Synthesis and electrical characterization of tungsten oxide nanowires

Tungsten oxide nanowires of diameters ranging from 7 to 200~nm are prepared on a tungsten rod substrate by using the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method with vapour--solid (VS) mechanism. Tin powders are used to control oxygen concentration in the furnace, thereby assisting the growth of the tungsten oxide nanowires. The grown tungsten oxide nanowires are determined to be of crystalline W₁₈O₄₉. I--V curves are measured by an \textit{in situ} transmission electron microscope (TEM) to investigate the electrical properties of the nanowires. All of the I--V curves observed are symmetric, which reveals that the tungsten oxide nanowires are semiconducting. Quantitative analyses of the experimental I--V curves by using a metal--semiconductor--metal (MSM) model give some intrinsic parameters of the tungsten oxide nanowires, such as the carrier concentration, the carrier mobility and the conductivity.     

The leakage current mechanisms in the Schottky diode with a thin Al layer insertion between Al0.245Ga0.755N/GaN heterostructure and Ni/Au Schottky contact

This paper investigates the behaviour of the reverse-bias leakage current of the Schottky diode with a thin Al inserting layer inserted between Al0.245Ga0.755 N/GaN heterostructure and Ni/Au Schottky contact in the temperature range of 25-350°C. It compares with the Schottky diode without Aluminium inserting layer. The experimental results show that in the Schottky diode with Al layer the minimum point of I-V curve drifts to the minus voltage, and with the increase of temperature increasing, the minimum point of I-V curve returns the 0 point. The temperature dependence of gate-leakage currents in the novelty diode and the traditional diode are studied. The results show that the Al inserting layer introduces interface states between metal and Al0.245Ga0.755N. Aluminium reacted with oxygen formed Al2O3 insulator layer which suppresses the trap tunnelling current and the trend of thermionic field emission current. The reliability of the diode at the high temperature is improved by inserting a thin Al layer.     

Electrical transport in La1−x Ca x MnO3 thin films at low temperatures

We report here the low-temperature resistivity of the chemical solution deposited La_1−x Ca _x MnO₃ (x=0.2, 0.3 and 0.33) thin films on LaAlO₃ substrates. The films were post-annealed in atmosphere at 850°C. The low temperature resistivity data has been studied in order to understand the nature of low-temperature conduction processes. The data showed T ² dependence from 60 K to 120 K consistent with the single magnon scattering process. The deviation from this quadratic temperature dependence at low temperatures is attributed to the collapse of the minority spin band. The two-magnon and electron-phonon processes contribute to scattering of carriers in the temperature range above 120 K.     

Giant magnetocaloric effect in the Gd5Ge2.025Si1.925In0.05 compound

The magnetocaloric properties of the Gd 5 Ge 2.025 Si 1.925 In 0.05 compound have been studied by x-ray diffraction,magnetic and heat capacity measurements.Powder x-ray diffraction measurement shows that the compound has a dominant phase of monoclinic Gd5Ge2Si2-type structure and a small quantity of Gd 5(Ge,Si) 3-type phase at room temperature.At about 270 K,this compound shows a first order phase transition.The isothermal magnetic entropy change(△SM) is calculated from the temperature and magnetic field dependences of the magnetization and the temperature dependence of MCE in terms of adiabatic temperature change(△Tad) is calculated from the isothermal magnetic entropy change and the temperature variation in zero-field heat-capacity data.The maximum S M is 13.6 J·kg-1·K-1 and maximum △Tad is 13 K for the magnetic field change of 0-5 T.The Debye temperature(θD) of this compound is 149 K and the value of DOS at the Fermi level is 1.6 states/eV·atom from the low temperature zero-field heat-capacity data.A considerable isothermal magnetic entropy change and adiabatic temperature change under a field change of 0-5 T jointly make the Gd5Ge2.025Si1.925 In 0.05 compound an attractive candidate for a magnetic refrigerant.     

