Influence of Si/SiO2 interface properties on electrical performance and breakdown characteristics of ultrathin stacked oxide/nitride dielectric films

In this work, the influence of Si/SiO₂ interface properties, interface nitridation and remote-plasma-assisted oxidation (RPAO) thickness (<1 nm), on electrical performance and TDDB characteristics of sub-2 nm stacked oxide/nitride gate dielectrics has been investigated using a constant voltage stress (CVS). It is demonstrated that interfacial plasma nitridation improves the breakdown and electrical characteristics. In the case of PMOSFETs stressed in accumulation, interface nitridation suppresses the hole traps at the Si/SiO₂ interface evidenced by less negative V_t shifts. Interface nitridation also retards hole tunneling between the gate and drain, resulting in reduced off-state drain leakage. In addition, the RPAO thickness of stacked gate dielectrics shows a profound effect in device performance and TDDB reliability. Also, it is demonstrated that TDDB characteristics are improved for both PMOS and NMOS devices with the 0.6 nm-RPAO layer using Weibull analysis. The maximum operating voltage is projected to be improved by 0.3 V difference for a 10-year lifetime. However, physical breakdown mechanism and effective defect radius during stress appear to be independent of RPAO thickness from the observation of the Weibull slopes. A correlation between trap generation and dielectric thickness changes based on the C-V distortion and oxide thinning model is presented to clarify the trapping behavior in the RPAO and bulk nitride layer during CVS stress.     

Characterisation of Ba2In2 − x Sn x O5 + x/2 oxide ion conductors

The Ba₂In_2 − x Sn _x O_5 + x/2 solid solution was confirmed up to x = 1 by solid-state reaction. X-ray diffraction at room and at elevated temperatures, Raman scattering and impedance spectroscopy were used to characterise the samples. The structure refinement of the composition x = 0.1 from neutron diffraction data reveals that tin is preferentially located in the tetrahedral layers of the brownmillerite. Paper presented at the 11th EuroConference on the Science and Technology of Ionics, Batz-sur-Mer, Sept. 9–15, 2007     

Quantitative Biodetection of Anticancer Drug Rituxan with DNA Biosensor Modified PAMAM Dendrimer/Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite

PAMAM dendrimer/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite modified pencil graphite electrode (PAMAM/RGO/PGE) was used to fabricate an electrochemical DNA biosensor for determination of Rituxan (RTX) at low concentrations, for the first time. The fabricated biosensor was characterized with FE‐SEM, EIS, and CV techniques. The ds‐DNA/PAMAM/RGO/PGE was used as a working electrode to study the interaction between the RTX and salmon sperm ds‐DNA by DPV technique. Because of the interaction between the drug and DNA leads to a decrease in the guanine oxidation peak current, it was used as an indicator for the determination of the RTX. Under the optimized experimental conditions, a wide linear relationship between RTX concentration and guanine signal was obtained within the range of 7.0 to 60.0 μmol L⁻¹ and 60.0 to 300.0 μmol L⁻¹ with a low detection limit (0.56 μmol L⁻¹). To clarify the interaction mechanism between the RTX and the ds‐DNA, DPV and UV‐Vis measurements were used. The reproducibility, stability, and performance of the constructed biosensor was examined by quantitative measuring RTX in pharmaceutical and human serum samples with good precision (RSD; 2.0–6.0 %) and acceptable recoveries (100.04–101.95 %).     

Synthesis of γ-lactones from easily and accessible reactants catalyzed by Cu–MnOx catalysts

The mechanism of the oxidative [3+2] cycloaddition of alkenes with anhydrides using oxygen as an oxidant to synthesize γ-lactones has been studied using a heterogeneous dual copper-manganese–based catalyst. The cyclization takes place through two coexisting reaction mechanisms, the involvement of different reaction intermediates and a clear synergistic effect between copper and manganese. In fact it appears that CuO clusters dispersed on the surface of a manganese-based oxide increase the redox capability of manganese ions and leads to an increase in the release of oxygen from the surface.     

CrO2 (1 0 0) and TiO2 (1 0 0) film heteroepitaxy on a BaF2 (1 1 1)/Si (1 0 0) substrate

Multi-domained heteroepitaxial rutile-phase TiO₂ (1 0 0)-oriented films were grown on Si (1 0 0) substrates by using a 30-nm-thick BaF₂ (1 1 1) buffer layer at the TiO₂–Si interface. The 50 nm TiO₂ films were grown by electron cyclotron resonance oxygen plasma-assisted electron beam evaporation of a titanium source, and the growth temperature was varied from 300 to 600 °C. At an optimal temperature of 500 °C, X-ray diffraction measurements show that rutile phase TiO₂ films are produced. Pole figure analysis indicates that the TiO₂ layer follows the symmetry of the BaF₂ surface mesh, and consists of six (1 0 0)-oriented domains separated by 30° in-plane rotations about the TiO₂ [1 0 0] axis. The in-plane alignment between the TiO₂ and BaF₂ films is oriented as [0 0 1] TiO₂ || BaF₂ or [0 0 1] TiO₂ || BaF₂ . Rocking curve and STM analyses suggest that the TiO₂ films are more finely grained than the BaF₂ film. STM imaging also reveals that the TiO₂ surface has morphological features consistent with the BaF₂ surface mesh symmetry. One of the optimally grown TiO₂ (1 0 0) films was used to template a CrO₂ (1 0 0) film which was grown via chemical vapor deposition. Point contact Andreev reflection measurements indicate that the CrO₂ film was approximately 70% spin polarized.     

