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.     

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.     

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.     

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).     

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.     

Remarkable Resistance Change in Plasma Oxidized TiOx/TiNx Film for Memory Application

We report the experimental phenomenon of large resistance change in plasma oxidized TiOx/TiNx film fabricated on W bottom-electrode-contact （W-BEC） array. The W-BEC in diameter 26Ohm is fabricated by a 0.18μm CMOS technology, and the TiOx/TiNx cell array is formed by rf magnetron sputtering and reactive ion etching. In current-voltage （I- V） measurement for current-sweeping mode, large snap-back of voltage is observed, which indicates that the sample changes from high-resistance state （HRS） to low-resistance state （LRS）. In the I-V measurement for voltage-sweeping mode, large current collapse is observed, which indicates that the sample changes from LRS to HRS. The current difference between HRS and LRS is about two orders. The threshold current and voltage for the resistance change is about 5.0- 10^-5 A and 2.5 V, respectively. The pulse voltage can also change the resistance and the pulse time is as shorter as 30 ns for the resistance change. These properties of TiOx/TiNx film are comparable to that of conventional phase-change material, which makes it possible for RRAM application.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Electromechanical Properties of Microcantilever Actuated by Enhanced Piezoelectric PZT Thick Film

Pb(Zr_0.53,Ti_0.47)O₃ (PZT) films with thicknesses of 0.8μm, 2μm and 4μm are prepared by a sol-gel method and their longitudinal piezoelectric coefficients are analysed. The results show that the PZT thick films, whose density is closer to bulk PZT, has the better crystallization, with d₃₃ and density much larger than those of PZT thin films. A piezoelectric microcantilever actuated by a 4-μm-thick PZT film is fabricated and its displacement is measured in different frequencies and voltages. The displacement increases linearly with the increasing bias, and the maximum displacement of 0.544μm is observed at 30kHz for 5V bias. The resonant frequency obtained in the experiment matches quite well with the theoretical result, and it is shown that the resonant frequency of PZT microcantilever could be controlled and predicated.     

Growth of completely (110)-oriented Pt film on Si (100) by using MgO as a buffer by pulsed laser deposition

(110)-textured MgO films were grown on Si (100) with etching and without etching by pulsed laser deposition. The deposited MgO films were shown to be droplets-free. The MgO film was used as a buffer layer to further grow Pt film on Si (100). A completely (110)-oriented Pt film was obtained on such a buffer layer and its surface is very smooth with a roughness of about 7.5 nm over 5×5 μm. This can be used as a new oriented Pt electrode on silicon for devices. Received: 23 January 2001 / Accepted: 27 April 2001 / Published online: 27 June 2001     

Artificial Modulation of Ferroelectric Thin Films into Antiferroelectric through H+ Implantation for High-Density Charge Storage

Hydrogen ions are implanted into Pb（Zro.3Tio.7）03 1014 ions/cm^2. Pseudo-antiferroelectric behaviour in thin films at the energy of 40keV with a flux of 5 x the implanted thin films is observed, as confirmed by the measurements of polarization versus electric hysteresis loops and capacitance versus voltage curves. X-ray diffrac- tion patterns show the film structures before and after H＋ implantation both to be perovskite of a tetragonal symmetry. These findings indicate that hydrogen ions exist as stable dopants within the films. It is believed that the dopants change domain-switching behaviour via the boundary charge compensation. Meanwhile, time dependence of leakage current density after time longer than lOs indicates the enhancement of the leakage cur- rent nearly in one order for the implanted film, but the current at time shorter than i s is mostly the same as that of the original film without the ionic implantation. The artificial tailoring of the antiferroelectric behaviour through H＋ implantation in ferroelectric thin films is finally proven to be achievable for the device application of high-density charge storage.     

Integration of a piezoelectric transformer and an ultrasonic motor

Ultrasonic motors are usually operated at an AC voltage higher than a regular battery. This implies the need of a voltage step-up transformer. In this paper, we report the integration of a piezoelectric transformer (PT) with an ultrasonic motor and a simple drive circuit. The stator of the ultrasonic motor and the PT were operated in the same radial vibration mode. Their dimensions were very close to each other yielding nearly matching resonance frequencies. Consequently, they could be combined together without inductor. The drive circuit was designed by using a 555 timer as an astable multivibrator, and high-speed dual MOSFET drivers as a class D half-bridge switching amplifier. This integrated PT-ultrasonic motor performed reasonably without the use of electromagnetic transformer or inductor.     

