Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 88 in total

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  1. Stretchable AgX (X = Se, Te) for Efficient Thermoelectrics and Photovoltaics
    Robin Chang YH, Jiang J, Khong HY, Saad I, Chai SS, Mahat MM, et al.
    ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2021 Jun 02;13(21):25121-25136.
    PMID: 34008948 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c04759
    Transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) have gained worldwide interest owing to their outstanding renewable energy conversion capability. However, the poor mechanical flexibility of most existing TMCs limits their practical commercial applications. Herein, triggered by the recent and imperative synthesis of highly ductile α-Ag2S, an effective approach based on evolutionary algorithm and ab initio total-energy calculations for determining stable, ductile phases of bulk and two-dimensional Ag
    x
    Se1-x and Ag
    x
    Te1-x compounds was implemented. The calculations correctly reproduced the global minimum bulk stoichiometric P212121-Ag8Se4 and P21/c-Ag8Te4 structures. Recently reported metastable AgTe3 was also revealed but it lacks dynamical stability. Further single-layered screening unveiled two new monolayer P4/nmm-Ag4Se2 and C2-Ag8Te4 phases. Orthorhombic Ag8Se4 crystalline has a narrow, direct band gap of 0.26 eV that increases to 2.68 eV when transforms to tetragonal Ag4Se2 monolayer. Interestingly, metallic P21/c-Ag8Te4 changes to semiconductor when thinned down to monolayer, exhibiting a band gap of 1.60 eV. Present findings confirm their strong stability from mechanical and thermodynamic aspects, with reasonable Vickers hardness, bone-like Young's modulus (E) and high machinability observed in bulk phases. Detailed analysis of the dielectric functions ε(ω), absorption coefficient α(ω), power conversion efficiency (PCE) and refractive index n(ω) of monolayers are reported for the first time. Fine theoretical PCE (SLME method ∼11-28%), relatively high n(0) (1.59-1.93), and sizable α(ω) (104-105 cm-1) that spans the infrared to visible regions indicate their prospects in optoelectronics and photoluminescence applications. Effective strategies to improve the temperature dependent power factor (PF) and figure of merit (ZT) are illustrated, including optimizing the carrier concentration. With decreasing thickness, ZT of p-doped Ag-Se was found to rise from approximately 0.15-0.90 at 300 K, leading to a record high theoretical conversion efficiency of ∼12.0%. The results presented foreshadow their potential application in a hybrid device that combines the photovoltaic and thermoelectric technologies.
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors
  2. Fulltext Growth and Characterization of Ternary Hf x Ta y O z Films via Nitrogen-Infused Wet Oxidation
    Quah HJ, Ahmad FH, Lim WF, Hassan Z
    ACS Omega, 2020 Oct 20;5(41):26347-26356.
    PMID: 33110962 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c02120
    Nitrogen-infused wet oxidation at different temperatures (400-1000 °C) was employed to transform tantalum-hafnia to hafnium-doped tantalum oxide films. High-temperature wet oxidation at 1000 °C marked an onset of crystallization occurring in the film, accompanied with the formation of an interfacial oxide due to a reaction between the inward-diffusing hydroxide ions, which were dissociated from the water molecules during wet oxidation. The existence of nitrogen has assisted in controlling the interfacial oxide formation. However, high-temperature oxidation caused a tendency for the nitrogen to desorb and form N-H complex after reacting with the hydroxide ions. Besides, the presence of N-H complex implied a decrease in the passivation at the oxide-Si interface by hydrogen. As a consequence, defect formation would happen at the interface and influence the metal-oxide-semiconductor characteristics of the samples. In comparison, tantalum-hafnia subjected to nitrogen-infused wet oxidation at 600 °C has obtained the highest dielectric constant, the largest band gap, and the lowest slow trap density.
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors
  3. Photoluminescence Investigation of Carrier Localization in Colloidal PbS and PbS/MnS Quantum Dots
    Zaini MS, Liew JYC, Alang Ahmad SA, Mohmad AR, Ahmad Kamarudin M
    ACS Omega, 2020 Dec 08;5(48):30956-30962.
