Reliability investigation of 0.07-/spl mu/m InGaAs-InAlAs-InP HEMT MMICs with pseudomorphic In/sub 0.75/Ga/sub 0.25/As channel

The authors have investigated the reliability performance of G-band (183 GHz) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) amplifiers fabricated using 0.07-/spl mu/m T-gate InGaAs-InAlAs-InP HEMTs with pseudomorphic In/sub 0.75/Ga/sub 0.25/As channel on 3-in wafers. Life test was performed at two temperatures (T/sub 1/ = 200 /spl deg/C and T/sub 2/ = 215 /spl deg/C), and the amplifiers were stressed at V/sub ds/ of 1 V and I/sub ds/ of 250 mA/mm in a N/sub 2/ ambient. The activation energy is as high as 1.7 eV, achieving a projected median-time-to-failure (MTTF) /spl ap/ 2 /spl times/ 10/sup 6/ h at a junction temperature of 125 /spl deg/C. MTTF was determined by 2-temperature constant current stress using /spl Delta/G/sub mp/ = -20% as the failure criteria. The difference of reliability performance between 0.07-/spl mu/m InGaAs-InAlAs-InP HEMT MMICs with pseudomorphic In/sub 0.75/Ga/sub 0.25/As channel and 0.1-/spl mu/m InGaAs-InAlAs-InP HEMT MMICs with In/sub 0.6/Ga/sub 0.4/As channel is also discussed. The achieved high-reliability result demonstrates a robust 0.07-/spl mu/m pseudomorphic InGaAs-InAlAs-InP HEMT MMICs production technology for G-band applications.     

The colored revolution of bioimaging

This paper provides an overview of the main aspects of modern fluorescence microscopy. It covers the principles of fluorescence and highlights the key discoveries in the history of fluorescence microscopy. The paper also discusses the optics of fluorescence microscopes and examines the various types of detectors. It also discusses the signal and image processing challenges in fluorescence microscopy and highlights some of the present developments and future trends in the field.     

Self-oscillating dimmable electronic ballast

This paper presents a simple alternative for an electronic ballast operating in self-sustained oscillating mode with dimming capability for fluorescent lamps. A simple modification in one of the gate drivers side circuit allows the lamp to dim without compromising the simplicity, reliability, and low cost which characterize the self-oscillating electronic ballast (SOEB). A qualitative analysis is presented to explain the behavior of the proposed self-oscillating electronic ballast with dimming feature. In addition, the stability and the key equations for the design are derived using the extended Nyquist criterion and describing function method. Experimental results from two 40-W electronic ballasts are presented to demonstrate the performance and to validate the analysis carried out.     

Evanescently coupled photodiodes integrating a double-stage taper for 40-Gb/s applications-compared performance with side-illuminated photodiodes

The design, fabrication, and performance of double-stage taper photodiodes (DSTPs) are reported. The objective of this work is to develop devices compatible with 40-Gb/s applications. Such devices require high efficiency, ultrawide band, high optical power handling capability, and compatibility with low-cost module fabrication. The integration of mode size converters improves both the coupling efficiency and the responsivity with a large fiber mode diameter. Responsivity of 0.6 A/W and 0.45 A/W are achieved with a 6-/spl mu/m fiber mode diameter and cleaved fiber, respectively, providing relaxed alignment tolerances (/spl plusmn/1.6 /spl mu/m and /spl plusmn/2 /spl mu/m, respectively), compatible with cost-effective packaging techniques. DSTPs also offer a wide bandwidth greater than 40 GHz and transverse-electric/transverse-magnetic polarization dependence lower than 0.2 dB. Furthermore, a DSTP saturation current as high as 11 mA results in optical power handling greater than +10 dBm and a high output voltage of 0.8 V. These capabilities allow the photodiode to drive the decision circuit without the need of a broad-band electrical amplifier. The DSTP devices presented here demonstrate higher responsivities with large fiber mode diameter and better optical power handling capabilities and are compared with classical side-illuminated photodiodes.     

