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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 595 records · Page 33
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Transition from semiconducting to metallic-like conducting and weak antilocalization effect in single crystals of LuPtSb

High quality half-Heusler single crystals of LuPtSb have been synthesized by a Pb flux method. The temperature dependent resistivity and Hall effects indicate that the LuPtSb crystal is a p-type gapless semiconductor showing a transition from semiconducting to metallic conducting at 150 K. Moreover, a weakly temperature-dependent positive magnetoresistance (MR) as large as 109% and high carrier mobility up to 2950 cm{sup 2}/V s are experimentally observed at temperatures below 150 K. The low-field MR data show evidence for weak antilocalization (WAL) effect at temperatures even up to 150 K. Analysis of the temperature and angle dependent magnetoconductance manifests that the WAL effect originates from the bulk contribution owing to the strong spin-orbital coupling.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

High-pressure generation using double stage micro-paired diamond anvils shaped by focused ion beam

Micron-sized diamond anvils with a 3 μm culet were successfully processed using a focused ion beam (FIB) system and the generation of high pressures was confirmed using the double stage diamond anvil cell technique. The difficulty of aligning two second-stage micro-anvils was solved via the paired micro-anvil method. Micro-manufacturing using a FIB system enables us to control anvil shape, process any materials, including nano-polycrystalline diamond and single crystal diamond, and assemble the sample exactly in a very small space between the second-stage anvils. This method is highly reproducible. High pressures over 300 GPa were achieved, and the pressure distribution around the micro-anvil culet was evaluated by using a well-focused synchrotron micro-X-ray beam.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Anisotropic behavior of exchange bias effect in tensile-deformed Pt{sub 3}Fe single crystal

Plastic strain in Pt{sub 3}Fe causes changes in the atomic arrangement around the (111) glide plane and induces ferromagnetism even at room temperature. We have performed detailed magnetization measurements on a Pt{sub 3}Fe single crystal with plastic strains of 11.6% under magnetic fields in various directions with respect to the [100] strain axis in order to elucidate the reversal mechanism of induced ferromagnetic domains. We observed that by decreasing the angle between the magnetization direction and strain axis, hysteresis loops are strongly sheared, which is associated with a large increase in coercivity. We also observed that an exchange bias effect appears for all field orientations, but the exchange field maximizes for an intermediate field direction. On the other hand, both phenomena are insensitive to magnetic fields perpendicular to the [100] strain axis. These observations were explained by a single-domain model with uniaxial anisotropy along the [100] strain axis.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Ferroelectric domain structures in <001>-oriented K{sub 0.15}Na{sub 0.85}NbO{sub 3} lead-free single crystal

In this work, ferroelectric domain structures of <001 >-oriented K{sub 0.15}Na{sub 0.85}NbO{sub 3} single crystal are characterized. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation revealed high-density of laminate domain structures in the crystal and the lattices of the neighboring domains are found to be twisted in a small angle. Superlattice diffraction spots of 1/2 (eeo) and 1/2 (ooe) in electron diffraction patterns are observed in the crystal, revealing the a{sup +}a{sup +}c{sup −} tilting of oxygen octahedral in the perovskite structure. The piezoresponse of domains and in-situ poling responses of K{sub 0.15}Na{sub 0.85}NbO{sub 3} crystal are observed by piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM), and the results assure its good ferroelectric properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Structural and electronic response of U{sub 3}Fe{sub 4}Ge{sub 4} to high pressure

Structural, magnetic, and electrical properties have been studied on a U{sub 3}Fe{sub 4}Ge{sub 4} single crystal under hydrostatic pressure. The orthorhombic crystal structure is found to be stable up to 30 GPa, the highest applied pressure, but the compressibility is strongly anisotropic. Contrary to typical uranium intermetallics for which the softest lattice direction is along the shortest inter-uranium links, in U{sub 3}Fe{sub 4}Ge{sub 4} the lattice is compressed most in a perpendicular direction for the high pressure range. The elastic properties are modified considerably in the vicinity of 1 GPa when the b axis is transformed from least compressible to most compressible. The bulk modulus is found to be about 150 GPa. The anomalies in the elastic properties are reflected in the electronic properties that consistently indicate a change of the magnetic ground state from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic. Both types of order exhibit a gap in the magnon spectrum; however, it is twice as high for the ferromagnetic state. The magnetoresistance reveals field-induced transitions of different origins in the antiferromagnetic state along the easy and hard magnetization directions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Temperature dependent van der Pauw-Hall measurements on sodium doped single crystalline cadmium telluride

