Germanium islands embedded in strained silicon quantum wells grown on patterned substrates

Germanium islands were embedded in strained silicon quantum wells in order to provide an improved electron confinement in vicinity of the islands. Growth was performed on relaxed SiGe layers. Patterned substrates were used, favouring lattice relaxation as well permitting the fabrication of small Ge islands at deposition temperatures above 500 °C. Photoluminescence analysis reveals a strongly reduced dislocation related signal. The low temperature spectra are dominated by intense signals from the germanium islands. The origin of these signals were investigated by removing the islands by etching, analysing reference samples without a silicon quantum well, varying the germanium deposition and the growth temperature.     

Flexible microelectronics becoming a reality with Suftla transfer technology

Abstract— Suftla is a technology that is used to transfer polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) thin‐film‐transistor (TFT) circuits from an original glass substrate to a plastic sheet. The electronic devices in the next generation will be thin, lightweight, and will handle huge amounts of data, yet consume less energy. Suftla technology, together with high‐performance polysilicon TFTs, meets all these requirements because we have developed a variety of smart flexible electronic devices, such as thin paperback‐sized displays and microprocessors. Suftla will usher in a new era of life‐enhancing flexible microelectronics.     

Defect formation in epitaxial oxide dielectric layers due to substrate surface relief

Defects were characterized in epitaxial (001) CeO₂ films deposited and planarizedin situ on patterned (001) LaAlO₃ substrates by ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). A hill and valley structure with steps running parallel to the [100] LaAlO₃ axis was produced on the surface of the substrate by photolithography and ion beam etching prior to film deposition. A conformai epitaxial CeO₂ layer of ∼ 100 nm thickness was deposited on the heated substrate by e-beam evaporation. Lattice-matching between the e-beam film and the substrate was of the type: (001) CeO₂∥(001) LaAlO₃ and [110] CeO₂∥[100] LaAlO₃. Evaporative deposition of additional film onto the conformai layer was accompanied by bombardment with a 500 eV argon/oxygen ion beam to promotein situ planarization. Extreme lattice misfit for the orientation (001) CeO₂∥(001)LaAlO₃ and [001] CeO₂∥[001] LaAlO₃ caused formation of dislocations in the e-beam CeO₂ film in the vicinity of individual ledges in the substrate surface. Coherence of the CeO₂ film was locally lost in the step regions of the hill and valley structure. The large patterned steps, which are composed of numerous adjacent ledges in the LaAlO₃ surface, caused nucleation of CeO₂ with a tilt misalignment of up to ∼5‡ about the substrate [100]. Nucleation and growth of nonepitaxial CeO₂ crystallites was observed along the step regions of the film during the IBAD portion of deposition. Defect formation in the e-beam ceria layer due to substrate surface relief indicates that “lattice engineering≓ of multilayer epitaxial structures may not be possible when nonplanar surfaces are created during device fabrication. The IBAD CeO₂ layer was more defective than the conformai layer deposited without the impinging ion beam, even in the portions of the film where epitaxy was maintained throughout both layers.     

Elimination of dislocations in heteroepitaxial MBE and RTCVD Ge x Si1-x grown on patterned Si substrates

We have grown Ge _x Si_1-x (0 <x < 0.20,1000–3000Å thick) on small growth areas etched in the Si substrate. Layers were grown using both molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) at 550° C and rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition (RTCVD) at 900° C. Electron beam induced current images (EBIC) (as well as defect etches and transmission electron microscopy) show that 2800Å-thick, MBE Ge_0.19Si_0.81 on 70-μm-wide mesas have zerothreading and nearly zero misfit dislocations. The Ge_0.19Si{0.81} grown on unpatterned, large areas is heavily dislocated. It is also evident from the images that heterogeneous nucleation of misfit dislocations is dominant in this composition range. 1000Å-thick, RTCVD Ge_0.14Si_0.86 films deposited on 70 μm-wide mesas are also nearly dislocation-free as shown by EBIC, whereas unpatterned areas are more heavily dislocated. Thus, despite the high growth temperatures, only heterogeneous nucleation of misfit dislocations occurs and patterning is still effective. Photoluminescence spectra from arrays of GeSi on Si mesas show that even when the interface dislocation density on the mesas is high, growth on small areas results in a lower dislocation density than growth on large areas.     

Surface characterization of 6H-SiC (0001) substrates in indentation and abrasive machining

Surface characterization of 6H-SiC (0001) substrates in indentation and abrasive machining was carried out to investigate microfracture, residual damage, and surface roughness associated with material removal and surface generation. Brittle versus plastic deformation was studied using Vickers indention and nano-indentation. To characterize the abrasive machining response, the 6H-SiC (0001) substrates were ground using diamond wheels with grit sizes of 25, 15 and 7 μm, and then polished with diamond suspensions of 3 and 0.05 μm. It is found that in indentation, there was a scale effect for brittle versus plastic deformation in 6H-SiC substrates. Also, in grinding, the scales of fracture and surface roughness of the substrates decreased with a decrease in diamond grit size. However, in polishing, a reduction in grit size of diamond suspensions gave no significant improvement in surface roughness. Furthermore, the results showed that fracture-free 6H-SiC (0001) surfaces were generated in polishing with the existence of the residual crystal defects, which were associated with the origin of defects in single crystal growth.     

