Direct digital synthesizer with ROM-Less architecture at 13-GHz clock frequency in InP DHBT technology

A direct digital synthesizer (DDS) implemented in InP double heterojunction bipolar transistor (DHBT) technology is reported. The DDS has a ROM-less architecture and instead uses digital logic for phase conversion. The DDS operates up to a 13 GHz clock rate and is capable of synthesizing output frequencies up to 6.5 GHz. Measured spurious free dynamic range (SFDR)ranged from 34 dBc at low frequency control words (FCWs) to 26.67 dBc at high FCWs. The test circuit is implemented with 1646 transistors and consumes 5.42W of power     

The work function of hydrothermally synthesized UO2 and the implications for semiconductor device fabrication

The photoelectric work function of nearly stoichiometric (111) and (100) hydrothermally grown UO₂ was measured to be 6.28 ± 0.36 eV and 5.80 ± 0.36 eV, respectively. Candidate metals for electrical contacts are identified for both rectifying and non‐rectifying contacts based on work function, lattice compatibility, and electrical conductivity.     

Audibility and recognition of stop consonants in normal and hearing-impaired subjects

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of spectral-cue audibility on the recognition of stop consonants in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired adults. Subjects identified six synthetic CV speech tokens in a closed-set response task. Each syllable differed only in the initial 40-ms consonant portion of the stimulus. In order to relate performance to spectral-cue audibility, the initial 40 ms of each CV were analyzed via FFT and the resulting spectral array was passed through a sliding-filter model of the human auditory system to account for logarithmic representation of frequency and the summation of stimulus energy within critical bands. This allowed the spectral data to be displayed in comparison to a subject's sensitivity thresholds. For normal-hearing subjects, an orderly function relating the percentage of audible stimulus to recognition performance was found, with perfect discrimination performance occurring when the bulk of the stimulus spectrum was presented at suprathreshold levels. For the hearing-impaired subjects, however, it was found in many instances that suprathreshold presentation of stop-consonant spectral cues did not yield recognition equivalent to that found for the normal-hearing subjects. These results demonstrate that while the audibility of individual stop consonants is an important factor influencing recognition performance in hearing-impaired subjects, it is not always sufficient to explain the effects of sensorineural hearing loss.     

Gecko‐Inspired Dry Adhesive for Robotic Applications

Most geckos can rapidly attach and detach from almost any kind of surface. This ability is attributed to the hierarchical structure of their feet (involving toe pads, setal arrays, and spatulae), and how they are moved (articulated) to generate strong adhesion and friction forces on gripping that rapidly relax on releasing. Inspired by the gecko's bioadhesive system, various structured surfaces have been fabricated suitable for robotic applications. In this study, x–y–z asymmetric, micrometer‐sized rectangular flaps composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were fabricated using massively parallel micro‐electromechanical systems (MEMS) techniques with the intention of creating directionally responsive, high‐to‐low frictional‐adhesion toe pads exhibiting properties similar to those found in geckos. Using a surface forces apparatus (SFA), the friction and adhesion forces of both vertical (symmetric) and angled/tilted (x–y–z asymmetric) microflaps under various loading, unloading and shearing conditIons were investigated. It was found that the anisotropic structure of tilted microflaps gives very different adhesion and tribological forces when articulated along different x–y–z directions: high friction and adhesion forces when articulated in the y–z plane along the tilt (+y) direction, which is also the direction of motion, and weak friction and adhesion forces when articulated against the tilt (–y) direction. These results demonstrate that asymmetric angled structures, as occur in geckos, are required to enable the gecko to optimize the requirements of high friction and adhesion on gripping, and low frictional‐adhesion on releasing. These properties are intimately coupled to a (also optimum) articulation mechanism. We discuss how both of these features can be simultaneously optimized in the design of robotic systems that can mimic the gecko adhesive system.