La portabilité des mémoires Flash embarquées sur les nœuds CMOS technologiques avancés tel que le 28nm pose de nombreux problèmes de compatibilité avec les nouvelles étapes de fabrication telles que le diélectrique de grille haute permittivité, l’utilisation de grille métallique, les stresseurs et tenseurs utilisés pour piloter la performance du transistor élémentaire. L’ajout d’un dispositif à double grille classique tel que celui de la Flash apparait comme très couteux en termes de nombre de masques et d’étapes de fabrication additionnelles. De nombreuses alternatives ont vu le jour : les mémoires à changement de phase, les mémoires magnétiques et les mémoires resistives. Ce dernier type de mémoire est particulièrement attrayant pour une intégration en tant que mémoire « embarquée » sur technologie CMOS. Les matériaux utilisés (diélectrique à base d’oxyde métallique tel que le HfO₂ ou le Ta₂O₅) sont compatibles avec le procédé de fabrication CMOS comparés à ceux utilisés pour les mémoires magnétiques (risques de contamination). Les mémoires résistives sont par ailleurs basées sur une conduction filamentaire qui s’avère également particulièrement économe en énergie et adaptée aux faibles géométries quand elles sont comparées aux mémoires à changement de phase (changement d’état volumique du matériau). De nombreux industriels ont focalisé leurs efforts sur les matériaux de type HfO₂ et Ta₂O₅. Le sujet proposé fait suite à trois années de collaboration intensive entre ST Microelectronics et le CEA-LETI qui ont permis d’établir les bases d’un cellule mémoire de type Oxram fonctionnelle et facilement intégrable facilement sur une technologie CMOS. Il aura pour objectifs d’analyser les paramètres responsables des instabilités des états résistifs observés et de rechercher les différents moyens susceptibles de mieux contrôler la dispersion de ces états. Les études réalisées pourront porter sur les matériaux (diélectrique et électrodes), la technologie mise en œuvre, les conditions électriques de formation du filament [20]. La consolidation du choix du matériau et l’analyse des modes de défaillance et de la fiabilité du plan mémoire feront également partie du travail de cette première année. Ce travail sera orienté par les résultats statistiques obtenus par le biais de test à plus grande échelle (circuit de plusieurs Kbits). / Embedded Flash memories integration on advanced CMOS technological nodes such as the 28nm leads to serious compatibility problems with the new manufacturing steps such as the high-permittivity gate dielectric, the use of metal gate, etc. The addition of a conventional double-grid device such as the one for Flash appears to be very expensive in terms of number of masks and additional manufacturing steps. Many alternatives have emerged: phase change memories PCRAM, magnetic memories MRAM and resistive memories OxRAM. However, the high programming current of the PCRAM memories and the risks associated to the contamination of the materials used for the MRAM memories represent the weak points of these technologies. On the other hand, OxRAM memories are particularly attractive for integration as CMOS embedded memory. The materials used (metal oxide dielectric such as HfO₂ or Ta₂O₅) compatible with the CMOS manufacturing process and their low programming voltages due to filament conduction are an advantage for OxRAM memories.In this thesis, an in depth memory stack optimization is done to make up the OxRAM memory cell in order to be integrated into a matrix of memories. Thus, various top and bottom electrodes and various switching oxides have been studied in order to better control and improve the variability of the resistive states of the OxRAM memory cell. An evaluation of the reliability and the main memory performances in terms of Forming voltage, memory window, endurance and thermal stability were performed for each memory stack through electrical characterizations. These assessments highlighted efficient memory stacks which have been integrated into a 16Kb demonstrator. Finally, a study of the variability of the resistive states as well as their degradation mechanisms during the endurance and thermal stability were carried out through simples models and atomistic simulations (ab-initio calculations).

