and clock networks, and analog/mixed-signal circuits; Helps chip designers understand the potential and limitations of their design tools, improving their design productivity; Presents analysis of each algorithm with practical applications in the context of real circuit design; Includes numerical examples for the quantitative analysis and evaluation of algorithms presented.

The book "Nanocosmetics and nanomedicines: new approaches for skin care" contains a summary of the most important nanocarriers for skin delivery. Although "nanocosmetics" is a subject widely commented in the academy and the beauty industry, a book covering the skin care treatments using nanotechnological approaches with cosmetics and nanomedicines is still missing, therefore the need for this publication. This book is divided in three parts: The first one (Part A) is devoted to a brief review on the main topics related to the skin delivery and to the introduction of the subject "nanocosmetics". The second part (Part B) presents different types of nanocarriers applied as skin delivery systems for cosmetics or drugs. The last part (Part C) shows a wide range of applications of nanotechnology on the skin care area as well as on dermatocosmetic and dermatological fields.

In this thesis, real-time evolution of the nanopore channel growth and self-ordering process in anodic nanoporous alumina are simulated on the basis of an established kinetics model. The simulation results were in accordance with the experiments on the (i) growth sustainability of pore channels guided by pre-patterns; and (ii) substrate grain orientation dependence on self-ordering. In addition, a new fabrication method for the rapid synthesis of highly self-ordered nanoporous alumina is established, based on a systematic search for the self-ordering conditions in experiments. Lastly, it reports on a novel surface-charge induced strain in nanoporous alumina-aluminium foils, which indicates that nanoporous alumina can be used as a new type of actuating material in micro-actuator applications.

The book 'BiLBIQ: A biologically inspired Robot with walking and rolling locomotion' deals with implementing a locomotion behavior observed in the biological archetype Cebrennus villosus to a robot prototype whose structural design needs to be developed. The biological sample is investigated as far as possible and compared to other evolutional solutions within the framework of nature's inventions. Current achievements in robotics are examined and evaluated for their relation and relevance to the robot prototype in question. An overview of what is state of the art in actuation ensures the choice of the hardware available and most suitable for this project. Through a constant consideration of the achievement of two fundamentally different ways of locomotion with one and the same structure, a robot design is developed and constructed taking hardware constraints into account. The development of a special leg structure that needs to resemble and replace body elements of the biological archetype is a special challenge to be dealt with. Finally a robot prototype was achieved, which is able to walk and roll - inspired by the spider Cebrennus villosus.

This book provides recent information on nanocomposites tribology. Chapter 1 provides information on tribology of bulk polymer nanocomposites and nanocomposite coatings. Chapter 2 is dedicated to nano and micro PTFE for surface lubrication of carbon fabric reinforced polyethersulphone composites. Chapter 3 describes Tribology of MoS2 -based nanocomposites. Chapter 4 contains information on friction and wear of Al2O2 -based composites with dispersed and agglomerated nanoparticles. Finally, chapter 5 is dedicated to wear of multi-scale phase reinforced composites. It is a useful reference for academics, materials and physics researchers, materials, mechanical and manufacturing engineers, both as final undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is a useful reference for academics, materials and physics researchers, materials, mechanical and manufacturing engineers, both as final undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

This monograph collects and critically reviews the main results obtained by the scientific community in gyroscope technologies research field. It describes architectures, design techniques and fabrication technology of angular rate sensors proposed in literature. MEMS, MOEMS, optical and mechanical technologies are discussed together with achievable performance. The book also consideres future research trends aimed to cover special applications. The book is intended for researchers and Ph.D. students interested in modelling, design and fabrication of gyros. The book may be a useful education support in some university courses focused on gyro technologies.

Micromanufacturing and Nanotechnology is an emerging technological infrastructure and process that involves manufacturing of products and systems at the micro and nano scale levels. Development of micro and nano scale products and systems are underway due to the reason that they are faster, accurate and less expensive. Moreover, the basic functional units of such systems possesses remarkable mechanical, electronic and chemical properties compared to the macro-scale counterparts. Since this infrastructure has already become the prefered choice for the design and development of next generation products and systems it is now necessary to disseminate the conceptual and practical phenomenological know-how in a broader context. This book incorporates a selection of research and development papers. Its scope is the history and background, underlynig design methodology, application domains and recent developments.

