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HfO 2 -based thin films have raised considerable interest in ferroelectric memory devices due to their thickness scalability and process compatibility with CMOS. Stress exhibits a significant influence on ferroelectric polarization in HfO 2 -based films. However, the effect of stress has yet to be clarified despite numerous efforts, and there has been a lack of systematic review to collate and discuss this effect. This paper briefly introduces how stress is characterized in HfO 2 -based polycrystalline films as basis. Then, the process in which stress affects ferroelectricity is carefully discussed. The paper subsequently elaborates both the effects of out of plane stress and in plane stress. Furthermore, the interaction between stress and other factors is presented. Finally, the up-to-date research on the effect of stress are summarized, and several further research challenges for researchers are provided. Given the ubiquitous stress during the chip manufacturing process, a detailed summary of the stress effect has technological implications for processing and applications of HfO 2 -based thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using quantum computers for computational chemistry and materials science will enable us to tackle problems that are intractable on classical computers. In this paper, we show how the relative energy of defective graphene structures can be calculated by using a quantum annealer. This simple system is used to guide the reader through the steps needed to translate a chemical structure (a set of atoms) and energy model to a representation that can be implemented on quantum annealers (a set of qubits). We discuss in detail how different energy contributions can be included in the model and what their effect is on the final result. The code used to run the simulation on D-Wave quantum annealers is made available as a Jupyter Notebook. This Tutorial was designed to be a quick-start guide for the computational chemists interested in running their first quantum annealing simulations. The methodology outlined in this paper represents the foundation for simulating more complex systems, such as solid solutions and disordered systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a theoretical study of a graded piezoelectric composite consisting of an infinitely long graded radially polarized piezoelectric cylinder embedded in an isotropic elastic non-piezoelectric matrix, under an external strain field. The physical properties of the graded cylindrical inclusion have a power-law profile with respect to the cylindrical radial variable. Using the variable separation method, closed-form solutions for the elastic displacement and electrical field in the entire composite regions are derived from the governing equation. The effective elastic and piezoelectric properties of the graded piezoelectric composite are formulated and discussed. The study reveals a vanishing mechanism of effective piezoelectric response in the graded radially polarized cylindrical piezoelectric composite. In addition, the paper derives the effective elastic formulas of the graded cylindrical elastic composites for the purely elastic problem and discusses the effects of graded property parameters on the effective elastic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been extensive research on improving the performance of photodetectors. In this paper, the performance of a graphene/Al2O3/InGaAs photodetector is studied. In order to reduce the dark current of this device and improve the photocurrent, the structure of the device is optimized to improve the responsivity of the device. A 2 nm thick Al2O3 layer is inserted as the passivation layer. The InP layer between the SiNx layer and the InGaAs layer is retained. It is speculated that the InP layer could reduce the defects and interface states between layers. A layer of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) was spin coated on the surface of the single-layer graphene, and the surface plasmon resonance of Ag NPs could enhance the local electric field of InGaAs interface and increase the light absorption of graphene, which can promote carrier generation and transmission in graphene and, thus, effectively enhance the photocurrent of device. The improved device achieves a high responsivity of 265.41 mA/W at 1064 nm and a detection rate of 4.06 × 1011 cm Hz1/2 W−1. At −1.25 V, the responsivity of the device is improved to 1618.8 mA/W. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical properties of granular materials at a low shear rate are frequently viewed as rate-independent, and a rate-independent constitutive relation is used to describe the mechanical behaviors of the granular material. However, time-dependent behaviors (or creeping behaviors) become significant in the long run. In this paper, we conduct triaxial experiments to observe the creep of granular materials under both dynamic and static loading conditions. Three typical creeping behaviors, aging, transitional, and fluidic, have been observed. To describe the time-dependent behaviors, an internal state variable characterizing the fluidity of the granular system is introduced to propose a rate-dependent constitutive relation which we call in this paper, a state evolution model. A characteristic strain is also introduced into the model to account for the influences of historic strain on the current state. The experiments are analyzed using the proposed model and it has been found that our model can well discern the observed three creeping behaviors. A criterion to identify the stability of a granular system is also given out based on the proposed model. Two key factors dominating the stability of the granular system are recognized – shear wave velocity and critical velocity. Our laboratory experiments in combination with the proposed criterion offer a physical explanation of the intrinsic triggering mechanism of system evolution from a stable to fluidic state: decrease in wave velocity or/and critical velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dental caries is a bacterial infectious disease that destroys the structure of teeth. It is one of the main diseases that endanger human health [R. H. Selwitz, A. I. Ismail, and N. B. Pitts, Lancet 369(9555), 51–59 (2007)]. At present, dentists use both visual exams and radiographs for the detection of caries. Affected by the patient's dental health and the degree of caries demineralization, it is sometimes difficult to accurately identify some dental caries in x-ray images with the naked eye. Therefore, dentists need an intelligent and accurate dental caries recognition system to assist diagnosis, reduce the influence of doctors' subjective factors, and improve the efficiency of dental caries diagnosis. Therefore, this paper combines the U-Net model verified in the field of biomedical image segmentation with the convolution block attention module, designs an Attention U-Net model for caries image segmentation, and discusses the feasibility of deep learning technology in caries image recognition so as to prepare for the next clinical verification. After testing, the Dice similarity coefficient, mean pixel accuracy, mean intersection over union, and frequency-weighted intersection over the union of teeth segmentation with Attention U-Net are 95.30%, 94.46%, 93.10%, and 93.54%, respectively. The Dice similarity coefficient, mean pixel accuracy, mean intersection over union, and frequency-weighted intersection