Study of the switching phenomena of TlGaS2 single crystals

Single crystals of TlGaS₂ were prepared by a special modified Bridgman technique and used to investigate the switching phenomena. The particular interest shown in switching studies of p-type TlGaS₂ compound is associated with the possibility of its uses as an effective switching and memory elements in electronic devices. The switching effect observed in such crystal shows a memory character. Using a crystal holder and cryostat we measured the switching phenomenon at different ambient conditions such as temperature, light illumination as well as sample thickness. Pronounced parameters for switching for sample of thickness 0.17 cm were determined from the experimental data such as threshold voltage V_th = 400 V, threshold current I_th = 37 μA, holding voltage V_h = 350 V, holding current I_h = 42.3 × 10⁻⁴ A, threshold power P_th = 1.48 × 10⁻² W, threshold field E_th = 196.429 V/cm as well as the ratio between the resistance in the off state R_OFF to the resistance in the conducting state R_ON as 130.253. The factors affecting these parameters have also been investigated.     

Effect of MgO buffer layer thickness on the electrical properties of MgZnO thin film transistors fabricated by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy

We report the fabrication and electrical characteristics of thin film transistors based on MgZnO thin films with different thicknesses of MgO buffer layer. The MgZnO thin films with MgO buffer layers were grown on SiO₂/p-Si substrates by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The effects of the buffer layer thickness on the structural properties of MgZnO films are investigated by X-ray diffraction, and the results show that the crystal quality of the MgZnO film is enhanced with 4 nm MgO buffer layer. The MgZnO TFT with 4 nm MgO buffer layer exhibits an n-type enhancement mode characteristics with a field effect mobility of 1.85 cm²/V s, a threshold voltage of 27.6 V and an on/off ratio of above 10⁶.     

Reversible local-modification of surface structure on clean Ge(0 0 1) by scanning tunneling microscopy below 80 K

The structure of the clean Ge(0 0 1) surface is locally and reversibly changed between c(4×2) and p(2×2) by controlling the bias voltage of a scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) below 80 K. It shows hysteresis for the direction of the sample bias voltage change. The c(4×2) structure is observed with the sample bias voltage V_b?−0.7 V. This structure is maintained at V_b?0.7 V with increasing the bias voltage from −0.7 V. When V_b is higher than 0.8 V, the structure changes to p(2×2). This structure is then maintained at V_b?−0.6 V with decreasing the bias voltage from +0.8 V. The area of the structure change can be confined in the single dimer row just under the STM tip using a bias voltage pulse. In particular, the minimum transformed length is four dimers along the dimer row in the transformation from p(2×2) to c(4×2). The observed local change of the reconstruction with hysteresis is attributed to the energy transfer process from the tunneling electron to the Ge lattice in the local electric field due to the STM bias voltage. A phenomenological model is proposed for the structure changes. It is based on a cascade inversion of the dimer buckling orientation along the dimer row.     

Native oxidation of ultra high purity Cu bulk and thin films

The effect of microstructure and purity on the native oxidation of Cu was studied by using angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AR-XPS) and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). A high quality copper film prepared by ion beam deposition under a substrate bias voltage of −50 V (IBD Cu film at V_s = −50 V) showed an oxidation resistance as high as an ultra high purity copper (UHP Cu) bulk, whereas a Cu film deposited without substrate bias voltage (IBD Cu film at V_s = 0 V) showed lower oxidation resistance. The growth of Cu₂O layer on the UHP Cu bulk and both types of the films obeyed in principle a logarithmic rate law. However, the growth of oxide layer on the IBD Cu films at V_s = 0 and −50 V deviated upward from the logarithmic rate law after the exposure time of 320 and 800 h, respectively. The deviation from the logarithmic law is due to the formation of CuO on the Cu₂O layer after a critical time.     

