Browsing by Author "Ji, Y."
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Item Enhancing Interconnect Reliability and Performance by Converting Tantalum to 2D Layered Tantalum Sulfide at Low Temperature(Wiley-VCH Verlag, 2019-06-11) Lo, C. -L; Catalano, Massimo; Khosravi, Ava; Ge, W.; Ji, Y.; Zemlyanov, D. Y.; Wang, Luhua; Addou, Rafik; Liu, Y.; Wallace, Robert M.; Kim, Moon J.; Chen, Z.; 0000-0001-5566-4806 (Wallace, RM); Catalano, Massimo; Khosravi, Ava; Wang, Luhua; Addou, Rafik; Wallace, Robert M.; Kim, Moon J.The interconnect half-pitch size will reach ≈20 nm in the coming sub-5 nm technology node. Meanwhile, the TaN/Ta (barrier/liner) bilayer stack has to be >4 nm to ensure acceptable liner and diffusion barrier properties. Since TaN/Ta occupy a significant portion of the interconnect cross-section and they are much more resistive than Cu, the effective conductance of an ultrascaled interconnect will be compromised by the thick bilayer. Therefore, 2D layered materials have been explored as diffusion barrier alternatives. However, many of the proposed 2D barriers are prepared at too high temperatures to be compatible with the back-end-of-line (BEOL) technology. In addition, as important as the diffusion barrier properties, the liner properties of 2D materials must be evaluated, which has not yet been pursued. Here, a 2D layered tantalum sulfide (TaSₓ) with ≈1.5 nm thickness is developed to replace the conventional TaN/Ta bilayer. The TaSx ultrathin film is industry-friendly, BEOL-compatible, and can be directly prepared on dielectrics. The results show superior barrier/liner properties of TaSₓ compared to the TaN/Ta bilayer. This single-stack material, serving as both a liner and a barrier, will enable continued scaling of interconnects beyond 5 nm node. ©2019 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, WeinheimItem Sex Differences in the Expression of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Receptor Components in the Spinal Trigeminal Nucleus(Elsevier B.V., 2019-04-24) Ji, Y.; Rizk, A.; Voulalas, P.; Aljohani, H.; Akerman, S.; Dussor, Gregory; Keller, A.; Masri, R.; Dussor, GregoryBackground and purpose: Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) plays an important role in migraine pathophysiology. CGRP acts primarily by activating a receptor composed of 3 proteins: calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CLR), receptor activity-modifying protein 1 (RAMP1), and receptor component protein (RCP). We tested the hypothesis that sex differences exist in protein levels of two key components of this CGRP receptor: CLR and RCP. Methods: We used specific antibodies to assess baseline protein levels of CLR and RCP in the spinal trigeminal nucleus caudalis (SpVc) and upper cervical spinal cord of both male and female rats. We also tested if manipulations that knock-down the expression of RCP in SpVc, using locally-mediated gene transfer of short hairpin RNA (shRNA), ameliorate pain in an animal model of intracranial migraine-like pain induced by chemical noxious stimulation of the meninges. To assess pain, we used tests of ongoing pain (rat face grimace test and freezing behavior)and tests of facial mechanical hypersensitivity and allodynia. Results: There was no difference in CLR levels between male and female animals (p > 0.11) in SpVc and the upper cervical cord. However, female animals exhibited greater baseline levels of RCP (up to 3-fold higher) compared to males (p < 0.002). The knock-down of RCP expression in SpVc attenuated mechanical facial allodynia induced by chemical noxious stimulation of the meninges, but had little effect on ongoing pain behaviors in female and male animals. Conclusions: RCP is an integral component of the CGRP receptor and may play a key role in mediating CGRP induced central sensitization after noxious stimulation of the meninges. RCP expression in the SpVc and upper cervical cord is sexually dimorphic, with higher levels of expression in females. This dimorphism may be related to the increased incidence of migraines in females–a hypothesis that should be tested in the future. ©2019 The Authors