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High-temperature phases of solids are often dynamically stable only. First-principles study of point defects in such solids at 0 K is prohibited by their static instability, which results in random structures of the defect-containing supercell so that the total energy of the supercell is randomly affected by structural distortions far away from the defect. Taking cubic perovskite α -CsPbI3 as an example, we first present the problem incurred by the static instability and then propose an approach based on molecular dynamics to carry out ensemble average for tackling the problem. Within affordable simulation time, we obtain converged defect ionization energies, which are unattainable by a standard approach and allow us to evaluate its defect tolerance property. Our work paves the way for studying defects in statically unstable solids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transparent conducting materials (TCMs) have been widely used in optoelectronic applications such as touchscreens, flat panel displays and thin film solar cells. These applications of TCMs are currently dominated by n-type doped oxides. High-performance p-type TCMs are still lacking due to their low hole mobility or p-type doping bottleneck, which impedes efficient device design and novel applications such as transparent electronics. Here, based on first-principles calculations, we propose chalcogenide perovskite YScS3 as a promising p-type TCM. According to our calculations, its optical absorption onset is above 3 eV, which allows transparency to visible light. Its hole conductivity effective mass is 0.48m0, which is among the smallest in p-type TCMs, suggesting enhanced hole mobility. It could be doped to p-type by group-II elements on cation sites, all of which yield shallow acceptors. Combining these properties, YScS3 holds great promise to enhancing the performance of p-type TCMs toward their n-type counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bi nanoparticles embedded in a SiO2 matrix were prepared via the high energy ball milling method. The melting behavior of Bi nanoparticles was studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and high-temperature in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD). DSC cannot distinguish the surface melting from ‘bulk’ melting of the Bi nanoparticles. The XRD intensity of the Bi nanoparticles decreases progressively during the in situ heating process. The variation in the normalized integrated XRD intensity versus temperature is related to the average grain size of Bi nanoparticles. Considering the effects of temperature on Debye—Waller factor and Lorentz-polarization factor, we discuss the XRD results in accordance with surface melting. Our results show that the in situ XRD technique is effective to explore the surface melting of nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroelectric transitions in filled tungsten bronze ceramics Sr4R2Ti4Nb6O30, Sr5RTi3Nb7O30 (R=La, Nb, Sm & Eu) and Ba4Nd2Ti4Nb6O30 are investigated with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the Curie—Weiss law fitting to the dielectric constant. The magnitude of the Curie-Weiss constant C ∼ 105 suggests displacement-type ferroelectric transition in the present compounds. The large ΔT difference between dielectric maximum temperature Tm and Curie—Weiss temperature T0) values indicate the difficult formation of ferroelectric domains or polar nanoregions in the present compounds and also the characteristics of the first order ferroelectric transition. Three categories are suggested for the ferroelectric transition in the above tungsten bronzes. The ferroelectric transition exhibits large thermal hysteresis. According to the DSC results, gradual recovery of the endothermic peak occurs after aging at temperature below the Curie point, indicating the gradual stability of the ferroelectric phase after cooling from the high-temperature para-electric phase. The relationship between the Curie—Weiss law fitting parameters and the nature of the ferroelectric transition is modified for the filled tungsten bronzes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a configurable surface-electrode ion trap design to alleviate the poor reusability of the existing traps. It can architecturally and electrically support 5 mainstream modes by design reuse, thus enhancing the trap reusability and reducing the experiment setup overhead. We also develop a corresponding simulation suite which can optimize trap geometries and calculate trap parameters to control the trapped ion's classic motion. According to our analytical and simulated results, the configurable design can serve as a unified platform for basic research of large-scale quantum information processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy-band structure and non-ultraviolet photoelectric properties of a Ni/n-Si/N+-SiC isotype heterostructure Schottky photodiode are simulated by using Silvaco-Atlas. There are energy offsets in the conduction and valance band of the heterojunction, which are about 0.09 eV and 1.79 eV, respectively. The non-UV photodiode with this structure is fabricated on a 6H-SiC(0001) substrate. J—V measurements indicate that the device has good rectifying behavior with a rectification ratio up to 200 at 5 V, and the turn-on voltage is about 0.7 V. Under non-ultraviolet illumination of 0.6 W/cm2, the device demonstrates a significant photoelectric response with a photocurrent density of 2.9 mA/cm2 and an