A novel polymer semiconductor with side chains thermally cleavable at a low temperature of 200 °C was synthesized. The complete cleavage and removal of the insulating 2-octyldodecanoyl side chains were verified with TGA, FT-IR, and NMR data. The N-H groups on the native polymer backbone are expected to form intermolecular hydrogen bonds with the C=O groups on the neighboring polymer chains to establish 3-D charge transport networks. The resulting side chain-free conjugated polymer is proven to be an active p-type semiconductor material for organic thin film transistors (OTFTs), exhibiting hole mobility of up to 0.078 cm2V-1s-1. This thermo-cleavable polymer was blended with PDQT to form films that showed a higher performance than the pure individual polymers in OTFTs. MoO3 or NPB was used as a hole injection buffer layer between the metal electrodes and the polymer semiconductor film layer in OTFT devices. This buffer layer improved hole injection, while its use in the OTFT, improved the field-effect mobility significantly due to better matched energy levels between the electrodes and the polymer semiconductor.

No description available.

This thesis investigates the use of single Cooper-pair transistor (SCPT) for fast and sensitive detection of quasiparticle dynamics. This investigation is motivated by the possibility of quantum information processing using superconducting nanoscale circuits, such as the SCPT and the Cooper-pair-box (CPB). In the SCPT coherent charge transport can be temporarily halted due to quasiparticle tunnelling, known as quasiparticle poisoning. Quasiparticle poisoning can be reduced by the use of engineered island and lead gap energies. The thesis begins by reporting measurements of the superconducting gap in aluminium - aluminium-oxide - aluminium tunnel junctions, as a function of film thickness. We have observed an increase in the superconducting energy gap of aluminium with decreasing film thickness. This method is used to engineer the island and gap energies in a SCPT and consequently we observe reduced poisoning and a modification of the thresholds for finite bias transport processes. Radio-frequency reflectometry is used to perform high-bandwidth measurements of quasiparticle tunnelling in a gap engineered SCPT. A model for the radio-frequency (rf) operation of the SCPT is presented and shows close agreement with experiment. Thermal activation of the quasiparticle dynamics is investigated, and consequently, we are able to determine energetics of the poisoning and unpoisoning processes. This enables an effective quasiparticle temperature to be determined, allowing the poisoning to be parametrised. An investigation of the use of normal metal quasiparticle traps for suppression of quasiparticle poisoning in SCPT devices is performed. To date, there has been little quantitative information about the behaviour of quasiparticle traps even though they have been used extensively. The work presented serves to clarify the nature of quasiparticle trap performance. Finally the single-quasiparticle sensitivity of the SCPT is employed to directly probe a few quasiparticle gas in a small superconducting volume. The quasiparticle population is monitored both in the steady-state and under non-equilibrium conditions of injection. In the non-equilibrium regime the quasiparticle recombination time is accessed from the response of the SCPT to pulsed injection. Agreement to previous experimental studies of recombination times in aluminium is found.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Auburn University, 2005. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references.

Thesis (M.App.Sc.) - Carleton University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 110-113). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1967. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 200-207). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (M.S. in Electrical Engineering)--University of California, Berkeley, Jan. 1962. / "UCRL-10001." Includes bibliographical references (leaf 65).

Th. 3e cycle--Électronique et radiocommunications--Grenoble--I.N.P., 1980. N°: D3 97.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-126). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.