\r\n\t(i) Quantum dots of very high-quality optical applications, Quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QD-LED) and ‘QD-White LED’, Quantum dot photodetectors (QDPs), Quantum dot solar cells (Photovoltaics).
\r\n
\r\n\t(ii) Quantum Computing (quantum bits or ‘qubits’), (vii) The Future of Quantum Dots (broad range of real-time applications, magnetic quantum dots & graphene quantum dots), Superconducting Loop, Quantum Entanglement, Quantum Fingerprints.
\r\n
\r\n\t(iii) Biomedical and Environmental Applications (to study intracellular processes, tumor targeting, in vivo observation of cell trafficking, diagnostics and cellular imaging at high resolutions), Bioconjugation, Cell Imaging, Photoelectrochemical Immunosensor, Membranes and Bacterial Cells, Resonance Energy-Transfer Processes, Evaluation of Drinking Water Quality, Water and Wastewater Treatment, Pollutant Control.
",isbn:"978-1-80356-594-1",printIsbn:"978-1-80356-593-4",pdfIsbn:"978-1-80356-595-8",doi:null,price:0,priceEur:0,priceUsd:0,slug:null,numberOfPages:0,isOpenForSubmission:!0,isSalesforceBook:!1,isNomenclature:!1,hash:"0dd5611c62c91569bd2819e68852002a",bookSignature:"Prof. Jagannathan Thirumalai",publishedDate:null,coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11756.jpg",keywords:"LED, Organic LEDs, Dyes & Pigments, Solar Cells, Laser Photonics, Electronic Switching Devices, Qubits, Josephson Junction, Bioconjugation, Cell Imaging, Photoelectrochemical Immunosensor, Membranes, and Bacterial Cells",numberOfDownloads:null,numberOfWosCitations:0,numberOfCrossrefCitations:null,numberOfDimensionsCitations:null,numberOfTotalCitations:null,isAvailableForWebshopOrdering:!0,dateEndFirstStepPublish:"March 16th 2022",dateEndSecondStepPublish:"May 27th 2022",dateEndThirdStepPublish:"July 26th 2022",dateEndFourthStepPublish:"October 14th 2022",dateEndFifthStepPublish:"December 13th 2022",dateConfirmationOfParticipation:null,remainingDaysToSecondStep:"15 hours",secondStepPassed:!0,areRegistrationsClosed:!1,currentStepOfPublishingProcess:3,editedByType:null,kuFlag:!1,biosketch:"Dr. J. Thirumalai received his Ph.D. from Alagappa University, Karaikudi, He was also awarded the Post-doctoral Fellowship from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), the Republic of Korea. His research interests focus on luminescence, self-assembled nanomaterials, and thin-film optoelectronic devices. He has published more than 60 SCOPUS/ISI indexed papers and 11 book chapters, edited 4 books, and member of several national and international societies like RSC, OSA, etc. His h-index is 19.",coeditorOneBiosketch:null,coeditorTwoBiosketch:null,coeditorThreeBiosketch:null,coeditorFourBiosketch:null,coeditorFiveBiosketch:null,editors:[{id:"99242",title:"Prof.",name:"Jagannathan",middleName:null,surname:"Thirumalai",slug:"jagannathan-thirumalai",fullName:"Jagannathan Thirumalai",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/99242/images/system/99242.png",biography:"Dr. J. Thirumalai received his Ph.D. from Alagappa University, Karaikudi in 2010. He was also awarded the Post-doctoral Fellowship from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Republic of Korea, in 2013. He worked as Assistant Professor of Physics, B.S. Abdur Rahman University, Chennai, India (2011 to 2016). Currently, he is working as Senior Assistant Professor of Physics, Srinivasa Ramanujan Centre, SASTRA Deemed University, Kumbakonam (T.N.), India. His research interests focus on luminescence, self-assembled nanomaterials, and thin film opto-electronic devices. He has published more than 60 SCOPUS/ISI indexed papers and 11 book chapters, edited 4 books and member in several national and international societies like RSC, OSA, etc. Currently, he served as a principal investigator for a funded project towards the application of luminescence based thin film opto-electronic devices, funded by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), India. As an expert in opto-electronics and nanotechnology area, he has been invited as external and internal examiners to MSc and PhD theses, invited to give talk in some forum, review papers for international and national journals.",institutionString:"SASTRA University",position:null,outsideEditionCount:0,totalCites:0,totalAuthoredChapters:"10",totalChapterViews:"0",totalEditedBooks:"6",institution:null}],coeditorOne:null,coeditorTwo:null,coeditorThree:null,coeditorFour:null,coeditorFive:null,topics:[{id:"17",title:"Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials",slug:"nanotechnology-and-nanomaterials"}],chapters:null,productType:{id:"1",title:"Edited Volume",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"},personalPublishingAssistant:{id:"347258",firstName:"Marica",lastName:"Novakovic",middleName:null,title:"Ms.",imageUrl:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",email:"marica@intechopen.com",biography:null}},relatedBooks:[{type:"book",id:"5348",title:"Luminescence",subtitle:"An Outlook on the Phenomena and their Applications",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"d982c49fed4423a0ea7367af4f917b82",slug:"luminescence-an-outlook-on-the-phenomena-and-their-applications",bookSignature:"Jagannathan Thirumalai",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/5348.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",editors:[{id:"99242",title:"Prof.",name:"Jagannathan",surname:"Thirumalai",slug:"jagannathan-thirumalai",fullName:"Jagannathan Thirumalai"}],productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"6489",title:"Light-Emitting Diode",subtitle:"An Outlook On the Empirical Features and Its Recent Technological Advancements",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"20818f168134f1af35547e807d839463",slug:"light-emitting-diode-an-outlook-on-the-empirical-features-and-its-recent-technological-advancements",bookSignature:"Jagannathan Thirumalai",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/6489.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",editors:[{id:"99242",title:"Prof.",name:"Jagannathan",surname:"Thirumalai",slug:"jagannathan-thirumalai",fullName:"Jagannathan Thirumalai"}],productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"6242",title:"Hydroxyapatite",subtitle:"Advances in Composite Nanomaterials, Biomedical Applications and Its Technological Facets",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"6a18a9b6617ae6d943649ea7ad9655cc",slug:"hydroxyapatite-advances-in-composite-nanomaterials-biomedical-applications-and-its-technological-facets",bookSignature:"Jagannathan Thirumalai",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/6242.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",editors:[{id:"99242",title:"Prof.",name:"Jagannathan",surname:"Thirumalai",slug:"jagannathan-thirumalai",fullName:"Jagannathan Thirumalai"}],productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"6124",title:"Micro/Nanolithography",subtitle:"A Heuristic Aspect on the Enduring Technology",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"c94caf617c31b349bd3d9dd054a022a3",slug:"micro-nanolithography-a-heuristic-aspect-on-the-enduring-technology",bookSignature:"Jagannathan Thirumalai",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/6124.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",editors:[{id:"99242",title:"Prof.",name:"Jagannathan",surname:"Thirumalai",slug:"jagannathan-thirumalai",fullName:"Jagannathan Thirumalai"}],productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"5699",title:"Thin Film Processes",subtitle:"Artifacts on Surface Phenomena and Technological Facets",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"164177fc1e3eca542ebad5fd34a79d1e",slug:"thin-film-processes-artifacts-on-surface-phenomena-and-technological-facets",bookSignature:"Jagannathan Thirumalai",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/5699.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",editors:[{id:"99242",title:"Prof.",name:"Jagannathan",surname:"Thirumalai",slug:"jagannathan-thirumalai",fullName:"Jagannathan Thirumalai"}],productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"9414",title:"Advances in Condensed-Matter and Materials Physics",subtitle:"Rudimentary Research to Topical Technology",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"3aebac680de7d3af200eadd0a0b2f737",slug:"advances-in-condensed-matter-and-materials-physics-rudimentary-research-to-topical-technology",bookSignature:"Jagannathan Thirumalai and Sergey Ivanovich Pokutnyi",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/9414.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",editors:[{id:"99242",title:"Prof.",name:"Jagannathan",surname:"Thirumalai",slug:"jagannathan-thirumalai",fullName:"Jagannathan Thirumalai"}],productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"5884",title:"Unraveling the Safety Profile of Nanoscale Particles and Materials",subtitle:"From Biomedical to Environmental Applications",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"5e5811aa0f15ab9d8b6a235e8408875d",slug:"unraveling-the-safety-profile-of-nanoscale-particles-and-materials-from-biomedical-to-environmental-applications",bookSignature:"Andreia C. Gomes and Marisa P. Sarria",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/5884.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",editors:[{id:"146466",title:"Prof.",name:"Andreia",surname:"Ferreira de Castro Gomes",slug:"andreia-ferreira-de-castro-gomes",fullName:"Andreia Ferreira de Castro Gomes"}],productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"7325",title:"Nanostructures in Energy Generation, Transmission and Storage",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"8e49924dd2c3e28c82fdc115ce04f925",slug:"nanostructures-in-energy-generation-transmission-and-storage",bookSignature:"Yanina Fedorenko",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/7325.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",editors:[{id:"199149",title:"Dr.",name:"Yanina",surname:"Fedorenko",slug:"yanina-fedorenko",fullName:"Yanina Fedorenko"}],productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"9230",title:"Smart Nanosystems for Biomedicine, Optoelectronics and Catalysis",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"1d1af591d87490c9ad728a1352e62d96",slug:"smart-nanosystems-for-biomedicine-optoelectronics-and-catalysis",bookSignature:"Tatyana Shabatina and Vladimir Bochenkov",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/9230.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",editors:[{id:"237988",title:"Prof.",name:"Tatyana",surname:"Shabatina",slug:"tatyana-shabatina",fullName:"Tatyana Shabatina"}],productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"9322",title:"Hybrid Nanomaterials",subtitle:"Flexible Electronics Materials",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"beff6cce44f54582ee8a828759d24f19",slug:"hybrid-nanomaterials-flexible-electronics-materials",bookSignature:"Rafael Vargas-Bernal, Peng He and Shuye Zhang",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/9322.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",editors:[{id:"182114",title:"D.Sc.",name:"Rafael",surname:"Vargas-Bernal",slug:"rafael-vargas-bernal",fullName:"Rafael Vargas-Bernal"}],productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}}]},chapter:{item:{type:"chapter",id:"64886",title:"Doping of SiC Crystals during Sublimation Growth and Diffusion",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.82346",slug:"doping-of-sic-crystals-during-sublimation-growth-and-diffusion",body:'
1. Introduction
Controlled doping of the semiconductors is a necessary condition for the creation of device structures on their basis. The main attention in the SiC doping is usually paid to impurities with shallow levels in the bandgap—N, Al and B [1, 2]. These impurities are characterized by high solubility in SiC that allows to receive low-resistance SiC layers [3]. Other impurities—elements of II, III, IV and V groups, transitional metals and rare-earth elements—are less often used for SiC doping, though they are of interest for fabrication of high-resistance and semi-insulating SiC layers and special types of light-emitting diodes. The impurities may effect on the polytype structure [4]. For example elements of IV group allow to grow the 4H-SiC crystals on the seeds of other polytypes. Finally, incorporation of impurities is necessary for identification of the nature of impurity centers, which is important for prospects assessment of creation of new semiconductor devices generation.
Doping of SiC crystals is carried out by various methods: during the growth process, by ion implantation and by thermal diffusion. A perspective way is also transmutation doping. It allows to receive SiC crystals uniformly doped with impurities. In this review we will limit ourselves to the description of SiC doping during the sublimation growth and by thermal diffusion.
The doping of SiC is characterized by a number of specific features. Doping process is carried out at high temperatures (1700°С and higher); concentration of doped impurities considerably depends on various factors, such as growing surface conditions (crystallographic orientation, density of structural and morphological defects, and thickness of the growth steps [5]), stoichiometry deviation and structure of the polytypes [6, 7]. Incorporated impurities easily form precipitates [6] and durable, thermal stable associates with matrix atoms or native defects [8].
The goal of the present work is observation of the SiC doping by different impurities during the sublimation growth or the thermal diffusion. Impurities of II, III and IV groups of the periodic table, the transitional metals and rare-earth elements were incorporated into SiC crystals of various polytypes. The conducted investigations have allowed not only to define solubility of these elements in SiC but also to identify the impurity centers and to estimate their influence on semiconductor SiC properties. Some results of this work were presented previously [8, 9, 10, 11].
2. SiC doping during sublimation growth
Impurity incorporation was carried out during physical vapor transport (PVT) growth. Usually SiC crystals or epitaxial layers were grown by sublimation sandwich method (between the source and the seed (no more than 0.2 from the linear size of the source). It is important that at a small gap in the growth cell a self-contained system is realized. It provides quasi equilibrium conditions on the growing crystal surface [12]. The schematic diagram of SSM is shown in Figure 1. The feature of SSM is the existence of a narrow gap and the evaporated surfaces in the wide range of temperatures and pressures. As a result the temperature range of SiC crystal growth by SSM is very wide: from 1700 to 2700°C. Growth of high-quality crystals and epitaxial layers (EL) is possible in vacuum and in gas phase environment. SSM is successfully used for growth of SiC bulk crystals [13] and epitaxial layers [14] and also growth of GaN [15] and AlN [16] crystals.
Figure 1.
Schematic view of the sublimation sandwich system for growth of the doped SiC crystals. Source of SiC vapor (1); seed (2); container (3) and source of impurity (4). Temperature distribution is shown (left).
In this method high efficiency of impurity mass transfer is reached that is difficult to realize in other gas transport techniques, for example CVD [17].
For SSM the influence of impurities on the quality of the growing crystal is not so essential. Therefore, SSM is an effective method for growth of the high-doped SiC crystals with solubility limit of the impurities. The choice of impurity is almost unlimited.
The schematic diagram of the container used by doping is shown in Figure 1. By growth of doped crystals in a crucible there are no less than two temperature zones. The source of SiC vapors and the seed are placed into the hot zone. The impurity is located in the zone with lower temperature. The concentration of the entered impurity is defined by impurity source temperature. For growing of heavily doped crystals, it is preferable to use the impurity source, which is in an elementary state. The impurity can also be loaded directly in SiC source. Volatile impurities (for example, nitrogen) are entered through the gas phase.
Growth is usually carried out in graphite or tantalum containers. The use of a Ta container helps to reduce the content of background impurities, to reduce sharply the loss of the sublimated material and to provide growth of SiC crystals without graphitization of the source [18]. The last is very important for receiving high-quality SiC crystals with low dislocation and micropipe density. Unfortunately, Ta impurity creates a deep level in band gap [19].
For determination of impurity content in SiC crystals neutron-activation analysis [20, 21] secondary ion mass-spectroscopy (SIMS) and different electro-physical methods (van der Pauw, surface local breakdown [22], and C-V measurements) were used.
2.1 Solubility limit of the impurities in SiC crystals
Solubility limit of more than 20 impurities incorporated during PVT growth by SSM is presented in Table 1. Besides, we studied doping of SiC crystals with Fe, Ni, and Er impurities and found that its solubility in SiC was at the level of 1017 cm−3. Neutron-activation analysis (NAA) [20] was used for determination of the impurities concentration in uniformly doped parts of crystals.
Element
Concentration cm−3
Element
Concentration cm−3
Element
Concentration cm−3
Li
1.2 × 1018
Сг
3.0 × 1017
In
9.2 × 1016
Be
8.0 × 1020
Мn
3.0 × 1017
Sn
10 × 1016
В
2.5 × 1020
Сu
1.2 × 1017
Sb
8.0 × 1015
N
8.0 × 1 020
Ga
1.8 × 1019
Ho
6.0 × 1016
А1
2.0 × 1021
Ge
3.0 × 1020
Та
2.4 × 1017
Р
2.8 × 1018
As
5.0 × 1016
W
2.5 × 1017
Sc
3.2 × 1017
Y
2.0 × 1016
Au
4.9 × 1016
Ti
3.3 × 1017
Mo
3.5 × 1017
Table 1.
Solubility limit of impurities in SiC crystals doped during sublimation growth [23].
As shown in Table 1 there is very limited set of impurities with high solubility in SiC. These are, first of all, acceptors (Al, B, Be, and Ga), donors (N and P) and Ge. For the majority of impurities the maximum level of SiC doping is reached at extremely high temperatures (Tg > 2400°С) and for [0001]Si growth direction.
2.2 Dependence of doping of impurities on crystallographic orientation
It was determined that SiC doping level strongly depends on crystallographic orientation of the substrate. Higher concentration of impurities of the III-a group (In, Al, Ga) and also transitional elements is observed by growth in the direction of [0001]Si, in comparison with the direction [0001]C [24, 25, 26] (Figure 2).
Figure 2.
Dependence of the concentrations of N, B, Ga, Al, and P in SiC on the growth temperature. Orientation of the growing SiC: [0001]Si, solid lines; [0001]C, dashed lines.
On the contrary the concentration of V-group impurities (N, P, As and Sb) is higher by growth on the [0001]C surface [23, 26, 27]. At low growth temperatures the effect of orientation anisotropy of SiC doping is very considerable. For example the concentration of acceptor Al and Ga impurities grown on polar {0001} sides at the temperature 1800°C differs 5–10 times [24, 25]. The dependence of impurity concentration on substrate orientation noted above also remains by inversion of the sample conductivity type.
The obtained data are explained by the absence of equilibrium vapor-crystal at the typical growth conditions. It is known [27] that the condition of equilibrium vapor-crystal is the inequality: Vg < Di/h (Vg—growth rate, Di—impurity diffusion coefficient, h—thickness of the growing layer).
We have obtained that for impurities N, P, Ga and Al [9] at practically realized temperatures and growth rates this condition is not satisfied and doping anisotropy is a consequence of various adsorptive properties of polar {0001} sides.
It is known that chemical bonds in the surface layer are rehybridized in such a way that individual properties of the element located on the surface become essential [28]. This feature results in differences in the character of surface sides, which consist of only silicon or carbon atoms. With the increase of temperature the anisotropy of polar sides doping decreases. A similar effect is got by introduction of silicon vapors [29, 30] or impurities, such as tantalum, promoting enrichment of the surface layer by the silicon into the growth cell [31].
The influence of substrate orientation also becomes apparent at small angles of its misorientation in relation to singular {0001} planes [32]. For example nitrogen concentration in epilayers grown on on-axis (0001)C face is 1.7–2 times higher than on off-axis one. This results from the fact that increase of the growth steps density in the second case leads to a raised desorption of impurity atoms. Such strong dependence of the doping impurity concentration on the misorientation angle leads to nonuniform doping of the grown crystal and emergence of morphological imperfections on the growing surface [32]. Impurities incorporation also depends on growth layer thickness due to step bunching process [33].
As a rule, with temperature increases, the concentration of impurities is enhanced (Figure 2). However, for V-group elements nitrogen and phosphorus the opposite effect was observed, i.e., the doping level went down with the temperature (Figure 2). The abnormal temperature dependence for nitrogen and phosphorus is explained by the fact that capture of these impurities is limited by the process of desorption in which probability increases with temperature rise [34].
Thus, for receiving SiC samples heavily doped by acceptor impurities high temperatures of growth are preferable (2400–2500°C) and low-resistance layers of n-type conductivity with extremely high content concentration of nitrogen or phosphorus can be grown at the moderate temperatures (1800–1900°С).
In all cases the dependence of Ci(T) can be described by Arrhenius’s equation: Ci= А ехр (−ΔН/RT), where ΔН is dissolution enthalpy. If the doping impurities are entered in the process of crystal growth, values A and ΔH strongly depend on crystallographic orientation of the substrate. For IIIa-group impurities the values A and ΔН are significantly higher for growth in the direction of [0001]C than in the direction of [0001]Si [35].
2.3 Influence of partial pressure of the impurity
Dependence of impurities concentration of Al, B, Ga and N on partial pressure is presented in Figure 3. Conditions of saturation achievement differ strongly for each impurity. It is seen (Figure 3) that in case of B and Al impurities the solubility limit is now realized by rather low partial pressure of impurity (about 100–102 Pа) [23]. Solubility limit of Ga impurity is observed at pressures 102–103 Pa [36]. But the saturation of N concentration even at extremely high pressures of molecular nitrogen is not observed [37].
Figure 3.
Dependence of the impurity concentration in the growing SiC on the dopant partial pressure inside the growth cell for the cases of doping by N, B, Al and Ga. T = 2000°C. Doping with N is performed on (0001)C surface; with B, Al and Ga on [0001]Si surface.
The dependence Nd ~ Pi1/2 is realized in very wide range of pressures (100–105 Pa) (where Nd—concentration of donors, Pi—partial pressure of nitrogen). It is a consequence of the Henry’s law implementation and assumes existence of equilibrium like N2 ↔ 2N. At the same time the density of adsorption centers on the surface is much higher than impurity concentration in chemosorbate because of very small life time of nitrogen molecules on the growth surface [37].
2.4 Dependence of the doping level on the growth rate
Growth rate in some cases also influences concentration of the entered impurity. We observed the diminishing of N impurity concentration at high growth rates (Figure 4).
Figure 4.
Dependence of the donor concentration (N) in SiC epitaxial layer on growth rate. Concentration of nitrogen in the source: (1) 2 × 1019, (2) 3 × 1018, (3) 3 × 1017 and (4) 7 × 1016 cm−3. The growth temperature is 1850°C. Dashed lines are theoretical results.
In these experiments the impurity source was combined with the SiC source and located inside the growth cell [30, 31]. The influence of the growth rate on the level of doping by nitrogen has been quantitatively explained within the model according to which the capture of impurity is limited by kinetics of adsorption [31].
However, good correlation data calculation with the experiment was observed only when the heavily doped nitrogen SiC source was used [31]. At low concentration of nitrogen in the source (<1018 cm−3) the concentration of donors in the grown crystal either poorly depended on the deposition rate or even increased with its increase. The obtained result has been explained by the fact that by growth of SiC there could take place not only capture of impurity (nitrogen) atoms but also nonequilibrium native defects of donor type. Their concentration increased with the increase of the deposition rate. Native defects in SiC crystals grown at high rates were found also by other researchers.
On the contrary increase of growth rate leads to higher Ga impurity incorporation [35]. At low growth rates (Vg < 10 μm/h) the concentration of Ga in SiC did not exceed (3–5) × 1017 cm−3. The increase of growth rate up to 0.2–0.5 mm/h leads to increase of impurity concentration up to 1019 cm−3. This dependence can be explained within the conception of nonequilibrium capture of impurity [27].
2.5 Influence of stoichiometry deviation on the doping level
As it is stated, the concentration of Al, Ga and N impurities in the grown SiC layers significantly depends on the ratio Si: C in the vapor phase [32]. By introduction of silicon vapors into the growth zone the doping level of Al and Ga impurities considerably decreases. Especially, sharp decrease of concentration of these impurities (almost in order of magnitude) is observed by growth in the direction of [0001]Si [32]. As a result it appears impossible to receive low-resistance layers of p-type conductivity in the SiC-Si system. By surplus of silicon the concentration of nitrogen in the grown SiC layers also decreases [29]. A similar dependence of impurity concentration on surplus of Si is revealed for growth of SiC layers by the method of gas transport deposition [38]. Obviously, the reduction of impurity capture efficiency by growth in the SiC-Si system is a consequence of the competing adsorption of silicon [32]. Therefore, density of sorption centers on the growing surface decreases.
Besides, it was found that introduction of silicon vapors to the growth zone leads to sharp reduction of orientation anisotropy of doping SiC layers by N, Al and Ga impurities [26, 32]. It facilitates receiving of bulk SiC crystals with more uniform impurity distribution.
We note that a similar effect of the influence of stoichiometry deviation, known as site-competition epitaxy, is described in the works of [38]. By growth of SiC crystals by CVD method the authors found that high tension of Si vapors promotes decrease of the acceptor doping level. On the contrary, at excess of carbon, the concentration of nitrogen decreases, especially by growth in the direction of [0001]Si. The concentration of electrically active impurity depends on Si/C ratio in the gas phase (CVD). High concentration of C prevents introduction of nitrogen atoms but only on the Si side (decrease by 4–5 times). It has allowed to receive crystals with (Nd-Na) = 1014 cm−3 [38]. For acceptor impurities excess of Si lowers their concentration.
2.6 Coefficients of impurity capture
Within the bounds of classic approach for quantity description of doping process coefficient Kt of impurity transfer from source to substrate is usually used. But Kt depends on impurity contents in the source, on geometrical sizes of the source and the substrate and on the distance between them.
The value defining probability of the impurity capture by a single collision with growing surface is the coefficient of elementary impurity capture (Ki). It is easier to define Ki value by transfer of impurity from the source to the substrate in the conditions of vacuum [34, 39]. For this purpose SiC bulk crystals with a certain content of doping impurity are usually used as a source.
By means of this technique we have calculated the unit impurity capture coefficients (Ki) for the most important electrically active impurities—nitrogen, boron, aluminum, gallium, phosphorus—depending on the growth temperature, substrate orientation and impurity concentration [35, 40].
Some results of this research are shown in Table 2.
Impurity unit capture coefficients (Ki) for sublimation SiC growth at the temperature 1850°С and growth directions [0001]C and [0001]Si.
It is clear that during sublimation growth the most effectively captured impurities are nitrogen and boron. Unit capture coefficients of other impurities are much less.
The main reasons of low coefficients of impurity capture during sublimation growth are high probability of desorption of impurity atoms and their interaction with matrix atoms with formation of precipitates.
At high concentration of impurity essential decrease of Ki value is observed (Figure 5) [23, 37, 40]. In case of nitrogen and phosphorus this effect can be explained by the fact that with impurity concentration increase in the adsorbing layer, probability of its desorption in the form N or P molecules increases. Reduction of Ki boron and aluminum is possibly caused by limitation of centers of effective sorption or is a consequence of these impurities’ precipitates formation.
Figure 5.
Dependence of unit capture coefficients of impurities on the source impurity concentration. Growth directions: [0001]Si (left) and [0001]C (right).
2.7 Macrosegregation of impurities
In this work essential attention was paid to study the behavior of impurities entered into crystal. It has become clear that in heavily doped SiC layers, a considerable part of impurity is in inactive state and poorly influences material properties [41]. It has been found that the main reason for it is the formation of precipitates enriched by the doping impurities. Macrosegregation of impurities caused by formation of precipitates leads to sharp deterioration of material and device structures on its basis. Therefore, we have paid much attention to this question.
In this work we have studied the reasons of precipitates formation. For this purpose we have investigated characteristic features of impurity macrosegregation in SiC layers grown from vapor phase depending on temperature, growth rate, substrate orientation and vapor phase structure [42, 43, 44]. The behavior of various impurities including Al, B, Ga, Ta and W in SiC crystal doped by growth and diffusion has been studied. Definition of impurity concentration and the nature of distribution were carried out by the combined method of neutron activation analysis including tool and autoradiographic options.
It was shown [34] that the precipitates enriched by impurities are usually observed in the SiC layers doped with Al, B, W, Ta and other impurities. As a result total concentration of these impurities in the doped layers can exceed on 2–3 orders of magnitude of the value of solubility limit typical for homogeneous solid solution. X-ray analysis shows that precipitates in SiC are usually carbides of the doping impurities.
Precipitates were observed in SiC crystals with low impurity content. For example precipitates enriched by boron impurity were discovered in SiC crystals, in which concentration of boron in homogeneous solid solution was near 1016 cm−3, i.e., four orders of magnitude lower than solubility limit [23].
Impurity rich precipitates are concentrated on the crystal surface mainly near dislocations, pores, macrosteps, interpolytype boundaries and other structural and morphological defects (Figure 6) [36]. As a rule, higher impurity content caused by existence of precipitates was observed in SiC layers grown on (0001)C face. But concentration of the same impurities in homogeneous solid solution, on the contrary, is higher for layers grown on (0001)Si face. According to the results of autoradiographic investigations it is caused by larger sizes of the inclusions which are formed by growth on (0001)C faces [43].
Figure 6.
Alpha–particle autoradiogram of 6H SiC sample after diffusion of boron from vapor phase (magnitude X40). It can be seen that second phase inclusions enriched boron are concentrated mainly at points of dislocations emergence and macrostep boundaries (a). Optical microscopy of the same parts of the surface is shown (b) [42].
At high growth rates the probability of precipitates enriched by impurities formation increases, which leads to worse crystal quality [43]. It is interesting that high density of precipitates leads to the decrease of impurity concentration in homogeneous solid solution. It was explained by the fact that precipitates could be getters for impurity atoms.
Features of macrosegregation on polar {0001} faces are explained by various surface energies of these sides. Lower surface energy of the C-face promotes formation of three-dimensional germs on it. Taking into account that formation of precipitates reduces desorption of impurity atoms, it becomes clear why total concentration of impurity is higher in the layers grown on the C-face than on the Si-face.
3. Doping of SiC during thermal diffusion
Diffusion of impurities is one of the main ways of device structures formation in semiconductors. Investigation of diffusion in solid states gives rich information on the nature of native defects, mechanisms of defect formation and migration and interactions of native defects with impurity atoms at high temperatures.
We have studied diffusion of impurities B, Al, Ga, Be, Li, N, P and O. Diffusion of impurities was carried out from vapor phase, and impurity vapor pressure was set by the source temperature. The investigated samples were located in the hot zone. In the colder zone a diffusant was placed. It was usually in an elementary state.
For measurement of diffusive distribution we applied the whole set of methods including special nuclear and physical techniques, which allowed to study the concentrational distribution of impurity both in intrinsic SiC and in heavily doped SiC samples. If these methods could not be used, the diffusive profile was defined with the help of standard semiconductor techniques, such as Hall method, C-V measurements and p-n junction method.
3.1 Diffusion of lithium
Diffusion of Li was carried out from vapor phase at the temperatures 1250–2200°C [45]. The method of track autoradiography [45], based on registration by a solid-state track detector the Li (n, a) H nuclear reaction products, was applied for direct definition of Li concentration in the diffusive layer by radiation of samples with a flow of thermal neutrons.
