The Overview of Silicon Carbide Technology: Status, Challenges, Key Drivers, and Product Roadmap.

Arguably, SiC technology is the most rapidly expanding IC manufacturing technology driven mostly by the aggressive roadmap for battery electric vehicle penetration and also industrial high-voltage/high-power applications. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the state of the art of SiC technology focusing on the challenges starting from the difficult and lengthy SiC substrate growth all the way to the complex MOSFET assembly processes. We focus on the differentiation from the established Si manufacturing processes and provide a comprehensive list of references as well as a brief description of our own research into the key manufacturing processes in this technology.

Investigating the link between a layer thickness and surface relief depth in an azo poly(ether imide).

Surface relief grating formation in photo-responsive azo polymers under irradiation is a long-ago-found phenomenon, but all the factors governing its efficiency are still not fully recognized. Here, we report on the enormous impact of the polymer thickness on the possibility of fabrication of extremely high-amplitude surface deformations. We performed prolonged holographic recordings on the layers of the same azobenzene poly(ether imide), which had substantially different optical transmittances at the recording wavelength and revealed that the depths of the inscribed relief structures increased with the polymer thickness from a nondetectable value up to almost 2 µm, unaffected by the presence of a polymer-glass substrate interface in either sample.

Technological properties of the furcellaran-whey protein isolate emulgels with various evening primrose oil concentration.

Effect of different evening primrose oil content (1-20 %) on the rheological, mechanical, textural and microstructure of furcellaran/whey protein isolate emulsion gels were investigated at neutral, unmodified pH environment. The results indicate that, irrespective of the concentration, the oil acted as an inactive filler and was not chemically bound in the polymer network but only physically immobilized in it. The increasing oil amount in the material from 1 to 20 % resulted in a percentage decrease in hardness (52 %), gumminess (71 %) and stress relaxation ratio (17 %) which means that presence of the hydrophobic components weakens the structure of the material, but all samples exhibit elastic behaviour.

Two decades of continuous progresses and breakthroughs in the field of bioactive ceramics and glasses driven by CICECO-hub scientists.

Over the past two decades, the CICECO-hub scientists have devoted substantial efforts to advancing bioactive inorganic materials based on calcium phosphates and alkali-free bioactive glasses. A key focus has been the deliberate incorporation of therapeutic ions like Mg, Sr, Zn, Mn, or Ga to enhance osteointegration and vascularization, confer antioxidant properties, and impart antimicrobial effects, marking significant contributions to the field of biomaterials and bone tissue engineering. Such an approach is expected to circumvent the uncertainties posed by methods relying on growth factors, such as bone morphogenetic proteins, parathyroid hormone, and platelet-rich plasma, along with their associated high costs and potential adverse side effects.

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Approach for Measuring the Diffusion Range in Optical Fibers with Nanostructured Cores.

A new class of optical fibers with cores composed of various glass nanorods requires a method to determine the internal structure. In particular, the identification of various ion distributions at the fiber cross-section with nanometer accuracy is required. For this purpose, the classical depth profiling mode of the secondary ion mass spectrometry technique is applied.

Characterization of octenyl succinylated potato-starch based films enriched with extracts from various honey-bee products.

The study developed octenyl succinylated (OS) potato starch complexes with ethanolic extracts of honey bee products (HBE) and assess their effects on starch-based films properties. X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis showed that OS starch films had lower crystallinity and higher thermal stability than native ones. Adding HBE enhanced V-type ordering in OS films.

Double-layer optical fiber interferometer with bio-layer-modified reflector for label-free biosensing of inflammatory proteins.

This work discusses label-free biosensing application of a double-layer optical fiber interferometer where the second layer tailors the reflection conditions at the external plain and supports changes in reflected optical spectrum when a bio-layer binds to it. The double-layer nanostructure consists of precisely tailored thin films, i.e.

PRISM: three-dimensional sub-diffractive phase-resolved imaging spectroscopic method.

