Flexible complementary inverter with low-temperature processable polymeric gate dielectric on a plastic substrate

We report low-temperature processability of poly(4-vinylphenol) based gate dielectric by investigating the effect of composition and processing temperature on the thermal, mechanical and electrical characteristics of the gate dielectric. We found that the processing temperature of the gate dielectric could be reduced up to 70 °C by optimizing the composition of the gate dielectric solution. Based on this finding, we have fabricated a flexible organic complementary inverter by integrating n- and p-type organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) with the low-temperature processable gate dielectric on a plastic substrate. Pentacene and F16CuPc were used as p-type and n-type semiconductor, respectively. The inverter shows that the swing range of V_out is same as V_DD, which ensures “zero” static power consumption in digital circuits. The logic threshold of the inverter with G5 gate dielectric cured at 70 °C is 21.0 V and the maximum voltage gain (∂V_out/∂V_in) of 8.1 is obtained at V_in = 21.0 V. In addition, we have discussed in more detail the characteristics of the OTFTs and the complementary inverter with respect to the process condition of the gate dielectric.     

Influence of high-power diode laser heat treatment on wear resistance of a mold steel

The effect of hardness on wear loss and wear behavior during fretting was studied. A high-power diode laser was used to achieve the surface hardening of a mold steel (AISI P20-improved) at temperatures of 1000 and 1200 °C. A hardness increment was detected in laser heat-treated specimens, which may be attributed to phase transformation from ferrite to martensite, influencing wear loss and fretting wear behavior. In the fretting test results, smaller wear scars and less wear loss were observed for laser heat-treated specimens in comparison to those of base metal. Moreover, relatively more stable friction coefficient profiles were obtained for the laser heat-treated specimens due to uniform contact characteristics at two contacting surfaces. The effectiveness of the proposed technique was verified by the morphology of the wear scars of the treated specimens, which had a smooth appearance and minor abrasion grooves.

     

Boundary element method analyses of transient heat conduction in an unbounded solid layer containing inclusions

The boundary element method (BEM) is used to compute the three-dimensional transient heat conduction through an unbounded solid layer that may contain heterogeneities, when a pointwise heat source placed at some point in the media is excited. Analytical solutions for the steady-state response of this solid layer when subjected to a spatially sinusoidal harmonic heat line source are presented when the solid layer has no inclusions. These solutions are incorporated into a BEM formulation as Greens functions to avoid the discretization of flat media interfaces. The solution is obtained in the frequency domain, and time responses are computed by applying inverse (Fast) Fourier Transforms. Complex frequencies are used to prevent the aliasing phenomena. The results provided by the proposed Greens functions and BEM formulation are implemented and compared with those computed by a BEM code that uses the Greens functions for an unbounded media which requires the discretization of all solid interfaces with boundary elements. The proposed BEM model is then used to evaluate the temperature field evolution through an unbounded solid layer that contains cylindrical inclusions with different thermal properties, when illuminated by a plane heat source. In this model zero initial conditions are assumed. Different simulation analyses using this model are then performed to evaluate the importance of the thermal properties of the inclusions on transient heat conduction through the solid layer.     

Ferroelectric and Dielectric Properties of Lanthanum-Modified Bismuth Titanate Thin Films Obtained by the Polymeric Precursor Method

Lanthanum-modified bismuth titanate, Bi_{4 – x}La_xTi₃O₁₂ (BLT), thin films with a La concentration of 0.75 was grown on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by using the polymeric precursor solution and spin-coating method. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed rounded grains, which is not typical for these system. The BLT films showed well-saturated polarization-electric field curve which 2P_r = 41.4 C/cm² and V_c = 0.99 V. The capacitance dependence on the voltage is strongly nonlinear, confirming the ferroelectric properties of the film resulting from the domains switching. These properties make BLT a promising material for FERAM applications.     

Effect of Thermal Treatment Temperature on the Crystallinity and Morphology of LiTaO3 Thin Films Prepared from Polymeric Precursor Method

Lithium tantalate thin films (LiTaO₃) with (50:50) stoichiometry were prepared by spin coating method using a polymeric organic solution. The films were deposited on silicon (100) substrates with 4 layers. The substrates were previously cleaned and then the solution of lithium tantalate was deposited by adjusting the speed at 5000 rpm. The thin films deposited were thermally treated from 350 to 600C for 3 hours in order to study the influence of the thermal treatment temperature on the crystallinity, microstructure, grain size and roughness of the final film. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that the films are polycrystalline and secondary phases free. The thickness of films was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies showed that the grain size and roughness are strongly influenced by thermal treatment.     