The results of study of Li diffusion in SiC are presented in [45]. They demonstrate that diffusive distribution of Li in SiC can be described by standard erfc function. The dependence of diffusion coefficient (DLi) on the doping level and the conductivity type of the studied samples was not revealed. The temperature dependence DLi on the temperature is shown in Figure 10. High diffusive mobility of Li atoms in combination with rather low activation energy (ΔЕ = 1.7 эВ) leads to claim that Li in SiC, as well as in Si and Ge, diffuses by interstitial mechanism.
Diffusion of Li and hydrogen in SiC was also studied in works [47, 48]. Impurities were entered into the crystal by ionic implantation. It was shown that these impurities diffuse with rather high rate along interstates, and diffusion parameters rather well correlate with the data of the work [45].
3.2 Diffusion of beryllium
Diffusion of Be in SiC was carried out at the temperatures 1700–2250°C [49]. The p-n junction method was used for diffusion profile discover. It was supposed that Be impurity near p-n junction is completely ionized. At temperatures of diffusion above 1900°C the concentration profile had two clearly marked regions. Each of them could be described by one coefficient of diffusion.
Diffusion of Be in p-SiC <A1> was studied at temperatures 1300–2000°C by the methods of layer-by-layer measurement of conductivity and Hall effect [50]. After diffusion of Be the reduction of value (Na-Nd), concentration of holes and their mobility were observed. Since the mobility of free holes falls and conductivity value along the impurity zone grows after diffusion of Be, it is possible to assume that the value (Na-Nd) decreases due to compensation of acceptors by the incorporated donor impurity (in this case, Be). It helped to define the diffusive profile of Be in р-SiC.
Parameters of diffusion of Be and Li in р- SiC were rather similar. Therefore, we made a conclusion that diffusion of Be, as well as Li, in heavily doped р-SiC is carried out by an interstitial mechanism. This assumption is supported by results of the analysis of donor-acceptor interaction [51], according to which donor Be has a charge +2. A small size of Be+2 ion (0.31A) also promotes interstitial diffusion of Be. Apparently, in n-type SiC, the mechanism of diffusion is more complicated. And in this case, interstitial Be also quickly diffuses. But in p-type SiC quickly diffusing interstitial atoms are captured by traps (obviously, vacancies), which leads to diffusion slowing down. We believe that another diffusive-active state is the associate of Be atom with a vacancy. Such associates are found by electron paramagnetic resonance method in Be-doped SiC crystals [52]. Diffusion of Be in SiC from ion-implanted layer was studied in [53]. The results of this work correlate well with our date.
3.3 Diffusion of boron in SiC
Boron is the most important acceptor impurity and the activator of luminescence in SiC. Its introduction by diffusion is widely used for creation of various semiconductor devices. For better understanding of B diffusion mechanism, we carried out the research of B diffusion in pure and doped SiC at a wide variation of experimental conditions. The influence of temperature, structure of the vapor phase, boundary conditions and the initial condition of impurity on diffusion were specially studied.
In the majority of experiments diffusion was carried out from vapor phase in the temperature range 1500–2600°C. The diffusive profile of boron atoms was defined by the method of track autoradiography based on registration of α-particles according to nuclear reaction: B10(n, a) Li7 [41]. The use of boron isotope В10 as diffusant allowed to increase sensitivity of the method up to 5 × 1015 сm−3 with an accuracy ±15%. Distribution of boron acceptors was found additionally by Hall measurements at 77–1100 K temperature range, capacitive and p-n junction methods [54, 55]. The results of the diffusive profile measurements received by different methods [41, 54, 55, 56] rather well correlated with each other, except heavily doped near-surface layer, where concentration of boron atoms could exceed concentration of acceptors by 1.5–2.0 times [41].
As a rule concentration distributions of boron had a step two-branch profile and could not be described by one coefficient of diffusion (Figure 4) [55]. It has been stated that the character of diffusion distribution and rate of diffusion strongly depend on the value of surface concentration (Cs) [55]. For low Cs < 1 × 1018 cm−3 the diffusive profile could be described by one coefficient of diffusion. At increase of Cs the rate of boron diffusion in the volume region of distribution increased and the concentration profile took a step form. Besides, at high temperatures (>2100°С) on the “tail” of the volume branch at Сv < 5–10 × 1017 cm−3 a region with an abrupt inclination of the diffusive profile occurred. More detailed research of concentration distribution has allowed to find a minimum on the border of near-surface and volume regions [25]. For finding a charging condition of diffusion centers and identification of the impurity migration mechanism we carried out the diffusion study in SiC highly doped by donor and acceptor impurities.
3.3.1 Diffusion of boron in highly doped SiC crystals
We have studied diffusion of boron isotope B10 in SiC of n- and p-type conductivity doped with Al and N. Diffusion distribution B in SiC highly doped with nitrogen are presented in Figure 7a. The obtained results definitely show that nitrogen impurity leads to slowing down the rate of boron diffusion [57, 58]. This effect was especially considerable at high concentrations of nitrogen and low temperatures of diffusion, when the coefficient of boron diffusion decreased almost to an order of magnitude. It could not be explained only by the donor-acceptor interaction, as it took place, in particular, in intrinsic material when concentration of impurity is lower than ni. Therefore, the main reason for slowing diffusion down may be the formation of complexes according to reaction: Bsi + Nc → (BN). This interaction is promoted by high BN binding energy, and the fact that these impurities replace different units in the SiC lattice.
Figure 7.
Diffusion distribution of Boron in SiC crystals doped with impurities N (a) and Al (b). Impurity concentrations (cm−3): N—1.1 × 1020 (1); 2-5 × 1019 (2); 1.5 × 1019 (3); 2 × 1017 (4). Al—4 × 1017 (1); 2 × 1018 (2); 6 × 1019 (3); 1020 (4).
On Figure 7b concentration profile of Boron in SiC doped with Al impurity is shown. Concentration of impurities in the SiC samples was changed from 1017 to 1021 сm−3 [57]. According to the obtained results (Figure 7b) by increase of acceptor concentration the rate of boron diffusion in SiC considerably increases. In case of low surface concentration Cs < 1 × 1018 cm−3, when distribution in n-type, as well as in р- type, is described by one coefficient of diffusion, this dependence is well described by one coefficient of diffusion. It looks like: D = di (р/ni), where D and Di—coefficients of boron diffusion in p-type and intrinsic SiC, correspondingly; p—concentration of free holes; and ni—concentration of own carriers. The energy activation of diffusion in heavily doped SiC is 3.4 eV, that is 2.2 eV lower than in pure SiC. Thus, within the frames of vacancy model, it is possible to make a conclusion that diffusion of boron is carried out with participation of the vacancies with a charge +1.
3.3.2 Diffusion of impurities in SiC polytypes
Our research of diffusion of impurities in SiC crystals of various polytypes (3C, 4H, 6H, 8H, 15R, 21R and 27R) has revealed dependence of the diffusion rate on the SiC polytype (Figure 7) [59]. The results for boron diffusion are presented in Figure 8. They show the existence of a correlation between the value of diffusion coefficient and the degree of polytype hexagonality. The highest rate of diffusion is observed in cubic SiC. On the contrary, the lowest one is revealed in the most hexagonal 4H SiC polytype. Such dependence is caused by the increasing concentration of carbon vacancies in more cubic polytypes [4].
Figure 8.
Dependence of boron diffusion coefficient in SiC on polytype hexagonality percent.
3.3.3 Constant-concentration diffusion of boron
For clarification of abnormal nature of diffusive distribution at high concentrations of boron, we have used a technique of constant-concentration diffusion [60]. There is practically no gradient of concentration of diffusing impurity in this case. For this purpose we studied diffusion of isotope B10 in SiC crystal preliminary highly doped with isotope B11 at the level of (5–6) × 1019 cm−3.
According to the obtained data concentration distribution at constant-concentration diffusion of boron, unlike chemical diffusion, has a standard form (Figure 9).
Figure 9.
Diffusion distributions of the isotope 10В in SiC: 1—constant-сoncentration diffusion in SiC layer (ПВ) with boron concentration (ПВ) 5 × 1019 cm3; 2, 3—chemical diffusion in samples with different impurity concentration Аl (сm−3}: 2 × 1016(2); 5 × 1019 (3).
By analysis it is necessary to consider that boron is an acceptor impurity in SiC and consequently, with increase in its concentration, provided that CB > ni, the coefficient of diffusion of boron should increase. However, the coefficient of constant-concentration diffusion of B was even lower than that of chemical diffusion in intrinsic SiC. The difference in diffusion mobility of boron becomes especially considerable if we compare the diffusion distributions of сonstant-concentration diffusion and boron distribution in p-type SiC doped with Al (Figure 9). The results of the experiment show that at identical concentration of acceptor impurity, the diffusion coefficient in p-SiC(Al) is nearly three orders of magnitude higher than in p-SiC (B).
The obtained results can be explained consistently, having assumed that boron at concentration higher than 1018 cm−3 creates traps for diffusive-active state of boron. Existence of these traps, apparently, is responsible for occurrence of abrupt near-surface region of the diffusive profile at usual chemical diffusion. It is natural to assume that such traps are boron atoms located in units of the lattice and form the inactive associates or clusters including several atoms of boron with mobile boron center. This assumption is proved by high binding energy of boron atoms as well as experimentally observed formation of second phase clusters enriched by boron impurity during diffusion annealing [42].
3.3.4 Boron diffusion from solid phase
Comparative study of boron diffusion from vapor and solid phase revealed essential dependence of boron diffusion parameters on the initial state of impurity [9, 61]. In our experiments in case of diffusion from solid phase, the source of impurity was usually located in preliminary grown epitaxial SiC layer doped by boron. In both cases surface concentration of boron was practically the same.
At short periods of annealing there were no observed considerable differences in the character of distribution and the rate of boron migration by diffusion from vapor and solid phase. However, with increase of the annealing period in case of solid phase diffusion, there was a distinct tendency of diffusion slowing down. A similar effect was observed in experiments on study redistribution of impurity by secondary annealing of diffusive samples.
It was found out that the rate of boron diffusion from solid phase strongly depends on growth conditions of doped epitaxial SiC layer, serving as a source of diffusing impurity. The increase of growth temperature of this layer by maintaining the constant concentration of boron in it leads to decrease of the diffusion rate. For example by diffusion of boron from SiC (В) layer grown at 2550°С, the coefficient of boron diffusion was 103–104 times lower than by diffusion from vapor.
Comparison of concentration profiles of diffusive samples before and after secondary annealing has shown that boron transition to crystal volume generally comes from heavily doped layer (Св > 1019 cm−3), where a considerable part of boron impurity was in electrically inactive state.
The obtained results demonstrate that there are several boron centers in SiC with various diffusive mobility and relaxation time of processes connected with change of impurity centers state. This time is rather long than time of diffusive annealing. If the impurity center is situated in diffusion-active state (for example, is found in interstitial position or forms a mobile associate with a vacancy or interstitial atom), then the rate of diffusion will be raised. On the contrary if the impurity atoms are located in the lattice points and probability of forming of mobile centers is very low, then impurities diffusion rate sharply decreases. Obviously, the creation of the mobile centers of impurities by ion implantation can explain high diffusion rate of implanted atoms in comparison with vapor phase diffusion. The same reason explains acceleration of diffusion at oxidation and silicidation of the surface [62].
3.3.5 Mechanism of boron diffusion
The mechanism of boron diffusion is difficult to explain in the frames of interstitial model. Actually, the activation energy of boron diffusion is considerably high. Unlike Be we do not observe noticeable compensation of acceptor centers during boron diffusion in p-type SiC. It is difficult to explain the whole set of experimental data within a simple vacancy model. Within such mechanism it is difficult to understand the reason of the complicated character of diffusion distribution of boron; dependence of the diffusion coefficient on the surface concentration band; and the features of boron diffusion from solid phase. It is also necessary to take into account that boron in SiC mainly replaces silicon, and a simple mechanism of its diffusion along carbon vacancies is seemed improbable. Besides, the activation energy of boron diffusion in heavily doped p-SiC is much less than calculated [57].
Obviously, it should be assumed that a rapidly diffusing component is complex (B-Vc), in which concentration is limited by a flow of carbon vacancies injected from the heavily doped surface layer [24]. It is possible, provided that the concentration of generated vacancies is higher than equilibrium, defined, for example, by Shottky constant. It is important that the defect states injected in the crystal volume are significantly nonequilibrium. Such assumption is confirmed by strong dependence of boron diffusion coefficient on surface conditions and also by experimental evidence of nonstationarity of diffusion process from solid phase [61]. By increasing the density of dislocations which are vacancy traps the coefficient of boron diffusion decreases [63].
With increase of diffusion temperature one should expect relative reduction of contribution of this mechanism, both due to increase of concentration of thermal vacancies and probability of disintegration of rapidly diffusing associates. Model of boron diffusion was presented [64].
Another mechanism of boron diffusion in SiC was proposed in refs. [65, 66]. The authors offered that boron diffusion was realized by kick out mechanism, in which silicon interstitials play main role. Excess Si interstitials are created by ion implantation or by high boron impurity concentration [65].
3.4 Diffusion of aluminum and gallium
Aluminum and gallium are the shallowest acceptors in SiC. Therefore, interest to diffusion as a method of obtaining diode structures of various devices on the basis of SiC, such as power diodes, has been shown for a long time. Meanwhile, studying of these impurities diffusion meets great difficulties, mainly, because of their low diffusion mobility.
Our investigation of Al and Ga impurities diffusion was carried out from vapor phase in the range of temperatures of 1800–2400°C [67]. Metal Al or Ga was used as source of impurity. Diffusion distribution was studied by van der Pauw method. P-n junction method was also used. Then, the results [67] were supported by SIMS. The obtained results prove a rather complex mechanism of Al diffusion. Concentration distribution of Al has very abrupt near-surface region and a smoother volume region. The latter can be described by erfc function. The boundary concentration for the volume branch was 1 × 1018 cm−3. It is not less than three orders lower than true surface concentration of Al.
For studying Al diffusion in a near-surface layer the Hall method [68] was used, and the measurements were taken by consecutive removal of layers 0.2–0.3 microns thick. As a result the diffusion coefficient for the near-surface branch has been defined as 5.6 × 1014cm2/s at 2200°C. This value considerably exceeds the diffusion coefficient of Al found by the method of p-n junction in a sample with concentration of donors (nitrogen) Nd = 1019 cm2/s.
The diffusion of Al from solid phase was also studied. The source of impurity was previously grown epitaxial SiC layer doped by Al. For study distribution of Al during diffusion annealing, the capacitive method was used. According to the obtained data the rate of Al migration from the epitaxial SiC(Al) layer was abnormally low (Figure 7). The diffusion coefficient for solid state diffusion was 103–104 times lower than by diffusion from vapor phase, and the activation energy (ΔЕ) was near 11 eV. Let us note for comparison that by diffusion from vapor, the activation energy of diffusion was ΔЕ = 6.1 eV. These results correlate with data of van Opdorp [69], which show that diffusion coefficient from solid phase was 104 times lower than in case of vapor phase diffusion.
It is possible to conclude that diffusion of Al from vapor phase is carried out by migration of metastable (Al-Vc) complexes or deep Al centers. However, in the SiC(Al) crystals grown at high temperature, most of Al atoms, obviously, are situated in silicon units, and the concentration of rapidly diffusing (Al-V) associates is very low. In this case diffusion is possible only along silicon vacancies and demands considerable power expenses.
Diffusion profiles of Ga have no sharp near-surface region [24]. However, surface concentration of Ga (Cs = (3–5) × 1017 cm−3) is much lower (30–50 times) than its contents in the epitaxial SiC layers grown under the same conditions. In general parameters of Ga and Al diffusion are close, which indicates identity of their diffusion mechanisms.
3.5 Diffusion of phosphorus
Phosphorus (P) is a donor impurity in silicon carbide. For estimation of diffusive mobility of P in SiC we used samples containing P entered by the method of transmutation doping on charged high-energy particles [70]. Change of the concentration profile of phosphorus in the sample by its high-temperature annealing was investigated. The results received by this technique reflect more adequately the process of solid-phase diffusion; as in this case the impurity centers are not entered through the phase boundary, and diffusion is carried out only due to thermal activation of atoms located in regular positions in the crystal volume. Thus, the probability of participation of impurity conditions generated on the surface in diffusive stream is minimized. The obtained data characterize diffusion in own semiconductor according to the inequality: Ср « ni; (where Ср is concentration of the transmutated phosphorus; ni—concentration of intrinsic charge carriers). By transmutation doping radiation defects are also entered. However, they are generally annealed at T < 2000°C, and their influence on the rate of impurity migration at higher temperatures can be neglected. 6H-SiC samples grown by the Lely method, mainly n-type of conductivity, doped by nitrogen were used. The concentration of noncompensated donors was (Nd-Na) = (2–4) × 1018 cm−3. In the number of experiments the samples of p-SiC heavily doped by aluminum (СAl « 5 × 1020 cm−3) were also used.
For transmutation introduction of P SiC samples were irradiated by α-particles with the energy of 16 and 20 MeV at the current density j = 0.1 mcА/cm2. For receiving sharper concentration profile of phosphorus, radiation was carried out at oblique incidence of the beam at the angle of 6–30°. Transmutation doping was carried out due to a nuclear reaction 29Si(α,p)32P. After that radiation samples were annealed in closed graphite containers in the atmosphere of argon at the temperature of 2000–2600°C. For evaporation reduction samples were located in an isothermal zone surrounded from all sides by fine SiC powder. The time of annealing varied from 30 min to 10 h, the thickness of the evaporated SiC layer in the course of annealing did not exceed 2–3 microns. The concentration profile of phosphorus was defined by measurement of residual β-activity of samples at consecutive removal of surface layers by the method of chemical etching in KOH alkali solution. The thickness of the removed layers was 1 micron. The profile of radioactive phosphorus was at the same time analyzed in a control sample that was not exposed to diffusive annealing. According to the received results, noticeable changes of the concentration profile were revealed only at temperatures of annealing above 2400°C. The diffusion coefficient was defined in the assumption that Fick’s law was realized. For this purpose one-dimensional diffusion in a half-space with impenetrable border was considered.
The temperature dependence of P diffusion coefficient is given in Figure 10. Very high value of activation energy of phosphorus diffusion ΔЕР = 11.2 эВ attracts attention. It is higher than in case of self-diffusion of silicon (ΔES1 = 8.18 эВ) and carbon (ΔЕС = − 8.2 эВ) in SiC [46]. Note that in the studied temperature range, Dp is closer to the self-diffusion coefficient of silicon. At the same time the coefficient of self-diffusion of carbon is 2–3 orders higher. Therefore, it is possible to assume that migration of phosphorus is carried out along carbon vacancies. However, within the frames of such model, it is difficult to understand the reason of higher rate of phosphorus migration in highly doped p-SiC.
Figure 10.
Dependence of diffusion coefficients of impurities in SiC from vapor phase (Li, Bev, Bes. Bv, Alv, Ga and N) and from SiC solid phase (P, Bsv, Alsv). Bv, Alv, Bev—volume branch. Bes—surface branch. Data on self-diffusion (C, Si) are taken from [46].
It is known that silicon vacancies in SiC are charged negatively; therefore, their concentration has to decrease with the increase of concentration of acceptor impurity, leading to reduction of phosphorus mobility. A reverse effect rather proving the mechanism of phosphorus diffusion with participation of carbon vacancies was experimentally observed. In this regard we will note that activation energy of phosphorus diffusion (∆Е) does not greatly differ from earlier defined ΔЕ value for nitrogen diffusion [71]. Nitrogen replaces carbon in SiC lattice and, obviously, migrates along carbon vacancies.
3.6 Diffusion of nitrogen and oxygen in SiC
Nitrogen and oxygen are donor impurities in SiC. Diffusion of nitrogen was carried out in p-type SiC samples doped by Al [11]. The temperature of diffusion varied from 1900 to 2500°C. Diffusion depth was found by Hall and p-n junction methods. Molecular nitrogen was used as diffusant. The temperature dependence of nitrogen diffusion coefficient is presented in Figure 10. It supports the early data of Kroko and Milnes [71].
The sources of oxygen impurity were CO2 or SiO2. Diffusion depth is found by measurement of thickness of the luminescence layer [72]. Higher oxygen diffusion can be explained by forming mobile complexes of impurity atoms with native defects. Unfortunately, the lack of reliable methods of identification of oxygen in SiC complicates the analysis of its diffusion mechanism.
The data of impurity diffusion in SiC are presented in Table 3 and in Figure 10.
Parameters of impurity diffusion in SiC from vapor phase.
Let us note that solid state diffusion of B and Al impurities is characterized by slower rate than self-diffusion [46]. We consider that self-diffusion coefficients are actually lower than provided in the quoted works. Authors of the work [73] come to the same conclusion.
4. Conclusion
We have studied the processes of SiC doping by sublimation growth that allowed to receive the crystals and epitaxial SiC layers doped by various impurities and to define the condition of a number of impurity centers, including B [74, 75], Be [76], P [77], Sc [78], Mo [79], Er [80], Fe and Ni [81].
It is shown that the mechanism of SiC doping can be described within kinetic approach. High binding energy and, as a result, low concentration of equilibrium point defects cause low rate of solid-phase diffusion of the majority of impurity atoms. Noticeable diffusion at atom replacement from their regular positions occurs in SiC at the temperatures above 1800°C. Low diffusive mobility of the majority of impurity atoms leads to the fact that at actual growth rates, the external phase–crystal balance is not realized. It makes impossible consideration of the doping process within thermodynamic concepts. Doping of SiC by growth has a kinetic nature and reflects the external phase–crystal surface balance. Therefore, the content of impurities strongly depends on orientation of the growing surface. The instability of growth process leads to nonuniform doping. Uniform doping can be achieved by growth on a nonsingular surface. Small areas of octahedral and tetrahedral emptiness limit solubility of impurities with large atoms sizes.
By analysis of the doping processes it is necessary to consider high reactionary ability of native point defects, leading to formation of nonequilibrium stable associates with participation of both own defects and impurity atoms. These associates or clusters keep stability up to high temperatures. Formation of clusters is promoted by high mobility of own point defects. Interaction of impurity and matrix atoms promotes formation of precipitates. Such process can actively proceed on the surface of growing crystal that is facilitated by high surface diffusion. The interaction of impurity atoms with own defects leads to creation of a number of impurity states.
Acknowledgments
I thank A.A. Wolfson and O.P. Kazarova from the bottom of my heart for fruitful discussions and large help in manuscript preparation.
