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At least 1,423 records · Page 79

High-electric-field behavior of the metal-insulator transition in TiS3 nanowire transistors

We investigate the behavior of the metal-insulator transition (MIT) in TiS 3 nanowire field-effect transistors, in the strongly nonequilibrium limit that has, thus far, largely been neglected. Under high electric fields within the TiS 3 channel (≤115 kV/cm), we observe the emergence of a critical fixed point, separating insulating and metallic regions in the transfer curves of the device. The critical gate voltage that defines this fixed point evolves systematically with the drain bias (field), allowing us to map out a phase diagram that identifies the conditions for metallicity or for insulating behavior. Dependent upon the choice of the gate voltage used to tune the carrier concentration in the nanowire, the existence of the field-induced MIT allows the TiS 3 to be either insulating or metallic over an extensive range of temperature. The possible connection of this strongly nonequilibrium state to some form of charge density wave is discussed.

2D materials↗

Development of an x-ray radiography platform to study laser-direct-drive energy coupling at the National Ignition Facility

A platform has been developed to study laser-direct-drive energy coupling at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) using a plastic sphere target irradiated in a polar-direct-drive geometry to launch a spherically converging shock wave. To diagnose this system evolution, eight NIF laser beams are directed onto a curved Cu foil to generate Heα line emission at a photon energy of 8.4 keV. These x rays are collected by a 100-ps gated x-ray imager in the opposing port to produce temporally gated radiographs. The platform is capable of acquiring images during and after the laser drive launches the shock wave. A backlighter profile is fit to the radiographs, and the resulting transmission images are Abel inverted to infer radial density profiles of the shock front and to track its temporal evolution. Here, the measurements provide experimental shock trajectories and radial density profiles that are compared to 2D radiation-hydrodynamic simulations using cross-beam energy transfer and nonlocal heat-transport models.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

A new neutron time-of-flight detector for yield and ion-temperature measurements at the OMEGA Laser Facility

A new neutron time-of-flight (nTOF) detector for deuterium–deuterium (DD)-fusion yield and ion-temperature measurements was designed, installed, and calibrated for the OMEGA Laser Facility. This detector provides an additional line of sight for DD neutron yield and ion-temperature measurements for yields exceeding 1 × 10 10 with higher precision than existing detectors. The nTOF detector consists of a 90-mm-diam, 20-mm-thick BC-422 scintillator and a gated Photek photomultiplier tube (PMT240). The PMT collects scintillating light through the 20-mm side of the scintillator without the use of a light guide. There is no lead shielding from hard x rays in order to allow the x-ray instrument response function of the detector to be measured easily. Instead, hard x-ray signals generated in implosion experiments are gated out by the PMT. The design provides a place for glass neutral-density filters between the scintillator and the PMT to avoid PMT saturation at high yields. The nTOF detector is installed in the OMEGA Target Bay along the P8A sub-port line of sight at a distance of 5.3 m from the target chamber center. In addition to DD measurements, the same detector can be used to measure the neutron yield and ion temperature from deuterium–tritium (DT) implosion targets in the 5 × 10 10 to 2 × 10 12 yield range. Here, the design details and the calibration results of this nTOF detector for both D 2 and DT implosions on OMEGA will be presented.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Low voltage AC electroluminescence in silicon MOS capacitors

Low power silicon based light source and detector are attractive for on-chip photonic circuits given their ease of process integration. However, conventional silicon light emitting diodes emit photons with energies near the band edge where the corresponding silicon photodetectors lack responsivity. On the other hand, previously reported hot carrier electroluminescent silicon devices utilizing a reverse biased diode require high operating voltages. Here, we investigate hot carrier electroluminescence in silicon metal–oxide–semiconductor capacitors operating under transient voltage conditions. Further, during each voltage transient, large energy band bending is created at the edge of the source contact, much larger than what is achievable at a steady state. As a result, electrons and holes are injected efficiently from a single source contact into the silicon channel at the corresponding voltage transient, where they subsequently undergo impact ionization and phonon-assisted interband recombination. Notably, we show low voltage operation down to 2.8 V by using a 20 nm thick high-κ gate dielectric. We show further voltage scaling is possible by reducing the gate dielectric thickness, thus presenting a low voltage platform for silicon optoelectronic integrated circuits.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Influence of surface adsorption on MoS 2 memtransistor switching kinetics

