Identifying local discontinuities in semiconductors

It is shown that use of the envelope of the analytical signal constructed by the remote probing of semiconducting media makes it possible to identify small local discontinuities during the imaging of those materials in the presence of intensive masking reflections from the interfaces between layers of the given medium. This approach also prevents the images of the discontinuities from being segmented by resonant scattering. Results are presented from practical use of the method to find small low-contrast objects near the semiconductor-air interface and to spatially localize objects that leave a resonance trace. Siberian Physico-Technical Institute at Tomsk University. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 4, pp. 97–101, April, 1998.     

Preventing numerical errors generated by interface-capturing schemes in compressible multi-material flows

In the present work, errors generated in computations of compressible multi-material flows using shock-capturing schemes are examined, specifically pressure oscillations (when the specific heats ratio is variable), but also temperature spikes and species conservation errors. These numerical errors are generated at material discontinuities due to an inconsistent treatment of the convective terms. Though temperature errors are irrelevant to solutions to the Euler equations, it is shown that they have the potential to lead to problems when physical diffusion is included, i.e., for the Navier–Stokes equations. These errors are studied analytically and numerically by considering the one-dimensional advection of isolated material discontinuities. A methodology preventing such errors for weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) schemes is presented, in which modified WENO weights are used to solve the transport equation for mass fraction in conservative form to prevent temperature and species conservation errors. Pressure errors are prevented by solving an additional transport equation for a given function of the ratio of specific heats. Several multi-dimensional problems with various discontinuities (shocks, material interfaces and contact discontinuities), including the single-mode Richtmyer–Meshkov instability, and turbulence are considered to test the method.     

Present and future role of synchrotron radiation in heterojunction research

We describe the recent contributions made by synchrotron-radiation photoemission spectroscopy in the area of semiconductor-semiconductor interfaces. We discuss in particular the advances made in understanding the band lineups and the consequent band discontinuities. We also analyze the likely developments of this research in the near future, and in particular the crucial question of interface dipoles.     

High-order discontinuous Galerkin schemes on general 2D manifolds applied to the shallow water equations

An innovating approach is proposed to solve vectorial conservation laws on curved manifolds using the discontinuous Galerkin method. This new approach combines the advantages of the usual approaches described in the literature. The vectorial fields are expressed in a unit non-orthogonal local tangent basis derived from the polynomial mapping of curvilinear triangle elements, while the convective flux functions are written is the usual 3D Cartesian coordinate system. The number of vectorial components is therefore minimum and the tangency constraint is naturally ensured, while the method remains robust and general since not relying on a particular parametrization of the manifold. The discontinuous Galerkin method is particularly well suited for this approach since there is no continuity requirement between elements for the tangent basis definition. The possible discontinuities of this basis are then taken into account in the Riemann solver on inter-element interfaces.     

非晶硅界面缓冲层对非晶硅锗电池性能的影响

针对非晶硅锗电池本征层高锗含量时界面带隙失配以及高界面缺陷密度造成电池开路电压和填充因子下降的问题,通过在PI界面插入具有合适带隙的非晶硅缓冲层,不仅有效缓和了带隙失配,降低界面复合,同时也通过降低界面缺陷密度改善内建电场分布,从而提高了电池的收集效率. 进一步引入IN界面缓冲层以及对非晶硅锗本征层进行能带梯度设计,在仅采用Al背电极时,单结非晶硅锗电池转换效率达8.72%. 关键词： 非晶硅缓冲层 非晶硅锗薄膜太阳电池 带隙 界面     

Decay of initial nonlinear Alfvén wave discontinuities in a collisionless plasma

A system of Whitham equations for the derivative nonlinear Schrödinger equation in the Riemann form was used to analyze possible types of decay of discontinuities which accompany the overturning of the simplest quasilongitudinal nonlinear Alfvén wave. A whole class of structures is found which are formed when the discontinuities decay into two simple collisionless shock waves without forming a plateau between them. Different types of decay of the initial discontinuities are considered for cases when the overturning of the Alfvén wave is modulationally stable.Checheno—Ingushk State University. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 7, pp. 110–117, July, 1994.     

Si/ZnS极性界面能带偏移的同步辐射光电子能谱研究

用同步辐射光电子能谱测量了Si/ZnS（111）及（100）异质结的价带偏移ΔE_v．对于Si/ZnS（111）及（100）两界面，ΔE_v的实验结果均为（1.9±0.1）eV，与已有理论预期值相当符合，但与Maierhofer所报告的ZnS/Si（111）异质结测量结果之间则存在明显差别．该实验结果表明对于Si/ZnS极性界面，互逆性规则（commutativity rule）可能不成立，就此进行了讨论． 关键词：     

Optical and microwave analysis of mushroom-type waveguides for traveling wave electroabsorption modulators based on asymmetric intra-step-barrier coupled double strained quantum wells by full-vectorial method

