Leakage Current Mechanisms in SiGe HBTs Fabricated Using Selective and Nonselective Epitaxy

SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors (HTBs) have been fabricated using selective epitaxy for the Si collector, followed in the same growth step by nonselective epitaxy for the p+ SiGe base and n-Si emitter cap. DC electrical characteristics are compared with cross-section TEM images to identify the mechanisms and origins of leakage currents associated with the epitaxy in two different types of transistor . In the first type, the polysilicon emitter is smaller than the collector active area, so that the extrinsic base implant penetrates into the single-crystal Si and SiGe around the perimeter of the emitter and the polycrystalline Si and SiGe exrtrinsic base. In these transistors, the Bummel plots are near-ideal and there is no evidence of emitter/collector leakage. In the second type, the collector active area is smaller than the polysilicon emitter, so the extrinsic base implant only penetrates into the polysilicon extrinsic base. In these transistors, the leakage currents observed depend on the base doping level. In transistors with a low doped base, emitter/collector and emitter/base leakage is observed, whereas in transistors with a high doped base only emitter/base leakage is observed. The emitter/collector leakage is explained by punch through o fhte base caused by thinning of the SiGe base at the emitter perimeter. The emitter/base leakeage is shown to be due to Poole-Frenkel mechanism and is explained by penetration of the emitter/base depletion region into the p+ polysilicon extrinsic base at the emitter periphery. Variable collector/base reverse leakage currents are observed and a variety of mechanisms are observed, including Shockley-Read-Hall recombination, trap assisted tunneling, Poole Frenkel and band to band tunneling. These result s are explained by the presence of polysilicon grains on the sidewalls of the field oxide at the collector perimeter

Atomistic insights into ultrafast SiGe nanoprocessing

Controlling ultrafast material transformations with atomic precision is essential for future nanotechnology. Pulsed laser annealing (LA), inducing extremely rapid and localized phase transitions, is a powerful way to achieve this, but it requires careful optimization together with the appropriate system design. We present a multiscale LA computational framework able to simulate atom-by-atom the highly out-of-equilibrium kinetics of a material as it interacts with the laser, including effects of structural disorder. By seamlessly coupling a macroscale continuum solver to a nanoscale super-lattice Kinetic Monte Carlo code, this method overcomes the limits of state-of-the-art continuum-based tools. We exploit it to investigate nontrivial changes in composition, morphology and quality of laser-annealed SiGe alloys. Validations against experiments and phase-field simulations, as well as advanced applications to strained, defected, nanostructured and confined SiGe are presented, highlighting the importance of a multiscale atomistic-continuum approach. Current applicability and potential generalization routes are finally discussed

Impact of surface reflectivity on the ultra-fast laser melting of silicon-germanium alloys

Ultraviolet nanosecond laser annealing (LA) is a powerful tool where strongly confined heating and melting are desirable. In semiconductor technologies the importance of LA increases with the increasing complexity of the proposed integration schemes. Optimizing the LA process along with the experimental design is challenging, especially when complex 3D nanostructured systems with various shapes and phases are involved. Within this context, reliable simulations of laser melting are required for optimizing the process parameters while reducing the number of experimental tests. This gives rise to a virtual Design of Experiments (DoE). SiGe alloys are nowadays used for their compatibility with silicon devices enabling to engineer properties such as strain, carrier mobilities and bandgap. In this work, the laser melting process of relaxed and strained SiGe is simulated with a finite element method / phase field approach. Particularly, we calibrated the dielectric functions of the alloy for its crystal and liquid phase using experimental data. We highlighted the importance of reproducing the exact reflectivity of the material in its different aggregation states, to correctly mimic the process

Skeletal muscle structure and function in response to electrical stimulation in moderately impaired COPD patients

