Electromigration-induced damage in bamboo Al interconnects

Depletion and hillock formation were examined in-situ in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) during electromigration of bamboo Al interconnect segments. Hillocks formed directly at the anode ends of the segments by epitaxial addition of Al at the bottom Al/TiN interface. Depletion occurred nonuniformly from the cathode end and stopped once the distance between the leading void and the hillock reached the critical length for electromigration at the given current density. A modified equation for the drift velocity is proposed, which includes the effect of nonuniform depletion and predicts that interconnects with nonuniform depletion are more reliable than those with uniform depletion.     

Manipulation of matter by electric and magnetic fields: Toward novel synthesis and processing routes of inorganic materials

The use of external electric and magnetic fields for the synthesis and processing of inorganic materials such as metals and ceramics has seen renewed interest in recent years. Electromagnetic energy can be utilized in different ways to improve or accelerate phase formation and stabilization, chemical ordering, densification and coarsening of particle-based materials (pore elimination and grain growth), and mechanical deformation (plasticity and creep). In these new synthesis and processing routes, the resulting microstructures and macroscopic material behavior are determined by the interaction of the applied fields with defects such as single or clustered point defects, dislocation networks, and interfaces. Multiscale experimental investigations and modeling are necessary to unveil the mechanisms underlying this field-assisted manipulation of matter.     

Oxidation Behavior of the CrMnFeCoNi High-Entropy Alloy

Oxidation of the Cr₂₀Mn₂₀Fe₂₀Co₂₀Ni₂₀ (at%) high-entropy alloy (HEA) was investigated at 500–900 °C in laboratory air. At 600 °C the oxide was mainly Mn₂O₃ with a thin inner Cr₂O₃ layer; at 700 and 800 °C it was mainly Mn₂O₃ with some Cr enrichment; at 900 °C it was Mn₃O₄. The oxidation rate was initially linear but became parabolic at longer times with an activation energy of 130 kJ/mol, comparable to that of Mn diffusion in Mn oxides but much lower than that for sluggish diffusion of Mn in the HEA. The diffusion of Mn through the oxide is considered to be the rate-limiting process.     

Lattice BGK direct numerical simulation of fully developed turbulence in incompressible plane channel flow

Over the last decade, lattice Boltzmann methods have proven to be reliable and efficient tools for the numerical simulation of complex flows. The specifics of such methods as turbulence solvers, however, are not yet completely documented. This paper provides results of direct numerical simulations (DNS), by a lattice Boltzmann scheme, of fully developed, incompressible, pressure-driven turbulence between two parallel plates. These are validated against results from simulations using a standard Chebyshev pseudo-spectral method. Detailed comparisons, in terms of classical one-point turbulence statistics at moderate Reynolds number, with both numerical and experimental data show remarkable agreement.

Consequently, the choice of numerical method has, in sufficiently resolved DNS computations, no dominant effect at least on simple statistical quantities such as mean flow and Reynolds stresses. Since only the method-independent statistics can be credible, the choice of numerical method for DNS should be determined mainly through considerations of computational efficiency. The expected practical advantages of the lattice Boltzmann method, for instance against pseudo-spectral methods, are found to be significant even for the simple geometry and the moderate Reynolds number considered here. This permits the conclusion that the lattice Boltzmann approach is a promising DNS tool for incompressible turbulence.     

Integrated, computer-aided order fulfillment

The process for producing bank checks is well established, and semi automated systems for doing so have been in place for several years. However, these legacy systems are now having difficulty meeting new customer demands. To support greater product variability and responsiveness to new customer requirements, our company (Deluxe Corp.) decided to reexamine its current process with an eye to increased automation. The resulting Post Press System replaced highly labor-intensive, inflexible check order processing and fulfillment with an approach that integrates flexible manufacturing with real time, object database concepts. Several months after initial deployment, the benefits of this integration are significant. Our company can process new orders more quickly, with higher accuracy, and at lower cost. The system also allows rapid order cancellation. Further, the new plastic wrap provides a tamper-evident package, a security feature of paramount importance to our clients. In addition, the PPS's modularity facilitates its rapid deployment in a new factory setting. Deluxe's investment in the PPS's design and deployment has been repaid in cost and time savings. The new architecture has laid the foundation for further manufacturing process automation-beyond order fulfillment and packaging. It provides an interface to new manufacturing technologies and helps Deluxe and its clients implement innovative marketing techniques     

Holzeigenschaften von Gastbaumarten

Zusammenfassung Neben der Rohwichte werden z. T. Festigkeitseigenschaften, Arbeiten und Dauerhaftigkeit der bereits eingebürgerten und einiger wichtiger in Einbürgerung begriffener ausl?ndischer Laub- und Nadelbaumarten den in Deutschland heimischen Baumarten gegenübergestellt.     

