Microdistribution of oxygen in silicon and its effects on electronic properties

The effects of interstitial oxygen on the electrical characteristics of Czochralski-grown silicon crystals were investigated for the first time on a microscale. It was found that the generation of thermal donors is not a direct function of the oxygen concentration. It was further found that the minority carrier life-time decreases with increasing oxygen concentration, on a microscale in as-grown crystals. It was thus shown, again for the first time, that oxygen in as grown crystals is not electronically inert as generally believed. Preannealing at 1200 C commonly employed in device fabrication, was found to suppress the donor generation at 450 C and to decrease the deep level concentrations

COOPERATIVE PRINCIPLES ANALYSIS OF HUMOR IN INSIDE NO. 9

Pragmatics offers several perspectives in discussing humor, including cooperative principles. Cooperative principles offer options for researchers in discussing how listeners will generate an implied meaning, thus creating the humorous potential in an utterance (Cutting, 2002; Grice, 1989). Despite there are studies on cooperative principles of humor using various media, there is still a lack of studies discussing cooperative principles in British comedy television shows. Therefore, to fill this gap, this paper attempts to analyze the cooperative principles found in a BBC 2 comedy television show, Inside No. 9. Furthermore, the paper also reveals how the flouting of the principles creates multiple forms of humor, adapting the categories of humor by Martin and Ford (2018). This descriptive qualitative research chooses the Series Four of Inside No. 9 as its subject, with the consideration of the critically-acclaimed receptions, diverse themes, and language aspects of the show. To obtain the data, the researchers use an open-coding technique to categorize the data according to the four flouting of the maxims (flouting of the maxim of quality, quantity, relation, and manner) and the forms of humor (irony, satire, sarcasm, overstatement and understatement, self-deprecation, teasing, replies to rhetorical questions, clever replies to serious statements, double entendre, transformation of frozen expression, and pun). The data are taken from the episodes and scripts of six episodes in the fourth series in Inside No. 9. Results show that all of the types of flouting of cooperative principles were found in the selected season, which covers the flouting of the maxim of quality, quantity, relation, and manner. Based on the findings in most episodes, the flouting created by the characters diverges the serious conversation into a more humorous atmosphere. However, several types of humor are not found in the maxims' flouting due to the storyline and British comedic style aspects

Scanning mid-IR-laser microscopy: an efficient tool for materials studies in silicon-based photonics and photovoltaics

A method of scanning mid-IR-laser microscopy has recently been proposed for the investigation of large-scale electrically and recombination-active defects in semiconductors and non-destructive inspection of semiconductor materials and structures in the industries of microelectronics and photovoltaics. The basis for this development was laid with a wide cycle of investigations on low-angle mid-IR-light scattering in semiconductors. The essence of the technical idea was to apply the dark-field method for spatial filtering of the scattered light in the scanning mid-IR-laser microscope together with the local photoexcitation of excess carriers within a small domain in a studied sample, thus forming an artificial source of scattering of the probe IR light for the recombination contrast imaging of defects. The current paper presents three contrasting examples of application of the above technique for defect visualization in silicon-based materials designed for photovoltaics and photonics which demonstrate that this technique might be an efficient tool for both defect investigation and industrial testing of semiconducting materials.Comment: DRIP-

Structural and Electronic Properties of Amorphous and Polycrystalline In2Se3 Films

Structural and electronic properties of amorphous and single-phase polycrystalline films of gamma- and kappa-In2Se3 have been measured. The stable gamma phase nucleates homogeneously in the film bulk and has a high resistivity, while the metastable kappa phase nucleates at the film surface and has a moderate resistivity. The microstructures of hot-deposited and post-annealed cold-deposited gamma films are quite different but the electronic properties are similar. The increase in the resistivity of amorphous In2Se3 films upon annealing is interpreted in terms of the replacement of In-In bonds with In-Se bonds during crystallization. Great care must be taken in the preparation of In2Se3 films for electrical measurements as the presence of excess chalcogen or surface oxidation may greatly affect the film properties.Comment: 23 pages and 12 figure

Equalization of Metal Powder for Binder Jet Printing

Metal powders used in additive manufacturing often face the issue of variable powder surface characteristics, causing inconsistent part quality. As such, a ”homogenization” treatment for metal powder surfaces may be advantageous for relevant fabrication processes. By using high-powered xenon flash lamp to rapidly heat powder samples, the surface energy of the powder particles was brought to the same value regardless of the powder source and past usage. Pulse-heating the powder caused the atomic structure of particle surfaces to undergo rearrangement and removed adsorbed moieties. Effects of this treatment on metal powders have been investigated and evaluated by measuring the time before water droplets are absorbed on treated and untreated thin layers.Mechanical Engineerin

Application of scanning mid-IR-laser microscopy for characterization of semiconductor materials for photovoltaics

The scanning mid-IR-laser microscopy was previously demonstrated as an effective tool for characterization of different semiconductor crystals. Now the technique has been successfully applied for the investigation of CZ SixGe1-x -- a promising material for photovoltaics - and multicrystalline silicon for solar cells. In addition, this technique was shown to be appropriate for imaging of polishing-induced defects as well as such huge defects as "pin holes". Besides, previously unexplained "anomalous" (cubic power) dependence of signal of the scanning mid-IR-laser microscope in the optical-beam-induced light scattering mode on the photoexcitation power obtained for mechanically polished samples has now been attributed to the excess carrier scattering on charged linear defects, likely dislocation lines. The conclusion is made in the article that the scanning mid-IR-laser microscopy may serve as very effective tool for defect investigations in materials for modern photovoltaics