Grace的進修雜記:)

This was a summary of science lecture, which took place in the First Congregational Church.
（這個科學講座是因為學校有贊助，所以我們可以自由索票然後再到學校附近的教堂去聽演講。）
The speaker of " A Future of Radical Abundance : Nanotechnology Transforming Material Civilization" was Eric Drexler.

A Brain-Computer Interface might be totally fictitious in the past, but nowadays this technology is amazing at helping people with disabilities. Moreover, BCI uses the RSVP keyboard to make letter selections based on joint evidence from a language model.
• How BCI works: Chips are placed into patient’s brain and using the P300 response, the human brain can directly operate the computer.
• Advantage: BCI provides the speed and accuracy needed for people with disabilities to communicate. There is no zero probability in the language model.

As the advanced device technology is improving the quality of the MOSFET has become much better than older one. From this seminar I learned that there are three major way to consider the producing process in future devices.
• Function: Design future; Nano-relay architecture; Key photonic elements
• Density: System in package; Vertical

During this seminar, the speaker told that Characterization is related to the following items
• Properties
• Performance

A new wave of technological revolution is created by the change of nanotechnology, which is predicted to have a great impact in the future. By definition, nanoscience is the development of chemical and biological nanostructures. In my opinion, nanoscience is kind of a fundamental thesis, which could be based on a mathematical model to explore the small world in the size range from 1 to 100 nm and to discover new knowledge about how this world works. After discovering and understanding its characteristics, nano-engineers can apply those difficult or abstract theses to the real world. I wondered what is going to happen in nanotechnology, so I took this course. I know that both nanoscience and engineering are classified under the term nanotechnology. The basic understanding and engineering advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology have been certainly integrated into a wide variety of research and development work in the laboratory. Nanoscience and engineering are going to develop into real products for different purposes. Therefore, the connection between nano-science and engineering is a path to make the evolution of imaginative ideas come true.
This series of new technology involves manipulating matter on a small scale and is an important ability today. This capability enables the invention or design of new materials, new equipment, and novel applications. The basic understanding of nanoscience and advances in nanoengineering has been integrated into a wide variety of research and development work in the laboratory. These areas of study are also going to help develop real products for many other purposes. The ultimate goal is to learn how to organize nanostructures into the larger, more complex functional architecture called integrated nanotechnology.
In this course, I learned that nanoscience is not only based on different theses but is also widely developed in the real world. I think that nanotechnology will lead a new revolution in years to come. For example, car manufacturers have used nanotechnology in automobile design. By changing the structure of the material, nanoscience can improve the performance of products in the future. In this case, nano-engineering is mainly responsible for the performance-to-cost ratio, such as a lightweight, low cost and stronger structure. When the car gets lighter, the cost of fuel will decrease. It will lead the next generation to a better automotive field. Moreover, after using a new metal to design a car, the material could be used to develop a stronger and longer lasting product. Therefore, nanoengineering is an important field in today’s modern world.

Introduction:
As part of preparation of sampling substrates for further experimentation, Poly (4-vinylpyridine) Spin coating utilizes spin coating techniques in order to attach the polymer 4-vinylpyridine (P4VP) to substrate silicon wafers of dimensions 2 cm x 2 cm. And thus, the P4VP behaves as a thin film because of which further experimentation in the fabrication of polymer nanostructures can be pursued.
Purpose:

This experiment is separated into five sections, including initial acetone-sonicate cleansing, chemical etching using HF, Poly (4-vinyl pyridine) spin coating, UV cross link, final cleaning of excess polymer. The following statement belongs to initial acetone-sonicate cleansing, chemical etching using HF.
Introduction:
A clean and controlled sample plays an important role for further analysis in the following experiment. The procedure intends to remove an oxide layer on the silicon wafer with Hydrofluoric acid (HF). This goal will be fulfilled using the techniques of sonicating and chemical etching.

