Optical and magneto-optical properties of Co/Pt multilayered films

Both experimental and computer-simulated magneto-optical (MO) and optical spectroscopies of Co/Pt multilayered films (MLF) with a nearly constant Pt sublayer thickness and variable Co sublayer thickness, as well as pure Co and Pt, and Co_0.51Pt_0.49 alloy films, have been performed in the energy range 1.1–4.7 eV. The simulations were achieved by solving the multireflection task for various models of the MLF. The comparison between experimental and computer-simulated optical properties of the Co/Pt MLF allowed us to evaluate the thickness of the interfacial regions with the alloyed components. The diagonal and off-diagonal components of the optical conductivity tensor were calculated not only for the pure Co and Co_0.51Pt_0.49 alloy films, and the whole Co/Pt MLF, but also for the spin-polarized Pt layers in the Co/Pt MLF.     

Physical and electrical characteristics of Ba(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 thin films under oxygen plasma treatment for applications in nonvolatile memory devices

In this study, the effects of oxygen gas plasma treatment on the surface of Ba(Zr_0.1Ti_0.9)O₃ (BZT) films are investigated. The influence of oxygen plasma treatment on the crystal structure is developed by X-ray diffraction patterns and on the electrical characteristics are measured by the Al/BZT/Pt capacitor (metal–dielectric–metal) structure. Experimental results show that the capacitance increases and the leakage current density decreases as the oxygen plasma is treated on the BZT films. These results clearly indicate that the electrical characteristics of BZT films have effectively improved by means of the oxygen plasma surface treatment process. PACS 77.84.-s; 81.15.Cd; 73.40.Qv; 77.22.Ej; 51.50.+v     

Understanding the conduction and switching mechanism of Ti/AlOx/TaOx/Pt analog memristor

In this letter, the conduction and bipolar switching mechanism of the ultrathin AlO_x(3 nm)/TaO_x(5 nm) memristor are investigated through the electrical characterization and elemental analysis. The AlO_x/TaO_x memristor exhibits high uniformity and excellent analog property after initial reset process. The following experiments and analyses demonstrate that the switching behavior could take place over the whole area of TaO_x/Pt interface and is dominated by the tunneling barrier modulation induced by oxygen ions migration.     

Capacitance characteristics of metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors with a single layer of embedded nickel nanoparticles for the application of nonvolatile memory

This paper reports that metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors with a single layer of Ni nanoparticles were successfully fabricated by using electron-beam evaporation and rapid thermal annealing for application to nonvolatile memory. Experimental scanning electron microscopy images showed that Ni nanoparticles of about 5~nm in diameter were clearly embedded in the SiO₂ layer on p-type Si (100). Capacitance--voltage measurements of the MOS capacitor show large flat-band voltage shifts of 1.8~V, which indicate the presence of charge storage in the nickel nanoparticles. In addition, the charge-retention characteristics of MOS capacitors with Ni nanoparticles were investigated by using capacitance--time measurements. The results showed that there was a decay of the capacitance embedded with Ni nanoparticles for an electron charge after 10$^{4}$~s. But only a slight decay of the capacitance originating from hole charging was observed. The present results indicate that this technique is promising for the efficient formation or insertion of metal nanoparticles inside MOS structures.     

Scaling dependence of memory windows and different carrier charging behaviors in Si nanocrystal nonvolatile memory devices

Based on the charge storage mode,it is important to investigate the scaling dependence of memory performance in silicon nanocrystal(Si-NC) nonvolatile memory(NVM) devices for its scaling down limit.In this work,we made eight kinds of test key cells with different gate widths and lengths by 0.13-μm node complementary metal oxide semiconductor(CMOS) technology.It is found that the memory windows of eight kinds of test key cells are almost the same of about1.64 V @ ±7 V/1 ms,which are independent of the gate area,but mainly determined by the average size(12 nm) and areal density(1.8×10~(11)/cm~2) of Si-NCs.The program/erase(P/E) speed characteristics are almost independent of gate widths and lengths.However,the erase speed is faster than the program speed of test key cells,which is due to the different charging behaviors between electrons and holes during the operation processes.Furthermore,the data retention characteristic is also independent of the gate area.Our findings are useful for further scaling down of Si-NC NVM devices to improve the performance and on-chip integration.     

