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This paper presents a system for wirelessly monitoring the accumulation of sludge in a biliary stent. Two generations of the system are detailed. The first-generation system utilizes a 2 x 37.5-mm ribbon sensor with a mass of 18 mg, along with 0.8-mm-thick x 1.6-ram-diameter neodymium magnets to bias the sensor. Both components are integrated with a 4-mm-diameter stainless steel stent. The second-generation system comprises a sensor and a magnetic layer [consisting of strontium ferrite particles suspended in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)] that conform to the meshed topology and tubular curvature of a 5-mm-diameter Elgiloy stent. The second-generation sensors have an active area of 7.5 x 29 mm and a mass of 9.1 mg. The sensors in both generations are fabricated from 28-[micro]m-thick foils of magneto-elastic 2826MB Metglas, an amorphous Ni-Fe alloy. Analytical and finite-element models that predict sensor response in the dynamic biological environment are presented. The response of each system to viscosity changes that precede and accompany biliary sludge accumulation is tested, with resonant frequency changes of 2.8% and 6.5% over a 10-cP range for each respective generation. Sludge accumulation is simulated with successive coatings of either paraffin or an acrylate terpolymer. Resonant frequency response to this mass loading effect is similar for both generations of the system, showing a 40% decrease after applying a mass load of 2.5 x the mass of the sensor. [2008-(1154] Index Terms--Elgiloy, magnetoelasticity, Metglas, microsensors, photochemical machining, resonant sensors.

Atomic microsystems have the potential of providing extremely accurate measurements of timing and acceleration. However, atomic microsystems require active maintenance of ultrahigh vacuum in order to have reasonable operating lifetimes and are particularly sensitive to magnetic fields that are used to trap electrons in traditional sputter ion pumps. This paper presents an approach to trapping electrons without the use of magnetic fields, using radio frequency (RF) fields established between two perforated electrodes. The challenges associated with this magnet-less approach, as well as the miniaturization of the structure, are addressed. These include, for example, the transfer of large voltage (100-200 V) RF power to capacitive loads presented by the structure. The electron trapping module (ETM) described here uses eight electrode elements to confine and measure electrons injected by an electron beam, within an active trap volume of 0.7 cm3. The operating RF frequency is 143.6 MHz, which is the measured series resonant frequency between the two RF electrodes. It was found experimentally that the steady state electrode potentials on electrodes near the trap became more negative after applying a range of RF power levels (up to 0.15W through the ETM), indicating electron densities of ≈3 × 105cm-3 near the walls of the trap. The observed results align well with predicted electron densities from analytical and numerical models. The peak electron density within the trap is estimated as ∼1000 times the electron density in the electron beam as it exits the electron gun. This successful demonstration of the RF electron trapping concept addresses critical challenges in the development of miniaturized magnet-less ion pumps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design and evaluation of magnetoelastic sensors intended for wireless monitoring of tissue accumulation in peripheral artery stents. The sensors are fabricated from 28 /m thick foils of magnetoelastic 2826MB Metglas™, an amorphous Ni-Fe alloy. The sensor layer consists of a frame and an active resonator portion. The frame consists of 150 /m wide struts that are patterned in the same wishbone array pattern as a 12 mm x 1.46 mm Elgiloy stent cell. The active portion is a 10 mm long symmetric leaf shape and is anchored to the frame at mid length. The active portion nests within the stent cell, with a uniform gap separating the two. A gold-indium eutectic bonding process is used to bond MetglasTM and Elgiloy foils, which are subsequently patterned to form bi-layer resonators. The response of the sensor to viscosity changes and mass loading that precede and accompany artery occlusion is tested in vitro. The typical sensitivity to viscosity of the fundamental, longitudinal resonant frequency at 361 kHz is 427 ppm cP-1 over a 1.1-8.6 cP range. The sensitivity to mass loading is typically between 63000 and 65000 ppm mg-1 with the resonant frequency showing a reduction of 8.1% for an applied mass that is 15% of the unloaded mass of the sensor. This is in good agreement with the theoretical response [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]