工欲善其事必先利其器，是我對教授指定我們閱讀這些參考文件的最佳解讀～畢竟要先看是需應用在哪個領域才能選擇適合分析的使用工具，這次指定閱讀的內容是介紹電子顯微鏡，它細分為很多種，而日後將用在我的專題的是ＳＴＥＭ。
“Materials Advances through Aberration-Corrected Electron Microscopy” is an article from the magazine MRS BULLETIN. The authors of the article were S. J. Pennycook, M. Varela, C.J.D. Hetherington and A. I. Kirkland. Since Richard Feynman gave the lecture “ There is plenty of Room at the Bottom,” scientists have worked intensively on the resolution of the electron microscope. The authors present two designs of aberration correctors available for electron microscopes. The FEI microscopy booklet from last week’s class talked about these instruments, but this article has a little more information about them. In this article there are more details and cases studies about aberration correction in two specific microscopes: STEMs (scanning transmission electron microscopes) and CTEMs (conventional transmission electron microscopes).
Both STEMs and CTEMs now have aberration correctors available, which have the same purpose in improving interpretable resolution and reducing image delocalization. They work by allowing the objective lens aperture to be increased, which increases the spatial resolution. The depth resolution of an aberration-corrected 300-kv STEM is at the nanometer scale. This is interesting because it allows researchers to create a three-dimensional data set similar to one made with confocal microscopes.

Abstract:
The aim of the growth of Oxide on Silicon Experiment is to make an oxidation layer on a silicon wafer. There are two factors that affect the thickness and quality of the silicon dioxide layer: growth time and growth temperature. The silicon substrate oxidized easily at a high temperature. The heating temperatures were typically in the range from 800°C to 1200°C. When oxygen arrived at the silicon surface, oxygen was combined with silicon to become silicon dioxide. The chemical reaction that took place was Si (s) + O2 (g) → SiO2 (s). This experiment explored whether the thickness of the oxide layer changed with the oxidation time and setting temperature. When the growth time was longer, the thickness of silicon oxide layer became greater. A higher temperature produced better quality oxide.
Introduction:

When write a lab report, try to use passive voice for those sentences.
In the introduction section, I need to write a brief explanation and the purpose of a experiment.
The following section is to write down the procedure of the experiment.

The essential knowledge of Raman Spectroscopy was taught in this laboratory session. Not only was the optical setup of a Raman Spectrometer presented to students, but the use of proprietary software for obtaining data was also described in the laboratory. The Raman Spectrum allows students to observe the vibrational energy of molecules. By identifying the molecular vibrations, the result showed Raman Scattering.
Both Raman spectroscopy and Infrared (IR) spectroscopy are used to study the vibrational energy of molecular motion. The difference between Raman spectroscopy and IR spectroscopy is that Raman spectroscopy is a scattering spectrum, and IR spectroscopy is the absorption of light rays. Although an IR instrument is cheaper than a Raman instrument, Raman spectroscopy has several advantages over IR spectroscopy. First of all, a transparent sample is not required in Raman spectroscopy, and a transparent sample is required in IR spectroscopy. Therefore, preparing a sample for Raman spectroscopy is easier than IR spectroscopy. Next, the laser is inconvenient to use in IR spectroscopy and needs a number of grating covers over the entire infrared region. The light source of Raman can be the laser, which is much more convenient. In general, the strong bands in the IR spectrum of a compound correspond to weak bands in the Raman and vice versa. This complimentary nature is due to the electrical characteristic of the vibration. If a bond is strongly polarized, a small change in its length, such as that occurs during a vibration, will have only a small additional effect on polarization.
Before using Raman spectroscopy, the definition of Raman scattering needs to be understood. Raman scattering occurs when the surface of a sample is not smooth. Due to the medium molecular vibrations or rotation, there is an energy exchange which occurs between the incident photon and the medium molecular transition. This change occurs such that the scattered light frequency reflects. Therefore, the frequency exchange between the incident and scattered light can be regarded as the energy exchange between the incident photon and scattering molecules. This is dependent on the structure of the medium itself, bonding, and vibrational levels. Other characteristics do not need to consider the frequency of the incident radiation.

This is my weekly assignment, and the topic of this week is about Electron Microscopy.
"All you wanted to know about Electron Microscopy" is a booklet on electron microscope. This handbook was published by FEI Company, which is one of the main suppliers of Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopes. The schemas of different microscopes are introduced in the booklet. As technology advances, the instruments have better magnifications. After reading the booklet, I have learned more about the microscope. Each microscope has several different advantages or disadvantages. A thin specimen is required for a TEM, and most SEM samples need to be coated to make them conductive. I gained the knowledge of how to choose a suitable microscope from this assignment.
A microscope is used to observe samples that the unaided eye cannot see.