In this report, results of the temperature dependent electrical conductivity measurements conducted on single crystalline cadmium telluride (CdTe), containing sodium (Na) impurities are presented and discussed. The electrical conductivity measurements were conducted using an apparatus that allowed the implementation of a standard van der Pauw-Hall effect technique through which the electrical resistivity, concentration of majority carriers, as well as the carrier mobility were determined for temperatures ranging between 24 K and 350 K. Over this temperature range, the electrical resistivity was observed to change by 7 orders of magnitude. Hall measurements showed that the hole concentration at 300 K was ∼3 × 10{sup 15 }cm{sup –3} and the hole mobility at the same temperature was ∼80 cm{sup 2}/V s. Measuring the concentration of holes as a function of the sample temperature enabled the estimation of the acceptor energy level with respect to the valence band maximum to be ∼60 meV. The same data also revealed the potential presence of a compensating donor level. Furthermore, the hole mobility was also analyzed over the entire temperature range and the data revealed that above 100 K, the carrier mobility was dominated by the scattering of holes from lattice vibrations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Spin wave isolator based on frequency displacement nonreciprocity in ferromagnetic bilayer

We demonstrated the spin wave isolator using bilayer ferromagnetic media comprising single crystalline and poly-crystalline yttrium iron garnet films, which can control the propagation frequency of magnetostatic waves by the direction of applied magnetic field. This isolator's property does not depend on their thickness then this can be downsized and integrated for nano-scale magnonic circuits. Calculated dispersion relationship shows good agreement with measured one.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Submicron cubic boron nitride as hard as diamond

Here, we report the sintering of aggregated submicron cubic boron nitride (sm-cBN) at a pressure of 8 GPa. The sintered cBN compacts exhibit hardness values comparable to that of single crystal diamond, fracture toughness about 5-fold that of cBN single crystal, in combination with a high oxidization temperature. Thus, another way has been demonstrated to improve the mechanical properties of cBN besides reducing the grain size to nano scale. In contrast to other ultrahard compacts with similar hardness, the sm-cBN aggregates are better placed for potential industrial application, as their relative low pressure manufacturing perhaps be easier and cheaper.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Direct observation of interlocked domain walls and topological four-state vortex-like domain patterns in multiferroic YMnO{sub 3} single crystal

Using the advanced spherical aberration-corrected high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscope imaging techniques, we investigated atomic-scale structural features of domain walls and domain patterns in YMnO{sub 3} single crystal. Three different types of interlocked ferroelectric-antiphase domain walls and two abnormal topological four-state vortex-like domain patterns are identified. Each ferroelectric domain wall is accompanied by a translation vector, i.e., 1/6[210] or −1/6[210], demonstrating its interlocked nature. Different from the four-state vortex domain patterns caused by a partial edge dislocation, two four-state vortex-like domain configurations have been obtained at atomic level. These observed phenomena can further extend our understanding of the fascinating vortex domain patterns in multiferroic hexagonal rare-earth manganites.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Domain wall kinetics of lithium niobate single crystals near the hexagonal corner

A mesospheric approach based on a simple microscopic 2D Ising model in a hexagonal lattice plane is proposed to explain macroscopic “asymmetric in-out domain wall motion” observation in the (0001) plane of MgO-doped stoichiometric lithium niobate. Under application of an electric field that was higher than the conventional coercive field (E{sub c}) to the ferroelectric crystal, a natural hexagonal domain was obtained with walls that were parallel to the Y-axis of the crystal. When a fraction of the coercive field of around 0.1E{sub c} is applied in the reverse direction, this hexagonal domain is shrunk (moved inward) from the corner site into a shape with a corner angle of around 150° and 15° wall slopes to the Y-axis. A flipped electric field of 0.15E{sub c} is then applied to recover the natural hexagonal shape, and the 150° corner shape changes into a flat wall with 30° slope (moved outward). The differences in corner domain shapes between inward and outward domain motion were analyzed theoretically in terms of corner and wall site energies, which are described using the domain corner angle and wall slope with respect to the crystal Y-axis, respectively. In the inward domain wall motion case, the energy levels of the evolving 150° domain corner and 15° slope walls are most competitive, and could co-exist. In the outward case, the energy levels of corners with angles >180° are highly stable when compared with the possible domain walls; only a flat wall with 30° slope to the Y-axis is possible during outward motion.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Site selectivity on chalcogen atoms in superconducting La(O,F)BiSSe

