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We have studied the growth processes of MoSe2 thin films on Si(111) substrates by molecular-beam epitaxy. The surface termination of the Si substrate plays a crucial role in the growth of epitaxial MoSe2 films: when the Si(111) substrate is passivated with a GaSe bilayer, highly oriented MoSe2 films could be grown under optimized growth conditions. On the other hand, the growth on the Si(111)-(7 × 7) substrate results in the preferential formation of the MoSi2 phase, which prevents the formation of epitaxial MoSe2 films. We found that the As termination of the Si(111) surface is less effective in promoting the planar MoSe2 growth, despite its highly passivated nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epitaxial thin films of MnxGa1-x (x=0.70, 0.74) grown on single crystal (LaAlO3)0.3 (Sr2TaAlO6)0.7 [LSAT] substrates exhibit an enhanced magnetic moment and magnetic anisotropy in comparison to films of the same composition grown epitaxially on SrTiO3 [STO] single crystal substrates. Atomic and magnetic force microscopy revealed films exhibiting uniform grains and magnetic domain structures, with only minor differences between the films grown on different substrates. High resolution transmission electron microscopy on the x=0.74 sample grown on LSAT showed a well-ordered, faceted film structure with the tetragonal c-axis oriented out of the film plane. Further, misfit dislocations, accommodating the lattice mismatch, were evidenced at the film/substrate interface. The out of plane c lattice parameter is larger for all x in the films grown on LSAT, due to the smaller substrate lattice parameter compared to STO. The increase in c generates a larger distortion of the tetragonal lattice which promotes the enhanced magnetization and magnetocrystalline anisotropy. These results indicate that LSAT is a promising substrate for realizing highly tailored magnetic properties for future spintronic applications not only in MnxGa1-x but also in the broader class of tetragonal Mn-Z-Ga (Z¼transition metal) materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate lifetime predictions for Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 thin films are critical for a number of applications, but current reliability models are not consistent with the resistance degradation mechanisms in lead zirconate titanate. In this work, the reliability and lifetime of chemical solution deposited (CSD) and sputtered Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 thin films are characterized using highly accelerated lifetime testing (HALT) and leakage current-voltage (I-V) measurements. Temperature dependent HALT results and impedance spectroscopy show activation energies of approximately 1.2 eV for the CSD films and 0.6 eV for the sputtered films. The voltage dependent HALT results are consistent with previous reports, but do not clearly indicate what causes device failure. To understand more about the underlying physical mechanisms leading to degradation, the I-V data are fit to known conduction mechanisms, with Schottky emission having the best-fit and realistic extracted material parameters. Using the Schottky emission equation as a base, a unique model is developed to predict the lifetime under highly accelerated testing conditions based on the physical mechanisms of degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Searching strain sensitive materials for electronic skin is of crucial significance because of the restrictions of current materials such as poor electrical conductivity, large energy consumption, complex manufacturing process, and high cost. Here, we report a flexible strain sensor based on the Zr55Cu30Ni5Al10 metallic glass thin film which we name metallic glass skin. The metallic glass skin, synthesized by ion beam deposition, exhibits piezoresistance effects with a gauge factor of around 2.86, a large detectable strain range (~1% or 180° bending angle), and good conductivity. Compared to other e-skin materials, the temperature coefficient of resistance of the metallic glass skin is extremely low (9.04 x 10-6K-1), which is essential for the reduction in thermal drift. In addition, the metallic glass skin exhibits distinct antibacterial behavior desired for medical applications, also excellent reproducibility and repeatability (over 1000 times), nearly perfect linearity, low manufacturing cost, and negligible energy consumption, all of which are required for electronic skin for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wavy configuration is a simple yet powerful structural design strategy, which has been widely used in flexible and stretchable electronics. A buckled structure created from a prestretch-contact-release process represents an early effort. Substrates with engineered surface relief structures (e.g., rectangular islands or tripod structure) have enabled stretchability to the devices without sacrificing their electric performance (e.g., high areal coverage for LEDs/photovoltaics/batteries/supercapacitors). In particular, the substrate with a tripod surface