Hot carrier-induced degradation of gate overlapped lightly dopeddrain (GOLDD) polysilicon TFTs

Hot-carrier injection is known to produce interface states and oxide trapped charge, which, depending upon their spatial distribution, can strongly influence the local electric fields as well as the current flow. In this work, we analyze the hot carrier-induced degradation of gate overlapped lightly doped drain (GOLDD) polysilicon thin film transistors (TFTs) and a new model, which correlates the interface state generation with the hot carrier injection current, is proposed. The defect generation rate has been assumed to depend upon the product of hot electron and hole currents J_eh, and the resulting interface state distribution has been evaluated self-consistently with the current density and carrier concentration distributions. By successive iterations, a complete spatial and time evolution of the interface state distribution has been determined, and the electrical characteristics, calculated with these interface state distributions are in good agreement with the experimental data     

Aging effects and electrical stability in pentacene thin film transistors

We have studied the transfer characteristic variations induced by aging effects and applied voltage in top contact pentacene thin film transistors (OTFTs) fabricated by using Polymethylmetacrylate buffer layer. The electrical stability of pentacene OTFTs was tested by applying prolonged bias stress (up to 10⁴ s) with gate voltage V_gstress = − 30 V and + 30 V. The environmental effects were analysed by measuring the degradation of electrical characteristics of OTFT exposed to air. The results have been analysed in terms of trap state model, evaluating the channel conductance using a one-dimensional approach. This allows us to correlate the transfer characteristics variations to changes in localised state distribution.     

Polysilicon TFT structures for kink-effect suppression

Experimental results and numerical simulations of asymmetric fingered polysilicon thin-film transistors (AF-TFTs) are analyzed in detail. In the AF-TFTs, the transistor channel region is split into two zones with different lengths separated by a floating n/sup +/ region. This structure allows an effective reduction of the kink effect depending on the relative length of the two subchannels, without introducing any additional series resistance. In addition, an appreciable reduction of the leakage current is also observed. The AF-TFTs characteristics have been analyzed by two-dimensional numerical simulation and by modeling the device with two transistors in series. This model clarifies the mechanisms of kink effect suppression in AF-TFT. On the basis of this analysis, two new modified device structures for kink-effect suppression are also proposed and discussed.     

Shape Resonance at a Lifshitz Transition for High Temperature Superconductivity in Multiband Superconductors

We discuss the shape resonance in the superconducting gaps of a two-band superconductor by tuning the chemical potential at a Lifshitz transition for Fermi surface neck collapsing and for spot appearing. The high temperature superconducting scenario for complex matter shows the coexistence of a first BCS condensate made of Cooper pairs in the first band and a second boson-like condensate made of bosons like bipolarons, in the second band where the chemical potential is tuned near a Lifshitz transition. The interband coupling controls the shape resonance in the pair exchange between the two condensates. We discuss the particular BCS–Bose crossover that occurs at the shape resonance tuning the Lifshitz parameter (the energy difference between the chemical potential and the Lifshitz topological transition) like tuning the external magnetic field for the Feshbach resonances in ultracold gases. This superconducting phase provides a particular case of topological superconductivity with multiple condensates of different winding numbers.     

Anomalous Jahn-Teller distortions in La0.75Ca0.25MnO3 system: An X-ray absorption study

MnK-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) measurements have been made to study the temperature-dependent lattice effects in the La_0.75Ca_0.25MnO₃ system. The high-resolution XANES spectra recorded with high signal-to-noise ratio have allowed us to study the temperature dependence of the Jahn-Teller splitting indicated directly by the dipole forbidden pre-peaks corresponding to transition in Mn 3d states. The results show splitting of thee _g state in its two orbitals (d x² -_y ² andd _3z ²-_r ². The energy splitting shows anomalous temperature dependence across the giant magnetoresistance transition temperature.     

Deciphering Molecular Determinants Underlying Penicillium digitatum’s Response to Biological and Chemical Antifungal Agents by Tandem Mass Tag (TMT)-Based High-Resolution LC-MS/MS

Penicillium digitatum is a widespread pathogen responsible for the postharvest decay of citrus, one of the most economically important crops worldwide. Currently, chemical fungicides are still the main strategy to control the green mould disease caused by the fungus. However, the increasing selection and proliferation of fungicide-resistant strains require more efforts to explore new alternatives acting via new or unexplored mechanisms for postharvest disease management. To date, several non-chemical compounds have been investigated for the control of fungal pathogens. In this scenario, understanding the molecular determinants underlying P. digitatum’s response to biological and chemical antifungals may help in the development of safer and more effective non-chemical control methods. In this work, a proteomic approach based on isobaric labelling and a nanoLC tandem mass spectrometry approach was used to investigate molecular changes associated with P. digitatum’s response to treatments with α-sarcin and beetin 27 (BE27), two proteins endowed with antifungal activity. The outcomes of treatments with these biological agents were then compared with those triggered by the commonly used chemical fungicide thiabendazole (TBZ). Our results showed that differentially expressed proteins mainly include cell wall-degrading enzymes, proteins involved in stress response, antioxidant and detoxification mechanisms and metabolic processes such as thiamine biosynthesis. Interestingly, specific modulations in response to protein toxins treatments were observed for a subset of proteins. Deciphering the inhibitory mechanisms of biofungicides and chemical compounds, together with understanding their effects on the fungal physiology, will provide a new direction for improving the efficacy of novel antifungal formulations and developing new control strategies.     

