V. Clayton Lafferty Endowed Chair and Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering
MEMS and Advanced Microsystems Lab
Google Scholar Page
Education
Ph.D., 2004, Electrical Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology
M.S., 1995, Electrical Engineering, California Polytechnic State University
B.S., 1993 , Electrical Engineering, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Research Interests
- Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)
- Advanced Microsystems
- Device Fabrication
- Micro-Sensors and Actuators
- Chemical Sensors
- Smart Systems
- Micro-Electrical Contacts for RF MEMS Switches
- Phase Change and Metal-Insulator-Transition Materials
- Low-Cost Sensors and Actuators
- Photovoltaics and Energy Harvesting
Selected Recent Publications
*Coutu, Jr., R.A., “Foreword: Special Section on Electrical Contacts,” IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology – Electrical Contacts Special Section, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 315-316, 2017. (DOI: 10.1109/TCPMT.2017.2673319)
*Laurvick, T.V. and Coutu, Jr., R.A., “Improving Gold/Gold Micro-contact performance and reliability under low frequency AC through Circuit Loading,” IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology – Electrical Contacts Special Section, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 345-353, 2017. (DOI: 10.1109/TCPMT.2016.2600482)
*Kaval, W.G., Lake, R.A., Coutu Jr., R.A., "PVDF-TrFE electroactive polymer mechanical-to-electrical energy harvesting experimental bimorph structure," Material Research Society (MRS) Advances, pp. 1-6, June 2017. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/adv.2017.397)
Ren, W., *Chang, C, *Chen, Y., *Xue, S. and Coutu, Jr., R.A., “Observation and Understanding of the Initial Unstable Electrical Contact Behaviors,” IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology, vol. 7, no. 8, pp. 1272-1279, 2017. (DOI: 10.1109/TCPMT.2017.2695800)
*Sattler, J., Coutu, Jr., R.A., Lake, R., Laurvick, T., Back, T., and Fairchild, S., “Modelling micro-porous surfaces for secondary electron emission control to suppress multipactor,” Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 122, no. 055304, pp. 1-9, 2017. (DOI: 10.1063/1.4997465)
Coutu, Jr., R.A., and *Tomer, D., “Micro-Contacts Testing using a Micro-Force Sensor Compatible with Biological Systems,” International Journal of Biosensors & Bioelectronics, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 1-9, 2017. (DOI: 10.15406/ijbsbe.2017.03.00052)
*Tomer, D. and Coutu, Jr., R.A., “A Phase Change Material for Reconfigurable Circuit Applications,” MDPI Journal of Applied Science, vol. 8, no. 130, pp. 1-8, 2018. (DOI: 10.3390/app8010130)
*Tomer, D. and Coutu, Jr., R.A., “Electronically Tuned Phase Transition in Germanium Telluride (GeTe) Cells for Memory and RF switch Applications,” Journal of Modern Environmental Science and Engineering, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 115-124, 2018. (DOI: 10.15341/mese(2333-2581)/02.04.2018/001)
*Mahanta, P., Coutu, Jr., R.A., and Tomer, D. “Experimental validation of external load effects for micro-contacts under low frequency, low amplitude alternating current (AC) test condition,” MDPI Journal of Technologies: Special Issue on Microswitching Technologies, vol. 6, no. 46, pp 1-11, 2018. (DOI:10.3390/technologies6020046)
*Mahanta, P., *Munna, M., and Coutu, Jr., R.A., “Performance Comparison of Phase Change Materials (PCM) and Metal Insulator Transition (MIT) Materials for DC and RF Switching Applications,” MDPI Journal of Technologies: Special Issue on Microswitching Technologies, vol. 6, no. 48, pp 1-26, 2018. (DOI:10.3390/technologies6020048)
*Nandy, T., Coutu, Jr., R.A., and Ababei, C., “Carbon Monoxide Sensing Technologies for Next-Generation Cyber-Physical Systems,” MDPI Journal of Sensors, vol. 18, no. 3443, pp 1-29, 2018. (DOI: 10.3390/s18103443)
5 Book Chapters.
4 issued and 2 pending US patents.