Large-scale Devices Research Articles

Measurement inaccuracy reported via the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience database for an implantable pulmonary artery pressure sensor: recalibration direction and magnitude results

Abstract Introduction Remote monitoring using an implantable pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) sensor (CardioMEMS HF system) in patients with heart failure (HF) has been consistently shown to reduce HF hospitalizations [1]. The success of this approach relies on the accurate measurement of diastolic PAP (dPAP) over time to allow early interventions such as diuretic intensification [2]. However, it remains unclear how the measurement accuracy changes over time after the initial calibration at the time of device implantation. Purpose This study aims to identify measurement inaccuracy events and to quantify the magnitude and direction of required device recalibration for CardioMEMS devices as reported in a large-scale regulatory device database. Methods We used the publicly accessible Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) data maintained by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The summary search was performed for the CardioMEMS pulmonary artery pressure sensor for the entire product life cycle from January 2009 to February 2024 [3,4]. The entries related to the measurement accuracy under ‘Device Problems’ categories were obtained. Tested accuracy was reported to have been within ±10mmHg of a reference pressure measurement throughout simulated use for 10 years [5]. Normal range for dPAP is ~8mmHg to 15mmHg [6]. Results A total of 2656 entries were obtained. Following categories were identified for the reported entries: device sensing problem (N=999, 38%); incorrect measurement (N=1349, 52%); incorrect measurement, inappropriate waveform (N=279, 11%), and incorrect, inadequate, or imprecise results or readings (N=29, 1%). After excluding 56 entries for missing information, 2600 entries were included for the analysis. A total of 1676 (64%) entries reported the need for recalibration of the CardioMEMS device. A mean PAP difference (defined as the difference of the mean PAP reference value measured at the time of recalibration minus the CardioMEMS reading obtained during the reference measurement) is shown in Figure 1. Compared to the reference pressure values at the time of recalibration, 488 (29%) of CardioMEMS readings were higher and 1188 (71%) were lower. The absolute recalibration pressure difference was 14.5 ± 9.3 mmHg (mean ± standard deviation, range 0.02-59.3 mmHg). The recalibration by more than 10 mmHg was reported in 1040 (40%) entries. Conclusions Suspected measurement inaccuracy with CardioMEMS device is not uncommon and often necessitate recalibration. Almost one-half (40%) of the recalibrations required more than 10 mmHg correction. These results should inform clinicians to consider recalibration along the course of CardioMEMS monitoring if there is discordance between clinical assessment and the values from the device.Figure 1.Figure 2

Bi-Functional Interfacial Modification enables Highly-Exposed Zn(002) Crystal Facet towards Durable Zn Metal Batteries.

Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) have garnered growing interest in large-scale energy storage devices for the high safety, high theoretical capacity and low electrochemical potential. Nevertheless, their widespread applications are significantly impeded by dendrite formation, hydrogen evolution and corrosion reactions of Zn anodes. Herein, a bi-functional polyacrylic acid (PAA) modified-Zn anode (Zn-PAA) is designed to concurrently inhibit Zn dendrite formation and alleviate side reactions. The bi-functional PAA coating not only selectively acid-etches the active Zn crystal facets to guide the planar deposition along the highly-exposed Zn(002) crystal facet, but also facilitate uniform Zn deposition through coordination between the polymer functional groups and Zn2+. Meanwhile, the electrically-insulated PAA protective layer effectively separates Zn anodes from the electrolyte and modulates the solvation structure of Zn2+.6H2O, significantly suppressing side reactions. Consequently, the assembled Zn-PAA//Zn-PAA symmetrical cell delivers an outstanding cycling stability of 1600 h at 1 mA cm-2 and 1 mAh cm-2. The assembled KVO//Zn-PAA full cell shows exceptional cycling stability over 1500 cycles at 2.0 A g-1 with a high Coulombic efficiency approaching 100%. The facile bi-functional surface modification strategy, which enables to finely tune the crystal facet texture and ion distribution manner, opens up a groundbreaking path towards safe and durable ZIBs.

Nitride spacer aided 0.15 μm AlGaN/GaN HEMT fabrication with optimized gate patterning process

I-line stepper is widely used in large scale device manufacturing with limited achievable critical dimension by itself. With the aid of the spacer sidewall, the critical dimension can be further shrunk down. Spacer sidewall aided process necessitates an additional deposition-etching process, which inevitably results in process related damage under the gate. This paper proposes an optimized spacer sidewall aided gate patterning procedure for 0.15 μm GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) fabrication. The process is proved to be effective in improving device performance compared to conventional sidewall process by keeping first Si-rich SiN passivation layer integrity at the gate edge. Interface trap density (Dit) and mobility were extracted for both conventional sidewall process and the optimized one with different passivation layers at the gate edge, demonstrating a lower Dit and higher mobility using the optimized process with enhanced device performances, such as higher current, breakdown voltage, and stress state characteristics, compared to the conventional process, which is promising for mass production of 0.15 μm GaN HEMTs.

Total ionization dose and electromagnetic pulse synergistic effects on low dropout linear regulator

As a power management chip widely used in various electronic systems, the low dropout regulator (LDO) plays a crucial role in the normal operation of electronic systems. Ionizing radiation and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) radiation can cause interference and damage to the LDO, posing risks to the proper functioning of electronic systems in large-scale scientific devices. In this study, through separate experimental investigations on the Total Ionizing Dose (TID) effects, EMP effects, and synergistic effect of the LDO, it was found that parameters such as the LDO output voltage decreases with increasing irradiation dose, with more severe degradation observed under grounded bias. The EMP effects mainly cause oscillations in the LDO output voltage and a slight increase in its mean value. The results of the synergistic effect experiments indicate that there is a certain synergistic interaction between the TID effects and the EMP effects. The synergistic effects lead to an increase in the amplitude of the oscillations and changes in the mean value of the output voltage.

Continuous and multicyclic sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting with heat recovery in arid climate

Nowadays, two-thirds of the global population are grappling with water scarcity. Sorption-based water harvesting (SAWH), which does not depend on conventional water sources and provides decentralized clean water, is steadily gaining popularity. However, the contradiction between the low daily water production in arid climates and the high energy consumption of large-scale devices has become a pivotal limitation for efficient water harvesting. Here, we report a multicyclic SAWH device with heat recovery equipped with 3 sorbent beds that alternatively desorb in automatic switching mode to achieve all-day continuous water harvesting. Furthermore, based on the rapid sorption and desorption kinetics of the adsorbent in the initial stages, employing a rapid-cycling operation strategy contributes to realize an outstanding water productivity of 8.07 kg day−1 and 0.21 kg kgsorbent−1 day−1 under practical arid conditions (15 °C/25 % RH). Besides, the apparatus equipped with heat regenerator showed a significant decrease in energy consumption from 12.17 kWh to 10.65 kWh during a desorption cycle (4 h). Moreover, a hybrid desorption mode driven by a combination of solar collector and electric heater is demonstrated in an island. This SAWH system is anticipated to provide a promising approach for large-scale efficient water harvesting in all-day arid regions (RH<35 %).

A Secure and Efficient Authentication Scheme for Large-Scale IoT Devices Based on Zero-Knowledge Proof

A Secure and Efficient Authentication Scheme for Large-Scale IoT Devices Based on Zero-Knowledge Proof

High-order diffraction for optical superfocusing

High-order diffraction (HOD) from optical microstructures is undesirable in many applications because of the accompanying ghosting patterns and loss of efficiency. In contrast to suppressing HOD with subwavelength structures that challenge the fabrication of large-scale devices, managing HOD is less developed due to the lack of an efficient method for independently manipulating HOD. Here, we report independent manipulation of HODs, which are unexploited for subdiffraction-limit focusing in diffractive lenses, through an analytical formula that correlates the diffraction order and the width of each zone. The large spatial frequencies offered by the HODs enable our lenses to reduce the lateral focal size down to 0.44 λ even without any subwavelength feature (indispensable in most high-NA diffractive lenses), facilitating large-scale manufacture. Experimentally, we demonstrate high-order lens-based confocal imaging with a center-to-center dry resolution of 190 nm, the highest among visible-light confocal microscopies, and laser-ablation lithography with achieved direct-writing resolution of 400 nm (0.385 λ).

