Understanding deviations in lithographic patterns near interfaces: Characterization of bottom anti-reflective coatings (BARC) and the BARC-resist interface

Interactions between a bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) and a photoresist can critically impact lithographic patterns. For example, a lithographic pattern can shrink or spread near a BARC interface, a process called undercutting or footing respectively, due to incompatibility between the two materials. Experiments were conducted on two industrial BARC coatings in an effort to determine the impact of BARC surface chemistry on the footing and undercutting phenomena. The BARC coatings were characterized by near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), contact angle measurements, and neutron and X-ray reflectivity. Contact angle measurement using a variety of fluids showed that the fluid contact angles were independent of the type of BARC coating or the BARC processing temperature. NEXAFS measurements showed that the surface chemistry of each BARC was also independent of the processing temperature. These results suggest that acid-base interactions at the BARC-resist interface are not the cause of the footing-undercutting phenomena encountered in lithographic patterns.     

Er3＋ ion concentration effect on transient and steady-state behavior in Er3＋ ：YAG crystal

The effect of Er3＋ ion concentration on transient and steady-state behavior in 45-nm Er3＋ ：YAG crystal is investigated. It is shown that by changing the signal field, the coherent field and the concentration of Er3＋ ions in the crystal, the absorption, dispersion, and group index of the weak probe field can be adjusted. Also, it is found that the probe absorption occurs in the presence of population inversion and probe amplification is obtained in the absence of population inversion.     

A novel low-swing interconnect optimization model with delay and bandwidth constraints

Interconnect power and repeater area are important in the interconnect optimization of nanometer scale integrated circuits.Based on the RLC interconnect delay model,by wire sizing,wire spacing and adopting low-swing interconnect technology,this paper proposed a power-area optimization model considering delay and bandwidth constraints simultaneously.The optimized model is verified based on 65-nm and 90-nm complementary metal-oxide semiconductor(CMOS) interconnect parameters.The verified results show that averages of 36% of interconnect power and 26% of repeater area can be saved under 65-nm CMOS process.The proposed model is especially suitable for the computer-aided design of nanometer scale systems-on-chip.     

Modelling and Numerical Valuation of Power Derivatives in Energy Markets

In this work we investigate the pricing of swing options in a model where the underlying asset follows a jump diffusion process. We focus on the derivation of the partial integro-differential equation (PIDE) which will be applied to swing contracts and construct a novel pay-off function from a tree-based pay-off matrix that can be used as initial condition in the PIDE formulation. For valuing swing type derivatives we develop a theta implicit-explicit finite difference scheme to discretize the PIDE using a Gaussian quadrature method for the integral part. Based on known results for the classical theta-method the existence and uniqueness of solution to the new implicit-explicit finite difference method is proven. Various numerical examples illustrate the usability of the proposed method and allow us to analyse the sensitivity of swing options with respect to model parameters. In particular, the effects of number of exercise rights, jump intensities and dividend yields will be investigated in depth.     

Silicon detector technology development in India for the participation in international experiments

A specific research and development program has been carried out by BARC in India to develop the technology for large area silicon strip detectors for application in nuclear and high energy physics experiments. These strip detectors will be used as pre-shower detector in the CMS experiment at LHC, CERN for π ⁰/λ rejection. The fabrication technology to produce silicon strip detectors with very good uniformity over a large area of ∼40 cm², low leakage currents of the order of 10 nA/cm² per strip and high breakdown voltage of >500 V has been developed by BARC. The production of detectors is already under way to deliver 1000 detector modules for the CMS and 90% production is completed. In this paper, research and development work carried out to develop the detector fabrication technology is briefly described. The performance of the silicon strip detectors produced in India is presented. The present status of the detector technology is discussed.      

