Future Direction for a Diffusion Barrier in Future High-Density Volatile and Nonvolatile Memory Devices

This article reviews the current status of high-density capacitor for volatile memory devices. The dielectric properties for both the Ta₂O₅ film and the (Ba, Sr)TiO₃ (BST) dielectric materials using either the metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) or the atomic layer deposition (ALD) are reviewed briefly. New challenges of dielectric material for the next generation, and serious problems emerged during integration to date using Ta₂O₅ and BST. The material characteristics of many electrode materials for the high dielectric materials are introduced. We present the basic properties and integration issued for MOCVD-ruthenium (Ru). The second part of this review summarized the failure mechanisms from barrier properties of previously reported diffusion barriers and emphasizes new design concepts of diffusion barrier for high-density memory devices. Finally, the future direction for a diffusion barrier to advance high-density memory capacitors is suggested.     

Insertion loss of sound waves through composite acoustic window materials

This study evaluated the insertion loss of sound waves through composite acoustic window materials for sonar dome applications, and examined the influence of dome shape on the sonar performance. The insertion loss of sound waves through acoustic window materials was experimentally measured as a function of frequency at normal incidence. The insertion loss was also theoretically estimated with three- and four-medium layer models. The theoretical estimation of insertion loss showed good agreement with the experimental measurements. The insertion loss was also measured as a function of angle of incidence. The characteristics of longitudinal and converted shear waves were observed at various angles of incidence. This study will be useful to select acoustic window materials with the appropriate acoustic characteristics for practical sonar dome applications.     

Density-fluctuation-induced swelling of polymer thin films in carbon dioxide

We report an anomalous swelling of polymer thin films in carbon dioxide (CO(2)) which is associated (in both locus and form) with the density fluctuation ridge that forms along the extension of the coexistence curve of gas and liquid in the P-T phase diagram. Neutron reflectivity results showed that CO(2) could be sorbed to a large extent ( approximately 60%) in thin polymer films even when the bulk miscibility of the polymer with CO(2) is very poor. The anomalous swelling is found to scale with the polymer radius of gyration (R(g)) and extends to a distance approximately 10 R(g).     

The RATIO method for time‐resolved Laue crystallography

A RATIO method for analysis of intensity changes in time‐resolved pump–probe Laue diffraction experiments is described. The method eliminates the need for scaling the data with a wavelength curve representing the spectral distribution of the source and removes the effect of possible anisotropic absorption. It does not require relative scaling of series of frames and removes errors due to all but very short term fluctuations in the synchrotron beam.     

Control of device performances of phosphorescent white organic light-emitting diodes by managing charge transport properties of host materials

Interlayer-free phosphorescent white organic light-emitting diodes (PHWOLEDs) with a mixed-host emitting structure in red emitting layer were developed and device performances were investigated according to the host composition in the red emitting layer. Device performances could be effectively managed by a simple change of host materials in the red emitting layer. A high quantum efficiency was obtained in PHWOLEDs with electron transport-type host in the red emitting layer and red emission was strong in PHWOLEDs with mixed-host in the red emitting layer. In addition, stable color performances were obtained in electron transport-type host rich devices.     

Electronic structures of imidazolium-based ionic liquids

Electronic structures of ionic liquids formed by 1-buthyl-3-alkylimidazolium ion [C_nmim]⁺ (n = 4 and 8) with various inorganic and organic anions have been investigated by ultraviolet photoemission, X-ray photoemission, inverse photoemission and soft X-ray emission spectroscopies (SXES). The comparison of the calculated density of states with the observed spectra revealed that the molecular orbital energies of these ionic liquids are significantly affected by the electrostatic Madelung potential among the ions. The SXES results clearly show that the both highest occupied and lowest unoccupied states of [C₄mim]⁺PF₆⁻ are derived from the cation as a result of strong Madelung potential. On the other hand, the SXES results show the valence electronic structures of ionic liquids with larger anion molecules, [C_nmim]⁺Tf₂N⁻ and [C_nmim]⁺OTf⁻ are contributed from the both cation and anion.     

Stochastic resonance in an ion channel following the non-Arrhenius gating rate

Stochastic resonance (SR) is a novel cooperative phenomenon occurring in nonlinear systems due to coupling of an ambient noise and an external signal. Biological systems may use SR mechanism to detect the signal efficiently from an external environment. A number of studies have addressed the SR in artificial ion channels considering external voltages as noises. More important than these external noises is the internal, thermal noise which changes the channel conformations essential for biological functions. In this work, we consider that the channel gating rates follow a non-Arrhenius temperature dependence derived from experimental data of a real biological channel. Using the Monte-Carlo simulations, we find that in this channel SR occurs near a physiological temperature in a very distinctive manner compared with that for the Arrhenius gating model.     

Bulk-sensitive spectroscopic studies on noncentrosymmetric superconducting system of Mg–Ir–B

We present the data from ultrahigh-resolution laser-excited photoemission spectroscopy on a newly discovered noncentrosymmetric superconductor Mg₁₀Ir₁₉B₁₆. We observed the evidences for the opening of superconducting gap where numerical fittings show that isotropic s-wave model can satisfactorily explain the behavior of spectra near the Fermi level. We also present the valence band photoemission spectrum and B K fluorescence spectrum to discuss the basic electronic structure of Mg₁₀Ir₁₉B₁₆.