Reduced water vapor transmission rates of low-temperature-processed and sol-gel-derived titanium oxide thin films on flexible substrates

Sol-gel-derived, crack-free, and condensed TiO_x thin films with improved barrier properties were successfully fabricated on polymeric substrates with a simple two-step heat treatment at low temperatures. To assess the barrier properties of the TiO_x thin films, Ca corrosion tests were conducted and their water vapor transmission rates (WVTRs) were measured. We found that the two-step heat treatment (at 45 °C for 90 min and 110 °C for 60 min) produces a close-packed TiO_x structure that substantially reduces the WVTRs of the coated polymeric substrates. The WVTRs of 86 nm thick TiOx thin films on polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) substrates at a relative humidity (RH) of 90% were found to be 0.133 g m⁻² day⁻¹ at 38 °C and 0.0387 g m⁻² day⁻¹ at 25 °C. In addition, the WVTR value of the TiO_x thin films on PEN substrates are stable with respect to bending: it was found to increase by only ∼13% after 100 repetitions of bending with a 20 mm radius.     

The growth of GaN on lithium gallate (LiGaO2) substrates for material integration

Compliant substrates offer a new approach for strain management in semiconductors. Various implementations and processes for achieving substrate compliancy have been proposed and demonstrated. These include the use of twist-, glass-, and metal-bonds. A recent focus in our work has been on the growth of GaN on a novel and easily removable substrate—lithium gallate—for the ultimate regrowth on a bonded GaN template. The bonding technology is important to reduce thermal stresses during the regrowth step. Herein, we focus on the understanding of the growth of GaN on lithium gallate.     

Progress in the Molecular Beam Epitaxy of HgCdTe on Large-Area Si and CdZnTe Substrates

This paper presents the progress in the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth of HgCdTe on large-area Si and CdZnTe substrates at Raytheon Vision Systems. We report a very high-quality HgCdTe growth, for the first time, on an 8 cm × 8 cm CdZnTe substrate. This paper also describes the excellent HgCdTe growth repeatability on multiple 7 cm × 7 cm CdZnTe substrates. In order to study the percentage wafer area yield and its consistency from run to run, small lots of dual-band long-wave infrared/long-wave infrared triple-layer heterojunction (TLHJ) layers on 5 cm × 5 cm CdZnTe substrates and single-color double-layer heterojunction (DLHJ) layers on 6-inch Si substrates were grown and tested for cutoff wavelength uniformity and micro- and macrovoid defect density and uniformity. The results show that the entire lot of 12 DLHJ-HgCdTe layers on 6-inch Si wafers meet the testing criterion of cutoff wavelength within the range 4.76 ± 0.1 μm at 130 K and micro- and macrovoid defect density of ≤50 cm⁻² and 5 cm⁻², respectively. Likewise, five out of six dual-band TLHJ-HgCdTe layers on 5 cm × 5 cm CdZnTe substrates meet the testing criterion of cutoff wavelength within the range 6.3 ± 0.1 μm at 300 K and micro- and macrovoid defect density of ≤2000 cm⁻² and 500 cm⁻², respectively, on the entire wafer area. Overall we have found that scaling our HgCdTe MBE process to a 10-inch MBE system has provided significant benefits in terms of both wafer uniformity and quality.     

LTCC基板制造工艺研究

低温共烧多层陶瓷（ＬＴＣＣ）基板是制造复杂微电子产品多芯片组件（ＭＣＭ）的重要部件。详细地讨论了ＬＴＣＣ基板制造工艺，介绍了多年研究之经验及国外的有关技术，还指出了目前工艺中存在的技术问题及在工艺水平上与国外的差距。采用目前工艺，可做出２０层布线、线宽及间距均为０．２０ｍｍ、８０ｍｍ×８０ｍｍ的多层共烧基板     

Structure-Chemical Analysis of Multiple Complexations by Cyclodextrins

The interactions between cyclodextrin and substrates having two binding sites in aqueous solution are reviewed. For such substrates, multiple equilibria, NMR chemical shift variations with full binding, solution structures of complexes, and the effect of cavity size are analyzed quantitatively. After general treatments of multiple equilibria and chemical shifts are given, they are applied to three bivalent substrates of diheptanoyllecithin, dialkyldimethylammonium bromide, and oxyphenium bromide for demonstrating their usefulness. The solution structures of complexes play a crucial role in these basic researches as well as the applications of cyclodextrins, such as bitter taste reduction and stabilization of labile substrates.     

Detecting enzymes in living cells using fluorogenic substrates

Characteristics of fluorogenic substrates designed for detection of enzyme activity in living cells are reviewed. Improved retention of the fluorescent products in the cell of origin can be achieved by structural modifications to the substrate that result in association with membrane lipids or conjugation to intracellular glutathione. Newly-developed substrates that yield fluorescent precipitates provide the additional advantage of allowing subcellular localization of sites of enzymatic activity. Improved detection sensitivity can also be achieved by targeted delivery of substrates for processing by specific organelles. Substrates designed for monitoring oxidative activity and lipid metabolism provide examples of this approach.     

