Interdiffused InGaAs/InP quantum wells for polarization-independent electroabsorption

The interdiffusion of In0.53Ga0.47As/InP quantum well structures is presented as an approach for achieving polarization-independent electroabsorption. By considering different interdiffusion rates on group III and group V sublattices, the TE and TM absorption coefficient spectra calculated for the interdiffused InGaAs/InP quantum well show that with a suitable interdiffusion process the tensile strain induced in the interdiffused quantum well can provide polarization-independent absorption properties. For the quantum well structure and interdiffusion process considered here polarization-independent electroabsorption can be achieved around 1.3 μm, which is of considerable interest for optical switching and modulating devices. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Short single-mode CO2 laser pulse generation by pulsed Q-switching

A simple method for the generation of short, single-mode CO₂ laser pulses produced by applying two voltage gates (of amplitude 3U_λ/4 and U_λ/4) to an electro-optic Q-switch placed in a three-mirror cavity is proposed. Single, single-mode, well-synchronizable pulses of 3 ns duration and of 3 mJ energy have been experimentally achieved from a TEA CO₂ laser with an intracavity Pockels cell with 3 ns switching time. Using a numerical simulation it is shown that with shorter switching time (≈1 ns) the method enables one to obtain, from such a laser, a single, megawatt pulse of 1 ns duration.     

Synthesis, characterization and low field emission of CNx nanotubes

Aligned CN_x nanotubes were fabricated by pyrolyzing ethylenediamine on p-type Si(1 1 1) substrates using iron as the catalyst. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the CN_x nanotubes. The CN_x nanotubes with the average length of 20 μm and diameters in the range of 50–100 nm have the “bamboo-like” structure and worse crystalline order. The low-field emission measurements of the CN_x nanotubes indicated that 20 μA/cm² current densities were observed at an electric field of 1.4 V/μm and 1.280 mA/cm² were obtained at 2.54 V/μm. The CN_x nanotubes exhibit better field emission properties than the carbon nanotubes and the BCN nanotubes. The emission mechanism of CN_x nanotubes is also discussed.     

Exciton and impurity electroabsorption in GaSexTe1-x〈Sn〉 single crystals

The exciton and impurity electroabsorption has been studied in GaSe_xTe_1-x〈Sn〉 (0.7 ?χ?1) exhibiting the properties of residual conductivity (RC). It has been shown that the broadening of the negative exciton peak, the nature of the field dependence of the electroabsorption signal, and its anisotropy in the exciton and impurity region are associated with the presence of internal chaotic fields E_int ≈ 10³ ? 10⁴ V cm^?1 coming into play because of the fluctuating distribution of the tin impurity and the defects inherent in layer crystals. Based on investigations of the impurity electroabsorption (IEA), the depth of occurence (hv = 1.18 eV) and the concentration (N = 10¹⁶cm³) of impurity centres have been determined.     

In-plane gate transistors in AlxGa1−xN/GaN heterostructures written by focused ion beams

Focused ion beam implantation of gallium and dysprosium was used to locally insulate the near-surface two-dimensional electron gas of Al_xGa_1−xN/GaN heterostructures. The threshold dose for insulation was determined to be 2×10¹⁰ cm⁻¹ for 90 keV Ga⁺ and 1×10⁹ cm⁻¹ for 200 keV Dy²⁺ at 4.2 K. This offers a tool not only for inter-device insulation but also for direct device fabrication. Making use of “open-T” like insulating line patterns, in-plane gate transistors have been fabricated by focused ion beam implantation. An exemplar with a geometrical channel width of 1.5 μm shows a conductance of 32 μS at 0 V gate voltage and a transconductance of around 4 μS, which is only slightly dependent on the gate voltage.     

Effect of annealing temperature on microstructure, optical and electrical properties of sputtered Ba0.9Sr0.1TiO3 thin films

Ba_0.9Sr_0.1TiO₃ (BST) thin films were deposited on fused quartz and Pt/TiN/Si₃N₄/Si substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique. Microstructure and chemical bonding states of the BST films annealed at 700 °C were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, glancing angle X-ray diffraction and Raman spectrum. Optical constants including refractive indices, extinction coefficients and bandgap energies of the as-deposited BST film and the BST films annealed at 650, 700 and 750 °C, respectively, were determined from transmittance spectra by envelope method and Tauc relation. Dielectric constant and remnant polarization for the BST films increase with increasing annealing temperature. Leakage current density-applied voltage (J–V) data indicate that the dominant conduction mechanism for all the BST capacitors is the interface-controlled Schottky emission under the conditions of 14 V < V < 30 V and −30 V < V < −14 V. Furthermore, the inequipotential J–V characteristics for the BST films annealed at various temperatures are mainly attributed to the combined effects of the different thermal histories, relaxed stresses and strains, and varied Schottky barrier heights in the BST/Pt and Pt/BST interfaces.     

