Comparison of Properties of Pt/PZT/Pt and Ru/PZT/Pt Ferroelectric Capacitors

Pb（Zr0.4Ti0.6）O3 film prepared by sol-gel spin coating on a Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate is applied to ferroelectric capacitors with Pt or Ru as the top electrode. For the Pt/PZT/Pt and Ru/PZT/Pt ferroelectric capacitors, although with the same ferroelectric film, different top electrode materials incur different properties of PZT capacitors, such as fatigue, leakage, remanent and saturated polarization, except the similar crystal orientations of the PZT film. After 10^10 switch cycles, the remanent polarizations of the Ru/PZT/Pt and Pt/PZT/Pt capacitors decrease to 70% and 84%, respectively. The leakage current density of the latter increases obviously at positive bias after 108 switch cycles, compared with the former. Different materials for the top electrode bring different conditions at the PZT/top electrode interface. The influence of oxygen-vacancy concentration at the PZT/electrode interface and the influence of oxides of the electrode material at the PZT/electrode interface to charge injection can explain the difference of properties of the PZT capacitors with Pt or Ru as the top electrodes.     

Preparation and Ferroelectric Properties of Double-Scale PZT Composite Piezoelectric Thick Film

Dense and crack-free double-scale lead zirconate titanate （Pb（Zr0.52 Ti0.48 ）O3, PZT） composite piezoelectric thick films have been successfully fabricated on Au/Cr/SiO2/Si substrates by a modified sol-gel method. The XRD analysis indicates that the thick film possesses a single-phase perovskite-type structure. The SEM micrograph shows that the surface is crack-free and the cross section is dense and dear. The thickness of the PZT thick film is about 4 μm. It also exhibits good ferroelectric properties, and has high direct current compression resistant properties. At the test frequency of 1 kHz, the film has the coercive field of 50 kV/cm, the saturation polarization of 54μC/cm^2 and the remnant polarization of 30 μC/cm^2.     

Dielectric and Ferroelectric Properties of La-Doped SrBi2Nb2O9 Ceramics

Sr1-xLa2x/3Bi2Nb20O （0 ≤ x ≤0.2） ceramic samples are prepared by the solid-state reaction method. Their structure, dielectric and ferroelectric properties are investigated. The incorporation of La^3＋ improves the den- sification and decreases the grain size of the ceramics without changing the crystal structure. The remanent polarization 2PT increases with increasing La content and reaches a maximum value of 22.8μC/cm^2 at x = 0.125, which is approximately 60% larger than that of pure SrBi2Nb2O9. The Curie temperature keeps almost unchanged at a value of about 440℃. The relationship between doping and the ferroeleetrie and dielectric properties are discussed.     

Preparation and characterization of in-plane polarized PZT piezoelectric diaphragms

The preparation and characterization of in-plane polarized lead zirconate titanate （PZT） piezoelectric diaphragms for sensors and actuators applications are demonstrated in this letter. The single phase PZT films can be obtained on SiO2-passivated silicon substrates via sol-gel technique, in which PbTiO3 （PT） films are used as seed layers. Al reflective layer is deposited and patterned into concentric interdigitated top electrode by lithographic process, subsequently. The diaphragms are released using orientation-dependent wet etching （ODE） method. The size of the diaphragms is 5 mm in diameter and the outer interdigitated （IDT） electrode diameter （4.25 mm） is fixed at 85~ of the diaphragm diameter. The three-dimensional （3D） profiles results indicate that the measured maximum central deflection at 15 V is approximately 9 μm. Sensing measurements show that the capacitance continually decreases with an increase of applied force, while the case of induced charge exhibits a reverse tendency.     

An Enhanced Photoelectric Conversion Efficiency of n-Type Crystalline Silicon p-n Junctions Using a Ferroelectric Passivation Layer

A multilayered structure consisting of ferroelectric Pb（Zr, Ti）Oa （PZT） film is deposited by sputtering on the crystalline silicon p-n junction without any buffer layer. The photovoltaic output of the p-n junction is greatly enhanced due to the usage of In2Oa：Sn（ITO）/PZT as top surface passivation layers. The short circuit current and photoelectric conversion emciency of the p-n junction with ITO/PZT ferroelectric films increase about four and six times, respectively, compared with those without any passivation layers. Improvement in the passivated device is mainly attributed to the builtqn feld at the ITO/PZT interface.     

