Cheng-Yao Lo

Dr. Lo focused on developing capacitive force/stress/pressure/strain/tactile sensing devices and systems based on elastomeric materials. The capacitive tactile sensor (CTS) developed by Dr. Lo composes novel structures, exhibiting multifunctions (normal force, shear force, and shear angle detections). In this serial work, several noticeable CTS improvements were announced: the detection sensitivity was enhanced by optimizing the elastomer characteristics, the spatial resolution was enhanced by reducing the required capacitors in a sensing unit from horizontal to vertical, the (shear angle) detection accuracy was improved by shaping the electrodes from squares to sectors. In addition, many solutions were provided to support the spatial resolution and detection sensitivity enhancements. Dr. Lo also proposed ideas to simultaneously decouple signals between the normal and shear forces and to provide add-on functions such as rotational angle detection. Dr. Lo also pays attention to developing strain lithography for strain optoelectronic applications. Novel 2D isotropic mechanical straining method was proposed and proved effective, which shows practical operation than conventional 3D pneumatic ones. Together with operation flexibility, by pre-straining or post-straining the elastomer, electromagnetic modulations (by mechanical forces) that act like metamaterials are possible.

Director Division of International Talent Cultivationn

Mr. Lo was responsible for 90nm- and 45nm-node process integration in the research and development team, particularly in improving the manufacturing yield related to self-aligned silicide (salicide) on 12-inch Si wafers. Mr. Lo invented novel test keys that indicate leakage currents in the lightly-doped drain (LDD) region in transistors. This invention provided evidence through wafer acceptance testing (WAT), which helped the module teams (thin film and etching) perform process optimization. Eventually, the first yield breakthrough of 90nm-node on the 12-inch Si wafer in TSMC was in part attributed to these contributions. Cumulatively, Mr. Lo published one international conference and two international journal papers, and was granted three U. S. patents in this period.

Under the supervision of Dr. Hiroshi Toshiyoshi and Dr. Hiroyuki Fujita at the University of Tokyo, Mr. Lo designed, evaluated, fabricated, analyzed a microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based color filtering device as his Ph. D. work. Mr. Lo collaborated with the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland on the topic of gravure printing, which supported manufacturing the device in part. In this period, Mr. Lo published 10 international conferences and three international journal papers.