Abstract: A semiconductor device structure, along with methods of forming such, are described. The semiconductor device structure includes a gate electrode layer disposed over a substrate, a source/drain epitaxial feature disposed over the substrate, a first hard mask layer disposed over the gate electrode layer, and a contact etch stop layer (CESL) disposed over the source/drain epitaxial feature. The structure further includes a first interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer disposed on the CESL and a first treated portion of a second hard mask layer disposed on the CESL and the first ILD layer. A top surface of the first hard mask layer and a top surface of the first treated portion of the second mask layer are substantially coplanar. The structure further includes an etch stop layer disposed on the first hard mask layer and the first treated portion of the second mask layer.

Abstract: A method of operating a display includes performing a non-synchronized touch scan pattern on a display with a controller coupled to the display. The non-synchronized touch scan pattern schedules touch scans independent of a refresh rate of the display. Upon the controller detecting a first synchronization pulse from a display controller coupled to the controller and the display, a first pulse-checking timer is started. Upon detecting a second synchronization pulse from the display controller and before the first pulse-checking timer expires, a first display refresh rate for the display is obtained from an interval between the first synchronization pulse and the second synchronization pulse. A synchronized touch scan pattern is performed with the controller, and is scheduled to avoid touch scans coinciding with refreshes of the display performed at the first display refresh rate.

Abstract: A FinFET device structure is provided. The FinFET device structure includes a fin structure formed over a substrate, and a first inter-layer dielectric (ILD) layer formed over the fin structure. The FinFET device structure includes a gate structure formed in the first ILD layer, and a first S/D contact structure formed in the first ILD layer and adjacent to the gate structure. The FinFET device structure also includes a first air gap formed on a sidewall of the first S/D contact structure, and the first air gap is in direct contact with the first ILD layer.

Abstract: A trip energy estimation system for a vehicle includes a traffic speed module configured to determine an average traffic speed along a projected route, a path information module configured to output path information indicating route features along the projected route, a perceived speed module configured to output a perceived vehicle speed along the projected route based on the average traffic speed and the path information, and a dynamic driving module configured to calculate and output a predicted driver speed based on the perceived vehicle speed and a feedback input indicative of the predicted driver speed. The dynamic driving module is configured to execute a machine learning algorithm to calculate the predicted driver speed.

Abstract: A power control system comprises a battery system including N battery packs. A plurality of contactors selectively connects N battery packs of a battery system in a first configuration supplying a first voltage level, a second configuration supplying a second voltage level, and a disconnected configuration. M power inverters connect the battery system to M electric machines, respectively. A controller is configured to determine when to transition between the first configuration and the second configuration. The controller is configured to transition between the first configuration and the second configuration by causing one of a positive torque transient and a negative torque transient to be generated by at least one of the M electric machines, transitioning the battery system from one of the first configuration and the second configuration to the disconnected configuration, and transitioning from the disconnected configuration to the other one of the first configuration and the second configuration.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides semiconductor devices and methods of forming the same. A semiconductor device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first fin-shaped structure extending lengthwise along a first direction over a substrate, a first epitaxial feature over a source/drain region of the first fin-shaped structure, a gate structure disposed over a channel region of the first fin-shaped structure and extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a source/drain contact over the first epitaxial feature. The bottom surface of the gate structure is closer to the substrate than a bottom surface of the source/drain contact.

Abstract: A conductive silver aluminum paste includes the following components by weight percentage: 80.0%-90.0% of silver powder; 0.3%-2.5% of aluminum powder; 0.0%-1.5% of silicon powder; 1.0%-6.0% of first-type glass powder; 0.5%-4.0% of second-type glass powder; and 7.0%-15.0% of organic vehicle. The first-type glass powder is Pb-Zn-B-O-M glass powder, and the second-type glass powders is Ba-B-O-M glass powder, M is at least one of alkali metal elements; the organic vehicle is a vehicle of organic resin and/or cellulose, and a content of the organic resin and/or the cellulose in the organic vehicle is not higher than 10.0% of a total mass of the organic vehicle. By introducing two different types of glass powder, the contact resistance between the metal grid and the PN junction layer is reduced, thereby obtaining high-performance silver aluminum pastes for N-type Topcon monocrystalline silicon cells and high-efficiency electrode metallization for N-type silicon solar cells.