relief structure allows wrinkled devices to be suspended on a soft tripod substrate. This minimizes the contact area between devices and the deformed substrate, which contributes to a significantly reduced interfacial stress/strain. To uncover the underlying mechanism of such a design, we exploit the energy method to analytically investigate the buckling and postbuckling behaviors of stiff films suspended on a stretchable polymeric substrate with a tripod surface relief structure. Validated by finite element analysis, the predications from such an analytical study elucidate the deformed profile and maximum strain in the buckled and postbuckled stiff thin device films, providing a useful toolkit for future experimental designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale application of graphene requires its clean transfer from thin metal films, where it is grown via chemical vapor deposition (CVD), to any other substrates of interest. All the existing transfer methodologies, however, leave residues at different degrees on graphene surfaces and can only provide atomically clean graphene surfaces in areas as large as ~10-4 μm². Here, we transfer CVDgrown graphene using Poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) and present a method that can atomically clean the PMMA residues from a larger surface area of graphene using radiolized water obtained via electron-water interaction at high temperatures. The cleaning process was monitored in-situ using an environmental-mode transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy. These showed the effectiveness of PMMA removal over areas as large as ~0.02 μm², whose size was only limited by the size of the electron beam and the presence of inorganic residues after the transfer process. By overcoming these limitations, we may achieve atomically clean graphene transfer to even larger areas--enabling more challenging device applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response of the LiTaO3 thin film detector to the X-band pulse with large power (of order 10 W/cm²) and short duration (of order 0.1 ls) is investigated experimentally and explained from the viewpoint of dielectric relaxation. With the output voltage signal of the detector, the current through the LiTaO3 thin film and its electric polarization are computed and used to examine the observation in a more fundamental manner. In contrast to the common step excitation, the short pulse can provide a delta-type excitation and the response is more appropriate for exploring the interaction mechanism. It is demonstrated from the viewpoint of energy that the response of the detector is not caused by the temperature change in the film, which is the core component in the traditional model of the pyroelectric detector. The polarizations under different pulse conditions show that the interaction is nonlinear, so the linear superposition assumption in the dielectric relaxation theory cannot be used any more. It is found that the polarization can be fitted quite well with a sine function and a time-dependent frequency can be defined. An empirical equation is derived for the dynamics of polarization, and the accelerating and damping effects in the relaxation process can be explained with the relative change in this frequency. The dynamics analysis indicates that the electromagnetic energy is mainly dissipated through driving the domain wall in the crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of tungsten (W) doping on the ultrafast dynamics of the photo-induced insulator-rmetal phase transition (IMT) is investigated at room temperature in epitaxially grown vanadium dioxide (VO2) thin films by means of optical pump-terahertz (THz) probe spectroscopy. It is observed that the THz transmission variation of the films across the IMT follows a bi-exponential decrease characterized by two time constants, one corresponding to a fast process and the other to a slower process. W-doping (i) reduces the photo-excitation fluence threshold required for triggering the IMT, (ii) accelerates the slow process, and (iii) increases the THz transient transmission variation for corresponding fluences. From the Drude-Smith model, it is deduced that a strong carrier confinement and an enhancement of the transient conductivity occur across the IMT. The IMT is also accompanied by an increase in the carrier concentration in the films, which is enhanced by W-doping. Our results suggest that W-doped VO2 could be advantageously exploited in applications such as ultrafast THz optical switching and modulation devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate strong, narrow-band selective absorption and subsequent selective thermal emission from ultra-thin planar films of polar materials at mid-infrared wavelengths. Our structures consist of AlN layers of varying thicknesses deposited upon molybdenum ground planes. We demonstrate coupling to the Berreman mode at frequencies at, or near, the longitudinal optical phonon energy of AlN. Samples are characterized experimentally by temperature-, angle-, and polarization-dependent Fourier transform infrared reflection and emission spectroscopy and modeled using a transfer matrix method approach. Strong, spectrally selective thermal emission, with near angle-independent spectral position, is demonstrated from an AlN layer with thickness t < λ0/100. