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We have developed a thin film microsensor based on interdigital electrodes deposited on a glass substrate. If the film side of the sensor chip is pressed onto human skin, the change of capacitance can be used as a measure for the water content of the skin. As the front side of the sensor must remain flat, the interconnection wires have been fixed at the backside of the chip. In this paper we report on measurements with a frequency of 100 kHz to 2 MHz and a voltage of 100 mV. We compare measuring results on normal skin, atopic (dry) skin and skin moisturized by a humectant.

Preparation of many amounts of thin film samples with different compositions takes long time. To confirm the possibility of brief and systematic preparation process of oxide films using a chemical solution deposition method, precursor solutions of PbTiO3 and PbZrO3 are synthesized, and those solutions were mixed various volume rate to change the composition of Pb(Zr x Ti1-x)O3 series samples from x=0.1 to 0.9. PbTiO3 and PbZrO3 solutions were mixed just before the film deposition process. The dielectric and ferroelectric properties were evaluated systematically. The relative dielectric constant took a peak around x=0.5. On the other hand, well-saturated P-E hysteresis curves were observed for x=0.3 to 0.9. The remanent polarization and coercive field decreased with increasing Zr content x. These results are consistent with the ferroelectric properties of bulk and film PZT prepared conventional method. Therefore, mixed solution method results in reliable and brief process to discover new oxide mat...

This pre-study investigates a fibre optic alternative to more conventional sensors for measuring force indirectly as bending or deflection in a medical robotic application. The paper discusses problems regarding the integration of fibre optics into a cutting tool for the removal of prostate gland tissue. The aim is to integrate the sensor in a tube rod with an inner diameter of 0.6 mm and use it as a force feedback sensor for the control system of the robot. The paper proposes and evaluates an inexpensive opto-mechatronic device for launching light into and detecting light received from an optical fibre. A simple sensor prototype is constructed to show the feasibility to use a fibre optic sensor for the prostate gland cutting tool.

SrRuO3-delta (SRO) films were deposited on SrTiO3 substrates by an RF magnetron sputtering method and post-annealed in various conditions, and the relationship between their oxygen content, crystallinity, and the magnetic properties was studied. Oxygen content of SRO thin films was evaluated by a non-Rutherford elastic resonance scattering (NRERS) method. It was clarified for the present films that the coercivity does not depend on oxygen stoichiometry but depends on the existence of precipitates of ~10-nm size. We conclude that a high temperature annealing process urges the SRO film species to form grains of rather large size, which is the origin of a large coercivity. It was revealed that coercivity and conductivity of SRO films can be controlled independently by changing the annealing conditions