Advantages of Hybrid Input/output Wavelength Conversion in Optical Packet Switches

In this paper, we propose a new Optical Packet Switching Architecture referred to as Shared Per Input/Output Line (SPIOL) in which Wavelength Converters, used to solve output packet contentions, are shared per input and per output line. In this architecture, packets needing conversion can be wavelength translated by converters placed on output lines or by converters placed on input lines. We introduce and discuss the analytical and simulation models we used to evaluate the performance of the architecture in question when a simple control algorithm, referred to as Random Algorithm, is adopted. The proposed architecture performance is compared to that of two other architectures referred to as Shared Per Input Line (SPIL) and Shared per Output Line (SPOL), which share converters per output line only and per input line only, respectively. The comparison is carried out under symmetric and asymmetric traffic scenarios. The obtained results show that in some cases the SPIOL architecture allows for a saving in the order of 20% and 30% with respect to the SPIL and SPOL architectures, respectively.     

Hot-carrier-induced degradation of LDD polysilicon TFTs

In order to improve the stability of polysilicon thin-film transistors (TFTs) several drain junction architectures have been proposed. In this paper, the hot-carrier (HC) related stability of the lightly doped drain (LDD) TFT architecture is analyzed by using an iterative algorithm that relates the HC induced damage to the carrier injection across the device interfaces with gate and substrate oxide. The resulting creation of interface states and trapped charge is taken into account by using a system of rate equations that implements mathematically the Lais two step model, in which the generation of interface states is attributed to the trapping of hot-holes by centres into the oxide followed by the recombination with hot electrons. The rate equations are solved self-consistently with the aid of a device simulation program. By successive iterations, the time evolution of the interface state density and positive trapped charge distribution has been reconstructed, and the electrical characteristics calculated with this model are in good agreement with experimental data. This algorithm represent an improvement of an already proposed degradation model, in which the interface states formation dynamics is accounted by using a phenomenological approach. The present model has been applied to reproduce the degradation pattern of LDD TFTs and it is found that generation of interface states proceed almost symmetrically on the front and back device interfaces, starting from the points in which the transverse electric field peaks, and moving toward the drain side of the device. The final interface states distribution determines a sort of "bottleneck" in the active layer carrier density, that can explain the sensitivity to HC induced damage of both transfer and output characteristics.     

Analysis of self-heating related instability in n-channel polysilicon thin film transistors fabricated on polyimide

In this work, we investigated self-heating related instability in polysilicon thin film transistors (poly-Si TFTs) fabricated on polyimide (PI) substrates. Indeed, when Joule heating becomes relevant, the temperature of the active layer can substantially rise, since the devices are fabricated on thermally insulating substrates. As a result, electrical instability is triggered and attributed to the generation of interface states, due to the Si–H bond breaking, and charge trapping into the gate insulator. In addition, by using 3-dimensional numerical simulations, coupling the thermodynamic and transport models, we analyzed the temperature distribution of the device under operating conditions and found that self-heating is more severe for devices fabricated on plastic substrates.     

Current spreading effects in fully printed p-channel organic thin film transistors with Schottky source–drain contacts

Contact effects have been analyzed, by using numerical simulations, in fully printed p-channel OTFTs based on a pentacene derivative as organic semiconductor and with Au source/drain contacts. Considering source–drain Schottky contacts, with a barrier height of 0.46 eV, device characteristics can be perfectly reproduced. From the detailed analysis of the current density we have shown that current spreading occurs at the source contact, thus influencing the effective contact resistance. At low V_ds and for a given V_gs, the current is mainly injected from an extended source contact region and current spreading remains basically constant for increasing V_ds. However, by increasing V_ds the depletion layer of the Schottky contact expands and reaches the insulator–semiconductor interface, causing the pinch-off of the channel at the source end (V_dsat1). For V_ds > V_dsat1 the current injected from the edge of the source contact rapidly increases while the current injected from the remaining part of the source contact basically saturates. Current spreading shows a V_gs-dependence, since the contact injection area depends on the channel resistance and also barrier lowering of the Schottky source contact depends upon V_gs. The injected current from the edge of the source contact can be reproduced using the conventional diode current expression, assuming a constant value for the zero barrier lowering saturation current and considering a V_gs-dependent barrier lowering. The presented analysis clarifies the V_gs-dependence of the contact current–voltage characteristics and points out that the I–V contact characteristics cannot directly be related to a single diode characteristics. Indeed, the contact characteristics result from the combination of two rather different regimes: at low V_ds the current is injected from an extended source contact region with a current spreading related to V_gs, while for V_ds above the pinch-off of the channel at source end, the current is injected primarily from the edge of the source contact and is strongly enhanced by the barrier lowering.