Positive gate-bias temperature instability of ZnO thin-film transistor

The positive gate-bias temperature instability of a radio frequency （RF） sputtered ZnO thin-film transistor （ZnO TFT） is investigated. Under positive gate-bias stress, the saturation drain current and OFF-state current decrease, and the threshold voltage shifts toward the positive direction. The stress amplitude and stress temperature are considered as important factors in threshold-voltage instability, and the time dependences of threshold voltage shift under various bias temperature stress conditions could be described by a stretched-exponential equation. Based on the analysis of hysteresis behaviors in current- voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics before and after the gate-bias stress, it can be clarified that the threshold- voltage shift is predominantly attributed to the trapping of negative charge carriers in the defect states located at the gate- dielectric/channel interface.     

Quantum transport characteristics in single and multiple N-channel junctionless nanowire transistors at low temperatures

Single and multiple n-channel junctionless nanowire transistors(JNTs) are fabricated and experimentally investigated at variable temperatures. Clear current oscillations caused by the quantum-confinement effect are observed in the curve of drain current versus gate voltage acquired at low temperatures(10 K–100 K) and variable drain bias voltages(10 mV–90 mV). Transfer characteristics exhibit current oscillation peaks below flat-band voltage(VFB) at temperatures up to 75 K,which is possibly due to Coulomb-blocking from quantum dots, which are randomly formed by ionized dopants in the just opened n-type one-dimensional(1D) channel of silicon nanowires. However, at higher voltages than VFB, regular current steps are observed in single-channel JNTs, which corresponds to the fully populated subbands in the 1D channel. The subband energy spacing extracted from transconductance peaks accords well with theoretical predication. However, in multiple-channel JNT, only tiny oscillation peaks of the drain current are observed due to the combination of the drain current from multiple channels with quantum-confinement effects.     

Microwave photonic filter with a continuously tunable central frequency using an SOI high-Q microdisk resonator

Utilizing a high-Q microdisk resonator(MDR) on a single silicon-on-insulator(SOI) chip, a compact microwave photonic filter(MPF) with a continuously tunable central frequency is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Assisted by the optical single side-band(OSSB) modulation, the optical frequency response of the MDR is mapped to the microwave frequency response to form an MPF with a continuously tunable central frequency and a narrow 3-dB bandwidth. In the experiment, using an MDR with a compact size of 20×20 μm2and a high Q factor of 1.07×105, we obtain a compact MPF with a high rejection ratio of about 40 dB, a 3-dB bandwidth of about 2 GHz, and a frequency tuning range larger than12 GHz. Our approach may allow the implementation of very compact, low-cost, low-consumption, and integrated notch MPF in a silicon chip.     

Frequency-selective microwave polarization rotator using substrate-integrated waveguide cavities

A frequency selective polarization rotator that can rotate the polarization angle of an incident electromagnetic wave at the microwave frequency by 45 is presented. The polarization rotator is based on a two-dimensional periodic array of substrate integrated waveguide cavities, realizing the polarization rotation by coupling the input signal to the output wave through three metallic slots. Two layers of frequency selective surfaces are cascaded by substrate and form the polarization rotator. A vertical slot on the top layer is used to select the horizontal polarization from the incident wave, the vertical and the horizontal slots on the bottom layer are, respectively, used to obtain horizontally and vertically polarized outgoing waves. The two orthogonal outgoing waves are combined to result in the 45~ polarized wave. Both full wave simulation and experimental measurement are carried out, together validating the proposed method.     

Hybrid phase-locked loop with fast locking time and low spur in a 0.18-μm CMOS process

We propose a novel hybrid phase-locked loop(PLL) architecture for overcoming the trade-off between fast locking time and low spur. To reduce the settling time and meanwhile suppress the reference spurs, we employ a wide-band single-path PLL and a narrow-band dual-path PLL in a transient state and a steady state, respectively, by changing the loop bandwidth according to the gain of voltage controlled oscillator(VCO) and the resister of the loop filter. The hybrid PLL is implemented in a 0.18-μm complementary metal oxide semiconductor(CMOS) process with a total die area of1.4×0.46 mm2. The measured results exhibit a reference spur level of lower than-73 dB with a reference frequency of10 MHz and a settling time of 20 μs with 40 MHz frequency jump at 2 GHz. The total power consumption of the hybrid PLL is less than 27 mW with a supply voltage of 1.8 V.     

