Scanned probe microscope (SPM) oxidation with voltage modulation leads to a significant enhancement of the oxide growth rate, improvement of the aspect ratio of oxide features, and control of the structural and electrical properties of the SPM oxide. Variation of the voltage-pulse parameters confirms that the oxide dimensions can be controlled sensitively over a wide range of pulse parameters and that voltage modulation overcomes the self-limiting character of SPM oxidation by reducing the buildup of space charge within the oxide during growth. The enhancement can be used to increase the writing speed or lower the voltage, both beneficial for practical nanoelectronics fabrication.

Local oxidation of silicon surfaces by scanning probe microscopy is a very promising lithographic approach at nanometre scale. Here, we present two approaches to optimize the oxidation for nanofabrication purposes: (i) we analyse the reproducibility and kinetics of the oxidation of Si(100) surfaces when there is no tip and sample mechanical contact and (ii) we study the effect of modulating the voltage in the aspect ratio of the oxide structures grown. The finite tip-sample separation has remarkable practical consequences: the same tip can be used to perform thousands of modifications without any sign of wear. In addition, the structures generated do not show any degradation over long periods (months). It is also found that the kinetics is independent of the force microscopy mode used (contact or non-contact). On the other hand, the application of an AC voltage to induce the oxidation significantly modifies the aspect ratio of the structures. A detailed description of the oxidation mechanism is proposed to account for both results.

We report the development of an Electronic Patch for wearable health monitoring. The Electronic Patch is a new health monitoring system incorporating biomedical sensors, microelectronics, radio frequency (RF) communication, and a battery embedded in a 3-dimensional hydrocolloid polymer. In this paper the Electronic Patch is demonstrated with a new optical biomedical sensor for reflectance pulse oximetry so that the Electronic Patch in this case can measure the pulse and the oxygen saturation. The reflectance pulse oximetry solution is based on a recently developed annular backside silicon photodiode to enable low power consumption by the light emitting components. The Electronic Patch has a disposable part of soft adhesive hydrocolloid polymer and a reusable part of hard polylaurinlactam. The disposable part contains the battery. The reusable part contains the reflectance pulse oximetry sensor and microelectronics. The reusable part is 'clicked' into the disposable part when the patch is prepared for use. The patch has a size of 88 mm by 60 mm and a thickness of 5 mm.

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