Semiconductor circuitry feature miniaturization continues in response to Moore 's Law pushing the limits of aluminum and forcing the transition to Cu due to its lower resistivity and electromigration. Copper diffuses into silicon dioxide under thermal and electrical stresses, requiring the use of barriers to inhibit diffusion, adding to the insulator thickness and delay time, or replacement of SiO2 with new insulator materials that can inhibit diffusion while enabling Cu wetting. This study proposes modified amorphous silicon carbon hydrogen (a-Si:C:H) films as possible diffusion barriers and replacements for SiO2 between metal levels, interlevel dielectric (ILD), or between metal lines (IMD), based upon the diffusion inhibition of previous a-Si:C:H species expected lower dielectric constants, acceptable thermal conductivity. Vinyltrimethylsilane (VTMS) precursor was condensed on a titanium substrate at 90 K and bombarded with electron beams to induce crosslinking and form polymerized a-Si:C:H films. Modifications of the films with hydroxyl and nitrogen was accomplished by dosing the condensed VTMS with water or ammonia before electron bombardment producing a-Si:C:H/OH and a-Si:C:H/N and a-Si:C:H/OH/N polymerized films in expectation of developing films that would inhibit copper diffusion and promote Cu adherence, wetting, on the film surface. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy was used to characterize Cu metallization of these a-Si:C:H films. XPS revealed substantial Cu wetting of a-Si:C:H/OH and a-Si:C:H/OH/N films and some wetting of a-Si:C:H/N films, and similar Cu diffusion inhibition to 800 K by all of the a-:S:C:H films. These findings suggest the possible use of a-Si:C:H films as ILD and IMD materials, with the possibility of further tailoring a-Si:C:H films to meet future device requirements.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo desenvolver sistemas tubulares de condução de luz natural propondo a substituição do alumínio revestido com prata (que é o sistema comercializado atualmente por diversas empresas internacionais), por polímero metalizado. Espera-se com isso diversificar os materiais empregados na fabricação destes dispositivos reduzindo significativamente o custo. Os sistemas tubulares de condução de luz natural permitem o aproveitamento da luz solar para iluminação de interiores, contribuindo para a redução do consumo de energia elétrica. No presente estudo foram avaliados como material estrutural os polímeros (PP, PS, PEAD, PEBD, ABS nas condições virgem e reciclada), revestidos com alumínio e cromo e submetidos à metalização por evaporação no vácuo (íon plating) ou por projeção catódica (sputtering). Os materiais poliméricos foram caracterizados quanto sua resistência mecânica através de ensaios de tração (norma ASTM D638). Os revestimentos de alumínio e cromo depositados nos materiais poliméricos, foram caracterizados quanto à adesão (norma ASTM D3359-09) e quanto à reflexividade (norma ASTM E903). Essas propriedades foram avaliadas comparativamente ao material empregado em um sistema tubular de condução de luz natural comercial (referencia). Os resultados obtidos dos ensaios realizados, demonstraram que os melhores sistemas obtidos foram o PP reciclado metalizado com alumínio pelo processo de projeção catódica, e também ABS e PS virgem metalizados com alumínio pelo processo de evaporação no vácuo. Para a validação em escala real, foram elaborados: um protótipo de PP reciclado metalizado com alumínio pelo processo de projeção catódica e um protótipo de ABS virgem metalizado com alumínio pelo processo de evaporação no vácuo. Enquanto, o tubo protótipo de ABS virgem metalizado com alumínio chegou em média diária a atingir 65% do rendimento comparado com o tubo referência, o PP reciclado metalizado com alumínio pelo processo de projeção catódica chegou apenas a 21%. Isso evidenciou a viabilidade técnica de construção de um tubo para condução da luz solar direta para iluminação utilizando ABS virgem metalizado com alumínio com rendimento de 65% do tubo de referência, o qual pode ser comercializado uma redução de custo estimado de 46,5% em relação a referência. / This paper aims to develop tubular daylight systems for transporting natural light by substituting silver coated aluminum (which is the system currently supplied by several international companies), for metalized polymer. This is expected to diversify the materials used in the manufacturing of those tubular devices, significantly reducing their cost. The tubular systems for conducting natural light enable to maximize the use of natural daylight for interior lighting, minimizing the consumption of electric energy. In this study some polymers (virgin and recycled PP, PS, HDPE, LDPE, and ABS) aluminum or chromium coated were evaluated as structural material. The coating were obtained metallization by vacuum evaporation (ion plating) or by cathodic projection (sputtering). The polymeric materials were evaluated for their mechanical resistance through tensile tests (American Society for Testing and Materials - ASTM D638 standard). The aluminum and