Discriminative semi-parametric trajectory model for speech recognition

Hidden Markov models (HMMs) are the most commonly used acoustic model for speech recognition. In HMMs, the probability of successive observations is assumed independent given the state sequence. This is known as the conditional independence assumption. Consequently, the temporal (inter-frame) correlations are poorly modelled. This limitation may be reduced by incorporating some form of trajectory modelling. In this paper, a general perspective on trajectory modelling is provided, where time-varying model parameters are used for the Gaussian components. A discriminative semi-parametric trajectory model is then described where the Gaussian mean vector and covariance matrix parameters vary with time. The time variation is modelled as a semi-parametric function of the observation sequence via a set of centroids in the acoustic space. The model parameters are estimated discriminatively using the minimum phone error (MPE) criterion. The performance of these models is investigated and benchmarked against a state-of-the-art CUHTK Mandarin evaluation systems.     

Future trends in radio resource management for wireless communications

Recent growth in wirelessly connected devices shows no signs of slowing, and indeed with new services and new technologies waiting in the wings, usage of wireless terminals looks set to continue increasing rapidly. However, radio spectrum is finite and in a wirelessly connected future, new approaches to ensuring connectivity and quality of service are going to be needed. Radio resource management has an important part to play in ensuring that the very best is obtained from the finite resources available for radio communications in the future. This paper considers the characteristics of current end emerging wireless networks, and aspects of radio resource management that may offer the performance gains needed to ensure end-to-end quality of service is met.     

Normal zone propagation characteristics of the HTS wires by heat energy applied

With the successful commercialization of Bi-2223 powder-in-tube wire, various attempts in the R&D of the high-T_c superconducting (HTS) magnets for high magnetic field applications are being implemented actively. Operating temperature of HTS magnet has to be maintained at the designed level but the magnetic energy and mechanical disturbance can cause unstable operational temperature of HTS magnet. Especially, the generated heat energy of inner HTS winding is apt to be accumulated, so the normal region appears in HTS winding. This paper deals with the quenching characteristics of three kinds of selected Bi-2223 wires: the high current density wire (HC-A) and the high strength wire (HS-A) made by AMSC and HTS wire (HW-I) made by Innost. The Innost wire has the highest minimum quench energy (MQE). The high current density wire has the highest normal zone propagation velocity (NZPV).     

Action of a cationic surfactant on the activity and removal of bacterial biofilms formed under different flow regimes

The action of the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was investigated to control biofilms (aged 7d) formed by Pseudomonas fluorescens on stainless-steel slides, using flow cells reactors, under turbulent and laminar flow. The effect of CTAB was also investigated using planktonic cells in the presence and absence of BSA, by measuring the cellular respiratory activity and the ATP released. The action of CTAB on biofilms was assessed by means of cellular respiratory activity and variation of biofilm mass, immediately and 3, 7 and 12h after the application of CTAB. The physical stability of the biofilm was also assessed using a rotating device, where the effect of the surfactant on the biofilm stability was evaluated through the variation of the mass remaining on the surface. CTAB significantly reduced the activity of the planktonic cells probably due to the rupture of the cells. This effect was significantly reduced in the presence of BSA. Planktonic cells were more easily inactivated than bacteria in biofilms. Biofilms formed under laminar flow were more susceptible than those formed under turbulent flow, but in both cases total inactivation was not achieved. Biofilm recovery was observed, in terms of respiratory activity, in almost all the cases studied. CTAB application by itself did not promote the detachment of biofilms. The physical stability tests showed that the synergistic action of the surfactant and the application of high shear stress to the biofilm increase its detachment.     

Wet deposition of persistent organic pollutants to the global oceans

Wet deposition fluxes of polychlorinated biphenyls and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans to the Atlantic Ocean have been estimated by combining meteorological satellite data and measured atmospheric field concentrations. They are then compared to other atmospheric depositional mechanisms on a global scale. Additional features not treated in traditional studies are addressed such as contaminant adsorption onto raindrops and enhancement of dry gaseous diffusive fluxes due to rain-induced turbulence. Wet deposition estimates show a high spatial and seasonal variability, with maxima located in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and in low-temperature regions. Seasonal variability reflects the northward shift of ITCZ in July. Average wet deposition fluxes estimated for the Atlantic Ocean in this study are 110 and 45 ng m(-2) yr(-1) for sigmaPCB and sigmaPCDD/Fs, respectively. Furthermore, the total wet deposition to the Atlantic results in 4100 kg yr(-1) (sigmaPCB) and 2500 kg yr(-1) (sigmaPCDD/Fs). Model validation shows good agreement with available coastal data measurements of wet deposition fluxes. When compared to other atmospheric depositional mechanisms and during precipitation events, wet deposition is found to be dominant. However, when raining events and non-raining time periods are integrated, air-water diffusive exchange fluxes acquire an important role, which can be dominant in some regions and for some POPs.