open-circuit voltage of 63.0 mV. Non-ultraviolet operation of the SiC-based photoelectric device is initially realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser lift-off (LLO), by which GaN is separated from sapphire, is demonstrated to be a promising technique for advanced GaN-based optoelectronic devices. Its physical insight, however, is still not fully understood. We study systematically the effect of laser pulse width on the LLO process and the property of GaN. To estimate accurately the temperature distribution and the decomposed thickness of GaN, fluctuation in the pulse laser energy is taken into account. It is found that the temperature at the interface is increased in a higher speed for a narrower pulse width. In addition, less damage to the GaN film is expected for a narrower pulse width owing to the smaller heated area, lower transient temperature and lower N2 vapor pressure encountered during LLO. Some experimental results reported in literature are explained well. Our results are useful in understanding the effect of laser pulse width and can be taken as references in LLO of GaN/sapphire structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quasi-rectangular waveguide polymer Mach-Zehnder (M-Z) electro-optic (EO) modulator based on an organic/ inorganic hybrid material with thermal bias control is fabricated and demonstrated. Linear bias for the modulator is obtained through thermo-optic effect. The optical output is adjusted by changing phase difference between the two arms of the M-Z interferometer. A power consumption of 16.1mW for ?? phase change is observed owing to the application of silica cladding. This approach is proved to be effective to suppress direct current drift in polymer EO modulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate nonlinear interaction of nitrogen molecules with a two-color laser field composed by an intense 800 nm laser pulse and a weak 400 nm laser pulse. It is demonstrated that the spectrum of 400 nm pulses is dramatically broadened when the two beams temporally overlap. In comparison, the spectral broadening in argon is less pronounced, although argon atoms and nitrogen molecules have comparable ionization potentials. We reveal that the dramatic spectral broadening originates from the greatly enhanced nonlinear optical effects in the near-resonant condition of interaction between the 400 nm pulses and the nitrogen molecular ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dense arrays of micro-columns are formed on the surface of Ti-Al alloy by cumulative nanosecond pulsed laser ablation in water. The fabric-like structure characterized by Ti-Al nano-spheres absorbed on micro-cluster in liquid is most likely responsible for the occurrence of laser micro-etching and localized melting, resulting in continuous deepening of micro-holes and the formation of micro-columns. Laser induced plasma spectroscopy is carried out to reveal the effect of micro-columns on subsequent pulse laser ablation. The intensity of spectral lines from Ti ions by additional laser ablation of the modified spot is higher than that created over a smooth surface. These results suggest that the micro-columns lead to an enhanced absorption of the following laser energy. The proposed results and relevant discussions are of importance for the development of light-trapping coatings on a metal surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, a report from Elite Readers suggested that a strange phenomenon of ‘square-shaped waves’ had occurred at the beaches of the Isle of Rhe in the Bay of Biscay. Based on the hydrological and geological data of the Bay of Biscay, we find that the special phenomenon is closely related to a solitary wave that can be described by the shallow water wave equation. We discuss the formation mechanisms of the square-shaped waves by the Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equation. The combination of exact solutions and actual condition provides the simulated initial state. We then reproduce a square-shaped structure by a numerical method and obtain the result consistent with the observed picture from media. Our work enriches public understanding of strange water waves and has great significance for tourism development and shipping transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic radiation phenomena appear inevitably in the magnetic-resonance wireless power transfer (MR-WPT) system, and regarding this problem the magnetic-shielding scheme is applied to improve the electromagnetic performance in engineering. In this study, the shielding effectiveness of a two-coil MR-WPT system for different material shields is analyzed in theory using Moser’s formula and Schelkunoff’s formula. On this basis a candidate magnetic-shielding scheme with a double-layer structure is determined, which has better shielding effectiveness and coils coupling coefficient. Finally, some finite element simulation results validate the correctness of the theoretical analysis, and the shielding effectiveness with the double-layer shield in maximum is 30 dB larger than the one with the single-layer case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For interpreting the production mechanism of surface-wave plasmas sustained along a metal rod, electromagnetic simulation on the electromagnetic field distributions and particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision (PIC/MCC) simulation of the ionization process are present. The results show that the enhanced electric field