Microelectronic Engineering最新文献

{"title":"Novel methods for locating and matching IC cells based on standard cell libraries","authors":"Can Liu ,&nbsp;Kaige Wang ,&nbsp;Qing Li ,&nbsp;Fazhan Zhao ,&nbsp;Kun Zhao ,&nbsp;Hongtu Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.mee.2023.112107","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mee.2023.112107","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In the domain of hardware assurance, reverse engineering (RE) is essential for ensuring the security and reliability of integrated circuits (ICs). A potential approach in the crucial step of netlist extraction involves matching patterns<span> in IC images to standard cell libraries. However, the morphological variations in images of cells and intra-cell similarities present significant challenges to effective matching. This paper introduces a new matching dataset of cells in Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images and standard cells, including 579 SEM cells, two standard cell libraries, and 508 types of standard cells. Furthermore, we propose a novel matching method reliant on standard cell libraries. This method generates templates using the feature information of standard cells and conducts matching by comparing the similarity between the feature vector sets of an SEM cell and the templates, achieving a 100% accuracy rate on the matching dataset. Given that the matching method relies on accurate cell localization<span>, we propose two methods of merging bounding boxes. These methods can convert the object detector's detection results on patches into localization results on the entire image, achieving 99.48% accuracy and 99.31% recall on the image of the matching dataset. Finally, We consolidate these methods into a comprehensive workflow for automating the extraction of cell information in large-scale IC images.</span></span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":18557,"journal":{"name":"Microelectronic Engineering","volume":"283 ","pages":"Article 112107"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"92066702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Study on three-dimensional dielectrophoresis microfluidic chip for separation and enrichment of circulating tumor cells","authors":"Linxia Jiang ,&nbsp;Feng Liang ,&nbsp;Mingxuan Huo,&nbsp;Meiqi Ju,&nbsp;Jiajun Xu,&nbsp;Shaowei Ju,&nbsp;Lihong Jin,&nbsp;Bingjun Shen","doi":"10.1016/j.mee.2023.112100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mee.2023.112100","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) which means tumor cells shed into the peripheral blood of humans, are one of the important indicators in the early and accurate detection of malignancy.</p></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><p><span>This paper is based on the principle of dielectrophoresis, the design and performance research of microfluidic </span>microarray<span> separating and enriching CTCs was carried out, and the separation and enriching of CTCs was realized by ultilizing the difference in dielectrophoretic force and the movement trajectories between CTCs and leukocytes.</span></p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Chip structure design and optimization based on the COMSOL software simulation tool, through the separation experiment of human breast cancer cell MCF-7 and white blood cells, 60 kHz was selected as the frequency of cell separation experiment. Taking human liver cancer cell SMMC-7721 and human leukocyte mixture as the research object, the chip separation and enrichment experiment of CTCs was conducted. At 5 V voltage and 60 kHz frequency, the maximum separation flux of three-dimensional dielectrophores is microfluidic chip for human liver cancer cell SMMC-7721 reached 1.1 mL/h, and the separation efficiency was about 94%.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>The results of this research have important implications for separating, sorting and detecting CTCs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":18557,"journal":{"name":"Microelectronic Engineering","volume":"282 ","pages":"Article 112100"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49724120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Facile and direct 3D printing of smart glove for gesture monitoring","authors":"Zaiwei Zhou ,&nbsp;Wanli Zhang ,&nbsp;Yue Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiangyu Yin ,&nbsp;Xin-Yuan Chen ,&nbsp;Bingwei He","doi":"10.1016/j.mee.2023.112102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mee.2023.112102","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span><span><span><span>The distinctive characteristics of electrically conductive fabrics<span>, including their flexibility, breathability, and comfort, have led to their recognition as a viable substitute for </span></span>silicon wafers<span> in wearable electronics. However, the difficulty of constructing sensors with three-dimensional (3D) structure on woven fabrics significantly limits their sensitivity and sensing range. Layer-by-layer </span></span>3D printing<span> of entire smart textile<span> sensing components has enabled the development of high-performance sensors with enhanced sensitivity and sensing range. This research endeavors to produce a smart glove with superior performance by