    PMID: 33324803 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c03768
    The existence of surface organic capping ligands on quantum dots (QDs) has limited the potential in QDs emission properties and energy band gap structure alteration as well as the carrier localization. This drawback can be addressed via depositing a thin layer of a semiconductor material on the surface of QDs. Herein, we report on the comparative study for photoluminescent (PL) properties of PbS and PbS/MnS QDs. The carrier localization effect due to the alteration of energy band gap structure and carrier recombination mechanism in the QDs were investigated via PL measurements in a temperature range of 10-300 K with the variation of the excitation power from 10 to 200 mW. For PbS QDs, the gradient of integrated PL intensity (IPL) as a function of excitation power density graph was less than unity. When the MnS shell layer was deposited onto the PbS core, the PL emission exhibited a blue shift, showing dominant carrier recombination. It was also found that the full width half-maximum showed a gradual broadening with the increasing temperature, affirming the electron-phonon interaction.
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors
  4. Fulltext Influence of Irradiation Time on the Structural and Optical Characteristics of CuSe Nanoparticles Synthesized via Microwave-Assisted Technique
    Shitu IG, Liew JYC, Talib ZA, Baqiah H, Awang Kechik MM, Ahmad Kamarudin M, et al.
    ACS Omega, 2021 Apr 27;6(16):10698-10708.
    PMID: 34056223 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c00148
    A rapid, sustainable, and ecologically sound approach is urgently needed for the production of semiconductor nanomaterials. CuSe nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized via a microwave-assisted technique using CuCl2·2H2O and Na2SeO3 as the starting materials. The role of the irradiation time was considered as the primary concern to regulate the size and possibly the shape of the synthesized nanoparticles. A range of characterization techniques was used to elucidate the structural and optical properties of the fabricated nanoparticles, which included X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), atomic force microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy (Raman), UV-Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The mean crystallite size of the CuSe hexagonal (Klockmannite) crystal structure increased from 21.35 to 99.85 nm with the increase in irradiation time. At the same time, the microstrain and dislocation density decreased from 7.90 × 10-4 to 1.560 × 10-4 and 4.68 × 10-2 to 1.00 × 10-2 nm-2, respectively. Three Raman vibrational bands attributed to CuSe NPs have been identified in the Raman spectrum. Irradiation time was also seen to play a critical role in the NP optical band gap during the synthesis. The decrease in the optical band gap from 1.85 to 1.60 eV is attributed to the increase in the crystallite size when the irradiation time was increased. At 400 nm excitation wavelength, a strong orange emission centered at 610 nm was observed from the PL measurement. The PL intensity is found to increase with an increase in irradiation time, which is attributed to the improvement in crystallinity at higher irradiation time. Therefore, the results obtained in this study could be of great benefit in the field of photonics, solar cells, and optoelectronic applications.
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors
  5. Fulltext SOA-based multi-wavelength source
    Harun, S.W., Sulaiman, A.H., Ahmad, H.
    ASM Science Journal, 2009;3(1):27-30.
    MyJurnal
    We demonstrate a multi-wavelength light source using a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) in conjunction with an array waveguide grating (AWG). The experimental results showed more than 20 channels with a wavelength separation of 0.8 nm and an optical signal-to-noise ratio of more than 10 dB under room temperature. The channels operated at the wavelength region from 1530.4 nm to 1548.6 nm, which corresponded to AWG filtering wavelengths with SOA drive current of 350 mA. The proposed light source had the advantages of a simple and compact structure, multi-wavelength operation and the system could be upgraded to generate more wavelengths.
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors
  6. Progression in sensing cardiac troponin biomarker charge transductions on semiconducting nanomaterials
    Fathil MF, Md Arshad MK, Ruslinda AR, Nuzaihan M N M, Gopinath SC, Adzhri R, et al.
    Anal Chim Acta, 2016 Sep 07;935:30-43.