over the union of dental caries segmentation with Attention U-Net are 85.36%, 91.84%, 82.22%, and 97.08%, respectively. As a proof of concept study, this study was an initial evaluation of technology to assist dentists in the detection of caries. There is still more work needed before this can be used clinically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, dry etched vertical nanowires (VNWs) are used in transmission line/transfer length analysis to study the contacts of gate-all-around devices for future technology nodes. VNW resistors with Mo and Pd based metal stack contacts to p-InGaAs show Schottky behavior, unlike the planar counterpart. The resistance for Mo contact is higher than Pd, however, Pd was found to form an alloy with InGaAs at temperatures as low as 190 °C, and the length of Pd diffusion into the InGaAs increased at smaller NW dimensions, hindering future scalability. The minimum extracted specific contact resistivity (ρC) values are 1.6 × 10−5 Ω cm2 (Mo) and 4.2 × 10−6 Ω cm2 (Pd) for a doping level of 1 × 1019 cm−3. An apparent dependence of ρC on the NW diameter was also observed. This has been attributed to the surface states under the un-gated region of NW devices and found to dominate at smaller diameters. An analytical model to account for such geometrical effects has also been developed and validated with technology computer-aided design simulations. The analysis presented in this paper effectively captures the 3D aspects of an NW contact at nanoscale dimensions and can be applied irrespective of the semiconductor and contact metal used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the excitation and propagation characteristics of a piezoelectric acoustic wave propagating in a rotated Y-cut X-propagating Pb(In0.5Nb0.5)O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PIN-PMN-PT) relaxor-based ferroelectric single crystal substrate. Numerical simulations were performed to evaluate the acoustic wave properties by FEM software COMSOL. For comparison, two types of structures are taken into consideration: one is the traditional metal electrode/YX-PIN-PMN-PT and the other is silicon dioxide (SiO2) overlay/metal electrode/YX-PIN-PMN-PT substrate. It is shown that shear-horizontal (SH)-type piezoelectric boundary acoustic waves (PBAW) exist in the SiO2 overlay/metal electrode/YX-PIN-PMN-PT substrate and offer a fairly large electromechanical coupling factor K2 of 30%. Compared to a surface acoustic wave excited in the metal electrode/YX-PIN-PMN-PT substrate, enlarged phase velocity and significantly improved quality factor (∼3500) are simultaneously obtained for SH-type PBAW, which are promising for electromechanical transducer applications with high performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent optical time-resolved experiments on single supported nano-objects (gold nanodisks with various diameter over thickness ratios) have demonstrated a marked enhancement of their vibrational quality factors for specific nano-object morphologies, resulting from the near-suppression of radiative vibrational damping associated with the emission of acoustic waves in the nano-object environment. This paper clarifies the origin of this phenomenon, which is ascribed to the creation of a "quasi-bound state in the continuum" vibrational mode by radiative coupling between two nano-object modes whose frequencies become close for specific nano-object shapes. The symmetry breaking induced by the presence of a substrate, which limits nanodisk acoustic emission to a half-space, is shown to play an essential role in enabling such radiative coupling. The impact of the acoustic mismatch between the nano-object and the substrate is explored, and it is shown that a moderate acoustic mismatch can still enable the creation of near-localized vibrational modes with high radiative quality factors, while allowing radiative coupling effects to occur over a broad range of nano-object geometries. Although this paper focuses on the situation of a substrate-supported gold nanodisk, which has already been the object of experimental investigations, the effects that it describes are general and constitute a promising approach to enhance the vibrational quality factors of nano-objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the intelligent production process of wood products, the classification system of wood knot defects is a very practical solution. However, traditional image processing methods cannot handle it well due to the uncertainty of manually extracted features. Therefore, a lightweight and reliable artificial neural network model is proposed to classify and identify our objective. To solve this problem, a wood knot defect recognition model named SE-ResNet18 combining convolutional neural network, attention mechanism, and transfer learning is proposed in this paper. First, the Sequence-and-Exception (SE) module is combined with Basicblock and is constructed as two modules called RBBSE-1 and RBBSE-2. These modules learn to enhance features that are useful for the current task, suppress useless features, and fuse the output features with the original features. Then, the fully connected layer is replaced with a global average pooling layer, which can effectively reduce the parameters of the fully connected layer in the model. Finally, a SE-ResNet18 was constructed by one convolutional layer, five RBBSE-1 modules, and three RBBSE-2 modules of different channels. The SE-ResNet18 has a higher accuracy (98.85%) in the test set compared to the unimproved model ResNet-18. Compared with the previously proposed ReSENet-18, more SE modules are used in SE-ResNet18 to provide a basis for future training on a larger-scale dataset. Based on the same test set, a comparison with other classical models (such as LeNet-5, AlexNet, etc.) was conducted, and the results validated the superiority of the proposed model. The proposed model achieves the expected objective and provides a new way of thinking for non-destructive testing of wood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics discussed at the 30th International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors in Seoul, South Korea, including charge-coupled device.

A particle motion considering thermophoretic force is simulated by using direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. Thermophoresis phenomena, which occur for a particle size of 1 μm, are treated in this paper. The problem of thermophoresis simulation is computation time which is proportional to the collision frequency. Note that the time step interval becomes much small for the simulation considering the motion of large size particle. Thermophoretic forces calculated by DSMC method were reported, but the particle motion was not computed because of the small time step interval. In this paper, the molecule-particle collision model, which computes the collision between a particle and multi molecules in a collision event, is considered. The momentum transfer to the particle is computed with a collision weight factor, where the collision weight factor means the number of molecules colliding with a particle in a collision event. The large time step interval is adopted by considering the collision weight factor. Furthermore, the large time step interval is about million times longer than the conventional time step interval of the DSMC method when a particle size is 1 μm. Therefore, the computation time becomes about one-millionth. We simulate the graphite particle motion considering