Micro and Nano Systems Letters最新文献

Semiconductor-based ion-trap chips are a leading platform for scalable quantum computing, but their performance is often limited by photogenerated charge carriers accumulating on exposed silicon surfaces. In this work, we present a comprehensive fabrication process for silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer–based ion-trap chips that addresses this challenge through optimized scallop smoothing and angled gold evaporation. We compare two scallop smoothing methods–frontside reactive ion etching (RIE) and backside RIE–and develop optimized process recipes for each using iterative test structures. Backside RIE smoothing achieves near-complete scallop removal with minimal undercut, while frontside RIE smoothing, although requiring tighter control to minimize undercut, remains viable when preservation of the buried oxide (BOX) layer is necessary. The use of SOI substrates ensures consistent device-layer thickness by leveraging the BOX as an etch-stop layer during backside deep RIE, further enhancing the reproducibility of smoothing. Finally, angled gold evaporation following the scallop smoothing process yields uniform gold coverage on vertical sidewalls without causing electrical shorts between electrode structures. Scanning electron microscopy confirms clean sidewalls and defect-free gold films. These process improvements suppress semiconductor charging, stabilize ion confinement, and enable reliable, high-fidelity quantum operations in quantum charge-coupled device architectures.

Bone regeneration remains a critical challenge, especially in complex defects where conventional pharmacological and surgical treatments are inadequate. This review critically evaluates recent progress in micro- and nanoscale biomimetic scaffold systems and stem cell technologies, highlighting how structural design at the micro/nano level directly influences stem cell fate and osteogenesis. We analyze advances in fabrication techniques including 3D bioprinting, electrospinning, and micro/nanofabrication that enable hierarchical porosity, controlled surface nano-topographies, and dynamic biochemical environments. Particular attention is given to structure–function relationships, where scaffold mechanics, biochemical cues, and spatial patterning govern mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. Unlike conventional descriptive accounts, this review emphasizes both the therapeutic potential and the unresolved limitations of current approaches, such as reproducibility, host integration, and immunomodulation. Finally, we outline future perspectives in AI-driven scaffold design, and smart biomaterials, providing a roadmap for the translation of biomimetic scaffold–stem cell systems into clinically effective bone regeneration strategies.

This review provides a comprehensive survey of contemporary strategies for minimizing signal crosstalk in resistive temperature sensors, with particular focus on engineering approaches that achieve strain insensitivity. The discussion is structured to parallel the central themes of material selection, geometric structural design, and post-fabrication processing. First, the review categorizes conductive materials, including carbon-based nanomaterials, metallic nanostructures, and conductive polymers, highlighting how their intrinsic properties and structural forms determine sensor performance in terms of conductivity, flexibility, and mechanical robustness. The role of geometry-inspired designs, such as serpentine, multipolygonal, and Kirigami architectures, in enhancing mechanical compliance and contributing to the decoupling of thermal and mechanical signals is examined. Additionally, recent advances in post-fabrication processes, including welding, soldering, and surface treatments, are evaluated for their roles in maintaining long-term electrical stability and device reliability. By systematically integrating these multidisciplinary engineering strategies, this review delineates practical design principles for the advancement of next-generation resistive temperature sensors and provides a foundation for the robust integration of flexible electronics into a broad spectrum of emerging application domains. These insights are expected to accelerate innovation in wearable technology and other emerging fields, paving the way for the development of reliable, high-performance, flexible sensing systems.

For more than five decades, vibrating tube resonators have evolved from fragile laboratory devices into versatile platforms used in industrial metrology, biomedical research, and education. This technology originated with glass U-tube densitometers, which established the foundation for resonance-based density measurements. Later, metallic tubes extended operation to harsh conditions, including high pressure, elevated temperature, and cryogenic environments, enabling applications ranging from supercritical fluid studies to aerospace propulsion. The vibrating tube principle also inspired Coriolis flowmeters, which can monitor both density and mass flow. Miniaturization through microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) has led to microchannel resonators that can weigh biomolecules, nanoparticles, and cells with high sensitivity. Subsequent innovations improved readout using piezoresistive and piezoelectric schemes, increased throughput with array architectures, and integrated heaters for thermal property measurements. More recent advances include integrating capacitive electrodes, enabling access to electrical and dielectric properties of liquids. Meanwhile, renewed interest in glass and metallic tube resonators has highlighted their robustness, scalability, and utility for handling larger biological entities and for educational purposes. Macro- and micro-scale approaches complement each other, ensuring continuity across scales and pointing toward future integration with optical, magnetic, and quantum modalities.

Nanofillers are one of the most important additives in the creation of natural fibre reinforced polymer composite (NFRPC), as they greatly improve the properties of the material even at low doses. Such Nanofillers enhance the bonding of fibers and matrix that result in an increase of the mechanical and functional properties of composite. Clays, nanomaterials of carbon, metal and metal oxide nanoparticles, cellulose nanocrystals are some of the most prevalent Nano fillers. NFRPC, with the current advantages of low cost, renewability, biodegradability, and desirable specific properties, have taken off as an alternative to synthetic composites in biomedical applications. Although such composites present the advantage of desirable mechanical strength, thermal stability, and acoustic performance, the addition of Nanofillers enhances the performance further by increasing structure-property associations and processing. Also, Nano filler-enhanced composites have a promising biomedical future, especially when used in tissue engineering, wound healing, antimicrobial systems, and load bearing implants. The review is a compilation of recent developments of natural and synthetic nano filler applications in combination of natural fibers and is therefore a complete reference to any researcher or scientist who will be interested in designing high-performance composites by the synergistic combination of fibers, polymer matrices, and Nanofillers.

