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The factors affecting the temperature dependence of soft error rates (SER) in flip-flops are investigated. Four different flip-flop designs with varying hardness levels were designed and fabricated in a 40 nm bulk CMOS technology. Neutron experiments show an increase in soft error (SE) failure in time (FIT) rate of over 3X for a temperature range of 25 °C – 110 °C. Alpha experiments show 1.5X increase in SE FIT rate for the same temperature range.

A triple PWM DC-DC Controller was tested using pulsed lasers in different wavelengths and repetition rates. The correlation between sensitivity and repetition rate was investigated.

Alpha particles are a critical reliability problem facing advanced technologies. This paper reports extensive tests over a wide range of technology nodes on CMOS SRAMs to study operating voltage, data pattern, operating frequency and operational-mode dependency of alpha particle induced single-event upsets rates.

For advanced fabrication technology nodes, novel single-event related failures are being observed. This paper details efforts to use 3D TCAD simulations to model these failure mechanisms and develop mitigation techniques for flip-flop designs. Simulation, as well as experimental, results are used to show validity of such an approach for future CMOS technologies.

Flip-flop designs fabricated in a 40 nm bulk technology node with a wide range of soft-error hardness, area, power, and speed have been tested for neutron and alpha single event upsets. Neutron results show that the error rates of flip-flop designs that were considered hardened at older technologies are comparable to that of the conventional D-flip-flop. The soft-error rates (SER) of all the flip-flops consistently increase with reduction in supply voltage and increase in ambient temperature.

A test vehicle concept for soft error testing of flip-flop designs has been developed and verified at 40 nm technology node. Key contribution of this test vehicle has been identification of any new unpredictable failure mechanisms, training of engineers for soft error testing and mitigation, establishment of knowledge database, and to build a start-to-finish (designers-foundry-system) link for a complete solution for soft error related issues. Major issues faced by the designers and test results are discussed for 40 nm technology node.

This paper reports a single-chip full-band 3.1–10.6GHz ESD UWB LNA featuring cascode shunt-series feedback topology and very robust whole-chip ESD protection. Careful ESD+LNA co-design was excised to achieve full-chip circuit optimization with high ESD protection. This design is implemented in a foundry 0.18µm RFCMOS process. Measurement shows the highest reported ESD protection of 8.25kV, a peak gain of 10.9dB, a good gain flatness of 3.64%/GHz across 3.1–10.6GHz, low input reflection of

The electronic properties of Cu-, Ti-, Zr-, and Ge-doped In2O3(IO) and ITO (Sn-doped In2O3) ceramics are investigated. We distinguish the different effect of Cu doping (so called the “textural effect”) and of Ti, Zr and Ge dopings (so called the “electronic effect”) of IO and ITO ceramics. Indeed, Cu doping in IO and ITO enhances the ceramic density and thereby the conductivity due to an increase in the carrier mobility (grain boundary effect); the absorbance in the visible region is then lowered. Most interestingly for Ti-, Zr-, and Ge-doped samples, the increase of conductivity associated with an enlargement of the electron-mobility along with a decrease of the absorbance in the visible, account for the weak interactions occuring between the conduction-band electrons and the ionized donor centers.

The properties of electrochromic thin film materials, i.e., those that can be reversibly colored by the passage of charge, are described. The application of some of these thin film compounds for the development of electrochromic windows is discussed.

ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) thin films obtained by R.F cathodic sputtering have been studied. The influence of thermal treatment on the electronic properties of the films has been particularly investigated. Electrical measurements were performed between 95 and 600 K. Free carriers concentration in the film were measured by Hall effect coefficient. Optical indices were determined by computer drawing of charts allowing to simplify Manifacier method.Finally study of SIS tunnel solar cells, based on Si/(RF sputtered) ITO junctions is presented.

Hypertension is a disease caused by multiple genes. The traditional treatments have many defects. A gene therapy has been proposed where antisense oligonucleotide (AS ODN) is developed to specifically block the expression of hypertension candidate genes. It is of long-term effect, high efficiency and non toxicity. Preliminary results are encouraging, but much work needs to be done before gene therapy could be applied to humans.

Undoped and Ge-doped ITO films (ITO: Ge) deposited at low temperature (70℃) have been studied. Although both samples have the same carrier concentration, a higher carrier mobility occurs for ITO: Ge. An evaluation of the relative position of the dopant associated energy states has been carried out.

The thermoelectric power and Hall effect of In2O3single crystals, either undoped or Sn doped, and of In2O3ceramics, either undoped or Sn or Ge doped, are investigated. All doped samples have negative thermoelectric power values. The metal-type conductivity occurs when the carrier concentration exceeds l019cm–3The correspondence between the values of the thermoelectric power and those of the carrier mobility and carrier concentration is given. Most interestingly this study puts into light the enhanced carrier mobility occurring for Ge-doped In2O3samples compared with ITO samples (Sn-doped In2O3widely used in optoelectronic devices.

With RIA/HPLC and immunohistochemistry, the presence of angiotensin(A) and atrial natriuretic factor-like materials (ANF-LMs) was demonstrated in the pericardium of human and rats; the distributions of AII and ANF-LMs were found to be identical; AI was more than AII; renin activity was detected in the pericardium. There were three molecular forms of ANF-LMs in the pericardium. Mesothelial cells were the principal endocrine-secreting cells. AII and ANF-LMs of the pericardium were significantly increased in rheumatic heart disease. There were no correlations between plasma AII, ANF, urine AII, ANF and pericardial AII, ANF (P0.05). The data reported showed that the pericardium may have endocrine function under normal and abnormal conditions (heart failure) of the heart, in addition to its known mechanical properties.