incorporating strain and pressure sensors by 3D printing a composite </span></span></span>conductive ink<span>, consisting of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), graphene nanosheets<span> (GNSs), fumed silica (FSiO</span></span></span>₂) and Ecoflex, and encapsulated ink directly onto a commercially available fabric glove. The 3D structure of the sensing layer and the sensing material were intentionally designed to achieve desired performance. The smart glove demonstrates a high gauge factor (GF ∼ 35) and a strain range of 0–50% for strain detection. Additionally, it exhibits a high sensitivity of ∼0.07 kPa⁻¹<span><span> and a sensing range of 1000 kPa for pressure examination, which facilitates precise detection of finger bending angles and fingertip contact pressures. The smart glove also shows excellent linearity, repeatable resistance response, favorable cycling characteristics in both strain and pressure detecting, and were unaffected by temperature and humidity. The combination of the smart glove with a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) deep learning model achieves a high accuracy (100%) for dynamic </span>gesture recognition<span> and manipulator control, demonstrating their potential for smart wearable electronics and human-computer interaction.</span></span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":18557,"journal":{"name":"Microelectronic Engineering","volume":"282 ","pages":"Article 112102"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49724132","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Simulation-based investigation of junction-controlled narrow-band Si photodetector with vertical structure","authors":"Guang-bin Zhang ,&nbsp;Yu-jian Liu ,&nbsp;Li Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.mee.2023.112084","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mee.2023.112084","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>Junction-controlled narrow-band Schottky photodetectors<span><span> are very attractive in the optoelectronic<span> systems that operate in a small spectral range, due to its high </span></span>noise immunity, simple structure, and self-powered work mode. In this work, simulation was carried out to study the working mechanism of the junction-controlled narrow-band photodetector based on a vertical </span></span>silicon<span><span> Schottky structure. It is showed that the spectral response of the device is mainly dominated by the quasi-neutral region instead of the </span>depletion region<span><span> of the Schottky structure. Widening quasi-neutral region can obviously red-shift the peak wavelengths of both quasi-neutral region and depletion region, and suppress the device response to short wavelength light. As the doping concentration of the silicon substrate increases, a similar phenomenon can be observed due to the decrease of the diffusion length. Furthermore, increasing </span>surface recombination velocity also can effectively reduce the quantum efficiency of the device at the wavelength &lt;1060 nm. These results signify that junction-controlled narrow-band photodetectors of long-wavelength light can be realized by a variety of simple and feasible methods, indicating their promising application in future photoelectric systems.</span></span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":18557,"journal":{"name":"Microelectronic Engineering","volume":"282 ","pages":"Article 112084"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48795204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of etching performance of single etching gases for high-κ films","authors":"Anhan Liu ,&nbsp;Zhan Hou ,&nbsp;Fan Wu ,&nbsp;Xiaowei Zhang ,&nbsp;Shingo Nakamura ,&nbsp;Tomomi Irita ,&nbsp;Akinari Sugiyama ,&nbsp;Takashi Nishikawa ,&nbsp;He Tian","doi":"10.1016/j.mee.2023.112087","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mee.2023.112087","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span><span>The continuous advancement of CMOS technology has put forward higher requirements for </span>dielectric<span> etching processes. However, conventional mixed etching gases fail to elucidate the contribution of each gas. The role of single etching gas in the etching process remains elusive. In this work, we investigated the etching characteristics of high-κ thin films using a variety of single fluorine-based or chlorine-based gases. We further analyzed the underlying reasons for the observed differences in etching behaviors with different gases. Our findings demonstrate that BCl</span></span>₃ is the optimal single etching gas for HfO₂ and Al₂O₃ films with a fast and stable etching rate, while the films etched by Cl₂, BCl₃, CF₄, CHF₃, and C₄F₈ exhibited varying degrees of etching residuals. The outstanding etching performance of BCl₃<span> is attributed to the interaction between physical bombardment and chemical reactions. Furthermore, we propose a set of evaluation methods for etching residues and mechanisms. These results provide valuable insights into the etching process and facilitate the selection of appropriate etching gases for high-κ films in advanced semiconductor process nodes.