thermophoretic force by DSMC-Neutrals (Particle-PLUS neutral module) with above the collision weight factor, where DSMC-Neutrals is commercial software adopting DSMC method. The size and the shape of the particle are 1 μm and a sphere, respectively. The particle-particle collision is ignored. We compute the thermophoretic forces in Ar and H2 gases of a pressure range from 0.1 to 100 mTorr. The results agree well with Gallis' analytical results. Note that Gallis' analytical result for continuum limit is the same as Waldmann's result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we resort to single-layer graphene nanoribbon (GN) and atomistic simulation to explore the dimensional variation of serpentine graphene. A tensile model of serpentine GN is established, and its topology responses are investigated with some counterintuitive expectations. A laser scanning experiment on the serpentine sheet of paper is performed and compared, which can indirectly reflect the reduced-dimensionality tendency of serpentine GN in tension. As a result, serpentine GN provides a dynamic route of transforming lateral and longitudinal dimensions. Our obtained results can be used to the thermal, electric, or magnetic controlling in future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, inkjet-printed devices such as transistors are still unstable in air and have poor performances. Moreover, the present electronics applications require a high degree of reliability and quality of their properties. In order to accomplish these application requirements, hybrid electronics is fulfilled by combining the advantages of the printing technologies with the surface-mount technology. In this work, silver nanoparticle-based inkjet ink (AgNP ink) is used as a novel approach to connect surface-mount devices (SMDs) onto inkjet-printed pads, conducted by inkjet printing technology. Excellent quality AgNP ink-junctions are ensured with high resolution picoliter drop jetting at low temperature (~150 °C). Electrical, mechanical, and morphological characterizations are carried out to assess the performance of the AgNP ink junction. Moreover, AgNP ink is compared with common benchmark materials (i.e., silver epoxy and solder). Electrical contact resistance characterization shows a similar performance between the AgNP ink and the usual ones. Mechanical characterization shows comparable shear strength for AgNP ink and silver epoxy, and both present higher adhesion than solder. Morphological inspections by field-emission scanning electron microscopy confirm a high quality interface of the silver nanoparticle interconnection. Finally, a flexible hybrid circuit on paper controlled by an Arduino board is manufactured, demonstrating the viability and scalability of the AgNP ink assembling technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional layered materials, in general, and transition metal dichalcogenides, in particular, are promising as future device materials. Vanadium based dichalcogenides, i.e., VX2 (X = S, Se, and Te) are special in the class for showing a wide range of intriguing properties. Depending on the structural phases, VX2 can be metallic or semiconducting. The T-phase, i.e., the metallic one, is well known to host some exotic electronic properties like the charge density wave, anomalous Hall effect, ferromagnetism, etc., having strong bearing as an electronic device material. The H-phase, on the other hand, is also predicted to show ferromagnetism. The materials show properties strongly dependent on their physical dimensionality, a clear manifestation of quantum confinement effects. Several experimental attempts successfully demonstrated chemical and bio-medical applications also of this class of materials. Moreover, the heterostructures formed by VX2 with other electronically dissimilar materials could bring more variation in their existing properties. Therefore, the study of VX2 materials provides a fertile ground to explore several fascinating physical phenomena and their possibilities in future applications. Here, in the present paper, we have tried to review the current scenario in this particular field by highlighting some recent key findings. The paper is aimed at providing some insight into the recent theoretical and experimental achievements in this direction, especially in the context of electronic and magnetic properties in their lower physical dimensionality. This could furnish a comprehensive guiding tour toward exploration in the journey through VX2 materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the electromechanical behaviors of a charge-controlled dielectric film that may encounter symmetry-breaking instability. With electric charges and the radial dead load, a circular film would gradually expand its area and become a large circular film; however, it will deform into an elliptical film when electromechanical loads increase to the threshold. This symmetry-breaking instability brings the change of shape and makes the dielectric film achieve large electro-actuation and high stored energy. Since the functionality of the dielectric devices is also limited by the electric breakdown, we give the phase diagram to show the competition between the symmetry-breaking instability and the electric breakdown in detail. This paper is desirable to further harness the symmetry-breaking instability for improving functionalities of actuators and harvesters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present the physics and design-space exploration of a novel pulse compression photoconductive switch (PCPS) using semi-insulating gallium arsenide (GaAs) operating in the negative differential mobility (NDM) regime of electron transport. We systematically quantify the relationship between the PCPS performance and various design options, including contact separation, laser energy and placement, and trap dynamics. Specifically, we report the full-width at half-maximum and the peak output current generated by the PCPS as a function of applied electrical and optical bias. We discuss the optimal spacing between the electrodes and the distance of the laser spot to the anode to achieve higher electron confinement and superior radio-frequency (RF) metrics. Reducing the laser energy is important to prevent the appearance of secondary peaks due to diffusive transport, but there exists a trade-off between the bandwidth and the maximum current of the PCPS. We also compare the PCPS response with and without trap dynamics and find that the electrostatic screening from the trap-induced space charge is time-independent when the trapping time constant is set larger than the recombination lifetime. Overall, trap dynamics are detrimental to performance, unless the compensation doping scheme to achieve semi-insulating GaAs is carefully selected. Results presented in this paper can be used by experimentalists to fine-tune the PCPS design parameters to meet the specifications of various RF applications. Moreover, our results will provide a strong theoretical basis to the measurements of PCPS devices using GaAs and other NDM materials under investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The superconducting state in a carbonaceous sulfur hydride (C–S–H) system is probably characterized by the record-high critical temperature of 288 K (p ≈ 267 GPa). We determined the properties of the C–S–H superconducting phase within the scope of both classical Eliashberg equations and the Eliashberg equations with vertex corrections. We took into account the scenarios