Over the past several years, the inherent scaling limitations of silicon (Si) electron devices have fuelled the exploration of alternative semiconductors, with high carrier mobility, to further enhance device performance. In particular, compound semiconductors heterogeneously integrated on Si substrates have been actively studied: such devices combine the high mobility of III-V semiconductors and the well established, low-cost processing of Si technology. This integration, however, presents significant challenges. Conventionally, heteroepitaxial growth of complex multilayers on Si has been explored-but besides complexity, high defect densities and junction leakage currents present limitations in this approach. Motivated by this challenge, here we use an epitaxial transfer method for the integration of ultrathin layers of single-crystal InAs on Si/SiO(2) substrates. As a parallel with silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology, we use 'XOI' to represent our compound semiconductor-on-insulator platform. Through experiments and simulation, the electrical properties of InAs XOI transistors are explored, elucidating the critical role of quantum confinement in the transport properties of ultrathin XOI layers. Importantly, a high-quality InAs/dielectric interface is obtained by the use of a novel thermally grown interfacial InAsO(x) layer (~1 nm thick). The fabricated field-effect transistors exhibit a peak transconductance of ~1.6 mS µm(-1) at a drain-source voltage of 0.5 V, with an on/off current ratio of greater than 10,000.

Background:Studies on the effect of air pollutions on kidney diseases are still limited.Objective:We aimed to investigate the associations between particulate matter (PM) exposures and renal function among adults.Methods:We recruited 21,656 adults as participants from 2007 to 2009. The Taiwanese Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation was used to derive the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Subjects with an eGFR lower than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 were defined as having chronic kidney disease (CKD). Land use regression (LUR) models were used to estimate individual exposures to PM with an aerodynamic diameter < 10 μm (PM10), coarse particles (PMCoarse), fine particles (PM2.5), and PM2.5Absorbance. Generalized linear and logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations between PM exposure and renal function.Results:An IQR increase in PM10 (5.83 μg/m3) was negatively associated with eGFR by –0.69 (95% CI: –0.89, –0.48) mL/min/1.73 m2 and positively associated with the prevalence of CKD with adjusted OR = 1.15 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.23). An IQR increase in PMCoarse (6.59 μg/m3) was significantly associated with lower eGFR by –1.07 (95% CI: –1.32, –0.81) mL/min/1.73 m2 and CKD with OR = 1.26 (95% CI: 1.15, 1.38). In contrast, neither outcome was significantly associated with PM2.5 or PM2.5Absorbance. Stratified analyses indicated that associations of CKD with both PM10 and PMCoarse were limited to participants < 65 years of age, and were stronger (for PM10) or limited to (PMCoarse) women. Associations also appeared to be stronger in those without (vs. with) hypertension, and in normal versus overweight participants.Conclusions:Exposure during the previous year to PM10 and PMCoarse, but not PM2.5 or PM2.5Absorbance, was associated with reduced renal function among Taiwanese adults.Citation:Yang YR, Chen YM, Chen SY, Chan CC. 2017. Associations between long-term particulate matter exposure and adult renal function in the Taipei metropolis. Environ Health Perspect 125:602–607; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP302

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