Steady-state and transient surface photovoltages in undoped GaN are studied in various environments (air, nitrogen, oxygen, vacuum) at room temperature and 400 K with a Kelvin probe attached to an optical cryostat. The results are explained within a phenomenological model accounting for the accumulation of photo-generated holes at the surface, capture of free electrons from the bulk over the near-surface potential barrier, and emission of electrons from surface states into the bulk. Mechanisms of surface photovoltage are discussed in detail. Photoadsorption and photodesorption of negatively charged species will either increase or decrease the surface potential and thus band bending. Oxygen is the assumed species responsible for the SPV changes in air ambient during continuous UV illumination. This variation in SPV will be confirmed with photoluminescence measurements.

Resultados antigos de potencial de superfície de filmes de Langmuir não eram reprodutíveis, devido B presença de impurezas na subfase aquosa sobre a qual os filmes se formavam. Dados recentes para o ácido esteárico, no entanto, mostram um comportamento reprodutível Neste trabalho, foi promovida com sucesso uma recaracterização através de medidas de pressão de superfície (II) e potencial de superfície (&#916V) de compostos alifáticos simples (álcoois, ésteres, ácido e amina), obtidos sobre subfases devidamente purificadas. Os resultados obtidos são inéditos e mostram que o potencial de superfície desses filmes é nulo para grandes valores de área molecular média (A), aumentando a partir de um valor de área crítico, Acr, até atingir um valor máximo, &#916Vmax. Modelos para o potencial de superfície de filmes de Langmuir mostram boa concordância com os resultados obtidos. As curvas de pressão e potencial de superfície para os álcoois e ésteres praticamente não se modificam pela alteração do pH da subfase na faixa de 1 a 13. Porém para a amina e ácido há grandes alterações, principalmente nas curvas de potencial de superfície, em virtude da contribuição da dupla camada elétrica. Foram produzidos, também, filmes de Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) a partir de monocamadas de ácido esteárico que foram caracterizados através de medidas de potencial de superfície, com o objetivo de comprovar a importância da contribuição dipolar para o potencial desses filmes. Os resultados indicam que além da contribuição dipolar, há uma contribuição negativa (em tomo de -200 mV) da interface substrato/filme. O potencial de superfície se confirma como uma técnica de caracterização bastante sensível, tanto para filmes de Langmuir como para filmes LB. / Old surface potential data in the literature were not reproducible, because of impurities in the aqueous subphase where the monolayers were formed. Recent data for stearic acid, however, show a reproducible behavior. In this work, a recharacterization of surface presssure (II) and surface potential (&#916V) for Langmuir monolayers of simple aliphatic compounds (alcohols, esters, acid and amine), fabricated over conveniently pure subphases, were successfully carried out. These new results show that the surface potential is zero for large areas per molecule and only increased below a critical area per molecule, Acr. Surface potential models for Langmuir films are in good agreement with the data obtained. There is almost no change in the surface pressure and surface potential for alcohols and esters for a subphase pH range of 1 to 13. However, for amine and acid large changes are observed, mainly in the surface potential curves, because of the electric double layer contribution Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films were deposited from stearic acid monolayers. They were characterized by surface potential measurements in order to confirm the importance of the contribution from dipole moments of the film-forming molecules. The results also point towards a negative contribution (around - 200 mV) due to the film/substrate interface. The surface potential technique has been demonstrated to be a very sensitive characterization technique for Langmuir monolayers as well as for LB films.

O decaimento do potencial de superfície de um isolante carregado por um pulso rápido de descarga corona é estudado supondo-se densidade finita de armadilhas profundas, o que generaliza o cálculo anterior de Rudenko. Supõe-se que uma fração da carga depositada na superfície é instantaneamente injetada, obtendo- se o potencial como função do tempo, bem como o potencial residual. O comportamento assintótico do potencial é estudado para o caso em que toda a carga da superfície é\' instantaneamente injetada. são apresentados alguns gráficos do transiente,correspondentes a particulares valores dos parâmetros que levam a expressões mais simples / The decay of the surface pontential of a sample,corona charged by a pulse, is studied. It is assumed a finite density of deep traps,and this makes our calculation a generalization of previous work by Rudenko. It is supposed that a fraction of the charge deposited on the surface moves inside the sample and the potential as a function of the time is obtained as well as the residual potential. The asymptotic behavior of the potential is also obtained when alI the charge is injected. Those transients leading to simples mathematical expressions are shown in graphs