Abstract: A motor drive system of a vehicle includes: an inverter that receives power from a power source via a bus, where the inverter is connected to a motor of the vehicle; a driver that drives the inverter; a filter that filters a current signal received from the bus to generate a filtered signal; and a control module that operates in an impedance determination mode. The impedance determination mode includes: based on the filtered signal, controlling the driver and the inverter to generate a pulsed signal applied to the power source; determining a current level and a voltage of the power source due to generation of the pulsed signal, and determining impedance based on the current level and the voltage. The control modules are configured to: determine a characterization parameter of the power source based on the impedance; and perform a control operation or a countermeasure based on the characterization parameter.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of analyzing a sample comprising a hydrophobic molecule. The method includes preparing an aqueous solution comprising the sample. The method also includes placing the solution in contact with a polypropylene substrate having a deactivated surface that reduces adsorption of the hydrophobic molecule relative to a polypropylene substrate that has not been deactivated. The method also includes analyzing the sample.

Abstract: According to some examples, a display system may include control circuitry, power supply circuitry, and a pixel array. Each pixel in the pixel array may include a data shift register to receive gray level data for the pixel in series and to output the gray level data in parallel. Each pixel may also include a plurality of comparators, each comparator of the plurality of comparators to receive one bit of data from the data shift register and one bit of clock data, and a NOR gates sum circuit to provide a binary output based on outputs of all of the plurality of comparators. Each pixel may further include a flip flop circuit to provide a binary output based on the binary output of the NOR gates sum circuit, and an emissions circuit to emit light at a selected gray level based on the binary output of the flip flop circuit.

Abstract: A FinFET device structure and method for forming the same is provided. The FinFET device structure includes an isolation structure formed over a substrate, and a gate structure formed over the isolation structure. The FinFET device structure includes a first dielectric layer formed over the isolation structure and adjacent to the gate structure and a source/drain (S/D) contact structure formed in the first dielectric layer. The FinFET device structure also includes a deep contact structure formed through the first dielectric layer and adjacent to the S/D contact structure. The deep contact structure is through the isolation structure, and a bottom surface of the S/D contact structure is higher than a bottom surface of the deep contact structure.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure includes a substrate, nanostructures over the substrate, and a gate structure wrapping around the nanostructures. The gate structure includes a gate dielectric layer and a gate electrode wrapping around the gate dielectric layer. The semiconductor structure further includes a source/drain feature in contact with the nanostructures, a contact etch stop layer over the source/drain feature, and a seal layer over the air spacer and the gate structure, and on a sidewall of the contact etch stop layer. The contact etch stop layer is separated from the gate structure by an air spacer.

Abstract: A motor drive system of a vehicle includes: an inverter that receives power from a power source via a bus, where the inverter is connected to a motor of the vehicle; a driver that drives the inverter; a filter that filters a current signal received from the bus to generate a filtered signal; and a control module that operates in an impedance determination mode. The impedance determination mode includes: based on the filtered signal, controlling the driver and the inverter to generate a pulsed signal applied to the power source; determining a current level and a voltage of the power source due to generation of the pulsed signal, and determining impedance based on the current level and the voltage. The control modules are configured to: determine a characterization parameter of the power source based on the impedance; and perform a control operation or a countermeasure based on the characterization parameter.

Abstract: A method of maximizing power efficiency for a power amplifier system comprises obtaining a power supply voltage; determining a first voltage level sufficient for a power amplifier of the power amplifier system to output an output power; determining a second voltage level lower than the first voltage level; determining whether the power amplifier is activated, to generate a determination result; determining to convert the power supply voltage into a supply voltage with the first voltage level or the second voltage level according to the determination result; and supplying the power amplifier with the supply voltage.

