Synthesis and characterization of Ag-doped p-type ZnO nanowires

P-type ZnO nanowires with silver (Ag) doping were synthesized via a chemical vapor deposition process. The incorporation of Ag was confirmed by selected-area energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The formation of acceptor states was demonstrated by temperature and excitation power-dependent photoluminescence measurements. Characterization of field-effect transistors using Ag-doped ZnO nanowires as channels showed p-type conductivity of the nanowires with a hole concentration of 4.9×10¹⁷ cm⁻³ and a carrier mobility of approximately 0.18 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹.     

Low voltage operating OFETs based on solution-processed metal phthalocyanines

The class of sodium salts of sulphonated metal phthalocyanines (MePCS _x , S = SO₃Na, x=1–4) was investigated as a p-type channel component in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). The solubility of these materials appears to be enhanced compared to their non-sulphonated counterparts (MePCs). We fabricated transistors based on MePCS _x varying the central metal atom (Me = Ni, Co, Zn, Al) and we evaluated the dependence of transistor performance on the nature of the central atom and the degree of sulphonation. The best results were obtained in the case of Ni and low sulphur content. In this case the mobility value is μ=1.08 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and the on/off current ratio ∼10³. The degree of sulphonation affects the electric field inside the active film in a way analogous to the case of polyelectrolyte-gated OFETs. The Na⁺ counter ions present in the channel contribute to the device characteristics but their concentration should be controlled in order to optimize device performance.     

Structural and electrical properties of core–shell structured GaP nanowires with outer Ga2O3 oxide layers

This paper presents a review of our current experimental research on GaP nanowires grown by a vapor deposition method. Their structural, electrical, opto-electric transport, and gas-adsorption properties are reviewed. Our structural studies showed that a GaP nanowire consisted of a core–shell structure with a single-crystalline GaP core and an outer Ga₂O₃ layer. The individual GaP nanowires exhibited n-type field effects. Their electron mobilities were in the range of about 6 to 22 cm²/V s at room temperature. When the nanowires were illuminated with an ultraviolet light source, an abrupt increase of conductance occurred resulting from carrier generation in the nanowire and de-adsorption of adsorbed OH^- or O₂ ^- ions on the Ga₂O₃ surface shell. Using an intrinsic Ga₂O₃ shell layer as a gate dielectric, top-gated GaP nanowire field-effect transistors were fabricated and characterized. Like other metal oxide nanowires, the carrier concentration and mobility of GaP nanowires were significantly affected by the surface molecular adsorption of OH or O₂. The GaP nanowire devices were fabricated as sensors for NO₂, NH₃, and H₂ gases by using a simple metal decoration technique. PACS 73.63.-b; 72.80.Ey; 85.35.-p     

Aligned growth of ZnO nanowires and lasing in single ZnO nanowire optical cavities

Ordered ZnO nanowire arrays have been fabricated in N₂ background gas by catalyst-free nanoparticle-assisted pulsed-laser deposition. A single ZnO nanowire was collected in an electrode gap by dielectrophoresis. Under the optical pumping above an exciting laser (λ= 355 nm) threshold of ∼ 334 kW/cm², ultraviolet lasing action in a single ZnO nanowire was observed at room temperature, indicating that the as-synthesized nanowires in pure N₂ background gas are of high quality. The crystalline facets of both ends of the nanowire acted to form an optical cavity. Therefore, the mode spacings corresponding to cavity lengths of the respective nanowires were observed in photoluminescence spectra. PACS 78.66.Hf; 81.07.Bc; 78.67.-n; 81.16.Mk     

Non-steady-state photo-EMF in nanostructured GaN and polypyrrole within porous matrices

We report an experimental investigation of the non-steady-state photoelectromotive force in nanostructured GaN within porous glass and polypyrrole within chrysotile asbestos. The samples are illuminated by an oscillating interference pattern created by two coherent light beams and the alternating current is detected as a response of the material. Dependences of the signal amplitude versus temporal and spatial frequencies, light intensity, and temperature are studied for two wavelengths λ=442 and 532 nm. The conductivity of the GaN composite is measured: σ=(1.1–1.6)×10⁻¹⁰ Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹ (λ=442 nm, I ₀=0.045–0.19 W/cm², T=293 K) and σ=(3.5–4.6)×10⁻¹⁰ Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹ (λ=532 nm, I ₀=2.3 W/cm², T=249–388 K). The diffusion length of photocarriers in polypyrrole nanowires is also estimated: L _D=0.18 μm.     

