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Recently, several papers reported the discovery of giant permittivity and low dielectric loss in (Nb+In) co-doped TiO2. A series of tests was performed which included the measurement of the frequency dependence of the dielectric permittivity and alternating current (ac) conductivity of co-doped (Nb+In)TiO2 as a function of electrode type, sample thickness, and temperature. The data suggest that the measurements are strongly affected by the electrodes. The consistency between four-contact van der Pauw direct current conductivity measurements and bulk conductivity values extracted from two-contact ac conductivity measurements suggest that the values of colossal permittivity are, at least in part, a result of Schottky barrier depletion widths that depend on electrode type and temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature-dependent dielectric relaxations of (1-x)BiFeO3-x(Bi1/2K1/2)TiO3 (BF-BKT) lead-free piezoceramics (0.4≤x≤0.8) were investigated via impedance spectroscopic techniques. Regardless of the compositions, the dielectric maximum temperatures exhibit a frequency-dependent dispersion, originating from a Debye relaxation due to the presence of oxygen vacancies. It was also observed that there exist local dielectric maxima due to the relaxation of polar nanoregions as a shoulder on the lower temperature side. The onset temperature for the Debye-type relaxation decreased with decreasing BKT content, gradually overlapping with the low-temperature dielectric dispersion from the relaxation of polar nanoregions. It is proposed that the role of BKT in the BF-BKT system is to enhance the random fields that favor a relaxor state and to suppress the Debye-type relaxation of oxygen vacancy related dipoles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, several papers reported the discovery of giant permittivity and low dielectric loss in (Nb+In) co-doped TiO2. A series of tests was performed which included the measurement of the frequency dependence of the dielectric permittivity and alternating current (ac) conductivity of co-doped (Nb+In)TiO2 as a function of electrode type, sample thickness, and temperature. The data suggest that the measurements are strongly affected by the electrodes. The consistency between four-contact van der Pauw direct current conductivity measurements and bulk conductivity values extracted from two-contact ac conductivity measurements suggest that the values of colossal permittivity are, at least in part, a result of Schottky barrier depletion widths that depend on electrode type and temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study plasmonic lattice modes in two dimensional arrays of large metallic nanodisks in strongly inhomogeneous environments with controlled dielectric asymmetries. This is done within the two limits of positive (air/substrate) and negative (Si/substrate) asymmetries. In the former, the nanodisks are exposed to air, while in the latter, they are fully embedded in a dielectric material with a refractive index much higher than that of the glass substrate (Si). Our results show that in the air/substrate limit, the arrays can mainly support two distinct visible and infrared peaks associated with the optical coupling of multipolar plasmonic resonances of nanodisks in air and substrate (normal modes). As the nanodisks are gradually embedded in Si, i.e., going from the positive to negative asymmetry limit, the visible peak undergoes more than 200 nm red shift without significant mode degradation. Our results show that as this transition happens, a third peak (anomalous mode) becomes dominant. The amplitude and wavelength of this peak increase quadratically with the thickness of the Si layer, indicating formation of a unique collective mode. We study the impact of this mode on the emission semiconductor quantum dots, demonstrating they become much brighter as the result of the long-reach plasmonic fields of the nanodisks when the arrays are in this mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The random buckling patterns of nanoscale dielectric walls are analyzed using a nonlinear multiscale stochastic method that combines experimental measurements with simulations. The dielectric walls, approximately 200 nm tall and 20 nm wide, consist of compliant, low dielectric constant (low-k) fins capped with stiff, compressively stressed TiN lines that provide the driving force for buckling. The deflections of the buckled lines exhibit sinusoidal pseudoperiodicity with amplitude fluctuation and phase decorrelation arising from stochastic variations in wall geometry, properties, and stress state at length scales shorter than the characteristic deflection wavelength of about 1000 nm. The buckling patterns are analyzed and modeled at two length scales: a longer scale (up to 5000 nm) that treats randomness as a longer-scale measurable quantity, and a shorter-scale (down to 20 nm) that treats buckling as a deterministic phenomenon. Statistical simulation is used to join the two length scales. Through this approach, the buckling model is validated and material properties and stress states are inferred. In particular, the stress state of TiN lines in three different systems is determined, along with the elastic moduli of low-k fins and the amplitudes of the small-scale random fluctuations in wall properties--all in the as-processed state. The important case of stochastic effects giving rise to buckling in a deterministically sub-critical buckling state is demonstrated. The nonlinear multiscale stochastic analysis provides guidance for design of low-k structures with acceptable buckling behavior and serves as a template for how randomness that is common to nanoscale phenomena might be measured and analyzed in other contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this experiment, hysteresis is observed in the floating potential of wall material samples immersed in a low-temperature plasma as the energy of a prevalent non-thermal electron population is varied from 30-180 eV. It is indicated that the hysteresis is due to secondary electron emission from the wall material surface. Measurements are performed in a filament discharge in argon gas pressure 10-4 Torr of order 107 cm-3 plasma number density. The primary ionizing electrons from the discharge filament make up 1%-10% of the overall plasma number density, depending on discharge voltage. Immersed LaB6-coated steel and roughened boron nitride (BN) wall material samples are mounted on the face of a radiative heater, and the wall temperature is controlled from 50-400 °C such that thermionic emission from the LaB6-coated sample is not significant. The energy of the primary plasma electrons from the discharge filament is varied and the floating potentials of the material samples are monitored. The floating potentials are observed to transition to a "collapsed" state as the primary electron energy is increased above 110 and 130eV for the LaB6 and rough BN, respectively. As primary electron energy is subsequently decreased, the floating potentials do not "un-collapse" until lower energies of 80 and 100 eV, respectively. The hysteresis