Generation of isolated attosecond pulses with a specific waveform two-color laser field

We theoretically propose a new method for generating intense isolated attosecond pulses during high-order harmonic generation (HHG) process by accurately controlling electron motion with a two-color laser field,which consists of an 800-nm,4-fs elliptically polarized laser field and a 1400-nm,～43-fs linearly polarized laser field.With this method,the supercontinua with a spectral width above 200 eV are obtained,which can support a ～15-as isolated pulse after phase compensation.Classical and quantum analyses explain the controlling effects well.In particular,when the pulse duration of the 800-nm laser field increases to 20-fs,sub-100-as isolated pulses can be obtained even without any phase compensation.     

Development of neutron detectors and neutron radiography at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre

Design and development of neutron detectors and R&D work in neutron radiography (NR) for non-destructive evaluation are important parts of the neutron beam and allied research programme of Solid State Physics Division (SSPD) of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). The detectors fabricated in the division not only meet the in-house requirement of neutron spectrometers but also the need of other divisions in BARC, Department of Atomic Energy units and some universities and research institutes in India and abroad for a variety of applications. The NR facility set up by SSPD at Apsara reactor has been used for a variety of applications in nuclear, aerospace, defense and metallurgical industries. The work done in the development of neutron detectors and neutron radiography is reported in this article.      

秋千参数自激振动的数学模型与数值模拟

将秋千视为变长度单摆,基于归一化高斯函数构造了摆球相对摆杆的速度表达式.在此基础上建立了秋千的非线性动力学微分方程,并据此数学模型对秋千运动进行了数值模拟,得到了秋千的运动规律和功能转化的机制.     

高数值孔径光刻成像中双层底层抗反膜的优化

在高数值孔径光学光刻中,成像光入射角分布在较大范围内,传统的单底层抗反膜不足以控制抗蚀剂-衬底界面反射率(衬底反射率)。考虑照明光源形状以及掩模的影响,提出了一种新的双层底层抗反膜优化方法,依据各级衍射光光强求衬底反射率的最小权重平均值来配置膜层。针对传统掩模、衰减相移掩模以及交替相移掩模的情况,用该方法优化双层底层抗反膜。结果表明,如果成像时进入物镜光瞳的高阶光越多,高阶光光强越大,则掩模对底层抗反膜优化的影响越大。在某些成像条件下,如使用交替相移掩模实现成像,有必要在底层抗反膜优化中考虑掩模的影响。     

An optimized design of 10-nm-scale dual-material surrounded gate MOSFETs for digital circuit applications

In this paper, we have proposed and simulated a new 10-nm Dual-Material Surrounded Gate MOSFETs (DMSG) MOSFETs for nanoscale digital circuit applications. The subthreshold electrical properties such as subthreshold current–voltage characteristics, subthreshold swing factor, threshold voltage and drain induced barrier lowering (DIBL) of the device have been ascertained and mathematical models have been developed. It has been observed that the DM design can effectively suppress short-channel effects as compared to single material gate structure. The proposed analytical expressions are used to formulate the objective functions, which are the pre-requisite of genetic algorithm computation. The problem is then presented as a multi-objective optimization one where the subthreshold electrical parameters are considered simultaneously. Therefore, the proposed technique is used to search of the optimal electrical and geometrical parameters to obtain better electrical performance of the 10-nm-scale transistor. These characteristics make the optimized 10-nm transistors potentially suitable for deep nanoscale logic and memory applications.     

Development of mesoporous structures of composite silica particles with various organic functional groups in the presence and absence of ammonia catalyst

Development of mesoporous structures of composite silica particles with various organic functional groups was investigated by using a two-step process, consisting of one-pot sol-gel process in the presence and absence of ammonium hydroxide and a selective dissolution process with an ethanol-water mixture. Five different organosilanes, including methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS), 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS), phenyltrimethoxysilane (PTMS), vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS), and 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) were employed. The mesoporous (organically modified silica) ORMOSIL particles were obtained even in the absence of ammonium hydroxide when the reaction mixture contained APTMS. The morphology of the particles, however, were different from those prepared with ammonia catalyst and the same organosilane mixtures, probably because the overall hydrolysis/condensation rates became slower. Co-existence of APTMS and VTMS was essential to prepare mesoporous particles from ternary organosilane mixtures. The work presented here demonstrates that organosilica particles with desired functionality and desired mesoporous structures can be obtained by selecting proper types of organosilane monomers and performing a facile and mild process either with or without ammonium hydroxide.     