Computational Problem Solving in Spatial Substrates -- A Cognitive Systems Engineering Approach

The ability to perform spatial tasks is crucial for everyday life and of great importance to cognitive agents such as humans, animals, and autonomous robots. A common artificial intelligence approach to accomplish spatial tasks is to represent spatial configurations and tasks in form of detailed knowledge about various aspects of space and time. Suitable algorithms then use the representations to compute solutions to spatial problems. In comparison, natural embodied and situated agents often solve spatial tasks without detailed knowledge about geometric, topological, or mechanical laws; they directly relate actions to effects that are due to spatio-temporal affordances in their bodies and environments. Accordingly, we propose a paradigm that makes the spatio-temporal substrate an integral part of the engine that drives spatial problem solving. We argue that spatial and temporal structures in body and environment can substantially support (and even replace) reasoning effort in computational processes: physical manipulation and perception in spatial environments substitute formal computation. While the approach is well known – for example, we employ diagrams as spatial substrate for geometric problem solving and maps for wayfinding – the underlying principle has not been systematically investigated or formally analyzed as a paradigm of cognitive processing. Topology, distance, and orientation constraints are all integrated and interdependent in truly 2- or 3-dimensional space. Exploiting this fact may not only help overcome the need for acquiring detailed knowledge about the interrelationships between different aspects of space; it also can point to a way of avoiding exploding computational complexity that occurs when we deal with these aspects of space in complex real-world scenarios. Our approach employs affordance-based object-level problem solving to complement knowledge-level formal approaches. We will assess strengths and weaknesses of the new cognitive systems paradigm.     

Insect sex pheromones

The half-lives (t _1/2) for evaporative loss ofn-alkyl andn-alkenyl acetates from rubber septa were determined at temperatures varying from 15 to 35 °C. The changes int _1/2 with temperature gave high correlations with the equation, Int _1/2 = H/RT+y _o where H is the heat of vaporization,R is the gas constant,T is the absolute temperature, andy _o is a constant. Half-lives changed dramatically with temperature and the degree of change with temperature increased with increasing molecular weight. For mixtures, component ratios changed with temperature, but the degree was modest. At 20 °C there was a 7.5-fold ratio oft _1/2 between members of the homologousn-alkyl orn-alkenyl acetates differing by two carbon atoms. The large change int _1/2 with temperature and with number of carbon atoms is a consequence of the thermodynamic relationships and the temperature range of pheromone usage. Therefore, a similar degree of change inf _1/2 with temperature and number of carbon atoms will apply to other formulations of the same type (those in which the rate of evaporation is first order). The values oft _1/2 at 20 °C mainly agreed very well with those reported previously at room temperature. However, our previously reported values for pentadecyl and hexadecyl acetate were revised. Half-lives were shown to depend on the vapor pressure of a compound in the formulation substrate, but not on the vapor pressure of the pure compound.Mention of a commercial or proprietary product does not constitute an endorsement by the USDA.     

Protective properties of organic phosphate-pigmented coatings on phosphated steel substrates

Investigations have been carried out on properties of coatings, differing by their pigmentation and binder, and applied on different chemical pre-treatments of the steel surface. Paints based on alkyd and alkyd-melamine binders, pigmented with zinc phosphate and modified basic zinc phosphate were applied on amorphous and crystalline phosphated steel surface and, for the comparison purpose, on degreased steel surface. The effect of the binder, the pigment and the pre-treatment of the steel surface on the protective properties of the coatings were determined by measurements of adhesion, water absorption and water permeability and by results obtained in salt spray and Prohesion tests. Coatings based on alkyd binder show a lower damage degree and good retention of adhesion in corrosion conditions, in spite of a higher water absorption and water permeability and a lower initial adhesive strength. Protective properties of coatings have been found to be highly dependent upon the substrate pre-treatment. Chemical pre-treatment of the steel substrate increases the protective properties of the system, which is particularly evident in the case of crystalline phosphating and the coating pigmented with modified basic zinc phosphate. This phenomenon can be explained by the synergism between this phosphate pigment with crystalline phosphate layer.     

Mullite for Structural, Electronic, and Optical Applications

Mullite (3Al₂O₃·2SiO₂) is becoming increasingly important in electronic, optical, and high-temperature structural applications. This paper reviews the current state of mullite-related research at a fundamental level, within the framework of phase equilibria, crystal structure, synthesis, processing, and properties. Phase equilibria are discussed in terms of the problems associated with the nucleation kinetics of mullite and the large variations observed in the solid-solution range. The incongruent melting behavior of mullite is now widely accepted. Large variations in the solid solubility from 58 to 76 mol% alumina are related to the ordering/disordering of oxygen vacancies and are strongly coupled with the method of synthesis used to form mullite. Similarly, reaction sequences which lead to the formation of mullite upon heating depend on the spatial scale at which the components are mixed. Mixing at the atomic level is useful for low-temperature (<1000°C) synthesis of mullite but not for low-temperature sintering. In contrast, precursors that are segregated are better suited for low-temperature (1250° to 1500°C) densification through viscous deformation. Flexural strength and creep resistance at elevated temperatures are significantly affected by the presence of glassy boundary inclusions; in the absence of glassy inclusions, polycrystalline mullite retains >90% of its room-temperature strength to 1500°C and displays very high creep resistance. Because of its low dielectric constant, mullite has now emerged as a substrate material in high-performance packaging applications. Interest in optical applications mainly centers on its applicability as a window material within the mid-infrared range.