Model for the amorphous roughening transition in amorphous semiconductor deposition

The evolution of surface roughness on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition exhibits initial smoothening due to nuclei coalescence, a region of surface stability, and finally a prominent roughening transition (designated a → a) at a critical thickness. The thickness at which the a → a transition occurs, as measured by real time spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), is found to correlate closely with the electronic properties of the film. Thus, the transition has been incorporated into deposition phase diagrams that have been applied successfully to optimize solar cell performance and stability. A simple continuum model for the evolution of the 1D surface profile using an initial condition designed to be consistent with the nucleation characteristics measured by real time SE is sufficient for insights into the correlation between the roughness evolution and film properties. Good agreement between the experimental results and model calculations support the concept that optimum electronic properties of the films are associated with weakly reactive surfaces and long lifetime radicals that lead to adsorbed precursors with large surface diffusion lengths.     

Numerical modeling of thermally-stimulated currents for the density-of-states determination in thin-film semiconductors

The paper reports on thermally stimulated conductivity studies used for characterization of the density of states profile in thin film semiconductors, by numerically solving the non-linear time-dependent rate equations for free and trapped charge. We explore the derivation of energy and density scales from temperature and conductivity data. We examine the distinction between ‘strong’ and ‘weak’ re-trapping and the use of low ‘effective’ values of attempt-to-escape frequencies in establishing an energy scale, and the ad hoc inclusion of a temperature-dependent lifetime. It is confirmed for several illustrative model systems that the technique can afford surprisingly good fidelity in recovery of the density of states under a range of conditions.     

Ionic amorphous oxide semiconductors: Material design,carrier transport,and device application

Recently we have reported the room temperature fabrication of transparent and flexible thin film transistors on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film substrate using an ionic amorphous oxide semiconductor (IAOS) in an In₂O₃–ZnO–Ga₂O₃ system. These transistors exhibit a field effect mobility of ∼10 cm² (V s)⁻¹, which is higher by an order of magnitude than those of hydrogenated amorphous Si and pentacene transistors. This article describes a chemical design concept of IAOS, and its unique electron transport properties, and electronic structure, by comparing them with those of conventional amorphous semiconductors. High potential of IAOS for flexible electronics is addressed.     

Optical spectroscopy of a-As2Se3 under in situ laser irradiation

We report the first in situ dynamic measurements of the optical spectrum in the complete visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum to assess the kinetics of photodarkening in chalcogenide glass films. Only through such measurements, we find limitations of the commonly used Swanepoel method for determining the optical characteristics of such films. A negative change in the refractive index of a-As₂Se₃ films is observed at wavelengths longer than the wavelength of the inducing light beam. The observation of transmission spectrum as a function of time indicates that the photodarkening and photoexpansion have different origins.     

Photoprogrammable molecular hybrid materials for write-as-needed optical devices

The application of photosensitive materials to provide immediately configurable optical device functionality in integrated photonic systems has motivated an examination of the unique materials requirements associated with this alternative operational mode. In this case, a reliable photoinduced index change is needed when photopatterning under non-laboratory conditions utilizing compact, integrable optical sources. Molecular hybrid thin films, based on inorganic, Group IVA linear-chain polymers, are investigated in terms of excitation (writing) wavelength tuning through molecular modification and the influence of environmental conditions and thermal history on the photosensitive response observed. In general, a significant photoinduced refractive index change (with magnitude greater than 10⁻² at 632.8 nm) is found to be retained as the lowest energy absorption band (associated with the Group IVA conjugated backbone structure) is shifted with changes in side-group identity and backbone composition. In addition, the photosensitive response of a representative polysilane composition (poly[(methyl)(phenyl)silylene]) is observed to be strongly dependent on the local atmospheric composition during photoexposure, a key issue in the effective in-situ patterning of optical structures.     

Isoelectric focusing sample injection for capillary zone electrophoresis in a fused silica capillary.

An improvement has been made to couple isoelectric focusing (IEF) sample injection and capillary zone electrophoresis in an untreated fused silica capillary. Electroosmotic flow is efficiently prevented by simply using a rubber block at the outlet end of the capillary during IEF sample injection. The experimental conditions that affect the concentration effect are discussed. A concentration enhancement factor of over 100-fold can be easily obtained for two model proteins: lysozyme and ribonuclease A.     

Nonlinear transient analysis of moderately thick laminated composite sector plates

This study presents a simple formulation for the nonlinear dynamic analysis of shear-deformable laminated sector plates made up of cylindrically orthotropic layers. The non-axisymmetric formulation in cylindrical coordinates is discretized in space domain using two-dimensional Chebyshev polynomials. Houbolt time marching is used for temporal discretization. Quadratic extrapolation is used for linearization along with fixed-point iteration for obtaining the results. Several combinations of simply supported, clamped and free edge conditions are considered. Convergence study has been carried out and the results are compared with the results of square plates. Effects of boundary conditions, moduli ratio, lamination scheme, sector angle and annularity on the transient deflection response are plotted graphically. Transient responses are compared for step, saw-tooth and sinusoidal loadings.     

New chiral nitrones as precursors of α,α-disubstituted amino-acids,according to the SRS principle

The preparation of new enantiopure cyclic nitrones based on the 1-oxy-2,3-dihydro-imidazol-4-one ring is described. The addition of arylmagnesium or alkynylzinc reagents to these nitrones can be achieved with total enantio- and diastereoselectivity, leading to α,α-disubstituted amino-acid precursors.     

Two-dimensional dark soliton in the nonlinear Schrödinger equation

Two-dimensional gray solitons to the nonlinear Schrödinger equation are numerically created by two processes to show its robustness. One is transverse instability of a one-dimensional gray soliton, and another is a pair annihilation of a vortex and an antivortex. The two-dimensional dark solitons are anisotropic and propagate in a certain direction. The two-dimensional dark soliton is stable against the head-on collision. The effective mass of the two-dimensional dark soliton is evaluated from the motion in a harmonic potential.