Versatile threshold voltage control of OTFTs via discontinuous pn-heterojunction formation

We demonstrate the versatility of the threshold voltage control for organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) based on formation of discontinuous pn-heterojunction on the active channel layer. By depositing n-type dioctyl perylene tetracarboxylic diimide molecules discontinuously onto base p-type pentacene thin films (the formation of the discontinuous pn-heterojunction), a positive shift of the threshold voltage was attained which enabled realizing a depletion-mode transistor from an original enhancement-mode pristine pentacene transistor. Careful control of the threshold voltage based on this method led assembling a depletion-load inverter comprising a depletion-mode transistor and an enhancement-mode transistor connected in series that yielded tunable signal inversion voltage approaching 0 V. In addition, the tunability could be applied to improve the program/erase signal ratio for non-volatile transistor memories by more than 4 orders of magnitude compared to reference memory devices made of pristine pentacene transistors.     

Low‐Temperature Processable High‐Performance Electrochemically Deposited p‐Type Cuprous Oxides Achieved by Incorporating a Small Amount of Antimony

The development of an electrochemically robust method for the low‐temperature deposition of cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) thin films with reliable and conductive p‐type characteristics could yield breakthroughs in earth abundant and ecofriendly all oxide‐based photoelectronic devices. The incorporation of the group‐V element antimony (Sb) in the solution‐based electrodeposition process has been investigated. A small amount of Sb (1.2 at%) in the Cu₂O resulted in rapid nucleation and coalescence at the initial stage of electrochemical reaction, and finally made the surface morphology smooth in 2D. The growth behavior changed due to Sb addition and produced a strong diffraction intensity, single‐domain‐like diffraction patterns, and low angle tilt boundaries in the Cu₂O:Sb film, implying extremely improved crystallinity. As a result, these films exhibited extraordinary optical transmittance and band‐to‐band photoluminescence emission as well as higher electrical conductivity. The Cu/Cu₂O:Sb Schottky diode showed good rectifying characteristics and more sensible photoresponsibility.     

HV‐SoP Technology for Maskless Fine‐Pitch Bumping Process

Recently, we have witnessed the gradual miniaturization of electronic devices. In miniaturized devices, flip‐chip bonding has become a necessity over other bonding methods. For the electrical connections in miniaturized devices, fine‐pitch solder bumping has been widely studied. In this study, high‐volume solder‐on‐pad (HV‐SoP) technology was developed using a novel maskless printing method. For the new SoP process, we used a special material called a solder bump maker (SBM). Using an SBM, which consists of resin and solder powder, uniform bumps can easily be made without a mask. To optimize the height of solder bumps, various conditions such as the mask design, oxygen concentration, and processing method are controlled. In this study, a double printing method, which is a modification of a general single printing method, is suggested. The average, maximum, and minimum obtained heights of solder bumps are 28.3 μm, 31.7 μm, and 26.3 μm, respectively. It is expected that the HV‐SoP process will reduce the costs for solder bumping and will be used for electrical interconnections in fine‐pitch flip‐chip bonding.     

Wi-Fi fingerprint using radio map model based on MDLP and euclidean distance based on the Chi squared test

Wireless Networks - The Wi-Fi fingerprint, which can be used on existing wireless networks, is one of the main indoor positioning techniques that utilizes the received signal strength (RSS). In...     

Conductive adhesive with transient liquid‐phase sintering technology for high‐power device applications

A highly reliable conductive adhesive obtained by transient liquid‐phase sintering (TLPS) technologies is studied for use in high‐power device packaging. TLPS involves the low‐temperature reaction of a low‐melting metal or alloy with a high‐melting metal or alloy to form a reacted metal matrix. For a TLPS material (consisting of Ag‐coated Cu, a Sn96.5‐Ag3.0‐Cu0.5 solder, and a volatile fluxing resin) used herein, the melting temperature of the metal matrix exceeds the bonding temperature. After bonding of the TLPS material, a unique melting peak of TLPS is observed at 356 °C, consistent with the transient behavior of Ag₃Sn + Cu₆Sn₅ → liquid + Cu₃Sn reported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The TLPS material shows superior thermal conductivity as compared with other commercially available Ag pastes under the same specimen preparation conditions. In conclusion, the TLPS material can be a promising candidate for a highly reliable conductive adhesive in power device packaging because remelting of the SAC305 solder, which is widely used in conventional power modules, is not observed.     

