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To fabricate a thermally stable optical filter in the mid-infrared (MIR) region, a plasmonic metal disk array (PMDA) using tantalum (Ta) was proposed, and the filter performance was compared with that of conventional silver (Ag)-based PMDAs. A finite-difference time-domain method was utilized to systematically analyze the effects of geometric configuration and constituent materials on the optical properties of PMDA filters with a periodic hexagonal lattice. Unlike the Ag PMDA filters, whose transmission dip at resonance wavelengths gradually decreased with increasing temperature, the Ta PMDA filters revealed almost the same transmission spectra even after annealing at 700 °C for 30 min. The Ta-based MIR PMDA filter exhibited similar optical properties to those of the Ag PMDA. The PMDAs with a duty cycle (d.c.) of 60% exhibited stop band spectra with sufficiently deep dip and wide linewidth. MIR filters fabricated with the Ta disks were demonstrated to quantify different types of alcohols through the monitoring of transmission spectra.

Topological semimetals (TSMs) possess topologically protected surface states near the Fermi level with high carrier densities and high mobilities, holding distinct potential for low-dissipation on-chip interconnects that may outperform current copper interconnects for continued dimensional scaling of CMOS technologies. To translate the exotic properties of TSMs into practical interconnects, developments of high precision synthesis for these emergent semimetals are essential. Here, we report the synthesis of TSM molybdenum diphosphide (MoP2) nanowires with controlled dimensions and crystallinity. By varying the growth temperature in chemical vapor depositions (CVD), we achieve polycrystalline MoP2 as well as single-crystalline MoP2−x nanostructures, which are confined in highly anisotropic forms on crystalline substrates with a miscut angle of 1°. The measured metallic properties, such as room temperature resistivity and temperature-dependent resistance, of the synthesized MoP2 nanostructures show promising dimensional effects for interconnect applications, suggesting potential enhancement of topological surface states in electron transport at reduced dimensions. The demonstration of CVD-grown MoP2 nanowires provides opportunities for careful investigations of design rules for TSMs-based nanoscale interconnects.

Dropwise condensation (DWC) on non-wetting surfaces has remarkable potential to enhance heat transfer performance compared to filmwise condensation on wetting substrates. In this article, we discuss important recent developments and challenges in the field of DWC, including durability of DWC-promoting coatings, DWC of low surface tension fluids, physical mechanisms governing DWC, unconventional methods to achieve DWC, and promising metrology techniques for DWC. We end the article by providing a road map detailing where we believe the community should direct both fundamental and applied efforts in order to solve the identified century-old challenges that limit DWC implementation.

The ferroelectric (FE) properties of 10-nm-thick Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 (HZO) films deposited by an atomic layer deposition technique were improved by adopting O3 as an oxygen source instead of H2O. All HZO films were annealed at 400 °C for 1 min in an N2 atmosphere after TiN top electrode deposition. Regardless of the oxygen source, the HZO films exhibited the formation of a noncentrosymmetric orthorhombic phase, which is responsible for FE behavior with the suppression of the monoclinic phase. However, compared to the O3-based HZO film, it was confirmed that the H2O-based HZO film was more incorporated with hydrogen derived from H2O, thereby degrading FE polarization and leakage behavior. The results indicate that the strategy of using O3 as the oxygen source is useful for the fabrication and integration of FE HZO films for next-generation memory applications.

D.D.C.B. thanks the University of Oxford for startup funds including a research fellowship for S.N.

We demonstrate that Pd nanoparticle/single-walled carbon nanotubes (Pd-SWCNTs) can be used to improve the quality of α-Ga2O3 crystals using halide vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) methods. We employed Pd-SWCNTs as the nanoepitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELOG) mask instead of typical dielectric microsize materials, such as SiNx or SiO2. Nano-ELOG Pd-SWCNTs were deposited on a (0001) buffer layer using nanospray coating. Cs-corrected TEM (transmission electron microscopy) analysis revealed that the crystal quality of regrown α-Ga2O3 improved owing to both the blocking of dislocations by the nano-ELOG in the Pd NPs and the dislocation bending by the inclined facets. This simple yet effective technique is believed to be applicable to various growth systems and will find diverse applications in other crystal growth processes.