VivoBodySeg: Machine learning-based analysis of C. elegans immobilized in vivoChip for automated developmental toxicity testing.

Developmental toxicity (DevTox) tests evaluate the adverse effects of chemical exposures on an organism's development. While large animal tests are currently heavily relied on, the development of new approach methodologies (NAMs) is encouraging industries and regulatory agencies to evaluate these novel assays. Several practical advantages have made C. elegans a useful model for rapid toxicity testing and studying developmental biology. Although the potential to study DevTox is promising, current low-resolution and labor-intensive methodologies prohibit the use of C. elegans for sub-lethal DevTox studies at high throughputs. With the recent availability of a large-scale microfluidic device, vivoChip, we can now rapidly collect 3D high-resolution images of ~ 1,000 C. elegans from 24 different populations. In this paper, we demonstrate DevTox studies using a 2.5D U-Net architecture (vivoBodySeg) that can precisely segment C. elegans in images obtained from vivoChip devices, achieving an average Dice score of 97.80. The fully automated platform can analyze 36 GB data from each device to phenotype multiple body parameters within 35 min on a desktop PC at speeds ~ 140× faster than the manual analysis. Highly reproducible DevTox parameters (4-8% CV) and additional autofluorescence-based phenotypes allow us to assess the toxicity of chemicals with high statistical power.

Investigation and experimental evaluation of a mono-pixel X-ray system in healthcare

Abstract The acquisition of two-dimensional X-ray images (of non-human objects) is quite expensive, primarily due to the costly flat-panel or line detectors. Reducing these costs could open up new possibilities in healthcare applications, such as inspecting limb prostheses for cracks and defects or safety-related material testing of helmets and child seats. In this contribution, two different setups of low-cost mono-pixel X-ray scanners are described: a small scanner with a working volume of 20 x 20 x 20 cm3 and a large system with a volume of 150 x 230 x 110 cm3. Using these novel mono-pixel X-ray scanning systems, various objects - ranging from an X-ray phantom and a human skull phantom to a high-end limb prosthesis with integrated electronics - were scanned and investigated. Compared to conventional X-ray systems, the mono-pixel systems can depict these objects without the distortion problems of cone beam detectors. Although the scanning procedure is time-consuming, the results are quite promising. Mono-pixel X-ray-scanning is a novel modality capable of scanning largescale objects with low-dose radiation. While it is currently not suitable for human applications due to the long scanning times, it can still be used for the non-destructive testing of large-scale medical devices, such as e.g. arm and leg prosthesis.

Green-light wavelength-selective organic solar cells: module fabrication and crop evaluation towards agrivoltaics

Green-light wavelength-selective organic solar cells (GLWS-OSCs) pioneer novel agrivoltaics in greenhouses via transforming solar energy in the green-light region to electricity while simultaneously growing crops by utilizing the transmitted blue and red lights. However, the development of GLWS-OSCs has been stymied due to the limited availability of donors and acceptors. Herein, we investigate the combination of a cost-effective poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) donor with a fluorinated-naphthobisthiadiazole-based non-fullerene acceptor (FNTz-FA) for GLWS-OSC application. FNTz-FA shows an intense absorption band between 500 and 600 nm and a high level of chemical stability. OSCs based on P3HT and FNTz-FA with an inverted configuration are optimized to show high green-light wavelength-selective absorption and power conversion efficiency in the green-light region. Furthermore, large-scale device fabrication has been considered, leading to the development of 100 and 400 cm2 scale OSC modules. These modules showed sustained solar cell performance after 180 days. Photosynthetic rate measurements indicate that transmissions by the P3HT:FNTz-FA film show a non-obstructing nature and the advantage of green-light wavelength-selectivity in crop growth. Preliminary investigations on the growth of tomatoes have shown the potential of P3HT:FNTz-FA-based OSCs for agrivoltaics. These results demonstrate that GLWS-OSCs are a valid candidate to realize agrivoltaics in greenhouses for an effective utilization of solar energy.

