Copper wire interconnect reliability evaluation using in-situ High Temperature Storage Life (HTSL) tests

This paper describes the use of in-situ High Temperature Storage Life (HTSL) tests based on a four point resistance method to evaluate Cu wire interconnect reliability. Although the same set up was used in the past to monitor Au–Al ball bond degradation, a different approach was needed for this system. Using conventional statistical methods of failure probability distributions and a fixed failure criterion were found to be unsuitable in this case. Besides this, tests usually take very long until a sufficient percentage of the population have failed according to that criterion. A simple physical model was used to electrically quantify ball bond degradation due to the prevailing failure mechanism in a substantially smaller amount of test time. The method enabled the determination of activation energies for a number of moulding compounds and is extremely useful for a fast screening of such materials regarding their suitability for Cu wire.     

Comparison of different separative techniques in the quantitative determination of active compound enclosed in liposomal systems

The suitability of three different separative techniques, dialysis, gel filtration and centrifugation, for determining the percentage of active compound included (PAI) in liposomal systems was assessed. Two model compounds, glucose and vitamin E acetate were encapsulated in dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), soybean lecithin (SL) and hydrogenated soybean lecithin (HSL) multilamellar vesicles (MLV). Vitamin E acetate PAI values from DPPC MLV liposomes obtained by dialysis, gel filtration and centrifugation, were compared with those determined by differential scanning calorimetry. Glucose PAI values from DPPC MLV liposomes, obtained using the same separative techniques, were compared with that calculated by taking into account the glucose content of the liposome internal aqueous phase on the basis of liposome mean size determined by light scattering.
Vitamin E acetate and glucose PAI values from SL and HSL liposomes were compared with those obtained for DPPC liposomes. Dialysis proved suitable for PAI determination for both lipophilic and hydrophilic compounds, centrifugation was found to be suitable only for the determination of lipophilic compound PAI values while gel filtration using Sephadex G-25M proved inadequate for the determination of PAI values for both lipophilic and hydrophilic compounds in the experimental conditions used in this study.     

Sol–gel derived CuCoMnOx spinel coatings for solar absorbers: Structural and optical properties

A novel black coloured coating with the composition CuCoMnO_x was prepared using sol–gel synthesis. The coatings were deposited using the dip-coating technique from alcoholic sols based on Mn-acetate and Co- and Cu-chloride precursors. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that xerogels become crystalline at 316°C while X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the coatings and powders correspond predominantly to CuCoMnO_x spinels. Rutherford back scattering (RBS) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) studies combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) measurements confirmed that Cu, Mn and Co are present in the films in stoichiometric ratios close to that in the initial sols. IR spectroscopy has been employed to study the formation of sols by following the changes in the vibrational bands of the acetate groups during both thermal hydrolysis and the ageing of sols to xerogels. It was found that ageing of xerogels was accompanied by the formation of −COO⁻ bridging units, which at 250°C are no longer visible in the IR spectra but substituted by the vibrational modes characteristic for CuCoMnO_x. The solar absorptance (a_s) and thermal emittance (e_T) of the coatings when deposited on an Al-substrate are a_s=0.9 and e_T=0.05, which rank deposited black sol–gel CuCoMnO_x spinels among the promising candidates for spectrally selective absorber coatings for solar collectors and solar facades.     

A theoretical solution for the pullout properties of a single FRP rod embedded in a bond type anchorage

ABSTRACT

This paper proposes a theoretical solution for predicting the pullout properties of a single fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) rod embedded in a bond type anchorage based on a trilinear bond–slip model. The radial variation of the shear stress and reaction of the steel sleeve are considered in the solution. Pullout procedure with elastic, elastic-softening, elastic-softening-debonding, pure softening, softening-debonding, and debonding stages, as well as the corresponding critical stages, are analyzed. In this theoretical solution, the maximum pullout load, shear stress along the rod–grout interface, axial tensile stress of the FRP rod, and load–slip relationship are derived with explicit formulations. Effective bond length of bond type anchorage is also discussed. The solution is validated against experimental results available in literature. The theoretical solution reveals that the anchorage may attain its maximum pullout load in the elastic-softening, pure softening, or elastic-softening-debonding stage. Moreover, the effects of embedded length, ultimate shear stress, and residual shear stress on maximum pullout load closely related with the stage in which the anchorage attains its maximum pullout load. However, the effect of radius of FRP rod on the maximum pullout load increases with the embedded length, no matter in which stage the anchorage attains its maximum pullout load.     

