First proof-of-principle experiment with the post-accelerated isotope separator on-line beam at BRIF: measurement of the angular distribution of $$^{23}$$ Na + $$^{40}$$ Ca elastic scattering

Nuclear Science and Techniques - Non-evaporable getter (NEG) films are an integral part of many particle accelerators. These films provide conductance-free evenly distributed pumping, a low thermal...     

Quantum Routing for Single Plasmons Modulated by the Dipole–Dipole Interaction in a π-Shaped Channel

Journal of Low Temperature Physics - We theoretically investigate a new scheme of single plasmon (SP) quantum router with a π-shaped channel consisting of two quantum dots (QDs) and three...     

A RWA Algorithm for Differentiated Services with QoS Guarantees in the Next Generation Internet based on DWDM Networks

A major challenge in next generation Internet (NGI) backbone networks based on dense-wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) is the provision of guaranteed quality-of-service (QoS) for a wide variety of multimedia applications. This paper proposes a new routing algorithm called multi-wavelength minimum interference path routing (MW-MIPR) to provide more reliable QoS guarantees by consideration of the potential future network's congestion status. This improves wavelength utilization by choosing a route that does not interfere too much with potential future connection requests. Moreover, we introduce a differentiated routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) mechanism combined with recovery strategy and the proposed MW-MIPR algorithm based on the differentiated service model in the NGI. Simulation results show that the proposed MW-MIPR algorithm achieves a smaller blocking probability than dynamic routing (DR) that yields the best performance among previous RWA algorithms. And we prove that a differentiated RWA combined with a recovery capability together with the proposed routing scheme provides satisfied QoS assurance for each service class in terms of signal quality and survivability.     

Effects of Pd addition on Au stud bumps/Al pads interfacial reactions and bond reliability

The main purposes for developing low-alloyed Au bonding wires were to increase wire stiffness and to control the wire loop profile and heat-affected zone length. For these reasons, many alloying elements have been used for the various Au bonding wires. Although there have been many studies reported on wire strengthening mechanisms by adding alloying elements, few studies were performed on their effects on Au bonding wires and Al pad interfacial reactions. Palladium has been used as one of the important alloying elements of Au bonding wires. In this study, Au-1wt.%Pd wire was used to make Au stud bumps on Al pads, and effects of Pd on Au/Al interfacial reactions, at 150°C, 175°C, and 200°C for 0 to 1200 h thermal aging, were investigated. Cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and electron probe microanalysis (EMPA) were performed to identify intermetallic compound (IMC) phases and Pd behavior at the Au/Al bonding interface. According to experimental results, the dominant IMC was Au₅Al₂, and a Pd-rich layer was at the Au wire and Au-Al IMC. Moreover, Au-Al interfacial reactions were significantly affected by the Pd-rich layer. Finally, bump shear tests were performed to investigate the effects of Pd-rich layers on Au wire bond reliability, and there were three different failure modes. Cracks, accompanied with IMC growth, formed above a Pd-rich layer. Furthermore, in longer aging times, fracture occurred along the crack, which propagated from the edges of a bonding interface to the center along a Pd-rich layer.     

Electrochemical-mechanical polishing application: Monitoring of electrochemical copper removal from current-voltage characteristics in HNO3 electrolyte

Recently, electrochemical-mechanical polishing (ECMP) has been suggested as an alternative to the conventional chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) process. In ECMP process, copper (Cu) ions are electrochemically dissolved by applying an anodic potential to the Cu surface in an electrolyte. In this paper, the voltage-activated electrochemical reactions of Cu for ECMP application were investigated with different concentration of HNO₃ electrolyte. The electrochemical characteristics of Cu such as active, passive, transient and trans-passive state were evaluated from its current-voltage (I-V) curve obtained by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) method. The proposed mechanism and analyses were a good methodology in finding suitable electrochemical process parameter for ECMP application.     

Zn2+掺杂诱导Eu3+激活BiOCl层状半导体的反常发光性能研究

采用固相法在500℃下成功制备Zn²⁺掺杂BiOCl:Eu³⁺层状半导体, 并研究了Zn²⁺ (0~20mol%)掺杂对Eu³⁺激活BiOCl层状半导体发光性能的影响。利用X射线衍射(XRD)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、扫描电镜(SEM)、傅里叶变换红外光谱(FT-IR)、激发-发射光谱、荧光寿命衰减曲线对样品的结构和性能进行表征。研究发现, 随Zn²⁺掺杂浓度增大, BiOCl晶体结构不变, Eu³⁺荧光寿命延长, 但发光强度却出现先减后增的反常现象。综合分析表明这可能与BiOCl特殊的层状结构有关。通过XRD和XPS的表征可以推断: 当Zn²⁺掺杂浓度≤10mol%, Zn²⁺在BiOCl中掺杂方式以晶胞层间隙掺杂为主; 当Zn²⁺掺杂浓度>10mol%后, 掺杂方式逐渐向取代掺杂转变。两种掺杂机制对Eu³⁺荧光寿命的改变以及形成缺陷对基质能量传递效率的影响可能是形成上述反常现象的主要原因。研究结果有助于认识稀土掺杂层状半导体的发光性能及影响规律, 并对Eu³⁺掺杂BiOCl这类新型发光材料的开发设计具有指导意义。     