Ferroelectricity in hexagonal YFeO3 film at room temperature

In this paper we report the leakage current,ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of the YFe O3film with hexagonal structure,which was fabricated on Si(111)substrate by a simple sol-gel method.The leakage current test shows good characteristics as the leakage current density is 5.4×10-6A/cm2under 5 V.The dominant leakage mechanism is found to be an Ohmic behavior at low electric field and space-charge-limited conduction at high electric field region.The P–E measurements show ferroelectric hysteresis loops with small remnant polarization and coercive field at room temperature.The distinct and switchable domain structures on the nanometer scale are observed by piezoresponse force microscopy,which testifies to the ferroelectricity of the YFe O3film further.     

Effects of Substitution of Sm for Bi in BiFeO3 Thin Films Prepared by the Sol-Gel Method

Bi1-xSmxFeO3 films with x= 0, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07 and 0.10 are prepared on LaNiO3/Si（100） substrates by the sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that pure phase films with random orientations are fabricated. The results of SEM indicate that films with denser surfaces are obtained by Sm substitution. At the doping level of x=0.05, remnant polarization Pr increases to 3.19 μC/cm2 from 1.12 μC/cm2 of the un-substituted BiFeO3 film and shows enhanced ferroelectricity at room temperature. Because of the low leakage current density in the high electric field region, a polarization hysteresis loop with remanent polarization of 5.15 μC/cm2 is observed in the 0.10 Sm-substituted BiFeO3 films at the applied electric field of 226 kV/cm. Through the substitution of Sm, the leakage current density is reduced for the films with x= 0.07-0.10.     

Field Emission Properties of Ball-Like Nano-Carbon Thin Films Deposited on Mo Films with Accidented Topography

Ball-like nano-earbon thin films （BNCTs） are grown on Mo layers by microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition （MPCVD） system. The Mo layers are deposited on ceramic substrates by electron beam deposition method and are pretreated by ultrasonically scratching. The optimization effects of ultrasonically scratching pretreatment on the surface micro-structures of carbon films are studied. It is found from field-emission scanning electron microscope （FE-SEM） images and Raman spectra that the surface structures of the carbon films deposited on Mo pretreated are improved, which are composed of highly uniform nano-structured carbon balls with considerable disorder structures. Field emission （FE） measurements are carried out using a diode structure. The experimental results indicate that the BNCTs exhibit good FE properties, which have the turn on field of 1.56 V/μm, and the current density of 1.0mA/cm^2 at electric field of 4.0 V/μm, the uniformly distributed emission site density from a broad well-proportioned emission area of 4 cm^2 are also obtained. Linearity is observed in Fowler Nordheim （F N） plots in higher field region, and the possible emission mechanism of BNCTs is discussed.     

Enhanced electrical properties in bilayered ferroelectric thin films

Sr2Bi4Ti5O18(SBTi) single layered and Sr2Bi4Ti5O18 /Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3(SBTi/PZT) bilayered thin films have been prepared on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrates by pulsed-laser deposition(PLD).The related structural characterizations and electrical properties have been comparatively investigated.X-ray diffraction reveals that both films have crystallized into perovskite phases and scanning electron microscopy shows the sharp interfaces.Both films show well-saturated ferroelectric hysteresis loops,however,compared with the single layered SBTi films,the SBTi/PZT bilayered films have significantly increased remnant polarization(Pr) and decreased coercive field(Ec),with the applied field of 260 kV/cm.The measured Pr and Ec of SBTi and SBTi/PZT films were 7.9 C/cm 2,88.1 kV/cm and 13.0 C/cm 2,51.2 kV/cm,respectively.In addition,both films showed good fatigue-free characteristics,the switchable polarization decreased by 9% and 11% of the initial values after 2.2 10 9 switching cycles for the SBTi single layered films and the SBTi/PZT bilayered films,respectively.Our results may provide some guidelines for further optimization of multilayered ferroelectric thin films.     