Preparation and optical properties of CeF3-containing oxide fluoride glasses

Cerium-containing oxide fluoride glasses CeF₃-BaF₂-AlF₃-SiO₂ were prepared under CO and Ar atmospheres. The glass prepared in a CO atmosphere exhibited blue emission under UV irradiation because the hydrolysis of CeF₃ to a Ce⁴⁺-containing compound during heating process was controlled. The emission spectrum was separable into three peak components by peak analysis. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra were measured to investigate the valency of the elements in the glass. Oxide and fluoride ions in the glass respectively have different electronic states from those in CeO₂ and CeF₃. The electronic state of cerium ion in the oxide fluoride glass differed from that in CeO₂ and CeF₃.     

Design and Development of a Non-Enzymatic Electrochemical Biosensor for the Detection of Glutathione

Glutathione (GSH-reduced form) is a tripeptide that plays a vital role as an antioxidant to remove xenobiotics in the human body and changes in GSH levels are a marker for the progression of various diseases. In this context, a highly sensitive non-enzymatic electrochemical biosensor for the detection of GSH has been developed using reduced graphene oxide Manganese oxide (rGMnO) nanocomposite as the nano-interface. Initially, graphene oxide was synthesized by Hummer's method and then thermally reduced in the presence of MnO₂ in a blast furnace to obtain rGMnO nanocomposite. The nanocomposite was characterized to validate its structure and morphological properties via Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Cyclic voltammetry and amperometry studies showed that upon the addition of GSH, the Pt/rGMnO modified working electrode exhibited a linear response in the range of 1–100 μM at an input voltage of −0.62 V. The developed sensor was found to have a sensitivity of 0.3256 μA μM⁻¹ and LOD of 970 nM with a recovery of 92–104 % in real blood serum samples.     

Dopant-free NiOx Nanocrystals: A Low-cost and Stable Hole Transport Material for Commercializing Perovskite Optoelectronics

Advancing inverted (p-i-n) perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is critical for commercial applications given their compatibility with different bottom cells for tandem photovoltaics, low-temperature processability (≤100 °C), and promising operational stability. Although inverted PSCs have achieved an efficiency of over 25 % using doped or expensive organic hole transport materials (HTMs), their synthesis cost and stability still cannot meet the requirements for their commercialization. Recently, dopant-free and low-cost non-stoichiometric nickel oxide nanocrystals (NiO_x NCs) have been extensively studied as a low-cost and effective HTM in perovskite optoelectronics. In this minireview, we summarize the synthesis and surface-functionalization methods of NiO_x NCs. Then, the applications of NiO_x NCs in other perovskite optoelectronics beyond photovoltaics are discussed. Finally, we provide a perspective for the future development of NiO_x NCs for the commercialization of perovskite optoelectronics.     

Electrosynthesis of α-Amino Acids from NO and other NOx species over CoFe alloy-decorated Self-standing Carbon Fiber Membranes

The conversion of industrial exhaust gases of nitrogen oxides into high-value products is significantly meaningful for global environment and human health. And green synthesis of amino acids is vital for biomedical research and sustainable development of mankind. Herein, we demonstrate an innovative approach for converting nitric oxide (NO) to a series of α-amino acids (over 13 kinds) through electrosynthesis with α-keto acids over self-standing carbon fiber membrane with CoFe alloy. The essential leucine exhibits a high yield of 115.4 μmol h⁻¹ corresponding a Faradaic efficiency of 32.4 %, and gram yield of products can be obtained within 24 hours in lab as well as an ultra-long stability (>240 h) of the membrane catalyst, which could convert NO into NH₂OH rapidly attacking α-keto acid and subsequent hydrogenation to form amino acid. In addition, this method is also suitable for other nitrogen sources including gaseous NO₂ or liquidus NO₃⁻ and NO₂⁻. Therefore, this work not only presents promising prospects for converting nitrogen oxides from exhaust gas and nitrate-laden waste water into high-value products, but also has significant implications for synthetizing amino acids in biomedical and catalytic science.     

Defect processes in MgAl2O4 spinel

In perfect normal MgAl₂O₄ spinel the Mg²⁺ ions occupy tetrahedral 8a sites and Al³⁺ ions occupy octahedral 16d sites. In reality some cations are exchanged between the cation sublattices forming pairs of antisite defects and thus a degree of “inversion”. Here atomic simulation is used to investigate the influence that antisite defects have on the populations of other intrinsic defects, those associated with Schottky and Frenkel reactions. One consequence is that the total magnesium interstitial concentration is increased substantially over the aluminium interstitial concentration and the magnesium vacancy concentration is increased over the aluminium vacancy concentration but to a much smaller extent. The split structures of isolated interstitial defects and the stability of various defect clusters are also discussed.