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In 2004, the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology at the University of Tasmania undertook a project to evaluate students' information literacy skills and to get a picture of how and where information literacy is taught in the faculty. This paper outlines how relationship-building between the Science Library and faculty led to the project, the context of the project within a range of faculty teaching and learning initiatives, and the effectiveness of the survey instruments. The paper will also show how the project has aided the expansion of information literacy teaching across the faculty and how it will lead into further teaching and learning initiatives. (Contains 6 figures and 13 notes.)

Compares male and female perceptions of and confidence in an experimental physics class at the University of Arkansas. The class, a National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored project, attempts to improve the educational experience for all students. Women made statistically significant gains in confidence and attitude toward science in the experimental course compared with students in a traditional course. Includes survey. (Author/PVD)

The insertion of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) components into aerospace systems requires advanced testing to characterize performance in a space environment. Here, we report a novel stroboscopic interferometer test system that measures nanometer-scale displacements of moving MEMS devices. By combining video imagery and phase-shift interferometry with an environmental chamber, rapid visualization of the dynamic device motion under the actual operational conditions can be achieved. The utility of this system is further enhanced by integrating the interferometer onto the chamber window, allowing for robust interferometric testing in a noisy environment without requiring a floating optical table. To demonstrate these unique capabilities, we present the time-resolved images of an electrostatically actuated MEMS cantilevered beam showing the first-order to sixth-order plate modes under vacuum. [2006-0264] Index Terms--Interferometry, microelectromechanical devices, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) metrology, stroboscopic interferometer system, vacuum systems.

We have developed a radiation-hardened, highly linear, wideband, low-noise amplifier (LNA) with programmable gain to serve as the front-end of a plasma-wave instrument for satellite-based electric-field measurements of very low frequency (VLF) phenomena in the Van Allen radiation belts. Fabricated in a commercial 0.25-[micro]m silicon-germanium BiCMOS process, this ASIC leverages radiation-hardness-by-design techniques at the topological, implementation, and layout levels to maintain 75-dB spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) over nearly four decades of frequency, from 100 Hz to 1 MHz, for both proton and [gamma]-ray total ionizing dose (TID) exposures up to 1000 krad(Si). Single-event effect (SEE) testing via pulsed laser confirms negligible latchup sensitivity and suppression of single-event transients (SETs) at the output for beam energy LET equivalents in excess of 100 MeV-[cm.sup.2]/mg in even the most sensitive regions of the die. Index Terms--BiCMOS, feedback, harmonic distortion, large-signal linearity, plasma waves, radiation hardening, spurious-free dynamic range, VLF receivers, wideband amplifiers.

Radiation-induced edge-leakage current in minimum geometry n-channel MOSFETs from five submicron technologies is examined as a function of dose rate. Under worst-case bias, degradation of transistors from the TSMC 0.35-, 0.25-, and 0.18-[micro]m processes is more severe following low-dose-rate irradiation than following high-dose-rate irradiation and anneal. The leakage current anneals with an activation energy of ~1.0 eV, which suggests that charge trapping in the field oxide is associated with shallow defects such as [E'.sub.[delta]] centers. A comparison of the device response to a first-order kinetics model for hole trapping and annealing indicates that the enhanced degradation results from slower annealing rates following low-dose-rate irradiation. These results suggest that space charge in the field oxide may contribute to the dose rate sensitivity by altering the spatial distribution of trapped holes. In contrast to the response of the TSMC parts, high-dose-rate irradiation and anneal hounds low-dose-rate degradation of transistors from the HP 0.50- and 0.35-[micro]m processes. These results imply that existing qualification approaches based on high-dose-rate irradiation and anneal may not be conservative for the hardness assurance testing of some advanced CMOS devices. Index Terms--Anneal, dose rate, [E'.sub.[delta]] center, edge-leakage current, field oxide, hardness assurance, ionizing radiation, MIL-STD-883F Method 1019.6, metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), space charge.

The use of annular MOSFET design, which has demonstrated total-dose radiation immunity in CMOS circuits, n improve the hot-carrier reliability of CMOS circuits by reducing the drain electric field compared to conventionally designed MOSFETs. A theoretical analysis of the annular n-MOSFET in saturation verifies the reduction of the drain electric field in properly designed MOSFETs. Hot-carrier data for an enclosed 0.25-[micro]m n-MOSFET demonstrate an improvement in hot-carrier lifetime by more than 3x compared to a conventional device in the same technology. Index Terms--Annular MOSFET, edgeless MOSFET, enclosed VIOSFET, hot-carrier, reliability.

We report the thresholds for laser-induced latchup on epicaxial CMOS test structures for 600 nm and 815 nm excitation. We analyze the differences observed in terms of different iatchup triggering mechanisms and compare the results with measurements of energetic particle-induced latchup. Index Terms--Latchup, single event effects, picosecond, laser, epicaxial, cmos.

Radiation-hard ASIC design is enabled by the trend in commercial microelectronics toward increased radiation hardness, demonstrated here with new radiation results on a 0.25-[micro]m commercial process utilizing shallow trench isolation. A design comparison is made between creating ASICs targeting a traditional rad-hard foundry, which may be more than two generations behind commercial foundries, applying hardness-by-design methodology at a commercial foundry, and directly targeting a commercial foundry using commercial design practices.

Semiconducting TiO2 displays non-volatile multi-state, hysteretic behavior in its I-V characteristics that can be exploited as a memory material in a memristive device. We exposed memristive TiO2 devices in the on and off resistance states to 45 Mrad(Si) of ~1-MeV gamma radiation and 23 Mrad(Si) of 941-MeV Bi-ions under zero bias conditions and none of the devices were degraded. These results suggest that TiO2 memristive devices are good candidates for radiation hard electronics for aerospace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]