We prove some $\ell $ -independence results on local constancy of étale cohomology of rigid analytic varieties. As a result, we show that a closed subscheme of a proper scheme over an algebraically closed complete non-archimedean field has a small open neighbourhood in the analytic topology such that, for every prime number $\ell $ different from the residue characteristic, the closed subscheme and the open neighbourhood have the same étale cohomology with ${\mathbb Z}/\ell {\mathbb Z}$ -coefficients. The existence of such an open neighbourhood for each $\ell $ was proved by Huber. A key ingredient in the proof is a uniform refinement of a theorem of Orgogozo on the compatibility of the nearby cycles over general bases with base change.

We give applications of integral canonical models of orthogonal Shimura varieties and the Kuga-Satake morphism to the arithmetic of $K3$ surfaces over finite fields. We prove that every $K3$ surface of finite height over a finite field admits a characteristic $0$ lifting whose generic fibre is a $K3$ surface with complex multiplication. Combined with the results of Mukai and Buskin, we prove the Tate conjecture for the square of a $K3$ surface over a finite field. To obtain these results, we construct an analogue of Kisin’s algebraic group for a $K3$ surface of finite height and construct characteristic $0$ liftings of the $K3$ surface preserving the action of tori in the algebraic group. We obtain these results for $K3$ surfaces over finite fields of any characteristics, including those of characteristic $2$ or $3$.

System design at the early stage of design plays an important role in design process. Model based systems engineering is seen as a prominent approach for this challenge. System design can be explored by means of system simulation. However, as the system is a complex system, system model tends to have high level of abstraction. Therefore, the models cannot depict every details of the system, which makes optimization unreasonable.

Furthermore, at the early stage of design, there are many uncertainties such as success of technological developments. By properly incorporating uncertain factors in system design, the system can be tolerant. Currently system design is conducted by experienced experts. However, for more complex system, it would be difficult to continue the current practice. Therefore, a method to support design team to make decision in system design is needed.

This paper proposes a computational support for the system design. Design constraints, which seems the core information that design team wants at system design, are modeled. By visualizing constraints quantitatively and intuitively, the proposed method can support design team to conduct system design and design study.

Although delirium shares clinical characteristics with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), there is limited information regarding the relationship between delirium and Lewy body pathology. Here, we report an 89-year-old Japanese woman with an episode of delirium who was pathologically confirmed to have limbic-type Lewy body disease (LBD). Although she exhibited transient visual hallucinations during the delirium, she had no overt dementia. She developed no core clinical features of DLB and died of pneumonia at the age of 90 years. This autopsied case suggests that delirium may be one of the clinical phenotypes of LBD prior to the onset of dementia.

In this study, the initial AlN layer and the vertical-direction breakdown voltage (VDBV) of AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) were characterized. Prior to the formation of the interface between the AlN layer and the Si substrate, only trimethylaluminum (TMA) was introduced without ammonia to control the crystal quality of initial AlN layer (TMA preflow). HEMT structures were simultaneously grown on identical AlN layers on Si substrates (AlN/Si templates) grown using different TMA preflow temperatures. The density of screw- or mixed-type dislocations in the initial AlN layer decreased as the TMA preflow temperature increased. Further, the VDBV of the HEMT structure increased as the TMA preflow temperature increased. It is supposed that the screw- or mixed-type dislocations are the possible source of the vertical leakage current in the HEMT structures. The improvement in the crystal quality of the initial AlN layer affects the increase in the VDBV of the AlGaN/GaN HEMTs on Si substrates.

The small intestines of 420 wild canids (111 corsac foxes, 191 red foxes and 118 wolves) from Mongolia, were examined for adult worms of the genus Echinococcus. The Mongolian genotype of Echinococcus multilocularis was found in fifteen red foxes and four wolves, whereas two genotypes (G6/7 and G10) of Echinococcus canadensis were found in two and three wolves, respectively. No adult Echinococcus worms were found in the corsac foxes examined. The genotypes of E. multilocularis and E. canadensis are discussed in terms of host specificity and distribution in Mongolia. The importance of wolves in the completion of the life cycle of Echinococcus spp. is also discussed.

Cysticercosis caused by infection with the larval stage of Taenia solium is an important cause of neurological disease worldwide and immunodiagnosis is important for the control and elimination of cysticercosis. In the present study, we established a simple and reliable preparation of immunodiagnostic low-molecular-weight antigens (LMWAgs) from T. solium cyst fluids by a cation-exchange chromatography (CEC). Banding patterns of LMWAgs on SDS-PAGE were different between isolates from Ecuador and China. All cysticercosis patient sera and some echinococcosis patient sera recognized both LMWAgs by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), but sera from healthy persons were not positive. There was no statistical difference in immunodiagnostic performance of LMWAgs prepared from different geographical isolates. These results indicated that these novel immunodiagnostic antigen preparations could contribute the control and prevention of cysticercosis in endemic areas, especially developing countries.

