Development of flexible displays using back‐channel‐etched In–Sn–Zn–O thin‐film transistors and air‐stable inverted organic light‐emitting diodes

We developed flexible displays using back‐channel‐etched In–Sn–Zn–O (ITZO) thin‐film transistors (TFTs) and air‐stable inverted organic light‐emitting diodes (iOLEDs). The TFTs fabricated on a polyimide film exhibited high mobility (32.9 cm²/Vs) and stability by utilization of a solution‐processed organic passivation layer. ITZO was also used as an electron injection layer (EIL) in the iOLEDs instead of conventional air‐sensitive materials. The iOLED with ITZO as an EIL exhibited higher efficiency and a lower driving voltage than that of conventional iOLEDs. Our approach of the simultaneous formation of ITZO film as both of a channel layer in TFTs and of an EIL in iOLEDs offers simple fabrication process.     

Grain Boundary Segregation Behavior of Boron in Low-Alloy Steel

The boron concentration profiles around prior austenite grain boundaries in Fe-0.05C-0.5Mo-0.001B (mass pct) are examined using aberration-corrected STEM-EELS. In order to obtain the precise distribution of boron around the boundaries, tilt series measurements with thin specimens (<30 nm) are performed and the EEL spectra are analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) and multivariate curve resolution (MCR). The boron concentration profile changes with the cooling rate from the solid solution temperature. The concentration at grain boundaries is maximized at a medium rate (30 °C/s), where the concentration reaches 8 at. pct, and it decreases at a larger (250 °C/s) or smaller (5 °C/s) rate. On the other hand, the boron distribution becomes wider as the cooling rate becomes smaller. The current results suggest that the boron segregation in the alloy is formed by the “non-equilibrium segregation mechanism.”     

Elongation and Contraction of Scallop Sarcoplasmic Reticulum (SR): ATP Stabilizes Ca2+-ATPase Crystalline Array Elongation of SR Vesicles

The Ca²⁺-ATPase is an integral transmembrane Ca²⁺ pump of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Crystallization of the cytoplasmic surface ATPase molecules of isolated scallop SR vesicles was studied at various calcium concentrations by negative stain electron microscopy. In the absence of ATP, round SR vesicles displaying an assembly of small crystalline patches of ATPase molecules were observed at 18 µM [Ca²⁺]. These partly transformed into tightly elongated vesicles containing ATPase crystalline arrays at low [Ca²⁺] (≤1.3 µM). The arrays were classified as ‘’tetramer’’, “two-rail” (like a railroad) and ‘’monomer’’. Their crystallinity was low, and they were unstable. In the presence of ATP (5 mM) at a low [Ca²⁺] of ~0.002 µM, “two-rail” arrays of high crystallinity appeared more frequently in the tightly elongated vesicles and the distinct tetramer arrays disappeared. During prolonged (~2.5 h) incubation, ATP was consumed and tetramer arrays reappeared. A specific ATPase inhibitor, thapsigargin, prevented both crystal formation and vesicle elongation in the presence of ATP. Together with the second part of this study, these data suggest that the ATPase forms tetramer units and longer tetramer crystalline arrays to elongate SR vesicles, and that the arrays transform into more stable “two-rail” forms in the presence of ATP at low [Ca²⁺].     

Study on In2O3-SnO2 transparent and conductive films prepared by d.c. sputtering using high density ceramic targets

The influence of SnO₂ concentration in the target on the film characteristics was studied in order to make the useful database for the device design when low discharge voltage sputtering method and a high density In₂O₃-SnO₂ ceramic targets were used. In the case of the films deposited on unheated substrate, X-ray diffraction profile showed amorphous structure. Minimum resistivity of 358 μΩ cm was obtained by In₂O₃ film with mobility of 40.1 cm² (V s)⁻¹ and carrier density of 4.35E+20 cm⁻³. With the increase of SnO₂ contents, resistivity of the films increased because of the decrease in both carrier density and mobility. Whereas, the films deposited on heated substrates showed polycrystalline structure. Resistivity was reduced, ranging from 5 to 20 wt.% SnO₂, and minimum resistivity of 136 μΩ cm was obtained at 15 wt.% with mobility of 40.5 cm² (V s)⁻¹ and carrier density of 1.13E+21 cm⁻³. Transmittance and reflectance of these films strongly depend on carrier density.     

Low temperature passivation of Si1−xGex alloys by dry high pressure oxidation

Thermal passivation of Si_1−xGe_x using high pressure (70 MPa) oxidation was studied for potential use in MOS-device applications. Alloys of CVD-grown Si_1−xGe_x (x = 10 and 15 at.%, 200 and 150 nm thick, respectively), were oxidized at 500 and 550°C using high purity dry oxygen at a pressure of 70 MPa. For comparative purposes, a second set of alloys were oxidized using conventional wet atmospheric pressure oxidation at 800°C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and metal-oxide semiconductor capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements were used to characterize the as-grown oxides. Chemical analysis by XPS confirmed that under high pressure conditions compositionally congruent oxides are grown from these alloys. High resolution TEM and Raman spectroscopy show that the as-grown oxide/semiconductor interface is planar and free of Ge enrichment on a scale of 1-2 monolayers. A midgap interface state density for both the 10 and 15 at.% samples of 1 × 10¹² cm⁻² eV⁻¹ was estimated based on 1 MHz C-V measurement.     

