Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

*The equipment requested is a 3-D IVS-500 industrial vibrometer, which is a non-contacting and reliable sensor with laser precision. The proposed equipment is crucial and highly needed to support three research programs in three departments at Memorial University of Newfoundland. These research programs are: (i) design and control new precision motion systems for the future machines of the lithography process. These new motion systems will enhance the accuracy of the lithography process to manufacture faster, smarter, lighter integrated circuits (ICs), (ii) measurement and study of the nonlinear elastic properties of rocks during oil and gas exploration and production and after large earthquakes, and (iii) design and optimization of new piezoelectric MEMS vibration energy harvesters for low-power electronic applications. *This industrial equipment will be the first of its kind at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador to provide three degrees-of-freedom high-precision evaluations with sub-nanometre accuracy. Thus, the advancement and the quality of the result of the above-mentioned research programs depend on the proposed equipment. These research programs include different and sequential research stages (3-D measurements, design, development, optimization, and control) that need both 3-D displacement measurements and 3-D velocity measurements. This means that the advancement, sequential progress, and quality of the research depends on the proposed equipment. An electronic laboratory notebook software will be used to manage and schedule the usage of the 3-D IVS-500 industrial vibrometer in the uPrecision Mechatronic Laboratory, and this software will enable the research groups to set up users and schedule equipment use.*Each year over 20 HQP under the applicants' supervision, who will be first trained on the equipment, will use it to conduct various research and academic activities. These HQP will acquire unique and specialized knowledge and measurements skills with this equipment. The proposed equipment will provide an exceptional training platform for students to acquire an in-depth scientific understanding of the 3-D IVS-500 Industrial Vibrometer. HQP from the applicants' research groups which include graduate and undergraduate students, will receive training from designated associates. It is also anticipated that the purchase of the proposed equipment will attract researchers from industry in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Thus, it will stimulate new cross-institutional and academic-industrial collaborations. *A major outcome of the ""new precision motion systems research"" is to enhance the precision of EUV lithography systems, which will lead to fabricating faster, smarter, and lighter ICs. This will also lead to sub-nanometer accuracy of the EUV lithography process to manufacture ICs for new applications and future challenges, including microprocessors for the autonomous car.*