Si/SiGe epitaxial-base transistors. I. Materials, physics, andcircuits

A detailed review of SiGe epitaxial base technology is presented, which chronicles the progression of research from materials deposition through device and integration demonstrations, culminating in the first SiGe integrated circuit application. In part I of this paper, the requirements and processes for high-quality SiGe film preparation are discussed, with emphasis on fundamental principles. A detailed overview of SiGe HBT device design and implications for circuit applications is then presented     

Photonic access concentrator for ATM gigabit switching fabrics

In future broadband communication networks the interest for purely photonic switches is due to the bandwidth mismatch between optical transmission networks and electronic switching nodes. Photonic ATM switching fabrics mainly based on wavelength-switching stages are therefore being studied, to implement high capacity switches with also concentration, multiplexing and demultiplexing functions, using state-of-the-art photonic technology. The architecture of an ATM photonic access concentrator is described in this paper, illustrating the design and implementation of its basic subsystems, the traffic concentrator and the cell multiplexer. The design guidelines are outlined in detail referring to an example, where 128 user lines at 622 Mb/s are given access to 4 outlets at 2.488 Gb/s. The corresponding implementation, based on the systematic use of cell wavelength encoding, makes use either of well-known photonic components, such as Fabry-Perot filters, fiber delay lines, splitters and combiners, either of recently developed devices, like high-speed optical gates and tunable filters and lasers. Finally, the system feasibility is demonstrated presenting the results obtained on a reduced size and speed experimental setup of the cell multiplexer     

Branched chain discotics Phase structure and orientation behaviour

Studies show that branching the side chains of hexakis(acoyloxy)-benzenes (HAB) and -cyclohexanes (HAChx) does not modify the structure of the discotic mesophase formed. Shear fields appear to act on entire columns, not on individual discs, thereby causing alignment of columns in the shear direction. X-ray diffraction patterns of samples at temperatures between 30°C and 40°C above the clearing temperature provide evidence for the presence of mesophase order.     

A shock tube study of the reaction of methyl radicals with hydroxyl radicals

The reaction of CH₃ with OH has been studied near 1200 K and 1 atmosphere pressure in shock tube experiments in which UV absorption was used to monitor [OH]. A rate coefficient of (1.1 ± 0.3) × 10¹³ cm³/mol-s was measured for removal of OH by CH₃. This measured value is compared with previous experimental data and calculations. Several possible reaction channels are discussed, and although products were not monitored, it seems probable, on the basis of other work and theoretical estimates, that the primary mechanism (?75%) for the removal of OH by CH₃ at these conditions is their combination to form CH₃OH. Rate coefficients of (5.3 ± 0.8) × 10¹² and (9.0 ± 1.4) × 10¹² cm³/mol-s were measured for the reactions of OH with acetone and ethane, respectively, at the same temperature and pressure.     

The liquid-crystalline behaviour of amphiphilic ethane-1,2-diol derivatives incorporating a six membered ring in their principal structure

Novel 3-phenyloxy substituted propane-1,2-diol derivatives, 4-(4-n-hexyloxyphenyl)-butane-1,2-diol and 4-(trans-4-n-pyropylcyclohexyl)-butane-1,2-diol have been synthesized and their thermal behaviour has been studied. These compounds exhibit thermotropic and, after addition of water, also lyotropic liquid-crystalline behaviour. The clearing temperatures of the smectic mesophases were found to be strongly dependent on the alkyl chain length and on the structural units that link the aromatic ring to the alkyl chain and to the diol unit. The behaviour of the aromatic compounds is compared with that of the cyclohexane derivative. Thereby it has been realized that the mesophase stability of the amphiphilic diols incorporating a rigid unit is largely determined by both, the molecular geometry (molecular shape and intramolecular flexibility) and the amphiphilic structural pattern.     

The Cern (g-2) measurements

Measurements of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon are reviewed. The emphasis is put on the first one of a series of three CERN experiments which led to an experimental value ofa=1165922.9 (8.5)·10⁻⁹ (±7.2ppm), and which compares well with the present theoretical resulta=1165919.2 (1.8)·10⁻⁹ (±1.5ppm).     

A Tabu Search Approach for Delivering Pet Food and Flour in Switzerland

In this paper, we consider a real-life vehicle routeing problem that occurs in a major Swiss company producing pet food and flour. In contrast with usual hypothetical problems, a large variety of restrictions has to be considered. The main constraints are relative to the accessibility and the time windows at customers, the carrying capacities of vehicles, the total duration of routes and the drivers' breaks. To find good solutions to this problem, we propose two heuristic methods: a fast straightforward insertion procedure and a method based on tabu search techniques. Next, the produced solutions are compared with the routes actually covered by the company. Our outcomes indicate that the total distance travelled can be reduced significantly when such methods are used.     

Transient behavior of subthreshold characteristics of fullydepleted SOI MOSFETs

It has been found that the subthreshold currents of fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MOSFETs show a transient behavior under certain front-gate and back-gate voltage conditions. The cause of this anomaly is explained, and applications for the phenomenon are pointed out. Particularly, a simple way to measure the silicon film thickness is suggested