We demonstrate a genuine method for three-dimensional pictorial reconstructions of two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and hybrid specimens based on confocal Raman data collected in a back-scattering geometry of a 532-nm setup. The protocol, or the titular PRISM (Phase-Resolved Imaging Spectroscopic Method), allows for sub-diffractive and material-resolved imaging of the object's constituent material phases. The spacial component comes through either the signal distal attenuation ratio (direct mode) or subtle light-matter interactions, including interference enhancement and light absorption (indirect mode).

Predesigned perovskite crystal waveguides for room-temperature exciton-polariton condensation and edge lasing.

Perovskite crystals-with their exceptional nonlinear optical properties, lasing and waveguiding capabilities-offer a promising platform for integrated photonic circuitry within the strong-coupling regime at room temperature. Here we demonstrate a versatile template-assisted method to efficiently fabricate large-scale waveguiding perovskite crystals of arbitrarily predefined geometry such as microwires, couplers and splitters. We non-resonantly stimulate a condensate of waveguided exciton-polaritons resulting in bright polariton lasing from the transverse interfaces and corners of our perovskite microstructures.

Unraveling the composition of each atomic layer in the MXene/MAX phase structure - identification of oxycarbide, oxynitride, and oxycarbonitride subfamilies of MXenes.

MXenes, the largest known family of 2D materials, are known for their complicated structure consisting of many different elements. Their properties can be finely tuned by precise engineering of the composition of each atomic layer. Thus it is necessary to further develop the secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) technique which can unambiguously identify each element with atomic precision.

Corrosion Behavior of Ferritic 12Cr ODS and Martensitic X46Cr13 Steels in Nitric Acid and Sodium Chloride Solutions.

This paper presents corrosion resistance results of a 12Cr ferritic ODS steel (Fe-12Cr-2W-0.5Zr-0.3YO) fabricated via a powder metallurgy route as a prospective applicant for fuel cladding materials.

Nano-Photonic Crystal D-Shaped Fiber Devices for Label-Free Biosensing at the Attomolar Limit of Detection.

Maintaining both high sensitivity and large figure of merit (FoM) is crucial in regard to the performance of optical devices, particularly when they are intended for use as biosensors with extremely low limit of detection (LoD). Here, a stack of nano-assembled layers in the form of 1D photonic crystal, deposited on D-shaped single-mode fibers, is created to meet these criteria, resulting in the generation of Bloch surface wave resonances. The increase in the contrast between high and low refractive index (RI) nano-layers, along with the reduction of losses, enables not only to achieve high sensitivity, but also a narrowed resonance bandwidth, leading to a significant enhancement in the FoM.

Free-Form Optical Fiber with a Square Mode and Top-Hat Intensity Distribution.

The development of bend-induced effectively single-mode fiber with a square cross-section and flat top-hat intensity distribution is reported using core topology nanostructuring dedicated to femtosecond laser ablation systems. The fiber's core comprises 5419 silica and germanium-doped silica nanorods with a diameter of 430 nm each arranged into a hexagonal lattice. The distribution of the rods is calculated using in-house developed code based on the Monte Carlo algorithm to obtain a target shape of mode and intensity distribution.

A Method of Precise Auto-Calibration in a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System Accelerometer.

A novel design of a MEMS (Micro-Electromechanical System) capacitive accelerometer fabricated by surface micromachining, with a structure enabling precise auto-calibration during operation, is presented. Precise auto-calibration was introduced to ensure more accurate acceleration measurements compared to standard designs. The standard mechanical structure of the accelerometer (seismic mass integrated with elastic suspension and movable plates coupled with fixed plates forming a system of differential sensing capacitors) was equipped with three movable detection electrodes coupled with three fixed electrodes, thus creating three atypical tunneling displacement transducers detecting three specific positions of seismic mass with high precision, enabling the auto-calibration of the accelerometer while it was being operated.

Deep-level defects induced by implantations of Si and Mg ions into undoped epitaxial GaN.

