Controllable synthesis of ultrathin vanadium oxide nanobelts via an EDTA-mediated hydrothermal process

Ultrathin VO_2 nanobelts with rough alignment features are prepared on the induction layer-coated substrates by an ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid(EDTA)-mediated hydrothermal process. EDTA acts as a chelating reagent and capping agent to facilitate the one-dimensional(1D) preferential growth of ultrathin VO_2 nanobelts with high crystallinities and good uniformities. The annealed induction layer and concentration of EDTA are found to play crucial roles in the formation of aligned and ultrathin nanobelts. Variation in EDTA concentration can change the VO_2 morphology of ultrathin nanobelts into that of thick nanoplates. Mild annealing of ultrathin VO_2 nanobelts at 350℃ in air results in the formation of V_2O_5 nanobelts with a nearly unchanged ultrathin structure. The nucleation and growth mechanism involved in the formations of nanobelts and nanoplates are proposed. The ethanol gas sensing properties of the V_2O_5 nanobelt networks-based sensor are investigated in a temperature range from 100℃ to 300℃ over ethanol concentrations ranging from 3 ppm to 500 ppm.The results indicate that the V_2O_5 nanobelt network sensor exhibits high sensitivity, good reversibility, and fast responserecovery characteristics with an optimal working temperature of 250℃.     

Device topological thermal management of β-Ga_2O_3 Schottky barrier diodes

The ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor β gallium oxide(β-Ga_2 O_3) gives promise to low conduction loss and high power for electronic devices. However, due to the natural poor thermal conductivity of β-Ga_2 O_3, their power devices suffer from serious self-heating effect. To overcome this problem, we emphasize on the effect of device structure on peak temperature in β-Ga_2 O_3 Schottky barrier diodes(SBDs) using TCAD simulation and experiment. The SBD topologies including crystal orientation of β-Ga_2 O_3, work function of Schottky metal, anode area, and thickness, were simulated in TCAD, showing that the thickness of β-Ga_2 O_3 plays a key role in reducing the peak temperature of diodes. Hence, we fabricated β-Ga_2 O_3 SBDs with three different thickness epitaxial layers and five different thickness substrates. The surface temperature of the diodes was measured using an infrared thermal imaging camera. The experimental results are consistent with the simulation results. Thus, our results provide a new thermal management strategy for high power β-Ga_2 O_3 diode.     

Study on Synthesis and Gas Sensitivity of SnO2 Nanobelts

Tin dioxide （SnO2 ） nanobelts have been successfully synthesized in bulk quantity by the CVD process based on the thermal evaporation of tin powders. The x-ray diffraction analysis indicates that the nanobelts are the tetragonal futile structure of SnO2. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observations reveal that the nanobelts are uniform. The selected-area electron diffraction analysis demonstrates that the nanobelts are single crystals. The energy dispersive x-ray analysis of the nanobelt shows that the nanobelts are composed of Sn and O, Gas-sensing components have been manufactured with prepared SnO2 nanobelts. Their performance indicates that SnO2 nanobelts have high sensitivity and selectivity to liquefied petroleum gas with fairly good response-recovery characteristic and stability at 220℃.     

Investigation of β-Ga_2O_3 films and β-Ga_2O_3/GaN heterostructures grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition

In this work,(-201) β-Ga_2O_3 films are grown on GaN substrate by metal organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD). It is revealed that the β-Ga_2O_3 film grown on GaN possesses superior crystal quality, material homogeneity and surface morphology than the results of common heteroepitaxial β-Ga_2O_3 film based on sapphire substrate. Further, the relevance between the crystal quality of epitaxial β-Ga_2O_3 film and the β-Ga_2O_3/GaN interface behavior is investigated. Transmission electron microscopy result indicates that the interface atom refactoring phenomenon is beneficial to relieve the mismatch strain and improve the crystal quality of subsequent β-Ga_2O_3 film. Moreover, the energy band structure of β-Ga_2O_3/GaN heterostructure grown by MOCVD is investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and a large conduction band offset of 0.89 eV is obtained. The results in this work not only convincingly demonstrate the advantages of β-Ga_2O_3 films grown on GaN substrate, but also show the great application potential of MOCVD β-Ga_2O_3/GaN heterostructures in microelectronic applications.     

