Leakage mechanism in Cu damascene structure with methylsilane-dopedlow-K CVD oxide as intermetal dielectric

This letter investigates the leakage mechanism in the Cu damascene structure with methylsilane-doped low-k CVD organosilicate glass (OSG) as the intermetal dielectric (IMD). The leakage between Cu lines was found to be dominated by the Frenkel-Poole (F-P) emission in OSG for the structure using a 50-nm SiC etching stop layer (ESL). In the structure using a 50-nm SiN ESL, the leakage component through SiN also made a considerable contribution to the total leakage in addition to the bulk leakage from trapped electrons in OSG. An appropriate ESL of sufficient thickness is essential to reduce the leakage for application to a Cu damascene integration scheme     

Mechanisms and solutions to gate oxide degradation in flash memory by tunnel-oxide nitridation engineering

Increasing attention has been paid to the peripheral gate-oxide integrity degradation of Flash memory devices that is induced by the tunnel-oxide nitridation. In this letter, the mechanisms of tunnel-oxide nitridation-induced degradation are characterized. We report that both a local oxide thinning effect and nitrogen residue will impact the integrity of gate-oxide. Minimizing the local thinning effect with an in situ steam generation (ISSG) oxidation process and removing the nitrogen residues from the silicon wafer surface by either an additional sacrificial oxide process or over-dip are proven to be useful in recovering the gate-oxide integrity. An optimum approach with the tunnel-oxide nitridation is proposed in this work that results in comparable or even better gate-oxide property than other approaches that have no tunnel-oxide nitridation process.     

IPNs based on unsaturated polyester/epoxy: IV. Investigation on hydrogen bonding,compatability and interaction behavior

A series of interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) based on unsaturated polyester/epoxy have been developed. The compatibility and interaction behavior of these IPNs have been investigated by DMA, DSC, SEM, FTIR and solid‐state NMR spectroscopies. The glass transition temperatures of IPNs were decreased and their transitions became broader as the content of unsaturated polyester increased in IPNs, based on our DMA and DSC study. The results of FTIR indicate that hydrogen bonding is present between the unsaturated polyester and epoxy. Insufficient degree of hydrogen bonding brought about immiscibility between IPN components. The analysis of proton spin‐lattice relaxation time in the rotating frame of the IPNs was also utilized to investigate molecular interaction between unsaturated polyester and epoxy. From relaxation curves, phase separation was found for the IPN samples with unsaturated polyester content higher than 30 %. This corroborates the DMA and SEM study. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Flow visualization in an annulus between co-axis rotating cylinders with a circular jet on stationary outer cylinder

This work experimentally investigated the effects of jet flow and flow outlet configuration on the fluid flow in an annulus between co-axis rotating cylinders. By using the incense and the laser light, smoke flow visualization in a rotating annulus can be obtained. Firstly, the flow behavior in a rotating annular without jet flow and flow outlet was investigated. When Taylor number (Ta) exceeded 1708, the well-known Taylor vortices were successfully observed. Subsequently, the flow characteristics in a rotating annular with a jet flow and various flow outlet configurations were investigated. The circle jet nozzle was located at the middle position of the stationary outer cylinder. In addition, two flow outlet configurations were employed. One was the model of single outlet at the right side of the annulus, the other was the model of double outlets at both side of the annulus. The jet Reynolds number (Re) was 1351. The Taylor number (Ta) varied from 545 to 24,217. When the impinging force and the inertia force from the jet flow interacted with the Coriolis force and the centrifugal force due to rotation, the fluid flow should become very complicated. The experimental results indicated that the rapid rotation broke the original stream line of the jet flow. On the other hand, when the jet flow turned 90° to be the axial flow, it would suppress the onset of Taylor vortices. Finally, fixing the Re and Ta, the model of single outlet more suppressed the onset of Taylor vortices than the model of double outlets did.     

Thermal behavior in a 180-deg turned channel with the perforation divider under rotational condition

This study provided a new configuration of the 180-deg turned channel with a perforation divider. The perforations cross the divider let the coolant at the first duct to bypass into the second duct early, preventing from the local high temperature at the downstream zone. Additionally, the perforation-induced disturbing flow should enhance the total heat transfer. This work experimentally investigated the heat transfer behaviors of such system under the rotational condition. The results indicated that the perforation would reduce the raise of the local heat transfer at the turned region. Besides, the rotation would obviously influence the local heat transfer on the leading and trailing surfaces. Furthermore, the effect of rotation on the total heat transfer was insignificant. Finally, the perforation system with the relative perforation diameter d/D_h = 2/4 had the similar total heat-transfer capacity with that without perforation; the total heat-transfer capacity of the perforation system with d/D_h = 1/4 was around 20% higher than the non-perforation one.     