The properties and concentrations of deep-level defects induced by implantations of Si and Mg ions into unintentionally doped (UID) epitaxial GaN have been revealed by using the Laplace-transform photoinduced transient spectroscopy (LPITS) and molecular dynamics (MD) calculations. The material lattice damage, produced by the Si ions implanted at room temperature in the single process at the energies of 200 and 340 keV, is compared with that produced by the Mg ions implanted in the similar process at the energies of 150, 210, and 270 keV. The LPITS results indicate that the same deep traps with the activation energies of 396, 512, 531, 587, 635, and 736 meV are present in the tail regions of the semi-insulating Si- and Mg-implanted films.

Micro-Inclusion Engineering via Sc Incompatibility for Luminescence and Photoconversion Control in Ce-Doped TbAlScO Garnet.

Aluminum garnets display exceptional adaptability in incorporating mismatching elements, thereby facilitating the synthesis of novel materials with tailored properties. This study explored Ce-doped TbAlScO crystals (where x ranges from 0.5 to 3.

MXenes with ordered triatomic-layer borate polyanion terminations.

Surface terminations profoundly influence the intrinsic properties of MXenes, but existing terminations are limited to monoatomic layers or simple groups, showing disordered arrangements and inferior stability. Here we present the synthesis of MXenes with triatomic-layer borate polyanion terminations (OBO terminations) through a flux-assisted eutectic molten etching approach. During the synthesis, Lewis acidic salts act as the etching agent to obtain the MXene backbone, while borax generates BO species, which cap the MXene surface with an O-B-O configuration.

Temperature Evolution of Composition, Thermal, Electrical and Magnetic Properties of TiCT-MXene.

MXenes are a family of two-dimensional nanomaterials. Titanium carbide MXene (TiCT-MXene), reported in 2011, is the first inorganic compound reported among the MXene family. In the present work, we report on the study of the composition and various physical properties of TiCT-MXene nanomaterial, as well as their temperature evolution, to consider MXenes for space applications.

Thermal Stability and Non-Linear Optical and Dielectric Properties of Lead-Free KBiTiO Ceramics.

Lead-free KBiTiO (KBT) ceramics with high density (~5.36 g/cm, 90% of X-ray density) and compositional purity (up to 90%) were synthesized using a solid-state reaction method. Strongly condensed KBT ceramics revealed homogenous local microstructures.

Personal Air-Quality Monitoring with Sensor-Based Wireless Internet-of-Things Electronics Embedded in Protective Face Masks.

In this paper, the design and research of a sensor-based personal air-quality monitoring device are presented, which is retrofitted into different personal protective face masks. Due to its small size and low power consumption, the device can be integrated into and applied in practical urban usage. We present our research and the development of the sensor node based on a BME680-type environmental sensor cluster with a wireless IoT (Internet of Things)-capable central unit and overall low power consumption.

Effect of Nitrogen Atmosphere Annealing of Alloyed Powders on the Microstructure and Properties of ODS Ferritic Steels.

Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) ferritic steels are promising materials for the nuclear power sector. This paper presents the results of a study on the sintering process using the Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) technique, focusing on ODS ferritic steel powders with different contents (0.3 and 0.

Influence of Curcuma Longa extract in citral addition on functional properties of thin films with triple-layer structure based on furcellaran and gelatin.

In this study, we obtained triple-layer films based on furcellaran and gelatin, in which the middle layer was enriched with extract of Curcuma longa in citral. This newly developed material underwent a comprehensive characterisation process to identify significant improvements in its functional properties. Both SEM, XRD and FTIR analyzes indicated the formation of interactions not only between the components but also between the film layers.

Low-Cost Sensor System for Air Purification Process Evaluation.

With the development of civilisation, the awareness of the impact of versatile aerosol particles on human health and the environment is growing. New advanced materials and techniques are needed to purify the air to reduce this impact. This brings the necessity of fast and low-cost devices to evaluate the air quality from particulate and gaseous impurities, especially in a place where gas chromatography (GC) techniques are unavailable.