Femtosecond superradiant emission in AlGaInAs quantum-well semiconductor laser structures.

Ultrashort superradiant pulse generation from a 1580 nm AlGaInAs multiple quantum-well (MQW) semiconductor structure has been experimentally demonstrated for the first time. Superradiance is confirmed by analyzing the evolution of the optical temporal waveforms and spectra. Superradiant trends and regimes are studied as a function of driving condition. An optical pulse train is obtained at 1580 nm wavelength, with pulse durations as short as 390 fs and pulse peak powers of 7.2 W.

Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor-compatible and self-aligned catalyst formation for carbon nanotube synthesis and interconnect fabrication

We have for the first time developed a self-aligned metal catalyst formation process using fully CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) compatible materials and techniques, for the synthesis of aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs). By employing an electrically conductive cobalt disilicide (CoSi 2) layer as the starting material, a reactive ion etch (RIE) treatment and a hydrogen reduction step are used to transform the CoSi 2 surface into cobalt (Co) nanoparticles that are active to catalyze aligned CNT growth. Ohmic contacts between the conductive substrate and the CNTs are obtained. The process developed in this study can be applied to form metal nanoparticles in regions that cannot be patterned using conventional catalyst deposition methods, for example at the bottom of deep holes or on vertical surfaces. This catalyst formation method is crucially important for the fabrication of vertical and horizontal interconnect devices based on CNTs. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.

Trench insulated gate bipolar transistor - a high power switching device

This paper presents a comprehensive theoretical study of the Trench Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (TIGBT). Specific physical and geometrical effects, such as the accumulation layer injection, increased channel density, increased channel charge and transversal electric field modulation are discussed. The potential advantages of the Trench IGBT over its conventional planar variant are highlighted. It is concluded that the Trench IGBT is one of the most promising structures in the area of high voltage MOS-controllable switching devices.

Gain-enhanced optical coherence in a high optical gain semiconductor

The propagation of ultrashort pulses in a traveling wave semiconductor amplifier is considered. It is demonstrated that the effective polarization relaxation time, which determines the coherence of the interaction of pulses within the medium, strongly depends on its optical gain. As a result, it is shown that at large optical gains the coherence time can exceed the transverse relaxation time T2 by an order of magnitude, this accounting for the strong femtosecond superradiant pulse generation commonly observed in semiconductor laser structures. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

One step self-aligned multilayer patterning process for the fabrication of organic complementary circuits in combination with inkjet printing

Recent development of solution processable organic semiconductors delineates the emergence of a new generation of air-stable, high performance p- and n-type materials. This makes it indeed possible for printed organic complementary circuits (CMOS) to be used in real applications. The main technical bottleneck for organic CMOS to be adopted as the next generation organic integrated circuit is how to deposit and pattern both p- and n-type semiconductor materials with high resolutions at the same time. It represents a significant technical challenge, especially if it can be done for multiple layers without mask alignment. In this paper, we propose a one-step self-aligned fabrication process which allows the deposition and high resolution patterning of functional layers for both p- and n-channel thin film transistors (TFTs) simultaneously. All the dimensional information of the device components is featured on a single imprinting stamp, and the TFT-channel geometry, electrodes with different work functions, p- and n-type semiconductors and effective gate dimensions can all be accurately defined by one-step imprinting and the subsequent pattern transfer process. As an example, we have demonstrated an organic complementary inverter fabricated by 3D imprinting in combination with inkjet printing and the measured electrical characteristics have validated the feasibility of the novel technique. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Temperature dependent electron transport in amorphous oxide semiconductor thin film transistors

A temperature-dependent mobility model in amorphous oxide semiconductor (AOS) thin film transistors (TFTs) extracted from measurements of source-drain terminal currents at different gate voltages and temperatures is presented. At low gate voltages, trap-limited conduction prevails for a broad range of temperatures, whereas variable range hopping becomes dominant at lower temperatures. At high gate voltages and for all temperatures, percolation conduction comes into the picture. In all cases, the temperature-dependent mobility model obeys a universal power law as a function of gate voltage. © 2011 IEEE.

Rapid Electron Beam Reacted Tantalum/Titanium Bilayers on Silicon : Semiconductors and Semiconductor Devices

The electrical and structural characteristics of tantalum-titanium bilayers on silicon reacted by electron beam heating have been investigated over a wide range of temperature and time conditions. The reacted layers exhibit low sheet resistance and stable electrical characteristics up to at least 1100℃. Titanium starts reacting from 750℃ onwards for 100 milliseconds reaction times whereas tantalum starts reacting only above 900℃ for such short reaction times. RBS results confirm that silicon is the major diffusing species and there is no evidence for the formation of ternary silicides. Reactions have also been explored on millisecond time scales by non-isothermal heating.