Dopamine replacement therapy is the main method of treating Parkinson’s Disease (PD), however over time this treatment causes increasingly abnormal, involuntary movements. This symptom, known as Levodopa-Induced-Dyskinesia (LID) is associated with aberrant, high frequency oscillations (HFOs) in the motor cortex and basal ganglia, as demonstrated with implanted electrodes in human Parkinson’s patients as well as in a rat model of Parkinson’s Disease. However, despite efforts to determine if the same high frequency oscillations are also present during dyskinesia in the widespread 6-OHDA mouse model of Parkinson’s Disease, studies have been unable to do so. By building and implanting a 64-channel multi-electrode array into a unilateral 6-OHDA lesioned mouse, we were able to record HFOs at 80Hz and >100Hz in the motor cortex, basal ganglia and thalamus in the lesioned hemisphere during LID. We also recorded bilateral HFOs at >100Hz in the intact hemisphere. With this work we show that the same HFOs that are present in the motor cortex and basal ganglia of rats and humans are also present in mice during dyskinesia. This work will act to further validate the 6-OHDA PD-model in mice and provide opportunities to investigate new treatments for Parkinson’s Disease, dyskinesia and other neurological conditions. It will also serve as a model to study a purposed mechanism underlying the information processing in populations of neurons. / Dopaminbehandling är den mest förekommande metoden för att behandla Parkinsons sjukdom men detta orsakar dessvärre en bieffekt i form av gradvis förvärrande ofrivilliga rörelser. Detta beteendemönster kallas för Levodopa-Inducerad-Dyskinesi (LID) och med hjälp av elektrodimplantat i hjärnan, på parkinsonpatienter och djurmodeller av parkinsons, har man kunnat se att beteendet är förknippat med högfrekventa oscilleringar (HFO) av hjärnaktivitet i motorcortex och basala ganglierna. Trots försök att kartlägga om dessa högfrekventa oscilleringar också är närvarande i den populära 6-OHDA musmodellen av Parkinsons sjukdom, så har man hittills inte lyckats demonstrera detta. Genom att bygga och implantera ett elektrodimplantat med 64 kanaler i en ensidigt-leisonerad 6-OHDA musmodell av Parkinsons sjukdom så kunde vi åskådliggöra HFO i motor cortex, basala ganglierna och thalamus i den lesionerade hjärnhalvan under LID. Vi kunde också påvisa HFO som sträckte sig över till den intakta hjärnhalvan, med frekvenser över 100 Hz. Denna forskning ger stöd att 6-OHDA modellen för Parkinsons i möss är valid och ger möjlighet till nya metoder att utforska och behandla Parkinsons, dyskinesi och andra neurologiska åkommor. Studien lägger också grunden för framtida studier som ämnar att undersöka föreslagna mekanismer bakom sättet populationer av neuroner bearbetar information. / ingår i ett projekt finansierat av Vetenskapsrådet #2018-02717

Ferroelectric (FE) HfO₂-based thin films, which are considered as one of the most promising material systems for memory device applications, exhibit an adverse tendency for strong imprint. Manifestation of imprint is a shift of the polarization–voltage (P–V) loops along the voltage axis due to the development of an internal electric bias, which can lead to the failure of the writing and retention functions. Here, to gain insight into the mechanism of the imprint effect in La-doped HfO₂ (La:HfO₂) capacitors, we combine the pulse switching technique with high-resolution domain imaging by means of piezoresponse force microscopy. This approach allows us to establish a correlation between the macroscopic switching characteristics and domain time–voltage-dependent behavior. It has been shown that the La:HfO₂ capacitors exhibit a much more pronounced imprint compared to Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃-based FE capacitors. Also, in addition to conventional imprint, which evolves with time in the poled capacitors, an easily changeable imprint, termed as “fluid imprint”, with a strong dependence on the switching prehistory and measurement conditions, has been observed. Visualization of the domain structure reveals a specific signature of fluid imprint—continuous switching of polarization in the same direction as the previously applied field that continues a long time after the field was turned off. This effect, termed as “inertial switching”, is attributed to charge injection and subsequent trapping at defect sites at the film–electrode interface.

