HAMDI TORUN Ph.D. Candidate, Research Assistant Advisor: Dr. F. Levent Degertekin Work Phone: (404) 385-2051 Work Fax: (404) 385-2011 hamdi@gatech.edu Web: www.hamditorun.com Education: Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Eng., 2005-present, Georgia Inst. of Tech. M.S. in Electrical Engineering, 2005, Koc University , Istanbul B.S. in Electrical Engineering, 2003, Middle East Technical University , Ankara Research Experience: 2005 – 2008: Consultant, Aselsan Electronic Industries Inc. Development of uncooled infrared detector technologies with optical readout 02/2005 – 07/2005: Visiting research assistant, G. W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology Fabricated MOEMS thermal infrared detector arrays in MiRC Cleanroom 09/2003 – 08/2005: Research assistant, Optical Microsystems Laboratory, Koc University , Istanbul , Turkey Designed a MOEMS thermal infrared detector with optical readout as Master of Science research project. 07/2003 – 09/2003: Analog design engineer, Microwave and System Technologies Division, Aselsan Electronic Industries Inc. , Ankara , Turkey Designed analog control and signal processing circuits to drive mechanical systems and to process the related sensory information. 08/2002 – 07/2003: Technical staff as engineering student (part time), Microwave and System Technologies Division, Aselsan Electronic Industries Inc., Ankara , Turkey Teaching Experience: 09/2003 – 02/2005: Teaching assistant, Koc University , Istanbul , Turkey                               Fall 2004: Elec 310 Microelectronic Circuit Design                               Spring 2004: Elec 202 Circuit Analysis                               Fall 2003: Phys 101 General Physics – I Research Projects: 1. Design and development of active force probes for biomolecular mechanics measurement: Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has become a significant tool to study the single-biomolecular interactions in life sciences. In a conventional AFM system, a passive microcantilever is used as the force sensing element to measure the interaction force between a functionalized microcantilever tip and the sample surface. The microcantilever, attached to a piezo-actuator, is brought into and out of contact of a functionalized surface and the interaction forces are detected from the optical lever detection mechanism of the AFM system. Although microcantilever based AFM has proved itself as a powerful tool to study the single-molecule interactions, extending this approach for multi-probe parallel measurements has its limitations. Moreover high speed imaging in fluid is limited both by the dynamics of microcantilevers and piezo-actuators. To address these issues, a membrane based active probe structure has recently been developed. The micromachined probe has self-sensing capability as it uses a dielectric membrane on a transparent substrate as the force sensing mechanical structure and has an integrated diffraction-based micro-interferometer for membrane displacement measurement. The probe membranes can also be electrostatically actuated, which removes the need for a piezo-actuator and giving self-actuation capability to the probe. To demonstrate the self-actuation capabilities of the membranes for single-molecule force spectroscopy measurements, relatively stiff silicon nitride/dioxide membranes were fabricated as actuators while softer AFM cantilevers were used as force sensors. If one were to use softer membrane probes that could be actuated and also act as the force sensor, the need for a cantilever would be eliminated as the membranes would serve both as the actuator and the force sensor. Parylene membranes, with spring constants on the order of tens of N/m, were fabricated for force sensing in liquid. Due to its low elastic modulus parylene, a bio-compatible material, makes the fabrication of softer membranes possible. Moreover the hydrophobicity of parylene can be controlled with oxygen plasma treatment of the surface, which is important for functionalization of membrane surfaces with biomolecules. 2. Design and development of thermo-mechanical thermal detector arrays with optical readout: Opto–mechanical thermal detector with optical readout is designed and realized for infrared (IR) imaging. The detector pixels are membranes that are connected to bimaterial legs, which are connected to a substrate through thermal isolation legs. The conversion of IR radiation into temperature difference causes deflection along bimaterial legs and the deflected membranes as a result of this phenomenon are detected by optical means. Since the readout method proposed is by optical means, no electrically (so thermally) conductive paths are needed on the pixels. Therefore the thermally isolated pixels offer higher sensitivity compared to cooled detectors. The readout method proposed for the project is to detect the deflection of membranes by pixel level micro-interferometers with diffraction gratings. That architecture