Dielectric and ferroelectric properties of Sr_4CaSmTi_3Nb_7O_(30) with tetragonal tungsten bronze structure

Sr4CaSmTi3Nb7O30ceramics are synthesized and indexed as tetragonal tungsten bronze structure. The dielectric behavior and ferroelectric nature are investigated. Three dielectric anomalies are observed. The phase transition is a displacive phase transition with some diffusive characteristics, which indicates possible compositional variations within the materials on the microscopic scale. The weak distortion disappears in cooling process for differential scanning calorimetry measurement, and the large depression of Curie–Weiss temperature T0 indicates the difficulty in forming macroferroelectric domain. The ferroelectric nature in these filled tungsten bronze niobates originates from the off-center displacement of Bsite cations, but they are primarily dominated by A-site cation occupation. Both the radius and the valence of A1-site cations play an important role on ferroelectric properties of the filled tungsten bronze compounds. Existence of spontaneous polarization with a remanent polarization of 0.16 μC/cm2 a coercive field of Ec = 11.74 kV/cm confirms the room-temperature ferroelectric nature of Sr4CaSmTi3Nb7O30 ceramics.     

Magnetic Properties and Magnetoresistance of CdMnS：Au Based Structures Prepared by Co-evaporation

Polycrystalline CdMnS and CdMnS：Au films with hexagonal structure on Si（111） substrates are prepared by co-evaporation, and exhibit ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties, respectively. Under optimized growth conditions, CdMnS：Au samples with an average crystallite size of 90nm and Mn concentration of 5.0at.% are obtained, and an all-semiconductor spin valve device of Co/Au/CdMnS：Au/CdMnS/Pt is fabricated. Electrical measurement of the device reveals the clear dependence of resistance on applied magnetic field, with a relative magnetoresistance of 0.06% and a switching field of 100 Oe at 77K.     

The physics of pyroelectric infrared devices

The absorption of radiation with pyroelectric detectors and the thermal properties of these devices are discussed using a simple physical picture — the physics of waves. Considered are the reflection, transmission and interference of electromagnetic and of thermal waves within the pyroelectric sensor arrangement. In particular, thin metal films, quarter wavelength structures, and anti-reflection coatings on metal films as absorber structures are discussed. The effect of the substrate on the pyroelectric response is treated and new figures of merit are introduced for the comparison of sensor materials which are mounted on a heat sink.     

Surface morphology of DyxOy films grown on Si

The crystalline structure and surface morphology of Dy_xO_y dielectric films grown on Si substrates were studied by grazing incidence diffraction and absorption with use of synchrotron radiation and by atomic force microscopy. The crystalline structure and the roughness of Dy_xO_y films were found to be strongly dependent on the deposition rate. The dielectric-silicon interface depends on the type of gas used in the annealing process. Moreover, results from the near edge X-ray absorption studies, have revealed that none of the examined films has a stoichiometry close to the Dy₂O₃. The level of stoichiometry is determined by the technological conditions. Nevertheless, MOS structures with Dy_xO_y films (EOT ∼ 23 Å) have shown a rather good Dy_xO_y-Si interface properties, which can be further improve by thermal annealing, and introducing of several additives, therefore Dy_xO_y films can be considered as suitable candidates for gate dielectric in MOS devices.     

Etch Damage Evaluation in Integrated Ferroelectric Capacitor Side Wall by Piezoresponse Force Microscopy

The etch damage in integrated ferroelectric capacitors side wall fabricated by the typical integrated process (TIP-FeCAP) and the innovated integrated process (IIP-FeCAP) are investigated by piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). The IIP-FeCAP side wall exhibits fine and clear nanoscale domain images and the same piezoresponse signal as the thin film, and the domains can also be easily switched by an external voltage. In the TIP-FeCAP side wall, owing to the effect of etch damage, the very weak piezoresponse signal and some discrete domains can be observed, and the discrete domains cannot be switched by the applied 9V and -9V dc voltage. The PFM results reflect the etch damage in the integrated ferroelectric capacitors and also suggest that the PFM can be used as an efficacious tools to evaluate the etch damage at nanoscale and spatial variations.     

