Analysis of nickel cylindrical bump insertion into aluminium thin film for flip chip applications

This paper investigates the mechanical deformation and the electrical contact resistance of an electroplated Ni micro-cylinder called micro-insert inserted in an Al thin film. A modified nanoindentation apparatus is used to perform the experiments with 6 μm, 8.5 μm and 12.5 μm diameters micro-inserts having the same 5 μm height. Mechanical deformation of Ni micro-insert and Al film is described at different maximum loads corresponding to an equivalent stress of 0.8 GPa, 1.6 GPa and 3.2 GPa. At equivalent stress less than 1.6 GPa, Ni micro-insert exhibits an elastic deformation while at 3.2 GPa it presents an elastic-plastic deformation with a large amount of compression and penetration into micro-insert foundation. Visco-plastic deformation of Al film is noticed during hold at all maximum loads. Beside, Al creep parameters are extracted using a combined Maxwell/Kelvin-Voigt phenomenological model. Mechanical results are coupled to electrical contact resistance measurement.     

Role of the Anion on the Transport and Structure of Organic Mixed Conductors

Organic mixed conductors are increasingly employed in electrochemical devices operating in aqueous solutions that leverage simultaneous transport of ions and electrons. Indeed, their mode of operation relies on changing their doping (oxidation) state by the migration of ions to compensate for electronic charges. Nevertheless, the structural and morphological changes that organic mixed conductors experience when ions and water penetrate the material are not fully understood. Through a combination of electrochemical, gravimetric, and structural characterization, the effects of water and anions with a hydrophilic conjugated polymer are elucidated. Using a series of sodium‐ion aqueous salts of varying anion size, hydration shells, and acidity, the links between the nature of the anion and the transport and structural properties of the polymer are systematically studied. Upon doping, ions intercalate in the crystallites, permanently modifying the lattice spacings, and residual water swells the film. The polymer, however, maintains electrochemical reversibility. The performance of electrochemical transistors reveals that doping with larger, less hydrated, anions increases their transconductance but decreases switching speed. This study highlights the complexity of electrolyte‐mixed conductor interactions and advances materials design, emphasizing the coupled role of polymer and electrolyte (solvent and ion) in device performance.     

The Effect of Alkyl Spacers on the Mixed Ionic-Electronic Conduction Properties of N-Type Polymers

Conjugated polymers with mixed ionic and electronic transport are essential for developing the complexity and function of electrochemical devices. Current n-type materials have a narrow scope and low performance compared with their p-type counterparts, requiring new molecular design strategies. This work presents two naphthalene diimide-bithiophene (NDI-T2) copolymers functionalized with hybrid alkyl-glycol side chains, where the naphthalene diimide unit is segregated from the ethylene glycol (EG) units within the side chain by an alkyl spacer. Introduction of hydrophobic propyl and hexyl spacers is investigated as a strategy to minimize detrimental swelling close to the conjugated backbone and balance the mixed conduction properties of n-type materials in aqueous electrolytes. It is found that both polymers functionalized with alkyl spacers outperform their analogue bearing EG-only side chains in organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs). The presence of the alkyl spacers also leads to remarkable stability in OECTs, with no decrease in the ON current after 2 h of operation. Through this versatile side chain modification, this work provides a greater understanding of the structure-property relationships required for n-type OECT materials operating in aqueous media.     

Supported Lipid Bilayer Assembly on PEDOT:PSS Films and Transistors

Lipid bilayers are widely employed as a model system to investigate interactions between cells and their environment. Supported lipid bilayers (SLB) with integrated transmembrane proteins are emerging as a preferred platform for sensing applications. Challenges lie in the generation of SLB on surfaces which allow transduction of signals for characterization of lipid bilayer and incorporated transmembrane proteins. For the first time, the formation of SLBs is shown on films of the conducting polymer, poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), using traditional methods for characterizing lipid bilayer quality and function (QCM‐D, FRAP) combined with impedance spectroscopy. Further, partial formation of SLBs on PEDOT:PSS based organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) is successfully demonstrated, as well as the ability to integrate and sense the ion pore α‐hemolysin, confirming the sensitivity of the OECT as a transducer of biological membrane function. This work represents a highly promising first step toward the use of such OECTs for functional readout of transmembrane proteins in their native environment.     