High-temperature current conduction through three kinds of Schottky diodes

Fundamentals of the Schottky contacts and the high-temperature current conduction through three kinds of Schottky diodes are studied. N-Si Schottky diodes, GaN Schottky diodes and AlGaN/GaN Schottky diodes are investigated by I--V--T measurements ranging from 300 to 523~K. For these Schottky diodes, a rise in temperature is accompanied with an increase in barrier height and a reduction in ideality factor. Mechanisms are suggested, including thermionic emission, field emission, trap-assisted tunnelling and so on. The most remarkable finding in the present paper is that these three kinds of Schottky diodes are revealed to have different behaviours of high-temperature reverse currents. For the n-Si Schottky diode, a rise in temperature is accompanied by an increase in reverse current. The reverse current of the GaN Schottky diode decreases first and then increases with rising temperature. The AlGaN/GaN Schottky diode has a trend opposite to that of the GaN Schottky diode, and the dominant mechanisms are the effects of the piezoelectric polarization field and variation of two-dimensional electron gas charge density.     

Effect of cobalt on the magnetoresistance characteristics of rare-earth doped manganites

The effect of cobalt-doping on the magnetic, transport and magnetoresistance characteristics of La_1-xSr_xMnO₃ was investigated. The results show that the magnetoelectric property of rare-earth doped manganites is greatly affected by substitution of Co for Mn sites. The Curie temperature as well as the magnetic moment decreases with the increase of doping concentration, and the samples exhibit obvious characteristics of the spin glass state. Moreover, the magnetoresistance is evidently modulated by doping concentration, and the relevant temperature dependence is also suppressed. In addition, low-temperature magnetoresistance is significantly promoted as doping concentration increases, which renders a value of approximately 50% in the temperature range of 5--200~K and varies within 12.5%. It can be attributed to the effect of spin scattering, induced by cobalt doping, on the itinerant electrons of Mn ions, thus introducing a spin-disorder region into the ferromagnetic region of double-exchange interaction between neighbouring Mn³⁺ and Mn ³⁺ ions.     

Thermopower of Al1−x Six solid solutions in vicinity of lattice instability

The thermopower coefficient as a function of temperature, S(T), has been measured in nonequilibrium superconductors, such as Al_1−x Six substitutional solid solutions and Al-Si alloys on various decay stages. When aluminum is substituted with silicon, the contribution to the thermopower due to phonon-drag effects, which are dominant in pure aluminum at low temperatures, is suppressed, and low-temperature anomalies in S(T) detected in compositions near lattice instability limit are determined by the diffusion component of the thermopower. The low-temperature anomalies in the thermopower and the notable increase in the coefficient in front of the linear term in S(T) are attributed to effects of thermopower renormalization due to the electron-phonon interaction enhancement with “soft modes” in the face-centered cubic (FCC) lattice of Al_1−x Six solid solutions. The nature of these anomalies in S(T) is analyzed in terms of the Kaiser and Reizer-Sergeev models. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 339–351 (January 1998)     

Temperature-dependent far-infrared properties of Bi12GeO20 single crystal

Far-infrared reflectivity spectra of bismuth germanium oxide (Bi12GeO20) single crystals are measured from room temperature down to 10 K. All the reflectivity spectra are fitted to a complex dielectric function ε(ω) in the factorised form. Phonon modes at low frequency are found to develop upon decreasing temperature and gain considerable spectrum weight below 150 K. The temperature-dependent static dielectric constants are obtained from the Lyddane-Sachs-Teller relation based on the obtained oscillator parameters. The dielectric constants are found to increase upon decreasing temperature, which is attributed to the charge transfer among the ions in the unit cell with the temperature varying.     

