Monolithic two-dimensional GaAs/AIGaAs laser arrays fabricated by chlorine lon-beam-assisted micromachining

Chlorine ion-beam-assisted etching (IBAE) has been used to micromachine laser facets and deflecting mirrors for monolithic two-dimensional GaAs/AIGaAs laser arrays. Three laser cavity/deflector designs have been successfully implemented. The first utilizes a parabolic deflecting mirror to directly focus the laser radiation; the second consists of a folded cavity with a vertical facet, a top surface facet, and an internal 45° reflector; and the third has a folded cavity with an internal Al_0.2Ga_0.8As/Al_0.8Ga_0.2As dielectric mirror stack and a top surface facet formed in a single etch step with two internal 45° reflectors. The parabolic deflecting mirrors are currently modeled forf- 0.8 collection efficiency, making the first design attractive in incoherent arrays for high-power applications such as pumping Nd:YAG lasers. The other two structures are of interest for incoherent or coherent arrays used in high- and medium-power applications, since the top surface facets can easily be antireflection coated. The design with a dielectric mirror stack is particularly simple to fabricate.     

Developing a conductive oxygen barrier for ferroelectric integration

For high-density FeRAM memories, the 1T–1C architecture has been proposed. In this scheme, the ferrocapacitor (FeCAP), a metal\ferroelectric film\metal-like sandwich, is placed directly on top of polysilicon or tungsten plugs contacted to the underlying CMOS technology. Our ferroelectric material of choice, SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ (SBT), requires crystallization anneals ranging from 650 to 800 °C in full oxygen. The bottom electrode (BE) needs to be conductive, as well as an oxygen barrier to protect the underlying plug from oxidation. We have developed a BE stack combination consisting of Pt/IrO₂/Ir/Ti(Al)N. Each layer plays a critical role in the performance of the barrier. Issues such as thermal expansion, stress relaxation, grain growth, and oxidation can be critical in order to have a working bottom electrode. For capacitor formation, the complete stack is etched and covered by SBT. Since all layers are in contact with SBT, it is important to understand how the ferroelectric interacts with both the individual layers and the combined structure. In this paper, we will present our understanding of the chemical reactivity between SBT and the BE stack, which has been successfully engineered to prevent oxidation of the underlying plug.     

A fast and reliable technique for muscle activity detection from surface EMG signals

The estimation of on-off timing of human skeletal muscles during movement is an important issue in surface electromyography (EMG) signal processing with relevant clinical applications. In this paper, a novel approach to address this issue is proposed. The method is based on the identification of single motor unit action potentials from the surface EMG signal with the use of the continuous wavelet transform. A manifestation variable is computed as the maximum of the outputs of a bank of matched filters at different scales. A threshold is applied to the manifestation variable to detect EMG activity. A model, based on the physical structure of the muscle, is used to test the proposed technique on synthetic signals with known features. The resultant bias of the onset estimate is lower than 40 ms and the standard deviation lower than 30 ms in case of additive colored Gaussian noise with signal-to-noise ratio as low as 2 dB. Comparison with previously developed methods was performed, and representative applications to experimental signals are presented. The method is designed for a complete real-time implementation and, thus, may be applied in clinical routine activity.     

Voltage pulses change neural interface properties and improve unit recordings with chronically implanted microelectrodes

Current neuroprosthetic systems based on electrophysiological recording have an extended, yet finite working lifetime. Some posited lifetime-extension solutions involve improving device biocompatibility or suppressing host immune responses. Our objective was to test an alternative solution comprised of applying a voltage pulse to a microelectrode site, herein termed "rejuvenation." Previously, investigators have reported preliminary electrophysiological results by utilizing a similar voltage pulse. In this study we sought to further explore this phenomenon via two methods: 1) electrophysiology; 2) an equivalent circuit model applied to impedance spectroscopy data. The experiments were conducted via chronically implanted silicon-substrate iridium microelectrode arrays in the rat cortex. Rejuvenation voltages resulted in increased unit recording signal-to-noise ratios (10%/spl plusmn/2%), with a maximal increase of 195% from 3.74 to 11.02. Rejuvenation also reduced the electrode site impedances at 1 kHz (67%/spl plusmn/2%). Neither the impedance nor recording properties of the electrodes changed on neighboring microelectrode sites that were not rejuvenated. In the equivalent circuit model, we found a transient increase in conductivity, the majority of which corresponded to a decrease in the tissue resistance component (44%/spl plusmn/7%). These findings suggest that rejuvenation may be an intervention strategy to prolong the functional lifetime of chronically implanted microelectrodes.     