chromium coatings deposited on polymeric materials were evaluated for their adhesion (ASTM D3359-09) and for their reflectivity (ASTM E903). These properties were measured comparatively to the material commonly used in a commercial tubular daylight conducting system (reference). The tests results showed that the best systems were the recycled PP metalized with aluminum by the cathodic projection process, and also virgin ABS and virgin PS metalized with aluminum by the vacuum evaporation process. For the real-scale validation, a prototype of recycled PP metalized with aluminum by the cathodic projection process and a prototype of virgin ABS metalized with aluminum by the vacuum evaporation process were made. While the prototype made with virgin ABS metalized with aluminum attained an average daily efficiency of 65% compared to the reference tube, the prototype made with recycled PP metalized with aluminum by the cathodic projection process attained only 21%. Thus, these results demonstrate the technical feasibility of producing a tubular direct daylight conducting system using virgin ABS metalized with aluminum with an efficiency of 65% of the reference tube at an estimated cost 46.5% lower than the reference tube.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo desenvolver sistemas tubulares de condução de luz natural propondo a substituição do alumínio revestido com prata (que é o sistema comercializado atualmente por diversas empresas internacionais), por polímero metalizado. Espera-se com isso diversificar os materiais empregados na fabricação destes dispositivos reduzindo significativamente o custo. Os sistemas tubulares de condução de luz natural permitem o aproveitamento da luz solar para iluminação de interiores, contribuindo para a redução do consumo de energia elétrica. No presente estudo foram avaliados como material estrutural os polímeros (PP, PS, PEAD, PEBD, ABS nas condições virgem e reciclada), revestidos com alumínio e cromo e submetidos à metalização por evaporação no vácuo (íon plating) ou por projeção catódica (sputtering). Os materiais poliméricos foram caracterizados quanto sua resistência mecânica através de ensaios de tração (norma ASTM D638). Os revestimentos de alumínio e cromo depositados nos materiais poliméricos, foram caracterizados quanto à adesão (norma ASTM D3359-09) e quanto à reflexividade (norma ASTM E903). Essas propriedades foram avaliadas comparativamente ao material empregado em um sistema tubular de condução de luz natural comercial (referencia). Os resultados obtidos dos ensaios realizados, demonstraram que os melhores sistemas obtidos foram o PP reciclado metalizado com alumínio pelo processo de projeção catódica, e também ABS e PS virgem metalizados com alumínio pelo processo de evaporação no vácuo. Para a validação em escala real, foram elaborados: um protótipo de PP reciclado metalizado com alumínio pelo processo de projeção catódica e um protótipo de ABS virgem metalizado com alumínio pelo processo de evaporação no vácuo. Enquanto, o tubo protótipo de ABS virgem metalizado com alumínio chegou em média diária a atingir 65% do rendimento comparado com o tubo referência, o PP reciclado metalizado com alumínio pelo processo de projeção catódica chegou apenas a 21%. Isso evidenciou a viabilidade técnica de construção de um tubo para condução da luz solar direta para iluminação utilizando ABS virgem metalizado com alumínio com rendimento de 65% do tubo de referência, o qual pode ser comercializado uma redução de custo estimado de 46,5% em relação a referência. / This paper aims to develop tubular daylight systems for transporting natural light by substituting silver coated aluminum (which is the system currently supplied by several international companies), for metalized polymer. This is expected to diversify the materials used in the manufacturing of those tubular devices, significantly reducing their cost. The tubular systems for conducting natural light enable to maximize the use of natural daylight for interior lighting, minimizing the consumption of electric energy. In this study some polymers (virgin and recycled PP, PS, HDPE, LDPE, and ABS) aluminum or chromium coated were evaluated as structural material. The coating were obtained metallization by vacuum evaporation (ion plating) or by cathodic projection (sputtering). The polymeric materials were evaluated for their mechanical resistance through tensile tests (American Society for Testing and Materials - ASTM D638 standard). The aluminum and chromium coatings deposited on polymeric materials were evaluated for their adhesion (ASTM D3359-09) and for their reflectivity (ASTM E903). These properties were measured comparatively to the material commonly used in a commercial tubular daylight conducting system (reference). The tests results showed that the best systems were the recycled PP metalized with aluminum by the cathodic projection process, and also virgin ABS and virgin PS metalized with aluminum by the vacuum evaporation process. For the real-scale validation, a prototype of recycled PP metalized with aluminum by the cathodic projection process and a prototype of virgin ABS metalized with aluminum by the vacuum evaporation process were made. While the prototype made with virgin ABS metalized with aluminum attained an average daily efficiency of 65% compared to the reference tube, the prototype made with recycled PP metalized with aluminum by the cathodic projection process attained only 21%. Thus, these results demonstrate the technical feasibility of producing a tubular direct daylight conducting system using virgin ABS metalized with aluminum with an efficiency of 65% of the reference tube at an estimated cost 46.5% lower than the reference tube.