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The paper reports about the technology platform for the fabrication of RF-MEMS devices developed at FBK. The most important process features, requirements and possible applications are presented and described. The basic fabrication process, together with some of the more important process variations and its capabilities are reported. Finally, some examples of produced devices and their performances are briefly presented.

Purpose Decentralized finance (DeFi), enabled by blockchain, could bring about a new financial system, where peers will interact directly, with little or no place for traditional intermediation. However, some crucial tasks cannot be left solely to an algorithm and, consequently, most DeFi applications still require human decisions. The aim of this research is to assess the role of intermediation in the light of DeFi, analysing how humans and algorithms will interact. Design/methodology/approach The authors based their work on a twofold qualitative methodology, first analysing publicly available secondary data, particularly from white papers and DeFi Pulse (a website providing data on DeFi solutions) and then running two focus group discussions. Findings DeFi does not eliminate financial intermediation, but enables it to be performed in new ways, where decentralization means that no single entity can hold too much power or monopoly. DeFi has, however, inherited risks from the underlying technologies that unintentionally facilitate illegal behaviour and can hamper the authorities’ supervision. The complex duality algorithm- vs human-based actions will not be solved indisputably in favour of the former, as DeFi solutions can range from requiring algorithms to play a dominant role, to enabling greater human interaction by actively involving more people. Originality/value This research contributes to the emerging debate between algorithm- and human-based intermediation, especially in relation to the standing literature on financial intermediation, where considerations made in the light of the newest theories on blockchain and DeFi are still scarce.

This paper presents an analytical method to calculate residual stress and Young's modulus in clamped-clamped beams. These types of structures are a typical building block of many MEMS devices, and this guarantees accurate transferability of the measured parameters. The method is based on the determination of beam bending as a function of applied load by means of a surface profiler, and as a function of beam length. By modeling analytically both the elastic and the stress contribution to beam bending, it is possible to obtain both the stress value and Young's modulus by a simple fitting of the experimental data. Results are presented for electrodeposited gold beam arrays of different widths, but the method is in principle exploitable for every type of suspended film where the residual stress strongly influences the material properties. Accuracy and limitations of the method are also discussed.

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