Sulfur-deficient polycrystalline two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) memtransistors exhibit gate-tunable memristive switching to implement emerging memory operations and neuromorphic computing paradigms. Grain boundaries and sulfur vacancies are critical for memristive switching; however, the underlying physical mechanisms are not fully understood. Furthermore, the adsorption of water and gaseous species strongly perturbs electronic transport in monolayer MoS 2 , and little work has been done to explore the influence of surface interactions on defect-related kinetics that produces memristive switching. Here, we study the switching kinetics of back-gated MoS 2 memtransistors using current transient measurements in a controlled atmosphere chamber. Here, we observe that adsorbed water molecules lead to suppression of the electronic trap-filling processes concomitant with the resistive switching process, resulting in altered kinetics of the resistive switching. Additionally, using the transient response from “bunched” drain voltage pulse trains performed as a function of temperature, we extract the energy of the affected trap state and find that it places the trap roughly midgap [E T = E C – 0.7 (±0.4) eV]. Our results highlight the importance of controlling for surface interactions that may affect switching kinetics in 2D memtransistors, synaptic transistors, and related memory devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Hysteresis-free high mobility graphene encapsulated in tungsten disulfide

High mobility is a crucial requirement for a large variety of electronic device applications. The state of the art for high-quality graphene devices is based on heterostructures made with graphene encapsulated in >40 nm-thick flakes of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). Unfortunately, scaling up multilayer hBN while precisely controlling the number of layers remains an outstanding challenge, resulting in a rough material unable to enhance the mobility of graphene. This leads to the pursuit of alternative, scalable materials, which can be used as substrates and encapsulants for graphene. Tungsten disulfide (WS2) is a transition metal dichalcogenide, which was grown in large (∼mm-size) multi-layers by chemical vapor deposition. However, the resistance vs gate voltage characteristics when gating graphene through WS2 exhibit largely hysteretic shifts of the charge neutrality point on the order of Δn∼ 3 × 1011 cm−2, hindering the use of WS2 as a reliable encapsulant. The hysteresis originates due to the charge traps from sulfur vacancies present in WS2. In this work, we report the use of WS2 as a substrate and overcome the hysteresis issues by chemically treating WS2 with a super-acid, which passivates these vacancies and strips the surface from contaminants. The hysteresis is significantly reduced by about two orders of magnitude, down to values as low as Δn∼ 2 × 109 cm−2, while the room-temperature mobility of WS2-encapsulated graphene is as high as ∼62 × 103 cm2 V−1 s−1 at a carrier density of n ∼ 1 ×1012 cm−2. Our results promote WS2 as a valid alternative to hBN as an encapsulant for high-performance graphene devices.

Physics↗

Analysis and mitigation of an oscillating background on hybrid complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (hCMOS) imaging sensors at the National Ignition Facility

Nanosecond-gated hybrid complementary metal-oxide semiconductor imaging sensors are a powerful tool for temporally gated and spatially resolved measurements in high energy density science, including inertial confinement fusion, and in laser diagnostics. However, a significant oscillating background excited by photocurrent has been observed in image sequences during testing and in experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Characterization measurements and simulation results are used to explain the oscillations as the convolution of the pixel-level sensor response with a sensor-wide RLC circuit ringing. Finally, data correction techniques are discussed for NIF diagnostics, and for diagnostics where these techniques cannot be used, a proof-of-principle image correction algorithm is presented.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Low temperature recovery of OFF-state stress induced degradation of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

