Eurosensors XXIV

Eurosensors School

Sunday, September 5, 2010, 09:00 - 18:00
Campus Johannes Kepler University Linz
Lecture hall HS 2, "Sparkassensaal"

Background
The program of the "Eurosensors School" has been introduced at EUROSENSORS XIII Conference in The Hague, 1999, and addresses selected topics regarding fundamentals of sensor science technologies combined with the discussion of some recent development/potential applications. The lectures are given at the graduate level and typically span from the scientific basic principles to the implementation in actual devices. They are intended for PhD students and young researchers in the field, researchers who have recently entered the interdisciplinary field of sensors and actuators, and for colleagues who want to brush up their fundamental knowledge in certain fields.

Instructors and Topics

• 9:10 - 10:40
  Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schmid, Vienna University of Technology
  Curriculum Vitae
  Ulrich Schmid was born in Munich, Germany, in 1972. He started studies in physics and mathematics at the University of Kassel in 1992. In 1995, he spent 6 months at the Transport Group in the Physics Department, University of Nottingham, UK, to gain experience in wide band gap semiconductor physics. He performed his diploma work at the research laboratories of the Daimler-Benz AG (now DaimlerChrysler AG) on the electrical characterization of silicon carbide (6H-SiC) junction field effect transistors for harsh environment applications. He finished his studies in 1998 at the University of Frankfurt/Main, Germany. In 1999, he joined the research laboratories of DaimlerChrysler AG (now EADS Deutschland GmbH) in Ottobrunn/Munich, Germany. He developed a robust flow sensor for high-pressure automotive applications and received his Ph.D. degree in 2003 from the Technical University of Munich, Germany. From 2003 to 2008, he was post-doc at the Chair of Micromechanics, Microfluidics/Microactuators at Saarland University. Since 1.10.2008, he is full professor at the Vienna University of Technology heading the Department for Microsystems Technology. His research interests are in the design, the technology development and the evaluation of novel MEMS/NEMS based devices, especially for automotive as well as airborne applications.
  
  "Introduction to Microsystems Technology"
  The tutorial will focus on the following topics:
  • Introduction to MEMS-based markets and applications
  • Materials for MEMS devices and their properties
  • Most relevant technologies for MEMS fabrication
    • Clean room technology
    • Optical Lithography
    • Thin film deposition techniques (i.e. CVD, PVD)
    • Doping techniques (i.e. diffusion, implantation)
    • Wet and dry chemical etching
    • On wafer level bonding techniques
  • Selected examples for bulk- or surface micromachined MEMS devices
  
  
• 11:15 - 12:45
  Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hubert Zangl, Graz University of Technology
  Curriculum Vitae
  Hubert Zangl received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in telematics and the Dr.Techn. degree in electrical engineering from Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), Graz, Austria, in 2001 and 2005, respectively. He is an associate professor at the Institute of Electrical Measurement and Measurement Signal Processing (EMT), TU Graz, and director of the research group for Sensors and Instrumentation. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 international scientific publications. He is the holder of several patents. His research interests include sensor design, sensor optimization and sensor signal processing with a focus on capacitive sensors and passive/semiactive wireless sensor interfaces.
  
  "Analog Signal Processing and Conditioning for Sensor Signals"
  Sensors are the interfaces between the physical and the electric/electronic (and digital) world. Although more and more signal processing is done in the digital domain, the signal path from the generation in a sensor and the conversion into the digital representations is of major importance for the performance of a system. Thus, analog signal processing and conditioning are in particular relevant with respect to signal to noise ratio and with respect to robustness to disturbers. The lecture investigates different measurement methods, the measurement chain, measurement amplifiers, analog signal transmission and analog to digital converters regarding their impact on the signal to noise ratio, the system dynamics and the suppression of undesired influences.
  
  
• 14:00 - 15:30
  Prof. Dr. Siegfried Bauer, Johannes Kepler University Linz
  Curriculum Vitae
  Siegfried Bauer (M'99-SM'02) was born in Karlsruhe, Germany in 1961. He received the Master and Ph.D. degrees in physics from the Technical University in Karlsruhe in 1986 and 1990, respectively. In 1992 he joined the Heinrich Hertz Institute for Communication Engineering in Berlin, Germany. In 1996 he earned the Habilitation Degree from the University of Potsdam. In 1997 he became a Professor of Experimental Physics at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria. Since 2002 he has been head of the Soft Matter Physics Department. His interest is in the area of soft matter materials, including piezo- and ferroelectrets, traditional ferroelectric polymers, dielectric elastomers for transducer applications, as well as organic materials for large area flexible and stretchable electronics. Dr. Bauer is a member of the German (DPG) and the Austrian (ÖPG) Physical Societies and of the Association of German Electrical Engineers (VDE).
  
  "Organic Materials for Sensors and Actuators"
  In highly flexible or stretchable electronic products soft materials are involved, ranging from flexible polymers to compliant elastomers. In the mechanics of such materials, entropy plays an important role rather than energy. Based on the "entropy elasticity" of soft matter, concepts for highly flexible or stretchable sensors and actuators will be presented.
  
  • Mechanical properties of polymers and elastomers
  • Flexible sensors (large area interactive screens, pressure and temperature sensors)
  • Flexible circuits (transistors, memories)
  • Conformable electronics (displays, hemispherical photo sensors)
  • Elastomer actuators and energy harvesters
  
  
• 16:15 - 17:45
  Dr. Martin Brandl, Danube University Krems
  Curriculum Vitae
  Martin Brandl is senior scientist at the Center for Biomedical Technology at Danube University Krems, Austria. He received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in communication engineering and the Dr. techn. degree from Vienna University of Technology in 1997 and 2001, respectively. From 1998 to 2001, he was research assistant at the Department of Industrial Electronics and Material Science at Vienna University of Technology where he developed new modulation schemes for robust wireless data transmission systems. In 2001 he moved to the Danube University Krems as head of the Electronic and Measurement R&D group at the Center for Biomedical Technology. He has been engaged in research and development of novel devices for extracorporeal blood purification systems, optical and biomedical sensors as well as intelligent anticoagulation devices. His current research interests are focused on blood purification devices for immunoadsorption, high sensitive fluorescence sensing in blood, dye sensors for biological and environmental applications, novel algorithms for citrate/calcium anticoagulation and self organizing wireless sensor networks for biomedical applications.
  
  "Optical Sensors for Biomedical Applications"
  The tutorial will include the following topics:
  • Physical principles of optical sensors
    • Light absorption, transmission, reflection
    • Fluorescence dyes
    • Surface plasmon resonance (SPR)
    • Fiber optical sensors
  • Applications of optical sensors in biomedicine
    • Blood parameter measurement
    • Ion sensitive fluorescence sensors
    • Applications of SPR
    • Applications of fiber optical sensors

Conference attendees can select to participate in these lectures during the registration process.