    PMID: 27543013 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2016.06.012
    A real-time ability to interpret the interaction between targeted biomolecules and the surface of semiconductors (metal transducers) into readable electrical signals, without biomolecular modification involving fluorescence dyes, redox enzymes, and radioactive labels, created by label-free biosensors has been extensively researched. Field-effect transistor (FET)- and capacitor-based biosensors are among the diverse electrical charge biosensing architectures that have drawn much attention for having charge transduction; thus, enabling the early and rapid diagnosis of the appropriate cardiac biomarkers at lower concentrations. These semiconducting material-based transducers are very suitable to be integrated with portable electronic devices for future online collection, transmission, reception, analysis, and reporting. This overview elucidates and clarifies two major electrical label-free systems (FET- and capacitor-based biosensors) with cardiac troponin (cTn) biomarker-mediated charge transduction for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) diagnosis. Advances in these systems are highlighted by their progression in bridging the laboratory and industry; the foremost technologies have made the transition from benchtop to bedside and beyond.
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors
  7. Fulltext Light-Addressable Potentiometric Sensors Using ZnO Nanorods as the Sensor Substrate for Bioanalytical Applications
    Tu Y, Ahmad N, Briscoe J, Zhang DW, Krause S
    Anal Chem, 2018 07 17;90(14):8708-8715.
    PMID: 29932632 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b02244
    Light-addressable potentiometric sensors (LAPS) are of great interest in bioimaging applications such as the monitoring of concentrations in microfluidic channels or the investigation of metabolic and signaling events in living cells. By measuring the photocurrents at electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS) and electrolyte-semiconductor structures, LAPS can produce spatiotemporal images of chemical or biological analytes, electrical potentials and impedance. However, its commercial applications are often restricted by their limited AC photocurrents and resolution of LAPS images. Herein, for the first time, the use of 1D semiconducting oxides in the form of ZnO nanorods for LAPS imaging is explored to solve this issue. A significantly increased AC photocurrent with enhanced image resolution has been achieved based on ZnO nanorods, with a photocurrent of 45.7 ± 0.1 nA at a light intensity of 0.05 mW, a lateral resolution as low as 3.0 μm as demonstrated by images of a PMMA dot on ZnO nanorods and a pH sensitivity of 53 mV/pH. The suitability of the device for bioanalysis and bioimaging was demonstrated by monitoring the degradation of a thin poly(ester amide) film with the enzyme α-chymotrypsin using LAPS. This simple and robust route to fabricate LAPS substrates with excellent performance would provide tremendous opportunities for bioimaging.
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors
  8. Fulltext A Theoretical Study of Surface Mode Propagation with a Guiding Layer of GaN/Sapphire Hetero-Structure in Liquid Medium
    Mohd Razip Wee MF, Jaafar MM, Faiz MS, Dee CF, Yeop Majlis B
    Biosensors (Basel), 2018 Dec 05;8(4).
    PMID: 30563159 DOI: 10.3390/bios8040124
    Gallium Nitride (GaN) is considered as the second most popular semiconductor material in industry after silicon. This is due to its wide applications encompassing Light Emitting Diode (LED) and power electronics. In addition, its piezoelectric properties are fascinating to be explored as electromechanical material for the development of diverse microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) application. In this article, we conducted a theoretical study concerning surface mode propagation, especially Rayleigh and Sezawa mode in the layered GaN/sapphire structure with the presence of various guiding layers. It is demonstrated that the increase in thickness of guiding layer will decrease the phase velocities of surface mode depending on the material properties of the layer. In addition, the Q-factor value indicating the resonance properties of surface mode appeared to be affected with the presence of fluid domain, particularly in the Rayleigh mode. Meanwhile, the peak for Sezawa mode shows the highest Q factor and is not altered by the presence of fluid. Based on these theoretical results using the finite element method, it could contribute to the development of a GaN-based device to generate surface acoustic wave, especially in Sezawa mode which could be useful in acoustophoresis, lab on-chip and microfluidics applications.
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors
  9. In vitro anti-breast cancer studies of LED red light therapy through autophagy
    Yang KL, Khoo BY, Ong MT, Yoong ICK, Sreeramanan S
    Breast Cancer, 2021 Jan;28(1):60-66.
