Indium oxide diffusion barriers for Al/Si metallizations

Indium oxide (In2O3) films were prepared by reactive rf sputtering of an In target in O2/Ar plasma. We have investigated the application of these films as diffusion barriers in Si/In2O3/Al and Si/TiSi2.3/In2O3/Al metallizations. Scanning transmission electron microscopy together with energy dispersive analysis of x ray of cross-sectional Si/In2O3/Al specimens, and electrical measurements on shallow n + -p junction diodes were used to evaluate the diffusion barrier capability of In2O3 films. We find that 100-nm-thick In2O3 layers prevent the intermixing between Al and Si in Si/In2O3/Al contacts up to 650°C for 30 min, which makes this material one of the best thin-film diffusion barriers on record between Al and Si. (The Si-Al eutectic temperature is 577°C, Al melts at 660°C.) When a contacting layer of titanium silicide is incorporated to form a Si/TiSi2.3/In2O3/Al metallization structure, the thermal stability of the contact drops to 600°C for 30 min heat treatment

Self Management and Telehealth: Lessons Learnt from the Evaluation of a Dorset Telehealth Program

Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group

Shining Light on the Microscopic Resonant Mechanism Responsible for Cavity-Mediated Chemical Reactivity

Strong light-matter interaction in cavity environments has emerged as a promising and general approach to control chemical reactions in a non-intrusive manner. The underlying mechanism that distinguishes between steering, accelerating, or decelerating a chemical reaction has, however, remained thus far largely unclear, hampering progress in this frontier area of research. In this work, we leverage a combination of first-principles techniques, foremost quantum-electrodynamical density functional theory, applied to the recent experimental realization by Thomas et al. [1] to unveil the microscopic mechanism behind the experimentally observed reduced reaction-rate under resonant vibrational strong light-matter coupling. We find that the cavity mode functions as a mediator between different vibrational eigenmodes, transferring vibrational excitation and anharmonicity, correlating vibrations, and ultimately strengthening the chemical bond of interest. Importantly, the resonant feature observed in experiment, theoretically elusive so far, naturally arises in our investigations. Our theoretical predictions in polaritonic chemistry shine new light on cavity induced mechanisms, providing a crucial control strategy in state-of-the-art photocatalysis and energy conversion, pointing the way towards generalized quantum optical control of chemical systems

Krieger-Li-Iafrate approximation to the optimized effective potential approach in density functional theory for quantum electrodynamics

Many-body perturbation theory (MBPT) opens the possibility to construct approximations to every desired order of a ’weak’ interacting system. The drawback is a in general non-local interaction in space and time and it is therefore a demanding task to apply it to ’real’ systems. The optimized effective potential (OEP), derived by inversion of the Sham-Schlüter equation, is a natural connection between local density-functional theory and MBPT. In principle, this variationally best local potential reduces the problem to solving a simple system of Kohn-Sham equations combined with the solution of the OEP integral equation. However, converging the full set of OEP equations is a quite challenging procedure and is in practice rarely tackled. The Krieger-Li-Iafrate (KLI) approximation reduces the integral equation to an analytically solvable one via a dominant orbital approximation. It performs usually quite well for electronic systems. In the present work, we extend the OEP and KLI approaches to the case of electron-photon interactions in quantum optics and quantum electrodynamics. Here an effective electronic interaction is transmitted via transversal photons. We present first static and time-dependent results for the OEP and KLI approximations of the Rabi model and compare with the exact configuration interaction solution and the corresponding exact Kohn-Sham potentials

Upgrade of the BOC for the ATLAS Pixel Insertable B-Layer

The phase 1 upgrade of the ATLAS [1] pixel detector will be done by inserting a fourth pixel layer together with a new beampipe into the recent three layer detector. This new detector, the Insertable B-Layer (IBL) should be integrated into the recent pixel system with as few changes in services as possible, but deliver some advantages over the recent system. One of those advantages will be a new data transmission link from the detector modules to the off-detector electronics, requiring a re-design of the electro-optical converters on the off-detector side. First ideas of how to implement those, together with some ideas to reduce cost by increasing the systems throughput are discussed

Tourism stakeholder exclusion and conflict in a small island

Research in the Isle of Man, British Isles, reveals limited and dysfunctional collaboration between stakeholders, and in particular between public and private sector actors. Power and influence over tourism decision making is generally felt to be restricted to a small and opaque network. Moreover, different levels of interest in and support for tourism further divide stakeholders. Various negative consequences are shown to arise from this absence of collaboration, including a lack of shared vision or future strategy for local tourism, and high levels of mutual mistrust between stakeholders. Resulting conflict, wasted resources, lost enthusiasm and lack of strategic direction appear to undermine the current and future management of island tourism. Emphasised by research is the importance of stakeholder collaboration to sustainable tourism management and underlying factors which may enhance or undermine. Focus on dysfunctional collaboration and the small island setting makes a unique contribution to the existing literature

Pediatric surgical extracorporeal membrane oxygenation - a case series

Objective. To review demographic and procedural factors and their association with weaning rate and survival from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in pediatric patients undergoing repair of cardiac malformations. Methods. The hospital records of children requiring ECMO during cardiac operation due to failure to wean from cardio-pulmonary by pass (CPB) were retrospectively reviewed, and an analysis of variables affecting survival was performed. Results. Thirty-five pediatric patients between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2006 required ECMO for cardiopulmonary support during cardiac operations. ECMO survival was 54.3% and was comparable across all age groups. The lowest pH during ECMO treatment was the only predictor of mortality (P = 0.006). No other patient, surgical or anesthetic, factor was associated with either weaning from ECMO or hospital survival. Conclusions. No clear risk factor could be identified for survival from ECMO in our pediatric patients who underwent cardiac surgery and failed weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass