New Syndrome Check Error Estimation and Its Concatenated Coding

A low-complexity and high performance SCEE (Syndrome Check Error Estimation) decoding method for convolutional codes and its concatenated SCEE/RS (Reed–Solomon) coding scheme are proposed. First, we describe the operation of the decoding steps in the proposed algorithm. Then deterministic values on the decoding operation are derived when some combination of predecoder-reencoder is used. Computer simulation results show that the computational complexity of the proposed SCEE decoder is significantly reduced compared to that of conventional Viterbi decoder without degradation of the P_e performance. Also, simulation results of BER performance of the concatenated SCEE/Hard Decision Viterbi (HD-Viterbi) and SCEE/RS (Reed–Solomon) codes are presented.     

Low-Loss Polymer-Based Long-Range Surface Plasmon-Polariton Waveguide

To improve the propagation loss of polymer-based long-range surface-plasmon-polariton (LR-SPP) waveguide devices at the telecom wavelength range, low-loss LR-SPP waveguides were fabricated in an ultraviolet-curable acrylate polymer with a low refractive index and absorption loss. A propagation loss of 1.72 dB/cm at a wavelength of 1.55 mum was achieved with a 14-nm-thick and 3-mum-wide metal stripe.     

A 60 GHz Medium Power Amplifier for Radio‐over‐Fiber System

We present the design and fabrication of a 60 GHz medium power amplifier monolithic microwave integrated circuit with excellent gain‐flatness for a 60 GHz radio‐over‐fiber system. The circuit has a 4‐stage structure using microstrip coupled lines instead of metal‐insulator‐metal capacitors for unconditional stability of the amplifier and yield enhancement. The gains of each stage of the amplifier are modified to provide broadband characteristics of input/output matching for the first and fourth stages and to achieve higher gains for the second and third stages to improve the gain‐flatness of the amplifier for wideband.     

Design and fabrication of a significantly shortened multimode interference coupler for polarization splitter application

We report that we have successfully designed and fabricated a significantly shortened multimode interference coupler for application in polarization splitter, using a phenomenon that we termed "quasi-state" (QS) imaging effect. First, we identified and analyzed the QS imaging effect, and, based on the QS analysis, designed and fabricated a novel multimode interference (MMI) device with its split length shortened to 1/5 of a normally designed MMI split length. The fabrication is simple and cost effective and the fabricated device shows outstanding characteristics in extinction ratio, signal homogeneity, excess loss, and tolerance in the length of the splitter.     

Biodegradable Thin Metal Foils and Spin‐On Glass Materials for Transient Electronics

Biodegradable substrates and encapsulating materials play critical roles in the development of an emerging class of semiconductor technology, generally referred as “transient electronics”, whose key characteristic is an ability to dissolve completely, in a controlled manner, upon immersion in ground water or biofluids. The results presented here introduce the use of thin foils of Mo, Fe, W, or Zn as biodegradable substrates and silicate spin‐on‐glass (SOG) materials as insulating and encapsulating layers, with demonstrations of transient active (diode and transistor) and passive (capacitor and inductor) electronic components. Complete measurements of electrical characteristics demonstrate that the device performance can reach levels comparable to those possible with conventional, nontransient materials. Dissolution kinetics of the foils and cytotoxicity tests of the SOG yield information relevant to use in transient electronics for temporary biomedical implants, resorbable environmental monitors, and reduced waste consumer electronics.     

Materials and Wireless Microfluidic Systems for Electronics Capable of Chemical Dissolution on Demand

Electronics that are capable of destroying themselves, on demand and in a harmless way, might provide the ultimate form of data security. This paper presents materials and device architectures for triggered destruction of conventional microelectronic systems by means of microfluidic chemical etching of the constituent materials, including silicon, silicon dioxide, and metals (e.g., aluminum). Demonstrations in an array of home‐built metal‐oxide‐semiconductor field‐effect transistors that exploit ultrathin sheets of monocrystalline silicon and in radio‐frequency identification devices illustrate the utility of the approaches.     

Bioinspired Interlocked and Hierarchical Design of ZnO Nanowire Arrays for Static and Dynamic Pressure‐Sensitive Electronic Skins

The development of electronic skin (e‐skin) is of great importance in human‐like robotics, healthcare, wearable electronics, and medical applications. In this paper, a bioinspired e‐skin design of hierarchical micro‐ and nano‐structured ZnO nanowire (NW) arrays in an interlocked geometry is suggested for the sensitive detection of both static and dynamic tactile stimuli through piezoresistive and piezoelectric transduction modes, respectively. The interlocked hierarchical structures enable a stress‐sensitive variation in the contact area between the interlocked ZnO NWs and also the efficient bending of ZnO NWs, which allow the sensitive detection of both static and dynamic tactile stimuli. The flexible e‐skin in a piezoresistive mode shows a high pressure sensitivity (?6.8 kPa^?1) and an ultrafast response time (<5 ms), which enables the detection of minute static pressure (0.6 Pa), vibration level (0.1 m s^?2), and sound pressure (≈57 dB). The flexible e‐skin in a piezoelectric mode is also demonstrated to be able to detect fast dynamic stimuli such as high frequency vibrations (≈250 Hz). The flexible e‐skins with both piezoresistive and piezoelectric sensing capabilities may find applications requiring both static and dynamic tactile perceptions such as robotic hands for dexterous manipulations and various healthcare monitoring devices.     

Miniaturized Flexible Electronic Systems with Wireless Power and Near‐Field Communication Capabilities

A class of thin, lightweight, flexible, near‐field communication (NFC) devices with ultraminiaturized format is introduced, and systematic investigations of the mechanics, radio frequency characteristics, and materials aspects associated with their optimized construction are presented. These systems allow advantages in mechanical strength, placement versatility, and minimized interfacial stresses compared to other NFC technologies and wearable electronics. Detailed experimental studies and theoretical modeling of the mechanical and electromagnetic properties of these systems establish understanding of the key design considerations. These concepts can apply to many other types of wireless communication systems including biosensors and electronic implants.     

Analysis of Single‐RF MIMO Receiver with Beam‐Switching Antenna

This paper proposes a single‐RF MIMO receiver that adopts a beam‐switching antenna (BSA) instead of a conventional array antenna. The beauty of the proposed single‐RF MIMO receiver with BSA is that it can be deployed in a very small physical space while achieving a full spatial multiplexing gain. Our analysis has revealed that the use of a BSA inevitably results in the spectrum spreading effect at the RF output, which in turn causes an SNR decrease and adjacent channel interference (ACI). Two novel receiver techniques are proposed to mitigate the issues of redundant sub‐band suppression and ACI avoidance. Numerical analysis results verify the performance improvement from the proposed receiver techniques.