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo desenvolver sistemas tubulares de condução de luz natural propondo a substituição do alumínio revestido com prata (que é o sistema comercializado atualmente por diversas empresas internacionais), por polímero metalizado. Espera-se com isso diversificar os materiais empregados na fabricação destes dispositivos reduzindo significativamente o custo. Os sistemas tubulares de condução de luz natural permitem o aproveitamento da luz solar para iluminação de interiores, contribuindo para a redução do consumo de energia elétrica. No presente estudo foram avaliados como material estrutural os polímeros (PP, PS, PEAD, PEBD, ABS nas condições virgem e reciclada), revestidos com alumínio e cromo e submetidos à metalização por evaporação no vácuo (íon plating) ou por projeção catódica (sputtering). Os materiais poliméricos foram caracterizados quanto sua resistência mecânica através de ensaios de tração (norma ASTM D638). Os revestimentos de alumínio e cromo depositados nos materiais poliméricos, foram caracterizados quanto à adesão (norma ASTM D3359-09) e quanto à reflexividade (norma ASTM E903). Essas propriedades foram avaliadas comparativamente ao material empregado em um sistema tubular de condução de luz natural comercial (referencia). Os resultados obtidos dos ensaios realizados, demonstraram que os melhores sistemas obtidos foram o PP reciclado metalizado com alumínio pelo processo de projeção catódica, e também ABS e PS virgem metalizados com alumínio pelo processo de evaporação no vácuo. Para a validação em escala real, foram elaborados: um protótipo de PP reciclado metalizado com alumínio pelo processo de projeção catódica e um protótipo de ABS virgem metalizado com alumínio pelo processo de evaporação no vácuo. Enquanto, o tubo protótipo de ABS virgem metalizado com alumínio chegou em média diária a atingir 65% do rendimento comparado com o tubo referência, o PP reciclado metalizado com alumínio pelo processo de projeção catódica chegou apenas a 21%. Isso evidenciou a viabilidade técnica de construção de um tubo para condução da luz solar direta para iluminação utilizando ABS virgem metalizado com alumínio com rendimento de 65% do tubo de referência, o qual pode ser comercializado uma redução de custo estimado de 46,5% em relação a referência. / This paper aims to develop tubular daylight systems for transporting natural light by substituting silver coated aluminum (which is the system currently supplied by several international companies), for metalized polymer. This is expected to diversify the materials used in the manufacturing of those tubular devices, significantly reducing their cost. The tubular systems for conducting natural light enable to maximize the use of natural daylight for interior lighting, minimizing the consumption of electric energy. In this study some polymers (virgin and recycled PP, PS, HDPE, LDPE, and ABS) aluminum or chromium coated were evaluated as structural material. The coating were obtained metallization by vacuum evaporation (ion plating) or by cathodic projection (sputtering). The polymeric materials were evaluated for their mechanical resistance through tensile tests (American Society for Testing and Materials - ASTM D638 standard). The aluminum and chromium coatings deposited on polymeric materials were evaluated for their adhesion (ASTM D3359-09) and for their reflectivity (ASTM E903). These properties were measured comparatively to the material commonly used in a commercial tubular daylight conducting system (reference). The tests results showed that the best systems were the recycled PP metalized with aluminum by the cathodic projection process, and also virgin ABS and virgin PS metalized with aluminum by the vacuum evaporation process. For the real-scale validation, a prototype of recycled PP metalized with aluminum by the cathodic projection process and a prototype of virgin ABS metalized with aluminum by the vacuum evaporation process were made. While the prototype made with virgin ABS metalized with aluminum attained an average daily efficiency of 65% compared to the reference tube, the prototype made with recycled PP metalized with aluminum by the cathodic projection process attained only 21%. Thus, these results demonstrate the technical feasibility of producing a tubular direct daylight conducting system using virgin ABS metalized with aluminum with an efficiency of 65% of the reference tube at an estimated cost 46.5% lower than the reference tube.