    PMID: 32654094 DOI: 10.1007/s12282-020-01128-6
    LED red light has been reported to have many health benefits. The present study was conducted to characterise anti-proliferation properties of four LED red light wavelengths (615, 630, 660 and 730 nm) against non-triple negative (MCF-7) and triple negative (MDA-MB-231) breast cancer-origin cell lines. It has been shown by MTT assay that at 24 h post-exposure time point, only LED red light with wavelength 660 nm possessed anti-proliferative effects against both cell lines with 40% reduction of cell viability. The morphology of LED 660 nm irradiated cells was found flatten with enlarged cell size, typical characteristic of cell senescent. Indications of autophagy activities following the irradiation have been provided by acridine orange staining, showing high presence of acidic vesicle organelles (AVOs). In addition, high LC3-II/LC3-I to LC3 ratio has been observed qualitatively in Western blot analysis indicating an increase number of autophagosomes formation in LED 660 nm irradiated cells compared to control cells. Electron dense bodies observed in these cells under TEM micrographs provided additional support to the above observations, leading to the conclusion that LED 660 nm irradiation promoted anti-proliferative activities through autophagy in breast cancer-origin cells. These findings have suggested that LED 660 nm might be developed and be employed as an alternative cancer treatment method in future.
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors
  10. Role of nanocatalyst in the treatment of organochlorine compounds - A review
    El-Sheikh MA, Hadibarata T, Yuniarto A, Sathishkumar P, Abdel-Salam EM, Alatar AA
    Chemosphere, 2020 Nov 04.
    PMID: 33220978 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128873
    Since a few centuries ago, organochlorine compounds (OCs) become one of the threatened contaminants in the world. Due to the lipophilic and hydrophobic properties, OCs always discover in fat or lipid layers through bioaccumulation and biomagnification. The OCs are able to retain in soil, sediment and water for long time as it is volatile, OCs will evaporate from soil and condense in water easily and frequently, which pollute the shelter of aquatic life and it affects the function of organs and damage system in human body. Photocatalysis that employs the usage of semiconductor nanophotocatalyst and solar energy can be the possible alternative for current conventional water remediation technologies. With the benefits of utilizing renewable energy, no production of harmful by-products and easy operation, degradation of organic pollutants in rural water bodies can be established. Besides, nanophotocatalyst that is synthesized with nanotechnology outnumbered conventional catalyst with larger surface area to volume ratio, thus higher photocatalytic activity is observed. In contrast, disadvantages particularly no residual effect in water distribution network, requirement of post-treatment and easily affected by various factors accompanied with photocatalysis method cannot be ignored. These various factors constrained the photocatalytic efficiency via nanocatalysts which causes the full capacity of solar photocatalysis has yet to be put into practice. Therefore, further modifications and research are still required in nanophotocatalysts' synthesis to overcome limitations such as large band gaps and photodecontamination.
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors
  11. Fulltext Incoming Work-In-Progress Prediction in Semiconductor Fabrication Foundry Using Long Short-Term Memory
    Tin TC, Chiew KL, Phang SC, Sze SN, Tan PS
    Comput Intell Neurosci, 2019;2019:8729367.
    PMID: 30719036 DOI: 10.1155/2019/8729367
    Preventive maintenance activities require a tool to be offline for long hour in order to perform the prescribed maintenance activities. Although preventive maintenance is crucial to ensure operational reliability and efficiency of the tool, long hour of preventive maintenance activities increases the cycle time of the semiconductor fabrication foundry (Fab). Therefore, this activity is usually performed when the incoming Work-in-Progress to the equipment is forecasted to be low. The current statistical forecasting approach has low accuracy because it lacks the ability to capture the time-dependent behavior of the Work-in-Progress. In this paper, we present a forecasting model that utilizes machine learning method to forecast the incoming Work-In-Progress. Specifically, our proposed model uses LSTM to forecast multistep ahead incoming Work-in-Progress prediction to an equipment group. The proposed model's prediction results were compared with the results of the current statistical forecasting method of the Fab. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed model performed better than the statistical forecasting method in both hit rate and Pearson's correlation coefficient, r.
