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The proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as trackers and sensors, necessitates a delicate balance between device miniaturization and performance. This extends to the antenna system, which must be both efficient and multiband operational while fitting within space-constrained electronic enclosures. Traditional antennas, however, struggle to meet these miniaturization demands. Reconfigurable antennas have emerged as a promising solution for adapting their frequency, radiation pattern, or polarization in response to changing requirements, making them ideal for IoT applications. Among various reconfiguration techniques (electrical, mechanical, optical, and material-based), electrical reconfiguration reigns supreme for IoT applications. Its suitability for compact devices, cost-effectiveness, and relative simplicity make it the preferred choice. This paper reviews various approaches to realizing IoT reconfigurable antennas, with a focus on electrical reconfiguration techniques. It categorizes these techniques based on their implementation, including PIN diodes, digital tunable capacitors (DTCs), varactor diodes, and RF switches. It also explores the challenges associated with the development and characterization of IoT reconfigurable antennas, evaluates the strengths and limitations of existing methods, and identifies open challenges for future research. Importantly, the growing trend towards smaller IoT devices has led to the development of antenna boosters. These components, combined with advanced reconfiguration techniques, offer new opportunities for enhancing antenna performance while maintaining a compact footprint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: The strength and rigidity of the durable resin make it ideal for a wide range of applications, including prototyping and product development, automotive and aerospace components, medical devices, consumer goods, custom tooling, and educational models. Its strength and precision are precious in producing functional prototypes, nonstructural automotive parts, custom medical devices, and durable electronic enclosures. This versatile material speeds up design processes and improves the durability and functionality of end products in various industries. This study presents the results of fracture toughness tests conducted on specimens obtained by additive manufacturing techniques, specifically using low-force stereolithography. The samples were manufactured from a transparent 3D printing material for biocompatible applications, the so-called BioMed Durable Resin, which is a Formlabs-patented polymer material that simulates the strength and rigidity of polyethylene. The selected toughness tests in this context were performed following the ASTM D5045-99 guidelines. All tests were conducted under controlled laboratory conditions at 23 °C and 50% relative humidity, ensuring adherence to the standard and the replicability of the experimental results. To investigate the influence of printing plane orientation, specimens were produced at three printing orientation angles (0, 45, and 90 degrees). These angles were selected to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the anisotropy effects in the material. They cover both extreme orientations (0° and 90°) and include an intermediate value (45°), allowing us to assess variations in mechanical behavior across a representative range of printing orientations, consistent with prior research in the field. The experimental tests yielded data on the crack resistance and energy release rate for each angle of orientation. There are various implications of the findings, beyond materials engineering, for applications in biomedicine. Indeed, this same approach opens the door to new research methods for manufacturing certified biocompatible materials from such durable resins. Finally, complementary issues such as related medical applications have been slightly addressed for future work, since biomedicine innovation clusters can contribute to accelerating growth in this crucial field for productive sector activity and the local business environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Elektronik Industrie is the property of Hüthig GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Software stands out as one of the most rapidly evolving technologies in the present era, characterized by its swift expansion in both scale and complexity, which leads to challenges in quality assurance. Software defect prediction (SDP) has emerged as a methodology crafted to anticipate undiscovered defects, leveraging known defect data from existing codes. This methodology serves to facilitate software quality management, thereby ensuring overall product quality. The methodologies of machine learning (ML) and one of its branches, deep learning (DL), exhibit superior accuracy and adaptability compared to traditional statistical approaches, catalyzing active research in this domain. However, it makes it hard to generalize, not only because of the disparity between open-source projects and commercial projects but also due to the differences in each industrial sector. Consequently, further research utilizing datasets sourced from diverse real-world sectors has become imperative to bolster the applicability of these findings. For this study, we utilized embedded software for use with the telecommunication systems of Samsung Electronics, supplemented by the