In this thesis, two MFC based films Carboxymethylated-Microfibrillated Cellulose (MFC) and Enzymatic-MFC were characterized and metalized in order to improve the barrier properties at high relative humidity. Several methods were used for the characterization process, which were Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Contact Angle (CA), Energy Dispersive Spectra (EDS), Light Microscopy (LM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Oxygen Transmission Rate (OTR). Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) system was used for the metalization of film, a thin layer of aluminium with a thickness of 200 nm was deposited on the films. The results revealed that ENZ-MFC exhibit a higher roughness and lower OTR values, compared to CM-MFC. The contact angle values proved that both non-metalized MFC films exhibited a hydrophilic surface with values around 50 degrees. SEM and EDS images showed that both films exhibited surface defects with dimensions in the order of a micrometer. The best barrier improvement by metalization was achieved for the metalized CM-MFC, where the OTR values were decreased by one order of magnitude after metalization. However, for ENZ-MFC metalization did not improve OTR at high RH. The protective layer was successfully protecting the MFC film as long as the surface roughness of the film was not too high. The limit is between 40 and 140nm (in root mean square roughness values). / I denna avhandling karakteriserades två MFC-baserade filmer Carboxymethylated-MFC och   Enzymatic-MFC som metalliserades för att förbättra barriäregenskaperna vid hög relativ fuktighet. Flera metoder har används för karaktäriseringsprocessen, vilka var Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Contact Angle (CA), Energy Dispersive Spectra (EDS), Light Microscopy (LM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), och Oxygen Transmission Rate (OTR). Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) systemet användes för metalliseringen av filmerna, där ett tunt skikt aluminium med en tjocklek av 200 nm deponerades. Resultaten visade att ENZ-MFC har högreråhet och lägre OTR-värden jämfört med CM-MFC. Kontaktvinkelvärdena påvisade att bådaicke-metalliserade MFC-filmer har en hydrofil yta med värden omkring 50 grader. SEM- och EDS-bilder visade att båda filmerna har ytdefekter i storleksordningen en mikrometer. Den bästa barriärförbättringen genom metallisering uppnåddes för den metalliserade CM-MFC, där OTR-värdena minskade med en storleksordning efter metallisering. För ENZ-MFCförbättrade dock metallisering inte OTR vid hög RH. Det skyddande skiktet skyddar effektivt MFC-filmen så länge som filmens ytråhet inte var för hög. Gränsen är intervallet mellan 40 och140 nm (Kvadratiskt medelvärde för ytråhet).

Les réseaux de neurones artificiels, dont le concept s'inspire du fonctionnement des cerveaux biologiques et de leurs capacités d'apprentissage, sont une approche prometteuse pour répondre aux nouveaux usages informatiques dits « cognitifs », tels que la reconnaissance d'images ou l'interaction en langage naturel. Néanmoins, leur mise en œuvre par des ordinateurs conventionnels est peu efficace. Une solution à ce problème est le développement de puces d'accélération matérielle spécialisées qui comportent :- des neurones, unités de traitement de l'information, pour lesquelles des circuits électroniques efficaces existent ;- des synapses, reliant les neurones mais aussi support matériel de l'apprentissage, par le biais de la modulation de leur conductance électrique (qualifiée de « plasticité synaptique »). Réaliser des synapses artificielles intégrables densément et capables d'apprendre in situ reste aujourd'hui un défi majeur.Ces travaux de thèse portent sur l'utilisation synaptique de nanocomposants mémoires innovants, dont certains comportements plastiques riches et intrinsèques sont analogues aux fonctionnalités que nous recherchons.Nous nous intéressons tout d'abord aux jonctions tunnel magnétiques à transfert de spin, développées dans l'industrie pour concevoir de nouvelles mémoires informatiques non volatiles. Nous montrons qu'il est aussi possible d'en faire des synapses artificielles binaires. Après la modélisation analytique de leur comportement naturellement stochastique, nous présentons comment exploiter ce dernier pour faciliter la mise en œuvre in situ d'une règle d'apprentissage probabiliste. À l'aide d'outils de simulation développés au laboratoire, nous étudions l'influence du régime de programmation sur la robustesse d'un système à la variabilité de telles synapses et sur leur consommation énergétique.Nous nous tournons ensuite vers des cellules électrochimiques métalliques Ag2S, d'autres nanocomposants mémoires innovants fabriqués et étudiés par des collaborateurs de l'Université de Lille I, qui y ont déjà observé plusieurs