Gold Nanobelt Reorientation by Molecular Dynamics Simulation

The embedded atom method is used to study the structure stability of gold nanobelt. The Au nanobelts have a rectangular cross-section with （100） orientation along the x^-,γ- and z-axes. Free surfaces are used along the x- and y-directions, and periodic boundary condition is used along z-direction. The simulation is performed at different temperatures and cross-section sizes. Our results show that the structure stability of the Au nanobelts depends on the nanobelt size, initial orientation, boundary conditions and temperature. A critical temperature exists for Au nanobelts to transform from initial （100） nanobelt to final （110） nanobelt. The mechanism of the reorientation is the slip and spread of dislocation through the nanobelt under compressive stress caused by tensile surface-stress components.     

Synthesis and characterization of β-Ga_2O_3@GaN nanowires

In this work, we prepared the β-Ga_2O_3@GaN nanowires(NWs) by oxidizing GaN NWs. High-quality hexagonal wurtzite GaN NWs were achieved and the conversion from GaN to β-Ga_2O_3 was confirmed by x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The effect of the oxidation temperature and time on the oxidation degree of GaN NWs was investigated systematically. The oxidation rate of GaN NWs was estimated at different temperatures.     

Electronic structures and optical properties of Si-and Sn-doped β-Ga_2O_3: A GGA+U study

The electronic structures and optical properties of β-Ga_2O_3 and Si-and Sn-doped β-Ga_2O_3 are studied using the GGA + U method based on density functional theory. The calculated bandgap and Ga 3d-state peak of β-Ga_2O_3 are in good agreement with experimental results. Si-and Sn-doped β-Ga_2O_3 tend to form under O-poor conditions, and the formation energy of Si-doped β-Ga_2O_3 is larger than that of Sn-doped β-Ga_2O_3 because of the large bond length variation between Ga–O and Si–O. Si-and Sn-doped β-Ga_2O_3 have wider optical gaps than β-Ga_2O_3, due to the Burstein–Moss effect and the bandgap renormalization effect. Si-doped β-Ga_2O_3 shows better electron conductivity and a higher optical absorption edge than Sn-doped β-Ga_2O_3, so Si is more suitable as a dopant of n-type β-Ga_2O_3, which can be applied in deep-UV photoelectric devices.     

Study on the nitridation of β-Ga_2O_3 films

Single-crystal GaN layers have been obtained by nitriding β-Ga_2O_3 films in NH_3 atmosphere. The effect of the temperature and time on the nitridation and conversion of Ga_2O_3 films have been investigated. The nitridation process results in lots of holes in the surface of films. The higher nitridation temperature and longer time can promote the nitridation and improve the crystal quality of GaN films. The converted Ga N porous films show the single-crystal structures and lowstress, which can be used as templates for the epitaxial growth of high-quality GaN.     

Influence of Oxygen Pressure on Structural and Sensing Properties of β-Ga2O3 Nanomaterial by Thermal Evaporation

We prepare the gallium oxide （β-Ga2O3） nanomaterials from gallium and oxygen by thermal evaporation in the argon atmosphere and research their oxygen sensing under UV illumination with different oxygen pressures. X-ray diffraction reveals that the synthesized product is monoclinic gallium oxide, it is further confirmed by electron diffraction of transmission electron microscope, and its morphology through the observation using scanning electron microscope reveals thatβ-Ga2O3 nanobelts with a breadth less than lOOnm and length of severai micrometers are synthesized under low oxygen pressure, while the nano/microbelts are synthesized under high oxygen pressure. Room-temperature oxygen sensing is tested under at 254 nm illumination and it is found that the current decreases quickly first and then slowly with oxygen pressure from low to high.     

Growth of β-Ga_2O_3 Films on Sapphire by Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy

Two-inch Ga_2O_3 films with(ˉ201)-orientation are grown on c-sapphire at 850–1050°C by hydride vapor phase epitaxy. High-resolution x-ray diffraction shows that pure β-Ga_2O_3 with a smooth surface has a higher crystal quality, and the Raman spectra reveal a very small residual strain in β-Ga_2O_3 grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy compared with bulk single crystal. The optical transmittance is higher than 80% in the visible and near-UV regions, and the optical bandgap energy is calculated to be 4.9 e V.     

