Measurement of relative depth-dose distribution in radiochromic film dosimeters irradiated with 43-70 keV electron beam for industrial application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsui, Shinjiro; Hattori, Takeaki; Nonaka, Takashi; Watanabe, Yuki; Morita, Ippei; Kondo, Junichi; Ishikawa, Masayoshi; Mori, Yoshitaka

2018-05-01

The relative dose in a layer, which is thinner than the thickness of the dosimeter is evaluated using simulated depth-dose distributions, and the measured responses of dosimeters with acceleration voltages from 43 to 70 kV, via ultra-low-energy electron beam (ULEB) irradiation. By stacking thin film dosimeters, we confirmed that the simulated depth-dose distributions coincided with the measured depth-dose curve within the measurement uncertainty (k = 2). Using the measurement dose of the 47 μm dosimeter and the simulated depth-dose distribution, the dose of 11 μm dosimeters in the surface was evaluated within the measurement uncertainty (k = 2). We also verified the effectiveness of this method for a thinner layer by changing the acceleration voltage of the irradiation source. We evaluated the relative dose for an adjusted depth of energy deposition from 4.4 μm to 22.8 μm. As a result, this method was found to be effective for a thickness, which is less than the thickness of the dosimeter. When irradiation conditions are well known with accuracy, using the confirmed relative depth-dose distributions across any dosimeter thickness range, a dose evaluation, in several μm steps will possibly improve the design of industrial ULEB processes.

Rapid and Nondestructive Identification of Polytypism and Stacking Sequences in Few-Layer Molybdenum Diselenide by Raman Spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Lu, Xin; Utama, M. Iqbal Bakti; Lin, Junhao; ...

2015-07-02

Various combinations of interlayer shear modes emerge in few-layer molybdenum diselenide grown by chemical vapor deposition depending on the stacking configuration of the sample. Raman measurements may also reveal polytypism and stacking faults, as supported by first principles calculations and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Thus, Raman spectroscopy is an important tool in probing stacking-dependent properties in few-layer 2D materials.

Passive dosimetry aboard the Mir Orbital Station: external measurements.

PubMed

Benton, E R; Benton, E V; Frank, A L

2002-10-01

This paper reports results from the first measurements made on the exterior of a LEO spacecraft of mean dose equivalent rate and average quality factor as functions of shielding depth for shielding less than 1 g/cm2 Al equivalent. Two sets of measurements were made on the outside of the Mir Orbital Station; one near solar maximum in June 1991 and one near solar minimum in 1997. Absorbed dose was measured using stacks of TLDs. LET spectrum from charged particles of LET infinity H2O > o r= 5keV/micrometers was measured using stacks of CR-39 PNTDs. Results from the TLD and PNTD measurements at a given shielding depth were combined to yield mean total dose rate, mean dose equivalent rate, and average quality factor. Measurements made near solar maximum tend to be greater than those made during solar minimum. Both mean dose rate and mean dose equivalent rate decrease by nearly four orders of magnitude within the first g/cm2 shielding illustrating the attenuation of both trapped electrons and low-energy trapped protons. In order to overcome problems with detector saturation after standard chemical processing, measurement of LET spectrum in the least shielded CR-39 PNTD layer (0.005 g/cm2 Al) was carried out using an atomic force microscope. c2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Passive dosimetry aboard the Mir Orbital Station: external measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benton, E. R.; Benton, E. V.; Frank, A. L.

2002-01-01

This paper reports results from the first measurements made on the exterior of a LEO spacecraft of mean dose equivalent rate and average quality factor as functions of shielding depth for shielding less than 1 g/cm2 Al equivalent. Two sets of measurements were made on the outside of the Mir Orbital Station; one near solar maximum in June 1991 and one near solar minimum in 1997. Absorbed dose was measured using stacks of TLDs. LET spectrum from charged particles of LET infinity H2O > o r= 5keV/micrometers was measured using stacks of CR-39 PNTDs. Results from the TLD and PNTD measurements at a given shielding depth were combined to yield mean total dose rate, mean dose equivalent rate, and average quality factor. Measurements made near solar maximum tend to be greater than those made during solar minimum. Both mean dose rate and mean dose equivalent rate decrease by nearly four orders of magnitude within the first g/cm2 shielding illustrating the attenuation of both trapped electrons and low-energy trapped protons. In order to overcome problems with detector saturation after standard chemical processing, measurement of LET spectrum in the least shielded CR-39 PNTD layer (0.005 g/cm2 Al) was carried out using an atomic force microscope. c2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Methods for batch fabrication of cold cathode vacuum switch tubes

DOEpatents

Walker, Charles A [Albuquerque, NM; Trowbridge, Frank R [Albuquerque, NM

2011-05-10

Methods are disclosed for batch fabrication of vacuum switch tubes that reduce manufacturing costs and improve tube to tube uniformity. The disclosed methods comprise creating a stacked assembly of layers containing a plurality of adjacently spaced switch tube sub-assemblies aligned and registered through common layers. The layers include trigger electrode layer, cathode layer including a metallic support/contact with graphite cathode inserts, trigger probe sub-assembly layer, ceramic (e.g. tube body) insulator layer, and metallic anode sub-assembly layer. Braze alloy layers are incorporated into the stacked assembly of layers, and can include active metal braze alloys or direct braze alloys, to eliminate costs associated with traditional metallization of the ceramic insulator layers. The entire stacked assembly is then heated to braze/join/bond the stack-up into a cohesive body, after which individual switch tubes are singulated by methods such as sawing. The inventive methods provide for simultaneously fabricating a plurality of devices as opposed to traditional methods that rely on skilled craftsman to essentially hand build individual devices.

Stacking-dependent electronic property of trilayer graphene epitaxially grown on Ru(0001)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Que, Yande; Xiao, Wende; Chen, Hui; Wang, Dongfei; Du, Shixuan; Gao, Hong-Jun

2015-12-01

The growth, atomic structure, and electronic property of trilayer graphene (TLG) on Ru(0001) were studied by low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy in combined with tight-binding approximation (TBA) calculations. TLG on Ru(0001) shows a flat surface with a hexagonal lattice due to the screening effect of the bottom two layers and the AB-stacking in the top two layers. The coexistence of AA- and AB-stacking in the bottom two layers leads to three different stacking orders of TLG, namely, ABA-, ABC-, and ABB-stacking. STS measurements combined with TBA calculations reveal that the density of states of TLG with ABC- and ABB-stacking is characterized by one and two sharp peaks near to the Fermi level, respectively, in contrast to the V-shaped feature of TLG with ABA-stacking. Our work demonstrates that TLG on Ru(0001) might be an ideal platform for exploring stacking-dependent electronic properties of graphene.

Efficiency Enhancement of Nanotextured Black Silicon Solar Cells Using Al2O3/TiO2 Dual-Layer Passivation Stack Prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition.

PubMed

Wang, Wei-Cheng; Tsai, Meng-Chen; Yang, Jason; Hsu, Chuck; Chen, Miin-Jang

2015-05-20

In this study, efficient nanotextured black silicon (NBSi) solar cells composed of silicon nanowire arrays and an Al2O3/TiO2 dual-layer passivation stack on the n(+) emitter were fabricated. The highly conformal Al2O3 and TiO2 surface passivation layers were deposited on the high-aspect-ratio surface of the NBSi wafers using atomic layer deposition. Instead of the single Al2O3 passivation layer with a negative oxide charge density, the Al2O3/TiO2 dual-layer passivation stack treated with forming gas annealing provides a high positive oxide charge density and a low interfacial state density, which are essential for the effective field-effect and chemical passivation of the n(+) emitter. In addition, the Al2O3/TiO2 dual-layer passivation stack suppresses the total reflectance over a broad range of wavelengths (400-1000 nm). Therefore, with the Al2O3/TiO2 dual-layer passivation stack, the short-circuit current density and efficiency of the NBSi solar cell were increased by 11% and 20%, respectively. In conclusion, a high efficiency of 18.5% was achieved with the NBSi solar cells by using the n(+)-emitter/p-base structure passivated with the Al2O3/TiO2 stack.

Stacked white OLED having separate red, green and blue sub-elements

DOEpatents

Forrest, Stephen; Qi, Xiangfei; Slootsky, Michael

2014-07-01

The present invention relates to efficient organic light emitting devices (OLEDs). The devices employ three emissive sub-elements, typically emitting red, green and blue, to sufficiently cover the visible spectrum. Thus, the devices may be white-emitting OLEDs, or WOLEDs. Each sub-element comprises at least one organic layer which is an emissive layer--i.e., the layer is capable of emitting light when a voltage is applied across the stacked device. The sub-elements are vertically stacked and are separated by charge generating layers. The charge-generating layers are layers that inject charge carriers into the adjacent layer(s) but do not have a direct external connection.

Layer Number and Stacking Order Imaging of Few-layer Graphenes by Transmission Electron Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ping, Jinglei; Fuhrer, Michael

2012-02-01

A method using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns and dark field (DF) images is developed to identify graphene layer number and stacking order by comparing intensity ratios of SAED spots with theory. Graphene samples are synthesized by ambient pressure chemical vapor depostion and then etched by hydrogen in high temperature to produce samples with crystalline stacking but varying layer number on the nanometer scale. Combined DF images from first- and second-order diffraction spots are used to produce images with layer-number and stacking-order contrast with few-nanometer resolution. This method is proved to be accurate enough for quantative stacking-order-identification of graphenes up to at least four layers. This work was partially supported by Science of Precision Multifunctional Nanostructures for Elecrical Energy Storage, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. DOE, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Award Number DESC0001160.

Phase Modulator with Terahertz Optical Bandwidth Formed by Multi-Layered Dielectric Stack

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keys, Andrew S. (Inventor); Fork, Richard L. (Inventor)

2005-01-01

An optical phase modulator includes a bandpass multilayer stack, formed by a plurality of dielectric layers, preferably of GaAs and AlAs, and having a transmission function related to the refractive index of the layers of the stack, for receiving an optical input signal to be phase modulated. A phase modulator device produces a nonmechanical change in the refractive index of each layer of the stack by, e.g., the injection of free carrier, to provide shifting of the transmission function so as to produce phase modulation of the optical input signal and to thereby produce a phase modulated output signal.

Arsenic sulfide layers for dielectric reflection mirrors prepared from solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matějec, Vlastimil; Pedlikova, Jitka; BartoÅ, Ivo; Podrazký, Ondřej

2017-12-01

Chalcogenide materials due to high refractive indices, transparency in the mid-IR spectral region, nonlinear refractive indices, etc, have been employed as fibers and films in different photonic devices such as light amplifiers, optical regenerators, broadband radiation sources. Chalcogenide films can be prepared by physical methods as well as by solution-based techniques in which solutions of chalcogenides in amines are used. This paper presents results on the solution-based fabrication and optical characterization of single arsenic sulfide layers and multilayer stacks containing As2S3 layers together with porous silica layers coated on planar and fiber-optic substrates. Input As2S3 solutions for the layer fabrications were prepared by dissolving As2S3 powder in n-propylamine in a concentration of 0.50 mol/l. These solutions were applied on glass slides by dip-coating method and obtained layers were thermally treated in vacuum at temperatures up to 180 °C. Similar procedure was used for As2S3 layers in multilayer stacks. Such stacks were fabricated by repeating the application of one porous silica layer prepared by the sol-gel method and one As2S3 layer onto glass slides or silica fibers (a diameter of 0.3 mm) by using the dip-coating method. It has been found that the curing process of the applied layers has to be carefully controlled in order to obtain stacks with three pairs of such layers. Single arsenic and porous silica layers were characterized by optical microscopy, and by measuring their transmission spectra in a range of 200-2500 nm. Thicknesses and refractive indices were estimated from the spectra. Transmission spectra of planar multilayer stacks were measured, too. Interference bands have been determined from optical measurements on the multilayer stacks with a minimum transmittance of about 50% which indicates the possibility of using such stacks as reflecting mirrors.

Influence of the charge double layer on solid oxide fuel cell stack behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whiston, Michael M.; Bilec, Melissa M.; Schaefer, Laura A.

2015-10-01

While the charge double layer effect has traditionally been characterized as a millisecond phenomenon, longer timescales may be possible under certain operating conditions. This study simulates the dynamic response of a previously developed solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack model that incorporates the charge double layer via an equivalent circuit. The model is simulated under step load changes. Baseline conditions are first defined, followed by consideration of minor and major deviations from the baseline case. This study also investigates the behavior of the SOFC stack with a relatively large double layer capacitance value, as well as operation of the SOFC stack under proportional-integral (PI) control. Results indicate that the presence of the charge double layer influences the SOFC stack's settling time significantly under the following conditions: (i) activation and concentration polarizations are significantly increased, or (ii) a large value of the double layer capacitance is assumed. Under normal (baseline) operation, on the other hand, the charge double layer effect diminishes within milliseconds, as expected. It seems reasonable, then, to neglect the charge double layer under normal operation. However, careful consideration should be given to potential variations in operation or material properties that may give rise to longer electrochemical settling times.

Cosmic radiation exposure of biological test systems during the EXPOSE-E mission.

PubMed

Berger, Thomas; Hajek, Michael; Bilski, Pawel; Körner, Christine; Vanhavere, Filip; Reitz, Günther

2012-05-01

In the frame of the EXPOSE-E mission on the Columbus external payload facility EuTEF on board the International Space Station, passive thermoluminescence dosimeters were applied to measure the radiation exposure of biological samples. The detectors were located either as stacks next to biological specimens to determine the depth dose distribution or beneath the sample carriers to determine the dose levels for maximum shielding. The maximum mission dose measured in the upper layer of the depth dose part of the experiment amounted to 238±10 mGy, which relates to an average dose rate of 408±16 μGy/d. In these stacks of about 8 mm height, the dose decreased by 5-12% with depth. The maximum dose measured beneath the sample carriers was 215±16 mGy, which amounts to an average dose rate of 368±27 μGy/d. These values are close to those assessed for the interior of the Columbus module and demonstrate the high shielding of the biological experiments within the EXPOSE-E facility. Besides the shielding by the EXPOSE-E hardware itself, additional shielding was experienced by the external structures adjacent to EXPOSE-E, such as EuTEF and Columbus. This led to a dose gradient over the entire exposure area, from 215±16 mGy for the lowest to 121±6 mGy for maximum shielding. Hence, the doses perceived by the biological samples inside EXPOSE-E varied by 70% (from lowest to highest dose). As a consequence of the high shielding, the biological samples were predominantly exposed to galactic cosmic heavy ions, while electrons and a significant fraction of protons of the radiation belts and solar wind did not reach the samples.

