Modelling strategies for the incorporation and correction of optical effects in EUVL

Extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) is a leading candidate for the 22 nm node lithography and beyond. However, there are still some critical problems before EUVL may be deployed in high-volume manufacturing. One of the critical problems is to estimate the EUVL aerial image formation for optical proximity correction (OPC) in order to compensate for EUVL effects such as shadowing and flare. This study discusses aerial image formation through modeling of optical transfer function to assimilate optical diffraction, long range layout dependent flare effects, and shadowing effects due to non-telecentric imaging optics in the EUV case. Hence, after optimizing optical process parameters to model the EUV aerial image, this study will investigate OPC modeling methods employed to compensate these optical effects in the mask design flow.     

Electromagnetic scattering from a dielectric cylinder buried beneath a slightly rough surface

An analytical solution is presented for the electromagnetic scattering from a dielectric circular cylinder embedded in a dielectric half-space with a slightly rough interface. The solution utilizes the spectral (plane-wave) representation of the fields and accounts for all the multiple interactions between the rough interface and the. buried cylinder. First-order coefficients from the small perturbation method are used for computation of the scattered fields from the rough surface. The derivation includes both TM and TE polarizations and can be easily extended for other cylindrical buried objects (e.g., cylindrical shell, metallic cylinder). Several scattering scenarios are examined utilizing the new solution for a dielectric cylinder beneath a flat, sinusoidal, and arbitrary rough surface profile. Results indicate that the scattering pattern of a buried object below a slightly rough surface differs from the flat surface case only when the surface roughness spectrum contains a limited range of spatial frequencies. Furthermore, the illuminated area of the incident wave is seen to be a critical factor in the visibility of a buried object below a rough surface.     

Highly Conductive Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):Poly (styrenesulfonate) Films Using 1‐Ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium Tetracyanoborate Ionic Liquid

Highly conductive poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) films are obtained using ionic liquids as additives. Upon adding 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetracyanoborate (EMIM TCB) to the conducting polymer, the conductivity increases to 2084 S cm^?1; this is attributed to the phase separation of PSS leading to a structural change in the film. A comparative study with 1‐butyl‐3‐methyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMIM BF₄) shows that EMIM TCB gives higher conductivity and transmittance and can be regarded as one of the most promising additives for the preparation of indium tin oxide (ITO)‐free organic devices using PEDOT:PSS/EMIM TCB as electrodes.     

A Scalable Framework For Segmenting Magnetic Resonance Images

A fast, accurate and fully automatic method of segmenting magnetic resonance images of the human brain is introduced. The approach scales well allowing fast segmentations of fine resolution images. The approach is based on modifications of the soft clustering algorithm, fuzzy c-means, that enable it to scale to large data sets. Two types of modifications to create incremental versions of fuzzy c-means are discussed. They are much faster when compared to fuzzy c-means for medium to extremely large data sets because they work on successive subsets of the data. They are comparable in quality to application of fuzzy c-means to all of the data. The clustering algorithms coupled with inhomogeneity correction and smoothing are used to create a framework for automatically segmenting magnetic resonance images of the human brain. The framework is applied to a set of normal human brain volumes acquired from different magnetic resonance scanners using different head coils, acquisition parameters and field strengths. Results are compared to those from two widely used magnetic resonance image segmentation programs, Statistical Parametric Mapping and the FMRIB Software Library (FSL). The results are comparable to FSL while providing significant speed-up and better scalability to larger volumes of data.     

Model for the oxygenation of the YBa2Cu3O7−x 90K superconductor

A model incorporating the thermodynamic equilibrium oxygen content, oxygen in-diffusion, and oxide phases for the oxygenation of the YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x is described. For sintered polycrystals, grain growth and the resulting grain size distribution are included. The model is used to calculate the volume percent of each oxide phase for several processing conditions of sintered specimens and is compared with available results on the quantification of phases present. Such a comparison indicates that as the concentration of impurity phases increases so does the concentration of the less oxygenated 123 phases, suggesting that impurities coating 123 grains act as oxygen indiffusion barriers. The model is also used to investigate the uniformity of the oxygen content in large twinned and detwinned single crystals such as have been used for measuring superconductivity parameters.     

Report of an IEEE Task Force?An IEEE Opinion on Research Needs for Biomedical Engineerng Systems

MORE than 200 years ago, our forefathers made note of man's inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. To the engineering community (applied science in the service of man), these may be coincident with applications to medicine and biology (biomedical engineering), defense, and entertainment. Biomedical engineering research has the distinction, among these three missions, of not only contributing to the quality of human life through the industrial economy but also to life itself?the most fundamental concern of all people. It is through biomedical engineering research that we have been able to learn much concerning the functioning of living systems, and it is through such knowledge that we have been able to develop improved clinical diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment, including life-sustaining devices and aids to the handicapped. Each step represents an improvement in the quality of life, and each step forms the foundation upon which to gain new knowledge to improve upon earlier developments.     

Neurophysiological Model of the Normal and Abnormal Human Pupil

A model of the pathways controlling the size of the human pupil is presented. Computer simulation of this model demonstrates the role played by each of the elements in the pupil pathways. Simulations of the effects of drugs and a few common abnormalities in the system also help to illustrate the workings of the internal processes. Computer models of this type can be used as teaching aids or as tools for testing of hypotheses regarding the system.