Influence of annealing treatment on the luminescent properties of Ta:β-Ga_2O_3 single crystal

Ta~(5+)doped β-Ga_2O_3 single crystals were grown by using the optical floating zone method, and then annealed in the air and nitrogen gas at 1400℃ for 20 hours.The transmittance spectra, photoluminescence(PL), x-ray irradiation spectra, and PL decay profiles of the samples were measured at room temperature.The relevant results show that the optical transmittance of the samples annealed in the air or nitrogen gas was improved.By drawing the(ahv)~2–hv graph,it can be seen that the band gap decreased after being annealed in the air, but increased in nitrogen gas.The PL spectra and x-ray irradiation spectra show that the luminescent intensity of the sample annealed in the air increased substantially,while decreased for the sample annealed in nitrogen.The PL decay time of the Ta:β-Ga_2O_3 annealed in the air increased significantly compared with that of the Ta:β-Ga_2O_3 sample without annealing, but the tendency after annealing in nitrogen gas was opposite.     

Degradation of β-Ga_2O_3 Schottky barrier diode under swift heavy ion irradiation

The electrical characteristics and microstructures of β-Ga_2 O_3 Schottky barrier diode(SBD) devices irradiated with swift heavy ions(2096 Me V Ta ions) have been studied. It was found that β-Ga_2 O_3 SBD devices showed the reliability degradation after irradiation, including turn-on voltage Von, on-resistance Ron, ideality factor n, and the reverse leakage current density Jr. In addition, the carrier concentration of the drift layer was decreased significantly and the calculated carrier removal rates were 5 × 10~6–1.3 × 10~7 cm~(-1). Latent tracks induced by swift heavy ions were observed visually in the whole β-Ga_2 O_3 matrix. Furthermore, crystal structure of tracks was amorphized completely. The latent tracks induced by Ta ions bombardments were found to be the reason for the decrease in carrier mobility and carrier concentration. Eventually,these defects caused the degradation of electrical characteristics of the devices. In terms of the carrier removal rates, theβ-Ga_2 O_3 SBD devices were more sensitive to swift heavy ions irradiation than Si C and Ga N devices.     

Characterization of vertical Au/β-Ga_2O_3 single-crystal Schottky photodiodes with MBE-grown high-resistivity epitaxial layer

High-resistivity β-Ga_2O_3 thin films were grown on Si-doped n-type conductive β-Ga_2O_3 single crystals by molecular beam epitaxy(MBE).Vertical-type Schottky diodes were fabricated,and the electrical properties of the Schottky diodes were studied in this letter.The ideality factor and the series resistance of the Schottky diodes were estimated to be about1.4 and 4.6×10~6 Ω.The ionized donor concentration and the spreading voltage in the Schottky diodes region are about4×10~(18)cm~(-3) and 7.6 V,respectively.The ultra-violet(UV) photo-sensitivity of the Schottky diodes was demonstrated by a low-pressure mercury lamp illumination.A photoresponsivity of 1.8 A/W and an external quantum efficiency of8.7 ×10~2%were observed at forward bias voltage of 3.8 V,the proper driving voltage of read-out integrated circuit for UV camera.The gain of the Schottky diode was attributed to the existence of a potential barrier in the i-n junction between the MBE-grown highly resistive β-Ga_2O_3 thin films and the n-type conductive β-Ga_2O_3 single-crystal substrate.     

High-responsivity solar-blind photodetector based on MOCVD-grown Si-doped β-Ga_2O_3 thin film

Si-doped β-Ga_2O_3 films are fabricated through metal-organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD). Solar-blind ultraviolet(UV) photodetector(PD) based on the films is fabricated by standard photolithography, and the photodetection properties are investigated. The results show that the photocurrent increases to 11.2 m A under 200 μW·cm-2254 nm illumination and ±20 V bias, leading to photo-responsivity as high as 788 A·W~(-1). The Si-doped β-Ga_2O_3-based PD is promised to perform solar-blind photodetection with high performance.     

Single crystalline boron carbide nanobelts: synthesis and characterization

This paper reports that the large-scale single crystalline boron carbide nanobelts have been fabricated through a simple carbothermal reduction method with B/B2O3/C/Fe powder as precursors at 1100℃. Transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction characterizations show that the boron carbide nanobelt has a B4C rhomb-centred hexagonal structure with good crystallization. Electron energy loss spectroscopy analysis indicates that the nanobelt contains only B and C, and the atomic ratio of B to C is close to 4：1. High resolution transmission electron microscopy results show that the preferential growth direction of the nanobelt is [101]. A possible growth mechanism is also discussed.     