Thermal annealing is a widely used strategy to enhance semiconductor device performance. However, the process is complex for multi-material multi-layered semiconductor devices, where thermoelastic stresses from lattice constant and thermal expansion coefficient mismatch may create more defects than those annealed. We propose an alternate low temperature annealing technique, which utilizes the electron wind force (EWF) induced by small duty cycle high density pulsed current. To demonstrate its effectiveness, we intentionally degrade AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) with accelerated OFF-state stressing to increase ON-resistance ∼182.08% and reduce drain saturation current ∼85.82% of pristine condition at a gate voltage of 0 V. We then performed the EWF annealing to recover the corresponding values back to ∼122.21% and ∼93.10%, respectively. The peak transconductance, degraded to ∼76.58% of pristine at the drain voltage of 3 V, was also recovered back to ∼92.38%. This recovery of previously degraded transport properties is attributed to approximately 80% recovery of carrier mobility, which occurs during EWF annealing. We performed synchrotron differential aperture x-ray microscopy measurements to correlate these annealing effects with the lattice structural changes. We found a reduction of lattice plane spacing of (001) planes and stress within the GaN layer under the gate region after EWF annealing, suggesting a corresponding decrease in defect density. Application of this low-temperature annealing technique for in-operando recovery of degraded electronic devices is discussed.

Physics↗

Device and material investigations of GaN enhancement-mode transistors for Venus and harsh environments

This Letter reports the device and material investigations of enhancement-mode p-GaN-gate AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) for Venus exploration and other harsh environment applications. The GaN transistor in this work was subjected to prolonged exposure (11 days) in a simulated Venus environment (460 °C, 94 bar, complete chemical environment including CO2/N2/SO2). The mechanisms affecting the transistor performance and structural integrity in harsh environment were analyzed using a variety of experimental, simulation, and modeling techniques, including in situ electrical measurement (e.g., burn-in) and advanced microscopy (e.g., structural deformation). Through transistor, Transmission Line Method (TLM), and Hall-effect measurements vs temperature, it is revealed that the mobility decrease is the primary cause of reduction of on-state performance of this GaN transistor at high temperature. Material analysis of the device under test (DUT) confirmed the absence of foreign elements from the Venus atmosphere. No inter-diffusion of the elements (including the gate metal) was observed. The insights of this work are broadly applicable to the future design, fabrication, and deployment of robust III-N devices for harsh environment operation.

Physics↗

First observations from the Kr multi-monochromatic x-ray imager for time and spatially resolved diagnosis of hot implosion cores

This paper presents initial findings from the recently deployed Kr multi-monochromatic x-ray imager (Kr MMI) at the Omega laser facility. The experiment focuses on exploring implosion dynamics in exploding pusher capsules at three distinct initial gas fill densities. Utilizing time-gated and spatially integrated measurements, core size, electron temperature (Te), and electron densities (ne) are extracted through the analysis of the spectral region encompassing the Kr He α and its satellite lines. A comprehensive spectral database, incorporating atomic kinetics, spectroscopic-quality radiation transport, and Stark broadened line shapes, has been developed for rigorous data analysis. These measurements underscore the utility of the new Kr MMI instrument, which, combined with sophisticated analysis techniques, enables the diagnosis of plasma conditions at Te>2000 eV, thereby extending the capabilities beyond the prior Ar MMI design. This is an important stepping stone for achieving time-gated and space-resolved diagnostics of electron temperature, electron density, and heat transport in high temperature implosion cores.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Continuously tunable uniaxial strain control of van der Waals heterostructure devices

Uniaxial strain has been widely used as a powerful tool for investigating and controlling the properties of quantum materials. However, existing strain techniques have so far mostly been limited to use with bulk crystals. Although recent progress has been made in extending the application of strain to two-dimensional van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures, these techniques have been limited to optical characterization and extremely simple electrical device geometries. Here, we report a piezoelectric-based in situ uniaxial strain technique enabling simultaneous electrical transport and optical spectroscopy characterization of dual-gated vdW heterostructure devices. Critically, our technique remains compatible with vdW heterostructure devices of arbitrary complexity fabricated on conventional silicon/silicon dioxide wafer substrates. We demonstrate a large and continuously tunable strain of up to –0.15% at millikelvin temperatures, with larger strain values also likely achievable. We quantify the strain transmission from the silicon wafer to the vdW heterostructure, and further demonstrate the ability of strain to modify the electronic properties of twisted bilayer graphene. Our technique provides a highly versatile new method for exploring the effect of uniaxial strain on both the electrical and optical properties of vdW heterostructures and can be easily extended to include additional characterization techniques.