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on an avenue to obtain the centimeter-scale, uniform, and high-quality WTe2 ultrathin films by a pulsed laser deposition technique and the post-annealing under the tellurium (Te) vapor. The WTe2 ultrathin films showed the typical metallic behavior when Te vacancies were mostly eliminated. Magnetoresistance measurements showed that WTe2 ultrathin films underwent the competition between weak localization and weak antilocalization that could be modulated by the amount of Te vacancies. Our study may open an avenue to improve the charge transport of WTe2 for its two-dimensional device applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to its ability to produce an assembly of nanoislands with controllable size and locations, the solid state dewetting of patterned films has recently received great attention. A simple Kinetic Monte Carlo model based on two reduced energetic parameters allows one to reproduce experimental observations of the dewetting morphological evolution of patterned films of Si(001) on SiO2 (or SOI for Silicon-on-Insulator) with various pattern designs. Thus, it is now possible to use KMC to drive further experiments and to optimize the pattern shapes to reach a desired dewetted structure. Comparisons between KMC simulations and dewetting experiments, at least for wire-shaped patterns, show that the prevailing dewetting mechanism depends on the wire width. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermionic cathodes are widely used in applications where strong electron emission is essential. Thin film thermionic emitters, despite their potential, are yet to appear in real device applications. The main shortcoming of thin film thermionic emitters is their weak emission capability as compared to the bulky conventional thermionic cathodes. A high performance thermionic thin film emitter with emission capability on par with that of a conventional thermionic cathode is presented in this study. This thin film emitter is based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with their surface further functionalized with low work function oxide materials. The low-work-function barium strontium oxide coating combined with a large Schottky effect induced by the carbon nanotubes leads to a dramatic increase in thermionic emission. Emission current as high as 325mA is obtained from an emission surface area of 0.0727 cm² at 1380K, which is equivalent to a current density of 4.5A/cm² at a modest thermionic emission temperature. Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition was used to grow the carbon nanotubes, while the magnetron sputtering technique was used to functionalize the CNT surface with a thin layer of low-work-function oxide coating. The whole growth and fabrication process of this thin film emitter are compatible with semiconductor fabrication processes, making it possible to incorporate this thermionic thin film into other semiconductor devices for other potential applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In superconducting transition-edge sensor X-ray detectors, we observe that as the thermal conductance (G) to the heat bath increases, the resistive transition broadens. Consequently, the sensitivity of films to deposited energy worsens. Using a two-fluid model for the superconducting-to-normal transition in a thin film, we show that this broadening can be attributed to the larger current (I0) necessary for biasing the film at a given point in the transition for higher-G devices, resulting in a higher Ic0/I0 ratio (Ic0 is the film's critical current at zero temperature). To recover a sharper transition, we fabricated rectangular films with varying numbers of internal normal-metal structures while keeping G constant, allowing the independent variation of both I0 and Ic0. We show that it is possible to manipulate the transition width and G independently, thus enabling fast thermal sensors with an excellent energy resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the optical detection of the spin Hall effect (SHE) as a function of the crystalline structure of sputtered Ta thin films using a magneto-optical Kerr system. The growth rate of Ta films is found to influence the crystalline phase of Ta films. At a lower growth rate, GR the pure α-phase of Ta is formed, which changes to the pure β-phase for GR ≥ 1.44 Å/s. For an intermediate growth rate, 0.62 Å/s ≤ GR < 1.44 Å/s, an admixture of α and β phases is formed. We optically detect spin accumulation due to the spin Hall effect in Ta films by applying a square wave current and using Fourier analysis in a magneto-optical Kerr effect setup that uses spatially modulated incident light. We show that there exists a threshold current density (Jth) above which spin current can be detected via the optical technique. Jth, which is a