Interphase-Controlled Inkjet Printing of MicroInlaid OLEDs: Effects of Solvent- and Solute-Polymer Interactions.

Inkjet printing, a highly promising technique for the cost-effective fabrication of large-scale organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs), typically necessitates the intricate alignment of precisely patterned insulating layers. Recently, we introduced a unique single-step inkjet printing process that produces well-patterned microinlaid spots of functional compounds through insulating polymer layers. This approach exploits lateral phase separation between the solute of functional compounds and the polymer, allowing the simultaneous spatial etching of the polymer and the infilling of the solute using a single inkjet-printed sessile droplet. Here, we demonstrate that the interaction between the solvent and polymer, as well as the solute and polymer, critically determines the precision and efficiency of printing. This is particularly evident when using either the insulating poly(vinylpyridine) isomer of poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) or poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP) with chloroform as a solvent, which allows for a detailed examination of these interactions based on certain solubility parameters. Micro-Raman spectroscopy reveals that the self-organizing capability of the microinlaid spots with P4VP is superior to that with P2VP. This is due to the fact that P2VP shows higher affinity to the solvent and causes imperfect phase separation as compared to P4VP. As a result, a performance evaluation demonstrates enhanced device performance for inkjet-printed green micro-OLEDs with P4VP, exhibiting a higher external quantum efficiency of 3.3% compared to that of 2.3% achieved with P2VP. These findings elucidate the important roles of solvent-polymer and solute-polymer interactions in the inkjet printing process, leading to interfacial control of inkjet printing technique for the cost-effective production of high-performance and high-resolution micro-OLEDs.

Efficient quantum state estimation with low-rank matrix completion

This paper introduces a novel and efficient technique for quantum state estimation, coined as low-rank matrix-completion quantum state tomography for characterizing pure quantum states, as it requires only non-entangling bases and 2n+1\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$2n + 1$\\end{document} local Pauli operators. This significantly reduces the complexity of the process and increases the accuracy of the state estimation, as it eliminates the need for the entangling bases, which are experimentally difficult to implement on quantum devices. The required minimal post-processing, improved accuracy and efficacy of this matrix-completion-based method make it an ideal benchmarking tool for investigating the properties of quantum systems, enabling researchers to verify the accuracy of quantum devices, characterize their performance, and explore the underlying physics of quantum phenomena. Our numerical results demonstrate that this method outperforms contemporary techniques in its ability to accurately reconstruct multi-qubit quantum states on real quantum devices, making it an invaluable contribution to the field of quantum state characterization and an essential step toward the reliable deployment of intermediate- and large-scale quantum devices.

Plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition of titanium nitride for superconducting devices

This study examines the superconducting properties of titanium nitride (TiN) deposited via plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition on both planar and three-dimensional (3D) structures. Our deposition method achieves consistent uniformity, maintaining sheet resistance (R□) &amp;gt; 95% across a 6-in. wafer, crucial for large-scale superconducting device fabrication and yield optimization. The planar films, akin to reactive-sputtered TiN, reached a critical temperature (Tc) of 4.35 K at a thickness of ≈40 nm. For aspect ratios (ARs) between 2 and 40, we observed a single transition of ≈2 K at ARs between 2 and 10.5, and multiple transitions at ARs &amp;gt; 10.5. We discuss mechanisms influencing superconducting properties in the 3D structures, aligning with current and future superconducting technologies.