Premixed hydrogen-air combustion system for fuel cell systems

The advance of efficient hydrogen-air combustion systems has increasingly become of interest in the framework of the development of fuel cell systems, especially for the automotive sector. Therefore, compact modulating systems are required, with the additional demand of low emissions, to be integrated in a fuel cell system. A modulating combustion system based on combustion within inert porous media and an integrated heat exchanger has been developed and investigated. The system is able to handle premixed combustion of lean H₂/air mixtures at a surface load range of 1075 kW/m²-2150 kW/m², and a global equivalence ratio of ?=0.5. The special hydrogen-air mixing concept eliminates the risk of flame flashback and enables operation with very low NO_x emissions.     

Model‐based reconstruction for T1 mapping using single‐shot inversion‐recovery radial FLASH

Quantitative parameter mapping in MRI is typically performed as a two‐step procedure where serial imaging is followed by pixelwise model fitting. In contrast, model‐based reconstructions directly reconstruct parameter maps from raw data without explicit image reconstruction. Here, we propose a method that determines T1 maps directly from multi‐channel raw data as obtained by a single‐shot inversion‐recovery radial FLASH acquisition with a Golden Angle view order. Joint reconstruction of a T1, spin‐density and flip‐angle map is formulated as a nonlinear inverse problem and solved by the iteratively regularized Gauss‐Newton method. Coil sensitivity profiles are determined from the same data in a preparatory step of the reconstruction. Validations included numerical simulations, in vitro MRI studies of an experimental T1 phantom, and in vivo studies of brain and abdomen of healthy subjects at a field strength of 3 T. The results obtained for a numerical and experimental phantom demonstrated excellent accuracy and precision of model‐based T1 mapping. In vivo studies allowed for high‐resolution T1 mapping of human brain (0.5–0.75 mm in‐plane, 4 mm section thickness) and liver (1.0 mm, 5 mm section) within 3.6–5 s. In conclusion, the proposed method for model‐based T1 mapping may become an alternative to two‐step techniques, which rely on model fitting after serial image reconstruction. More extensive clinical trials now require accelerated computation and online implementation of the algorithm. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 26, 254–263, 2016     

Principle and validation of digital driving for active matrix organic light emitting diodes displays

The feasibility of digital driving has been investigated, which may be an enabling technology for low‐cost, power‐efficient and high‐quality active matrix organic light emitting diodes displays (AMOLED displays). The theoretical requirements therefore are analyzed. Methods for avoiding imaging artifacts are proposed. Results based on two prototypes are presented showing that digital drive is feasible for state‐of‐the‐art manufacturing technology with comparable image quality to analog‐driven AMOLED displays but at lower power consumption and lower production cost.     

Thermoreversible Self‐Assembly of Perfluorinated Core‐Coronas Cellulose‐Nanoparticles in Dry State

Self‐assembly of nanoparticles (NPs) forming unique structures has been investigated extensively over the past few years. However, many self‐assembled structures by NPs are irreversible, because they are generally constructed using their suspensions. It is still challenging for NPs to reversibly self‐assemble in dry state, let alone of polymeric NPs with general sizes of hundreds of nm. Herein, this study reports a new reversible self‐assembly phenomenon of NPs in dry state, forming thermoreversible strip‐like supermolecular structures. These novel NPs of around 150 nm are perfluorinated surface‐undecenoated cellulose nanoparticles (FSU‐CNPs) with a core‐coronas structure. The thermoreversible self‐assembled structure is formed after drying in the air at the interface between FSU‐CNP films and Teflon substrates. Remarkably, the formation and dissociation of this assembled structure are accompanied by a reversible conversion of the surface hydrophobicity, film transparency, and anisotropic properties. These findings show novel feasibility of reversible self‐assembly of NPs in dry state, and thereby expand our knowledge of self‐assembly phenomenon.