introduction of nine novel features to train the model, and a subsequent analysis of the results ensued. The experimental outcomes revealed that the F-measurement metric has been enhanced from 0.58 to 0.63 upon integration of the new features, thereby signifying a performance augmentation of 8.62%. This case study is anticipated to contribute to bolstering the application of SDP methodologies within analogous industrial sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic devices are sensitive to electromagnetic (EM) emissions, and require electromagnetic shielding protection to ensure good operation, and prevent noise, malfunctioning, or even burning. To ensure protection, it is important to develop suitable material and design solutions for electronic enclosures. Most common enclosures are made with metal alloys using traditional manufacturing methods. However, using thermoplastic composites combined with additive manufacturing (AM) technologies emerges as an alternative that enables the fabrication of complex parts that are lightweight, consolidated, and oxidation- and corrosion-resistant. In this research, an AM technique based on material extrusion was used to print 2 mm-thick specimens with a multi-material made of micro-carbon fiber (CF)-filled polyamide that was reinforced at specific layers using continuous carbon fibers stacked with a 90° rotation to each other. The specimens' electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (EMSE) was evaluated in the frequency band of 0.03–3 GHz using the coaxial transmission line method. Depending on the number of CF layers, the EM shielding obtained can be up to 70 dB, with a specific shielding up to 60 dB.cm3/g, predominantly by the absorption mechanism, being 22 times higher than without the CF layers. These findings promote this innovative approach to lightweight customizable solutions for EM shielding applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Si3N4 ceramics have been attractive casing materials for electronics devices under the 5th generation mobile communication technology because of its outstanding comprehensive properties. However, single color cannot meet the needs of most consumers. Here, a typical strategy, involving forming core‐shell structures by utilizing Nd2O3‐MgO‐YAG system, is proposed to rich color. Scanning transmission electron microscope‐energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometry results confirm the presence of core‐shell structures in the silicon nitride matrix, and the core is pore and the shell is Nd‐enriched liquid phase. The Nd‐rich core‐shell structure as the color center makes the silicon nitride appear cyan or blue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A critical-strain-based methodology was proposed to overcome the theoretical limitations of Steinberg's method, and its effectiveness was experimentally verified through fatigue tests of ball grid arrays, column grid arrays, and lead-type specimens on printed circuit boards (PCBs) with various boundary conditions. These verifications were performed only on PCB units with a single electronic package mounted. However, in actual industrial fields, electronics with various types of electronic packages mounted comprehensively are mainly applied to electronics combined in a mechanical housing structure. Therefore, the verification of the corresponding methodology for the above actual conditions is essential. This study aimed to validate the theoretical feasibility of the design technique under the condition that the elastic mode vibration of a mechanical housing structure acts complexly on PCBs. The proposed methodology was validated analytically and experimentally through a vibration test on a comprehensive PCB specimen with various types of electronic packages mounted on electronic mechanical housing structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon probes have played a key role in studying the brain. However, the stark mechanical mismatch between these probes and the brain leads to chronic damage in the surrounding neural tissue, limiting their application in research and clinical translation. Mechanically flexible probes made of thin plastic shanks offer an attractive tissue‐compatible alternative but are difficult to implant into the brain. They also struggle to achieve the electrode density and layout necessary for the high‐resolution applications their silicon counterparts excel at. Here, a multishank high‐density flexible neural probe design is presented, which emulates the functionality of stiff silicon arrays for recording from neural population across multiple sites within a given region. The flexible probe is accompanied by a detachable 3D printed implanter, which delivers the probe by means of hydrophobic‐coated shuttles. The shuttles can then be retracted with minimal movement and the implanter houses the electronics necessary for in vivo recording applications. Validation of the probes through extracellular recordings from multiple brain regions and histological evidence of minimal foreign body response opens the path to long‐term chronic monitoring of neural ensembles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article evaluates several products, including the E-Xtreme rectangular enclosures by Mencom, which provide protection for electrical components in harsh industrial environments with anti-corrosion aluminum and patented titanium-plasma coating; the Rack Fire Protect (RFP) buildings by DENIOS.

