The National Science Foundation (NSF) Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) has started operations at the summit of Haleakalā (Hawai’i). DKIST joins the nominal science phases of the NASA and ESA Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter encounter missions. By combining in-situ measurements of the near-Sun plasma environment and detailed remote observations of multiple layers of the Sun, the three observatories form an unprecedented multi-messenger constellation to study the magnetic connectivity in the solar system. This work outlines the synergistic science that this multi-messenger suite enables.

This report aims to provide a summary of the status of our Antarctic Submillimetre Telescope (AST) project up to date. It is a very new project for Antarctic astronomy. Necessary prerequisites for a future deployment of a large size telescope infrastructure have been tested in years 2007 and 2008. The knowledge of the transmission, frost formation and temperature gradient were fundamental parameters before starting a feasibility study. The telescope specifications and requirements are currently discussed with the industrial partnership.

Ground-based cosmological observations need a detailed knowledge about atmospheric transmission. A continuous monitoring of the transmission in the FIR/mm wavelength range is needed mainly due to H2O high frequency variations along the line of sight of a telescope. CASPER 2 (Concordia Atmospheric Spectroscopy of Emitted Radiation) is a spectrometer devoted to measurements of atmospheric emission in the millimetric region (4–12 cm-1, 120–360 GHz) with a spectral resolution of 0.2 cm-1. The instrument allows a continuous monitoring of the atmospheric transmission of the same sky region explored with MITO (Millimeter and Infrared Testagrigia Observatory, 3480 m asl, Italy) telescope, during cosmological observations.

Observations of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (S-Z) effect offer the possibility of both investigating evolution of clusters and of determining cosmological parameters when combined with X-ray observations. We describe a dedicated instrument (MITO) consisting of a 2.6-m in diameter telescope operating at 3500 m a.s.l. in the 2.1, 1.4, 1.1 and 0.8 mm channels with ˜ 10% bandwidths. Here we briefly report the results of MITO measurements towards the Coma cluster.

The BaR-SPOrt experiment is designed to measure theE-mode power spectrum of the Cosmic Microwave BackgroundPolarization (CMBP) in the multipole range 50 < l < 1000. In the current configuration at 32 GHz it can explore up to l = 400.Recent low frequency observations of the target region show that the synchrotron emission should not contamine the CMBP already at 32 GHz. A 6-month observation of a 6° × 6° sky area during the polar night, in idealenvironmental conditions, will allow the Italian-French collaboration to both measure the E–mode power spectrum with appropriate sensitivityand perform important tests of the anomalous dust emission.The BaR-SPOrt 32 GHz instrument, now under test and readyfor operations by Spring 2005, is proposed for 1–2 years Winter operations at Dome C.

CASPER (Concordia Atmospheric SPectroscopy of Emitted Radiation)is a spectrometer proposed for installation at Dome C, devoted tomeasurements of atmospheric emission in the spectral regionbetween 180 μm and 3 mm (3–55 cm-1). Thisinstrument will be able to perform continuous spectral sampling atdifferent altitudes at angular scales of ~1°. From therecorded data it is possible to extract atmospheric transmittancewithin 1% in the whole wide operating band, together with watervapour content and O2 and O3 concentrations. CASPER willallow us to characterize the site for future FIR/mm telescopes.Atmospheric data recorded by CASPER will allow for correction ofastrophysical and cosmological observations without the need fortelescope-specific procedures and further loss of observation timewith more precision in the observations themselves. Calibration ofground-based telescopes on known sky sources is strongly affectedby atmospheric absorption. CASPER has this as its primary goal.The spectrometer is based on a Martin-Puplett interferometer. Twodata sampling solutions will be performed: phase modulation &fast scan strategy. Sky radiation is collected towards theinterferometer by an optical setup that allows the field of view,to explore the full 0° ÷ 90° range of elevation angles. Witha low spurious polarization instrument, monitoring of polarizedatmospheric contribution will be possible.

The BaR-SPOrt (Balloon-Borne Radiometers for SkyPolarizationObservations) experiment, a program of the AgenziaSpazialeItaliana (ASI) co-funded by PNRA (Progetto Nazionale di Ricerca inAntartide) was originally designed as a payload for long durationballoons flights. The changing scenario, both scientific andstrategic, has led us to propose it for the starting wintercampaign of at the Concordia Base. Here the instrument and thefeatures making it suitable to operate at Dome-C are described.After the initial setup, BaR-SPOrt should not require any kind ofroutine intervention by a dedicated base staff. The experimentwill just need electrical power (less than 2 kW) and a suitableaccommodation on the field. It can be fully monitored andcontrolled, including the data acquisition, through its owntelemetry/telecommand link using IRIDIUM modems. Both the receiverand the critical electronics are housed inside atemperature-controlled vacuum chamber, providing the properlystabilized environment. The cold part of the radiometer employs aclosed loop mechanical cryo-cooler that provides temperatures <70 ± 0.1 K with low power consumption (<200 W).