Growth of superconducting FeSe0.5Te0.5 thin films by pulsed-laser deposition

FeSe_0.5Te_0.5 thin films with PbO-type structure are successfully grown on MgO(1 0 0) and LaSrAlO₄(0 0 1) substrates from FeSe_0.5Te_0.5 or FeSe_0.5Te_0.75 polycrystalline targets by pulsed-laser deposition. The film deposited on the MgO substrate (film thickness ∼ 55 nm) shows superconductivity at 10.6 K (onset) and 9.2 K (zero resistivity). On the other hand, the film deposited on the LaSrAlO₄ substrate (film thickness ∼ 250 nm) exhibits superconductivity at 5.4 K (onset) and 2.7 K (zero resistivity). This suggests the strong influence of substrate materials and/or the c-axis length to superconducting properties of FeSe_0.5Te_0.5 thin films.     

White organic electroluminescent device with photovoltaic performances

Organic device with structure of indium tin oxide (ITO)/1,3,5-tris-(3-methylphenylphenylamino)triphenylamine (m-MTDATA)/2-tert-butyl-9,10-di-beta-naphthylanthracene (TBADN)/2,9-dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenan-throline (BCP)/LiF/Al, was fabricated, which show high efficient white electroluminescence (EL) or photovoltaic (PV) properties when it was driven by direct current (DC) bias or illuminated by ultraviolet (UV) light. Under a DC bias, the device shows efficient white EL emission. A maximum luminous efficiency of 1.1 lm/W was obtained at 8 V, which corresponds the Commission International de L’Eclairage coordinates (CIE) of (x = 0.298, y = 0.365). When the bias was increased to 12 V, the device shows bright white emission with the maximum brightness of 4300 cd/m², corresponding CIE coordinates of (x = 0.262, y = 0.280). When the diode was irradiated by a 365 nm UV-light (4 mW/cm²), the open-circuit voltage (V_oc) of 1.2 V, short-circuit (I_sc) of 0.065 mA/cm², fill factor (FF) of 0.24 and power conversion efficiency of 0.47% have been determined, respectively. The generation mechanisms of white light and PV of the bi-functional diode were discussed as well.     

The effect of applied negative bias voltage on the structure of Ti-doped a-C:H films deposited by FCVA

Ti-doped hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were deposited on Si(1 0 0) substrates by a filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) method using Ar and CH₄ as the feedstock. The composition and microstructure of the films were investigated by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and IR spectroscopy. The internal stress was determined by the radius of curvature technique. The influence of the bias voltage on the microstructure of the as-deposited films was investigated. It was found that the graphite-like bonds was dominated in the Ti-doped DLC film deposited at 0 V bias voltage. When bias voltage was increased to −150 V, more diamond-like bond were produced and the sp³ content in film reached the maximum value, after which it decreased and more graphite-like bonds feature produced with further increase of the negative bias voltage. The compressive internal in the Ti-doped DLC films also exhibited a maximum value at −150 V bias voltage. IR results indicated that CH bonded intensity reduced, and H atoms bonded with C atoms were substituted for the Ti atoms as the negative bias voltage increasing. All the composition and microstructure change can be explained by considering the plasma conditions and the effect of negative bias voltage applied to the substrate.     

Characterization of Ti-Zr-N films deposited by cathodic vacuum arc with different substrate bias

Ti-Zr-N (multi-phase) films were prepared by cathodic vacuum arc technique with different substrate bias (0 to −500 V), using Ti and Zr plasma flows in residual N₂ atmosphere. It was found that the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composite films are strongly dependent on the deposition parameters. All the films studied in this paper are composed of ZrN, TiN, and TiZrN ternary phases. The grains change from equiaxial to columnar and exhibit preferred orientation as a function of substrate bias. With the increase of substrate bias the atomic ratio of Ti to Zr elements keeps almost constant, while the N to (Ti + Zr) ratio increases to about 1.1. The composite films present an enhanced nanohardness compared with the binary TiN and ZrN films deposited under the same condition. The film deposited with bias of −300 V possesses the maximum scratch critical load (L_c).     

