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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 973 records · Page 54
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Detection of nucleic acids by graphene-based devices: A first-principles study

Based on first-principles quantum transport calculations, we design a graphene-based biosensor device, which is composed of graphene nanoribbons electrodes and a biomolecule. It is found that when different nucleobases or poly nucleobase chains are located in the nanogap, the device presents completely different transport properties, showing different current informations. And the change of currents from 2 to 5 orders of magnitude for four different nucleobases suggests a great ability of discrimination by utilizing such a device. The physical mechanism of this phenomenon originates from their different chemical composition and structure. Moreover, we also explore the coupling effect of several neighboring bases and the size effect of the nanogap on transport properties. Our results show the possibility of rapid sequencing DNA by measuring such a transverse-current of the device, and provide a new idea for sequencing DNA.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Bendable ZnO thin film surface acoustic wave devices on polyethylene terephthalate substrate

Bendable surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices were fabricated using high quality c-axis orientation ZnO films deposited on flexible polyethylene terephthalate substrates at 120 °C. Dual resonance modes, namely, the zero order pseudo asymmetric (A{sub 0}) and symmetric (S{sub 0}) Lamb wave modes, have been obtained from the SAW devices. The SAW devices perform well even after repeated flexion up to 2500 με for 100 times, demonstrating its suitability for flexible electronics application. The SAW devices are also highly sensitive to compressive and tensile strains, exhibiting excellent anti-strain deterioration property, thus, they are particularly suitable for sensing large strains.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

High precision two-dimensional strain mapping in semiconductor devices using nanobeam electron diffraction in the transmission electron microscope

A classical method used to characterize the strain in modern semiconductor devices is nanobeam diffraction (NBD) in the transmission electron microscope. One challenge for this method lies in the fact that the smaller the beam becomes, the more difficult it becomes to analyze the resulting diffraction spot pattern. We show that a carefully designed fitting algorithm enables us to reduce the sampling area for the diffraction patterns on the camera chip dramatically (∼1/16) compared to traditional settings without significant loss of precision. The resulting lower magnification of the spot pattern permits the presence of an annular dark field detector, which in turn makes the recording of images for drift correction during NBD acquisition possible. Thus, the reduced sampling size allows acquisition of drift corrected NBD 2D strain maps of up to 3000 pixels while maintaining a precision of better than 0.07%. As an example, we show NBD strain maps of a modern field effect transistor (FET) device. A special filtering feature used in the analysis makes it is possible to measure strain in silicon devices even in the presence of other crystalline materials covering the probed area, which is important for the characterization of the next generation of devices (Fin-FETs).

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Electrochemical model of the polyaniline based organic memristive device

The electrochemical organic memristive device with polyaniline active layer is a stand-alone device designed and realized for reproduction of some synapse properties in the innovative electronic circuits, including the neuromorphic networks capable for learning. In this work, a new theoretical model of the polyaniline memristive is presented. The developed model of organic memristive functioning was based on the detailed consideration of possible electrochemical processes occuring in the active zone of this device. Results of the calculation have demonstrated not only the qualitative explanation of the characteristics observed in the experiment but also the quantitative similarities of the resultant current values. It is shown how the memristive could behave at zero potential difference relative to the reference electrode. This improved model can establish a basis for the design and prediction of properties of more complicated circuits and systems (including stochastic ones) based on the organic memristive devices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Grazing incidence angle based sensing approach integrated with fiber-optic Fourier transform infrared (FO-FTIR) spectroscopy for remote and label-free detection of medical device contaminations

Contamination of medical devices has become a critical and prevalent public health safety concern since medical devices are being increasingly used in clinical practices for diagnostics, therapeutics and medical implants. The development of effective sensing methods for real-time detection of pathogenic contamination is needed to prevent and reduce the spread of infections to patients and the healthcare community. In this study, a hollow-core fiber-optic Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy methodology employing a grazing incidence angle based sensing approach (FO-FTIR-GIA) was developed for detection of various biochemical contaminants on medical device surfaces. We demonstrated the sensitivity of FO-FTIR-GIA sensing approach for non-contact and label-free detection of contaminants such as lipopolysaccharide from various surface materials relevant to medical device. The proposed sensing system can detect at a minimum loading concentration of approximately 0.7 μg/cm{sup 2}. The FO-FTIR-GIA has the potential for the detection of unwanted pathogen in real time.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effect of annealing on graphene incorporated poly-(3-hexylthiophene):CuInS{sub 2} photovoltaic device

