Performance analysis of opportunistic CSMA schemes in cognitive radio networks

In this paper, we consider underlay cognitive radio (CR) networks where an amount of interference caused by secondary stations (STAs) has to be kept below a predefined level, which is called interference temperature. We propose opportunistic p-persistent carrier sense multiple access schemes for the CR networks, which opportunistically exploit wireless channel conditions in transmitting data to the secondary access point. We also devise an adaptive interference-level control technique to further improve quality-of-service of a primary network by limiting the excessive interference due to collisions among STAs. The performances of the proposed schemes are mathematically analyzed, and they are validated with extensive computer simulations. The simulation results show that the proposed schemes achieve near optimal throughput of the secondary network while they are backward-compatible to the conventional p-persistent CSMA scheme.     

Creating Atomic Ordering in Electrocatalysis

Catalysis always proceeds in a chaotic fashion. Therefore, identifying the working principles of heterogeneous catalysts is a challenging task. Creating atomic order in heterogeneous catalysts simplifies this task and also offers new opportunities for rationally designing active sites to manipulate catalytic performance. The recent rapid advances in heterogeneous electrocatalysis have led to exciting progress in the construction of atomically ordered materials. Here, the latest progress in electrocatalysts with the periodic atomic arrangement, including intermetallic compounds with long-range order and metal atom-array catalysts with short-range order is summarized. The synthesis principles and the intriguing physical and chemical properties of these electrocatalysts are discussed. Furthermore, the compelling prospects of atomically ordered catalysts in the frontier of catalyst research are outlined.     

Photomultiplication-Type Organic Photodetectors with High EQE-Bandwidth Product by Introducing a Perovskite Quantum Dot Interlayer

A photomultiplication (PM)-type organic photodetector (OPD) that exploits the ionic motion in CsPbI₃ perovskite quantum dots (QDs) is demonstrated. The device uses a QD monolayer as a PM-inducing interlayer and a donor–acceptor bulk heterojunction (BHJ) layer as a photoactive layer. When the device is illuminated, negative ions in the CsPbI₃ QD migrate and accumulate near the interface between the QDs and the electrode; these processes induce hole injection from the electrode and yield the PM phenomenon with an external quantum efficiency (EQE) >2000% at a 3 V applied bias. It is confirmed that the ionic motion of the CsPbI₃ QDs can induce a shift in the work function of the QD/electrode interface and that the dynamics of ionic motion determines the response speed of the device. The PM OPD showed a large EQE-bandwidth product >10⁶ Hz with a −3 dB frequency of 125 kHz at 3 V, which is one of the highest response speeds reported for a PM OPD. The PM-inducing strategy that exploits ionic motion of the interlayer is a potential approach to achieving high-efficiency PM OPDs.     

Improvement of Impact Ionization Effect and Subthreshold Current in InAlAs/InGaAs Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor Metamorphic HEMT With a Liquid-Phase Oxidized InAlAs as Gate Insulator

The oxidation of InAlAs and its application to InAlAs/InGaAs metal-oxide-semiconductor metamorphic high-electron mobility transistors (MOS-MHEMTs) are demonstrated in this study. After the highly selective gate recessing of InGaAs/InAlAs using citric buffer etchant, the gate dielectric is obtained directly by oxidizing the InAlAs layer in a liquid-phase solution at near room temperature. As compared to its counterpart MHEMT, the fabricated InAlAs/InGaAs MOS-MHEMT exhibits a larger tolerance to gate bias, higher breakdown voltage, lower subthreshold current, improved gate leakage current with the effectively suppressed impact ionization effect, and improved radio-frequency performance. Consequently, the liquid-phase oxidation may also be used to produce gate oxides and as an effective passivation on III-V compound semiconductor devices     

An Approach for Segmentation of Airborne Laser Point Clouds Utilizing Scan‐Line Characteristics

In this study, we suggest a new segmentation algorithm for processing airborne laser point cloud data which is more memory efficient and faster than previous approaches. The main principle is the reading of data points along a scan line and their direct classification into homogeneous groups as a single process. The results of our experiments demonstrate that the algorithm runs faster and is more memory efficient than previous approaches. Moreover, the segmentation accuracy is generally acceptable.     

