Kwok Pui-ho. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [79]-85). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter CHAPTER 1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter CHAPTER 2 --- NONLINEAR BEHAVIOR OF RF POWER AMPLIFIERS --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1 --- Single Tone Excitation --- p.6 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- AM-AM Conversion --- p.7 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- AM-PM Conversion --- p.9 / Chapter 2.2 --- Two-Tone Excitation --- p.11 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Intermodulation Distortion --- p.12 / Chapter 2.3 --- Digitally Modulated Signal Excitation --- p.13 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Spectral Regeneration --- p.14 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Adjacent Channel Power Ratio (ACPR) --- p.16 / Chapter CHAPTER 3 --- LINEARIZATION TECHNIQUES --- p.18 / Chapter 3.1 --- pre-distortion --- p.20 / Chapter 3.2 --- Feed-forward Techniques --- p.23 / Chapter 3.3 --- Harmonics Control Techniques --- p.24 / Chapter CHAPTER 4 --- SPECTRAL REGROWTH ANALYSIS USING VOLTERRA SERIES METHOD --- p.26 / Chapter 4.1 --- Introduction To Volterra Series Analysis --- p.27 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Linear and Nonlinear Systems --- p.27 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- Evaluation of Volterra transfer function --- p.29 / Chapter 4.1.3 --- Volterra Series Analysis of Spectral Regrowth --- p.31 / Chapter 4.2 --- Nonlinear Model of GaAs MESFET Device --- p.33 / Chapter 4.3 --- Evaluation Of Nonlinear Responses --- p.35 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- First-Order Response --- p.36 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Second-Order Response --- p.38 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- Third-Order Response --- p.39 / Chapter CHAPTER 5 --- EFFECT OF HARMONIC TUNING ON SPECTRAL REGROWTH --- p.42 / Chapter 5.1 --- Simulation of Digitally Modulated Signal --- p.43 / Chapter 5.2 --- Effect of Source Second Harmonic Termination --- p.44 / Chapter CHAPTER 6 --- EXPERIMENTAL VERIFICATION --- p.48 / Chapter 6.1 --- Circuit Design and Construction --- p.49 / Chapter 6.2 --- Setup and Measurement --- p.55 / Chapter 6.3 --- Experimental Results --- p.56 / Chapter 6.3.1 --- Small Signal Measurement --- p.56 / Chapter 6.3.2 --- Single Tone Characterization --- p.57 / Chapter 6.3.3 --- Two-Tone Characterization --- p.59 / Chapter 6.3.4 --- ACPR Characterization --- p.60 / Chapter 6.4 --- Comparison of Measurement and Simulation --- p.66 / Chapter CHAPTER 7 --- NONLINEAR TRANSCONDUCTANCE COEFFICIENTS EXTRACTION --- p.68 / Chapter 7.1 --- Large Signal Model --- p.69 / Chapter 7.2 --- Extraction of Nonlinear Transconductance --- p.71 / Chapter 7.2.1 --- Extraction of g1 --- p.71 / Chapter 7.2.2 --- Extraction of g2 and g3 --- p.72 / Chapter CHAPTER 8 --- CONCLUSION --- p.76 / FUTURE WORK RECOMMENDATION --- p.78 / REFERENCE