Eliminating the undercut phenomenon in interference lithography for the fabrication of nano-imprint lithography stamp

We show an easy method to eliminate the undercut profile of photoresist by fabricating periodic nano-patterns on a substrate using interference lithography. An undercut phenomenon occurs frequently on the sidewall of photoresist patterns because of the 3-dimensional intensity distribution generated when two beams are merged to make an interferogram. This is mainly caused by the vertical interference between the incident beam and the one reflected from the surface of a substrate, and bottom-anti-reflection-coating (BARC) material is usually used to prevent beams from being reflected onto the substrate. We propose a simple post-process which helps researchers fabricate well-defined patterns without using BARC material. We developed this process to fabricate stamps for nano-imprint lithography at low cost, and show the results of our nano-imprint process which transfers patterns on a stamp directly through thermal resist.     

Direct evidence of nanometric invasionlike grain boundary penetration in the A(1)/Ga system

We report the first in situ results of deformation during grain boundary penetration in the A(1)/Ga system, obtained with a novel, nondestructive hard x-ray synchrotron projection microscopy technique. Focusing the beam to a state-of-the-art spot size of 90 x 90 nm(2), we demonstrate that penetration is accompanied by continuous relative separation of the Al grains of the same final amplitude as the final Ga layer thickness in the absence of external stress. The formation of nanometric intergranular liquid layers is originated by a crack propagation process and inherently implies the presence of weak stress levels.     

Impact of AlxGa1-xN barrier thickness and Al composition on electrical properties of ferroelectric HfZrO/Al2O3/AlGaN/GaN MFSHEMTs

Ferroelectric (FE) HfZrO/Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$ gate stack AlGaN/GaN metal-FE-semiconductor heterostructure high-electron mobility transistors (MFSHEMTs) with varying Al$_{x}$Ga$_{1-x}$N barrier thickness and Al composition are investigated and compared by TCAD simulation with non-FE HfO$_{2}$/Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$ gate stack metal-insulator-semiconductor heterostructure high-electron mobility transistors (MISHEMTs). Results show that the decrease of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) density with decreasing AlGaN barrier thickness is more effectively suppressed in MFSHEMTs than that in MISHEMTs due to the enhanced FE polarization switching efficiency. The electrical characteristics of MFSHEMTs, including transconductance, subthreshold swing, and on-state current, effectively improve with decreasing AlGaN thickness in MFSHEMTs. High Al composition in AlGaN barrier layers that are under 3-nm thickness plays a great role in enhancing the 2DEG density and FE polarization in MFSHEMTs, improving the transconductance and the on-state current. The subthreshold swing and threshold voltage can be reduced by decreasing the AlGaN thickness and Al composition in MFSHEMTs, affording favorable conditions for further enhancing the device.     

Role of guard rings in improving the performance of silicon detectors

BARC has developed large-area silicon detectors in collaboration with BEL to be used in the pre-shower detector of the CMS experiment at CERN. The use of floating guard rings (FGR) in improving breakdown voltage and reducing leakage current of silicon detectors is well-known. In the present work, it has been demonstrated that FGRs can also be used to improve the spectroscopic response of silicon detectors. The results have been confirmed by carrying outα-particle (≈5 MeV) andγ-ray (60 keV) spectroscopies with the FGR floating or biased and the underlying physics aspect behind the change in spectra is explained. Although reduction in leakage current after biasing one of the guard rings has been reported earlier, the role of a guard ring in improving the spectroscopic response is reported for the first time. Results of TCAD simulations for silicon detectors with the guard ring under different biasing conditions have been presented. Low yield in producing large-area silicon detectors makes them very costly. However, with one of the FGRs biased even a detector having large surface leakage current can be used to give the same response as a very good detector. This makes the use of large-area silicon detectors very economical as the yield would be very high (>90%).     