measure of spin current efficiency, is found to be the lowest in the mixed phase of Ta and is strongly correlated with the crystalline phase of Ta films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is found that the oxygen vacancy (VO) defect concentration affecting the separation between individual species in LiZn-Lii complex influences the optical emission property of Li0.06Zn0.94O epitaxial thin film grown by pulsed laser deposition. The film grown under low oxygen partial pressure (n-type conductivity)/higher partial pressure (resistive-type) has broad emission at ∼2.99 eV/∼2.1 eV and a narrower emission at 3.63 eV/3.56 eV, respectively. First principle based mBJLDA electronic structure calculation suggests that the emission at 2.99 eV is due to the LiZn-Lii pair complex and the emission at 2.1 eV is when the component species are away from each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a thin capping layer to engineer the structural and optical properties of InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) has become common practice in the last decade. Traditionally, the main parameter considered has been the strain in the QD/capping layer system. With the advent of more exotic alloys, it has become clear that other mechanisms significantly alter the QD size and shape as well. Larger bond strengths, surfactants, and phase separation are known to act on QD properties but are far from being fully understood. In this study, we investigate at the atomic scale the influence of these effects on the morphology of capped QDs with cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy. A broad range of capping materials (InGaAs, GaAsSb, GaAsN, InGaAsN, and GaAsSbN) are compared. The QD morphology is related to photoluminescence characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is shown experimentally that unstructured light beams can generate a wealth of distinct metastable defect structures in thin films of chiral liquid crystals. Various kinds of individual chiral topological states are obtained as well as dimers and trimers, which correspond to the entanglement of several topological unit cells. Self-assembled nested assemblies of several metastable particle-like topological states can also be formed. Finally, we propose and experimentally demonstrate an opto-electrical approach to generate tailor-made architectures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BiFeO3 films with in-plane compressive strain of -3.5% were deposited on oxygen-deficient La0.3Sr0.7MnO3-δ buffered SrTiO3(001) substrates. This highly strained BiFeO3 does not relax directly into its rhombohedral parent phase upon increasing the film thickness. Instead, a multi-step path involving structural transitions is observed. The misfit stress is first accommodated by the occurrence of true tetragonal BiFeO3 with c/a ratio of 1.23, then reduced by the transformation to the MC-type monoclinic structure, and finally alleviated through the MC-rhombohedral transition. Moreover, this process enables the formation of strain-driven morphotropic phase boundaries at a stress level much lower than the reported threshold of -4.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between O2 and ZnO thin films prepared by atomic layer deposition has been investigated by time-dependent second-harmonic generation, by probing the electric field induced by adsorbed oxygen molecules on the surface. The second-harmonic generated signal decays upon laser exposure due to two-photon assisted desorption of O2. Blocking and unblocking the laser beam for different time intervals reveals the adsorption rate of O2 onto ZnO. The results demonstrate that electric field induced second-harmonic generation provides a versatile non-contact probe of the adsorption kinetics of molecules on ZnO thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the potential of stacked multilayer graphene as broadband terahertz (THz) antireflection coating based on the impedance matching effect in experiment and theory. The reflected pulses from the quartz and silicon substrates were observed to change with the layer number and doping concentration of the graphene coating. Remarkable broadband impedance matching was achieved due to optimized THz conductivity. Theoretical analysis based on Drude model and thin film Fresnel coefficients have been used to explain the experimental phenomena, which indicated the shift of Fermi level caused by chemical doping. This work paves the way for graphene-based broadband THz antireflection coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE) of n-type semiconductor ZnO thin films with weak spin-orbit coupling has been observed by utilizing the spin pumping method. In the ferromagnetic resonance condition, the spin pumping driven by the dynamical exchange interaction of a permalloy film injects a pure spin current into the adjacent ZnO layer. This spin current gives rise to a DC voltage through the ISHE in the ZnO layer, and the DC voltage is proportional to the microwave excitation power. The effect is sizeable even when the spin backflow