Large piezoelectric effects in charged, heterogeneous fluoropolymer electrets

Large piezoelectric d₃₃ coefficients around 600 pC/N are found in corona-charged non-uniform electrets consisting of elastically “soft” (microporous polytetrafluoroethylene PTFE) and “stiff” (perfluorinated cyclobutene PFCB) polymer layers. The piezoelectric activity of the two-layer fluoropolymer stack exceeds the d₃₃ coefficient of the ferroelectric ceramic lead zirconate titanate (PZT) by more than a factor of two and that of the ferroelectric polymer polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) by a factor of 20. Soft piezoelectric materials may become interesting for a large number of sensor and transducer applications, in areas such as security systems, medical diagnostics, and nondestructive testing. Accepted: 9 November 1999 / Published online: 3 December 1999     

Ferroelectricity associated with the metastable phase “III” of AgNO3

The dielectric constant, dc resistance, D-E ferroelectric hysteresis loop and dilatometric analysis of the three phases I, II, and III of AgNO₃ single crystals has been studied over the temperature range 100–200° C. A ferroelectric behaviour of the metastable phase III was detected here for the first time similar to what happened in KNO₃. The ferroelectric is attributed here to Ag⁺-ion vacancy formation in the unit cell of AgNO₃. The energy activating the process of vacancy formation was found to beE _v=2.6 eV. It was found that an ionic shift from one lattice point to another requires an amount of energy to overcome a potential barrierE _m=0.1 eV. A model is suggested to explain such behaviour. Dilatometric analysis indicated that this metastable phase transition III is accompanied by an expansion of the unit cell.     

Nature of potential barrier in (Ca1/4,Cu3/4)TiO3 polycrystalline perovskite

The nonohmic electrical features of (Ca_1/4,Cu_3/4)TiO₃ perovskite ceramics, which have very strong gigantic dielectric is believed originate from potential barriers at the grain boundaries. In the present study, we used the admittance and impedance spectroscopy technique to investigate (Ca_1/4,Cu_3/4)TiO₃ perovskite ceramics with low nonohmic electrical properties. The study was conducted under two different conditions: on as-sintered ceramics and on ceramics thermally treated in an oxygen-rich atmosphere. The results confirm that thermal treatment in oxygen-rich atmospheres influence the nonohmic properties. Annealing at oxygen-rich atmospheres improve the nonohmic behavior and annealing at oxygen-poor atmospheres decrease the nonohmic properties, a behavior already reported for common metal oxide nonohmic devices and here firstly evidenced for the (Ca_1/4,Cu_3/4)TiO₃ perovskite related materials. The results show that oxygen also influences the capacitance values at low frequencies, a behavior that is indicative of the Schottky-type nature of the potential barrier.     

Electrical characteristics of polycrystalline Si layers embedded into high-k Al2O3 gate layers

The electrical characteristics of polycrystalline Si (poly Si) layers embedded into high-k Al₂O₃ (alumina) gate layers are investigated in this work. The capacitance versus voltage (C-V) curves obtained from the metal-alumina-polysilicon-alumina-silicon (MASAS) capacitors exhibit significant threshold voltage shifts, and the width of their hysteresis window is dependent on the range of the voltage sweep. The counterclockwise hysteresis observed in the C-V curves indicates that electrons originating from the p-type Si substrate in the inversion condition are trapped in the floating gate layer consisting of the poly Si layer present between the top and bottom Al₂O₃ layers in the MASAS capacitor. Also, current versus voltage (I-V) measurements are performed to examine the electrical characteristics of the fabricated capacitors. The I-V measurements reveal that our MASAS capacitors show a very low leakage current density, compared to the previously reported results.     

Piezoelectric lattice vibrations at optical frequencies

A relationship is proposed between the piezoelectric coefficient and the dielectric constant (or refractive index) based on classical dispersion theory. Piezoelectric lattice vibrations are associated with ionic polarizations at optical frequencies. This relation is applied to study the piezoelectric lattice vibrations in α-quartz, and agreement is found between the calculated and the measured value of the piezoelectric coefficient. No direct experimental method for measurement of piezoelectric coefficients at optical frequencies exists; however, in terms of the proposed relation, piezoelectric coefficients at optical frequencies can be evaluated from infrared reflection measurements.