\n',keywords:"doping, impurity, diffusion, sublimation growth, polytypes",chapterPDFUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs/64886.pdf",chapterXML:"https://mts.intechopen.com/source/xml/64886.xml",downloadPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-download/64886",previewPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-preview/64886",totalDownloads:1412,totalViews:0,totalCrossrefCites:2,totalDimensionsCites:8,totalAltmetricsMentions:0,impactScore:3,impactScorePercentile:86,impactScoreQuartile:4,hasAltmetrics:0,dateSubmitted:"August 20th 2018",dateReviewed:"October 31st 2018",datePrePublished:"December 21st 2018",datePublished:"November 6th 2019",dateFinished:"December 21st 2018",readingETA:"0",abstract:"The preparation of SiC crystals doped with various impurities introduced during the process of sublimation growth and diffusion is described. The growth of SiC crystals was carried out by a sublimation-sandwich method, proposed by us in 1970. Crystals of the n- and p-type conductivity with maximum content of electrically active impurities (of the order of 1021 cm−3) were obtained. The solubility values of more than 15 impurities were determined. Special tantalum containers with several temperature zones, allowing to introduce any impurity into SiC practically, are developed. The dependences of the impurities concentration on the temperature, growth rate and seed orientation are found. Diffusion of impurities of boron, aluminum, gallium, beryllium, lithium, nitrogen and phosphorus in silicon carbide polytypes was studied. Diffusion coefficients of these impurities in a wide temperature range are determined. It is shown that for a number of impurities diffusion cannot be described by standard distributions that are explained by the presence of several states of diffusing centers. Fast-diffusing states are atoms located in interstices, as well as centers, including the impurity atom and point defect. The extremely low diffusion mobility of lattice point atoms in the SIC lattice is noted.",reviewType:"peer-reviewed",bibtexUrl:"/chapter/bibtex/64886",risUrl:"/chapter/ris/64886",book:{id:"6850",slug:"crystal-growth"},signatures:"Evgeniy N. Mokhov",authors:[{id:"56559",title:"Dr.",name:"Evgenii",middleName:"Nikolaevich",surname:"Mokhov",fullName:"Evgenii Mokhov",slug:"evgenii-mokhov",email:"mokhov@mail.ioffe.ru",position:null,profilePictureURL:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",institution:{name:"Ioffe Institute",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Russia"}}}],sections:[{id:"sec_1",title:"1. Introduction",level:"1"},{id:"sec_2",title:"2. SiC doping during sublimation growth",level:"1"},{id:"sec_2_2",title:"2.1 Solubility limit of the impurities in SiC crystals",level:"2"},{id:"sec_3_2",title:"2.2 Dependence of doping of impurities on crystallographic orientation",level:"2"},{id:"sec_4_2",title:"2.3 Influence of partial pressure of the impurity",level:"2"},{id:"sec_5_2",title:"2.4 Dependence of the doping level on the growth rate",level:"2"},{id:"sec_6_2",title:"2.5 Influence of stoichiometry deviation on the doping level",level:"2"},{id:"sec_7_2",title:"2.6 Coefficients of impurity capture",level:"2"},{id:"sec_8_2",title:"2.7 Macrosegregation of impurities",level:"2"},{id:"sec_10",title:"3. Doping of SiC during thermal diffusion",level:"1"},{id:"sec_10_2",title:"3.1 Diffusion of lithium",level:"2"},{id:"sec_11_2",title:"3.2 Diffusion of beryllium",level:"2"},{id:"sec_12_2",title:"3.3 Diffusion of boron in SiC",level:"2"},{id:"sec_12_3",title:"3.3.1 Diffusion of boron in highly doped SiC crystals",level:"3"},{id:"sec_13_3",title:"3.3.2 Diffusion of impurities in SiC polytypes",level:"3"},{id:"sec_14_3",title:"3.3.3 Constant-concentration diffusion of boron",level:"3"},{id:"sec_15_3",title:"3.3.4 Boron diffusion from solid phase",level:"3"},{id:"sec_16_3",title:"3.3.5 Mechanism of boron diffusion",level:"3"},{id:"sec_18_2",title:"3.4 Diffusion of aluminum and gallium",level:"2"},{id:"sec_19_2",title:"3.5 Diffusion of phosphorus",level:"2"},{id:"sec_20_2",title:"3.6 Diffusion of nitrogen and oxygen in SiC",level:"2"},{id:"sec_22",title:"4. Conclusion",level:"1"},{id:"sec_23",title:"Acknowledgments",level:"1"}],chapterReferences:[{id:"B1",body:'Suo H, Eto K, Ise T, Tokuda Y, Osawa H, Tsuchida H, et al. Crystal growth and evaluation of nitrogen and aluminum co-doped N-type 4H-SiC grown by physical vapor transport. Journal of Crystal Growth. 2018;498:224-229. DOI: 10.1016/2018.06.019'},{id:"B2",body:'Eto K, Suo H, Kato T, Okumura H. Growth of P-type 4H-SiC single crystals by physical vapor transport using aluminum and nitrogen co-doping. Journal of Crystal Growth. 2017;470:154-158. DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2017.04.025'},{id:"B3",body:'Linnarsson MK, Janson MS, Zimmermann U, Svensson BG, Persson POA, Hultman L, et al. Solubility limits and precipitate formation in Al doped. Applied Physics Letters. 2001;79(13):2016-2018. DOI: 10.1063/1.1402160'},{id:"B4",body:'Vodakov YA, Lomakina GA, Mokhov EN. Non-stoichiometry and polytypism of silicon carbide. Soviet Solid State. 1982;24(5):780-784'},{id:"B5",body:'Onoue K, Nashikawa T, Katsumo M, Ohtani N, Yashizo H, Kanaya M. Nitrogen incorporation kinetics during the sublimation growth of 6H and 4H SiC. Japanese Journal of Applied Physics. 1996;35(1):2240-2243. DOI: 10.1143/JJAP.35.2240'},{id:"B6",body:'Linnarsson MK, Persson PO, Bleeichner H, Janson MS, Zummermann U, Andersson H, et al. Precipitate formation in heavy Al-doped 4H SiC layers. Materials Science Forum. 2001;353-356:583-586'},{id:"B7",body:'Ohtani N, Katsuno M, Takahasi J, Yashiro H. Impurity incorporation kinetics during modified Lely growth of SiC. Journal of Applied Physics. 1998;83(8):4487-4490. DOI: 10.1063/1.367234'},{id:"B8",body:'Vodakov YA, Mokhov EN. Point defects in silicon carbide. Institute of Physics Conference Series. 1994;137(3):197-206'},{id:"B9",body:'Mokhov EN. Impurities and native defects in silicon carbide in depending of conditions of growth, doping and relaxation annealing [Doctor Dissertation of doctor’s of physical-mathematical sciences degree]. St. Petersburg, Rusia; 1998. pp. 583-586'},{id:"B10",body:'Vodakov YA, Roenkov AD, Ramm MG, Mokhov EN, YuN M. Use of Ta - container for sublimation growth and doping of SiC bulk crystals and epitaxial layers. Physica Status Solidi (b). 1997;202(1):177-200. DOI: 10.1002/1521-3951'},{id:"B11",body:'Vodakov YA, Mokhov EN. Diffusion and solubility of impurities in silicon carbide. In: Proceedings of the International Conference Silicon Carbide; 1973; South Carolina: South Carolina University Press; 1974. pp. 508-520'},{id:"B12",body:'Vodakov YA, Mokhov EN. Growth of semiconductor SiC. Patent: USSR N 403275 (1970); Fr: No 2 264 589 (1975); UK: No 1458445 (1977); FRG: No 24 09 005 (1977); USA: No 414572 (1979)'},{id:"B13",body:'Karpov SY, Makarov YN, Mokhov EN, Ramm MG, Ramm MS, Roenkov AD, et al. Analysis of SiC growth by sublimation sandwich – method. Journal of Crystal Growth. 1997;173:408-416. DOI: 10.1016/S0022-0248(96)00969-4'},{id:"B14",body:'Vodakov YA, Mokhov EN, Ramm МG, Roenkov AD. Epitaxial growth of SiC layers by sublimation sandwich method. Part 1. Growth kinetic. Kristall und Technik. 1979;14(6):729-740. DOI: 10.1002/crat.19790140618'},{id:"B15",body:'Mokhov EN, Wolfson AA. Growth of AlN and GaN crystals by sublimation. Single Crystals of Electronic Materials: Growth and Properties. Duxford, United Kingdom: Woodhead Publishing; 2018. p. 401-456'},{id:"B16",body:'Avdeev OV, Chemekova TY, Mokhov EN, Nagalyuk SS, Helava H, Ramm MG, et al. Development of 2″ AlN substrates using SiC seeds. In: Modern Aspects of Bulk Crystal and Thin Film Preparation. United Kingdom: IntechOpen; 2012. pp. 213-262. DOI: 10.5772/29853'},{id:"B17",body:'Cavallotti C, Rossi F, Ravasio S, Masi MAА. Kinetic analysis of the growth and doping kinetics of the SiC chemical vapor deposition process. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research. 2014;53(22):9076-9087. DOI: 10.1021/ie403907w'},{id:"B18",body:'Mokhov EN, Ramm MG, Roenkov AD, Vodakov YA. SiC growth in Ta containers by the sublimation sandwich method. Journal of Crystal Growth. 1997;181:254-258. DOI: 10.1016/S0022-0248(97)00282-0'},{id:"B19",body:'Grillenberger J, Achtziger N, Sielemann R, Witthuhn W. Radiotracer identification of a Ta-related deep level in 4H–SiC. Journal of Applied Physics. 2000;88:3260. DOI: 10.1063/1.1289484'},{id:"B20",body:'Vodakov YA, Mokhov EN, Yuldashev GF, Usmanova MM. Neutron activation determination of solubility of impurities in SiC. Applied Nuclear Physics. 1973;(2):12-15'},{id:"B21",body:'Goncharov EE, Ryabova GG, Mokhov EE. Possibility of researching of semiconductor SiC by treck autogariography method. Isotopenpraxis. 1984;12:452-454'},{id:"B22",body:'Radovanova EI, Verenchikova RG, Vodakov YA. Determination of impurity concentration in n-type SiC by local breakdown of metal-semiconductor contact. Soviet Physics: Semiconductors. 1983;17(6):1115-1118'},{id:"B23",body:'Vodakov YA, Mokhov EN, Ramm MG, Roenkov AD. Doping peculiarities of SiC epitaxial layers grown by sublimation sandwich-method. In: Springer Proceedings in Physics. Washington, DC, USA: Materials of Conf. on Silicon Carbide; 1990. Vol. 56. 1992. pp. 329-334'},{id:"B24",body:'Vodakov YA, Lomakina GA, Mokhov EN, Radovanova EI, Sokolov VI, Usmanova MM, et al. Silicon carbide doped with gallium. Physica Status Solidi (A). 1976;35:37-43. DOI: 10.1002/pssa.2210350103'},{id:"B25",body:'Vodakov YA, Lomakina GA, Mokhov EN, Machmudov BS, Usmanova MM, Yuldashev GF. Silicon carbide, doped with Al and Ga. In book: Properties of Doping Semiconductors Moscow: Nauka. 1977;48-52'},{id:"B26",body:'Vodakov YA, Lomakina GA, Mokhov EN. Dependence of impurity solubility in SiC on crystallographic orientation and polytype. In: Doping of Semiconductors. Мoscow: Nauka; 1982. pp. 230-233'},{id:"B27",body:'Mokhov EN, Usmanova MM, Yuldashev GF, Machmudov BS. Research of growth kinetics, solubility and polytypism of SiC epitaxial layers, doped phosphorus. Non-Organic Materials. 1981;17(2):258-261'},{id:"B28",body:'Vodakov YA, Mokhov EN, Roenkov AD, Saidbekov DT. Effect of crystallographic orientation on the polytype stabilization and transformation of the silicon carbide. Physica Status Solidi (A). 1979;51(1):209-215. DOI: 10.1002/pssa.2210510123'},{id:"B29",body:'EN DM, Maltsev AA. Doping 6H-SiC epitaxial layers, grown in excess of silicon with boron and nitrogen impurities. Soviet Technical Physics Letters. 1992;18(14):41-45'},{id:"B30",body:'Ramm MG, Mokhov EN, Verenchikova RG. Kinetic dependence of nitrogen impurity solubility in SiC. Non-Organic Materials. 1979;15(12):2233-2234'},{id:"B31",body:'Mokhov EN, Ramm MG, Vodakov YA. Growth of SiC epitaxial layers. Visokochictie Materiali. 1992;3:98-105'},{id:"B32",body:'Mokhov EN, Vodakov YA. Controlled growth of SiC and GaN by sublimation sandwich method. Institute of Physics Conference Series. 1997;3:177-182. No. 155'},{id:"B33",body:'Onoue K, Nashikawa T, Katsumo M, Ohtani N, Yashizo H, Kanaya M. Nitrogen incorporation kinetics during the sublimation growth of 6H and 4H SiC. Japanese Journal of Applied Physics. 1996;35(1):2240-2243'},{id:"B34",body:'Mokhov EN, Ramm MG, Roenkov AD, Fedorov VV, Verenchikova RG. Doping of the SiC epitaxial layers with nitrogen during sublimation sandwich metod in vacuum. Technical Physics Letters. 1990;16(14):33-37'},{id:"B35",body:'Mokhov EN, Verenchikova RG, Vodakov YA, Goncharov EE, Lomakina GA, Oding VG, et al. Research of specifics of doping during growth by sublimation sandwich - method. In: Doped Semiconductor Materials. Мoskow: Nauka; 1985. pp. 45-52'},{id:"B36",body:'Mokhov EN, Usmanova MM, Yuldashev GF, Machmudov BS. Doping of SiC by IIIa group impurities. Non-Organic Materials. 1984;20(8):1383-1386'},{id:"B37",body:'Mokhov EN, Ramm MG, Roenkov AD, Vodakov YA, Verenchikova RG, Zabrodskii AG, et al. Capture of the impurities during SiC epitaxial growth from vapor phase. In book: Properties of Doped Semiconductor Materials. Moscow: Nauka. 1990;51-57'},{id:"B38",body:'Larkin DJ. SiC dopant incorporation control using site-competition CVD. Physica Status Solidi (b). 1997;202:305-320. DOI: 10.1002/1521-3951(199707)202'},{id:"B39",body:'Dorfman VD. Crystallography. 1968;13(1):140'},{id:"B40",body:'Mokhov EN, Didik VA, Kozlovski VV. The transfer of phosphorus impurity from sublimazed source in SiC epitaxial layer. Soviet Technical Physics Letters. 1992;18:659-662'},{id:"B41",body:'Vodakov YA, Jumaev N, Zverev BP, Lomakina GA, Mokhov EN, Oding VG, et al. Silicon carbide doped with boron. Soviet Physics: Semiconductors. 1977;11(2):214-217'},{id:"B42",body:'Mokhov EN, Zverev BP, Ramm MG, Usmanova MM. Surface boron distribution at diffusion in silicon carbide. Non-Organic Materials. 1980;16(12):2153-2156'},{id:"B43",body:'Yuldashev GF, Usmanova MM, Mokhov EN, Roenkov AD. Macro-segregation of doping impurities in SiC monocrystals and epitaxial layers. In book: Properties of Doped Semiconductor Materials. Moscow: Nauka. 1990;157-161'},{id:"B44",body:'Mokhov EN, Machmudov BS, Usmanova MM, Yuldashev GF. Solubility and macro-segregation of impuritiеs in SiC. Soviet Technical Physics Letters. 1982;8(6):377-380'},{id:"B45",body:'Goncharov EE, Zubatov AG, Lomakina GA, Mokhov EN, Ryabova GG. Diffusion, solubility and EPR of Li in silicon carbide. Soviet Physics: Solid State. 1985;27(11):2398-2399'},{id:"B46",body:'Hon HH, Davis RF, Newburg DE. Journal of Materials Science. 1981;16(9):2485'},{id:"B47",body:'Linnarsson MK, Janson MS, Karlsson S, Shouer A, Nordell N, Svensson BG. Diffusion of light elements in 4H and 6H SiC. Materials Science and Engineering: B. 1999;61-62:275-280. DOI: 10.1016/S0921-5107(98)00517-0'},{id:"B48",body:'Linnarsson MK, Doyle JP, Swenson BG. Diffusion of hydrogen in 6H SiC. MRS Proceedings. 1996;423:625-630. DOI: 10.1557/PROC-423-625'},{id:"B49",body:'Maslakovets YP, Mokhov EN, Vodakov YA, Lomakina GA. Diffusion Be in SiC. Soviet Physics: Solid State. 1968;10:634-638'},{id:"B50",body:'Vodakov YA, Mokhov EN, Oding VG. Interstitial diffusion of B and Be in SiC. Non-Organic Materials. 1983;20(7):1086-1088'},{id:"B51",body:'Vodakov YA, Lomakina GA, Mokhov EN, Oding VG, Radovanova EI. Beryllium as donor impurities in silicon carbide. Soviet Physics: Solid State. 1978;20(2):258-260'},{id:"B52",body:'Baranov PG, Mokhov EN. Electron paramagnetic resonance of deep boron in SiC. Institute of Physics Conference Series. 1996;142(1):293-296. DOI: 10.1088/0268-1242/11/4/005'},{id:"B53",body:'Bockstedte M, Mattausch A, Pankratov O. Different roles of carbon and silicon interstitials in the interstitial-mediated boron diffusion in SiC. Physics Review B. 2004;70:115203. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.70.115203'},{id:"B54",body:'Vodakov YA, Mokhov EN, Reifman MB. Diffusion of boron and Al in n-SiC. Soviet Physics: Solid State. 1966;8:1040'},{id:"B55",body:'Mokhov EN, Vodakov YA, Lomakina GA, Oding VG, Kholuyanov GF, Semenov VV. Diffusion of boron in silicon carbide. Soviet Physics: Semiconductors. 1972;6(3):414-419'},{id:"B56",body:'Bolotnikov AV, Muzykov PG, Sudarshan TS. Investigation of two-branch boron diffusion from vapor phase in n-type 4H-SiC. Applied Physics Letters. 2008;93(5). DOI: 10.1063/1.2968306'},{id:"B57",body:'Mokhov EN, Goncharov EE, Ryabova GG. Boron diffusion in hole SiC. Soviet Physics Semiconductors. 1984;18(1):27-31'},{id:"B58",body:'Mokhov EN, Ramm MG, Usmanova MM, Zverev BP, Jumaev N. Influence of nitrogen on boron diffusion in silicon carbide. In: Problems of the Physics and Technology of Wide Bandgap Semiconductors. Leningrad: Nauka; 1979. pp. 316-320'},{id:"B59",body:'Vodakov YA, Lomakina GA, Mokhov EN, Oding VG. Effect of polytype structure on diffusion of impurities in SiC. Soviet Physics: Solid State. 1977;19(9):1812-1814'},{id:"B60",body:'Mokhov EN, Goncharov EE, Ryabova GG. Constant-concentration boron diffusion in silicon carbide. Soviet Physics: Solid State. 1988;30(1):140-142'},{id:"B61",body:'Goncharov EE, Mokhov EN, Ryabova GG. Specifics of boron diffusion in silicon carbide. In book: Properties of Doped Semiconductors. Moscow: Nauka. 1990;116-120'},{id:"B62",body:'Mendis S, Chin-Che T, Atabaev IG, Bakhtiyar G. The method of solid state impurity diffusion and doping in 4H-SiC. Journal of Fundamental Physical Sciences. 2013;3(4):75-78'},{id:"B63",body:'Vodakov YA, Mokhov EN, Prokhorov NA, Tredubova AS. Deceleration impurities diffusion by dislocations. Soviet Physics: Solid State. 1976;16(6):2101-2104'},{id:"B64",body:'Aleksandrov OV, Mokhov EN. Model boron diffusion in SiC from gas phase. Semiconductors. 2011;46(6):705-712. DOI: 10.1134/S1063782611060029'},{id:"B65",body:'Agarwal A et al. Boron-enhanced diffusion of boron: Physical mechanisms. Applied Physics Letters. 1999;74(16):2331-2333. DOI: 10.1063/1.123841'},{id:"B66",body:'Bracht H, Stolwijk NA, Laube M, Pensl G. Diffusion of boron in SiC: Evidence for the kick-out mechanism. Applied Physics Letters. 2000;77(20):3188-3190. DOI: 10.1063/1.1325390'},{id:"B67",body:'Mokhov EN, Vodakov YA, Lomakina GA. Diffusion of Al in silicon carbide. Soviet Physics: Solid State. 1969;11(2):415-416'},{id:"B68",body:'Lomakina GA, Vodakov YA, Mokhov EN, Oding VG, Kholuyanov GF. Comparative study of the electrical properties of 3 polytype of SiC. Physics of the Solid State. 1970;12(10):2356-2359'},{id:"B69",body:'Van Opdorp C. Abnormal diffusion of Al into SiC. Solid-State Electronics. 1971;14(7):813-825'},{id:"B70",body:'Mokhov E, Gornushkina ED, Didik VA, Kozlovski VV. Diffusion of phosphorus in silicon carbide. Physics of the Solid State. 1992;34(6):1043-1045'},{id:"B71",body:'Kroko LJ, Milnes AG. Diffusion of nitrogen in SiC doped Al. Solid-State Electronics. 1966;9(11-12):1125-1134'},{id:"B72",body:'Kholuyanov GF, Vodakov YA, Violin EE, Lomakina GA, Mokhov EN. Role of oxigen in blue and boron luminescence of silicon carbide. Soviet Physics: Semiconductors. 1971;5(1):32-36'},{id:"B73",body:'Rüschenschmidt K, Bracht H, Stolwijk NA, Laube M, Pensl G, Brandes GR. Self-diffusion in isotopically enriched silicon carbide and its correlation with dopant diffusion. Journal of Applied Physics. 2004;96(3):1458-1463. DOI:10.1063/1.1766101'},{id:"B74",body:'Duijn-Arnold A, Mol J, Verberk R, Schmidt J, Mokhov EN, Baranov PG. Spatial distribution of the electronic wave function of the shallow boron acceptor in 4H- and 6H-SiC. Physical Review B. 1999;60(23):15799-15809. DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.338-342.799'},{id:"B75",body:'Van Duijn-Arnold A, Ikoma T, Poluektov OG, Baranov PG, Mokhov EN, Schmidt J. Electronic structure of the deep boron acceptor in boron-doped 6H- SiC. Physical Review B. 1998;53(3):1607-1619. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.57.1607'},{id:"B76",body:'Van Duijn-Arnold A, Ikoma T, Poluektov OG, Baranov PG, Mokhov EN, Schmidt J. Electronic structure of the deep boron acceptor in boron-doped 6H- SiC. Physical Review B. 1998;53(3):1607-1619. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.57.1607'},{id:"B77",body:'Baranov PG, Ber BY, Ilyin IV, Ionov AN, Mokhov EN, Muzafarova MV, et al. Peculiarities of neutron-transmutation phosphorous doping of 30-Si enriched Si and SiC crystals: Electron paramagnetic resonance study. Journal of Applied Physics. 2007;102:063713. DOI: 10.1063/1.2783884'},{id:"B78",body:'Spaeth J-M, Greulich-Weber S, März M, Mokhov EN, Kalabukhova EN. Electron paramagnetic resonance of the scandium acceptor in 4H and 6H silicon carbide. Physica B: Condensed Matter. 1999;273-274:667-671. DOI: 10.1088/0268-1242/15/1/310'},{id:"B79",body:'Dombrowski KF, Kunzer M, Kaufmann U, Schneider J, Baranov PG, Mokhov EN. Identification of molybdenum in 6H-SiC by magnetic resonance techniques. Physics Review B. 1996;54:7323-7327. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.54.7323'},{id:"B80",body:'Baranov PG, Ilyn IV, Mokhov EN. Electron paramagnetic resonance of erbium in bulk SiC crystals. Solid State Communications. 1997;103(5):291-295. DOI: 10.1016/S0038-1098(97)00161-0'},{id:"B81",body:'Baranov PG, Ilyin IV, Mokhov EN, Khramtsov VA. Identification of iron and nickel in 6H SiC crystal by electron paramagnetic resonance. Materials Science Forum. 2001;353-356:529-532. DOI: 10.1088/0268-1242/16/1/307. Trans. Tech. Publ. LTD, Switzerland Germany UK USA'}],footnotes:[],contributors:[{corresp:"yes",contributorFullName:"Evgeniy N. Mokhov",address:"mokhov@mail.ioffe.ru",affiliation:'
Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St.Petersburg, Russia
'}],corrections:null},book:{id:"6850",type:"book",title:"Crystal Growth",subtitle:null,fullTitle:"Crystal Growth",slug:"crystal-growth",publishedDate:"November 6th 2019",bookSignature:"Vadim Glebovsky",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/6850.jpg",licenceType:"CC BY 3.0",editedByType:"Edited by",isbn:"978-1-83962-675-3",printIsbn:"978-1-83962-674-6",pdfIsbn:"978-1-83962-676-0",reviewType:"peer-reviewed",numberOfWosCitations:7,isAvailableForWebshopOrdering:!0,editors:[{id:"101945",title:"Dr.",name:"Vadim",middleName:null,surname:"Glebovsky",slug:"vadim-glebovsky",fullName:"Vadim Glebovsky"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,coeditorOne:null,coeditorTwo:null,coeditorThree:null,coeditorFour:null,coeditorFive:null,topics:[{id:"950"}],productType:{id:"1",title:"Edited Volume",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"},chapters:[{id:"64240",type:"chapter",title:"Introductory Chapter: Growing W Single Crystals by EBFZM for Studying Mechanical Behavior",slug:"introductory-chapter-growing-w-single-crystals-by-ebfzm-for-studying-mechanical-behavior",totalDownloads:881,totalCrossrefCites:0,signatures:"Vadim Glebovsky",reviewType:"peer-reviewed",authors:[{id:"101945",title:"Dr.",name:"Vadim",middleName:null,surname:"Glebovsky",fullName:"Vadim Glebovsky",slug:"vadim-glebovsky"}]},{id:"64886",type:"chapter",title:"Doping of SiC Crystals during Sublimation Growth and Diffusion",slug:"doping-of-sic-crystals-during-sublimation-growth-and-diffusion",totalDownloads:1412,totalCrossrefCites:2,signatures:"Evgeniy N. Mokhov",reviewType:"peer-reviewed",authors:[{id:"56559",title:"Dr.",name:"Evgenii",middleName:"Nikolaevich",surname:"Mokhov",fullName:"Evgenii Mokhov",slug:"evgenii-mokhov"}]},{id:"67610",type:"chapter",title:"Numerical Analysis of Liquid Menisci in the EFG Technique",slug:"numerical-analysis-of-liquid-menisci-in-the-efg-technique",totalDownloads:802,totalCrossrefCites:0,signatures:"Sergei N. Rossolenko, Gleb M. Katyba, Irina N. Dolganova, Irina A. Shikunova, Dmitry O. Stryukov, Kirill I. Zaitsev and Vladimir N. Kurlov",reviewType:"peer-reviewed",authors:[{id:"267600",title:"Dr.",name:"Vladimir",middleName:null,surname:"Kurlov",fullName:"Vladimir Kurlov",slug:"vladimir-kurlov"},{id:"267604",title:"Dr.",name:"Sergei",middleName:null,surname:"Rossolenko",fullName:"Sergei Rossolenko",slug:"sergei-rossolenko"},{id:"303450",title:"Dr.",name:"Irina",middleName:null,surname:"Shikunova",fullName:"Irina Shikunova",slug:"irina-shikunova"},{id:"303451",title:"MSc.",name:"Dmitry",middleName:null,surname:"Stryukov",fullName:"Dmitry Stryukov",slug:"dmitry-stryukov"},{id:"305856",title:"Dr.",name:"Gleb",middleName:null,surname:"Katyba",fullName:"Gleb Katyba",slug:"gleb-katyba"},{id:"305857",title:"Dr.",name:"Irina",middleName:null,surname:"Dolganova",fullName:"Irina Dolganova",slug:"irina-dolganova"},{id:"305858",title:"Dr.",name:"Kirill",middleName:null,surname:"Zaitsev",fullName:"Kirill Zaitsev",slug:"kirill-zaitsev"}]},{id:"68309",type:"chapter",title:"Growth of Single-Crystal LiNbO3 Particles by Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition Method",slug:"growth-of-single-crystal-linbo-sub-3-sub-particles-by-aerosol-assisted-chemical-vapor-deposition-met",totalDownloads:743,totalCrossrefCites:0,signatures:"José G. Murillo, José A. Ocón, Guillermo M. Herrera, José R. Murillo-Ochoa and Gabriela Ocón",reviewType:"peer-reviewed",authors:[{id:"266498",title:"Dr.",name:"Jose",middleName:null,surname:"Murillo",fullName:"Jose Murillo",slug:"jose-murillo"},{id:"309134",title:"Dr.",name:"Jose",middleName:null,surname:"Ocón",fullName:"Jose Ocón",slug:"jose-ocon"},{id:"309135",title:"Dr.",name:"Guillermo",middleName:null,surname:"Herrera",fullName:"Guillermo Herrera",slug:"guillermo-herrera"},{id:"309136",title:"Mr.",name:"Jose",middleName:null,surname:"Murillo-Ochoa",fullName:"Jose Murillo-Ochoa",slug:"jose-murillo-ochoa"},{id:"309137",title:"Prof.",name:"Gabriela",middleName:null,surname:"Ocón",fullName:"Gabriela Ocón",slug:"gabriela-ocon"}]},{id:"64923",type:"chapter",title:"Epitaxial Growth of Thin Films",slug:"epitaxial-growth-of-thin-films",totalDownloads:1390,totalCrossrefCites:3,signatures:"Daniel Rasic and Jagdish Narayan",reviewType:"peer-reviewed",authors:[{id:"265827",title:"Dr.",name:"Daniel",middleName:null,surname:"Rasic",fullName:"Daniel Rasic",slug:"daniel-rasic"},{id:"265828",title:"Prof.",name:"Jagdish",middleName:null,surname:"Narayan",fullName:"Jagdish Narayan",slug:"jagdish-narayan"}]},{id:"64633",type:"chapter",title:"Conventional and Unconventional Crystallization Mechanisms",slug:"conventional-and-unconventional-crystallization-mechanisms",totalDownloads:1242,totalCrossrefCites:1,signatures:"Kamila Chaves, Thaís Jordânia Silva, Maria Aliciane Fontenele Domingues , Daniel Barrera-Arellano and Ana Paula Badan Ribeiro",reviewType:"peer-reviewed",authors:[{id:"270681",title:"M.Sc.",name:"Kamila",middleName:"Ferreira",surname:"Chaves",fullName:"Kamila Chaves",slug:"kamila-chaves"},{id:"270682",title:"MSc.",name:"Thaís Jordânia",middleName:null,surname:"Silva",fullName:"Thaís Jordânia Silva",slug:"thais-jordania-silva"},{id:"270683",title:"Prof.",name:"Ana Paula Badan",middleName:null,surname:"Ribeiro",fullName:"Ana Paula Badan Ribeiro",slug:"ana-paula-badan-ribeiro"},{id:"271200",title:"Prof.",name:"Maria Aliciane",middleName:null,surname:"Fontenele Domingues",fullName:"Maria Aliciane Fontenele Domingues",slug:"maria-aliciane-fontenele-domingues"},{id:"282324",title:"Prof.",name:"Daniel",middleName:null,surname:"Barrera-Arellano",fullName:"Daniel Barrera-Arellano",slug:"daniel-barrera-arellano"}]}]},relatedBooks:[{type:"book",id:"5262",title:"Progress in Metallic Alloys",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"34a9aa9c96c2331cd11107437163d9fc",slug:"progress-in-metallic-alloys",bookSignature:"Vadim Glebovsky",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/5262.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",editors:[{id:"101945",title:"Dr.",name:"Vadim",surname:"Glebovsky",slug:"vadim-glebovsky",fullName:"Vadim Glebovsky"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"},chapters:[{id:"52353",title:"Introductory Chapter: Preferential Sputtering and Oxidation of Nb-Ta Single Crystals Studied by LEIS",slug:"introductory-chapter-preferential-sputtering-and-oxidation-of-nb-ta-single-crystals-studied-by-leis",signatures:"Vadim Glebovsky",authors:[{id:"181472",title:"Dr.",name:"Vadim",middleName:null,surname:"Glebovsky",fullName:"Vadim Glebovsky",slug:"vadim-glebovsky"}]},{id:"52094",title:"Statistical Physics Modeling of Disordered Metallic Alloys",slug:"statistical-physics-modeling-of-disordered-metallic-alloys",signatures:"Ryan P. Cress and Yong W. Kim",authors:[{id:"181394",title:"Prof.",name:"Yong",middleName:"W",surname:"Kim",fullName:"Yong Kim",slug:"yong-kim"},{id:"192868",title:"Dr.",name:"Ryan",middleName:null,surname:"Cress",fullName:"Ryan Cress",slug:"ryan-cress"}]},{id:"52077",title:"Amorphous and Nanocrystalline Metallic Alloys",slug:"amorphous-and-nanocrystalline-metallic-alloys",signatures:"Galina Abrosimova and Alexandr Aronin",authors:[{id:"40840",title:"Dr.",name:"Galina",middleName:null,surname:"Abrosimova",fullName:"Galina Abrosimova",slug:"galina-abrosimova"}]},{id:"52170",title:"Assessment of Hardness Based on Phase Diagrams",slug:"assessment-of-hardness-based-on-phase-diagrams",signatures:"Jose David Villegas Cárdenas, Victor Manuel López Hirata, Carlos\nCamacho Olguin, Maribel L. Saucedo Muñoz and Antonio de Ita de\nla Torre",authors:[{id:"103382",title:"Prof.",name:"Maribel",middleName:null,surname:"Saucedo-Muñoz",fullName:"Maribel Saucedo-Muñoz",slug:"maribel-saucedo-munoz"},{id:"185301",title:"Dr.",name:"José David",middleName:null,surname:"Villegas Cárdenas",fullName:"José David Villegas Cárdenas",slug:"jose-david-villegas-cardenas"},{id:"191369",title:"Dr.",name:"Victor Manuel",middleName:null,surname:"López Hirata",fullName:"Victor Manuel López Hirata",slug:"victor-manuel-lopez-hirata"},{id:"191464",title:"Dr.",name:"Carlos Alberto",middleName:null,surname:"Camacho Olguin",fullName:"Carlos Alberto Camacho Olguin",slug:"carlos-alberto-camacho-olguin"},{id:"191466",title:"Dr.",name:"Antonio",middleName:null,surname:"De Ita De La Torre",fullName:"Antonio De Ita De La Torre",slug:"antonio-de-ita-de-la-torre"}]},{id:"51546",title:"Differential Speed Rolling: A New Method for a Fabrication of Metallic Sheets with Enhanced Mechanical Properties",slug:"differential-speed-rolling-a-new-method-for-a-fabrication-of-metallic-sheets-with-enhanced-mechanica",signatures:"Wojciech Polkowski",authors:[{id:"185068",title:"Dr.",name:"Wojciech",middleName:null,surname:"Polkowski",fullName:"Wojciech Polkowski",slug:"wojciech-polkowski"}]},{id:"52238",title:"The Superconducting Tape of Nb3Al Compound",slug:"the-superconducting-tape-of-nb3al-compound",signatures:"V.P. Korzhov",authors:[{id:"184346",title:"Dr.",name:"Valeriy P.",middleName:null,surname:"Korzhov",fullName:"Valeriy P. Korzhov",slug:"valeriy-p.-korzhov"}]},{id:"51797",title:"Niobium in Cast Irons",slug:"niobium-in-cast-irons",signatures:"A. Bedolla-Jacuinde",authors:[{id:"185070",title:"Dr.",name:"Arnoldo",middleName:null,surname:"Bedolla Jacuinde",fullName:"Arnoldo Bedolla Jacuinde",slug:"arnoldo-bedolla-jacuinde"}]},{id:"51553",title:"Indium Phosphide Bismide",slug:"indium-phosphide-bismide",signatures:"Liyao Zhang, Wenwu Pan, Xiaoyan Wu, Li Yue and Shumin Wang",authors:[{id:"185123",title:"Prof.",name:"Shumin",middleName:null,surname:"Wang",fullName:"Shumin Wang",slug:"shumin-wang"}]},{id:"51501",title:"Selecting Appropriate Metallic Alloy for Marine Gas Turbine Engine Compressor Components",slug:"selecting-appropriate-metallic-alloy-for-marine-gas-turbine-engine-compressor-components",signatures:"Injeti Gurrappa, I.V.S. Yashwanth and A.K. Gogia",authors:[{id:"12369",title:"Dr.",name:"Gurrappa",middleName:null,surname:"Injeti",fullName:"Gurrappa Injeti",slug:"gurrappa-injeti"}]},{id:"51406",title:"Magnetocaloric and Magnetic Properties of Meta‐Magnetic Heusler Alloy Ni41Co9Mn31.5Ga18.5",slug:"magnetocaloric-and-magnetic-properties-of-meta-magnetic-heusler-alloy-ni41co9mn31-5ga18-5",signatures:"Takuo Sakon, Takuya Kitaoka, Kazuki Tanaka, Keisuke Nakagawa,\nHiroyuki Nojiri, Yoshiya Adachi and Takeshi Kanomata",authors:[{id:"185327",title:"Prof.",name:"Takuo",middleName:null,surname:"Sakon",fullName:"Takuo Sakon",slug:"takuo-sakon"}]}]}],publishedBooks:[{type:"book",id:"3129",title:"Physics and Technology of Silicon Carbide Devices",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"8635479660e93cb1129f0a92cf15a124",slug:"physics-and-technology-of-silicon-carbide-devices",bookSignature:"Yasuto Hijikata",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/3129.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",editors:[{id:"18137",title:"Dr.",name:"Yasuto",surname:"Hijikata",slug:"yasuto-hijikata",fullName:"Yasuto Hijikata"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"5722",title:"Graphene Materials",subtitle:"Structure, Properties and Modifications",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"6ebc42323146bb1d453a4f2785ce8029",slug:"graphene-materials-structure-properties-and-modifications",bookSignature:"George Z. Kyzas and Athanasios Ch. Mitropoulos",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/5722.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",editors:[{id:"152296",title:"Prof.",name:"George",surname:"Kyzas",slug:"george-kyzas",fullName:"George Kyzas"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"6134",title:"Intermetallic Compounds",subtitle:"Formation and Applications",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"d417aabc209ed4ce28dee750fd15c479",slug:"intermetallic-compounds-formation-and-applications",bookSignature:"Mahmood Aliofkhazraei",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/6134.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",editors:[{id:"155413",title:"Dr.",name:"Mahmood",surname:"Aliofkhazraei",slug:"mahmood-aliofkhazraei",fullName:"Mahmood Aliofkhazraei"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"6215",title:"Graphene Materials",subtitle:"Advanced Applications",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"3a921aba41351ab84fd7a9b4ea63914d",slug:"graphene-materials-advanced-applications",bookSignature:"George Z. Kyzas and Athanasios Ch. Mitropoulos",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/6215.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",editors:[{id:"152296",title:"Prof.",name:"George",surname:"Kyzas",slug:"george-kyzas",fullName:"George Kyzas"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"6850",title:"Crystal Growth",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"6dfc582440368fdfd9e72511c1a23f94",slug:"crystal-growth",bookSignature:"Vadim Glebovsky",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/6850.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",editors:[{id:"101945",title:"Dr.",name:"Vadim",surname:"Glebovsky",slug:"vadim-glebovsky",fullName:"Vadim Glebovsky"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}}],publishedBooksByAuthor:[{type:"book",id:"6850",title:"Crystal Growth",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"6dfc582440368fdfd9e72511c1a23f94",slug:"crystal-growth",bookSignature:"Vadim Glebovsky",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/6850.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",editors:[{id:"101945",title:"Dr.",name:"Vadim",surname:"Glebovsky",slug:"vadim-glebovsky",fullName:"Vadim Glebovsky"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}}]},onlineFirst:{chapter:{type:"chapter",id:"80147",title:"Robotic Complex Abdominal Wall Reconstruction: The Evolution of Component Separation",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.102001",slug:"robotic-complex-abdominal-wall-reconstruction-the-evolution-of-component-separation",body:'
1. Introduction
The history of component separation starts at the beginning of the twentieth century, after the advent of general anesthesia in 1846. Thanks to the combined efforts and lessons learned from Charles Gibson, C.F. Dixon, and Donald Young, eventually Oscar Ramirez was able to describe his technique of abdominal fascial release and popularize the modern “component separation” technique.