This is one of my assignment from the seminar.
This is first time for me to write 5 pages long, but I try to do my best.

Abstract
A Focused Ion Beam (also know as FIB) uses gallium (Ga) as an ion gas source. A negative electric field applied to the gallium source causes Ga ions to be released. These ions are focused into a small beam by two electric fields that act as lenses. Manipulation of the first lens’s pore size determines the size of the ion beam, while the secondary lens focuses on the surface of the specimen. A finely controlled beam of positive ions is shot onto the surface of a material, and then measures the electrons that are knocked from the surface. By mapping the electrons, the user can produce an image of the surface. The FIB is a great machine, which can cut and deposit materials and etch through metals.
Introduction

“A tale of opportunities, uncertainties, and risks” is an article from the magazine Nano Today. Paul J. A. Borm and David Berube are authors of the article. They present some examples of nanomaterials, which are being researched for broader application. Since taking this course “Introduction to Nano-materials science & engineering”, I have learned several concepts and enjoyed this article. I learned more about the application of nanomaterials.
Since nano-based products are used widely in several fields, the manufacture of nanoproducts is increasing and creating more job opportunities. Accordingly, having background knowledge of nanotechnology may have some advantages to get a job in the near future.
Nano-based products can be used in medical products and food additives. If the nanomaterials in them are harmful to people’s health, then it would be a very serious problem because the food and medical industries affect everyone.

“The Biological Frontier of Physics” is an article from the magazine Physics Today. Rob Phillips and Stephen R. Quake are authors of the article. They present some problems at the interface between biology and physics. As a student who majors in physics, it is interesting to get different points of view from the biological branch of science.
In biology, DNA and RNA make molecular machines that form the basis of human’s life. DNA stores genetic information and RNA is used to translate the genetic information to make proteins. On the other hand, proteins are used to control gene expression from DNA. Therefore, the relationship between proteins and genes is not directly linear. In physics, quantum mechanics deals with physical phenomena at microscopic scales. Proteins as molecules are polymers and so we can neglect quantum mechanics when we study them. In other words, proteins can be treated as classical objects and quantum mechanics is not needed to describe their behavior. This results in a struggle conflict, and it is one of the problems at the interface between physics and biology.
Unlike thermodynamics is equilibrium with irreversible processes. Biological systems are systems that are not at equilibrium. Because of this, it is hard to apply physical models to biological systems. It is a real challenge for physicists to figure out the solution to this problem. This is because in physics, nonequilibrium systems are only talked about or studies are only done on systems that are close to equilibrium. Biological systems give physicists an opportunity to learn much more about systems that are far from equilibrium. It will probably be hard to study them from a physics point of view because many physics principles are based on rules that are not true in living cells. For example, cells are not dilute or homogenous inside but physics rules are based on those conditions. This issue really caught my attention. I would like to know if it is an exception in this case or if there may be a method to link biological dynamics with equilibrium physics. If scientists can connect them together, a lot of progress would be made in this field.

General Motors is very famous in automotive industries. The article, “Automotive Materials: Technology Trends and Challenges in the 21st Century” presented by Alan I. Taub, mentions the evolution of vehicle development in GM. Two intelligent points, lighter-weight and advanced materials, draw my attention and will be discussed here.
The main purpose to make the lighter-weight car is to increase fuel economy, but how to produce a lighter-weight car would be a challenge. GM tried to find some materials to substitute for steel. After comparing different materials’ characteristics, GM used aluminum, magnesium and high-strength plastics to replace steel in cars. Therefore, understanding those materials’ characteristics is very important.
Next step GM moved forward to use some advanced materials to further reduce weight, which makes them become the largest user of nanomaterial. For example, they have reinforcements at the nanometer scale. It is a good choice to get lower weight and costs but higher strength by wildly using nanocomposites on their vehicles. Besides, it can also be used to create higher quality and more reliable products.