behavior agrees with a kinetic model. The results may help explain observations of global hysteresis and mode transitions in bounded plasma devices with dielectric walls, significant secondary electron emission, and departures of electron energy distribution function from a thermal Maxwellian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dielectric properties of a fluid composed of molecules possessing both dipole and quadrupole moments are studied based on a model of the Onsager type (molecule in the centre of a spherical cavity). The dielectric permittivity ε and the macroscopic quadrupole polarizability αQ of the fluid are related to the basic molecular characteristics (molecular dipole, polarizability, quadrupole, quadrupolarizability). The effect of αQ is to increase the reaction field, to bring forth reaction field gradient, to decrease the cavity field, and to bring forth cavity field gradient. The effects from the quadrupole terms are significant in the case of small cavity size in a non-polar liquid. The quadrupoles in the medium are shown to have a small but measurable effect on the dielectric permittivity of several liquids (Ar, Kr, Xe, CH4, N2, CO2, CS2, C6H6, H2O, CH3OH). The theory is used to calculate the macroscopic quadrupolarizabilities of these fluids as functions of pressure and temperature. The cavity radii are also determined for these liquids, and it is shown that they are functions of density only. This extension of Onsager's theory will be important for non-polar solutions (fuel, crude oil, liquid CO2), especially at increased pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-index dielectric and semiconductor nanostructures with characteristics of low absorption loss and artificially controlled scattering properties have grasped an increasing attention for improving the performance of thin-film photovoltaic devices. In this work, combined optical and electrical simulations were performed for thin-film InP/In0.53Ga0.47As/InP hetero-junction photodetector with periodically arranged InP nano-cylinders in the in-coupling configuration. It is found that the carefully designed InP nano-cylinders possess strongly substrate-coupled Mie resonances and can effectively couple incident light into the guided mode, both of which significantly increase optical absorption. Further study from the electrical aspects shows that enhancement of external quantum efficiency is as high as 82% and 83% in the configurations with the optimized nano-cylinders and the optimized period, respectively. Moreover, we demonstrate that the integration of InP nanocylinders does not degrade the electrical performance, since the surface recombination is effectively suppressed by separating the absorber layer where carriers generate and the air/semiconductor interface. The comprehensive modeling including optical and electrical perspectives provides a more practical description for device performance than the optical-only simulation and is expected to advance the design of thin-film absorber layer based optoelectronic devices for fast response and high efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study provides a methodology to derive the local frequency response of flow under actuation, in terms of the magnitude of actuator induced perturbations. The method is applied to a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuator but can be extended to other kinds of pulsed actuation. The actuator body force term is introduced in the Navier-Stokes equations, from which the flow is locally approximated with a linear-time-invariant system. The proposed semi-phenomenological model includes the effect of both viscosity and external flow velocity, providing a system response in the frequency domain. A validity criterium is additionally devised for the estimation of the threshold frequency below which the developed approach can be applied. Analytical results are compared with experimental data for a typical DBD plasma actuator operating in quiescent flow and in a laminar boundary layer. Good agreement is obtained between analytical and experimental results for cases below the model validity threshold frequency. Results demonstrate an efficient and simple approach towards prediction of the response of a convective flow to pulsed actuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high-frequency properties of a composite resonator comprised single crystal iron borate (FeBO3), a canted antiferromagnet with a weak ferromagnetic moment, and a polycrystalline dielectric were investigated at 9-10 GHz. Ferromagnetic resonance in this frequency range was observed in FeBO3 for bias magnetic fields of ~250 Oe. In the composite resonator, the magnetic mode in iron borate and dielectric mode are found to hybridize strongly. It is shown that the hybrid mode can be tuned with a static magnetic field. Our studies indicate that coupling between the magnetic mode and the dielectric resonance can be altered from maximum hybridization to a minimum by adjusting the position of resonator inside the waveguide. Magnetic field tuning of the resonance frequency by a maximum of 145 MHz and a change in the transmitted microwave power by as much as 16 dB have been observed for a bias field of 250 Oe. A model is discussed for the magnetic field tuning of the composite resonator and theoretical estimates are in reasonable agreement with the data. The composite resonator with a weak ferromagnet and a dielectric is of interest for application in frequency agile devices with electronically tunable electrodynamic characteristics for the mm and sub-mm wave bands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs) are being investigated in the context plasma medicine and biotechnology applications, and surface functionalization. The composition of the surface being treated ranges from plastics, liquids, and biological tissue, to metals. The dielectric constant of these materials ranges from as low as 1.5 for plastics to near 80 for liquids, and essentially infinite for metals. The electrical properties of the surface are not independent variables as the permittivity of the material being treated has an effect on the dynamics of the incident APPJ. In this paper, results are discussed from a computational investigation of the interaction of an APPJ incident onto materials of varying permittivity, and their impact on the discharge dynamics of the plasma jet. The computer model used in this investigation solves Poisson's equation, transport equations for charged and neutral species, the electron energy equation, and the Navier-Stokes equations for the neutral gas flow. The APPJ is sustained in He/O2 = 99.8/0.2 flowing into humid air, and is directed onto dielectric surfaces in contact with ground with dielectric constants ranging from 2 to 80, and a grounded metal surface. Low values of relative permittivity encourage propagation of the electric field into the treated material and formation and propagation of a surface ionization wave. High values of relative permittivity promote the restrike of the ionization wave and the formation of a conduction channel between the plasma discharge and the treated surface. The distribution of space charge surrounding the APPJ is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the high pressure (up to 3 GPa) dielectric spectroscopy study of ethanol in supercooled liquid and solid states. It was found that ethanol can be obtained in the glassy form by relatively slow cooling in the pressure range below 1.5 GPa. Glassy dynamics of ethanol is dominated by hydrogen bonds which cause rise of fragility index with pressure rising and relatively slow increase of glassification temperature. The termination of ethanol galssification at 1.5 GPa is related to the phase transition of ethanol in this pressure range to the disordered crystal structure which allows easy crystallization of ethanol at high pressures. Dielectric spectroscopy of solid phases of ethanol reveals the presence of molecular motion in both of them in the temperature range close to the melting curve but demonstrates different molecular dynamics in the two solid phases of ethanol [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developed in this work is an electrodynamic model of field effect transistor (FET) application for THz/subTHz radiation detection. It is based on solution of the Maxwell equations in the gate dielectric, expression for current in the channel, which takes into account both the drift and diffusion current components, and the equation of current continuity. For the regimes under and above threshold at the strong inversion the response voltage, responsivity, wave impedance, power of ohmic loss in the gate and channel have been found, and the electrical noise equivalent power (ENEP) has been estimated. The responsivity is orders of magnitude higher and ENEP under threshold is orders of magnitude less than these values above threshold. Under the threshold, the electromagnetic field in the gate oxide is identical to field of the plane waves in free-space. At the same time, for strong inversion the charging of the gate capacitance through the resistance of channel determines the electric field in oxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electromagnetic properties of Permendur (Fe50Co50 alloy) granular composite materials containing flaky particle have been studied from the RF to microwave frequency range. Properties of the flaky particle composites were compared with the spherical particle ones. The electrical conductivity of the flaky particle composite was higher than that of the spherical particle composite at the same particle content. An insulator to metal transition was observed at the percolation threshold φc in both composites. The φc of the flaky particle composite was lower than that of the spherical one. The relative complex permittivity indicates that the insulating state has dielectric properties. For the spherical particle composite, the permittivity enhancement caused by particle cluster formation can be described by the effective cluster model (ECM). The enhancement of the dielectric constant in the flaky particle composite is larger than the ECM prediction. A negative permittivity spectrum indicating a low frequency plasmonic state was observed in the metallic 70 vol. % flaky particle composite. The relative complex permeability spectra of the flaky particle composite are different from those of the spherical one. The flaky particle composite shows a larger permeability value and lower permeability dispersion frequency than the spherical particle composite. Negative permeability spectra were observed in the both composite materials. The negative permeability frequency band of the flaky particle composite is lower than that of the spherical particle composite owing to the demagnetizing field effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a unified framework for resonant absorption in periodic arrays of high index semiconductor nanowires that combines a leaky waveguide theory perspective and that of photonic crystals supporting Bloch modes, as array density transitions from sparse to dense. Full dispersion relations are calculated for each mode at varying illumination angles using the eigenvalue equation for leaky waveguide modes of an infinite dielectric cylinder. The dispersion relations along with symmetry arguments explain the selectivity of mode excitation and spectral red-shifting of absorption for illumination parallel to the nanowire axis in comparison to perpendicular illumination. Analysis of photonic crystal band dispersion for varying array density illustrates that the modes responsible for resonant nanowire absorption emerge from the leaky waveguide modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a simple and reliable method for extracting the optical constants of homogeneous dielectrics which can be pure or impure, and polar or nonpolar. The extraction is made from fringing reflectance spectra of slab samples with and without metal on the backside. The method is demonstrated to work well for polar semiconductors GaAs and InP in the infrared regime. The extracted extinction coefficient spectra exhibit plenty of features which correspond well to those in absorption and Raman spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An antenna-coupled split-ring resonator-based microwave sensor is introduced for biosensing applications. The sensor comprises a metallic ring with a slit and integrated monopole antennas on top of a dielectric substrate. The backside of the substrate is attached to a metallic plate. Integrated antennas are used to excite the device and measure its electromagnetic characteristics. The resonant frequency of the device is measured as 2.12 GHz. The characteristics of the device with dielectric loading at different locations across its surface are obtained experimentally. The results indicate that dielectric loading reduces the resonant frequency of the device, which is in good agreement with simulations. The shift in resonant frequency is employed as the sensor output for biomolecular experiments. The device is demonstrated as a resonant biomolecular sensor where the interactions between heparin and fibroblast growth factor 2 are probed. The sensitivity of the device is obtained as 3.7MHz/(µg/ml) with respect to changes in concentration of heparin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dielectric elastomers (DEs) feature nonlinear dynamics resulting from an electromechanical coupling. Under alternating voltage, the DE resonates with tunable performances. We present an analysis of the nonlinear dynamics of a DE as electromechanical resonator (DEER) configured as a pure shear actuator. A theoretical model is developed to characterize the complex performance under different boundary conditions. Physical mechanisms are presented and discussed. Chaotic behavior is also predicted, illustrating instabilities in the dynamics. The results provide a guide to the design and application of DEER in haptic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electroactive polymers, and more particular dielectric electrostrictive polymers, have been of great interest over the last decade thanks to their flexibility, easy processing, conformability, and relatively low cost. Their application as actuators, sensors, or energy harvesters suits