Si1−xGex/Si multi-quantum well phototransistor for near-infrared operation

For the first time in the literature, we report the monolithic integration of SiGe near-infrared phototransistor and planar hetero-junction bipolar transistor (HBT). The phototransistor is made with SiGe/Si multi-quantum well structure (MQW_PHT). At room temperature, the MQW_PHT reveals an optical responsivity of 1904 mW/A at 0.85 μm and 1.25 mW/A at 1.3 μm under the reversed bias of V_CE=1.5 V. For electrical DC and microwave performance, the SiGe HBT has a current gain of 160 and a cut-off frequency (f_T) of 25 GHz, respectively.     

Correlation between crystallinity and resistive switching behavior of sputtered WO3 thin films

The as-deposited WO₃ thin films were post-annealed at different temperatures (300 °C and 600 °C) in air to investigate a correlation between crystallinity and switching behavior of WO₃ thin films. Associating the results of XRD, FTIR, XPS and FESEM measurements, the annealing-caused crystallinity change contributes to the variation of the switching behaviors of the WO₃ thin films. The as-deposited WO₃ films with low crystalline structure are preferred for random Ag conducting path, resulting in large switching ratio but fluctuating I–V hysteresis, whereas the annealed WO₃ films with crystallized compact structure limits Ag conducting path, favoring the stable I–V hysteresis but small switching ratio. It is therefore concluded that electrochemical redox reaction-controlled resistance switching depends not only on electrode materials (inert and reactive electrodes) but also on crystallinity of host oxide.     

Electric conductance and semi-empirical studies on two thiophene derivatives/metal cation complexation

The formation constants for 1:1 Stoichiometric complexes of 2,4-diamino-3,5-dicyano thiophene (DADCT) and 2-amino cyclohexane thiophene-3-carbonitrile (ACTC) with transition metal cations (Mn⁺² , Ni^+ 2 , Cu^+ 2 , Zn^+ 2 , Cd^+ 2 , UO₂^+ 2 , La^+ 3 and Zr^+ 4 ) in 50% (V./V.) ethanol–water and methanol–water solvents have been determined conductometrically at different temperatures. A semi-empirical PM3 calculations were also used to predict the structure of the metal complex by calculating the enthalpy of formation, the geometrical parameters and Mulliken charges of the free ligands and the suggested structures of the formed complexes. The values of the different thermodynamic parameters (ΔG, ΔH and ΔS) have been obtained. The results show that the complexation reactions are all exothermic except in the case of La^+ 3-DADCT, which is endothermic reaction. The formation constant for the transition metal cations-ACTC complexes were larger than that for the transition metal cations-DADCT complexes. Also, the formation constants for all studied complexes in ethanol–water solvent were higher than that in methanol–water solvent. Using the SPSS computer program, a second order relation was found between Log k and the ionic radius (r) of the cations under investigation. The semi-empirical PM3 calculations show that there are two suggested structures of the complexation of (DADCT) with the studied metal ions.     

Electrical switching and memory phenomena ino-tolidine DDQ under pressure

Electrical switching has been observed ino-tolidine-DDQ at pressures of 7.66 GPa and fields ∼3×10⁵ V/m withσ _ON/σ _OFF≈10³ at a temperature of 300 K. The switching is found to be of the memory type and the sample can be driven back to the low conducting state by applying ac pulses of sufficient magnitude but independent of frequency.     

Resistive switching of silicon-rich-oxide featuring high compatibility with CMOS technology for 3D stackable and embedded applications

This paper discusses the resistive switching devices based on highly compatible silicon-rich-oxide, including silicon monoxide (SiO) and SiO _x N _y material, which can be fabricated by low temperature process, and thus fully compatible with the back-end CMOS technology. The demonstrated SiO based RRAM suitable for 3D stackable applications shows repeatable unipolar resistive switching behavior with excellent on/off resistance ratio and good retention performance, but a little bit high switching voltage. The presented silicon-rich silicon-oxynitride RRAM device can effectively reduce the switching voltages (∼1 V) and shows good retention capability under 180°C baking as well as fast speed, giving great potentials for 3D stackable and embedded applications. The switching mechanisms in the studied devices are discussed. The method of switching voltage reduction through nitrogen doping, as a kind of defect engineering, can provide some guidelines for RRAM design.     

