High performance 35 nm gate length CMOS with NO oxynitride gate dielectric and Ni salicide

The 35 nm gate length CMOS devices with oxynitride gate dielectric and Ni salicide have been fabricated to study the feasibility of higher performance operation. Nitrogen concentration in gate oxynitride was optimized to reduce gate current I/sub g/ and to prevent boron penetration in the pFET. The thermal budget in the middle of the line (MOL) process was reduced enough to realize shallower junction depth in the S/D extension regions and to suppress gate poly-Si depletion. Finally, the current drives of 676 /spl mu/A//spl mu/m in nFET and 272 /spl mu/A//spl mu/m in pFET at V/sub dd/=0.85 V (at I/sub off/=100 nA//spl mu/m) were achieved and they are the best values for 35 nm gate length CMOS reported to date.     

CuPc/PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3/(La,Ba)MnO3 field effect transistor heterojunction photomemory

We investigated a photoconductor(PC)/ferroelectric oxide(OF)/semiconductor oxide(SO) POS-FET structure photomemory consisting of organic photoconductor CuPc/inorganic ferroelectric PbZr_0.2Ti_0.8O₃ heterojunction gate and a ferromagnetic oxide semiconductor La_0.87Ba_0.13MnO₃ channel. Visible light information detected by photoconductor CuPc can be memorized in ferroelectric PbZr_0.2Ti_0.8O₃, and non-volatile and non-destructive reading out process of light information memorized in this ferroelectric layer were achieved by reading out the resistance modulation of ferromagnetic semiconductor oxide La_0.87Ba_0.13MnO₃ channel under the photoconductor/ferroelectric gate.     

Effects of sea surface temperature accuracy on offshore wind resource assessment using a mesoscale model

Offshore wind simulations were performed with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model driven by three different sea surface temperature (SST) datasets for Japanese coastal waters to investigate the effect of the SST accuracies on offshore wind simulations. First, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Final analysis (FNL) (1° × 1° grid resolution) and the Operational Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Ice Analysis (OSTIA) (0.05° × 0.05° grid resolution) datasets were compared with in situ measurements. The results show a decrease in accuracy of these datasets toward the coast from the open ocean. Aiming at an improved accuracy of SST data, we developed a new high‐resolution SST dataset (0.02° × 0.02° grid resolution). The new dataset referred to as MOSST is based on the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) product, provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). MOSST was confirmed to be more accurate than FNL and OSTIA for the coastal waters. Then, WRF simulations were carried out for 1 year with a 2 km grid resolution and by using the FNL, OSTIA and MOSST datasets. The use of the OSTIA dataset for a WRF simulation was found to improve the accuracy when compared with the FNL dataset, and further improvement was obtained when the MOSST dataset was applied. The sensitivity of wind speed and wind energy density to SST is also discussed. We conclude that the use of an accurate SST is a key factor not only for realistic offshore wind simulations near the surface but also for accurate wind resource assessments at the hub height of wind turbines. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Liver phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxidation provoked by ethionine-containing choline-deficient diet in mice

It is shown that peroxidation of phosphatidylcholine (PC) is enhanced in liver of mice fed a hepatocarcinogenic choline-deficient diet containing 0.1% w/w ethionine. Mice were divided into 4 groups and fed for 3 weeks one of the following diets: choline-supplemented; choline-supplemented containing ethionine; choline-deficient; and choline-deficient containing ethionine. Phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide (PCOOH) of liver lipids was measured by high performance liquid chromatography using a chemiluminescence detector. Mice fed a choline-deficient diet containing ethionine showed 6-fold higher PCOOH levels than the choline-supplemented control mice: the PCOOH/PC molar ratios of liver lipids were 32.3×10⁻⁵ and 5.6×10⁻⁵, respectively. In addition to this remarkable degree of lipid peroxidation in liver of mice fed the choline-deficient diet containing ethionine, we also observed a significant liver fatty infiltration, a decrease in plasma and liver α-tocopherol, and an increase in liver injury-indicative enzyme activities. Also, marker enzymes for hepatocarcinogenesis, glucose-6-phosphatase and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase were affected. These data suggest that enhanced hydroperoxidation of phosphatidylcholine may participate in hepatocarcinogenesis provoked by choline deficiency in the presence of ethionine.     