The effect of thermal annealing on the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):CuInS{sub 2} quantum dot:graphene photovoltaic device has been studied by analyzing optical characteristics of composite films and electrical characteristics of the device with structure indium tin oxide/poly[ethylene dioxythiophene]:poly[styrene sulfonate] (ITO/PEDOT:PSS)/P3HT:CIS:graphene/LiF/aluminum. It was observed that after annealing at 120°C for 15 min a typical device containing 0.005 % w/w of graphene shows the best performance with a PCE of 1.3%, an open-circuit voltage of 0.44V, a short-circuit current density of 7.6 mA/cm{sup 2}, and a fill factor of 0.39. It is observed that the thermal annealing considerably enhances the efficiency of solar cells. However, an annealing at higher temperature such as at 140°C results in a decrease in the device efficiency.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Microwave heating device for internal heating convection experiments, applied to Earth's mantle dynamics

We report the design, construction, and performances of a microwave (MW) heating device for laboratory experiments with non-contact, homogeneous internal heating. The device generates MW radiation at 2.47 GHz from a commercial magnetron supplied by a pulsed current inverter using proprietary, feedback based command and control hardware and software. Specially designed MW launchers direct the MW radiation into the sample through a MW homogenizer, devised to even the MW power distribution into the sample's volume. An adjustable MW circuit adapts the MW generator to the load (i.e., the sample) placed in the experiment chamber. Dedicated heatsinks maintain the MW circuits at constant temperature throughout the experiment. Openings for laser scanning for image acquisition with a CCD camera and for the cooling circuits are protected by special MW filters. The performances of the device are analyzed in terms of heating uniformity, long term output power stability, and load matching. The device is used for small scale experiments simulating Earth's mantle convection. The 30 × 30 × 5 cm{sup 3} convection tank is filled with a water‑based viscous fluid. A uniform and constant temperature is maintained at the upper boundary by an aluminum heat exchanger and adiabatic conditions apply at the tank base. We characterize the geometry of the convective regime as well as its bulk thermal evolution by measuring the velocity field by Particle Image Velocimetry and the temperature field by using Thermochromic Liquid Crystals.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

A versatile LabVIEW and field-programmable gate array-based scanning probe microscope for in operando electronic device characterization

Understanding the complex properties of electronic and spintronic devices at the micro- and nano-scale is a topic of intense current interest as it becomes increasingly important for scientific progress and technological applications. In operando characterization of such devices by scanning probe techniques is particularly well-suited for the microscopic study of these properties. We have developed a scanning probe microscope (SPM) which is capable of both standard force imaging (atomic, magnetic, electrostatic) and simultaneous electrical transport measurements. We utilize flexible and inexpensive FPGA (field-programmable gate array) hardware and a custom software framework developed in National Instrument's LabVIEW environment to perform the various aspects of microscope operation and device measurement. The FPGA-based approach enables sensitive, real-time cantilever frequency-shift detection. Using this system, we demonstrate electrostatic force microscopy of an electrically biased graphene field-effect transistor device. The combination of SPM and electrical transport also enables imaging of the transport response to a localized perturbation provided by the scanned cantilever tip. Facilitated by the broad presence of LabVIEW in the experimental sciences and the openness of our software solution, our system permits a wide variety of combined scanning and transport measurements by providing standardized interfaces and flexible access to all aspects of a measurement (input and output signals, and processed data). Our system also enables precise control of timing (synchronization of scanning and transport operations) and implementation of sophisticated feedback protocols, and thus should be broadly interesting and useful to practitioners in the field.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

The fabrication of polyfluorene and polycarbazole-based photovoltaic devices using an air-stable process route