Finite element modelling of a rotating piezoelectric ultrasonic motor

The evaluation of the performance of ultrasonic motors as a function of input parameters such as the driving frequency, voltage input and pre-load on the rotor is of key importance to their development and is here addressed by means of a finite element three-dimensional model. First the stator is simulated as a fully deformable elastic body and the travelling wave dynamics is accurately reproduced; secondly the interaction through contact between the stator and the rotor is accounted for by assuming that the rotor behaves as a rigid surface. Numerical results for the whole motor are finally compared to available experimental data.     

Theoretical and experimental research on a disk-type non-contact ultrasonic motor

We developed a disk-type non-contact ultrasonic motor based on B22 vibration mode. The rotors of SU-8 photoresist are fabricated by the UV-LIGA process to control their shapes and thicknesses. So the structures of them are optimized by the experiments. It is found that the revolution speed of disk-type non-contact ultrasonic motor not only depends on the vibration amplitude of the stator, but also the weight and construction of the rotors. The maximum revolution speed of the optimal rotor is 3569 rpm at the input voltage of 20 V and the driving frequency of 45.6 kHz. The exciting principle of traveling wave is presented with theoretical equations. The electric signals applied to the piezoelectric ceramic are designed by the principle. The natural frequency and corresponding vibration mode are calculated and analyzed using finite element method. It is shown that experimental results are in good agreement with simulation, which verifies the effectiveness of the finite element model. Moreover, the levitation distance between the stator and rotor is measured by a CCD laser displacement transducer.     

Effects of non-stoichiometric RuO x thin films on the dielectric properties of BaTiO3 thin films

The deconvolution process of X-ray photoemission spectra for O 1s and Ru 3d, X-ray diffraction and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry reveal that the RuO _x films (x = 2.0 – 2.2) deposited at a O₂ partial pressure less than 30% show (110)-oriented grains, whereas the RuO _x films (x = 2.3 – 2.4) deposited at a 40–50% O₂ partial pressure show amorphous and (101)-oriented grains due to the excess O interstitials and RuO₃ or RuO₄. These differences in the crystal phases of RuO _x influence the crystal structure of BaTiO₃ deposited on these RuO _x bottom electrodes, resulting in a higher dielectric constant and a lower dissipation factor for tetragonal BaTiO₃/RuO _x (x = 2.1) than amorphous BaTiO₃/RuO _x (x = 2.4).     

Numerical simulation of blue InGaN light-emitting diodes with polarization-matched AlGaInN electron-blocking layer and barrier layer

The effect of polarization-matched AlGaInN electron-blocking layer and barrier layer on the optical performance of blue InGaN light-emitting diodes is numerically investigated. The polarization-matched AlGaInN electron-blocking layer and barrier layer are employed in an attempt to reduce the polarization effect inside the active region of the light-emitting diodes. The simulation results show that the polarization-matched AlGaInN electron-blocking layer is beneficial for confining the electrons inside the quantum well region. With the use of both polarization-matched AlGaInN electron-blocking layer and barrier layer, the optical performance of blue InGaN light-emitting diodes is greatly improved due to the increased overlap of electron and hole wavefunctions. The method proposed in this paper can also be applied to the light-emitting diodes operating in other spectral range.     

Active phase stabilization in a two-fiber interferometer

We report on the frequency spectrum of phase fluctuations of a two fiber interferometer in a normal laboratory environment. A feedback system in connection with a piezo regulator is used for compensation of the fluctuations. The resulting stability of the compensator has been measured.     

Simulation of Voltage SET Operation in Phase-Change Random Access Memories with Heater Addition and Ring-Type Contactor for Low-Power Consumption by Finite Element Modeling

A three-dimensional finite element model for phase change random access memory is established to simulate electric, thermal and phase state distribution during （SET） operation. The model is applied to simulate the SET behaviors of the heater addition structure （HS） and the ring-type contact in the bottom electrode （RIB） structure. The simulation results indicate that the small bottom electrode contactor （BEC） is beneficial for heat efficiency and reliability in the HS cell, and the bottom electrode contactor with size Fx=80 nm is a good choice for the RIB cell. Also shown is that the appropriate SET pulse time is lOOns for the low power consumption and fast operation.