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At least 1,405 records · Page 78

C-H surface diamond field effect transistors for high temperature (400 °C) and high voltage (500 V) operation

By forming a highly stable Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} gate oxide on a C-H bonded channel of diamond, high-temperature, and high-voltage metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) has been realized. From room temperature to 400 °C (673 K), the variation of maximum drain-current is within 30% at a given gate bias. The maximum breakdown voltage (V{sub B}) of the MOSFET without a field plate is 600 V at a gate-drain distance (L{sub GD}) of 7 μm. We fabricated some MOSFETs for which V{sub B}/L{sub GD} > 100 V/μm. These values are comparable to those of lateral SiC or GaN FETs. The Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} was deposited on the C-H surface by atomic layer deposition (ALD) at 450 °C using H{sub 2}O as an oxidant. The ALD at relatively high temperature results in stable p-type conduction and FET operation at 400 °C in vacuum. The drain current density and transconductance normalized by the gate width are almost constant from room temperature to 400 °C in vacuum and are about 10 times higher than those of boron-doped diamond FETs.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Voltage polarity manipulation of the magnetoresistance sign in organic spin valve devices

The spin transport in organic spin valve (OSV) devices has been systematically investigated by inserting a low work function material Al between ferromagnetic electrode and organic layer. The resistance and current-voltage curve symmetry are dramatically altered as increasing Al thickness, indicating that an electron-unipolar OSV is obtained. Moreover, the magnetoresistance sign depends on the voltage polarity for certain Al thickness. We attribute this phenomenon to the Fermi and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbits energies of the two electrodes responding to the spin injection and detection, respectively. These findings provide a simple approach to control both the carrier type and the spin direction simultaneously.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

In situ x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and capacitance voltage characterization of plasma treatments for Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/AlGaN/GaN stacks

We investigate the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor structure pretreated by O{sub 2} anneals, N{sub 2} remote plasma, and forming gas remote plasma prior to atomic layer deposition of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} using in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, low energy electron diffraction, and capacitance- voltage measurements. Plasma pretreatments reduce the Ga-oxide/oxynitride formation and the interface state density, while inducing a threshold voltage instability.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Voltage-controllable generator of pure spin current: A three-terminal model

Three-terminal devices have been frequently proposed to generate the pure spin current. However, the controllability and stability of pure spin current still needs to be improved. In this paper, a three-terminal device, composed of a ferromagnetic metallic lead and two nonmagnetic semiconductor leads coupled with a quantum dot, is employed to study the properties of electron spin transport. The results show that when the external voltage on one of nonmagnetic semiconductor leads is adjusted to a proper range, a pure spin current plateau or a fully spin-polarized current plateau appears in another nonmagnetic semiconductor lead. In a wide range of external voltage, the pure spin current or the spin-polarized current is kept unchanged. Since the change of temperature may considerably influence the spin-polarization of current and is inevitable actually, we studied the corresponding compensation to keep the pure spin current unchanged. Furthermore, the effect of device parameters on the pure spin current is also investigated.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Sequential injection of domain walls into ferroelectrics at different bias voltages: Paving the way for “domain wall memristors”

Simple meso-scale capacitor structures have been made by incorporating thin (∼300 nm) single crystal lamellae of KTiOPO{sub 4} (KTP) between two coplanar Pt electrodes. The influence that either patterned protrusions in the electrodes or focused ion beam milled holes in the KTP have on the nucleation of reverse domains during switching was mapped using piezoresponse force microscopy imaging. The objective was to assess whether or not variations in the magnitude of field enhancement at localised “hot-spots,” caused by such patterning, could be used to both control the exact locations and bias voltages at which nucleation events occurred. It was found that both the patterning of electrodes and the milling of various hole geometries into the KTP could allow controlled sequential injection of domain wall pairs at different bias voltages; this capability could have implications for the design and operation of domain wall electronic devices, such as memristors, in the future.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Low-voltage and hysteresis-free organic thin-film transistors employing solution-processed hybrid bilayer gate dielectrics

This study presents a promising approach to realize low-voltage (<3 V) organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) exhibiting improved electrical and optical stability. Such device performance results from the use of solution-processed hybrid bilayer gate dielectrics consisting of zirconium dioxide (high-k dielectric) and amorphous fluoropolymer, CYTOP{sup ®} (low-k dielectric). Employing a very thin amorphous fluoropolymer film reduces interfacial defect-states by repelling water molecules and other aqueous chemicals from an organic semiconductor active layer due to the hydrophobic surface-property. The chemically clean interface, stemming from decrease in density of trap states improves all the key device properties such as field-effect mobility, threshold voltage, and sub-threshold swing. Furthermore, degradation by electrical bias-stress and photo-induced hysteresis were suppressed in OTFTs employing hybrid bilayer gate dielectrics.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Minimized open-circuit voltage reduction in GaAs/InGaAs quantum well solar cells with bandgap-engineered graded quantum well depths