offers operation at shot noise level of the coherent light source for the readout illumination. By this way, it is possible to prevent the FPA be readout noise limited. It is shown that noise equivalent temperature difference (NETD) for our design is <10 mK including the readout noise sources. Journal Publications: Thesis: H Torun , "Design and Fabrication of Thermo – Mechanical Thermal Detector Arrays with Optical Readout", M.Sc. Thesis, Koc University , 2005 H Torun, O Finkler, F L Degertekin, "Athermalization in atomic force microscope based force spectroscopy using matched microstructure coupling", Review of Scientific Instruments, 80, 076103, 2009 H Torun, K K Sarangapani, F L Degertekin, “Fabrication and Characterization of Micromachined Active Probes with Polymer Membranes for Biomolecular Force Spectroscopy”, under review, JMEMS, 2008 M F Toy, O Ferhanoglu, H Torun , H Urey, “Uncooled Infrared Thermomechanical Detector Array: Design, Fabrication and Testing”, to appear, Sensors and Actuators A, 2009 H Torun, K K Sarangapani, F L Degertekin, "Spring constant tuning of active atomic force microscope probes using electrostatic spring softening effect", Appl. Phys. Lett., 91 (2007) 253113 (Also selected by the Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science and Technology, http://www.vjnano.org/nano/ ) H Torun, J Sutanto, K K Sarangapani, P Joseph, F L Degertekin, C Zhu, "Micromachined membrane-based active probe for biomolecular mechanics measurement ", Nanotechnology, 18 (2007) 165303 ((The paper is awarded with second prize in the Georgia Tech Student Paper Competition sponsored by SAIC.) H Torun, H Urey, “Uncooled thermal camera with optical readout”, Opto-Electron. Rev. 14, 55 (2006) H Torun , H. Urey, “Thermal Deflections in Multilayer Microstructures and Athermalization”, J Appl. Phys. 100, 023527 (2006) Conference Papers/Presentations: H Torun, K K Sarangapani, O Finkler, F L Degertekin, “Micromachined active probes with polymer membranes for single-molecule force-clamp and pulling experiments”, Seeing at Nanoscale VII, Santa Barbara , CA , July 28-31, 2009 H Torun, K K Sarangapani, F L Degertekin, C Zhu, “Parallel active polymer probes with integrated interferometer for single molecule force spectroscopy”, International Meeting on AFM in Life Sciences and Medicine, Monterey, CA, Oct 15-18 2008 H Torun, K K Sarangapani, C Zhu, F L Degertekin, “Single molecule force spectroscopy using active polymer membrane probes with integrated interferometer”, International Congress of Nanotechnology (ICN+T 2008), Keystone, Co, July 20-25 2008 H Torun , K K Sarangapani, C Zhu, F L Degertekin, “Active Atomic Force Microscope Probes with Electrostatic Spring Constant Tuning Capability”, International Congress of Nanotechnology (ICN+T 2008), Keystone, Co, July 20-25 2008 F L Degertekin, G Onaran, M Balantekin, H Torun, "Novel AFM probes for fast imaging and quantitative material characterization", MRS Fall Meeting, Boston, MA, Nov 26-30, 2007 M F Toy, O Ferhanoglu, H Torun, F L Degertekin, H Urey, “MOEMS thermal imaging camera”, Research in Microelectronics and Electronics, 2008. PRIME 2008. Ph.D., Istanbul , Turkey , June 22-25, 2008 H Torun, K K Sarangapani, C Zhu, F L Degertekin,  "Micromachined membrane-based active probe for biomolecular mechanics measurement", Seeing at Nanoscale V, Santa Barbara , CA , June 24-27 (The presentation is awarded with "honorable mention poster" certificate.) F L Degertekin, A G Onaran, H Torun, M Balantekin, K Sarangapani, C Zhu, "AFM probe structures with integrated interferometric sensing and electrostatic actuation", Kanazawa Workshop on Atomic Force Microscopy, Kanazawa, Japan, January 12-18th, 2007 O. Ferhanoğlu, M. F. Toy, H. Torun, H. Ürey, “Optik Okumalı Soğutmasız Kızılötesi Dedektör”, 8. Ulusal Fotonik Çalıştayı, Koç Univ, Istanbul , Sep 2006 H Torun, O Ferhanoglu, H Urey, “Thermo-mechanical Detector Array with Optical Readout”, International Conference On Optical MEMS and Their Applications, Montana, August 21-24th, 2006 H Torun, J B Sutanto, K K Sarangapani, C Zhu, F L Degertekin, “Membrane type displacement and force sensing transducer with sub-nano sensitivity for biological applications”, International Congress of Nanotechnology (ICNT 2006), Basel, 30 July - 4 August 2006 H Torun, H Urey, “Uncooled thermal camera with optical readout”, Proc. SPIE Vol. 5957, p. 152-160, Warsaw , August 2005 H. Urey, H Torun, “Optik Okumalı Soğutmasız MEMS-Tabanlı Termal Kamera”, (in Turkish, presentation only), 7. Ulusal Optik, Elektro-Optik ve Fotonik Calisma Toplantisi, Bilkent University, Ankara, December 2005 H Torun, C Ataman, H Urey, “Optik Yontemler ile Dinamik MEMS Karakterizasyonu”, (in Turkish, presentation only), 6. Ulusal Elektro-Optik Calisma Toplantisi, Sabanci University , Istanbul , December 2004 Patents: H Urey, H Torun, European Patent EP1757914, 2007-02-28, US Patent pending (Licensed to ASELSAN). H Torun, F L Degertekin, O Finkler, US Patent application.