Evolution of three-shell onion-like and core-shell structures in （AgCo）201 bimetallic clusters

<正>This paper studies the structural evolution of（AgCo）₂₀₁ clusters with different Co concentrations under various temperature conditions by using molecular dynamics with the embedded atom method.The most stable position for Co atoms in the cluster is the subsurface layer at low temperature(lower than 200 K for the Ag₂₀₀Co₁ cluster).The position changes to the core layer with the increase of temperature,but there is an energy barrier in the middle layer. This makes the Ag-Co cluster form an Ag-Co-Ag three-shell onion-like configuration.When the temperature is high enough[higher than 800 K for（AgCo）₂₀₁ clusters with 50%Co],Co atoms can obtain enough energy to overcome the energy barrier and the cluster forms an Ag-Co core-shell configuration.Amorphization for the onion-like and core-shell clusters is induced by the large lattice misfit at Ag-Co interfaces.The structural evolution in the Ag-Co cluster is related to the release of excess energy.     

Synthesis, structure and antiferromagnetic behaviour of brannerite MnV2O6

Brannerite MnV 2 O 6 with plate-like shape is successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method.Its crystal structure and morphology are investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD),scanning electron microscopy (SEM),transmission electron microscope (TEM),high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and select area electronic diffraction (SAED).The results show that the brannerite MnV 2 O 6 with monoclinic structure has a uniform plate-like shape with a diameter of about 5-8 μm and a thickness of about 500 nm.SAED patterns further confirm the structure of the brannerite MnV 2 O 6 and the single crystalline character of the plate crystal.Magnetic properties are measured by superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) in a temperature range of 2-300 K under a magnetic field of 1 T.The magnetic measurement results indicate that the material undergoes an antiferromagnetic transition with a N’eel temperature of 17 K.Above 50 K,the inverse susceptibility is fitted well to the Curie-Weiss law with a calculated moment of 5.98 μ B.Finally,the origin of antiferromagnetic behaviour in the brannerite MnV 2 O 6 is explained by means of Anderson model.     

Structure and luminescence of Ca2Si5N8：Eu^2＋ phosphor for warm white light-emitting diodes

We have synthesized Ca 2 Si 5 N 8:Eu 2+ phosphor through a solid-state reaction and investigated its structural and luminescent properties.Our Rietveld refinement of the crystal structure of Ca 1.9 Eu 0.1 Si 5 N 8 reveals that Eu atoms substituting for Ca atoms occupy two crystallographic positions.Between 10 K and 300 K,Ca 2 Si 5 N 8:Eu 2+ phosphor shows a broad red emission band centred at ～1.97 eV-2.01 eV.The gravity centre of the excitation band is located at 3.0 eV-3.31 eV.The centroid shift of the 5d levels of Eu 2+ is determined to be ～1.17 eV,and the red-shift of the lowest absorption band to be ～ 0.54 eV due to the crystal field splitting.We have analysed the temperature dependence of PL by using a configuration coordinate model.The Huang-Rhys parameter S=6.0,the phonon energy ν=52 meV,and the Stokes shift S=0.57 eV are obtained.The emission intensity maximum occurring at ～200 K can be explained by a trapping effect.Both photoluminescence (PL) emission intensity and decay time decrease with temperature increasing beyond 200 K due to the non-radiative process.     

Thermal annealing behaviour of Al/Ni/Au multilayer on n-GaN Schottky contacts

Recently GaN-based high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) have revealed the superior properties of a high breakdown field and high electron saturation velocity. Reduction of the gate leakage current is one of the key issues to be solved for their further improvement. This paper reports that an Al layer as thin as 3 nm was inserted between the conventional Ni/Au Schottky contact and n-GaN epilayers, and the Schottky behaviour of Al/Ni/Au contact was investigated under various annealing conditions by current--voltage (I--V) measurements. A non-linear fitting method was used to extract the contact parameters from the I--V characteristic curves. Experimental results indicate that reduction of the gate leakage current by as much as four orders of magnitude was successfully recorded by thermal annealing. And high quality Schottky contact with a barrier height of 0.875 eV and the lowest reverse-bias leakage current, respectively, can be obtained under 12 min annealing at 450°C in N₂ ambience.     