In this study, a novel non-intrusive temperature rise fault-identification method for a distribution cabinet based on tensor block-matching is proposed. Two-stage data repair is used to reconstruct the temperature-field information to support the demand for temperature rise fault-identification of non-intrusive distribution cabinets. In the coarse-repair stage, this method is based on the outside temperature information of the distribution cabinet, using tensor block-matching technology to search for an appropriate tensor block in the temperature-field tensor dictionary, filling the target space area from the outside to the inside, and realizing the reconstruction of the three-dimensional temperature field inside the distribution cabinet. In the fine-repair stage, tensor super-resolution technology is used to fill the temperature field obtained from coarse repair to realize the smoothing of the temperature-field information inside the distribution cabinet. Non-intrusive temperature rise fault-identification is realized by setting clustering rules and temperature thresholds to compare the location of the heat source with the location of the distribution cabinet components. The simulation results show that the temperaturefield reconstruction error is reduced by 82.42% compared with the traditional technology, and the temperature rise faultidentification accuracy is greater than 86%, verifying the feasibility and effectiveness of the temperature-field reconstruction and temperature rise fault-identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article proposes a generalized algorithm for evaluating the shielding effectiveness (SE) of electronic equipment enclosures. The algorithm is based on a number of analytical models that use equivalent circuits to obtain SE values. The article begins with a brief review and interpretation of the mathematical formulation used in the algorithm. Then, we describe the proposed algorithm using flowcharts, and we perform its validation. The validation results show that the proposed algorithm has acceptable accuracy and gives SE values comparable to numerical methods or measurements, with much less time costs. The last part of the article presents the software developed to evaluate SE based on analytical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous monitoring of tissue microphysiology is a key enabling feature of the organ-on-chip (OoC) approach for in vitro drug screening and disease modeling. Integrated sensing units are particularly convenient for microenvironmental monitoring. However, sensitive in vitro and real-time measurements are challenging due to the inherently small size of OoC devices, the characteristics of commonly used materials, and external hardware setups required to support the sensing units. Here we propose a silicon-polymer hybrid OoC device that encompasses transparency and biocompatibility of polymers at the sensing area, and has the inherently superior electrical characteristics and ability to house active electronics of silicon. This multi-modal device includes two sensing units. The first unit consists of a floating-gate field-effect transistor (FG-FET), which is used to monitor changes in pH in the sensing area. The threshold voltage of the FG-FET is regulated by a capacitively-coupled gate and by the changes in charge concentration in close proximity to the extension of the floating gate, which functions as the sensing electrode. The second unit uses the extension of the FG as microelectrode, in order to monitor the action potential of electrically active cells. The layout of the chip and its packaging are compatible with multi-electrode array measurement setups, which are commonly used in electrophysiology labs. The multi-functional sensing is demonstrated by monitoring the growth of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cortical neurons. Our multi-modal sensor is a milestone in combined monitoring of different, physiologically-relevant parameters on the same device for future OoC platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region has witnessed significant growth in the global electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) market, especially in the industrial field due to the high demand from oil and gas and other related sectors. However, the lifespan of these end-of-life (EoL) products has become shorter, leading to electronic failure and generating electronic waste (e-waste). Disposing of such waste in recycling centers and landfills poses a challenge for policymakers and waste management officials due to its environmental impact. However, it is imperative to implement new management practices to overcome e-waste from landfills; thus, we propose the remanufacturing process as a viable and economic strategy for e-waste management. The process of industrial remanufacturing has the potential to decrease e-waste and promote the reuse of obsolete EEE and industrial devices., including those used in the Oil and Gas sector. This paper advocates for industrial remanufacturing as a solution to e-waste, aiming to increase the reusability of EoL EEE products. The authors provide a detailed analysis of the troubleshooting process and the tools employed, emphasizing the requirements for adopting this crucial remanufacturing solution. Moreover, the benefits of remanufacturing to industries and stakeholders are highlighted by offering a cost-effective alternative to replacing equipment, increasing the reusability of obsolete products, and reducing e-waste. By addressing the