Abstract: A charging system includes: a charge port that receives shore power; a DC-to-DC converter or a motor inverter circuit; switches that connect the charge port and the DC-to-DC converter or the motor inverter circuit to battery packs; and a control module. The control module: determines open circuit voltages or states of charges of the battery packs; based on the open circuit voltages or the states of charges of the battery packs, determines whether to connect at least one of the battery packs to the charge port, the DC-to-DC converter, and the motor inverter circuit; and based on the determination of whether to connect at least one of the battery packs, control states of the switches to charge the at least one of the battery packs by selectively connecting the at least one of the battery packs to (a) the charge port, or (b) the DC-to-DC converter or motor inverter circuit.

Abstract: A system for self-discharge prognostics for vehicle battery cells with an internal short circuit includes a plurality of battery cells and a voltage sensor providing open-circuit voltage data over time for each battery cell. The system further includes a computerized prognostic controller operating programming to monitor the open-circuit voltage data over time for each of the plurality of battery cells and evaluate a voltage drop rate through a time window for each of the plurality of battery cells based upon the open-circuit voltage data. The controller further identifies one of the plurality of battery cells to include the internal short circuit based upon the voltage drop rate and signals an alert based upon the one of the plurality of battery cells including the internal short circuit.

Abstract: A FinFET device structure is provided. The FinFET device structure includes a fin structure formed over a substrate, and a gate structure formed over the fin structure. The FinFET device structure includes a source/drain (S/D) structure formed over the fin structure and adjacent to the gate structure, and an S/D contact structure formed over the S/D structure and adjacent to the gate structure. The FinFET device structure also includes a protection layer formed on the S/D contact structure, and the protection layer and the S/D contact structure are made of different materials. The protection layer has a bottommost surface in direct contact with a topmost surface of the S/D contact structure.

Abstract: Disclosed in the present invention is an integrated catalyst system for stoichiometric-burn natural gas vehicles, the catalyst system consisting of a three-way catalyst, a molecular sieve catalyst, and a base body, the three-way catalyst and the molecular sieve catalyst being coated on a surface of the base body. In the integrated three-way catalyst and molecular sieve catalyst system of the present invention, at the same time that pollutants such as CO, HC, and NOx in the exhaust of stoichiometric-burn natural gas vehicles are processed, the produced byproduct NH3 can also be processed, and the conversion rates of CO, HC, NOx, and NH3 are high.

Abstract: Disclosed here is a supported catalyst comprising a thermally stable core, wherein the thermally stable core comprises a metal oxide support and nickel disposed in the metal oxide support, wherein the metal oxide support comprises at least one base metal oxide and at least one transition metal oxide or rare earth metal oxide mixed with or dispersed in the base metal oxide. Optionally the supported catalyst can further comprise an electrolyte removing layer coating the thermally stable core and/or an electrolyte repelling layer coating the electrolyte removing layer, wherein the electrolyte removing layer comprises at least one metal oxide, and wherein the electrolyte repelling layer comprises at least one of graphite, metal carbide and metal nitride. Also disclosed is a molten carbonate fuel cell comprising the supported catalyst as a direct internal reforming catalyst.

Abstract: A semiconductor device structure is provided. The semiconductor device structure includes a source/drain region formed in a semiconductor substrate, a source/drain contact structure formed over the source/drain region, and a gate electrode layer formed adjacent to the source/drain contact structure. The semiconductor device structure also includes a first spacer and a second spacer laterally and successively arranged from the sidewall of the gate electrode layer to the sidewall of the source/drain contact structure. The semiconductor device structure further includes a silicide region formed in the source/drain region. The top width of the silicide region is greater than the bottom width of the source/drain contact structure and less than the top width of the source/drain region.