The finite difference method is exploited for a full-vectorial analysis of mushroom-type waveguides for traveling wave electroabsorption modulators (TWEAM) based on asymmetric intra-step-barrier coupled double strained quantum wells (AICD-SQW). In this analysis, the discontinuities of the normal components of the electric field across abrupt dielectric interfaces which are known as the limitations of scalar and semivectorial approximation methods are considered. The optical field distributions in mushroom-type TWEAM based on AICD-SQW and conventional ridge-type TWEAM of the same active region for 1.55 μm operation are presented. The important parameters in the high-frequency TWEAM design such as optical effective index which defines optical velocity and transverse mode confinement factor are calculated. Then, the transmission line microwave properties (microwave index, microwave loss, and characteristic impedance) of TWEAMs are obtained. The modulation response of mushroom-type TWEAM is calculated using circuit model by considering interaction between microwave and optical fields in waveguide and compared with conventional ridge-type TWEAM. It is found that increasing the width of p-cladding layer with the same i-layer to reduce the resistance in p-i-n mushroom-type waveguide of TWEAM based on AICD-SQW can improve the microwave propagation loss and thus the high-speed electro-optical response.     

Binding energies of wannier excitons in GaAs-Ga1−xAlxAs quantum well structures

Binding energies of Wannier excitons in a quantum well structure consisting of a single slab of GaAs sandwiched between two semi-infinite slabs of Ga_1?xAl_xAs are calculated using a variational approach. Due to reduction in symmetry along the axis of growth of these quantum well structures and the presence of band discontinuities at the interfaces, the degeneracy of the valence band of GaAs is removed leading to two exciton systems, namely, the heavy hole exciton and the light hole exciton. The variations of the binding energies of these two excitons as a function of the size of the GaAs quantum wells for various values of the heights of the potential barrier are calculated and their behavior is discussed.     

The extended finite element method for two-phase and free-surface flows: A systematic study

In immiscible two-phase flows, jumps or kinks are present in the velocity and pressure fields across the interfaces of the two fluids. The extended finite element method (XFEM) is able to reproduce such discontinuities within elements. Robust and accurate interface capturing schemes with no restrictions on the interface topology are thereby enabled. This paper investigates different enrichment schemes and time-integration schemes within the XFEM. Test cases with and without surface tension on moving or stationary meshes are studied and compared to interface tracking results when possible. A particularly useful setting is extracted which is recommended for two-phase flows. An extension of this formulation for the simulation of free-surface flows and of floating objects is proposed.     

Delamination and damage studies of composite materials using phase-shifting interferometry

Composite materials offer a unique advantage over conventional engineering materials in that structural properties can be tailored to suit specific applications. However, the inherent anisotropy and the discrete layer-by-layer fabrication method of composite materials lead to mechanical behavior and failure characteristics that are quite different from those of homogeneous materials. Consequently, failure modes such as delamination in polymer matrix composites and matrix cracking and damage in ceramic matrix materials prohibit these materials from being used in conventional engineering structures, as well as making their characterization in the laboratory difficult. In this paper, an experimental photomechanics technique called phase-shifting moiré interferometry is described. This technique is capable of providing analysts and designers (both material and structural) with detailed displacement and strain fields near discontinuities in these materials. The technique allows high resolution measurements of in-plane surface displacements to be made without introducing global smoothing errors, thus preserving the integrity of data near cracks, discontinuities and material interfaces. In this paper, the advantages of phase-shifting moiré interferometry will be illustrated through several problems involving composite materials.     

具有电子旋转方向的旋转间断的稳定性

用一维混合粒子编码研究了具有电子旋转方向的对称和非对称旋转间断的稳定性。发现在相对窄的过渡层厚度下,具有电子旋转方向的旋转间断是不稳定的,它趋向于发展成离子旋转方向的旋转间断和一些MHD波。这个发展过程部分地受到电子温度的限制。当过渡层厚度增加到足够宽时,电子旋转方向的旋转间断变成稳定的。本文简单地讨论了导致这种旋转间断不稳定的可能原因。     

Orientation-dependent transparency of metallic interfaces

As devices are reduced in size, interfaces start to dominate electrical transport, making it essential to be able to describe reliably how they transmit and reflect electrons. For a number of nearly perfectly lattice-matched materials, we calculate from first principles the dependence of the interface transparency on the crystal orientation. Quite remarkably, the largest anisotropy is predicted for interfaces between the prototype free-electron materials silver and aluminum, for which a massive factor of 2 difference between (111) and (001) interfaces is found.     

The relaxation-element method in models of the plastic strain of structurally inhomogeneous materials

It is shown that it is possible to represent a continuous field of plastic strain with high gradients in local regions of a material by methods of the continual theory of defects. A practical method of constructing highly inhomogeneous fields of plastic strain in local regions of a solid under load is proposed, and the stress fields connected with them are determined. The method is used to propose a principle of a unique connection between the process of inelastic deformation and stress relaxation in local volumes of the material. This enables one to simulate the inhomogeneous fields of plastic strain and stresses connected with the external stress without discontinuities and singularities at the interfaces between the phases and crystallites.Institute of Physics of the Strength and Study of Materials, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 2, pp. 16–22, February, 1994.     