challenges of adopting remanufacturing, limitations and areas for future focus to enhance sustainability can be identified. Additionally, a comprehensive technical survey of the most common reasons for electronic failure at the board level demonstrates the feasibility and practicality of remanufacturing processes. These valuable insights reveal the possibility of realizing remanufacturing and guide technicians and stakeholders in implementing remanufacturing practices in various sectors, including oil and gas, petrochemicals, power generation, and factories. Lastly, by showcasing an example of a GCC region facility specializing in remanufacturing industrial electronic equipment, the potential contribution to a more sustainable future is emphasized,; this makes it easier to advocate for the adoption of remanufacturing as a more sustainable and economically viable approach in the industrial sector, particularly in oil and gas, for effective e-waste management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the availability of a new color combination for the Technomet series of instrument enclosures, now offered in Traffic White RAL 9016 and Traffic Gray RAL 7042. These enclosures come in 12 sizes, with or without handles, and feature a minimalist design with die-cast bezels and a pre-punched internal chassis for PCB guides. The new color option aims to provide a sleek and modern look for users in various industries. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the advancements in electron microscope technology, specifically the Iliad STEM, which integrates electron energy loss spectroscopy and NanoPulser electrostatic beam blanker technology to provide high-resolution imaging and accurate spectroscopy for precise chemical and structural investigations of challenging modern materials. The article also mentions the availability of new color combinations for Technomet series instrument enclosures and updates to the DeltaV automation platform for distributed control systems, allowing for easier integration with third-party infrastructure. Additionally, it highlights the Enhanced Feature Set GxP software extension for epMotion automated liquid handlers, designed to help users adhere to good laboratory practices and comply with critical regulations. [Extracted from the article]

Multi-phase metal oxides nanocomposites (NCs) have attracted considerable attention due to their extraordinary properties and novel applications over monometallic ones. Hence, trimetallic oxides nanoparticles (NPs) are preferred because of their immensely improved optical, catalytic, and biological properties, but few materials have been reported. Besides, glycine is an excellent structure-directing agent for NPs production with tailored physicochemical properties. Thus, in this work, a novel tri-phase CuO-Fe2O3-MgO (1:1:1) NCs was prepared via a sol-gel method in the presence of glycine as a fuel. The obtained NCs were characterized by Fourier transmission infrared, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron micrographs, and UV-Vis. The XRD analysis emphasized the formation of NCs with monoclinic CuO, cubic MgO, hexagonal Fe2O3, and tetragonal CuFe2O4 crystals. The average crystallite size (D) was in the order of 10th of nm as computed by Scherrer method, with ternary phase seemingly affect the straightforward influence of glycine fuel concentration on the final crystallite sizes. UV-Vis analysis indicates two optical energy bandgaps which increased as glycine concentration increase. The antibacterial test against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria revealed comparable activity to that of Azithromycin standard drug, which increased with glycine concentration increase. The glycine-based tailored structural, optical, and biological properties of such trimetallic NCs making them of considerable candidate for certain applications development, possibly electronics and antibiotics; a case that encourage further investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Elektronik Industrie is the property of Hüthig GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

[Display omitted] • PFM-OLLA were synthesized via ring-opening polymerization of L-LA initiated by PFM. • Strength and toughness of PFM-OLLA/PLA composites were improved simultaneously. • Heterogeneous nucleation and larger free volume of PFM-OLLA were the main mechanism. • The visual toughening effects were attributed to multiple crazing and shear yielding. • Component recycling and regeneration of PFM-OLLA/PLA composites were achieved. Various strategies have been developed to improve the brittleness of poly (lactic acid) (PLA), most of which still suffer from the toughness-strength trade-off dilemma. Herein, we prepared phenol–formaldehyde-resin microspheres (PFM) with aliphatic hydroxyl groups to initiate L-lactide polymerization and synthesized a series of PFM-modified L-lactide oligomers (PFM-OLLA) bearing different arm lengths. PFM-OLLA were then physically blended with commercial PLA in different weight ratios to prepare synchronously strengthened and toughened PFM-OLLA/PLA composites. After blending with 4 % PFM 2.5 -OLLA (PFM content: 2.5 %), the mechanical properties of the PFM 2.5 -OLLA/PLA composites were best. PFM 2.5 -OLLA efficiently improved the crystallization behaviors of the PFM 2.5 -OLLA/PLA composites, thereby significantly enhancing their strength and toughness. The maximum tensile yield strength (40.2 MPa), elongation at break (85.7 %), and impact strength (20.8 kJ/m2) of PFM 2.5 -OLLA/PLA composites could respectively increase by 44.2 %, 465.7 %, and 100 %, compared to the values of neat PLA. The microscopic strengthening and toughening mechanisms were attributed to the rigidity of PFM, and the heterogeneous nucleating ability as well as larger free volume of PFM 2.5 -OLLA, whereas the visual toughening effects were attributed to multiple crazing and shear yielding phenomena. After simple alcoholysis and filtration, the polymer components were completely converted into methyl lactate. The recycled PFM, exhibiting excellent chemical stability, were reused to synthesize a new PFM-OLLA for strengthening and toughening PLA. This study provides a sustainable strategy for the development of high-performance PLA engineering materials showing great application potentials in the automotive, electronics and housing fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Elektronik Industrie is the property of Hüthig GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) are commonly used in electric and electronic products in high concentrations to prevent or retard fire. Health concerns related to flame retardants (FRs) include carcinogenicity, endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, and reproductive and developmental toxicity. Globally, a lack of transparency related to chemicals in products and limited restrictions on use of FRs in electronics have led to widespread use and dissemination of harmful FRs. Despite the lack of transparency and restrictions, plastics from electronics are often recycled and can be incorporated in household items that do not require flame retardancy, resulting in potentially high and unnecessary exposure. This study sought to determine whether black plastic household products sold on the U.S. market contained emerging and phased-out FRs and whether polymer type was predictive of contamination. A total of 203 products were screened for bromine (Br), and products containing >50 ppm Br were analyzed for BFRs, OPFRs, and plastic polymers (e.g. acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, high impact polystyrene, polypropylene). FRs were found in 85% of analyzed products, with total FR concentrations ranging up to 22,800 mg/kg. FRs detected include the restricted compound deca-BDE, which was used widely in electronics casings, as well as its replacements decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) and 2,4,6-Tris(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)-1,3,5-triazine (TBPP-TAZ) along with associated compound 2,4,6-tribromophenol (2,4,6-TBP), recently detected in breast milk. Plastic typically used in electronics (styrene-based) contained significantly higher levels of ∑FRs than plastics less typically used for electronics (polypropylene and nylon). Estimation of exposure to BDE-209 from contaminated kitchen utensils indicated users would have a median intake of 34,700 ng/day, exceeding estimates for intake from dust and diet. The detection of FRs in collected household products indicates that recycling, without the necessary transparency and restrictions to ensure safety, is resulting in unexpected exposure to toxic flame retardants in household items. [Display omitted] • FRs specific to electronics were detected in non-electronic household items bought in the U.S. • 85% of products with >50 ppm Br contained toxic FRs. • ∑FR concentrations ranged up to 22,800 mg/kg. • Items containing polymers used in electronics had significantly higher FR levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology convergence is considered one of the cornerstones of technological innovation as a phenomenon emerging at the intersection of two previously unrelated fields of technology. The new technological system is a new combination of knowledge types, technology components and intersections. For this matter, analyzing patents is an essential part for strategic decision making. However, the manual analysis of large amounts of patent semantics is often time-consuming, extensive, and difficult even for experts. To enhance manual patent analyses, new machine learning-based techniques are gaining increasing interest. This study aims to enrich this methodological research by developing and evaluating an unsupervised text-mining approach to automatically cluster patents of two knowledge types into four technology components. To this end, this study presents a five-step method including the comparison between different algorithms and design choices. This method is applied to printed electronics-relevant patents extracted from the Derwent World Patent Index and enables to draw recommendations for automated patent analyses. The findings show different significances for types of components: while components of the specialized knowledge type could be predicted with significance, components of the design knowledge types could not provide significant results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brands need to focus on the entire customer journey and deliver excellent experiences to delight customers. Post-purchase experiences are critical to the success of a brand in today’s marketplace. This holds true especially in the case of consumer electronics products. This study investigates the post-purchase satisfaction and dissonance of 308 laptop buyers in India. ‘Basic functions and features’, ‘pricing and post-purchase experience’, ‘product design’, ‘pre-loaded software and durability’, ‘video and audio capabilities’, ‘gaming capability’ and ‘battery life and connectivity’ were found to influence