of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) can be excited in the ion sheath layer between the negative-voltage metal rod and the surface-wave plasmas, which is responsible for maintaining the plasma discharge. Moreover, the spatio-temporal evolutions of plasma density and electric fields are simulated by the PIC/MCC model. It is further suggested that the expanded ion sheath layer can extend the length of plasma domain by increasing the plasma absorbed energy from SPPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strained-SiGe p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor-field-effect transistors (p-MOSFETS) with higher-κ LaLuO3 gate dielectric was fabricated and electrically characterized. The novel higher-κ (κ∼30) gate dielectric, LaLuO3, was deposited by molecular-beam deposition and shows good quality for integration into the transistor. The transistor features good output and transfer characteristics. The hole mobility was extracted by the splitting C—V method and a value of 200cm2/V·s was obtained for strong inversion conditions, which indicates that the hole mobility is well enhanced by SiGe channel and that the LaLuO3 layer does not induce additional significant carrier scattering. Gate induced drain leakage is measured and analyzed by using an analytical model. Band-to-band tunneling efficiencies under high and low fields are found to be different, and the tunneling mechanism is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dielectric and ferroelectric characteristics for Pb1−xBax(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2) ceramics are determined together with their structures. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirms the solid solutions with the cubic structure. The dielectric nature changes from diffuse ferroelectric to relaxor ferroelectric with increasing x, while the phase transition temperature TC (or Tm) decreases monotonously. The diffuse ferroelectric phase transition is observed in the solid solutions with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.05. For Pb1—xBax(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 with 0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.2, relaxor ferroelectric behavior is determined, and the Vogel-Fulcher equation is used to describe the relaxor behavior. The 1/ε versus T plots reveal the diffusion dielectric characteristics in both diffuse and relaxor ferroelectrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High spin states of the odd-odd nucleus 92Nb are investigated using the 82Se (14N, 4n)92Nb reaction at a beam energy of 54 MeV. The level scheme of the 92Nb was extended up to Jπ =(16+) at about 7.3 MeV and Jπ=(21−) at about 9.7 MeV. According to systematic analyses and a comparison with the neighboring nucleus, the higher spin states could be interpreted by the multi-particle excitations in the π(f5/2,p3/2,p1/2,g9/2)⊗ν(p1/2,g9/2,d5/2, g7/2) configuration space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short-channel high-mobility Si/Si0.5Ge0.5/silicon-on-insulator (SOI) quantum-well p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (p-MOSFETs) were fabricated and electrically characterized. The transistors show good transfer and output characteristics with Ion/Ioff ratio up to 105 and sub-threshold slope down to 100mV/dec. HfO2/TiN gate stack is employed and the equivalent oxide thickness of 1.1 nm is achieved. The effective hole mobility of the transistors reaches 200cm2/V·s, which is 2.12 times the Si universal hole mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new single-shot method for measuring terahertz pulses using a linearly chirped optical pulse interferogram. Modulated frequency domain phase information can be extracted by the interferogram recorded on imaging spectrographs. The terahertz pulse waveform is obtained from the phase information. We overcome the energy fluctuation problem by using the phase information, making a reference shot unnecessary and the terahertz detection more flexible and convincing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Icosahedrons in supercooled liquids and glasses are considered to be of significance for the glass formation in alloy systems. Starting from the similarity of the local structure of quasicrystals to the icosahedrons in metallic glasses, a scheme is put forward to prepare metallic glasses based on a well-known quasicrystal Zr40Ti40Ni20. A series of (Zr40Ti40Ni20)100–xCox metallic glasses are fabricated, and the optimized glass forming composition is determined at (Zr40Ti40Ni20)92Co8. The results show that the glass-forming ability of the alloys is closely related to the quasicrystalline phases. The mechanism of the enhanced glass-forming ability is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total ionizing dose effects of different transistor sizes in a 0.18 um technology are studied by 60Co g-ray irradiation. Significant threshold voltage shift is observed for the narrow channel devices, which is called the radiation induced narrow channel effect (RINCE). A charge sharing model is introduced to understand the phenomenon. The devices' characteristic degradations after irradiation, such as threshold voltage shift, increase in on-state current under different drain biases and substrate biases, are discussed in detail. Radiation induced oxide trapped charge at the edges of shallow trench isolation plays an important role in the RINCE. Narrow channel devices are susceptible to the total ionizing dose effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]