Proceedings Of The Workshop On Microtechnologies And Applications To Space Systems

This set of technical books contains all the information presented at the 1995 International Conference on Parallel Processing. This conference, held August 14 - 18, featured over 100 lectures from more than 300 contributors, and included three panel sessions and three keynote addresses. The international authorship includes experts from around the globe, from Texas to Tokyo, from Leiden to London. Compiled by faculty at the University of Illinois and sponsored by Penn State University, these Proceedings are a comprehensive look at all that's new in the field of parallel processing.

This book provides a step-by-step discussion through each topic of fiber optics. Each chapter explores theoretical concepts of principles and then applies them by using experimental cases with numerous illustrations. The book works systematically through fiber optic cables, advanced fiber optic cables, light attenuation in optical components, fiber optic cable types and installations, fiber optic connectors, passive fiber optic devices, wavelength division multiplexing, optical amplifiers, optical receivers, opto-mechanical switches, and optical fiber communications. It includes important chapters in fiber optic lighting, fiber optics testing, and laboratory safety.

Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) is already about a billion dollars a year industry and is growing rapidly. So far major emphasis has been placed on the fabrication processes for various devices. There are serious issues related to tribology, mechanics, surfacechemistry and materials science in the operationand manufacturingof many MEMS devices and these issues are preventing an even faster commercialization. Very little is understood about tribology and mechanical properties on micro- to nanoscales of the materials used in the construction of MEMS devices. The MEMS community needs to be exposed to the state-of-the-artoftribology and vice versa. Fundamental understanding of friction/stiction, wear and the role of surface contamination and environmental debris in micro devices is required. There are significantadhesion, friction and wear issues in manufacturing and actual use, facing the MEMS industry. Very little is understood about the tribology of bulk silicon and polysilicon films used in the construction ofthese microdevices. These issues are based on surface phenomenaand cannotbe scaled down linearly and these become increasingly important with the small size of the devices. Continuum theory breaks down in the analyses, e. g. in fluid flow of micro-scale devices. Mechanical properties ofpolysilicon and other films are not well characterized. Roughness optimization can help in tribological improvements. Monolayers of lubricants and other materials need to be developed for ultra-low friction and near zero wear. Hard coatings and ion implantation techniques hold promise.