Early efforts at primary closure of incisional hernias were prone to failure because of poor suture materials, inadequate prostheses, and most importantly, the tension on the repair. It was at the beginning of the twentieth century that Gibson described a method for “plastic repair of the abdominal wall” that involved relaxing incisions on the lateral anterior rectus sheath.
In 1929, Dixon modified Gibson’s method and instead released the anterior rectus sheath 0.5 cm from its medial border bilaterally, turning over and opposing these fascial flaps in the midline [1, 2, 3].
In 1961, a more complex version of these techniques was described by Young when attempting closure of epigastric hernias, a common complication in the pre-laparoscopic era secondary to large incisions for open cholecystectomies and wound infections. Based on previous descriptions by Gibson and Dixon, Young advised separating the anterior and posterior rectus sheath from the rectus muscle to release the muscle and allow it to move easily to the midline. Next, the lateral border of the rectus sheath was incised a finger’s breadth medial to the costal margin in the upper epigastrium and the same distance from the lateral edge of the rectus muscle in the lower epigastrium to reduce tension on the repair.
Ramirez, in his landmark article, described the component separation technique by releasing the external oblique aponeurosis lateral to the lateral edge of the rectus sheath. This is the critical maneuver of releasing the external oblique aponeurosis from the anterior rectus sheath lateral to the semilunar line. In 1990, Ramirez described what is now known as the modern component separation technique. After studying the technique in 10 fresh cadavers and applying the anatomic findings to reconstruct the abdominal wall defect of 11 patients, Ramirez published his technique in the journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He described releasing the external oblique muscle through a lateral incision to the semilunar line and separating the external oblique muscle from the internal oblique muscle in a relatively avascular plane.
With the goal of restoring the normal anatomy of the abdominal wall at the midline, Ramirez incised the aponeurosis of the external oblique muscle lateral to the lateral edge of the rectus sheath and performed extensive dissection underneath the external oblique, separating it from the internal oblique muscle. Additionally, the rectus muscle was separated from the posterior rectus sheath at the midline. These dissections allowed the advancement of the “components” of the abdominal wall – the rectus abdominis, the external oblique, the internal oblique, and the transversus abdominis muscles – to the midline, allowing ventral hernia defects of 20 cm to be closed without tension [4].
2. Posterior release component separation
In the 1960s, Jean Rives and Rene Stoppa also developed the Rives Stoppa technique for retrorectus mesh repair known as the Rives-Stoppa method. In this repair, extensive dissection is carried out in the space between the rectus abdominis muscle and the posterior rectus sheath to create a space to place the mesh. This allows the rectus abdominis muscle to mobilize more toward the midline, but because the repair is limited by the lateral border of the posterior rectus sheath, it may be inadequate to repair larger hernias [5].
Outside of Ramirez’s original description of the component separation, an additional approach to hernia repair was described later by Novitsky in 2012 known as the transversus abdominis release (TAR). This approach is an extension of the Rives-Stoppa technique and has quite a few advantages. The key component of this repair is to release the transversus abdominis muscle itself. There are several advantages to this approach. Release of the transversus abdominis allows medial mobilization of the posterior rectus sheath. The function of the transversus abdominis and posterior fibers of the internal oblique is to provide tension throughout the thoracolumbar fascia and increase abdominal fascia integrity. Therefore, since the muscles are almost circumferential, the dissection allows access to almost unlimited space, as described below. Novitsky described this in detail in his 2012 description [6, 7, 8].
After entering the abdomen via laparotomy, the posterior rectus sheath is identified and incised 0.5 to 1 cm medial to the anterior/posterior sheath junction to expose the transversus abdominis. Starting at the level of the umbilicus, the retromuscular place is developed laterally toward the linea semilunaris. During this dissection, the neurovascular bundles penetrating the lateral edge of the posterior rectus sheath can be visualized and must be preserved. The posterior rectus sheath is divided 0.5–1 cm medial from its edge. The retromuscular plan is developed toward the linea semilunaris and then incised in the upper abdomen to visualize the underlying transversus abdominis. The neurovascular bundles that are penetrating the posterior sheath are preserved. The entire length of the transversus abdominis is then incised with electrosurgical energy at its medial edge. This allows entrance to the space above the transversalis fascia. This plane can be dissected to reach the space of Retzius anterior to the urinary bladder, and the subxiphoid space superiorly. The large retrorectus space is closed by closing the posterior sheath with a running monofilament suture, after which a mesh is placed and secured. Of note, in Novitsky’s experience, this technique allowed 8–12 cm of advancement per side toward the midline. This technique opened an entirely new plane to repair large abdominal hernias and is really a natural progression of the repairs described before this.
3. Minimally invasive TAPP and TEP
When the laparoscopic approach to ventral hernias was first introduced, the techniques described the placement of intraperitoneal underlay mesh later on called intraperitoneal onlay mesh (IPOM). Its implementation has been complicated by adhesive bowel disease, mesh erosion, and enterocutaneous fistulae from direct contact between the mesh and bowel. Due to these complications, a transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) approach was described. This technique involved entering the abdominal cavity laparoscopically and developing a preperitoneal/retrorectus space for placement of the mesh.
In 2018, Belyansky described a novel approach for approaching ventral hernia repair using a totally extraperitoneal technique, which previously had been described for laparoscopic inguinal hernia repairs. He called it the enhanced-view totally extraperitoneal (eTEP) technique which is also referred as the extended totally extraperitoneal technique. With this method of repair, laparoscopic ports are placed into the retrorectus space where dissection occurs first in one of the retrorectus spaces and then the contralateral one, which allows for placement of a retrorectus mesh similar to the Rives-Stoppa technique.
With the advent of robotic surgery and the dexterity provided by robotic instruments as compared to laparoscopic instruments, many surgeons have attempted repair of larger and more complex hernias.
4. Robotic reconstruction techniques
4.1 Robotic IPOM
The patient is placed in the supine position with both arms tucked and secured to avoid any movement during the procedure and to allow room for docking of the robot and avoidance of collision between the patient’s arm and the robotic arm. Three ports are placed based on surgeon preference, but typically on the most lateral aspect of the abdominal wall, usually on the left side but not exclusively there. If the hernia is in the midline, these may be placed on either side. Our ports are placed at least 8 cm apart to avoid interference between the arms of the robotic instruments.
After port site selection, we typically gain entry into the abdomen using a 5 mm optical trocar and 0° laparoscope via the optical entry technique. Once pneumoperitoneum is obtained, the other two 8 mm robotic trocars are then placed under direct visualization. The original 5 mm port is substituted by an 8 mm robotic trocar which may be upsized to 12 mm if necessary during the case to introduce the mesh intraperitoneally according to the selected size. A 5 mm accessory port may also be placed to help assist the operative surgeon but is often unnecessary. With large hernia defects or when extensive lysis of adhesions is indicated, an assistant port or the fourth robotic arm may be helpful to aid in tissue retraction and facilitate a safe and timely dissection. The robot is then docked, and robotic instruments are introduced under direct visualization.
The first step in the procedure is adhesiolysis, if indicated. The difficulty varies from case to case depending on hernia size, chronicity, and prior procedures. Adhesions are taken down using a combination of blunt and sharp dissection. Electrosurgical energy may also be used at the surgeon’s discretion, but care must be taken to avoid thermal injury to any vital structures contained in the hernia sac such as the intestine. The hernia contents are reduced back intraperitoneally, and inspection of the contents is done to confirm no damage has been done to any of the contents and further hemostasis is achieved. The fascial defect is then measured. Insufflation is reduced before measuring the defect to prevent overestimation of the hernia defect.
If feasible, the fascial defect is closed primarily. In our practice, we typically perform this in a continuous fashion using a permanent barbed suture. First, we bring down the insufflation from 15 to 8 mm Hg to reduce any tension on the primary closure. A non-absorbable barbed suture is introduced intraperitoneally. The fascia is then closed in a continuous fashion, although this could be done in an interrupted fashion per surgeon preference.
The next step is the placement of the mesh. Per the current literature, a 4–5 cm mesh overlap is recommended for ventral hernia repairs. After appropriate mesh selection, the mesh is rolled up extracorporeally and then introduced into the cavity using a 12 mm port. The mesh is then oriented so that it can overlap 4–5 cm circumferentially around the defect. The overlap is important due to future contraction of the mesh that occurs during the healing phase, which can lead to re-emergence of the defect and increased risk of hernia recurrence.
Once the mesh is in the appropriate position, fixation can be achieved by multiple methods as in laparoscopic surgery. These include intracorporeal suturing and tacking with different products. An advantage of the IPOM repair from a robotic approach is that the mesh can easily and reliably be fixated utilizing intracorporeal suturing due to the improved visualization, ergonomics, and dexterity that is achievable in robotic surgery. In our practice, the mesh is sutured using a non-absorbable monofilament barbed suture in a continuous, running fashion. Multiple sutures may need to be used depending on the size of the mesh. This is based on surgeon preference, but it may also be fixated in an interrupted fashion.
After the mesh has been placed, the abdomen is once again inspected to ensure hemostasis. The robotic instruments are removed under direct visualization and the robot is undocked. The 12 mm port is removed first, and the abdomen is desufflated to 8 mm Hg to reduce tension on the fascia. The fascial defect is closed primarily in a simple interrupted fashion using 0-Vicryl suture on a suture passer. The gas is turned off and the abdomen is desufflated followed by removal of the remaining ports. The skin is then closed using 4-0 Monocryl in a subcuticular fashion and Dermabond is applied over the skin closure sites [9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14].
4.2 Robotic IPOM with endoscopic anterior component separation
Another described technique for hernia repair is the endoscopic anterior (external oblique) component separation with robotic hernia repair. This procedure involves a two-stage approach.
In the first stage, an anterior component separation is performed on the external oblique aponeurosis endoscopically with laparoscopic instruments. Ports are placed lateral to the semilunar line. The space between the external and internal oblique aponeuroses is entered using a cut-down approach with sharp and blunt dissection. An intramural plane is initially dissected between these structures using a finger followed by a balloon spacer. Laparoscopic trocars are placed bilaterally. The laparoscope and monopolar scissors are then used to visualize and further dissect this plane to perform an open anterior component separation on the external oblique aponeurosis lateral to the semilunar line.
The second stage of the operation involves entering the peritoneal cavity via the optical trocar technique to carry out a robotic reduction and closure of the hernia defect as described above in the IPOM technique section. By performing endoscopic component separation before IPOM, primary repair of the defect before mesh placement is easier as these fascial planes have been released [15, 16, 17].
4.3 Robotic eTEP
The robotic retrorectus flap creation achieved with an extended totally extraperitoneal (eTEP) approach offers multiple advantages including the development of a tension-free repair, the lack of contact between the mesh and the underlying intraperitoneal viscera, and the position of the mesh in the preperitoneal plane, which eliminates the risk of future adhesion formation. The patient is placed in a supine position. Arms are tucked loosely to allow them to drift slightly posterior. This allows for an additional range of motion for the robotic arm to prevent the patient’s arm from colliding with it. This also ensures that the superior-most port does not collide with the patient’s arm when placed out laterally. Care is taken not to hyperextend the shoulder during positioning. Due to this positioning, one can also perform transversus abdominis release if necessary, from either side of the patient without having to reposition them.
Optical entry is performed in the left upper quadrant medial to the semilunar line by using a 5 mm optical entry port with care not to penetrate the posterior rectus sheath to avoid entering the peritoneal cavity (Figure 1). The posterior rectus sheath is visualized, and blunt dissection is carried out to develop this plane for subsequent insufflation. Pneumopreperitoneum is established to continue to develop the left retrorectus space ideally with an Airseal insufflation system to prevent loss of insufflation if a small defect is created accidentally on the posterior rectus sheath (Figure 2). A small amount of blunt dissection is carried out to enable placement of a second 5 mm port (Airseal) inferior to the initial port.
Figure 1.
Optical entry into the left retrorectus space.
Figure 2.
Endoscopic development of left retrorectus flap.
Endoscopic dissection of areolar tissue with laparoscopic instruments including the monopolar electrosurgical hook is carried out superiorly/inferiorly and across the midline in the epigastric region by dividing the medial aspect of the left retrorectus space and crossing over to the right retrorectus space over the linea alba (Figure 3). During this step, rectus diastasis becomes obvious with this crossing-over maneuver to the right retrorectus space. This step is necessary to insert three 8 mm robotic trocars in a horizontal line disposition across the upper abdomen (Figure 4). One of these trocars can be upsized later to 12 mm to introduce the mesh. On the other hand, robotic trocars may be placed either superiorly or laterally depending on the desired approach and location of the hernia defect. If one is planning on performing an extensive transversus abdominis release (TAR) in addition to hernia repair via the eTEP approach, we recommend a superior port placement so that the bilateral TAR can be performed from the same port position without having to re-dock.
Figure 3.
Division of medial aspect of anterior rectus sheath to access the linea alba and cross the midline to the right anterior rectus sheath.
Figure 4.
Robotic trocar placement.
Continued dissection is carried out using monopolar electrosurgical energy with the robot to form a retromuscular plane of dissection around the hernia sac. One should be careful to avoid injuring neurovascular bundles penetrating the retromuscular plane. The lateral border of dissection is the semilunar line if not performing a concurrent TAR procedure.
The hernia sac is then reduced and, if necessary, opened carefully (Figure 5). One should avoid using electrosurgical energy during this portion of the procedure to avoid thermal injury to possible underlying bowel or other intraperitoneal structures. After reduction of contents, closure of the parietal peritoneum and the posterior sheath is performed with running barbed monofilament suture (Figure 6). The anterior aspect of the hernia fascial defect is then closed primarily and, if appropriate, the patient’s rectus diastasis may be plicated at this time using the same suture used to close the hernia defect or a separate one. This is an excellent opportunity to relieve the deformity caused by rectus diastasis and provide a plication and restoration of function to the abdominal wall with the hernia repair (Figure 7).
Figure 5.
Reduction of the hernia sac and contents.
Figure 6.
Primary closure of peritoneal defects and posterior sheath.
The cavity which has been dissected is measured to size the mesh appropriately. This may be accomplished by inserting a flexible ruler through a port and later retrieving it after measurement, or one can estimate the length using the 2.5 cm-long fenestrated bipolar grasper tip. Meticulous hemostasis is ensured before the insertion of mesh. If needed, hemostatic agents may be instilled into the cavity at this time. At our center, we prefer to use uncoated, nonabsorbable in this space if the procedure is performed in class 1 surgical wound, or uncoated biosynthetic hybrid mesh if the wound is class 2 or above with multiple risk factors such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, connective tissue disease, or advanced age with cardiovascular disease. The risk of contamination is minimized as the peritoneal space is not significantly violated except when reducing the hernia contents and the mesh is separated from the bowel by the transversalis and extraperitoneal fascia. Due to the presence of fascial layers deep in the retromuscular space, coating of the mesh is not necessary as it does not contact the bowel.
After selection, the mesh is rolled up and inserted through one of the trocars using an atraumatic grasper (Figure 8). If the mesh is too large to be inserted through an 8 mm port, one of the ports may need to be upsized to a 12 mm port. The use of a hemostatic agent or powder is helpful to prevent seroma and hematoma formation.
Figure 8.
Mesh introduction and deployment +/− hemostatic agent.
Since concern for hematoma or seroma formation exists, a closed suction surgical drain is placed in the retromuscular space prior to desufflation and removal of trocars (Figure 9). The drain typically only stays for a week or two, since keeping it for a longer period of time may also be a nidus for infection. Finally, the retromuscular space is desufflated under direct vision and incisions are closed using Monocryl suture in a subcuticular fashion.
Figure 9.
Drain placement.
5. Robotic transversus abdominis release (TAR)
Similar to eTEP, the TAR technique offers a retrorectus dissection, but from a transabdominal/intraperitoneal approach and with the additional advantage of extending itself lateral to the semilunar line to release the muscle and facilitate a posterior component separation. The patient is placed in a supine position. Arms are tucked loosely to allow them to drift slightly posteriorly. This allows for an additional range of motion for the robotic arm to prevent the patient’s arm from colliding with it. This also ensures that the superior-most port does not collide with the patient’s arm when placed out laterally. Care is taken not to hyperextend the shoulder during positioning. Due to this positioning, one can also perform a transversus abdominis release from either side of the patient without having to reposition them.
Optical entry in the left upper quadrant utilizing a 5 mm laparoscopic port. Once pneumoperitoneum is obtained, an 8 mm robotic trocar is placed in the left lower abdomen and another in the left lateral abdomen. The original 5 mm laparoscopic port is upsized for a 12 mm robotic trocar. The typical approach per our preference is from the left side of the abdominal wall to first develop the right retrorectus space from a transabdominal/intraperitoneal approach.
After general surveillance of the abdomen and robotic adhesiolysis if indicated, the hernia sac is reduced and the contralateral posterior rectus sheath is clearly identified (Figure 10). Depending on the size and extent of the falciform ligament, it may have to be mobilized superiorly (Figure 11).
Figure 10.
Reduction of hernia sac and contents with adhesiolysis.
Figure 11.
Superior mobilization of falciform ligament.
Once the contralateral (right) posterior rectus sheath is clearly defined along the edge of the hernia defect, it is divided 0.5–1 cm medial from its edge to enter the plane where retrorectus dissection will take place. The contralateral retromuscular plane is developed laterally toward the linea semilunaris to the medial aspect of the lateral edge of the rectus abdominis, where the posterior sheath is divided in the upper abdomen just inferior to the ribcage to enter the proper plane and visualize the underlying transversus abdominis (Figure 12). The neurovascular bundles that are penetrating the posterior sheath are preserved. The entire length of the transversus abdominis is then incised with electrosurgical energy at its medial edge. This allows entrance to the space above the transversalis fascia and is carried out 2 cm lateral to the linea semilunaris. This plane can be dissected to reach the space of Retzius anteriorly to the urinary bladder, and the subxiphoid space superiorly (Figure 13).
Figure 12.
Right retrorectus flap creation with preservation of neurovascular bundles.
Figure 13.
Right TAR at 2 cm lateral to semilunar line.
Once a satisfactory retrorectus space is developed, mirror image steps are repeated on the opposite site (Figure 14) including the position of the ports (Figure 15). There will be a total of three 8 mm robotic trocars placed on the right side of the abdomen.
Figure 14.
Left retrorectus flap creation with preservation of neurovascular bundles.
Figure 15.
Right abdominal wall port insertion before flipping the boom.
The floor of the large retrorectus space is reconstructed after the bilateral TAR posterior component separation by closing the posterior sheath with a running barbed monofilament suture in a running fashion (Figure 16). This step can be performed tension-free due to the component separation bilaterally.
Figure 16.
Posterior sheath/peritoneum closure.
The next portion involves closure of the anterior fascial defect corresponding with the hernia and rectus diastasis plication (if present) with a running barbed monofilament suture (Figure 17).
A preperitoneal mesh is introduced via a 12 mm robotic port in the left upper quadrant (Figure 18) and it is deployed over the now-closed posterior rectus sheath (Figure 19). Above the mesh is the closed anterior fascial repair. There is no need to suture the mesh because it will remain in place between the muscle layers and fascial layers.
Figure 18.
Mesh introduction +/− hemostatic agent.
Figure 19.
Mesh positioning in preperitoneal space.
Hemostatic agent powder is placed over the mesh to promote adhesion of the mesh and reduce the incidence of seroma/hematoma. A total of two surgical drains are placed over the mesh to capture the extra fluid that would be produced in the newly formed space and prevent a seroma formation (Figure 20). The drains exit via the upper quadrant incisions and are secured to the skin with a suture.
Figure 20.
Bilateral drain insertion.
6. Complications and management
Robotic ventral hernia repair is considered a safe and durable procedure. Indeed, open, endoscopic/laparoscopic, and robotic-assisted approaches are effective for ventral hernia repair with comparable overall outcomes. Nevertheless, each approach may demonstrate different advantages and disadvantages. Published data demonstrate that patients undergoing robotic ventral hernia repair have a significantly shorter hospital length of stay, lower conversion rate, and a lower rate of complications compared to the laparoscopic approach. Moreover, the robotic approach has a lower 30-day reoperation rate and a similar operative time in comparison to the open approach. On the other hand, the laparoscope approach has a shorter operative time and is less expensive than the robotic technique [18, 19, 20, 21].
The abdominal wall reconstruction, like any surgical procedure, can be prone to complications. These could be related directly to the procedure, or they may be nonspecific regardless of the type of surgery. Pre-operative risk assessment and post-operative strategies could lead to a reduction in the complication rate and must be considered in every patient. In this context, the development of the robotic approach is due to its performance in high-risk cases. It is well suited for patients with risk factors such as morbid obesity and diabetes where microvascular disease and effects on the blood supply interfere with the healing of the abdominal wall. Moreover, patients with previous hernia repair by open surgery, connective tissue diseases, and rectus diastasis can take advantage of this new technique.
Despite the benefits and efficiency of the minimally invasive technique and the component separation procedure, several complications can pose postoperative challenges for the patient and surgical team [22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29]. Seroma and hematoma represent two of the most common postoperative complications after ventral hernia repair. However, since they have been described in the literature following different parameters, their real clinical incidence is variable. Seroma consists of an accumulation of clear fluid under the skin and usually develops where larger parts of tissue have been removed. It often has a minimal impact on the patient, but sometimes it could result in patient dissatisfaction, discomfort, poor esthetic outcome, and surgical site infections. Moreover, major seroma-related complications could lead to deep infection, mesh rejection, and hernia recurrence. Asymptomatic seroma can be managed conservatively, but esthetic complaints, complications, symptomatic, and chronic forms require medical treatment. The first-line treatment should be the drainage of the liquid, eventually followed by repeated aspirations and a microbiological examination if an infectious process is suspected. If this approach is not effective, it might need an operative intervention with drainage of the fluid and removal of the pseudo-capsule.
Among the most common complications, there are surgical site infections (SSIs), including superficial, deep, or mesh infections. Independent predictors of SSI could be steroid use, prolonged operative time, and smoking. SSI can represent a dangerous postoperative complication and is a significant risk factor for recurrence. Furthermore, soft tissue infection is a serious, life-threatening condition that could lead to necrosis of the skin, muscles, and soft tissues. Most superficial infections can be treated with antibiotics plus accurate and regular wound care. Chronic superficial and deep mesh infections require a surgical approach because antibiotics alone typically have a poor success rate considering the bacteria’s biofilm around the mesh that protects them. Debridement and lavage of the wound delineate the first crucial step followed by explanation of the infected mesh material, even if this maneuver causes secondary trauma to the abdominal wall and might be associated with a higher risk of complications. Microbiological analysis of the fluid surrounding the mesh is necessary for post-operative specific antibiotic therapy.
Besides the infectious process, the mesh can trigger a non-infectious reaction characterized by inflammation, fibrosis, and calcification. This phenomenon called “foreign body reaction” consists of an autoimmune response to a foreign body, producing organized granulation tissue. Specifically, the pathophysiology is explained by the attraction and stimulation of macrophages, which release cytokines, growth factors, matrix-modulating factors, and complement activating factors. Depending on the mesh used, the chronic granulomas could be more extensive and create a thick collagenous scar adherent to the abdominal wall. Indeed, they are characterized by an increased cell turnover that continues for periods of several years after the implantation of the mesh. Usually, the clinical manifestations could be a rejection or migration of the mesh, characterized by chronic pain [30, 31].
During an abdominal wall reconstruction, some tissues may be injured. Especially superficial and deep nerve structures and muscle components are at greater risk. If cutaneous nerves are damaged during the incision, these can take a notably long time to heal, and they may never completely recover. This situation implies a total or partial loss of sensation in localized areas. Moreover, even if muscle atrophy is often a direct consequence of incisions, sutures, or reduced blood supply, it is also associated with denervation. For all these reasons, abdominal surgery could be linked to a dysfunctional abdominal wall musculature. While denervation is more difficult to treat, transected muscles such as external and internal oblique or transversus abdominis could be reconstructed primarily and repaired with mesh.
Intestinal disorders are part of the possible complications of complex abdominal wall reconstruction. Defective hernia mesh positioning, post-operative scar tissue, or adhesions can cause a mechanical blockage that generates bowel obstructions. These are clinically highlighted as colicky pain, constipation, nausea, and vomiting. Furthermore, as in all abdominal surgeries, there is a risk that the abdomen temporarily loses its usual rhythmic contraction. The loss of peristaltic capacity, defined as paralytic ileus, is, in any case, a temporary condition and lasts from a few hours to a few days. Rarely, bowel injury can also happen, but this is most often due to a direct injury during port insertion or handling of the bowel with instruments such as during adhesiolysis.
Chronic pain and hernia recurrence are the most common long-term complications. Chronic pain remains difficult to evaluate and is usually defined as pain persisting for more than 3 months after surgery. More precisely, its clinical manifestations are mainly represented as increased sensitivity to pain and pain secondary to normally non-painful tactile stimuli. Some risk factors are preoperative pain, female sex, smoke, and younger age. The pathophysiology of neuropathic pain is explained sometimes by a surgical injury to a major nerve or an inflammation of the nerve as an adverse effect of mesh implantation. The injured and inflammatory cells release cytokines, bradykinin, and prostaglandins that activate nociceptors. Chronic pain is considered one of the most important factors for satisfaction, and its management depends on the proper identification of the etiology. Moreover, the experience of pain is more than the detection of noxious stimuli, social environment, and psychosocial factors should be considered alongside in the management of the patient. Concerning neuropathic cutaneous pain, medical treatment as topical lidocaine or capsaicin can help to block the conduction of impulses along nerves, by minimizing the transmission of pain. Oral drugs such as anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors can be used, too [32, 33, 34].
Morbidly obese and diabetic patients, those suffering from cardiovascular disease, immunosuppressed patients due to a prior transplant or immunocompromised for other reasons, and patients who underwent a prior hernia repair in a contaminated environment have a high risk of recurrence. All of the typical post-operative complications such as wound infection, seroma, hematoma, and wound dehiscence are present in these groups with several risk factors. A minimally invasive approach, including robotics, becomes relevant and crucial to the success of abdominal wall reconstruction in these patients.
