与CMOS兼容的硅基波导型光电探测器的研究

硅基波导型光电探测器作为一类重要的光电探测器,由于其能与标准的CMOS工艺兼容以及制备工艺简单等性能,因而在光电子单片集成方面具备广阔的市场应用前景.文章着重阐述了通过离子注入引入深能级、Ge/Si自组装岛、SOI波导共振腔增强和AlGaInAs-Si混合集成等四种方式来制备硅基光电探测器的研究现状和研究进展,并对四类器件的结构,制作工艺和光电性能指标进行了详细地介绍.

UHV/CVD法生长硅基低位错密度厚锗外延层

采用超高真空化学气相淀积系统,以高纯Si_2H_6和GeH_4作为生长气源,用低温缓冲层技术在Si（001）衬底上成功生长出厚的纯Ge外延层.对Si衬底上外延的纯Ge层用反射式高能电子衍射仪、原子力显微镜、X射线双晶衍射曲线和Ra-man谱进行了表征.结果表明在Si基上生长的约550nm厚的Ge外延层,表面粗糙度小于1nm,XRD双晶衍射曲线和Ra-man谱Ge-Ge模半高宽分别为530″和5.5cm~(-1),具有良好的结晶质量.位错腐蚀结果显示线位错密度小于5×105cm~(-2).可用于制备Si基长波长集成光电探测器和Si基高速电子器件.

硅基低维结构材料

综述了近年来在Si/Ge超晶格电子态和光学性质、调制掺杂Si/Ge_xSi_(1-x)异质结构 输运性质以及多孔硅发光机理等方面的研究进展。

高性能硅基锗光电探测器的研制

在信息产业、生物医学等科技领域越来越受关注的今天，新型光电子、光通信科技必将以更快的速度发展。Si基光电子集成采用成熟价廉的微电子加工工艺，将光学器件与多种功能的微电子电路集成，是实现光通信普及发展和光互连的有效途径。Si基光电探测器是Si基光通信系统的关键器件之一。随着近年来Si基Ge材料外延技术的突破性进展，Si基Ge光电探测器因为兼顾了Si基光电子集成和对光通讯波段(1.31和1.55μm)的高效探测，成为了当今研究的一大热点。
    半导体光电探测器的性能与其结构密切相关。PIN型光电探测器是最常见的探测器，可以普遍应用于光通讯光互连系统；雪崩光电二极管(APD)因为具有较高的响应度和内部增益，在实现单光子探测方面具备很大的优越性，适用于当今迅猛发展的生物光子学和量子信息学；共振腔增强型的光电探测器(RCE-PD)，集波长选择器、高速光信号接收器于一体，而且具备共振增强作用、高饱和功率输出等特点，是局域网、光纤入户和现代波分复用(Wavelength-Division Multiplexing,WDM)系统光通信网络的一种优选方案；波导结构探测器(Waveguide-PD)可以解除探测器的响应带宽和量子效率之间的矛盾，而且其结构特点更易于实现与调制器等光波导器件的集成，是片上光互连的首选探测器。
    本论文围绕高性能Si基Ge光电探测器这一研究目标，开展了多种结构的光电探测器的研制，包括PIN型PD的研制及其优化、吸收区与倍增区分离结构(SACM)的Ge-on-Si APD、RCE-PD和Waveguide-PD，主要研究结果如下：

1.                成功研制了PIN型Ge-on-Si光电探测器，器件在-1V外加偏压下暗电流密度为46.6mA/cm2，在1.31μm和1.55μm波长下器件的量子效率分别为40%和17%；然后改进了实验方法，在制作器件之前将Ge-on-Si材料在850℃条件下快速退火1分钟，从而改善材料质量，器件的暗电流密度降低至4mA/cm2，这是目前国际上报道的最好结果之一。

2.                研制出了PIN型Ge-on-SOI光电探测器，在1.31μm和1.55μm波长的量子效率分别为62%和25%。在-3V外加偏压下，器件的3dB带宽为12.6GHz。25μm直径器件，3dB带宽更是达到了13.4GHz。同时，制作了均匀性很好的1×4探测器阵列，单个器件的3dB带宽达13.3GHz。

