Stabilization of organic thin film transistors by ion implantation

We report on the effects of low energy ion implantation (N and Ne) in the reduction and control of the degradation of pentacene organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) due to the exposure to atmosphere (i.e. oxygen and water). We have observed that a controlled damage depth distribution preserves the functionality of the devices, even if ion implantation induces significant molecular structure modifications, in particular a combination of dehydrogenation and carbonification effects. No relevant changes in the pentacene thin film thickness have been observed. The two major transport parameters that characterize OTFT performance are the carrier mobility and the threshold voltage. We have monitored the effectiveness of this process in stabilizing the device by monitoring the carrier mobility and the threshold voltage over a long time (over 2000 h). Finally, we have assessed by depth resolved X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy analyses that, by selectively implanting with ions that can react with the hydrocarbon matrix (e.g. N⁺), it is possible to locally modify the charge distribution within the organic layer.     

Current-induced colossal electroresistance in La0.8Ba0.2MnO3 films fabricated by sol–gel method

Transport properties of La_0.8Ba_0.2MnO₃ thin films deposited by the sol–gel method were investigated. It has been found that resistivity plateaus occurred in the ρ–T curves after application of a dc bias current over a critical value. A current of 200 μA could induce a huge resistance variation ∼1200% in these La_0.8Ba_0.2MnO₃ films near room temperature, demonstrating a colossal electroresistance effect. Such strange transport behavior suggests the formation of conductive filaments and that the multi-phase coexistence is sensitive to external stimuli. This phenomenon may find applications in sensing and logic devices.     

On Weierstrass semigroups and sets: a review with new results

In this work we present a survey of the main results in the theory of Weierstrass semigroups at several points, with special attention to the determination of bounds for the cardinality of its set of gaps. We also review results on applications to the theory of error correcting codes. We then recall a generalization of the concept of Weierstrass semigroup, which is the Weierstrass set associated to a linear system and several points. We finish by presenting new results on this Weierstrass set, including some on the cardinality of its set of gaps.      

Composition, structure and magnetic properties of sputter deposited Ni-Mn-Ga ferromagnetic shape memory thin films

Polycrystalline Ni-Mn-Ga thin films were deposited by the d.c. magnetron sputtering on well-cleaned substrates of Si(1 0 0) and glass at a constant sputtering power of 36 W. We report the influence of sputtering pressure on the composition, structure and magnetic properties of the sputtered thin films. These films display ferromagnetic behaviour only after annealing at an elevated temperature and a maximum saturation magnetization of 335 emu/cc was obtained for the films investigated. Evolution of martensitic microstructure was observed in the annealed thin films with the increase of sputtering pressure. The thermo-magnetic curves exhibited only magnetic transition in the temperature range of 339-374 K. The thin film deposited at high sputtering pressure of 0.025 mbar was found to be ordered L2₁ austenitic phase.     

Epitaxial thin films of (Bi0.9La0.1)2NiMnO6 obtained by pulsed laser deposition

Bulk Bi₂NiMnO₆ has been shown to be ferromagnetic and ferroelectric. Here, we report a systematic study of the influence of the deposition conditions on the growth of (Bi_0.9La_0.1)₂NiMnO₆ thin films onto (0 0 1) SrTiO₃ substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Oxygen pressure and substrate temperature have been varied from 0.3 to 0.6 mbar and 600 to 660 °C, respectively. Whereas it is found that single-phase and epitaxial films can be obtained in a relatively broad oxygen pressure range, the temperature window, centred on 620 °C, is extremely narrow. Films of low roughness, about 1 unit cell, have been obtained. It is found that the magnetisation of the films, which are ferromagnetic with Curie temperatures about 100 K, is lower than the expected theoretical value, which might be attributed to an incomplete Ni-O-Mn long-range ordering.     

Comparison of Methods for the Computation of Multivariate t Probabilities

This article compares methods for the numerical computation of multivariate t probabilities for hyper-rectangular integration regions. Methods based on acceptance-rejection, spherical-radial transformations, and separation-of-variables transformations are considered. Tests using randomly chosen problems show that the most efficient numerical methods use a transformation developed by Genz for multivariate normal probabilities. These methods allow moderately accurate multivariate t probabilities to be quickly computed for problems with as many as 20 variables. Methods for the noncentral multivariate t distribution are also described.