The use of InGaAs quantum wells with composition graded across the intrinsic region to increase open-circuit voltage in p-i-n GaAs/InGaAs quantum well solar cells is demonstrated and analyzed. By engineering the band-edge energy profile to reduce photo-generated carrier concentration in the quantum wells at high forward bias, simultaneous increases in both open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current density are achieved, compared to those for a structure with the same average In concentration, but constant rather than graded quantum well composition across the intrinsic region. This approach is combined with light trapping to further increase short-circuit current density.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Temperature and bias-voltage dependence of atomic-layer-deposited HfO{sub 2}-based magnetic tunnel junctions

Magnetic tunnel junctions with HfO{sub 2} tunnel barriers were prepared through a combination of magnetron sputtering and atomic layer deposition. We investigated the tunneling transport behavior, including the tunnel magnetoresistance ratio and the current-voltage characteristics between room temperature and 2 K. Here, we achieved a tunneling magneto resistance ratio of 10.3% at room temperature and 19.3% at 2 K. Furthermore, we studied the bias-voltage and temperature dependencies and compared the results with those of commonly used alumina- and magnesia-based magnetic tunnel junctions. We observed a polycrystalline/amorphous electrode-barrier system via high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Intermodulation electrostatic force microscopy for imaging surface photo-voltage

We demonstrate an alternative to Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy for imaging surface potential. The open-loop, single-pass technique applies a low-frequency AC voltage to the atomic force microscopy tip while driving the cantilever near its resonance frequency. Frequency mixing due to the nonlinear capacitance gives intermodulation products of the two drive frequencies near the cantilever resonance, where they are measured with high signal to noise ratio. Analysis of this intermodulation response allows for quantitative reconstruction of the contact potential difference. We derive the theory of the method, validate it with numerical simulation and a control experiment, and we demonstrate its utility for fast imaging of the surface photo-voltage on an organic photo-voltaic material.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Observation of strongly enhanced inverse spin Hall voltage in Fe{sub 3}Si/GaAs structures

We performed spin pumping experiment on high quality, epitaxial Fe{sub 3}Si/GaAs structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy. By tailoring the thickness and doping (n, p) level of the conducting GaAs epi-layer, thermal heating common of ferromagnetic metal/semiconductor heterostructure was removed effectively. A large inverse spin Hall Effect (ISHE) voltage up to 49.2 μV was observed for Fe{sub 3}Si/p-GaAs. Smaller ISHE voltage (V{sub ISHE}) by a factor of ∼0.4 was obtained for Fe{sub 3}Si/n-GaAs, as scaled with its resistivity. By taking into account of the “self-induced” ISHE apparently observed in our samples, the minimum value of spin Hall angle θ{sub ISHE} for n-GaAs and p-GaAs was estimated to be 1.9 × 10{sup −4} and 2.8 × 10{sup −5}, respectively.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Large voltage-induced modification of spin-orbit torques in Pt/Co/GdOx

We report on large modifications of current-induced spin-orbit torques in a gated Pt/Co/Gd-oxide microstrip due to voltage-driven O{sup 2−} migration. The Slonczewski-like and field-like torques are quantified using a low-frequency harmonic technique based on the polar magneto-optical Kerr effect. Voltage-induced oxidation of Co enhances the Slonczewski-like torque by as much as an order of magnitude and simultaneously reduces the anisotropy energy barrier by a factor of ∼5. Such magneto-ionic tuning of interfacial spin-orbit effects may significantly enhance the efficiency of magnetization switching and provide additional degrees of freedom in spintronic devices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Low voltage tunneling magnetoresistance in CuCrO{sub 2}-based semiconductor heterojunctions at room temperature

CuCrO{sub 2}-based heterojunction diodes with rectifying characteristics have been fabricated by combining p-type Mg-doped CuCrO{sub 2} and n-type Al-doped ZnO. It was found that the current for the heterojunction in low bias voltage region is dominated by the trap-assisted tunneling mechanism. Positive magnetoresistance (MR) effect for the heterojunction can be observed at room temperature due to the tunneling-induced antiparallel spin polarization near the heterostructure interface. The MR effect becomes enhanced with the magnetic field, and shows the maximum at a bias voltage around 0.5 V. The phenomena indicate that the CuCrO{sub 2}-based heterojunction is a promising candidate for low-power semiconductor spintronic devices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Development of a broadband reflective T-filter for voltage biasing high-Q superconducting microwave cavities

We present the design of a reflective stop-band filter based on quasi-lumped elements that can be utilized to introduce large dc and low-frequency voltage biases into a low-loss superconducting coplanar waveguide (CPW) cavity. Transmission measurements of the filter are seen to be in good agreement with simulations and demonstrate insertion losses greater than 20 dB in the range of 3–10 GHz. Moreover, transmission measurements of the CPW's fundamental mode demonstrate that loaded quality factors exceeding 10{sup 5} can be achieved with this design for dc voltages as large as 20 V and for the cavity operated in the single-photon regime. This makes the design suitable for use in a number of applications including qubit-coupled mechanical systems and circuit QED.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Relation between the electroforming voltage in alkali halide-polymer diodes and the bandgap of the alkali halide