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors
  12. Nanostructure-assisted charge transfer in α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4 heterojunctions for efficient and highly stable photoelectrochemical water splitting
    Arzaee NA, Mohamad Noh MF, Mohd Ita NSH, Mohamed NA, Mohd Nasir SNF, Nawas Mumthas IN, et al.
    Dalton Trans, 2020 Aug 28;49(32):11317-11328.
    PMID: 32760991 DOI: 10.1039/d0dt00683a
    The development of semiconductor heterojunctions is a promising and yet challenging strategy to boost the performance in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. This paper describes the fabrication of a heterojunction photoanode by coupling α-Fe2O3 and g-C3N4via aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) followed by spin coating and air annealing. Enhanced PEC performance and stability are observed for the α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4 heterojunction photoanode in comparison to pristine α-Fe2O3 and the reason is systematically discussed in this paper. Most importantly, the fabricated α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4 film shows impressive stability, retaining more than 90% of the initial current over 12 h operating time. The excellent stability of the heterojunction photoanode is achieved due to the unique nanoflake structure of α-Fe2O3 induced by AACVD. This nanostructure promotes good adhesion with the g-C3N4 particles, as the particles tend to be trapped within the α-Fe2O3 valleys and eventually create strong and large interfacial contacts. This leads to improved separation of charge carriers at the α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4 interface and suppression of charge recombination in the photoanode, which are confirmed by the transient decay time, charge transfer efficiency and electrochemical impedance analysis. Our findings demonstrate the importance of nanostructure engineering for developing heterojunction structures with efficient charge transfer dynamics.
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors
  13. Rapid fabrication of oxygen defective α-Fe2O3(110) for enhanced photoelectrochemical activities
    Mohamad Noh MF, Ullah H, Arzaee NA, Ab Halim A, Abdul Rahim MAF, Mohamed NA, et al.
    Dalton Trans, 2020 Sep 14;49(34):12037-12048.
    PMID: 32869793 DOI: 10.1039/d0dt00406e
    Defect engineering is increasingly recognized as a viable strategy for boosting the performance of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting using metal oxide-based photoelectrodes. However, previously developed methods for generating point defects associated with oxygen vacancies are rather time-consuming. Herein, high density oxygen deficient α-Fe2O3 with the dominant (110) crystal plane is developed in a very short timescale of 10 minutes by employing aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition and pure nitrogen as a gas carrier. The oxygen-defective film exhibits almost 8 times higher photocurrent density compared to a hematite photoanode with a low concentration of oxygen vacancies which is prepared in purified air. The existence of oxygen vacancies improves light absorption ability, accelerates charge transport in the bulk of films, and promotes charge separation at the electrolyte/semiconductor interface. DFT simulations verify that oxygen-defective hematite has a narrow bandgap, electron-hole trapped centre, and strong adsorption energy of water molecules compared to pristine hematite. This strategy might bring PEC technology another step further towards large-scale fabrication for future commercialization.
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors
  14. Hydrogen fluoride (HF) substance flow analysis for safe and sustainable chemical industry
    Kim J, Hwang Y, Yoo M, Chen S, Lee IM
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Nov;24(32):25137-25145.
    PMID: 28924945 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-0152-6
    In this study, the chemical substance flow of hydrogen fluoride (hydrofluoric acid, HF) in domestic chemical industries in 2014 was analyzed in order to provide a basic material and information for the establishment of organized management system to ensure safety during HF applications. A total of 44,751 tons of HF was made by four domestic companies (in 2014); import amount was 95,984 tons in 2014 while 21,579 tons of HF was imported in 2005. The export amount of HF was 2180 tons, of which 2074 ton (China, 1422 tons, U.S. 524 tons, and Malaysia, 128 tons) was exported for the manufacturing of semiconductors. Based on the export and import amounts, it can be inferred that HF was used for manufacturing semiconductors. The industries applications of 161,123 tons of HF were as follows: manufacturing of basic inorganic chemical substance (27,937 tons), manufacturing of other chemical products such as detergents (28,208 tons), manufacturing of flat display (24,896 tons), and manufacturing of glass container package (22,002 tons). In this study, an analysis of the chemical substance flow showed that HF was mainly used in the semiconductor industry as well as glass container manufacturing. Combined with other risk management tools and approaches in the chemical industry, the chemical substance flow analysis (CSFA) can be a useful tool and method for assessment and management. The current CSFA results provide useful information for policy making in the chemical industry and national systems. Graphical abstract Hydrogen fluoride chemical substance flows in 2014 in South Korea.