3.                在国际上首次研究了硅基锗光电探测器的高饱和特性。在-1V和-2V外加偏压下，探测器的1-dB小信号压缩电流分别为22mA和40mA,相应的光功率分别为67.5mW和110.5mW。

4.                成功研制了吸收区和倍增区分离的Si基Ge雪崩光电二极管，器件的穿通电压Vpt约为29V，击穿电压Vbd(暗电流等于100μA时的电压)为39.5V。在击穿电压附近，如39V时，SACM-Ge-on-Si APD的增益为40。

5.                解决了背面ICP深刻蚀工艺难题，成功制备了中心波长在1.55μm，量子效应高达62%的共振腔增强型Si基Ge光电探测器。

Langmuir-Blodgett films based on europium-substituted heteropolytungstate and their luminescence properties

Several new hybrid organic-inorganic Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films containing europium-substituted hetero-polytungstate Eu (XW11O39)(2)''(-) (X=Ge, Si, B) were successfully obtained using LB technique. When the heteropolytungstate anions are dissolved in the subphase, dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide compression isotherms have been modified, which shows that the polyanions interact with the monolayer. Y-type LB films were obtained from the systems. Low-angle X-ray has shown that these LB films have well-defined lamella. The LB films were characterized by luminescence spectra and the characteristic luminescence behavior for europium-substituted heteropolytungstate complexes and their LB films were discussed. The results of excitation spectra indicate that the energy could be effectively transferred from ligands to the Eu3+ ions in the LB films and the luminescence efficiency could be greatly increased. The results of luminescence spectra indicate that the formations of hybrid organic-inorganic LB films have a great effect on the luminescence of europium-substituted heteropolytungstate. The lifetime shortening was observed in LB films.

Impact of germanium on the growth of Pseudonitzschia pungens f. multiseries and the production of algal toxin

The impacts of germanic acid Ge(OH)(4) on the growth of Psuedonitzschia pungens f. multiseries and on the production of the algal toxin, domoic acid, were studied. The results showed that germanic acid in the range of concentrations could inhibit the growth of the algal cells and the inhibition was enhancing with the concentrations of germanic acid increasing. Germanic acid also could inhibit the production of the algal toxin, domoic acid in cells and the inhibition reached up to 100% at Ge/Si = 35. Based on the results, the mechanism was discussed.