Determination of activation energy of ion-implanted deuterium release from W–Y_2O_3

The retention and release of deuterium in W–2%Y_2O_3 composite materials and commercially pure tungsten after they have been implanted by deuterium plasma(flux ～ 3.71 × 10~(21) D/m~2·s, energy ～ 25 eV, and fluence up to 1.3 × 10~(26)D/m~2)are studied. The results show that the total amount of deuterium released from W–2%Y_2O_3 is 5.23 × 10~(20) D/m~2(2.5 K/min),about 2.5 times higher than that from the pure tungsten. Thermal desorption spectra(TDS) at different heating rates(2.5 K/min–20 K/min) reveal that both W and W–2%Y_2O_3 have two main deuterium trapped sites. For the low temperature trap, the deuterium desorption activation energy is 0.85 eV(grain boundary) in W, while for high temperature trap, the desorption activation energy is 1.57 eV(vacancy) in W and 1.73 eV(vacancy) in W–2%Y_2O_3.     

Structures of surface—and bulk—dispersion phases of NiO／Al2O3

The structural features of surface-disperison and bulk-dispersion states of NiO on/in γ-Al2O3 have been studied by x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) in combination with x-ray diffraction(XRD) and XPS.The results obtained from XRD and XAFS show that surface and buld dispersions of Ni^2 ions need different conditions and have different diffraction features and different corrdination structures.In both the surace-dispersion phase and the solid solution,Ni^2 ions seem to prefer to keep the coordination mode in NiO,which is quite different from that in the stoichioetric spinel.The Ni/Ai intensity ratios of XPS at different etching depths of samples have a maximum and the distribution of Ni^2 ions in the solid solution is not homogeneous.Both it and the coordination features provide evidence of the transition process of dispersing from surface to bulk.Copyright 2001 John Wiley and Sons,Ltd.     

High Ferroelectricities and High Curie Temperature of BiInO3PbTiO3Thin Films Deposited by RF Magnetron Sputtering Method

Properties of ferroelectric xBiInO_3-(1-x)PbTiO_3(xBI-(1-x)PT) thin films deposited on(101) SrRuO_3/(200)Pt/(200) MgO substrates by rf magnetron sputtering method and effects of deposition conditions are investigated.The structures of the xBI-(1-x)PT films are characterized by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.The results indicate that the thin films are grown with mainly(001) orientation. The chemical compositions of the films are analyzed by scanning electron probe and the results indicate that the loss phenomena of Pb and Bi elements depend on the pressure and temperature during the sputtering process.The sputtering parameters including target composition, substrate temperature, and gas pressure are adjusted to obtain optimum sputtering conditions. To decrease leakage currents,2 mol% La_2 O_3 is doped in the targets. The P-E hysteresis loops show that the optimized xBI-(1-x)PT(x = 0.24) film has high ferroelectricities with remnant polarization2 P_r = 80μC/cm~2 and coercive electric field 2 E_C = 300 kV/cm. The Curie temperature is about 640℃. The results show that the films have optimum performance and will have wide applications.     

Copper Nanobelt Reorientation by Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Atomic simulations using embedded atom method （EAM） are performed for Cu （100） nanobelts to study the structural and mechanical behaviour. Cu （100） nanobelts are along[001] taken as the z-axis and have a rectangular cross section in the x - y plane, with [100] and [010] taken as x and y axes. The periodic boundary is used along the z-axis to simulate an infinitely long nanobelt, and other surfaces are free. The simulations are carried out under the mechanical loading with an elongation strain rate of 8.0×10^8 s^-1 along the z-axis. The results show that the nanobelt undergoes a transition from the initial structure with a （100） axis and {100} lateral surfaces to a new structure with the （112） as the z-axis and the lateral surfaces are {111} and {110} respectively, instead of the original {100} surfaces. The mechanism of the structural transition is ascribed to the dislocation propagation through the nanobelt under the external stresses.     

Structural and Photoluminescence Properties of β-Ga2O3 Nanofibres Fabricated by Electrospinning Method

We have prepared the 13-Ga2 O3 nanofibres by electrospinning method followed by calcining in air at 900℃. The morphology and structure of the nanofibres are characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy （FE-SEM）, x-ray diffraction （XRD） and Raman technique. These nanofibres have diameters ranging from 60 to 130hm and lengths up to several millimetres. Photoluminescence （PL） spectrum under excitation at 325 nm shows that theseβ-Ga2 O3 nanofibres have a blue emission peaking at 466nm, which may be attributed to defects such as the oxygen vacancies, gallium vacancies and gallium-oxygen vacancy pairs.