Remarkable Resistance Change in Plasma Oxidized TiOx/TiNx Film for Memory Application

We report the experimental phenomenon of large resistance change in plasma oxidized TiOx/TiNx film fabricated on W bottom-electrode-contact （W-BEC） array. The W-BEC in diameter 26Ohm is fabricated by a 0.18μm CMOS technology, and the TiOx/TiNx cell array is formed by rf magnetron sputtering and reactive ion etching. In current-voltage （I- V） measurement for current-sweeping mode, large snap-back of voltage is observed, which indicates that the sample changes from high-resistance state （HRS） to low-resistance state （LRS）. In the I-V measurement for voltage-sweeping mode, large current collapse is observed, which indicates that the sample changes from LRS to HRS. The current difference between HRS and LRS is about two orders. The threshold current and voltage for the resistance change is about 5.0- 10^-5 A and 2.5 V, respectively. The pulse voltage can also change the resistance and the pulse time is as shorter as 30 ns for the resistance change. These properties of TiOx/TiNx film are comparable to that of conventional phase-change material, which makes it possible for RRAM application.     

Electromechanical Properties of Microcantilever Actuated by Enhanced Piezoelectric PZT Thick Film

Pb(Zr_0.53,Ti_0.47)O₃ (PZT) films with thicknesses of 0.8μm, 2μm and 4μm are prepared by a sol-gel method and their longitudinal piezoelectric coefficients are analysed. The results show that the PZT thick films, whose density is closer to bulk PZT, has the better crystallization, with d₃₃ and density much larger than those of PZT thin films. A piezoelectric microcantilever actuated by a 4-μm-thick PZT film is fabricated and its displacement is measured in different frequencies and voltages. The displacement increases linearly with the increasing bias, and the maximum displacement of 0.544μm is observed at 30kHz for 5V bias. The resonant frequency obtained in the experiment matches quite well with the theoretical result, and it is shown that the resonant frequency of PZT microcantilever could be controlled and predicated.     

Magnetic Properties and Magnetoresistance of CdMnS：Au Based Structures Prepared by Co-evaporation

Polycrystalline CdMnS and CdMnS：Au films with hexagonal structure on Si（111） substrates are prepared by co-evaporation, and exhibit ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties, respectively. Under optimized growth conditions, CdMnS：Au samples with an average crystallite size of 90nm and Mn concentration of 5.0at.% are obtained, and an all-semiconductor spin valve device of Co/Au/CdMnS：Au/CdMnS/Pt is fabricated. Electrical measurement of the device reveals the clear dependence of resistance on applied magnetic field, with a relative magnetoresistance of 0.06% and a switching field of 100 Oe at 77K.     

Simulation of Voltage SET Operation in Phase-Change Random Access Memories with Heater Addition and Ring-Type Contactor for Low-Power Consumption by Finite Element Modeling

A three-dimensional finite element model for phase change random access memory is established to simulate electric, thermal and phase state distribution during （SET） operation. The model is applied to simulate the SET behaviors of the heater addition structure （HS） and the ring-type contact in the bottom electrode （RIB） structure. The simulation results indicate that the small bottom electrode contactor （BEC） is beneficial for heat efficiency and reliability in the HS cell, and the bottom electrode contactor with size Fx=80 nm is a good choice for the RIB cell. Also shown is that the appropriate SET pulse time is lOOns for the low power consumption and fast operation.     

Growth of completely (110)-oriented Pt film on Si (100) by using MgO as a buffer by pulsed laser deposition

(110)-textured MgO films were grown on Si (100) with etching and without etching by pulsed laser deposition. The deposited MgO films were shown to be droplets-free. The MgO film was used as a buffer layer to further grow Pt film on Si (100). A completely (110)-oriented Pt film was obtained on such a buffer layer and its surface is very smooth with a roughness of about 7.5 nm over 5×5 μm. This can be used as a new oriented Pt electrode on silicon for devices. Received: 23 January 2001 / Accepted: 27 April 2001 / Published online: 27 June 2001     

Artificial Modulation of Ferroelectric Thin Films into Antiferroelectric through H+ Implantation for High-Density Charge Storage

