Programmable CMOS CNN Cell Based on Floating-gate Inverter Unit

At present, the Cellular Neural Network (CNN) is a potential parallel structure able to perform image processing tasks in real-time when is effectively implemented in CMOS technology. The CNN silicon integration success is due mainly to the local connectivity of processing cells. In this work, an alternative design based on floating-gate MOS inverters is presented, which uses unipolar signals for solving binary tasks. The approach brings a fast response in a reduced silicon area, as shown through electrical simulations. A prototype cell in CMOS technology (AMI, 1.2 micron) was fabricated and tested for eight image processing tasks.

RPA: a flexible scheduling algorithm for input buffered switches

This paper presents and evaluates a quasi-optimal scheduling algorithm for input buffered cell-based switches, named reservation with preemption and acknowledgment (RPA). RPA is based on reservation rounds where the switch input ports indicate their most urgent data transfer needs, possibly overwriting less urgent requests by other input ports, and an acknowledgment round to allow input ports to determine what data they can actually transfer toward the desired switch output port. RPA must be executed during every cell time to determine which cells can be transferred during the following cell time. RPA is shown to be as simple as the simplest proposals of input queuing scheduling, efficient in the sense that no admissible traffic pattern was found under which RPA shows throughput limitations, and flexible, allowing the support of packet-mode operations and different traffic classes with either strict priority discipline or bandwidth guarantee requirements. The effectiveness of RPA is assessed with detailed simulations in uniform as well as unbalanced traffic conditions and its performance is compared with output queuing switches and the optimal maximum weighted matching (MWM) algorithm for input-buffered switches. A bound on the performance difference between the heuristic weight matching adopted in RPA and MWM is analytically computed     

SAR reduction for handset with two-element phased array antennacomputed using hybrid MoM/FDTD technique

An investigation into a two-element phased antenna array mobile handset using the MoM/FDTD hybrid method is presented. The array is designed to provide a spatial null in the near field zone in the direction of the human head. Compared with an omnidirectional antenna, the overall efficiency and azimuth coverage are improved and the peak specific absorption rate in the head can be reduced by at least 10 dB     

Photosensitivity of ZnO/CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Mo thin-film solar cells fabricated on various substrates

The results of measuring the first spectra of relative quantum efficiency for photoconversion in thin-film ZnO/CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se₂/Mo solar cells fabricated on rigid (glass) and flexible (polyimide) substrates are reported. The character of interband transitions has been studied and the values of the band gap for direct and indirect transitions in thin Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ films are determined. It is found that a shift of the maximal photosensitivity for the obtained solar cells to shorter wavelengths is observed as rigid substrates are replaced by flexible ones. It is concluded that thin-film Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ structures can be used as broad-band photoconverters of solar radiation.     

All-spray-coated semitransparent inverted organic solar cells: From electron selective to anode layers

We demonstrated an all-solution-processed electron selective layer, active layer and top electrode for large-area inverted organic solar cells. The fabricated devices are semitransparent, fully spray-coated, highly efficient and air-stable, with power efficiencies of 2.41% and 1.0% for cell areas of 0.36 and 15.25 cm², respectively. The shelf life of the cells in air is demonstrated by the ∼80% retention of original cell efficiency after 30 days.     

Specific features of the sol-gel formation and optical properties of 3d metal/porous silicon composites

The composition and optical properties of composite materials based on porous silicon with iron, cobalt, and nickel deposited by the sol-gel technique are studied. It is shown that the deposition of metal-oxide films onto the surface of porous silicon enables stabilization of the photoluminescence and an increase in its intensity, as well as the storage of hydrogen in the porous layer.     

Mechanical behavior of mismatch strain-driven microcantilever

A model of mechanical behavior of microcantilever due to mismatch strain during deposition of MEMS structures is derived. First, a microcantilever, modeled as an Euler-Bernoulli beam, is subjected to deposition of another material and a linear ordinary differential equation which considers the through-thickness variation of the mismatch strain is derived. Second, the deposition analysis is experimentally realized by electroplating of nickel onto an atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilever beam. Young's modulus of the electroplated nickel film is determined by using Sader's method and elementary beam theory. The deflection of the AFM cantilever is in-situ measured as a function of the electroplated thin film thickness through the optical method of AFM and the mismatch strain with the through-thickness variation is determined from the experiment results.     

Surface‐Enhanced Raman Scattering Using Microstructured Optical Fiber Substrates

Microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) represent a promising platform technology for fully integrated next generation surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors and plasmonic devices. In this paper we demonstrate silver nanoparticle substrates for SERS detection within MOF templates with exceptional temporal and mechanical stability, using organometallic precursors and a high‐pressure chemical deposition technique. These 3D substrates offer significant benefits over conventional planar detection geometries, with the long electromagnetic interaction lengths of the optical guided fiber modes exciting multiple plasmon resonances along the fiber. The large Raman response detected when analyte molecules are infiltrated within the structures can be directly related to the deposition profile of the nanoparticles within the MOFs via electrical characterization.     

Efficient wavelength conversion with high-power passivelyQ-switched diode-pumped neodymium lasers

Powerful CW diode-pumped Nd:YAG and Nd:YVO4 lasers Q-switched by Cr:YAG saturable absorbers demonstrate efficient (30%-60%) harmonic and parametric conversion, generating hundreds of milliwatts from ultraviolet to mid-infrared     

Analysis of Iddq failures by spectral photon emission microscopy

In this work, a fast identification of I_ddq failures using spectroscopic photon emission microscopy (SPEMMI) is proposed. The spectra obtained from failure sites on the I_ddq failed chips were compared with the ones of known defective components. Four distinguishable spectra categories were identified. They were attributed to gate oxide breakdown, metal shorts, blackbody radiation, and ESD caused junction spiking. The focused ion beam (FIB) technique was used to look at the damage sites for confirmation of the SPEMMI results.