Microstructure and discharge properties of Mg-Zr-O protective films in plasma display panel

Mg-Zr-O protective films for plasma display panels (PDPs) were deposited on soda-lime glass substrates by magnetron sputtering method. The effects of Zr doping on both the discharge properties (firing voltage, V_f and the minimum sustaining voltage, V_s) and the microstructure of the Mg-Zr-O films were investigated. The results show that the deposited Mg-Zr-O films retain the NaCl-type structure as the pure MgO crystal. The doped Zr exists in the form of Zr⁴⁺ substitution solution in MgO crystal and an appropriate amount of Zr can improve the surface characteristics of the Mg-Zr-O films effectively. When the Zr atomic concentration is about 2%, the Mg-Zr-O films have the strongest (2 0 0) preferred orientation and the minimum surface roughness. The firing voltage and the minimum sustaining voltage of Mg-Zr-O protective layer are reduced at most by about 25 V and 15 V, respectively, compared with those of the pure MgO film. Mg-Zr-O protective layers with an appropriate amount of Zr are promising to meet the demands of advanced high-vision PDPs.     

Properties of K0.5Bi0.5TiO3 thin films deposited on different substrates

K_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃ thin films were deposited on fused quartz, n-type Si(100) and Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrates by repeated coating/dying cycles. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the films annealed at 700 °C for 10 min present perovskite phase. Atomic force microscopy reveals that the surface morphology is smooth, the grain sizes of the films on Si(100) are quite larger than on fused quartz. The capacitance-voltage hysteresis loops at various sweeping speed are collected as are polarization types. The films in the ON and OFF states are relatively stable. The films also exhibit a hysteresis loop at an applied voltage of 4 V, with a remanent polarization of 9.3 μC/cm² and a coercive voltage of 2 V. The insulating property of negative bias voltage is better than that of positive bias voltage. The transmittance of the films is between 74 and 82% in the wavelength range of 200-2000 nm.     

Electron emission characteristics of Al-AlN granular films

An electron conduction emitter of Al-AlN granular films was proposed for surface conduction electron emission device in this paper. The Al-AlN granular films with thickness of 30 nm were prepared between two co-planar electrodes with gap of 10 μm by magnetron sputtering. After electroforming the Al-AlN granular films, the films’ structure could be recovered by applying the periodic device voltage (V_f). Stable and uniform electron emission was observed with turn-on voltage of 5.3 V and threshold voltage of 9 V. The emitter emission current (I_e) of 4.84 μA for 36 cells was obtained with the anode voltage of 2.5 kV and the device voltage of 12 V. In addition, Fowler-Nordheim plots for I_e-V_f properties showed that the electron emission mechanism should be field emission.     

Synthesis and electrochemical performances of Li4Ti4.95Al0.05O12/C as anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Spinel compounds Li₄Ti_5−xAl_xO₁₂/C (x=0, 0.05) were synthesized via solid state reaction in an Ar atmosphere, and the electrochemical properties were investigated by means of electronic conductivity, cyclic voltammetry, and charge-discharge tests at different discharge voltage ranges (0-2.5 V and 1-2.5 V). The results indicated that Al³⁺ doping of the compound did not affect the spinel structure but considerably improved the initial capacity and cycling performance, implying the spinel structure of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ was more stable when Ti⁴⁺ was substituted by Al³⁺, and Al³⁺ doping was beneficial to the reversible intercalation and deintercalation of Li⁺. Al³⁺ doping improved the reversible capacity and cycling performance effectively especially when it was discharged to 0 V.     

Effects of substrate bias and nitrogen flow ratio on the surface morphology and binding state of reactively sputtered ZrNx films before and after annealing

ZrN_x films were sputtered in an Ar + N₂ atmosphere, with different substrate biases (0 to −200 V) at various nitrogen flow ratios (%N₂ = 0.5-24%). The surface morphology, resistivity, crystllinity, and bonding configuration of ZrN_x films, before and after vacuum annealing, were investigated. As compared with ZrN_x films grown without substrate bias, before and after annealing, the resistivity of 1% and 2% N₂ films decreases with increasing substrate biases. Simultaneously, if the applied bias is too high, the crystallinity of ZrN_x film will decrease. The surfaces of 1% and 2% N₂ flow films deposited without bias have small nodules, whereas the surface morphology of films deposited at −100 V of substrate bias exhibits large nodules and rugged surface. Once a −200 V of substrate bias is applied to the substrate, the surface morphology of ZrN_x films, grown at 1% and 2% nitrogen flow ratios, is smooth. Furthermore, there are two deconvoluted peaks in XPS spectra (i.e., Zr-O and Zr-N) of ZrN_x films deposited at −200 V of substrate bias before and after annealing. On the other hand, the surface morphology changes dramatically from rugged surfaces for film deposited at lower nitrogen flow ratio (%N₂ < 1%) to smoother and denser surfaces for film grown at higher nitrogen flow ratio (%N₂ ≥ 1%). The Zr-N bonding in 2% N₂ films still exist after annealing at 700 °C, while the Zr-N bonding in 0.5% and 16% N₂ flow film vanish at the same temperature. The connection between the resistivity, crystallinity, surface morphology, and bonding configuration of ZrN_x films and how they are influenced by the substrate bias and nitrogen flow ratio are discussed in this paper.     

