Improvement in the accuracy of determining impurity compensation in pure weakly compensated germanium from breakdown-field strength

It is shown that measurement of the electric-breakdown field E _br in a classically high magnetic field (H) at T = 4.2 K makes it possible to determine the value of the degree of compensation K in pure germanium with K < 50% much more precisely than at H = 0. The parameter S = E _br/H is introduced and its dependence S = f(K) is calculated; the obtained curve makes it possible to determine K if H and E _br are known. To decrease the resistance of the samples, it is recommended that measurements be carried out under “impurity” illumination. It is shown that the value of E _br is invariable at low intensities of such excitation.     

Study of RF transistor with submicron T-shaped gate fabricated by nanoimprint lithography

The results devoted to the development of a method for creating an RF transistor, in which a T-shaped gate is formed by nanoimprint lithography, are presented. The characteristics of GaAs p-HEMT transistors have been studied. The developed transistor has a gate “foot” length of the order of 250 nm and a maximum transconductance of more than 350 mS/mm. The maximum frequency of current amplification f _t is 40 GHz at the drain-source voltage V _DS = 1.4 V and the maximum frequency of the power gain f _max is 50 GHz at V _DS = 3 V.     

A Fast Algorithm for Wave Propagation from a Plane or a Cylindrical Surface

The newly developed Taylor-Interpolation-FFT (TI-FFT) algorithm dramatically increases the computational speeds for millimeter wave propagation from a planar (cylindrical) surface onto a “quasi-planar” (“quasi-cylindrical”) surface. Two different scenarios are considered in this article: the planar TI-FFT is for the computation of the wave propagation from a plane onto a “quasi-planar” surface and the cylindrical TI-FFT is for the computation of wave propagation from a cylindrical surface onto a “quasi-cylindrical” surface. Due to the use of the FFT, the TI-FFT algorithm has a computational complexity of O(N ²?log₂? N ²) for an N?×?N computational grid, instead of N ⁴ for the direct integration method. The TI-FFT algorithm has a low sampling rate according to the Nyquist sampling theorem. The algorithm has accuracy down to ?80 dB and it works particularly well for narrow-band fields and “quasi-planar” (“quasi-cylindrical”) surfaces.     

The following the perturbed leader algorithm and its application for constructing game strategies

A modification of Hannan’s Following the Perturbed Leaded (FPL) algorithm for the case of unlimited gains and losses is considered. Estimates of the prediction error are obtained in terms of the volume v _t and game fluctuation fluc(t) = Δv _t /v _t , where Δv _t = v _t –v _t–1. We prove the asymptotic consistency on the average of this variant of the algorithm for fluc(t) = o(t). Applications of this algorithm for constructing game strategies are considered. Game strategies employing the difference between the “micro” and “macro” volatility of the discrete time series (prices of the financial instrument) are determined for obtaining arbitrage. Mixing these expert strategies is performed on the basis of the variant of Hannan’s algorithm developed in this work.     

Analog/RF Study of Self-aligned In<Subscript>0.53</Subscript>Ga<Subscript>0.47</Subscript>As MOSFET with Scaled Gate Length

This study presents the impact of gate length scaling on analog and radio frequency (RF) performance of a self- aligned multi-gate n-type In_0.53Ga_0.47As metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor. The device is fabricated using a self-aligned method, air-bridge technology, and 8 nm thickness of the Al₂O₃ oxide layer with different gate lengths. The transconductance-to-normalized drain current ratio (g _m/I _D) method is implemented to investigate analog parameters. Moreover, g _m and drain conductance (g _D) as key parameters in analog performance of the device are evaluated with g _m/I _D and gate length variation, where g _m and g _D are both showing enhancement due to scaling of the gate length. Early voltage (V _EA) and intrinsic voltage gain (A _V) value presents a decreasing trend by shrinking the gate length. In addition, the results of RF measurement for cut-off and maximum oscillation frequency for devices with different gate lengths are compared.     