Highly Fluorescent and Color‐Tunable Exciplex Emission from Poly(N‐vinylcarbazole) Film Containing Nanostructured Supramolecular Acceptors

Highly fluorescent excited‐state charge‐transfer complexes (exciplexes) formed at the interfacial region between a polymeric donor matrix, here, poly(N‐vinylcarbazole), and embedded nanostructured acceptors are characterized for their photophysical properties. Exciplex‐to‐exciton emission switching is observed after solvent vapor annealing (SVA) due to the size evolution of the nanostructures beyond the exciton diffusion length. Color‐tunable exiplex emission (sky blue, green, and orange) is demonstrated for three different nanostructured acceptors with the same HOMO–LUMO gap (i.e., the same blue excitonic emission) but with different electron affinity. White‐emitting poly(N‐vinylcarbazole) film is also fabricated, simply by incorporating mixed supramolecular acceptors, which provide independent exciplex emissions. This study presents important insights into the excited‐state intermolecular interaction at the well‐defined nanoscale interface and suggests an efficient way to obtain multicolored exciplex emissions.     

A Review of Three‐Dimensional Resistive Switching Cross‐Bar Array Memories from the Integration and Materials Property Points of View

Issues in the circuitry, integration, and material properties of the two‐dimensional (2D) and three‐dimensional (3D) crossbar array (CBA)‐type resistance switching memories are described. Two important quantitative guidelines for the memory integration are provided with respect to the required numbers of signal wires and sneak current paths. The advantage of 3D CBAs over 2D CBAs (i.e., the decrease in effect memory cell size) can be exploited only under certain limited conditions due to the increased area and layout complexity of the periphery circuits. The sneak current problem can be mitigated by the adoption of different voltage application schemes and various selection devices. These have critical correlations, however, and depend on the involved types of resistance switching memory. The problem is quantitatively dealt with using the generalized equation for the overall resistance of the parasitic current paths. Atomic layer deposition is discussed in detail as the most feasible fabrication process of 3D CBAs because it can provide the device with the necessary conformality and atomic‐level accuracy in thickness control. Other subsidiary issues related to the line resistance, maximum available current, and fabrication technologies are also reviewed. Finally, a summary and outlook on various other applications of 3D CBAs are provided.     

Fano Decoding with Timeout: Queuing Analysis

In mobile communications, a class of variable‐complexity algorithms for convolutional decoding known as sequential decoding algorithms is of interest since they have a computational time that could vary with changing channel conditions. The Fano algorithm is one well‐known version of a sequential decoding algorithm. Since the decoding time of a Fano decoder follows the Pareto distribution, which is a heavy‐tailed distribution parameterized by the channel signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), buffers are required to absorb the variable decoding delays of Fano decoders. Furthermore, since the decoding time drawn by a certain Pareto distribution can become unbounded, a maximum limit is often employed by a practical decoder to limit the worst‐case decoding time. In this paper, we investigate the relations between buffer occupancy, decoding time, and channel conditions in a system where the Fano decoder is not allowed to run with unbounded decoding time. A timeout limit is thus imposed so that the decoding will be terminated if the decoding time reaches the limit. We use discrete‐time semi‐Markov models to describe such a Fano decoding system with timeout limits. Our queuing analysis provides expressions characterizing the average buffer occupancy as a function of channel conditions and timeout limits. Both numerical and simulation results are provided to validate the analytical results.     

The Characteristics of Cu2O Thin Films Deposited Using RF‐Magnetron Sputtering Method with Nitrogen‐Ambient

We investigate the characteristics of Cu₂O thin films deposited through the addition of N₂ gas. The addition of N₂ gas has remarkable effects on the phase changes, resulting in improved electrical and optical properties. An intermediate phase (6CuO·Cu₂O) appears at a N₂ flow rate of 1 sccm, and a Cu₂O (200) phase is then preferentially grown at a higher feeding amount of N₂. The optical and electrical properties of Cu₂O thin films are improved with a sufficient N₂ flow rate of more than 15 sccm, as confirmed through various analyses. Under this condition, a high bandgap energy of 2.58 eV and a conductivity of 1.5×10^?2 S/cm are obtained. These high‐quality Cu₂O thin films are expected to be applied to Cu₂O‐based heterojunction solar cells and optical functional films.