Effect of Zn addition on two-step aging behaviour of Al–Mg–Si–Cu alloy

This study investigates the effect of Zn addition two-step behaviour in an Al–Mg–Si–Cu alloy. During pre-aging at 100°C for 3?h, the Zn can partition into clusters because of the strong Zn–Mg interaction, prompting the formation of clusters. During subsequent artificial aging at 180°C for up to 240?min (peak hardness condition), the Zn does not significantly partition into clusters or precipitates, and the majority of Zn remains in the Al matrix. However, the presence of Zn in the matrix stimulates the transformation from clusters to GP zones to β′′ phases. The enhanced formation of GP zones and β′′ phases correlates well with the remarkable age-hardening response.     

Crystal orientation dependence of the out-of-plane dielectric properties for barium stannate titanate thin films

The orientation-dependent out-of-plane dielectric properties of barium stannate titanate (Ba(Sn_0.15Ti_0.85)O₃ (BTS)) thin films prepared by sol–gel method were investigated. Films with (1 0 0), (1 1 0), and (1 1 1) orientation were grown on LaNiO₃-buffered (1 0 0), (1 1 0), and (1 1 1) LaAlO₃ (LAO) single-crystal substrates, respectively. The different temperature of the dielectric constant maximum (T_m) of the BTS thin films with different orientation was believed to be attributing to stress inside the films. Films with the (1 1 1) orientation had higher relative dielectric constant and tunability than (1 0 0)- and (1 1 0)-oriented films. This difference in dielectric properties in these three kinds of oriented BTS films may be attributed to change in the direction and magnitude of electric polarization in orientation engineered BTS films and stress in the films.     

Guidelines for establishment of correlations between mechanical properties and microstructure in Al–Si alloys

Abstract

This paper reports an analysis of the accuracy and sensitivity of ultimate tensile strength and strain to failure to changes in microstructure constituents in Al–Si alloys ranging from 7 to 18%Si. The influence of amount of constituents, namely dendrites, eutectic, silicon particles and intermetallics as well as their geometrical features, namely secondary dendrite arm spacing, silicon eutectic thickness and intermetallics thickness on both ultimate tensile strength and strain to failure is evaluated. This study provides information that will be useful in the establishment of robust correlations between mechanical properties and metallurgical features, since they are highly dependent on their sensitivity and accuracy.     

How to carry out assembly line–cell conversion? A discussion based on factor analysis of system performance improvements

The line–cell (or line–seru) conversion is an innovation of assembly systems that has received less attention. Its essence is dismantling an assembly conveyor line and adopting a mini-assembly unit, called seru (or cell). In this paper, we discuss how to do such line–cell conversions, especially focusing on assembly cell formation (ACF) and assembly cell loading (ACL). We perform 64 arrays of full factorial experiment analysis that incorporate three factors: work stations, product types, and product lot sizes. We construct a two-objective line–cell conversion model that minimises the total throughput time (TTPT) and the total labour hours (TLH). Three non-dominated solutions obtained from the two-objective model are used to evaluate the performance of the line–cell conversion. By investigating the experimental results of the ACF and the ACL, we summarise several managerial insights that could be used to help successful line–cell conversions.     

Tensile and fatigue behaviour of Ni–Ni3Si eutectic in situ composites

A Ni–Ni₃Si composite was fabricated via a eutectic reaction (Ni–Ni₃Si) using a rapidly cooled directional solidification technique at a solidification rate of 40?μm?s^?1. The composite consisted of approximately 62.2% Ni–Si solid solution and 37.8% Ni–Ni₃Si eutectic phase in volume. Four-point bend fatigue tests were carried out on the composite. The fatigue strength of the alloy was measured to be 520?MPa (maximum cyclic stress). It was found that the fatigue cracks were preferably initiated in the Ni–Ni₃Si eutectic phase, and that the Ni matrix was fractured in a cleavage fashion. It was probably attributed to the high level of supersaturated Si in the Ni matrix, which led to inducing the embrittlement of the Ni matrix.     

The Reception and Sources of Berenice Abbott's Paris Portrait Style, 1925–1929

This study focuses on the photographs that first brought Berenice Abbott critical acclaim: her Paris portraits from the late 1920s. As a body of work, these images – along with what Abbott had to say about them and the critical attention they generated at the time – provide a rich resource for the study of three interconnected topics: the avant-garde critical climate of Europe in the late 1920s, the American expatriate experience in Paris during this same time and Abbott's nascent photographic values and aesthetic, which helped to inform not only her portraits but also her later, better-known photographs of New York City. The paper first defines the divergent critical responses to Abbott's portrait work in the late 1920s – focusing especially on the published criticism by Florent Fels and Pierre Mac Orlan that helped to secure Abbott's international reputation as a leading modern photographer. It then turns to Abbott's expatriate experience in order to examine the ideas and individuals that she identified as most important to her photographic practice. Specifically the paper explains Abbott's desire to create an alternative approach to photography from the one used by Man Ray, her awareness of the classical style associated with Pablo Picasso and her admiration for the aesthetic theories of Leo Stein.