Laser forward transfer of silver electrodes for organic thin-film transistors

Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) with top- and bottom-contact configurations were fabricated using silver nano-inks printed by laser forward transfer for the gate and source/drain electrodes with pentacene and poly-4-vinylphenol as the organic semiconductor and dielectric layers, respectively. The volume of the laser-printed Ag pixels was typically in the subpicoliter (0.2–0.4 pl) range. The top-contact OTFTs resulted in lower contact resistance compared to those obtained from the bottom-contact OTFTs, and showed improved overall device performance. The top-contact OTFTs exhibited field-effect mobilities of ∼0.16 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and on/off current ratios of ∼10⁵.     

单根砷掺杂氧化锌纳米线场效应晶体管的电学及光学特性

采用化学气相沉积（CVD）的方法在砷化镓基底上合成直径为20 nm左右、长约数十微米的氧化锌纳米线,然后采用热扩散的方法,将生长于砷化镓基底之上的氧化锌纳米线通过600 ℃,30 min的有氧退火处理后,获得了砷掺杂的氧化锌纳米线.将获得的掺杂后的氧化锌纳米线采用电子束曝光以及真空溅射镀膜的方法将钛/金合金作为接触电极引出,从而构建成场效应晶体管.文中研究了单根氧化锌纳米线砷掺杂前后的电学特性,证实了通过砷掺杂来获得p型的氧化锌纳米线的可行性.构建的p型砷掺杂氧化锌场效应晶体管的跨导为35 nA/V,载流 关键词： p型ZnO纳米线 砷掺杂 场效应晶体管 光致发光     

Estimation of applicability of perturbation theory to solution of the kinetic Boltzmann equation in calculations of charge-carrier relaxation time in isotropic polycrystalline <Emphasis Type="Italic">p-</Emphasis>silicon

A condition is formulated for application of perturbation theory to solution of the kinetic Boltzmann equation in calculations of charge-carrier relaxation time in an isotropic silicon polycrystal, where holes are scattered both by a disordered system of potential barriers formed on crystallite surfaces and by a disordered lattice of silicon atoms characterized by local ordering. The total specific resistance of p-type isotropic polycrystalline silicon is estimated for the grain size d = 230 ?, temperature T = 300 K, and hole concentration p = (5.0 – 10.0) ⋅ 10¹⁹ cm⁻³. The calculated specific resistances of p-type polycrystalline silicon are compared with the experimental data.     

Terfenol-D/Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 Disk-Ring Multiferroic Heterostructures Coupled Through Normal Stresses

Disk-ring multiferroic heterostructures composed of Terfenol-D and Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ (PZT) were prepared and characterized, for which the ferromagnetic and ferroelectric phases were coupled through normal stresses instead of the shear stresses that acted in most of the previous multiferroic heterostructures. High low-frequency magnetoelectric coefficients of 0.10–0.75 V cm⁻¹ Oe⁻¹ were attained for the disk-ring heterostructures, which indicated the strong magnetoelectric coupling. Moreover, a symmetrical resonant peak was observed for dE ₃/dH ₃ in the frequency range of 1–200 kHz, while another weak peak with asymmetrical shape also existed at a lower frequency for dE ₃/dH ₁, which was due to the combination of two vibration modes.     

Fabrication of a nanoparticle TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> photoelectrochemical cell utilizing a solid polymeric electrolyte of PAN–PC–LiClO<Subscript>4</Subscript>

A nanoparticle TiO₂ solid-state photoelectrochemical cell utilizing as a solid electrolyte of poly(acrylonitrile)–propylene–carbonate–lithium perchlorate (PAN–PC–LiClO₄) has been fabricated. The performance of the device has been tested in the dark and under illumination of 100-mW cm⁻² light. A nanoparticle TiO₂ film was deposited onto indium tin oxide-covered glass substrate by controlled hydrolysis technique assisted with spin-coating technique. The average grain size for the TiO₂ film is 76 nm. LiClO₄ salt was used as a redox couple. The room temperature conductivity of the electrolyte is 4.2 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹. A graphite electrode was prepared onto a glass slide by electron beam evaporation technique. The device shows the rectification property in the dark and shows the photovoltaic effect under illumination. The best J _sc and V _oc of the device were 2.82 μA cm⁻² and V _oc of 0.58 V, respectively, obtained at the conductivity of 4.2 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ and intensity of 100 mW cm⁻². The J _sc was improved by about three times by introducing nanoparticle TiO₂ and by using a solid electrolyte of PAN–PC–LiClO₄ replacing PVC–PC–LiClO₄ in the device. The current transport mechanism of the cell is also presented in this paper.     