The vaporization and thermal stability of lithium molybdates

Two lithium molybdates, δ-Li₄MoO₅ and Li₂MoO₄, were evaporated and measured by high temperature mass spectometry. Various lithium and molybdenum oxide ions were observed, and their partial pressures were obtained. From the thermochemical calculation of evaporation, the heats of formation of the molybdates were obtained for the following reactions, $\text{Li}{}_2\text{O(c) +}\text{1}\text{2}\text{MoO}{}_3\text{(c) =}\text{1}\text{2}\text{δ-Li}{}_4\text{Mo0}{}_5\text{(c), ΔH}{}_{\mathrm{r.298}}{}^{\mathrm{o}}\text{= ? 120.4 kj.mol}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$, and $\text{Li}{}_2\text{O(c) + MoO}{}_3\text{(c) = Li}{}_2\text{MoO}{}_4\text{(c), ΔH}{}_{\mathrm{r.298}}{}^{\mathrm{o}}\text{= ? 154.7 kj.mol}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$. Thermochemically, $\text{Li}{}_2\text{MoO}{}_4$ is less stable than $\text{δ-Li}{}_4\text{MoO}{}_5$.     

Long‐Lived Flexible Displays Employing Efficient and Stable Inverted Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes

Although organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) are promising for use in applications such as in flexible displays, reports of long‐lived flexible OLED‐based devices are limited due to the poor environmental stability of OLEDs. Flexible substrates such as plastic allow ambient oxygen and moisture to permeate into devices, which degrades the alkali metals used for the electron‐injection layer in conventional OLEDs (cOLEDs). Here, the fabrication of a long‐lived flexible display is reported using efficient and stable inverted OLEDs (iOLEDs), in which electrons can be effectively injected without the use of alkali metals. The flexible display employing iOLEDs can emit light for over 1 year with simplified encapsulation, whereas a flexible display employing cOLEDs exhibits almost no luminescence after only 21 d with the same encapsulation. These results demonstrate the great potential of iOLEDs to replace cOLEDs employing alkali metals for use in a wide variety of flexible organic optoelectronic devices.     

Electrochromic properties of nickel oxide based thin films sputter deposited in the presence of water vapor

Electrochromic nickel oxide based thin films were prepared by reactive RF magnetron sputtering from metallic nickel in the presence of Ar, O₂ and H₂O. The water vapor led to enhanced optical modulation and charge capacity. At a wavelength of 550 nm the bleached state transmittance was 0.73 and the transmittance for the colored state was 0.28 and 0.15 for water partial pressures of p_H2O < 10⁻³ Pa and p_H2O ~ 7 × 10⁻² Pa, respectively. The charge densities were 14 and 25 mC/cm² for p_H2O < 10⁻³ Pa and p_H2O ~ 7 × 10⁻² Pa, respectively. The coloration efficiency was decreased with increased water partial pressure, from about 0.07 to 0.06 cm²/mC. Preliminary results show that the H₂O promotes an amorphous structure and makes the films increasingly hydrous.     

Ca2+-ATPase Molecules as a Calcium-Sensitive Membrane-Endoskeleton of Sarcoplasmic Reticulum

The Ca²⁺-transport ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is an integral, transmembrane protein. It sequesters cytoplasmic calcium ions released from SR during muscle contraction, and causes muscle relaxation. Based on negative staining and transmission electron microscopy of SR vesicles isolated from rabbit skeletal muscle, we propose that the ATPase molecules might also be a calcium-sensitive membrane-endoskeleton. Under conditions when the ATPase molecules scarcely transport Ca²⁺, i.e., in the presence of ATP and ≤ 0.9 nM Ca²⁺, some of the ATPase particles on the SR vesicle surface gathered to form tetramers. The tetramers crystallized into a cylindrical helical array in some vesicles and probably resulted in the elongated protrusion that extended from some round SRs. As the Ca²⁺ concentration increased to 0.2 µM, i.e., under conditions when the transporter molecules fully carry out their activities, the ATPase crystal arrays disappeared, but the SR protrusions remained. In the absence of ATP, almost all of the SR vesicles were round and no crystal arrays were evident, independent of the calcium concentration. This suggests that ATP induced crystallization at low Ca²⁺ concentrations. From the observed morphological changes, the role of the proposed ATPase membrane-endoskeleton is discussed in the context of calcium regulation during muscle contraction.