I–V characteristics that are commonly observed in resistive switching memories based on organic or organic–inorganic hybrid materials are investigated using a drift–diffusion model. The characteristic current deflection region at a specific voltage in a high-resistance-state (HRS) is predicted using the drift-diffusion model and compared with the experimental results of methylammonium lead iodide (MALI, CH3NH3PbI3). The accumulation of oppositely charged defects in the Debye layers is found to play a dominant role in determining the shape of the I–V curve in the HRS. The magnitude of the applied voltage at which the deflection in the current occurred is decreased by increasing the voltage sweep rate. This result is attributed to the time-dependent migration of charged defects from the Debye layers to the bulk of the switching materials.

The large range of deformations of ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs) has often been proposed as a key advantage of these soft active materials. Nevertheless, many applications in soft robotics still cannot be addressed by current IPMC technology, demanding an even wider deformation range. Here, we empirically demonstrate the feasibility of integrating electrostatic actuation to enhance IPMC deformations. Through the use of external contactless electrodes, an electrostatic pressure is generated on the IPMC, thereby magnifying the deformation elicited by the small voltage applied across its electrodes. A mathematical model is established to predict the onset of the pull-in instability, which defines when electrostatic actuation can be effectively utilized to enhance IPMC performance.

We investigated the relationship between defects in graphene and NO2 gas sensitivity of graphene-based gas sensors. Defects were introduced by hydrogen plasma or ultraviolet (UV)/ozone treatment. As the defect concentration increased, the sensitivity was enhanced, and sub-ppb level detection limit was achieved. UV irradiation was used for recovery at room temperature. However, defects generated by ozone treatment, like graphene oxide, were reduced back to graphene by UV irradiation, so the ozone-treated graphene sensor was not stable over time. In contrast, the response of the hydrogenated graphene sensor was very repeatable because defects generated by hydrogenation was stable enough not to be dehydrogenated by UV irradiation. These results demonstrate that the hydrogenated graphene sensor is a highly sensitive and stable NO2 sensor at room temperature.

Nano-patterning on the order of sub-10 nm is integral to achieve high-density nano-scale devices for various data storage and data processing applications. However, the additional requirement of planarization and unwanted side-effects of physical or chemical etching have so far limited the patterning of sub-10 nm devices. In this work, we have demonstrated the creation of an array of ∼10 nm ferromagnetic islands through selective phase transformation of paramagnetic multilayers by low-energy proton irradiation. Paramagnetic Co3O4/Pd multilayers masked with patterned PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) were reduced to ferromagnetic Co/Pd by proton irradiation. A clear contrast of the nano-islands was observed using magnetic force microscopy, establishing the formation of ferromagnetic nano-islands with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. This process provides a way to circumvent the side-effects associated with both conventional nano-scale pattering and high-energy ion irradiation. Therefore, phase transformatio...

We propose a profile of write pulse current-density to switch magnetization in a perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction to reduce switching time and write energy as well. Our simulated results show that an overshoot transient pulse current-density (current spike) imposed to conventional rectangular-shaped pulse current-density (main pulse) significantly improves switching speed that yields the reduction in write energy accordingly. For example, we could dramatically reduce the switching time by 80% and thereby reduce the write energy over 9% in comparison to the switching without current spike. The current spike affects the spin dynamics of the free layer and reduces the switching time mainly due to spin torque induced. On the other hand, the large Oersted field induced causes changes in spin texture. We believe our proposed write scheme can make a breakthrough in magnetic random access memory technology seeking both high speed operation and low energy consumption.

Efficient second-harmonic generation of 95 fs pulses were achieved by simultaneous group-velocity matching and quasi-phase matching in a 10 mm long periodically poled potassium niobate crystal. The quasi-phase-matched bandwidth was 38 nm and second-harmonic pulse duration was 158 fs with a fundamental input pulse of 95 fs without spectral and temporal distortion in the S-band of telecommunication. Utilizing the larger off-diagonal nonlinear coefficient, d31 of potassium niobate, the conversion efficiency was significantly improved from that of periodically poled MgO-doped lithium niobate. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 82, 3388 (2003)]

