Nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) is a promising material for Thin-Film Transistors (TFTs) offering potentially higher mobilities and improved stability over hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). The slow growth rate of nc-Si:H can be overcome by using pulsed Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD). Pulsed PECVD also reduces powder particle formation in the plasma and provides added degrees of freedom for process optimization. Unlike high frequency PECVD, pulsed PECVD can be scaled to deposit films over large areas with no reduction in performance. For this thesis, silicon thin films were deposited by the pulsed PECVD technique at a temperature of 150 ??C and TFTs were made using this material. Radio Frequency (RF) power and silane (SiH₄) flow rate were varied in order to study the effect of different levels of crystallinity on the film. Raman spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), electrical conductivity, Hall mobility, optical band gap, and stability under light-soaking were measured using films of two different thicknesses, 50 nm and 300 nm. From the Raman data we see that the 50 nm films deposited with high hydrogen dilution are mostly amorphous, indicating the presence of a thick incubation layer. The 300nm samples deposited with hydrogen dilution, on the other hand, showed very high crystallinity and conductivity, except for 300-2 which was surprisingly, mostly amorphous. AFM and XRD measurements were also performed to confirm the Raman data and get an estimate for the crystallite grain size in the 300 nm samples. The conductivity was measured for all films, and the Hall mobility and carrier concentration was measured for one of the 300 nm films. The thin samples which are mostly amorphous show low conductivity whereas the thick high crystallinity films show high conductivity, and n-type behaviour possibly due to oxygen doping. The optical gap was also measured using Ultra Violet (UV) light and results indicate the possible presence of small crystallites in the 50 nm films. The conductivity's stability under light-soaking was measured to observe the material's susceptibility to degradation, and the 300 nm with high crystallinity were much more stable than the a-Si:H films. All the results of these measurements varied depending on the film and these results are discussed. Bottom-gate TFTs were fabricated using a pulsed PECVD channel layer and an amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiN:H) gate dielectric. The extracted parameters of one of the best TFTs are <i>&mu;_sat</i> &le; 0. 38 cm² V^-1 s^-1, <i>V_t,sat</i> &ge; 7. 3 V, <i>I_on/off</i> > 10⁶, and <i>S</i> < 1 V/decade. These parameters were extracted semi-automatically from the basic Field-Effect Transistor (FET) model using a computer program. Extraction using a more complicated model yielded similar results for mobility and threshold voltage but also gave a large power parameter <i>&alpha;</i> of 2. 31 and conduction band tail slope of 30 meV. The TFT performance and material properties are presented and discussed. On this first attempt at fabricating TFTs using a nc-Si:H channel layer deposited by pulsed PECVD, results were obtained which are consistent with results for low temperature a-Si:H TFTs and previous pulsed PECVD TFTs. The channel layer was mostly amorphous and non-crystalline, possibly due to the amorphous substrate or insufficient hydrogen dilution in the plasma. The 300 nm films showed, however, that high crystallinity material deposited directly on glass can easily be obtained, and this material showed less degradation under light-soaking than the purely amorphous counterpart. Pulsed PECVD is a promising technique for the growth of nc-Si:H and with further materials development and process optimization for TFTs, it may prove to be useful for the growth of high-quality nc-Si:H TFT channel layers.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) is a promising material for Thin-Film Transistors (TFTs) offering potentially higher mobilities and improved stability over hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). The slow growth rate of nc-Si:H can be overcome by using pulsed Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD). Pulsed PECVD also reduces powder particle formation in the plasma and provides added degrees of freedom for process optimization. Unlike high frequency PECVD, pulsed PECVD can be scaled to deposit films over large areas with no reduction in performance. For this thesis, silicon thin films were deposited by the pulsed PECVD technique at a temperature of 150 °C and TFTs were made using this material. Radio Frequency (RF) power and silane (SiH₄) flow rate were varied in order to study the effect of different levels of crystallinity on the film. Raman spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), electrical conductivity, Hall mobility, optical band gap, and stability under light-soaking were measured using films of two different thicknesses, 50 nm and 300 nm. From the Raman data we see that the 50 nm films deposited with high hydrogen dilution are mostly amorphous, indicating the presence of a thick incubation layer. The 300nm samples deposited with hydrogen dilution, on the other hand, showed very high crystallinity and conductivity, except for 300-2 which was surprisingly, mostly amorphous. AFM and XRD measurements were also performed to confirm the Raman data and get an estimate for the crystallite grain size in the 300 nm samples. The conductivity was measured for all films, and the Hall mobility and carrier concentration was measured for one of the 300 nm films. The thin samples which are mostly amorphous show low conductivity whereas the thick high crystallinity films show high conductivity, and n-type behaviour possibly due to oxygen doping. The optical gap was also measured using Ultra Violet (UV) light and results indicate the possible presence of small crystallites in the 50 nm films. The conductivity's stability under light-soaking was measured to observe the material's susceptibility to degradation, and the 300 nm with high crystallinity were much more stable than the a-Si:H films. All the results of these measurements varied depending on the film and these results are discussed. Bottom-gate TFTs were fabricated using a pulsed PECVD channel layer and an amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiN:H) gate dielectric. The extracted parameters of one of the best TFTs are <i>&mu;_sat</i> &le; 0. 