To treat the recurrence of a hernia, choosing the optimal surgical treatment is of paramount importance. The surgeon must take into consideration various factors such as the technique previously used, the number of interventions and relapses, and other patient factors, such as smoking. Robotic ventral hernia repair has shown a low recurrence rate at a mean of 21 months postoperatively. Furthermore, it represents an optimal option for the treatment of complex recurrences considering the benefits of the minimally invasive surgical approach as well as increased dexterity and three-dimensional visualization. Indeed, this precision approach is often required for a correct and integral abdominal wall reconstruction, restoring the displaced tissues to normal anatomy and dynamics with a meticulous component separation to release the tension on the muscles and fascia. The rebuilding and restoration of a functional abdominal wall with the reinforcement offered by a robotic complex repair such as eTEP or TAR offers a durable, lifelong reconstruction to the patient [35, 36].
7. Conclusion
The techniques and approaches described in this chapter have evolved over time as a result of contributions from a collective group of surgeons who built their legacy upon the lessons learned from their predecessors. A robotic complex abdominal wall reconstruction is a highly demanding and technically specialized type of operation, but it does not mean that it should only be reserved for a certain category of surgeons. We strongly believe that all surgeons should be able to master these techniques with proper training, supervision, mentoring, and dedication to excellence and attention to detail. The relationship between anatomy and physiology becomes clear and obvious when a robotic abdominal wall reconstruction is performed to restore the mechanics and functionality that once existed in the human body before the development of a hernia. To learn how to achieve this monumental task takes a lifetime of perseverance and discipline, but it all starts with the desire to acquire this knowledge. This chapter intends to encourage its readers to enter the realm of robotic abdominal wall reconstruction with the highest purpose in mind: the highest possible quality of life that we can offer to our patients.
\n',keywords:"abdominal wall reconstruction, component separation, hernia repair, robotic surgery, minimally invasive surgery",chapterPDFUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs/80147.pdf",chapterXML:"https://mts.intechopen.com/source/xml/80147.xml",downloadPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-download/80147",previewPdfUrl:"/chapter/pdf-preview/80147",totalDownloads:99,totalViews:0,totalCrossrefCites:0,dateSubmitted:"December 12th 2021",dateReviewed:"December 13th 2021",datePrePublished:"February 7th 2022",datePublished:null,dateFinished:"January 20th 2022",readingETA:"0",abstract:"From the first description of the component separation technique in the literature at the end of the twentieth century to the current state of complex abdominal wall reconstruction, this rapidly evolving field of General Surgery has advanced at an accelerated pace. With the advancement of technological breakthroughs that stem from the original open technique, endoscopic, laparoscopic, and more recently robotic approaches have been developed to facilitate complex abdominal wall reconstruction to restore the body’s anatomy and physiology to functional levels. This chapter will give an overview of the historic progression of these advanced techniques and will illustrate the key steps for their safe and effective performance including the endoscopic external oblique anterior release as well as posterior release techniques such as the robotic transversus abdominis release (TAR). Finally, other useful variations of complex repair such as the robotic extended totally extraperitoneal (eTEP) approach will be described.",reviewType:"peer-reviewed",bibtexUrl:"/chapter/bibtex/80147",risUrl:"/chapter/ris/80147",signatures:"Rodolfo J. Oviedo, Jeffrey Hodges, Joseph Nguyen-Lee, David Detz, Mary Oh, João Bombardelli, Anuj Shah, Atteeba Manzar and Alessandro Martinino",book:{id:"11238",type:"book",title:"Hernia Surgery",subtitle:null,fullTitle:"Hernia Surgery",slug:null,publishedDate:null,bookSignature:"Associate Prof. Selim Sözen and Dr. Hasan Erdem",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11238.jpg",licenceType:"CC BY 3.0",editedByType:null,isbn:"978-1-80355-520-1",printIsbn:"978-1-80355-519-5",pdfIsbn:"978-1-80355-521-8",isAvailableForWebshopOrdering:!0,editors:[{id:"90616",title:"Associate Prof.",name:"Selim",middleName:null,surname:"Sözen",slug:"selim-sozen",fullName:"Selim Sözen"}],productType:{id:"1",title:"Edited Volume",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},authors:null,sections:[{id:"sec_1",title:"1. Introduction",level:"1"},{id:"sec_2",title:"2. Posterior release component separation",level:"1"},{id:"sec_3",title:"3. Minimally invasive TAPP and TEP",level:"1"},{id:"sec_4",title:"4. Robotic reconstruction techniques",level:"1"},{id:"sec_4_2",title:"4.1 Robotic IPOM",level:"2"},{id:"sec_5_2",title:"4.2 Robotic IPOM with endoscopic anterior component separation",level:"2"},{id:"sec_6_2",title:"4.3 Robotic eTEP",level:"2"},{id:"sec_8",title:"5. Robotic transversus abdominis release (TAR)",level:"1"},{id:"sec_9",title:"6. Complications and management",level:"1"},{id:"sec_10",title:"7. Conclusion",level:"1"}],chapterReferences:[{id:"B1",body:'Gibson CL. Post-operative Intestinal Obstruction. Annals of Surgery. 1916;63(4):442-451'},{id:"B2",body:'Dixon CF. Repair of incisional hernia. Surgery, Gynecology & Obstetrics. 1929;48:700-701'},{id:"B3",body:'Young D. Repair of Epigastric Incisional Hernia. The British Journal of Surgery. 1961;48:514-516'},{id:"B4",body:'Ramirez OM, Ruas E, Dellon AL. “Components Separation” method for closure of abdominal-wall defects: An anatomic and clinical study. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 1990;86(3):519-526'},{id:"B5",body:'Stoppa RE. The treatment of complicated groin and incisional hernias. World Journal of Surgery. 1989;13:545-554'},{id:"B6",body:'Halvorson EG. On the origins of components separation. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 2009;124(5):1545-1549'},{id:"B7",body:'Pereira X, Lima DL, Friedmann P, Romero-Velez G, Mandujano CC, Ramos-Santillan V, et al. Robotic abdominal wall repair: Adoption and early outcomes in a large academic medical center. Journal of Robotic Surgery. 2021;20:1-10'},{id:"B8",body:'Novitsky YW, Elliott HL, Orenstein SB, Rosen MJ. Transversus abdominis muscle release: A novel approach to posterior component separation during complex abdominal wall reconstruction. American Journal of Surgery. 2012;204(5):709-716'},{id:"B9",body:'Belyansky I, Daes J, Radu VG, Balasubramanian R, Reza Zahiri H, Weltz AS, et al. A novel approach using the enhanced-view totally extraperitoneal (eTEP) technique for laparoscopic retromuscular hernia repair. Surgical Endoscopy. 2018;32(3):1525-1532'},{id:"B10",body:'Barrera K, Chung P, Shraga S, Sugiyama G. Robotic ventral hernia repair. In: Derbel F, editor. Hernia. Rijeka: InTech; 2017'},{id:"B11",body:'Berger D. Laparoscopic IPOM technique. Der Chirurg; Zeitschrift Fur Alle Gebiete Der Operativen Medizen. 2010;81(3):211-215'},{id:"B12",body:'Bittner R, Bain K, Bansal VK, Berrevoet F, Bingener-Casey J, Chen D, et al. Update of Guidelines for laparoscopic treatment of ventral and incisional abdominal wall hernias. International Endohernia Society (IEHS)-Part A. Surgical Endoscopy. 2019;33(10):3069-3139'},{id:"B13",body:'Olmi S, Millo P, Piccoli M, Garulli G, Junior Nardi M, Pecchini F, et al. Laparoscopic treatment of incisional and ventral hernia. JSLS. 2021;25(2):e2021.00007'},{id:"B14",body:'Sauerland S, Walgenbach M, Habermalz B, Seiler CM, Miserez M. Laparoscopic versus open surgical techniques for ventral or incisional hernia repair. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2011;3:CD007781'},{id:"B15",body:'Lowe JB, Garza JR, Bowman JL, Rohrich RJ, Strodel WE. Endoscopically assisted “components separation” for closure of abdominal wall defects. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 2000;105(2):720-729'},{id:"B16",body:'Dauser B, Ghaffari S, Ng C, Schmid T, Köhler G, Herbst F. Endoscopic anterior component separation: A novel technical approach. Hernia. Dec 2017;21(6):951-955'},{id:"B17",body:'Oviedo RJ, Robertson JC, Desai AS. Robotic ventral hernia repair and endoscopic component separation: Outcomes. JSLS. 2017;21(3):e2017.00055'},{id:"B18",body:'Coakley KM, Sims SM, Prasad T, Lincourt AE, Augenstein VA, Sing RF, et al. A nationwide evaluation of robotic ventral hernia surgery. American Journal of Surgery. 2017;214(6):1158-1163'},{id:"B19",body:'Altieri MS, Yang J, Xu J, Talamini M, Pryor A, Telem DA. Outcomes after robotic ventral hernia repair: A study of 21,565 patients in the state of New York. The American Surgeon. 2018;84(6):902-908'},{id:"B20",body:'Gonzalez A, Escobar E, Romero R, Walker G, Mejias J, Gallas M, et al. Robotic-assisted ventral hernia repair: A multicenter evaluation of clinical outcomes. Surgical Endoscopy. 2017;31(3):1342-1349'},{id:"B21",body:'LeBlanc KA, Gonzalez A, Dickens E, Olsofka J, Ortiz-Ortiz C, Verdeja J-C, et al. Robotic-assisted, laparoscopic, and open incisional hernia repair: Early outcomes from the prospective hernia study. Hernia. 2021;25(4):1071-1082'},{id:"B22",body:'Carbonell AM, Cobb WS, Chen SM. Posterior components separation during retromuscular hernia repair. Hernia. 2008;12(4):359-362'},{id:"B23",body:'Lopez-Monclus J, Muñoz-Rodríguez J, San Miguel C, Robin A, Blazquez LA, Pérez-Flecha M, et al. Combining anterior and posterior component separation for extreme cases of abdominal wall reconstruction. Hernia. 2020;24(2):369-379'},{id:"B24",body:'de Vries Reilingh TS, van Goor H, Rosman C, Bemelmans MH, de Jong D, van Nieuwenhoven EJ, et al. “Components separation technique” for the repair of large abdominal wall hernias. Journal of the American College of Surgeons. 2003;196(1):32-37'},{id:"B25",body:'Blair LJ, Cox TC, Huntington CR, Groene SA, Prasad T, Lincourt AE, et al. The effect of component separation technique on quality of life (QOL) and surgical outcomes in complex open ventral hernia repair (OVHR). Surgical Endoscopy. 2017;31(9):3539-3546'},{id:"B26",body:'Iqbal CW, Pham TH, Joseph A, Mai J, Thompson GB, Sarr MG. Long-term outcome of 254 complex incisional hernia repairs using the modified rives-stoppa technique. World Journal of Surgery. 2007;31(12):2398-2404'},{id:"B27",body:'Novitsky YW, Porter JR, Rucho ZC, Getz SB, Pratt BL, Kercher KW, et al. Open preperitoneal retrofascial mesh repair for multiply recurrent ventral incisional hernias. Journal of the American College of Surgeons. 2006;203(3):283-289'},{id:"B28",body:'Novitsky YW, Fayezizadeh M, Majumder A, Neupane R, Elliott HL, Orenstein SB. Outcomes of posterior component separation with transversus abdominis muscle release and synthetic mesh sublay reinforcement. Annals of Surgery. 2016;264(2):226-232'},{id:"B29",body:'Wegdam JA, Thoolen JMM, Nienhuijs SW, de Bouvy N, de Vries Reilingh TS. Systematic review of transversus abdominis release in complex abdominal wall reconstruction. Hernia. 2019;23(1):5-15'},{id:"B30",body:'Falagas ME, Kasiakou SK. Mesh-related infections after hernia repair surgery. Clinical Microbiology and Infection. 2005;11(1):3-8'},{id:"B31",body:'Heymann F, Trotha K-T v, Preisinger C, Lynen-Jansen P, Roeth AA, Geiger M, et al. Polypropylene mesh implantation for hernia repair causes myeloid cell–driven persistent inflammation. JCI Insight. 2019;4(2):e123862. DOI: 10/1172/jci.insight.123862'},{id:"B32",body:'Cox TC, Huntington CR, Blair LJ, Prasad T, Lincourt AE, Heniford BT, et al. Predictive modeling for chronic pain after ventral hernia repair. American Journal of Surgery. 2016;212(3):501-510'},{id:"B33",body:'Tsirline VB, Colavita PD, Belyansky I, Zemlyak AY, Lincourt AE, Heniford BT. Preoperative pain is the strongest predictor of postoperative pain and diminished quality of life after ventral hernia repair. The American Surgeon. 2013;79(8):829-836'},{id:"B34",body:'Reddi D, Curran N. Chronic pain after surgery: Pathophysiology, risk factors and prevention. Postgraduate Medical Journal. 2014;90(1062):222-227'},{id:"B35",body:'Sharbaugh ME, Patel PB, Zaman JA, Ata A, Feustel P, Singh K, et al. Robotic ventral hernia repair: A safe and durable approach. Hernia. 2021;25(2):305-312'},{id:"B36",body:'Goettman MA, Riccardi ML, Vang L, Dughayli MS, Faraj CH. Robotic assistance in ventral hernia repair may decrease the incidence of hernia recurrence. Journal of Minimal Access Surgery. 2020;16(4):335-340'}],footnotes:[],contributors:[{corresp:"yes",contributorFullName:"Rodolfo J. Oviedo",address:"rjoviedo@houstonmethodist.org",affiliation:'
Houston Methodist Academic Institute, United States
Texas A&M University College of Medicine, United States
Houston Methodist Research Institute, United States
Houston Methodist Department of Surgery, United States
Faculty of Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
'}],corrections:null},book:{id:"11238",type:"book",title:"Hernia Surgery",subtitle:null,fullTitle:"Hernia Surgery",slug:null,publishedDate:null,bookSignature:"Associate Prof. Selim Sözen and Dr. Hasan Erdem",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11238.jpg",licenceType:"CC BY 3.0",editedByType:null,isbn:"978-1-80355-520-1",printIsbn:"978-1-80355-519-5",pdfIsbn:"978-1-80355-521-8",isAvailableForWebshopOrdering:!0,editors:[{id:"90616",title:"Associate Prof.",name:"Selim",middleName:null,surname:"Sözen",slug:"selim-sozen",fullName:"Selim Sözen"}],productType:{id:"1",title:"Edited Volume",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}}},profile:{item:{id:"283190",title:"Mr.",name:"Raymond",middleName:null,surname:"Bacala",email:"rbacala@shaw.ca",fullName:"Raymond Bacala",slug:"raymond-bacala",position:null,biography:null,institutionString:null,profilePictureURL:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",totalCites:0,totalChapterViews:"0",outsideEditionCount:0,totalAuthoredChapters:"1",totalEditedBooks:"0",personalWebsiteURL:null,twitterURL:null,linkedinURL:null,institution:null},booksEdited:[],chaptersAuthored:[{id:"65007",title:"Characterization of Whole and Fragmented Wild-Type Porcine IgG",slug:"characterization-of-whole-and-fragmented-wild-type-porcine-igg",abstract:"Glycoproteomic analyses of tryptic (glyco)peptides from wild-type (WT) porcine IgG were performed. In a first protocol, intact antibody was digested with trypsin, followed by glycopeptide enrichment and liquid chromatography-tandem MS (HPLC–MS/MS). This procedure allowed to detect N-glycopeptides observed previously (Lopez, P. G. et al., Glycoconj. J. 2016, 33 (1), 79), plus other non-reported N-glycopeptides. The method provided useful information but did not allow to discern between Fab (antigen-binding region) and Fc (constant region, fragment crystallizable) peptides/glycopeptides. In a second scheme, glycoproteomic analysis was attempted for Fab and Fc fragments obtained by papain and Fabulous™ hydrolysis. Usually employed for milligram amounts of antibodies, the papain and Fabulous™ protocols were adapted to 200 μg of WT IgG. Fab and Fc fragments were separated by size-exclusion (SEC) HPLC. Fractions collected were reanalyzed by gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Bands were excised, and fragments digested in-gel, followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) MS and HPLC/MS–MS. In the protocol no glycopeptide enrichment was involved, that is, whole tryptic digests were analyzed. Fc N-glycopeptides were identified, and greater numbers of non-glycosylated peptides were tabulated. Very few peptides overlapped between Fc and Fab, as most peptides were clearly from Fc or Fab. HPLC-MS/MS detected more sialylated glycoforms than MALDI-TOF-MS. Sections of Fab and Fc were assigned de novo, through a database search or manually.",signatures:"Claudia Nelson, Raymond Bacala, Baylie Gigolyk, Evelyn Ang, Haley Neustaeter,\nEmy Komatsu, Oleg Krokhin, Dave Hatcher and Hélène Perreault",authors:[{id:"271050",title:"Prof.",name:"Hélène",surname:"Perreault",fullName:"Hélène Perreault",slug:"helene-perreault",email:"helene.perreault@umanitoba.ca"},{id:"283187",title:"Ms.",name:"Claudia",surname:"Nelson",fullName:"Claudia Nelson",slug:"claudia-nelson",email:"nelsonc8@myumanitoba.ca"},{id:"283190",title:"Mr.",name:"Raymond",surname:"Bacala",fullName:"Raymond Bacala",slug:"raymond-bacala",email:"rbacala@shaw.ca"},{id:"283191",title:"Ms.",name:"Baylie",surname:"Gigolyk",fullName:"Baylie Gigolyk",slug:"baylie-gigolyk",email:"gigolykb@myumanitoba.ca"},{id:"283192",title:"Ms.",name:"Evelyn",surname:"Ang",fullName:"Evelyn Ang",slug:"evelyn-ang",email:"umange@myumanitoba.ca"},{id:"283193",title:"Ms.",name:"Haley",surname:"Neustaeter",fullName:"Haley Neustaeter",slug:"haley-neustaeter",email:"neustaeh@myumanitoba.ca"},{id:"283195",title:"MSc.",name:"Emy",surname:"Komatsu",fullName:"Emy Komatsu",slug:"emy-komatsu",email:"Emy.Komatsu@umanitoba.ca"},{id:"283196",title:"Prof.",name:"Oleg",surname:"Krokhin",fullName:"Oleg Krokhin",slug:"oleg-krokhin",email:"krokhino@cc.umanitoba.ca"},{id:"283200",title:"Dr.",name:"Dave",surname:"Hatcher",fullName:"Dave Hatcher",slug:"dave-hatcher",email:"dave.hatcher@grainscanada.gc.ca"}],book:{id:"8637",title:"Recent Advances in Analytical Chemistry",slug:"recent-advances-in-analytical-chemistry",productType:{id:"1",title:"Edited Volume"}}}],collaborators:[{id:"254764",title:"Ph.D.",name:"Sahel",surname:"Karoui",slug:"sahel-karoui",fullName:"Sahel Karoui",position:null,profilePictureURL:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",biography:null,institutionString:null,institution:null},{id:"261221",title:"Prof.",name:"Slaheddine",surname:"Kamoun",slug:"slaheddine-kamoun",fullName:"Slaheddine Kamoun",position:null,profilePictureURL:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",biography:null,institutionString:null,institution:null},{id:"268132",title:"Dr.",name:"Bertrand",surname:"Rochat",slug:"bertrand-rochat",fullName:"Bertrand Rochat",position:null,profilePictureURL:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",biography:null,institutionString:null,institution:null},{id:"271050",title:"Prof.",name:"Hélène",surname:"Perreault",slug:"helene-perreault",fullName:"Hélène Perreault",position:null,profilePictureURL:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",biography:null,institutionString:null,institution:null},{id:"283187",title:"Ms.",name:"Claudia",surname:"Nelson",slug:"claudia-nelson",fullName:"Claudia Nelson",position:null,profilePictureURL:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",biography:null,institutionString:null,institution:null},{id:"283191",title:"Ms.",name:"Baylie",surname:"Gigolyk",slug:"baylie-gigolyk",fullName:"Baylie Gigolyk",position:null,profilePictureURL:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",biography:null,institutionString:null,institution:null},{id:"283192",title:"Ms.",name:"Evelyn",surname:"Ang",slug:"evelyn-ang",fullName:"Evelyn Ang",position:null,profilePictureURL:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",biography:null,institutionString:null,institution:null},{id:"283193",title:"Ms.",name:"Haley",surname:"Neustaeter",slug:"haley-neustaeter",fullName:"Haley Neustaeter",position:null,profilePictureURL:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",biography:null,institutionString:null,institution:null},{id:"283195",title:"MSc.",name:"Emy",surname:"Komatsu",slug:"emy-komatsu",fullName:"Emy Komatsu",position:null,profilePictureURL:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",biography:null,institutionString:null,institution:null},{id:"283196",title:"Prof.",name:"Oleg",surname:"Krokhin",slug:"oleg-krokhin",fullName:"Oleg Krokhin",position:null,profilePictureURL:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",biography:null,institutionString:null,institution:null}]},generic:{page:{slug:"our-story",title:"Our story",intro:"
The company was founded in Vienna in 2004 by Alex Lazinica and Vedran Kordic, two PhD students researching robotics. While completing our PhDs, we found it difficult to access the research we needed. So, we decided to create a new Open Access publisher. A better one, where researchers like us could find the information they needed easily. The result is IntechOpen, an Open Access publisher that puts the academic needs of the researchers before the business interests of publishers.
",metaTitle:"Our story",metaDescription:"The company was founded in Vienna in 2004 by Alex Lazinica and Vedran Kordic, two PhD students researching robotics. While completing our PhDs, we found it difficult to access the research we needed. So, we decided to create a new Open Access publisher. A better one, where researchers like us could find the information they needed easily. The result is IntechOpen, an Open Access publisher that puts the academic needs of the researchers before the business interests of publishers.",metaKeywords:null,canonicalURL:"/page/our-story",contentRaw:'[{"type":"htmlEditorComponent","content":"
We started by publishing journals and books from the fields of science we were most familiar with - AI, robotics, manufacturing and operations research. Through our growing network of institutions and authors, we soon expanded into related fields like environmental engineering, nanotechnology, computer science, renewable energy and electrical engineering, Today, we are the world’s largest Open Access publisher of scientific research, with over 4,200 books and 54,000 scientific works including peer-reviewed content from more than 116,000 scientists spanning 161 countries. Our authors range from globally-renowned Nobel Prize winners to up-and-coming researchers at the cutting edge of scientific discovery.
\\n\\n
In the same year that IntechOpen was founded, we launched what was at the time the first ever Open Access, peer-reviewed journal in its field: the International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems (IJARS).
\\n\\n
The IntechOpen timeline
\\n\\n
2004
\\n\\n
\\n\\t
Intech Open is founded in Vienna, Austria, by Alex Lazinica and Vedran Kordic, two PhD students, and their first Open Access journals and books are published.
\\n\\t
Alex and Vedran launch the first Open Access, peer-reviewed robotics journal and IntechOpen’s flagship publication, the International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems (IJARS).
\\n
\\n\\n
2005
\\n\\n
\\n\\t
IntechOpen publishes its first Open Access book: Cutting Edge Robotics.
\\n
\\n\\n
2006
\\n\\n
\\n\\t
IntechOpen publishes a special issue of IJARS, featuring contributions from NASA scientists regarding the Mars Exploration Rover missions.
\\n
\\n\\n
2008
\\n\\n
\\n\\t
Downloads milestone: 200,000 downloads reached
\\n
\\n\\n
2009
\\n\\n
\\n\\t
Publishing milestone: the first 100 Open Access STM books are published
\\n
\\n\\n
2010
\\n\\n
\\n\\t
Downloads milestone: one million downloads reached
\\n\\t
IntechOpen expands its book publishing into a new field: medicine.
\\n
\\n\\n
2011
\\n\\n
\\n\\t
Publishing milestone: More than five million downloads reached
\\n\\t
IntechOpen publishes 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner Harold W. Kroto’s “Strategies to Successfully Cross-Link Carbon Nanotubes”. Find it here.
\\n\\t
IntechOpen and TBI collaborate on a project to explore the changing needs of researchers and the evolving ways that they discover, publish and exchange information. The result is the survey “Author Attitudes Towards Open Access Publishing: A Market Research Program”.
\\n\\t
IntechOpen hosts SHOW - Share Open Access Worldwide; a series of lectures, debates, round-tables and events to bring people together in discussion of open source principles, intellectual property, content licensing innovations, remixed and shared culture and free knowledge.
\\n
\\n\\n
2012
\\n\\n
\\n\\t
Publishing milestone: 10 million downloads reached
\\n\\t
IntechOpen holds Interact2012, a free series of workshops held by figureheads of the scientific community including Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, director of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory, who took the audience through some of the most impressive human-robot interactions observed in his lab.
\\n
\\n\\n
2013
\\n\\n
\\n\\t
IntechOpen joins the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) as part of a commitment to guaranteeing the highest standards of publishing.
\\n
\\n\\n
2014
\\n\\n
\\n\\t
IntechOpen turns 10, with more than 30 million downloads to date.
\\n\\t
IntechOpen appoints its first Regional Representatives - members of the team situated around the world dedicated to increasing the visibility of our authors’ published work within their local scientific communities.
\\n
\\n\\n
2015
\\n\\n
\\n\\t
Downloads milestone: More than 70 million downloads reached, more than doubling since the previous year.
\\n\\t
Publishing milestone: IntechOpen publishes its 2,500th book and 40,000th Open Access chapter, reaching 20,000 citations in Thomson Reuters ISI Web of Science.
\\n\\t
40 IntechOpen authors are included in the top one per cent of the world’s most-cited researchers.
\\n\\t
Thomson Reuters’ ISI Web of Science Book Citation Index begins indexing IntechOpen’s books in its database.
\\n
\\n\\n
2016
\\n\\n
\\n\\t
IntechOpen is identified as a world leader in Simba Information’s Open Access Book Publishing 2016-2020 report and forecast. IntechOpen came in as the world’s largest Open Access book publisher by title count.
\\n
\\n\\n
2017
\\n\\n
\\n\\t
Downloads milestone: IntechOpen reaches more than 100 million downloads
\\n\\t
Publishing milestone: IntechOpen publishes its 3,000th Open Access book, making it the largest Open Access book collection in the world
We started by publishing journals and books from the fields of science we were most familiar with - AI, robotics, manufacturing and operations research. Through our growing network of institutions and authors, we soon expanded into related fields like environmental engineering, nanotechnology, computer science, renewable energy and electrical engineering, Today, we are the world’s largest Open Access publisher of scientific research, with over 4,200 books and 54,000 scientific works including peer-reviewed content from more than 116,000 scientists spanning 161 countries. Our authors range from globally-renowned Nobel Prize winners to up-and-coming researchers at the cutting edge of scientific discovery.
\n\n
In the same year that IntechOpen was founded, we launched what was at the time the first ever Open Access, peer-reviewed journal in its field: the International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems (IJARS).
\n\n
The IntechOpen timeline
\n\n
2004
\n\n
\n\t
Intech Open is founded in Vienna, Austria, by Alex Lazinica and Vedran Kordic, two PhD students, and their first Open Access journals and books are published.
\n\t
Alex and Vedran launch the first Open Access, peer-reviewed robotics journal and IntechOpen’s flagship publication, the International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems (IJARS).
\n
\n\n
2005
\n\n
\n\t
IntechOpen publishes its first Open Access book: Cutting Edge Robotics.
\n
\n\n
2006
\n\n
\n\t
IntechOpen publishes a special issue of IJARS, featuring contributions from NASA scientists regarding the Mars Exploration Rover missions.
\n
\n\n
2008
\n\n
\n\t
Downloads milestone: 200,000 downloads reached
\n
\n\n
2009
\n\n
\n\t
Publishing milestone: the first 100 Open Access STM books are published
\n
\n\n
2010
\n\n
\n\t
Downloads milestone: one million downloads reached
\n\t
IntechOpen expands its book publishing into a new field: medicine.
\n
\n\n
2011
\n\n
\n\t
Publishing milestone: More than five million downloads reached
\n\t
IntechOpen publishes 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner Harold W. Kroto’s “Strategies to Successfully Cross-Link Carbon Nanotubes”. Find it here.
\n\t
IntechOpen and TBI collaborate on a project to explore the changing needs of researchers and the evolving ways that they discover, publish and exchange information. The result is the survey “Author Attitudes Towards Open Access Publishing: A Market Research Program”.
\n\t
IntechOpen hosts SHOW - Share Open Access Worldwide; a series of lectures, debates, round-tables and events to bring people together in discussion of open source principles, intellectual property, content licensing innovations, remixed and shared culture and free knowledge.
\n
\n\n
2012
\n\n
\n\t
Publishing milestone: 10 million downloads reached
\n\t
IntechOpen holds Interact2012, a free series of workshops held by figureheads of the scientific community including Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, director of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory, who took the audience through some of the most impressive human-robot interactions observed in his lab.
\n
\n\n
2013
\n\n
\n\t
IntechOpen joins the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) as part of a commitment to guaranteeing the highest standards of publishing.
\n
\n\n
2014
\n\n
\n\t
IntechOpen turns 10, with more than 30 million downloads to date.
\n\t
IntechOpen appoints its first Regional Representatives - members of the team situated around the world dedicated to increasing the visibility of our authors’ published work within their local scientific communities.
\n
\n\n
2015
\n\n
\n\t
Downloads milestone: More than 70 million downloads reached, more than doubling since the previous year.
\n\t
Publishing milestone: IntechOpen publishes its 2,500th book and 40,000th Open Access chapter, reaching 20,000 citations in Thomson Reuters ISI Web of Science.
\n\t
40 IntechOpen authors are included in the top one per cent of the world’s most-cited researchers.
\n\t
Thomson Reuters’ ISI Web of Science Book Citation Index begins indexing IntechOpen’s books in its database.
\n
\n\n
2016
\n\n
\n\t
IntechOpen is identified as a world leader in Simba Information’s Open Access Book Publishing 2016-2020 report and forecast. IntechOpen came in as the world’s largest Open Access book publisher by title count.