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

Cette thèse présente une étude des propriétés de transport à basses températures de matériaux hybrides composés de nano-clusters de métaux supraconducteurs (Sn et Pb) auto-assemblés à la surface d'une feuille de graphène. L'auto-assemblage du métal réalise un réseau bi-dimensionnel désordonné de jonctions Josephson. La caractérisation des propriétés supraconductrices révèle une transition de type 'BKT' avec une température de transition dépendant de la morphologie de la surface. Les propriétés supraconductrices de ce système sont fortement influencées par la grille arrière, qui contrôle la résistance dans l'état normal du graphène. Le résultat le plus marquant de cette thèse a été obtenu en utilisant du graphène désordonné. La présence de défauts structuraux dans la maille de graphène induit un régime de localisation forte à basses températures. En faisant varier le voltage de grille, la résistance de tels échantillons peut varier de 3 ordres de grandeurs. Cette grande dynamique a été mise à contribution pour la réalisation d'une transition de phase supraconducteur-isolant dans des échantillons décorés à l'étain. L'étude de cette transition de phase quantique révèle un comportement de type percolatif et une résistivité universelle prédite par la théorie à la transition. Enfin, un travail préliminaire visant à réaliser des résonateurs mécaniques supraconducteurs à l'aide des ces matériaux hybrides est également présenté. / This thesis presents a study of the low temperature transport properties of hybrid materials made of superconducting metals (Sn and Pb) nano-clusters self-assembled onto the surface of a graphene sheet. The self-assembly realizes a two-dimensional disordered array of Josephson junctions. Characterization of the superconducting properties reveals a transition of the 'BKT' kind, with a transition temperature that depends on surface morphology. The superconducting properties are strongly affected by the gate voltage, which controls the normal state resistance of the graphene sheet. The main result of this thesis was obtained using disordered graphene. The presence of structural defects in the graphene lattice induces a regime of strong localization at low temperatures. Upon varying the gate voltage, the resistance of such samples can change by 3 orders of magnitude. Taking advantage of the large dynamics offered by the gate voltage, we have induced a superconductor-insulator transition in Sn-decorated samples. The study of that quantum phase transition reveals a percolating behavior near the threshold and the universal value of resistivity predicted by theory at the transition. Finally, a preliminary work aiming at using such an hybrid material to realize superconducting nano-electro-mechanical resonators is presented.

The growth of atomically flat silver films on Si(111) usually requires a two-step growth, including deposition at low temperature (≈100 K) followed by slowly annealing to room temperature. In addition, flat silver films are usually only obtained on Si(111) for film thicknesses larger than the critical thickness of 6 monolayer. In this work, Ag thin film formation at ambient temperature on Sn/Si(111)-√3×√3 has been investigated experimentally using a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy, scanning tunneling spectroscopy and low-energy electron diffraction. The first buffer layer, probably consisting of both Ag and Sn, formed a partially ordered structure consisting of atomic rows which mainly followed the high-symmetry directions of the underlying Si(111) lattice. From 3 ML coverage, an atomically flat Ag film was formed. Low-energy electron diffraction confirmed that the films grew in the [111]-direction. This shows that atomically flat Ag films as thin as 3 ML can be grown on Sn/Si(111)-√3×√3 by conventional deposition at room temperature. The electronic structures of the films were studied for a range of different coverages by scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The normalized tunneling conductance showed quantum well states in the occupied electronic states, which moved towards the Fermi energy with increasing film thicknesses.

No description available.

Les composés III-N, et le Nitrure de Gallium (GaN) en particulier, sont devenus des matériaux semi conducteurs importants pour l’ensemble de l’humanité. Depuis la fin des années 1990, ils ont permis le développement de composants électroluminescents fiables, diodes LED et diodes laser, qui constituent une solution de remplacement à rendement énergétique amélioré par rapport aux composants à incandescence. Il est possible qu’ils jouent aussi un rôle dans les nouvelles générations de composants pour l’électronique de puissance. Lors du développement des composants, des recherches expérimentales permettent de trouver assez rapidement des solutions pour réaliser les briques technologiques indispensables, mais le temps manque pour comprendre les mécanismes physiques mis en jeu. Nos travaux ont eu pour objectif d’approfondir la compréhension de l’influence de la structure physico-chimique sur les propriétés électriques des contacts ohmiques et Schottky sur GaN de type N. / Group III nitride semiconductor materials (III-N), and especially gallium nitride (GaN), are now key materials for the whole human kind. Since years 1990, reliable and energy-efficient light emitting devices have been developed based on III-N compounds providing higher efficiency replacement solutions to incandescent bulbs. The same III-N materials may also provide higher performance device solutions for power electronics, allowing multi-functional on-chip integration. During the industrial development of devices, experimental work is focused on finding rapidly good enough solutions for each technology brick, and on the eventual integration of the bricks into a complete device processing flow. Very often, little time and effort can be devoted to the understanding of the underlying physical and chemical processes. The aim of this work has been to study the influence of the physical and chemical material structures on the electrical properties of metal - GaN Ohmic and Schottky contacts.

