Gate CD Control Considering Variation of Gate and STI Structure

We developed a fab-wide advanced process control system to control the critical dimension (CD) of gate electrode length in semiconductors. We also developed a model equation that predicts the gate CD by considering the structures of gate electrode and shallow trench isolation. This prediction model was also used to perform a factor analysis of gate CD variation. The effectiveness of the model in controlling feedforward was evaluated by both simulation and experiment. The CD variation of the wafers was improved from 8.9 nm in its 3 sigma without control to 3.5 nm with lot-to-lot feedforward control.     

Identification and sensory evaluation of flavour enhancers in Japanese traditional dried herring (Clupea pallasii) fillet

Flavour-enhancing components of dried herring fillet (migaki-nishin in Japanese) were isolated and evaluated for their effects on sensory perception. Sensory evaluation revealed that addition of dried herring fillet water-soluble extracts to Japanese noodle soup significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced soup flavour characters, such as thickness, mouthfulness and continuity. The extracts were fractionated by dialysis and chromatography. Fractions containing flavour enhancers were isolated by sensory perception. Results from instrumental analyses showed that the kokumi flavour enhancers in dried herring fillet were creatine and creatinine.     

Transport phenomena within the porous cathode for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell

A two-phase, one-dimensional steady model is developed to analyze the coupled phenomena of cathode flooding and mass-transport limiting for the porous cathode electrode of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell. In the model, the catalyst layer is treated not as an interface between the membrane and gas diffusion layer, but as a separate computational domain with finite thickness and pseudo-homogenous structure. Furthermore, the liquid water transport across the porous electrode is driven by the capillary force based on Darcy's law. And the gas transport is driven by the concentration gradient based on Fick's law. Additionally, through Tafel kinetics, the transport processes of gas and liquid water are coupled. From the numerical results, it is found that although the catalyst layer is thin, it is very crucial to better understand and more correctly predict the concurrent phenomena inside the electrode, particularly, the flooding phenomena. More importantly, the saturation jump at the interface of the gas diffusion layer and catalyst layers is captured, when the continuity of the capillary pressure is imposed on the interface. Elsewise, the results show further that the flooding phenomenon in the CL is much more serious than that in the GDL, which has a significant influence on the mass transport of the reactants. Moreover, the saturation level inside the cathode is determined, to a great extent, by the surface overpotential, the absolute permeability of the porous electrode, and the boundary value of saturation at the gas diffusion layer-gas channel interface. In order to prevent effectively flooding, it should remove firstly the liquid water accumulating inside the CL and keep the boundary value of liquid saturation as low as possible.     

Microbiota during fermentation of chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) sauce mash inoculated with halotolerant microbial starters: Analyses using the plate count method and PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)

Nine different combinations of mugi koji (barley steamed and molded with Aspergillus oryzae) and halotolerant microorganisms (HTMs), Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, Candida versatilis, and Tetragenococcus halophilus, were inoculated into chum salmon sauce mash under a non-aseptic condition used in industrial fish sauce production and fermented at 35 ± 2.5 °C for 84 days to elucidate the microbial dynamics (i.e., microbial count and microbiota) during fermentation. The viable count of halotolerant yeast (HTY) in fermented chum salmon sauce (FCSS) mash showed various time courses dependent on the combination of the starter microorganisms. Halotolerant lactic acid bacteria (HTL) were detected morphologically and physiologically only from FCSS mash inoculated with T. halophilus alone or with T. halophilus and C. versatilis during the first 28 days of fermentation. Only four fungal species, Z. rouxii, C. versatilis, Pichia guilliermondii, and A. oryzae, were detected throughout the fermentation by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). In FCSS mash, dominant HTMs, especially eumycetes, were nonexistent. However, under the non-aseptic conditions, undesirable wild yeast such as P. guilliermondii grew fortuitously. Therefore, HTY inoculation into FCSS mash at the beginning of fermentation is effective in preventing the growth of wild yeast and the resultant unfavorable flavor.     

Evaluation of skin irritation and sensitization of two diol solutions used as experimental dentin primers in humans and guinea pigs

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the safety of ethylene glyco (EG) and 1,6-hexanediol (HD) solutions as experimental dentin primers when subjected to the guinea pig maximization test (GPMT), primary irritation test, cumulative skin irritation test and human patch test. No primary and cumulative skin irritation resulting from the use of 62.5% EG or 45% HD solutions was observed. In the case of GPMT, the animals sensitized with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (2-HEMA) responded to 100% HD. 62.5% EG and 45% HD as dentin primers were safer than 2-HEMA such as a methacrylic primer.     

Continuous-wave operation of 1.30μm GaAsSb/GaAs VCSELs

1.30 μm VCSELs using GaAsSb quantum wells, which operate continuous-wave at and above room temperature (RT), are reported. A threshold current as low as 1.2 mA at RT and a maximum CW operating temperature of 70°C are demonstrated     

THz Induced Nonlinear Effects in Materials at Intensities above 26 GW/cm<Superscript>2</Superscript>

Nonlinear refractive index and absorption coefficient are measured for common semiconductor material such as silicon and organic molecule such as lactose in the terahertz (THz) spectral regime extending from 0.1 to 3 THz. Terahertz pulses with field strengths in excess of 4.4 MV/cm have been employed. Transmittance and the transmitted spectrum were measured with Z-scan and single shot noncollinear electro-optic pump-probe techniques. The THz-induced change in the refractive index (Δn) shows frequency-dependence and a maximum change of \(-~0.128\) at 1.37 THz in lactose and up to \(+~0.169\) at 0.15 THz in silicon was measured for a peak incident THz intensity of 26 GW/cm². Furthermore, the refractive index variation shows a quadratic dependence on the incident THz field, implying the dominance of third-order nonlinearity.