Hafnium oxide (HfO₂)-based ferroelectric field-effect transistor (FeFET) is an attractive device for nonvolatile memory. However, when compared to the well-established flash devices, the memory window (MW) of FeFETs reported so far is rather limited, which might be an obstacle to practical applications. In this article, we report on FeFETs fabricated in the 28-nm high-𝑘 metal gate (HKMG) bulk technology with 90 and 80 nm for the channel length and width, respectively, which show a large MW of nearly 3 V. This is achieved by adopting 20-nm-thick HfO₂ films in the gate stack instead of the usually employed 10-nm-thick films. We show that such a thickness increase leads to only a moderate increase of the switching voltages, and to a significantly improved resilience of the memory characteristics upon the parasitic charge trapping. The devices display a good retention at high temperatures and endure more than 10⁵ bipolar cycles, thus supporting this technology for a future generation of FeFET memories.

Neuron is the basic computing unit in brain-inspired neural networks. Although a multitude of excellent artificial neurons realized with conventional transistors have been proposed, they might not be energy and area efficient in large-scale networks. The recent discovery of ferroelectricity in hafnium oxide (HfO₂) and the related switching phenomena at the nanoscale might provide a solution. This study employs the newly reported accumulative polarization reversal in nanoscale HfO₂-based ferroelectric field-effect transistors (FeFETs) to implement two key neuronal dynamics: the integration of action potentials and the subsequent firing according to the biologically plausible all-or-nothing law. We show that by carefully shaping electrical excitations based on the particular nucleation-limited switching kinetics of the ferroelectric layer further neuronal behaviors can be emulated, such as firing activity tuning, arbitrary refractory period and the leaky effect. Finally, we discuss the advantages of an FeFET-based neuron, highlighting its transferability to advanced scaling technologies and the beneficial impact it may have in reducing the complexity of neuromorphic circuits.

<p>Under vårt sista år var vi intresserade av att ta reda på de problem som vi kan stöta på i våra yrkesroller som fartygsingenjörer. Arbetet tar upp de tekniska problem som uppstår p.g.a. de allt strängare kraven på minskade svavelutsläpp från fartyg. De tekniska problemen härstammar från de olika bränslekvaliteternas vitt skilda egenskaper. Som svar på dessa problem har det utvecklats tekniska lösningar varav två stycken har tagits upp i detta arbete.</p><p>För att ta reda på vilka tekniska problem som kan uppstå tog vi del av den berörda utrustningens tillverkares erfarenheter enligt empirisk modell. Enligt samma modell har vi även utfört en kvalitativ intervju med en teknisk chef för att ta del av dennes erfarenheter.</p><p>Miljölagarna rörande luftföroreningar från fartyg kommer med tiden stramas åt allt mer, varpå de kommer få en än mer betydande inverkan på fartygsdriften i framtiden. Bränsleövergångar ombord kommer att bli ett mer frekvent inslag då destillatbränslen krävs för att följa vissa områdens utsläppsregler men samtidigt nyttja tjockolja i så stor utsträckning som möjligt av ekonomiska skäl.</p> / <p>During our final year, we developed an interest in the difficulties we may encounter as marine engineers. This diploma thesis concerns the technical issues that occur due to new regulations concerning the sulphur emissions from merchant vessels. These technical issues are a consequence of the vast property differences between fuel qualities. As a result of these problems, technical solutions have been developed as a countermeasure, of which two have been presented in this comprehensive report.</p><p>In order to identify the difficulties that may arise we analysed the manufacturers experiences in an empirical method. Using the same method we conducted an in-depth interview with a chief engineer in order to take part of his experiences.</p><p>The environmental legislation concerning air pollution from merchant vessels will in a near future be even stricter, thus they will have an increasing impact on the ships operation. Fuel change-overs will be a more frequent event as in some areas distillate fuels are required to meet the demands on low sulphur emissions. At the same time the economical advantages of heavy fuel oil makes it preferable to use in other areas.</p>

Under vårt sista år var vi intresserade av att ta reda på de problem som vi kan stöta på i våra yrkesroller som fartygsingenjörer. Arbetet tar upp de tekniska problem som uppstår p.g.a. de allt strängare kraven på minskade svavelutsläpp från fartyg. De tekniska problemen härstammar från de olika bränslekvaliteternas vitt skilda egenskaper. Som svar på dessa problem har det utvecklats tekniska lösningar varav två stycken har tagits upp i detta arbete. För att ta reda på vilka tekniska problem som kan uppstå tog vi del av den berörda utrustningens tillverkares erfarenheter enligt empirisk modell. Enligt samma modell har vi även utfört en kvalitativ intervju med en teknisk chef för att ta del av dennes erfarenheter. Miljölagarna rörande luftföroreningar från fartyg kommer med tiden stramas åt allt mer, varpå de kommer få en än mer betydande inverkan på fartygsdriften i framtiden. Bränsleövergångar ombord kommer att bli ett mer frekvent inslag då destillatbränslen krävs för att följa vissa områdens utsläppsregler men samtidigt nyttja tjockolja i så stor utsträckning som möjligt av ekonomiska skäl. / During our final year, we developed an interest in the difficulties we may encounter as marine engineers. This diploma thesis concerns the technical issues that occur due to new regulations concerning the sulphur emissions from merchant vessels. These technical issues are a consequence of the vast property differences between fuel qualities. As a result of these problems, technical solutions have been developed as a countermeasure, of which two have been presented in this comprehensive report. In order to identify the difficulties that may arise we analysed the manufacturers experiences in an empirical method. Using the same method we conducted an in-depth interview with a chief engineer in order to take part of his experiences. The environmental legislation concerning air pollution from merchant vessels will in a near future be even stricter, thus they will have an increasing impact on the ships operation. Fuel change-overs will be a more frequent event as in some areas distillate fuels are required to meet the demands on low sulphur emissions. At the same time the economical advantages of heavy fuel oil makes it preferable to use in other areas.

Oil spills, especially in water have happened throughout the years. The consequences from this kind of incident have always been a threat to marine life and take a lot of money and time to clean up. The forensic investigations of oil usually focus on oil spill in water, however, this kind of investigation can be applied on more areas, such as in sexual offense cases and arson. The oil from the crime scene and the oil from the suspected source are analyzed and compared to each other to see if the compositions match. The aim of this thesis was to optimize the clean-up process of heavy fuel oil (HFO) using solid-phase extraction (SPE) according to the European Committee for standardization (CEN) 15522-2 method. HFOs are black oils, containing particles and soot which will decrease injector performance. Thus, a cleanup procedure is attractive when analyzing such samples. The three factors of optimization in this study were elution volumes, solvents, and SPE sorbents.The SPE method used in this study was to use the cartridges as a filter; therefore, the samples were both loaded and eluted with an organic solvent, in this case dichloromethane (DCM) or dichloromethane/heptane (DCM/Hp). The gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis method used is described in Annex B in the CEN 15522-2 method.Concluding, increasing the eluent volume did not indicate improvement on the extraction method. In terms of the solvents, both dichloromethane and dichloromethane/heptane showed similar results. The percentage weathering plots (PW-plots) showed that the SPE sorbents (dual layer florisil/Na2SO4, florisil and silica gel sorbents) worked similar. The overall conclusion from this thesis work was that further optimization must be made before implementing the method.

This semestral thesis deals with visualization of intracranial EEG. In the first part, theoretical basics of EEG is mentioned. After that, image registration, as a needed tool for visualization is described followed by research of methods of visualization of high frequency oscilations from intracranial EEG. Finally, method for visualization of high frequency oscilations from EEG in real MRI patient scans is designed and implemented.