38 cm² V^-1 s^-1, <i>V_t,sat</i> &ge; 7. 3 V, <i>I_on/off</i> > 10⁶, and <i>S</i> < 1 V/decade. These parameters were extracted semi-automatically from the basic Field-Effect Transistor (FET) model using a computer program. Extraction using a more complicated model yielded similar results for mobility and threshold voltage but also gave a large power parameter <i>&alpha;</i> of 2. 31 and conduction band tail slope of 30 meV. The TFT performance and material properties are presented and discussed. On this first attempt at fabricating TFTs using a nc-Si:H channel layer deposited by pulsed PECVD, results were obtained which are consistent with results for low temperature a-Si:H TFTs and previous pulsed PECVD TFTs. The channel layer was mostly amorphous and non-crystalline, possibly due to the amorphous substrate or insufficient hydrogen dilution in the plasma. The 300 nm films showed, however, that high crystallinity material deposited directly on glass can easily be obtained, and this material showed less degradation under light-soaking than the purely amorphous counterpart. Pulsed PECVD is a promising technique for the growth of nc-Si:H and with further materials development and process optimization for TFTs, it may prove to be useful for the growth of high-quality nc-Si:H TFT channel layers.

This research work evaluates the quality of built housing environment and the improvement of the quality of life for the beneficiary communities under the South African Housing Policy. It pays special reference to the Case Study of Waterloo and Quarry Heights within the jurisdiction of Durban Unicity. In order to assess the quality of built housing environment whether it has a potential to improve the quality of life for the client communities the researcher set indicators which are: Integrated planned housing environment, residential quality, suitable building material, secured housing environments, standard of dwelling units, housing environment with economic infrastructure, housing environment that allows fleXibility and extension, and housing environment that has got development infrastructure and social services. These indicators are used in this study as important tool in evaluating the quality of built housing environment. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of Natal, 2002.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

This diploma thesis studies in depth the progress and endings of both Napoleon's reigns in 1814 and 1815. The first chapter deals with belligerent campaigns in the beginning of 1814, with the first Napoleon's abdication and his deportation to Elba. His exile there is examined in the second chapter which shows his living on a small island in the Mediterranean sea. The third chapter takes place on the Continent again and describes Bonaparte's escape and his sequential armament within France including the view on Allies' forces and problems in Naples. The fourth chapter is genuinely military for it examines number of forces on both sides and mentions all three important battles. The last, fifth, chapter looks at the second Napoleon's abdication, at interlude since his departure for the South, entrance of Allies into Francie and return of Louis XVIII until Bonaparte's final embarking on a British vessel and his deportation to the island of Saint Helena. Key words: Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor, abdication, Elba island, The Congress of Vienna, Quatre Bras, Ligny, Waterloo, Gebhard von Blücher, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Joseph Fouché, Louis XVIII

The Abstract This diploma thesis discusses three lawsuits at the period of normalization, when participants were sued and later sentenced for provocation and denigration of the Czechoslovak Socialistic Republic and its representatives during their theatre activity or improvisation with theatrical elements. The first from three lawsuits had been taking place during 1971 and 1972 in Ostrava. There was a parody of the novel called Son polka by Valentin Katajev put on stage in the Waterloo Theatre in 1969. The production was banned after several repetitions. Some participants were involved in producing the Tramp magazine which was unwanted and watched by the state authority. There was and editorial board organized by this magazine like a tramp party where besides other songs Son polka's songs were sung. Shortly after those events the members from the Waterloo Theatre: Petr Podhrázký, Ivan Binar, Josef Frais, Petr Ullmann, Edvard Schiffauer a Tomáš Sláma were arrested and sentenced to jail. The second case took place in Kroměříž in 1974. A group of friends led by an amateur puppeteer Emil Hauptmann had staged an improvised presentation during the Hostýn pilgrimage. Playing the puppets Emil Hauptmann committed lots of utterances which were considered as provocations according to an actual penal code and that is...