Synthesis,photoluminescence and electroluminescence properties of iridium complexes with bulky carbazole dendrons

We synthesized solution-processable iridium complexes having bulky carbazole dendrons, fac-tris[2-{3-(3,5-bis(3,6-di-n-butylcarbazol-9-yl)phenyl)Phenyl)pyridine]iridium (III) (mCP)₃Ir and fac-bis[2-{3-(3,5-bis(3,6-di-n-butylcarbazol-9-yl)phenyl)phenyl}pyridine][2-{3-(3,5-di(4-pyridyl)phenyl)phenyl}pyridine]iridium (III) (mCP)₂(bpp)Ir. Photoluminescence quantum efficiencies (PLQEs) of (mCP)₃Ir and (mCP)₂(bpp)Ir in their diluted solutions were 91% and 84%, respectively. They showed high PLQEs of 49% for (mCP)₃Ir and 29% for (mCP)₂(bpp)Ir even in a neat film. The triplet exciton energy level of the dendronized ligand (2.8 eV), 2-[3-{3,5-bis(3,6-di-n-butylcarbazol-9-yl)phenyl}]pyridine 10, and the dendron (2.9 eV), 3,5-bis(3,6-di-n-butylcarbazol-9-yl)benzene 7, are enough higher than that of the core complex Ir(ppy)₃ (2.6 eV). External quantum efficiency (EQE) of single layer light-emitting device with (mCP)₂(bpp)Ir was much higher than that of (mCP)₃Ir because of better affinity of (mCP)₂(bpp)Ir to cathode metal. When an electron transporting and hole-blocking material was used, the EQEs of double layer devices were dramatically improved to 8.3% for (mCP)₃Ir and 5.4% for (mCP)₂(bpp)Ir at 100 cd/m².     

Epigenetic Regulation of Cardiomyocyte Differentiation from Embryonic and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

With the intent to achieve the best modalities for myocardial cell therapy, different cell types are being evaluated as potent sources for differentiation into cardiomyocytes. Embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells have great potential for future progress in the treatment of myocardial diseases. We reviewed aspects of epigenetic mechanisms that play a role in the differentiation of these cells into cardiomyocytes. Cardiomyocytes proliferate during fetal life, and after birth, they undergo permanent terminal differentiation. Upregulation of cardiac-specific genes in adults induces hypertrophy due to terminal differentiation. The repression or expression of these genes is controlled by chromatin structural and epigenetic changes. However, few studies have reviewed and analyzed the epigenetic aspects of the differentiation of embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells into cardiac lineage cells. In this review, we focus on the current knowledge of epigenetic regulation of cardiomyocyte proliferation and differentiation from embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells through histone modification and microRNAs, the maintenance of pluripotency, and its alteration during cardiac lineage differentiation.     

Surface planarization of ZnO thin film for optoelectronic applications

In this paper, surface morphology and optical properties are investigated to find the optimum microstructure of zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films deposited by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. To achieve a high transmittance and a low resistivity, we examined various film deposition conditions. The transmittance and surface morphology of ZnO thin films were measured by an ultraviolet (UV)-visible spectrometer and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. In order to improve the surface quality of ZnO thin films, we performed chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) by change of process parameters, and compared the optical properties of polished ZnO thin films. As an experimental result, we were able to obtain good uniformity and improved transmittance efficiency by the CMP technique.     

Indirect current control of active filter for harmonic elimination with novel observer-based noise reduction scheme

Active power filters have been developed recently to solve the harmonics disturbance problems on power system networks. The direct current control scheme is generally used to control the harmonic compensating current directly for current source active power filters. To improve the characteristics of harmonic elimination, the voltage regulation scheme is proposed which regulates the filter capacitor voltage at the input side. Hence the voltage regulation scheme is an indirect current control technique for making sinusoidal line current. To implement this proposed scheme, the electronic differentiator should be used. By using the conventional differentiator, high frequency noise is generated in the controller. This deteriorates both the accuracy and reliability of the controller. To reduce this noise, a novel observer-based noise reduction scheme is proposed for our active filter system. The observer-based algorithm and characteristics of indirect current-controlled active filters are investigated through simulations and experiments.