贵州碳酸盐岩风化壳中次生晶体石英硅、氧同位素特征及其成因探讨

在贵州碳酸盐岩风化壳中发现的晶体石英使风化壳及其所发育的地貌面的定年研究成为可能，对这种石英进行裂变径迹尝试性测年工作，发现它们具有很强的研究潜力，是目前为止在碳酸盐岩风化壳剖面中发现的唯一可作为测年对象的矿物。前期工作中进行的风化壳剖面物源判别及石英表面结构观察表明晶体石英是原位形成的，晶体形态指示它们可能是次生的，其裂变径迹测年结果远小于母岩年龄，从另一方面也证明了它们可能是次生的。然而，上述证据只能对贵州碳酸盐岩风化壳中晶体石英的成因进行初步的判定，即次生形成于剖面中，未能揭示其确切的成因。由于，晶体石英成因的确定是利用它们开展测年工作的前提和基础，所以当前急需对这类石英进行成因判别，以明确裂变径迹年龄值的年代学意义。本文在前人成果的基础上，首次对贵州碳酸盐岩风化壳中的晶体石英进行了较系统的研究，通过晶体形态观察、石英粒度分析、包裹体观察来判断其基本成因，利用硅、氧同位素的组成及与其它地质体的对比揭示晶体石英形成的硅质来源、流体性质、沉淀结晶环境等信息，主要获得了以下几方面的认识： 1、 风化壳中石英颗粒的粒度特征 新蒲和大兴剖面中提取出的石英多分布在粉砂(2 ~ 63 μm)和砂粒(>63 μm)粒级范围内，其中以粉砂粒级为主。石英的粒度分布曲线常呈多峰分布，与黄土-古土壤中石英的单峰分布曲线明显不同，说明剖面中的石英不是风成成因的，继而证明两风化壳剖面不是风尘堆积的产物。两剖面中石英颗粒的分选性较差，不同样品之间，石英的粒度分布曲线存在差异，可能是次生石英、母岩中的碎屑石英和燧石团块中的石英以不同比例混合的结果。鉴于以上可能性，与酸不溶物相比，土层的粒度分布曲线表现出较好的一致性，即在碳酸盐岩风化壳物源研究中，石英的粒度分布并不是理想的示踪手段。 2、风化壳中石英颗粒的包裹体观察及均一温度测量 研究剖面中晶体石英的包裹体呈带状分布，多数为单相包体，小于5 μm，无法进行均一温度的测量。在某些次生加大石英或石英胶结物中包裹体很少或未见可供测温的两相包裹体，可能就是由于形成温度低(小于70 ˚C或地表温度)，生长缓慢造成的。研究剖面中晶体石英的包裹体特征与某些次生加大石英或石英胶结物中的包裹体类似，暗示晶体石英可能为低温条件下缓慢形成的，与其形态特征一致。 3、风化壳中晶体石英的硅同位素特征及其硅质来源探讨 研究剖面中晶体石英的δ30Si值在0.8‰ ~ 1.7‰之间，与火山作用和热液(水)作用产物具有明显不同的硅同位素组成，表明与火山作用或热液(水)作用无直接关系，而与风化作用有关，可能由风化过程中产生的富30Si流体形成。有研究表明风化过程中溶解的二氧化硅通常来自硅酸盐矿物的化学风化而非石英的溶解，研究剖面中晶体石英的硅质来源以硅酸盐矿物风化释放的硅质流体为主。利用Ge/Si值评估植物作用能否为研究剖面中晶体石英的形成提供物质来源，结果表明植物作用对研究剖面的硅质贡献作用相对较小，在表土层中植物作用的影响可能较大。以Ti作为参比元素来评估风化作用能否为晶体石英提供硅质来源，结果表明剖面中存在稳定且可观的硅的迁出，说明剖面中的晶体石英具有稳定且充足的硅质来源。 4、风化壳中晶体石英的氧同位素特征及其形成条件分析 研究剖面中晶体石英的δ18O值与高温成因石英及高、低温混合来源石英的δ18O值明显不同，在低温石英δ18O值范围内，暗示其形成于低温条件，与晶体石英的形态及包裹体的特征吻合。由于化学风化过程中W/R值很高，研究剖面中母岩以及粘土矿物的同位素组成对晶体石英δ18O值的影响可以忽略，即晶体石英的δ18O值可以粗略地反映大气降水的δ18O值，并可能进一步指示古气候信息。 5、风化壳中不同石英的硅、氧同位素特征及其成因指示 石英的硅、氧同位素分析表明，尽管大兴剖面中圆状石英和棱角状石英具有与晶体石英相似的硅、氧同位素组成特征，但它们的硅-氧同位素相关关系不同，可以明显地将晶体石英与圆状石英和棱角状石英区分开，说明它们具有不同的成因。 6、晶体石英的形成与贵州碳酸盐岩风化成土的关系 风化壳中晶体石英的形成与贵州碳酸盐岩风化成土的两阶段过程密切相关，酸不溶物中长石等硅酸盐矿物的风化能够为晶体生长提供硅质来源，碳酸盐岩风化形成的孔洞，则为晶体石英提供有利的生长环境和充分的生长空间。

Development of germanium/silicon integration for near infrared detection

Silicon (Si) is the base material for electronic technologies and is emerging as a very attractive platform for photonic integrated circuits (PICs). PICs allow optical systems to be made more compact with higher performance than discrete optical components. Applications for PICs are in the area of fibre-optic communication, biomedical devices, photovoltaics and imaging. Germanium (Ge), due to its suitable bandgap for telecommunications and its compatibility with Si technology is preferred over III-V compounds as an integrated on-chip detector at near infrared wavelengths. There are two main approaches for Ge/Si integration: through epitaxial growth and through direct wafer bonding. The lattice mismatch of ~4.2% between Ge and Si is the main problem of the former technique which leads to a high density of dislocations while the bond strength and conductivity of the interface are the main challenges of the latter. Both result in trap states which are expected to play a critical role. Understanding the physics of the interface is a key contribution of this thesis. This thesis investigates Ge/Si diodes using these two methods. The effects of interface traps on the static and dynamic performance of Ge/Si avalanche photodetectors have been modelled for the first time. The thesis outlines the original process development and characterization of mesa diodes which were fabricated by transferring a ~700 nm thick layer of p-type Ge onto n-type Si using direct wafer bonding and layer exfoliation. The effects of low temperature annealing on the device performance and on the conductivity of the interface have been investigated. It is shown that the diode ideality factor and the series resistance of the device are reduced after annealing. The carrier transport mechanism is shown to be dominated by generation–recombination before annealing and by direct tunnelling in forward bias and band-to-band tunnelling in reverse bias after annealing. The thesis presents a novel technique to realise photodetectors where one of the substrates is thinned by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) after bonding the Si-Ge wafers. Based on this technique, Ge/Si detectors with remarkably high responsivities, in excess of 3.5 A/W at 1.55 μm at −2 V, under surface normal illumination have been measured. By performing electrical and optical measurements at various temperatures, the carrier transport through the hetero-interface is analysed by monitoring the Ge band bending from which a detailed band structure of the Ge/Si interface is proposed for the first time. The above unity responsivity of the detectors was explained by light induced potential barrier lowering at the interface. To our knowledge this is the first report of light-gated responsivity for vertically illuminated Ge/Si photodiodes. The wafer bonding approach followed by layer exfoliation or by CMP is a low temperature wafer scale process. In principle, the technique could be extended to other materials such as Ge on GaAs, or Ge on SOI. The unique results reported here are compatible with surface normal illumination and are capable of being integrated with CMOS electronics and readout units in the form of 2D arrays of detectors. One potential future application is a low-cost Si process-compatible near infrared camera.

Influvence of Alloying Additions on the Structure and Properties of Ai-7Si-0.3Mg Alloy

Cast Ai-Si alloys are widely used in the automotive, aerospace and general engineering industries due to their excellent combination of properties such as good castability, low coefficient of thermal expansion, high strength-to-weight ratio and good corrosion resistance. The present investigation is on the influence of alloying additions on the structure and properties of Ai-7Si-0.3Mg alloy. The primary objective of this present investigation is to study these beneficial effects of calcium on the structure and properties of Ai-7Si-0.3Mg-xFe alloys. The second objective of this work is to study the effects of Mn,Be and Sr addition as Fe neutralizers and also to study the interaction of Mn,Be,Sr and Ca in Ai-7Si-0.3Mg-xFe alloys. In this study the duel beneficial effects of Ca viz;modification and Fe-neutralization, comparison of the effects of Ca and Sr with common Fe neutralizers. The casting have been characterized with respect to their microstructure, %porosity and electrical conductivity, solidification behaviour and mechanical properties. One of the interesting observations in the present work is that a low level of calcium reduces the porosity compared to the untreated alloy. However higher level of calcium addition lead to higher porosity in the casting. An empirical analysis carried out for comparing the results of the present work with those of the other researchers on the effect of increasing iron content on UTS and % elongation of Ai-Si-Mg and Ai-Si-Cu alloys has shown a linear and an inverse first order polynomial relationships respectively.

Spin-polarization effects in homogeneous and non-homogeneous diluted magnetic semiconductor heterostructures

Spin polarization is a key characteristic in developing spintronic devices. Diluted magnetic heterostructures (DMH), where subsequent layers of conventional and diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS) are alternate, are one of the possible ways to obtain it. Si being the basis of modern electronics, Si or other group-IV DMH can be used to build spintronic devices directly integrated with conventional ones. In this work we study the physical properties and the spin-polarization effects of p-type DMH based in group-IV semiconductors (Si, Ge, SiGe, and SiC), by performing self-consistent (k) over right arrow . (p) over right arrow calculations in the local spin density approximation. We show that high spin polarization can be maintained in these structures below certain values of the carrier concentrations. Full spin polarization is attained in the low carrier concentration regime for carrier concentrations in the DMS layer up to similar to 2.0 x 10(19) cm(-3) for Si and up to similar to 6.0 x 10(19) cm(-3) for SiC. Partial, but still important spin polarization can be achieved for all studied group-IV DMH, with the exception of Ge for carrier concentrations up to 6.0 x 10(19) cm(-3). The role played by the effective masses and the energy splitting of the spin-orbit split-off hole bands is also discussed throughout the paper.