\n
\n\n
2017
\n\n
\n\t
Downloads milestone: IntechOpen reaches more than 100 million downloads
\n\t
Publishing milestone: IntechOpen publishes its 3,000th Open Access book, making it the largest Open Access book collection in the world
\n
\n"}]},successStories:{items:[]},authorsAndEditors:{filterParams:{regionId:"4",sort:"featured,name"},profiles:[{id:"58592",title:"Dr.",name:"Arun",middleName:null,surname:"Shanker",slug:"arun-shanker",fullName:"Arun Shanker",position:null,profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/58592/images/1664_n.jpg",biography:"Arun K. Shanker is serving as a Principal Scientist (Plant Physiology) with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) at the Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture in Hyderabad, India. He is working with the ICAR as a full time researcher since 1993 and has since earned his Advanced degree in Crop Physiology while in service. He has been awarded the prestigious Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC), by the Royal Society of Chemistry, London in 2015. Presently he is working on systems biology approach to study the mechanism of abiotic stress tolerance in crops. His main focus now is to unravel the mechanism of drought and heat stress response in plants to tackle climate change related threats in agriculture.",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Indian Council of Agricultural Research",country:{name:"India"}}},{id:"4782",title:"Prof.",name:"Bishnu",middleName:"P",surname:"Pal",slug:"bishnu-pal",fullName:"Bishnu Pal",position:null,profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/4782/images/system/4782.jpg",biography:"Bishnu P. Pal is Professor of Physics at Mahindra École\nCentrale Hyderabad India since July 1st 2014 after retirement\nas Professor of Physics from IIT Delhi; Ph.D.’1975 from IIT\nDelhi; Fellow of OSA and SPIE; Senior Member IEEE;\nHonorary Foreign Member Royal Norwegian Society for\nScience and Arts; Member OSA Board of Directors (2009-\n11); Distinguished Lecturer IEEE Photonics Society (2005-\n07).",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Indian Institute of Technology Delhi",country:{name:"India"}}},{id:"69653",title:"Dr.",name:"Chusak",middleName:null,surname:"Limsakul",slug:"chusak-limsakul",fullName:"Chusak Limsakul",position:null,profilePictureURL:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",biography:null,institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Prince of Songkla University",country:{name:"Thailand"}}},{id:"23804",title:"Dr.",name:"Hamzah",middleName:null,surname:"Arof",slug:"hamzah-arof",fullName:"Hamzah Arof",position:null,profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/23804/images/5492_n.jpg",biography:"Hamzah Arof received his BSc from Michigan State University, and PhD from the University of Wales. Both degrees were in electrical engineering. His current research interests include signal processing and photonics. Currently he is affiliated with the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Malaya, Malaysia.",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"University of Malaya",country:{name:"Malaysia"}}},{id:"41989",title:"Prof.",name:"He",middleName:null,surname:"Tian",slug:"he-tian",fullName:"He Tian",position:null,profilePictureURL:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",biography:null,institutionString:null,institution:{name:"East China University of Science and Technology",country:{name:"China"}}},{id:"33351",title:null,name:"Hendra",middleName:null,surname:"Hermawan",slug:"hendra-hermawan",fullName:"Hendra Hermawan",position:null,profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/33351/images/168_n.jpg",biography:null,institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Institut Teknologi Bandung",country:{name:"Indonesia"}}},{id:"11981",title:"Prof.",name:"Hiroshi",middleName:null,surname:"Ishiguro",slug:"hiroshi-ishiguro",fullName:"Hiroshi Ishiguro",position:null,profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002bRglaQAC/Profile_Picture_1626411846553",biography:"Hiroshi Ishiguro is an award-winning roboticist and innovator. As the Director of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory, which is part of the Department of Systems Innovation in the Graduate School of Engineering Science at Osaka University, Japan, Ishiguro concentrates on making robots that are similar as possible to humans to understand the human species. A notable project of his laboratory is the Actroid, a humanoid robot with a lifelike appearance and observable behavior such as facial movements. (Sources: http://www.geminoid.jp/en/index.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshi_Ishiguro)",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Osaka University",country:{name:"Japan"}}},{id:"45747",title:"Dr.",name:"Hsin-I",middleName:null,surname:"Chang",slug:"hsin-i-chang",fullName:"Hsin-I Chang",position:null,profilePictureURL:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",biography:null,institutionString:null,institution:{name:"National Chiayi University",country:{name:"Taiwan"}}},{id:"61581",title:"Dr.",name:"Joy Rizki Pangestu",middleName:null,surname:"Djuansjah",slug:"joy-rizki-pangestu-djuansjah",fullName:"Joy Rizki Pangestu Djuansjah",position:null,profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/61581/images/237_n.jpg",biography:null,institutionString:null,institution:{name:"University of Technology Malaysia",country:{name:"Malaysia"}}},{id:"94249",title:"Prof.",name:"Junji",middleName:null,surname:"Kido",slug:"junji-kido",fullName:"Junji Kido",position:null,profilePictureURL:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",biography:null,institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Yamagata University",country:{name:"Japan"}}},{id:"12009",title:"Dr.",name:"Ki Young",middleName:null,surname:"Kim",slug:"ki-young-kim",fullName:"Ki Young Kim",position:null,profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/12009/images/system/12009.jpg",biography:"Http://m80.knu.ac.kr/~doors",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"National Cheng Kung University",country:{name:"Taiwan"}}},{id:"132595",title:"Prof.",name:"Long",middleName:null,surname:"Wang",slug:"long-wang",fullName:"Long Wang",position:null,profilePictureURL:"//cdnintech.com/web/frontend/www/assets/author.svg",biography:null,institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Peking University",country:{name:"China"}}}],filtersByRegion:[{group:"region",caption:"North America",value:1,count:6630},{group:"region",caption:"Middle and South America",value:2,count:5913},{group:"region",caption:"Africa",value:3,count:2404},{group:"region",caption:"Asia",value:4,count:12563},{group:"region",caption:"Australia and Oceania",value:5,count:1009},{group:"region",caption:"Europe",value:6,count:17574}],offset:12,limit:12,total:12563},chapterEmbeded:{data:{}},editorApplication:{success:null,errors:{}},ofsBooks:{filterParams:{sort:"dateEndSecondStepPublish"},books:[{type:"book",id:"11254",title:"Optical Coherence Tomography",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!0,hash:"a958c09ceaab1fc44c1dd0a817f48c92",slug:null,bookSignature:"",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11254.jpg",editedByType:null,editors:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"11436",title:"Beauty",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!0,hash:"0e15ba86bab1a64f950318f3ab2584ed",slug:null,bookSignature:"",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11436.jpg",editedByType:null,editors:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"11438",title:"Fake News in the Era of Pandemics",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!0,hash:"bc9e4cab86c76f35cd70b39086d9b69e",slug:null,bookSignature:"",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11438.jpg",editedByType:null,editors:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"11472",title:"21st Century Slavery",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!0,hash:"b341f3fc3411ced881e43ce007a892b8",slug:null,bookSignature:"",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11472.jpg",editedByType:null,editors:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"11473",title:"Social Inequality",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!0,hash:"20307129f7fb39aa443d5449acb6a784",slug:null,bookSignature:"",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11473.jpg",editedByType:null,editors:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"11546",title:"Smart and Sustainable Transportation",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!0,hash:"e8ea27a1ff85cde00efcb6f6968c20f8",slug:null,bookSignature:"",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11546.jpg",editedByType:null,editors:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"11554",title:"Information Systems Management",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!0,hash:"3134452ff2fdec020663f241c7a9a748",slug:null,bookSignature:"",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11554.jpg",editedByType:null,editors:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"11605",title:"Bamboo",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!0,hash:"378d957561b27c86b750a9c7841a5d18",slug:null,bookSignature:"",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11605.jpg",editedByType:null,editors:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"11616",title:"Foraging",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!0,hash:"955b60bb658c8d1a09dd4efc9bf6674b",slug:null,bookSignature:"",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11616.jpg",editedByType:null,editors:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"11632",title:"Updated Research on Bacteriophages",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!0,hash:"d34dfa0d5d10511184f97ddaeef9936b",slug:null,bookSignature:"",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11632.jpg",editedByType:null,editors:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"11649",title:"Carnivora",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!0,hash:"cfe96fa2ecf64b22057163f9896dc476",slug:null,bookSignature:"",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11649.jpg",editedByType:null,editors:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"11650",title:"Aquifers",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!0,hash:"2a7acb5c7fbf3f244aefa79513407b5e",slug:null,bookSignature:"",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11650.jpg",editedByType:null,editors:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}}],filtersByTopic:[{group:"topic",caption:"Agricultural and Biological Sciences",value:5,count:43},{group:"topic",caption:"Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology",value:6,count:13},{group:"topic",caption:"Business, Management and Economics",value:7,count:4},{group:"topic",caption:"Chemistry",value:8,count:25},{group:"topic",caption:"Computer and Information Science",value:9,count:19},{group:"topic",caption:"Earth and Planetary Sciences",value:10,count:19},{group:"topic",caption:"Engineering",value:11,count:65},{group:"topic",caption:"Environmental Sciences",value:12,count:9},{group:"topic",caption:"Immunology and Microbiology",value:13,count:12},{group:"topic",caption:"Materials Science",value:14,count:30},{group:"topic",caption:"Mathematics",value:15,count:11},{group:"topic",caption:"Medicine",value:16,count:128},{group:"topic",caption:"Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials",value:17,count:9},{group:"topic",caption:"Neuroscience",value:18,count:3},{group:"topic",caption:"Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science",value:19,count:7},{group:"topic",caption:"Physics",value:20,count:12},{group:"topic",caption:"Psychology",value:21,count:9},{group:"topic",caption:"Robotics",value:22,count:3},{group:"topic",caption:"Social Sciences",value:23,count:9},{group:"topic",caption:"Veterinary Medicine and Science",value:25,count:3}],offset:12,limit:12,total:751},popularBooks:{featuredBooks:[{type:"book",id:"9974",title:"E-Learning and Digital Education in the Twenty-First Century",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"88b58d66e975df20425fc1dfd22d53aa",slug:"e-learning-and-digital-education-in-the-twenty-first-century",bookSignature:"M. Mahruf C. Shohel",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/9974.jpg",editors:[{id:"94099",title:"Dr.",name:"M. Mahruf C.",middleName:null,surname:"Shohel",slug:"m.-mahruf-c.-shohel",fullName:"M. Mahruf C. Shohel"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"11001",title:"Density Functional Theory",subtitle:"Recent Advances, New Perspectives and Applications",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"82d53383af78ab41eb982086c02fb2bb",slug:"density-functional-theory-recent-advances-new-perspectives-and-applications",bookSignature:"Daniel Glossman-Mitnik",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11001.jpg",editors:[{id:"198499",title:"Dr.",name:"Daniel",middleName:null,surname:"Glossman-Mitnik",slug:"daniel-glossman-mitnik",fullName:"Daniel Glossman-Mitnik"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"10356",title:"Natural Medicinal Plants",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"943e56ccaaf19ff696d25aa638ae37d6",slug:"natural-medicinal-plants",bookSignature:"Hany A. El-Shemy",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10356.jpg",editors:[{id:"54719",title:"Prof.",name:"Hany",middleName:null,surname:"El-Shemy",slug:"hany-el-shemy",fullName:"Hany El-Shemy"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"11752",title:"Natural Drugs from Plants",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"a0a83c0822608ef7592bf16a5ed0ada4",slug:"natural-drugs-from-plants",bookSignature:"Hany A. El-Shemy",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11752.jpg",editors:[{id:"54719",title:"Prof.",name:"Hany",middleName:null,surname:"El-Shemy",slug:"hany-el-shemy",fullName:"Hany El-Shemy"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"10251",title:"Plankton Communities",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"e11e441ca2d2d5f631b1b4704505cfb6",slug:"plankton-communities",bookSignature:"Leonel Pereira and Ana Marta Gonçalves",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10251.jpg",editors:[{id:"279788",title:"Dr.",name:"Leonel",middleName:null,surname:"Pereira",slug:"leonel-pereira",fullName:"Leonel Pereira"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"10830",title:"Animal Feed Science and Nutrition",subtitle:"Production, Health and Environment",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"79944fc8fbbaa329aed6fde388154832",slug:"animal-feed-science-and-nutrition-production-health-and-environment",bookSignature:"Amlan Kumar Patra",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10830.jpg",editors:[{id:"310962",title:"Dr.",name:"Amlan",middleName:"Kumar",surname:"Patra",slug:"amlan-patra",fullName:"Amlan Patra"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"10584",title:"Engineered Wood Products for Construction",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"421757c56a3735986055250821275a51",slug:"engineered-wood-products-for-construction",bookSignature:"Meng Gong",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10584.jpg",editors:[{id:"274242",title:"Dr.",name:"Meng",middleName:null,surname:"Gong",slug:"meng-gong",fullName:"Meng Gong"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"9670",title:"Current Trends in Wheat Research",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"89d795987f1747a76eee532700d2093d",slug:"current-trends-in-wheat-research",bookSignature:"Mahmood-ur-Rahman Ansari",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/9670.jpg",editors:[{id:"185476",title:"Dr.",name:"Mahmood-ur-Rahman",middleName:null,surname:"Ansari",slug:"mahmood-ur-rahman-ansari",fullName:"Mahmood-ur-Rahman Ansari"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"9032",title:"Corporate Social Responsibility",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"f609bf3251d7cc7bae0099a4374adfc3",slug:"corporate-social-responsibility",bookSignature:"Beatrice Orlando",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/9032.jpg",editors:[{id:"232969",title:"Prof.",name:"Beatrice",middleName:null,surname:"Orlando",slug:"beatrice-orlando",fullName:"Beatrice Orlando"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"10681",title:"Biodegradation Technology of Organic and Inorganic Pollutants",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"9a6e10e02788092872fd249436898e97",slug:"biodegradation-technology-of-organic-and-inorganic-pollutants",bookSignature:"Kassio Ferreira Mendes, Rodrigo Nogueira de Sousa and Kamila Cabral Mielke",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10681.jpg",editors:[{id:"197720",title:"Ph.D.",name:"Kassio",middleName:null,surname:"Ferreira Mendes",slug:"kassio-ferreira-mendes",fullName:"Kassio Ferreira Mendes"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"9808",title:"Contemporary Topics in Patient Safety",subtitle:"Volume 1",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"fb6371607c2c6c02c6a2af8892765aba",slug:"contemporary-topics-in-patient-safety-volume-1",bookSignature:"Stanislaw P. Stawicki and Michael S. Firstenberg",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/9808.jpg",editors:[{id:"181694",title:"Dr.",name:"Stanislaw P.",middleName:null,surname:"Stawicki",slug:"stanislaw-p.-stawicki",fullName:"Stanislaw P. Stawicki"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"9544",title:"Global Trade in the Emerging Business Environment",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"fb8cb09b9599246add78d508a98273d5",slug:"global-trade-in-the-emerging-business-environment",bookSignature:"Muhammad Mohiuddin, Jingbin Wang , Md. Samim Al Azad and Selim Ahmed",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/9544.jpg",editors:[{id:"418514",title:"Dr.",name:"Muhammad",middleName:null,surname:"Mohiuddin",slug:"muhammad-mohiuddin",fullName:"Muhammad Mohiuddin"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}}],offset:12,limit:12,total:4387},hotBookTopics:{hotBooks:[],offset:0,limit:12,total:null},publish:{},publishingProposal:{success:null,errors:{}},books:{featuredBooks:[{type:"book",id:"9974",title:"E-Learning and Digital Education in the Twenty-First Century",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"88b58d66e975df20425fc1dfd22d53aa",slug:"e-learning-and-digital-education-in-the-twenty-first-century",bookSignature:"M. Mahruf C. Shohel",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/9974.jpg",publishedDate:"May 18th 2022",numberOfDownloads:3385,editors:[{id:"94099",title:"Dr.",name:"M. Mahruf C.",middleName:null,surname:"Shohel",slug:"m.-mahruf-c.-shohel",fullName:"M. Mahruf C. Shohel"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"11001",title:"Density Functional Theory",subtitle:"Recent Advances, New Perspectives and Applications",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"82d53383af78ab41eb982086c02fb2bb",slug:"density-functional-theory-recent-advances-new-perspectives-and-applications",bookSignature:"Daniel Glossman-Mitnik",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11001.jpg",publishedDate:"May 18th 2022",numberOfDownloads:1875,editors:[{id:"198499",title:"Dr.",name:"Daniel",middleName:null,surname:"Glossman-Mitnik",slug:"daniel-glossman-mitnik",fullName:"Daniel Glossman-Mitnik"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"10356",title:"Natural Medicinal Plants",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"943e56ccaaf19ff696d25aa638ae37d6",slug:"natural-medicinal-plants",bookSignature:"Hany A. El-Shemy",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10356.jpg",publishedDate:"May 11th 2022",numberOfDownloads:3842,editors:[{id:"54719",title:"Prof.",name:"Hany",middleName:null,surname:"El-Shemy",slug:"hany-el-shemy",fullName:"Hany El-Shemy"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"11752",title:"Natural Drugs from Plants",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"a0a83c0822608ef7592bf16a5ed0ada4",slug:"natural-drugs-from-plants",bookSignature:"Hany A. El-Shemy",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11752.jpg",publishedDate:"May 11th 2022",numberOfDownloads:3008,editors:[{id:"54719",title:"Prof.",name:"Hany",middleName:null,surname:"El-Shemy",slug:"hany-el-shemy",fullName:"Hany El-Shemy"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"10251",title:"Plankton Communities",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"e11e441ca2d2d5f631b1b4704505cfb6",slug:"plankton-communities",bookSignature:"Leonel Pereira and Ana Marta Gonçalves",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10251.jpg",publishedDate:"May 18th 2022",numberOfDownloads:1109,editors:[{id:"279788",title:"Dr.",name:"Leonel",middleName:null,surname:"Pereira",slug:"leonel-pereira",fullName:"Leonel Pereira"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"10830",title:"Animal Feed Science and Nutrition",subtitle:"Production, Health and Environment",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"79944fc8fbbaa329aed6fde388154832",slug:"animal-feed-science-and-nutrition-production-health-and-environment",bookSignature:"Amlan Kumar Patra",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10830.jpg",publishedDate:"May 18th 2022",numberOfDownloads:1010,editors:[{id:"310962",title:"Dr.",name:"Amlan",middleName:"Kumar",surname:"Patra",slug:"amlan-patra",fullName:"Amlan Patra"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"10584",title:"Engineered Wood Products for Construction",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"421757c56a3735986055250821275a51",slug:"engineered-wood-products-for-construction",bookSignature:"Meng Gong",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10584.jpg",publishedDate:"April 28th 2022",numberOfDownloads:3918,editors:[{id:"274242",title:"Dr.",name:"Meng",middleName:null,surname:"Gong",slug:"meng-gong",fullName:"Meng Gong"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"9670",title:"Current Trends in Wheat Research",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"89d795987f1747a76eee532700d2093d",slug:"current-trends-in-wheat-research",bookSignature:"Mahmood-ur-Rahman Ansari",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/9670.jpg",publishedDate:"May 11th 2022",numberOfDownloads:1654,editors:[{id:"185476",title:"Dr.",name:"Mahmood-ur-Rahman",middleName:null,surname:"Ansari",slug:"mahmood-ur-rahman-ansari",fullName:"Mahmood-ur-Rahman Ansari"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"9032",title:"Corporate Social Responsibility",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"f609bf3251d7cc7bae0099a4374adfc3",slug:"corporate-social-responsibility",bookSignature:"Beatrice Orlando",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/9032.jpg",publishedDate:"March 16th 2022",numberOfDownloads:7686,editors:[{id:"232969",title:"Prof.",name:"Beatrice",middleName:null,surname:"Orlando",slug:"beatrice-orlando",fullName:"Beatrice Orlando"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}},{type:"book",id:"10681",title:"Biodegradation Technology of Organic and Inorganic Pollutants",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"9a6e10e02788092872fd249436898e97",slug:"biodegradation-technology-of-organic-and-inorganic-pollutants",bookSignature:"Kassio Ferreira Mendes, Rodrigo Nogueira de Sousa and Kamila Cabral Mielke",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10681.jpg",publishedDate:"April 20th 2022",numberOfDownloads:3444,editors:[{id:"197720",title:"Ph.D.",name:"Kassio",middleName:null,surname:"Ferreira Mendes",slug:"kassio-ferreira-mendes",fullName:"Kassio Ferreira Mendes"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter"}}],latestBooks:[{type:"book",id:"10522",title:"Coding Theory",subtitle:"Recent Advances, New Perspectives and Applications",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"6357e1dd7d38adeb519ca7a10dc9e5a0",slug:"coding-theory-recent-advances-new-perspectives-and-applications",bookSignature:"Sudhakar Radhakrishnan and Sudev Naduvath",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10522.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",publishedDate:"May 25th 2022",editors:[{id:"26327",title:"Dr.",name:"Sudhakar",middleName:null,surname:"Radhakrishnan",slug:"sudhakar-radhakrishnan",fullName:"Sudhakar Radhakrishnan"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"10821",title:"Automation and Control",subtitle:"Theories and Applications",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"18463c2291ba306c4dcbabd988227eea",slug:"automation-and-control-theories-and-applications",bookSignature:"Elmer P. Dadios",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10821.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",publishedDate:"May 25th 2022",editors:[{id:"111683",title:"Prof.",name:"Elmer P.",middleName:"P.",surname:"Dadios",slug:"elmer-p.-dadios",fullName:"Elmer P. Dadios"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"11348",title:"Mutagenesis and Mitochondrial-Associated Pathologies",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"001972b3c5b49367314b13025a449232",slug:"mutagenesis-and-mitochondrial-associated-pathologies",bookSignature:"Michael Fasullo and Angel Catala",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11348.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",publishedDate:"May 25th 2022",editors:[{id:"258231",title:"Dr.",name:"Michael",middleName:"Thomas",surname:"Fasullo",slug:"michael-fasullo",fullName:"Michael Fasullo"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"11123",title:"Epoxy-Based Composites",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"c1c5447cf3b9d6c7688276ac30e80de6",slug:"epoxy-based-composites",bookSignature:"Samson Jerold Samuel Chelladurai, Ramesh Arthanari and M.R.Meera",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11123.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",publishedDate:"May 25th 2022",editors:[{id:"247421",title:"Dr.",name:"Samson Jerold Samuel",middleName:null,surname:"Chelladurai",slug:"samson-jerold-samuel-chelladurai",fullName:"Samson Jerold Samuel Chelladurai"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"10632",title:"Theory and Practice of Tunnel Engineering",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"7ba17749f9d0b6a62d584a3c320a1f49",slug:"theory-and-practice-of-tunnel-engineering",bookSignature:"Hasan Tosun",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10632.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",publishedDate:"May 25th 2022",editors:[{id:"79083",title:"Prof.",name:"Hasan",middleName:null,surname:"Tosun",slug:"hasan-tosun",fullName:"Hasan Tosun"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"10906",title:"Fungal Reproduction and Growth",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"f84de0280d54f3b52e3e4585cff24ac1",slug:"fungal-reproduction-and-growth",bookSignature:"Sadia Sultan and Gurmeet Kaur Surindar Singh",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10906.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",publishedDate:"May 25th 2022",editors:[{id:"176737",title:"Dr.",name:"Sadia",middleName:null,surname:"Sultan",slug:"sadia-sultan",fullName:"Sadia Sultan"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"10914",title:"Effective Elimination of Structural Racism",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"f6a2562646c0fd664aca8335bc3b3e69",slug:"effective-elimination-of-structural-racism",bookSignature:"Erick Guerrero",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10914.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",publishedDate:"May 25th 2022",editors:[{id:"294761",title:"Dr.",name:"Erick",middleName:null,surname:"Guerrero",slug:"erick-guerrero",fullName:"Erick Guerrero"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"10664",title:"Animal Reproduction",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"2d66af42fb17d0a6556bb9ef28e273c7",slug:"animal-reproduction",bookSignature:"Yusuf Bozkurt and Mustafa Numan Bucak",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10664.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",publishedDate:"May 25th 2022",editors:[{id:"90846",title:"Prof.",name:"Yusuf",middleName:null,surname:"Bozkurt",slug:"yusuf-bozkurt",fullName:"Yusuf Bozkurt"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"10940",title:"Plant Hormones",subtitle:"Recent Advances, New Perspectives and Applications",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"5aae8a345f8047ed528914ff3491f643",slug:"plant-hormones-recent-advances-new-perspectives-and-applications",bookSignature:"Christophe Hano",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10940.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",publishedDate:"May 25th 2022",editors:[{id:"313856",title:"Dr.",name:"Christophe",middleName:"F.E.",surname:"Hano",slug:"christophe-hano",fullName:"Christophe Hano"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}},{type:"book",id:"10207",title:"Sexual Abuse",subtitle:"An Interdisciplinary Approach",isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"e1ec1d5a7093490df314d7887e0b3809",slug:"sexual-abuse-an-interdisciplinary-approach",bookSignature:"Ersi Kalfoğlu and Sotirios Kalfoglou",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10207.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",publishedDate:"May 25th 2022",editors:[{id:"68678",title:"Dr.",name:"Ersi",middleName:null,surname:"Kalfoglou",slug:"ersi-kalfoglou",fullName:"Ersi Kalfoglou"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}}]},subject:{topic:{id:"1362",title:"Development Technology",slug:"development-technology",parent:{id:"290",title:"Information and Communication",slug:"information-and-communication"},numberOfBooks:1,numberOfSeries:0,numberOfAuthorsAndEditors:13,numberOfWosCitations:12,numberOfCrossrefCitations:1,numberOfDimensionsCitations:18,videoUrl:null,fallbackUrl:null,description:null},booksByTopicFilter:{topicId:"1362",sort:"-publishedDate",limit:12,offset:0},booksByTopicCollection:[{type:"book",id:"1892",title:"Technological Change",subtitle:null,isOpenForSubmission:!1,hash:"3cf7980708feb75306ac4e7fdc678d5c",slug:"technological-change",bookSignature:"Aurora A.C. Teixeira",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/1892.jpg",editedByType:"Edited by",editors:[{id:"112335",title:"Dr.",name:"Aurora",middleName:"A.C.",surname:"Teixeira",slug:"aurora-teixeira",fullName:"Aurora Teixeira"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null,productType:{id:"1",chapterContentType:"chapter",authoredCaption:"Edited by"}}],booksByTopicTotal:1,seriesByTopicCollection:[],seriesByTopicTotal:0,mostCitedChapters:[{id:"35183",doi:"10.5772/38024",title:"Quantitative Technology Forecasting Techniques",slug:"quantitative-technology-forecasting-techniques",totalDownloads:12351,totalCrossrefCites:1,totalDimensionsCites:6,abstract:null,book:{id:"1892",slug:"technological-change",title:"Technological Change",fullTitle:"Technological Change"},signatures:"Steven R. Walk",authors:[{id:"115236",title:"Prof.",name:"Steven",middleName:"Robert",surname:"Walk",slug:"steven-walk",fullName:"Steven Walk"}]},{id:"35185",doi:"10.5772/36707",title:"Internationalization Approaches of the Automotive Innovation System - A Historical Perspective",slug:"internationalization-approaches-of-the-automotive-innovation-system-a-historical-perspective",totalDownloads:2844,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:6,abstract:null,book:{id:"1892",slug:"technological-change",title:"Technological Change",fullTitle:"Technological Change"},signatures:"António C. Moreira and Ana Carolina Carvalho",authors:[{id:"109428",title:"Dr.",name:"António Carrizo",middleName:null,surname:"Moreira",slug:"antonio-carrizo-moreira",fullName:"António Carrizo Moreira"},{id:"114427",title:"MSc.",name:"Ana Carolina",middleName:null,surname:"Carvalho",slug:"ana-carolina-carvalho",fullName:"Ana Carolina Carvalho"}]},{id:"35180",doi:"10.5772/37768",title:"Intellectual Property Rights and Endogenous Economic Growth – Uncovering the Main Gaps in the Research Agenda",slug:"-intellectual-property-rights-technological-change-and-economic-growth-uncovering-the-main-gaps-in-t",totalDownloads:2318,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:2,abstract:null,book:{id:"1892",slug:"technological-change",title:"Technological Change",fullTitle:"Technological Change"},signatures:"Monica L. Azevedo, Sandra T. Silva and Oscar Afonso",authors:[{id:"107797",title:"Prof.",name:"Oscar",middleName:null,surname:"Afonso",slug:"oscar-afonso",fullName:"Oscar Afonso"},{id:"114248",title:"Prof.",name:"Sandra",middleName:"T.",surname:"Silva",slug:"sandra-silva",fullName:"Sandra Silva"},{id:"116054",title:"Ph.D. Student",name:"Mónica",middleName:null,surname:"Azevedo",slug:"monica-azevedo",fullName:"Mónica Azevedo"}]},{id:"35188",doi:"10.5772/39379",title:"Knowledge Frontiers for Sustainable Growth and Development in Zimbabwe",slug:"knowledge-frontiers-for-sustainable-growth-and-development-in-zimbabwe-",totalDownloads:2872,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:2,abstract:null,book:{id:"1892",slug:"technological-change",title:"Technological Change",fullTitle:"Technological Change"},signatures:"Gabriel Kabanda",authors:[{id:"108346",title:"Prof.",name:"Gabriel",middleName:null,surname:"Kabanda",slug:"gabriel-kabanda",fullName:"Gabriel Kabanda"}]},{id:"35181",doi:"10.5772/37346",title:"Reconciling Orthodox and Heterodox Approaches to Economic Growth – A Modeling Proposal",slug:"reconciling-orthodox-and-heterodox-approaches-to-economic-growth-a-modeling-proposal",totalDownloads:1687,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:1,abstract:null,book:{id:"1892",slug:"technological-change",title:"Technological Change",fullTitle:"Technological Change"},signatures:"Aurora A.C. Teixeira",authors:[{id:"112335",title:"Dr.",name:"Aurora",middleName:"A.C.",surname:"Teixeira",slug:"aurora-teixeira",fullName:"Aurora Teixeira"}]}],mostDownloadedChaptersLast30Days:[{id:"35183",title:"Quantitative Technology Forecasting Techniques",slug:"quantitative-technology-forecasting-techniques",totalDownloads:12352,totalCrossrefCites:1,totalDimensionsCites:6,abstract:null,book:{id:"1892",slug:"technological-change",title:"Technological Change",fullTitle:"Technological Change"},signatures:"Steven R. Walk",authors:[{id:"115236",title:"Prof.",name:"Steven",middleName:"Robert",surname:"Walk",slug:"steven-walk",fullName:"Steven Walk"}]},{id:"35185",title:"Internationalization Approaches of the Automotive Innovation System - A Historical Perspective",slug:"internationalization-approaches-of-the-automotive-innovation-system-a-historical-perspective",totalDownloads:2844,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:6,abstract:null,book:{id:"1892",slug:"technological-change",title:"Technological Change",fullTitle:"Technological Change"},signatures:"António C. Moreira and Ana Carolina Carvalho",authors:[{id:"109428",title:"Dr.",name:"António Carrizo",middleName:null,surname:"Moreira",slug:"antonio-carrizo-moreira",fullName:"António Carrizo Moreira"},{id:"114427",title:"MSc.",name:"Ana