In this research work, we present the synthesis and characterization of four different TiO₂ structures, such as nanotubes, nanocavities, nanosheets assembled on nanocavities and nanobowls assembled on nanocavities, prepared by electrochemical anodization using organic electrolytes. After synthesis, the structures were thermally annealed to pass from the amorphous phase to the anatase phase, which is one of the most important crystalline structures of TiO₂ due to its high photocatalytic activity and stability. The unique morphology and topography were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The elemental composition was determined by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The anatase phase was verified by Raman microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD), the band gap energy was calculated by the Kubelka–Munk function, and the main defect states that generate the emission, as well as their lifetime, were determined by photoluminescence spectroscopy and time response photoluminescence (TRPL), respectively. The TiO₂ nanomaterials were tested as catalysts in the photodegradation of a solution of methylene blue using a UV lamp at room temperature. The results showed complex morphologies and different surface roughness areas of these nanomaterials. Furthermore, a relationship between defect states, band gap energy, and photocatalytic activity was established. We found that the catalytic activity was improved as an effect of geometric parameters and oxygen vacancies.

We present an alternative post-processing on a CMOS chip to release a planar microelectrode array (pMEA) integrated with its signal readout circuit, which can be used for monitoring the neuronal activity of vestibular ganglion neurons in newborn Wistar strain rats. This chip is fabricated through a 0.6 µm CMOS standard process and it has 12 pMEA through a 4 ´ 3 electrodes matrix. The alternative CMOS post-process includes the development of masks to protect the readout circuit and the power supply pads. A wet etching process eliminates the aluminum located on the surface of the p⁺-type silicon. This silicon is used as transducer for recording the neuronal activity and as interface between the readout circuit and neurons. The readout circuit is composed of an amplifier and tunable bandpass filter, which is placed on a 0.015 mm² silicon area. The tunable bandpass filter has a bandwidth of 98 kHz and a common mode rejection ratio (CMRR) of 87 dB. These characteristics of the readout circuit are appropriate for neuronal recording applications.

In this work, we report on the deposition of microcrystalline silicon (µc-Si:H) films produced from silane (SiH₄), hydrogen (H₂), and argon (Ar) mixtures using the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique at 200 °C. Particularly, we studied the effect of RF power on the crystalline fraction (X_C) of the deposited films, and we have correlated the X_C with their optical, electrical, and structural characteristics. Different types of characterization were performed in the µc-Si:H film series. We used several techniques, such as Raman scattering spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), among others. Our results show that RF power had a strong effect on the X_C of the films, and there is an optimal value for producing films with the largest X_C.

Design and characteristics of wide-band UV sensors based on ITO/GaP heterostructures are discussed. Such sensors have perfect electrical parameters and high UV-visible sensitivity in comparison with surface-barrier structures using a semi-transparent thin metal film as an electrode. Many applications require UV sensors with an effective rejection of visible radiation and a wide temperature operating interval. For this aim, the theoretical modelling of extreme selective optical sensors with a double Ag/ITO thin film on the GaP surface, in which the thin silver film serves as a narrow bandpass filter at 320 nm, has been conducted. With this modelling the optimal thickness combination for the silver and ITO films was found for the maximum rejection of the sensitivity to visible radiation (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)