α-Sulfonated fatty acid esters: I. Structural effects of sodium α-sulfonated fatty acid higher alcohol esters on surface-active properties and emulsification ability

The surface-active properties and emulsification ability of sodium α-sulfonated fatty acid esters, C_mH_2m+1CH-(SO₃Na)COOC_nH_2n+1, were studied as a function of the hydrophobic alkyl chainlength in the fatty acid (m=8−16) and the alcohol (n=8−18). As a result, it was discovered that sodium α-sulfonated fatty acid esters have a structural effect on the Krafft point different from that of amphiphiles with short alkyl chains. Moreover, some of the α-sulfonated fatty acid esters have quite low interfacial tensions, as well as non-foaming properties, which depend upon the total (m+n) number of carbon atoms in the alkyl chains.     

Two-dimensional multiarray formation of hepatocyte spheroids on a microfabricated PEG-brush surface

A two-dimensional microarray of ten thousand (100 x 100) hepatocyte heterospheroids, underlaid with endothelial cells, was successfully constructed with 100 microm spacing in an active area of 20 x 20 mm on microfabricated glass substrates that were coated with poly(ethylene glycol) brushes. Cocultivation of hepatocytes with endothelial cells was essential to stabilize hepatocyte viability and liver-specific functions, allowing us to obtain hepatocyte spheroids with a diameter of 100 microm, functioning as a miniaturized liver to secret albumin for at least one month. The most important feature of this study is that these substrates are defined to provide an unprecedented control of substrate properties for modulating cell behavior, employing both surface engineering and synthetic polymer chemistry. The spheroid array constructed here is highly useful as a platform of tissue and cell-based biosensors and detects a wide variety of clinically, pharmacologically, and toxicologically active compounds through a cellular physiological response.     

Reduction mechanism of tioglycolic acid on keratin fibers using microspectrophotometry and FT-Raman spectroscopy

In order to investigate the reduction mechanism of thioglycolic acid (TG) on the keratin fibers, cross-sectional samples of white human hair treated with TG were prepared. The heterogeneous reaction between TG and keratin fibers involving the diffusion of TG into human hair was analyzed at the molecular level using microspectrophotometry and FT-Raman spectroscopy. The diffusion of TG into human hair clearly increased by increasing the treatment time and by raising pH. The TG relative concentration and the disconnected relative concentration of disulfide (–SS–) groups at various depths of the hair samples with pH 9.0 were in good agreement, indicating that the reaction rate (the disconnection of –SS– groups) was faster than the diffusion rate of TG into human hair. From these experiments, we demonstrated that TG diffuses gradually beyond the cuticle region, and toward the inside of the cortex region along with the disconnection of –SS– groups.     

Microscopic implication of rapid shrinking of comb-type grafted poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels

The shrinking mechanism of comb-type grafted poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gel was investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The SAXS reveals that the microdomain structure with characteristic spacing of 460 Å is developed in the comb-type grafted poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gel during the shrinking process. These observations suggest that the freely mobile characteristics of the grafted chains are expected to show the rapid dehydration to make tightly packed globules with temperature, followed by the subsequent hydrophobic intermolecular aggregation of the dehydrated graft chains. The dehydrated grafted chains created the hydrophobic cores, which enhance the hydrophobic aggregation of the networks. These aggregations of the NIPA chains contribute to an increase in void volume, which allow the gel having a pathway of water molecules by the phase separation.     

Hydrocracking Marlim vacuum residue with natural limonite. Part 2: experimental cracking in a slurry-type continuous reactor

Disposable Australian iron-slurry (AL) and NiO-MoO₃-Al₂O₃ (NiMo) catalysts were used in hydrocracking experiments to convert Marlim vacuum residue (ML-VR) in a slurry-bed continuous flow reactor at temperatures of 440-460 °C, under a hydrogen pressure of 14.7 MPa and an LHSV of 0.5. The degree of conversion ranged from 54 to 83%, depending on the reaction temperature and catalyst used, with AL giving more complete conversion than NiMo. AL also proved more active in the removal of nickel. Hydrogen consumption was linearly correlated with conversion regardless of the catalyst used.