Al-based anodic oxide films structure observation using field emission gun scanning electron microscopy

In the present work, the anodic oxide films of Al, Al-Cu 4.5% and Al-Si 6.5% alloys are formed using direct and pulse current. In the case of Al-Cu and Al-Si alloys, the electrolyte used contains sulfuric acid and oxalic acid, meanwhile for Al the electrolyte contains sulfuric acid only. Al-Cu alloy was submitted to a heat treatment in order to decrease the effect of inter metallic phase theta upon the anodic film structure. Fractured samples were observed using a field emission gun scanning electron microscope JSM-6330F at (LME)/Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS), Campinas, SP, Brazil. The oxide film images enable evaluation of the pore size and form with a resolution similar to the transmission electron microscope (TEM) resolution. It is also observed that the anodizing process using pulse current produces an irregular structure of pore walls, and by direct cur-rent it is produced a rectilinear pore wall. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Propriedades ópticas de nanocristais de SiGe: efeitos de dopagem e desordem

We have used ab initio calculations to investigate the electronic structure of SiGe based nanocrystals (NC s). This work is divided in three parts. In the first one, we focus the excitonic properties of Si(core)/Ge(shell) and Ge(core)/Si(shell) nanocrystals. We also estimate the changes induced by the effect of strain the electronic structure. We show that Ge/Si (Si/Ge) NC s exhibits type II confinement in the conduction (valence) band. The estimated potential barriers for electrons and holes are 0.16 eV (0.34 eV) and 0.64 eV (0.62 eV) for Si/Ge (Ge/Si) NC s. In contradiction to the expected long recombination lifetimes in type II systems, we found that the recombination lifetime of Ge/Si NC s (τR = 13.39μs) is more than one order of magnitude faster than in Si/Ge NC s (τR = 191.84μs). In the second part, we investigate alloyed Si1−xGex NC s in which Ge atoms are randomly positioned. We show that the optical gaps and electron-hole binding energies decrease linearly with x, while the exciton exchange energy increases with x due to the increase of the spatial extent of the electron and hole wave functions. This also increases the electron-hole wave functions overlap, leading to recombination lifetimes that are very sensitive to the Ge content. Finally, we investigate the radiative transitions in Pand B-doped Si nanocrystals. Our NC sizes range between 1.4 and 1.8 nm of diameters. Using a three-levels model, we show that the radiative lifetimes and oscillator strengths of the transitions between the conduction and the impurity bands, as well as the transitions between the impurity and the valence bands are strongly affected by the impurity position. On the other hand, the direct conduction-to-valence band decay is practically unchanged due to the presence of the impurity

Phosphorus concentrations and accumulation rates of ODP Leg 130 sites

Little is known about the fluxes to and from the ocean during the Cenozoic of phosphorus (P), a limiting nutrient for oceanic primary productivity and organic carbon burial on geologic timescales. Previous studies have concluded that dissolved river fluxes increased worldwide during the Cenozoic and that organic carbon burial decreased relative to calcium carbonate burial and perhaps in absolute terms as well. To examine the apparent contradiction between increased river fluxes of P (assuming P fluxes behave like the others) expected to drive increased organic carbon burial and observations indicating decreased organic carbon burial, we determined P accumulation rates for equatorial Pacific sediments from Ocean Drilling Program leg 138 sites in the eastern equatorial Pacific and leg 130 sites on the Ontong Java Plateau in the western equatorial Pacific. Although there are site specific and depth dependent effects on P accumulation rates, there are important features common to the records at all sites. P accumulation rates declined from 50 to 20 Ma, showed some variability from 20 to 10 Ma, and had a substantial peak from 9 to 3 Ma centered at 5-6 Ma. These changes in P accumulation rates for the equatorial Pacific are equivalent to substantial changes in the P mass balance. However, the pattern resembles neither that of weathering flux indicators (87Sr/86Sr and Ge/Si ratios) nor that of the carbon isotope record reflecting changes in organic carbon burial rates. Although these P accumulation rate patterns need confirmation from other regions with sediment burial significant in global mass balances (e.g., the North Pacific and Southern Ocean), it appears that P weathering inputs to the ocean are decoupled from those of other elements and that further exploration is needed of the relationship between P burial and net organic carbon burial.