Thermal stability and separation characteristics of anti-sticking layers of Pt/Cr films for the hot slumping technique

The thermal stability and separation characteristics of anti-sticking layers of Pt/Cr films are studied in this paper. Several types of adhesion layers were investigated: 10.0 nm Pt, 1.5 nm Cr + 50.0 nm Pt, 2.5 nm Cr+ 50.0 nm Pt and 3.5 nm Cr + 50.0 nm Pt fabricated using direct current magnetron sputtering. The variation of layer thickness, roughness, crystallization and surface topography of Pt/Cr films were analyzed by grazing incidence X-ray reflectometry, large angle X-ray diffraction and optical profiler before and after heating. 2.5 nm Cr + 50.0 nm Pt film exhibits the best thermal stability and separation characteristics according to the heating and hot slumping experiments. The film was also applied as an anti-sticking layer to optimize the maximum temperature of the hot slumping technique.     

重复频率纳秒脉冲聚四氟乙烯薄膜击穿特性

实验研究了聚四氟乙烯薄膜在重复频率纳秒脉冲下的击穿特性,选用脉冲上升时间约15 ns,脉宽30~40 ns,重复频率1~1 000 Hz。测量并计算了击穿前后的电压电流波形、重复频率耐受时间和施加脉冲个数与击穿特性密切相关的参数。结果表明,重复频率纳秒脉冲下聚四氟乙烯薄膜击穿场强为MV/cm量级,重复频率耐受时间随施加场强和重复频率的增大而减小。薄膜本身性质及油浸时间使实验数据具有分散性,重复频率纳秒脉冲下聚四氟乙烯薄膜击穿应考虑重复频率条件下的热积累效应和材料缺陷。     

重复频率纳秒脉冲聚四氟乙烯薄膜击穿特性

实验研究了聚四氟乙烯薄膜在重复频率纳秒脉冲下的击穿特性,选用脉冲上升时间约15 ns,脉宽30~40 ns,重复频率1~1 000 Hz。测量并计算了击穿前后的电压电流波形、重复频率耐受时间和施加脉冲个数与击穿特性密切相关的参数。结果表明,重复频率纳秒脉冲下聚四氟乙烯薄膜击穿场强为MV/cm量级,重复频率耐受时间随施加场强和重复频率的增大而减小。薄膜本身性质及油浸时间使实验数据具有分散性,重复频率纳秒脉冲下聚四氟乙烯薄膜击穿应考虑重复频率条件下的热积累效应和材料缺陷。     

溶胶凝胶制备氧化钒薄膜的生长机理及光电特性

采用溶胶凝胶法, 在不同的退火温度下制备了不同的氧化钒薄膜. 利用扫描电子显微镜、X射线衍射仪、高阻仪、紫外-可见分光光度计和傅里叶红外光谱仪等, 对薄膜的形貌、晶态、电学和光学特性进行了分析. 结果表明, 溶胶凝胶法获取V₂O₅薄膜的最佳退火温度为430 ℃, 低于此温度不利于使有机溶剂充分分解, 高于此温度则V–O键发生裂解、形成更多的低价态氧化钒. 本文制备的氧化钒薄膜具有较高的电阻温度系数和光吸收率, 适合应用在非制冷红外探测器中. 本文揭示了溶胶凝胶法制备氧化钒薄膜的生长机理. 关键词： 氧化钒薄膜 溶胶凝胶 光电特性 生长机理     

Surface characteristics and antistatic mechanism of plasma-treated acrylic fibers

Acrylic fibers are treated by nitrogen glow-discharge plasma to promote surface antistatic properties. The treated surfaces are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), specific surface area analysis (BET) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Plasma treatment is found to increase the surface roughness, to modify the nature and density of surface functionalities, and to drastically improve the wettability and antistatic ability of acrylic fibers.     

