[Commemorative] History of Junction Technologies

Hiroshi Iwai

History of Junction Technologies

Commemorative talk for the 75th anniversary of the transistor

IWJT 2023; T-Cosponsored by IEEE EDS; 

Kyoto (J) June 8-9, 2023

1 International College of Semiconductor Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
2 Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan

Abstract: In this paper, I describe the history of junction technologies for ICT (Information and Communication Technology) devices. Junctions serve as functional interfaces between materials in these devices. Over the past 200 years, since the inception of electrical engineering, a wide range of junction technologies have been developed as key components for device operation, playing a significant role in advancing intelligence in human society.

FIG: The first idea of FET (MISFET) by J. Lilienfeld "Method and apparatus for controlling electric current", Canadian Patent CA272437TA, filed October 22, 1925

Acknowledgements: I [author: Hiroshi Iwai] would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Tokyo Institute of Technology Library for granting me access to historically significant documents. The information available on the Computer History Museum (CHM) website was instrumental in understanding the timeline of device development. I am deeply grateful to Prof. Kazuo Tsutsui of Tokyo Institute of Technology for providing me with a conducive environment to concentrate on writing this manuscript. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the IWJT committee members for granting me the valuable opportunity to document the history of junction technologies, logic and memory device technologies, as well as reviewing the lengthy manuscript. In particular, I am grateful to Dr. Michael Current for his meticulous review of the manuscript. Finally, I would like to thank my colleagues in both industry and academia who have dedicated their time and expertise to the advancement of integrated circuit technology over the years.

[paper] Neuromuscular Junction‐on‐a‐Chip

Rianne de Jongh¹, Xandor M. Spijkers^1,2, Svetlana Pasteuning‐Vuhman¹, 

Paul Vulto² R. Jeroen Pasterkamp¹

Neuromuscular Junction‐on‐a‐Chip: 

ALS disease modeling and read‐out development in microfluidic devices

Journal of Neurochemistry 

Open Access 31 December 2020

DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15289 

1 Department of Translational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
2 Mimetas B.V., Organ-on-a-chip Company, Leiden, The Netherlands

Abstract: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal and progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting upper and lower motor neurons with no cure available. Clinical and animal studies reveal that the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), a synaptic connection between motor neurons and skeletal muscle fibers, is highly vulnerable in ALS and suggest that NMJ defects may occur at early stages of the disease. However, mechanistic insight into how NMJ dysfunction relates to the onset and progression of ALS is incomplete, which hampers therapy development. This is, in part, caused by a lack of robust in vitro models. The ability to combine microfluidic and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technologies has opened up new avenues for studying molecular and cellular ALS phenotypes in vitro. Microfluidic devices offer several advantages over traditional culture approaches when modeling the NMJ, such as the spatial separation of different cell types and increased control over the cellular microenvironment. Moreover, they are compatible with 3D cell culture, which enhances NMJ functionality and maturity. Here, we review how microfluidic technology is currently being employed to develop more reliable in vitro NMJ models. To validate and phenotype such models, various morphological and functional read‐outs have been developed. We describe and discuss the relevance of these read‐outs and specifically illustrate how these read‐outs have enhanced our understanding of NMJ pathology in ALS. Finally, we share our view on potential future directions and challenges.

FIG: Overview of some of the morphological and functional read-outs that can be used

in NMJ-on-a-chip models for studying ALS disease mechanisms. 

Acknowledgements: We thank Dr. Ewout Groen and Prof. Eran Perlson for carefully reading the manuscript, and Frederik Schavemaker for help with preparing the Figures. Work in the laboratory of R.J.P. is supported by the ALS Stichting Nederland (TOTALS, ALS-on-a-Chip) and by the MAXOMOD and INTEGRALS consortia under the frame of E-Rare-3, the ERANet for Research on Rare Diseases.