Integrated physics package of a chip-scale atomic clock

The physics package of a chip-scale atomic clock （CSAC） has been successfully realized by integrating vertical cavity surface emitting laser （VCSEL）, neutral density （ND） filter, λ/4 wave plate, 87Rb vapor cell, photodiode （PD）, and magnetic coil into a cuboid metal package with a volume of about 2.8 cm3. In this physics package, the critical component, 87Rb vapor cell, is batch-fabricated based on MEMS technology and in-situ chemical reaction method. Pt heater and thermistors are integrated in the physics package. A PTFE pillar is used to support the optical elements in the physics package, in order to reduce the power dissipation. The optical absorption spectrum of 87Rb D1 line and the microwave frequency correction signal are successfully observed while connecting the package with the servo circuit system. Using the above mentioned packaging solution, a CSAC with short-term frequency stability of about 7 × 10^-10τ-1/2 has been successfully achieved, which demonstrates that this physics package would become one promising solution for the CSAC.     

In-situ growth of a CdS window layer by vacuum thermal evaporation for CIGS thin film solar cell applications

Highly crystalline and transparent CdS films are grown by utilizing the vacuum thermal evaporation （VTE） method. The structural, surface morphological, and optical properties of the films are studied and compared with those prepared by chemical bath deposition （CBD）. It is found that the films deposited at a high substrate temperature （200 ℃） have a preferential orientation along （002） which is consistent with CBD-grown films. Absorption spectra reveal that the films are highly transparent and the optical band gap values are found to be in a range of 2.44 eV-2.56 eV. Culnl_xGaxSe2 （CIGS） solar cells with in-situ VTE-grown CdS films exhibit higher values of Voc together with smaller values of Jsc than those from CBD. Eventually the conversion efficiency and fill factor become slightly better than those from the CBD method. Our work suggests that the in-situ thermal evaporation method can be a competitive alternative to the CBD method, particularly in the physical- and vacuum-based CIGS technology.     

Low on-resistance high-voltage lateral double-diffused metal oxide semiconductor with a buried improved super-junction layer

A novel low specific on-resistance （Ron,sp） lateral double-diffused metal oxide semiconductor （LDMOS） with a buried improved super-junction （BISJ） layer is proposed. A super-junction layer is buried in the drift region and the P pillar is split into two parts with different doping concentrations. Firstly, the buried super-junction layer causes the multiple-direction assisted depletion effect. The drift region doping concentration of the BISJ LDMOS is therefore much higher than that of the conventional LDMOS. Secondly, the buried super-junction layer provides a bulk low on-resistance path. Both of them reduce Ron,sp greatly. Thirdly, the electric field modulation effect of the new electric field peak introduced by the step doped P pillar improves the breakdown voltage （BV）. The BISJ LDMOS exhibits a BV of 300 V and Ron,sp of 8.08 mΩ·cm2 which increases BV by 35% and reduces Ron,sp by 60% compared with those of a conventional LDMOS with a drift length of 15 μm, respectively.     

A proposed U.S./China theoretical/experimental collaborative effort on baryon resonance extraction

In this paper we discuss the reasons for our work towards establishing a new collaboration between Jefferson Lab （JLab） and the Institute of High Energy Physics （IHEP） in Beijing. We seek to combine experimentalists and theorists into a dedicated group focused on better understanding the current and future data from JLab and from the Beijing Electron Positron Collider （BEPC）. Recent JLab results on the extraction of single- and double-polarization observables in both the lπ- and 2π-channel show their high sensitivity to small production amplitudes and therefore their importance for the extraction of resonance parameters. The Beijing Electron Spectrometer （BES） at the BEPC has collected high statistics data on J/ψ production. Its decay into baryon-antibaryon channels offers a unique and complementary way of probing nucleon resonances. The CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer, CLAS, has access to N＊ form factors at high Q2 which is advantageous for the study of dynamical properties of nucleon resonances, while the low-background BES results will be able to provide guidance for the search for less-dominant excited states at JLab. Moreover, with the recently approved experimental proposal Nucleon Resonance Studies with CLAS12 and the high-quality data streaming from BES-Ⅲand CLAS, the time has come for forging a new Trans-Pacific collaboration of theorists and experimentalists on NSTAR physics.     

