A self-tuning impedance-matching microelectromechanical (MEMS) circuit, methods for making and using the same, and circuits including the same are disclosed. The MEMS circuit includes a tunable reactance element connected to a first mechanical spring, a separate tunable or fixed reactance element, and an AC signal source configured to provide an AC signal to the tunable reactance element(s). The reactance elements comprise a capacitor and an inductor. The AC signal source creates an electromagnetically energy favorable state for the tunable reactance element(s) at resonance with the AC signal. The method of making generally includes forming a first MEMS structure and a second mechanical or MEMS structure in/on a mechanical layer above an insulating substrate, and coating the first and second structures with a conductor to form a first tunable reactance element and a second tunable or fixed reactance element, as in the MEMS circuit.

Provided herein are apparatus and systems for fabricating highly aligned arrays of polymeric fibers having isodiameters ranging from sub 50 nm to microns with lengths of several millimeters. The approach disclosed herein uses (e.g.) a micropipette to deliver polymeric solution which is collected in the form of aligned fibers on a rotating and linearly translating substrate. The methods deposit polymeric fibers on spherical surfaces and gapped surfaces with precise control, thus heralding new opportunities for a variety of applications employing polymeric fibers. The design workspace for depositing fibers disclosed herein is dependent upon processing parameters of rotational/linear translational speeds and material properties of solution rheologies. Techniques for fabrication of multilayer fiber arrays, for fabrication of cell growth scaffolds and for attachment of particles to the fiber arrays are also disclosed.

An inertial angular sensor of MEMS type has a support of at least two masses which are mounted movably with respect to the support, at least one electrostatic actuator and at least one electrostatic detector. The masses are suspended in a frame itself connected by suspension means to the support. The actuator and the detector are designed to respectively produce and detect a vibration of the masses, and a method for balancing such a sensor provided with at least one load detector mounted between the frame and the support and with at least one electrostatic spring placed between the frame and one of the masses and slaved so as to ensure dynamic balancing of the sensor as a function of a measurement signal of the load sensor.

Systems and methods are provided for calibrating and regulating the temperature of a sensor. One or more temperature adjusting devices can be provided to regulate the temperature of the sensor. One or more of the temperature adjusting devices can be provided to perform a calibration to determine a relationship between sensor bias and sensor temperature. The one or more temperature adjusting devices can be built into the sensor.

In order to adjust an electric device, it is proposed to integrate a programmable memory unit into the device and to address said programmable memory unit without enlarging the footprint, via contact areas that are obtained by dividing previous contact areas. In this case, an adjustment value in particular for compensating for a fault tolerance is fed into the memory unit, an operating parameter being readjusted with the aid of said adjustment value. In each case two divided contact areas are short-circuited via a common soldering location during the mounting of the device.

Embodiments of the present invention may provide a method of measuring an unknown capacitance of a device. The method may comprise the steps of driving a test signal to a circuit system that includes a current divider formed by the device with unknown capacitance and a reference capacitor; mirroring a current developed in the reference capacitor to a second circuit system that includes a measurement impedance; measuring a voltage within the second circuit system; and deriving a capacitance of the unknown capacitance based on the measured voltage with reference to a capacitance of the reference capacitor and the measurement impedance.

A mechanical component has: a mount; an adjustable part selectively set at least into a first vibration mode having a first natural frequency and into a second vibration mode having a second natural frequency; a first sensor unit providing a first sensor signal; and a second sensor unit providing a second sensor signal. The first and second sensor units are interconnected in such a way that an overall signal is generated with the aid of at least the first and second sensor signals, the overall signal having an overall ratio of a first maximum absolute value which arises in the event of an excitation of the first vibration mode, and a second maximum absolute value which arises in the event of an excitation of the second vibration mode.

What is disclosed is a micro-assembler backplane that has a backplane having a first surface and a number of controlled electrodes, wherein each is selectively activatable to manipulate micro-objects on the backplane. The micro-assembler backplane also has at least one trap location that is separate from the controlled electrodes. The at least one trap location is configured to hold, independently of activation of the controlled electrodes, at least one micro-object that is manipulated into a trap location.

A method for characterizing structures etched in a substrate, such as a wafer is disclosed. A bottom of the structure is embedded in the substrate, the substrate having a top side in which the structures are etched and a bottom side opposite to the top side. The method includes the following steps: illuminating the bottom of at least one structure with an illumination beam issued from a light source emitting light with a wavelength adapted to be transmitted through the substrate, acquiring, with an imaging device positioned on the bottom side of said substrate, at least one image of a bottom of the at least one structure through the substrate, and measuring at least one data, called lateral data, relating to a lateral dimension of the bottom of the at least one HAR structure from the at least one acquired image. A system implementing such a method is also disclosed.

Aspects are directed to a MEMS device configurable to receive signals from a first, a second, a third, and a fourth signal source operating at a first, a second, a third, and a fourth frequency, respectively. The MEMS device may be configured to combine the first signal with the second signal generating a first combined signal, and to combine the third signal with the fourth signal generating a second combined signal. The first combined signal may be coupled to the first terminal of the MEMS device while the second combined signal may be coupled to the second terminal of the MEMS device. The first common terminal may be configured to produce an output associated with the second and fourth frequencies. The MEMS device may be further configured to derive from the produced output a signal indicative of nonlinearities or of changes in capacitance related to the MEMS device.