Simulation Study of the Use of AlGaN/GaN Ultra-Thin-Barrier HEMTs with Hybrid Gates for Achieving a Wide Threshold Voltage Modulation Range

In this work, novel hybrid gate Ultra-Thin-Barrier HEMTs (HG-UTB HEMTs) featuring a wide modulation range of threshold voltages (VTH) are proposed. The hybrid gate structure consists of a p-GaN gate part and a MIS-gate part. Due to the depletion effect assisted by the p-GaN gate part, the VTH of HG-UTB HEMTs can be significantly increased. By tailoring the hole concentration of the p-GaN gate, the VTH can be flexibly modulated from 1.63 V to 3.84 V. Moreover, the MIS-gate part enables the effective reduction in the electric field (E-field) peak at the drain-side edge of the p-GaN gate, which reduces the potential gate degradation originating from the high E-field in the p-GaN gate. Meanwhile, the HG-UTB HEMTs exhibit a maximum drain current as high as 701 mA/mm and correspond to an on-resistance of 10.1 Ω mm and a breakdown voltage of 610 V. The proposed HG-UTB HEMTs are a potential means to achieve normally off GaN HEMTs with a promising device performance and featuring a flexible VTH modulation range, which is of great interest for versatile power applications.

Ultrasound and Microbubbles for Targeted Drug Delivery to the Lung Endothelium in ARDS: Cellular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Opportunities

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by increased permeability of the alveolar–capillary membrane, a thin barrier composed of adjacent monolayers of alveolar epithelial and lung microvascular endothelial cells. This results in pulmonary edema and severe hypoxemia and is a common cause of death after both viral (e.g., SARS-CoV-2) and bacterial pneumonia. The involvement of the lung in ARDS is notoriously heterogeneous, with consolidated and edematous lung abutting aerated, less injured regions. This makes treatment difficult, as most therapeutic approaches preferentially affect the normal lung regions or are distributed indiscriminately to other organs. In this review, we describe the use of thoracic ultrasound and microbubbles (USMB) to deliver therapeutic cargo (drugs, genes) preferentially to severely injured areas of the lung and in particular to the lung endothelium. While USMB has been explored in other organs, it has been under-appreciated in the treatment of lung injury since ultrasound energy is scattered by air. However, this limitation can be harnessed to direct therapy specifically to severely injured lungs. We explore the cellular mechanisms governing USMB and describe various permutations of cargo administration. Lastly, we discuss both the challenges and potential opportunities presented by USMB in the lung as a tool for both therapy and research.

Influence of Three-Component Barrier Layers on Optical Properties of Photodetectors with Quantum Dots

The results of the presented studies demonstrate the possibility of using two and three component solid solutions, based on elements of the A3B5 groups, as thin barrier layers to cover an array of structured InAs quantum dots for photoactive heterointerfaces of solar energy. When using three-component solid solutions for QD barrier layers, a decrease in the thermionic generation in the near infrared spectrum and a decrease in the dark current of the heterointerface are obtained.