Tetramethylammonium fluorochromate(VI): a new and efficient oxidant for organic substrates

Tetramethylammonium fluorochromate(VI), (CH₃)₄N⁺CrO₃F⁻ (TMAFC), was prepared and used for quantitative oxidation of several organic substrates. This new compound is more efficient and has certain advantages over similar oxidizing agents in terms of the amount of oxidant and solvent required, short reaction times and high yields.     

Effects of N2 addition on enhanced scratch resistance of flexible polycarbonate substrates by low temperature plasma-polymerized organo-silicon oxynitride

An investigation was conducted on enhanced scratch resistance of polycarbonate (PC) substrates by low temperature plasma-polymerized organo-silicon oxynitride (SiO_xC_yN_z) with various N₂ flow rates. It was found that the low temperature plasma-polymerized SiO_xC_yN_z with tetramethylsilane (TMS)-O₂-N₂ plasmas in room temperature (23 °C) can be used for improving the scratch resistance of PC substrates. Scratch test demonstrates this improvement. The scratch resistance of PC substrates was greatly enhanced from the overwhelming presence of scratching (90%) on un-treated PC substrates to a complete lack of scratching (0%) on TMS-O₂-N₂ plasma-polymerized PC substrates with steel wool for 200 cycles at 300 g loading. The results of this study indicate the performance of scratch resistance on PC substrates was highly dependent on the surface characteristics of PC substrates. The hardness of PC substrates was determined by the pencil test. The surface morphology of PC substrate was monitored by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field emitted scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The atomic compositions and chemical bondings of TMS-O₂-N₂ plasma-polymerized SiO_xC_yN_z were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).     

Engineering of superhydrophobic silica microparticles and thin coatings on polymeric films by ultrasound irradiation

Superhydrophobic coatings are one of the recent hot topics in industrial applications as well as academic studies. The mimicking lotus leaves' superhydrophobic properties have been successfully transferred to real-life applications. However, the current preparation methods used to obtain superhydrophobic coatings are still complex, commonly are not transparent and/or not durable.In the present study, a new relatively simple way to prepare superhydrophobic coatings on polymeric films is described. First, superhydrophobic silica microparticles (MPs) were synthesized by fluorination of SiO₂ MPs produced by a modified Stöber method. Briefly, tetraethyl orthosilicate was polymerized in an ethanol/water continuous phase under basic conditions, and the resultant SiO₂ MPs were dispersed in heptane as a continuous phase and reacted with 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorododecyltrichlorosilane (FTS) to yield FTS-SiO₂ MPs, which were dried and dispersed in decane. Superhydrophobic thin coatings were then produced by a ‘throwing stones’ sonication technique and deposited onto polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyurethane films. The coatings are durable, may be transparent, and exhibit self-cleaning properties for the specific practical applications. The MPs and coated polymeric films were characterized by dynamic light scattering, high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, water contact and sliding angle measurements, and infrared and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This ultrasound-assisted coating process may be upscaled and applied to many polymeric films, for instance polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, and polyvinyl chloride. Various applications are envisaged, including but not limited to self-cleaning windows, anti-sticking of snow to antennas and windows, solar panels, roof tiles, agricultural applications, corrosion resistance, and anti-biofouling.     

Preparation of a novel biodegradable film by co-fermentation of straw and shrimp shell with Aureobasidium pullulans and Photobacterium sp. LYM-1

The green and high-value recycling of shrimp shell and straw remains a worldwide problem. This study aimed to investigate the potential utilization of a fermentation broth (FB) which contains shrimp shell and straw as a new source for preparation of biodegradable films. Aureobasidium pullulans and Photobacterium sp. LYM-1 were used in the fermentation. The cellulase activity was 115.92 U/mL and chitinase activity was 17.89 U/mL in FB. The polysaccharides concentration in FB was 1.05 mg/mL after 7 days of fermentation. An eco-friendly PVA-reinforced FB biodegradable film (FBBF) was successfully prepared and the effect of different plasticizers and surfactants on the mechanical, structural, and impermeability properties of the film was determined. The formation of new bonds between PVA and FB was proved by FTIR spectroscopy. The FBBF containing 0.25 % (w/v) glycerol and 0.01 % (v/v) tween-20 showed better strength properties. Elongation and water-swelling properties were highly improved by adding 0.2 % (m/v) citric acid. According to FE-SEM images, the smooth and tight surface of citric acid added FBBF was observed. Interestingly, the FBBF film showed good heat/moisture capacity, antifungal, and degradation properties. This report reveals a new green, and high-value recycling of straw and shrimp shell by the co-fermentation with A. pullulans and Photobacterium sp. LYM-1. It is also a novel way for the preparation of biodegradable film.