Ferromagnetism on a paramagnetic host background in cobalt-doped Bi_2Se_3 topological insulator

Cobalt-doped Bi2Se3topological insulators have been grown though melt-grown reaction. The Bi2Se3matrix is diamagnetic and doped sample is a superposition of ferromagnetism(FM) and paramagnetism(PM) behavior at low temperature. The values of MSmol, Hc, and Mr increase as the Co concentration increases. Two possible explanations have been proposed for the origin of ferromagnetism in Co-doped Bi2Se3. One is the magnetic ordering from nanoclusters of Co–Se compound in the crystals, and the other is Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida(RKKY) interaction between magnetic impurities.     

Fabrication of GaN-based LEDs with 22° undercut sidewalls by inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching＊

We use a simple and controllable method to fabricate GaN-based light-emitting diodes （LEDs） with 22° undercut sidewalls by the successful implementation of the inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching （ICP-RIE）. Our exper- iment results show that the output powers of the LEDs with 22° undercut sidewalls are 34.8 rnW under a 20-mA current injection, 6.75% higher than 32.6 mW, the output powers of the conventional LEDs under the same current injection.     

Orbit response matrix analysis and lattice periodicity restoration of the SSRF storage ring

In this paper, we present numerically and experimentally the linear beam-optics distortion in the SSRF storage ring and the correction of optics by using a number of quadrupole magnets installed in the storage ring. The measured orbit-response matrices were fitted to the model-response matrices to obtain the β and the dispersion functions in the storage ring. By readjusting the currents of quadrupole-magnet power supplies, we were able to successfully restore the optics parameters to values very close to the design ones, with rms deviations around 1%. This periodicity restoration is verified with the β function measurement.     

Electronic and optical properties of TiO_2 and its polymorphs by Z-scan method

TiO2 is a material which has attracted considerable attention from the scientific community for its innumerable prop- erties. TiO2 is known to exist in nature in three different crystalline structures： rutile, anatase, and brookite. Anatase and rutile TiO2 films have been widely characterized for their potential applications in solar cells, self-cleaning coatings, and photocatalysis. In the present report, the third-order nonlinear susceptibilities of TiO2 and its polymorphs, anatase, and rutile, prepared by the sol-gel technique followed by heat treatment are investigated using the Z-scan technique at a wavelength of 532 nm with a duration of 7 ns. Imaginary and real values of Z（3） for amorphous, anatase, and rutile are also calculated and found to be 5 × 10^-19 m2/V2, 27 × 10^-19 m2/V2, 19 × 10^-19 m2/V2, respectively. It is found that the values of the optical constants of amorphous TiO2 after heat treatment vary considerably. It is assumed that this could be due to the variation in the electronic structure of TiO2 synchronous with the formation of its polymorphs, anatase, and rutile. Amorphous TiO2 is marked by the localization of the tail states near the band gap, whereas its crystalline counterparts are characterized by completely delocalized tail states.     

Tailoring optical properties of TiO2 in silica glass for limiting applications

We present the linear and nonlinear optical studies on TiO2-SiO2 nanocomposites with varying compositions. Opti- cal band gap of the material is found to vary with the amount of SiO2 in the composite. The phenomenon of two-photon absorption （TPA） in TiO2/SiO2 nanocomposites has been studied using open aperture Z-scan technique. The nanocom- posites show better nonlinear optical properties than pure TiO2, which can be attributed to the surface states and weak dielectric confinement of TiO2 nanoparticles by SiO2 matrix. The nanocomposites are thermally treated and similar studies are performed. The anatase form of TiO2 in the nanocomposites shows superior properties relative to the amorphous and rutile counterpart. The involved mechanism is explained by rendering the dominant role played by the excitons in the TiO2 nanoparticles.     

Further investigations of the low-lying electronic states of AsO~+ radical

The high level quantum chemistry ab inito multi-reference configuration interaction （MRCI） method with large V5Z basis set is used to calculate the spectroscopic properties of the 15 A-S electronic states （X1∑＋, A I П, 1 △, 1 ∑, 3∑＋, 3П, 3△, 3△ , 5∑＋, 5П, 5△, 1П （II）, ofAsO＋ radical correlated to the dissociation limit As＋（3pg） ＋ O（3pg） and As＋（IDg） ＋ O（1Dg）. In order to obtain better potential curves and more accurate spectroscopic properties, the Davidson modification is taken into account. With the potential energy curves （PECs） determined here, vibrational levels G（v） and inertial rotation constants Bu are computed for all the bound electronic states when the rotational quantum number J equals zero （J = 0）. Except for the states X1∑＋, A1П , it is the first time that the multi-reference configuration calculation has been used on the 13 A-S electronic states of the AsO＋ radical. The potential energy curves of all the A-S electronic states are depicted according to the avoided crossing rule of the same symmetry. Spin-orbit coupling effect （SOC） is introduced into the states X1 ∑＋, A1 П, 3П to consider its effects on the spectroscopic properties. Transition dipole moments （TDMs） from A1П 1, 3 П1 states to the ground state X1∑0＋ are predicted as well.     