A 20 nm gate-length ultra-thin body p-MOSFET with silicide source/drain

As the scaling of CMOS transistors extends to the sub-20 nm regime, the most challenging aspect of device design is the control of the off-state current. The traditional methods for controlling leakage current via the substrate doping profile will be difficult to implement at these dimensions. A promising method for controlling leakage in sub-20 nm transistors is the reduction in source-to-drain leakage paths through the use of a body region which is significantly thinner then the gate length, with either a single or a double gate. In this paper we present ultra-thin body PMOS transistors with gate lengths down to 20 nm fabricated using a low-barrier silicide as the source and drain. Calixarene-based electron-beam lithography was used to define critical device dimensions. These transistors show 260 μ A μ m ^{− 1}on-current and on/off current ratios of 10⁶, for a conservative oxide thickness of 40 Å and | V_g − V_t| = 1.2 V. Excellent short-channel effect, with only 0.2 V reduction in | V_t| is obtained in devices with gate lengths ranging from 100 to 20 nm.     

Fast electro-optical switching and high contrast ratio in epoxy-based polymer dispersed liquid crystals

We report the observation of an electro-optical switching effect from an opaque to a transparent state occurring at a threshold value of the applied field in a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC). Optical responses of the composite film under the conditions of an externally applied ac electric field (2–5 V_p−p/μ) and a film thickness (50 μm), were determined using an Argon laser (wavelength 514 nm). The experimental results showed promising switching times with a rise time of 190 μs and a decay time of 2 ms and an exceptionally high contrast ratio up to 410. These results demonstrate the validity of employing this new PDLC in electro-optical devices.     

High resolution FTIR spectroscopy of pentafluoroethane: perturbations in the Coriolis doublet of ν4 and ν13

The FTIR spectrum of pentafluoroethane (R125) was measured in the mid infrared region from 900 to 4000 cm⁻¹. Vibrational assignments for R125 are revised by comparison of previous and current experimental data with ab initio calculations at both the MP2/6-311+(d,p) and B3LYP/TZV+(3df,3p) levels of theory. High resolution FTIR spectra were recorded at room temperature and in an enclosive flow cell at a rotational temperature of 140 K. The cold spectrum was sufficiently resolved to enable rovibrational analyses of the overlapping ν₄ (1200.7341 cm⁻¹) and ν₁₃ (1223.3 cm⁻¹) bands, which have a/c hybrid and b-type character, respectively. Ground state combination differences were used to confirm assignment of 2375 lines to ν₄ (J_max = 86, K_{a max} = 50) and 2921 lines to ν₁₃ (J_max = 60, K_{a max} = 54). Effective rotational and centrifugal distortion constants were determined for ν₄, and the polarization ratio was found to be . Severe Coriolis perturbations prevent any satisfactory fit to the ν₁₃ band.     

Fabrication of polyaniline/ heterojunction structure using plasma enhanced polymerization technique

The work reports on the fabrication of a p–n heterojunction structure comprised of polyaniline (PANI) and TiO₂ nanoparticles. PANI was deposited by plasma enhanced polymerization on TiO₂ thin film substrates. The structural and the crystalline properties demonstrated the coherence and the substantive interaction of the plasma polymerized PANI molecules with the TiO₂ nanoparticle thin film. The UV–Vis studies of PANI/TiO₂ thin film supported the internalization of PANI with TiO₂ nanoparticles due to π–π^* transition of the phenyl rings with the lone pair electrons () of the nitrogen atom present in the PANI molecules. The I–V characteristics of the PANI/TiO₂ heterojunction structure were obtained in the forward and the reverse biased at applied voltage ranging from −1 V to +1 V with a scan rate of 2 mV/s. The proficient current in the PANI/TiO₂ heterojunction structure was attributed to the well penetration of PANI molecules into the pores of the TiO₂ nanoparticle thin film. The I–V characteristics ensured an efficient charge movement at the junction of PANI/TiO₂ interface and thus, behaved as a typical ohmic system.     