pertinent to either the intermediate or the high value of an electron–phonon coupling constant (λ ≈ 0.75 or λ ≈ 3.3 , respectively). The scenario for the intermediate value, however, cannot be actually realized due to the anomalously high value of the logarithmic phonon frequency (ω ln / k B = 7150 K) it would require. On the other hand, we found it possible to reproduce correctly the value of T C and other thermodynamic quantities in the case of strong coupling, with all the reservations discussed in the presented paper. The vertex corrections lower the order parameter values within the range from ≈ 50 K to ≈ 275 K. For the upper critical field H C 2 ≈ 27 T, the Ginzburg–Landau parameter κ is of the order of 1.7. The strong-coupling scenario for the C–S–H system is also suggested by the high values of λ estimated for H 3 S (λ ≈ 2.1 , κ ≈ 1.5), La H 10 (λ ≈ 2.8 – 3.9 , κ ≈ 1.6), and Y H 6 (λ ≈ 1.7 , κ ≈ 1.3) compounds. In the case of the C–S–H system, we also anticipate the presence of the antiferromagnetic state above the superconducting state like in the dense C S 2 superconductor. For p ≈ 174 GPa and T C ≈ 180 K, the magnetic ordering transition occurs at T N ≈ 213 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas gun shock experiments on cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX)-based explosive compositions that employ embedded gauge particle velocity tracers have noted a significant amount of electrical noise when compared to other explosive formulations. This paper reexamines previously published embedded gauge data on Cyclotols (60–80 wt. % RDX) to quantify the electromagnetic behavior of these materials. The primary observation is a fourfold increase in the electrical noise when Cyclotols are shocked above 4.22 ± 0.08 GPa. Electromagnetic gauge noise is also observed within particle velocity traces in reactive growth and off-Hugoniot shocks, although at higher pressures than the direct shock case, suggesting a temperature- or kinetically dependent transition. In all cases, the electrical noise disappears upon detonation. By comparing with the static high-pressure phase diagram of RDX, we interpret this change in electromagnetic behavior to be a change in the RDX crystal structure to a piezoelectric phase, although it is uncertain whether the γ or ε phase is responsible for the observed behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current focus in Autonomous Experimentation (AE) is on developing robust workflows to conduct the AE effectively. This entails the need for well-defined approaches to guide the AE process, including strategies for hyperparameter tuning and high-level human interventions within the workflow loop. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the influence of initial experimental conditions and in-loop interventions on the learning dynamics of Deep Kernel Learning (DKL) within the realm of AE in scanning probe microscopy. We explore the concept of the "seed effect," where the initial experiment setup has a substantial impact on the subsequent learning trajectory. Additionally, we introduce an approach of the seed point interventions in AE allowing the operator to influence the exploration process. Using a dataset from Piezoresponse Force Microscopy on PbTiO3 thin films, we illustrate the impact of the "seed effect" and in-loop seed interventions on the effectiveness of DKL in predicting material properties. The study highlights the importance of initial choices and adaptive interventions in optimizing learning rates and enhancing the efficiency of automated material characterization. This work offers valuable insights into designing more robust and effective AE workflows in microscopy with potential applications across various characterization techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel bilateral impact-ionization-avalanche-transit-time (BIMPATT) diode based on AlGaN/GaN two-dimensional electron gas is proposed in this article. The BIMPATT is compatible with the available GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) manufacturing process and has a shorter actual electron transit distance than existing HEMT-like IMPATT (HIMPATT) diodes. Compared with the same-sized HIMPATT, the optimum frequency of BIMPATT rises from 320 to 420 GHz and possesses a far wider operating frequency band, especially in the near 0.9 THz range. The maximum DC-RF conversion efficiency rises from 12.9% to 17.6%. The maximum RF power of BIMPATT is 3.18 W/mm, which is similar to 3.12 W/mm of the HIMPATT. Furthermore, our simulation demonstrated that the characteristics of BIMPATT are significantly affected by the length of anode and the thickness of the AlGaN barrier layer. The effects of ohmic contact resistance and background impurities on BIMPATT are also taken into account. This paper provides a reference for the design and characteristics enhancement of the lateral IMPATT devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have studied the effect on the structure and magnetic properties of partial Pd substitution by Gd in Fe–Pd thin films of nominal composition Fe56Pd44−xGdx (x = 1, 3, 5, and 7), deposited onto Si(100) and Si(100)/SiO2 substrates by thermal evaporation. Several techniques contribute to the characterization of their microstructure and magnetic properties, such as x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, alternating gradient field magnetometry, and magnetic force microscopy (MFM). X-ray diffraction shows that the as-deposited films are either amorphous or contain a disordered FePd phase, depending on the film thickness. The transformation of disordered fcc-FePd into ordered fct-FePd has been induced by a heat treatment at 530 °C for 4 h. The addition of gadolinium leads to a reduction in the coercivity as a consequence of the emergence of soft phases and of the progressive reduction of the fct-FePd phase, which is primarily responsible for the observed maze magnetic domains. The exchange coupling between the soft phase and the hard fct-FePd phase is demonstrated by first-order reversal curves (FORCs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a three-step process to remediate surface and sub-surface defects on chemo-mechanically polished SiC surfaces. In this process, a CF4-based inductively coupled plasma with reactive ion etch was used to remove material to a depth, which is unaffected by surface and subsurface polishing damage. This produced a planarized but carbon-rich fluorinated surface. This surface was then exposed to a 2 min rapid thermal oxidation in air at 1000 °C to oxidize and volatilize the excess carbon and fluorinated species, respectively. The resulting surface oxide was then stripped using a dilute hydrofluoric acid in water solution. This process, referred to as plasma assisted remediation, reproducibly yielded planarized, stoichiometric surfaces with low levels of carbon and oxygen contamination suitable for subsequent device fabrication. In the supporting studies described here, 4H- and 6H-SiC(0001) surfaces were remediated and characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy at each stage of the process. Experimental studies under ion-rich and radical-dominant conditions are also reported which provide greater insight into the underlying chemistry and physics of the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical eigenstates with a high quality (Q) factor provide substantial advantages for a broad spectrum of optical devices, particularly those demanding strong light–matter interactions. Recently, it