comportements plastiques. Nous avons découvert une plasticité supplémentaire, proche d'un comportement observé en neurosciences. Grâce à un modèle analytique simple permettant de comprendre les relations entre les différentes plasticités, nous montrons en simulation une preuve de concept d'apprentissage non supervisé qui repose sur l'interaction de ces multiples comportements.Pour finir, nous soulevons des pistes de réflexion sur les défis posés par les circuits nécessaires au bon fonctionnement d'un système utilisant comme synapses artificielles les nanocomposants étudiés, notamment lors de la lecture ou de l'écriture de ces derniers.Les résultats de cette thèse ouvrent la voie à la conception de systèmes neuro-inspirés capables d'apprendre en s'appuyant sur la richesse de comportements plastiques offerte par les nanocomposants mémoires innovants. / Artificial neural networks, which take some inspiration from the behavior of biological brains and their learning capabilities, are promising tools to address emerging computing uses known as “cognitive” tasks like classifying images or natural language interaction. However, implementing them on conventional computers is poorly efficient. A solution to this problem is to develop specialized acceleration chips which feature:• neurons, the information processing units, which can be implemented efficienctly with current electronic technologies;• synapses, the connections between the neurons which also support the learning process by adjusting their electrical conductance (“synaptic plasticity”). Implementing artificial synapses with high integration and on-line learning capabilities is still a challenge.This thesis explores the use of innovative memory nanodevices as artificial synapses: some of their rich plastic behaviors naturally implement features that are difficult to access with other devices.First, we investigate spin-transfer torque magnetic tunnel junctions, that are currently develop in industry as a new non volatile memory technology. We show that they can also be used as binary artificial synapses. After modeling their intrinsic stochastic behavior analytically, we describe how to harness this behavior to facilitate the implementation of an on-line probabilistic learning rule. With simulations tools developped in the laboratory, we detail the impact of the programming regime on the resilience of a system that uses such synapses, as well as on the system's power consumptionWe then investigate Ag2S electrochemical metalization cells, another type of innovative memory nanodevices fabricated and characterized by collaborators from Université de Lille I, who had already observed the existence of several plastic behaviors. We discovered an additional plasticity, close to a behavior known in neurosciences. With a simple analytical model that allows a better understanding of the relationships between theses plasticities, we show by simulations means a proof of concept of an unsupervised learning that relies on the interaction of the plastic behaviors theses nanodevices feature.Finally, we consider the challenges arising from the circuits that are required to read and write such artificial synapses in a neuro-inspired system.The results of this Ph.D. work pave the way for the design of neuro-inspired systems that can learn by harnessing the rich plastic behaviors that are featured by innovative memory nanodevices.

Metal/semiconductor interfaces, particularly those involving Si, are of great technological and scientific interest. In atomically abrupt interfaces, many properties are determined by interatomic interactions over a few layers, i.e., over ~1 nanometer. The initial stages of growth of an atomic layer related to structural and electronic properties are thus important to thin film behavior. Surface science studies on metal-semiconductor systems often lead to contradictory conclusions regarding bonding sites and even whether the first layer is metallic or not. A key piece of information that must be consistent with any study is the number of atoms per unit area in the first layer, which is difficult to assess directly. Alkali-metal-semiconductor systems have been studied as model abrupt interfaces for several years. Novel effects, such as electron localization, were observed. Still, determinations of absolute coverage have been lacking. This dissertation describes results of absolute coverage measurements for Cs on Si(100)(2X1), Si(111)(7X7), and Si (111)(v3 X v3)R30°-B reconstructed surfaces using Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry in ultrahigh vacuum. The results bracket possible structural models for these systems. For the Cs/Si(111)(v3 X v3)R30°-B interface, this work confirms conclusions regarding electron localization effects and introduces considerations of ion-beam-induced desorption for the weakly-bound Cs