50-GHz self-aligned silicon bipolar transistors with ion-implantedbase profiles

Silicon bipolar transistors having cutoff frequencies from 40 to 50 GHz have been fabricated in a double -polysilicon self-aligned structure using a process which relies on ion implantation for the intrinsic base formation. The devices have nearly ideal DC characteristics, with breakdown voltages adequate for most digital applications. The results demonstrate that the performance limits of conventional implanted technologies are significantly higher than previously thought     

Organotin levels in seafood and its implications for health risk in high-seafood consumers

Fish and fishery products are considered as the main source of organotin compounds (OTC). Unfortunately, little national contamination data is available to assess food exposure of organotins from French consumers. To provide a more accurate estimate of risks to human health, the butyltin, phenyltin and octyltin compounds sampling in four French coastal areas were measured in 159 composite samples (96 fresh and frozen fish, 28 mollusks, 14 crustaceans, 1 echinoderm, 11 canned foods, 4 smoked fish, 5 prepared seafood-based dishes) by capillary gas chromatography coupled with a microwave induced plasma atomic-emission spectrometer (CGC-MIP-AES). In these samples, butyltins were usually predominant and the range of the contamination levels was generally below those of earlier studies (fish: mean 5.6; min-max 1.1-23 microg/kg; fishery products: mean 6; min-max 0.8-14 microg/kg). Fish, especially tuna, salmon, mackerel, saithe/coalfish and cod were largely the main contributors (38%) to the total organotin exposure. With the supplementary contribution of great scallop, surimi, squid and oysters, the exposure exceeded 50% in all. However, the utmost OTC exposure was lesser than 47% of the provisional tolerable weekly intake [EFSA (European Food Safety Agency). Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Contaminants in the food chain on a request from the Commission to assess the health risks to consumers associated with exposure to organotins in foodstuffs. (Question N EFSA-Q-2003-110). The EFSA Journal, 102, 1-119, 2004. http://www.efsa.eu.int]. Nobody would exceed this limit. Finally, as this study has some limitations and since some other sources and health effects have not been clearly evaluated, it appears rational from public health and environmental viewpoints to continue to reduce the OTC levels in the environment.     

5 bit, silicon-based, X-band phase shifter using a hybrid pi/t high-pass/low-pass topology

A hybrid pi/t bit passive topology is presented to enable a significant reduction in the die area for a high-pass/low-pass phase shifter is presented. A hybrid-topology 5 bit digital X-band phase shifter was designed, fabricated and tested using a 200 GHz, 0.13 mum SiGe bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor (BiCMOS) technology. Size and performance characteristics are presented as a contrast to an all-pi phase shifter recently presented by Comeau et al. using the same SiGe BiCMOS technology and design goals. With similar bit passive performance to the all-pi design, the hybrid shifter allows for a total shifter die-area reduction of 50.5%. The absolute phase error of the shifter was less than plusmn13 from 8 to 12 GHz, with an average insertion loss of -20 dB.     

Design and use of a hypermedia system at the University level

Abstract This paper reports on an experiment in which a whole semester course in psychology was replaced by a mixed formula consisting of a CD-ROM complemented by a series of seminars and workshops. The CD-ROM was conceived as a collection of documents (hypertexts, research data, references, videos and activities) linked together with genuine Netscape facilities. Students were invited to search through these documents for information to answer questions (called challenges ) on the topic. A multiple-choice questionnaire accompanied each challenge in order to foster students' self-evaluation. The seminars, held every other week, served both as forums to discuss each of the topics under the guidance of an expert. Careful analysis of students' answers to two questionnaires at the beginning and end of the course and during interviews, showed that such a formula was favourably accepted by a large majority of students, although it lead to more anxiety and work load than a traditional course. Positive effects were also observed on learning.     

A scaled 0.25-μm bipolar technology using full e-beamlithography

The full leverage offered by electron-beam lithography has been exploited in a scaled 0.25-μm double polysilicon bipolar technology. Devices and circuits were fabricated using e-beam lithography for all mask levels with level-to-level overlays tighter than 0.06 μm. Ion implantation was used to form a sub-100-nm intrinsic base profile, and a novel in-situ doped polysilicon emitter process was used to minimize narrow emitter effects. Transistors with 0.25-μm emitter width have current gains above 80 and cutoff frequencies as high as 40 GHz. A record ECL gate delay of 20.8 ps at 4.82 mW has been measured together with a minimum power-delay product of 47 fJ (42.1 ps at 1.12 mW). These results demonstrate the feasibility and resultant performance leverage of aggressive scaling of conventional bipolar technologies     

Contribution of Protein Flexibility to the Foaming Properties of Casein

The effect of biopolymer flexibility on the foaming properties of casein was investigated. Flexibility was altered by: (1) chemical modification (covalent binding of a monosaccharide on the lysyl residues) or (2) pH change. Electron Spin Resonance was used to measure the reorientational frequency of casein residues labeled with nitroxide radicals. High levels of glycosylation induced increased protein flexibility and improved the foaming capacity. Good agreement was observed between higher values of flexibility and improved surface properties near the isoelectric point.     

On the profile design and optimization of epitaxial Si- andSiGe-base bipolar technology for 77 K applications. II. Circuitperformance issues

For pt.I see ibid., vol.40, no.3, p.525-41 (1993). The circuit performance issues associated with optimizing epitaxial Si- and SiGe-base bipolar technology for the liquid-nitrogen temperature environment are examined in detail. It is conclusively demonstrated that the notion that silicon-based bipolar circuits perform poorly at low temperatures is untrue. Transistor frequency response is examined both theoretically and experimentally, with particular attention given to the differences between SiGe and Si devices as a function of temperature. ECL and NTL ring oscillator circuits were fabricated for each of the four profiles described in pt.I. The minimum ECL gate delay for a SiGe base is essentially unchanged from its room-temperature value. ASTAP models were used to explore circuit operation under typical wire loading. The results indicate that epitaxial-base bipolar technology offers significant leverage for future cryogenic applications     

Descrambling and data reading techniques for flash-EEPROM memories. Application to smart cards

The retention, reliability and security of data stored in Non Volatile Memories (NVM) are problems of utmost importance for the microelectronics industry. All these issues could be addressed by physically reading the memory content. A method to deduce memory organization and then to read data in Flash-EEPROM devices is presented. It is based on failure analysis techniques such as Focused Ion Beam (FIB), Scanning Kelvin Probe Microscopy (SKPM) and Scanning Capacitance Microscopy (SCM). An application is demonstrated on the Flash memory of a Programmable Integrated Circuit (PIC) from Microchip dedicated to smart card applications.     

Test-retest reliability of alcohol measures: Is there a difference between Internet-based assessment and traditional methods?

This study compared Web-based assessment techniques with traditional paper-based methods of commonly used measures of alcohol use. Test-retest reliabilities were obtained, and tests of validity were conducted. A total of 255 participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: paper-based (P&P), Web-based (Web), or Web-based with interruption (Web-I). Follow-up assessments 1 week later indicated reliabilities ranging from .59 to .93 within all measures and across all assessment methods. Significantly high test-retest reliability coefficients support the use of these measures for research and clinical applications. Furthermore, no significant differences were found between assessment techniques, suggesting that Web-based methods are a suitable alternative to more traditional methods. This cost-efficient alternative has the advantage of minimizing data collection and entry errors while increasing survey accessibility. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)