has been demonstrated that ultrahigh- Q resonances can be realized in planar photonic structures by merging multiple bound states in the continuum (BICs) in the momentum space. Photonic lattices with thin-film geometry are known to support abundant TE-polarized and TM-polarized BICs. While prior research has explored the merging of TE-polarized BICs, this paper presents analytical and numerical results concerning the merging of TM-polarized BICs in laterally periodic one-dimensional photonic lattices. As the thickness of photonic lattices increases, TM-polarized accidental BICs descend along the dispersion curves and eventually merge at the upper edge of the second stop band. Employing coupled-mode analysis, we calculate the analytical merging thickness at which multiple TM-polarized BICs come together at the second-order Γ point. We confirm the merging of TM-polarized BICs through finite-element method simulations. Our results can be beneficial for achieving ultrahigh- Q resonances through the merging of BICs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurement of coating–substrate interface stiffness can indirectly characterize interface bonding quality. This paper proposes a noval quantitative inversion coating–substrate interface stiffness method based on the multi-resonance frequencies of a constructed ultrasonic echo phase derivative spectrum (UEPDS). The theoretical relationship between UEPDS resonance frequencies and interface stiffness is derived. The detection frequency and high-sensitivity interface stiffness range are optimized based on the sensitivity analyzed. Numerical simulation and experiment are implemented on a 0.48 mm aluminum layer/carbon steel substrate specimen to prove the validity of the proposed ultrasonic method. The simulation results show that the maximal relative error between the inversion and the preset interface stiffnesses is reduced from 23% to 8% compared with the traditional ultrasonic reflection coefficient amplitude spectrum-based (URCAS-based) method. The experiment results indicate that the UEPDS-based inversion interface stiffnesses have the same trend as the nominal contact pressures between the coating–substrate interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the p-GaN gate AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) with varying combinations of gate metal work function and gate geometry are fabricated and investigate the influence of gate leakage current (IGS) on the threshold voltage (VTH) and subthreshold swing (SS). The unique dependence of VTH and SS on gate geometry for different metals is observed, which is different from traditional field-effect transistors. A novel hybrid physics model, consisting of the traditional capacitance divider model and hole injection model, is proposed to explain this phenomenon, and the results exhibit an excellent agreement with the experimental data. The holes traverse the gate/p-GaN Schottky barrier by thermal emission or tunneling and inject into the p-GaN layer, generating the IGS. Expanding upon the traditional capacitance divider model, a portion of the injected holes accumulate at the p-GaN/AlGaN interface and induce the corresponding electrons at the AlGaN/GaN heterojunction, which promotes channel conduction. Hence, the transfer curves display the correlation between IGS and VTH as well as SS. The results show that high IGS can alleviate the instability of VTH caused by the lithographic overlay error, and simultaneously optimize SS. This work offers a novel perspective for examining the turn-on mechanism of p-GaN HEMTs, thereby contributing to device design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the high-quality factor mullite microwave dielectric ceramic is employed to introduce in dielectric resonator antenna (DRA). The microwave dielectric properties of ɛr ∼ 5.8, Q × f ∼ 31 240 at 9.66 GHz, and loss tangent tanδ = 1/Q ∼ 2.7 × 10−4 can be obtained by the solid-state reaction method in mullite microwave dielectric ceramic sintered at 1700 °C. On this basis, the resonant modes of the proposed broadband high-gain rectangular DRA are analyzed by using a dielectric waveguide theoretical model and the antenna performance is evaluated by a commercial CST Microwave Studio 2021® software. It has been found that the proposed rectangular DRA can provide a broad bandwidth of 35.9%, a maximum gain of 10 dBi at 3.61 GHz, and a radiation efficiency of 90% in the range of 3.13–4.42 GHz. For demonstration, adequate consistency between the simulation results and the measurement results was achieved. The proposed DRA has great application potential and value in 5G communication scenarios requiring wideband and high-gain antenna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure morphology, static magnetic properties, and electromagnetic absorption characteristics of nano FexCoNi alloy particles prepared by chemical liquid deposition with five different Fe content levels are investigated in this paper. The results show that spherical FexCoNi alloy particles with an average particle size of about 100–200 nm and a face-centered cubic crystal structure were obtained. All five samples exhibited soft magnetic behavior, with the saturation magnetization intensity showing an increasing-then-decreasing trend with increasing Fe content, peaking at 141.8 emu/g for Fe content x = 1.0. The dielectric constants (real and imaginary parts) of the prepared alloy particles exhibit significant differences with respect to the variation of Fe content, while the changes in the real and imaginary parts of the magnetic permeability show less pronounced effects with increasing Fe content. As the electromagnetic wave frequency increases, the real parts of the dielectric constants for all composites show minimal fluctuations, and the real parts of the magnetic permeability exhibit a decreasing trend. Moreover, the imaginary parts of the dielectric constants and magnetic permeability show an increasing followed by a decreasing trend as the frequency rises. The material with Fe content x = 1 demonstrated optimal dielectric loss performance and relatively excellent magnetic loss performance, with a sample thickness of 1.9 mm exhibiting the highest reflection loss (RLmax) of −24.2 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth of 4.48 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a phase unwrapping method based on ternary Gray code in fringe projection profilometry. This method does not require additional projection images or any prior knowledge. It accurately determines the segmentation thresholds of the ternary Gray code using only the average intensity and intensity modulation calculated from phase-shifting fringes, effectively reducing projection costs and achieving lower codeword errors. Additionally, a segment selection strategy suitable for the ternary Gray code is proposed. By employing the complementary method, three sets of candidate orders with certain codeword shifts can be generated. The wrapped phase is then divided into three segments: upper, middle, and lower segments, and correspondingly matched with the central regions of the three sets of candidate orders, thus enabling the solution of the absolute phase. Through the segment selection strategy, error-prone areas at the edges of orders are effectively avoided, further enhancing the accuracy of measurement results. Compared to the binary Gray code, the ternary complementary Gray code can encode up to 3 m − 1 orders when the number of Gray code patterns is