Circular polarization of the (1s2p)2 → (1s2)0 line emitted by 205Tl79+ ions after collisional excitation by an unpolarized electron beam

The circular polarization of the (1s2p)_J=2 → (1s²)_J=0 line emitted by the helium-like ion ²⁰⁵Tl⁷⁹⁺ following impact excitation by a nonpolarized electron beam is theoretically studied. The probability for the hyperfine induced E1 transition (1s2p)₂F=3/2→1s² has been determined from the first order perturbation theory. Various collision strengths for excitation of thallium ions to the (1s2p)₂M_J=0, 1 and 2 magnetic sublevels have been used. It is found that the interference between M2 and E1 radiation occurring in the line can give rise to a significant degree of circular polarization. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Forming simulation of aluminum sheets using an anisotropic yield function coupled with crystal plasticity theory

This paper describes the application of a coupled crystal plasticity based microstructural model with an anisotropic yield criterion to compute a 3D yield surface of a textured aluminum sheet (continuous cast AA5754 aluminum sheet). Both the in-plane and out-of-plane deformation characteristics of the sheet material have been generated from the measured initial texture and the uniaxial tensile curve along the rolling direction of the sheet by employing a rate-dependent crystal plasticity model. It is shown that the stress–strain curves and R-value distribution in all orientations of the sheet surface can be modeled accurately by crystal plasticity if a “finite element per grain” unit cell model is used that accounts for non-uniform deformation as well as grain interactions. In particular, the polycrystal calculation using the Bassani and Wu (1991) single crystal hardening law and experimental electron backscatter data as input has been shown to be accurate enough to substitute experimental data by crystal plasticity data for calibration of macroscopic yield functions. The macroscopic anisotropic yield criterion CPB06ex2 (Plunkett et al., 2008) has been calibrated using the results of the polycrystal calculations and the experimental data from mechanical tests. The coupled model is validated by comparing its predictions with the anisotropy in the experimental yield stress ratio and strain ratios at 15% tensile deformation. The biaxial section of the 3D yield surface calculated directly by crystal plasticity model and that predicted by the phenomenological model calibrated with experimental and crystal plasticity data are also compared. The good agreement shows the strength of the approach. Although in this paper, the Plunkett et al. (2008) yield function is used, the proposed methodology is general and can be applied to any yield function. The results presented here represent a robust demonstration of implementing microscale crystal plasticity simulation with measured texture data and hardening laws in macroscale yield criterion simulations in an accurate manner.     

Controlling Electrochemically Induced Volume Changes in Conjugated Polymers by Chemical Design: from Theory to Devices

Electrochemically induced volume changes in organic mixed ionic-electronic conductors (OMIECs) are particularly important for their use in dynamic microfiltration systems, biomedical machinery, and electronic devices. Although significant advances have been made to maximize the dimensional changes that can be accomplished by OMIECs, there is currently limited understanding of how changes in their molecular structures impact their underpinning fundamental processes and their performance in electronic devices. Herein, a series of ethylene glycol functionalized conjugated polymers is synthesized, and their electromechanical properties are evaluated through a combined approach of experimental measurements and molecular dynamics simulations. As demonstrated, alterations in the molecular structure of OMIECs impact numerous processes occurring during their electrochemical swelling, with sidechain length shortening decreasing the number of incorporated water molecules, reducing the generated void volumes and promoting the OMIECs to undergo different phase transitions. Ultimately, the impact of these combined molecular processes is assessed in organic electrochemical transistors, revealing that careful balancing of these phenomena is required to maximize device performance.     

