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In thin film deposition, Ar/SiH4 mixtures are widely used to make polysilicon (poly-Si) and hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-SiH) layers. Despite extensive research conducted on this mixture, little research has focused on the variations in plasma properties, radicals, and ions that occur during plasma discharge in inductively coupled plasma (ICP) equipment compared to capacitive coupled plasma equipment. In this paper, we investigate the properties of the plasma generated through mathematical modeling of Ar/SiH4 inductive coupled plasma discharge by using the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) obtained by solving the Boltzmann equation. We closely examine the variation in plasma properties and the correlation of plasma variables by controlling the radio frequency power and gas pressure during the process conditions. The Boltzmann equation was computed by assuming the two-term approximation, resulting in a Druyvesteyn-like EEDF due to the high-pressure conditions. To validate the simulation model, the 2D simulation results were compared with probe measurements performed in a two-turn ICP chamber. The results demonstrated encouraging agreement with the measured data. This research not only enhances our comprehension of the discharge characteristics but also establishes a framework for optimizing the discharge conditions to enhance the process and effectively regulate external variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we investigated the effect of a dielectric film on the transmission spectrum of a bar-type flat cutoff probe (BCP). By conducting electromagnetic wave simulations, we found that placing a dielectric film with a thickness of 1 mm or less on the sensor did not affect the measurement of the BCP under thin sheath condition. However, a film thickness of 1 mm or more results in a low-frequency shift in the cutoff frequency. The shift in the cutoff frequency was related not only to the film thickness, but also to the dielectric constant of the film and sheath width, which could be understood through a circuit model of the BCP. The calculated results were experimentally validated using alumina plates of various thicknesses. Consequently, our findings demonstrate that measuring the electron density on a BCP is feasible even when a dielectric film is deposited, thereby improving the accuracy of the measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-time monitoring of plasma parameters at the wafer plane is important because it significantly affects the processing results, yield enhancement, and device integrity of plasma processing. Various plasma diagnostic sensors, including those embedded in a chamber wall and on-wafer sensors, such as flat-cutoff sensors, have been developed for plasma measurements. However, to measure the plasma density on the wafer surface in real-time when processing plasma with bias power, such as in the semiconductor etching process, one must analyze the transmission spectrum of the flat-cutoff sensor in an environment with bias power applied. In this study, the transmission-spectrum and measured plasma-density characteristics of an electrode-embedded flat-cutoff sensor are analyzed via electromagnetic simulations and experiments under applied bias power. Our findings indicate that the flat-cutoff sensor accurately measures the plasma density, which is equivalent to the input plasma density under low bias power. Conversely, under high bias power, the plasma density measured by the sensor is lower than the input plasma density. Also, a thick-sheath layer is formed owing to the high bias power, which may complicate the measurement of plasma parameters using the flat-cutoff sensor. Plasma diagnostics using a flat-cutoff sensor in thick-sheath environments can be achieved by optimizing the flat-cutoff sensor structure. Our findings can enhance the analysis of plasma parameters on-wafer surfaces in processing environments with bias power applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of big data, negative differential resistance (NDR) devices have attracted significant attention as a means of handling massive amounts of information. While 2D materials have been used to achieve NDR behavior, their intrinsic material characteristics have produced limited performance improvements. In this article, a facile phase modification method is presented via a plasma‐assisted sulfidation process to synthesize multiphased WS2 thin films, including distorted 1 T (D‐1 T) phase and 2 H phases for photoreactive NDR devices with p‐Si. The D‐1 T phase offers a feasible route to achieve high‐performance NDR devices with excellent stability and semimetallic properties. A comprehensive investigation of experimental and computational analyses elucidates the phase transition mechanism with various temperatures and electrical properties of D‐1 T WS2. In addition, optimizing electron tunneling in the multiple‐phased tungsten disulfide (MP‐WS2)/p‐Si heterojunction at MP‐WS2 with 77.4% D‐1 T phase results in superior NDR performance with a peak‐to‐valley current ratio of 13.8 and reliable photoreactive random‐access memory. This unique phase engineering process via plasma‐assisted sulfidation provides a pioneering perspective in functionalization and reliability for next‐generation nanoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fatty acids (FAs) are important desirable compounds in oil crops. Here, we evaluated the amounts of 14 FAs in sesame grains using gas chromatography mass spectrometry and investigated the effects of genotype and environment on FA composition in 2 years. Unsaturated FA fractions accounted for 80.018% of the total FAs in sesame in 2014 and 78.936% in 2015. C16:1 and C20:1 levels exhibited few effects from the environment, while other FAs were affected significantly by environmental variance. C18:1 and C24:0 were significantly correlated with population structure. We also identified 249 QTLs that were strongly associated with the amounts of 14 FAs in sesame. These findings will be useful for understanding FA metabolism in sesame and for improving the quality of sesame through molecular breeding in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Proanthocyanidins are oligomeric or polymeric end products of flavonoid metabolic pathways starting with the central phenylpropanoid pathway. Although soybean (Glycine spp.) seeds represent a major source of nutrients for the human diet, as well as components for the cosmetics industry as a result of their high levels of flavonoid metabolites, including isoflavonoids, anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, the genetic regulatory mechanisms underlying proanthocyanidin biosynthesis in soybean remain unclear. RESULTS: We evaluated interspecific and intraspecific variability in flavonoid components in soybean using 43 cultivars, landraces and wild soybean accessions. We performed transcriptomic profiling of genes encoding enzymes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis using three soybean genotypes, Hwangkeum (elite cultivar), IT109098 (landrace) and IT182932 (wild accession), in seeds. We identified a Glycine max landrace, IT109098, with a proanthocyanidin content as high as that of wild soybean. Different homologous genes for anthocyanidin reductase, which is involved in proanthocyanidin biosynthesis, were detected as differentially expressed genes between IT109098 and IT182932 compared to Hwangkeum. CONCLUSION: We detected major differences in the transcriptional levels of genes involved in the biosynthesis of proanthocyanidin and anthocyanin among genotypes beginning at the early stage of seed development. The results of the present study provide insights into the underlying genetic variation in proanthocyanidin biosynthesis among soybean genotypes. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]