m; when the required number of encoding orders is K, only ⌈ log 3 K ⌉ + 1 Gray code patterns are needed. Its additional value capacity precisely enables it to encode more orders, thereby increasing the frequency of phase-shifting fringes and further enhancing measurement efficiency. A series of experiments validates the feasibility, robustness, and superiority of this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical metasurfaces can be used to realize various peculiar optical effects, and their mechanisms of the controlling optical phase can be roughly categorized into three types: resonant phase, geometric phase, and propagation phase, also known as the dynamic phase. Multiple mechanisms can be employed to manipulate the phase and amplitude of one metasurface. Therefore, discovering more profound and diverse methods can provide additional degrees of application freedom. This paper proposes a control principle based on electric multipole expansion. We found that for a unit structure formed by dual-metal bars on a metasurface, the radiation of its dipole is equivalent to the interference results of the dual-metal bars. Moreover, the radiation of the quadrupole enables independent control for amplitude and phase. Therefore, we used quadrupole radiation to manipulate the phase and amplitude of the light and even investigated some simple applications, including the realization of focusing light and anomalous refraction. Such a new mechanism of controlling light, combined with other methods, can provide significant insights into achieving challenging goals, like steganography and multifunctional metasurfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of science and technology and the appearance of various special conditions that cause signers to be unable to sign, proxy signature is gradually becoming a hot spot in cryptography research. This paper combines proxy signature, quantum teleportation, and multi-party verification and proposes a multi-party verifiable quantum proxy signature scheme based on quantum teleportation. This scheme has the following characteristics: The authentication method based on the H a s h function can effectively solve the problem of identity identification among members; in order for the proxy signer to be able to verify the correctness of the proxy authorization, a form of proxy signature authorization that concatenates the identity information of the original signer is used. The security analysis shows that our scheme is unforgeable and undeniable and can resist intercept-resend attacks and cheating attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of metasurfaces has renewed Snell's law, and the metasurfaces can manipulate sound waves flexibly. In this paper, a coding metasurface with a simple and adjustable coding unit for sound wave transmission is proposed. By changing the orientation of a movable part in a fixed structure, conversion is achieved between two types of units with a phase difference of 180° and high transmittance (>75%). By combining the two types of units, the phases of sound waves can be regulated dynamically. Structural simulations are performed using finite-element software, and the beam splitting of the transmitted sound wave is verified by theoretical analysis and experiments under plane wave incidence in the frequency range of 4.7–5.7 kHz. In addition, the two types of units are used to design a coding Fresnel lens, and its simulated focusing performance is verified by experiments at 4.7–5.7 kHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the fundamental structural origins of the 0.7 eV band emission peak, known as D07. The increased attention on these d-band emission lines originates mainly from the correlation between crystal defect and the intensified recombination of less dominant charge carriers. This association holds substantial importance, impacting not just the electronics sector but also raising concerns about reduced efficiency in silicon solar cells. By employing hyperspectral photoluminescence imaging, we pinpointed regions manifesting high D07 peak emissions on a microscopic scale. Subsequently, we conducted a structural investigation utilizing scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction. Following this, we used a focused ion beam to extract areas of interest, allowing for a detailed characterization of the sample using high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy at the atomic scale. This approach aids in identifying defects and determining grain boundary orientation. In areas of high D07 band emission, we found Σ 3 { 114 } { 101 } grain boundaries decorated with two-layer fault twin and/or an extrinsic two-layer stacking faults. In addition, density functional theory calculations suggest oxygen impurities as a possibility for substitutional segregation to these types of defects. It is therefore plausible that the D07 line might be attributed to stacking faults featuring oxygen agglomerates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comprehensive exploration of low interface trap density (Dit) in HfO2/Si0.73Ge0.27 metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) capacitors achieved through sulfur passivation and post-deposition annealing (PDA). Our investigation revealed that devices subjected to sulfur passivation and PDA exhibit noteworthy reductions in Dit and hysteresis. Specifically, a low Dit value of 1.2 × 1011 eV−1 cm−2 has been achieved at Ei–0.1 eV for the SiGe MOS device. The observed enhancement in interface properties can be attributed to two key factors: the reduction of the GeOx concentration in the interfacial layer (IL) by sulfur passivation on the SiGe surface and the IL densification with stoichiometric oxygen during PDA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal transport and elastic properties of materials are often measured using the laser-induced transient grating spectroscopy (TGS) technique. The analysis of the TGS signal usually involves fitting well-known expressions, derived assuming the limiting cases of opaque or transparent materials, to the measured data. In this paper, the system of thermoelastic equations is analytically solved for an isotropic homogeneous material assuming finite laser penetration depth, which is an important consideration when the penetration depth is on the order of the acoustic wavelength. The need to use such a solution is discussed and compared to the expression for opaque material. The solution is benchmarked against TGS signal measured on single-crystal silicon with {100} surface orientation and is found to significantly improve the accuracy of the calculated thermal diffusivity as compared to using the expression for opaque material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel interfacial resistance-free (IRF) bifunctional camouflage (transparent and invisible) device is proposed in this paper. The thermal and electric conductivities of the shell and background are the same to eliminate the interfacial resistance. The IRF bifunctional camouflage device can operate in thermal–electric fields based on the neutral inclusion method. The distribution of isotherm and equipotential lines are studied quantitatively by the simulations. It is confirmed that the IRF bifunctional camouflage device with arbitrary natural materials can effectively achieve not only the invisible function but also the transparent function in thermal–electric fields. This method provides a window to the realization of bifunctions and the development of