Extract coefficients of thermal expansion of TaN thin film by tuning the N2 gas flow in the PVD process

Coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch between different materials is an essential and critical concern in semiconductor development. During the manufacturing processes, the thermal budget will induce residual stress, occurring the deformation of the material. In the worst case, the thin film or the elements would be broken or failed. [1] However, these mechanical properties are difficult to determine and measure. In this study, we used the simple micro-cantilever beams array as the test key which was fabricated by the MEMS process. We deposited the TaN thin film on the different length cantilevers and then exploited the double layer method and Stoney equation to analyze its mechanical properties [2] [3]. Figure 1 shows the micrograph of the SiO2 cantilever beam deposited with TaN thin film and whose geometry size is also measured by the SEM system. Please click Download on the upper right corner to see the full abstract

Sphingomonas formosensis sp. nov., a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading bacterium isolated from agricultural soil

In the present study, a yellow-pigmented, Gram-negative, short rod-shaped novel bacterium that was capable of degrading a wide range of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (naphthalene, phenanthrene and pyrene) was isolated from agricultural soil located in Yunlin County, Taiwan. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis positioned the novel strain in the genus Sphingomonas as an independent lineage adjacent to a subclade containing Sphingomonas fennica K101T, Sphingomonas histidinilytica UM2T, Sphingomonas wittichii RW1T and Sphingomonas haloaromaticamans A175T. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of strain CC-Nfb- 2T showed highest sequence similarity to S. fennica K101T (96.2 %), S. histidinilytica UM2T (96.1 %), S. wittichii RW1T (95.9 %), S. haloaromaticamans A175T (95.7 %), and Sphingobium ummariense RL-3T (94.7 %); lower sequence similarities were observed with strains of all other Sphingomonas species. The strain contained phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, sphingoglycolipid and diphosphatidylglycerol. The predominant fatty acids were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1v7c and/or C18 : 1v6c) C16 : 0 and 11-methyl C18 : 1v7c; C14 : 0 2- OH was the major 2-hydroxy fatty acid. Previously, these lipids have been found to be characteristic of members of the genus Sphingomonas. The serine palmitoyl transferase gene (spt) was also detected and sphingolipid synthesis was confirmed. The predominant isoprenoid quinone system was ubiquinone (Q-10) and the isolate contained sym-homospermidine as the major polyamine. The DNA G+C content of the isolate was 62.8�0.8 mol%. On the basis of chemotaxonomic, phenotypic and phylogenetic data, strain CC-Nfb-2T represents a novel species within the genus Sphingomonas, for which the name Sphingomonas formosensis sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is CC-Nfb-2T (5BCRC 80272T5DSM 24164T)

Self-Healing Nanophotonics: Robust and Soft palmi Random Lasers

Self-healing technology promises a generation of innovation in cross-cutting subjects ranging from electronic skins, to wearable electronics, to point-of-care biomedical sensing modules. Recently, scientists have successfully pulled off significant advances in self-healing components including sensors, energy devices, transistors, and even integrated circuits. Lasers, one of the most important light sources, integrated with autonomous self-healability should be endowed with more functionalities and opportunities; however, the study of self-healing lasers is absent in all published reports. Here, the soft and self-healable random laser (SSRL) is presented. The SSRL can not only endure extreme external strain but also withstand several cutting/healing test cycles. Particularly, the damaged SSRL enables its functionality to be restored within just few minutes without the need of additional energy, chemical/electrical agents, or other healing stimuli, truly exhibiting a supple yet robust laser prototype. It is believed that SSRL can serve as a vital building block for next-generation laser technology as well as follow-on self-healing optoelectronics