We investigate the effect of Ar-ion-beam irradiation during the deposition of SiOx films by dual-ion-beam deposition system. Ion-beam irradiation effectively increases the oxygen content, x, in SiOx films indicative of the preferential sputtering of Si phase as compared to SiO2 phase in SiOx films. We observe the intense photoluminescence from nonirradiated sample after postdeposition annealing at 1100°C indicating the formation of Si nanocrystals as shown by a cross-sectional transmission electron microscope. However, the increased oxygen content in ion-beam-irradiated sample results in small optical volume of small Si nanocrystals not sufficient for yielding appreciable photoluminescence intensity after postdeposition annealing. The property is utilized for achieving the area-selective formation of Si nanocrytals by inserting a shadow mask in assist ion beam during deposition.

The effect of excimer laser annealing on the formation of luminescent nanocrystal Si (nc-Si) embedded in Si/SiO2 superlattice is investigated. An amorphous Si/SiO2 superlattice consisting of 20 periods of 2 nm thin Si layers and 5 nm thin SiO2 layers was deposited on Si using electron cyclotron resonance plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Excimer laser annealing alone did not result in any nc-Si luminescence even at an energy density sufficient to melt the Si layers. However, if the nc-Si is preformed by a thermal anneal, subsequent excimer laser annealing will result in a threefold increase of the nc-Si luminescence intensity. The temperature dependence of the nc-Si luminescence spectrum, lifetime, and intensity indicates that excimer laser annealing activates luminescent nc-Si by removing defects and amorphous regions in thermally crystallized Si layers without significant changes in the size or shape of nc-Si.

Efficient pulse compression was achieved by the use of cascaded quadratic nonlinearities in 10-mm-long periodically poled MgO-doped lithium niobate. An off-diagonal component of the nonlinear coefficient was utilized for group-velocity matched cascaded interactions at the fundamental wavelength of 1560 nm. Simultaneously compressed fundamental and second-harmonic pulses of ∼35 fs duration were obtained from the 110-fs-pump pulses.

In this research, we investigate an electroforming and electrically driven insulator-metal transition (E-IMT) characteristic of the NbOx film that follows the framework of nucleation theory. First, we carry out the electroforming process to form the crystalline NbO2 phase, and it separated to nucleation and grain-growth according to external electric field degree. During the electroforming process, we also study the field-induced nucleation that occurred selectively according to the crystallinity of films. We conclude that the E-IMT process was the result of Peierls transition between the tetragonal and the rutile NbO2 phases, and we experimentally deduce the minimum energy pathway for transition.

We report optically pumped room temperature single mode laser that contains a thin film of hybrid perovskite, an emerging photonic material, as gain medium. Two-dimensional square lattice photonic crystal (PhC) backbone structure enables single mode laser operation via a photonic bandedge mode, while a thin film of methyl-ammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) spin-coated atop provides optical gain for lasing. Two kinds of bandedge modes, Γ and M, are employed, and both devices laser in single mode at similar laser thresholds of ∼200 μJ/cm2 in pulse energy density. Polarization dependence measurements reveal a clear difference between the two kinds of bandedge lasers: isotropic for the Γ-point laser and highly anisotropic for the M-point laser. These observations are consistent with expected modal properties, confirming that the lasing actions indeed originate from the corresponding PhC bandedge modes.

The transition metal oxide, NbO2, which exhibits an insulator to metal transition (IMT) is regarded as a promising selector device to be integrated with a resistive memory for cross point array application. In this study, we comprehensively investigated the scaling of an NbO2 selector using a mushroom device structure. A thorough understanding of the scaling behavior of forming voltage (Vf), threshold voltage (Vth), and current (Ith) is essential to evaluate the potential of voltage as well as current scaling and selectivity of NbO2 selector. Importantly, by analyzing the scaling trend of threshold current, we believed that the IMT behavior is strongly affected by filamentary conducting path formed during the forming process. The findings provide the promise to maximize the selector device performance by minimizing the conducting path inside the NbO2 layer.

We demonstrate efficient frequency doubling of 95-fs pulses with a small temporal broadening in a 10-mm-long, periodically poled, 5-mol % MgO-doped lithium niobate crystal. Simultaneous group-velocity matching and quasi phase matching were achieved by the off-diagonal nonlinear optical coefficient d32 at telecommunications range.

Visible laser irradiation on molybdenum field emission arrays (Mo–FEAs) was performed as one efficient cleaning method in order to etch off any unnecessary oxidation layers on the FEA surface. Scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy showed clear removal of ultrathin MoO oxide layers at the emitter edge through a photoinduced thermal process. A sharp surface morphology of the emitter tips was also observed due to the crystallization or thermalmigration effect during the laser exposure. The structural enhancement of the FEA was strongly confirmed by a remarkable increase of 40% in the emission current after laser exposure.

A theoretical model for the radially dependent effective piezoelectric coefficient and corresponding piezoelectric potential in intrinsic ZnO nanowires (NWs)/nanotubes (NTs) is presented. Substrate-bound ZnO structures oriented along the c-axis with diameters of 100-5000 nm (NWs) and inner diameters of 100-900 nm (NTs; fixed outer diameter, 1000 nm) were examined using finite element method analysis. The piezoelectric potential depended nonlinearly on the NT/NW size, which we explain using the effective piezoelectric coefficient and peak piezoelectric potentials. We propose that this coefficient can be used to judge the degree of enhancement of the piezoelectric potential in ZnO NWs/NTs. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.

We report on very long surface potential transients induced by ultraviolet laser illumination, which have been observed in nitride heterostructures. These surface potential transients correlate with current transients when measured simultaneously. Under illumination, electron–hole pairs are generated, which screen the electric field in the AlGaN barrier layer causing the surface potential to decrease. The holes move toward the surface assisted by the electric field in the AlGaN while the electrons increase the sheet charge concentration at the AlGaN/GaN interface, decreasing the net charge dipole across the barrier layer. This reduction can cause the surface potential to vary as much as 1 V between the unilluminated and illuminated states. The long transient response observed after the laser is turned off is explained by the slow recombination of the holes with the electrons thermionically emitted from the potential well at the interface. The thermionic emission is modeled by a continuously varying barrie...

In order to investigate the feasibility of combining polymer and inorganic films for light-emitting diode (LED) fabrication, the inorganic p-amorphous-Si:H/n-amorphous-SiCGe:H layer was employed as hole/electron injection layer (HIL/EIL) in the poly(2-methoxy-5-(2′ ethylhexoxy)-1,4-phenylene-vinylene) polymer LEDs (PLEDs). In contrast to the PLED without any amorphous HIL/EIL, which had an electroluminescence (EL) threshold voltage (Vth) of 10 V and a brightness of 1231 cd/m2 at an injected current density (J)=0.6 A/cm2, the EL Vth could be reduced to 6.9 V for PLED with a 6 nm p-a-Si:H HIL only, also, the brightness could be enhanced to 6450 cd/m2 (at J=0.3 A/cm2 only) for PLED with both p-amorphous-Si:H HIL and n-a-SiCGe:H EIL.

We have fabricated fully vacuum-sealed 5 in. diagonal carbon nanotube field-emission displays of a gated structure with reliable electron emission characteristics. Single-walled carbon nanotube tips were implemented into the gate structure using self-aligned backside exposure of photosensitive carbon nanotube paste. An onset gate electrode voltage for emission was about 60 V and the luminance as high as 510 cd/m2 was exhibited under an application of 100 V and 1.5 kV to gate electrode and anode, respectively.

We demonstrate the impact of atomic-layer-deposited TiN gate on the characteristics of W/TiN/SiO2/p-Si metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) systems. Damage-free gate oxide quality was attained with atomic-layer-deposition (ALD)–TiN as manifested by an excellent interface trap density (Dit) as low as ∼4×1010 eV−1 cm−2 near the Si midgap. ALD–TiN improved the Dit level of MOS systems on both thin SiO2 and high-permittivity (high-k) gate dielectrics. The leakage current of a MOS capacitor gated with ALD–TiN is remarkably lower than that with sputter-deposited TiN and poly-Si gate at the similar capacitance equivalent thickness (CET). Less chlorine content in ALD–TiN films appears to be pivotal in minimizing the CET increase against postmetal anneal and improving gate oxide reliability, paving a way for the direct metal gate process.