Solution-Processed High-<Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis> Dielectric,ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript>, and Integration in Thin-Film Transistors

We report a sol–gel method to deposit a high-k dielectric, zirconium oxide (ZrO₂). This solution-based approach has advantages of easy processing and low fabrication cost. Effects of annealing temperatures on dielectric properties, such as tunneling current density and capacitance density, are reported. Morphological and chemical characterizations suggest that the process temperature can be kept at or below 300°C. We have employed the solution-processed ZrO₂ dielectric in a zinc tin oxide thin-film transistor. Saturation mobility of 4.0 cm²/V s at operating voltage of 2 V has been observed. The measured subthreshold swing is 74 mV/decade, which is the result of the combination of an electronically clean dielectric/semiconductor interface and high insulator capacitance.     

Non-destructive evaluation of residual stresses in thin films via x-ray diffraction topography methods

Quantitative x-ray diffraction topography techniques have been used to measure the residual strain magnitude and uniformity of deposition for Mo and W sputtered films on Si(100) substrates. High sensitivity rocking curve measurements were able to determine differential strains for films as thin as 2.5 nm; while Bragg angle contour mapping had similar sensitivity and was also able to assess coating uniformity and stress distribution over areas covering a whole wafer. Measurements of strain versus film thickness over a range of 2.5 nm to 80 nm showed that a critical thickness exists for maximum residual strain. Growth beyond this range produces stress relaxation. This non-destructive type of analysis could be employed on a wide range of film-substrate combinations.     

Electrical isolation design rule for GaAs integrated circuitsfabricated on semi-insulating substrates

The characteristics of n-semi-insulating-n (n-si-n) structures that dictate the design rules for electrical isolation between active devices of GaAs integrated circuits fabricated on semi-insulating substrates are studied by one-dimensional and two-dimensional numerical simulations. It is found that the I-V characteristics of these structures are characterized by sharp current-rising regions which result from a potential barrier lowering effect caused by the punchthrough phenomenon. Simplified expressions are derived for quick evaluation of the punchthrough voltages for both one-dimensional and two-dimensional analyses. For a given operating voltage, the one-dimensional calculation gives a larger spacing between n regions in a n-si-n structure for onset of large current flow than does the two-dimensional analysis. Therefore, the spacing obtained from one-dimensional results can be used as a conservative design criterion for device isolation. For more aggressive electrical isolation design, two-dimensional simulation is necessary since it provides more accurate results     

Linewidth, tunability, and VHF-millimeter wave frequency synthesis of vertical-cavity GaAs quantum-well surface-emitting laser diode arrays

The authors report the measurement of the laser linewidth, wavelength tunability, and generation of microwave frequencies between individually addressable elements of a vertical-cavity GaAs quantum-well surface-emitting laser diode array (lasing in the wavelength range 850-865 nm). Using heterodyne techniques, the authors obtain a deconvolved 65 MHz laser linewidth from the 109 MHz beat signal. The laser linewidth corresponds to a semiconductor laser linewidth enhancement factor alpha =5.7, which is in excellent agreement with that obtained independently from optical gain measurements and corresponding calculated refractive index changes. The authors measured heterodyne beat frequencies of 2-20 GHz. The bandwidth was limited by the microwave amplifiers. A simple calculation shows that a tuning range of 65 MHz to 3 THz can be achieved.<>     

On surface recombination velocity and output intensity limit of pulsed semiconductor lasers

Relationships obtained by F. Kappeler et al. (1982) are utilized to assess the effect of facet passivation on the output intensity limit in terms of surface recombination velocity. The results show a trend that the output intensity limit increases in an exponential manner with decreasing recombination velocity once the velocity is reduced by a factor of 2 from that for an unpassivated laser. They also indicate that the output intensity is not likely to be limited by nonradiative recombination at the facet when the recombination velocity is reduced by a factor of 4.<>