A device includes a substrate and a set of force sensors supported by the substrate. Each force sensor includes a pillar extending outward from the substrate, each pillar comprising a stack of semiconductor layers, the stack of semiconductor layers being configured to emit light upon biasing of the stack of semiconductor layers, and post disposed along only a portion of a perimeter of the pillar such that, taken together, the pillar and the post have an asymmetrical cross-sectional shape. Each pillar has a cross-section elongated along an axis. An orientation of the axis, and a peripheral position of the portion of the perimeter at which the post is disposed, differ across the set of force sensors such that a variation in light emitted by the stack of semiconductor layers of one or more of the force sensors is indicative of a direction of a shear force applied to the set of force sensors.

There is provided a flexible membrane for use in a microelectromechanical transducer, the flexible membrane comprising an electromagnetic waveguide. There is further provided a microelectromechanical system comprising a substrate which comprises the flexible membrane, and a process for forming the flexible membrane. The flexible membrane may be configured to operate within an optical microphone system.

A micro-electro-mechanical system device is disclosed. The micro-mechanical system device comprises a first silicon substrate comprising: a handle layer comprising a first surface and a second surface, the second surface comprises a cavity; an insulating layer deposited over the second surface of the handle layer; a device layer having a third surface bonded to the insulating layer and a fourth surface; a piezoelectric layer deposited over the fourth surface of the device layer; a metal conductivity layer disposed over the piezoelectric layer; a bond layer disposed over a portion of the metal conductivity layer; and a stand-off formed on the first silicon substrate; wherein the first silicon substrate is bonded to a second silicon substrate, comprising: a metal electrode configured to form an electrical connection between the metal conductivity layer formed on the first silicon substrate and the second silicon substrate.

An optical microphone assembly including a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) component, a semiconductor chip, and an outer housing including at least part of a non-MEMS supporting structure and defining an aperture. The MEMS component includes an interferometric arrangement which includes a membrane and at least one optical element spaced from the membrane. The semiconductor chip includes at least one photo detector and a light source. The MEMS component is mounted on the non-MEMS supporting structure and sealed to the outer housing such that the MEMS component closes the aperture. The semiconductor chip is mounted separately from the MEMS component on the non-MEMS supporting structure in a spaced relationship with the MEMS component such that the MEMS component is displaced relative to the semiconductor chip in a direction perpendicular to a reflecting surface of the membrane. The light source is arranged to provide light to the interferometric arrangement such that a first portion of the light propagates along a first optical path via the interferometric arrangement, and a second portion of the light propagates along a second, different optical path via the interferometric arrangement such that at least one of the first and second portions is reflected by the reflecting surface of the membrane, thereby giving rise to an optical path difference between the first and second optical paths which depends on a distance between the membrane and the optical element. The at least one photo detector is arranged to detect at least part of an interference pattern generated by the first and second portions of light dependent on the optical path difference.

The invention relates to a measuring device and a method for determining mass and/or mechanical properties of a biological system.

Atomic force microscope measuring device comprising a micro-cantilever and an intensity modulated laser exciting the cantilever, wherein the measuring device comprises an optical microscope, in particular a fluorescence microscope, a confocal microscope, a fluorescence energy transfer (FRET) microscope, a DIC and/or phase contrast microscope, all of those in particular construed as an inverted microscope.

A micro-electro-mechanical system device is disclosed. The micro-mechanical system device comprises a first silicon substrate comprising: a handle layer comprising a first surface and a second surface, the second surface comprises a cavity; an insulating layer deposited over the second surface of the handle layer; a device layer having a third surface bonded to the insulating layer and a fourth surface; a piezoelectric layer deposited over the fourth surface of the device layer; a metal conductivity layer disposed over the piezoelectric layer; a bond layer disposed over a portion of the metal conductivity layer; and a stand-off formed on the first silicon substrate; wherein the first silicon substrate is bonded to a second silicon substrate, comprising: a metal electrode configured to form an electrical connection between the metal conductivity layer formed on the first silicon substrate and the second silicon substrate.

An optical microphone assembly including a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) component including an interferometric arrangement having a membrane and at least one optical element spaced from the membrane; at least one photo detector; a light source; and a housing defining an aperture provided with an acoustically transparent cover which does not create an acoustic cavity between the acoustically transparent cover and a side of the membrane in fluid communication with an exterior of the optical microphone assembly; the MEMS component is sealed to the housing with the interferometric arrangement positioned between the light source and the acoustically transparent cover such that the MEMS component closes the aperture and does not create an acoustic cavity between the acoustically transparent cover and the side of the membrane that is in fluid communication with the exterior of the optical microphone assembly; the at least one photo detector is mounted in a spaced relationship with the MEMS component such that the MEMS component has a displacement relative to the at least one photo detector in a direction perpendicular to a reflecting surface of the membrane; the light source is arranged to provide light to the interferometric arrangement such that a first portion of the light propagates along a first optical path via the interferometric arrangement and a second portion of the light propagates along a second, different optical path via the interferometric arrangement such that at least one of the first and second portions is reflected by the reflecting surface of the membrane, thereby giving rise to an optical path difference between the first and second optical paths which depends on a distance between the membrane and the optical element; and the at least one photo detector is arranged to detect at least part of an interference pattern generated by the first and second portions of light dependent on the optical path difference.

The present invention features a micrometer-scale torsion balance device comprising a rigid mass and two or more nanoribbons attached to the rigid mass. The rigid mass may be suspended by the two or more nanoribbons. The two or more nanoribbons may be placed under tensile stress. A local acceleration value may be derived from a torsional stiffness of the two or more nanoribbons. In some embodiments, the rigid mass may comprise silicon. In some embodiments, the two or more nanoribbons may comprise silicon nitride. In some embodiments, the rigid mass may have a polygon shape, the polygon shape having four or more sides. A side of the four or more sides may be longer than all others.

Presented herein are techniques through which modular architectures and systems may be implemented for superconducting (SC) quantum processing elements or chips utilizing photonic interconnects. In one instance, an SC processing element is provided that includes a plurality of interconnected qubits, wherein a first qubit of the plurality of interconnected qubits is interconnected with a first microwave-optical transducer. In one instance, a system is provided that includes a first SC processing element comprising a first plurality of interconnected qubits, wherein a first microwave-optical transducer is interconnected with a first qubit of the first plurality of interconnected qubits; a second SC processing element comprising a second plurality of interconnected qubits, wherein a second microwave-optical transducer is interconnected with a first qubit of the second plurality of interconnected qubits; and an optical network interconnecting the first microwave-optical transducer and the second microwave-optical transducer.