We report the kinetic analysis of radicals on fungal spores of Penicillium digitatum interacted with charged-neutral oxygen species (O*) generated plasma discharge using real time in situ electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements. The ESR signal from the spores was observed at a g-value of around 2.004 with a line width of approximately 5G. We have successfully obtained information regarding the reaction mechanism with free radicals and realtime in situ ESR has proven to be a useful method to elucidate plasma-induced surface reactions on biological specimens

A new fabrication technique to prepare ultra-thin barrier layers for nano-scale Cu wires was proposed in our previous studies. Ti-rich layers formed at the Cu(Ti)/dielectric-layer interfaces consisted of crystalline TiC or TiSi and amorphous Ti oxides. The primary control factor for Ti-rich interface layer composition was the C concentration in the dielectric layers rather than the formation enthalpy of the Ti compounds. To investigate Ti-rich interface layer growth in Cu(Ti)/dielectric-layer samples annealed in ultra high vacuum, Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) was employed in the present study. Ti peaks were obtained only at the interface for all the samples. Molar amounts of Ti atoms segregated to the interface (n) were estimated from Ti peak areas. The n value was defined by n = Z·exp(-E/RT) · tm, where Z is a preexponential factor and E the activation energy for the reaction. The Z, E, and m values were estimated from plots of log n vs log t and log n vs 1/T. The m values are similar in all the samples. The E values for Ti atoms reacting with the dielectric layers containing carbon (except SiO2) tended to decrease with decreasing C concentration (decreasing k), while reaction rate coefficients (Z·exp(-E/RT)) were insensitive to C concentration in the dielectric layers. These factors lead to conclusion that growth of the Ti-rich interface layers is controlled by chemical reactions of the Ti atoms with the dielectric layers represented by the Z and E values, rather than diffusion in the Ti-rich interface layers.

In our previous studies, thin Ti-rich diffusion barrier layers were found to be formed at the interface between Cu(Ti) films and SiO2/Si substrates after annealing at elevated temperatures. This technique was called “self-formation of the diffusion barrier,” which is attractive for fabrication of ultra-large scale integrated (ULSI) interconnects. In the present study, we investigated the applicability of this technique to Cu(Ti) alloy films which were deposited on the four low dielectric constant (low-k) dielectric layers which are potential dielectric layers of future ULSI-Si devices. The microstructures were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), and correlated with the electrical properties of the Cu(Ti) films. It was concluded that the Ti-rich interface layers were formed in all the Cu(Ti)/dielectric-layer samples. The primary factor to control composition of the self-formed Ti-rich interface layers was the C concentration in the dielectric layers rather than the formation enthalpy of the Ti compounds (TiC and TiSi). Crystalline TiC was formed on the dielectric layers with a C concentration higher than 17 at.%.

Fabrication procedure for silicon carbide power metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors can be improved through simultaneous formation of ohmic contacts on both the n-source and p-well regions. We have succeeded in the simultaneous formation of Ni/Al ohmic contacts to n- and p-type SiC after annealing at 1000°C for 5 mins in an ultra-high vacuum. Ohmic contacts to n-type SiC were found when Al-layer thickness was less than about 5 nm while ohmic contacts to p-type SiC were observed for an Al-layer thickness greater than about 5 nm. Only the contacts with Al-layer thicknesses in the range of 5 to 6 nm exhibited ohmic behavior to both n- and p-type SiC, with specific contact resistances of 1.8 × 10−4 Ωcm2 and 1.2 × 10−2 Ωcm2 for n- and p-type SiC, respectively. An about 100 nm-thick contact layer was uniformly formed on the SiC substrate and polycrystalline δ-Ni2Si(Al) grains were formed at the contact/SiC interface. The distribution in values for the Al/Ni ratio in the δ-Ni2Si(Al) grains which exhibited ohmic behavior to both n- and p-type SiC was the largest. The smallest average δ-Ni2Si(Al) grain size was also observed in these contacts. Thus, the large distribution in the Al/Ni ratios and a fine microstructure were found to be characteristic of the ohmic contacts to both n- and p-type SiC.

Reaction phase diagram of pseudo four-components Li-Ni-Co-Ti oxides was established for finding new chemical composition and functional materials by the combinatorial high-throughput preparation system “M-ist Combi,” based on electrostatic spray deposition process and the combinatorial x-ray powder diffraction apparatus. The new layered-type compounds were found wider composition region than the previous reported composition region of LiNi0.8-yCo0.2TiyO2 (0≤y≤0.1). Furthermore, the new composition regions of single phase for spinel-type and rock salt-type compounds in pseudo four-components Li-Ni-Co-Ti oxides system were also found in a short time.

About 20 years ago, the discovery of an AlN buffer layer lead to the breakthrough in epitaxial growth of GaN layers with mirror-like surface, using a metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) technique on sapphire substrates. Since then, extensive efforts have been continued to develop a conductive buffer layer/substrate for MOCVD-grown GaN layers to improve light emission of GaN light-emitting diodes. In the present study, we produced MOCVD-grown, continuous, flat epitaxial GaN layers on nitrogen enriched TiN buffer layers with the upper limit of the nitrogen content of TiN deposited at room temperature (RT) on sapphire substrates. It was concluded that the nitrogen enrichment would reduce significantly the TiN/GaN interfacial energy. The RT deposition of the TiN buffer layers suppresses their grain growth during the nitrogen enrichment and the grain size refining must increase nucleation site of GaN. In addition, threading dislocation density in the GaN layers grown on TiN was much lower than that in the GaN layers grown on AlN.

In order to simplify a fabrication process of silicon carbide power MOSFETs (metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors), development of a simultaneous formation process of ohmic contacts to both the p-well and n-source regions of the SiC devices using same contact materials and one step annealing was challenged. We succeeded to develop NiAl-based contact materials which provided ohmic behaviors for both n- and p-type 4H-SiC after one step annealing. The Ni/Al and Ni/Ti/Al ohmic contacts were prepared by depositing sequentially Ni, (Ti) and Al layers with various layer thicknesses onto the n- and p-type SiC substrates which were doped with N at 1 × 1019 cm-3 and with Al at 8 × 1018 cm-3, respectively. The Ni(50 nm)/Al(5 ~ 6 nm) contacts showed ohmic behaviors for both the n- and p-type SiC substrates after annealing at 1000 °C. The Ni(20 nm)/Ti(50 nm)/Al(50 ~ 70 nm) contacts showed ohmic behaviors for both the n- and p-type SiC substrates after annealing at a lower temperature of 800 °C. The specific contact resistances of these contacts were measured to be in the order of 10-3 Ω-cm2 for both p- and n-type SiC, and were found to have strong dependence of the Al layer thicknesses of materials. The interfacial microstructures of the NiAl-based contacts were also observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to understand the current transport mechanism through the metal/SiC interfaces.

In order to clarify the charge transfer characteristics for H2 generation, photoelectrochemical properties of n-type GaN in HCl solution were investigated. The flatband potential under illumination and the onset voltages of photocurrent located approximately the same position. From the result, we concluded that the positively charged surface by hole capture is the main reason of the extra voltage requirement for H2 generation. The carrier concentration in n-type GaN also affects the photocurrent.

A RESURF-type JFET is a suitable structure as a lateral switching device with a breakdown voltage of above 600 V for an inverter module which drives motors of an electric or hybrid automobile. In this study, 600 V RESURF-type JFETs were fabricated to investigate the operation and characteristics. The drift region between the drain and the source areas has a double RESURF structure to reduce the on-resistance. At first, small devices were fabricated. The width and length of the channel are 200 μm and 10 μm, respectively. The distance between the drain and the gate areas, which is the drift length, is 15 μm. The saturation current normally-off device is about 0.6 mA at a gate voltage of 3 V. The specific on-resistance is about 160mωcm2. The maximum breakdown voltage is 720 V. Next, large ones were fabricated. The width of the channel is 80 mm. The saturation current normally-on device is about 0.5 A at a gate voltage of 2 V. The specific on-resistance is about 200mωcm2. The maximum breakdown voltage is 250 V.

Thermal conductivity and other thermoelectric properties were investigated on β-Zn4Sb3 and CoSb3 thin films. They are prepared by co-deposition of the specific sets of Zn, Sb and Co targets by RF magnetron sputtering. Thermal conductivity measurement was performed based on an AC calorimetry method using LaserPIT. The Zn4Sb3 thin films investigated are Zn-rich with respect to the stoichiometric composition. Their thermal conductivity decrement is proportional to the reciprocal film thickness. A nano-scale grain size in a ∼350 nm-thick film specimen gives arise to an almost 50% reduction in its thermal conductivity (∼0.5W/mK) at room temperature. Low electrical resistivity and high Seebeck coefficient can be achieved simultaneously in the film specimen with properly controlled thickness and microstructure. A ZT of 1.2 at ∼460K has been obtained for the ∼350nm thick Zn4Sb3 film specimen. The minimum thermal conductivity of about 1.1 W/mK was obtained in a ∼325 nm-thick CoSb3 film specimen at room temperature.

Direct access to a T2-Moss eutectic microstructure with a nominal composition of Mo-9Si-18B (at.%) was obtained using an optical floating zone method at a growth rate of less than 5mm/h. The Mo-9Si-18B two-phase alloy has relatively high 0.2% proof stress at 1500°C of about 700 MPa and fracture toughness at room temperature (RT) of ∼11 MPaVm. The (Mo,Nb)-19.5Si-B alloys with (Mo,Nb)ss-T1-T2 three-phase eutectic microstructure have lower yield stress at 1500°C and fracture toughness at RT lower than the Mo-9Si-18B two-phase alloy. The dense short rod-type morphology of Moss in the Mo-9Si-18B alloy may be pulled out of T2 matrix and crack bridging may play a crucial role in toughening. Due to the limited ductility of Mo at RT, its morphology is more important rather than its volume fraction in improving the fracture toughness of multi-phase alloys.

Silicide coating on the Mo-9Si-18B alloys with the T2-Moss two-phase microstructure using a halide-activated pack cementation was also examined. The B-doped Mo5Si3 layer with the D8m structure was formed on the substrate after oxidation at 1500°C for 24 hours. The substrate is the source of B atoms. A steady-state weight gain was observed at 1300–1500°C and their steady-state constants are almost equal to those of MoSi2. The weight loss was saturated in 16–26 cycles at 1500°C. It was about -0.4mg/cm2, suggesting thermal stress resistance of the coated Mo-9Si-18B two-phase alloys is sufficient in the present condition.

Mo5X3+α (X=Si, B, C) intermetallic compounds such as Mo5SiB2 (D8l), Mo5Si3 (D8m) and Mo5Si3C (D88) have a great potential for ultra-high temperature applications. The present study was undertaken putting greater emphasis on clarifying how their physical and mechanical properties are similar or different in terms of a structure type. Some interesting features are summarized in this paper.

The resistivity of Mo5SiB2, Mo5Si3 and Mo5Si3C single crystals exhibited a negative curvature (d2ρ(T)/dT2<0), with a tendency towards saturation. In the Mo5Si3C with large ρ0 due to impurity carbon atoms, resistivity saturation is pronounced. In contrast, a much higher temperature is required to reach saturation in the Mo5SiB2. The anisotropy ratio of CTE (αc/αa) for the Mo5SiB2 is about 1.2–1.6 and is significantly reduced from about 2 of the Mo5Si3 and Mo5Si3C. On the other hand, the Young's modulus of the Mo5SiB2 is more anisotropic than those of the Mo5Si3 and Mo5Si3C. Plastic anisotropy was observed in the Mo5SiB2, because only slip on [001] {100} is operative at 1500°C. On the contrary, plastic deformation was observed at temperatures above 1300°C for the Mo5Si3C and Mo5Si3. Anisotropy of their plastic deformation was much less than that of the Mo5SiB2, presumably because more than two slip systems can be activated. Creep resistance of the Mo5SiB2 is much better than that of the Mo5Si3 as well as the most advanced materials such as MoSi2 and Si3N4 based structural ceramics.

Hydrogen absorption/desorption of Ti3Al-based alloys with α2 single-phase, β0 single-phase and β/O two-phase microstructures was investigated to obtain systematic understanding microstructure effects. On exposing all the alloys to hydrogen, β (βH) and γ (γH) hydrides are formed. The βH and γH have bcc and bct (close to fcc) based structures, respectively. The hydrogen/metal ratio of the γH is larger than that of βH. Thus, solute hydrogen in Ti3Al based alloys stabilizes the bcc-based phase just like Nb, regardless of their original structure before hydrogenation. On the other hand, reversible hydrogen absorption/desorption around 100°C and related reversible βH-γH transformation was observed in β/O two-phase (Ti,Nb)3Al and α2-Ti3Al alloys, but not obviously observed in a β0-(Ti,Nb)3Al alloy. In forming the βH, the expansion of the β0 and β phases occurred isotropically keeping their structures B2 and bcc, respectively. In contrast, the O and α2 phases expanded in anisotropic manner. The lattice deformation for the βH→γH transformation can be described similarly to those for the O→βH and α2→βH transformations. Such lattice deformation in anisotropic manner most likely agrees with that observed in a martensitic displacive transformation, because of the surface relief observed on the γH after the βH→γH transformation in the β0-(Ti,Nb)3Al alloy and many twins formed during the α2→βH transformation in the α2-Ti3Al alloy. Mechanisms of the reversible βH-γH transformation in the β/O two-phase (Ti,Nb)3Al and α2-Ti3Al alloys was proposed on the basis of similarities in the lattice deformation and ordering of hydrogen atoms required for the βH-γH, O-βH and α2-βH transformations.