multi-physics fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermally stimulated discharge (TSD) technique is a traditional method in dielectric research, especially for electrets. However, in conventional open-circuit and short-circuit TSD techniques, it is difficult to distinguish the surface charge and body charge of dielectric materials. In particular with the test of polymer electrets, the deformation of the polymer film may take place during the measurement process, which will affect the accuracy of the experiment results. In this paper, a glass-assisting TSD (GA-TSD) technique is proposed to solve the above problems. The feasibility of the experimental technique is verified with the GA-TSD spectra of fluorinated ethylene-propylene copolymer electret films. In addition, their theory analysis is also accomplished. The influences of glass thickness, glass dielectric property, and metallizing on the glass on GA-TSD spectra are investigated. The results prove that the GA-TSD spectra can clearly distinguish the difference between surface charge and body charge according to the current direction. The quartz glass with the lowest dielectric constant is best suitable for the GA-TSD technique. The influence of the glass thickness and metallizing on the glass on GA-TSD spectra is little. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroelectricity in hafnium zirconium oxide (Hf1 − xZrxO2) and the factors that impact it have been a popular research topic since its discovery in 2011. Although the general trends are known, the interactions between fabrication parameters and their effect on the ferroelectricity of Hf1 − xZrxO2 require further investigation. In this paper, we present a statistical study and a model that relates Zr concentration (x), film thickness (tf), and annealing temperature (Ta) with the remanent polarization (Pr) in tungsten (W)-capped Hf1 − xZrxO2. This work involved the fabrication and characterization of 36 samples containing multiple sets of metal-ferroelectric-metal capacitors while varying x (0.26, 0.48, and 0.57), tf (10 and 19 nm), and Ta (300, 400, 500, and 600 ° C). In addition to the well-understood effects of x and Ta on the ferroelectricity of Hf1 − xZrxO2, the statistical analysis showed that thicker Hf1 − xZrxO2 films or films with higher x require lower Ta to crystallize and demonstrated that there is no statistical difference between samples annealed to 500 and 600 ° C, thus suggesting that most films fully crystallize with Ta ∼ 500 ° C for 60 s. Our model explains 95% of the variability in the Pr data for the films fabricated, presents the estimates of the phase composition of the film, and provides a starting point for selecting fabrication parameters when a specific Pr is desired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new Stroh formalism for gradient electro-mechanics is derived for the first time, which is both mathematically concise and numerically powerful, applicable to generally coupled anisotropic material systems. Based on this new formalism, the complicated Lamb wave in flexoelectric and piezoelectric plates is investigated. The dispersion equation is obtained by solving the eigenvalue problem along with the unconditionally stable dual-variable and position method. From the obtained dispersion equation, the dispersion curves and mode shapes of the Lamb wave are calculated by the 1D form of the multidimensional moduli ratio convergence method. Two important and interesting features are observed from our analysis: One is the difference in the mode shape symmetry between the piezoelectric and flexoelectric cases, and the other is the size-dependent property of the flexoelectric effect as observed by nondimensionalization. These features are further illustrated by comparing the dispersion curves and wave-mode shapes among the three different material models (purely piezoelectric, purely flexoelectric, and flexoelectric and piezoelectric coupled). The newly derived Stroh formalism offers a robust, concise, and unified approach for dealing with strain gradient electro-mechanic materials with crystal systems of general anisotropy. The present work also explains the physical mechanism of symmetry breaking observed, as induced by flexoelectric coupling in piezoelectric materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the study of the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) for the rhombohedral Laves phase of Pr 2 Rh 3 Ge, which shows a magnetic order below T C = 8.5 K. We have established that the compound exhibits a continuous second-order type of transition which was demonstrated and confirmed by several different techniques, mainly by analyzing universal curves of normalized entropy change as a function of scaled temperature. The observed MCE, in our opinion, is a consequence of an indirect exchange coupling between the magnetic sublattices of the rare earth ions, which, however, does not exclude the potential contribution of sublattice-containing transition metals. In this paper, the procedure to evaluate the MCE from magnetization and specific heat data is described. As a result, important parameters such as the isothermal magnetic entropy change (Δ S M), adiabatic temperature change (Δ T a d ), relative cooling power (RCP), and the temperature averaged entropy change (TEC) were determined. The highest values of − Δ S M , Δ T a d , and RCP for a field change (Δ μ 0 H) of 5 T at T C are 5.96 J/kg K, 3.87 K, and 72.62 J/kg, respectively. These results obtained for Pr 2 Rh 3 Ge seem to be, however, low compared to the values obtained for the rhombohedral Laves phases, belonging to the group of ternary germanides RE 2 Rh 3 Ge containing heavy rare earth metals (RE = Gd, Tb, Ho, and Er). Nevertheless, we believe that the results presented in this work extend and complement the current knowledge on the magnetocaloric properties of this family of materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a wideband metasurface-loaded (MTS-L) rectenna system is proposed to capture electromagnetic (EM) energy at arbitrary azimuth angles. The radiation patterns of different modes in the original MTS configuration are analyzed using the characteristic mode theory, and potential modes with omnidirectional radiation are screened out. By the arrangement of patches, the roundness performance of the radiation pattern can be ameliorated, and the omnidirectional characteristic is obtained over a wide frequency band. Subsequently, the surface current density of the selected mode is carefully and artificially designed to facilitate probe excitation as well as refrain from introducing complex power-combining networks. A wideband rectifier circuit is designed as the load of the proposed antenna. Eventually, measured results show that it operates from 4.6 to 9.6 GHz with a fractional bandwidth of 70.4%, and the peak system efficiency is 52.2%. The proposed system demonstrates excellent potential for wireless power transmission and EM energy harvesting in indoor environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical second harmonic generation (SHG) can be employed to characterize the passivation quality of semiconducting material interfaces. The interface electric field (EDC) related to the existing charges at and near the interface, including the fixed oxide charges Qox, gives rise to the electric field induced second harmonic phenomenon. In this paper, we calibrate the SHG response for EDC measurement, using Al2O3/SiO2/Si(100) samples with different Qox. To perform this calibration, SHG and capacitance-voltage measurements (to access the electrical field of the samples) were made. The experimental results match well the simulated calibration curve, proving the potential of the SHG as stand-alone characterization technique for dielectric stacks on Si. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electroporation is a complex, iterative, and nonlinear phenomenon often studied through numerical simulations. In recent years, simulations of tissue electroporation have been conducted with static models. However, the results of a static model simulation are restricted to a fixed protocol signature of the pulsed electric field. In this paper, we describe a novel dynamic model of tissue electroporation that also accounts for tissue dispersion and temperature to allow time-domain simulations. We have implemented the biological dispersion of potato tubers and thermal analysis in a commercial finite-element method software. A cell electroporation model was adapted to account for the increase in tissue conductivity. The model yielded 12 parameters divided into three dynamic states of electroporation. The thermal analysis describes the dependence of tissue conductivity on temperature. The model parameters were evaluated using experiments with vegetal tissue (Solanum tuberosum) under electrochemotherapy protocols. The proposed model can accurately predict the conductivity of tissue under electroporation from 100 to 1000 V/cm. A negligible thermal effect was observed at 1000 V/cm, with a temperature increase of 0.89 ° C. We believe that the proposed model is suitable to describe the electroporation at the tissue level and provides a hint of the effects on the cell membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical methods for analyzing diffusion phenomena involving strong discontinuities and complicated interfaces are of great scientific and technical importance. In this paper, we extend the existing step-balanced random walk, which overcomes the problem of detailed balance of a random walker in three-dimensional (3D), diffusion-tensor discontinuous systems, to particle density (ρ) discontinuous systems, and introduce volumetric heat capacity C and temperature T by considering ρ as heat density, i.e., ρ = C T , to apply it to thermal problems. Two types of thermophysical simulations are demonstrated: one is steady-state heat flow due to a temperature difference at the end surfaces on a two-phase slab model unit cell with periodic boundary conditions; the other is the time variation of temperature distribution due to heat diffusion from a point heat source in a repeated two-phase slab model with no periodic boundary conditions. We see the correct behavior of heat and temperature expected in 3D discontinuous systems composed of two phases with anisotropic thermal conductivity. The applicability to problems other than pure diffusion and the limitations of the method are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin–orbit torque (SOT) can provide efficient electrical manipulation of magnetism via applying electrical current to breaking the symmetry of damping-like torque. In the heterojunction of heavy and ferromagnetic metal, Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI) is one of the key ingredients for stabilizing chiral spin structures, like chiral domain walls. Meanwhile, materials with larger charge-spin conversion rates are also highly expected for the efficient SOT. In this paper, spin–orbit torque magnetic switching is observed in the perpendicularly magnetized Pt/Co/Bi2Se3 and shows relatively high efficiency with low critical switching current density of about 5 × 105 A cm−2. The SOT efficiency and DMI in perpendicularly magnetized Pt/Co/Bi2Se3 were quantitatively investigated by electrical detection of the effective spin Hall field. The DMI constant is about 2.6 mJ m−2, and the effective spin Hall angle of Pt/Co/Bi2Se3 is about 0.14. The work also demonstrates that the Bi2Se3 layer takes the main responsibility for SOT, and the Pt/Co interface is the main source of DMI in Pt/Co/Bi2Se3 structures, which makes it possible to achieve independent optimization of DMI and SOT in the Pt/Co/Bi2Se3 structure at room temperature for the advanced application of spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crossed-Field Vacuum Electron Devices are ubiquitous in the High-Power Microwave field in either an oscillator/source or amplifier variant. A typical configuration consists of a magnetically insulated laminar electron flow in an anode–cathode gap with crossed electric (∝ V , voltage) and magnetic (B-) fields and a series of open resonant cavities/vanes located on the anode block that serve as a slow-wave structure (SWS). The SWS slows the phase velocity of the electromagnetic signal down so that the wave becomes synchronous with a layer of the electron flow but is often neglected when calculating the Hull magnetic field necessary to insulate the electrons. In particular, the guiding design equation for the critical cutoff B-field assumes a smooth anode wall. In this paper, we show that such an assumption severely narrows the operating regime in B–V space and that upon inclusion of a revised Hull Cutoff condition taking into account the SWS, operation at lower B and higher V is possible. This revised Hull Cutoff criterion for magnetic insulation in crossed-field devices is corroborated by Particle-in-Cell simulations using CST Particle Studio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin–orbit torque (SOT) can provide efficient electrical manipulation of magnetism via applying electrical current to breaking the symmetry of damping-like torque. In the heterojunction of heavy and ferromagnetic metal, Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI) is one of the key ingredients for stabilizing chiral spin structures, like chiral domain walls. Meanwhile, materials with larger charge-spin conversion rates are also highly expected for the efficient SOT. In this paper, spin–orbit torque magnetic switching is observed in the perpendicularly magnetized Pt/Co/Bi2Se3 and shows relatively high efficiency with low critical switching current density of about 5 × 105 A cm−2. The SOT efficiency and DMI in perpendicularly magnetized Pt/Co/Bi2Se3 were quantitatively investigated by electrical detection of the effective spin Hall field. The DMI constant is about 2.6 mJ m−2, and the effective spin Hall angle of Pt/Co/Bi2Se3 is about 0.14. The work also demonstrates that the Bi2Se3 layer takes the main responsibility for SOT, and the Pt/Co interface is the main source of DMI in Pt/Co/Bi2Se3 structures, which makes it possible to achieve independent optimization of DMI and SOT in the Pt/Co/Bi2Se3 structure at room temperature for the advanced application of spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

20 to explain the plastic deformation mechanism; the explanation of why the twin boundary can serve as an obstacle of dislocation movement on one side and also serve as dislocation nucleation sites is presented in Figs. 22 and 23; and the energy of grain boundary, twin boundary, and stacking faults are listed in Table I to explain why grain boundary only plays one role as dislocation nucleation sites, but the twin boundary can play two roles. The nanowires in both our paper and Ref. [3] were constructed according to the previous experimental observation.[4] In Ref. [3], the plastic deformation mechanism of polycrystalline nanowires was studied. [Extracted from the article]