Fabrication of high gradient insulators by stack compression

DOEpatents

Harris, John Richardson; Sanders, Dave; Hawkins, Steven Anthony; Norona, Marcelo

2014-04-29

Individual layers of a high gradient insulator (HGI) are first pre-cut to their final dimensions. The pre-cut layers are then stacked to form an assembly that is subsequently pressed into an HGI unit with the desired dimension. The individual layers are stacked, and alignment is maintained, using a sacrificial alignment tube that is removed after the stack is hot pressed. The HGI's are used as high voltage vacuum insulators in energy storage and transmission structures or devices, e.g. in particle accelerators and pulsed power systems.

A first-principles study of the electrically tunable band gap in few-layer penta-graphene.

PubMed

Wang, Jinjin; Wang, Zhanyu; Zhang, R J; Zheng, Y X; Chen, L Y; Wang, S Y; Tsoo, Chia-Chin; Huang, Hung-Ji; Su, Wan-Sheng

2018-06-25

The structural and electronic properties of bilayer (AA- and AB-stacked) and tri-layer (AAA-, ABA- and AAB-stacked) penta-graphene (PG) have been investigated in the framework of density functional theory. The present results demonstrate that the ground state energy in AB stacking is lower than that in AA stacking, whereas ABA stacking is found to be the most energetically favorable, followed by AAB and AAA stackings. All considered model configurations are found to be semiconducting, independent of the stacking sequence. In the presence of a perpendicular electric field, their band gaps can be significantly reduced and completely closed at a specific critical electric field strength, demonstrating a Stark effect. These findings show that few-layer PG will have tremendous opportunities to be applied in nanoscale electronic and optoelectronic devices owing to its tunable band gap.

Stacking dependence of carrier transport properties in multilayered black phosphorous

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sengupta, A.; Audiffred, M.; Heine, T.; Niehaus, T. A.

2016-02-01

We present the effect of different stacking orders on carrier transport properties of multi-layer black phosphorous. We consider three different stacking orders AAA, ABA and ACA, with increasing number of layers (from 2 to 6 layers). We employ a hierarchical approach in density functional theory (DFT), with structural simulations performed with generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and the bandstructure, carrier effective masses and optical properties evaluated with the meta-generalized gradient approximation (MGGA). The carrier transmission in the various black phosphorous sheets was carried out with the non-equilibrium green’s function (NEGF) approach. The results show that ACA stacking has the highest electron and hole transmission probabilities. The results show tunability for a wide range of band-gaps, carrier effective masses and transmission with a great promise for lattice engineering (stacking order and layers) in black phosphorous.

Stacking-dependent electronic property of trilayer graphene epitaxially grown on Ru(0001)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Que, Yande; Xiao, Wende, E-mail: wdxiao@iphy.ac.cn, E-mail: hjgao@iphy.ac.cn; Chen, Hui

The growth, atomic structure, and electronic property of trilayer graphene (TLG) on Ru(0001) were studied by low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy in combined with tight-binding approximation (TBA) calculations. TLG on Ru(0001) shows a flat surface with a hexagonal lattice due to the screening effect of the bottom two layers and the AB-stacking in the top two layers. The coexistence of AA- and AB-stacking in the bottom two layers leads to three different stacking orders of TLG, namely, ABA-, ABC-, and ABB-stacking. STS measurements combined with TBA calculations reveal that the density of states of TLG with ABC- andmore » ABB-stacking is characterized by one and two sharp peaks near to the Fermi level, respectively, in contrast to the V-shaped feature of TLG with ABA-stacking. Our work demonstrates that TLG on Ru(0001) might be an ideal platform for exploring stacking-dependent electronic properties of graphene.« less

Remote direct memory access over datagrams

DOEpatents

Grant, Ryan Eric; Rashti, Mohammad Javad; Balaji, Pavan; Afsahi, Ahmad

2014-12-02

A communication stack for providing remote direct memory access (RDMA) over a datagram network is disclosed. The communication stack has a user level interface configured to accept datagram related input and communicate with an RDMA enabled network interface card (NIC) via an NIC driver. The communication stack also has an RDMA protocol layer configured to supply one or more data transfer primitives for the datagram related input of the user level. The communication stack further has a direct data placement (DDP) layer configured to transfer the datagram related input from a user storage to a transport layer based on the one or more data transfer primitives by way of a lower layer protocol (LLP) over the datagram network.

Low-frequency Raman fingerprints of two-dimensional metal dichalcogenide layer stacking configurations

DOE PAGES

Puretzky, Alexander A.; Liang, Liangbo; Li, Xufan; ...

2015-05-12

In this study, stacked monolayers of two-dimensional (2D) materials present a new class of hybrid materials with tunable optoelectronic properties determined by their stacking orientation, order, and atomic registry. Atomic-resolution Z-contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy (AR-Z-STEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) can be used to determine the exact atomic registration between different layers, in few-layer 2D stacks, however fast optical characterization techniques are essential for rapid development of the field. Here, using two- and three-layer MoSe 2 and WSe 2 crystals synthesized by chemical vapor deposition we show that the generally unexplored low frequency (LF) Raman modes (< 50more » cm -1) that originate from interlayer vibrations can serve as fingerprints to characterize not only the number of layers, but also their stacking configurations. Ab initio calculations and group theory analysis corroborate the experimental assignments determined by AR-Z-STEM and show that the calculated LF mode fingerprints are related to the 2D crystal symmetries.« less

Reversible loss of Bernal stacking during the deformation of few-layer graphene in nanocomposites.

PubMed

Gong, Lei; Young, Robert J; Kinloch, Ian A; Haigh, Sarah J; Warner, Jamie H; Hinks, Jonathan A; Xu, Ziwei; Li, Li; Ding, Feng; Riaz, Ibtsam; Jalil, Rashid; Novoselov, Kostya S

2013-08-27

The deformation of nanocomposites containing graphene flakes with different numbers of layers has been investigated with the use of Raman spectroscopy. It has been found that there is a shift of the 2D band to lower wavenumber and that the rate of band shift per unit strain tends to decrease as the number of graphene layers increases. It has been demonstrated that band broadening takes place during tensile deformation for mono- and bilayer graphene but that band narrowing occurs when the number of graphene layers is more than two. It is also found that the characteristic asymmetric shape of the 2D Raman band for the graphene with three or more layers changes to a symmetrical shape above about 0.4% strain and that it reverts to an asymmetric shape on unloading. This change in Raman band shape and width has been interpreted as being due to a reversible loss of Bernal stacking in the few-layer graphene during deformation. It has been shown that the elastic strain energy released from the unloading of the inner graphene layers in the few-layer material (~0.2 meV/atom) is similar to the accepted value of the stacking fault energies of graphite and few layer graphene. It is further shown that this loss of Bernal stacking can be accommodated by the formation of arrays of partial dislocations and stacking faults on the basal plane. The effect of the reversible loss of Bernal stacking upon the electronic structure of few-layer graphene and the possibility of using it to modify the electronic structure of few-layer graphene are discussed.

Reversible Loss of Bernal Stacking during the Deformation of Few-Layer Graphene in Nanocomposites

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

The deformation of nanocomposites containing graphene flakes with different numbers of layers has been investigated with the use of Raman spectroscopy. It has been found that there is a shift of the 2D band to lower wavenumber and that the rate of band shift per unit strain tends to decrease as the number of graphene layers increases. It has been demonstrated that band broadening takes place during tensile deformation for mono- and bilayer graphene but that band narrowing occurs when the number of graphene layers is more than two. It is also found that the characteristic asymmetric shape of the 2D Raman band for the graphene with three or more layers changes to a symmetrical shape above about 0.4% strain and that it reverts to an asymmetric shape on unloading. This change in Raman band shape and width has been interpreted as being due to a reversible loss of Bernal stacking in the few-layer graphene during deformation. It has been shown that the elastic strain energy released from the unloading of the inner graphene layers in the few-layer material (∼0.2 meV/atom) is similar to the accepted value of the stacking fault energies of graphite and few layer graphene. It is further shown that this loss of Bernal stacking can be accommodated by the formation of arrays of partial dislocations and stacking faults on the basal plane. The effect of the reversible loss of Bernal stacking upon the electronic structure of few-layer graphene and the possibility of using it to modify the electronic structure of few-layer graphene are discussed. PMID:23899378

Photovoltaic sub-cell interconnects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

van Hest, Marinus Franciscus Antonius Maria; Swinger Platt, Heather Anne

2017-05-09

Photovoltaic sub-cell interconnect systems and methods are provided. In one embodiment, a photovoltaic device comprises a thin film stack of layers deposited upon a substrate, wherein the thin film stack layers are subdivided into a plurality of sub-cells interconnected in series by a plurality of electrical interconnection structures; and wherein the plurality of electrical interconnection structures each comprise no more than two scribes that penetrate into the thin film stack layers.

Performance enhancement in Sb doped Cu(InGa)Se2 thin film solar cell by e-beam evaporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jieyi; Shen, Honglie; Zhai, Zihao; Li, Yufang; Yi, Yunge

2018-03-01

To investigate the effects of Sb doping on the structural and electrical properties of Cu(InGa)Se2 (CIGS) thin films and solar cells, CIGS thin films, prepared by e-beam evaporation on soda-lime glass, were doped with lower and upper Sb layers in the precursor stacks respectively. Change of structure and introduction of stress were observed in the CIGS thin films with upper Sb layer in stack through XRD and Raman measurement. Both crystalline quality and compactness of CIGS thin films were improved by the doping of upper Sb layer in stack and the CIGS thin film showed an optimal structural property with 20 nm Sb layer. Movement of Fermi level of the surface of CIGS thin film after doping of upper Sb layer in stack and electrons transfer between Cu/Cu+ redox couple and CIGS thin films, which provided probability for the substitution of Sb for Cu sites at the surface of CIGS thin films, were proposed to explain the migration of Cu from the surface to the bulk of CIGS thin films. The larger barrier at the CIGS/CdS interface after doping of upper Sb layer in stack made contribution to the increase of VOC of CIGS solar cells. The efficiency of CIGS solar cell was improved from 3.3% to 7.2% after doping with 20 nm upper Sb. Compared to the CIGS solar cell with lower Sb layer in stack, in which an additional Cu2-xSe phase was found, the CIGS solar cell with upper Sb layer in stack possessed a higher efficiency.

Improved speed and data retention characteristics in flash memory using a stacked HfO2/Ta2O5 charge-trapping layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Zhiwei; Huo, Zongliang; Zhang, Manhong; Zhu, Chenxin; Liu, Jing; Liu, Ming

2011-10-01

This paper reports the simultaneous improvements in erase speed and data retention characteristics in flash memory using a stacked HfO2/Ta2O5 charge-trapping layer. In comparison to a memory capacitor with a single HfO2 trapping layer, the erase speed of a memory capacitor with a stacked HfO2/Ta2O5 charge-trapping layer is 100 times faster and its memory window is enlarged from 2.7 to 4.8 V for the same ±16 V sweeping voltage range. With the same initial window of ΔVFB = 4 V, the device with a stacked HfO2/Ta2O5 charge-trapping layer has a 3.5 V extrapolated 10-year retention window, while the control device with a single HfO2 trapping layer has only 2.5 V for the extrapolated 10-year window. The present results demonstrate that the device with the stacked HfO2/Ta2O5 charge-trapping layer has a strong potential for future high-performance nonvolatile memory application.

Modelling the protocol stack in NCS with deterministic and stochastic petri net

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hui, Chen; Chunjie, Zhou; Weifeng, Zhu

2011-06-01

Protocol stack is the basis of the networked control systems (NCS). Full or partial reconfiguration of protocol stack offers both optimised communication service and system performance. Nowadays, field testing is unrealistic to determine the performance of reconfigurable protocol stack; and the Petri net formal description technique offers the best combination of intuitive representation, tool support and analytical capabilities. Traditionally, separation between the different layers of the OSI model has been a common practice. Nevertheless, such a layered modelling analysis framework of protocol stack leads to the lack of global optimisation for protocol reconfiguration. In this article, we proposed a general modelling analysis framework for NCS based on the cross-layer concept, which is to establish an efficiency system scheduling model through abstracting the time constraint, the task interrelation, the processor and the bus sub-models from upper and lower layers (application, data link and physical layer). Cross-layer design can help to overcome the inadequacy of global optimisation based on information sharing between protocol layers. To illustrate the framework, we take controller area network (CAN) as a case study. The simulation results of deterministic and stochastic Petri-net (DSPN) model can help us adjust the message scheduling scheme and obtain better system performance.

Performance evaluation of complete data transfer of physical layer according to IEEE 802.15.4 standard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raju, Kota Solomon; Merugu, Naresh Babu; Neetu, Babu, E. Ram

2016-03-01

ZigBee is well-accepted industrial standard for wireless sensor networks based on IEEE 802.15.4 standard. Wireless Sensor Networks is the major concern of communication these days. These Wireless Sensor Networks investigate the properties of networks of small battery-powered sensors with wireless communication. The communication between any two wireless nodes of wireless sensor networks is carried out through a protocol stack. This protocol stack has been designed by different vendors in various ways. Every custom vendor possesses his own protocol stack and algorithms especially at the MAC layer. But, many applications require modifications in their algorithms at various layers as per their requirements, especially energy efficient protocols at MAC layer that are simulated in Wireless sensor Network Simulators which are not being tested in real time systems because vendors do not allow the programmability of each layer in their protocol stack. This problem can be quoted as Vendor-Interoperability. The solution is to develop the programmable protocol stack where we can design our own application as required. As a part of the task first we tried implementing physical layer and transmission of data using physical layer. This paper describes about the transmission of the total number of bytes of Frame according to the IEEE 802.15.4 standard using Physical Layer.