very well to systems that require high strain. In particular, bending devices are an important application field of such materials, especially when dealing with devices subjected to air or liquid flows. Nevertheless, the design of such devices and their associated electrical interface still requires starting from the local aspects of the electrostrictive effect. In order to provide a simple yet efficient design tool, this paper exposes a simple lumped model for electrostrictive dielectric devices working under flexural solicitation. Based on the analysis of the converted energy with respect to the provided energy, it is shown that electrostrictive systems can easily be reduced to a simple spring-mass-damper system with a quadratic dependence to the applied voltage on the mechanical side and to a current source controlled by the applied voltage with a capacitive internal impedance on the electrical side. Experimental measurements carried out to evaluate the mechanical to electrical conversion effect as well as the energy harvesting abilities in such systems also validate the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiferroic nanostructures of Ni0.6Zn0.4Fe2O4-BaTiO3 (NZF/BT) have been prepared by two synthesis routes, i.e., chemical combustion (CNZF/BT) and hydrothermal (HNZF/BT). The synthesis of CNZF/BT results in nanoparticles of average size 4 nm at 500 °C annealing. However, the synthesis of HNZF/BT with hydrolysis temperature 180 °C/48 h shows nanowires of diameter 3 nm and length >150 nm. A growth mechanism in the fabrication of nanoparticles and wires is given. X-ray diffraction is used to identify the crystalline phase. The transmission electron microscopy shows the dimensions of NZF/BT nanostructures. The ferromagnetism, ferroelectricity, and magnetoelectric coupling show more enhancements in HNZF/BT nanowires than CNZF/BT nanoparticles. The observed polarization depends upon shape of nanostructures, tetragonal phase, and epitaxial strain. The tension induced by the surface curvature of nanowire counteracts the near-surface depolarizing effect and meanwhile leads to unusual enhancement of polarization. The ferromagnetism depends upon superficial spin canting, spin pinning of nanocomposite, and oxygen vacancy clusters. The magnetoelectric coefficient as the function of applied dc magnetizing field under ac magnetic field 5 Oe and frequency 1093 Hz is measured. The nanodimensions of NZF/BT are observed dielectric constant up to 120 MHz. The optical activity of NZF/BT nanostructures is shown by Fluorescence spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly scaled gate dielectric stacks with low leakage and low interface trap densities are required for complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology with III-V semiconductor channels. Here, we show that a novel pre-deposition technique, consisting of alternating cycles of nitrogen plasma and tetrakis(dimethylamino)titanium, allows for HfO2 and ZrO2 gate stacks with extremely high accumulation capacitance densities of more than 5 µF/cm² at 1 MHz, low leakage current, low frequency dispersion, and low midgap interface trap densities (1012 cm-2 eV-1 range). Using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we show that the interface contains TiO2 and small quantities of In2O3, but no detectable Ga- or As-oxides, or As-As bonding. The results allow for insights into the microscopic mechanisms that control leakage and frequency dispersion in high-k/III-V gate stacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric modulus spectroscopy and impedance analysis were used to investigate the low-temperature (~100-333 K) dielectric properties of ZnO crystals. Two relaxations were observed. The low-temperature relaxation (R1) features a thermally activated behavior resulting from the bulk response. Our results convincingly demonstrate that this relaxation is a polaronic relaxation. The relaxing species for R1 are localized holes created by zinc vacancies instead of the commonly agreed oxygen vacancies. The high-temperature relaxation (R2) is a Maxwell-Wagner relaxation due to skin-layer effect as it can be eliminated by grinding off the sample surface. The inhomogeneous distribution of zinc interstitials leads to the formation of the skin layer. Interestingly, an abnormal dielectric behavior contrary to the thermally activated behavior was found for the R2 relaxation. This abnormal behavior was confirmed to be related to the positive temperature coefficient of resistance due to the metal-insulator transition occurring within the skin layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare earth doping is widely used to improve the desired properties of high-k dielectric oxides. However, whether rare earth doping can suppress the formation of oxygen vacancies is still debated. By using the first-principles calculations with the generalized gradient approximation and more advanced hybrid functional, we have investigated the structural and electronic properties of the dopant-oxygen vacancy complexes in Gd-doped HfO2. Our calculations indicate that the Gd dopants interacting with oxygen vacancies can substantially shift up the VO energy states towards the conduction band edge. This together with other effects, such as capturing the localized electrons at the oxygen vacancy by Gd dopants and suppressing the randomicity of oxygen vacancy formation, improves the reliability of the devices made from Gd-doped HfO2. Based on our calculated results, we have presented an explanation for the experimentally observed decrease of the VO-related photoluminescence intensities upon Gd doping in HfO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of surface pretreatment, dielectric growth, and post deposition annealing on interface electronic structure and polarization charge compensation of Ga- and N-face bulk GaN were investigated. The cleaning process consisted of an ex-situ wet chemical NH4OH treatment and an in-situ elevated temperature NH3 plasma process to remove carbon contamination, reduce oxygen coverage, and potentially passivate N-vacancy related defects. After the cleaning process, carbon contamination decreased below the x-ray photoemission spectroscopy detection limit, and the oxygen coverage stabilized at ~1 monolayer on both Ga- and N-face GaN. In addition, Ga- and N-face GaN had an upward band bending of 0.8 ± 0.1 eV and 0.6 ± 0.1 eV, respectively, which suggested the net charge of the surface states and polarization bound charge was similar on Ga- and N-face GaN. Furthermore, three dielectrics (HfO2, Al2O3, and SiO2) were prepared by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition on Ga- or N-face GaN and annealed in N2 ambient to investigate the effect of the polarization charge on the interface electronic structure and band offsets. The respective valence band offsets of HfO2, Al2O3, and SiO2 with respect to Ga- and N-face GaN were 1.4 ± 0.1, 2.0 ± 0.1, and 3.2 ± 0.1 eV, regardless of dielectric thickness. The corresponding conduction band offsets were 1.0 ± 0.1, 1.3 ± 0.1, and 2.3 ± 0.1 eV, respectively. Experimental band offset results were consistent with theoretical calculations based on the