Silicon-compatible high-hole-mobility transistor with an undoped germanium channel for low-power application

In this work, Ge-based high-hole-mobility transistor with Si compatibility is designed, and its performance is evaluated. A 2-dimensional hole gas is effectively constructed by a AlGaAs/Ge/Si heterojunction with a sufficiently large valence band offset. Moreover, an intrinsic Ge channel is exploited so that high hole mobility is preserved without dopant scattering. Effects of design parameters such as gate length, Ge channel thickness, and aluminum fraction in the barrier material on device characteristics are thoroughly investigated through device simulations. A high on-current above 30 ??A/??m along with a low subthreshold swing was obtained from an optimized planar device for low-power applications.open0

Coulomb oscillations based on band-to-band tunneling in a degenerately doped silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor

The Coulomb oscillations based on band-to-band tunneling through a valence band in silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors were discussed. It was found that the formation of tunnel barries and a quantum dot in a single-electron transistor structure originated from two p+ - p+ tunnel junctions and a p+ -doped channel with mesoscopic dimension, respectively. At liquid nitrogen temperature, the Coulomb-blockade oscillations with multiple peaks were also observed. Analysis shows that the single-electron charging effect based on band-to-band tunneling was confirmed using the electrical and thermal characterization of the quantum dots.open2

Fabrication of single-electron tunneling transistors with an electrically formed Coulomb island in a silicon-on-insulator nanowire

For the purpose of controllable characteristics, silicon single-electron tunneling transistors with an electrically formed Coulomb island are proposed and fabricated on the basis of the sidewall process technique. The fabricated devices are based on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) field effect transistor with them depletion gate. The key fabrication technique consists of two sidewall process techniques. One is the patterning of a uniform SOI nanowire, and the other is the formation of n-doped polysilicon sidewall depletion gates. While the width of a Coulomb island is determined by the width of a SOI nanowire, its length is defined by the separation between two sidewall depletion gates which are formed by a conventional lithographic process combined with the second-sidewall process. These sidewall techniques combine the conventional lithography and process technology, and guaran tee the compatibility with complementary MOS process technology. Moreover, critical dimension depends not on the lithographical limit but on the controllability of chemical vapor deposition and reactive-ion etching. Very uniform weakly p-doped SOI nanowire defined by the sidewall technique effectively suppresses unintentional tunnel junctions formed by the fluctuation of the geometry or dopant in SOI nanowire, and the Coulomb island size dependence of the device characteristics confirms the good controllability. A voltage gain larger than one and the controllability of Coulomb oscillation peak position are also successfully demonstrated, which are essential conditions for the integration of a single-electron tunneling transistor circuit. Further miniaturization and optimization of the proposed device will make room temperature designable single-electron tunneling transistors possible in the foreseeable future.open101

Herbal Extract SH003 Suppresses Tumor Growth and Metastasis of MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cells by Inhibiting STAT3-IL-6 Signaling

Cancer inflammation promotes cancer progression, resulting in a high risk of cancer. Here, we demonstrate that our new herbal extract, SH003, suppresses both tumor growth and metastasis of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells via inhibiting STAT3-IL-6 signaling path. Our new herbal formula, SH003, mixed extract from Astragalus membranaceus, Angelica gigas, and Trichosanthes kirilowii Maximowicz, suppressed MDA-MB-231 tumor growth and lung metastasis in vivo and reduced the viability and metastatic abilities of MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro. Furthermore, SH003 inhibited STAT3 activation, which resulted in a reduction of IL-6 production. Therefore, we conclude that SH003 suppresses highly metastatic breast cancer growth and metastasis by inhibiting STAT3-IL-6 signaling path

Effect of Sipjeondaebo-Tang on Cancer-Induced Anorexia and Cachexia in CT-26 Tumor-Bearing Mice