is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, TiB2 thin films have been employed as intermediate layer between absorber and back contact in Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin film solar cells for interface optimization. It is found that the TiB2 intermediate layer can significantly inhibit the formation of MoS2 layer at absorber/back contact interface region, greatly reduces the series resistance and thereby increases the device efficiency by short current density (Jsc) and fill factor boost. However, introducing TiB2 degrades the crystal quality of absorber, which is detrimental to device performance especially Voc. The careful control of the thickness of TiB2 intermediate layer is required to ensure both MoS2 with minimal thickness and CZTS absorber with large grain microstructure according to the absorber growth process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Al-induced crystallization (AIC) yields a large-grained (111)-oriented Ge thin film on an insulator at temperatures as low as 180 °C. We accelerated the AIC of an amorphous Ge layer (50-nm thickness) by initially doping Ge in Al and by facilitating Ge diffusion into Al. The electron backscatter diffraction measurement demonstrated the simultaneous achievement of large grains over 10 μm and a high (111) orientation fraction of 90% in the polycrystalline Ge layer formed at 180 °C. This result opens up the possibility for developing Ge-based electronic and optical devices fabricated on inexpensive flexible substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effects of thin film metallic glass (TFMG) as an underlayer on the Sn whisker mitigation in the Cu-Sn couples. Samples with and without TFMG underlayers were subjected to various heat treatments at elevated temperatures up to 85 °C in monotonic and cyclic modes. TFMG underlayer effectively blocks the Cu/Sn interaction even with the thickness as thin as 25 nm. In addition, with very thin thickness, the introduction of TFMG underlayer is expected to yield insignificant degrees of compressive stress, which is anticipated to occur when the samples are exposed to thermal cycling. Their thin thickness and amorphous nature are considered beneficial to make TFMGs as a promising diffusion barrier for Sn whisker mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domain evolution of a single crystalline BaTiO3 thin film, initially possessing two vortex-antivortex pairs, placed under compressive displacement loading with a constant strain rate, is simulated using a molecular dynamics method based on the shell model. The evolution details, including the relative motion and collision between the vortices and antivortices and their annihilation, are carefully observed, and both the movement velocity and the equilibrium time after annihilation are estimated. When the vortex-antivortex pairs annihilate, the polarization configuration evolves into a 180° domain structure. These distinctive domain evolution characteristics could open up opportunities for designing ferroelectric nanodevices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction was performed during the growth of BaTiO3 thin films on SrTiO3 substrates using both off-axis RF magnetron sputtering and pulsed laser deposition techniques. It was found that the films were ferroelectric during the growth process, and the presence or absence of a bottom SrRuO3 electrode played an important role in the growth of the films. Pulsed laser deposited films on SrRuO3 displayed an anomalously high tetragonality and unit volume, which may be connected to the previously predicted negative pressure phase of BaTiO3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We measured the optical properties of epitaxial CoFe2O4 thin films and compared our findings with complementary electronic structure calculations and similar studies on the Ni analog. Our work reveals CoFe2O4 to be an indirect band gap material (1.2 eV, X → Γ in the spin-down channel) with a direct gap at 2.7 eV. The latter is robust up to 800 K. Compared to NiFe2O4, the indirect gap is ≈0.5 eV lower, a difference we discuss in terms of size and covalency effects in spinel ferrites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical emissions from major and trace elements embodied in a transparent gel prepared from cooking oil were detected when the gel was spread in thin film on a metallic substrate and a plasma was induced on the substrate surface using nanosecond infrared pulsed laser. Such emissions are due to indirect breakdown of the coating layer. The generated plasma, a mixture of substances from the substrate, the layer, and the ambient gas, was characterized using emission spectroscopy. Temperature higher than 15 000 K determined in the plasma allows considering sensitive detection of trace elements in liquids, gels, biological samples, or thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of the tensile and compressive epitaxial strain and the crystallographic orientations on the structural and magnetic properties of (Bi0.9La0.1)2FeCrO6 (BLFCO) films were studied. The BLFCO (001) films (30 nm and 70 nm) were deposited on various single crystal substrates having lattice mismatch with the film in the range of -4.16% to +7.2%. We find that a pronounced ferromagnetic order manifests in the coherently strained films compared to that in the partially strained films. The saturation magnetic moment exhibits dissimilar effects on the type of the lattice mismatch: the coherent tensile strain is less favorable than the coherent compressive strain for the magnetic order in these films. We further establish that the ferromagnetic order exhibits maximum magnetic moment for (111)-oriented and minimum for (110)-oriented coherently strained BLFCO epitaxial films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conduction band offset (CBO) of SnS as the light absorbing layer and Zn1-xMgxO as the buffer layer in SnS thin film solar cells has been optimized to improve the solar cell conversion efficiency. We controlled the CBO experimentally by varying the Mg content (x) of the Zn1-xMgxO layer. The optimum CBO value range for improved solar cell performance was determined to be from -0.1 to 0 eV. A SnS thin film solar cell sample with the optimum CBO value exhibited conversion efficiency of approximately 2.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tungsten (W) incorporated Ga2O3 films were produced by co-sputter deposition. W-concentration was varied by the applied sputtering-power. The structure and optical properties of W-incorporated Ga2O3 films were evaluated using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and spectrophotometric measurements. No secondary phase formation was observed in W-incorporated Ga2O3 films. W-induced effects were significant on the structure and optical properties of Ga2O3 films. The bandgap of Ga2O3 films without W-incorporation was ∼5 eV. Red-shift in the bandgap was noted with increasing W-concentration indicating the electronic structure changes in W-Ga2O3 films. A functional relationship between W-concentration and optical property is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a nanoporous membrane-based approach, which decouples the capillary pressure from the viscous resistance, to achieve high driving pressures and efficient liquid delivery for thin film evaporation. By using alumina membranes with ≈150 nm pore diameters, absolute liquid pressures as low as -300 kPa were achieved using isopropyl alcohol, while dissipating maximum interfacial heat fluxes of ≈96 W/cm2. Design guidelines are provided to achieve higher interfacial heat fluxes with reduced membrane thicknesses. This work shows a promising approach to address thermal management needs for next generation electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors demonstrate a pentacene/C60 heterojunction organic solar cell utilizing MoO3-doped pentacene thin films as an interfacial layer at anode and a multicharge-separation layer between pentacene and C60, respectively. The short-circuit current density and the open-circuit voltage were improved simultaneously compared with the reference device, resulting in an improvement in power conversion efficiency from 0.97% to 2.29%. Absorption spectra measurement, surface morphology analysis, and interfacial evaluation at anode side in the hole-dominant devices were carried out to reveal the functions of MoO3-doped pentacene films in OSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dilute nitride GaNAsP thin films were grown via a GaAsP metamorphic buffer on GaP(100) substrate with gas-source molecular beam epitaxy. The compositions of this III-V-V-V compound were determined by channeling Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and nuclear reaction analysis. Photoreflectance shows two distinctive transitions from the valence band to the split conduction bands due to N incorporation. Photoluminescence and optical absorption show the fundamental bandgap of Ga(N)AsP is largely tailored by the small amount of N. The observed multiband characteristics and the bandgap tunability of GaNAsP are two merits that fit into the intermediate-band solar cell roadmap, and GaNAsP of high crystal quality provides a strong candidate for intermediate band solar cell materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of plasmon oscillations on the DC tunnel current in a gold nanoisland thin film (GNITF) is investigated using low intensity P ∼ 1 W/cm2 continuous wave lasers. While DC voltages (1-150 V) were applied to the GNITF, it was irradiated with lasers at different wavelengths (λ = 473, 532, and 633 nm). Because of plasmon oscillations, the tunnel current increased. It is found that the tunnel current enhancement is mainly due to the thermal effect of plasmon oscillations rather than other plasmonic effects. The results are highly relevant to applications of plasmonic effects in opto-electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of forming gas annealing (FGA) on the ferroelectric properties of Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 (HZO) films were examined. Although the H-incorporation during FGA degrades the ferroelectric properties of Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 films, the degree of degradation was much lower compared with other ferroelectrics, such as Pb(Zr,Ti)O3. Pt worked as a catalyst for H-incorporation, and maximum 2Pr loss of ∼40% occurred. However, the insertion of a ∼20-nm-thick TiN layer between Pt and Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 decreased the degradation to ∼12%. Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 is more resistant to degradation by FGA compared with the conventional ferroelectrics, which is a highly promising result for next-generation ferroelectric memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimony-doped tin oxide (SnO2:Sb) thin films were prepared by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition. Precursors were mixed with gaseous SnCl4, SbCl5, and oxygen. Both antimony and chlorine ions became involved in doping and reduced resistivity. The figure of merit suggested that films deposited at 500 °C with the ratio of SnCl4/SbCl5 equals to 0.5 have the best quality. The dopant in the degenerate films narrowed the bandgap because of interaction between electrons and impurities. A mathematical model of the shifting in bandgap is proposed with the consideration of the effective mass of the carriers and well fitted to the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the dependence of the magnetic and structural properties of (Ga,Mn)As/(Al,Ga,Mn)As bilayer films on the stoichiometry of the interface region. For films incorporating a thin As-deficient layer at the interface, the out-diffusion of interstitial Mn from the bottom layer is strongly suppressed, resulting in a large difference in TC and magnetic anisotropy between the two layers. X-ray reflectivity measurements show that the suppression of interstitial diffusion is correlated with an increased interface roughness. When the As-deficient interface layer is thicker than 2.5 nm, the in-plane uniaxial magnetic easy axis rotates from the [1-10] to the [110] crystalline axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin vanadium nitride (VN) layers were grown by atomic layer deposition using tetrakis(ethylmethylamino)vanadium and NH3 plasma at deposition temperatures between 70 °C and 150 °C on silicon substrates and polymer foil. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed a composition close to stoichiometric VN, while x-ray diffraction showed the δ-VN crystal structure. The resistivity was as low as 200 μΩ cm for the as deposited films and further reduced to 143 μΩ cm and 93 μΩ cm by annealing in N2 and H2/He/N2, respectively. A 5 nm VN layer proved to be effective as a diffusion barrier for copper up to a temperature of 720 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films with high transmittance and low resistivity were achieved on low temperature substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering using a high temperature target. By investigating the effect of target temperature (TG) on electrical and optical properties, the origin of electrical conduction is verified as the effect of the high TG, which enhances crystal quality that provides higher mobility of electrons as well as more effective activation for the Al dopants. The optical bandgap increases from 3.30 eV for insulating ZnO to 3.77 eV for conducting AZO grown at high TG, and is associated with conduction-band filling up to 1.13 eV due to the Burstein-Moss effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism of native defect doping in amorphous In-Zn-O (a-IZO) has not previously been established but is likely associated with native oxygen defect doping. We have used high pressure oxidation and defect equilibrium analysis to show a -1/6 power dependence of carrier density on oxygen fugacity in a-IZO. This dependency is predicted for oxygen vacancy-like donor defects. Extrapolation of equilibrium constants established at high pressures to atmospheric pressure reveals that the equilibrium carrier density in a-IZO at 200 °C is higher (>1020/cm3) than typical as-deposited channel carrier densities (<1017/cm3). This is consistent with observed increases in channel carrier density and negative threshold voltage shift in annealed a-IZO thin film transistor devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical properties of metallic nanowires depend dramatically on the atmospheric conditions. Molecular-dynamics simulations with ReaxFF were conducted to study tensile elastic deformation of oxidized Al nanowires. The thin amorphous oxide shell formed around Al nanowires had a very low Young's modulus of 26 GPa, due to its low density and low Al-O coordination. Consequently, for diameters less than 100 nm, the composite Young's modulus of oxide-covered Al nanowires showed a size dependence implying that in this case 'smaller is softer.' The model developed also explained the discrepancies in the reported modulus values of nanometer-scale Al thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate that thermal annealing in cation controlled environments is an effective means to obtain atomically flat