Visualization of focusing–refocusing cycles during filamentation in BaF<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Filamentation occurs within a 1.5 cm-long crystal of BaF₂ during the propagation of intense, ultrashort (40 fs) pulses of 800 nm light; a systematic study as a function of incident power enables us to extract quantitative information on laser intensity within the condensed medium, the electron density and the six-photon absorption cross section. At low incident power, a single filament is formed within the crystal; two or more filaments are observed along the direction transverse to laser propagation at higher incident powers. Further, due to fluorescence from six-photon absorption (6PA), we are able to map the intensity variation in the focusing–refocusing cycles along the direction of laser propagation. At still higher incident powers, we observe splitting of multiple filaments. By measuring the radius (L _min) of single filament inside BaF₂, we obtain estimates of peak intensities (I _max) and electron densities (ρ _max) to be 3.26×10¹³ W cm⁻² and 2.81×10¹⁹ cm⁻³, respectively. Use of these values enables us to deduce that the 6PA cross-section in BaF₂ is 0.33×10⁻⁷⁰ cm¹² W⁻⁶ s⁻¹.     

MAPLE-deposited polymer films for improved organic device performance

Matrix-assisted pulsed-laser evaporation (MAPLE) provides a mechanism for layer-by-layer growth to control the polymer–dielectric interface in organic metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) diodes and field-effect transistors (FETs). MAPLE-deposited copolymers of polyfluorene (PF) and polythiophene maintain their structural and optical properties, as determined by Raman spectroscopy, absorption, and photoluminescence. These films are further utilized in MIS and FET structures with SiO₂ and other polymer dielectrics. Since common polymer dielectrics prevent spin coating of solution processable polymers due to solubility effects, MAPLE is one of the only deposition techniques for investigating all polymer semiconductor-insulator interfaces. In this paper we present optical and electrical studies of MAPLE-deposited PF and polythiophene films in FETs and MIS structures. The FET carrier mobilities of these devices compare well with spin-coated devices. Capacitance–voltage and conductance–voltage from MIS structures with MAPLE-deposited PF copolymer films yield interface trap densities in the low 10¹² eV⁻¹ cm⁻² range.     

Electrochemical study of P(VDF-HFP)/PMMA blended polymer electrolyte with high-temperature stability for polymer lithium secondary batteries

In the present study, a kind of solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) based on poly(vinylidene difluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene)/poly(methyl methacrylate) blends was prepared by a casting method to solve the safety problem of lithium secondary batteries. Owing to being plasticized with a room temperature ionic liquid, N-butyl-N′-methyl-imidiazolium hexafluorophosphate, the obtained SPE shows a thermal decomposition temperature over 300°C and an ionic conductivity close to 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹. The SPE-3 sample, in which the weight of two polymers is equivalent, possesses an ionic conductivity of 0.45 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ at 25°C and presents an electrochemical window of 4.43 V. The ionic conductivity of the SPE-3 is as high as 1.73 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ at 75°C approaching to that of liquid electrolyte. The electrochemical performances of the Li/LiFePO₄ cells confirmed its feasibility in lithium secondary batteries.     

Thin TiO2 grown by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition on (NH4)2S x -treated InP

The electrical characteristics of thin TiO₂ films prepared by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition grown on a p-type InP substrate were studied. For a TiO₂ film of 4.7 nm on InP without and with ammonium sulfide treatment, the leakage currents are 8.8×10⁻² and 1.1×10⁻⁴ A/cm² at +2 V bias and 1.6×10⁻¹ and 8.3×10⁻⁴ A/cm² at −2 V bias. The lower leakage currents of TiO₂ with ammonium sulfide treatment arise from the improvement of interface quality. The dielectric constant and effective oxide charge number density are 33 and 2.5×10¹³ cm², respectively. The lowest mid-gap interface state density is around 7.6×10¹¹ cm⁻² eV⁻¹. The equivalent oxide thickness is 0.52 nm. The breakdown electric field increases with decreasing thickness in the range of 2.5 to 7.6 nm and reaches 9.3 MV/cm at 2.5 nm.     

Improved electrical properties of HfTiO/GeO x N y gate dielectric Ge MOS capacitors by using wet–NO Ge-surface pretreatment

Reactive cosputtering is employed to prepare high-permittivity HfTiO gate dielectric on n-Ge substrate. Effects of Ge-surface pretreatment on the interface and gate leakage properties of the dielectric are investigated. Excellent performances of Al/HfTiO/GeO _x N _y /n-Ge MOS capacitor with wet–NO surface pretreatment have been achieved with a interface-state density of 2.1×10¹¹ eV⁻¹ cm⁻², equivalent oxide charge of −7.67×10¹¹ cm⁻² and gate leakage current density of 4.97×10⁻⁵ A/cm² at V _g =1 V.     