Lead-free solder flip chip-on-laminate assembly and reliability

This paper examines the assembly process for flip chip die with SnAgCu solder bumps and the results of liquid-to-liquid thermal shock testing. The SnAgCu alloy required a thicker dip layer of flux to achieve good wetting compared to the SnPb eutectic alloy. A liquid spray flux yielded more consistent solder wetting with the SnAgCu alloy. With both fluxes, a nitrogen reflow atmosphere was necessary with the SnAgCu alloy. A peak reflow temperature of 246°C was used for the assembly of the SnAgCu thermal shock test vehicles. A lower peak temperature of 235°C did not yield sufficient solder wetting. Liquid-to-liquid thermal shock testing was performed from -40°C to +125°C. The SnPb alloy performed slightly better than the SnAgCu and the dip flux was better that the spray flux. The degree of delamination with the SnAgCu alloy was significantly higher than with the SnPb alloy. Cracks in the underfill between adjacent solder balls were observed. The SnPb alloy extruded into these cracks more readily than the SnAgCu and created electrical shorts     

Investigation of the Role of Void Formation at the Cu-to-Intermetallic Interface on Aged Drop Test Performance

Chip-scale packages (CSPs) are widely used in portable electronic products. Mechanical drop testing is a critical reliability requirement for these products. With the switch to lead-free solder, new reliability data must be generated. Most drop test reliability data reported for CSPs are for the as-built condition. However, the mechanical shock reliability over the life of the product is equally important. This paper provides a systematic study of surface finish (immersion Sn and immersion Ag) and reflow profile (cool down rate) on the drop test reliability of CSP assemblies. A limited experiment was also performed with organic solderability preservative (OSP)-coated boards. The Sn finish provides an initial Cu-Sn intermetallic layer, while the Ag finish and OSP coating allows the formation of the initial Cu-Sn intermetallic during the reflow cycle. Drop test results for assemblies as-built and as a function of aging at 125 degC are correlated with cross-sectional analysis of the solder joints. The mean number of drops to failure decreases by approximately 80% with aging at 125 degC through 480 h. Voids develop at the Cu-Sn intermetallic-to-Cu interface during high-temperature aging, but the crack path is through the intermetallic layer and does not propagate from void-to-void. Thus, it can be concluded that the voids do not contribute to the decrease in drop test survivability observed in this study     

Degradation of thermal interface materials for high-temperature power electronics applications

The specific thermal resistance values of several thermal interface materials (TIMs) intended to thermally enhance Cu contact pairs and their degradation under isothermal ageing at 170 °C have been investigated using Cu stack samples consisting of 10 Cu discs and 9 layers of the TIMs. The results obtained indicate that the specific thermal resistance values of the as-prepared Cu stack samples, one with conductive Ag thermal grease, one with Sn–3.5Ag solder joints and one with 25 μm thick Sn foil as TIMs are significantly lower than those of the Cu stack sample without any TIM. However, after the isothermal ageing at 170 °C for 90 days, the specific thermal resistance values of the samples with these TIMs are not substantially different from those of the sample without any TIM. Also reported in this paper is an estimation of testing errors for the specific thermal resistance values, microstructure characterization of the aged samples and effect of the degradation of these TIMs on the thermal performance of a high-temperature half bridge power switch module.     

Slot Routing as a Solution for Optically Transparent Scalable WDM Wide Area Networks*

All-optical Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) backbones are believed to be a fundamental component in future high speed networks. Currently, the most pursued approach for Wide Area Networks (WANs) is wavelength routing, in which communication circuits are established between node pairs by means of lightpaths (paths of light) spanning one or more fiber-optic links. This approach has, however, two drawbacks. Since the number of wavelengths and links in a network is finite, not all node pairs can be connected via a dedicated lightpath directly. Consequently, some node pairs will communicate using a concatenation of lightpaths, which requires electronic switching of in transit information, loosing the advantages of optical transparency. Secondly, typically some form of (electronic) traffic grooming will be necessary to make efficient use of the fixed lightpath capacity. This paper proposes to design all-optical WANs using a novel approach, called photonic slot routing. With photonic slot routing, entire slots, each carrying multiple packets on distinct wavelengths, are switched transparently and individually, using available fast and wavelength non-sensitive devices. The advantage of using photonic slot routing is threefold. All node pairs in the network communicate all-optically. Traffic aggregation necessary to efficiently use the capacity of the wavelength channels is optically achieved. The solution is practical as it is based on proven optical technologies. In addition, through the use of wavelength non-sensitive devices the proposed WAN design yields intrinsic scalability in the number of wavelengths.     

Reliability of large periphery GaN-on-Si HFETs

GaN devices exhibit excellent potential for use in many RF applications. However, commercial acceptance of the technology has been hindered by the scarcity and non-statistical nature of reliability results. In this work we present a full device level reliability study of GaN-on-Si HFETs. Reliability results on this technology include three-temperature DC data that show an activation energy of 1.7 eV and an average failure time >10⁷ h at 150 °C. Additionally, long duration DC lifetest (30 000 device hours) and RF lifetest (4000 device hours) results demonstrate a repeatable low drift process. Environmental tests such as autoclave and ESD demonstrate the ruggedness of the material system and technology. Finally, initial failure analysis is discussed.     

To Your Health: Self‐Regulation of Health Behavior Through Selective Exposure to Online Health Messages

Reaching target audiences is of crucial importance for the success of health communication campaigns, but individuals may avoid health messages if they challenge their beliefs or behaviors. A lab study (N = 419) examined effects of messages' consistency with participants' behavior and source credibility on selective exposure for 4 health lifestyle topics. Drawing on self‐regulation theory and dissonance theory, 3 motivations were examined: self‐bolstering, self‐motivating, and self‐defending. Prior behavior predicted selective exposure across topics, reflecting self‐bolstering. Standard‐behavior discrepancies also affected selective exposure, consistent with self‐motivating rather than self‐defending. Selective exposure to high‐credibility sources advocating for organic food, fruits and vegetable consumption, exercise, and limiting coffee all fostered accessibility of related standards, whereas messages from low‐credibility sources showed no such impact.