We report a comparative study based on the fabrication of polymer:fullerene photovoltaic (PV) devices incorporating carbazole, fluorene, and a PTB based co-polymer. We have explored the efficiency and performance of such devices when the active polymer:fullerene layer is deposited by spin-casting either under nitrogen or ambient conditions. We show that PV devices based on carbazole and fluorene based materials have very similar power conversion efficiencies when processed under both air and nitrogen, with other photobleaching measurements suggesting that such materials have comparatively enhanced photostability. Devices based on the PTB co-polymer, however, have reduced efficiency when processed in air.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Restorative effect of oxygen annealing on device performance in HfIZO thin-film transistors

Metal-oxide based thin-film transistors (oxide-TFTs) are very promising for use in next generation electronics such as transparent displays requiring high switching and driving performance. In this study, we demonstrate an optimized process to secure excellent device performance with a favorable shift of the threshold voltage toward 0V in amorphous hafnium-indium-zinc-oxide (a-HfIZO) TFTs by using post-treatment with oxygen annealing. This enhancement results from the improved interfacial characteristics between gate dielectric and semiconductor layers due to the reduction in the density of interfacial states related to oxygen vacancies afforded by oxygen annealing. The device statistics confirm the improvement in the device-to-device and run-to-run uniformity. We also report on the photo-induced stability in such oxide-TFTs against long-term UV irradiation, which is significant for transparent displays.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Co thickness dependence of structural and magnetic properties in spin quantum cross devices utilizing stray magnetic fields

We investigate the Co thickness dependence of the structural and magnetic properties of Co thin-film electrodes sandwiched between borate glasses in spin quantum cross (SQC) devices that utilize stray magnetic fields. We also calculate the Co thickness dependence of the stray field between the two edges of Co thin-film electrodes in SQC devices using micromagnetic simulation. The surface roughness of Co thin films with a thickness of less than 20 nm on borate glasses is shown to be as small as 0.18 nm, at the same scanning scale as the Co film thickness, and the squareness of the hysteresis loop is shown to be as large as 0.96–1.0. As a result of the establishment of polishing techniques for Co thin-film electrodes sandwiched between borate glasses, we successfully demonstrate the formation of smooth Co edges and the generation of stray magnetic fields from Co edges. Theoretical calculation reveals that a strong stray field beyond 6 kOe is generated when the Co thickness is greater than 10 nm at a junction gap distance of 5 nm. From these experimental and calculation results, it can be concluded that SQC devices with a Co thickness of 10–20 nm can be expected to function as spin-filter devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Study on the frequency characteristics of nanogap electron devices

Ballistic electron transport in the nanogap devices will make it practical to combine the advantages of solid-state devices and vacuum electron devices including high integration and high frequency characteristics. Although a number of experiments have been exploited on frequency characteristic in nanogap, less modeling or calculations were investigated at such scale yet. In this paper, the concept of mean flight time is proposed in order to theoretically determine the frequency in nanoscale. Traditionally, we have to first determine the frequency response diagram and then deduce the cut-off frequency. This work presents a new method for exploring the frequency characteristics of electron transport in a nanogap structure by calculations and numerical simulations. A double-gate structure was applied in the simulations, and the results suggest that the nanogap structure can perform in the THz range. Additionally, an equivalent circuit model was adopted to demonstrate the validity of this method. Our results provide a model for the intrinsic ballistic transportation of electrons inside the nanogap electron devices.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Charge transport studies in donor-acceptor block copolymer PDPP-TNT and PC71BM based inverted organic photovoltaic devices processed in room conditions

Diketopyrrolopyrole-naphthalene polymer (PDPP-TNT), a donor-acceptor co-polymer, has shown versatile behavior demonstrating high performances in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices. In this paper we report investigation of charge carrier dynamics in PDPP-TNT, and [6,6]-phenyl C{sub 71} butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) bulk-heterojunction based inverted OPV devices using current density-voltage (J-V) characteristics, space charge limited current (SCLC) measurements, capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics, and impedance spectroscopy (IS). OPV devices in inverted architecture, ITO/ZnO/PDPP-TNT:PC71BM/MoO{sub 3}/Ag, are processed and characterized at room conditions. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of these devices are measured ∼3.8%, with reasonably good fill-factor 54.6%. The analysis of impedance spectra exhibits electron’s mobility ∼2 × 10{sup −3} cm{sup 2}V{sup −1}s{sup −1}, and lifetime in the range of 0.03-0.23 ms. SCLC measurements give hole mobility of 1.12 × 10{sup −5} cm{sup 2}V{sup −1}s{sup −1}, and electron mobility of 8.7 × 10{sup −4} cm{sup 2}V{sup −1}s{sup −1}.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

