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This study investigated the impact of the post-deposition annealing (PDA) process on the material and electrical properties of copper oxide (Cu2O) and nickel oxide (NiO) thin films deposited on a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate. Through radiofrequency (RF) sputtering, these films were subjected to PDA in a nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2) gas environment. Remarkably, the Cu2O films resisted phase transition following the N2 PDA process but exhibited a transition to cupric oxide (CuO) after undergoing the O2 PDA process. The symmetry of Cu 2p in the as-deposited Cu2O film was excellent; however, the phase-transformed CuO films exhibited an increase in binding energy and the emergence of satellite peaks. The Ni 2p exhibited various defects, such as nickel vacancies (VNi) and interstitial oxygen (Oi), in response to the different PDA atmospheres. The rectification ratios of the N2-annealed Cu2O and NiO devices were determined as 1.50 × 107 and 4.01 × 106, respectively, signifying a substantial enhancement by a factor of approximately 789 for the Cu2O/SiC device and 124 for the NiO/SiC device relative to their non-annealed counterparts. The findings of this study indicate that meticulous control of deposition for potential p-type materials such as Cu2O and NiO can significantly improve the performance in applications involving high-throughput and low-cost electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to elucidate the intramuscular distribution pattern of the medial plantar nerve and determine its motor nerve ending territories within the abductor hallucis muscle using modified Sihler's staining and external anatomical landmarks. The study included 40 specimens of the abductor hallucis muscle (13 men and seven women) from formalin-fixed (ten cadavers) and fresh cadavers (ten cadavers), with a mean age of 77.6 years. The entry point of the medial plantar nerve into the muscle was examined, followed by Sihler's staining to analyze the intramuscular distribution pattern and motor nerve ending location within the abductor hallucis muscle. Ultrasound- and palpation-guided injections were performed to verify the applicability of motor nerve ending location-based injections. The areas with the highest concentrations of nerve entry points and nerve endings were identified in the central portion of the muscle. Ultrasound- and palpation-guided injections were safely positioned near the densest nerve ending region of the muscle. These detailed anatomical data and injection methods would be beneficial for proceeding with safe and effective injection treatments using various analgesic agents to alleviate abductor hallucis muscle-associated pain disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Botulinum neurotoxin (BNT) injection into the cricopharyngeus muscle (CPM) under ultrasound (US) guidance is a minimally invasive technique performed to relieve cricopharyngeal dysphagia by reducing CPM spasticity. This technique is basically accessible only to both lateral sides of the CPM. This cadaveric study aimed to evaluate whether US-guided injection could effectively deliver BNT to abundant areas of gross nerve endings within the CPM. We utilized a newly modified Sihler's staining method to identify regions with abundant neural endings within the CPM while preserving the three-dimensional morphology of the muscle in 10 sides of 5 fresh cadavers. A mixture of 0.2 mL dye was injected into the 16 sides of CPM under US guidance in 8 cadavers. Nerve endings were abundant in posterolateral areas of the CPM; the injected dye was identified at the posterolateral area on 12 sides (12/16 side, 75%) without diffusion into the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle. The injection failed on four sides (two sides of the prevertebral fascia and two sides of the esophagus below the CPM). These results suggest that US-guided injection could be a feasible technique as it can deliver BNT to the most abundant nerve distribution areas within the CPM in most cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper oxide (Cu2O) is a promising p‐type material owing to its high absorption coefficient, suitable bandgap width, chemical stability, nontoxicity, and abundance. In this study, the effect of postdeposition annealing (PDA) on the electrical properties of Cu2O thin films deposited on silicon carbide (SiC) substrates is investigated. The films are subjected to PDA using radio‐frequency sputtering at various temperatures in air. During PDA, the Cu2O films are maintained at <300 °C and transitioned to cupric oxide (CuO) at 400 °C. The as‐deposited Cu2O film exhibits a low oxidation peak (Cu2+), whereas the phase‐transformed CuO films exhibit a higher binding energy with the emergence of satellite peaks. The rectification ratios of the Cu2O device annealed at 300 °C and CuO device annealed at 400 °C are determined as 2.02 × 107 and 1.01 × 105, respectively, denoting the substantial enhancement of approximately 55.04 for the Cu2O/SiC device and degradation of approximately 0.28 for the CuO/SiC device relative to their non‐annealed counterparts. Therefore, in this study, the significant improvement in the performance of Cu2O thin films with the meticulous deposition control of potential p‐type materials, such as Cu2O and CuO, for high‐throughput and low‐cost electronic applications is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated morphological properties of vertical heterojunction Schottky diodes based on (Al0.1Ga0.9)2O3/4H-SiC (AGO) thin films and analyzed the effect of post-annealing on their temperature-dependent electrical characteristics over the temperature range of 298 to 498 K. The AGO films were deposited using radio frequency sputtering and analyzed the as-deposited and N2-annealed films at 950 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere. The N2-annealed sample exhibited an estimated grain size of 63.2 nm compared to an average grain size of 43.6 nm in the as-deposited samples. As temperature increased, the barrier height (Φb) exhibited an upward trend, while the ideality factor (n) showed a declining trend. The calculated values of Φb and n in the as-deposited sample varied from 1.11 eV and 2.76 at 298 K to 1.47 eV and 1.37 at 498 K. The Schottky diode’s I–V characteristics, which vary with temperature, exhibited a Gaussian distribution. The temperature-dependent electrical characteristics of the Schottky diodes have shown a Gaussian distribution, yielding a mean barrier height of 2.08 eV and a standard deviation of 0.22 V for the as-deposited sample. In contrast, the N2-annealed sample’s mean barrier height was 1.16 eV, with a standard deviation of 0.13 V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ga2O3/4H-SiC heterojunction diodes were fabricated by depositing Ga2O3 thin films on 4H-SiC substrates using aerosol deposition (AD). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that all Ga2O3 peaks increased with increasing oxide thickness. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed to confirm grain size and deposited area. The I–V curves showed relevance between oxide thickness and electrical properties. For these thin films, the 1200 nm sample shows low Vth among them. It was confirmed that the Ron,sp value and the On-state current increased as the oxide thickness increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]