Fabrication and properties of one-mask-patterned ferroelectric integrated capacitors

A one-mask-patterned ferroelectric capacitor test structure designed with a 0.5-μm feature size was fabricated. Oxygen plasma treatment after dry etching decreased the leakage current to as low as that of as-deposited film. These one-mask-patterned ferroelectric capacitors, with switching charge almost equal to as-deposited film, were successfully fabricated. Ferroelectric memories as dense as dynamic random access memories will become possible with this technology. However, the leakage current density for micron-sized capacitors is 2 to 10 times that of large capacitors. The leakage current in small capacitors is increased due to perimeter leakage that runs through the damaged region on the capacitor sidewall. © Scripta Technica, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 121(1): 43–50, 1997     

Characteristics and modeling of Escherichia coli growth in pouched food

Characteristics of the growth kinetics of Escherichia coli cells in pouched mashed potatoes under various conditions were studied with a mathematical model. Bacterial cells were inoculated in sterile mashed potatoes and then sealed in vinyl pouches, in which a very small amount of air was included. The growth curves of cells in the pouched mashed potatoes at constant temperature (12-34 degrees C) were sigmoidal with time on a semi-logarithmic plot and were successfully described with a new logistic model recently developed by us. The rate constant of growth showed a highly linear relationship to the temperature with the square-root model, and the lag period was longer at lower temperatures. The growth curve in glass tubes containing a large volume of air was similar to that in pouches, showing that the rate of growth was not affected by the volume of the surrounding air. The growth curves in pouched mashed potatoes were very similar to those in nutrient broth or on the surface of nutrient agar, which we previously reported. These results suggested that the growth kinetics of the bacterial cells under various conditions of rich nutrition might be almost identical, and can be described with a simple growth model like ours.     

Spectral restoration and energy resolution improvement of electron energy-loss spectra by Pixon reconstruction: II. Application to practical ELNES analysis of low SNR

We applied Pixon deconvolution as introduced in Part I to several practical, examples of low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), electron energy-loss spectra with a goal toward restoring their fine spectral features and/or improving the energy resolution. We demonstrate that by directly fitting the two-dimensional spectral data recorded on the CCD; the method enables us to reveal fine spectral structures. Consequently, Pixon reconstruction extends the ability to probe electronic states in very spatially localized areas, a capability currently unique to our method.     

The Sliding Friction of Hybrid Composite Journal Bearing Under Various Test Conditions

The friction and wear behaviour of SiC, Si₃N₄ and SiC/Si₃N₄ composite ceramics were investigated with oscillating sliding (gross slip fretting) at room temperature. The influence of counter body material and the humidity of the surrounding air was studied with a ball-on-disc configuration with different ball materials (1000Cr6, Al₂O₃ SiC and Si₃N₄). The effect of RH on friction is marginal with exception of SiC (low friction) as counter body material. The wear behaviour, however, is strongly affected by humidity, showing inverse trends for different counter body materials. Consequently, the wear behaviour of a tribo couple can be improved by selecting an adequate mating material. The results reveal the necessity to control RH in tribological tests. For estimation of the performance of tribo couples under varying environmental conditions, a variation of RH is required. In tribo couples with single phase SiC, either as ball or disc, the tribological behaviour of the system is dominated by SiC. The friction behaviour of the composite material is in between the behaviour of the two single phase materials, Si₃N₄ and SiC, whereas the wear behaviour is very similar to that of single phase Si₃N₄.     

Automatic electron beam alignment adjustment system and automatic filament current adjustment system for electron beam welder

Recently, the electron beam welders with high acceleration voltage (more than 100 kV) and high electrical power (more than 15 kW) have been reviewed the role of the high-energy electron beam density again, due to space or aircraft development or automobile industry desired high productivity and high accurate welding for saving energy. NEC group have supplied these electron beam welders. This time, the automatic alignment adjustment system of the electron beam orbit and the automatic adjustment system of filament current were developed and put to a practical use. As a result, the great effectiveness for the stability of welding quality was apparent.     