Plasma-filled rippled wall rectangular backward wave oscillator driven by sheet electron beam

Performance of the backward wave oscillator (BWO) is greatly enhanced with the introduction of plasma. Linear theory of the dispersion relation and the growth rate have been derived and analysed numerically for plasma-filled rippled wall rectangular waveguide driven by sheet electron beam. To see the effect of plasma on the TM₀₁ cold wave structure mode and on the generated frequency, the parameters used are: relativistic factor γ = 1.5 (i.e. v/c = 0.741), average waveguide height y ₀ = 1.445 cm, axial corrugation period z ₀ = 1.67 cm, and corrugation amplitude ε = 0.225 cm. The plasma density is varied from zero to 2 ×10¹² cm^− 3. The presence of plasma tends to raise the TM₀₁ mode cut-off frequency (14 GHz at 2 ×10¹² cm^− 3 plasma density) relative to the vacuum cut-off frequency (5 GHz) which also causes a decrease in the group velocity everywhere, resulting in a flattening of the dispersion relation. With the introduction of plasma, an enhancement in absolute instability was observed.     

Fabrication and magnetic characterization of Co<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Pt<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> nanowire arrays

Co _x Pt_1−x (x≥0.7) alloy nanowires are grown into self-synthesized anodic alumina templates by electrodeposition. Magnetic and magnetization properties of Co _x Pt_1−x alloy nanowires are measured as functions of wire length, temperature, and field orientation. X-ray diffraction shows that as-prepared CoPt nanowires are of fcc polycrystalline structure. A crossover of easy axis of magnetization is observed from parallel to perpendicular of the nanowire axis as a function of length. The coercivity (H _c) and remanent squareness (SQ) of Co _x Pt_1−x nanowire arrays are derived from hysteresis loops measured at various angles (θ) between the field and wire axis. H _c(θ) and SQ(θ) curves show bell-shaped or otherwise bell-shaped behavior corresponding to the easy axis of their magnetization.     

Conductivity studies of starch-based polymer electrolytes

A proton-conducting polymer electrolyte based on starch and ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) has been prepared through solution casting method. Ionic conductivity for the system was conducted over a wide range of frequency between 50 Hz and 1 MHz and at temperatures between 303 K and 373 K. Impedance analysis shows that sample with 25 wt.% NH₄NO₃ has a smaller bulk resistance (R _b) compared to that of the pure sample. The amount of NH₄NO₃ was found to influence the proton conduction; the highest obtainable room temperature conductivity was 2.83 × 10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹, while at 100 °C, the conductivity in found to be 2.09 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹. The dielectric analysis demonstrates a non-Debye behavior. Transport parameters of the samples were calculated using the Rice and Roth model and thus shows that the increase in conductivity is due to the increase in the number of mobile ions.     

Pulsed laser deposition of Zr–N codoped <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-type ZnO thin films

Present p-type ZnO films tend to exhibit high resistivity and low carrier concentration, and they revert to their natural n-type state within days after deposition. One approach to grow higher quality p-type ZnO is by codoping the ZnO during growth. This article describes recent results from the growth and characterization of Zr–N codoped p-type ZnO thin films by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on (0001) sapphire substrates. For this work, both N-doped and Zr–N codoped p-type ZnO films were grown for comparison purposes at substrate temperatures ranging between 400 to 700 °C and N₂O background pressures between 10⁻⁵ to 10⁻² Torr. The carrier type and conduction were found to be very sensitive to substrate temperature and N₂O deposition pressure. P-type conduction was observed for films grown at pressures between 10⁻³ to 10⁻² Torr. The Zr–N codoped ZnO films grown at 550 °C in 1×10⁻³ Torr of N₂O show p-type conduction behavior with a very low resistivity of 0.89 Ω-cm, a carrier concentration of 5.0×10¹⁸ cm⁻³, and a Hall mobility of 1.4 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹. The structure, morphology and optical properties were also evaluated for both N-doped and Zr–N codoped ZnO films.     

Impedance and FTIR studies on plasticized PMMA–LiN(CF<Subscript>3</Subscript>SO<Subscript>2</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanocomposite polymer electrolytes

Plasticized polymer electrolytes composed of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as the host polymer and lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide LiN(CF₃SO₂)₂ as a salt were prepared by solution casting technique at different ratios. The ionic conductivity varied slightly and exhibited a maximum value of 3.65 × 10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹ at 85% PMMA and 15% LiN(CF₃SO₂)₂. The complexation effect of salt was investigated using FTIR. It showed some simple overlapping and shift in peaks between PMMA and LiN(CF₃SO₂)₂ salt in the polymer electrolyte. Ethylene carbonate (EC) and propylene carbonate (PC) were added to the PMMA–LiN(CF₃SO₂)₂ polymer electrolyte as plasticizer to enhance the conductivity. The highest conductivities obtained were 1.28 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ and 2.00 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ for EC and PC mixture system, respectively. In addition, to improve the handling of films, 1% to 5% fumed silica was added to the PMMA–LiN(CF₃SO₂)₂–EC–PC solid polymer electrolyte which showed a maximum value at 6.11 × 10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹ for 2% SiO₂.