Das Verhalten der elektronischen Eigenschaften von gespaltenen, aus der Schmelze gezüchteten In2O3-(111) Kristallen wurde bei Deposition von Edelmetallen, In und Sn mittels winkelaufgelöster Photoelektronen-Spektroskopie untersucht. Die Stöchiometrie, strukturelle Qualität und Kristall-Orientierung, die Oberflächenmorphologie und die Elektronenkonzentration wurden jeweils mittels energiedispersiver Röntgenspektroskopie, Laue-Beugung, Raster Tunnel-Mikroskopie (STM) und Hall-Effekt untersucht. Die Ähnlichkeit der fundamentalen und Oberflächen-Bandlücken kann auf das fast flache Verhalten der Bänder auf der gespaltenen Oberfläche der Kristalle zurückgeführt werden. Die Grenzflächen von Ag und Au/In2O3 zeigen Schottky-Verhalten, während ein ohmscher in Cu, In und Sn /In2O3-Kontakten beobachtet wurde. Aufgrund der Übereinstimmung zwischen optischen und Oberflächen-Bandlücken, der Bildung eines Gleichrichterkontaktes und des Auftretens der Oberflächenphotospannung auf der frischen Kristalloberfläche kann gefolgert werden, dass SEAL nicht eine intrinsische Eigenschaft der gespaltenen Oberfläche der untersuchten Kristalle ist. Des Weiteren wurden bei dicker Au- und Cu-Beschichtung von In2O3 bei Raumtemperatur Shockley-artige Oberflächenzustände beobachtet. Zusätzlich wurde die erste Phase des Wachstums von Cu und In auf In2O3 von der Ausbildung eines 2-dimensionalen Elektrongases (2DEG) begleitet, welches bei dickeren Schichten verschwand, die von dem auf reinen Oberflächen von dünnen In2O3- Filmen gemessenen 2DEG verschieden sind. Nach Messung der Austrittarbeit von In2O3 und den jeweils untersuchten Metallen in situ und unter Verwendung der Schottky-Mott-Regel trat außer bei Ag/In2O3 eine deutliche Abweichung auf. Die experimentellen Ergebnisse stimmen auch mit fortgeschrittenen Theorien, die auf dem Elektronegativitätskonzept und MIGS–Modellen basieren, nicht überein. / The behavior of the electronic properties of as-cleaved melt-grown In2O3 (111) single crystals was studied upon noble metals, In and Sn deposition using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The stoichiometry, structural quality and crystal orientation, surface morphology, and the electron concentration were examined by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Laue diffraction, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and Hall-effect measurement, respectively. The similarity of the measured-fundamental and surface-band gaps reveals the nearly flat behavior of the bands at the as-cleaved surface of the crystals. Ag and Au/In2O3 interfaces show Schottky behavior, while an ohmic one was observed in Cu, In, and Sn/In2O3 contacts. From agreement of the bulk and surface band gaps, rectifying contact formation as well as the occurrence of photovoltage effect at the pristine surface of the crystals, it can be deduced that SEAL is not an intrinsic property of the as-cleaved surface of the studied crystals. Moreover, for thick Au and Cu overlayer regime at room temperature, Shockley-like surface states were observed. Additionally, the initial stage of Cu and In growth on In2O3 was accompanied by the formation of a two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) fading away for higher coverages which are not associated with the earlier-detected 2DEG at the surface of In2O3 thin films. The application of the Schottky-Mott rule, using in situ-measured work functions of In2O3 and the metals, showed a strong disagreement for all the interfaces except for Ag/In2O3. The experimental data also disagree with more advanced theories based on the electronegativity concept and metal-induced gap states models.