High-Voltage Silicon-Carbide Thyristor with an <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-type Blocking Base

The possibility of creating a high-voltage SiC thyristor with an n-type blocking base is analyzed. It is shown that a thyristor structure fabricated as an “analog” of a modern thyristor structure with a p-type blocking base, i.e., with the same layer thicknesses and replaced doping types (donors instead of acceptors, and vice versa), cannot be turned-on at any input signal level. At room temperature, a structure with an n-type blocking base and acceptable parameters can only be obtained in the absence of a stop layer. In this case, however, the maximum blocking voltage is approximately two times lower than that for a thyristor with a p-type blocking base of the same thickness. In the presence of a stop layer, a portion of an S-shaped negative differential resistance appears at room temperature in the forward current–voltage characteristic of the thyristor with an n-type blocking base. This effect is due to the violation and subsequent restoration of neutrality. At ambient temperatures of T ≥ 150°C, the current–voltage characteristics of the thyristor with the n-type blocking base become quite acceptable even in the presence of a stop layer.     

Increase in the rate and discretization of the kinetics of isothermal surface generation of minority charge carriers in metal-insulator-semiconductor structures with a planar-inhomogeneous insulator

Surface generation of minority charge carriers in silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures is efficient only at the initial recombinationless stage. Quasi-equilibrium between surface generation centers and the minority-carrier band is established in a time t ～ 10^?5 s. In the absence of other carrier generation channels, an equilibrium inversion state at 300 K would need t = t_∞ > 10³ years to become established. In fact, the time t ∞ is much shorter, due to excess-carrier generation via centers located at the SiO₂/Si interface over the gate periphery. This edge-related generation can easily be simulated in an MOS structure with a single gate insulated from Si by oxide layers of various thicknesses. At gate depleting voltages V _g , the role of the periphery is played by a shallow potential well under a thicker oxide, and the current-generation kinetics becomes unconventional: two discrete steps are observed in the dependences I(t), and the duration and height of these steps depend on V _g . An analysis of the I(t) curves allows determination of the electric characteristics of the Si surface in the states of initial depletion (t = 0) and equilibrium inversion (t = t_∞), as well as the parameters of surface lag centers, including their energy and spatial distributions. The functionally specialized planar inhomogeneity of a gate insulator is a promising basis for dynamic sensors with integrating and threshold properties.     

Radiation-stimulated processes in transistor temperature sensors

The features of the radiation-stimulated changes in the I–V and C–V characteristics of the emitter–base junction in KT3117 transistors are considered. It is shown that an increase in the current through the emitter junction is observed at the initial stage of irradiation (at doses of D < 4000 Gy for the “passive” irradiation mode and D < 5200 Gy for the “active” mode), which is caused by the effect of radiation-stimulated ordering of the defect-containing structure of the p–n junction. It is also shown that the X-ray irradiation (D < 14000 Gy), the subsequent relaxation (96 h), and thermal annealing (2 h at 400 K) of the transistor temperature sensors under investigation result in an increase in their radiation resistance.     

Influence of overhead on LTE downlink performance: a comprehensive model

Overhead resource elements (REs) in Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks are used for some control, signaling and synchronization tasks at both the Physical level and Media Access Control sub-level. Accurately computing all the overhead REs is necessary to achieve an efficient system design, which is difficult because LTE is a complex standard that contains a large number of implementation flexibilities and system configurations. The number of such REs depends on both the system configurations and services demanded. Aiming at exploring the influence of overhead on LTE downlink performance, we first parametrize each system configuration—including parameters corresponding to enhancement techniques such as Adaptive Modulation and Coding and Multi-Antenna Transmissions techniques—and those of the resource allocation mechanisms (which depend on users’ services). Second, using such parametrization, we model all overheads for synchronization, controlling and signaling operations in LTE Physical Downlink Shared/Control Channels. This allows for dynamically computing the useful REs (by subtracting the overhead REs from the total ones), both per Transmission Time Interval (TTI) and per frame (and hence, the corresponding bit rates). Our data rate-based performance model is able to accurately compute: (1) the real, exact system data rate or “throughput” (instead of approximations); and (2) the maximum number of simultaneous multi-service users per TTI that is able to support (called here “capacity”). Aiming at understanding the impact of each overhead mechanism, we have carried out a variety of simulations, including different service provision scenarios, such as multi-user with multi-application. The simulation results prove our starting hypothesis that the influence of overhead on LTE performance should not be neglected. The parametrized and dynamic model quantifies to what extent throughput and capacity are modified by overhead—under a combination of system configurations and services, and may provide these performance metrics, throughput and capacity, as inputs to planning, dimensioning and optimization specialized tools.     