Compositional modulated atomic layer stacking and uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy of CoPt alloy sputtered films with close-packed plane orientation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saito, Shin, E-mail: ssaito@ecei.tohoku.ac.jp; Nozawa, Naoki; Hinata, Shintaro

An atomic layer stacking structure in hexagonal close packed (hcp) Co{sub 100−x}Pt{sub x} alloy films with c-plane sheet texture was directly observed by a high-angle annular dark-field imaging scanning transmission electron microscopy. The analysis of sequential and/or compositional atomic layer stacking structure and uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy (K{sub u} = K{sub u1} + K{sub u2}) revealed that (1) integrated intensity of the superlattice diffraction takes the maximum at x = 20 at. % and shows broadening feature against x for the film fabricated under the substrate temperature (T{sub sub}) of 400 °C. (2) Compositional separation structure in atomic layers is formed for the films fabricated under T{sub sub} = 400 °C.more » A sequential alternative stacking of atomic layers with different compositions is hardly formed in the film with x = 50 at. %, whereas easily formed in the film with x = 20 at. %. This peculiar atomic layer stacking structure consists of in-plane-disordered Pt-rich and Pt-poor layers, which is completely different from the so-called atomic site ordered structure. (3) A face centered cubic atomic layer stacking as faults appeared in the host hcp atomic layer stacking exists in accompanies with irregularities for the periodicity of the compositional modulation atomic layers. (4) K{sub u1} takes the maximum of 1.4 × 10{sup 7 }erg/cm{sup 3} at around x = 20 at. %, whereas K{sub u2} takes the maximum of 0.7 × 10{sup 7 }erg/cm{sup 3} at around x = 40 at. %, which results in the maximum of 1.8 × 10{sup 7 }erg/cm{sup 3} of K{sub u} at x = 30 at. % and a shoulder in compositional dependence of K{sub u} in the range of x = 30–60 at. %. Not only compositional separation of atomic layers but also sequential alternative stacking of different compositional layers is quite important to improve essential uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy.« less

Development and characterization of a three-dimensional radiochromic film stack dosimeter for megavoltage photon beam dosimetry.

PubMed

McCaw, Travis J; Micka, John A; DeWerd, Larry A

2014-05-01

Three-dimensional (3D) dosimeters are particularly useful for verifying the commissioning of treatment planning and delivery systems, especially with the ever-increasing implementation of complex and conformal radiotherapy techniques such as volumetric modulated arc therapy. However, currently available 3D dosimeters require extensive experience to prepare and analyze, and are subject to large measurement uncertainties. This work aims to provide a more readily implementable 3D dosimeter with the development and characterization of a radiochromic film stack dosimeter for megavoltage photon beam dosimetry. A film stack dosimeter was developed using Gafchromic(®) EBT2 films. The dosimeter consists of 22 films separated by 1 mm-thick spacers. A Virtual Water™ phantom was created that maintains the radial film alignment within a maximum uncertainty of 0.3 mm. The film stack dosimeter was characterized using simulations and measurements of 6 MV fields. The absorbed-dose energy dependence and orientation dependence of the film stack dosimeter were investigated using Monte Carlo simulations. The water equivalence of the dosimeter was determined by comparing percentage-depth-dose (PDD) profiles measured with the film stack dosimeter and simulated using Monte Carlo methods. Film stack dosimeter measurements were verified with thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) microcube measurements. The film stack dosimeter was also used to verify the delivery of an intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) procedure. The absorbed-dose energy response of EBT2 film differs less than 1.5% between the calibration and film stack dosimeter geometries for a 6 MV spectrum. Over a series of beam angles ranging from normal incidence to parallel incidence, the overall variation in the response of the film stack dosimeter is within a range of 2.5%. Relative to the response to a normally incident beam, the film stack dosimeter exhibits a 1% under-response when the beam axis is parallel to the film planes. Measured and simulated PDD profiles agree within a root-mean-square difference of 1.3%. In-field film stack dosimeter and TLD measurements agree within 5%, and measurements in the field penumbra agree within 0.5 mm. Film stack dosimeter and TLD measurements have expanded (k = 2) overall measurement uncertainties of 6.2% and 5.8%, respectively. Film stack dosimeter measurements of an IMRT dose distribution have 98% agreement with the treatment planning system dose calculation, using gamma criteria of 3% and 2 mm. The film stack dosimeter is capable of high-resolution, low-uncertainty 3D dose measurements, and can be readily incorporated into an existing film dosimetry program.

Comparison between layers stacks of 67P/CG comet and spectrophotometric variability obtained from OSIRIS data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrari, S.; Penasa, L.; La Forgia, F.; Massironi, M.; Naletto, G.; Lazzarin, M.; Fornasier, S.; Barucci, M. A.; Lucchetti, A.; Pajola, M.; Frattin, E.; Bertini, I.; Ferri, F.; Cremonese, G.

2017-09-01

The Rosetta/OSIRIS cameras unveiled the layered nature of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, suggesting that the comet bilobate shape results from the low-velocity merging of two independent onion-like objects. Several physiographical regions of the southern-hemisphere big lobe show stacks of layers forming high scarps, terraces and mesas. A spectrophotometric analysis of OSIRIS images based on multispectral data classifications was conducted in order to identify possible morphological, textural and/or compositional characters that allow to distinguish regional stacks of layers.

Stacking sequence determines Raman intensities of observed interlayer shear modes in 2D layered materials – A general bond polarizability model

PubMed Central

Luo, Xin; Lu, Xin; Cong, Chunxiao; Yu, Ting; Xiong, Qihua; Ying Quek, Su

2015-01-01

2D layered materials have recently attracted tremendous interest due to their fascinating properties and potential applications. The interlayer interactions are much weaker than the intralayer bonds, allowing the as-synthesized materials to exhibit different stacking sequences, leading to different physical properties. Here, we show that regardless of the space group of the 2D materials, the Raman frequencies of the interlayer shear modes observed under the typical configuration blue shift for AB stacked materials, and red shift for ABC stacked materials, as the number of layers increases. Our predictions are made using an intuitive bond polarizability model which shows that stacking sequence plays a key role in determining which interlayer shear modes lead to the largest change in polarizability (Raman intensity); the modes with the largest Raman intensity determining the frequency trends. We present direct evidence for these conclusions by studying the Raman modes in few layer graphene, MoS2, MoSe2, WSe2 and Bi2Se3, using both first principles calculations and Raman spectroscopy. This study sheds light on the influence of stacking sequence on the Raman intensities of intrinsic interlayer modes in 2D layered materials in general, and leads to a practical way of identifying the stacking sequence in these materials. PMID:26469313

Stacking sequence determines Raman intensities of observed interlayer shear modes in 2D layered materials--A general bond polarizability model.

PubMed

Luo, Xin; Lu, Xin; Cong, Chunxiao; Yu, Ting; Xiong, Qihua; Quek, Su Ying

2015-10-15

2D layered materials have recently attracted tremendous interest due to their fascinating properties and potential applications. The interlayer interactions are much weaker than the intralayer bonds, allowing the as-synthesized materials to exhibit different stacking sequences, leading to different physical properties. Here, we show that regardless of the space group of the 2D materials, the Raman frequencies of the interlayer shear modes observed under the typical z(xx)z configuration blue shift for AB stacked materials, and red shift for ABC stacked materials, as the number of layers increases. Our predictions are made using an intuitive bond polarizability model which shows that stacking sequence plays a key role in determining which interlayer shear modes lead to the largest change in polarizability (Raman intensity); the modes with the largest Raman intensity determining the frequency trends. We present direct evidence for these conclusions by studying the Raman modes in few layer graphene, MoS2, MoSe2, WSe2 and Bi2Se3, using both first principles calculations and Raman spectroscopy. This study sheds light on the influence of stacking sequence on the Raman intensities of intrinsic interlayer modes in 2D layered materials in general, and leads to a practical way of identifying the stacking sequence in these materials.

Tuneable photonic device including an array of metamaterial resonators

DOEpatents

Brener, Igal; Wanke, Michael; Benz, Alexander

2017-03-14

A photonic apparatus includes a metamaterial resonator array overlying and electromagnetically coupled to a vertically stacked plurality of quantum wells defined in a semiconductor body. An arrangement of electrical contact layers is provided for facilitating the application of a bias voltage across the quantum well stack. Those portions of the semiconductor body that lie between the electrical contact layers are conformed to provide an electrically conductive path between the contact layers and through the quantum well stack.

Low-frequency Raman modes as fingerprints of layer stacking configurations of transition metal dichalcogenides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Liangbo; Puretzky, Alexander; Sumpter, Bobby; Meunier, Vincent; Geohegan, David; David B. Geohegan Team; Vincent Meunier Team

The tunable optoelectronic properties of stacked two-dimensional (2D) crystal monolayers are determined by their stacking orientation, order, and atomic registry. Atomic-resolution Z-contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy (AR-Z-STEM) can be used to determine the exact atomic registration between different layers in few-layer 2D stacks; however, fast and relatively inexpensive optical characterization techniques are essential for rapid development of the field. Using two- and three-layer MoSe2 and WSe2 crystals synthesized by chemical vapor deposition, we show that the generally unexplored low-frequency (LF) Raman modes (<50 cm-1) that originate from interlayer vibrations can serve as fingerprints to characterize not only the number of layers, but also their stacking configurations [Puretzky and Liang et al, ACS Nano 2015, 9, 6333]. First-principles Raman calculations and group theory analysis corroborate the experimental assignments determined by AR-Z-STEM and show that the calculated LF mode fingerprints are related to the 2D crystal symmetries. Our combined experimental/theoretical work demonstrates the LF Raman modes potentially more effective than HF Raman modes to probe the layer stacking and interlayer interaction for 2D materials. The authors acknowledge support from Eugene P. Wigner Fellowship at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, a DOE Office of Science User Facility.

Preparation of novel layer-stack hexagonal CdO micro-rods by a pre-oxidation and subsequent evaporation process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Peng, Kun, E-mail: kpeng@hnu.edu.cn; Hunan Province Key Laboratory for Spray Deposition Technology and Application, Hunan University, Changsha 410082; Jiang, Pan

2014-12-15

Graphical abstract: Layer-stack hexagonal cadmium oxide (CdO) micro-rods were prepared. - Highlights: • Novel hexagonal layer-stack structure CdO micro-rods were synthesized by a thermal evaporation method. • The pre-oxidation, vapor pressure and substrate nature play a key role on the formation of CdO rods. • The formation mechanism of CdO micro-rods was explained. - Abstract: Novel layer-stack hexagonal cadmium oxide (CdO) micro-rods were prepared by pre-oxidizing Cd granules and subsequent thermal oxidation under normal atmospheric pressure. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed to characterize the phase structure and microstructure. The pre-oxidation process, vapor pressure and substratemore » nature were the key factors for the formation of CdO micro-rods. The diameter of micro-rod and surface rough increased with increasing of thermal evaporation temperature, the length of micro-rod increased with the increasing of evaporation time. The formation of hexagonal layer-stack structure was explained by a vapor–solid mechanism.« less

Photoluminescence enhancement through vertical stacking of defect-engineered Ge on Si quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Groiss, Heiko; Spindlberger, Lukas; Oberhumer, Peter; Schäffler, Friedrich; Fromherz, Thomas; Grydlik, Martyna; Brehm, Moritz

2017-02-01

In this work, we show that the room-temperature photoluminescence intensity from Ge ion-bombarded (GIB) epitaxial Ge on Si quantum dots (QD) can be improved by their vertical stacking. We stress that the growth of GIB-QD multilayers is more demanding compared to all-crystalline epitaxial QDs, as a consequence of local amorphous regions within the GIB-QDs required during their genesis. We show that in spite of those amorphous regions, for accurately chosen growth temperatures of the Si spacer layers separating the GIB-QD layers, multiple GIB-QD layers can be stacked without detrimental break-down of epitaxial growth. Compared to a single GIB-QD layer, we observe a 650% increase in PL intensity for an eleven-layer GIB-QD stack, indicating that such multilayers are promising candidates as gain material for all-group-IV nano-photonic lasers.

Within-wafer CD variation induced by wafer shape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Chi-hao; Yang, Mars; Yang, Elvis; Yang, T. H.; Chen, K. C.

2016-03-01

In order to meet the increasing storage capacity demand and reduce bit cost of NAND flash memories, 3D stacked vertical flash cell array has been proposed. In constructing 3D NAND flash memories, the bit number per unit area is increased as increasing the number of stacked layers. However, the increased number of stacked layers has made the film stress control extremely important for maintaining good process quality. The residual film stress alters the wafer shape accordingly several process impacts have been readily observed across wafer, such as film deposition non-uniformity, etch rate non-uniformity, wafer chucking error on scanner, materials coating/baking defects, overlay degradation and critical dimension (CD) non-uniformity. The residual tensile and compressive stresses on wafers will result in concave and convex wafer shapes, respectively. This study investigates within-wafer CD uniformity (CDU) associated with wafer shape change induced by the 3D NAND flash memory processes. Within-wafer CDU was correlated with several critical parameters including different wafer bow heights of concave and convex wafer shapes, photo resists with different post exposure baking (PEB) temperature sensitivities, and DoseMapper compensation. The results indicated the trend of within-wafer CDU maintains flat for convex wafer shapes with bow height up to +230um and concave wafer shapes with bow height ranging from 0 ~ -70um, while the within-wafer CDU trends up from -70um to -246um wafer bow heights. To minimize the within-wafer CD distribution induced by wafer warpage, carefully tailoring the film stack and thermal budget in the process flow for maintaining the wafer shape at CDU friendly range is indispensable and using photo-resist materials with lower PEB temperature sensitivity is also suggested. In addition, DoseMapper compensation is also an alternative to greatly suppress the within-wafer CD non-uniformity but the photo-resist profile variation induced by across-wafer PEB temperature non-uniformity attributed to wafer warpage is uncorrectable, and the photo-resist profile variation is believed to affect across-wafer etch bias uniformity to some degree.