Wavelength selective detection using excitonic resonances in GaAs/AlGaAs P-I-(MQW)-N structures

The quantum confined Stark effect causes a strong wavelength and voltage dependence of photocurrent near excitonic resonances which is used to study the wavelength selectivity of p-i(MQW)-n photodiode. For a parallel input of optical bits each coming at a different wavelength, the selectivity is considered good if the state of a λ_i wavelength bit can be detected regardless of the λ_j (j ≠ i) state of the bits. Photocurrent is found to have very good selectivity if λ_j bits are all zero, i.e. the optical information is serial. However, we find that differential photocurrent (Δ I_ph/ΔV) provides a good selectivity for random states of λ_j bits (i.e. parallel input). Four channel selectivity is demonstrated at 200K. Specially designed quantum well structures can greatly improve this selectivity.     

On the profile of temperature dependent electrical and dielectric properties of Au/SiO2/n-GaAs (MOS) structures at various frequencies

The temperature (T) dependence of electrical and dielectric characteristics such as series resistance (R_s), dielectric constant (ε′), dielectric loss (ε″), dielectric loss tangent (tan δ), and real and imaginary part of electrical modulus (M′ and M″) of the Au/SiO2/n-GaAs (MOS) structures have been investigated in the temperature range of 80–350 K at various frequencies by using experimental capacitance (C) and conductance (G/w) measurements. Experimental results show that both C and G/w characteristics were quite sensitive to frequency and temperature at especially high temperatures and low frequencies due to a continuous density distribution of interface states and their relaxation time, and thermal restructuring and reordering of the interface. Series resistance values of this device obtained from Nicollian method decrease with increasing frequency and temperature. The ε′, ε″, tan δ, and M′ and M″ were found a strong function of frequency and temperature. While the values of ε′, ε″, and tan δ decrease, M′ and M″ increase with increasing frequency. Also, while ε′ and ε″ increase, M′ and M″ decrease with increasing temperature. The tan δ and M′ values are almost independent temperature especially at high frequencies (f≥500 kHz).     

Determination of the (Na) Sternheimer antishielding factor by Na NMR spectroscopy on sodium oxide chloride, Na3OCl

The (Na⁺) Sternheimer antishielding factor γ_∞ (Na⁺) was determined by ²³Na NMR spectroscopy on sodium oxide chloride, Na₃OCl. The quadrupolar coupling constant of the sodium ion in Na₃OCl was determined to QCC=11.34 MHz, which presents the largest coupling constant of a sodium nucleus observed so far. Applying a simple point charge model, the largest principal value of the electric field gradient at the sodium site was calculated to V_zz=−6.76762·10²⁰ V/m². From these values we calculated the (Na⁺) Sternheimer antishielding factor to γ_∞ (Na⁺)=−5.36. In sodium oxide, Na₂O, we observed an isotropic chemical shift of δ_CS=55.1 ppm, referenced to 1 M aqueous NaCl (δ=0 ppm).     

Bipolar resistive switching in Cr-doped TiOx thin films

The electric-pulse-induced resistive switching effect is studied for Ti_0.85Cr_0.15O_x (TCO) films grown on Ir—Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Such a TCO device exhibits bipolar switching behaviour with an electric-pulse-induced resistance ratio as large as about 1000% and threshold voltages smaller than 2 V. The resistive switching characteristics may be understood by resistance changes of a Schottky junction composed of a metal and an n-type semiconductor, and its nonvolatility is attributed to the movement of oxygen vacancies near the interface.     

Electrical properties of perovskite-type La(Cr1−xMnx)O3+δ

Perovskite-type La(Cr_1−xMn_x)O_3+δ (0.0x1.0) was synthesized using a sol–gel process. The crystal structure of La(Cr_1−xMn_x)O_3+δ changes from orthorhombic to rhombohedral at x=0.6. The Mn⁴⁺ ion content increases monotonically in the range 0.2x1.0. The magnetic measurement of La(Cr_1−xMn_x)O_3+δ indicates that a Mn³⁺ ion is a high-spin state with (d)³(dγ)¹. The variation of the average (Cr, Mn)-O distance is explained by ionic radii of the Cr³⁺, the Mn³⁺, the Mn⁴⁺ ions. Since the log σT–1/T curve is linear and the Seebeck coefficient (α) is independent of temperature, it is considered that La(Cr_1−xMn_x)O_3+δ is a p-type semiconductor and exhibits the hopping conductivity.