A microfluidic chip and a fabrication method of the microfluidic chip are provided. The microfluidic chip includes an array substrate, and a hydrophobic layer disposed on a side of the array substrate. The hydrophobic layer includes at least one through-hole, and a through-hole of the at least one through-hole penetrates through the hydrophobic layer along a direction perpendicular to a plane of the array substrate. The microfluidic chip also includes at least one hydrophilic structure. A hydrophilic structure of the at least one hydrophilic structure is disposed in the through-hole.

A MEMS device and a method of forming the same. A disclosed method includes: providing a silicon substrate layer, a buried oxide layer and a device silicon layer; using a microfabrication process to pattern a set of device features on the device silicon layer including a shuttle mass and an anchor frame; removing the silicon substrate layer and buried oxide below the shuttle mass; placing a shadow mask on a surface of the device silicon layer, wherein the shadow mask has a microscale opening to expose at least one device feature; and forming a nanoscale stopper on a sidewall of the at least one device feature by depositing a deposition material through the opening in a controlled manner.

Gas sensor, comprising: a substrate of semiconductor material; a first working electrode on the substrate; a second working electrode on the substrate, at a distance from the first working electrode; an interconnection layer extending in electrical contact with the first and the second working electrode, configured to change its conductivity when reacting with gas species to be detected. The interconnection layer is of titanium oxide, has a porosity between 40% and 60% in volume and is formed by a plurality of meso-pores having at least one dimension in the range 6-30 nm connected to nano-pores having at least one respective dimension in the range 1-5 nm.

A MEMS device and a method of forming the same. A disclosed method includes: providing a silicon substrate layer, a buried oxide layer and a device silicon layer; using a microfabrication process to pattern a set of device features on the device silicon layer including a shuttle mass and an anchor frame; removing the silicon substrate layer and buried oxide below the shuttle mass; placing a shadow mask on a surface of the device silicon layer, wherein the shadow mask has an microscale opening to expose at least one device feature; and forming a nanoscale stopper on a sidewall of the at least one device feature by depositing a deposition material through the opening in a controlled manner.

A substantially optically-transparent capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) and methods of fabricating the same are disclosed herein. In one implementation, the CMUT comprises a substantially optically-transparent substrate having a cavity; a substantially optically-transparent patterned conductive bottom electrode situated within the cavity of the substrate; and a substantially optically-transparent vibrating plate comprising at least a conducting layer, wherein the vibrating plate is bonded to the substrate. In some implementations the substantially optically-transparent CMUT can be embedded in a display glass of, for example, a television set, a computer monitor, a tablet, mobile phones, smartwatches, and the like.

A micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) device is formed in a first wafer overlying and bonded to a second wafer. The first wafer includes a fixed part, a movable part, and elastic elements that elastically couple the movable part and the fixed part. The movable part further carries actuation elements configured to control a relative movement, such as a rotation, of the movable part with respect to the fixed part. The second wafer is bonded to the first wafer through projections extending from the first wafer. The projections may, for example, be formed by selectively removing part of a semiconductor layer. A composite wafer formed by the first and second wafers is cut to form many MEMS devices.

A method for manufacturing a micromechanical timepiece part starting from a silicon-based substrate, including, forming pores on the surface of at least one part of a surface of said silicon-based substrate of a determined depth, entirely filling the pores with a material chosen from diamond, diamond-like carbon, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, ceramics, polymers and mixtures thereof, in order to form, in the pores, a layer of the material of a thickness at least equal to the depth of the pores. A micromechanical timepiece part including a silicon-based substrate which has, on the surface of at least one part of a surface of the silicon-based substrate, pores of a determined depth, the pores being filled entirely with a layer of a material chosen from diamond, diamond-like carbon, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, ceramics, polymers and mixtures thereof, of a thickness at least equal to the depth of the pores.

A micro-electromechanical system (1) comprising: a sensor device (2), with a measuring deformer (3) exhibiting an effective temperature T1; a high-frequency resonator (4) that is mechanically coupled to the sensor device (2) and can interact with the measuring deformer (3); an energy converter (7) that is operatively connected to the high-frequency resonator (4) and is configured to excite the high-frequency resonator (4) into a vibration state, wherein, through the interaction of the vibrating high-frequency resonator (4) with the measuring deformer (3), energy can be transferred from the measuring deformer (3) to the high-frequency resonator (4) in such a manner that the measuring deformer (3) after the energy transfer exhibits an effective temperature T2 lower than T1.

Gas sensor, comprising: a substrate of semiconductor material; a first working electrode on the substrate; a second working electrode on the substrate, at a distance from the first working electrode; an interconnection layer extending in electrical contact with the first and the second working electrode, configured to change its conductivity when reacting with gas species to be detected. The interconnection layer is of titanium oxide, has a porosity between 40% and 60% in volume and is formed by a plurality of meso-pores having at least one dimension in the range 6-30 nm connected to nano-pores having at least one respective dimension in the range 1-5 nm.

A micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) device is formed in a first wafer overlying and bonded to a second wafer. The first wafer includes a fixed part, a movable part, and elastic elements that elastically couple the movable part and the fixed part. The movable part further carries actuation elements configured to control a relative movement, such as a rotation, of the movable part with respect to the fixed part. The second wafer is bonded to the first wafer through projections extending from the first wafer. The projections may, for example, be formed by selectively removing part of a semiconductor layer. A composite wafer formed by the first and second wafers is cut to form many MEMS devices.