Stabilization of symmetry-protected long-range entanglement in stochastic quantum circuits

Long-range entangled states are vital for quantum information processing and quantum metrology. Preparing such states by combining measurements with unitary gates opened new possibilities for efficient protocols with finite-depth quantum circuits. The complexity of these algorithms is crucial for the resource requirements on a large-scale noisy quantum device, while their stability to perturbations decides the fate of their implementation. In this work, we consider stochastic quantum circuits in one and two dimensions comprising randomly applied unitary gates and local measurements. These operations preserve a class of discrete local symmetries, which are broken due to the stochasticity arising from timing and gate imperfections. In the absence of randomness, the protocol generates a symmetry-protected long-range entangled state in a finite-depth circuit. In the general case, by studying the time evolution under this hybrid circuit, we analyze the time to reach the target entangled state. We find two important time scales that we associate with the emergence of certain symmetry generators. The quantum trajectories embody the local symmetry with a time scaling logarithmically with system size, while global symmetries require exponentially long times. We devise error-mitigation protocols that significantly lower both time scales and investigate the stability of the algorithm to perturbations that naturally arise in experiments. We also generalize the protocol to realize toric code and Xu-Moore states in two dimensions, opening avenues for future studies of anyonic excitations. Our results unveil a fundamental relationship between symmetries and dynamics across a range of lattice geometries, which contributes to a broad understanding of the stability of preparation algorithms in terms of phase transitions. Our work paves the way for efficient error correction for quantum state preparation.

Investigation on improving soldering reliability of large-scale LCCC devices with high-lead solder ball materials

Abstract Leadless Ceramic Chip Carrier (LCCC) is commonly used in high-density electronic packaging PCB boards. Due to the different thermal expansion of materials, the solder joints of LCCC devices are prone to stress and cracking after assembly, which leads to the failure of LCCC devices’ electrical performance. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of four solutions were analysed, and comprehensively considered the use of ball planting to alleviate thermal mismatch stress. After experimental verification, the thermal mismatch between the LCCC devices and PCB results in a lifespan of less than 200 cycles for direct assembly of the LCCC devices. Planting balls at the bottom of LCCC devices and soldering can effectively increase the lifespan of solder joints and improve product reliability. By analysing the SMT process, the bottom high-lead ball placement of LCCC devices was implemented, and environmental testing was conducted using temperature shock testing to demonstrate that bottom ball placement can extend solder joint life and improve reliability. This study provides a reliable soldering method for large-scale LCCC devices and provides a basis for improving LCCC reliability.

Regulating interfacial behavior via reintegration the Helmholtz layer structure towards ultra-stable and wide-temperature-range aqueous zinc ion batteries

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries are recognized as a potential candidate in large-scale energy storage devices. However, parasitic reactions on interfaces have severely limited their further development due to sticky de-solvation process of Zn(H2O)62+. Acetylacetone (Hacac) is proposed as a tri-functional additive by altering the solvation structure to address detrimental interface issues. Specifically, the acetyl groups induced by decomposition of Hacac inhibit dendrite growth, by-product aggregation on anode via guiding ordered deposition of zinc ions and suppressing water decomposition in internal Helmholtz plane (IHP). Meanwhile, the acetyl groups remarkably alleviate by-product aggregation and maintain the cathode structure by accelerating zinc ion transfer and inhibiting disintegration of water in IHP. With the addition of 0.5 wt% Hacac, Zn metal maintains a high coulombic efficiency of 99.9 % after 2000 cycles at 10 mA cm−2 and 1 mAh cm−2, with superior longevity of 5200 h at 1 mA cm−2 with 0.5 mAh cm−2 for Zn|Zn cells. As expected, the assembled Zn|NH4V4O10 batteries exhibit an outstanding capacity retention of 90 % up to 22,000 cycles at 10 A/g. As a highly efficient strategy, the reframing of Helmholtz layer structure via electrolyte additive could be broadened to address general interfacial issues in advanced energy storage systems.

Flux-pulse-assisted readout of a fluxonium qubit

Much attention has focused on the transmon architecture for large-scale superconducting quantum devices; however, the fluxonium qubit has emerged as a possible successor. With a shunting inductor in parallel to a Josephson junction, the fluxonium offers larger anharmonicity and stronger protection against dielectric loss, leading to higher coherence times as compared to conventional transmon qubits. The interplay between the inductive and Josephson energy potentials of the fluxonium qubit leads to a rich dispersive-shift landscape when tuning the external flux. Here, we propose to exploit the features in the dispersive shift to improve qubit readout. Specifically, we report on theoretical simulations showing improved readout times and error rates by performing the readout at a flux-bias point with large dispersive shift. We expand the scheme to include different error channels and show that with an integration time of 155 ns, flux-pulse-assisted readout offers about a 5-times improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio. Moreover, we show that the performance improvement persists in the presence of finite measurement efficiency combined with quasistatic flux noise and also when considering the increased Purcell rate at the flux-pulse-assisted readout point. We suggest a set of reasonable energy parameters for the fluxonium architecture that will allow for the implementation of our proposed flux-pulse-assisted readout scheme. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Colossal Core/Shell CdSe/CdS Quantum Dot Emitters.