Single crystals of La(O,F)BiSSe were grown by using a CsCl flux method. Single crystal X-ray structural analysis reveals that the crystal structure is isostructural to the BiS{sub 2}- or BiSe{sub 2}-based compounds crystallizing with space group P4/nmm (lattice parameters a = 4.1110(2) Å, c = 13.6010(7) Å). However, the S atoms are selectively occupied at the apical site of the Bi-SSe pyramids in the superconducting layer. The single crystals show a superconducting transition at around 4.2 K in the magnetic susceptibility and resistivity measurements. The superconducting anisotropic parameter is determined to be 34–35 from its upper critical magnetic field. The anisotropy is in the same range with that of other members of the La(O,F)BiCh{sub 2} (Ch = S, Se) family under ambient pressure.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Crystal orientation dependence of band matching in all-B2-trilayer current-perpendicular-to-plane giant magnetoresistance pseudo spin-valves using Co{sub 2}Fe(Ge{sub 0.5}Ga{sub 0.5}) Heusler alloy and NiAl spacer

We have experimentally investigated the crystal orientation dependence of band matching in current-perpendicular-to-plane giant magnetoresistance (CPP-GMR) pseudo-spin-valves using Co{sub 2}Fe(Ge{sub 0.5}Ga{sub 0.5}) (CFGG) Heusler alloy ferromagnetic layer and NiAl spacer. The high quality epitaxial CFGG/NiAl/CFGG all-B2-trilayers structure devices were fabricated on both MgO(001) and sapphire (112{sup ¯}0) single crystal substrates to create (001) and (110) crystal orientations. Same magneto-transport properties were observed from these two differently orientated devices indicating that there is no or little orientation dependence of band matching on MR output. We also found that all-B2-trilayer structure was free of lattice matching influence depending on the crystal orientation, which made it a good candidate for CPP-GMR device.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Structure and band gap determination of irradiation-induced amorphous nano-channels in LiNbO{sub 3}

The irradiation of lithium niobate with swift heavy ions results in the creation of amorphous nano-sized channels along the incident ion path. These nano-channels are on the order of a hundred microns in length and could be useful for photonic applications. However, there are two major challenges in these nano-channels characterization: (i) it is difficult to investigate the structural characteristics of these nano-channels due to their very long length and (ii) the analytical electron microscopic analysis of individual ion track is complicated due to electron beam sensitive nature of lithium niobate. Here, we report the first high resolution microscopic characterization of these amorphous nano-channels, widely known as ion-tracks, by direct imaging them at different depths in the material, and subsequently correlating the key characteristics with electronic energy loss of ions. Energetic Kr ions ({sup 84}Kr{sup 22} with 1.98 GeV energy) are used to irradiate single crystal lithium niobate with a fluence of 2 × 10{sup 10} ions/cm{sup 2}, which results in the formation of individual ion tracks with a penetration depth of ∼180 μm. Along the ion path, electron energy loss of the ions, which is responsible for creating the ion tracks, increases with depth under these conditions in LiNbO{sub 3}, resulting in increases in track diameter of a factor of ∼2 with depth. This diameter increase with electronic energy loss is consistent with predictions of the inelastic thermal spike model. We also show a new method to measure the band gap in individual ion track by using electron energy-loss spectroscopy.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Detection and imaging of the oxygen deficiency in single crystalline YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7−δ} thin films using a scanning positron beam

Single crystalline YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7−δ} (YBCO) thin films were grown by pulsed laser deposition in order to probe the oxygen deficiency δ using a mono-energetic positron beam. The sample set covered a large range of δ (0.191 < δ < 0.791) yielding a variation of the critical temperature T{sub c} between 25 and 90 K. We found a linear correlation between the Doppler broadening of the positron electron annihilation line and δ determined by X-ray diffraction. Ab-initio calculations have been performed in order to exclude the presence of Y vacancies and to ensure the negligible influence of potentially present Ba or Cu vacancies to the found correlation. Moreover, scanning with the positron beam allowed us to analyze the spatial variation of δ, which was found to fluctuate with a standard deviation of up to 0.079(5) within a single YBCO film.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Tailoring the optical constants in single-crystal silicon with embedded silver nanostructures for advanced silicon photonics applications