People have always been fascinated by the extent to which belief or will may influence<p>behavior. Proverbs, like “we tend to get what we expect,” and concepts, such as optimistic<p>thinking or self-fulfilling prophecy, reflect this intuition of an important link between one’s<p>dispositions and subsequent behavior. In other words, one’s predictions directly or<p>indirectly cause them to become true. In a similar manner, every culture, country or<p>religion has their own words for ‘expectation,’ ‘belief,’ ‘disappointment,’ ‘surprise,’ and<p>generally all have the same meaning: under uncertainty, what one expects or believes is the<p>most likely to happen. This relation between what caused a reaction in the past will<p>probably cause it again in the future might not be realistic. If the expected outcome is not<p>confirmed, it may result in a personal ‘disappointment’, and if the outcome fits no<p>expectations, it will be a ‘surprise’. Our brain is hardwired with this heuristic capacity of<p>learning the cause-effect relationship and to project its probability as the basis for much of<p>our behavior, as well as cognitions. This experience-based expectation is a form of<p>learning that helps the brain to bypass an exhaustive search in finding a satisfactory<p>solution. Expectations may thus be considered an innate theory of causality; that is, a set of<p>factors (causes) generating a given phenomenon (effects) influence the way we treat<p>incoming information but also the way we retrieve the stored information. These<p>expectancy templates may well represent one of the basic rules of how the brain processes<p>information, affecting the way we perceive the world, direct our attention and deal with<p>conflicting information. In fact, expectations have been shown to influence our judgments<p>and social interactions, along with our volition to individually decide and commit to a<p>particular course of action. However, people’s expectations may elicit the anticipation of<p>their own automatic reactions to various situations and behaviors cues, and can explain that<p>expecting to feel an increase in alertness after coffee consumption leads to experiencing<p>the consequent physiologic and behavioral states. We call this behavior-response<p>expectancy. This non-volitional form of expectation has been shown to influence<p>cognitions such as memory, pain, visual awareness, implicit learning and attention, through<p>the mediation of phenomena like placebo effects and hypnotic behaviors. Importantly,when talking about expectations, placebo and hypnosis, it is important to note that we are<p>also talking about suggestion and its modulating capability. In other words, suggestion has<p>the power to create response expectancies that activate automatic responses, which will, in<p>turn, influence cognition and behavior so as to shape them congruently with the expected<p>outcome. Accordingly, hypnotic inductions are a systematic manipulation of expectancy,<p>similar to placebo, and therefore they both work in a similar way. Considering such<p>assumptions, the major question we address in this PhD thesis is to know if these<p>expectancy-based mechanisms are capable of modulating more high-level information<p>processing such as cognitive conflict resolution, as is present in the well-known Stroop<p>task. In fact, in a recent series of studies, reduction or elimination of Stroop congruency<p>effects was obtained through suggestion and hypnotic induction. In this PhD thesis, it is<p>asked whether a suggestion reinforced by placebos, operating through response-expectancy<p>mechanisms, is able to induce a top-down cognitive modulation to overcome cognitive<p>conflict in the Stroop task, similar to those results found using suggestion and hypnosis<p>manipulation. / Doctorat en Sciences Psychologiques et de l'éducation / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished