In the United States alone, ∼14,000 children are hospitalised annually with acute heart failure. The science and art of caring for these patients continues to evolve. The International Pediatric Heart Failure Summit of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Heart Institute was held on February 4 and 5, 2015. The 2015 International Pediatric Heart Failure Summit of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Heart Institute was funded through the Andrews/Daicoff Cardiovascular Program Endowment, a philanthropic collaboration between All Children’s Hospital and the Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida (USF). Sponsored by All Children’s Hospital Andrews/Daicoff Cardiovascular Program, the International Pediatric Heart Failure Summit assembled leaders in clinical and scientific disciplines related to paediatric heart failure and created a multi-disciplinary “think-tank”. The purpose of this manuscript is to summarise the lessons from the 2015 International Pediatric Heart Failure Summit of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Heart Institute, to describe the “state of the art” of the treatment of paediatric cardiac failure, and to discuss future directions for research in the domain of paediatric cardiac failure.

The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) will give us an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the transient sky at radio wavelengths. In this paper we present VAST, an ASKAP survey for Variables and Slow Transients. VAST will exploit the wide-field survey capabilities of ASKAP to enable the discovery and investigation of variable and transient phenomena from the local to the cosmological, including flare stars, intermittent pulsars, X-ray binaries, magnetars, extreme scattering events, interstellar scintillation, radio supernovae, and orphan afterglows of gamma-ray bursts. In addition, it will allow us to probe unexplored regions of parameter space where new classes of transient sources may be detected. In this paper we review the known radio transient and variable populations and the current results from blind radio surveys. We outline a comprehensive program based on a multi-tiered survey strategy to characterise the radio transient sky through detection and monitoring of transient and variable sources on the ASKAP imaging timescales of 5 s and greater. We also present an analysis of the expected source populations that we will be able to detect with VAST.

Level set methods have been used for Solid phase epitaxial regrowth, etching and deposition.This study is to model the growth of nickel silicide accurately using the level set method. NiSi growth has been observed to follow a linear-parabolic law which takes into account both diffusion and interfacial reaction. This linear-parabolic system is very similar to the Deal and Grove model of SiO2 growth. This model uses similar diffusion transport and reaction rate equations. This simulation models the growth of silicide coupling diffusion solutions to level-set techniques. Dual level sets have been used for top and bottom interface propagation of silicide; velocities were estimated based on nickel concentrations at both interfaces as well as diffusivity and reaction rate of nickel. This is important to predict precise shape of silicide that will allow current crowding and field focusing effects to be modeled in transport out of the intrinsic device into the contacting layers. These simulation models can be used for latest technology nodes at 45, 32, 22nm and special devices such as FinFET’s etc. The level set method is successfully implemented and verified in Florida Object Oriented Process Simulator and growth shapes matches well with the literature Transmission Electron Microscopy data.

We present photometry and spectroscopy of the peculiar Type II supernova SN 2010jp, also named PTF10aaxi. The light curve exhibits a linear decline with a relatively low peak absolute magnitude of only −15.9 (unfiltered), and a low radioactive decay luminosity at late times that suggests a low synthesized nickel mass of about 0.003 M⊙ or less. Spectra of SN 2010jp display an unprecedented triple-peaked Hα line profile, showing: (1) a narrow central component that suggests shock interaction with a dense circumstellar medium (CSM); (2) high-velocity blue and red emission features centered at −12,600 and +15,400 km s−1; and (3) very broad wings extending from −22,000 to +25,000 km s−1. We propose that this line profile indicates a bipolar jet-driven explosion, with the central component produced by normal SN ejecta and CSM interaction at mid and low latitudes, while the high-velocity bumps and broad line wings arise in a nonrelativistic bipolar jet. Jet-driven SNe II are predicted for collapsars resulting from a wide range of initial masses above 25 M⊙, especially at the sub-solar metallicity consistent with the SN host environment. It also seems consistent with the apparently low 56Ni mass that may accompany black hole formation. We speculate that the jet survives to produce observable signatures because the star's H envelope was very low mass, having been mostly stripped away by the previous eruptive mass loss.

Flash-assist Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP) presents an opportunity to investigate annealing time and temperature regimes which were previously not accessible with conventional annealing techniques such as Rapid Thermal Annealing. This provides a unique opportunity to explore the early stages of the End of Range (EOR) damage evolution and also to examine how the damage evolves during the high temperature portion of the temperature profile. However, the nature of the Flash-assist RTP makes it is extremely difficult to reasonably compare it to alternative annealing techniques, largely because the annealing time at a given temperature is dictated by the FWHM of the radiation pulse. The FWHM for current flash tools vary between 0.85 and 1.38 milliseconds, which is three orders of magnitude smaller to that required for a RTA to achieve similar temperatures. Traditionally, the kinetics of the extended defects has been studied by time dependent studies utilizing isothermal anneals; in which specific defect structures could be isolated. The characteristics of Flash-assist RTP do not allow for such investigations in which the EOR defect evolution could be closely tracked with time. Since the annealing time at the target temperature for the Flash-assist RTP is essentially fixed to very small times on the order of milliseconds, isochronal anneals are a logical experimental approach to temperature dependent studies. This fact presents a challenge in the data analysis and comparison. Another feature of Flash-assist RTP which makes the analysis complex is the ramp time relative to the dwell time spent at the peak fRTP temperature. As the flash anneal temperature is increased the total ramp time can exceed the dwell time at the peak temperature, which may play a significantly larger role in dictating the final material properties. The inherent characteristics of Flash-assist RTP have consequently required the development of another approach to analyzing the attainable experimental data, such that a meaningful comparison could be made to past studies. The adopted analysis entails the selection of a reference anneal, from which the decay in the trapped interstitial density can be tracked with the flash anneal temperature, allowing for the kinetics of the interstitial decay to be extracted.

As millisecond annealing is increasingly utilized, the as-implanted profile dominates the final dopant distribution. We characterized boron diffusion in amorphous silicon prior to post-implantation annealing. SIMS confirmed that both fluorine and germanium enhance boron motion in amorphous materials. The magnitude of boron diffusion in germanium amorphized silicon scales with increasing fluorine dose. Boron atoms are mobile at concentrations approaching 1x1019 atoms/cm^3. It appears that defects inherent to the structure of amorphous silicon can trap and immobilize boron atoms at room temperature, but that chemical reactions involving Si-F and Si-Ge eliminate potential trapping sites. Sequential Ge+, F+, and B+ implants result in 80% more boron motion than do sequential Si+, F+, and B+ implants. The mobile boron dose and trapping site concentration change as functions of the fluorine dose through power law relationships. As the fluorine dose increases, the trapping site population decreases and the mobile boron dose increases. This reduction in trap density can result in as-implanted “junction depths” that are as much as 75% deeper (taken at 1x1018 atoms/cm-3) for samples implanted with 500 eV, 1x1015 atoms/cm2 boron.

Our experiments show boron-interstitial cluster dissolution is reduced during oxidation, a behavior not predicted by the current models. Both our experiments and others on the time dependence indicate the reactivation is coming from more than one cluster. Since oxidation induced interstitial injection reduces reactivation, one of the significant clusters has to release an interstitial release during dissolution. Recent ab-initio calculations provide a qualitatively different B clustering model, with two significant cluster species. Based on these energetics, we have developed a new physically based model that for the first time accounts for the experimentally observed cluster dissolution time and ambient dependence.

Anomalous B diffusion behavior is also observed in an investigation of Ge influence on B diffusion. Silicon wafers were subjected to a Si preamorphization implant (PAI), followed by Ge and B implants contained within the existing amorphous layer. The control sample received only Si PAI and B implant. Upon annealing, the peak of the B profile shifts towards the surface and increases in magnitude, exhibiting uphill diffusion. The control samples subjected to the same thermal processing exhibit TED, but no uphill diffusion behavior. This is consistent with the model of B diffusion in Si1−xGex, accounting for trapping of B at Ge sites through formation of GeB complex.

As device lots become more and more expensive, process modeling is increasingly important. Process simulation and modeling is increasingly sophisticated but the accuracy remains a problem. There is generally a time lag between the introduction of a particular process and its accurate modeling – the problem of “yesterday's technology modeled tomorrow”. For many problems, absolute accuracy isn't required. Relative trends provide excellent information about the process in question. For this reason, process simulation is still a useful technique for guiding process development.

We have developed a model for high concentration fluorine diffusion and fluorine diffusion in amorphous silicon. In this context, we define high concentration fluorine to mean fluorine doses above the threshold of amorphization for implantation into silicon, which is approximately 1×1015/cm2 dose. We pre-amorphized with silicon to create a continuous amorphous region, and samples were subsequently implanted with the fluorine conditions of 16keV at 2×1015cm−2 dose, 30keV at 2×1014 cm−2 dose, or 16keV at 8×1015cm−2 dose. Samples were annealed by either conventional furnace or RTA with an N2 ambient for various times at temperatures of 550-750 °C. SIMS was used for depth profiling, and TEM images were also taken of the samples to check for defects and amorphous depth. We then created the model for the data by extending the fluorine model presented in our previous work, and it models the profile motion and the time dependence well. The model is also still capable of describing our previous work and fits it very well.

Transient enhanced diffusion (TED) is a challenge that the semi-conductor industry has been faced with for more than two decades. Numerous investigations have been conducted to better understand the mechanisms that govern this phenomenon, so that scale down can be acheived. {311} type defects and dislocation loops are known interstitial sources that drive TED and dopants such as B utilize these interstitials to diffuse throughout the Si lattice. It has been reported that a two-step anneal on Ge preamorphized Si with ultra-low energy B implants has resulted in shallower junction depths. This study examines whether the pre-anneal step has a measurable effect on the end of range defects. Si wafers were preamorphized with Ge at 10, 12, 15, 20 and 30keV at a dose of 1x1015cm-2 and subsequently implanted with 1x1015cm-2 1keV B. Furnace anneals were performed at 450, 550, 650 and 750°C; the samples were then subjected to a spike RTA at 950°C. The implant damage was analyzed using Quantitative Transmission Electron Microscopy (QTEM). At the low energy Ge preamorphization, little damage is observed. However at the higher energies the microstructure is populated with extended defects. The defects evolve into elongated loops as the preanneal temperature increases. Both the extended defect density and the trapped interstitial concentration peak at a preanneal temperature of 550°C, suggesting that this may be an optimal condition for trapping interstitials.

A loop nucleation and evolution model in Si+ implanted Silicon was previously introduced [1]. In this study, the model is extended to predict end of range (EOR) and projected range defect nucleation and evolution created by different ion implant species such as Germanium, Arsenic and Boron. The model assumes that all the nucleated loops come from {311} unfaulting and the loop density and average loop radius follow a log normal distribution. The model is verified with the experimental data obtained from literature for Germanium [2], Arsenic [3] and Boron [4] implanted Silicon for different implant doses and energies. Modeling results are in agreement with the experimental results.

Nitrogen diffusion and defect structure were investigated after medium to high dose nitrogen implantation and anneal. 11 keV N2+ was implanted into silicon at doses ranging from 2×1014 to 2×1015 cm−2. The samples were annealed with an RTA system from 750°C to 900°C in a nitrogen atmosphere or at 1000°C in an oxidizing ambient. Nitrogen profiles were obtained by SIMS, and cross-section TEM was done on selected samples. TOF-SIMS was carried out in the oxidized samples. For lower doses, most of the nitrogen diffuses out of silicon into the silicon/oxide interface as expected. For the highest dose, a significant portion of the nitrogen still remains in silicon even after the highest thermal budget. This is attributed to the finite capacity of the silicon/oxide interface to trap nitrogen. When the interface gets saturated by nitrogen atoms, nitrogen in silicon can not escape into the interface. Implant doses above 7×1014 create continuous amorphous layers from the surface. For the 2×1015 case, there is residual amorphous silicon at the surface even after a 750°C 2 min anneal. After the 900°C 2 min anneal, the silicon fully recrystallizes leaving behind stacking faults at the surface and residual end of range damage.

Nitrogen implantation is used to retard gate oxide growth thereby making it particularly usefulfor dual- VT and System On A chip technologies. This paper discusses the diffusion behavior and the concomitant defect evolution at high doses of implanted nitrogen in silicon. This paper shows that as the nitrogen implant dose is increased, the extent of nitrogen diffusion reduces. This paper also reports based onTEM studies, that upon annealing at 750°C, 5 × 10014 N2+/cm2, 40 keV implant produces Type I extended defects. However, 2 × 1015 N2+/cm2, 40 keV implant, produces a continuous amorphous layer to a depth ofabout 800 to 900 Å from the surface. In addition, upon annealing at 750°C, the 2 × 1015 N2+/cm2, 40 keV implant produces Type V or solid solubility defects in addition to End of Range or Type II defects.

A single statistical point defect based model for the nucleation and evolution of dislocation loops during annealing in Si is developed. The model assumes that the radius and the density of dislocation loops follow a log normal distribution. The loop nucleation part of the model also assumes that all the loops come from {311} unfaulting. The model is verified with the experimental results obtained by studying the formation of dislocation loops and threading dislocation loops as a function of implant condition in boron implanted silicon by varying the dose from 1×1013 to 5×1014 cm−2 at an energy of 1.5 MeV. Due to the statistical nature of the model, the threading dislocation loop density is easily obtained from simulation results. The dramatic change in the threading dislocation loop density withthe increasing implant dose is also predicted by the simulations.

Simulation of front-end processing is a critical component of integrated-circuit (IC) technology development. Today's electronics are so small that characterization of their material parameters is very difficult and expensive. Simulation is often the only effective tool for exploring the lateral and vertical doping profiles of a modern device at the level of detail required for optimization. Additionally, the cost of fabrication and test lots increases with each technology generation; for this reason, simulation becomes especially costeffective, if it can be made accurate. Increasingly, process simulation is being performed by harnessing a hierarchy of tools. Ab initio and molecular-dynamics (MD) codes are used to generate insight into the physics of individual particle reactions in the silicon lattice. This information can be fed to kinetic Monte Carlo (MC) codes to establish the dominant, critical mechanisms. Finally, traditional continuum codes can make use of this information and couple with the other process steps to simulate the entire process flow. Both MC and continuum codes can be compared with experiment in order to validate the calculations.

Carbon is a native impurity in Si which is known to trap self-interstitials and decrease their diffusivity. Carbon has also been observed to decrease B transient enhanced diffusion (TED) in Si through these interstitial interactions. Recently it has been proposed that vacancies must also be considered when accounting for the reduction of B TED. We have incorporated both the kick-out mechanism and the Frank-Turnbull (F-T) mechanism in simulations of interstitial diffusion and carbon diffusion, as well as experiments involving B diffusion in B doped superlattices (DSLs) with varying C concentration regions. We have used the binding energy between a carbon atom and a self-interstitial as a basis for the reaction rates for both mechanisms, and have found that an single energy of 2.25 eV best reproduces the results from several experiments, assuming equilibrium initial conditions for both mechanisms and ab-initio equilibrium values for all point defects.

Boron, a P-type dopant, experiences Transient Enhanced Diffusion (TED) via interstitials. The Boron TED and {311} dissolution rates are explored as a function of implant energy dependence. Silicon implants of 1014/cm2 at 20, 40, 80, and 160 keV were used to damage the surface of a wafer with an epitaxially grown boron marker layer. Samples were annealed at 750°C for 15 to 135 minutes and 800°C for 10 to 30 minutes to observe the diffusion exhibited by the marker layer and to correlate this with the dissolution of {311} type defects. The diffusion enhancement depends strongly on implant energy but the {311} dissolution rate is weakly dependent.