An Organic Electrochemical Transistor Integrated Photodetector for High Quality Photoplethysmogram Signal Acquisition

The organic photodiode (OPD) is a promising building block for solution-processable, flexible, lightweight, and miniaturized photodetectors, ideal for wearable applications. Despite the advances in materials used in OPDs, their photocurrent and light responsivity are limited, and alternative methods are required to boost the signal response. Herein, a miniaturized organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) is integrated with an OPD module to unlock the potential of OPDs to acquire physiological signals. In this integrated photodetector (IPD) system, the light intensity regulates the OPD voltage output that modulates the OECT channel current. The high transconductance of the OECT provides efficient voltage-to-current conversion, enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio on the sensing site. A microscale, p-type enhancement-mode OECT with high g_m and fast switching speed performs better in this application than depletion-mode OECT of the same geometry. The IPD achieves a photocurrent and responsivity 318 and 140 times higher than the standalone OPD, respectively. It is shown that with the IPD, the amplitude of the photoplethysmogram signals detected by the OPD is enhanced by a factor of 2.9 × 10³, highlighting its potential as a wearable biosensor and to detect weak, often uncaptured, light-based signals from living systems.     

Determination of mineral element concentrations in wheat,sunflower, chickpea and lentil cultivars in response to P fertilization by polarized energy dispersive X‐ray fluorescence

Concentrations of elements (P, K, S, Ca, Mg, Si, Cl, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Mo, Na, Al, Ti, Ni, Ba, As, Br, Rb and Sr) of wheat, sunflower, chickpea and lentil cultivars grown in low and high phosphorus soil were investigated by polarized energy dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (PEDXRF). The phosphorus treatment x cultivars interaction was significant for the growth and element concentrations, and cultivars within plant species differed considerably with respect to element concentrations as the result of P fertilization. Shoot growth of the cultivars of each plant species was increased in response to phosphorus fertilization. Application of P increased the P concentrations of wheat, sunflower, chickpea and lentil cultivars. Under high P conditions, mean K concentrations of wheat and sunflower cultivars were decreased while the mean K concentrations of chickpea and lentil were increased. With the exception of sunflower cultivars, applied P significantly increased S concentration of the cultivars of wheat, chickpea and lentil. Calcium concentrations of wheat and sunflower cultivars were reduced by P fertilization and that of chickpea and lentil were increased. Applied P decreased mean Mg concentrations in sunflower, increased in chickpea and lentil cultivars and showed no effects on the wheat cultivars. Applied P significantly decreased mean Si concentrations of wheat and sunflower while mean Si concentrations of the chickpea and lentil cultivars were increased. Chloride concentrations of the wheat and sunflower cultivars were decreased and those of the chickpea and lentil cultivars were increased by applied P. In general, Fe concentrations of the wheat and chickpea cultivars were significantly increased by applied P. Zinc and Cu concentrations of all the cultivars of the four plant species were reduced by P, particularly Zn concentrations. However, applied P increased mean Mn concentrations of wheat and chickpea and decreased those of chickpea cultivars. Mean Mo concentrations of wheat and chickpea increased but decreased in sunflower and lentil cultivars. In general, applied P increased mean Na concentration of wheat and decreased that of chickpea and lentil. Aluminum concentrations of wheat and chickpea cultivars were decreased by applied P. Applied P decreased Ti concentrations of wheat and sunflower cultivars and increased Ti concentrations of chickpea and lentil. Nickel concentrations of wheat and chickpea were increased and those of sunflower and lentil were decreased by applied P. Applied P reduced the Ba and increased As and Rb concentrations of all the cultivars within the plant species. Bromine concentrations of wheat and lentil were decreased and those of sunflower and chickpea were increased by applied P. Finally, Sr concentrations in wheat and sunflower cultivars were reduced, and increased in chickpea cultivars with applied P. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.