Hydrogen ions are implanted into Pb（Zro.3Tio.7）03 1014 ions/cm^2. Pseudo-antiferroelectric behaviour in thin films at the energy of 40keV with a flux of 5 x the implanted thin films is observed, as confirmed by the measurements of polarization versus electric hysteresis loops and capacitance versus voltage curves. X-ray diffrac- tion patterns show the film structures before and after H＋ implantation both to be perovskite of a tetragonal symmetry. These findings indicate that hydrogen ions exist as stable dopants within the films. It is believed that the dopants change domain-switching behaviour via the boundary charge compensation. Meanwhile, time dependence of leakage current density after time longer than lOs indicates the enhancement of the leakage cur- rent nearly in one order for the implanted film, but the current at time shorter than i s is mostly the same as that of the original film without the ionic implantation. The artificial tailoring of the antiferroelectric behaviour through H＋ implantation in ferroelectric thin films is finally proven to be achievable for the device application of high-density charge storage.     

Numerical simulation of blue InGaN light-emitting diodes with polarization-matched AlGaInN electron-blocking layer and barrier layer

The effect of polarization-matched AlGaInN electron-blocking layer and barrier layer on the optical performance of blue InGaN light-emitting diodes is numerically investigated. The polarization-matched AlGaInN electron-blocking layer and barrier layer are employed in an attempt to reduce the polarization effect inside the active region of the light-emitting diodes. The simulation results show that the polarization-matched AlGaInN electron-blocking layer is beneficial for confining the electrons inside the quantum well region. With the use of both polarization-matched AlGaInN electron-blocking layer and barrier layer, the optical performance of blue InGaN light-emitting diodes is greatly improved due to the increased overlap of electron and hole wavefunctions. The method proposed in this paper can also be applied to the light-emitting diodes operating in other spectral range.     

Etch Damage Evaluation in Integrated Ferroelectric Capacitor Side Wall by Piezoresponse Force Microscopy

The etch damage in integrated ferroelectric capacitors side wall fabricated by the typical integrated process (TIP-FeCAP) and the innovated integrated process (IIP-FeCAP) are investigated by piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). The IIP-FeCAP side wall exhibits fine and clear nanoscale domain images and the same piezoresponse signal as the thin film, and the domains can also be easily switched by an external voltage. In the TIP-FeCAP side wall, owing to the effect of etch damage, the very weak piezoresponse signal and some discrete domains can be observed, and the discrete domains cannot be switched by the applied 9V and -9V dc voltage. The PFM results reflect the etch damage in the integrated ferroelectric capacitors and also suggest that the PFM can be used as an efficacious tools to evaluate the etch damage at nanoscale and spatial variations.     

Growth and Characterization of a Kind of Nitrogen-Rich Niobium Nitride for Bolometer Applications at Terahertz Frequencies

Niobium is sputtered onto a single crystalline silicon substrate in N2：Ar=4：1 gas mixture at the total pressure of 2 Pa. The temperature coefficient of resistance of the sample is about 0.5% at 30OK, and up to 7% at 77K, indicating the possibility of using it to make room-temperature bolometers with performances better than those based on Pt, Bi, or Nb. For a 60-nm-thick sample, the rms surface roughness is 0.45nm over an area of 2 μm × 2 μm. Analyses based on x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy indicate that the samples are Nb5N6 thin films in which there is a combination of Nb^3＋ and Nb^5＋, or Nb^4＋.     

Characterization of a Co-Se thin film by scanning Auger microscopy and Raman spectroscopy

Scanning Auger microscopy and micro-Raman spectroscopy are combined to characterize a Co-Se thin film sample, containing 84 at.% Se, which had been modified in localized areas following excitation with an intense focused Ar⁺ laser (514.5 nm). The information obtained helps to establish that a previous assignment for a Co-Se sample of Raman features between 168 and 175 cm⁻¹ actually refers to an oxygenated Co-Se species, and that Co-Se interactions in a Se-rich environment give rise to Raman structure between 181 and 184 cm⁻¹. Comparisons are made for the use of Ar⁺ and HeNe laser sources for Raman measurements in this context; the latter in general gives both better resolution and better signal-to-noise characteristics.     