the satisfaction of buyers. Post-purchase dissonance was found to comprise three factors: ‘emotional state’, ‘self-assurance’ and ‘deal concerns’. A key finding of the study is that online buyers had significantly lower values across all three factors of dissonance. The study provides insights for retailers and brands to understand the post purchase satisfaction and dissonance of laptop buyers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The usage of natural convection has many applications for cooling and controlling the temperature of electronic components. Therefore, in the present simulation, the average Nusselt number and maximum temperature of surface's electronic components are studied by adding nano‐emulsion phase change material (NPCM) with water as the base fluid. Because, the previous studies show that adding NPCM to a base fluid can increase the specific heat capacity of a mixture in order to change the phase in the solid–liquid transition. The used NPCM consists of n‐eicosane as a core and sodium lauryl sulphate as a shell. The geometry includes a square enclosure with the top wall as a cold wall and the bottom wall as a hot electronic component with constant heat flux. In the current study, the effects of Rayleigh numbers (102

Market demands for lightweight and lower cost products drive manufacturers to improve current product portfolios. In the case of electronic devices, the most significant weight originates from the enclosure, traditionally in steel or aluminum, that ensures excellent mechanical and electromagnetic shielding performance. The use of thermoplastics filled with electrically conductive fibers, such as carbon or stainless steel, was investigated as a lightweight and cost-effective alternative to steel sheet for creating electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding enclosures for electronic devices. This paper presents an EMI shielding analysis workflow for the development of plastic enclosures for an electronic device. The workflow starts by measuring the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic compounds shielding effectiveness (SE) with an experimental method in the 30 MHz–3 GHz frequency band. This analysis helps to filter a vast list of materials with a wide range of shielding performance, 20–100 dB, and allows to obtain empirical data for the second phase of the workflow, computer simulations. Simulations with experimentally adjusted material properties were used to validate the design concept of an enclosure in its early development phase. Results from this study showed that the selected material has better EMI SE performance than a steel sheet venting grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under X-ray irradiation, a printed circuit board trace with a positive bias voltage within an electronic enclosure could generate a secondary electron collection effect. This effect is attributed to box internal electromagnetic pulses and can result in the collection of nearby secondary electrons outside the trace and generate a secondary electron current. A secondary electron collection effect model is established based on yield models of secondary and backscattered electrons as well as motion models of the primary, secondary, and backscattered electrons. Compared with the existing models, the results obtained through this model are more accurate. The results show that an increase in bias voltage and X-ray fluence could enhance the secondary electron current and an increase in X-ray fluence could significantly change the waveform of the current, which includes advancing the first peak time and delaying the maximum peak because of the space-charge-limited effect. The influence of a biased trace on an adjacent unbiased trace depends on the secondary electron collection distance. Moreover, if two adjacent traces have opposite bias voltages, the secondary electron current of the positively biased trace could be enhanced whereas that of the negatively biased trace could be weakened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Centre for Medical Radiation Physics introduced the concept of Silicon On Insulator (SOI) microdosimeters with 3-Dimensional (3D) cylindrical sensitive volumes (SVs) mimicking the dimensions of cells in an array. Several designs of high-definition 3D SVs fabricated using 3D MEMS technology were implemented. 3D SVs were fabricated in different sizes and configurations with diameters between 18 and 30 µm, thicknesses of 2–50 µm and at a pitch of 50 µm in matrices with volumes of 20 × 20 and 50 × 50. SVs were segmented into sub-arrays to reduce capacitance and avoid pile up in high-dose rate pencil beam scanning applications. Detailed TCAD simulations and charge collection studies in individual SVs have been performed. The microdosimetry probe (MicroPlus) is composed of the silicon microdosimeter and low-noise front–end readout electronics housed in a PMMA waterproof sheath that allows measurements of lineal energies as low as 0.4 keV/µm in water or PMMA. Microdosimetric quantities measured with SOI microdosimeters and the MicroPlus probe were used to evaluate the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of heavy ions and protons delivered by pencil-beam scanning and passive scattering systems in different particle therapy centres. The 3D detectors and MicroPlus probe developed for microdosimetry have the potential to provide confidence in the delivery of RBE optimized particle therapy when introduced into routine clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]