Full-vectorial analysis of optical waveguides by the finite difference method based on polynomial interpolation

Based on the polynomial interpolation, a new finite difference (FD) method in solving the full-vectorial guided-modes for step-index optical waveguides is proposed. The discontinuities of the normal components of the electric field across abrupt dielectric interfaces are considered in the absence of the limitations of scalar and semivectorial approximation, and the present FD scheme can be applied to both uniform and non-uniform mesh grids. The modal propagation constants and field distributions for buried rectangular waveguides and optical rib waveguides are presented. The hybrid nature of the vectorial modes is demonstrated and the singular behaviours of the minor field components in the corners are observed. Moreover, solutions are in good agreement with those published early, which tests the validity of the present approach.     

Atomic structures and electronic properties of interfaces between aluminum and carbides/nitrides: A first-principles study

We perform a first-principles investigation of the atomic structures and electronic properties of interfaces between aluminum and four kinds of ceramics, TiC, TiN, VC and VN, under three orientations (001), (110) and (111). We find that the stable interfaces are those with bonding between Al atom and metalloid C (or N) atom, which is attributed to the overlap of p states of Al and d states of metalloid atoms at Femi level forming covalent components. Among the interfaces with the three orientations, the (111) interfaces are found to possess the largest adhesion energy in that the stacking of atoms follows intrinsic atomic distribution and this interfacial bonding is relatively strong. It is also found that the interfaces between Al and metal carbides (TiC and VC) are more stable than those between Al and metal nitrides (TiN and VN).     

用基于磁场的改进型有限差分法分析光波导的全矢量本征模

提出一种改进的有限差分法,用以求解全矢量磁场波方程,分析光波导承载的全矢量本征模.离散交叉项时,采用与波导结构无关的六点差分格式,考虑磁场分量的导数在芯包分界处的不连续性,比传统四点差分格式有更高的计算精度.分析阶跃型光纤、矩形和脊形光波导的全矢量本征模问题,给出全矢量基模的磁场分布及其归一化传播常数,揭示全矢量本征模的混合特性,所得结果与解析法、高精度模横向谐振法的结果吻合,验证了方法的收敛性与计算精度.     

多介质五方程简化模型及界面捕捉的人工压缩算法

根据两介质五方程简化模型的基本假设,发展了适用于任意多种介质的体积分数方程.为了捕捉多介质界面,将HLLC-HLLCM混合型数值通量的计算格式推广应用于二维平面和柱几何的多介质复杂流动问题,在高阶精度的数据重构过程中采用斜率修正型人工压缩方法ACM.通过一维、二维多介质黎曼问题算例测试,结果表明:发展的计算格式能够较好...     

Ultrasonic microscopy of contact joints

Ultrasonic techniques allow examination of internal structure and the detection of discontinuities at the interface of various joints. Contact joints obtained via diffusion welding, sintering, and other adhesive methods are investigated using impulse acoustic microscopy. It is shown that short probing pulses of focused ultrasound with frequencies of 50–100 MHz reveal areas with different adhesion strengths, areas of partial contact, peeling or air bubbles, and buffer layer thicknesses. Mechanisms of acoustic contrast at such interfaces are discussed. The results are of interest to specialists in the field of high-resolution ultrasonic nondestructive testing. They are needed to predict the failure mechanisms of composite products, from carbon fiber–reinforced plastics for the aviation industry to high-density ceramics used in medical prosthetics.     

Magnetic discontinuities in magnetohydrodynamic turbulence and in the solar wind

Recent measurements of solar wind turbulence report the presence of intermittent, exponentially distributed angular discontinuities in the magnetic field. In this Letter, we study whether such discontinuities can be produced by magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence. We detect the discontinuities by measuring the fluctuations of the magnetic field direction, Δθ, across fixed spatial increments Δx in direct numerical simulations of MHD turbulence with an imposed uniform guide field B(0). A large region of the probability density function (pdf) for Δθ is found to follow an exponential decay, proportional to exp(-Δθ/θ(*)), with characteristic angle θ(*)≈(14°)(b(rms)/B(0))(0.65) for a broad range of guide-field strengths. We find that discontinuities observed in the solar wind can be reproduced by MHD turbulence with reasonable ratios of b(rms)/B(0). We also observe an excess of small angular discontinuities when Δx becomes small, possibly indicating an increasing statistical significance of dissipation-scale structures. The structure of the pdf in this case closely resembles the two-population pdf seen in the solar wind. We thus propose that strong discontinuities are associated with inertial-range MHD turbulence, while weak discontinuities emerge from dissipation-range turbulence. In addition, we find that the structure functions of the magnetic field direction exhibit anomalous scaling exponents, which indicates the existence of intermittent structures.