Leakage mechanisms in the heavily doped gated diode structures

A leakage current model is presented which shows very good agreement with reported experimental results on gated diode structures with contemporary ULSI dimensions. The leakage current is modeled as the Shockley-Read-Hall generation current, enhanced by the Poole-Frenkel effect and trap-assisted tunneling. The model shows very good agreement on gate voltage, temperature, and oxide thickness dependence for the normal operating voltage range. It is found from the model that the doping range from 2×10¹⁸ to 1×10¹⁹ cm ^-3 gives the most significant degradation to the leakage characteristics in trench-type DRAM cells and the drain of MOSFETs     

Water-transport in outer micro-porous layers for direct methanol fuel cells

The outer micro-porous layer (MPL) between the gas diffusion layer and channel of the bipolar plate was studied for both sides of the electrodes in DMFC, with particular attention to the effects of the hydrophobicity of the MPL on mass transport as well as cell performance. Water-transport behavior from the electrodes to the channel was observed through the transparent window of the single cell with membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs) including three combinations of outer MPLs. The crossover amount of methanol as well as water through the membrane was measured, and the mass balance, based on the measured flux, was established to understand the mass transport in MEAs. The design of outer MPLs is discussed for the best cell performance.     

Robust reconstruction of low-resolution document images by exploiting repetitive character behaviour

In this paper, we present a new approach for reconstructing low-resolution document images. Unlike other conventional reconstruction methods, the unknown pixel values are not estimated based on their local surrounding neighbourhood, but on the whole image. In particular, we exploit the multiple occurrence of characters in the scanned document. In order to take advantage of this repetitive behaviour, we divide the image into character segments and match similar character segments to filter relevant information before the reconstruction. A great advantage of our proposed approach over conventional approaches is that we have more information at our disposal, which leads to a better reconstruction of the high-resolution (HR) image. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness of our proposed method, which is expressed in a better optical character recognition (OCR) accuracy and visual superiority to other traditional interpolation and restoration methods.     

Preparation and characterization of Y2O3 hollow spheres

Y₂O₃ hollow spheres are prepared by coating the anionic poly (styrene-methyl acrylic acid) (PSA-A) latex with an amorphous yttrium layer and subsequent calcining at elevated temperatures in air. The aging temperature, aging time, the concentrations of Y(III) and urea are systematically varied to establish the optimum conditions for the formation of the coating shell. Zeta potential measurement, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and infrared measurements are used to characterize the PSA-A latex, core-shell spheres and Y₂O₃ hollow spheres. A mechanism for the formation of the PSA-A/yttrium compounds core-shell spheres is suggested. The key factor to prepare smooth-coated spheres is obtained.     

Microwave-assisted synthesis of highly water-soluble graphene towards electrical DNA sensor

Graphene sheets have the potential for practical applications in electrochemical devices, but their development has been impeded by critical problems with aggregation of graphene sheets. Here, we demonstrated a facile and bottom-up approach for fabrication of DNA sensor device using water-soluble sulfonated reduced graphene oxide (SRGO) sheets via microwave-assisted sulfonation (MAS), showing enhanced sensitivity, reliability, and low detection limit. Key to achieving these performances is the fabrication of the SRGOs, where the MAS method enabled SRGOs to be highly dispersed in water (10 mg mL(-1)) due to the acidic sulfonated groups generated within 3 min of the functionalization reaction. The water-soluble SRGO-DNA (SRGOD) hybrids prepared by electrostatic interactions between a flat single layer of graphene sheets and DNAs are suitable for fabrication of electrical DNA sensor devices because of the unique electrical characteristics of SRGODs. The high sensing performance of SRGOD sensors was demonstrated with detection of DNA hybridization using complementary DNAs, single base mismatched DNAs, and noncomplementary DNAs, with results showing higher sensitivity and lower detection limit than those of reduced graphene oxide-based DNA sensors. Simple and easy fabrication of DNA sensor devices using SRGODs is expected to provide an effective way for electrical detection of DNA hybridization using miniature sensors without the labor-intensive labeling of the sensor and complex measurement equipment.     

Ring-rolling design of yaw ring for wind turbines

In this work, a ring-rolling process to formulate ring-shaped components for a wind turbine is designed by means of a simulation and in an experimental approach. The target of the ring-rolling design is a yaw ring with an outer diameter of approximately 3,130 mm. The ring-rolling design includes the design of the geometry and the optimization of the process variables. A calculation method was used for the geometry design, in this case for the initial billet and the pre-form (or blank) sizes, and for the final rolled ring shape. Also, a deformation map-based approach was utilized to determine the initial ring-rolling temperature and feed rate of the mandrel. A three-dimensional finite element method was used to predict the formation of rolling defects and the deformed shape in the ring-rolled components. The design criteria are to achieve uniform distributions of the strains and temperatures as well as defect-free ring-shaped components. Finally, an optimum process design to obtain a sound large-scale yaw ring without defects is proposed. It is validated by comparisons between the experimental data and the FE analysis results.     

Universal Route to Impart Orthogonality to Polymer Semiconductors for Sub‐Micrometer Tandem Electronics

A universal method that enables utilization of conventional photolithography for processing a variety of polymer semiconductors is developed. The method relies on imparting chemical and physical orthogonality to a polymer film via formation of a semi‐interpenetrating diphasic polymer network with a bridged polysilsesquioxane structure, which is termed an orthogonal polymer semiconductor gel. The synthesized gel films remain tolerant to various chemical and physical etching processes involved in photolithography, thereby facilitating fabrication of high‐resolution patterns of polymer semiconductors. This method is utilized for fabricating tandem electronics, including pn‐complementary inverter logic devices and pixelated polymer light‐emitting diodes, which require deposition of multiple polymer semiconductors through solution processes. This novel and universal method is expected to significantly influence the development of advanced polymer electronics requiring sub‐micrometer tandem structures.