Characteristics of SrBi2Ta2O9 ferroelectric films on GaAs with a TiO2 buffer layer

Mainly [115]-oriented SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ (SBT) films were prepared on GaAs(100) substrates with TiO₂ buffer layers. Both the SBT films and the TiO₂ buffer layers were deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) using a KrF excimer laser. The depth profile of the constituent elements observed by Auger electron spectrometry (AES) shows no remarkable diffusion at both the interfaces between SBT and TiO₂ and between TiO₂ and the GaAs substrate. The electrical characteristics of the Pt/SBT/TiO₂/GaAs(100) structures show a ferroelectric hysteresis loop with a small remanent polarization (∼0.5 μC/cm²). Received: 1 March 2002 / Accepted: 3 March 2002 / Published online: 10 September 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +86-25/3595535, E-mail: xhliu81@hotmail.com RID="**" ID="**"Present address: Data Storage Institute, DSI Building, 5, Engineering Drive 1 (off Kent Ridge Crescent, NUS) 117608 Singapore     

Using a chemical concept for reactivity for the interpretation of STM images of physisorbed molecules

The electrostatic potential mapped on the electron density contour of gas phase molecules is used to identify several molecules physisorbed on transition metals imaged by scanning tunnelling microscopy within the molecular HOMO-LUMO gap. It is rationalized that the inverted of this potential, representing the potential energy felt by a negative test charge, is a good concept to interpret changes in the dielectricity constant through the influence of physisorbed molecules and thus to understand their submolecular resolution images. The validity of the concept is demonstrated on dichlorobenzene, chloronitrobenzene, and two azobenzene derivates on the surfaces of Au(111), Ag(111), and Cu(111).     

Inter-Layer Energy Transfer through Wetting-Layer States in Bi-layer InGaAs/GaAs Quantum-Dot Structures with Thick Barriers

The inter-layer energy transfer in a bi-layer InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot structure with a thick GaAs barrier is studied using temperature-dependent photoluminescence. The abnormal enhancement of the photoluminescence of the QDs in the layer with a larger amount of coverage considering the resonant Forster energy transfer between the at 110K is observed, which can be explained by wetting layer states at elevated temperatures.     

Near-Field Characterization of Optical Micro/Nanofibres

Near-field scanning optical microscopy is used to investigate the waveguiding properties of optical micro/nanofibres （MNFs） by means of detecting optical power carried by evanescent waves. Taper drawn silica and tellurite MNFs, supported on low-index substrates, are used to guide a 532-nm-wavelength light beam for the test. Modification of the single-mode condition of the MNF in the presence of a substrate is observed. Spatial modulation of the longitudinal field intensity （with a 195-nm period） near the output end of a 760-nm-diameter silica MNF is well resolved. Energy exchange through evanescent coupling between two parallel MNFs is also investigated.     

绿色陶瓷厚膜电致发光器件研究

报道了采用高介电常数的陶瓷厚膜作绝缘层、ＺｎＳ：Ｅｒ,Ｃ１作为发光层的绿色薄膜电致发光器件（ＣＴＦＥＬ）。器件结构为陶瓷基片／内电极／陶瓷厚膜／发光层（ＺｎＳ：Ｅｒ,Ｃ１）／透明电极（ＺｎＯ：Ａ１）。制备的器件在市电频率驱动下发出明亮的绿光,测量了器件的电致发光（ＥＬ）光谱和亮度－电压曲线,研究了发光机理和效率－电压等特性。     

Growth Mechanism and Optimized Parameters to Synthesize Nafion-115 Nanowire Arrays with Anodic Aluminium Oxide Membranes as Templates

Nation-115 nanowire arrays are synthesized with an extrusion method using AAO membranes as templates. It is indicated that the vacuum treating of AAO templates before surface decoration plays an important role in obtaining high filling rate of the Nation-115 nanowires in the AAO templates, vchile the concentration of Nafion-115 DMSO solutions does not affect the flling rate greatly. The optimized parameters to synthesize the Nation-115 nanowire arrays are studied. The filling rate of the Nadion-115 nanowires in the AAO templates synthesized with the optimized parameters is about 95% discussed to qualitatively explain the experimental results The growth mechanism of Nafion-115 nanowires is     