This book focuses on the use of nanotechnology in several fields of engineering. Among others, the reader will find valuable information as to how nanotechnology can aid in extending the life of component materials exposed to corrosive atmospheres, in thermal fluid energy conversion processes, anti-reflection coatings on photovoltaic cells to yield enhanced output from solar cells, in connection with friction and wear reduction in automobiles, and buoyancy suppression in free convective heat transfer. Moreover, this unique resource presents the latest research on nanoscale transport phenomena and concludes with a look at likely future trends.

"FIB Nanostructures "reviews a range of methods, including milling, etching, deposition, and implantation, applied to manipulate structures at the nanoscale. Focused Ion Beam (FIB) is an important tool for manipulating the structure of materials at the nanoscale, and substantially extends the range of possible applications of nanofabrication. FIB techniques are widely used in the semiconductor industry and in materials research for deposition and ablation, including the fabrication of nanostructures such as nanowires, nanotubes, nanoneedles, graphene sheets, quantum dots, etc. The main objective of this book is to create a platform for knowledge sharing and dissemination of the latest advances in novel areas of FIB for nanostructures and related materials and devices, and to provide a comprehensive introduction to the field and directions for further research. Chapters written by leading scientists throughout the world create a fundamental bridge between focused ion beam and nanotechnology that is intended tostimulate readers' interest in developing new types of nanostructures for application to semiconductor technology. These applications are increasingly important for the future development of materials science, energy technology, and electronic devices. The book can be recommended for physics, electrical engineering, and materials science departments as a reference on materials science and device design."

This book explores the impacts of important material parameters on the electrical properties of indium arsenide (InAs) nanowires, which offer a promising channel material for low-power electronic devices due to their small bandgap and high electron mobility. Smaller diameter nanowires are needed in order to scale down electronic devices and improve their performance. However, to date the properties of thin InAs nanowires and their sensitivity to various factors were not known. The book presents the first study of ultrathin InAs nanowires with diameters below 10 nm are studied, for the first time, establishing the channel in field-effect transistors (FETs) and the correlation between nanowire diameter and device performance. Moreover, it develops a novel method for directly correlating the atomic-level structure with the properties of individual nanowires and their device performance. Using this method, the electronic properties of InAs nanowires and the performance of the FETs they are used in are found to change with the crystal phases (wurtzite, zinc-blend or a mix phase), the axis direction and the growth method. These findings deepen our understanding of InAs nanowires and provide a potential way to tailor device performance by controlling the relevant parameters of the nanowires and devices.

Since the original publication of Noncontact Atomic Force Microscopy in 2002, the noncontact atomic force microscope (NC-AFM) has achieved remarkable progress. This second treatment deals with the following outstanding recent results obtained with atomic resolution since then: force spectroscopy and mapping with atomic resolution; tuning fork; atomic manipulation; magnetic exchange force microscopy; atomic and molecular imaging in liquids; and other new technologies. These results and technologies are now helping evolve NC-AFM toward practical tools for characterization and manipulation of individual atoms/molecules and nanostructures with atomic/subatomic resolution. Therefore, the book exemplifies how NC-AFM has become a crucial tool for the expanding fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Written for: Scientists, practitioners, graduate students

This book covers both basic physics of ferromagnetism, such as magnetic moment, exchange coupling, magnetic anisotropy, and recent progress in advanced ferromagnetic materials. Special focus is placedon NdFeB permanent magnets and the materials studied in the field of spintronics (explainingthedevelopment of tunnel magnetoresistance effect through the so-called giant magnetoresistance effect)."

The road vehicle of the future will embrace innovations from three major automotive technology fields: driver assistance systems, vehicle networking and alternative propulsion. Smart systems such as adaptive ICT components and MEMS devices, novel network architectures, integrated sensor systems, intelligent interfaces and functional materials form the basis of these features and permit their successful and synergetic integration. They increasingly appear to be the key enabling technologies for safe and green road mobility. For more than fifteen years the International Forum on Advanced Microsystems for Automotive Applications (AMAA) has been successful in detecting novel trends and in discussing the technological implications from early on. The topic of the AMAA 2013 will be Smart Systems for Safe and Green Vehicles . This book contains peer-reviewed papers written by leading engineers and researchers which all address the ongoing research and novel developments in the field.

