Single atomic monolayer (SAM) technology will be used to design an air bubble array for the lubrication of MEMS devices with sliding and rotating parts. Patterning a matrix of hydrophobic patches on a hydrophilic substrate will result in an array of air bubbles formed by the repulsive behavior of water molecules with the hydrophobic surfaces. The performance of the air bubble array will be dete...

We investigate laser-induced nonsequential double ionization from aligned diatomic molecules, using the strong-field approximation in its length and velocity gauge formulations. Throughout, we consider that the first electron dislodges the second by electron-impact ionization. Employing modified saddlepoint equations, we single out the contributions of different scattering scenarios to the maxi...

In high speed and high precision machining applications, it is important to monitor the machining process in order to ensure high product quality. For this purpose, it is essential to develop a dynamometer with high sensitivity and high natural frequency which is suited to these conditions. This paper describes the design, calibration and performance of a milling torque sensor based on piezores...

This thesis describes heterogeneous integration methods for the fabrication of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Most MEMS devices reuse the fabrication techniques that are found in the microelectronics integrated circuit industry. This limits the selection of materials and processes that are feasible for the realization of MEMS devices. Heterogeneous integration methods, on the other hand...

This paper describes the development of a polyimide/SU-8 catheter-tip MEMS gauge pressure sensor. Finite element analysis was used to investigate critical parameters, impacting on the device design and sensing characteristics. The sensing element of the device was fabricated by polyimide-based micromachining on a flexible membrane, using embedded thin-film metallic wires as piezoresistive eleme...

We investigate the celebrated analogy [1] between Anderson localization phenomena in condensed matter physics [2] and related effects in the ionization process of driven Rydberg atoms, and put them on a quantitative footing. The atomic system we consider for a comprehensive numerical analysis of its ionization properties is a highly excited hydrogen atom exposed to a monochromatic electromagnet...

A novel ab initio numerical approach is developed and applied that solves the time-dependent Schrödinger equation describing two-electron diatomic molecules (e.g. molecular hydrogen) exposed to an intense ultrashort laser pulse. The method is based on the fixed-nuclei and the non-relativistic dipole approximations and aims to accurately describe both correlated electrons in full dimensionality....