Distinguished Lecture Series - Professor Roger Howe

Thursday, September 5, 2013 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)
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Speaker

Professor Roger Howe

Title

Vacuum Nano-Systems for Energy Conversion

Abstract

Micro and nano-fabricated sensors (e.g., accelerometers and gyroscopes) and actuators (e.g., light valve chips for projection and cell-phone displays) have become common place in recent years. Some of these devices must operate in a hermetically sealed, low pressure ambient, a need that motivated the development of low-cost, wafer-scale vacuum encapsulation technologies. This talk identifies a promising direction for nanotechnology, in which vacuum is more than simply the ambient surrounding a microstructure, but rather is a critical element in device operation.

Thermionic energy converters were conceived in 1915, demonstrated in 1939, and were the focus of astronomical investments during the space race by NASA and the Soviet Union. Thermionic converters can be fabricated using extensions of MEMS technology, in which advances in materials, micromachining, and vacuum encapsulation processes can be used to enhance performance and reduce fabrication costs. Recently, a new conversion concept has been demonstrated at Stanford, in which a semiconductor photocathode replaces the conventional metal cathode. This photon-enhanced thermionic energy (PETE) converter harvests photon energies above the bandgap, as well as broad-spectrum radiation through heating of the photocathode. I will conclude by summarizing the research directions that are needed to bring thermionic and PETE conversions into the mix of energy conversion options.

Speaker Biography

Roger Howe
Roger T. Howe is the William E. Ayer Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. He received a B.S. degree in physics from Harvey Mudd College and an M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the UC Berkeley. After faculty positions at CMU and MIT from 1984-1987, he returned to Berkeley where he was a Professor until 2005. His research interests include nano- electromechanical system design, nanofabrication technologies, with applications in energy conversion and biomolecular sensing. Professor Howe has made contributions to the design of MEMS accelerometers, gyroscopes, electrostatic actuators, and microresonators. He was elected an IEEE Fellow in 1996, was co- recipient of the IEEE Cledo Brunetti Award in 1998, and was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in 2005. He co-founded Silicon Clocks, Inc., a start-up company commercializing integrated MEMS resonator-based timing products, which was acquired in 2010 by Silicon Laboratories, Inc. He is the Faculty Director of the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility and the Director of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN).

Location Information
Location Address: EIT building, University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Room 1015
Waterloo, ON, CA  N2L 3G1
Link to map: https://uwaterloo.ca/map/
Additional Information
Cost: Reception at 3:00 pm. Admission is free.