Exchange bias in (1 1 0)-orientated Bi0.9La0.1FeO3/La0.5Ca0.5MnO3 films

We performed a systematic study on the exchange bias in (1 1 0)-orientated Bi_0.9La_0.1FeO₃/La_0.5Ca_0.5MnO₃ (BLFO/LCMO) heterostructure with a fixed BLFO film thickness of 600 nm and different LCMO layers ranging from t=0 to 30 nm. The LCMO is found to be weakly ferromagnetic, with the Curie temperature descending from ∼225 K to 0 as the layer thickness decreases from 30 nm to 3 nm. The main magnetic contributions come from the BLFO film, and the areal magnetization ratio is 1:0.07 for t=5 nm and 1:0.82 for t=30 nm for BLFO to LCMO at the temperature of 5 K. Further experiments show the presence of significant exchange bias, and it is, at the temperature of 10 K, ∼40 Oe for t=0 and ∼260 Oe for t=30 nm. The exchange bias reduces dramatically upon warming and disappears above the blocking temperature of the spin-glasslike behavior observed in the samples. The possible origin for exchange bias is discussed.     

Structure and hardness of a-C:H films prepared by middle frequency plasma chemical vapor deposition

a-C:H films were prepared by middle frequency plasma chemical vapor deposition (MF-PCVD) on silicon substrates from two hydrocarbon source gases, CH₄ and a mixture of C₂H₂ + H₂, at varying bias voltage amplitudes. Raman spectroscopy shows that the structure of the a-C:H films deposited from these two precursors is different. For the films deposited from CH₄, the G peak position around 1520 cm⁻¹ and the small intensity ratio of D peak to G peak (I(D)/I(G)) indicate that the C-C sp³ fraction in this film is about 20 at.%. These films are diamond-like a-C:H films. For the films deposited from C₂H₂ + H₂, the Raman results indicate that their structure is close to graphite-like amorphous carbon. The hardness and elastic modulus of the films deposited from CH₄ increase with increasing bias voltage, while a decrease of hardness and elastic modulus of the films deposited from a mixture of C₂H₂ + H₂ with increasing bias voltage is observed.     

Bias voltage dependence of inverted magnetoresistance on the annealing temperature in MgO-based magnetic tunnel junctions

MgO-based magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with a layer sequence Ir₂₂Mn₇₈ or Fe₅₀Mn₅₀ (10 nm)/CoFe (2 nm)/Ru (0.85 nm)/CoFeB (0.5?t<2 nm)/MgO (2.5 nm)/CoFeB (3 nm) have been fabricated. The bias voltage dependence of tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) is given as a function of the annealing temperature for these MTJs, which shows the TMR ratio changes its sign from inverted to normal at a critical bias voltage (V_C) when an unbalanced synthetic antiferromagnetic stack CoFe/Ru/CoFeB is used. V_Cs change with the thickness of the pinned CoFeB and annealing temperature, which implies one can achieve different V_Cs by artificial control. The asymmetric V_C values suggest that a strong density-of-states modification occurs at bottom oxide/ferromagnet interface.     