Investigation of neutron induced reactions on ^23Na by using Talys1.4

The neutron induced reactions on ^23Na are investigated by using the Talys1.4 program. The calculated results for the ^23Na（n, 2n）22Na reaction are found to agree with the experimental results. The cross sections of the residues of the（n, n）,（n, γ）,（n, p）, and（n, np） channels in the reactions are presented, and at the same time, the neutron induced reactions on22 Ne are also investigated.     

Performance improvement of blue InGaN light-emitting diodes with a specially designed n-AIGaN hole blocking layer

Blue InGaN light-emitting diodes （LEDs） with a conventional electron blocking layer （EBL）, a common n-A1GaN hole blocking layer （HBL）, and an n-A1GaN HBL with gradual A1 composition are investigated numerically, which involves analyses of the carrier concentration in the active region, energy band diagram, electrostatic field, and internal quantum efficiency （IQE）. The results indicate that LEDs with an n-AIGaN HBL with gradual AI composition exhibit better hole injection efficiency, lower electron leakage, and a smaller electrostatic field in the active region than LEDs with a conven tional p-A1GaN EBL or a common n-A1GaN HBL. Meanwhile, the efficiency droop is alleviated when an n-A1GaN HBL with gradual A1 composition is used.     

High-efficiency S-band harmonic tuning GaN amplifier

In this paper, we present a high-efficiency S-band gallium nitride （GaN） power amplifier （PA）. This amplifier is fabri- cated based on a self-developed GaN high-electron-mobility transistor （HEMT） with 10 mm gate width on SiC substrate. Harmonic manipulation circuits are presented in the amplifier. The matching networks consist of microstrip lines and discrete components. Open-circuited stub lines in both input and output are used to tune the 2rid harmonic wave and match the GaN HEMT to the highest efficiency condition. The developed amplifier delivers an output power of 48.5 dBm （70 W） with a power-added efficiency （PAE） of 72.2% at 2 GHz in pulse condition. When operating at 1.8-2.2 GHz （20% relative bandwidth）, the amplifier provides an output power higher than 48 dBm （,-~ 65 W）, with a PAE over 70% and a power gain above 15 dB. When operating in continuous-wave （CW） operating conditions, the amplifier gives an output power over 46 dBm （40 W） with PAE beyond 60% over the whole operation frequency range.     

Forward and reverse electron transport properties across a CdS/Si multi-interface nanoheterojunction

The electron transport behavior across the interface plays an important role in determining the performance of op- toelectronic devices based on heterojunctions. Here through growing CdS thin film on silicon nanoporous pillar array, an untraditional, nonplanar, and multi-interface CdS/Si nanoheterojunction is prepared. The current density versus voltage curve is measured and an obvious rectification effect is observed. Based on the fitting results and model analyses on the forward and reverse conduction characteristics, the electron transport mechanism under low forward bias, high forward bias, and reverse bias are attributed to the Ohmic regime, space-charge-limited current regime, and modified Poole-Frenkel regime respectively. The forward and reverse electrical behaviors are found to be highly related to the distribution of inter- facial trap states and the existence of localized electric field respectively. These results might be helpful for optimizing the preparing procedures to realize high-performance silicon-based CdS optoelectronic devices.     

Large eddy simulations of a circular orifice jet with and without a cross-sectional exit plate

The effect of a cross-sectional exit plane on the downstream mixing characteristics of a circular turbulent jet is in- vestigated using large eddy simulation （LES）. The turbulent jet is issued from an orifice-type nozzle at an exit Reynolds number of 5 ×104. Both instantaneous and statistical velocity fields of the jet are provided. Results show that the rates of the mean velocity decay and jet spread are both higher in the case with the exit plate than without it. The existence of the plate is found to increase the downstream entrainment rate by about 10% on average over the axial range of 8-30de （exit diameter）. Also, the presence of the plate enables the formation of vortex rings to occur further downstream by 0.5-1 .Ode. A physical insight into the near-field jet is provided to explain the importance of the boundary conditions in the evolution of a turbulent jet. In addition, a method of using the decay of the centreline velocity and the half-width of the jet to calculate the entrainment rate is proposed.