Electron Thermalization in Metallic Islands Probed by Coulomb Blockade Thermometry

We describe a systematic series of experiments on thermalization of electrons in lithographic metallic thin films at millikelvin temperatures using Coulomb blockade thermometry (CBT). Joule dissipation due to biasing of the CBT sensor tends to drive the electron system into non-equilibrium. Under all experimental conditions tested, the electron-electron relaxation is fast enough to ensure thermal electron distribution, which is also in agreement with the theoretical arguments we present. On the other hand, poor electron-phonon relaxation plays a dominant role in lifting the electron temperature above that of the bath. From a comparison of the results with the theoretical current-voltage characteristics of the thermometers we precisely determine the electron-phonon coupling constant for the common metals used. Our experiments show that it is a formidable task to attain thermal equilibrium with the bath using single-electron devices under non-zero bias conditions at 20–50 mK temperatures that are typically encountered in experiments. The conclusion concerning Coulomb blockade thermometry is more optimistic and two-fold: (1) One can now correct the errors due to bias heating in a satisfactory manner based on known material properties and the size of the metal films in the sensor. (2) Reliable thermometry down to 20 mK requires islands whose volumes are >10^?15 m³, which is still acceptable both from the parameter (capacitance) and fabrication points of view.     

Bipolar electric fatigue behaviour as a function of field strength in antiferroelectric (Pb,Ba,La)(Zr,Sn,Ti)O3 ceramics

The bipolar electric fatigue behaviour of antiferroelectric ceramics with the composition of Pb_0.88Ba_0.10La_0.02(Zr_0.55Sn_0.35Ti_0.10)O₃ was investigated under various cycling fields. The material exhibits a degradation in the maximum field induced strain, a diffuse AFE-FE phase transition and an enhancement in the diffusion character of the FE-AFE phase transition due to electric cycling. Those variations increase with cycle number, indicating a logarithmic fatigue up to 10⁸ cycles. There is no indication for the variations to be recovered, and the symmetry of the negative and positive parts of the strain hysteresis loops still remains. Higher cycling field results in a stronger deterioration of the maximum field induced strain and a larger extent of diffusion in AFE-FE and FE-AFE phase transitions. The normalized maximum strain shows nearly the same scale of degradation when the materials are cycled at various electric fields. After a heat treatment at 500°C for 1 h, the variations in the AFE-FE and FE-AFE phase transition due to cycling disappear, whereas the maximum strain resumes almost to its original value. Electrochemical variations are considered to contribute to the main fatigue mechanism for the material under investigation.     

Visibility of collaboration on the Web

The emerging influence of new information and communication technologies (ICT) on collaboration in science and technology has to be considered. In particular, the question of the extent to which collaboration in science and in technology is visible on the Web needs examining. Thus the purpose of this study is to examine whether broadly similar results would occur if solely Web data was used rather than all available bibliometric co-authorship data. For this purpose a new approach of Web visibility indicators of collaboration is examined. The ensemble of COLLNET members is used to compare co-authorship patterns in traditional bibliometric databases and the network visible on the Web. One of the general empirical results is a high percentage (78%) of all bibliographic multi- authored publications become visible through search of engines in the Web. One of the special studies has shown Web visibility of collaboration is dependent on the type of bibliographic multi-authored papers. The social network analysis (SNA) is applied to comparisons between bibliographic and Web collaboration networks. Structure formation processes in bibliographic and Web networks are studied. The research question posed is to which extent collaboration structures visible in the Web change their shape in the same way as bibliographic collaboration networks over time. A number of special types of changes in bibliographic and Web structures are explained. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Difference in Turbulent Diffusion between the Active and Passive Scalars in a Thermally Stably Stratified Medium

The difference in the turbulent diffusion between the active (heat) and passive (mass) scalars in a thermally stably stratified medium is investigated. The axisymmetric problem is treated on the formation of a turbulent circulation flow above a heated disk and on the turbulent diffusion of a passive scalar (impurity) from a continuous surface source in a stably stratified medium. The results indicate that the thermal stratification causes appreciable differences in the coefficients of turbulent transfer between the active (heat) and passive (mass) scalars. This means that the assumption of the identity of the coefficient of turbulent diffusion of heat and mass, employed in conventional models of turbulence, produces significant errors in estimating the heat and mass transfer in a thermally stably stratified medium.     

CMOS circuit testing via time-resolved luminescence measurements and simulations

The continuous trend in modern CMOS technology toward smaller devices and faster clock frequency is challenging the picosecond imaging circuit analysis technique. In this paper we discuss the role of the single-photon avalanche diode with very sharp time resolution in testing CMOS circuits. Thanks to the 30 ps-time resolution, innovative measurements regarding delays and jitter are presented, along with a case study. A compact model of the luminescence is also proposed and used to compare on-chip electrical signals with optical waveforms.     

Implementation of a mechanics-based system for estimating the strength of timber

The most accurate way of determining the strength of lumber requires destructive testing. An intelligent mechanics-based lumber-grading system was developed to provide a better estimation of the strength of a board nondestructively. This system processed X-ray-extracted geometric features (of 1080 boards that eventually underwent destructive strength testing) by using finite element methods to generate associated stress fields. The stress fields were then fed to a feature-extracting-processor, which produced 26 strength predicting features. The best strength predicting features were determined from the coefficient of determination (correlation r/sup 2/) between the features and actual strengths of the boards. The coefficients of determination of each feature (or combination of features), with the actual strength of the board, were calculated and compared. A coefficient of determination of 0.4158 was achieved by using a longitudinal (along the local grain angle) maximum stress concentration (MSC) feature to predict the estimated strength of lumber.     

Thermal Transformations of an Aluminoborophosphate Binder

Thermal transformations of a commercial aluminoborophosphate binder are studied in a broad temperature range by optical microscopy, x-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, and thermal analysis. The introduction of B₂O₃ reduces the temperature of phosphate polycondensation, enhances the stability of cyclometaphosphates in a broad temperature range (180–1100°C), and reduces the stability of hydrogen phosphates.