This assignment combines information from two papers, one is Our Biotech Future, which published on The New York Review of Books and the editor is Freeman Dyson, and the other is Biology’s next revolution, which appeared in Nature, and the writers are Nigel Goldendeld and Carl Woese. Both articles focus of biotechnology. Here comes the first question, what is biotechnology? According to Wikipedia, biotechnology is the use of living systems and organisms to develop or make useful products, or “any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use.” In short, biotechnology includes biology and technology.
There are some interesting changes in biotech future. In the beginning, it may look like media hype for the new theory or a marvel, but biologist proved that could improve in several fields, which included food crops, plants and animals. In the twenty-first century, the revolution of Biology, not only activities of an extensive pharmaceutical and agribusiness, but also horizontal gene transfer. Maybe it seems like a dream, but it is happening all around the world.
I do like these two papers, and I agree with most of their statements. They had the good sense to make this world become better. For example, green technologies, “ I say only that green technology has enormous promise for preserving the balance of nature on this planet as well as for relieving human misery.” (Freeman Dyson, 9) It is highly important to preserve the environment. If industries and technologies are based on land and sunlight, then they will create positions with countrified inhabitants.

“There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom” is a lecture, which was given on December 29th 1959. The presenter was Richard P. Feynman who was a famous physicist. Feynman’s lecture had several sections, which include the problem of manipulating and controlling things on a small scale, and there may be certain advantages to making elements smaller. It is a great exploration to lead technology to advanced level. Feynman played an important role in nanotechnology. He is a pilot to give the path into new concept. Feynman’s idea seems to achieve the maximum density in a limited space. Before accomplishing the purpose, there are many obstacles to be overcome.
First of all, Feynman mentioned how far miniaturization has progressed today. The example he used in his lecture was to write the entire 24 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica on the head of a pin. No doubt, minimizing things would have been difficult in the past, but it is not the only challenge. To minimize things was not just making the scale become small. The following step would have been to make sure it could work. Feynman expressed that by using an optical microscope running backwards, it could demagnify the image. However, this proposition presented some intensity problems. For example, using a beam of focus light on a piece of paper, it could burn the paper. The other issue was getting everything else on a small scale without loss of resolution. It seems a very big challenge.
Feynman clarified the topic, as “There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom “not just” There is Room at the Bottom,” which means that the critical point is scale. When the scale of items is getting smaller, the same volume can contain more elements. If the capacity is huge, then there is no reason to waste the bottom space. Since the space is limited, the goal is to achieve the maximum of capacity.

After taking several courses with graduate students in different majors, I found that the use of computer software in basic assignments causes hard time for some students. The reason is that they do not understand fundamental theories in mathematics. Most of the engineering graduate students are very good at using commercial software on their assignments and homework, which is fast, efficient and accurate, but it should not be the main way for graduate students in science and engineering to learn mathematics. Why? If they only use software without knowing the calculating procedures they will not have the ability to analyze the process. While science students might be good at essential concept that can be tedious for a difficult process, it still provides the basic theory. Theory is like a seed of knowledge, and learning how to use theory is watering the seed. Although each department has distinct characteristics, it is good to create similar abilities for those graduate students.
In some cases students might not be able to understand the fundamental theories, or obtain proper practice from the assignments of their courses. In order to submit the assignment on time, they rely on computers to help them solve the problems. I believe that some students think learning theories is difficult and boring, but it is a critical path to understanding the basic knowledge and making connection to the real scientific problems. Without a doubt computers will save students a lot of time, and there may be several reasons for engineers to create a program. The most important thing is to comprehend the text or underlying purpose of those software programs.
No matter how difficult students may find homework assignments, working by themselves helps them try to use knowledge they have learned before relying on computers. If students can spend time getting the main idea of fundamental theory prior to using the software, they will improve their reasoning skills. Computer simulations can be used to get results, but do not help the understanding of theory. As a result, only reading the instructions for the software does not help students gain the big picture or the whole concept. Maybe instructors can ask students to answer the assignment without using software. After students really understand the meaning of the program, they will find out that a lot of difficulties have to be overcome during the hands-on section. Otherwise, they might use the software only to check the results, but would not use the software’s full capabilities.