O/sup 2/ABA: a novel high-performance predictable circuit architecture for the deep submicron era

Current VLSI design techniques focus on four major goals: higher integration, faster speed, lower power, and shorter time-to-market. These goals have been accomplished mainly by deep submicron (DSM) technology along with voltage scaling. However, scaling down of feature size causes larger interwire capacitance which results in large crosstalk between interconnects. In this paper, we propose a novel predictable circuit architecture, named "optimized overlaying array-based architecture" (O/sup 2/ABA), especially suited for the deep submicron regime. O/sup 2/ABA achieves reduction in crosstalk by considering the current directions and by reducing interwire capacitance. The introduction of "unit cell" leads to regularity, which makes the performance predictable even before layout, and shortens design time. O/sup 2/ABA is compared with other design styles, such as custom design and standard cell approach, in terms of coupling capacitance, area, and delay.     

Fabrication of 50-nm gate SOI n-MOSFETs using novel plasma-doping technique

A plasma-doping technique for fabricating nanoscale silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MOSFETs has been investigated. The source/drain (S/D) extensions of the tri-gate structure SOI n-MOSFETs were formed by using an elevated temperature plasma-doping method. Even though the activation annealing after plasma doping was excluded to minimize the diffusion of dopants, which resulted in a laterally abrupt S/D junction, we obtained a low sheet resistance of 920 /spl Omega///spl square/ by the elevated temperature plasma doping of 527 /spl deg/C. A tri-gate structure silicon-on-insulator n-MOSFET with a gate length of 50 nm was successfully fabricated and revealed suppressed short-channel effects.     

Optical Properties of Solid Pentacene

We have prepared pentacene films on Si, Al₂O₃, and glass substrates by thermal evaporation and have investigated their optical properties at room temperature over a wide range of frequencies from infrared to ultraviolet (5 meV to 6.5 eV). A series of optical phonon modes and electronic transitions have been observed. The internal vibrational modes in the infrared region match well their molecular counterparts but the electronic transitions show substantial changes from those of a free pentacene molecule. The HOMO–LUMO gap energy of the pentacene films deposited on Al₂O₃ and glass substrates is 1.85 eV.     

Wall-to-bed heat transfer in a circulating fluidized bed for the reduction of iron ore particles

A model is presented that describes the wall-to-bed heat transfer in a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) used for the prereduction of iron ore in the smelting-reduction iron-making process. The model incorporates the core-annulus type flow structure and the wall emulsion layer growing downward along the surface. Model predictions showed good agreements with measured data taken from the literature. The hydrodynamic behavior near the wall surface was able to be properly described by the core-annulus flow structure. A higher heat-transfer coefficient with higher solid circulation flux was obtained in the upper part of the bed because of the heat input caused by the lateral diffusion of particles from the core. The predicted and measured data also showed the minima in the heat-transfer coefficients in the lower part of the bed. Model predictions indicated that in the CFB for the reduction of iron ore particles, it is important to properly control the inlet temperature of the reducing gas, rather than that of the solid particles. The implications of the behavior of heat transfer in the CFB are discussed for the reduction of iron oxides.     

Cure analysis of sheet molding compound in molds with substructures

The effects of material flow, heat transfer, part geometry, and curing agents on the cure of sheet molding compounds (SMC) in molds with substructures were analyzed both experimentally and numerically. It was found that heat transfer during mold filling has a profound effect on the cure pattern, especially for fastcure resins molded for parts with thin dimensions.     

In Situ TEM Observation of the Behavior of an Individual Fullerene-Like MoS<Subscript>2</Subscript> Nanoparticle in a Dynamic Contact

Inorganic fullerene-(IF)-like nanoparticles made of metal dichalcogenides (IF-MoS₂, IF-WS₂) have been known to be effective as anti-wear and friction modifier additives under boundary lubrication. The lubrication mechanism of these nanoparticles has been widely investigated in the past and even if the exfoliation and third body transfer of molecular sheets onto the asperities constitute the prevalent mechanism for the improved tribological behavior of IF nanoparticles, it has also been suggested that a rolling friction process could also play a role for well crystallized and spherical particles. In this study, in situ Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) observations of the behavior of single IF-MoS₂ nanoparticles were conducted using a sample holder that combines TEM and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) which simultaneously can apply normal and shear loads. It was shown that depending on the test conditions, either a rolling process or a sliding of the fullerenes could be possible. These in situ TEM observations are the first carried out with IF nanoparticles.     

Near-infrared responsive PbS-sensitized photovoltaic photodetectors fabricated by the spin-assisted successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method

A PbS-sensitized photovoltaic photodetector responsive to near-infrared (NIR) light was fabricated by depositing monolayered PbS nanoparticles on a mesoporous TiO(2) (mp-TiO(2)) film via the spin-assisted successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. By adjusting the size and morphology of the PbS nanoparticles through repeated spin-assisted SILAR cycles, the PbS-sensitized photovoltaic photodetector achieved an external quantum efficiency of 9.3% at 1140 nm wavelength and could process signals up to 1 kHz.