Fabrication of Multifocal Microlens Array by One Step Exposure Process

Microlenses can be widely used in integrated micro-optical systems. However, in some special applications, such as light field imaging systems, multifocal microlens arrays (MLA) are expected to improve imaging resolution. For the fabrication of multifocal MLA, the traditional fabrication method is no longer applicable. To solve this problem, a fabrication method of multifocal MLA by a one step exposure process is proposed. Through the analyses and research of photoresist AZ9260, the nonlinear relationship between exposure dose and exposure depth is established. In the design of the mask, the mask pattern is corrected according to the nonlinear relationship to obtain the final mask. The continuous surface of the multifocal MLA is fabricated by the mask moving exposure. The experimental results show that the prepared multifocal MLA has high filling factor and surface fidelity. What is more, this method is simple and efficient to use in practical applications.

Understanding the Exposure Process in the Extreme Ultra Violet Lithography

Although being the optical lithography, the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography with 13.5-nm wavelength is very different from the deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography with 193-nm wavelength. Hence, the understanding of the complex detailed EUV mechanisms to cause a chemical reaction in chemically amplified resists (CARs) is required to develop EUV resists and exposure process. In this paper, for organic, metal-organic and metal-oxide resists, the electron-scattering model of exposure mechanisms needs to include the elastic and inelastic mean free paths. On top of that, Dill’s parameters of DUV and EUV resisters from the photo-generated reaction are discussed to indicate the physical and chemical characteristics. For CAR and EUV resists, Dill B parameter is large than Dill A and B parameters.

Holographic Grating Enhancement of TI/PMMA Polymers in the Dark Diffusion Process

The dark diffusion enhancement process (DDEP) caused by photopolymerization during the pre-exposure of TI/PMMA (titanocene dispersed methyl methacrylate matrix) polymers was theoretically analyzed and experimentally investigated, revealing the holographic grating enhancement of TI/PMMA polymers in the post-exposure process without additional operations. The diffusion of photo-initiators and photoproducts dominated the grating enhancement process after exposure. We adopted two pre-exposure methods, long-time (second level) and short-time (millisecond level) laser exposure, at 532 nm, to investigate the DDEP during the post-exposure process. A five-fold enhancement in grating strength was achieved in consecutive long-time pre-exposures, while a two-fold grating development was examined after short-time exposure. Additionally, the exposure durations and repetition rates influenced the grating increment of the DDEP. This study provided a basis for the feasibility of holographic application in TI/PMMA photopolymers via the dark diffusion effect.

Morphological Evolutions of Ni-Rich Phases in Al-Si Piston Alloys during 250–400 °C Thermal Exposure Processes

The thermal stability of the Al-Si alloys during the thermal exposure process from 250 °C to 400 °C was systematically investigated. The relationships between the morphological evolution and the mechanical changes of the alloys were determined through the Vickers hardness test and materials characterization method. Initially, the alloys exhibited similar thermal degradation behavior. For example, the exposure process of the alloy at 300 °C can be divided into two stages according to the changes of the alloy hardness and the matrix micro-hardness. In detail, the first stage (0–2 h) exhibited a severe reduction of the alloy hardness while the second stage showed a more leveled hardness during the following 98 h. There are three identified morphological characteristics of Ni-rich phases in the alloy. Furthermore, the differences in both composition and the micro-hardness between these Ni-rich phases were confirmed. The underlying relationships between the morphological transformation of the Ni-rich phases and hardness fluctuation in the alloy were correlated and elucidated. The observed alloy hardness increase when the exposure temperature was 400 °C was unexpected. This behavior was explained from the perspectives of both Ni-rich phases evolution and dispersoid formation.

