Discrete charge-trapping flash memory is being developed for the next-generation commercial flash-memory applications due to its advantages over the traditional floating-gate counterpart. Currently, Si3N4 is widely used as charge-trapping layer (CTL). However, Si3N4 has low dielectric constant and small conduction-band offset with respect to the SiO2 tunneling layer, imposing limitation on further applications. Therefore, this research emphasized on investigating new dielectrics with appropriate fabrication methods to replace Si3N4 as CTL for achieving improved memory performance. Firstly, GeON CTL annealed at different temperatures was investigated. The memory device with post-deposition annealing at 600 0C exhibited the largest memory window, the best charge retention performance, and the highest reliability. These good results are due to the fact that optimal annealing temperature could suppress shallow traps and also produce new traps with desirable energy levels in the CTL. Since ZnON has a negative conduction-band offset (NCBO) with respect to Si, the traps located in the bandgap of ZnON should have deep energy levels. The memory performances of ZrON film with and without Zn doping were studied. Experimental results showed that ZrZnON film had higher program speed and better charge retention performance due to many deeper trap levels induced by the Zn doping, as well as higher erase speed due to the direct recombination of electrons at these deeper trap levels with incoming holes and the intermediary role of these deeper trap levels under erase mode. MoO3 is another NCBO dielectric with a high K value and many oxygen vacancies. La2O3, a rare-earth metal oxide, is a promising dielectric as CTL. To combine the advantages of both La2O3 and MoO3, Mo-doped La2O3 was proposed as a new CTL. Compared to the device with pure La2O3, the one with LaMoO film as CTL had significantly larger C-V hysteresis window, much higher P/E speeds, and better charge retention due to the deeper-level traps and deeper quantum wells created by the LaMoO film. Nitrogen incorporation is a popular approach to increase the trap density in the bulk of CTL. In this research, the memory performances of GdTiO films with and without nitrogen incorporation were compared. Since the nitrogen incorporation induced smaller equivalent oxide thickness, produced nitride-related traps with desirable energy level and larger cross-section for charge capture, the GdTiON film possessed better memory performance than the GdTiO film. Finally, fluorine plasma was employed to improve the quality of blocking layer. The memory device with AlOF blocking layer obtained higher program speed, better reliability and better charge retention than that based on AlO blocking layer. The improved performance was due to the fact that the fluorine incorporation passivated the defects and removed the excess oxygen in the bulk of the blocking layer. In summary, dielectric plays important roles in the performance of charge-trapping flash memory. Memory devices with GeON, ZrZnON, LaMoO, or GdTiON as charge trapping layer and AlOF as blocking layer can produce large memory window, high program/erase speed and good charge retention. / published_or_final_version / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

ITC/USA 2014 Conference Proceedings / The Fiftieth Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 20-23, 2014 / Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, San Diego, CA / The decision to buy or develop any system component is a difficult one. Clearly, the development time and cost is less when using an off-the-shelf component; however, these components attempt to meet the requirements of a main-stream market segment. Outside of those markets, a designer may need to add unique features to solve problems for specialty markets; one example is SSDs for telemetry markets where one critical component is the NAND flash controller. This paper will focus on some of the requirement differences and why it is so important for SSD designers to develop their own controller for these markets.

No description available.

Continuous improvements to industrial equipment used in essential industrial applications are a key for the commercial success to the equipment manufacturers. Industrial applications always demand optimum performance and reliability and almost all equipment used in industrial applications is complex and are very expensive to replace. Often modifications to hardware and retrofitting additional hardware are encouraged by most equipment manufacturers and operators. The complexity of these systems however, makes assessment of modifications and design change difficult. This research implemented system modelling techniques to overcome this issue, by developing virtual test platforms of two distinctive industrial systems for enhancement assessment. The two distinctive systems were the electronic equipment called pulser-receiver used in ultrasonic non-destructive testing of safety critical oil & gas pipelines and a high voltage power supply used in high energy electron beam welding. Optimisation with emphasis on portability of the pulser-receiver and rapid weld recovery after a flashover fault condition in the electron beam welding application required assessment before design changes were made to hardware. SPICE based simulators LTSpice and PSpice were used to model and simulate the pulser-receiver and the welding power supply respectively. All the models were evaluated appropriately against theoretical data and published datasheets. However, validation of low level component models developed in the research against measurement data at a component level suffered due to system complexity and resource constraints. Close mapping of simulation results to measurement data at a system level were obtained. The research helped build up a wealth of knowledge in the development of circuit simulation models that can be analysed in the time domain with no non-convergent issues. Simulation settings were relaxed without compromising accuracy of model performance.

