In?Situ Synchrotron Characterization of Melting, Dissolution, and Resolidification in Lead-Free Solders

Melting and solidification of SAC 305 lead-free solder joints in a wafer-level chip-scale package were examined in situ with synchrotron x-ray diffraction. The chips with balls attached (but not assembled to a circuit board) were reflowed one to three times using a temperature and time history similar to an industrial reflow process. Diffraction patterns from the same joint were collected every 0.5 s during the melting and solidification process. The solidification of the Sn phase in the solder joint occurred between 0.5 s and 1 s. During melting, most of the Sn melted in about 0.5 s, but in some cases took 2–5 s for the Sn peak to completely disappear. In one instance, the Sn peak persisted for 30 s. The Ag₃Sn peaks dissolved in about 1–2 s, but the Cu₆Sn₅ peaks from the interface were persistent and did not change throughout the melting and solidification process. Completely different Sn crystal orientations were always developed upon resolidification.     

Phthalocyanine‐Based 2D Conjugated Metal‐Organic Framework Nanosheets for High‐Performance Micro‐Supercapacitors

2D conjugated metal‐organic frameworks (2D c‐MOFs) are emerging as a novel class of conductive redox‐active materials for electrochemical energy storage. However, developing 2D c‐MOFs as flexible thin‐film electrodes have been largely limited, due to the lack of capability of solution‐processing and integration into nanodevices arising from the rigid powder samples by solvothermal synthesis. Here, the synthesis of phthalocyanine‐based 2D c‐MOF (Ni₂[CuPc(NH)₈]) nanosheets through ball milling mechanical exfoliation method are reported. The nanosheets feature with average lateral size of ≈160 nm and mean thickness of ≈7 nm (≈10 layers), and exhibit high crystallinity and chemical stability as well as a p‐type semiconducting behavior with mobility of ≈1.5 cm² V^?1 s^?1 at room temperature. Benefiting from the ultrathin feature, the nanosheets allow high utilization of active sites and facile solution‐processability. Thus, micro‐supercapacitor (MSC) devices are fabricated mixing Ni₂[CuPc(NH)₈] nanosheets with exfoliated graphene, which display outstanding cycling stability and a high areal capacitance up to 18.9 mF cm^?2; the performance surpasses most of the reported conducting polymers‐based and 2D materials‐based MSCs.     

Interfacial charges and electric field distribution in organic hetero-layer light-emitting devices

The electric field distribution in organic hetero-layer light-emitting devices based on N,N^′-diphenyl-N,N^′-bis(1-naphtyl)-1,1^′-biphenyl-4,4^′-diamine (NPB) and 8-tris-hydroxyquinoline aluminium (Alq₃) has been investigated under different bias conditions using capacitance–voltage measurements. Although this method yields primarily information on the differential capacitance, the data give clear evidence for the presence of negative interfacial charges with a density of 6.8×10¹¹e cm⁻² at the NPB/Alq₃ interface at large reverse bias. This leads to a jump of the electric field at the interface and a non-uniform field distribution in the hetero-layer device.     

Optimal DLC protocol configuration for realistic broadband fixed wireless access networks based on ATM

DLC protocols, scheduling, and multiplexing issues for broadband fixed wireless access networks based on ATM are discussed. The established DSA++ mac protocol has been developed at ComNets and has been widely applied within the German project ATMmobil. It has been a fundamental contribution to the etsi bran standardisation of HIPERLAN /2. The DSA++ is here modified to perform optimal within the fixed wireless access network environment. Therefore, realistic traffic as well as radio channel models for the respective scenarios are introduced. Simulation results are presented, showing the feasibility of the respective protocol stack for offering broadband multimedia services with reasonable quality of service. In addition to this advanced protocol approach, two systems are discussed which are currently under standardisation process. The IEEE 802.16 as well as the European hiperaccess systems are both proposed for fixed wireless access networks. Expected scenarios and applications are presented and basic requirements the standards have to fulfil are derived. As another aspect of access networks, their impact on the global information society is discussed.     

Cellulose‐Based Ionogels for Paper Electronics

A new class of biofriendly ionogels produced by gelation of microcellulose thin films with tailored 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium methylphosphonate ionic liquids are demonstrated. The cellulose ionogels show promising properties for application in flexible electronics, such as transparency, flexibility, transferability, and high specific capacitances of 5 to 15 μF cm^?2. They can be laminated onto any substrate such as multilayer‐coated paper and act as high capacitance dielectrics for inorganic (spray‐coated ZnO and colloidal ZnO nanorods) and organic (poly[3‐hexylthiophene], P3HT) electrolyte‐gated field‐effect transistors (FETs), that operate at very low voltages (<2 V). Field‐effect mobilities in ionogel‐gated spray‐coated ZnO FETs reach 75 cm² V^?1 s^?1 and a typical increase of mobility with decreasing specific capacitance of the ionogel is observed. Solution‐processed, colloidal ZnO nanorods and laminated cellulose ionogels enable the fabrication of the first electrolyte‐gated, flexible circuits on paper, which operate at bending radii down to 1.1 mm.     