The parallelization and vectorization of Monte Carlo algorithms for modelling charge transport in semiconductor devices are considered. The standard ensemble Monte Carlo simulation of a three parabolic band model for GaAs is first presented as partial verification of the simulation. The model includes scattering due to acoustic, polar-optical and intervalley phonons. This ensemble simulation is extended to a full device simulation by the addition of real-space positions, and solution for the electrostatic potential from the charge density distribution using Poisson's equation. Poisson's equation was solved using the cloud-in-cell scheme for charge assignment, finite differences for spatial discretization, and simultaneous over-relaxation for solution. The particle movement (acceleration and scattering) and the solution of Poisson's are both separately parallelized. The parallelization techniques used in both parts are based on the use of semaphores for the protection of shared resources and processor synchronization. The speed increase results for parallelization with and without vectorization on the Ardent Titan II are presented. The results show saturation due to memory access limitations at a speed increase of approximately 3.3 times the serial case when four processors are used. Vectorization alone provides a speed increase of approximately 1.6 times when compared with the nonvectorized serial case. It is concluded that the speed increase achieved with the Titan II is limited by memory access considerations and that this limitation is likely to plague shared memory machines for the forseeable future. For the program presented here, vectorization is concluded to provide a better speed increase per day of development time than parallelization. However, when vectorization is used in conjunction with parallelization, the speed increase due to vectorization is negligible. / Graduation date: 1993

The innovative design of flat panel volume computed tomography (CT) systems has recently led to the emergence of a wide spectrum of new applications for both diagnostic and interventional purposes, such as ultra-high resolution bone imaging, image guided interventions, dynamic CT angiography, and interventional neuroradiology. Most of these applications require low X-ray dose to limit potential harm to the patient. One of the main challenges of low dose imaging is to maintain a quantum noise limited system to achieve the highest possible signal to noise ratio (SNR) at a given dose. One potential method to achieve a quantum noise limited system is to employ a high gain detector. Current flat panel CT technology is based on indirect conversion detectors that contain a scintillator and hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) p-i-n photodetectors which have a gain below unity and require a specialized p-layer. In this thesis, an alternative detector to the p-i-n photodetector, which can achieve gain above unity and thus aid in achieving quantum noise limited systems is investigated for large area flat panel imaging. The proposed detector is based on amorphous selenium (a-Se). Amorphous selenium is the most highly developed photoconductor for large area direct conversion X-ray imaging and is still the only commercially available large area direct conversion flat panel X-ray detector. However, the use of a-Se for indirect conversion imaging has not been significantly explored. Amorphous selenium has field dependent mobility and conversion efficiency, which increase with increasing electric field. It is also the only large area compatible avalanche-capable material; a property that was discovered more than 30 years ago. This unique property could be leveraged to provide the gain necessary for low dose medical imaging applications. The only current commercial avalanche capable a-Se optical detector uses electron beam readout in vacuum, which is not large area compatible and makes integration with pixelated readout electronics challenging. The detector structure proposed in this research seeks to address the challenges associated with integration of an avalanche capable a-Se detector with large area X-ray imager. One important aspect in the development of a-Se avalanche detectors is reducing the dark current and preventing a-Se breakdown as the electric field across the device is increased. A high dark current reduces the dynamic range of the detector, it increases the noise level, and it can lead to crystallization of the detector due to joule heating. To overcome the dark current problem, different blocking layers that allow for integration with large area flat panel imagers were investigated. Experimental results from fabricated devices provided the basis for the choice of the most suitable blocking layer. Two device structures are proposed using the selected blocking layer, a vertical structure and a lateral structure, each having associated benefits and drawbacks. It was shown that introducing a polyimide blocking layer brought down the dark current more than four orders of magnitude at high electric fields and does not deteriorate the charge transport properties of the detectors. The polyimide blocking layer also greatly minimizes physical stress related crystallization in a-Se improving reliability. Gain above unity was observed in the vertical structure and the initiation of impact ionization was verified by performing time-of-flight experiments. Although impact ionization was not verified in the lateral structure, this device structure was found to be highly sensitive to ultraviolet light due to the absence of a top contact layer. Devices were fabricated on several different substrates, including a CMOS substrate, to demonstrate their integration compatibility with large area readout electronics. The exhibited performance of the vertical device structure demonstrates that it is a suitable alternative to the p-i-n photodetector for low dose imaging applications.