Study objective: To determine the structural and functional consequences of high-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation (hf-NMES) in a group of moderately impaired outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Design: A prospective, cross-over randomized trial.Setting: An university-based, tertiary center.Patients and materials: Seventeen patients (FEV1 = 49.6 +/- 13.4% predicted, Medical Research Council dyspnoea grades II-III) underwent 6-weeks hf-NMES (50 Hz) and sham stimulation of the quadriceps femoris in a randomized, cross-over design. Knee strength was measured by isokinetic dynamometry (peak torque) and leg muscle mass (LMM) by DEXA; in addition, median cross-sectional area (CSA) of type I and fibres and capillary-fibre ratio were evaluated in the vastus lateralis. the 6-min walking distance (6MWD) was also determined.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP, Pulm Funct & Clin Exercise Physiol Unit, SEFIC,Div Resp Dis,Dept Med, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP, Neuromusc Div, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Glasgow, Inst Biomed & Life Sci, Glasgow, Lanark, ScotlandUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP, Pulm Funct & Clin Exercise Physiol Unit, SEFIC,Div Resp Dis,Dept Med, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP, Neuromusc Div, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Revising the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) research priorities: a research progress update

AbstractBackground One of the aims of the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) is to encourage high quality endoscopic research at a European level. In 2016, the ESGE research committee published a set of research priorities. As endoscopic research is flourishing, we aimed to review the literature and determine whether endoscopic research over the last 4 years had managed to address any of our previously published priorities.Methods As the previously published priorities were grouped under seven different domains, a working party with at least two European experts was created for each domain to review all the priorities under that domain. A structured review form was developed to standardize the review process. The group conducted an extensive literature search relevant to each of the priorities and then graded the priorities into three categories: (1) no longer a priority (well-designed trial, incorporated in national/international guidelines or adopted in routine clinical practice); (2) remains a priority (i. e. the above criterion was not met); (3) redefine the existing priority (i. e. the priority was too vague with the research question not clearly defined).Results The previous ESGE research priorities document published in 2016 had 26 research priorities under seven domains. Our review of these priorities has resulted in seven priorities being removed from the list, one priority being partially removed, another seven being redefined to make them more precise, with eleven priorities remaining unchanged. This is a reflection of a rapid surge in endoscopic research, resulting in 27 % of research questions having already been answered and another 27 % requiring redefinition.Conclusions Our extensive review process has led to the removal of seven research priorities from the previous (2016) list, leaving 19 research priorities that have been redefined to make them more precise and relevant for researchers and funding bodies to target

Colonoscopy quality across Europe : a report of the European Colonoscopy Quality Investigation (ECQI) Group

publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Efficacy and Tolerability of High- vs Low-Volume Split-Dose Bowel Cleansing Regimens for Colonoscopy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background & Aims Efficacy of bowel preparation is an important determinant of outcomes of colonoscopy. It is not clear whether approved low-volume polyethylene glycol (PEG) and non-PEG regimens are as effective as high-volume PEG regimens when taken in a split dose. Methods In a systematic review of multiple electronic databases through January 31, 2019 with a registered protocol (PROSPERO: CRD42019128067), we identified randomized controlled trials that compared low- vs high-volume bowel cleansing regimens, administered in a split dose, for colonoscopy. The primary efficacy outcome was rate of adequate bowel cleansing, and the secondary efficacy outcome was adenoma detection rate. Primary tolerability outcomes were compliance, tolerability, and willingness to repeat. We calculated relative risk (RR) and 95% CI values and assessed heterogeneity among studies by using the I2 statistic. The overall quality of evidence was assessed using the GRADE framework. Results In an analysis of data from 17 randomized controlled trials, comprising 7528 patients, we found no significant differences in adequacy of bowel cleansing between the low- vs high-volume split-dose regimens (86.1% vs 87.4%; RR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.98–1.02) and there was minimal heterogeneity (I2 = 17%). There was no significant difference in adenoma detection rate (RR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.87–1.08) among 4 randomized controlled trials. Compared with high-volume, split-dose regimens, low-volume split-dose regimens had higher odds for compliance or completion (RR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02–1.10), tolerability (RR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.12–1.74), and willingness to repeat bowel preparation (RR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.20–1.66). The overall quality of evidence was moderate. Conclusions Based on a systematic review of 17 randomized controlled trials, low-volume, split-dose regimens appear to be as effective as high-volume, split-dose regimens in bowel cleansing and are better tolerated, with superior compliance

Ion Implantation‐Induced extended defects: structural investigations and impact on Ultra‐Shallow Junction properties

This dissertation summarises my research activities in the field of Ion Implantation-Induced extended defects and of their impact on the properties of Ultra-Shallow source/drain junctions (USJs) in miniaturized MOS transistors. The most common method for the fabrication of source/drain regions consists in the localized doping of the substrate material by ion implantation, followed by thermal annealing to achieve electrical activation. The major problem related to the use of ion implantation is the formation of various defect types resulting from the precipitation of the large amounts of interstitials and vacancies generated during the implantation process and their interaction with dopant atoms during annealing. The various complex interactions between the defects and the implanted dopants are at the origin of the diffusion and activation anomalies that represent the major obstacles to the fabrication of USJs satisfying the ITRS requirements. The main results of my work will be presented in three parts. The first part is dedicated to the fundamental studies on the formation and evolution of implant-induced defects and on their impact on transient enhanced diffusion (TED). These studies contributed (i) to provide a unified description of implantation-induced defect evolution, explaining why, depending on the implant and annealing conditions, a given defect type is formed, dissolves during annealing or transforms into a larger defect with different crystallographic characteristics and (ii) to improve the existing models by extending them to all defect families, including a correct TED dependence on the defects' size distributions. In the second part, I will focus on the defect-dopant interactions causing dopant activation anomalies, due to their impact on the active dose and is some cases, also on the carrier mobility. In the case of p+-n junctions formed by Boron implantation, these anomalies are due to the formation of small Boron-Interstitial Clusters (BICs), which will be at the centre of all the studies presented in this part. Other investigated defect-dopant interactions include the formation of Fluorine-related Si interstitial traps, used to reduce both B Transient Enhanced Diffusion and dopant deactivation, and the dopant trapping by implantation-induced defects. The progressive introduction of advanced processes and materials in the semiconductor industry during the last decade raised some specific questions related to the fabrication of USJs, including the formation of implant-induced defects during ultra-fast annealing, their evolution in the presence of the buried Si-SIO2 interface in SOI materials or the Boron activation stability in Germanium. We will address these issues in the third part of this presentation. Due to the increased difficulties to maintain the MOS miniaturization pace (as well as to the approaching of its physical limits), the general context of the MOS-related research domain has largely evolved over the last years. On the one hand, the continuous optimisation of advanced doping and annealing schemes for the fabrication of USJs will therefore have to deal with the increasingly important requirement of reducing power consumption in future device generations. On the other hand, the years 2000s have seen the emergence of the so-called "More-than-More" domain, consisting in the addition of novel functionalities to electronic devices based on (or derived from) Silicon MOS technology. The perspectives of my research activity within this "extended-CMOS" context will finally be presented at the end of the presentation

Laser annealing processes in semiconductor technology: Theory, modeling, and applications in nanoelectronics

International audienceLaser Annealing Processes in Semiconductor Technology: Theory, Modeling and Applications in Nanoelectronics synthesizes the scientific and technological advances of laser annealing processes for current and emerging nanotechnologies. The book provides an overview of the laser-matter interactions of materials and recent advances in modeling of laser-related phenomena, with the bulk of the book focusing on current and emerging (beyond-CMOS) applications. Reviewed applications include laser annealing of CMOS, group IV semiconductors, superconducting materials, photonic materials, 2D materials. This comprehensive book is ideal for post-graduate students, new entrants, and experienced researchers in academia, research and development in materials science, physics and engineering