Naphthoxazine-spiro-indolines (NOSIs) can exist in a colourless and a coloured form. These compounds can interconvert between these two forms either photochemically or thermally and are resilient to degradation even after repeated cycles of colouration and bleaching. Absorption spectra of both the stable colourless form and the energetically less stable coloured form have been measured. Several NOSI compounds have been shown to photoconvert to the coloured form with an efficiency of between 0.06–0.74, depending upon the compound conditions under which the conversion is brought about. The factors which have been varied in this work are: the basicity of the 6'-substituent; the size of the N-alkyl group within these compounds; and the nature solvent or matrix in which the reaction occurs. Electron donation from the 6'-group has been shown to increase the quantum yield of the forward reaction whereas solvent polarity increases have been shown to reduce the quantum yield.

No description available.

Although arc flash has been a concern amongst the electrical industry for many years, it is only relatively recently that standards by the IEEE have been established on calculating the amount of energy behind an arc flash event. However, these standards only apply to AC systems, where extensive testing and research have been performed. Although the NFPA has provided recommendations on how to calculate the incident energy for DC arc flash events, these have not become the defining standard like those seen for AC. One equation outlined in the NFPA70E, the Maximum Power Method, does provide engineers with a formula to calculate DC arc flash incident energy but as the NFPA states this can be quite conservative. However, the NFPA70E also mentions a Detailed Arcing Current and Energy Calculations Method which contains formulas proposed by various researchers who conducted their own DC arc flash testing but there is scarce info on how these methods compare to the Maximum Power Method. This paper will investigate the relative power of two of the formulas proposed in the alternate method, the results from Stokes/Oppenlander and the results from Paukert, over a variety of parameters that affect DC arcing power. These will then be compared to relative power of the Maximum Power Method, as well as the relative power of the AC equations formed from measurements. Although the results in this paper are not aiming to be a defining standard, the aim is to provide engineers with information on when one methodology is more suitable to use for a given set of certain parameters.

This is a collection of dreams, ribbons, crowns, lost and losing loves, gods, music, medicine, small burning houses, tricycles, packed bags, sought languages, and—eventually—stories.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 20-23, 2003 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Due to the rotating mechanism in mechanical disks, they cannot provide the top-level reliability required for operation in harsh military environments. This paper describes three COTS alternatives to mechanical disks: ruggedized mechanical disks, solid-state flash disks and stacked PC Cards. It discusses their cost-effectiveness and aspects such as environmental specifications, endurance and data reliability. It highlights several methods used by flash disks to enhance endurance and reliability, as well as flash pricing and density trends. It presents data security requirements in actual emergency situations, and how flash disks can meet these requirements. It concludes with a feature-by-feature comparison of ruggedized disks, flash disks and stacked PC Cards.

Flash memories are used as the main storage in many portable consumer electronic devices because they are more robust than hard drives. This document gives an overview of existing consumer flash memory technologies which are mostly removable flash memory cards. It discusses to which degree consumer flash devices are suitable for real-time systems and provides a detailed timing analysis of some consumer flash devices. Further, it describes methods to analyze mount times, access performance and timing predictability of flash memories. Important factors which influence access timings of flash memories are pointed out and different flash file systems are evaluated with regard to their suitability for real-time systems. Some remaining problems of existing flash file system implementations concerning real-time use are discussed.