Adhesion promoters for large scale fabrication of dielectric elastomer stack transducers (DESTs) made of pre-fabricated dielectric films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grotepaß, T.; Förster-Zügel, F.; Mößinger, H.; Schlaak, H. F.

2015-04-01

Multilayer dielectric elastomer stack transducers (DESTs) are a promising new transducer technology with many applications in different industry sectors, like medical devices, human-machine-interaction, etc. Stacked dielectric elastomer transducers show larger thickness contraction driven by lower voltages than transducers made from a single dielectric layer. Traditionally multilayered DESTs are produced by repeatedly cross-linking a liquid elastomeric pre-polymer into the required shape. Our recent research focusses on a novel fabrication method for large scale stack transducers with a surface area over 200 x 300 mm by processing pre-fabricated elastomeric thin films of less than 50 μm thicknesses. The thin films are provided as two- or three-layer composites, where the elastomer is sandwiched between one or two sacrificial liners. Separating the elastomeric film from the residual layers and assembling them into dielectric elastomer stack transducers poses many challenges concerning adhesion, since the dielectric film merely separates from the liner if the adhesive forces between them are overcome. Conversely, during the assembly of a dielectric elastomer stack transducer, adhesive forces have to be established between two elastomeric layers or between the dielectric and the electrode layer. The very low Young's modulus of at least one adhesion partner requires suitable means of increasing the adhesive forces between the different adhesive layers of a dielectric elastomer stack transducer to prevent a delamination of the transducer during its lifetime. This work evaluates different surface activation treatments - corona, low-pressure plasma and UV-light - and their applicability in the production of large scale DESTs made from pre-fabricated elastomeric films.

Analytical model of surface potential profiles and transfer characteristics for hetero stacked tunnel field-effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Hui Fang; Sun, Wen; Han, Xin Feng

2018-06-01

An analytical model of surface potential profiles and transfer characteristics for hetero stacked tunnel field-effect transistors (HS-TFETs) is presented for the first time, where hetero stacked materials are composed of two different bandgaps. The bandgap of the underlying layer is smaller than that of the upper layer. Under different device parameters (upper layer thickness, underlying layer thickness, and hetero stacked materials) and temperature, the validity of the model is demonstrated by the agreement of its results with the simulation results. Moreover, the results show that the HS-TFETs can obtain predominant performance with relatively slow changes of subthreshold swing (SS) over a wide drain current range, steep average subthreshold swing, high on-state current, and large on–off state current ratio.

Stacking stability of MoS2 bilayer: An ab initio study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Peng; Guo, Huai-Hong; Yang, Teng; Zhang, Zhi-Dong

2014-10-01

The study of the stacking stability of bilayer MoS2 is essential since a bilayer has exhibited advantages over single layer MoS2 in many aspects for nanoelectronic applications. We explored the relative stability, optimal sliding path between different stacking orders of bilayer MoS2, and (especially) the effect of inter-layer stress, by combining first-principles density functional total energy calculations and the climbing-image nudge-elastic-band (CI-NEB) method. Among five typical stacking orders, which can be categorized into two kinds (I: AA, AB and II: AA', AB', A'B), we found that stacking orders with Mo and S superposing from both layers, such as AA' and AB, is more stable than the others. With smaller computational efforts than potential energy profile searching, we can study the effect of inter-layer stress on the stacking stability. Under isobaric condition, the sliding barrier increases by a few eV/(ucGPa) from AA' to AB', compared to 0.1 eV/(ucGPa) from AB to [AB]. Moreover, we found that interlayer compressive stress can help enhance the transport properties of AA'. This study can help understand why inter-layer stress by dielectric gating materials can be an effective means to improving MoS2 on nanoelectronic applications.

Photovoltaic device having light transmitting electrically conductive stacked films

DOEpatents

Weber, Michael F.; Tran, Nang T.; Jeffrey, Frank R.; Gilbert, James R.; Aspen, Frank E.

1990-07-10

A light transmitting electrically conductive stacked film, useful as a light transmitting electrode, including a first light transmitting electrically conductive layer, having a first optical thickness, a second light transmitting layer, having a second optical thickness different from the optical thickness of the first layer, and an electrically conductive metallic layer interposed between and in initimate contact with the first and second layers.

340 Ghz Multipixel Transceiver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chattopadhyay, Goutam (Inventor); Cooper, Ken B. (Inventor); Decrossas, Emmanuel (Inventor); Gill, John J. (Inventor); Jung-Kubiak, Cecile (Inventor); Lee, Choonsup (Inventor); Lin, Robert (Inventor); Mehdi, Imran (Inventor); Peralta, Alejandro (Inventor); Reck, Theodore (Inventor)

2017-01-01

A multi-pixel terahertz transceiver is constructed using a stack of semiconductor layers that communicate using vias defined within the semiconductor layers. By using a stack of semiconductor layers, the various electrical functions of each layer can be tested easily without having to assemble the entire transceiver. In addition, the design allows the production of a transceiver having pixels set 10 mm apart.

Stacking orders induced direct band gap in bilayer MoSe2-WSe2 lateral heterostructures.

PubMed

Hu, Xiaohui; Kou, Liangzhi; Sun, Litao

2016-08-16

The direct band gap of monolayer semiconducting transition-metal dichalcogenides (STMDs) enables a host of new optical and electrical properties. However, bilayer STMDs are indirect band gap semiconductors, which limits its applicability for high-efficiency optoelectronic devices. Here, we report that the direct band gap can be achieved in bilayer MoSe2-WSe2 lateral heterostructures by alternating stacking orders. Specifically, when Se atoms from opposite layers are stacked directly on top of each other, AA and A'B stacked heterostructures show weaker interlayer coupling, larger interlayer distance and direct band gap. Whereas, when Se atoms from opposite layers are staggered, AA', AB and AB' stacked heterostructures exhibit stronger interlayer coupling, shorter interlayer distance and indirect band gap. Thus, the direct/indirect band gap can be controllable in bilayer MoSe2-WSe2 lateral heterostructures. In addition, the calculated sliding barriers indicate that the stacking orders of bilayer MoSe2-WSe2 lateral heterostructures can be easily formed by sliding one layer with respect to the other. The novel direct band gap in bilayer MoSe2-WSe2 lateral heterostructures provides possible application for high-efficiency optoelectronic devices. The results also show that the stacking order is an effective strategy to induce and tune the band gap of layered STMDs.

Development and characterization of a three-dimensional radiochromic film stack dosimeter for megavoltage photon beam dosimetry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McCaw, Travis J., E-mail: mccaw@wisc.edu; Micka, John A.; DeWerd, Larry A.

Purpose: Three-dimensional (3D) dosimeters are particularly useful for verifying the commissioning of treatment planning and delivery systems, especially with the ever-increasing implementation of complex and conformal radiotherapy techniques such as volumetric modulated arc therapy. However, currently available 3D dosimeters require extensive experience to prepare and analyze, and are subject to large measurement uncertainties. This work aims to provide a more readily implementable 3D dosimeter with the development and characterization of a radiochromic film stack dosimeter for megavoltage photon beam dosimetry. Methods: A film stack dosimeter was developed using Gafchromic{sup ®} EBT2 films. The dosimeter consists of 22 films separated bymore » 1 mm-thick spacers. A Virtual Water™ phantom was created that maintains the radial film alignment within a maximum uncertainty of 0.3 mm. The film stack dosimeter was characterized using simulations and measurements of 6 MV fields. The absorbed-dose energy dependence and orientation dependence of the film stack dosimeter were investigated using Monte Carlo simulations. The water equivalence of the dosimeter was determined by comparing percentage-depth-dose (PDD) profiles measured with the film stack dosimeter and simulated using Monte Carlo methods. Film stack dosimeter measurements were verified with thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) microcube measurements. The film stack dosimeter was also used to verify the delivery of an intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) procedure. Results: The absorbed-dose energy response of EBT2 film differs less than 1.5% between the calibration and film stack dosimeter geometries for a 6 MV spectrum. Over a series of beam angles ranging from normal incidence to parallel incidence, the overall variation in the response of the film stack dosimeter is within a range of 2.5%. Relative to the response to a normally incident beam, the film stack dosimeter exhibits a 1% under-response when the beam axis is parallel to the film planes. Measured and simulated PDD profiles agree within a root-mean-square difference of 1.3%. In-field film stack dosimeter and TLD measurements agree within 5%, and measurements in the field penumbra agree within 0.5 mm. Film stack dosimeter and TLD measurements have expanded (k = 2) overall measurement uncertainties of 6.2% and 5.8%, respectively. Film stack dosimeter measurements of an IMRT dose distribution have 98% agreement with the treatment planning system dose calculation, using gamma criteria of 3% and 2 mm. Conclusions: The film stack dosimeter is capable of high-resolution, low-uncertainty 3D dose measurements, and can be readily incorporated into an existing film dosimetry program.« less

Effect of multilayer structure, stacking order and external electric field on the electrical properties of few-layer boron-phosphide.

PubMed

Chen, Xianping; Tan, Chunjian; Yang, Qun; Meng, Ruishen; Liang, Qiuhua; Jiang, Junke; Sun, Xiang; Yang, D Q; Ren, Tianling

2016-06-28

Development of nanoelectronics requires two-dimensional (2D) systems with both direct-bandgap and tunable electronic properties as they act in response to the external electric field (E-field). Here, we present a detailed theoretical investigation to predict the effect of atomic structure, stacking order and external electric field on the electrical properties of few-layer boron-phosphide (BP). We demonstrate that the splitting of bands and bandgap of BP depends on the number of layers and the stacking order. The values for the bandgap show a monotonically decreasing relationship with increasing layer number. We also show that AB-stacking BP has a direct-bandgap, while ABA-stacking BP has an indirect-bandgap when the number of layers n > 2. In addition, for a bilayer and a trilayer, the bandgap increases (decreases) as the electric field increases along the positive direction of the external electric field (E-field) (negative direction). In the case of four-layer BP, the bandgap exhibits a nonlinearly decreasing behavior as the increase in the electric field is independent of the electric field direction. The tunable mechanism of the bandgap can be attributed to a giant Stark effect. Interestingly, the investigation also shows that a semiconductor-to-metal transition may occur for the four-layer case or more layers beyond the critical electric field. Our findings may inspire more efforts in fabricating new nanoelectronics devices based on few-layer BP.

Solar cells

DOEpatents

Peumans, Peter; Uchida, Soichi; Forrest, Stephen R.

2013-06-18

Organic photosensitive optoelectronic devices are disclosed. The devises are thin-film crystalline organic optoelectronic devices capable of generating a voltage when exposed to light, and prepared by a method including the steps of: depositing a first organic layer over a first electrode; depositing a second organic layer over the first organic layer; depositing a confining layer over the second organic layer to form a stack; annealing the stack; and finally depositing a second electrode over the second organic layer.

Piezoelectric Multilayer-Stacked Hybrid Actuation/Transduction System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xu, Tian-Bing (Inventor); Jiang, Xiaoning (Inventor); Su, Ji (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A novel full piezoelectric multilayer stacked hybrid actuation/transduction system. The system demonstrates significantly-enhanced electromechanical performance by utilizing the cooperative contributions of the electromechanical responses of multilayer stacked negative and positive strain components. Both experimental and theoretical studies indicate that for this system, the displacement is over three times that of a same-sized conventional flextensional actuator/transducer. The system consists of at least 2 layers which include electromechanically active components. The layers are arranged such that when electric power is applied, one layer contracts in a transverse direction while the second layer expands in a transverse direction which is perpendicular to the transverse direction of the first layer. An alternate embodiment includes a third layer. In this embodiment, the outer two layers contract in parallel transverse directions while the middle layer expands in a transverse direction which is perpendicular to the transverse direction of the outer layers.

Thin film photovoltaic devices with a minimally conductive buffer layer

DOEpatents

Barnes, Teresa M.; Burst, James

2016-11-15

A thin film photovoltaic device (100) with a tunable, minimally conductive buffer (128) layer is provided. The photovoltaic device (100) may include a back contact (150), a transparent front contact stack (120), and an absorber (140) positioned between the front contact stack (120) and the back contact (150). The front contact stack (120) may include a low resistivity transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer (124) and a buffer layer (128) that is proximate to the absorber layer (140). The photovoltaic device (100) may also include a window layer (130) between the buffer layer (128) and the absorber (140). In some cases, the buffer layer (128) is minimally conductive, with its resistivity being tunable, and the buffer layer (128) may be formed as an alloy from a host oxide and a high-permittivity oxide. The high-permittivity oxide may further be chosen to have a bandgap greater than the host oxide.

Stacking of ZnSe/ZnCdSe Multi-Quantum Wells on GaAs (100) by Epitaxial Lift-Off

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eldose, N. M.; Zhu, J.; Mavridi, N.; Prior, Kevin; Moug, R. T.

2018-05-01

Here we present stacking of GaAs/ZnSe/ZnCdSe single-quantum well (QW) structures using epitaxial lift-off (ELO). Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE)-grown II-VI QW structure was lifted using our standard ELO technique. The QW structures were transferred onto glass plates and then subsequent layers stacked on top of each other to form a triple-QW structure. This was compared to an MBE-grown multiple-QW (MQW) structure of similar design. Low-temperature (77 K) photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy was used to compare the two structures and showed no obvious degradation of the ELO stacked layer. It was observed that by stacking the single QW layer on itself we could increase the PL emission intensity beyond that of the grown MQW structure while maintaining narrow line width.

3-D readout-electronics packaging for high-bandwidth massively paralleled imager

DOEpatents

Kwiatkowski, Kris; Lyke, James

2007-12-18

Dense, massively parallel signal processing electronics are co-packaged behind associated sensor pixels. Microchips containing a linear or bilinear arrangement of photo-sensors, together with associated complex electronics, are integrated into a simple 3-D structure (a "mirror cube"). An array of photo-sensitive cells are disposed on a stacked CMOS chip's surface at a 45.degree. angle from light reflecting mirror surfaces formed on a neighboring CMOS chip surface. Image processing electronics are held within the stacked CMOS chip layers. Electrical connections couple each of said stacked CMOS chip layers and a distribution grid, the connections for distributing power and signals to components associated with each stacked CSMO chip layer.