Cancer-associated anorexia and cachexia are a multifactorial condition described by a loss of body weight and muscle with anorexia, asthenia, and anemia. Moreover, they correlate with a high mortality rate, poor response to chemotherapy, poor performance status, and poor quality of life. Cancer cachexia is regulated by proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). In addition, glucagon like peptide-1 (GIP-1), peptide YY (PYY), ghrelin, and leptin plays a crucial role in food intake. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of one of the traditional herbal medicines, Sipjeondaebo-tang (Juzen-taiho-to in Japanese; SJDBT), on cancer anorexia and cachexia in a fundamental mouse cancer anorexia/cachexia model, CT-26 tumor-bearing mice. SJDBT was more significantly effective in a treatment model where it was treated after anorexia and cachexia than in a prevention model where it was treated before anorexia and cachexia on the basis of parameters such as weights of muscles and whole body and food intakes. Moreover, SJDBT inhibited a production of IL-6, MCP-1, PYY, and GLP-1 and ameliorated cancer-induced anemia. Therefore, our in vivo studies provide evidence on the role of SJDBT in cancer-associated anorexia and cachexia, thereby suggesting that SJDBT may be useful for treating cancer-associated anorexia and cachexia

Simplified EM Grid Vitrification Is a Convenient and Efficient Method for Mouse Mature Oocyte Cryopreservation

This study was performed to evaluate the efficiency of simplified EM grid vitrification, skipping the step of removing the cryoprotectant (5.5 M EG + 1.0 M sucrose) droplet on the grid after loading oocytes, compared to conventional cryopreservation protocols for mouse mature oocytes. Firstly, the recovery, survival, fertilization and hatching rates of simplified EM grid vitrification were compared with those of the slow freezing method using 1.5 M DMSO. Then, conventional EM grid vitrification was compared with simplified EM grid vitrification. Simplified EM grid vitrification showed higher survival, fertilization and hatching rates than those of the slow freezing method (85.6% vs. 63.2%; 51.0% vs. 22.3%; 38.7% vs. 12.5%, p < 0.01, respectively). Moreover, simplified EM grid vitrification showed higher recovery, survival and fertilization rates than those of conventional EM grid vitrification (100% vs. 95.0%, p = 0.024; 90.0% vs. 78.9%, p = 0.033; 56.7% vs. 38.7%, p = 0.021, respectively). Hatching rate tended to be higher for simplified EM grid vitrification compared to conventional EM grid vitrification (41.1% vs. 24.1%). In conclusion, simplified EM grid vitrification is a convenient and efficient method for cryopreservation of mouse mature oocytes, compared to conventional EM grid vitrification and slow freezing methods

COMPACT MODELING OF SILICON NANOWIRE MOSFET FOR RADIO FREQUENCY APPLICATIONS

This article presents the radio frequency small-signal modeling of silicon nanowire (SNW) MOSFET with 30 nm channel length and 5 nm channel radius. Analytical parameter extraction methods are developed by Y-parameter analysis for the proposed equivalent circuit. Y-parameters of SNW MOSFET are obtained by three-dimensional (3D) device simulator. Accuracies of the new model and extracted parameters have been verified by the 3D device simulation data up to 200 GHz. The RMS modeling error of Y-parameter was calculated to he only 1.4%.close1

RF Performance and Small-Signal Parameter Extraction of Junctionless Silicon Nanowire MOSFETs

This paper presents a radio-frequency (RF) model and extracted model parameters for junctionless silicon nanowire (JLSNW) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) using a 3-D device simulator. JLSNW MOSFETs are evaluated for various RF parameters such as cutoff frequency f(T), gate input capacitance, distributed channel resistances, transport time delay, and capacitance by the drain-induced barrier lowering effect. Direct comparisons of high-frequency performances and extracted parameters are made with conventional silicon nanowire MOSFETs. A non-quasi-static RF model has been used, along with SPICE to simulate JLSNW MOSFETs with RF parameters extracted from 3-D-simulated Y-parameters. The results show excellent agreements with the 3-D-simulated results up to the high frequency of f(T).close3