A evolução do potencial de superfície de amostras dielétricas é calculada através da resolução de modelos teóricos pelo método numérico de diferenças finitas. São considerados os fenômenos de polarização elétrica, condutividade intrínseca, injeção de carga espacial, dissociação iônica no volume da amostra e difusão de moléculas, através da superfície da amostra, as quais podem se dissociar no volume. A subida do potencial de superfície é calculada para cada caso e também são discutidas as situações nas quais se consideram a ocorrência de dois fenômenos. Procura-se, com a ajuda dos modelos desenvolvidos, interpretar o comportamento geral da subida do potencial em função do tempo para amostras ferroelétricas (polímero PVDF-beta e copolímero P(VDF-TrFE)) e amostras não ferroelétricas (polímero PVDF-alfa). / The finite-difference method has been employed for the determination of the surface potencial buildup of dielectric samples. In the models several processes have been considered such as the electric polarization, intrinsic conductivity, space charge injection, ionic dissociation and diffusion of molecules which dissociates in the sample bulk. The surface potential has been determined for each case considering two different phenomena. The models developed throughout the work are used for interpreting surface potential buildup curves of ferroelectric materials (PVDF-beta and P(VDF-TrFE) copolymers) and also of non-ferroelectric PVDF-alfa samples.

Cell-semiconductor hybrid systems are a potential centerpiece in the scenery of biotechnological applications. The selection and study of promising crystalline semiconductor materials for bio-sensing applications is at the basis of the development of such hybrid systems. In this work we introduce crystalline SiC as an extremely appealing material for bio-applications. For the first time we report biocompatibility studies of different SiC polytypes whose results document the biocompatibility of this material and its capability of directly interfacing cells without the need of surface functionalization. Since the successful implementation of biosensors requires a good understanding and versatile control of the semiconductor surface properties, the chemistry, crystallography and electronic status of different SiC surfaces are extensively studied while their surface morphologies are thoroughly controlled via hydrogen etching. Also, investigations of the effect of cell surface charge on the electronic status of SiC surfaces are attempted adopting a contactless surface potential monitoring technique. The results obtained from these contactless measurements lead to the development of theoretical models well-suited for the description of cell-semiconductor hybrid systems electronic interactions.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Helsinky Univ. of Technology, 2001. / Title from title screen (viewed Oct. 14, 2005). Includes bibliographical references.

Atrial arrhythmias are the most prevalent sustained cardiac arrhythmias. Rates of hospitalisation and costs incurred to healthcare organisations are increasing in epidemic proportions. Despite this, the mechanisms of the transition from sinus rhythm to arrhythmic states are not well understood. The high level of regional electrical heterogeneity observed in the atria is thought to contribute towards the high prevalence of atrial arrhythmias. However, current computer models of the intact human atria only account for a small degree of this regional electrical heterogeneity, and do not include descriptions of the pacemaker regions of the sinoatrial node and the atrioventricular node. In this project, a new computational model of the intact 3D human atria is developed. First, a new single cell model to simulate the electrical action potential of the human atrial myocyte is developed. This model more accurately simulated the experimentally observed properties of human atrial action potentials than previous models. A family of electrically heterogeneous models describing the major regions within the atria is then developed, including those of the sinoatrial- and atrioventricular- nodes. This set of regional cell models represents the most expansive and complete set currently available. It is demonstrated that the large range of different electrical properties results in a large range of action potential morphology and duration within the atria. Models of the effect of sympathetic and parasympathetic regulation on the electrical AP of the models of the atrial working myocardium and the pacemaker regions were also incorporated. This demonstrated that sympathetic regulation can increase the pacing rate of the sinoatrial node and the atrio-ventricular node, and has a complex dose dependent effect on the atrial working myocardium. Four distinct models of the effects of atrial fibrillation induced remodelling on the atrial working myocardium are developed. These characterised the effect of remodelling of IKur on the overall changes in action potential morphology and duration observed. It is shown that the presence or absence of remodelling of this channel accounts for two distinct observed morphologies. A previous 3D anatomical model of the human atria is improved. First, detailed anatomical models for the sinoatrial node and the atrioventricular node are incorporated into the model. Second, it is further segmented to include regions for the pulmonary veins, atrio-ventricular ring, atrial septum and sinoatrial node block zone. This model is used to investigate the effects of sympathetic and parasympathetic regulation in the 3D atria. Finally, a detailed investigation of the underlying mechanisms of atrial fibrillation in the 3D atria, and the effect of electrical remodelling on the behaviour of atrial fibrillation, is performed using the detailed 3D model. This work represents a significant advance in 3D human atrial modelling. The anatomical model incorporates a greater level of complexity than previous models, and for the first time allowed investigation of the pacemaking mechanisms in the 3D intact human atria. The atrial fibrillation protocols are more physiologically relevant than previous models and have elucidated the roles that electrophysiological remodelling, electrical heterogeneity and structural anisotropy play in the development and maintenance of atrial fibrillation.