charge neutrality level model. The trend of band offsets for dielectric/GaN interfaces was related to the band gap and/or the electronic part of the dielectric constant. The effect of polarization charge on band offset was apparently screened by the dielectric-GaN interface states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dissociation of CO2 and the formation of CO, O3, and O2 were studied in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) at atmospheric pressure by means of ex-situ infrared absorption spectroscopy. CO mixing ratios of 0.1%-4.4% were determined for specific injected energies between 0.1 and 20 eV per molecule (0.3-70 kJ/l). A lower limit of the gas temperature of 320-480 K was estimated from the wall temperature of the quartz reactor as measured with an infrared camera. The formation of CO in the DBD could be described as function of the total number of transferred charges during the residence time of the gas in the active plasma zone. An almost stoichiometric CO:O2 ratio of 2:1 was observed along with a strongly temperature dependent O3 production up to 0.075%. Although the ideal range for an efficient CO2 dissociation in plasmas of 1 eV per molecule for the specific injected energy was covered, the energy efficiency remained below 5% for all conditions. The present results indicate a reaction mechanism which is initiated by electron impact processes followed by charge transfer reactions and non-negligible surface enhanced O and CO recombination. While electron-driven CO2 dissociation is relatively energy inefficient by itself, fast O recombination and the low gas temperatures inhibit the synergistic reuse of atomic oxygen in a secondary CO2 + O dissociation step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methane gas conversion was studied in customized flow-type reactors with different dielectric barrier discharge generated in Ar-CH4-O2 gas mixtures. Different reactor geometries (with either volume or surface-type discharges) and different electrode materials were compared, and gas temperatures during methane conversion processes were evaluated. The discharge was generated by applying either a conventional sinusoid or nanosecond-pulsed voltage. The methane conversion rate was as high as ~99% with the total gas flow rate of 15 sccm, while the temperatures did not exceed 450 K. No significant effect of electrode material (stainless steel, aluminum, or CuO coated copper) was found, confirming that the conversion temperatures were much lower than those required for activity of typical catalysts. The reactor geometry, flow rate, and oxygen amount could be used to govern both the methane conversion rate and the fractions of components in the final product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare earth doping is widely used to improve the desired properties of high-k dielectric oxides. However, whether rare earth doping can suppress the formation of oxygen vacancies is still debated. By using the first-principles calculations with the generalized gradient approximation and more advanced hybrid functional, we have investigated the structural and electronic properties of the dopant-oxygen vacancy complexes in Gd-doped HfO2. Our calculations indicate that the Gd dopants interacting with oxygen vacancies can substantially shift up the VO energy states towards the conduction band edge. This together with other effects, such as capturing the localized electrons at the oxygen vacancy by Gd dopants and suppressing the randomicity of oxygen vacancy formation, improves the reliability of the devices made from Gd-doped HfO2. Based on our calculated results, we have presented an explanation for the experimentally observed decrease of the VO-related photoluminescence intensities upon Gd doping in HfO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since SrTiO3 has a high dielectric constant, it is used as a substrate for a large number of complex physical systems for electrical characterization. Since SrTiO3 crystals are known to be nonferroelectric/ non-piezoelectric at room temperature and above, SrTiO3 has been believed to be a good choice as a substrate/base material for PFM (Piezoresponse Force Microscopy) on novel systems at room temperature. In this paper, from PFM-like measurement using an atomic force microscope on bare crystals of (110) SrTiO3 we show that ferroelectric and piezoelectric-like response may originate from bare SrTiO3 at remarkably high temperatures up to 420K. Electrical domain writing and erasing are also possible using a scanning probe tip on the surface of SrTiO3 crystals. This observation indicates that the role of the electrical response of SrTiO3 needs to be revisited in the systems where signature of ferroelectricity/piezoelectricity has been previously observed with SrTiO3 as a substrate/base material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the nonlinear cylindrical plasmonic waveguide arrays composed of the metal-dielectric multilayers with the Kerr-type nonlinear dielectric materials. The theory of the nonlinear propagation mode is presented and finally expressed as two coupled nonlinear equations with the help of the Lorentz reciprocity theorem. Numerical results demonstrate there exists plasmonic bistability of the propagation modes for a given intensity. This kind of bistability corresponds to the totally different energy distributions in the system, which can be used to develop the applications in the optical switches and optical detectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A numerical technique characterized by a unified approach for the analysis of different types of acoustic waves utilized in resonators in which a periodic metal grating is used for excitation and reflection of such waves is described. The combination of the Finite Element Method analysis of the electrode domain with the Spectral Domain Analysis (SDA) applied to the adjacent upper and lower semi-infinite regions, which may be multilayered and include air as a special case of a dielectric material, enables rigorous simulation of the admittance in resonators using surface acoustic waves, Love waves, plate modes including Lamb waves, Stonely waves, and other waves propagating along the interface between two media, and waves with transient structure between the mentioned types. The matrix formalism with improved convergence incorporated into SDA provides fast and robust simulation for multilayered structures with arbitrary thickness of each layer. The described technique is illustrated by a few examples of its application to various combinations of LiNbO3, isotropic silicon dioxide and silicon with a periodic array of Cu electrodes. The wave characteristics extracted from the admittance functions change continuously with the variation of the film and plate thicknesses over wide ranges, even when the wave nature changes. The transformation of the wave nature with the variation of the layer thicknesses is illustrated by diagrams and contour plots of the displacements calculated at resonant frequencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a meticulous study of the ac-magnetization dynamics χac(T)), relative dielectric