A 0.11 μm CMOS technology featuring copper and very low k interconnects with high performance and reliability

This paper describes a 0.11 μm CMOS technology with high-reliable copper (Cu) and very low k (VLK) (k<2.7) interconnects for high-performance and low-power applications of a 0.13 μm generation. Aggressive design rules, 0.11 μm gate transistor and 2.2 μm² six-transistor SRAM cell are realized by using KrF 248 nm lithography, optical proximity effect correction, and gate-shrink techniques. Eight-level interconnects are fabricated with seven level of Cu/VLK interconnect and one level of Al/SiO₂ interconnect. Drain current of 0.67 and 0.28 mA/μm are realized for nMOSFET and pMOSFET with 0.11 μm gate, respectively. Propagation delay of two input NAND with the Cu/VLK interconnect is estimated. The delay is improved by more than 70%, compared to 0.18 μm CMOS technology with Cu/FSG interconnects. Functional 288 kbit SRAM circuit is demonstrated with 2.2 μm² cell and Cu/VLK interconnect.     

Limiting oxygen partial pressure of LaMnO3 phase

Oxygen partial pressure at the decomposition of LaMnO₃(s) has been determined by measuring the dependence of the isothermal electrical conductivity on oxygen partial pressure from 1173 to 1473 K. The Gibbs free energy of formation of LaMnO₃(s) from La₂O₃(s) and MnO(s) was obtained as ΔG⁰_f,T = ?130.9 + 0.0329 T kJ/mol.     

Comparison of several methods for calculating the ice content of foods

This paper compares various methods for calculating the ice content of foods using as a reference the value for the ice content obtained from a phase equilibrium diagram of the solutions considered. The advantages and limitations of five methods for calculating the ice content were investigated for sodium chloride and sucrose solutions and it was shown that generally the enthalpy balance method was quite accurate for the concentrated solutions and the eutectic mixtures.     

The Effects of Fullernes on the Initiation and Promotion Stages of Balb/3t3 Cell Transformation

Fullerene C₆₀ and a mixture of fullerenes C₆₀ and C₇₀ were solubilized in a culture medium with poly(vinylpyrrolidone) and examined for the effects on two-stage cell transformation in vitro, a model of carcinogenesis. They showed neither initiating nor promoting activity in the assays.     

InxGa1-xAs ohmic contacts to n-type GaAs prepared by sputter deposition

Thermally stable, low contact resistance InAs/Ni/W contacts were previously prepared by sputter depositing InAs, Ni, and W targets in our laboratory. However, the optimum annealing temperature to provide low contact resistance (R_c) was high, resulting in rough contact surface. In the present experiment, the effects of the In concentrations of In_xGa_1-x As targets on the optimum annealing temperature to prepare low R_cand the surface morphology of the_xGa_1-x/ W contacts were studied. In addition, the electrical properties and the interfacial microstructure were correlated to search the optimum In concentration to provide the minimum R_c, where the interfacial microstructure was analyzed by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy and the contact resistances (R_cc) were measured by the transmission line method. The optimum annealing temperature to provide minimum R_c was reduced by 150°C by using the In_0.7Ga_0.3As targets instead of the previous targets. The contact resistance of 0.4 Ω-mm was obtained for the In_0.7Ga_0.3As/Ni/W contacts after annealing at temperatures of around 600°C. The R_c values did not deteriorate after annealing at 400°C for 2 h. Also, the surface of this contact was smooth and no evidence of In outdiffusion on the contact surface was seen. Finally, the effect of the In concentrations at the metal/GaAs interfaces on the electrical properties will be discussed.     

Partial discharge inception and propagation characteristics of magnet wire for inverter-fed motor under surge voltage application

In inverter-fed motor coils, surge voltages with the rise time of several tens or hundreds of nano-second may cause partial discharge (PD) and degradation of electrical insulation performance of the inverter-fed motor coils. This paper discusses PD inception characteristics as well as PD propagation characteristics after PD inception for magnet wire of inverter-fed motor under surge voltage application. Experimental results firstly revealed that PD inception voltage (PDIV) decreased with the increase in the length of enamel-coated wire, which was evaluated in terms of the stressed wire contact length under surge voltage application, i.e. size effect. We proposed a regression line for the size effect on PDIV for the electrical insulation design of inverter-fed motor coils. Secondly, PD propagation characteristics were also investigated under the higher voltage application, and their mechanisms were discussed in terms of generation probability of initial electrons, space charge behavior in the wedge-shaped air gap, charging on the enamel surface and so on     

Development of gradient microstructure in the lattice structure of AlSi10Mg alloy fabricated by selective laser melting

To identify the microstructural features of the lattice structures of Al alloys built via the selective laser melting(SLM)process,AlSil OMg alloy with a body-centered cubic(BCC)-type lattice structure was prepared.Characteristic microstructures comprising melt pools with several columnarα-Al phases with<001>orientations along the elongation direction and surrounded by eutectic Si particles were observed at all portions of the built lattice structure.In the node portions of the lattice structure,a gradient microstructure(continuous change in microstructure)was observed.The columnarα-Al phases were observed near the top surface of the node portion,whereas they became coarser and more equiaxed near the bottom surface,resulting in softening localized near the bottom surface.In the strut portions of the lattice structure,the columnarα-Al phases were elongated along the inclined direction of struts.This trend was more prevalent near the bottom surface.Theα-Al phases became coarser and more equiaxed near the bottom surface as well.The aforementioned results were the basis of a discussion of the development of the gradient microstructure in lattice-structured Al alloys during the SLM process in terms of thermal conductivities at the boundaries between the manufactured(locally melted and rapidly solidified)portions and adjacent(unmelted)alloy powder.     

Mining Pharmacy Data Helps to Make Profits

Pharma, a drugstore chain in Japan, has been remarkably successful in the effective use of data mining. From over one tera bytes of sales data accumulated in databases, it has derived much interesting and useful knowledge that in turn has been applied to produce profits. In this paper, we shall explain several interesting cases of knowledge discovery at Pharma. We then discuss the innovative features of the data mining system developed in Pharma that led to meaningful knowledge discovery.