abstract: The scaling of transistors has numerous advantages such as increased memory density, less power consumption and better performance; but on the other hand, they also give rise to many reliability issues. One of the major reliability issue is the hot carrier injection and the effect it has on device degradation over time which causes serious circuit malfunctions. Hot carrier injection has been studied from early 1980's and a lot of research has been done on the various hot carrier injection mechanisms and how the devices get damaged due to this effect. However, most of the existing hot carrier degradation models do not consider the physics involved in the degradation process and they just calculate the change in threshold voltage for different stress voltages and time. Based on this, an analytical expression is formulated that predicts the device lifetime. This thesis starts by discussing various hot carrier injection mechanisms and the effects it has on the device. Studies have shown charges getting trapped in gate oxide and interface trap generation are two mechanisms for device degradation. How various device parameters get affected due to these traps is discussed here. The physics based models such as lucky hot electron model and substrate current model are presented and gives an idea how the gate current and substrate current can be related to hot carrier injection and density of traps created. Devices are stressed under various voltages and from the experimental data obtained, the density of trapped charges and interface traps are calculated using mid-gap technique. In this thesis, a simple analytical model based on substrate current is used to calculate the density of trapped charges in oxide and interface traps generated and it is a function of stress voltage and stress time. The model is verified against the data and the TCAD simulations. Finally, the analytical model is incorporated in a Verilog-A model and based on the surface potential method, the threshold voltage shift due to hot carrier stress is calculated. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Electrical Engineering 2017

A evolução do potencial de superfície de amostras dielétricas é calculada através da resolução de modelos teóricos pelo método numérico de diferenças finitas. São considerados os fenômenos de polarização elétrica, condutividade intrínseca, injeção de carga espacial, dissociação iônica no volume da amostra e difusão de moléculas, através da superfície da amostra, as quais podem se dissociar no volume. A subida do potencial de superfície é calculada para cada caso e também são discutidas as situações nas quais se consideram a ocorrência de dois fenômenos. Procura-se, com a ajuda dos modelos desenvolvidos, interpretar o comportamento geral da subida do potencial em função do tempo para amostras ferroelétricas (polímero PVDF-beta e copolímero P(VDF-TrFE)) e amostras não ferroelétricas (polímero PVDF-alfa). / The finite-difference method has been employed for the determination of the surface potencial buildup of dielectric samples. In the models several processes have been considered such as the electric polarization, intrinsic conductivity, space charge injection, ionic dissociation and diffusion of molecules which dissociates in the sample bulk. The surface potential has been determined for each case considering two different phenomena. The models developed throughout the work are used for interpreting surface potential buildup curves of ferroelectric materials (PVDF-beta and P(VDF-TrFE) copolymers) and also of non-ferroelectric PVDF-alfa samples.

Resultados antigos de potencial de superfície de filmes de Langmuir não eram reprodutíveis, devido B presença de impurezas na subfase aquosa sobre a qual os filmes se formavam. Dados recentes para o ácido esteárico, no entanto, mostram um comportamento reprodutível Neste trabalho, foi promovida com sucesso uma recaracterização através de medidas de pressão de superfície (II) e potencial de superfície (&#916V) de compostos alifáticos simples (álcoois, ésteres, ácido e amina), obtidos sobre subfases devidamente purificadas. Os resultados obtidos são inéditos e mostram que o potencial de superfície desses filmes é nulo para grandes valores de área molecular média (A), aumentando a partir de um valor de área crítico, Acr, até atingir um valor máximo, &#916Vmax. Modelos para o potencial de superfície de filmes de Langmuir mostram boa concordância com os resultados obtidos. As curvas de pressão e potencial de superfície para os álcoois e ésteres praticamente não se modificam pela alteração do pH da subfase na faixa de 1 a 13. Porém para a amina e ácido há grandes alterações, principalmente nas curvas de potencial de superfície, em virtude da contribuição da dupla camada elétrica. Foram produzidos, também, filmes de Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) a partir de monocamadas de ácido esteárico que foram caracterizados através de medidas de potencial de superfície, com o objetivo de comprovar a importância da contribuição dipolar para o potencial desses filmes. Os resultados indicam que além da contribuição dipolar, há uma contribuição negativa (em tomo de -200 mV) da interface substrato/filme. O potencial de superfície se confirma como uma técnica de caracterização bastante sensível, tanto para filmes de Langmuir como para filmes LB. / Old surface potential data in the literature were not reproducible, because of impurities in the aqueous subphase where the monolayers were formed. Recent data for stearic acid, however, show a reproducible behavior. In this work, a recharacterization of surface presssure (II) and surface potential (&#916V) for Langmuir monolayers of simple aliphatic compounds (alcohols, esters, acid and amine), fabricated over conveniently pure subphases, were successfully carried out. These new results show that the surface potential is zero for large areas per molecule and only increased below a critical area per molecule, Acr. Surface potential models for Langmuir films are in good agreement with the data obtained. There is almost no change in the surface pressure and surface potential for alcohols and esters for a subphase pH range of 1 to 13. However, for amine and acid large changes are observed, mainly in the surface potential curves, because of the electric double layer contribution Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films were deposited from stearic acid monolayers. They were characterized by surface potential measurements in order to confirm the importance of the contribution from dipole moments of the film-forming molecules. The results also point towards a negative contribution (around - 200 mV) due to the film/substrate interface. The surface potential technique has been demonstrated to be a very sensitive characterization technique for Langmuir monolayers as well as for LB films.