and chemically single terminated surfaces of a layer structured substrate. The effectiveness of the cation controlled annealing method is proved with SrLaAlO4, which is a representative layer structured substrate of A2BO4 type. Potassium ion scattering, in particular, shows that the method allows not only single termination but also selective termination of either A- or B-site on the substrate. We further demonstrate that the chemical nature of underlying SrLaAlO4 substrates is of critical importance in the growth of SrRuO3 thin films resulting in different morphologies and transport properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the penetration limit of via holes through dissolving dielectric polymer thin films by inkjet printing. It was found that both the outer diameter of via holes and the polymer thickness affect the penetration depth from the experimental results. Based on this finding, a more accurate relationship between the inner diameter of via holes and the diameter of in-flight droplets for different polymer thicknesses is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In situ and ex situ characterization methods have been applied to investigate the properties of (Ag,Cu)InSe2 (ACIS) thin films. Data acquired from real time spectroscopic ellipsometry (RTSE) experiments were analyzed to extract the evolution of the nucleating, bulk, and surface roughness layer thicknesses. The evolution of these layer thicknesses suggests a transition from Volmer-Weber to Stranski-Krastanov type behavior when Cu is replaced by Ag. The complex dielectric functions of ACIS at both deposition and room temperature as a function of film composition were also extracted from the RTSE data, enabling parameterization of the alloy optical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crystallization behavior of Ge2Sb2Te5 nanometric clusters was studied using X-ray diffraction with in situ annealing. Clusters were made using a sputtering gas-phase condensation source, which allowed for the growth of well-defined, contaminant-free, and isolated clusters. The average size for the clusters is 5.7 ± 1 nm. As-deposited amorphous clusters crystallize in the fcc cubic phase at 180 °C, while for thin films, the phase change temperature is 155 °C. This observation illustrates the scalability of the Ge2Sb2Te5 phase change from the amorphous to the cubic state in three-dimensionally confined systems in this size range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have proposed an organic hydrogen gas sensor in which palladium (Pd)-coated β-phase poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) films are utilized. Volume expansion of the Pd thin film caused by absorption of hydrogen gas is monitored by a piezoelectric thin film of PVDF attached to the Pd films. We have developed a simple method of synthesizing β-phase PVDF films from α-phase PVDF powder by using a wet process in which a mixture of acetone and hexamethylphosphoric triamide is used as the solvent for the PVDF powder. The sensor works by itself at room temperature without a power source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Super-plasticity and nano-scale surface roughness make thin film metallic glass (TFMG) a candidate for master mold of micro/nano imprint technique. Meanwhile, better mechanical properties of TFMG undoubtedly expand the life time of master mold. In this study, nitrogen is doped into Zr-based TFMG to exhibit the hardness higher than 10 GPa. Different from elements used to be doped into metallic glass, the role of nitrogen atoms plays in metallic glass is distinct and vital owing to its strong electronegativity. From the correlation of thermal and mechanical behavior, the role and effect of nitrogen in Ta-Zr-Cu-Al-Ag TFMG is discussed and proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the improvement of short circuit current (JSC), fill factor (FF), and open circuit resistance (ROC) in hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) photovoltaic cells with a p-type/intrinsic/n-type structure, achieved by the addition of an ultra-thin molybdenum film between the p-type film and the transparent conductive oxide/glass substrate. For suitable conditions, improvements of ≈10% in average internal quantum efficiency and up to 5%-10% under standard illumination in JSC, FF, and ROC are observed. These are attributed to the excitation of surface plasmon polariton modes of the a-Si:H/Mo interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residual stresses in LiNbO3 and LiTaO3 epitaxial thin films were evaluated taking into account Li nonstoichiometry by means of Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction. The epitaxial films were grown on C-cut sapphire substrates by pulsed injection metal organic chemical vapour deposition. Clamping of the epitaxial films by the substrate induced a transfer from the in plane thermal expansion to the out of plane component. The temperature of the phase transition of clamped LiTaO3 films was close to that expected for a bulk sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]