Stacked multilayers of alternating reduced graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes for planar supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moon, Geon Dae; Joo, Ji Bong; Yin, Yadong

2013-11-01

A simple layer-by-layer approach has been developed for constructing 2D planar supercapacitors of multi-stacked reduced graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes. This sandwiched 2D architecture enables the full utilization of the maximum active surface area of rGO nanosheets by using a CNT layer as a porous physical spacer to enhance the permeation of a gel electrolyte inside the structure and reduce the agglomeration of rGO nanosheets along the vertical direction. As a result, the stacked multilayers of rGO and CNTs are capable of offering higher output voltage and current production.A simple layer-by-layer approach has been developed for constructing 2D planar supercapacitors of multi-stacked reduced graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes. This sandwiched 2D architecture enables the full utilization of the maximum active surface area of rGO nanosheets by using a CNT layer as a porous physical spacer to enhance the permeation of a gel electrolyte inside the structure and reduce the agglomeration of rGO nanosheets along the vertical direction. As a result, the stacked multilayers of rGO and CNTs are capable of offering higher output voltage and current production. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental details, SEM and TEM images and additional electrochemical data. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr04339h

Molecular Beam Epitaxy of Layered Material Superlattices and Heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vishwanath, Suresh; Liu, Xinyu; Rouvimov, Sergei; Furdyna, Jacek K.; Jena, Debdeep; Xing, Huili Grace

2014-03-01

Stacking of various layered materials is being pursued widely to realize various devices and observe novel physics. Mostly, these have been limited to exfoliation and stacking either manually or in solution, where control on rotational alignment or order of stacking is lost. We have demonstrated molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth of Bi2Se3/MoSe2 superlatticeand Bi2Se3/MoSe2/SnSe2 heterostructure on sapphire. We have achieved a better control on the order of stacking and number of layers as compared to the solution technique. We have characterized these structures using RHEED, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, AFM, X-ray reflectometry, cross-section (cs) and in-plane (ip) TEM. The rotational alignment is dictated by thermodynamics and is understood using ip-TEM diffraction patterns. Layered growth and long range order is evident from the streaky RHEED pattern. Abrupt change in RHEED pattern, clear demarcation of boundary between layers seen using cs-TEM and observation of Raman peaks corresponding to all the layers suggest van-der-waals epitaxy. In our knowledge this is a first demonstration of as grown superlattices and heterostuctures involving transition metal dichalcogenides and is an important step towards the goal of stacking of 2D crystals like lego blocks.

Stacking Fault Enriching the Electronic and Transport Properties of Few-Layer Phosphorenes and Black Phosphorus.

PubMed

Lei, Shuangying; Wang, Han; Huang, Lan; Sun, Yi-Yang; Zhang, Shengbai

2016-02-10

Interface engineering is critical for enriching the electronic and transport properties of two-dimensional materials. Here, we identify a new stacking, named Aδ, in few-layer phosphorenes (FLPs) and black phosphorus (BP) based on first-principles calculation. With its low formation energy, the Aδ stacking could exist in FLPs and BP as a stacking fault. The presence of the Aδ stacking fault induces a direct to indirect transition of the band gap in FLPs. It also affects the carrier mobilities by significantly increasing the carrier effective masses. More importantly, the Aδ stacking enables the fabrication of a whole spectrum of lateral junctions with all the type-I, II, and III alignments simply through the manipulation of the van der Waals stacking without resorting to any chemical modification. This is achieved by the widely tunable electron affinity and ionization potential of FLPs and BP with the Aδ stacking.

First-principles studies of electric field effects on the electronic structure of trilayer graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yun-Peng; Li, Xiang-Guo; Fry, James N.; Cheng, Hai-Ping

2016-10-01

A gate electric field is a powerful way to manipulate the physical properties of nanojunctions made of two-dimensional crystals. To simulate field effects on the electronic structure of trilayer graphene, we used density functional theory in combination with the effective screening medium method, which enables us to understand the field-dependent layer-layer interactions and the fundamental physics underlying band gap variations and the resulting band modifications. Two different graphene stacking orders, Bernal (or ABC) and rhombohedral (or ABA), were considered. In addition to confirming the experimentally observed band gap opening in ABC-stacked and the band overlap in ABA-stacked trilayer systems, our results reveal rich physics in these fascinating systems, where layer-layer couplings are present but some characteristics features of single-layer graphene are partially preserved. For ABC stacking, the electric-field-induced band gap size can be tuned by charge doping, while for ABA band the tunable quantity is the band overlap. Our calculations show that the electronic structures of the two stacking orders respond very differently to charge doping. We find that in the ABA stacking hole doping can reopen a band gap in the band-overlapping region, a phenomenon distinctly different from electron doping. The physical origins of the observed behaviors were fully analyzed, and we conclude that the dual-gate configuration greatly enhances the tunability of the trilayer systems.

Cosmic Radiation Exposure of Biological Test Systems During the EXPOSE-E Mission

PubMed Central

Hajek, Michael; Bilski, Pawel; Körner, Christine; Vanhavere, Filip; Reitz, Günther

2012-01-01

Abstract In the frame of the EXPOSE-E mission on the Columbus external payload facility EuTEF on board the International Space Station, passive thermoluminescence dosimeters were applied to measure the radiation exposure of biological samples. The detectors were located either as stacks next to biological specimens to determine the depth dose distribution or beneath the sample carriers to determine the dose levels for maximum shielding. The maximum mission dose measured in the upper layer of the depth dose part of the experiment amounted to 238±10 mGy, which relates to an average dose rate of 408±16 μGy/d. In these stacks of about 8 mm height, the dose decreased by 5–12% with depth. The maximum dose measured beneath the sample carriers was 215±16 mGy, which amounts to an average dose rate of 368±27 μGy/d. These values are close to those assessed for the interior of the Columbus module and demonstrate the high shielding of the biological experiments within the EXPOSE-E facility. Besides the shielding by the EXPOSE-E hardware itself, additional shielding was experienced by the external structures adjacent to EXPOSE-E, such as EuTEF and Columbus. This led to a dose gradient over the entire exposure area, from 215±16 mGy for the lowest to 121±6 mGy for maximum shielding. Hence, the doses perceived by the biological samples inside EXPOSE-E varied by 70% (from lowest to highest dose). As a consequence of the high shielding, the biological samples were predominantly exposed to galactic cosmic heavy ions, while electrons and a significant fraction of protons of the radiation belts and solar wind did not reach the samples. Key Words: Space radiation—Dosimetry—Passive radiation detectors—Thermoluminescence—EXPOSE-E. Astrobiology 12, 387–392. PMID:22680685

Asynchronous data acquisition and on-the-fly analysis of dose fractionated cryoEM images by UCSFImage

PubMed Central

Li, Xueming; Zheng, Shawn; Agard, David A.; Cheng, Yifan

2015-01-01

Newly developed direct electron detection cameras have a high image output frame rate that enables recording dose fractionated image stacks of frozen hydrated biological samples by electron cryomicroscopy (cryoEM). Such novel image acquisition schemes provide opportunities to analyze cryoEM data in ways that were previously impossible. The file size of a dose fractionated image stack is 20 ~ 60 times larger than that of a single image. Thus, efficient data acquisition and on-the-fly analysis of a large number of dose-fractionated image stacks become a serious challenge to any cryoEM data acquisition system. We have developed a computer-assisted system, named UCSFImage4, for semi-automated cryo-EM image acquisition that implements an asynchronous data acquisition scheme. This facilitates efficient acquisition, on-the-fly motion correction, and CTF analysis of dose fractionated image stacks with a total time of ~60 seconds/exposure. Here we report the technical details and configuration of this system. PMID:26370395

In-situ and Ex-situ Observations of Lithium De-intercalation from LiCoO2: Atomic Force Microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy Studies

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-06-01

has a layered structure consisting of lithium and cobalt sheets stacked alternatively between oxygen sheets. Li and Co occupy octahedral sites in...cobalt sheets stacked alternatively between ABCABC close-packed oxygen arrays. Li and Co occupy octahedral sites in alternating layers between the oxygen... Co 4.- o 4 Li Figure 1: Crystal structure of LiCoO2. LiCoO2 has a layered structure consisting of lithium and cobalt sheets stacked alternatively

Artificial dispersion via high-order homogenization: magnetoelectric coupling and magnetism from dielectric layers

PubMed Central

Liu, Yan; Guenneau, Sébastien; Gralak, Boris

2013-01-01

We investigate a high-order homogenization (HOH) algorithm for periodic multi-layered stacks. The mathematical tool of choice is a transfer matrix method. Expressions for effective permeability, permittivity and magnetoelectric coupling are explored by frequency power expansions. On the physical side, this HOH uncovers a magnetoelectric coupling effect (odd-order approximation) and artificial magnetism (even-order approximation) in moderate contrast photonic crystals. Comparing the effective parameters' expressions of a stack with three layers against that of a stack with two layers, we note that the magnetoelectric coupling effect vanishes while the artificial magnetism can still be achieved in a centre-symmetric periodic structure. Furthermore, we numerically check the effective parameters through the dispersion law and transmission property of a stack with two dielectric layers against that of an effective bianisotropic medium: they are in good agreement throughout the low-frequency (acoustic) band until the first stop band, where the analyticity of the logarithm function of the transfer matrix () breaks down. PMID:24101891

Gas sensor

DOEpatents

Schmid, Andreas K.; Mascaraque, Arantzazu; Santos, Benito; de la Figuera, Juan

2014-09-09

A gas sensor is described which incorporates a sensor stack comprising a first film layer of a ferromagnetic material, a spacer layer, and a second film layer of the ferromagnetic material. The first film layer is fabricated so that it exhibits a dependence of its magnetic anisotropy direction on the presence of a gas, That is, the orientation of the easy axis of magnetization will flip from out-of-plane to in-plane when the gas to be detected is present in sufficient concentration. By monitoring the change in resistance of the sensor stack when the orientation of the first layer's magnetization changes, and correlating that change with temperature one can determine both the identity and relative concentration of the detected gas. In one embodiment the stack sensor comprises a top ferromagnetic layer two mono layers thick of cobalt deposited upon a spacer layer of ruthenium, which in turn has a second layer of cobalt disposed on its other side, this second cobalt layer in contact with a programmable heater chip.

Iridium Interfacial Stack (IRIS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spry, David James (Inventor)

2015-01-01

An iridium interfacial stack ("IrIS") and a method for producing the same are provided. The IrIS may include ordered layers of TaSi.sub.2, platinum, iridium, and platinum, and may be placed on top of a titanium layer and a silicon carbide layer. The IrIS may prevent, reduce, or mitigate against diffusion of elements such as oxygen, platinum, and gold through at least some of its layers.

Ablation of film stacks in solar cell fabrication processes

DOEpatents

Harley, Gabriel; Kim, Taeseok; Cousins, Peter John

2013-04-02

A dielectric film stack of a solar cell is ablated using a laser. The dielectric film stack includes a layer that is absorptive in a wavelength of operation of the laser source. The laser source, which fires laser pulses at a pulse repetition rate, is configured to ablate the film stack to expose an underlying layer of material. The laser source may be configured to fire a burst of two laser pulses or a single temporally asymmetric laser pulse within a single pulse repetition to achieve complete ablation in a single step.

Interfacial Cation-Defect Charge Dipoles in Stacked TiO2/Al2O3 Gate Dielectrics.

PubMed

Zhang, Liangliang; Janotti, Anderson; Meng, Andrew C; Tang, Kechao; Van de Walle, Chris G; McIntyre, Paul C

2018-02-14

Layered atomic-layer-deposited and forming-gas-annealed TiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 dielectric stacks, with the Al 2 O 3 layer interposed between the TiO 2 and a p-type germanium substrate, are found to exhibit a significant interface charge dipole that causes a ∼-0.2 V shift of the flat-band voltage and suppresses the leakage current density for gate injection of electrons. These effects can be eliminated by the formation of a trilayer dielectric stack, consistent with the cancellation of one TiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 interface dipole by the addition of another dipole of opposite sign. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the observed interface-dependent properties of TiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 dielectric stacks are consistent in sign and magnitude with the predicted behavior of Al Ti and Ti Al point-defect dipoles produced by local intermixing of the Al 2 O 3 /TiO 2 layers across the interface. Evidence for such intermixing is found in both electrical and physical characterization of the gate stacks.

Apparatus For Laminating Segmented Core For Electric Machine

DOEpatents

Lawrence, Robert Anthony; Stabel, Gerald R

2003-06-17

A segmented core for an electric machine includes segments stamped from coated electric steel. The segments each have a first end, a second end, and winding openings. A predetermined number of segments are placed end-to-end to form layers. The layers are stacked such that each of the layers is staggered from adjacent layers by a predetermined rotation angle. The winding openings of each of the layers are in vertical alignment with the winding openings of the adjacent layers. The stack of layers is secured to form the segmented core.