ZnO薄膜的分子束外延生长及性能

利用分子束外延(MBE)和氧等离子体源辅助MBE方法分别在Si(100)、GaAs(100)和蓝宝石Al2O3(0001)衬底上用Zn、ZnS或以一定Zn-O化学计量比作缓冲层,改变衬底生长温度和氧压,并在氧气氛下,进行原位退火处理,得到ZnO薄膜。依据X射线衍射(XRD)图,表明样品的结晶性能尚好,且呈c轴择优取向;实验结果表明在不同衬底上生长的ZnO薄膜,由于晶格失配度不同,其衍射峰也有区别。用原子力显微镜(AFM)观测薄膜的表面形貌,为晶粒尺寸约几十纳米的ZnO纳米晶,且ZnO晶粒呈六边形柱状垂直于衬底的表面。采用掠入射X射线反射率法测膜厚。在360nm激发下,样品的发光光谱是峰值为410,510nm的双峰谱,是与样品表面氧缺陷有关的深能级发光。     

Preparation and Characterization of Silver Selenide Thin Film

Silver selenide, a phase-changing chalcogenide material, is prepared using electro deposition method for various molarities. X-ray diffraction studies show the cubic lattice of the material. The micro-structural properties such as grain size, strain, dislocation density, and texture coefficient are examined. The lattice constant is calculated using Nelson-Relay function. Morphological studies are done and uniform distributions of grains are observed. High purities of thin films are confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The band gap is calculated using UV-vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence technique, and hence, the Stokes’s effect is observed in silver selenide thin films. It is the first time that the lattice constant and the Urbach energy for various molarities in the case of silver selenide thin films are reported.     

Fabrication and Characterization of Si Nanocrystals Synthesized by Electron Beam Evaporation of Si and SiO2 Mixture

Silicon nanocrystals synthesized by electron beam （e-beam） evaporation of Si and SiO2 mixture are studied. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry of the as-deposited Si-rich silicon dioxide or oxide （SRO） thin film shows that after evaporation, the Si and SiO2 concentration is well kept, indicating that the e-beam evaporation is suitable for evaporating mixtures of Si and SiO2. The SRO thin films are annealed at different temperatures for two hours to synthesize silicon nanoerystals. For the sample annealed at 1050℃, silicon nanoerystals with different sizes and the mean diameter of 4.5 nm are evidently observed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM）. Then the Raman scattering and photoluminescence spectra arising from silicon nanocrystals are further confirmed the above results.     

Dynamical role of the degree of intraspecific cooperation: A simple model for prebiotic replicators and ecosystems

We present a simple mean field model to analyze the dynamics of competition between two populations of replicators in terms of the degree of intraspecific cooperation (i.e., autocatalysis) in one of these populations. The first population can only replicate with Malthusian kinetics while the second one can reproduce with Malthusian or autocatalytic replication or with a combination of both reproducing strategies. The model consists of two coupled, nonlinear, autonomous ordinary differential equations. We investigate analytically and numerically the phase plane dynamics and the bifurcation scenarios of this ecologically coupled system, focusing on the outcome of competition for several degrees of intraspecific cooperation, σ, in the second population of replicators. We demonstrate that the dynamics of both populations can not be governed by a limit cycle, and also that once cooperation is considered, the topology of phase space does not allow for coexistence. Even for low values of the degree of intraspecific cooperation, for large enough autocatalytic replication rates, the second population of replicators is able to outcompete the first one, having a wide basin of attraction in state space. We characterize the same power law dependence between the outcompetition extinction times, τ, and the degree of intraspecific cooperation for both populations, given by τ∼c_iσ⁻¹. Our results suggest that, under some kinetic conditions, the appearance of autocatalysis might be favorable in a population of replicators growing with Malthusian kinetics competing with another population also reproducing exponentially.