Electrical properties and parameters↗

Developing time-resolved x-ray diffraction diagnostics at the National Ignition Facility (invited)

As part of a program to measure phase transition timescales in materials under dynamic compression, we have designed new x-ray imaging diagnostics to record multiple x-ray diffraction measurements during a single laser-driven experiment. Our design places several ns-gated hybrid CMOS (hCMOS) sensors within a few cm of a laser-driven target. The sensors must be protected from an extremely harsh environment, including debris, electromagnetic pulses, and unconverted laser light. Another key challenge is reducing the x-ray background relative to the faint diffraction signal. Building on the success of our predecessor (Target Diffraction In Situ), we implemented a staged approach to platform development. First, we built a demonstration diagnostic (Gated Diffraction Development Diagnostic) with two hCMOS sensors to confirm we could adequately protect them from the harsh environment and also acquire acceptable diffraction data. This allowed the team to quickly assess the risks and address the most significant challenges. Here, we also collected scientifically useful data during development. Leveraging what we learned, we recently developed a much more ambitious instrument (Flexible Imaging Diffraction Diagnostic for Laser Experiments) that can field up to eight hCMOS sensors in a flexible geometry and participate in back-to-back shots at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The design also allows for future iterations, such as faster hCMOS sensors and an embedded x-ray streak camera. The enhanced capabilities of the new instrument required a much more complex design, and the unexpected issues encountered on the first few shots at NIF remind us that complexity has consequences. Our progress in addressing these challenges is described herein, as is our current focus on improving data quality by reducing x-ray background and quantifying the uncertainties of our diffraction measurements.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Scanless laser waveform measurement in the near-infrared

Field-resolved measurements of few-cycle laser waveforms allow access to ultrafast electron dynamics in light–matter interactions and are key to future lightwave electronics. Recently, sub-cycle gating based on nonlinear excitation in active pixel sensors has allowed the first single-shot measurements of mid-infrared optical fields. Extending the techniques to shorter wavelengths, however, is not feasible using silicon-based detectors with bandgaps in the near-infrared. Here, we demonstrate an all-optical sampling technique for near-infrared laser fields, wherein an intense fundamental field generates a sub-cycle gate through nonlinear excitation of a wide-bandgap crystal, in this case, ZnO, which can sample the electric field of a weak perturbing pulse. By using a crossed-beam geometry, the temporal evolution of the perturbing field is mapped onto a transverse spatial axis of the nonlinear medium, and the waveform is captured in a single measurement of the spatially resolved fluorescence emission from the crystal. The technique is demonstrated through field-resolved measurements of the field reshaping during nonlinear propagation in the ZnO detection crystal.

Truong, Tran-Chau (ORCID:0000000348940635)↗

Para-particle oscillator simulations on a trapped-ion quantum computer

Deformed oscillators allow for a generalization of the standard fermions and bosons, namely, for the description of para-particles. Such particles remain hypothetical and unobserved in nature; yet, they can model physical phenomena, such as topological phases of matter. Here, we report the digital quantum simulation of para-particle oscillators by mapping para-particle states to the state of a qubit register, which allows us to identify the para-particle oscillator Hamiltonian as an XY model and further digitize the system onto a universal set of gates. In both instances, the gate depth grows polynomially with the number of qubits used. To establish the validity of our results, we experimentally simulate the dynamics of para-fermions and para-bosons, demonstrating full control of para-particle oscillators on a quantum computer. Furthermore, we compare the overall performance of the digital simulation of dynamics of the driven para-Fermi oscillator to a recent analog quantum simulation result.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Three-body Förster resonance of a new type in Rydberg atoms

The three-body Förster resonances 3 × nP{sub 3/2}(|M|) →nS{sub 1/2} + (n + 1)S{sub 1/2} + nP{sub 3/2}(|M*|), controlled by a constant electric field, were realised earlier by the authors in an ensemble of several cold Rydberg Rb atoms. One of the drawbacks of such resonances for potential application in three-qubit quantum gates is the proximity of the two-body Förster resonance 2 × nP{sub 3/2} → nS{sub 1/2} + (n + 1)S{sub 1/2}, as well as the possibility of their implementation only for states with values of the principal quantum numbers n ⩽38. A three-body resonance of a new type, 3 × nP{sub 3/2} → nS{sub 1/2} + (n + 1)S{sub 1/2} + nP{sub 1/2}, which can be realised for arbitrary n, is proposed and analysed. Its specific feature is also that the third atom transits into a state with a different total angular momentum J = 1/2, which has no Stark structure, so that the two-body resonance is completely absent. Numerical calculations showed that for not too strong interaction, it is possible to observe coherent three-body oscillations of the populations of collective states, which is of interest for developing new schemes of three-qubit quantum gates controlled by an electric field. (paper)