Joint modeling of time-varying HIV exposure and infection for estimation of per-act efficacy in HIV prevention trials

Objectives: Using the MTN-020/ASPIRE HIV prevention trial as a motivating example, our objective is to construct a joint model for the HIV exposure process through vaginal intercourse and the time to HIV infection in a population of sexually active women. By modeling participants’ HIV infection in terms of exposures, rather than time exposed, our aim is to obtain a valid estimate of the per-act efficacy of a preventive intervention.Methods: Within the context of HIV prevention trials, in which the frequency of sex acts is self-reported periodically by the participants, we model the exposure process of the trial participants with a non-homogeneous Poisson process. This approach allows for variability in the rate of sexual contacts between participants as well as variability in the rate of sexual contacts over time. The time to HIV infection for each participant is modeled as the time to the exposure that results in HIV infection, based on the modeled sexual contact rate. We propose an empirical Bayes approach for estimation. Results: We report the results of a simulation study where we evaluate the performance of our proposed approach and compare it to the traditional approach of estimating the overall reduction in HIV incidence using a Proportional Hazards Cox model. The proposed approach is also illustrated with data from the MTN-020/ASPIRE trial. Conclusions: The proposed joint modeling, along with the proposed empirical Bayes estimation approach, can provide valid estimation of the per-exposure efficacy of a preventive intervention.

Characterization and Design of Programmable Self-Folding Polymer Films

This paper presents the characterization and design aspects of a novel fabrication method that integrates photolithography and self-folding to create polymer polyhedral structures. A two-step UV exposure process is used to produce patterned polymer films with flexible folds of low cross-linking density and stiff faces of high cross-linking density. Solvent is diffused into the folds during the development step of the photolithography process due to their low cross-linking density. The solvent concentration is non-uniform across the thickness of the folds and causes a strain gradient at these regions when the solvent is removed by heating the films, which enables self-folding. Experiments are performed to calibrate an equation that relates the dimensions of the folds and their achieved fold angle. An analytical model is introduced to elucidate the form of the equation and provide physical meaning to the calibration parameter. The formula is incorporated into a computational implementation of the unfolding polyhedra method that considers smoothly bent folds. This method, enhanced with the experimentally calibrated formula, enables the design of planar films programmed to self-fold into target three-dimensional shapes when heated. Polyhedral shapes are fabricated to demonstrate the developed method for origami-based fabrication. A parametric study quantifying the accuracy of the designed polyhedral forms with smooth folds as compared against those with idealized creased folds is performed.

Microstructure Evolution of Ti-45Al-8.5Nb-0.2W-0.2B-0.02Y Alloy during Long-Term Thermal Exposure

The hot-rolled alloy Ti-45Al-8.5Nb-0.2W-0.2B-0.02Y was exposed to 700 °C air for up to 10,000 h. The changes in microstructure were observed using scanning and transmission electron microscopies. It was found that the α2 laths, α2 + γ lamellae, and B2(ω) structure of the alloy showed thermodynamic instability. There were three types of phase transformation in the alloy during long-term thermal exposure. The first was α2 → γ, which occurs in the interior and boundary of the α2 + γ lamellae. The second was α2 + γ → B2(ω), which occurs on the α2 + γ boundary. In addition, B2(ω) also precipitates on the γ/γ interfaces. The third was B2(ω) → γ, which describes the precipitation of micron-scale γ phases in the B2(ω) area after thermal exposure of 5000 h. The volume fraction and size of the B2(ω) area and equiaxed γ grains continued to increase throughout the exposure process. Large-sized γ grains and a B2 area of tens of microns appeared in the microstructure after long-term thermal exposure. The volume fractions of the B2 area and the equiaxed γ grains after thermal exposure of 10,000 h reached 16.8% and 63.2%, respectively.

A structured model for immune exposures

An Immune Exposure is the process by which components of the immune system first encounter a potential trigger. The ability to describe consistently the details of the Immune Exposure process was needed for data resources responsible for housing scientific data related to the immune response. This need was met through the development of a structured model for Immune Exposures. This model was created during curation of the immunology literature, resulting in a robust model capable of meeting the requirements of such data. We present this model with the hope that overlapping projects will adopt and or contribute to this work.