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors
  15. Repeat analysis of intraoral digital imaging performed by undergraduate students using a complementary metal oxide semiconductor sensor: An institutional case study
    Yusof MYPM, Rahman NLA, Asri AAA, Othman NI, Wan Mokhtar I
    Imaging Sci Dent, 2017 Dec;47(4):233-239.
    PMID: 29279822 DOI: 10.5624/isd.2017.47.4.233
    Purpose: This study was performed to quantify the repeat rate of imaging acquisitions based on different clinical examinations, and to assess the prevalence of error types in intraoral bitewing and periapical imaging using a digital complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) intraoral sensor.

    Materials and Methods: A total of 8,030 intraoral images were retrospectively collected from 3 groups of undergraduate clinical dental students. The type of examination, stage of the procedure, and reasons for repetition were analysed and recorded. The repeat rate was calculated as the total number of repeated images divided by the total number of examinations. The weighted Cohen's kappa for inter- and intra-observer agreement was used after calibration and prior to image analysis.

    Results: The overall repeat rate on intraoral periapical images was 34.4%. A total of 1,978 repeated periapical images were from endodontic assessment, which included working length estimation (WLE), trial gutta-percha (tGP), obturation, and removal of gutta-percha (rGP). In the endodontic imaging, the highest repeat rate was from WLE (51.9%) followed by tGP (48.5%), obturation (42.2%), and rGP (35.6%). In bitewing images, the repeat rate was 15.1% and poor angulation was identified as the most common cause of error. A substantial level of intra- and interobserver agreement was achieved.

    Conclusion: The repeat rates in this study were relatively high, especially for certain clinical procedures, warranting training in optimization techniques and radiation protection. Repeat analysis should be performed from time to time to enhance quality assurance and hence deliver high-quality health services to patients.

    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors
  16. Ergonomic risk factors of work processes in the semiconductor industry in Peninsular Malaysia
    Chee HL, Rampal KG, Chandrasakaran A
    Ind Health, 2004 Jul;42(3):373-81.
    PMID: 15295910
    A cross-sectional survey of semiconductor factories was conducted to identify the ergonomic risk factors in the work processes, the prevalence of body pain among workers, and the relationship between body pain and work processes. A total of 906 women semiconductor workers took part in the study. In wafer preparation and polishing, a combination of lifting weights and prolonged standing might have led to high pain prevalences in the low back (35.0% wafer preparation, 41.7% wafer polishing) and lower limbs (90.0% wafer preparation, 66.7% wafer polishing). Semiconductor front of line workers, who mostly walked around to operate machines in clean rooms, had the lowest prevalences of body pain. Semiconductor assembly middle of line workers, especially the molding workers, who did frequent lifting, had high pain prevalences in the neck/shoulders (54.8%) and upper back (43.5 %). In the semiconductor assembly end of line work section, chip inspection workers who were exposed to prolonged sitting without back support had high prevalences of neck/shoulder (62.2%) and upper back pain (50.0%), while chip testing workers who had to climb steps to load units had a high prevalence of lower limb pain (68.0%). Workers in the assembly of electronic components, carrying out repetitive tasks with hands and fingers, and standing in awkward postures had high pain prevalences in the neck/shoulders (61.5%), arms (38.5%), and hands/wrists (30.8%).