Carolina",middleName:null,surname:"Carvalho",slug:"ana-carolina-carvalho",fullName:"Ana Carolina Carvalho"}]},{id:"35178",title:"Technological Change and Economic Transformation",slug:"technological-change-and-economic-transformation",totalDownloads:6993,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,abstract:null,book:{id:"1892",slug:"technological-change",title:"Technological Change",fullTitle:"Technological Change"},signatures:"Musa Jega Ibrahim",authors:[{id:"107299",title:"Dr.",name:"Musa Jega",middleName:null,surname:"Ibrahim",slug:"musa-jega-ibrahim",fullName:"Musa Jega Ibrahim"}]},{id:"35188",title:"Knowledge Frontiers for Sustainable Growth and Development in Zimbabwe",slug:"knowledge-frontiers-for-sustainable-growth-and-development-in-zimbabwe-",totalDownloads:2873,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:2,abstract:null,book:{id:"1892",slug:"technological-change",title:"Technological Change",fullTitle:"Technological Change"},signatures:"Gabriel Kabanda",authors:[{id:"108346",title:"Prof.",name:"Gabriel",middleName:null,surname:"Kabanda",slug:"gabriel-kabanda",fullName:"Gabriel Kabanda"}]},{id:"35187",title:"The Impact of ICTs on Innovative Sustainable Development in East and Southern Africa",slug:"impact-of-icts-on-innovative-sustainable-development-in-east-and-southern-africa",totalDownloads:2199,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,abstract:null,book:{id:"1892",slug:"technological-change",title:"Technological Change",fullTitle:"Technological Change"},signatures:"Gabriel Kabanda",authors:[{id:"108346",title:"Prof.",name:"Gabriel",middleName:null,surname:"Kabanda",slug:"gabriel-kabanda",fullName:"Gabriel Kabanda"}]}],onlineFirstChaptersFilter:{topicId:"1362",limit:6,offset:0},onlineFirstChaptersCollection:[],onlineFirstChaptersTotal:0},preDownload:{success:null,errors:{}},subscriptionForm:{success:null,errors:{}},aboutIntechopen:{},privacyPolicy:{},peerReviewing:{},howOpenAccessPublishingWithIntechopenWorks:{},sponsorshipBooks:{sponsorshipBooks:[],offset:0,limit:8,total:null},allSeries:{pteSeriesList:[],lsSeriesList:[],hsSeriesList:[],sshSeriesList:[],testimonialsList:[]},series:{item:{id:"7",title:"Biomedical Engineering",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.71985",issn:"2631-5343",scope:"Biomedical Engineering is one of the fastest-growing interdisciplinary branches of science and industry. The combination of electronics and computer science with biology and medicine has improved patient diagnosis, reduced rehabilitation time, and helped to facilitate a better quality of life. Nowadays, all medical imaging devices, medical instruments, or new laboratory techniques result from the cooperation of specialists in various fields. The series of Biomedical Engineering books covers such areas of knowledge as chemistry, physics, electronics, medicine, and biology. This series is intended for doctors, engineers, and scientists involved in biomedical engineering or those wanting to start working in this field.",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series/covers/7.jpg",latestPublicationDate:"May 25th, 2022",hasOnlineFirst:!0,numberOfPublishedBooks:12,editor:{id:"50150",title:"Prof.",name:"Robert",middleName:null,surname:"Koprowski",slug:"robert-koprowski",fullName:"Robert Koprowski",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002aYTYNQA4/Profile_Picture_1630478535317",biography:"Robert Koprowski, MD (1997), PhD (2003), Habilitation (2015), is an employee of the University of Silesia, Poland, Institute of Computer Science, Department of Biomedical Computer Systems. For 20 years, he has studied the analysis and processing of biomedical images, emphasizing the full automation of measurement for a large inter-individual variability of patients. Dr. Koprowski has authored more than a hundred research papers with dozens in impact factor (IF) journals and has authored or co-authored six books. Additionally, he is the author of several national and international patents in the field of biomedical devices and imaging. Since 2011, he has been a reviewer of grants and projects (including EU projects) in biomedical engineering.",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"University of Silesia",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Poland"}}},editorTwo:null,editorThree:null},subseries:{paginationCount:3,paginationItems:[{id:"7",title:"Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/7.jpg",isOpenForSubmission:!0,annualVolume:11403,editor:{id:"351533",title:"Dr.",name:"Slawomir",middleName:null,surname:"Wilczynski",slug:"slawomir-wilczynski",fullName:"Slawomir Wilczynski",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0033Y000035U1loQAC/Profile_Picture_1630074514792",biography:"Professor Sławomir Wilczyński, Head of the Chair of Department of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland. His research interests are focused on modern imaging methods used in medicine and pharmacy, including in particular hyperspectral imaging, dynamic thermovision analysis, high-resolution ultrasound, as well as other techniques such as EPR, NMR and hemispheric directional reflectance. Author of over 100 scientific works, patents and industrial designs. Expert of the Polish National Center for Research and Development, Member of the Investment Committee in the Bridge Alfa NCBiR program, expert of the Polish Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy, Polish Medical Research Agency. Editor-in-chief of the journal in the field of aesthetic medicine and dermatology - Aesthetica.",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Medical University of Silesia",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Poland"}}},editorTwo:null,editorThree:null},{id:"8",title:"Bioinspired Technology and Biomechanics",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/8.jpg",isOpenForSubmission:!0,annualVolume:11404,editor:{id:"144937",title:"Prof.",name:"Adriano",middleName:"De Oliveira",surname:"Andrade",slug:"adriano-andrade",fullName:"Adriano Andrade",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002bRC8QQAW/Profile_Picture_1625219101815",biography:"Dr. Adriano de Oliveira Andrade graduated in Electrical Engineering at the Federal University of Goiás (Brazil) in 1997. He received his MSc and PhD in Biomedical Engineering respectively from the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU, Brazil) in 2000 and from the University of Reading (UK) in 2005. He completed a one-year Post-Doctoral Fellowship awarded by the DFAIT (Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada) at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering of the University of New Brunswick (Canada) in 2010. Currently, he is Professor in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (UFU). He has authored and co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications in Biomedical Engineering. He has been a researcher of The National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq-Brazil) since 2009. He has served as an ad-hoc consultant for CNPq, CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel), FINEP (Brazilian Innovation Agency), and other funding bodies on several occasions. He was the Secretary of the Brazilian Society of Biomedical Engineering (SBEB) from 2015 to 2016, President of SBEB (2017-2018) and Vice-President of SBEB (2019-2020). He was the head of the undergraduate program in Biomedical Engineering of the Federal University of Uberlândia (2015 - June/2019) and the head of the Centre for Innovation and Technology Assessment in Health (NIATS/UFU) since 2010. He is the head of the Postgraduate Program in Biomedical Engineering (UFU, July/2019 - to date). He was the secretary of the Parkinson's Disease Association of Uberlândia (2018-2019). Dr. Andrade's primary area of research is focused towards getting information from the neuromuscular system to understand its strategies of organization, adaptation and controlling in the context of motor neuron diseases. His research interests include Biomedical Signal Processing and Modelling, Assistive Technology, Rehabilitation Engineering, Neuroengineering and Parkinson's Disease.",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Federal University of Uberlândia",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Brazil"}}},editorTwo:null,editorThree:null},{id:"9",title:"Biotechnology - Biosensors, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/9.jpg",isOpenForSubmission:!0,annualVolume:11405,editor:{id:"126286",title:"Dr.",name:"Luis",middleName:"Jesús",surname:"Villarreal-Gómez",slug:"luis-villarreal-gomez",fullName:"Luis Villarreal-Gómez",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/126286/images/system/126286.jpg",biography:"Dr. Luis Villarreal is a research professor from the Facultad de Ciencias de la Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Tijuana, Baja California, México. Dr. Villarreal is the editor in chief and founder of the Revista de Ciencias Tecnológicas (RECIT) (https://recit.uabc.mx/) and is a member of several editorial and reviewer boards for numerous international journals. He has published more than thirty international papers and reviewed more than ninety-two manuscripts. His research interests include biomaterials, nanomaterials, bioengineering, biosensors, drug delivery systems, and tissue engineering.",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Autonomous University of Baja California",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Mexico"}}},editorTwo:null,editorThree:null}]},overviewPageOFChapters:{paginationCount:17,paginationItems:[{id:"81791",title:"Self-Supervised Contrastive Representation Learning in Computer Vision",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.104785",signatures:"Yalin Bastanlar and Semih Orhan",slug:"self-supervised-contrastive-representation-learning-in-computer-vision",totalDownloads:12,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,authors:null,book:{title:"Pattern Recognition - New Insights",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11442.jpg",subseries:{id:"26",title:"Machine Learning and Data Mining"}}},{id:"79345",title:"Application of Jump Diffusion Models in Insurance Claim Estimation",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.99853",signatures:"Leonard Mushunje, Chiedza Elvina Mashiri, Edina Chandiwana and Maxwell Mashasha",slug:"application-of-jump-diffusion-models-in-insurance-claim-estimation-1",totalDownloads:2,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,authors:null,book:{title:"Data Clustering",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10820.jpg",subseries:{id:"26",title:"Machine Learning and Data Mining"}}},{id:"81557",title:"Object Tracking Using Adapted Optical Flow",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.102863",signatures:"Ronaldo Ferreira, Joaquim José de Castro Ferreira and António José Ribeiro Neves",slug:"object-tracking-using-adapted-optical-flow",totalDownloads:11,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,authors:null,book:{title:"Information Extraction and Object Tracking in Digital Video",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10652.jpg",subseries:{id:"24",title:"Computer Vision"}}},{id:"81558",title:"Thresholding Image Techniques for Plant Segmentation",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.104587",signatures:"Miguel Ángel Castillo-Martínez, Francisco Javier Gallegos-Funes, Blanca E. Carvajal-Gámez, Guillermo Urriolagoitia-Sosa and Alberto J. Rosales-Silva",slug:"thresholding-image-techniques-for-plant-segmentation",totalDownloads:15,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,authors:null,book:{title:"Information Extraction and Object Tracking in Digital Video",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10652.jpg",subseries:{id:"24",title:"Computer Vision"}}}]},overviewPagePublishedBooks:{paginationCount:9,paginationItems:[{type:"book",id:"7723",title:"Artificial Intelligence",subtitle:"Applications in Medicine and Biology",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/7723.jpg",slug:"artificial-intelligence-applications-in-medicine-and-biology",publishedDate:"July 31st 2019",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"Marco Antonio Aceves-Fernandez",hash:"a3852659e727f95c98c740ed98146011",volumeInSeries:1,fullTitle:"Artificial Intelligence - Applications in Medicine and Biology",editors:[{id:"24555",title:"Dr.",name:"Marco Antonio",middleName:null,surname:"Aceves Fernandez",slug:"marco-antonio-aceves-fernandez",fullName:"Marco Antonio Aceves Fernandez",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/24555/images/system/24555.jpg",biography:"Dr. Marco Antonio Aceves Fernandez obtained his B.Sc. (Eng.) in Telematics from the Universidad de Colima, Mexico. He obtained both his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Liverpool, England, in the field of Intelligent Systems. He is a full professor at the Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro, Mexico, and a member of the National System of Researchers (SNI) since 2009. Dr. Aceves Fernandez has published more than 80 research papers as well as a number of book chapters and congress papers. He has contributed in more than 20 funded research projects, both academic and industrial, in the area of artificial intelligence, ranging from environmental, biomedical, automotive, aviation, consumer, and robotics to other applications. He is also a honorary president at the National Association of Embedded Systems (AMESE), a senior member of the IEEE, and a board member of many institutions. His research interests include intelligent and embedded systems.",institutionString:"Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro",institution:{name:"Autonomous University of Queretaro",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Mexico"}}}]},{type:"book",id:"7726",title:"Swarm Intelligence",subtitle:"Recent Advances, New Perspectives and Applications",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/7726.jpg",slug:"swarm-intelligence-recent-advances-new-perspectives-and-applications",publishedDate:"December 4th 2019",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"Javier Del Ser, Esther Villar and Eneko Osaba",hash:"e7ea7e74ce7a7a8e5359629e07c68d31",volumeInSeries:2,fullTitle:"Swarm Intelligence - Recent Advances, New Perspectives and Applications",editors:[{id:"49813",title:"Dr.",name:"Javier",middleName:null,surname:"Del Ser",slug:"javier-del-ser",fullName:"Javier Del Ser",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/49813/images/system/49813.png",biography:"Prof. Dr. Javier Del Ser received his first PhD in Telecommunication Engineering (Cum Laude) from the University of Navarra, Spain, in 2006, and a second PhD in Computational Intelligence (Summa Cum Laude) from the University of Alcala, Spain, in 2013. He is currently a principal researcher in data analytics and optimisation at TECNALIA (Spain), a visiting fellow at the Basque Center for Applied Mathematics (BCAM) and a part-time lecturer at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). His research interests gravitate on the use of descriptive, prescriptive and predictive algorithms for data mining and optimization in a diverse range of application fields such as Energy, Transport, Telecommunications, Health and Industry, among others. In these fields he has published more than 240 articles, co-supervised 8 Ph.D. theses, edited 6 books, coauthored 7 patents and participated/led more than 40 research projects. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE, and a recipient of the Biscay Talent prize for his academic career.",institutionString:"Tecnalia Research & Innovation",institution:null}]},{type:"book",id:"7656",title:"Fuzzy Logic",subtitle:null,coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/7656.jpg",slug:"fuzzy-logic",publishedDate:"February 5th 2020",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"Constantin Volosencu",hash:"54f092d4ffe0abf5e4172a80025019bc",volumeInSeries:3,fullTitle:"Fuzzy Logic",editors:[{id:"1063",title:"Prof.",name:"Constantin",middleName:null,surname:"Volosencu",slug:"constantin-volosencu",fullName:"Constantin Volosencu",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/1063/images/system/1063.png",biography:"Prof. Dr. Constantin Voloşencu graduated as an engineer from\nPolitehnica University of Timișoara, Romania, where he also\nobtained a doctorate degree. He is currently a full professor in\nthe Department of Automation and Applied Informatics at the\nsame university. Dr. Voloşencu is the author of ten books, seven\nbook chapters, and more than 160 papers published in journals\nand conference proceedings. He has also edited twelve books and\nhas twenty-seven patents to his name. He is a manager of research grants, editor in\nchief and member of international journal editorial boards, a former plenary speaker, a member of scientific committees, and chair at international conferences. His\nresearch is in the fields of control systems, control of electric drives, fuzzy control\nsystems, neural network applications, fault detection and diagnosis, sensor network\napplications, monitoring of distributed parameter systems, and power ultrasound\napplications. He has developed automation equipment for machine tools, spooling\nmachines, high-power ultrasound processes, and more.",institutionString:"Polytechnic University of Timişoara",institution:{name:"Polytechnic University of Timişoara",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Romania"}}}]},{type:"book",id:"9963",title:"Advances and Applications in Deep Learning",subtitle:null,coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/9963.jpg",slug:"advances-and-applications-in-deep-learning",publishedDate:"December 9th 2020",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"Marco Antonio Aceves-Fernandez",hash:"0d51ba46f22e55cb89140f60d86a071e",volumeInSeries:4,fullTitle:"Advances and Applications in Deep Learning",editors:[{id:"24555",title:"Dr.",name:"Marco Antonio",middleName:null,surname:"Aceves Fernandez",slug:"marco-antonio-aceves-fernandez",fullName:"Marco Antonio Aceves Fernandez",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/24555/images/system/24555.jpg",biography:"Dr. Marco Antonio Aceves Fernandez obtained his B.Sc. (Eng.) in Telematics from the Universidad de Colima, Mexico. He obtained both his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Liverpool, England, in the field of Intelligent Systems. He is a full professor at the Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro, Mexico, and a member of the National System of Researchers (SNI) since 2009. Dr. Aceves Fernandez has published more than 80 research papers as well as a number of book chapters and congress papers. He has contributed in more than 20 funded research projects, both academic and industrial, in the area of artificial intelligence, ranging from environmental, biomedical, automotive, aviation, consumer, and robotics to other applications. He is also a honorary president at the National Association of Embedded Systems (AMESE), a senior member of the IEEE, and a board member of many institutions. His research interests include intelligent and embedded systems.",institutionString:"Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro",institution:{name:"Autonomous University of Queretaro",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Mexico"}}}]}]},openForSubmissionBooks:{paginationCount:5,paginationItems:[{id:"11449",title:"Telehealth / Telemedicine – The Far-Reaching Medicine for Everyone and Everywhere",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11449.jpg",hash:"71545975025beddf27aa2931e0af5408",secondStepPassed:!0,currentStepOfPublishingProcess:3,submissionDeadline:"April 8th 2022",isOpenForSubmission:!0,editors:[{id:"201262",title:"Dr.",name:"Tang-Chuan",surname:"Wang",slug:"tang-chuan-wang",fullName:"Tang-Chuan Wang"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{id:"11451",title:"Molecular Docking - Recent Advances",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11451.jpg",hash:"8c918a1973786c7059752b28601f1329",secondStepPassed:!0,currentStepOfPublishingProcess:3,submissionDeadline:"May 4th 2022",isOpenForSubmission:!0,editors:[{id:"179007",title:"Dr.",name:"Erman Salih",surname:"Istifli",slug:"erman-salih-istifli",fullName:"Erman Salih Istifli"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{id:"11452",title:"Cryopreservation - Applications and Challenges",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11452.jpg",hash:"a6c3fd4384ff7deeab32fc82722c60e0",secondStepPassed:!1,currentStepOfPublishingProcess:2,submissionDeadline:"June 8th 2022",isOpenForSubmission:!0,editors:[{id:"300385",title:"Dr.",name:"Marian",surname:"Quain",slug:"marian-quain",fullName:"Marian Quain"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{id:"11453",title:"Biomimetics - Bridging the Gap",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11453.jpg",hash:"173e62fa4d7bf5508cec3bdd8e3cb32d",secondStepPassed:!1,currentStepOfPublishingProcess:2,submissionDeadline:"June 16th 2022",isOpenForSubmission:!0,editors:[{id:"222709",title:"Prof.",name:"Ziyad S.",surname:"Haidar",slug:"ziyad-s.-haidar",fullName:"Ziyad S. Haidar"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{id:"11983",title:"Biomedical Signal and Image Processing",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/11983.jpg",hash:"81ebecb28b5cad564075e6f5b2dc7355",secondStepPassed:!1,currentStepOfPublishingProcess:2,submissionDeadline:"June 23rd 2022",isOpenForSubmission:!0,editors:[{id:"257388",title:"Distinguished Prof.",name:"Lulu",surname:"Wang",slug:"lulu-wang",fullName:"Lulu Wang"}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null}]},onlineFirstChapters:{paginationCount:0,paginationItems:[]},subseriesFiltersForOFChapters:[],publishedBooks:{paginationCount:11,paginationItems:[{type:"book",id:"10664",title:"Animal Reproduction",subtitle:null,coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10664.jpg",slug:"animal-reproduction",publishedDate:"May 25th 2022",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"Yusuf Bozkurt and Mustafa Numan Bucak",hash:"2d66af42fb17d0a6556bb9ef28e273c7",volumeInSeries:11,fullTitle:"Animal Reproduction",editors:[{id:"90846",title:"Prof.",name:"Yusuf",middleName:null,surname:"Bozkurt",slug:"yusuf-bozkurt",fullName:"Yusuf Bozkurt",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/90846/images/system/90846.jpg",institutionString:"İskenderun Technical University",institution:{name:"İskenderun Technical University",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Turkey"}}}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{type:"book",id:"10830",title:"Animal Feed Science and Nutrition",subtitle:"Production, Health and Environment",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10830.jpg",slug:"animal-feed-science-and-nutrition-production-health-and-environment",publishedDate:"May 18th 2022",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"Amlan Kumar Patra",hash:"79944fc8fbbaa329aed6fde388154832",volumeInSeries:10,fullTitle:"Animal Feed Science and Nutrition - Production, Health and Environment",editors:[{id:"310962",title:"Dr.",name:"Amlan",middleName:"Kumar",surname:"Patra",slug:"amlan-patra",fullName:"Amlan Patra",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/310962/images/system/310962.jpg",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"India"}}}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{type:"book",id:"8737",title:"Rabies Virus at the Beginning of 21st Century",subtitle:null,coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/8737.jpg",slug:"rabies-virus-at-the-beginning-of-21st-century",publishedDate:"May 11th 2022",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"Sergey Tkachev",hash:"49cce3f548da548c718c865feb343509",volumeInSeries:9,fullTitle:"Rabies Virus at the Beginning of 21st Century",editors:[{id:"61139",title:"Dr.",name:"Sergey",middleName:null,surname:"Tkachev",slug:"sergey-tkachev",fullName:"Sergey Tkachev",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/61139/images/system/61139.png",institutionString:"Russian Academy of Sciences",institution:{name:"Russian Academy of Sciences",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Russia"}}}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{type:"book",id:"10496",title:"Advanced Studies in the 21st Century Animal Nutrition",subtitle:null,coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10496.jpg",slug:"advanced-studies-in-the-21st-century-animal-nutrition",publishedDate:"December 8th 2021",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"László Babinszky, Juliana Oliveira and Edson Mauro Santos",hash:"8ffe43a82ac48b309abc3632bbf3efd0",volumeInSeries:8,fullTitle:"Advanced Studies in the 21st Century Animal Nutrition",editors:[{id:"53998",title:"Prof.",name:"László",middleName:null,surname:"Babinszky",slug:"laszlo-babinszky",fullName:"László Babinszky",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/53998/images/system/53998.png",institutionString:"University of Debrecen",institution:{name:"University of Debrecen",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Hungary"}}}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{type:"book",id:"10497",title:"Canine Genetics, Health and Medicine",subtitle:null,coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10497.jpg",slug:"canine-genetics-health-and-medicine",publishedDate:"June 2nd 2021",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"Catrin Rutland",hash:"b91512e31ce34032e560362e6cbccc1c",volumeInSeries:7,fullTitle:"Canine Genetics, Health and Medicine",editors:[{id:"202192",title:"Dr.",name:"Catrin",middleName:null,surname:"Rutland",slug:"catrin-rutland",fullName:"Catrin Rutland",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/202192/images/system/202192.png",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"University of Nottingham",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"United Kingdom"}}}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{type:"book",id:"8545",title:"Animal Reproduction in Veterinary Medicine",subtitle:null,coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/8545.jpg",slug:"animal-reproduction-in-veterinary-medicine",publishedDate:"January 20th 2021",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"Faruk Aral, Rita Payan-Carreira and Miguel Quaresma",hash:"13aaddf5fdbbc78387e77a7da2388bf6",volumeInSeries:6,fullTitle:"Animal Reproduction in Veterinary Medicine",editors:[{id:"25600",title:"Prof.",name:"Faruk",middleName:null,surname:"Aral",slug:"faruk-aral",fullName:"Faruk Aral",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/25600/images/system/25600.jpg",institutionString:"Independent Researcher",institution:{name:"Harran University",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Turkey"}}}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{type:"book",id:"9081",title:"Equine Science",subtitle:null,coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/9081.jpg",slug:"equine-science",publishedDate:"September 23rd 2020",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"Catrin Rutland and Albert Rizvanov",hash:"ac415ef2f5450fa80fdb9cf6cf32cd2d",volumeInSeries:5,fullTitle:"Equine Science",editors:[{id:"202192",title:"Dr.",name:"Catrin",middleName:null,surname:"Rutland",slug:"catrin-rutland",fullName:"Catrin Rutland",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/202192/images/system/202192.png",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"University of Nottingham",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"United Kingdom"}}}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{type:"book",id:"8460",title:"Reproductive Biology and Technology in Animals",subtitle:null,coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/8460.jpg",slug:"reproductive-biology-and-technology-in-animals",publishedDate:"April 15th 2020",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"Juan Carlos Gardón Poggi and Katy Satué Ambrojo",hash:"32ef5fe73998dd723d308225d756fa1e",volumeInSeries:4,fullTitle:"Reproductive Biology and Technology in Animals",editors:[{id:"251314",title:"Dr.",name:"Juan Carlos",middleName:null,surname:"Gardón",slug:"juan-carlos-gardon",fullName:"Juan Carlos Gardón",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/251314/images/system/251314.jpeg",institutionString:"Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Mártir, Spain",institution:null}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{type:"book",id:"8524",title:"Lactation in Farm Animals",subtitle:"Biology, Physiological Basis, Nutritional Requirements, and Modelization",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/8524.jpg",slug:"lactation-in-farm-animals-biology-physiological-basis-nutritional-requirements-and-modelization",publishedDate:"January 22nd 2020",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"Naceur M'Hamdi",hash:"2aa2a9a0ec13040bbf0455e34625504e",volumeInSeries:3,fullTitle:"Lactation in Farm Animals - Biology, Physiological Basis, Nutritional Requirements, and Modelization",editors:[{id:"73376",title:"Dr.",name:"Naceur",middleName:null,surname:"M'Hamdi",slug:"naceur-m'hamdi",fullName:"Naceur M'Hamdi",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/73376/images/system/73376.jpg",institutionString:null,institution:null}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{type:"book",id:"7144",title:"Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology",subtitle:null,coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/7144.jpg",slug:"veterinary-anatomy-and-physiology",publishedDate:"March 13th 2019",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"Catrin Sian Rutland and Valentina Kubale",hash:"75cdacb570e0e6d15a5f6e69640d87c9",volumeInSeries:2,fullTitle:"Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology",editors:[{id:"202192",title:"Dr.",name:"Catrin",middleName:null,surname:"Rutland",slug:"catrin-rutland",fullName:"Catrin Rutland",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/202192/images/system/202192.png",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"University of Nottingham",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"United Kingdom"}}}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{type:"book",id:"7233",title:"New Insights into Theriogenology",subtitle:null,coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/7233.jpg",slug:"new-insights-into-theriogenology",publishedDate:"December 5th 2018",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"Rita Payan-Carreira",hash:"74f4147e3fb214dd050e5edd3aaf53bc",volumeInSeries:1,fullTitle:"New Insights into Theriogenology",editors:[{id:"38652",title:"Prof.",name:"Rita",middleName:null,surname:"Payan-Carreira",slug:"rita-payan-carreira",fullName:"Rita Payan-Carreira",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002bRiFPQA0/Profile_Picture_1614601496313",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"University of Évora",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Portugal"}}}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null}]},subseriesFiltersForPublishedBooks:[{group:"subseries",caption:"Animal Nutrition",value:20,count:2},{group:"subseries",caption:"Animal Reproductive Biology and Technology",value:28,count:4},{group:"subseries",caption:"Animal Science",value:19,count:5}],publicationYearFilters:[{group:"publicationYear",caption:"2022",value:2022,count:3},{group:"publicationYear",caption:"2021",value:2021,count:3},{group:"publicationYear",caption:"2020",value:2020,count:3},{group:"publicationYear",caption:"2019",value:2019,count:1},{group:"publicationYear",caption:"2018",value:2018,count:1}],authors:{}},subseries:{item:{id:"28",type:"subseries",title:"Animal Reproductive Biology and Technology",keywords:"Animal Reproduction, Artificial Insemination, Embryos, Cryopreservation, Conservation, Breeding, Epigenetics",scope:"The advances of knowledge on animal reproductive biology and technologies revolutionized livestock production. Artificial insemination, for example, was the first technology applied on a large scale, initially in dairy cattle and afterward applied to other species. Nowadays, embryo production and transfer are used commercially along with other technologies to modulate epigenetic regulation. Gene editing is also emerging as an innovative tool. This topic will discuss the potential use of these techniques, novel strategies, and lines of research in progress in the fields mentioned above.",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/28.jpg",hasOnlineFirst:!1,hasPublishedBooks:!0,annualVolume:11417,editor:{id:"177225",title:"Prof.",name:"Rosa Maria Lino Neto",middleName:null,surname:"Pereira",slug:"rosa-maria-lino-neto-pereira",fullName:"Rosa Maria Lino Neto Pereira",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002bS9wkQAC/Profile_Picture_1624519982291",biography:"Rosa Maria Lino Neto Pereira (DVM, MsC, PhD and) is currently a researcher at the Genetic Resources and Biotechnology Unit of the National Institute of Agrarian and Veterinarian Research (INIAV, Portugal). She is the head of the Reproduction and Embryology Laboratories and was lecturer of Reproduction and Reproductive Biotechnologies at Veterinary Medicine Faculty. She has over 25 years of experience working in reproductive biology and biotechnology areas with a special emphasis on embryo and gamete cryopreservation, for research and animal genetic resources conservation, leading research projects with several peer-reviewed papers. Rosa Pereira is member of the ERFP-FAO Ex situ Working Group and of the Management Commission of the Portuguese Animal Germplasm Bank.",institutionString:"The National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research. Portugal",institution:null},editorTwo:null,editorThree:null,series:{id:"13",title:"Veterinary Medicine and Science",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.73681",issn:"2632-0517"},editorialBoard:[{id:"90066",title:"Dr.",name:"Alexandre",middleName:"Rodrigues",surname:"Silva",slug:"alexandre-silva",fullName:"Alexandre Silva",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002bRt8pQAC/Profile_Picture_1622531020756",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Brazil"}}},{id:"176987",title:"Ph.D.",name:"María-José",middleName:"Carrascosa",surname:"Argente",slug:"maria-jose-argente",fullName:"María-José Argente",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002bS9vOQAS/Profile_Picture_1630330499537",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Miguel Hernandez University",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Spain"}}},{id:"321396",title:"Prof.",name:"Muhammad Subhan",middleName:null,surname:"Qureshi",slug:"muhammad-subhan-qureshi",fullName:"Muhammad Subhan Qureshi",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/321396/images/system/321396.jpg",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"University of Agriculture",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Pakistan"}}},{id:"183723",title:"Dr.",name:"Xiaojun",middleName:null,surname:"Liu",slug:"xiaojun-liu",fullName:"Xiaojun