Plasmonic effects associated with metal nanostructures are expected to hold the key to tailoring light emission/propagation and harvesting solar energy in materials including single crystal silicon which remains the backbone in the microelectronics and photovoltaics industries but unfortunately, lacks many functionalities needed for construction of advanced photonic and optoelectronics devices. Currently, silicon plasmonic structures are practically possible only in the configuration with metal nanoparticles or thin film arrays on a silicon surface. This does not enable one to exploit the full potential of plasmonics for optical engineering in silicon, because the plasmonic effects are dominant over a length of ∼50 nm, and the active device region typically lies below the surface much beyond this range. Here, we report on a novel method for the formation of silver nanoparticles embedded within a silicon crystal through metal gettering from a silver thin film deposited at the surface to nanocavities within the Si created by hydrogen ion implantation. The refractive index of the Ag-nanostructured layer is found to be 3–10% lower or higher than that of silicon for wavelengths below or beyond ∼815–900 nm, respectively. Around this wavelength range, the optical extinction values increase by a factor of 10–100 as opposed to the pure silicon case. Increasing the amount of gettered silver leads to an increased extinction as well as a redshift in wavelength position for the resonance. This resonance is attributed to the surface plasmon excitation of the resultant silver nanoparticles in silicon. Additionally, we show that the profiles for optical constants in silicon can be tailored by varying the position and number of nanocavity layers. Such silicon crystals with embedded metal nanostructures would offer novel functional base structures for applications in silicon photonics, optoelectronics, photovoltaics, and plasmonics.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Full-range electrical characteristics of WS{sub 2} transistors

We fabricated transistors formed by few layers to bulk single crystal WS{sub 2} to quantify the factors governing charge transport. We established a capacitor network to analyze the full-range electrical characteristics of the channel, highlighting the role of quantum capacitance and interface trap density. We find that the transfer characteristics are mainly determined by the interplay between quantum and oxide capacitances. In the OFF-state, the interface trap density (<10{sup 12} cm{sup –2}) is a limiting factor for the subthreshold swing. Furthermore, the superior crystalline quality and the low interface trap density enabled the subthreshold swing to approach the theoretical limit on a back-gated device on SiO{sub 2}/Si substrate.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Optimal electron irradiation as a tool for functionalization of MoS{sub 2}: Theoretical and experimental investigation

We demonstrate the utility of electron irradiation as a tool to enhance device functionality of graphene-analogous MoS{sub 2}. With the help of first-principles based calculations, vacancy-induced changes of various electronic properties are shown to be a combined result of crystal-field modification and spin-orbital coupling. A comparative theoretical study of various possible vacancy configurations both in bulk and monolayer MoS{sub 2} and related changes in their respective band-structures help us to explain plausible irradiation induced effects. Experimentally, various structural forms of MoS{sub 2} in bulk, few layered flakes, and nanocrystals are observed to exhibit important modification of their magnetic, transport, and vibrational properties, following low doses of electron irradiation. While irradiated single crystals and nanocrystals show an enhanced magnetization, transport properties of few-layered devices show a significant increase in their conductivity, which can be very useful for fabrication of electronic devices. Our theoretical calculations reveal that this increase in n-type conductivity and magnetization can be correlated with the presence of sulfur and molybdenum vacancies.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Rhombohedral magnetostriction in dilute iron (Co) alloys

Iron is a well-utilized material in structural and magnetic applications. This does not mean, however, that it is well understood, especially in the field of magnetostriction. In particular, the rhombohedral magnetostriction of iron, λ{sub 111}, is anomalous in two respects: it is negative in sign, in disagreement with the prediction of first principles theory, and its magnitude decreases with increasing temperature much too rapidly to be explained by a power law dependence on magnetization. These behaviors could arise from the location of the Fermi level, which leaves a small region of the majority 3d t{sub 2g} states unfilled, possibly favoring small internal displacements that split these states. If this view is correct, adding small amounts of Co to Fe fills some of these states, and the value of λ{sub 111} should increase toward a positive value, as predicted for perfect bcc Fe. We have measured the magnetostriction coefficients (λ{sub 111} and λ{sub 100}) of pure Fe, Fe{sub 97}Co{sub 3}, and Fe{sub 94}Co{sub 6} single crystals from 77 K to 450 K. Resonant ultrasound spectroscopy has been used to check for anomalies in the associated elastic constants, c{sub 44} and c′. The additional electrons provided by the cobalt atoms indeed produced positive contributions to both magnetostriction constants, λ{sub 111} and λ{sub 100}, exhibiting an increase of 2.8 × 10{sup −6} per at. % Co for λ{sub 111} and 3.8 × 10{sup −6} per at. % Co for λ{sub 100}.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