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors*
  17. Fulltext Photopyroelectric spectroscopic studies of ZnO-MnO(2)-Co(3)O(4)-V(2)O(5) ceramics
    Rizwan Z, Zakaria A, Ghazali MS
    Int J Mol Sci, 2011;12(3):1625-32.
    PMID: 21673911 DOI: 10.3390/ijms12031625
    Photopyroelectric (PPE) spectroscopy is a nondestructive tool that is used to study the optical properties of the ceramics (ZnO + 0.4MnO(2) + 0.4Co(3)O(4) + xV(2)O(5)), x = 0-1 mol%. Wavelength of incident light, modulated at 10 Hz, was in the range of 300-800 nm. PPE spectrum with reference to the doping level and sintering temperature is discussed. Optical energy band-gap (E(g)) was 2.11 eV for 0.3 mol% V(2)O(5) at a sintering temperature of 1025 °C as determined from the plot (ρhυ)(2)versushυ. With a further increase in V(2)O(5), the value of E(g) was found to be 2.59 eV. Steepness factor 'σ(A)' and 'σ(B)', which characterize the slope of exponential optical absorption, is discussed with reference to the variation of E(g). XRD, SEM and EDAX are also used for characterization of the ceramic. For this ceramic, the maximum relative density and grain size was observed to be 91.8% and 9.5 μm, respectively.
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors
  18. Fulltext Use of a reflectance spectroscopy accessory for optical characterization of ZnO-Bi(2)O(3)-TiO(2) ceramics
    Ghazali MS, Zakaria A, Rizwan Z, Kamari HM, Hashim M, Zaid MH, et al.
    Int J Mol Sci, 2011;12(3):1496-504.
    PMID: 21673903 DOI: 10.3390/ijms12031496
    The optical band-gap energy (E(g)) is an important feature of semiconductors which determines their applications in optoelectronics. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the electronic states of ceramic ZnO and the effect of doped impurities under different processing conditions. E(g) of the ceramic ZnO + xBi(2)O(3) + xTiO(2), where x = 0.5 mol%, was determined using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer attached to a Reflectance Spectroscopy Accessory for powdered samples. The samples was prepared using the solid-state route and sintered at temperatures from 1140 to 1260 °C for 45 and 90 minutes. E(g) was observed to decrease with an increase of sintering temperature. XRD analysis indicated hexagonal ZnO and few small peaks of intergranular layers of secondary phases. The relative density of the sintered ceramics decreased and the average grain size increased with the increase of sintering temperature.
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors
  19. An ergonomics study of a semiconductors factory in an IDC for improvement in occupational health and safety
    Bin WS, Richardson S, Yeow PH
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2010;16(3):345-56.
    PMID: 20828490
    The study aimed to conduct an ergonomic intervention on a conventional line (CL) in a semiconductor factory in Malaysia, an industrially developing country (IDC), to improve workers' occupational health and safety (OHS). Low-cost and simple (LCS) ergonomics methods were used (suitable for IDCs), e.g., subjective assessment, direct observation, use of archival data and assessment of noise. It was found that workers were facing noise irritation, neck and back pains and headache in the various processes in the CL. LCS ergonomic interventions to rectify the problems included installing noise insulating covers, providing earplugs, installing elevated platforms, slanting visual display terminals and installing extra exhaust fans. The interventions cost less than 3 000 USD but they significantly improved workers' OHS, which directly correlated with an improvement in working conditions and job satisfaction. The findings are useful in solving OHS problems in electronics industries in IDCs as they share similar manufacturing processes, problems and limitations.
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors*
  20. Development of a predictive model for work-relatedness of MSDs among semiconductor back-end workers
    Ling CF, Radin Umar RZ, Ahmad N
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2020 Dec 29.
    PMID: 33096963 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2020.1840116
    Objective. Limited models are available to predict work-relatedness of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among semiconductor back-end workers. This study aims to develop a model to predict the MSDs development among back-end workers. Method. Potential MSD risk factors were extracted from 277 work compensation investigation reports conducted between 2011-2019. Binary logistic regression approach was used to determine significant predictors. Results. Significant predictors (p 
    Matched MeSH terms: Semiconductors
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