permittivity εr(T), and magneto-dielectric (Δεr/εr (H)) response of various complex magnetic transitions that occur below the ferrimagnetic Neel temperature TN of Mn3O4. Besides the known sequence of transitions at TN ~ 42.75 K, T1 ~ 39 K, and T2 ~ 34 K, the existence of a new anomaly reported recently at 38 K (T*) has been successfully probed by χac(T) and εr(T) measurements. The effect of external dc-bias fields (HDC) and driving frequency f) on the above mentioned transitions has been investigated in consonance with the εr(T) and Δεr/εr(T,H) results. For the first time, we observed a clear hysteresis of about 5.15 K in the zero-field εr(T) across the incommensurate-to-commensurate transition T2 ~ 34 K, which provides evidence to the first-order nature of this transition. The Arrott plot (H/M vs. M²) criterion has been used to distinguish the nature of all the sequential transitions that take place below TN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Usually, the trapping phenomenon in insulating materials is studied by injecting charges using a Scanning Electron Microscope. In this work, we use the dielectric spectroscopy technique for showing a correlation between the dielectric properties and the trapping-charging ability of insulating materials. The evolution of the complex permittivity (real and imaginary parts) as a function of frequency and temperature reveals different types of relaxation according to the trapping ability of the material. We found that the space charge relaxation at low frequencies affects the real part of the complex permittivity ε' and the dissipation factor Tan(δ). We prove that the evolution of the imaginary part of the complex permittivity against temperature ε''=f(T) reflects the phenomenon of charge trapping and detrapping as well as trapped charge evolution Qp(T). We also use the electric modulus formalism to better identify the space charge relaxation. The investigation of trapping or conductive nature of insulating materials was mainly made by studying the activation energy and conductivity. The conduction and trapping parameters are determined using the Correlated Barrier Hopping (CBH) model in order to confirm the relation between electrical properties and charge trapping ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results of broadband dielectric investigations of 0.94PbMg1/3Ta2/3O3-0.06PbTiO3 (0.94PMT-0.06PT or PMT-PT) crystals in wide temperature range from 100 K to 950 K are presented. Below 300 K the dielectric properties of crystals are governed by polar nanoregions dynamics. However, at higher temperatures (above 600 K) the electrical conductivity effects also become important. The electrical conductivity occurs presumably due the hopping of oxygen vacancies and demonstrates change in the activation energy close to 750 K. The change in the activation energy can be explained by increase of concentration of single ionized vacancies. No anomaly in the temperature dependence of the static dielectric permittivity was observed in wide temperature range from 213 K to 950 K and the dependence was successfully described by spherical random bonds random fields theory. Moreover, two different contributions were successfully separated in the distributions of relaxation times in PMT-PT crystals. These contributions were attributed to different polar nanoregions dynamics. Moreover, the different freezing temperatures values were obtained for most probable and longest relaxation times, which was explained with an idea of continuous distribution of relaxation times broadening on cooling in relaxors. The critical remarks about the Vogel-Fulcher law application for relaxors are addressed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition-metal-doped semiconductor GaAs crystals are used as model systems for spintronic research, as well as in other applications. To explore the structure and properties of such impurities, we extended the methodology of ultrasonic investigation of the Jahn-Teller effect in dielectric impurity-centers to the study of significantly different semiconductor impurities using the GaAs:Cu crystal as an example. Phase velocity and attenuation of ultrasound in this system were measured in the temperature interval of 1.9-80 K at 52 MHz and 156 MHz. The anomaly in the velocity and a peak of attenuation found for the longitudinal and slow shear waves indicate the presence of the Jahn-Teller effect with the e-type local distortions of the CuGa4As impurity complex. The temperature dependence of the elastic modulus and relaxation time shows that below 5 K, the thermal activation mechanism of relaxation is possibly replaced by resonance type transitions. The main parameters of the Jahn-Teller effect, stabilization energy, minima positions and the barrier between them, frequency of pseudorotation of the distortions, and the tunneling splitting of the ground state energy, as well as the constant of exchange interaction between the two holes in Cu2+ centers and the concentration of the centers were estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a comparative study between dielectric functions of Si nanoparticles (Si-NPs) obtained from Bruggeman effective medium approximation (BEMA), Maxwell-Garnett (MG), and a modified Maxwell-Garnett (MMG) models. Unlike BEMA and MG, a size-distribution dependent dielectric function of Si-NPs is considered in the introduced MMG model. We show that the standard deviation σ of a size distribution can be evaluated by analyzing the imaginary part of the dielectric functions of Si-NPs extracted from BEMA and MMG. In order to demonstrate this, several samples composed of Si-NPs embedded in silicon-rich silicon nitride are investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry over the photon energy range varying between 2 and 4 eV. Assuming a lognormal size distribution of the Si nanoparticles, it is evidenced that the parameter σ ranges between 1.15 and 1.35. The values of size dispersion deduced by this methodology are in good agreement with TEM observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the electronic band structure, we have calculated the dispersion of the linear and nonlinear optical susceptibilities for the mixed CuAl(S1-x-Sex)2 chaclcopyrite compounds with x=0.0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0. Calculations are performed within the Perdew-Becke-Ernzerhof general gradient approximation. The investigated compounds possess a direct band gap of about 2.2 eV (CuAlS2), 1.9 eV (CuAl(S0.75Se0.25)2), 1.7 eV (CuAl(S0.5Se0.5)2), 1.5 eV (CuAl(S0.25Se0.75)2), and 1.4 eV (CuAlSe2) which tuned to make them optically active for the optoelectronics and photovoltaic applications. These results confirm that substituting S by Se causes significant band gaps' reduction. The optical function's dispersion ε2xx(ω) and ε2zz(ω) | ε2xx(ω), ε2yy(ω), and ε2zz(ω) was calculated and discussed in detail. To demonstrate the effect of substituting S by Se on the complex second-order nonlinear optical susceptibility tensors, we performed detailed calculations for the complex second-order nonlinear optical susceptibility tensors, which show that the neat parents compounds CuAlS2 and CuAlSe2 exhibit |χ123(2) (-2ω ω; ω | the dominant component, while the mixed alloys exhibit | χ111(2) (-2ω ω; ω as the dominant component. The features of | χ123(2) (-2ω ω; ω | and | χ111(2) (-2ω ω; ω spectra were analyzed on the basis of the absorptive part of the corresponding dielectric function ε2(ω) as a function of both ω/2 and ω. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental study is performed towards identifying cross-talk effects between DBD plasma actuators and external flow. An actuator is positioned in a boundary layer operated in a range of free stream velocities from 0 to 60m/s, and tested both in counter-flow and co-flow forcing configurations. Electrical measurements are used for estimating the power consumption and the discharge formation is visualized using a CCD camera. The actuator's force is measured using a sensitive load cell. Results show the power consumption is constant for different flow velocities and actuator configurations. The plasma light emission is constant for co-flow forcing but shows a trend of increasing intensity with counter-flow forcing for increasing free stream velocities. The measured force is constant for free stream velocities larger than 20 m/s, with same magnitude and opposite direction for the counter-flow and co-flow configurations. In quiescent conditions, the measured force is smaller due to the change in wall shear force by the induced wall-jet. An analytical model is presented to estimate the influence of external flow on the actuator force. It is based on conservation of momentum through the ion-neutral collisional process while including the contribution of the wall shear force. Satisfactory agreement is found between the prediction of the model and experimental data at different external flow velocities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dielectric loaded rectangular grating for Smith-Purcell devices is proposed in this paper. Regarding the electron beam as a moving plasma dielectric, a three dimensional (3D) linear theory of beam-wave interaction is developed. The first and second order growth rates are calculated, which are obtained by expanding hot dispersion equation at synchronous point. The results show that the cutoff frequency is affected by grating width. The dispersion curve becomes flatter and shifts towards lower frequency by loading dielectric in grooves. The simulation results, which are obtained by a 3D particle-in-cell code, are in good agreement with theoretical calculations. Compared the first and second order growth rate, it shows that the discrepancy is large when beam parameters are selected with high values. In this case, it is necessary to apply the second order growth rate, which can accurately describe the process of beam-wave interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a meticulous study of the ac-magnetization dynamics χac(T)), relative dielectric permittivity εr(T), and magneto-dielectric (Δεr/εr (H)) response of various complex magnetic transitions that occur below the ferrimagnetic Neel temperature TN of Mn3O4. Besides the known sequence of transitions at TN ~ 42.75 K, T1 ~ 39 K, and T2 ~ 34 K, the existence of a new anomaly reported recently at 38 K (T*) has been successfully probed by χac(T) and εr(T) measurements. The effect of external dc-bias fields (HDC) and driving frequency f) on the above mentioned transitions has been investigated in consonance with the εr(T) and Δεr/εr(T,H) results. For the first time, we observed a clear hysteresis of about 5.15 K in the zero-field εr(T) across the incommensurate-to-commensurate transition T2 ~ 34 K, which provides evidence to the first-order nature of this transition. The Arrott plot (H/M vs. M²) criterion has been used to distinguish the nature of all the sequential transitions that take place below TN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonlinear dielectric effect (NDE) describes changes of dielectric permittivity induced by a strong electric field in a liquid dielectric. The most classical finding related to this magnitude is the negative sign of NDE in liquid diethyl ether (DEE), recalled by Peter Debye in his Nobel Prize lecture. This article shows that the positive sign of NDE in DEE is also possible, in the supercritical domain. Moreover, NDE on approaching the gas-liquid critical point exhibits a unique critical effect described by the critical exponent ≈ 0.4 close to critical temperature (TC) and ψ ≈ 0.6 remote from TC. This can be linked to the emergence of the mean-field behavior in the immediate vicinity of TC, contrary to the typical pattern observed for critical phenomena. The multi-frequency mode of NDE measurements made it possible to estimate the evolution of lifetime of critical fluctuations. The new way of data analysis made it possible to describe the critical effect without a knowledge of the non-critical background contribution in prior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the finite difference time domain method, it is demonstrated that perfect coupling can be achieved between normally incident light and a periodic dielectric/metal/dielectric structure. The structure serves as a diffraction grating that excites modes related to the long range surface plasmon and short range surface plasmon modes that propagate on continuous metallic films. By optimizing the structural dimensions, perfect coupling is achieved between the incident light and these modes. A high Q of 697 and an accompanying ultrasharp linewidth of 0.8 nm are predicted for a 10 nm silver film for optimal conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dielectric and piezoelectric behavior of 70Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-30PbTiO3 (70PMN-30PT) thin films was studied as a function of lateral scaling. Dense PMN-PT films 300–360 nm in thickness were prepared by chemical solution deposition using a 2-methoxyethanol solvent. These phase pure and strongly {001} oriented films exhibited dielectric constants exceeding 1400 and loss tangents of approximately 0.01. The films showed slim hysteresis loops with remanent polarizations of about 8 μC/cm2 and breakdown fields over 1500 kV/cm. Fully clamped films exhibited large signal strains of 1%, with a d33,f coefficient of 90 pm/V. PMN-PT films were patterned down to 200 nm in spatial scale with nearly vertical sidewalls via reactive ion etching. Upon lateral scaling, which produced partially declamped films, there was an increase in both small and large signal dielectric properties, including a doubling of the relative permittivity in structures with width-to-thickness aspect ratios of 0.7. In addition, declamping resulted in a counterclockwise rotation of the hysteresis loops, increasing the remanent polarization to 13.5 μC/cm2. Rayleigh analysis, Preisach modeling, and the relative permittivity as a function of temperature were also measured and further indicated changes in the domain wall mobility and intrinsic response of the laterally scaled PMN-PT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose and fabricate multiband all-dielectric left-handed metamaterials (ADMs) in the X-band microwave regime. The ADMs are fabricated by a combination