Structure and properties of DLC–MoS2 thin films synthesized by BTIBD method

Diamond-like carbon (DLC)–MoS₂ composite thin films were synthesized using a biased target ion beam deposition (BTIBD) technique in which MoS₂ was produced by sputtering a MoS₂ target using Ar ion beams while DLC was deposited by ion beam deposition with CH₄ gas as carbon source. The structure and properties of the synthesized films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), Raman spectroscopy, nanoindentation, ball-on-disk testing, and corrosion testing. The effect of MoS₂ target bias voltage, ranging from −200 to −800 V, on the structure and properties of the DLC–MoS₂ films was further investigated. The results showed that the hardness decreases from 9.1 GPa to 7 GPa, the Young?s modulus decreases from 100 GPa to 78 GPa, the coefficient of friction (COF) increases from 0.02 to 0.17, and the specific wear rate coefficient (k) increases from 5×10⁻⁷ to 5×10⁻⁶ mm³ N⁻¹ m⁻¹, with increasing the biasing voltage from 200 V to 800 V. Also, the corrosion resistance of the DLC–MoS₂ films decreased with the raise of biasing voltage. Comparing with the pure DLC and pure MoS₂ films, the DLC–MoS₂ films deposited at low biasing voltages showed better tribological properties including lower COF and k in ambient air environment.     

Ultraviolet electroluminescence from ZnO-based light-emitting diode with p-ZnO:N/n-GaN:Si heterojunction structure

A p-ZnO:N/n-GaN:Si structure heterojunction light-emitting diode (LED) is fabricated on c-plane sapphire by full metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) technique. The p-type layer with hole concentration of 8.94×10¹⁶ cm⁻³ is composed of nitrogen-doped ZnO using NH₃ as the doping source with subsequent annealing in N₂O plasma ambient. Silicon-doped GaN film with electron concentration of 1.15×10¹⁸ cm⁻³ is used as the n-type layer. Desirable rectifying behavior is observed from the current-voltage (I-V) curve of the device. The forward turn on voltage is about 4 V and the reverse breakdown voltage is more than 7 V. A distinct ultraviolet (UV) electroluminescence (EL) with a dominant emission peak centered at 390 nm is detected at room temperature from the heterojunction structure under forward bias conditions. The origins of the EL emissions are discussed in comparison with the photoluminescence (PL) spectra.     

Ultraviolet laser-induced voltages in LaSrAlO4 single crystal

Laser-induced ultrafast photovoltaic effect is observed in LaSrAlO4 single crystal at ambient temperature without any applied bias. An open-circuit photovoltage is obtained when the wafer is irradiated by a 248-nm-KrF laser pulse of 20 ns duration. The response time and full width at half maximum of the photovoltage pulse are 6 ns and 19 ns, respectively, indicating that LaSrAlO4 single crystal has potential application in ultraviolet detector.     

Anisotropy of second-order nonlinear optical susceptibilities of arsenic triiodide-sulfur addition complex: AsI3 · 3S8

We report the anisotropic linear and second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of arsenic triiodide-octa-sulfur (1:3) adduct, AsI₃ · 3S₈, which spontaneously crystallizes in the trigonal rhombohedral non-centrosymmetric space group R3m. The trigonal symmetry of the AsI₃ · 3S₈ molecule coincides with the crystal symmetry. The crystals are optically uniaxial with n_o/n_e of about 1.2 and show dichroism at the UV-visible wavelengths. Second harmonic generation (SHG) tensor elements were determined from Maker fringes measured with an Nd:YAG laser (∼10 ns pulse, 1064 nm). The coefficient d_222,eff = 32.0 pm/V for the light polarized parallel to the layers of iodine and sulfur atoms in the AsI₃ · 3S₈ crystal ab plane is markedly larger than d₃₃₃ = 11.6 pm/V for the polarization of light parallel to the crystal c axis. The anisotropy parameter, defined as the d_222,eff/d₃₃₃ ratio, is about 2.7 for the AsI₃ · 3S₈ crystal, smaller than that for the isomorphous CHI₃ · 3S₈ crystal (7.3) but larger than for the SbI₃ · 3S₈ crystal (0.7). Highly anisotropic components of the first hyperpolarizability tensor of an AsI₃ · 3S₈ molecule, β, were derived from the quadratic nonlinear susceptibility tensor of the crystal.