Temperature and frequency dependence of the ferroelectric characteristics of BaTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> thin films for nonvolatile memory applications

Ferroelectric thin films of BaTiO₃ were successfully deposited on SiO₂/Si substrate under the optimal rf magnetron sputtering conditions, and their electrical and ferroelectric characteristics were discussed. The memory window, capacitance, threshold voltage and leakage current density of MFIS structure under different frequencies and temperatures were also reported. The variations of ferroelectric capacitance and threshold voltage would be attributed to the as-deposited BaTiO₃ films of MFIS structure as the temperature and frequency increased. Besides, the memory window, threshold voltage and leakage current density would be degraded from 4 V, 5 V and 8×10^-10 A/cm² to 2.5 V, 10 V and 5×10^-4 A/cm², respectively, as the temperature increased from 25 to 90 °C. PACS 77.84.-s; 81.15.Cd; 73.40.Qv; 51.50.+v; 67.80.Gb     

Effect of preparation conditions on the microstructural characteristics and optical properties of oxidized zinc films

Thin films of zinc (Zn) were deposited onto glass substrates (maintained at room temperature) by thermal evaporation under vacuum. The metallic zinc films were submitted to thermal oxidation in air at 670 K and 770 K, respectively, for 5–90 min, in order to obtain zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the ZnO thin films were polycrystalline and had a wurtzite (hexagonal) structure. The morphology of the prepared ZnO thin films was investigated using atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Transmission spectra were recorded in the spectral domain from 300 nm to 1400 nm. The optical energy bandgap calculated from the absorption spectra (supposing allowed direct transitions) was in the range 3.05–3.30 eV.     

Subthreshold swing characteristics of nanowire tunneling FETs with variation in gate coverage and channel diameter

In this study, we demonstrate the simulated subthreshold swing (SS) of silicon nanowire tunneling field-effect transistors (NWTFETs) by varying both the channel diameter from 10 nm to 40 nm and the gate coverage ratio from 30% to 100%. Our simulation work reveals that both a decrease in the channel diameter and an increase in the gate coverage ratio contribute to a reduction in the SS. Additionally, our work shows that the magnitude of the on-current depends linearly on the gate coverage ratio and that the drain current increases with a decrease in the channel diameter. Thus, an NWTFET with a channel diameter of 10 nm and a gate coverage ratio of 100% exhibits superior electrical characteristics over other silicon NWTFETs in that the NWTFET shows a point SS of 22.7 mV/dec, an average SS of 56.3 mV/dec, an on/off current ratio of ∼10¹³, and an on-current of ∼10⁻⁵ A/μm.     

Nanoscale observations of the operational failure for phase-change-type nonvolatile memory devices using Ge2Sb2Te5 chalcogenide thin films

In this study, a phase-change memory device was fabricated and the origin of device failure mode was examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ (GST) was used as the active phase-change material in the memory device and the active pore size was designed to be 0.5 m. After the programming signals of more than 2×10⁶ cycles were repeatedly applied to the device, the high-resistance memory state (reset) could not be rewritten and the cell resistance was fixed at the low-resistance state (set). Based on TEM and EDS studies, Sb excess and Ge deficiency in the device operating region had a strong effect on device reliability, especially under endurance-demanding conditions. An abnormal segregation and oxidation of Ge also was observed in the region between the device operating and inactive peripheral regions. To guarantee an data endurability of more than 1×10¹⁰ cycles of PRAM, it is very important to develop phase-change materials with more stable compositions and to reduce the current required for programming.     