Flexible piezoresistive pressure sensors have emerged as vital components for wearable electronics, soft robotics, and biomedical monitoring. However, simultaneously achieving high sensitivity, a wide detection range, and long-term durability for these sensors remains challenging. Among the various approaches, freeze-casted aerogel-based sensors have garnered significant attention owing to their exceptional properties, such as ultralow density, high porosity, and customizable microstructures. This review summarizes the recent advances in such sensors, with emphasis on material selection, structural design, and practical applications. The integration of one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and hybrid nanomaterials offers synergistic enhancements in electrical conductivity, mechanical robustness, and sensing performance. Advanced structural engineering strategies, including anisotropic pore alignment, gradient architecture, and biomimetic designs, have enabled improved sensitivity, a broader detection range, and enhanced durability. Representative applications in real-time physiological monitoring and human–machine interfaces demonstrate the potential of these sensors in real-world scenarios. This review provides insight into rational design strategies that harness both materials and architecture to improve the performance and applicability of next-generation aerogel-based pressure sensors.

Hydrogel-based strain sensors are highly promising for wearable electronics; however, their practical application is often limited by their low sensitivity and tendency to dehydrate. This paper reports on the development of a high-performance strain sensor that addresses these limitations simultaneously through a synergistic material and structural design. A conductive hydrogel composed of a polyvinyl alcohol matrix, multiwalled carbon nanotube filler, and borax cross-linker is encapsulated using a simple and effective lamination process with a self-adhesive, transparent acrylic elastomer film. This facile encapsulation method provides a robust hermetic seal that ensures environmental stability without compromising device flexibility. The resulting device exhibits a remarkable gauge factor of approximately 172 in the high-strain regime (30–100%), negligible signal drift, and stable performance over prolonged cyclic loading. Furthermore, the encapsulated sensor maintains durability and reliable adhesion under humid or saline conditions, validating its suitability for wearable use. The combination of superior sensitivity, long-term stability, and a scalable, low-temperature fabrication process establishes this work as a practical route toward robust hydrogel-based sensors for soft robotics and human-motion monitoring.

This study presents the fabrication and characterization of a MEMS-based hot arm actuator that utilizes Joule heating-induced thermal expansion for lateral displacement. The actuator was fabricated through a series of micro-fabrication processes including photolithography, e-beam evaporation, and plasma ashing. Electro-thermal and electro-thermo-mechanical characteristics were experimentally analyzed and compared with finite element analysis (FEA) simulations. The actuator demonstrated fast thermal response (~100 μs), high repeatability, and effective displacement (> 10 μm) under low-voltage operation (< 0.6 V). These findings highlight its potential application in fast-switching optical MEMS systems.

Plasmonic bowtie nanostructures have been widely used to enhance electric fields by concentrating the electromagnetic field within nanoscale gaps. Various structural modifications of the bowtie geometry have been proposed to achieve stronger light confinement within the nanogaps. Among them, bowtie structures with curved arms have demonstrated a significantly higher enhancement factor (EF) compared to those with linear arms. However, although tip sharpness plays a critical role in electric field enhancement, the tip sharpness of the curved bowtie has not been systematically examined. In this study, we investigated the influence of tip sharpness on the EF of curved bowtie nanostructures using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. We systematically optimized four structural parameters, including the tip sharpness and curvature of the side arms, and evaluated their impact on the resulting EF. The curved bowtie with sharp tips showed substantial increases in the EF (5.33 × 10³), which is approximately 26% higher than that of the normal bowtie with sharp tips (4.23 × 10³), whereas the bowtie with blunt tips exhibited an even lower EF than those with linear arms. These results highlight the critical role of the tip sharpness in achieving high-field enhancement. This study underscores the need for advanced nanofabrication techniques, such as domino lithography, to realize sharp tips, which are often limited by proximity effects in conventional photolithography and electron-beam lithography (EBL). Our findings provide valuable insight into the design of high-performance plasmonic nanostructures and pave the way for their practical applications in biosensing and nanophotonic technologies.

The evolution of human–machine interfaces (HMI) toward more immersive and intuitive forms, such as wearable devices and augmented reality systems, demands the development of high-performance flexible electronics. Heterogeneous integration, which combines diverse inorganic materials and functional devices onto unconventional substrates, is the core strategy for realizing these next-generation systems. The success of this approach, however, critically hinges on the ability to precisely transfer and assemble vast quantities of micro-scale components. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art in inorganic thin-film transfer technologies, which are the essential enablers for this paradigm shift. We systematically categorize and discuss the mechanisms, advantages, and drawbacks of three primary approaches: physical, chemical, and self-assembly transfer methods. Furthermore, we introduce recent applications of semiconductor devices developed via these techniques. The continued advancement of these transfer technologies is poised to catalyze transformative innovations in how users interact with the digital world, fundamentally reshaping applications in medicine, personal computing, and beyond.