Catalytically Doped Semiconductors for Chemical Gas Sensing: Aerogel‐Like Aluminum‐Containing Zinc Oxide Materials Prepared in the Gas Phase

Atmospheric contamination with organic compounds is undesired in industry and in society because of odor nuisance or potential toxicity. Resistive gas sensors made of semiconducting metal oxides are effective in the detection of gases even at low concentration. Major drawbacks are low selectivity and missing sensitivity toward a targeted compound. Acetaldehyde is selected due to its high relevance in chemical industry and its toxic character. Considering the similarity between gas‐sensing and heterogeneous catalysis (surface reactions, activity, selectivity), it is tempting to transfer concepts. A question of importance is how doping and the resulting change in electronic properties of a metal‐oxide support with semiconducting properties alters reactivity of the surfaces and the functionality in gas‐sensing and in heterogeneous catalysis. A gas‐phase synthesis method is employed for aerogel‐like zinc oxide materials with a defined content of aluminum (n‐doping), which were then used for the assembly of gas sensors. It is shown that only Al‐doped ZnO represents an effective sensor material that is sensitive down to very low concentrations (<350 ppb). The advance in properties relates to a catalytic effect for the doped semiconductor nanomaterial.     

Optical reconstruction of high-speed surface dynamics in an uncontrollable environment

The ability to communicate with our voice can be regarded as the concatenation of the two processes "phonation" and "modulation." These take place in the larynx and palatal and oral region, respectively. During phonation the audible primary voice signal is created by mutual reaction of vocal folds with the exhaled air stream of the lungs. The underlying interactions of masses, fluids and acoustics have yet to be identified and understood. One part of the primary signal's acoustical source are vortex induced vibrations, as e.g., created by the Coand?effect in the air stream. The development of these vorteces is determined by the shape and 3-D movements of the vocal folds in the larynx. Current clinical in vivo research methods for vocal folds do not deliver data of satisfactory quality for fundamental research, e.g., an endoscope is limited to 2-D image information. Based hereupon, a few improved methods have been presented, however delivering only selective 3-D information, either for a single point or a line. This stands in contrast to the 3-D motions of the entire vocal fold surface. More complex imaging methods, such as MRI, do not deliver information in real-time. Thus, it is necessary to develop an easily applicable, more improved examination method, which allows for 3-D data of the vocal folds surfaces to be obtained. We present a method to calibrate a 3-D reconstruction setup including a laser projection system and a high-speed camera. The setup is designed with miniaturization and an in vivo application in mind. The laser projection system generates a divergent grid of 196 laser dots by diffraction gratings. It is calibrated with a planar calibration target through planar homography. In general, the setup allows to reconstruct the topology of a surface at high frame rates (up to 4000 frames per second) and in uncontrollable environments, as e.g., given by the lighting situation (little to no ambient light) and varying texture (e.g., varying grade of reflection) in the human larynx. In particular, this system measures the 3-D vocal fold surface dynamics during phonation. Applied to synthetic data, the calibration is shown to be robust (error approximately 0.5 μm) regarding noise and systematic errors. Experimental data gained with a linear z -stage proved that the system reconstructs the 3-D coordinates of points with an error at approximately 15 μm. The method was applied exemplarily to reconstruct porcine and artificial vocal folds' surfaces during phonation. Local differences such as asymmetry between left and right fold dynamics, as well as global parameters, such as opening and closing speed and maximum displacements, were identified and quantified.     

Moderne Massenspektrometer in Vakuum‐Applikationen

Modern mass spectrometers in vacuum applications The article describes the functionality of quadrupole mass spectrometers and their usage in different applications. Several examples illustrate the importance of careful interpretation of the respective spectra. Some applications allow the direct installation into a vacuum chamber while other applications require an external pump system which is only weakly connected to the vacuum chamber.     

Relation between the structure of matrices and their mechanical relaxation mechanisms during the glass transition of biomaterials: A review

It has been demonstrated that industrial polysaccharides (agarose, deacylated gellan and κ-carrageenan) form networks of reduced enthalpic content in the presence of high levels of non-crystallizing co-solute (e.g., glucose syrup) that exhibit time-temperature dependent behaviour of a typical rubberlike polymer. In contrast, amylose holds its structural characteristics unaltered and does not reach a state of molecular mixing with glucose syrup, with morphological features being those of a micro phase-separated mixture. Variation in phase morphology and density of intermolecular associations leads to entropic or enthalpic viscoelasticity in systems, and it was utilised to define distinct classes of food related biomaterials exhibiting an extensive glass transition region or absence of vitrification phenomena. The approach was extended to encompass the experimental parameters of a porous matrix and the application of hydrostatic pressure. In the former, work discusses discrepancies in the T_g - porosity relationship attributable to the different extent to which the two techniques of calorimetry and mechanical spectroscopy respond to degrees of molecular mobility. In the latter, it was shown that the time-temperature-pressure equivalence of synthetic amorphous polymers is not operational in the glass-like behaviour of high sugar systems in the presence of gelatin or gelling polysaccharides. The existing body of evidence allowed quantitative treatment of results based on the asymmetric distribution theory of molecular relaxation time that identifies the chemical fingerprint of the local motions operating at the vicinity of T_g. Furthermore, the diffusional mobility of a bioactive compound within a glassy matrix could be followed in relation to temperature induced changes in free volume using the time-temperature superposition principle.