LSI implementation of a low-power 4×4-bit array two-phase clocked adiabatic static CMOS logic multiplier

As the density and operating speed of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuits increases, dynamic power dissipation has become a critical concern in the design and development—of personal information systems and large computers. The reduction of supply voltage, node capacitance, and switching activity are common approaches used in conventional CMOS. In adiabatic switching circuits, the current flow through transistors can be significantly reduced by ensuring uniform charge transfer over the entire available time. This paper presents the simulation of this current in two-phase clocked adiabatic static CMOS logic (2PASCL) and conventional CMOS. From the SPICE simulations, at transition frequencies from 1 to 12 MHz, a 4×4-bit array 2PASCL multiplier shows a maximum reduction in power dissipation of 77% relative to that of a static CMOS. The measurement results of a 4×4-bit array 2PASCL multiplier demonstrate a 57% reduction compared to a 4×4-bit array two-phase clocked adiabatic dynamic CMOS logic (2PADCL). These results indicate that 2PASCL technology can be advantageous when applied to low-power digital devices operated at low frequencies, such as radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, smart cards, and sensors.     

Comparison of DNA sequencing analysis with phenotyping test for identification of yeasts isolated from foods

The identification of 20 strains of yeasts isolated from foods by means of DNA sequence analysis with two kinds of universal primers for the rDNA region was examined, and the results were compared with those of the conventional phenotyping test using API 20C AUX. In the analysis of the 26S region, all 20 yeast strains tested were identified at the species level. In the ITS1 region, 16 strains were also classified at the species level. In addition, all results of DNA sequence analysis were consistent with those of the phenotyping test at the genus level. Furthermore, DNA sequence analysis was able to identify causative yeasts observed in two suspect foods, though phenotyping tests alone failed to identify them.     

Effect of essential oil compounds and plant extracts on decay and termite resistance of wood

Essential oils and their derivatives have a long history of safe usage as antimicrobial agents in food industry. In this study various essential oils and extracts from plants were screened for their ability to inhibit wood decay and termite attack in laboratory decay and termite resistance tests using treated wood specimens. In the laboratory decay resistance tests, wood specimens treated with essential oil compounds were subjected to brown-rot fungus, Tyromyces palustris, and white-rot fungus, Trametes versicolor for three months. The specimens were also subjected to termite attack by subterranean termites, Coptotermes formosanus for three weeks in laboratory conditions. The formulation with cinnamaldehyde (DF3) was found to be effective against both the brown-rot and white-rot fungi used in the study. However, the formulation with cinnamic acid (DF8) was able to protect wood specimens against only the white rot fungus and about 50% mass loss occurred in the specimens subjected to the brown-rot fungus. The mass losses in the wood specimens treated with cassia oil containing formulation (DF4) showed that cassia oil was effective against both fungi. The wood tar oil and dodecanal compounds also inhibited fungal decay in the specimens. The wood specimens treated with the formulations used in termite resistance tests were more resistant against the termites when compared to specimens treated with the formulations in decay resistance tests. Even after severe weathering process, treated wood specimens showed resistance against the subterranean termites. Results suggest that essential oils and plant extracts might be important to develop new wood preservatives that are less harmful to the environment and humans than recently available ones.     

Dependence of Lanthanide-Ion Binding Performance on HDEHP Concentration in HDEHP Impregnation to Porous Sheet

An octadecylamino-group-introduced polymer chain grafted onto a porous sheet was impregnated with bis(2-ethylhexyl)hydrogen phosphate (HDEHP). A mixture of HDEHP and ethanol of various HDEHP concentrations was used for the impregnation. The porous sheet into which a C₁₈H₃₇NH group was introduced was immersed in HDEHP/ethanol solution before ethanol evaporation. The liquid permeability of a cartridge charged with the HDEHP-impregnated porous sheet in disk form prepared in 50 (v/v)% HDEHP/ethanol solution was 96% that of the starting-porous-disk-packed cartridge. The equilibrium binding capacity of the HDEHP-impregnated porous disk for yttrium ions was 0.32 mol per kg of the disk. In addition, the HDEHP-impregnated-porous-disc-packed cartridge was found to be applicable to the preconcentration of trace amounts of lanthanides in a multielement solution prior to their measurement by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.