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Moiréless correlations in ABCA graphene

Atomically thin van der Waals materials stacked with an interlayer twist have proven to be an excellent platform toward achieving gate-tunable correlated phenomena linked to the formation of flat electronic bands. In this work we demonstrate the formation of emergent correlated phases in multilayer rhombohedral graphene––a simple material that also exhibits a flat electronic band edge but without the need of having a moiré superlattice induced by twisted van der Waals layers. We show that two layers of bilayer graphene that are twisted by an arbitrary tiny angle host large (micrometer-scale) regions of uniform rhombohedral four-layer (ABCA) graphene that can be independently studied. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy reveals that ABCA graphene hosts an unprecedentedly sharp van Hove singularity of 3–5-meV half-width. We demonstrate that when this van Hove singularity straddles the Fermi level, a correlated many-body gap emerges with peak-to-peak value of 9.5 meV at charge neutrality. Mean-field theoretical calculations for model with short-ranged interactions indicate that two primary candidates for the appearance of this broken symmetry state are a charge-transfer excitonic insulator and a ferrimagnet. Finally, we show that ABCA graphene hosts surface topological helical edge states at natural interfaces with ABAB graphene which can be turned on and off with gate voltage, implying that small-angle twisted double-bilayer graphene is an ideal programmable topological quantum material.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Dual-rail encoding with superconducting cavities

The design of quantum hardware that reduces and mitigates errors is essential for practical quantum error correction (QEC) and useful quantum computation. To this end, we introduce the circuit-Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) dual-rail qubit in which our physical qubit is encoded in the single-photon subspace, { | 01 〉 , | 10 〉 } , of two superconducting microwave cavities. The dominant photon loss errors can be detected and converted into erasure errors, which are in general much easier to correct. In contrast to linear optics, a circuit-QED implementation of the dual-rail code offers unique capabilities. Using just one additional transmon ancilla per dual-rail qubit, we describe how to perform a gate-based set of universal operations that includes state preparation, logical readout, and parametrizable single and two-qubit gates. Moreover, first-order hardware errors in the cavities and the transmon can be detected and converted to erasure errors in all operations, leaving background Pauli errors that are orders of magnitude smaller. Hence, the dual-rail cavity qubit exhibits a favorable hierarchy of error rates and is expected to perform well below the relevant QEC thresholds with today’s coherence times.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Engineering of a synthetic antibody fragment for structural and functional studies of K+ channels

Engineered antibody fragments (Fabs) have made major impacts on structural biology research, particularly to aid structural determination of membrane proteins. Nonetheless, Fabs generated by traditional monoclonal technology suffer from challenges of routine production and storage. Starting from the known IgG paratopes of an antibody that binds to the “turret loop” of the KcsA K+ channel, we engineered a synthetic Fab (sFab) based upon the highly stable Herceptin Fab scaffold, which can be recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli and purified with single-step affinity chromatography. This synthetic Fab was used as a crystallization chaperone to obtain crystals of the KcsA channel that diffracted to a resolution comparable to that from the parent Fab. Furthermore, we show that the turret loop can be grafted into the unrelated voltage-gated Kv1.2–Kv2.1 channel and still strongly bind the engineered sFab, in support of the loop grafting strategy. Macroscopic electrophysiology recordings show that the sFab affects the activation and conductance of the chimeric voltage-gated channel. These results suggest that straightforward engineering of antibodies using recombinant formats can facilitate the rapid and scalable production of Fabs as structural biology tools and functional probes. The impact of this approach is expanded significantly based on the potential portability of the turret loop to a myriad of other K+ channels.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