Novel level-identifying circuit for flash multilevel memories

This paper presents a high-speed, small-area circuit specifically designed to identify the levels in the read out operation of a flash multilevel memory. The circuit is based on the analog computation of the Euclidean distance between the current read out from a memory cell and the reference currents that represent the different logic levels. An experimental version of the circuit has been integrated in a standard double-metal 0.7-μm CMOS process with a die area of only 140×100 μm². Operating under a 5-V power supply, this circuit identifies the read-out current of a memory cell, and associates it with the appropriate logic level in 9 ns     

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.     

Stick-slip vibrations of a two degree-of-freedom geophysical fault model

This paper considers the behaviour of a two degree-of-freedom autonomous system with static and dynamic friction consisting of two blocks linked by springs on a moving belt. This system is the simplest model which has been used to simulate the dynamics of seismic faults. The friction force is assumed to be a decreasing function of the relative sliding velocity. The motion of the blocks is composed of a uniform stick motion, during which the divergence of the system is zero, and an accelerated slip motion, during which the divergence is positive. The mathematical model by definition concentrates the dissipation on the point where the slip motion ceases. It is assumed that slip occurs only in one direction. A three-dimensional Poincaré map and a scalar single variable map are discussed which characterize the dynamics of the system in a simple way. The one-dimensional map can be used to diagnose the chaotic behaviour of the full system, and quantities, similar to Lyapunov exponents, can be easily calculated which provide information regarding the system-sensitive dependence on initial conditions. The system dynamics illustrate the idea of studying the earthquake generation mechanism as a chaotic phenomenon.     

Silver electrodeposition from air and water-stable ionic liquid: An environmentally friendly alternative to cyanide baths

The influence of temperature on the kinetics and the morphology of silver deposits obtained from an air and water-stable ionic liquid (the 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate) was studied by means of cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The nucleation and growth mechanisms have been investigated and the effect of temperature evaluated up to 200 °C. Dense, pure and very thin (about 0.3 μm) silver coatings, with decorative properties, have been obtained on commercial copper electrodes at different temperatures. The characterization of the deposits morphology has been performed by visual investigation and SEM microscopy. Data about thickness were acquired by Calotest® measurements. The deposits result constituted by pure silver as determined by combination of EDX microanalysis and Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES). The deposition method promises to be a new, environmentally friendly, method for silver electrodeposition which is the reason for the absence of cyanide and volatile toxic solvents in the electroplating bath.     

Compensable power for electrical systems in nonsinusoidalconditions

Power definitions are extended to electrical circuits where both loads and supply are harmonic generators and where a series source impedance is considered to provide a realistic representation of electrical power systems. A method is proposed whereby distortion is compensated and power-factor corrected by means of reactance one-ports inserted in series and parallel into the electrical circuit. The approach is applied to single-phase circuits     

Recognition of Adulterated Oils by Direct Analysis of the Minor Components

Recognition of adulteration by other oils via direct analysis of the minor components (“sterol fraction”) is shown for olive oil. 10 % of various oils were admixed, the free alcohols silylated and the minor components analyzed by on-line coupled LC-GC-FID. For most oils, even smaller additions can be recognized. Admixed oils can no longer be determined, however, if their minor components have been removed by strong raffination. Bleaching of rapeseed oil with 7% of earth at 180 °C, in fact, completely removed free and esterified sterols.     

Gamma irradiation of PolyEthyleneTerephthalate and PolyEthyleneNaphthalate

The effect of gamma irradiation in air is investigated in two thermoplastic polyesters (PET and PEN), in order to evaluate the influence of aromatic density and the role of oxygen on radiation resistance. EPR measurements were carried out to detect radical stability against oxygen permeation and to provide radical characterization. Viscometric data reveal a different behaviour between films and thick samples. Positron annihilation spectra show a decrease of ortho-positronium intensity, which is more marked in film samples. ortho-positronium lifetime does not depend on the radiation dose.     

Robust output feedback learning control for induction motor servo drives

This paper addresses the output feedback tracking control problem for induction motor servo drives with mechanical uncertainties: rotor angle, rotor speed and stator currents are assumed to be available for feedback. A robust adaptive learning control is designed under the assumption that the reference profile for the rotor angle is periodic with known period: it ‘learns’ the periodic disturbance signal by identifying the Fourier coefficients of any truncated approximation; ??₂ and ??_∞ transient performances are guaranteed in the ‘learning phase’. It is shown that, for any motor initial condition belonging to an arbitrary given compact set, by properly setting the control parameters: (i) the rotor position and flux modulus tracking errors exponentially converge to residual sets, which may be arbitrarily reduced by increasing the number of terms in the truncated Fourier series; (ii) when the unknown periodic disturbance can be represented by a finite Fourier series, the rotor position and flux modulus tracking errors exponentially converge to zero. As in field oriented‐control, the control algorithm generates references for the magnetizing flux component and for the torque component of the stator current leading to significant simplifications for current‐fed motors. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.