Time-Cost Efficient Scheduling Algorithms for Executing Workflow in Infrastructure as a Service Clouds

Cloud Computing enables delivery of IT resources over the Internet and follows the pay-as-you-go billing model. The cloud infrastructures can be used as an appropriate environment for executing of workflow applications. To execute workflow applications in this environment, it is necessary to develop the workflow scheduling algorithms that consider different QoS parameters such as execution time and cost. Therefore, in this paper we focus on two criteria: total completion time (makespan) and execution cost of workflow, and propose two heuristic algorithms: MTDC (Minimum Time and Decreased Cost) which aims to create a schedule that minimizes the makespan and decreases execution cost, and CTDC (Constrained Time and Decreased Cost) which is based on the first algorithm (MTDC) and aims to create a schedule that decreases the execution cost while satisfying the deadline constraint of the workflow application. The proposed algorithms are evaluated by a simulation process using WorkflowSim. To evaluate the proposed algorithms, the results of MTDC are compared with the results of HEFT (Heterogeneous Earliest Finish Time), and the results of CTDC are compared with the results of heuristic based algorithms [such as IC-PCP (IaaS Cloud Partial Critical Paths), IC-PCPD2 (Deadline Distribution) and BDHEFT (Budget and Deadline HEFT)] and meta-heuristic based algorithms [such as PSO (Particle Swarm Optimization) and CGA2 (Coevolutionary Genetic Algorithm with Adaptive penalty function)]. The results show that the proposed algorithms perform better than the mentioned algorithms in most cases.     

Work Function Tuning and Doping Optimization of 22-nm HKMG Raised SiGe/SiC Source–Drain FinFETs

The basic requirements on process design of extremely scaled devices involve appropriate work function and tight doping control due to their significant effect on the threshold voltage as well as other critical electrical parameters such as drive current and leakage. This paper presents a simulation study of 22-nm fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) performance based on various process design considerations including metal gate work function (WF), halo doping (N _halo), source/drain doping (N _sd), and substrate doping (N _sub). The simulations suggest that the n-type FinFET (nFinFET) operates effectively with lower metal gate WF while the p-type FinFET (pFinFET) operates effectively with high metal gate WF in 22-nm strained technology. Further investigation shows that the leakage reduces with increasing N _halo, decreasing N _sd, and increasing N _sub. Taguchi and Pareto analysis-of-variance approaches are applied using an L₂₇ orthogonal array combined with signal-to-noise ratio analysis to determine the best doping concentration combination for 22-nm FinFETs in terms of threshold voltage (V _t), saturation current (I _on), and off-state current (I _off). Since there is a tradeoff between I _on and I _off, the design with the nominal-is-best V _t characteristic is proposed, achieving nominal V _t of 0.259 V for the nFinFET and ?0.528 V for the pFinFET. Pareto analysis revealed N _halo and N _sub to be the dominant factor for nFinFET and pFinFET performance, respectively.     

Fine Structure of the long-wavelength edge of exciton-phonon absorption and hyperbolic excitons in silicon carbide of 6<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis> polytype

The fine structure of the long-wavelength edge of the polarization spectra of exciton-phonon absorption in moderate-purity n-type 6H-SiC crystals with a concentration of uncompensated donors N_D?N_A=(1.7–2.0)×10¹⁶ cm^?3 at T=1.7 K was studied. The analysis of new special features found at the absorption edge and the reliable detection of the onset of exciton-phonon steps related to the emission of phonons from acoustical and optical branches allowed highly accurate determination of a number of important parameters such as the band gap, the exciton band gap, the exciton binding energy, and the energies of spin-orbit and crystal-field splitting of an exciton. For the first time, transitions with the emission of LA phonons to the 1S exciton state with an M₁-type dispersion law were detected in E ∥ Z(C) polarization (the electric-field vector is parallel to the optical axis of the crystal). This observation supports the previously predicted “two-well” structure of the conduction band minimum in 6H-SiC.     

Higher azimuthal electromagnetic oscillations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">HE</Emphasis>-and <Emphasis Type="Italic">EH</Emphasis>-types in disc dielectric resonator

Features of higher azimuthal electromagnetic oscillations of “whispering” mode of HE-and EH-types in dielectric resonator of millimeter waveband are researched. Comparison of resonance characteristics of HE-and EH-types oscillations in such resonator is carried out.     

Development and Production of Array Barrier Detectors at SCD

XBn or XBp barrier detectors exhibit diffusion-limited dark currents comparable with mercury cadmium telluride Rule-07 and high quantum efficiencies. In 2011, SemiConductor Devices (SCD) introduced “HOT Pelican D”, a 640 × 512/15-μm pitch InAsSb/AlSbAs XBn mid-wave infrared (MWIR) detector with a 4.2-μm cut-off and an operating temperature of ～150 K. Its low power (～3 W), high pixel operability (>99.5%) and long mean time to failure make HOT Pelican D a highly reliable integrated detector-cooler product with a low size, weight and power. More recently, “HOT Hercules” was launched with a 1280 × 1024/15-μm format and similar advantages. A 3-megapixel, 10-μm pitch version (“HOT Blackbird”) is currently completing development. For long-wave infrared applications, SCD’s 640 × 512/15-μm pitch “Pelican-D LW” XBp type II superlattice (T2SL) detector has a ～9.3-μm cut-off wavelength. The detector contains InAs/GaSb and InAs/AlSb T2SLs, and is fabricated into focal plane array (FPA) detectors using standard production processes including hybridization to a digital silicon read-out integrated circuit (ROIC), glue underfill and substrate thinning. The ROIC has been designed so that the complete detector closely follows the interfaces of SCD’s MWIR Pelican-D detector family. The Pelican-D LW FPA has a quantum efficiency of ～50%, and operates at 77 K with a pixel operability of >99% and noise equivalent temperature difference of 13 mK at 30 Hz and F/2.7.     

Performance characteristics of <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-channel FinFETs with varied Si-fin extension lengths for source and drain contacts

The length of Source/Drain (S/D) extension (L_SDE) of nano-node p-channel FinFETs (pFinFETs) on SOI wafer influencing the device performance is exposed, especially in drive current and gate/S/D leakage. In observation, the longer L_SDEpFinFET provides a larger series resistance and degrades the drive current (I_DS), but the isolation capability between the S/D contacts and the gate electrode is increased. The shorter L_SDE plus the shorter channel length demonstrates a higher trans-conductance (G _m ) contributing to a higher drive current. Moreover, the subthreshold swing (S.S.) at longer channel length and longer L_SDE represents a higher value indicating the higher amount of the interface states which possibly deteriorate the channel mobility causing the lower drive current.     

Room-Temperature Mid-, and Far-Infrared Absorption and Electrical Properties of Intercalated GaSe and TlInS<Subscript>2</Subscript> Crystals

We report room-temperature measurements of the mid- and far-IR absorption throughout the 400 – 4000 cm^?1 and 10 – 700 cm^?1 spectral ranges and the resistivity of layered p-GaSe and p-TlInS2 intercalated with Li⁺. Intercalation was performed by immersing Bridgman grown crystals in 0.5 M solutions of LiCl in distilled water at ambient conditions. The crystal structure and the stoichiometry of the grown crystals were determined by X-ray diffraction and XRF methods. It is shown that intercalation does not change the frequency of the IR-, and Raman active low-frequency“rigid layer” mode (GaSe), the space symmetry group or the lattice parameters of the crystals. It was found that for both crystals, the resistivity versus time dependencies are nearly the same. Three ranges in the resistivity-intercalation time dependencies were explained qualitatively. The resistivity increase due to intercalation was explained by assuming that the intercalated lithium ions act as ionized donors and compensate the host p-type crystal. The highest degree of compensation for GaSe and TlInS₂ crystals was achieved after intercalation during 12 and 10 days, respectively.     