Organic doping of rotated double layer graphene

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

George, Lijin; Jaiswal, Manu, E-mail: manu.jaiswal@iitm.ac.in

2016-05-06

Charge transfer techniques have been extensively used as knobs to tune electronic properties of two- dimensional systems, such as, for the modulation of conductivity \\ mobility of single layer graphene and for opening the bandgap in bilayer graphene. The charge injected into the graphene layer shifts the Fermi level away from the minimum density of states point (Dirac point). In this work, we study charge transfer in rotated double-layer graphene achieved by the use of organic dopant, Tetracyanoquinodimethane. Naturally occurring bilayer graphene has a well-defined A-B stacking whereas in rotated double-layer the two graphene layers are randomly stacked with differentmore » rotational angles. This rotation is expected to significantly alter the interlayer interaction. Double-layer samples are prepared using layer-by-layer assembly of chemical vapor deposited single-layer graphene and they are identified by characteristic resonance in the Raman spectrum. The charge transfer and distribution of charges between the two graphene layers is studied using Raman spectroscopy and the results are compared with that for single-layer and A-B stacked bilayer graphene doped under identical conditions.« less

Planar varactor frequency multiplier devices with blocking barrier

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lieneweg, Udo (Inventor); Frerking, Margaret A. (Inventor); Maserjian, Joseph (Inventor)

1994-01-01

The invention relates to planar varactor frequency multiplier devices with a heterojunction blocking barrier for near millimeter wave radiation of moderate power from a fundamental input wave. The space charge limitation of the submillimeter frequency multiplier devices of the BIN(sup +) type is overcome by a diode structure comprising an n(sup +) doped layer of semiconductor material functioning as a low resistance back contact, a layer of semiconductor material with n-type doping functioning as a drift region grown on the back contact layer, a delta doping sheet forming a positive charge at the interface of the drift region layer with a barrier layer, and a surface metal contact. The layers thus formed on an n(sup +) doped layer may be divided into two isolated back-to-back BNN(sup +) diodes by separately depositing two surface metal contacts. By repeating the sequence of the drift region layer and the barrier layer with the delta doping sheet at the interfaces between the drift and barrier layers, a plurality of stacked diodes is formed. The novelty of the invention resides in providing n-type semiconductor material for the drift region in a GaAs/AlGaAs structure, and in stacking a plurality of such BNN(sup +) diodes stacked for greater output power with and connected back-to-back with the n(sup +) GaAs layer as an internal back contact and separate metal contact over an AlGaAs barrier layer on top of each stack.

SU-E-T-193: FMEA Severity Scores - Do We Really Know?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khan, A; Robertson, JD; Narra, V

2014-06-01

Purpose: Mycosis fungoides is a common form of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma which generally affects the skin. A typical course of treatment may include fractionated total skin electron beam therapy. Given the difficulties in uniformly irradiating some regions of the body and the need for frequent visits within the context of a fractionated protocol, this study investigated the feasibility of delivering the dose using form-fitting cloth which contained phosphorous-32 as a source for beta particle irradiation. Methods: A piece of fabric (0.97 g) consisting of a blend of spandex and flame retardant material impregnated with phosphorus-31 (2000 ppm) was bombarded withmore » neutrons to produce phosphorus-32. The cloth was then laid flat and a stack of radiochromic film placed on top. Sheets of film and tissue equivalent plastic were layered to form a stack measuring a total of 1 cm thickness and remained sandwiched for 77.3 hr. Results: The initial activity of the activated cloth was 44 μCi of P-32. The absorbed dose was uniform within planes parallel to the cloth and exponentially dependent on depth, delivering 560cGy at 0.3mm and falling to 20cGy at 3mm. Conclusion: The total dose prescribed for a typical course of TSET for mycosis fungoides is 36Gy delivered over 9 weeks and is expected to treat to at least 5mm depth. Therefore, the P-32 impregnated cloth may not be clinically indicated to treat this disease given the unfavorable depth-dose characteristics. However, a major advantage of using form-fitting cloth is the uniformity with which the dose could be delivered over the skin in areas which are not flat. Increasing the distance between cloth and skin could improve the depth-dose characteristics.« less

Polytypism and unexpected strong interlayer coupling in two-dimensional layered ReS2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiao, Xiao-Fen; Wu, Jiang-Bin; Zhou, Linwei; Qiao, Jingsi; Shi, Wei; Chen, Tao; Zhang, Xin; Zhang, Jun; Ji, Wei; Tan, Ping-Heng

2016-04-01

Anisotropic two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) layered materials, with both scientific interest and application potential, offer one more dimension than isotropic 2D materials to tune their physical properties. Various physical properties of 2D multi-layer materials are modulated by varying their stacking orders owing to significant interlayer vdW coupling. Multilayer rhenium disulfide (ReS2), a representative anisotropic 2D material, was expected to be randomly stacked and lack interlayer coupling. Here, we demonstrate two stable stacking orders, namely isotropic-like (IS) and anisotropic-like (AI) N layer (NL, N > 1) ReS2 are revealed by ultralow- and high-frequency Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence and first-principles density functional theory calculation. Two interlayer shear modes are observed in AI-NL-ReS2 while only one shear mode appears in IS-NL-ReS2, suggesting anisotropic- and isotropic-like stacking orders in IS- and AI-NL-ReS2, respectively. This explicit difference in the observed frequencies identifies an unexpected strong interlayer coupling in IS- and AI-NL-ReS2. Quantitatively, the force constants of them are found to be around 55-90% of those of multilayer MoS2. The revealed strong interlayer coupling and polytypism in multi-layer ReS2 may stimulate future studies on engineering physical properties of other anisotropic 2D materials by stacking orders.Anisotropic two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) layered materials, with both scientific interest and application potential, offer one more dimension than isotropic 2D materials to tune their physical properties. Various physical properties of 2D multi-layer materials are modulated by varying their stacking orders owing to significant interlayer vdW coupling. Multilayer rhenium disulfide (ReS2), a representative anisotropic 2D material, was expected to be randomly stacked and lack interlayer coupling. Here, we demonstrate two stable stacking orders, namely isotropic-like (IS) and anisotropic-like (AI) N layer (NL, N > 1) ReS2 are revealed by ultralow- and high-frequency Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence and first-principles density functional theory calculation. Two interlayer shear modes are observed in AI-NL-ReS2 while only one shear mode appears in IS-NL-ReS2, suggesting anisotropic- and isotropic-like stacking orders in IS- and AI-NL-ReS2, respectively. This explicit difference in the observed frequencies identifies an unexpected strong interlayer coupling in IS- and AI-NL-ReS2. Quantitatively, the force constants of them are found to be around 55-90% of those of multilayer MoS2. The revealed strong interlayer coupling and polytypism in multi-layer ReS2 may stimulate future studies on engineering physical properties of other anisotropic 2D materials by stacking orders. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr01569g

Stacked multilayers of alternating reduced graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes for planar supercapacitors.

PubMed

Moon, Geon Dae; Joo, Ji Bong; Yin, Yadong

2013-12-07

A simple layer-by-layer approach has been developed for constructing 2D planar supercapacitors of multi-stacked reduced graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes. This sandwiched 2D architecture enables the full utilization of the maximum active surface area of rGO nanosheets by using a CNT layer as a porous physical spacer to enhance the permeation of a gel electrolyte inside the structure and reduce the agglomeration of rGO nanosheets along the vertical direction. As a result, the stacked multilayers of rGO and CNTs are capable of offering higher output voltage and current production.

A novel method of fabricating laminated silicone stack actuators with pre-strained dielectric layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinitt, Andrew D.; Conn, Andrew T.

2014-03-01

In recent studies, stack based Dielectric Elastomer Actuators (DEAs) have been successfully used in haptic feedback and sensing applications. However, limitations in the fabrication method, and materials used to con- struct stack actuators constrain their force and displacement output per unit volume. This paper focuses on a fabrication process enabling a stacked elastomer actuator to withstand the high tensile forces needed for high power applications, such as mimetics for mammalian muscle contraction (i.e prostheses), whilst requiring low voltage for thickness-mode contractile actuation. Spun elastomer layers are bonded together in a pre-strained state using a conductive adhesive filler, forming a Laminated Inter-Penetrating Network (L-IPN) with repeatable and uniform electrode thickness. The resulting structure utilises the stored strain energy of the dielectric elas- tomer to compress the cured electrode composite material. The method is used to fabricate an L-IPN example, which demonstrated that the bonded L-IPN has high tensile strength normal to the lamination. Additionally, the uniformity and retained dielectric layer pre-strain of the L-IPN are confirmed. The described method is envisaged to be used in a semi-automated assembly of large-scale multi-layer stacks of pre-strained dielectric layers possessing a tensile strength in the range generated by mammalian muscle.

Interaction driven quantum Hall effect in artificially stacked graphene bilayers

PubMed Central

Iqbal, Muhammad Zahir; Iqbal, Muhammad Waqas; Siddique, Salma; Khan, Muhammad Farooq; Ramay, Shahid Mahmood; Nam, Jungtae; Kim, Keun Soo; Eom, Jonghwa

2016-01-01

The honeycomb lattice structure of graphene gives rise to its exceptional electronic properties of linear dispersion relation and its chiral nature of charge carriers. The exceptional electronic properties of graphene stem from linear dispersion relation and chiral nature of charge carries, originating from its honeycomb lattice structure. Here, we address the quantum Hall effect in artificially stacked graphene bilayers and single layer graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition. The quantum Hall plateaus started to appear more than 3 T and became clearer at higher magnetic fields up to 9 T. Shubnikov-de Hass oscillations were manifestly observed in graphene bilayers texture. These unusual plateaus may have been due to the layers interaction in artificially stacked graphene bilayers. Our study initiates the understanding of interactions between artificially stacked graphene layers. PMID:27098387

Interaction driven quantum Hall effect in artificially stacked graphene bilayers.

PubMed

Iqbal, Muhammad Zahir; Iqbal, Muhammad Waqas; Siddique, Salma; Khan, Muhammad Farooq; Ramay, Shahid Mahmood; Nam, Jungtae; Kim, Keun Soo; Eom, Jonghwa

2016-04-21

The honeycomb lattice structure of graphene gives rise to its exceptional electronic properties of linear dispersion relation and its chiral nature of charge carriers. The exceptional electronic properties of graphene stem from linear dispersion relation and chiral nature of charge carries, originating from its honeycomb lattice structure. Here, we address the quantum Hall effect in artificially stacked graphene bilayers and single layer graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition. The quantum Hall plateaus started to appear more than 3 T and became clearer at higher magnetic fields up to 9 T. Shubnikov-de Hass oscillations were manifestly observed in graphene bilayers texture. These unusual plateaus may have been due to the layers interaction in artificially stacked graphene bilayers. Our study initiates the understanding of interactions between artificially stacked graphene layers.

Non-destructive spatial characterization of buried interfaces in multilayer stacks via two color picosecond acoustics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faria, Jorge C. D.; Garnier, Philippe; Devos, Arnaud

2017-12-01

We demonstrate the ability to construct wide-area spatial mappings of buried interfaces in thin film stacks in a non-destructive manner using two color picosecond acoustics. Along with the extraction of layer thicknesses and sound velocities from acoustic signals, the morphological information presented is a powerful demonstration of phonon imaging as a metrological tool. For a series of heterogeneous (polymer, metal, and semiconductor) thin film stacks that have been treated with a chemical procedure known to alter layer properties, the spatial mappings reveal changes to interior thicknesses and chemically modified surface features without the need to remove uppermost layers. These results compare well to atomic force microscopy scans showing that the technique provides a significant advantage to current characterization methods for industrially important device stacks.

Radiochromic film diagnostics for laser-driven ion beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaufman, J.; Margarone, Daniele; Candiano, Giacomo; Kim, I. Jong; Jeong, Tae Moon; Pšikal, Jan; Romano, F.; Cirrone, P.; Scuderi, V.; Korn, Georg

2015-05-01

Radiochromic film (RCF) based multichannel diagnostics utilizes the concept of a stack detector comprised of alternating layers of RCFs and shielding aluminium layers. An algorithm based on SRIM simulations is used to correct the accumulated dose. Among the standard information that can be obtained is the maximum ion energy and to some extend the beam energy spectrum. The main area where this detector shines though is the geometrical characterization of the beam. Whereas other detectors such as Thomson parabola spectrometer or Faraday cups detect only a fraction of the outburst cone, the RCF stack placed right behind the target absorbs the whole beam. A complete 2D and to some extend 3D imprint of the ion beam allows us to determine parameters such as divergence or beam center shift with respect to the target normal. The obvious drawback of such diagnostics is its invasive character. But considering that only a few successful shots (2-3) are needed per one kind of target to perform the analysis, the drawbacks are acceptable. In this work, we present results obtained with the RCF diagnostics using both conventional accelerators and laser-driven ion beams during 2 experimental campaigns.

Non-CAR resists and advanced materials for Massively Parallel E-Beam Direct Write process integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pourteau, Marie-Line; Servin, Isabelle; Lepinay, Kévin; Essomba, Cyrille; Dal'Zotto, Bernard; Pradelles, Jonathan; Lattard, Ludovic; Brandt, Pieter; Wieland, Marco

2016-03-01

The emerging Massively Parallel-Electron Beam Direct Write (MP-EBDW) is an attractive high resolution high throughput lithography technology. As previously shown, Chemically Amplified Resists (CARs) meet process/integration specifications in terms of dose-to-size, resolution, contrast, and energy latitude. However, they are still limited by their line width roughness. To overcome this issue, we tested an alternative advanced non-CAR and showed it brings a substantial gain in sensitivity compared to CAR. We also implemented and assessed in-line post-lithographic treatments for roughness mitigation. For outgassing-reduction purpose, a top-coat layer is added to the total process stack. A new generation top-coat was tested and showed improved printing performances compared to the previous product, especially avoiding dark erosion: SEM cross-section showed a straight pattern profile. A spin-coatable charge dissipation layer based on conductive polyaniline has also been tested for conductivity and lithographic performances, and compatibility experiments revealed that the underlying resist type has to be carefully chosen when using this product. Finally, the Process Of Reference (POR) trilayer stack defined for 5 kV multi-e-beam lithography was successfully etched with well opened and straight patterns, and no lithography-etch bias.

Towards efficient next generation light sources: combined solution processed and evaporated layers for OLEDs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartmann, D.; Sarfert, W.; Meier, S.; Bolink, H.; García Santamaría, S.; Wecker, J.