Isotopic composition of strontium in planktonic foraminiferas from sediments of the DSDP Holes 90-588 and 94-607

Measurements of 87Sr/86Sr on samples of planktonic foraminifers were used to reconstruct changes in the Sr isotopic composition of seawater for the past 8 Ma. The late Neogene was marked by a general, but not regular, increase in 87S/86Sr with two breaks in slope at 5.5 and 2.5 Ma. These times mark the beginning of two periods of steep increase in 87Sr/86Sr values, relative to preceding periods characterized by essentially constant values. During the last 2.5 Ma, 87Sr/86Sr values increased at an average rate of 0.000054/Ma. This steep increase suggests that the modem ocean is not in Sr isotopic equilibrium relative to its major input fluxes. A non-equilibrium model for the modern Sr budget suggests that the residence time of Sr is ~2.5 Ma, which is significantly less than previously accepted estimates of 4-5 Ma. Modelling results suggest that the increase in 87Sr/86Sr over the past 8 Ma could have resulted from a 25% increase in the riverine flux of Sr or an increase in the average 87Sr/86Sr of this flux by 0.0006. The dominant cause of increasing 87Sr/86Sr values of seawater during the late Neogene is believed to be increased rates of uplift and chemical weathering of mountainous regions. Calculations suggest that uplift and weathering of the Himalayan-Tibetan region alone can account for the majority of the observed 87Sr/86Sr increase since the early Late Miocene. Exhumation of Precambrian shield areas by continental ice-sheets may have contributed secondarily to accelerated mechanical and chemical weathering of old crustal silicates with high 87Sr/86Sr values. In fact, the upturn in 87Sr/86Sr at 2.5 Ma coincides with increased glacial activity in the Northern Hemisphere. A variety of geochemical (87Sr/86Sr, Ge/Si, d13C, CCD, etc.) and sedimentologic data (accumulation rates) from the marine sedimentary record are compatible with a progressive increase in the chemical weathering rate of continents and dissolved riverine fluxes during the late Cenozoic. We hypothesize that chemical weathering of the continents and dissolved riverine fluxes to the oceans reached a maximum during the late Pleistocene because of repeated glaciations, increased continental exposure by lowered sea level, and increased continental relief resulting from high rates of tectonism.

Chemical and germanium isotopic compositions of sediments and sedimentary rocks from ODP Sites 129-801 and 185-1149

A new technique for the precise and accurate determination of Ge stable isotope compositions has been developed and applied to silicate rocks and biogenic opal. The analyses were performed using a continuous flow hydride generation system coupled to a MC-ICP-MS. Samples have been purified through anion- and cation-exchange resins to separate Ge from matrix elements and eliminate potential isobaric interferences. Variations of 74Ge/70Ge ratios are expressed as d74Ge values relative to our internal standard and the long-term external reproducibility of the data is better than 0.2? for sample size as low as 15 ng of Ge. Data are presented for igneous and sedimentary rocks, and the overall variation is 2.4? in d74Ge, representing 12 times the uncertainty of the measurements and demonstrating that the terrestrial isotopic composition of Ge is not unique. Co-variations of 74Ge/70Ge, 73Ge/70Ge and 72Ge/70Ge ratios follow a mass-dependent behaviour and imply natural isotopic fractionation of Ge by physicochemical processes. The range of d74Ge in igneous rocks is only 0.25? without systematic differences among continental crust, oceanic crust or mantle material. On this basis, a Bulk Silicate Earth reservoir with a d74Ge of 1.3+/-0.2? can be defined. In contrast, modern biogenic opal such as marine sponges and authigenic glauconite displayed higher d74Ge values between 2.0? and 3.0?. This suggests that biogenic opal may be significantly enriched in light isotopes with respect to seawater and places a lower bound on the d74Ge of the seawater to +3.0?.This suggests that seawater is isotopically heavy relative to Bulk Silicate Earth and that biogenic opal may be significantly fractionated with respect to seawater. Deep-sea sediments are within the range of the Bulk Silicate Earth while Mesozoic deep-sea cherts (opal and quartz) have d74Ge values ranging from 0.7? to 2.0?. The variable values of the cherts cannot be explained by binary mixing between a biogenic component and a detrital component and are suggestive of enrichment in the light isotope of diagenetic quartz. Further work is now required to determine Ge isotope fractionation by siliceous organisms and to investigate the effect of diagenetic processes during chert lithification.