Intelligent products in the supply chain - 10 Years on

Ten years ago the intelligent product model was introduced as a means of motivating a supply chain in which product or orders were central as opposed to the organizations that stored or delivered them. This notion of a physical product influencing its own movement through the supply chain was enabled by the evolution of low cost RFID systems which promised low cost connection between physical goods and networked information environments. In 2002 the notion of product intelligence was regarded as a useful but rather esoteric construct. However, in the intervening ten years there have been a number of technological advances coupled with an increasingly challenged business environment which make the prospects for intelligent product deployment seem more likely. This paper reviews a number of these developments and assesses their impact on the intelligent product approach. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.

Quantum key distribution for 10 Gb/s dense wavelength division multiplexing networks

We demonstrate quantum key distribution (QKD) with bidirectional 10 Gb/s classical data channels in a single fiber using dense wavelength division multiplexing. Record secure key rates of 2.38 Mbps and fiber distances up to 70km are achieved. Data channels are simultaneously monitored for error-free operation. The robustness of QKD is further demonstrated with a secure key rate of 445 kbps over 25km, obtained in the presence of data lasers launching conventional 0 dBm power. We discuss the fundamental limit for the QKD performance in the multiplexing environment. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.

10 Gb/s transmitter-based equalization for extended-reach multimode-fiber datacommunication links

Transmitter-based equalization is investigated for enhanced performance in 10 Gb/s multimodefiber links. Rigorous simulations and proof-of-principle experiments over 500 m of FDDI-grade fiber confirm for the first time the potential superiority of the technique relative to receiver-based schemes. © 2007 Optical Society of America.

Direct epitaxial growth of θ-Ni2Si by reaction of a thin Ni(10 at.% Pt) film with Si(1 0 0) substrate

The reaction between an 11 nm Ni(10 at.% Pt) film on a Si substrate has been examined by in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), atom probe tomography (APT) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In situ XRD experiments show the unusual formation of a phase without an XRD peak through consumption of the metal. According to APT, this phase has an Si concentration gradient in accordance with the θ-Ni2Si metastable phase. TEM analysis confirms the direct formation of θ-Ni2Si in epitaxy on Si(1 0 0) with two variants of the epitaxial relationship. © 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.