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":18557,"journal":{"name":"Microelectronic Engineering","volume":"282 ","pages":"Article 112087"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49724133","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Design of memristor hyperchaotic circuit with burst oscillation and infinite attractor coexistence and its application","authors":"Jie Zhang,&nbsp;Yan Guo,&nbsp;Jinhao Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.mee.2023.112099","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mee.2023.112099","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span><span><span>A 4D hyperchaotic system with symmetry based on memristors is proposed and the chaotic properties of the circuit are verified by </span>phase diagrams, Poincaré cross sections, bifurcation, </span>Lyapunov exponents<span>, and 0–1 tests. In addition, the system is found to have rich dynamical behaviors<span> such as transient chaos, intermittent chaos, offset enhancement, burst oscillation, and infinite attractor coexistence. The complexity comparison analysis reveals that this hyperchaotic system has good symmetry as well as the initial values of the system that are more suitable for image encryption. Circuit simulation of the system using simulation software proved the usability of the system. A </span></span></span>field programmable gate array<span> (FPGA) is used to implement the actual digital circuit<span> of the system. The final FPGA results agree with the numerical simulation and prove the practical value of the constructed memristor hyperchaotic system. Finally, chaotic circuits are applied to DNA image encryption. It is discovered to have a very large key space, strong key sensitivity, outstanding anti-cropping, noise immunity and high security performance. Thus, the proposed hyperchaotic system has good advantages for application in the field of image encryption.</span></span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":18557,"journal":{"name":"Microelectronic Engineering","volume":"282 ","pages":"Article 112099"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49724121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High consistency VO2 memristor for artificial auditory neuron","authors":"Yan Wang ,&nbsp;Chaohui Su ,&nbsp;Yiming Zheng ,&nbsp;Kexin Zhou ,&nbsp;Zhenli Wen ,&nbsp;Yujun Fu ,&nbsp;Qi Wang ,&nbsp;Deyan He","doi":"10.1016/j.mee.2023.112101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mee.2023.112101","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span><span>With scalability and diverse device behavior, memristors present potential for executing neuromorphic computation with lower hardware cost and </span>power consumption. However, Low consistency currently limited the application of memristors. Herein, we report a VO</span>₂<span>-based memristor fabricated through magnetron<span> sputtering and multiple annealing processes<span>, exhibiting extremely low in both cycle-to-cycle (C2C) and device-to-device (D2D) variations. Further, a Hodgkin-Huxley model neuron circuit based on the extremely high consistency of the devices is established, which achieves auditory neuron perception simulation through spatiotemporal processing of spike signals, allowing for clear differentiation of sound source direction and displaying patterns akin to biological behavior. This easily implemented and highly consistent artificial neuron offers a promising approach for the development of next-generation artificial auditory systems.</span></span></span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":18557,"journal":{"name":"Microelectronic Engineering","volume":"282 ","pages":"Article 112101"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49737590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"SAR assessment of miniaturized wideband MIMO antenna structure for millimeter wave 5G smartphones","authors":"Rania Hamdy Elabd ,&nbsp;Ahmed Jamal Abdullah Al-Gburi","doi":"10.1016/j.mee.2023.112098","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mee.2023.112098","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span><span>This work introduces a wideband two-element Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) antenna array that covers the desired frequencies of 28/38 GHz for millimeter-wave (mmW) </span>5G<span> smartphones. The antenna array demonstrates significant isolation and gain increase based on dual-mode planar dipole antennas. The proposed structure was designed using CST Microwave Studio 2019. The design is implemented on a Rogers RT 4003 substrate measuring 14.76 × 8.38 mm</span></span>²<span><span><span> with a dielectric constant of 3.55. It features two planar dipole antennas positioned at the corners in a perpendicular arrangement to each other. To achieve the desired wideband performance, each element consists of a dipole antenna and a partial ground plane. The spacing between elements, including the parasitic element<span> (PE), is set to 0.5λ₀ to increase isolation between the MIMO antenna elements while keeping complexity and cost to a minimum. Simulation results demonstrate an improvement in mutual coupling between array members, with measured values ranging from −55 dB to −75 dB. The envelope </span></span>correlation coefficient (ECC) is also improved. Furthermore, enhancements are observed in the total active </span>reflection coefficient<span> (TARC), mean effective gain (MEG), and diversity gain (DG). The measured gains of the proposed designs range from 6 dBi across the entire band to 10 dBi at 40 GHz, with a radiation efficiency close to 95%. The antenna performs well in the presence of the handset and human head model during simulation. The study identifies a safe and acceptable specific absorption rate (SAR) value, which provides a low SAR10g of about 0.963 W/Kg at 28 GHz and 0.583 W/Kg at 38 GHz. while maintaining superior efficiency and radiation patterns. When the antennas are constructed and tested, the experimental results surpass the modeling results. The simulation and test findings demonstrate a satisfactory fit within the target band, suggesting that the proposed structure could be applied to millimeter-wave 5G smartphones.