Electrical characterization of gadolinia-doped ceria films grown by pulsed laser deposition

Electrical characterization of 10 mol% gadolinia doped ceria (CGO10) films of different thicknesses prepared on MgO(100) substrates by pulsed laser deposition is presented. Dense, polycrystalline and textured films characterized by fine grains (grain sizes < 18 nm and < 64 nm for a 20-nm and a 435-nm film, respectively) are obtained in the deposition process. Grain growth is observed under thermal cycling between 300 and 800°C, as indicated by X-ray-based grain-size analysis. However, the conductivity is insensitive to this microstructural evolution but is found to be dependent on the sample thickness. The conductivity of the nanocrystalline films is lower (7.0×10^?4  S/cm for the 20-nm film and 3.6×10^?3  S/cm for the 435-nm film, both at 500°C) than that of microcrystalline, bulk samples ( $6\times 10^{-3}$  S/cm at 500°C). The activation energy for the conduction is found to be 0.83 eV for the bulk material, while values of 1.06 and 0.80 eV are obtained for the 20-nm film and the 435-nm film, respectively. The study shows that the ionic conductivity prevails in a broad range of oxygen partial pressures, for example down to about 10 ^?26  atm at 500°C.     

Asymmetric multiple-quantum-well laser diodes with wide and flat gain

Asymmetric multiple-quantum-well laser diodes with wide and flat gain spectra were designed, fabricated, and analyzed. The active layer was composed of three 10-nm, one 8-nm, and two 6-nm 0.5% compressive strained wells and four 10-nm and one 5-nm 0.4% tensile strained barrier layer. Measured spectra of antireflection-coated ridge waveguide laser diodes with such quantum-well structures have shown that -1-dB spectral gain bandwidth can be as large as 90 nm.     

高数值孔径光学光刻成像中的体效应

为有效控制成像线宽,研究了高数值孔径光学光刻中的体效应并提出一种光刻胶膜层优化方法,利用成像中的摇摆效应平衡体效应对成像线宽的影响.首先根据系统数值孔径和照明相干因子确定成像光入射角分布,相对所有入射光求出光刻胶底面单位体积吸收的能量平均值.然后用最小二乘法拟合得到能量平均值随光刻胶厚度变化的解析式并求能量平均值的导数.最后通过优化光刻胶膜层,使能量平均值的导数绝对值最小.按优化结果设计光刻胶膜层,利用商业光刻软件Prolith9.0得到成像线宽随光刻胶厚度的变化.结果表明,该方法能在30～40nm的光刻胶厚度范围,有效地减小由体效应引起的成像线宽的变化.     

大随机相位误差下条带模式合成孔径激光雷达成像实验

为了探索大随机相位误差条件下合成孔径雷达(SAL)成像特点和规律,本文采用波长为1 550 nm的线性调频激光器建立了能够产生大的共模随机相位误差的条带模式SAL成像实验装置。利用此装置获得了不同目标回波强度下条带模式SAL成像实验数据,结合条带模式相位梯度自聚焦(PGA)多次迭代处理,获得了高分辨率SAL图像。实验发现在[-6. 45π,6. 45π]范围的大随机相位误差下,通过简单的距离压缩和方位匹配滤波,无法实现SAL图像聚焦,图像信噪比仅为3 dB。进一步采用PGA处理,就能很好地校正相位误差,得到聚焦良好的SAL图像,图像信噪比达到43 dB。实验还发现,当存在大共模随机相位误差时,PGA处理展现出非常强的鲁棒性,在回波弱到10-15W的情况下依然有效。在大相位误差存在的SAL系统(如机载SAL)中,PGA处理能有效消除相位误差,实现图像聚焦;另外,增大探测激光功率以提高成像数据信噪比,将有助于提升PGA处理效果。