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This work investigates a solution process for yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin film deposition involving the addition of yttria nanoparticles, at 400 °C, in air. Different yttrium doping levels in the YSZ were studied and a wide range of optical, structural, surface, dielectric, and electronic transport properties were also investigated. An optimum yttrium doping level of 5% mol. resulted in the smoothest films (RRMS ∼ 0.5 nm), a wide bandgap (∼5.96 eV), a dielectric constant in excess of 26, and a leakage current of ∼0.3 nA cm−2 at 2 MV/cm. The solution-processed YSZ films were incorporated as gate dielectrics in thin films transistors with solution-processed In2O3 semiconducting channels. Excellent operational characteristics, such as negligible hysteresis, low operational voltages (5 V), electron mobility in excess of 36 cm2 V−1 s−1, high on/off current modulation ratio on the order of 107, and low interfacial trap density states (<1012 cm−2), were demonstrated. In addition, excellent film homogeneity was achieved over a large area (16 × 16 cm2), with both film thickness and capacitance deviation of <1.2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy dependent thermoelectric response of a single molecule contains valuable information about its transmission function and its excited states. However, measuring it requires devices that can efficiently heat up one side of the molecule while being able to tune its electrochemical potential over a wide energy range. Furthermore, to increase junction stability, devices need to operate at cryogenic temperatures. In this work, we report on a device architecture to study the thermoelectric properties and the conductance of single molecules simultaneously over a wide energy range. We employ a sample heater in direct contact with the metallic electrodes contacting the single molecule which allows us to apply temperature biases up to ΔT = 60 K with minimal heating of the molecular junction. This makes these devices compatible with base temperatures Tbath < 2 K and enables studies in the linear (Δ T ≪ T molecule ) and nonlinear (Δ T ≫ T molecule ) thermoelectric transport regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanosecond scale threshold switching is investigated with conducting atomic force microscopy (AFM) for an amorphous GeSe film. Switched bits exhibit 2-3 orders of magnitude variations in conductivity, as demonstrated in phase change based memory devices. Through the nm-scale AFM probe, this crystallization was achieved with pulse durations of as low as 15 ns, the fastest reported with scanning probe based methods. Conductance AFM imaging of the switched bits further reveals correlations between the switched volume, pulse amplitude, and pulse duration. The influence of film heterogeneities on switching is also directly detected, which is of tremendous importance for optimal device performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]