Conduction band states of transition metal (TM) high-k gate dielectrics as determined from X-ray absorption spectra

This paper uses X-ray absorption spectroscopy to study the electronic structure of the high-k gate dielectrics including TM and RE oxides. The results are applicable to TM and rare earth (RE) silicate and aluminate alloys, as well as complex oxides comprised of mixed TM/TM and TM/RE oxides. These studies identify the nature of the lowest conduction band d^* states, which define the optical band gap, E_g, and the conduction band offset energy with respect to crystalline Si, E_B. E_g and E_B scale with the atomic properties of the TM and RE atoms providing important insights for identification high-k dielectrics that meet performance targets for advanced CMOS devices.     

Fairness in Scheduling

On-line machine scheduling has been studied extensively, but the fundamental issue of fairness in scheduling is still mostly open. In this paper we explore the issue in settings where there are long-lived processes which should be repeatedly scheduled for various tasks throughout the lifetime of a system. For any such instance we develop a notion ofdesiredload of a process, which is a function of the tasks it participates in. Theunfairnessof a system is the maximum, taken over all processes, of the difference between the desired load and the actual load.An example of such a setting is thecarpool problemsuggested by Fagin and Williams [IBM Journal of Research and Development27(2) (1983), 133–139]. In this problem, a set ofnpeople form a carpool. On each day a subset of the people arrive and one of them is designated as the driver. A scheduling rule is required so that the driver will be determined in a “fair” way.We investigate this problem under various assumptions on the input distribution. We also show that the carpool problems can capture several other problems of fairness in scheduling.     

Decoding ‘Maximum Entropy’ Deconvolution

For over five decades, the mathematical procedure termed “maximum entropy” (M-E) has been used to deconvolve structure in spectra, optical and otherwise, although quantitative measures of performance remain unknown. Here, we examine this procedure analytically for the lowest two orders for a Lorentzian feature, obtaining expressions for the amount of sharpening and identifying how spurious structures appear. Illustrative examples are provided. These results enhance the utility of this widely used deconvolution approach to spectral analysis.     

Real-time optical monitoring of epitaxial growth: Pulsed chemical beam epitaxy of GaP and InP homoepitaxy and heteroepitaxy on Si

We present a study of the real-time monitoring of the homoepitaxial growth of GaP, InP, and the growth of InP/GaP and GaP/Si(001) heterostructures, combining single wavelength p-polarized reflectance (PRS), reflectance-difference spectroscopy (RDS), and laser light scattering (LLS) during pulsed chemical beam epitaxy with tertiarybutylphosphine, triethylgallium, and trimethylindium sources. The growth rate and the bulk optical properties are revealed by PRS with submonolayer resolution over 1000A of film growth. The surface topography is monitored by LLS providing additional information on the evolution of the surface roughness as well as the nucleation/growth mechanism. The optical surface anisotropy, which is related to surface reconstruction and/or surface morphology, is monitored by RDS and compared with the results of PRS and LLS. The results are discussed with respect to the deposition kinetics, in particular as a function of the V:III flux ratio. The pulsed supply of chemical precursors causes a periodic alteration of the surface composition, which is observed as correlated periodic changes in the RD and PR signals, confirming the high sensitivity of both methods to surface chemistry.     

Fine structure in optical transitions from 3d and 4d core levels to the lower conduction band in Ga-V and In-V compounds

We investigate fine structure in energy derivative reflectance (EDR) spectra near 20–21 eV in GaP, GaAs, and GaSb, and near 18–20 eV in InP, InAs, and InSb. Derived energy values for X^c₁ thresholds in GaP and GaSb, and L^c₁ and X^c₁ thresholds in GaAs, agree well with previous Schottky barrier electroreflectance (ER) results. L-X structure splittings in EDR spectra of InAs and InSb, for which Schottky barrier ER measurements cannot be performed, are 0.29 and 0.44 eV, respectively. Estimates of expected locations of these structures, based on XPS and absorption data and band structure calculations, indicate energy deficits of 0.2 eV for In4d-L^c₁ and 0.5 eV for In4d-X^c₁ transitions, respectively.     

Novel syntheses of 3-anilino-pyrazin-2(1H)-ones and 3-anilino-quinoxalin-2-(1H)-ones via microwave-mediated Smiles rearrangement

In this Letter, we report a novel approach to the preparation of 3-anilino-pyrazin-2(1H)-ones and 3-anilino-quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones from the corresponding 3-halo pyrazin-2-amines and 3-haloquinoxalin-2-amines, using a microwave-mediated Smiles rearrangement.     

A Theory of Network Localization

In this paper, we provide a theoretical foundation for the problem of network localization in which some nodes know their locations and other nodes determine their locations by measuring the distances to their neighbors. We construct grounded graphs to model network localization and apply graph rigidity theory to test the conditions for unique localizability and to construct uniquely localizable networks. We further study the computational complexity of network localization and investigate a subclass of grounded graphs where localization can be computed efficiently. We conclude with a discussion of localization in sensor networks where the sensors are placed randomly     

Spreading Rumors Rapidly Despite an Adversary

In thecollect problem(M. Saks, N. Shavit, and H. Woll,in“Proceedings of the 2nd ACM–SIAM Symposium on Discrete Algorithms, 1991),nprocessors in a shared-memory system must each learn the values ofnregisters. We give a randomized algorithm that solves the collect problem inO(n log³ n) total read and write operations with high probability, even if timing is under the control of a content-oblivious adversary (a slight weakening of the usual adaptive adversary). This improves on both the trivial upper bound ofO(n²) steps and the best previously known bound ofO(n^3/2 log n) steps, and is close to the lower bound of Ω(n log n) steps. Furthermore, we show how this algorithm can be used to obtain a multiuse cooperative collect protocol that isO(log³ n)-competitive in the latency model of Ajtaiet al.(“Proceedings of the 33rd IEEE Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science,” 1994); andO(n^1/2 log^3/2 n)-competitive in the throughput model of Aspnes and Waarts (“Proceedings of the 28th ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing,” 1996). In both cases the competitive ratios are within a polylogarithmic factor of optimal.