LiNbO3 optical waveguides formed in a new proton source

Proton-exchanged planar waveguides have been fabricated on Z-cut and X-cut lithium niobate crystals by using a new proton source formed by a mixture of benzoic and adipic acids. Waveguide index profiles and optical characteristics have been obtained at different values of the adipic-benzoic acid concentration ratio. The samples have been structurally characterized by Raman and infrared (IR) absorption spectroscopy and double-crystal X-ray diffraction. Good quality samples have been fabricated by using 30 mol% ratio dilution, showing very low scattering levels (<0.1 dB/cm), relatively high electrooptic coefficient (r₃₃=0.88 pm/V), and low relative percentage of interstitial protons (26%). The main factor limiting the waveguide optical properties is the substitutional-interstitial proton ratio, which can be easily controlled to produce good quality waveguides. A demonstration of the repeatability of the exchange process in the acid mixture is also provided     

Near-field corrections to site attenuation

The theoretical model used for calculating normalized site attenuation for broadband antennas in ANSI C63.4-1992 and for antenna calibration in ANSI C63.5-1988 includes only the radiation terms in the electric field. The omission of the near field terms leads to errors of as much as 2.0 dB at 30 MHz for horizontally polarized antennas separated by 3 m. Corrected values of normalized site attenuation and E _D^max are presented for the 30-300 MHz frequency range     

A base-band NDS electrode configuration for HACT devices

Heterostructure Acoustic Charge Transport (HACT) devices have been fabricated with a new nondestructive sense (NDS) electrode structure that provides for the recovery of base-band signals without the use of an integrating capacitor. This electrode structure provides an output signal comprising an RF carrier at the SAW frequency, amplitude modulated by the sampled input signal which has been delayed by a period proportional to the output electrodes distance from the input diode. The output of the NDS electrode structure is subsequently demodulated to provide the base-band signal     

Lactococcus lactis and stress

It is now generally recognized that cell growth conditions in nature are often suboptimal compared to controlled conditions provided in the laboratory. Natural stresses like starvation and acidity are generated by cell growth itself. Other stresses like temperature or osmotic shock, or oxygen, are imposed by the environment. It is now clear that defense mechanisms to withstand different stresses must be present in all organisms. The exploration of stress responses in lactic acid bacteria has just begun. Several stress response genes have been revealed through homologies with known genes in other organisms. While stress response genes appear to be highly conserved, however, their regulation may not be. Thus, search of the regulation of stress response in lactic acid bacteria may reveal new regulatory circuits. The first part of this report addresses the available information on stress response in Lactococcus lactis. Acid stress response may be particularly important in lactic acid bacteria, whose growth and transition to stationary phase is accompanied by the production of lactic acid, which results in acidification of the media, arrest of cell multiplication, and possible cell death. The second part of this report will focus on progress made in acid stress response, particularly in L. lactis and on factors which may affect its regulation. Acid tolerance is presently under study in L. lactis. Our results with strain MG1363 show that it survives a lethal challenge at pH 4.0 if adapted briefly (5 to 15 minutes) at a pH between 4.5 and 6.5. Adaptation requires protein synthesis, indicating that acid conditions induce expression of newly synthesized genes. These results show that L. lactis possesses an inducible response to acid stress in exponential phase. To identify possible regulatory genes involved in acid stress response, we determined low pH conditions in which MG1363 is unable to grow, and selected at 37 degrees C for transposition insertional mutants which were able to survive. About thirty mutants resistant to low pH conditions were characterized. The interrupted genes were identified by sequence homology with known genes. One insertion interrupts ahrC, the putative regulator of arginine metabolism; possibly, increased arginine catabolism in the mutant produces metabolites which increase the pH. Several other mutations putatively map at some step in the pathway of (p)ppGpp synthesis. Our results suggest that the stringent response pathway, which is involved in starvation and stationary phase survival, may also be implicated in acid pH tolerance.