of dielectric resonators in shapes of cubes and rods. The ADMs can exhibit two left-handed pass bands while the rods contact the sidewalls of the waveguide. A band split phenomenon is observed when the boundary conditions of dielectric rods change. The two pass bands can diverge into three left-handed pass bands when the rods do not contact the waveguide. By using field analysis and dielectric resonator theory, we prove that the boundary conditions have a strong influence on the resonant modes of the rod resonator, which plays key roles in left-handedness. The boundary tuned resonant modes can broaden our ways of designing new types of metamaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theory for controlling avalanche process of carrier during short pulse laser irradiation is proposed. We show that avalanche process of conduction band electrons (CBEs) is determined by the occupation number of phonons in dielectrics. The theory provides a way to suppress avalanche process and a direct judgment for the contribution of avalanche process and photon ionization process to the generation of CBEs. The obtained temperature dependent rate equation shows that the laser induced damage threshold of dielectrics, e.g., fused silica, increase nonlinearly with the decreases of temperature. Present theory predicts a new approach to improve the laser induced damage threshold of dielectrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the experimental studies on the effects of dielectric thin-film on surface-charge accumulation and collection by using capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements under photoexcitation. The dielectric thin-films with different surface polarizations are used with inverted device architecture based on the common photovoltaic PTB7:PC71BM film. In the C-V measurements, the peak-voltage shift with light intensity, namely, Vpeak shift, is particularly used to determine the surface-charge accumulation. We find that the Vpeak shows a smaller shift with light intensity when a higher surface polarization of dielectric thin-film is used. This means that a higher surface polarization of dielectric thin-film can decrease the surface-charge accumulation at electrode interface. However, a lower surface polarization of dielectric thin-film leads to a larger shift with light intensity. This implies that a lower surface polarization of dielectric thin-film corresponds to a larger surface-charge accumulation. This experimental finding indicates that dielectric thin-film plays an important role in the surface-charge accumulation and collection in the generation of photocurrent in organic solar cells. We demonstrate that the device performance can reach the power conversion efficiency of 8.7% when a higher dielectric PFN is used to enhance the surface-charge collection based on the inverted design of ITO/PFN/PTB7:PC71BM/MoO3/Ag. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the fourth one of our series on the dielectric spectrum symmetrical broadening of water, we consider amino acid (AA) aqueous solutions. The developed 3D-trajectory is applied here to the variety of zwitterion amino acids representing both the hydrophobic and hydrophilic nature of their residues. The dipole moment of amino acids due to their zwitterion determines their interaction with the solvent and reflects mostly the dipole-matrix interactions described in our Paper I [E. Levy et al., J. Chem. Phys. 136, 114502 (2012)]. It is also shown that in the case of charged AAs at high concentrations, the shape of the 3D trajectory transforms to the pattern typical of the dipole-charge interactions that were described in our Paper III [A. Puzenko et al., J. Chem. Phys. 137, 194502 (2012)]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time dependent dielectric failure has become a pivotal aspect of interconnect design as industry pursues integration of sub-22nm process-technology nodes. Literature has provided key information about the role played by individual species such as electrons, holes, ions, and neutral impurity atoms. However, no mechanism has been shown to describe how such species interact and influence failure. Current leakage relaxation in low-k dielectrics was studied using bipolar field experiments to gain insight into how charge carrier flow becomes impeded by defects within the dielectric matrix. Leakage current decay was correlated to injection and trapping of electrons. We show that current relaxation upon inversion of the applied field can be described by the stretched exponential function. The kinetics of charge trapping events are consistent with a time-dependent reaction rate constant, k = k0 ⋅ (t + 1)β-1, where 0<β< 1. Such dynamics have previously been observed in studies of charge trapping reactions in amorphous solids by W. H. Hamill and K. Funabashi, Phys. Rev. B 16, 5523-5527 (1977). We explain the relaxation process in charge trapping events by introducing a nonlinear charge trapping model. This model provides a description on the manner in which the transport of mobile defects affects the long-tail current relaxation processes in low-k films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Double perovskite Nd2CoMnO6 thin films have been grown epitaxially on SrTiO3 substrates using pulsed laser deposition and their structural, magnetic, and dielectric properties were investigated. Temperature dependent dielectric (ε) constant is measured in the frequency range between 1 kHz and 1 MHz under applied magnetic fields up to 0.5 kOe. The dielectric constant exhibits an anomaly near to the Curie temperature which is independent of magnetic field and can be corroborated with a loop opening temperature in zero-field-cooled and field-cooled magnetization measurements. While, a linear relationship between magnetodielectric constant, δεMD, and M²(magnetization) in the paramagnetic to ferromagnetic regime proves magnetodielectric coupling between ferroelectric and ferromagnetic orders in this single-phase perovskite system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a microscopic model in order to study the multiferroic properties of Cu2OSeO3 taking into account the ferrimagnetic interaction, frustration, linear magnetoelectric (ME) coupling, and anharmonic spin-phonon interaction. We have shown that the dielectric constant and the phonon energy and damping have a kink near the magnetic phase transition TC = 58K which disappears with increasing of an external magnetic field. This behavior is an evidence for a strong ME coupling and in qualitative agreement with the experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a microscopic model in order to study the multiferroic properties of Cu2OSeO3 taking into account the ferrimagnetic interaction, frustration, linear magnetoelectric (ME) coupling, and anharmonic spin-phonon interaction. We have shown that the dielectric constant and the phonon energy and damping have a kink near the magnetic phase transition TC = 58K which disappears with increasing of an external magnetic field. This behavior is an evidence for a strong ME coupling and in qualitative agreement with the experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]