Enhancement of ferromagnetism in polycrystalline Si0.965Mn0.035:B films by boron plasma treatment

This paper reports that the polycrystalline Si0.965Mn0.035:B films have been prepared by cosputtering deposition followed by rapid thermal annealing for crystallization. The polycrystalline thin films consist of two ferromagnetic phases. The low temperature ferromagnetic phase with Curie temperature (Tc) of about 50 K is due to the Mn4Si7 phase in the films, while the high temperature one (Tc～250 K) is resulted from the incorporation of Mn into silicon. The films are treated by boron plasma excited with the approach of microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition for 40 minutes. After plasma treatment, it is observed that no extra magnetic phases or magnetic complexes exist in the films, while both the high temperature saturation magnetization and the hole concentration in the films increase. The obvious correlation between the magnetic properties and the electrical properties of the polycrystalline Si0.965Mn0.035:B films suggests that the hole carriers play an important role in Si:Mn diluted magnetic semiconductors.     

Equilibrium melting temperature as a result of induction time measurements: Isotactic polypropylene

A method for the determination of equilibrium melting temperature from induction time measurements is suggested. Theory of the induction time, t _i (most probable period from the beginning of isothermal crystallization to the instant when a stable crystal nucleus starts growing) involves parameters that influence the nucleation-crystallization process, such as specific interfacial free-energy parameter, specific surface energies of a growing nucleus, enthalpy of crystal melting, diffusion activation energy, undercooling and the equilibrium melting temperature, T_m°. An extrapolation method exploiting the aspect of the induction time that it increases to infinity, that is, 1/t _i decreases to zero at the equilibrium melting temperature, cannot be used to calculate the equilibrium melting temperature. High- or low-temperature approximations of the basic equation yield some simplifications that make it possible to find its parameters via the best fit of the equation with experimental data. This procedure can yield also the value of the equilibrium melting temperature if the measured data are sufficiently precise. Applying that procedure to crystallization data of isotactic polypropylene, we obtained the values of the equilibrium melting temperatures 199.5°C (high-temperature approximation) and 212.7°C (low-temperature approximation). A more detailed discussion of the procedure suggests that from both these reasonable values, the higher one is more justified. This result agrees well with higher T_m° data reported in the literature.     

Single crystal growth and characterizations of iron arsenide superconductor BaFe2-xNixAs2（0.0≤x≤0.12）

A series of big single crystals of BaFeFe_2-xNi_xAs₂ have been prepared by the FeAs self-flux method, with nominal nickel doping x = 0--0.12. The dimensions of the cleaved crystals are over 10~mm along ab plane and ～ 2~mm in maximum along the c direction. The measurements of x-ray diffraction, electrical resistance and magnetic property are carried out on the crystals. For the undoped parent compound BaFe₂As₂, both resistance and magnetization data display an anomaly associated with spin density wave and/or structural phase transition, with the transition temperatures at ～ 138~K. For Ni-doped BaFe_2-xNi_xAs₂ crystals, the superconducting critical temperature T_c ranges from 4.3~K for x=0.06 sample to 20~K for the optimally doped x=0.10 crystal.     

Electron spin resonance investigation of the substitution of Fe3^＋ for Ti4^＋ ions in rutile TiO2 single crystal

A Fe doped rutile TiO 2 single crystal is grown in an O 2 atmosphere by the floating zone technique.Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra clearly demonstrate that Fe 3+ ions are substituted for the Ti 4+ ions in the rutile TiO 2 matrix.Magnetization measurements reveal that the Fe:TiO 2 crystal shows paramagnetic behaviour in a temperature range from 5 K to 350 K.The Fe 3+ ions possess weak magnetic anisotropy with an easy axis along the c axis.The annealed Fe:TiO 2 crystal shows spin-glass-like behaviours due to the aggregation of the ferromagnetic clusters.     

