An object is to provide a semiconductor device of which a manufacturing process is not complicated and by which cost can be suppressed, by forming a thin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor film typified by zinc oxide, and a manufacturing method thereof. For the semiconductor device, a gate electrode is formed over a substrate; a gate insulating film is formed covering the gate electrode; an oxide semiconductor film is formed over the gate insulating film; and a first conductive film and a second conductive film are formed over the oxide semiconductor film. The oxide semiconductor film has at least a crystallized region in a channel region.

Semiconductor device, and manufacturing method thereof

We present a simple and usable noise model for the raw-data of digital imaging sensors This signal-dependent noise model, which gives the pointwise standard-deviation of the noise as a function of the expectation of the pixel raw-data output, is composed of a Poissonian part, modeling the photon sensing, and Gaussian part, for the remaining stationary disturbances in the output data We further explicitly take into account the clipping of the data (over- and under-exposure), faithfully reproducing the nonlinear response of the sensor We propose an algorithm for the fully automatic estimation of the model parameters given a single noisy image Experiments with synthetic images and with real raw-data from various sensors prove the practical applicability of the method and the accuracy of the proposed model

/pdf/practical-poissonian-gaussian-noise-modeling-and-fitting-for-4cn04dppj4.pdf

Practical Poissonian-Gaussian Noise Modeling and Fitting for Single-Image Raw-Data

Systems and methods for applying time-dependent algorithmic compensation functions to data output from a continuous analyte sensor. Some embodiments determine a time since sensor implantation and/or whether a newly initialized sensor has been used previously.

Systems and methods for processing analyte sensor data

Despite their increasing sophistication, wireless sensor networks still do not exploit the most powerful of the human senses: vision. Indeed, vision provides humans with unmatched capabilities to distinguish objects and identify their importance. Our work seeks to provide sensor networks with similar capabilities by exploiting emerging, cheap, low-power and small form factor CMOS imaging technology. In fact, we can go beyond the stereo capabilities of human vision, and exploit the large scale of sensor networks to provide multiple, widely different perspectives of the physical phenomena. To this end, we have developed a small camera device called Cyclops that bridges the gap between the computationally constrained wireless sensor nodes such as Motes, and CMOS imagers which, while low power and inexpensive, are nevertheless designed to mate with resource-rich hosts. Cyclops enables development of new class of vision applications that span across wireless sensor network. We describe our hardware and software architecture, its temporal and power characteristics and present some representative applications.

Cyclops: In Situ Image Sensing and Interpretation in Wireless Sensor Networks

Despite their increasing sophistication, wireless sensor networks still do not exploit the most powerful of the human senses: vision. Indeed, vision provides humans with unmatched capabilities to distinguish objects and identify their importance. Our work seeks to provide sensor networks with similar capabilities by exploiting emerging, cheap, low-power and small form factor CMOS imaging technology. In fact, we can go beyond the stereo capabilities of human vision, and exploit the large scale of sensor networks to provide multiple, widely different perspectives of the physical phenomena.To this end, we have developed a small camera device called Cyclops that bridges the gap between the computationally constrained wireless sensor nodes such as Motes, and CMOS imagers which, while low power and inexpensive, are nevertheless designed to mate with resource-rich hosts. Cyclops enables development of new class of vision applications that span across wireless sensor network. We describe our hardware and software architecture, its temporal and power characteristics and present some representative applications.

http://www.kilopixel.net/publications/sensys2005.pdf

Cyclops: in situ image sensing and interpretation in wireless sensor networks

Electrically driven metal-insulator transition (MIT) in vanadium dioxide (VO2) is of interest in emerging memory devices, neural computation, and high-speed electronics. We report on the fabrication of out-of-plane VO2 metal-insulator-metal structures and reproducible high-speed switching measurements in these two-terminal devices. We have observed a clear correlation between the electrically driven on/off current ratio and the thermally induced resistance change during MIT. It is also found that sharp MIT could be triggered by the external voltage pulses within 2 ns at room temperature and the achieved on/ off ratio is greater than two orders of magnitude with good endurance.

Voltage-Triggered Ultrafast Phase Transition in Vanadium Dioxide Switches

We report a study on Ge diffusion and its impact on the electrical properties of TaN∕HfO2∕Ge metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) device. It is found that Ge diffusion depends on the amount of GeO2 formed at the HfO2∕Ge interface and can be retarded by surface nitridation. It is speculated that Ge diffusion is in the form of GeO or Ge-riched HfGeO. Effective suppression of Ge diffusion by NH3 nitridation has resulted in improved electrical properties of TaN∕HfO2∕Ge MOS device, including equivalent oxide thickness (EOT), leakage current, hysteresis, and interface state density. The degradation of leakage current after high temperature post metallization anneal (PMA) is found to be due to Ge diffusion.

Ge diffusion in Ge metal oxide semiconductor with chemical vapor deposition HfO2 dielectric

A device and method for providing an optical trench structure for a pixel which guides incoming light onto the photosensor of the pixel. The optical trench structure has an optically reflecting barrier that substantially mitigates optical crosstalk. The optical trench structure is made of low dielectric constant material with an index of refraction that is less than the index of refraction of the material of surrounding layers (e.g., the substrate). This difference in refractive index causes an internal reflection into an optical path existing between a lens and pixel.

Image sensors with optical trench

Isolation methods and devices for isolating regions of a semiconductor device. The isolation method and structure include forming an isolating trench in an active area and filling the trench with a doped conductive material containing silicon. Suitable conductive materials containing silicon include polysilicon and silicon-germanium. There is also provided a method and structure for isolating the regions by providing a trench in an active area of a substrate, growing an epitaxial layer in the trench to fill the trench or to partially fill the trench and depositing an insulating material over the epitaxial layer and within the trench to completely fill the trench.

Isolation techniques for reducing dark current in CMOS image sensors

Isolation methods and devices for isolating regions of a semiconductor device are disclosed. The isolation methods and structures include forming an isolating trench among pixels or other active areas of a semiconductor device. The trench extends through the substrate to the base layer, wherein a liner may be deposited on the side walls of the trench. A conductive material is deposited into the trench to block electrons from passing through.

Chandra Mouli

Papers

Voltage-Triggered Ultrafast Phase Transition in Vanadium Dioxide Switches

Ge diffusion in Ge metal oxide semiconductor with chemical vapor deposition HfO2 dielectric

Image sensors with optical trench

Isolation techniques for reducing dark current in CMOS image sensors

Reduced crosstalk sensor and method of formation