</span></span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":18557,"journal":{"name":"Microelectronic Engineering","volume":"282 ","pages":"Article 112098"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49737589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High aspect-ratio sub-500 nm UV-PDMS bilayer stamps by means of hybrid thermal-ultraviolet curing for resonant nanopillars fabrication through soft UV-NIL","authors":"Luca Tramarin ,&nbsp;Rafael Casquel ,&nbsp;Iñigo Mañueco ,&nbsp;Miguel Holgado","doi":"10.1016/j.mee.2023.112088","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mee.2023.112088","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>A novel protocol for the fabrication of bilayer stamps for soft UV-NIL is presented. The patterned layer is composed of a commercially available UV-curable PDMS, while a quartz backplane acts as support layer. The pattern reproduced in the stamp through direct casting comes from a hard template and is composed of </span>nanopillar<span> arrays with 250–300 nm of diameter and 300–400 nm in height. The master template with nanoholes is treated with a self-assembled monolayer before pattern reproduction for improved separation of UV-PDMS layer. The hybrid cross-linking protocol includes a thermal and a UV process, and parameters of the former are investigated for best results. The pattern was reproduced in a resist on a Si sample by means of soft UV-NIL, and the imprinted nanohole arrays show dimensions coherent with the stamp. Finally, its application in the fabrication of resonant nanopillars for sensing purposes is briefly described. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first time a hybrid thermal-ultraviolet curing of UV-PDMS has been reported and that protruding nanostructures with aspect-ratio higher than 1 in soft UV-NIL stamps have been demonstrated.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":18557,"journal":{"name":"Microelectronic Engineering","volume":"282 ","pages":"Article 112088"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48593289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"8 A, 200 V normally-off cascode GaN-on-Si HEMT: From epitaxy to double pulse testing","authors":"Rijo Baby ,&nbsp;Manish Mandal ,&nbsp;Shamibrota K. Roy ,&nbsp;Abheek Bardhan ,&nbsp;Rangarajan Muralidharan ,&nbsp;Kaushik Basu ,&nbsp;Srinivasan Raghavan ,&nbsp;Digbijoy N. Nath","doi":"10.1016/j.mee.2023.112085","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mee.2023.112085","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span><span>In this paper, we provide a comprehensive study on all aspects of development of normally-off multi-finger III-nitride HEMT on </span>Silicon<span> in cascode configuration. AlGaN/GaN HEMT epi-stack with in situ SiN cap was grown on 2-in. Silicon (111) using MOCVD<span><span><span>, utilizing a 2-step AlN nucleation, step-graded AlGaN transition layer and C-doped GaN buffer. Depletion-mode HEMTs in winding gate geometry with a gate width of 30 mm were fabricated with thick electroplated metal contacts and an optimized bilayer SiN </span>passivation<span>. Devices were diced and packaged in TO254 with conducting epoxy and Au-coated ceramic substrate. These packaged D-mode HEMTs exhibited a </span></span>threshold voltage (V</span></span></span>_th<span>) of −12 V, maximum ON current of 10 A, and a 3-terminal hard breakdown in excess of 400 V. Bare dies of D-mode HEMTs were then integrated with commercially procured silicon MOSFET in a TO254 package in cascode configuration to achieve V</span>_th &gt; 2 V, ON current of 8 A, and breakdown &gt;200 V. The normally-off cascaded GaN HEMTs were subjected to various gate and drain stress measurements and were found to exhibit a V_th<span><span> shift of 10 mV after 1000 s of positive gate (+5 V) stress. The input and output capacitances of the cascode devices were measured to be 1 nF and 0.8 nF, respectively. The 3rd quadrant operation was checked at 8 A on-state current level to reveal a lower voltage drop of 0.7 V. Finally, cascode HEMTs were subjected to double pulsed testing (DPT) using a half-bridge evaluation board. On and off rise times of 52 ns and 59 ns were obtained along with </span>energy loss of 25 μJ and 20 μJ, respectively, for devices switched at 8 A, 100 V.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":18557,"journal":{"name":"Microelectronic Engineering","volume":"282 ","pages":"Article 112085"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49547040","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}