All-optical switching of magnetoresistive devices using telecom-band femtosecond laser

Ultrafast all-optical switching of the magnetization of various magnetic systems is an intriguing phenomenon that can have tremendous impact on information storage and processing. Here, we demonstrate all-optical switching of GdFeCo alloy films using a telecom-band femtosecond fiber laser. We further fabricate Hall cross devices and electrically readout all-optical switching by measuring anomalous Hall voltage changes. The use of a telecom laser and the demonstrated all-optical switching of magnetoresistive devices represent the first step toward integration of opto-magnetic devices with mainstream photonic devices to enable novel optical and spintronic functionalities.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Response of asymmetric carbon nanotube network devices to sub-terahertz and terahertz radiation

Demand for efficient terahertz radiation detectors resulted in intensive study of the asymmetric carbon nanostructures as a possible solution for that problem. It was maintained that photothermoelectric effect under certain conditions results in strong response of such devices to terahertz radiation even at room temperature. In this work, we investigate different mechanisms underlying the response of asymmetric carbon nanotube (CNT) based devices to sub-terahertz and terahertz radiation. Our structures are formed with CNT networks instead of individual CNTs so that effects probed are more generic and not caused by peculiarities of an individual nanoscale object. We conclude that the DC voltage response observed in our structures is not only thermal in origin. So called diode-type response caused by asymmetry of the device IV characteristic turns out to be dominant at room temperature. Quantitative analysis provides further routes for the optimization of the device configuration, which may result in appearance of novel terahertz radiation detectors.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Synaptic devices based on purely electronic memristors

Memristive devices have been widely employed to emulate biological synaptic behavior. In these cases, the memristive switching generally originates from electrical field induced ion migration or Joule heating induced phase change. In this letter, the Ti/ZnO/Pt structure was found to show memristive switching ascribed to a carrier trapping/detrapping of the trap sites (e.g., oxygen vacancies or zinc interstitials) in ZnO. The carrier trapping/detrapping level can be controllably adjusted by regulating the current compliance level or voltage amplitude. Multi-level conductance states can, therefore, be realized in such memristive device. The spike-timing-dependent plasticity, an important Hebbian learning rule, has been implemented in this type of synaptic device. Compared with filamentary-type memristive devices, purely electronic memristors have potential to reduce their energy consumption and work more stably and reliably, since no structural distortion occurs.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Laterally configured resistive switching device based on transition-metal nano-gap electrode on Gd oxide

We have developed a fabrication process for a laterally configured resistive switching device based on a Gd oxide. A nano-gap electrode connected by a Gd oxide with the ideal interfaces has been created by adapting the electro-migration method in a metal/GdO{sub x} bilayer system. Bipolar set and reset operations have been clearly observed in the Pt/GdO{sub x} system similarly in the vertical device based on GdO{sub x}. Interestingly, we were able to observe a clear bipolar switching also in a ferromagnetic CoFeB nano-gap electrode with better stability compared to the Pt/GdO{sub x} device. The superior performance of the CoFeB/GdO{sub x} device implies the importance of the spin on the resistive switching.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Metal nanoparticle mediated space charge and its optical control in an organic hole-only device

We reveal the role of localized space charges in hole-only devices based on an organic semiconductor with embedded metal nanoparticles (MNPs). MNPs act as deep traps for holes and reduce the current density compared to a device without MNPs by a factor of 10{sup 4} due to the build-up of localized space charge. Dynamic MNPs charged neutrality can be realized during operation by electron transfer from excitons created in the organic matrix, enabling light sensing independent of device bias. In contrast to the previous speculations, electrical bistability in such devices was not observed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