Liu",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/183723/images/system/183723.jpg",institutionString:null,institution:null}]},onlineFirstChapters:{paginationCount:13,paginationItems:[{id:"81566",title:"New and Emerging Technologies for Integrative Ambulatory Autonomic Assessment and Intervention as a Catalyst in the Synergy of Remote Geocoded Biosensing, Algorithmic Networked Cloud Computing, Deep Learning, and Regenerative/Biomic Medicine: Further Real",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.104092",signatures:"Robert L. Drury",slug:"new-and-emerging-technologies-for-integrative-ambulatory-autonomic-assessment-and-intervention-as-a-",totalDownloads:10,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,authors:null,book:{title:"Autonomic Nervous System - Special Interest Topics",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10835.jpg",subseries:{id:"12",title:"Human Physiology"}}},{id:"81286",title:"Potassium Derangements: A Pathophysiological Review, Diagnostic Approach, and Clinical Management",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.103016",signatures:"Sairah Sharif and Jie Tang",slug:"potassium-derangements-a-pathophysiological-review-diagnostic-approach-and-clinical-management",totalDownloads:25,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,authors:null,book:{title:"Potassium in Human Health",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10794.jpg",subseries:{id:"12",title:"Human Physiology"}}},{id:"80895",title:"Heart Rate Variability as a Marker of Homeostatic Level",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.102500",signatures:"Moacir Fernandes de Godoy and Michele Lima Gregório",slug:"heart-rate-variability-as-a-marker-of-homeostatic-level",totalDownloads:26,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,authors:[{name:"Moacir",surname:"Godoy"},{name:"Michele",surname:"Gregório"}],book:{title:"Autonomic Nervous System - Special Interest Topics",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10835.jpg",subseries:{id:"12",title:"Human Physiology"}}},{id:"80433",title:"Heart Autonomic Nervous System: Basic Science and Clinical Implications",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.101718",signatures:"Elvan Wiyarta and Nayla Karima",slug:"heart-autonomic-nervous-system-basic-science-and-clinical-implications",totalDownloads:52,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,authors:null,book:{title:"Autonomic Nervous System - Special Interest Topics",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10835.jpg",subseries:{id:"12",title:"Human Physiology"}}},{id:"80316",title:"Central Control of the Larynx in Mammals",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.102009",signatures:"Manuel Víctor López-González, Marta González-García, Laura Carrillo-Franco, Amelia Díaz-Casares and Marc Stefan Dawid-Milner",slug:"central-control-of-the-larynx-in-mammals",totalDownloads:38,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,authors:null,book:{title:"Autonomic Nervous System - Special Interest Topics",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10835.jpg",subseries:{id:"12",title:"Human Physiology"}}},{id:"80402",title:"General Anesthesia and Autonomic Nervous System: Control and Management in Neurosurgery",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.101829",signatures:"Irina Alexandrovna Savvina, Anna Olegovna Petrova and Yulia Mikhailovna Zabrodskaya",slug:"general-anesthesia-and-autonomic-nervous-system-control-and-management-in-neurosurgery",totalDownloads:60,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,authors:null,book:{title:"Autonomic Nervous System - Special Interest Topics",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10835.jpg",subseries:{id:"12",title:"Human Physiology"}}},{id:"80035",title:"Healthy Lifestyle, Autonomic Nervous System Activity, and Sleep Status for Healthy Aging",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.101837",signatures:"Miki Sato, Feni Betriana, Ryuichi Tanioka, Kyoko Osaka, Tetsuya Tanioka and Savina Schoenhofer",slug:"healthy-lifestyle-autonomic-nervous-system-activity-and-sleep-status-for-healthy-aging",totalDownloads:62,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,authors:null,book:{title:"Autonomic Nervous System - Special Interest Topics",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10835.jpg",subseries:{id:"12",title:"Human Physiology"}}},{id:"80175",title:"Signaling Pathways Regulating Axogenesis and Dendritogenesis in Sympathetic Neurons",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.102442",signatures:"Vidya Chandrasekaran",slug:"signaling-pathways-regulating-axogenesis-and-dendritogenesis-in-sympathetic-neurons",totalDownloads:68,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,authors:[{name:"Vidya",surname:"Chandrasekaran"}],book:{title:"Autonomic Nervous System - Special Interest Topics",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10835.jpg",subseries:{id:"12",title:"Human Physiology"}}},{id:"80176",title:"Impacts of Environmental Stressors on Autonomic Nervous System",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.101842",signatures:"Mayowa Adeniyi",slug:"impacts-of-environmental-stressors-on-autonomic-nervous-system",totalDownloads:68,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,authors:null,book:{title:"Autonomic Nervous System - Special Interest Topics",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10835.jpg",subseries:{id:"12",title:"Human Physiology"}}},{id:"79655",title:"The Autonomic Nervous System, Sex Differences, and Chronobiology under General Anesthesia in In Vivo Experiments Involving Rats",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.101075",signatures:"Pavol Svorc Jr and Pavol Svorc",slug:"the-autonomic-nervous-system-sex-differences-and-chronobiology-under-general-anesthesia-in-in-vivo-e",totalDownloads:92,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,authors:null,book:{title:"Autonomic Nervous System - Special Interest Topics",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10835.jpg",subseries:{id:"12",title:"Human Physiology"}}},{id:"79194",title:"Potassium in Solid Cancers",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.101108",signatures:"Jessica Iorio, Lisa Lastraioli and Elena Lastraioli",slug:"potassium-in-solid-cancers",totalDownloads:122,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,authors:null,book:{title:"Potassium in Human Health",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10794.jpg",subseries:{id:"12",title:"Human Physiology"}}},{id:"78820",title:"Potassium Homeostasis",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.100368",signatures:"Shakuntala S. Patil and Sachin M. Patil",slug:"potassium-homeostasis",totalDownloads:109,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,authors:null,book:{title:"Potassium in Human Health",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10794.jpg",subseries:{id:"12",title:"Human Physiology"}}},{id:"78193",title:"Potassium and Cardiac Surgery",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.99735",signatures:"Shawn Kant, Frank W. Sellke and Jun Feng",slug:"potassium-and-cardiac-surgery",totalDownloads:182,totalCrossrefCites:0,totalDimensionsCites:0,authors:null,book:{title:"Potassium in Human Health",coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10794.jpg",subseries:{id:"12",title:"Human Physiology"}}}]},publishedBooks:{paginationCount:4,paginationItems:[{type:"book",id:"10664",title:"Animal Reproduction",subtitle:null,coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/10664.jpg",slug:"animal-reproduction",publishedDate:"May 25th 2022",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"Yusuf Bozkurt and Mustafa Numan Bucak",hash:"2d66af42fb17d0a6556bb9ef28e273c7",volumeInSeries:11,fullTitle:"Animal Reproduction",editors:[{id:"90846",title:"Prof.",name:"Yusuf",middleName:null,surname:"Bozkurt",slug:"yusuf-bozkurt",fullName:"Yusuf Bozkurt",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/90846/images/system/90846.jpg",institutionString:"İskenderun Technical University",institution:{name:"İskenderun Technical University",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Turkey"}}}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{type:"book",id:"8545",title:"Animal Reproduction in Veterinary Medicine",subtitle:null,coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/8545.jpg",slug:"animal-reproduction-in-veterinary-medicine",publishedDate:"January 20th 2021",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"Faruk Aral, Rita Payan-Carreira and Miguel Quaresma",hash:"13aaddf5fdbbc78387e77a7da2388bf6",volumeInSeries:6,fullTitle:"Animal Reproduction in Veterinary Medicine",editors:[{id:"25600",title:"Prof.",name:"Faruk",middleName:null,surname:"Aral",slug:"faruk-aral",fullName:"Faruk Aral",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/25600/images/system/25600.jpg",institutionString:"Independent Researcher",institution:{name:"Harran University",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Turkey"}}}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{type:"book",id:"8460",title:"Reproductive Biology and Technology in Animals",subtitle:null,coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/8460.jpg",slug:"reproductive-biology-and-technology-in-animals",publishedDate:"April 15th 2020",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"Juan Carlos Gardón Poggi and Katy Satué Ambrojo",hash:"32ef5fe73998dd723d308225d756fa1e",volumeInSeries:4,fullTitle:"Reproductive Biology and Technology in Animals",editors:[{id:"251314",title:"Dr.",name:"Juan Carlos",middleName:null,surname:"Gardón",slug:"juan-carlos-gardon",fullName:"Juan Carlos Gardón",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/251314/images/system/251314.jpeg",institutionString:"Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Mártir, Spain",institution:null}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null},{type:"book",id:"7233",title:"New Insights into Theriogenology",subtitle:null,coverURL:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/books/images_new/7233.jpg",slug:"new-insights-into-theriogenology",publishedDate:"December 5th 2018",editedByType:"Edited by",bookSignature:"Rita Payan-Carreira",hash:"74f4147e3fb214dd050e5edd3aaf53bc",volumeInSeries:1,fullTitle:"New Insights into Theriogenology",editors:[{id:"38652",title:"Prof.",name:"Rita",middleName:null,surname:"Payan-Carreira",slug:"rita-payan-carreira",fullName:"Rita Payan-Carreira",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002bRiFPQA0/Profile_Picture_1614601496313",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"University of Évora",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Portugal"}}}],equalEditorOne:null,equalEditorTwo:null,equalEditorThree:null}]},testimonialsList:[{id:"27",text:"The opportunity to work with a prestigious publisher allows for the possibility to collaborate with more research groups interested in animal nutrition, leading to the development of new feeding strategies and food valuation while being more sustainable with the environment, allowing more readers to learn about the subject.",author:{id:"175967",name:"Manuel",surname:"Gonzalez Ronquillo",institutionString:null,profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/175967/images/system/175967.png",slug:"manuel-gonzalez-ronquillo",institution:{id:"6221",name:"Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México",country:{id:null,name:"Mexico"}}}},{id:"18",text:"It was great publishing with IntechOpen, the process was straightforward and I had support all along.",author:{id:"71579",name:"Berend",surname:"Olivier",institutionString:"Utrecht University",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/71579/images/system/71579.png",slug:"berend-olivier",institution:{id:"253",name:"Utrecht University",country:{id:null,name:"Netherlands"}}}},{id:"8",text:"I work with IntechOpen for a number of reasons: their professionalism, their mission in support of Open Access publishing, and the quality of their peer-reviewed publications, but also because they believe in equality.",author:{id:"202192",name:"Catrin",surname:"Rutland",institutionString:null,profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/202192/images/system/202192.png",slug:"catrin-rutland",institution:{id:"134",name:"University of Nottingham",country:{id:null,name:"United Kingdom"}}}}]},submityourwork:{pteSeriesList:[],lsSeriesList:[],hsSeriesList:[],sshSeriesList:[],subseriesList:[{id:"22",title:"Applied Intelligence",scope:"This field is the key in the current industrial revolution (Industry 4.0), where the new models and developments are based on the knowledge generation on applied intelligence. The motor of the society is the industry and the research of this topic has to be empowered in order to increase and improve the quality of our lives.",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/22.jpg",keywords:"Machine Learning, Intelligence Algorithms, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Applications on Applied Intelligence"},{id:"23",title:"Computational Neuroscience",scope:"Computational neuroscience focuses on biologically realistic abstractions and models validated and solved through computational simulations to understand principles for the development, structure, physiology, and ability of the nervous system. This topic is dedicated to biologically plausible descriptions and computational models - at various abstraction levels - of neurons and neural systems. This includes, but is not limited to: single-neuron modeling, sensory processing, motor control, memory, and synaptic plasticity, attention, identification, categorization, discrimination, learning, development, axonal patterning, guidance, neural architecture, behaviors, and dynamics of networks, cognition and the neuroscientific basis of consciousness. Particularly interesting are models of various types of more compound functions and abilities, various and more general fundamental principles (e.g., regarding architecture, organization, learning, development, etc.) found at various spatial and temporal levels.",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/23.jpg",keywords:"Single-Neuron Modeling, Sensory Processing, Motor Control, Memory and Synaptic Pasticity, Attention, Identification, Categorization, Discrimination, Learning, Development, Axonal Patterning and Guidance, Neural Architecture, Behaviours and Dynamics of Networks, Cognition and the Neuroscientific Basis of Consciousness"},{id:"24",title:"Computer Vision",scope:"The scope of this topic is to disseminate the recent advances in the rapidly growing field of computer vision from both the theoretical and practical points of view. Novel computational algorithms for image analysis, scene understanding, biometrics, deep learning and their software or hardware implementations for natural and medical images, robotics, VR/AR, applications are some research directions relevant to this topic.",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/24.jpg",keywords:"Image Analysis, Scene Understanding, Biometrics, Deep Learning, Software Implementation, Hardware Implementation, Natural Images, Medical Images, Robotics, VR/AR"},{id:"25",title:"Evolutionary Computation",scope:"Evolutionary computing is a paradigm that has grown dramatically in recent years. This group of bio-inspired metaheuristics solves multiple optimization problems by applying the metaphor of natural selection. It so far has solved problems such as resource allocation, routing, schedule planning, and engineering design. Moreover, in the field of machine learning, evolutionary computation has carved out a significant niche both in the generation of learning models and in the automatic design and optimization of hyperparameters in deep learning models. This collection aims to include quality volumes on various topics related to evolutionary algorithms and, alternatively, other metaheuristics of interest inspired by nature. For example, some of the issues of interest could be the following: Advances in evolutionary computation (Genetic algorithms, Genetic programming, Bio-inspired metaheuristics, Hybrid metaheuristics, Parallel ECs); Applications of evolutionary algorithms (Machine learning and Data Mining with EAs, Search-Based Software Engineering, Scheduling, and Planning Applications, Smart Transport Applications, Applications to Games, Image Analysis, Signal Processing and Pattern Recognition, Applications to Sustainability).",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/25.jpg",keywords:"Genetic Algorithms, Genetic Programming, Evolutionary Programming, Evolution Strategies, Hybrid Algorithms, Bioinspired Metaheuristics, Ant Colony Optimization, Evolutionary Learning, Hyperparameter Optimization"},{id:"26",title:"Machine Learning and Data Mining",scope:"The scope of machine learning and data mining is immense and is growing every day. It has become a massive part of our daily lives, making predictions based on experience, making this a fascinating area that solves problems that otherwise would not be possible or easy to solve. This topic aims to encompass algorithms that learn from experience (supervised and unsupervised), improve their performance over time and enable machines to make data-driven decisions. It is not limited to any particular applications, but contributions are encouraged from all disciplines.",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/26.jpg",keywords:"Intelligent Systems, Machine Learning, Data Science, Data Mining, Artificial Intelligence"},{id:"27",title:"Multi-Agent Systems",scope:"Multi-agent systems are recognised as a state of the art field in Artificial Intelligence studies, which is popular due to the usefulness in facilitation capabilities to handle real-world problem-solving in a distributed fashion. The area covers many techniques that offer solutions to emerging problems in robotics and enterprise-level software systems. Collaborative intelligence is highly and effectively achieved with multi-agent systems. Areas of application include swarms of robots, flocks of UAVs, collaborative software management. Given the level of technological enhancements, the popularity of machine learning in use has opened a new chapter in multi-agent studies alongside the practical challenges and long-lasting collaboration issues in the field. It has increased the urgency and the need for further studies in this field. We welcome chapters presenting research on the many applications of multi-agent studies including, but not limited to, the following key areas: machine learning for multi-agent systems; modeling swarms robots and flocks of UAVs with multi-agent systems; decision science and multi-agent systems; software engineering for and with multi-agent systems; tools and technologies of multi-agent systems.",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/27.jpg",keywords:"Collaborative Intelligence, Learning, Distributed Control System, Swarm Robotics, Decision Science, Software Engineering"}],annualVolumeBook:{},thematicCollection:[],selectedSeries:{title:"Artificial Intelligence",id:"14"},selectedSubseries:null},seriesLanding:{item:{id:"25",title:"Environmental Sciences",doi:"10.5772/intechopen.100362",issn:"2754-6713",scope:"
\r\n\tScientists have long researched to understand the environment and man’s place in it. The search for this knowledge grows in importance as rapid increases in population and economic development intensify humans’ stresses on ecosystems. Fortunately, rapid increases in multiple scientific areas are advancing our understanding of environmental sciences. Breakthroughs in computing, molecular biology, ecology, and sustainability science are enhancing our ability to utilize environmental sciences to address real-world problems. \r\n\tThe four topics of this book series - Pollution; Environmental Resilience and Management; Ecosystems and Biodiversity; and Water Science - will address important areas of advancement in the environmental sciences. They will represent an excellent initial grouping of published works on these critical topics.
",coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series/covers/25.jpg",latestPublicationDate:"April 13th, 2022",hasOnlineFirst:!1,numberOfOpenTopics:4,numberOfPublishedChapters:9,numberOfPublishedBooks:1,editor:{id:"197485",title:"Dr.",name:"J. Kevin",middleName:null,surname:"Summers",fullName:"J. Kevin Summers",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/197485/images/system/197485.jpg",biography:"J. Kevin Summers is a Senior Research Ecologist at the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Gulf Ecosystem Measurement and Modeling Division. He is currently working with colleagues in the Sustainable and Healthy Communities Program to develop an index of community resilience to natural hazards, an index of human well-being that can be linked to changes in the ecosystem, social and economic services, and a community sustainability tool for communities with populations under 40,000. He leads research efforts for indicator and indices development. Dr. Summers is a systems ecologist and began his career at the EPA in 1989 and has worked in various programs and capacities. This includes leading the National Coastal Assessment in collaboration with the Office of Water which culminated in the award-winning National Coastal Condition Report series (four volumes between 2001 and 2012), and which integrates water quality, sediment quality, habitat, and biological data to assess the ecosystem condition of the United States estuaries. He was acting National Program Director for Ecology for the EPA between 2004 and 2006. He has authored approximately 150 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and reports and has received many awards for technical accomplishments from the EPA and from outside of the agency. Dr. Summers holds a BA in Zoology and Psychology, an MA in Ecology, and Ph.D. in Systems Ecology/Biology.",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Environmental Protection Agency",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"United States of America"}}},subseries:[{id:"38",title:"Pollution",keywords:"Human activity, Pollutants, Reduced risks, Population growth, Waste disposal, Remediation, Clean environment",scope:"
\r\n\tPollution is caused by a wide variety of human activities and occurs in diverse forms, for example biological, chemical, et cetera. In recent years, significant efforts have been made to ensure that the environment is clean, that rigorous rules are implemented, and old laws are updated to reduce the risks towards humans and ecosystems. However, rapid industrialization and the need for more cultivable sources or habitable lands, for an increasing population, as well as fewer alternatives for waste disposal, make the pollution control tasks more challenging. Therefore, this topic will focus on assessing and managing environmental pollution. It will cover various subjects, including risk assessment due to the pollution of ecosystems, transport and fate of pollutants, restoration or remediation of polluted matrices, and efforts towards sustainable solutions to minimize environmental pollution.
",annualVolume:11966,isOpenForSubmission:!0,coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/38.jpg",editor:{id:"110740",title:"Dr.",name:"Ismail M.M.",middleName:null,surname:"Rahman",fullName:"Ismail M.M. Rahman",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/110740/images/2319_n.jpg",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Fukushima University",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Japan"}}},editorTwo:{id:"201020",title:"Dr.",name:"Zinnat Ara",middleName:null,surname:"Begum",fullName:"Zinnat Ara Begum",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/201020/images/system/201020.jpeg",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Fukushima University",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Japan"}}},editorThree:null,editorialBoard:[{id:"252368",title:"Dr.",name:"Meng-Chuan",middleName:null,surname:"Ong",fullName:"Meng-Chuan Ong",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002bRVotQAG/Profile_Picture_2022-05-20T12:04:28.jpg",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Universiti Malaysia Terengganu",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Malaysia"}}},{id:"63465",title:"Prof.",name:"Mohamed Nageeb",middleName:null,surname:"Rashed",fullName:"Mohamed Nageeb Rashed",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/63465/images/system/63465.gif",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Aswan University",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Egypt"}}},{id:"187907",title:"Dr.",name:"Olga",middleName:null,surname:"Anne",fullName:"Olga Anne",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002bSBE5QAO/Profile_Picture_2022-04-07T09:42:13.png",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Klaipeda State University of Applied Sciences",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Lithuania"}}}]},{id:"39",title:"Environmental Resilience and Management",keywords:"Anthropic effects, Overexploitation, Biodiversity loss, Degradation, Inadequate Management, SDGs adequate practices",scope:"
\r\n\tThe environment is subject to severe anthropic effects. Among them are those associated with pollution, resource extraction and overexploitation, loss of biodiversity, soil degradation, disorderly land occupation and planning, and many others. These anthropic effects could potentially be caused by any inadequate management of the environment. However, ecosystems have a resilience that makes them react to disturbances which mitigate the negative effects. It is critical to understand how ecosystems, natural and anthropized, including urban environments, respond to actions that have a negative influence and how they are managed. It is also important to establish when the limits marked by the resilience and the breaking point are achieved and when no return is possible. The main focus for the chapters is to cover the subjects such as understanding how the environment resilience works, the mechanisms involved, and how to manage them in order to improve our interactions with the environment and promote the use of adequate management practices such as those outlined in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
",annualVolume:11967,isOpenForSubmission:!0,coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/39.jpg",editor:{id:"137040",title:"Prof.",name:"Jose",middleName:null,surname:"Navarro-Pedreño",fullName:"Jose Navarro-Pedreño",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002bRAXrQAO/Profile_Picture_2022-03-09T15:50:19.jpg",institutionString:"Miguel Hernández University of Elche, Spain",institution:null},editorTwo:null,editorThree:null,editorialBoard:[{id:"177015",title:"Prof.",name:"Elke Jurandy",middleName:null,surname:"Bran Nogueira Cardoso",fullName:"Elke Jurandy Bran Nogueira Cardoso",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002bRGxzQAG/Profile_Picture_2022-03-25T08:32:33.jpg",institutionString:"Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil",institution:null},{id:"211260",title:"Dr.",name:"Sandra",middleName:null,surname:"Ricart",fullName:"Sandra Ricart",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/211260/images/system/211260.jpeg",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"University of Alicante",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Spain"}}}]},{id:"40",title:"Ecosystems and Biodiversity",keywords:"Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Fauna, Taxonomy, Invasive species, Destruction of habitats, Overexploitation of natural resources, Pollution, Global warming, Conservation of natural spaces, Bioremediation",scope:"
\r\n\tIn general, the harsher the environmental conditions in an ecosystem, the lower the biodiversity. Changes in the environment caused by human activity accelerate the impoverishment of biodiversity.
\r\n
\r\n\tBiodiversity refers to “the variability of living organisms from any source, including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; it includes diversity within each species, between species, and that of ecosystems”.
\r\n
\r\n\tBiodiversity provides food security and constitutes a gene pool for biotechnology, especially in the field of agriculture and medicine, and promotes the development of ecotourism.
\r\n
\r\n\tCurrently, biologists admit that we are witnessing the first phases of the seventh mass extinction caused by human intervention. It is estimated that the current rate of extinction is between a hundred and a thousand times faster than it was when man first appeared. The disappearance of species is caused not only by an accelerated rate of extinction, but also by a decrease in the rate of emergence of new species as human activities degrade the natural environment. The conservation of biological diversity is "a common concern of humanity" and an integral part of the development process. Its objectives are “the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits resulting from the use of genetic resources”.
\r\n
\r\n\tThe following are the main causes of biodiversity loss:
\r\n
\r\n\t• The destruction of natural habitats to expand urban and agricultural areas and to obtain timber, minerals and other natural resources.
\r\n
\r\n\t• The introduction of alien species into a habitat, whether intentionally or unintentionally which has an impact on the fauna and flora of the area, and as a result, they are reduced or become extinct.
\r\n
\r\n\t• Pollution from industrial and agricultural products, which devastate the fauna and flora, especially those in fresh water.
\r\n
\r\n\t• Global warming, which is seen as a threat to biological diversity, and will become increasingly important in the future.
",annualVolume:11968,isOpenForSubmission:!0,coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/40.jpg",editor:{id:"209149",title:"Prof.",name:"Salustiano",middleName:null,surname:"Mato",fullName:"Salustiano Mato",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002bRLREQA4/Profile_Picture_2022-03-31T10:23:50.png",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"University of Vigo",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Spain"}}},editorTwo:{id:"60498",title:"Prof.",name:"Josefina",middleName:null,surname:"Garrido",fullName:"Josefina Garrido",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002bRj1VQAS/Profile_Picture_2022-03-31T10:06:51.jpg",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"University of Vigo",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Spain"}}},editorThree:{id:"464288",title:"Dr.",name:"Francisco",middleName:null,surname:"Ramil",fullName:"Francisco Ramil",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0033Y00003RI7lHQAT/Profile_Picture_2022-03-31T10:15:35.png",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"University of Vigo",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Spain"}}},editorialBoard:[{id:"220987",title:"Dr.",name:"António",middleName:"Onofre",surname:"Soares",fullName:"António Soares",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002bRNtzQAG/Profile_Picture_1644499672340",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"University of the Azores",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Portugal"}}}]},{id:"41",title:"Water Science",keywords:"Water, Water resources, Freshwater, Hydrological processes, Utilization, Protection",scope:"
\r\n\tWater is not only a crucial substance needed for biological life on Earth, but it is also a basic requirement for the existence and development of the human society. Owing to the importance of water to life on Earth, early researchers conducted numerous studies and analyses on the liquid form of water from the perspectives of chemistry, physics, earth science, and biology, and concluded that Earth is a "water polo". Water covers approximately 71% of Earth's surface. However, 97.2% of this water is seawater, 21.5% is icebergs and glaciers, and only 0.65% is freshwater that can be used directly by humans. As a result, the amount of water reserves available for human consumption is limited. The development, utilization, and protection of freshwater resources has become the focus of water science research for the continued improvement of human livelihoods and society.
\r\n
\r\n\tWater exists as solid, liquid, and gas within Earth’s atmosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. Liquid water is used for a variety of purposes besides drinking, including power generation, ecology, landscaping, and shipping. Because water is involved in various environmental hydrological processes as well as numerous aspects of the economy and human society, the study of various phenomena in the hydrosphere, the laws governing their occurrence and development, the relationship between the hydrosphere and other spheres of Earth, and the relationship between water and social development, are all part of water science. Knowledge systems for water science are improving continuously. Water science has become a specialized field concerned with the identification of its physical, chemical, and biological properties. In addition, it reveals the laws of water distribution, movement, and circulation, and proposes methods and tools for water development, utilization, planning, management, and protection. Currently, the field of water science covers research related to topics such as hydrology, water resources and water environment. It also includes research on water related issues such as safety, engineering, economy, law, culture, information, and education.
",annualVolume:11969,isOpenForSubmission:!0,coverUrl:"https://cdn.intechopen.com/series_topics/covers/41.jpg",editor:{id:"349630",title:"Dr.",name:"Yizi",middleName:null,surname:"Shang",fullName:"Yizi Shang",profilePictureURL:"https://mts.intechopen.com/storage/users/349630/images/system/349630.jpg",institutionString:"China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research",institution:{name:"China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"China"}}},editorTwo:null,editorThree:null,editorialBoard:[{id:"216491",title:"Dr.",name:"Charalampos",middleName:null,surname:"Skoulikaris",fullName:"Charalampos Skoulikaris",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002bRMsbQAG/Profile_Picture_2022-04-21T09:31:55.jpg",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Aristotle University of Thessaloniki",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"Greece"}}},{id:"300124",title:"Prof.",name:"Thomas",middleName:null,surname:"Shahady",fullName:"Thomas Shahady",profilePictureURL:"https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/intech-files/0030O00002kuIgmQAE/Profile_Picture_2022-03-18T07:32:10.jpg",institutionString:null,institution:{name:"Lynchburg College",institutionURL:null,country:{name:"United States of America"}}}]}]}},libraryRecommendation:{success:null,errors:{},institutions:[]},route:{name:"profile.detail",path:"/profiles/283190",hash:"",query:{},params:{id:"283190"},fullPath:"/profiles/283190",meta:{},from:{name:null,path:"/",hash:"",query:{},params:{},fullPath:"/",meta:{}}}},function(){var e;(e=document.currentScript||document.scripts[document.scripts.length-1]).parentNode.removeChild(e)}()