Electroforming of indium-tin-oxide/alkali halide/poly(spirofluorene)/Ba/Al diodes has been investigated by bias dependent reflectivity measurements. The threshold voltages for electrocoloration and electroforming are independent of layer thickness and correlate with the bandgap of the alkali halide. We argue that the origin is voltage induced defect formation. Frenkel defect pairs are formed by electron–hole recombination in the alkali halide. This self-accelerating process mitigates injection barriers. The dynamic junction formation is compared to that of a light emitting electrochemical cell. A critical defect density for electroforming is 10{sup 25}/m{sup 3}. The electroformed alkali halide layer can be considered as a highly doped semiconductor with metallic transport characteristics.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Improved optogalvanic detection with voltage biased Langmuir probes

Optogalvanic detectors show great potential for infrared spectroscopy, especially in cavity enhanced techniques where they, in contrast to ordinary absorption detectors, can perform intracavity measurements. This enables them to utilize the signal-to-noise ratio improvement gained from the extended effective path length inside an optical cavity, without losing signal strength due to the limited amount of light exiting through the rear mirror. However, if optogalvanic detectors are to become truly competitive, their intrinsic sensitivity and stability has to be improved. This, in turn, requires a better understanding of the mechanisms behind the generation of the optogalvanic signal. The study presented here focuses on an optogalvanic detector based on a miniaturized stripline split-ring resonator plasma source equipped with Langmuir probes for detecting the optogalvanic signal. In particular, the effect of applying a constant bias voltage to one of the probes is investigated, both with respect to the sensitivity and stability, and to the mechanism behind the generation of the signal. Experiments with different bias voltages at different pressures and gas composition have been conducted. In particular, two different gas compositions (pure CO{sub 2} and 0.25% CO{sub 2} in 99.75% N{sub 2}) at six different pressures (100 Pa to 600 Pa) have been studied. It has been shown that probe biasing effectively improves the performance of the detector, by increasing the amplitude of the signal linearly over one order of magnitude, and the stability by about 40% compared with previous studies. Furthermore, it has been shown that relatively straightforward plasma theory can be applied to interpret the mechanism behind the generation of the signal, although additional mechanisms, such as rovibrational excitation from electron-molecule collisions, become apparent in CO{sub 2} plasmas with electron energies in the 1–6 eV range. With the achieved performance improvement and the more solid theoretical framework presented here, stripline split-ring resonator optogalvanic detectors can evolve into a compact, inexpensive, and easy-to-operate alternative for future infrared spectrometers.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Modeling of high composition AlGaN channel high electron mobility transistors with large threshold voltage

We report on the potential of high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) consisting of high composition AlGaN channel and barrier layers for power switching applications. Detailed two-dimensional (2D) simulations show that threshold voltages in excess of 3 V can be achieved through the use of AlGaN channel layers. We also calculate the 2D electron gas mobility in AlGaN channel HEMTs and evaluate their power figures of merit as a function of device operating temperature and Al mole fraction in the channel. Our models show that power switching transistors with AlGaN channels would have comparable on-resistance to GaN-channel based transistors for the same operation voltage. The modeling in this paper shows the potential of high composition AlGaN as a channel material for future high threshold enhancement mode transistors.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Dependence of inverse-spin Hall effect and spin-rectified voltage on tantalum thickness in Ta/CoFeB bilayer structure

Ta-layer thickness (t{sub Ta}) dependence of the measured DC voltage V from the inverse-spin Hall effect (ISHE) in Ta/CoFeB bilayer structure is experimentally investigated using the ferromagnetic resonance in the TE{sub 011} resonant cavity. The ISHE signals excluding the spin-rectified effect (SRE) were separated from the fitted curve of V against t{sub Ta}. For t{sub Ta} ≈ λ{sub Ta} (Ta-spin diffusion length = 2.7 nm), the deviation in ISHE voltage V{sub ISH} between the experimental and theoretical values is significantly increased because of the large SRE contribution, which also results in a large deviation in the spin Hall angle θ{sub SH} (from 10% to 40%). However, when t{sub Ta} ≫ λ{sub Ta}, the V{sub ISH} values are consistent with theoretical values because the SRE terms become negligible, which subsequently improves the accuracy of the obtained θ{sub SH} within 4% deviation. The results will provide an outline for an accurate estimation of the θ{sub SH} for materials with small λ value, which would be useful for utilizing the spin Hall effect in a 3-terminal spintronic devices in which magnetization can be controlled by in-plane current.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Child-Langmuir flow with periodically varying anode voltage

Using the Lagrangian technique, we study settled Child-Langmuir flows in a one dimensional planar diodes whose anode voltages periodically vary around given positive values. Our goal is to find analytically if the average currents in these systems can exceed the famous Child-Langmuir limit found for the stationary current a long time ago. The main result of our study is that in a periodic quasi-stationary regime the average current can be larger than the Child-Langmuir maximum even by 50% compared with its adiabatic average value. The cathode current in this case has the form of rectangular pulses which are formed by a very special triangular voltage modulation. This regime, i.e., periodicity, shape of pulses, and their amplitude, needs to be carefully chosen for the best performance.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