Novel KCND3 Variant Underlying Nonprogressive Congenital Ataxia or SCA19/22 Disrupt KV4.3 Protein Expression and K+ Currents with Variable Effects on Channel Properties

KCND3 encodes the voltage-gated potassium channel K_V4.3 that is highly expressed in the cerebellum, where it regulates dendritic excitability and calcium influx. Loss-of-function K_V4.3 mutations have been associated with dominant spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA19/22). By targeted NGS sequencing, we identified two novel KCND3 missense variants of the K_V4.3 channel: p.S347W identified in a patient with adult-onset pure cerebellar syndrome and p.W359G detected in a child with congenital nonprogressive ataxia. Neuroimaging showed mild cerebellar atrophy in both patients. We performed a two-electrode voltage-clamp recording of K_V4.3 currents in Xenopus oocytes: both the p.G345V (previously reported in a SCA19/22 family) and p.S347W mutants exhibited reduced peak currents by 50%, while no K+ current was detectable for the p.W359G mutant. We assessed the effect of the mutations on channel gating by measuring steady-state voltage-dependent activation and inactivation properties: no significant alterations were detected in p.G345V and p.S347W disease-associated variants, compared to controls. K_V4.3 expression studies in HEK293T cells showed 53% (p.G345V), 45% (p.S347W) and 75% (p.W359G) reductions in mutant protein levels compared with the wildtype. The present study broadens the spectrum of the known phenotypes and identifies additional variants for KCND3-related disorders, outlining the importance of SCA gene screening in early-onset and congenital ataxia.     

Characterizing the deformation behavior of Tertiary sandstones

Tertiary sandstones possess deformational behavior different from hard rocks, especially the relatively larger amount of volumetric dilation during shearing. Such excess dilation contributes to the increase of crown settlement during tunnel excavation and accounts for several cases of tunnel squeezing within Tertiary sandstones. Therefore, the deformation behavior of Tertiary sandstones sampled from more than 13 formations was studied. To distinguish the volumetric deformation induced by hydrostatic stress or by shear stress as well as to decompose the elastic and the plastic components of strains, special experimental techniques, including pure shear tests and cycles of loading–unloading were applied.The experimental results reveal that the deformation of Tertiary sandstone exhibits the following characteristics: (1) significant amount of shear dilation, especially elastic shear dilation; (2) non-linear elastic and plastic deformation; (3) plastic deformation occurs prior to the failure state. Furthermore, features of plastic deformation were inferred from experimental results and, as a result, the geometry of plastic potential surface and the hardening rule were accordingly determined. A constitutive model, involving nonlinear elastic/plastic deformation and volumetric deformation induced by shear stress, is proposed. This proposed model simulates the deformational behavior for the shear-dilation-typed rocks reasonably well. Furthermore, tests on the versatility of the proposed model, including varying hydrostatic stress and stress paths, indicate that the proposed model is capable of predicting deformational behavior for various conditions.     

Mechanical behaviour of SiC fibre-reinforced titanium/titanium aluminide hybrid composites

The viability of developing an SiC fibre-reinforced titanium/titanium aluminide hybrid matrix composite was explored. The hybrid composites are expected to be used at temperatures beyond those attainable in conventional titanium matrix composites while improving the damage tolerance of the titanium aluminide matrix composites. The room-temperature mechanical characteristics studied were tensile strength, fracture toughness, low-cycle fatigue life and fatigue crack growth rate. The mechanisms of damage initiation and propagation under various loading conditions were also characterized. The directions for developing a satisfactory composite with hybrid titanium/titanium aluminide matrix are also addressed.     

Comparisons of flavonoids and anti-oxidative activities in seed coat,embryonic axis and cotyledon of black soybeans

Flavonoids contents, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activities and the ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were compared in three black soybean varieties CRWD, Tainan 3 and Tainan 5. Varietal differences in antioxidant contents existed among the tested varieties. Variety CRWD accumulated more total phenolics (7.49 mg g⁻¹) and isoflavones (1.77 mg g⁻¹) than varieties Tainan 3 (7.05 mg g⁻¹ total phenolics and 1.58 mg g⁻¹ isoflavones) and Tainan 5 (4.38 mg g⁻¹ total phenolics and 0.63 mg g⁻¹ isoflavones). CRWD also accumulated more proanthocyanidins in seed coat than Tainan 3 and Tainan 5. CRWD also demonstrated greater DPPH and FRAP activities than the other two cultivars. Stepwise regressions indicated that both DPPH and FRAP activities were correlated well with the total contents of phenolics and flavonoids, with total phenolics being the most important anti-oxidative factor. The present results indicate that CRWD has greater anti-oxidative responses than Tainan 3 or Tainan 5, and is useful in functional food and other applications.