Influence of Geometric Parameters and Permittivity of Stripline Filters on Resonator Coupling Coefficients

It has been proved that electromagnetic coupling coefficients K of resonators in stripline filters with homogeneous dielectric depend only on geometric parameters of the filter designs and are independent of relative permittivity ε_r (if the dielectric is two-layer, coefficients K depend only on geometric parameters of the filter designs and ratio ε_r2/ε_r1). It has been shown that the revealed earlier influence of permittivity ε_r and the operating frequency on K is only a consequence of the influence of the length of stripline resonators on K: the lesser is the length, the larger is coefficient K. It has been found that these propositions enable consideration of frequency characteristics of the same design of the bandpass filter in different frequency bands by changing εr and performing slight changes in outermost resonators. The results of computer simulation of the transfer of frequency characteristics of a stripline bandpass filter from 3 GHz to 6 and 12 GHz with retaining the fractional bandwidth and selectivity are presented.     

Spin transistor based on cadmium fluoride nanostructures

A study of CdB _x F_{2 ? x} /p-CdF₂/CdB _x F_{2 ? x} planar sandwich structures fabricated on n-CdF₂ crystal surface was carried out in order to obtain the spin-transistor effect at room temperature. Features related to the band gap of CdF₂ (7.8 eV) along with those related to the spectrum for two-dimensional (2D) hole subbands in p-CdF₂ quantum well (QW) were observed in the current-voltage characteristics for ultrashallow p ⁺-n junctions. The results obtained demonstrate the important role for 2D hole subbands in the mechanism of the “proximity effect” that appears due to Andreev’s reflection in sandwich structures consisting of a narrow QW confined between superconducting barriers. Resonance behavior for the longitudinal voltage in a weak magnetic field normal to the plane of the p-CdF₂ QW gives evidence for high degree of spin polarization for 2D holes. Analysis of the dependences for the 2D-hole-gas conductance on the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field normal to the plane of the p-CdF₂ QW reveals anti-crossings for Zeeman sublevels in the singlet ground state and triplet excited state of boron dipole centers, responsible for the spin polarization of 2D holes in edge channels in the p-CdF₂ QW. The high degree of spin polarization for 2D holes in edge channels in the p-CdF₂ QW identifies the mechanism underlying spin-transistor I-V characteristics observed upon the variation of the gate voltage, which controls the magnitude of Bychkov-Rashba’s spin-orbit coupling.     

Joint Optimization of Cooperative Spectrum Sensing and Resource Allocation in Multi-channel Cognitive Radio Sensor Networks

Cooperative spectrum sensing (CSS) that utilizes multi-user diversity to mitigate channel instability and noise uncertainty is a promising technique in cognitive radio networks (CRNs). However, the spectrum-sensing parameters which affect the channel-access opportunities of secondary users (SUs) are conventionally regarded as static and treated independently from the resource-allocation strategies. In this paper, joint optimization of CSS, channel access and resource allocation is investigated in an overlay CRN in which each SU carries multi-channel spectrum sensing and transmits the detected energy to a fusion centre in the imperfect reporting channel. An access factor is introduced to describe the channel-access strategies in both cooperative and non-cooperative schemes. Based on the aggregate interference and the transmit power constraints, an optimization problem of multi-channel CSS is formulated to obtain the optimal transmit powers, allocation-access strategies, and sensing threshold of CR system for maximization of the opportunistic throughput. To solve the non-convex problems in both the single and multiple CR systems, the efficient iterative algorithms are developed by exploiting the hidden convexity of the optimization problems. Numerical results show that the performance of our approaches yields a significant enhancement compared with the equal channel-access and equal power-allocation strategy.     

Photosensitive properties of metal-containing polydisalicylidene azomethines

Photosensitive properties of new metal-containing polydisalicylidene azomethines were studied. It was shown that polymer properties are controlled by the nature of the metal atom (its electron affinity energy A _a and ionic radius r _i ) included in “nonclassical” polyconjugation. The photosensitivity S _0.1 of studied polymers is ～10⁵cm²/J, and the quantum yield of free-carrier photogeneration is η ≈ 0.10–0.15, which corresponds to the level of organometallic complexes that have found application in optoelectronics.