2010-05-01

Typically high efficient OLED device structures are based on a multitude of stacked thin organic layers prepared by thermal evaporation. For lighting applications these efficient device stacks have to be up-scaled to large areas which is clearly challenging in terms of high through-put processing at low-cost. One promising approach to meet cost-efficiency, high through-put and high light output is the combination of solution and evaporation processing. Moreover, the objective is to substitute as many thermally evaporated layers as possible by solution processing without sacrificing the device performance. Hence, starting from the anode side, evaporated layers of an efficient white light emitting OLED stack are stepwise replaced by solution processable polymer and small molecule layers. In doing so different solutionprocessable hole injection layers (= polymer HILs) are integrated into small molecule devices and evaluated with regard to their electro-optical performance as well as to their planarizing properties, meaning the ability to cover ITO spikes, defects and dust particles. Thereby two approaches are followed whereas in case of the "single HIL" approach only one polymer HIL is coated and in case of the "combined HIL" concept the coated polymer HIL is combined with a thin evaporated HIL. These HIL architectures are studied in unipolar as well as bipolar devices. As a result the combined HIL approach facilitates a better control over the hole current, an improved device stability as well as an improved current and power efficiency compared to a single HIL as well as pure small molecule based OLED stacks. Furthermore, emitting layers based on guest/host small molecules are fabricated from solution and integrated into a white hybrid stack (WHS). Up to three evaporated layers were successfully replaced by solution-processing showing comparable white light emission spectra like an evaporated small molecule reference stack and lifetime values of several 100 h.

Electrical characterization of 4H-SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor structure with Al2O3 stacking layers as dielectric

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, P. K.; Hwu, J. G.

2018-02-01

Interface defects and oxide bulk traps conventionally play important roles in the electrical performance of SiC MOS device. Introducing the Al2O3 stack grown by repeated anodization of Al films can notably lower the leakage current in comparison to the SiO2 structure, and enhance the minority carrier response at low frequency when the number of Al2O3 layers increase. In addition, the interface quality is not deteriorated by the stacking of Al2O3 layers because the stacked Al2O3 structure grown by anodization possesses good uniformity. In this work, the capacitance equivalent thickness (CET) of stacking Al2O3 will be up to 19.5 nm and the oxidation process can be carried out at room temperature. For the Al2O3 gate stack with CET 19.5 nm on n-SiC substrate, the leakage current at 2 V is 2.76 × 10-10 A/cm2, the interface trap density at the flatband voltage is 3.01 × 1011 eV-1 cm-2, and the effective breakdown field is 11.8 MV/cm. Frequency dispersion and breakdown characteristics may thus be improved as a result of the reduction in trap density. The Al2O3 stacking layers are capable of maintaining the leakage current as low as possible even after constant voltage stress test, which will further ameliorate reliability characteristics.

A first principles approach to magnetic and optical properties in single-layer graphene sandwiched between boron nitride monolayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Ritwika; Chowdhury, Suman; Jana, Debnarayan

2015-07-01

The dependence of the stability of single-layer graphene (SLG) sandwiched between hexagonal boron nitride bilayers (h-BN) has been described and investigated for different types of stacking in order to provide the fingerprint of the stacking order which affects the optical properties of such trilayer systems. Considering the four stacking models AAA-, AAB-, ABA-, and ABC-type stacking, the static dielectric functions (in case of parallel polarizations) for AAB-type stacking possesses maximum values, and minimum values are noticed for AAA. However, AAA-type stacking structures contribute the maximum magnetic moment while vanishing magnetic moments are observed for ABA and ABC stacking. The observed optical anisotropy and magnetic properties of these trilayer heterostructures (h-BN/SLG/h-BN) can be understood from the crystallographic stacking order and inherent crystal lattice symmetry. These optical and magnetic results suggest that the h-BN/SLG/h-BN could provide a viable route to graphene-based opto-electronic and spintronic devices.

Structural and electrical investigations of a-Si:H(i) and a-Si:H(n+) stacked layers for improving the interface and passivation qualities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsieh, Yu-Lin; Lee, Chien-Chieh; Lu, Chia-Cheng; Fuh, Yiin-Kuen; Chang, Jenq-Yang; Lee, Ju-Yi; Li, Tomi T.

2017-07-01

A symmetrically stacked structure [(a-Si:H(n+)/a-Si:H(i)/CZ wafer (n)/a-Si:H(i)/a-Si:H(n+)] was used to optimize the growth process conditions of the n-type hydrogenated amorphous silicon [a-Si:H(n+)] thin films. Here a-Si:H(n+) film was used as back surface field (BSF) layer for the silicon heterojunction solar cell and all stacked films were prepared by conventional radio-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The characterizations of the effective carrier lifetime (τeff), electrical and structural properties, as well as correlation with the hydrogen dilution ratio (R=H2/SiH4) were systematically discussed with the emphasis on the effectiveness of the passivation layer using the lifetime tester, spectroscopic ellipsometry, and hall measurement. High quality of a stacked BSF layer (intrinsic/n-type a-Si:H layer) with effective carrier lifetime of 1.8 ms can be consistently obtained. This improved passivation layer can be primarily attributed to the synergy of chemical and field effect to significantly reduce the surface recombination.

Three-dimensional parallelization of microfluidic droplet generators for a litre per hour volume production of single emulsions.

PubMed

Conchouso, D; Castro, D; Khan, S A; Foulds, I G

2014-08-21

This paper looks at the design, fabrication and characterization of stackable microfluidic emulsion generators, with coefficients of variation as low as ~6% and with production rates as high as ~1 L h(-1). This work reports the highest throughput reported in the literature for a microfluidic device with simultaneous operation of liquid-liquid droplet generators. The device was achieved by stacking several layers of 128 flow-focusing droplet generators, organized in a circular array. These layers are interconnected via through-holes and fed with designated fractal distribution networks. The proposed layers were milled on poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) sheets and the stack was thermo-compression bonded to create a three-dimensional device with a high density of generators and an integrated hydraulic manifold. The effect of stacking multiple layers was studied and the results show that fabrication accuracy has a greater impact on the dispersity of the emulsion than the addition of more layers to the stack. Particle crystallization of drugs was also demonstrated as a possible application of this technology in industry.

Forced Ion Migration for Chalcogenide Phase Change Memory Device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, Kristy A (Inventor)

2013-01-01

Non-volatile memory devices with two stacked layers of chalcogenide materials comprising the active memory device have been investigated for their potential as phase-change memories. The devices tested included GeTe/SnTe, Ge2Se3/SnTe, and Ge2Se3/SnSe stacks. All devices exhibited resistance switching behavior. The polarity of the applied voltage with respect to the SnTe or SnSe layer was critical to the memory switching properties, due to the electric field induced movement of either Sn or Te into the Ge-chalcogenide layer. One embodiment of the invention is a device comprising a stack of chalcogenide-containing layers which exhibit phase-change switching only after a reverse polarity voltage potential is applied across the stack causing ion movement into an adjacent layer and thus "activating" the device to act as a phase-change random access memory device or a reconfigurable electronics device when the applied voltage potential is returned to the normal polarity. Another embodiment of the invention is a device that is capable of exhibiting more than two data states.

Forced ion migration for chalcogenide phase change memory device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, Kristy A. (Inventor)

2011-01-01

Non-volatile memory devices with two stacked layers of chalcogenide materials comprising the active memory device have been investigated for their potential as phase change memories. The devices tested included GeTe/SnTe, Ge.sub.2Se.sub.3/SnTe, and Ge.sub.2Se.sub.3/SnSe stacks. All devices exhibited resistance switching behavior. The polarity of the applied voltage with respect to the SnTe or SnSe layer was critical to the memory switching properties, due to the electric field induced movement of either Sn or Te into the Ge-chalcogenide layer. One embodiment of the invention is a device comprising a stack of chalcogenide-containing layers which exhibit phase change switching only after a reverse polarity voltage potential is applied across the stack causing ion movement into an adjacent layer and thus "activating" the device to act as a phase change random access memory device or a reconfigurable electronics device when the applied voltage potential is returned to the normal polarity. Another embodiment of the invention is a device that is capable of exhibiting more that two data states.

Forced ion migration for chalcogenide phase change memory device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, Kristy A. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

Non-volatile memory devices with two stacked layers of chalcogenide materials comprising the active memory device have been investigated for their potential as phase-change memories. The devices tested included GeTe/SnTe, Ge.sub.2Se.sub.3/SnTe, and Ge.sub.2Se.sub.3/SnSe stacks. All devices exhibited resistance switching behavior. The polarity of the applied voltage with respect to the SnTe or SnSe layer was critical to the memory switching properties, due to the electric field induced movement of either Sn or Te into the Ge-chalcogenide layer. One embodiment of the invention is a device comprising a stack of chalcogenide-containing layers which exhibit phase-change switching only after a reverse polarity voltage potential is applied across the stack causing ion movement into an adjacent layer and thus "activating" the device to act as a phase-change random access memory device or a reconfigurable electronics device when the applied voltage potential is returned to the normal polarity. Another embodiment of the invention is a device that is capable of exhibiting more than two data states.

Direct-Write Laser Grayscale Lithography for Multilayer Lead Zirconate Titanate Thin Films.

PubMed

Benoit, Robert R; Jordan, Delaney M; Smith, Gabriel L; Polcawich, Ronald G; Bedair, Sarah S; Potrepka, Daniel M

2018-05-01

Direct-write laser grayscale lithography has been used to facilitate a single-step patterning technique for multilayer lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films. A 2.55- -thick photoresist was patterned with a direct-write laser. The intensity of the laser was varied to create both tiered and sloped structures that are subsequently transferred into multilayer PZT(52/48) stacks using a single Ar ion-mill etch. Traditional processing requires a separate photolithography step and an ion mill etch for each layer of the substrate, which can be costly and time consuming. The novel process allows access to buried electrode layers in the multilayer stack in a single photolithography step. The grayscale process was demonstrated on three 150-mm diameter Si substrates configured with a 0.5- -thick SiO 2 elastic layer, a base electrode of Pt/TiO 2 , and a stack of four PZT(52/48) thin films of either 0.25- thickness per layer or 0.50- thickness per layer, and using either Pt or IrO 2 electrodes above and below each layer. Stacked capacitor structures were patterned and results will be reported on the ferroelectric and electromechanical properties using various wiring configurations and compared to comparable single layer PZT configurations.

Improvement in the breakdown endurance of high-κ dielectric by utilizing stacking technology and adding sufficient interfacial layer.

PubMed

Pang, Chin-Sheng; Hwu, Jenn-Gwo

2014-01-01

Improvement in the time-zero dielectric breakdown (TZDB) endurance of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor with stacking structure of Al/HfO2/SiO2/Si is demonstrated in this work. The misalignment of the conduction paths between two stacking layers is believed to be effective to increase the breakdown field of the devices. Meanwhile, the resistance of the dielectric after breakdown for device with stacking structure would be less than that of without stacking structure due to a higher breakdown field and larger breakdown power. In addition, the role of interfacial layer (IL) in the control of the interface trap density (D it) and device reliability is also analyzed. Device with a thicker IL introduces a higher breakdown field and also a lower D it. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) of the samples with different IL thicknesses is provided to confirm that IL is needed for good interfacial property.

A circularly polarized Ka-band stacked patch antenna with increased gain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zawadzki, M.

2002-01-01

Stacking layers of microstrip patches is a technique often used to improve the bandwidth of a patch antenna, but rarely used to increase its gain. The work presented here scales the three-layer S-band work done in to Ka-band.

Order-disorder twinning model and stacking faults in alpha-NTO.

PubMed

Schwarzenbach, Dieter; Kirschbaum, Kristin; Pinkerton, A Alan

2006-10-01

Crystals of the recently published [Bolotina, Kirschbaum & Pinkerton (2005). Acta Cryst. B61, 577-584] triclinic (P\\overline1) structure of 5-nitro-2,4-dihydro-1,2,4-triazol-3-one (alpha-NTO) occur as fourfold twins. There are Z' = 4 independent molecules per asymmetric unit. We show that the structure contains layers with 2-periodic layer-group symmetry p2(1)/b 1 (1). This symmetry is lost through the stacking of the layers, which is a possible explanation for Z' = 4. A layer can assume four different but equivalent positions with respect to its nearest neighbor. Twinning arises through stacking faults and is an instructive example of the application of order-disorder theory using local symmetry operations. The near-neighbor relations between molecules remain unchanged through all twin boundaries. The four structures with maximum degree of order, one of which is the observed one, and the family reflections common to all domains are identified. Rods of weak diffuse scattering confirm the stacking model.

Effect of additional elements on compositional modulated atomic layered structure of hexagonal Co{sub 80}Pt{sub 20} alloy films with superlattice diffraction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hinata, Shintaro; Research Fellowship Division Japan Society for the Promotion of Science; Yamane, Akira

2016-05-15

The effect of additional element on compositionally modulated atomic layered structure of hexagonal Co{sub 80}Pt{sub 20} alloy films with superlattice diffraction was investigated. In this study it is found that the addition of Cr or W element to Co{sub 80}Pt{sub 20} alloy film shows less deterioration of hcp stacking structure and compositionally modulated atomic layer stacking structure as compared to Si or Zr or Ti with K{sub u} of around 1.4 or 1.0 × 10{sup 7} erg/cm{sup 3} at 5 at.% addition. Furthermore, for O{sub 2} addition of O{sub 2} ≥ 5.0 × 10{sup −3} Pa to CoPt alloy, compositionallymore » modulated atomic layer stacking structure will be deteriorated with enhancement of formation of hcp stacking structure which leads higher K{sub u} of 1.0 × 10{sup 7} erg/cm{sup 3}.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Puretzky, Alexander A.; Liang, Liangbo; Li, Xufan

In this study, stacked monolayers of two-dimensional (2D) materials present a new class of hybrid materials with tunable optoelectronic properties determined by their stacking orientation, order, and atomic registry. Atomic-resolution Z-contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy (AR-Z-STEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) can be used to determine the exact atomic registration between different layers, in few-layer 2D stacks, however fast optical characterization techniques are essential for rapid development of the field. Here, using two- and three-layer MoSe 2 and WSe 2 crystals synthesized by chemical vapor deposition we show that the generally unexplored low frequency (LF) Raman modes (< 50more » cm -1) that originate from interlayer vibrations can serve as fingerprints to characterize not only the number of layers, but also their stacking configurations. Ab initio calculations and group theory analysis corroborate the experimental assignments determined by AR-Z-STEM and show that the calculated LF mode fingerprints are related to the 2D crystal symmetries.« less

Zero-Copy Objects System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burleigh, Scott C.