Experimental investigation on dynamic characteristics and strengthening mechanism of laser-induced cavitation bubbles

The dynamic features of nanosecond laser-induced cavitation bubbles near the light alloy boundary were investigated with the high-speed photography. The shock-waves and the dynamic characteristics of the cavitation bubbles generated by the laser were detected using the hydrophone. The dynamic features and strengthening mechanism of cavitation bubbles were studied. The strengthening mechanisms of cavitation bubble were discussed when the relative distance parameter γ was within the range of 0.5–2.5. It showed that the strengthening mechanisms caused by liquid jet or shock-waves depended on γ much. The research results provided a new strengthening method based on laser-induced cavitation shotless peening (CSP).     

Preparation of p-type CdS thin films and in situ dark conductivity in vacuum deposited CdS:Cu films

CdS:Cu thin films were prepared using a vacuum co-evaporation technique. The Hall measurements indicate that the conductivity characteristic of CdS thin films transformed from highly compensated in as-grown or weakly annealed materials to p-type conductive in strongly annealed materials. X-ray diffraction spectra show that as-deposited thin films were the hexagonal phase of CdS except the presence of copper for high Cu doping and the diffraction peaks of Cu disappeared after annealing. From the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy we found the ionization of Cu atoms and the formation of an acceptor level. In situ dark conductivity in vacuum as-deposited CdS:Cu was performed in the temperature range between 27 and 250 °C. An abnormal temperature dependence of conductivity was observed in medium and heavily Cu-doped films. The formation of a p-type material at a certain temperature was also studied by the hot probe measurements, which indicates a complex compensation process in the Cu-doped CdS films.     

Comparison of the effect of PLT and PZT buffer layers on PZT thin films for ferroelectric materials applications

In order to study the effect of different buffer layers on the Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃ (PZT) thin films, 10-nm thick (Pb_0.72La_0.28)Ti_0.93O₃ (PLT) and Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃ buffer layers have been deposited on the Pt(1 1 1)/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition, respectively. The top buffer layers were also deposited on PZT thin films with the same thickness of the seed layers in order to enhance the fatigue characteristics of PZT thin films. We compared the results of dielectric constant, hysteresis loops and fatigue resistance characteristics. It was found that the dielectric properties of PZT thin films with PLT buffer layers were improved by comparing with PZT thin films with PZT buffer layers. The polarization characteristics of PZT thin films with PLT buffer layers were observed to be superior to those of PZT thin films using PZT buffer layers. The remanent polarization of PZT thin films showed 36.3 μC/cm² and 2.6 μC/cm² each in the case of use PLT and PZT buffer layers. For the switching polarization endurance analysis, PZT thin films with PLT buffer layers showed more excellent result than that of PZT thin films with PZT buffer layers.     

Analytical model of electron transport characteristics for 4H-SiC material and devices

Based on 4H-SiC material parameters, three different analytical expressions are used to characterize the electron mobility as the function of electric field. The first model is based on simple saturation of the steady-state drift velocity with electric field (conventional three-parameter model for silicon). The second GaAs-based mobility model partially reflects the peak velocity in high electric fields. The third multi-parameter model proposed in this paper is more realistic since it well reproduces the drift velocity－field characteristics obtained by Monte Carlo calculations, revealing the peak drift velocity with subsequent saturation at higher electric fields. Thus, the drift velocity model presented in this paper is much better for device simulation. In this paper, the influence of mobility model on DC characteristics of 4H-SiC MESFET is calculated and the better accordance with the experimental results is presented with multi-parameter model.     

Thermal induced changes of lead zirconium titanate films and their consequences for liquid crystal devices applications

Thin films of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) were obtained by a modified sol–gel route on float glass and indium tin oxide (ITO)-covered float glass substrates. Different thermal treatments were performed on the deposited films in the temperature range 100–700°C. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to investigate the optical properties of the deposited films, and the changing optical absorption spectra were interpreted in terms of the growth of two different crystal phases, pyrochlore and ferroelectric perovskite, as a function of annealing temperature. Moreover, a specific resonance at 1.9 nm was detected when thin PZT films are deposited on ITO substrates and was attributed to a particular charge distribution at the interface. Finally, the performance in rectifying the electro-optical response of asymmetric nematic liquid crystal cells was tested for some of the films undergoing different thermal treatments.