Electrical and optical properties of semi-insulating polycrystalline silicon thin films: the role of microstructure and doping

We have investigated the relationship between microstructure and electrical conductivity in semi-insulating polycrystalline silicon (SIPOS) with oxygen concentrations in the 2–35 at.% range and the effect of doping with boron, phosphorus, arsenic and erbium by ion implantation. SIPOS thin films are mixtures of silicon and silicon oxide phases. The chemical and morphological evolution of these phases upon annealing is emphasized. Electrical conductivity measurements are interpreted in terms of a physical model containing few free parameters related to the material microstructure. A direct extension of this model explains also the conductivity increase in SIPOS doped with elements of the third or the fifth group. In the last part of the paper, data of electroluminescence at 1.54 μm in Er-implanted SIPOS due to intra-4f transitions of the Er³⁺ ion are shown and discussed.     

QoS assessment of 3G video-phone calls by tracing watermarking exploiting the new colour space `YST?

Tracing watermarking has been recently proposed as a technique to provide a blind measure of the quality of service of the communication link, focusing on multimedia communication scenarios. 3G communication scenarios, where each customer transmits both voice and MPEG-4 video sequences in real time, have been considered. Typical video-phone call consists of close shots of speakers, framing their face in the foreground. For such particular application, a novel colour space (YST) is adopted to minimise the perceptual distortions on face coding introduced by watermarking. In the YST space, the luminance component (Y) is the same as in conventional YUV space, whereas the vectors S and T lie within the chrominance (UV) plane. The S (skin) component is a linear combination of U and V obtained as the 'average' chrominance estimated from an assorted set human faces to achieve a reasonable generalisation. The third component, T, is defined as orthogonal to the YS plane. The results show the benefits obtained in digital watermarking by the new representation against the conventional approach. In fact, the sensitivity of the YST representation outperforms the conventional one in terms of objective (mean square error, peak signal-to-noise ratio) and subjective (video-quality metrics) indicators.     

Development of an undergraduate course – Internet-based instrumentation and control

The objective, strategy, and implementation details of a new undergraduate course, Internet-based Instrumentation and Control, are presented. The course has a companion laboratory that is supported by the National Science Foundation and industry. The combination is offered to senior-level undergraduate engineering students interested in sensing, instrumentation, control, and web programming that want to learn more about the integration of these technologies for solving real-world engineering problems. The course will also be offered to gifted high school seniors with similar interests and can serve as a vehicle to attract them to engineering disciplines. Preliminary assessment of the first offering of the course is encouraging and has shown that the course has achieved success in helping students understand concepts and master basic technologies for developing Internet-based automatic systems.     

Relation between microstructure, properties and spark plasma sintering (SPS) parameters of pure ultrafine WC powder

A combined experimental/numerical methodology is developed to fully consolidate pure ultrafine WC powder under a current-control mode. Three applied currents, 1900, 2100 and 2700 A, and a constant pressure of 20 MPa were employed as process conditions. The developed spark plasma sintering (SPS) finite-element model includes a moving-mesh technique to account for the contact resistance change due to sintering shrinkage and punch sliding. The effects of the heating rate on the microstructure and hardness were investigated in detail along the sample radius from both experimental and modeling points of view. The maximum hardness (2700 HV10) was achieved for a current of 1900 A at the core sample, while the maximum densification was achieved for 2100 and 2700 A. A direct relationship between the compact microstructure and both the sintering temperature and the heating rate was established.     

Preceramic organoboron–silicon polymers

Several boron-containing organosilicon polymers were synthesized from a sodium-coupling reaction of silicon and boron halides with and without alkyl halide in hydrocarbon solvents. The B–Si preceramic polymers were characterized using techniques such as IR, UV, and NMR spectrometry, gel permeation chromatography, elemental analysis, molecular weight measurement, and thermal analyses (TGA, DSC, DTA, and TMA). The chemical structures of the preceramic polymers were postulated based on the analytical results. Black ceramic materials were obtained from the precursor polymers upon thermal degradation at temperatures above 1000°C in an inert atmosphere. The precursor polymers had a ceramic yield of up to 70%. Thermogravimetric analysis of the ceramic material in air at a flow rate of 100 mL/min showed it was stable up to 1000°C with little weight gain or loss. Several methods were used to characterize the ceramic materials: XRD, solid NMR, high-temperature DTA, elemental analysis, and acid digestion. The analyses indicated that the ceramic materials comprised a mixture of silicon carbide (SiC), silicon borides (SiB₄, SiB₆), and amorphous Si–B–C ceramics, with small amounts of silica and free silicon.     

Growth dynamics in cystic fibrosis

The growth profiles of 28 cystic fibrosis patients, followed for at least three years, were analysed in order to study the dynamics of growth and to verify if any correlation with clinical events exists. Heights and weights were recorded at three-month intervals, and the patterns did not appear stable or linear, although a graphical smoothing might depict a linear pattern. Height and weight velocity profiles were plotted and all cases showed regular pulsatile patterns of height and weight velocity. By taking measurements at three-month intervals, the pulsatile rhythm was found to be associated with a circannual rhythm. When the appearance of clinical events was related to growth velocity profiles for each individual, the majority (71-82%) occurred during the descending phase of the growth velocity. An understanding of the individual pulsatile pattern of growth may actually increase the sensitivity of surveillance, and checks might be programmed according to the individual pattern, since the risk of developing an adverse clinical event is significantly greater during the slowing phase of the growth velocity.     

High-Performance Multilayer Capacitor Dielectrics from Chemically Prepared Powders

Advantages of chemically prepared powders for electronic ceramics have been demonstrated for a number of multilayer capacitor (MLC) dielectrics. A cost-efficient precipitation process was developed to produce undoped or doped crystalline barium titanate powder with a narrow particle size distribution close to 0.5 μm. More complex compositions, e.g., barium-neodymium titanate, were amorphous as precipitated but could be crystallized by calcination below 1000°C. Additional compositional modifications, to adjust electrical properties or to lower sintering temperature, were accomplished by doping the surface of the powder particles using a solution coating process. Exceptional fired densities and electrical performance were obtained.     

Cushing’s Syndrome Effects on the Thyroid

The most known effects of endogenous Cushing’s syndrome are the phenotypic changes and metabolic consequences. However, hypercortisolism can exert important effects on other endocrine axes. The hypothalamus–pituitary–thyroid axis activity can be impaired by the inappropriate cortisol secretion, which determinates the clinical and biochemical features of the “central hypothyroidism”. These findings have been confirmed by several clinical studies, which also showed that the cure of hypercortisolism can determine the recovery of normal hypothalamus–pituitary–thyroid axis activity. During active Cushing’s syndrome, the “immunological tolerance” guaranteed by the hypercortisolism can mask, in predisposed patients, the development of autoimmune thyroid diseases, which increases in prevalence after the resolution of hypercortisolism. However, the immunological mechanism is not the only factor that contributes to this phenomenon, which probably includes also deiodinase-impaired activity. Cushing’s syndrome can also have an indirect impact on thyroid function, considering that some drugs used for the medical control of hypercortisolism are associated with alterations in the thyroid function test. These considerations suggest the utility to check the thyroid function in Cushing’s syndrome patients, both during the active disease and after its remission.