Effects of multi-scattering on the performance of a single-beam acoustic manipulation device.

The effects of multiple scattering on acoustic manipulation of spherical particles using helicoidal Bessel-beams are discussed. A closed-form analytical solution is developed to calculate the acoustic radiation force resulting from a Bessel-beam on an acoustically reflective sphere, in the presence of an adjacent spherical particle, immersed in an unbounded fluid medium. The solution is based on the standard Fourier decomposition method and the effect of multi-scattering is taken into account using the addition theorem for spherical coordinates. Of particular interest here is the investigation of the effects of multiple scattering on the emergence of negative axial forces. To investigate the effects, the radiation force applied on the target particle resulting from a helicoidal Bessel-beam of different azimuthal indexes (m = 1 to 4), at different conical angles, is computed. Results are presented for soft and rigid spheres of various sizes, separated by a finite distance. Results have shown that the emergence of negative force regions is very sensitive to the level of cross-scattering between the particles. It has also been shown that in multiple scattering media, the negative axial force may occur at much smaller conical angles than previously reported for single particles, and that acoustic manipulation of soft spheres in such media may also become possible.

700V smart trench IGBT with monolithic over-voltage and over-current protecting functions

An advanced 700V Smart Trench IGBT with monolithically integrated over-voltage and over-current protecting circuits is presented in this paper. The proposed Smart IGBT comprises a sense IGBT, a low voltage lateral n-channel MOSFET (M 1), an avalanche diode (D av), and poly-crystalline Zener diodes (ZD) and resistor (R poly). Mix-mode transient simulations with MEDICI have proven the functionalities of the protecting circuits when the device is operating under abnormal conditions, such as Unclamped Inductive Switching (UIS) and Short Circuit (SC) condition. A Trench IGBT process is used to fabricate this device with total 11 masks including one metal mask only. The characterizations of the fabricated device exhibit the clamping capability of the avalanche diode and voltage pull-down ability of the MOSFET. © 2012 IEEE.

200-V lateral superjunction LIGBT on partial SOI

This letter presents a novel lateral superjunction lateral insulated-gate bipolar transistor (LIGBT) in partial silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology in 0.18-μm partial-SOI (PSOI) high-voltage (HV) process. For an n-type superjunction LIGBT, the p-layer in the superjunction drift region not only helps in achieving uniform electric field distribution but also contributes to the on-state current. The superjunction LIGBT successfully achieves a breakdown voltage (BV) of 210 V with an R dson of 765 mΩ ̇ mm 2. It exhibits half the value of specific on-state resistance R dson and three times higher saturation current (I dsat) for the same BV, compared to a comparable lateral superjunction laterally diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor fabricated in the same technology. It also performs well in higher temperature dc operation with 38.8% increase in R dson at 175°C, compared to the room temperature without any degradation in latch-up performance. To realize this device, it only requires one additional mask layer into X-FAB 0.18-μm PSOI HV process. © 2012 IEEE.

Linear semiconductor optical amplifiers

The chapter reviews properties and applications of linear semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA). Section 12.1 covers SOA basics, including working principles, material systems, structures and their growth. Booster or inline amplifiers as well as low-noise preamplifiers are classified. Section 12.2 discusses the influence of parameters like gain, noise figure, gain saturation, gain and phase dynamics, and alpha-factor. In Sect. 12.3, the application of a linear SOA as a reach extender in future access networks is addressed. The input power dynamic range is introduced, and measurements for on-off keying and phase shift keying signals are shown. Section 12.4 presents the state of the art for commercially available SOA and includes a treatment of reflective SOAs (RSOA) as well. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

The development of a scanning strategy for the manufacture of porous biomaterials by selective laser melting.

Porous structures are used in orthopaedics to promote biological fixation between metal implant and host bone. In order to achieve rapid and high volumes of bone ingrowth the structures must be manufactured from a biocompatible material and possess high interconnected porosities, pore sizes between 100 and 700 microm and mechanical strengths that withstand the anticipated biomechanical loads. The challenge is to develop a manufacturing process that can cost effectively produce structures that meet these requirements. The research presented in this paper describes the development of a 'beam overlap' technique for manufacturing porous structures in commercially pure titanium using the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) rapid manufacturing technique. A candidate bone ingrowth structure (71% porosity, 440 microm mean pore diameter and 70 MPa compression strength) was produced and used to manufacture a final shape orthopaedic component. These results suggest that SLM beam overlap is a promising technique for manufacturing final shape functional bone ingrowth materials.