Because of aggressive downscaling to increase transistor performance, the physical thickness of the SiO2 gate dielectric is rapidly approaching the limit where it will only consist of a few atomic layers. As a consequence, this will result in very high leakage currents due to direct tunneling. To allow further scaling, materials with a k-value higher than SiO2 (“high-k materials”) are explored, such that the thickness of the dielectric can be increased without degrading performance.

Based on our experimental results, we discuss the potential of MOCVD-deposited HfO2 to scale to (sub)-1-nm EOTs (Equivalent Oxide Thickness). A primary concern is the interfacial layer that is formed between the Si and the HfO2, during the MOCVD deposition process, for both H-passivated and SiO2-like starting surfaces. This interfacial layer will, because of its lower k-value, significantly contribute to the EOT and reduce the benefit of the high-k material. In addition, we have experienced serious issues integrating HfO2 with a polySi gate electrode at the top interface depending on the process conditions of polySi deposition and activation anneal used. Furthermore, we have determined, based on a thickness series, the k-value for HfO2 deposited at various temperatures and found that the k-value of the HfO2 depends upon the gate electrode deposited on top (polySi or TiN).

Based on our observations, the combination of MOCVD HfO2 with a polySi gate electrode will not be able to scale below the 1-nm EOT marker. The use of a metal gate however, does show promise to scale down to very low EOT values.

Targeting very thin equivalent oxides (<1 nm) requires the deposition of (very) thin dielectrica onto silicon surfaces with minimal interfacial oxide. Typically, high-k dielectric layers are deposited using ALD or MOCVD with, at present, a prime emphasis on Hf-based high-k dielectrics, either as pure HfO2, as silicate or mixed with Al2O3. In some cases nitrogen is added to improve the high-temperature stability. Depending on the deposition conditions ALD as well as MOCVD show serious deficiencies in terms of film closure and material density for ultra thin (<3 nm) films. Various surface preparation methods and deposition conditions are used to improve the film quality. Detailed studies on the film growth and its evolution requires the use of many analytical methods such as Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry, Low Energy Ion Scattering, Time-of-flight SIMS, (spectroscopic) ellipsometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. When trying to correlate the results in terms of film thickness, apparent discrepancies can be observed which relate to non-homogeneous growth and reduced material density.

This paper discusses metal organic chemical vapor deposited (MOCVD) HfO2 layers using tetrakis(diethylamido)hafnium (TDEAH) as precursor. We have studied the influence of the starting surface and deposition temperature on the growth kinetics and physical properties of the HfO2 layers. Important characteristics such as crystalline state, density, and organic contamination in the layers were found to be dependent on these parameters.

Typical for this deposition process is the formation of an interfacial layer underneath the high-k layer. Its composition and thickness, affecting scaling of the equivalent oxide thickness, are shown to be closely related to the HfO2 process parameters mentioned above.

Finally, we will show electrical results for HfO2/polySi gate stacks indicating the effect for deposition temperature.

The study of the anisotropies of the submillimeter relict radiation (RR) can provide important arguments to select among different theoretical scenarios (Panek and Rudak 1988). However, interstellar dust (ISD) emission is present in this spectral region and its patchy distribution can heavily contaminate anisotropy measurements. For example, the most sensitive measurement of CBR anisotropies has been reported so far in a broad band around 1 mm (Melchiorri et al. 1981): the detection of anisotropy is statistically very significant, but its cosmological origin is questionable.

The motion of the earth with respect to the distant matter frame produces a spectral distortion in the observed background radiation given by 1

The second-order approximation in β gives (de Bernardis et al., 1989) 2 where α≅(dlnI/dln v) = (v/I)(dI/dv). The first term in cosθ of equation (2) is the usual dipole anisotropy, the second constant term is the equivalent of the transverse Doppler effect in special relativity, and the third term is the quadrupole anisotropy. It is interesting to note that the quadrupole term is zero in the Rayleigh-Jeans region of the blackbody spectrum: Q ≈ 1/2(3–α)(2–α)β2cos2θ.