Goals:
Design, fabrication, testing, and analysis of various reconfigurable electronic devices using liquid metal.
Key elements:
Microfabrication, microfluidics, microwave electronics, antennas, packaging
Research issues:
Our group is researching ways to geometrically reconfigure liquid-metal elements to enable reconfigurable electronics. Liquid metals can reflow to form conductive elements of varying shapes and sizes, resulting in the tuning of circuits. Microfabricated fluidic technology (microfluidics) provides precise control of small liquid volumes; we can use this to make reconfigurable electronics. Our aim is to make the tuning of electronic devices as straightforward as drawing patterns on an Etch-A-Sketch toy. We have used liquid metals to implement various microwave circuit components such tunable antennas, stretchable circuits, tunable filters, tunable matching networks, variable capacitors, and variable inductors.
Meeting time:
Fridays, 4:30 to 5:30 pm
Advisors:
Aaron Ohta and Wayne Shiroma
Partners and sponsors:
National Science Foundation
Majors, preparation, interests:
EE, CEng, ME: Interest in microfabrication, microfluidics, microwave electronics, antennas, packaging
Contact information:
Aaron Ohta, aohta@hawaii.edu
Wayne Shiroma, wayne.shiroma@hawaii.edu