1,720,969 research outputs found
An Integrated Approach to Optimize Power Device Performances by Means of Stress Engineering
No full textIn the present work it is shown how stress engineering can be used in semiconductor industry to improve Power MOSFET transistor’s performance beyond simple geometrical downscaling. The aim of this paper is to present an integrated methodology, coupling modelling and experimental results, focused on the structural optimization of a power device by means of final passivation mechanical stress tuning. The proposed approach is based on a Finite Element Model that describes and predicts the mechanical strain of a singulated power device (MOSFET) validated by the correlation with interferometric experimental warpage measurements (Topography and Deformation Measurements). Scope of the activity is to engineer Power Devices with reduced intrinsic stresses in order to optimize the reliability performances. Controlled stress into a single semiconductor crystal oriented substrate can be managed at manufacturing level by several methods, including the introduction of a layer on the top of the substrate or around the gate region. From the knowledge of the mechanical boundaries, as a function of temperature, it is possible to predict the stress conditions impacting on device fabrication and on reliability performances. Moreover, according to the piezoresistive model, it has been evaluated the electrical characteristics (on-resistance) in the operative working condition range. According to the proposed approach an optimized passivation layer solution has been proposed, simulated by Finite Element model and validated by experiments
Fracture Toughness Characterization of Copper-Resin Interface in Power Electronics Application
No full textThe use of molding compound as encapsulating material is nowadays increasing in semiconductor industry. Such component guarantees excellent thermal and reliability performances than the current silicone-based gel, enabling higher working temperature for semiconductor device and mitigating the solder joint reliability bottleneck. The adhesion of package interfaces between copper components and molding compound is one of the key aspect for optimized durability. Dedicated experiments and theoretical framework based on fracture mechanic are needed for this purpose. The presented activity proposes the fracture toughness characterization of copper-resin interface in a power semiconductor package. Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) test has been executed on dedicated bimaterial coupon with an initial crack at interface. The aim of this test has been to enhance the fracture propagation mode-I (opening). Strain energy release rate (SERR) and mode-mixity have been estimated from this experiment developing a finite element analysis that is able to predict the crack length during the experimental DCB trials and to predict the energy release rate by virtual crack closure technique (VCCT). Mode-mixity has been estimated collecting displacements near the crack tip by crack surface displacement method (CSD). The proposed methodology for fracture toughness characterization represents a strong pillar to predict fracture behavior due to any load conditions and it is needed to describe interface adhesion by cohesive zone method (CZM)
Advances on mechanics, design engineering and manufacturing
No full textThe theme of the present editorial is dedicated to the“Advances on Mechanics, Design Engineering and Manufac-turing” that emerge in different engineering and architecturalfields.The theme has been chosen as leitmotiv of a series ofevents that have been organized by three societies operatingin Italy, Spain and France, respectively: ADM (Associ-azione nazionale Disegno e Metodi dell’ingegneria indus-triale), INGEGRAF (Asociación Española de IngenieríaGráfica and AIP-PRIMECA (Ateliers Inter-établissementsde Productique—Pôles de Resources Informatiques pour laMECAnique). Since 2014, a series of JCM conferences havebeen organized. JCM is the acronym of “Joint Conference onMechanics, Design Engineering and Advanced Manufactur-ing”
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Experimental-numerical characterization of maximum current capability in Si-based surface mounted power devices
No full textThis paper proposes an experimental method devoted at characterizing the maximum continuous drain-source
current sustainable by a power semiconductor device. This information, strictly related to thermal limit of the
package, is being more and more important, especially for automotive applications, where the robustness must
be assured, in terms of reliability. More specifically, usually it is demanded a high value of current which the
device must be handled. The test vehicle used in this work is the low-voltage LFPAK package, based on a silicon
MOSFET. Moreover, a finite element based model is developed in order to numerically reproduce the experiment: in this way, it is possible to study the system in a more detailed manner, and changes in device's and cooling system's designs can be quickly evaluated
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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