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Pathogenic fungi of the genusCryptococcuscan undergo two sexual cycles, involving either bisexual diploidization (after fusion of haploid cells of different mating type) or unisexual diploidization (by autodiploidization of a single cell). Here, we construct a gene-deletion library for 111 transcription factor genes inCryptococcus deneoformans, and explore the roles of these regulatory networks in the two reproductive modes. We show that transcription factors crucial for bisexual syngamy induce the expression of known mating determinants as well as other conserved genes of unknown function. Deletion of one of these genes, which we termFMP1, leads to defects in bisexual reproduction inC. deneoformans, its sister speciesCryptococcus neoformans, and the ascomyceteNeurospora crassa. Furthermore, we show that a recently evolved regulatory cascade mediates pre-meiotic unisexual autodiploidization, supporting that this reproductive process is a recent evolutionary innovation. Our findings indicate that genetic circuits with different evolutionary ages govern hallmark events distinguishing unisexual and bisexual reproduction inCryptococcus.

In this Letter, we report on the enhanced radio frequency (RF) performance in sub-micrometer scaled β-Ga2O3 tri-gate FinFETs. With a 200-nm-thick β-Ga2O3 bulk channel and a 0.35 μm gate length, the FinFETs exhibit an improved current-gain cutoff frequency of 5.4 GHz and a maximum oscillation frequency of 11.4 GHz, which are 20% and 58% improved with respect to the planar counterpart, respectively. The improved RF performance results from the enhanced gate control capability and the suppressed short-channel effects, as evidenced by the improved pinch-off characteristics, the improved transconductance, and the suppressed output conductance. It suggests that the tri-gate multi-fin architecture is a promising strategy to break the scaling limitation of the gate-channel aspect ratio toward high-performance β-Ga2O3 RF MOSFETs.

GaAsBi alloys have been extensively studied in recent years, and the highest Bi concentration yet reached has been 22 %. Many photoelectric devices using this material have been produced, such as quantum well lasers, LEDs, solar cells, etc. The Bi incorporated into AlAs is expected to change the bandgap from indirect to direct. There are only a few theoretical reports on AlAsBi, however, experimental research results are seldom reported. In this chapter, we review the molecular beam epitaxy of GaAsBi and analyze the growth mechanism. Besides, we present the synthesis of AlAsBi by molecular beam epitaxy. The growth temperature, As/Ga flux ratio, Bi flux and the growth rate all have great influence on the Bi incorporation. Bismuth atoms play a surfactant role under As-rich conditions and an anti-surfactant role under Ga-rich conditions. Droplets tend to be formed on the surface of GaAsBi alloys due to the atomic size mismatch between Bi atoms and As atoms. The high-angle annular dark-field mode of scanning transmission electron microscopy images confirm Bi atoms cluster exsiting in GaAsBi films. Furthermore, we show the optical properties of GaAsBi and discuss the localized states induced by Bi. The photoluminescence wavelength of GaAsBi redshifts with increasing Bi concentration. The bandgap of GaAsBi is insensitive to temperature, which is important for developing un-cooled lasers. We discuss the influence of Bi incorporation on the electric and transport properties of GaAsBi. The types of dominant point defects induced by Bi incorporation are analyzed. The measurement results of the electron effective mass demonstrate that Bi incorporation not only changes the valence band but also has non-negligible influence on the conduction band in GaAsBi. For AlAsBi, we review the theoretical simulations and present the molecular beam epitaxy growth without substrate rotaion to investigate the influence of As/Al flux raio and the Bi flux on Bi incorporation.

Bismuth can modify surface reconstruction of III-V semiconductors and affect their growth conditions. Bismuth incorporation into III-Vs strongly changes their electronic properties. We present an overview of how the above Bi-related effects influence structural and optical properties of III-V nanostructures.