Single-photon sources are essential for advancing quantum technologies with scalable integration being a crucial requirement. To date, deterministic positioning of single-photon sources in large-scale photonic structures remains a challenge. In this context, colloidal quantum dots (QDs), particularly core/shell configurations, are attractive due to their solution processability. However, traditional QDs are typically small, about 3 to 6 nm, which restricts their deterministic placement and utility in large-scale photonic devices, particularly within optical cavities. The largest existing core/shell QDs are a family of giant CdSe/CdS QDs, with total diameters ranging from about 20 to 50 nm. Pushing beyond this size limit, we introduce a synthesis strategy for colossal CdSe/CdS QDs, with sizes ranging from 30 to 100 nm, using a stepwise high-temperature continuous injection method. Electron microscopy reveals a consistent hexagonal diamond morphology composed of 12 semipolar {101̅1} facets and one polar (0001) facet. We also identify conditions where shell growth is disrupted, leading to defects, islands, and mechanical instability, which suggest synthetic requirements for growing crystalline particles beyond 100 nm. The stepwise growth of thick CdS shells on CdSe cores enables the synthesis of emissive QDs with long photoluminescence lifetimes of a few microseconds and suppressed blinking at room temperature. Notably, QDs with 80 and 100 CdS monolayers exhibit high single-photon emission purity with second-order photon correlation g(2)(0) values below 0.2.

Thermoelectric properties of monolayer GeTe with Au, Ni, and Co substrates

Since the basic thermoelectric (TE) units must be integrated on substrates to form large-scale devices, it would be more practical to study the TE properties of the TE devices with substrates. Based on the first-principles calculation and nonequilibrium Green’s function method, we comparatively investigate the TE properties of the GeTe monolayer with its leads deposited on Au, Ni, and Co substrates, which are called GeTe-X (X = Au, Ni, and Co). It is shown that in comparison with the pristine GeTe monolayer, the figures of merit ZTs of the GeTe-X are seriously changed with one ZT peak appearing near zero chemical potential. The GeTe-Au and GeTe-Ni are of higher TE performance near zero chemical potential than the GeTe-Co, indicating one can choose Au or Ni as the substrate. Moreover, we show that the TE properties of the GeTe-X are sensitively dependent on the substrate layer number, the central scattering length, and the temperature, which necessitates the synergistic optimization of the related parameters to obtain the best TE performance. This work should be an important reference for designing practical GeTe-based TE devices.

Scalable Fabrication of Large-Scale, 3D, and Stretchable Circuits.

Stretchable electronics have demonstrated excellent potential in wearable healthcare and conformal integration. Achieving the scalable fabrication of stretchable devices with high functional density is the cornerstone to enable the practical applications of stretchable electronics. Here, a comprehensive methodology for realizing large-scale, 3D, and stretchable circuits (3D-LSC) is reported. The soft copper-clad laminate (S-CCL) based on the "cast and cure" process facilitates patterning the planar interconnects with the scale beyond 1 m. With the ability to form through, buried and blind VIAs in the multilayer stack of S-CCLs, high functional density can be achieved by further creating vertical interconnects in stacked S-CCLs. The application of temporary bonding substrate effectively minimizes the misalignments caused by residual strain and thermal strain. 3D-LSC enables the batch production of stretchable skin patches based on five-layer stretchablecircuits, which can serve as a miniaturized system for physiological signals monitoring with wireless power delivery. The fabrications of conformal antenna and stretchable light-emitting diode display further illustrate the potential of 3D-LSC in realizing large-scale stretchable devices.