Analysis of equation of state and thermodynamic functions for trans-decahydronaphthalene up to 200~MPa and 446~K

This paper develops a modified Tait equation of state(EOS) for trans-decahydronaphthalene with four parameters A,B,V0 and P0 being treated as linear functions of temperature.The coefficients contained in these functions are determined through fitting the experimental compression data in the literature between 293 K and 446 K and at pressures from 10 to 200 MPa.Expressions for the thermal expansivity,isothermal compressibility and thermodynamic quantities are deduced and the numerical results are analytically derived.The numerical results show that the precision of the modified Tait EOS developed in this paper is superior to the EOS in the literature.     

环己烷在射流搅拌反应器中的低温氧化动力学初探:实验和动力学模型研究

We report the investigation on the low-temperature oxidation of cyclohexane in a jet-stirred reactor over 500-742 K. Synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry (SVUV-PIMS) was used for identifying and quantifying the oxidation species. Major products, cyclic olefins, and oxygenated products including reactive hydroperoxides and high oxygen compounds were detected. Compared with n-alkanes, a narrow low-temperature window (~80 K) was observed in the low-temperature oxidation of cyclohexane. Besides, a kinetic model for cyclohexane oxidation was developed based on the CNRS model[Combust. Flame 160, 2319 (2013)], which can better capture the experimental results than previous models. Based on the modeling analysis, the 1,5-H shift dominates the crucial isomerization steps of the first and second O₂ addition products in the low-temperature chain branching process of cyclohexane. The negative temperature coefficient behavior of cyclohexane oxidation results from the reduced chain branching due to the competition from chain inhibition and propagation reactions, i.e. the reaction between cyclohexyl radical and O₂ and the decomposition of cyclohexylperoxy radical, both producing cyclohexene and HO₂ radical, as well as the decomposition of cyclohexylhydroperoxy radical producing hex-5-en-1-al and OH radical.     

Pressure-induced phase transition in silicon nitride material

The equilibrium crystal structures,lattice parameters,elastic constants,and elastic moduli of the polymorphs α-,β-,and γ-Si3N4,have been calculated by first-principles method.β-Si3N4 is ductile in nature and has an ionic bonding.γSi3N4 is found to be a brittle material and has covalent chemical bonds,especially at high pressures.The phase boundary of the β→γ transition is obtained and a positive slope is found.This indicates that at higher temperatures it requires higher pressures to synthesize γ-Si3N4.On the other hand,the α→γ phase boundary can be described as P = 14.37198+ 3.27 × 10?3T-7.83911 × 10?7T2-3.13552 × 10?10T3.The phase transition from α-to γ-Si3N4 occurs at 16.1 GPa and 1700 K.Then,the dependencies of bulk modulus,heat capacity,and thermal expansion on the pressure P are obtained in the ranges of 0 GPa-30 GPa and 0 K-2000 K.Significant features in these properties are observed at high temperatures.It turns out that the thermal expansion of γ-Si3N4 is larger than that of α-Si3N4 over wide pressure and temperature ranges.The evolutions of the heat capacity with temperature for the Si3N4 polymorphs are close to each other,which are important for possible applications of Si3N4.     

Influence of impurities on the low-temperature deformation of nanocrystalline copper

The influence of ZrO₂ particles on the low-temperature deformation of nanocrystalline copper produced by strong plastic deformation is investigated using equichannel angular pressing. A comparison is made between the deformation characteristics in tension and compression in the temperature range 4.2–400 K, measured for copper and the composite Cu:0.3 vol. % ZrO₂. It is shown that within 4.2–200 K the yield point σ _sm of the composite is higher than that for copper, attaining 680 MPa at 4.2 K, then the yield points are close in value up to room temperature, and diverge again as the temperature is raised. Possible causes of the dissimilar influence of an impurity on the strength and plasticity characteristics of nanocrystalline copper in various temperature intervals are discussed. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1639–1641 (September 1998)