Influence of deposition temperature on the crystallinity of Al-doped ZnO thin films at glass substrates prepared by RF magnetron sputtering method

Al-doped ZnO (AZO) transparent conducting films were successfully prepared on glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering method under different substrate temperatures. The microstructural, electrical and optical properties of AZO films were investigated in a wide temperature range from room temperature up to 350 °C by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), Hall measurement, and UV–visible meter. The nature of AZO films is polycrystalline thin films with hexagonal wurtzite structure and a preferred orientation along c-axis. The crystallinity and surface morphologies of the films are strongly dependent on the growth temperature, which in turn exerts a great effect on microstructural, electrical and optical properties of the AZO films. The atomic arrangement of AZO film having an wurtzite structure was indeed identified by the HRTEM as well as the Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED). The defect density of AZO film was investigated by HRTEM. The film deposited at 100 °C exhibited the relatively well crystallinity and the lowest resistivity of 3.6 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm. The average transmission of AZO films in the visible range is all over 85%. More importantly, the low-resistance and high-transmittance AZO film was also prepared at a low temperature of 100 °C.     

A CASTEP study on magnetic properties of C-doped ZnO crystal

The CASTEP calculations based on the density function theory (DFT) have been carried out in studying magnetic properties of C-doped ZnO crystal. The long-range ferromagnetism (FM) can be attributed to coupling between C energy levels. We also investigate effects of oxygen vacancies and nitrogen impurities on FM properties. It is obvious that oxygen vacancies are unfavorable to stabilize the FM. However, nitrogen impurities can enhance FM coupling, which indicates that hole-carriers play a crucial role in the observed FM behavior. In addition, we also analyze strain effect on FM of C-doped ZnO.     

Dual energy time reversed elastic wave propagation and nonlinear signal processing for localisation and depth-profiling of near-surface defects: a simulation study

Nonlinear Elastic Wave Spectroscopy (NEWS) relies on the activation of defects by wave energy that propagates through the medium. In general, the response of activated defects will not scale linearly with the excitation amplitude, and the resulting nonlinear signatures can be identified and used for quality inspection. The efficiency of NEWS based inspection methods is therefore intrinsically linked to the locally deposited activation energy at the defect zone and the ability to generate nonlinear signatures that exceed the noise level of acquisition. Time Reversal techniques allow focusing of high levels of energy in small areas, and are consequently very useful for the local activation of defected zones. In this report, numerical simulations are reported showing the potential of a combination consisting of dual energy reciprocal Time Reversal and nonlinearity filtering using the Scaling Subtraction Method. The method is applied to the detection of planar near-surface defects parallel to the surface in a 2D domain. The results are evaluated for sweep excitation at different frequency ranges; for point-like receiver as well as extended transducers, and for in-plane as well as out-of-plane focusing. The observable nonlinear response at the surface is linked to an effective nonlinearity within the medium based on the defect geometry and the distribution of the local stresses.     

Estimation of the protonic concentration and mobility in Ba(Zr0.81Yb0.15Zn0.04)O3−δ ceramic

Rare earth doped BaZrO₃ is one of most promising proton conducting oxides as it has high proton conductivity and sound chemical stability. Sintering aids such as ZnO, however, should be incorporated in order to improve poor sinterability. In this study, the effects of adding ZnO on proton conductivity of Yb-doped BaZrO₃ (BZYb) were investigated. From the electrical conductivities measured under various water vapor pressures, concentration and mobility of the proton were obtained. Proton mobility of BZYb with ZnO (BZYb-Zn) was smaller than that of BZYb while hydration enthalpy of BZYb-Zn was more negative than that of BZYb.     

Chemomechanical properties and microstructural stability of nanocrystalline Pr-doped ceria: An in situ X-ray diffraction investigation

The chemomechanical properties and microstructural stability of nanocrystalline Pr_xCe_1 − xO_2 − δ solid solutions are studied as a function of temperature by in situ X-ray diffraction measurements under oxidizing conditions at P(O₂) ~ 200 mbar. The chemical expansion coefficient of nanocrystalline powder specimens, operative at intermediate temperatures during which Pr⁴⁺ is reduced to Pr³⁺, is found to be similar to that obtained for coarse-grained Pr_xCe_1 − xO_2 − δ. This is contrary to reports regarding variation of physical and chemical properties with crystallite size. The thermal expansion coefficient, measured under conditions for which Pr_xCe_1 − xO_2 − δ is highly oxygen deficient, was found to be greater than that measured for fully oxidized Pr_xCe_1 − xO_2 − δ, with potential sources of these changes discussed. Moreover, the microstructure of nanocrystalline Pr_xCe_1 − xO_2 − δ is observed to have excellent stability at working temperatures below 800 °C, enabled by the inherent microstrain in the structure, highlighting the potential application of this material for solid state electrochemical devices.     

Far infrared Faraday rotation effect in one-dimensional microcavity type magnetic photonic crystals

The far infrared transmittances and Faraday rotation effect in one-dimensional photonic crystals that contain magnetic microcavities are calculated with the transfer matrix method. The different stacking sequences of dielectric layers in the magnetic photonic crystal are considered in this paper, and the linewidths of transmission peaks and localised light of the photonic crystals are discussed. The enhancement of Faraday rotation is presented in the magnetic photonic crystals, and the largest rotation angle at the frequency of the transmission peak is 29 °mm⁻¹, which is larger than previous results.     

Searching for robust quantum memories in many coupled oscillators

The relation between microscopic symmetries in the system-environment interaction and the emergence of robust states is studied for many linearly coupled harmonic oscillators. Different types of symmetry, which are introduced into the model as terms in the coupling constants between each system?s oscillator and a common reservoir, lead to distinct robust modes. Since these modes are partially or completely immune to the symmetric part of the environmental noise, they are good candidates for building quantum memories. A comparison of the model investigated here, with bilinear system-reservoir coupling, and a model where such coupling presents an exponential dependence on the variables of interest is performed.     

Mechanism of light emission in low energy ion implanted silicon

A silicon wafer implanted with a single low energy (42 keV) silicon ion beam results in strong luminescence at room temperature. The implantation results in the formation of various luminescent defect centers within the crystalline and polymorphous regions of the wafer. The resulting luminescence centers (LC) are mapped using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). The emission from the ion-implanted wafer shows multiple PL peaks ranging from the UV to the visible; these emissions originate from bound excitonic states in crystal defects and interfacial states between crystalline/amorphous silicon and impurities within the wafer. The LCs are created from defects and impurities within the wafer and not from nanoparticles.