www.amaa.de

This book provides expert coverage of modern and novel aspects of the study of vortex matter, dynamics, and pinning in nanostructured and multi-component superconductors. Vortex matter in superconducting materials is a field of enormous beauty and intellectual challenge, which began with the theoretical prediction of vortices by A. Abrikosov (Nobel Laureate). Vortices, vortex dynamics, and pinning are key features in many of today's human endeavors: from the huge superconducting accelerating magnets and detectors at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, which opened new windows of knowledge on the universe, to the tiny superconducting transceivers using Rapid Single Flux Quanta, which have opened a revolutionary means of communication. In recent years, two new features have added to the intrinsic beauty and complexity of the subject: nanostructured/nanoengineered superconductors, and the discovery of a range of new materials showing multi-component (multi-gap) superconductivity. In this book, leading researchers survey the most exciting and important recent developments in the field. Topics covered include: the use of scanning Hall probe microscopy to visualize interactions of a single vortex with pinning centers; Magneto-Optical Imaging for investigating what vortex avalanches are, why they appear, and how they can be controlled; and the vortex interactions responsible for the second magnetization peak. Other chapters discuss nanoengineered pinning centers of vortices for improved current-carrying capabilities, current anisotropy in cryomagnetic devices in relation to the pinning landscape, and the new physics associated with the discovery of new superconducting materials with multi-component superconductivity. The book offers something for almost everybody interested in the field: from experimental techniques to visualize vortices and study their dynamics, to a state-of-the-art theoretical microscopic approach to multicomponent superconductivity.

Electronics are used in a wide range of applications including computing, communication, biomedical, automotive, military and aerospace. They must operate in varying temperature and humidity environments including indoor controlled conditions and outdoor climate changes. Moisture, ionic contamination, heat, radiation and mechanical stresses are all highly detrimental to electronic devices and can lead to device failures. Therefore, it is essential that the electronic devices be packaged for protection from their intended environments, as well as to provide handling, assembly, electrical and thermal considerations.
Currently, more than 99% of microelectronic devices are plastic encapsulated. Improvements in encapsulant materials, and cost incentives have stretched the application boundaries for plastic electronic packages. Many electronic applications that traditionally used hermetic packages such as military are now using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) plastic packages. Plastic encapsulation has the advantages of low cost, smaller form factors, and improved manufacturability.
With recent trends in environmental awareness, new environmentally friendly or ' green' encapsulant materials (i.e. without brominated additives) have emerged. Plastic packages are also being considered for use in extreme high and low temperature electronics. 3-D packaging and wafer-level-packaging (WLP) require unique encapsulation techniques. Encapsulant materials are also being developed for micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), bio-MEMS, bio-electronics, and organic light-emitting diodes (O-LEDs).
This book offers a comprehensive discussion of encapsulants in electronic applications. The main emphasis is on the encapsulation of microelectronic devices; however, the encapsulation of connectors and transformers is also addressed. This book discusses 2-D and 3-D packaging and encapsulation, encapsulation materials including environmentally friendly 'green' encapsulants, and the properties and characterization of encapsulants. Furthermore, this book provides an extensive discussion on defects and failures related to encapsulation, how to analyze such defects and failures, and how to apply quality assurance and qualification process for encapsulated packages. This book also provides information on the trends and challenges of encapsulation and microelectronic packages including application of nanotechnology.
Guidance on the selection and use of encapsulants in the electronics industry, with a particular focus on microelectronics
Coverage of environmentally friendly 'green encapsulants'
Practical coverage of faults and defects: how to analyze them and how to avoid them"

This book deals with all aspects of plasmonics, basics, applications and advanced developments. Plasmonics is an emerging field of research dedicated to the resonant interaction of light with metals. The light/matter interaction is strongly enhanced at a nanometer scale which sparks a keen interest of a wide scientific community and offers promising applications in pharmacology, solar energy, nanocircuitry or also light sources. The major breakthroughs of this field of research originate from the recent advances in nanotechnology, imaging and numerical modelling. The book is divided into three main parts: extended surface plasmons polaritons propagating on metallic surfaces, surface plasmons localized on metallic particles, imaging and nanofabrication techniques. The reader will find in the book: Principles and recent advances of plasmonics, a complete description of the physics of surface plasmons, a historical survey with emphasize on the emblematic topic of Wood's anomaly, an overview of modern applications of molecular plasmonics and an extensive description of imaging and fabrications techniques.