The demand for metals is great for the purpose of developing green technologies, and EU has listed 30 metals and minerals that are of critical importance for the maintenance and evolving of today’s society, so called critical materials. However, mining of raw materials generates mine waste which can have adverse effect on human health, ecosystems, and surrounding areas. To be able to prevent the release of toxic levels of elements from mine waste, an understanding of how different elements behave in the secondary environments is necessary in order to use the most successful methods for mining remediation. It is common that secondary minerals, such as gypsum and/or HFOs (hydrous ferric oxides), forms in mine waste or in downstream environments, depending on the geochemical conditions. From prior studies, it is well established that trace elements are sorbed by HFO. But studies are scares regarding co-precipitation of elements with secondary gypsum formation, and few studies investigates the possibility of critical elements to be captured by secondary minerals. In this study, a prior unknown white precipitation along with tailings material from the Smaltjärnen tailings beach in Yxsjöberg, Sweden, has been investigated by combining mineralogical studies (SEM-EDS and DXRD analysis) with sequential extraction. The aim with the study was to identify the precipitation and to examine if critical elements had co-precipitated with the precipitation and HFOs within the sample. From the results it was possible to prove that the white precipitation was gypsum (CaSO4*2H2O), and it was indicated that some of the critical elements (beryllium for instance) showed affinity for gypsum, and that bismuth, tungsten, and chromium were sorped by HFOs. The combining of chemical analysis with mineralogical studies was of great importance for determining in which mineral phases the leached elements were situated, and the study has shown that secondary gypsum formation can be an important sink for some critical elements. More studies should be performed within this field of research to further investigate the importance of secondary minerals for scavenging of elements, not only to prevent toxic levels to be leached, but also to capture these elements in the purpose of re-mining. / Idag är behovet av metaller stort inom användningsområden för att utveckla gröna teknologier. EU har därför listat 30 metaller och mineral (kritiska material) som anses vara kritiska för att underhålla och utveckla dagens samhälle. Men brytning av råmaterial resulterar i generering av gruvavfall där avfallet potentiellt kan utgöra en risk för att skada bland annat människors hälsa och ekosystem. För att kunna förhindra att giftiga halter av grundämnen släpps ut från gruvavfall så krävs en förståelse om hur olika ämnen beter sig i sekundära miljöer, för att på så sätt kunna tillämpa de mest framgångsrika metoderna för sanering och återställning av gruvområden. Det är vanligt förekommande att sekundära mineraler (såsom gips och järnhydroxider) fälls ut i gruvavfallet och/eller nedströms om gruvområdet beroende på de geokemiska förhållandena. Tidigare studier har visat att spårämnen kan binda till järnhydroxider, men endast ett fåtal studier undersöker samutfällning av olika spårämnen tillsammans med sekundärt gips. Hur specifikt kritiska metaller kan fångas upp av sekundära mineral är ännu inte välstuderat. I denna studie har en vit, tidigare okänd, utfällning provtagits från en av deponierna med anrikningssand i den historiska volframgruvan i Yxsjöberg. Utfällningen identifierades genom att kombinera mineralogiska studier (SEM-EDS och DXRD analys) med kemiska lakvattenanalyser från en sekventiell lakning. Målet med studien var att mineralogiskt karaktärisera den okända utfällningen och att undersöka om kritiska ämnen möjligen samutfällts tillsammans med de sekundära mineralen. Studien visade att utfällningen var sekundärt gips (CaSO4*2H2O) och det kunde påvisas att vissa kritiska metaller visade affinitet för gipset (exempelvis beryllium) och att andra kritiska metaller samutfällts/adsorberats av järnhydroxider. Att kombinera dom olika metoderna visade sig att vara till stor nytta för att kunna påvisa vilka mineral dom olika grundämnena var bundna till, och studien har även visat att sekundärt gips kan vara en sänka för vissa kritiska metaller. Mer studier bör utföras inom detta forskningsområde i framtiden för att vidare undersöka hur sekundära mineral kan binda kritiska metaller, inte endast för att förhindra att giftiga halter av metaller släpps ut, utan också för att undersöka möjligheten att återvinna gruvavfallet för utvinning av kritiska metaller.