2011-01-01

Zero-Copy Objects System software enables application data to be encapsulated in layers of communication protocol without being copied. Indirect referencing enables application source data, either in memory or in a file, to be encapsulated in place within an unlimited number of protocol headers and/or trailers. Zero-copy objects (ZCOs) are abstract data access representations designed to minimize I/O (input/output) in the encapsulation of application source data within one or more layers of communication protocol structure. They are constructed within the heap space of a Simple Data Recorder (SDR) data store to which all participating layers of the stack must have access. Each ZCO contains general information enabling access to the core source data object (an item of application data), together with (a) a linked list of zero or more specific extents that reference portions of this source data object, and (b) linked lists of protocol header and trailer capsules. The concatenation of the headers (in ascending stack sequence), the source data object extents, and the trailers (in descending stack sequence) constitute the transmitted data object constructed from the ZCO. This scheme enables a source data object to be encapsulated in a succession of protocol layers without ever having to be copied from a buffer at one layer of the protocol stack to an encapsulating buffer at a lower layer of the stack. For large source data objects, the savings in copy time and reduction in memory consumption may be considerable.

Measurements of proton energy spectra using a radiochromic film stack

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filkins, T. M.; Steidle, Jessica; Ellison, D. M.; Steidle, Jeffrey; Freeman, C. G.; Padalino, S. J.; Fiksel, G.; Regan, S. P.; Sangster, T. C.

2014-10-01

The energy spectrum of protons accelerated from the rear-side of a thin foil illuminated with ultra-intense laser light from the OMEGA EP laser system at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) was measured using a stack of radiochromic film (RCF). The film stack consisted of four layers of Gafchromic HD-V2 film and four layers of Gafchromic MD-V2-55 film. Aluminum foils of various thicknesses were placed between each piece of RCF in the stack. This arrangement allowed protons with energies of 30 MeV to reach the back layer of RCF in the stack. The stack was placed in the detector plane of a Thomson parabola ion energy (TPIE) spectrometer. Each piece of film in the stack was scanned using a commercially available flat-bed scanner (Epson 10000XL). The resulting optical density was converted into proton fluence using an absolute calibration of the RCF obtained at the SUNY Geneseo 1.7 MV Pelletron accelerator laboratory. In these calibration measurements, the sensitivity of the radiochromic film was measured using monoenergetic protons produced by the accelerator. Details of the analysis procedure and the resulting proton energy spectra will be presented. Funded in part by a grant from the DOE through the Laboratory for Laser Energetics.

Periodic dielectric structure for production of photonic band gap and method for fabricating the same

DOEpatents

Ozbay, Ekmel; Tuttle, Gary; Michel, Erick; Ho, Kai-Ming; Biswas, Rana; Chan, Che-Ting; Soukoulis, Costas

1995-01-01

A method for fabricating a periodic dielectric structure which exhibits a photonic band gap. Alignment holes are formed in a wafer of dielectric material having a given crystal orientation. A planar layer of elongate rods is then formed in a section of the wafer. The formation of the rods includes the step of selectively removing the dielectric material of the wafer between the rods. The formation of alignment holes and layers of elongate rods and wafers is then repeated to form a plurality of patterned wafers. A stack of patterned wafers is then formed by rotating each successive wafer with respect to the next-previous wafer, and then placing the successive wafer on the stack. This stacking results in a stack of patterned wafers having a four-layer periodicity exhibiting a photonic band gap.

Systems and Methods for Fabricating Carbon Nanotube-Based Vacuum Electronic Devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manohara, Harish (Inventor); Toda, Risaku (Inventor); Del Castillo, Linda Y. (Inventor); Murthy, Rakesh (Inventor)

2015-01-01

Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention proficiently produce carbon nanotube-based vacuum electronic devices. In one embodiment a method of fabricating a carbon nanotube-based vacuum electronic device includes: growing carbon nanotubes onto a substrate to form a cathode; assembling a stack that includes the cathode, an anode, and a first layer that includes an alignment slot; disposing a microsphere partially into the alignment slot during the assembling of the stack such that the microsphere protrudes from the alignment slot and can thereby separate the first layer from an adjacent layer; and encasing the stack in a vacuum sealed container.

Integrated power passives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xie, Huikai (Inventor); Ngo, Khai D. T. (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A multi-layer film-stack and method for forming the multilayer film-stack is given where a series of alternating layers of conducting and dielectric materials are deposited such that the conducting layers can be selectively addressed. The use of the method to form integratable high capacitance density capacitors and complete the formation of an integrated power system-on-a-chip device including transistors, conductors, inductors, and capacitors is also given.

Network Modeling and Simulation Environment (NEMSE)

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-01

the NEMSE program investigated complex emulation techniques and selected compatible emulation techniques for all OSI network stack layers. Other...EMULAB; 2) Completed the selection of compatible emulation techniques that allows working with all layers of the Open System Interconnect ( OSI ...elements table, Figure 3, reconciles the various elements of NEMSE against the OSI stack and other functions. OSI Layer or Function EM UL AB NS 2

Method of forming a package for MEMS-based fuel cell

DOEpatents

Morse, Jeffrey D; Jankowski, Alan F

2013-05-21

A MEMS-based fuel cell package and method thereof is disclosed. The fuel cell package comprises seven layers: (1) a sub-package fuel reservoir interface layer, (2) an anode manifold support layer, (3) a fuel/anode manifold and resistive heater layer, (4) a Thick Film Microporous Flow Host Structure layer containing a fuel cell, (5) an air manifold layer, (6) a cathode manifold support structure layer, and (7) a cap. Fuel cell packages with more than one fuel cell are formed by positioning stacks of these layers in series and/or parallel. The fuel cell package materials such as a molded plastic or a ceramic green tape material can be patterned, aligned and stacked to form three dimensional microfluidic channels that provide electrical feedthroughs from various layers which are bonded together and mechanically support a MEMS-based miniature fuel cell. The package incorporates resistive heating elements to control the temperature of the fuel cell stack. The package is fired to form a bond between the layers and one or more microporous flow host structures containing fuel cells are inserted within the Thick Film Microporous Flow Host Structure layer of the package.

Method of forming a package for mems-based fuel cell

DOEpatents

Morse, Jeffrey D.; Jankowski, Alan F.

2004-11-23

A MEMS-based fuel cell package and method thereof is disclosed. The fuel cell package comprises seven layers: (1) a sub-package fuel reservoir interface layer, (2) an anode manifold support layer, (3) a fuel/anode manifold and resistive heater layer, (4) a Thick Film Microporous Flow Host Structure layer containing a fuel cell, (5) an air manifold layer, (6) a cathode manifold support structure layer, and (7) a cap. Fuel cell packages with more than one fuel cell are formed by positioning stacks of these layers in series and/or parallel. The fuel cell package materials such as a molded plastic or a ceramic green tape material can be patterned, aligned and stacked to form three dimensional microfluidic channels that provide electrical feedthroughs from various layers which are bonded together and mechanically support a MEMOS-based miniature fuel cell. The package incorporates resistive heating elements to control the temperature of the fuel cell stack. The package is fired to form a bond between the layers and one or more microporous flow host structures containing fuel cells are inserted within the Thick Film Microporous Flow Host Structure layer of the package.

Effect of Al gate on the electrical behaviour of Al-doped Ta2O5 stacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skeparovski, A.; Novkovski, N.; Atanassova, E.; Paskaleva, A.; Lazarov, V. K.

2011-06-01

The electrical behaviour of Al-doped Ta2O5 films on nitrided silicon and implemented in Al-gated MIS capacitors has been studied. The dopant was introduced into the Ta2O5 through its surface by deposing a thin Al layer on the top of Ta2O5 followed by an annealing process. The HRTEM images reveal that the initial double-layer structure of the stacks composed of doped Ta2O5 and interfacial SiON layer undergoes changes during the formation of the Al gate and transforms into a three-layer structure with an additional layer between the Al electrode and the doped Ta2O5. This layer, being a result of reaction between the Al gate and the Al-doped Ta2O5, affects the overall electrical properties of the stacks. Strong charge trapping/detrapping processes have been established in the vicinity of the doped Ta2O5/SiON interface resulting in a large C-V hysteresis effect. The charge trapping also influences the current conduction in the layers keeping the current density level rather low even at high electric fields (J < 10-6 A cm-2 at 7 MV cm-1). By employing a three-layer model of the stack, the permittivity of both, the Al-doped Ta2O5 and the additional layer, has been estimated and the corresponding conduction mechanisms identified.

Multiple layer identification label using stacked identification symbols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schramm, Harry F. (Inventor)

2005-01-01

An automatic identification system and method are provided which employ a machine readable multiple layer label. The label has a plurality of machine readable marking layers stacked one upon another. Each of the marking layers encodes an identification symbol detectable using one or more sensing technologies. The various marking layers may comprise the same marking material or each marking layer may comprise a different medium having characteristics detectable by a different sensing technology. These sensing technologies include x-ray, radar, capacitance, thermal, magnetic and ultrasonic. A complete symbol may be encoded within each marking layer or a symbol may be segmented into fragments which are then divided within a single marking layer or encoded across multiple marking layers.

Correlated lateral phase separations in stacks of lipid membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoshino, Takuma; Komura, Shigeyuki; Andelman, David

2015-12-01

Motivated by the experimental study of Tayebi et al. [Nat. Mater. 11, 1074 (2012)] on phase separation of stacked multi-component lipid bilayers, we propose a model composed of stacked two-dimensional Ising spins. We study both its static and dynamical features using Monte Carlo simulations with Kawasaki spin exchange dynamics that conserves the order parameter. We show that at thermodynamical equilibrium, due to strong inter-layer correlations, the system forms a continuous columnar structure for any finite interaction across adjacent layers. Furthermore, the phase separation shows a faster dynamics as the inter-layer interaction is increased. This temporal behavior is mainly due to an effective deeper temperature quench because of the larger value of the critical temperature, Tc, for larger inter-layer interaction. When the temperature ratio, T/Tc, is kept fixed, the temporal growth exponent does not increase and even slightly decreases as a function of the increased inter-layer interaction.

Method of fabrication of electrodes and electrolytes

DOEpatents

Jankowski, Alan F.; Morse, Jeffrey D.

2004-01-06

Fuel cell stacks contain an electrolyte layer surrounded on top and bottom by an electrode layer. Porous electrodes are prepared which enable fuel and oxidant to easily flow to the respective electrode-electrolyte interface without the need for high temperatures or pressures to assist the flow. Rigid, inert microspheres in combination with thin-film metal deposition techniques are used to fabricate porous anodes, cathodes, and electrolytes. Microshperes contained in a liquid are randomly dispersed onto a host structure and dried such that the microsperes remain in position. A thin-film deposition technique is subsequently employed to deposit a metal layer onto the microsperes. After such metal layer deposition, the microspheres are removed leaving voids, i.e. pores, in the metal layer, thus forming a porous electrode. Successive repetitions of the fabrication process result in the formation of a continuous fuel cell stack. Such stacks may produce power outputs ranging from about 0.1 Watt to about 50 Watts.

Role of SiC substrate surface on local tarnishing of deposited silver mirror stacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limam, Emna; Maurice, Vincent; Seyeux, Antoine; Zanna, Sandrine; Klein, Lorena H.; Chauveau, Grégory; Grèzes-Besset, Catherine; Savin De Larclause, Isabelle; Marcus, Philippe

2018-04-01

The role of the SiC substrate surface on the resistance to the local initiation of tarnishing of thin-layered silver stacks for demanding space mirror applications was studied by combined surface and interface analysis on model stack samples deposited by cathodic magnetron sputtering and submitted to accelerated aging in gaseous H2S. It is shown that suppressing the surface pores resulting from the bulk SiC material production process by surface pretreatment eliminates the high aspect ratio surface sites that are imperfectly protected by the SiO2 overcoat after the deposition of silver. The formation of channels connecting the silver layer to its environment through the failing protection layer at the surface pores and locally enabling H2S entry and Ag2S growth as columns until emergence at the stack surface is suppressed, which markedly delays tarnishing initiation and thereby preserves the optical performance. The results revealed that residual tarnishing initiation proceeds by a mechanism essentially identical in nature but involving different pathways short circuiting the protection layer and enabling H2S ingress until the silver layer. These permeation pathways are suggested to be of microstructural origin and could correspond to the incompletely coalesced intergranular boundaries of the SiO2 layer.

Electrochemical Detection in Stacked Paper Networks.

PubMed

Liu, Xiyuan; Lillehoj, Peter B

2015-08-01

Paper-based electrochemical biosensors are a promising technology that enables rapid, quantitative measurements on an inexpensive platform. However, the control of liquids in paper networks is generally limited to a single sample delivery step. Here, we propose a simple method to automate the loading and delivery of liquid samples to sensing electrodes on paper networks by stacking multiple layers of paper. Using these stacked paper devices (SPDs), we demonstrate a unique strategy to fully immerse planar electrodes by aqueous liquids via capillary flow. Amperometric measurements of xanthine oxidase revealed that electrochemical sensors on four-layer SPDs generated detection signals up to 75% higher compared with those on single-layer paper devices. Furthermore, measurements could be performed with minimal user involvement and completed within 30 min. Due to its simplicity, enhanced automation, and capability for quantitative measurements, stacked paper electrochemical biosensors can be useful tools for point-of-care testing in resource-limited settings. © 2015 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

Periodic dielectric structure for production of photonic band gap and method for fabricating the same

DOEpatents

Ozbay, E.; Tuttle, G.; Michel, E.; Ho, K.M.; Biswas, R.; Chan, C.T.; Soukoulis, C.

1995-04-11

A method is disclosed for fabricating a periodic dielectric structure which exhibits a photonic band gap. Alignment holes are formed in a wafer of dielectric material having a given crystal orientation. A planar layer of elongate rods is then formed in a section of the wafer. The formation of the rods includes the step of selectively removing the dielectric material of the wafer between the rods. The formation of alignment holes and layers of elongate rods and wafers is then repeated to form a plurality of patterned wafers. A stack of patterned wafers is then formed by rotating each successive wafer with respect to the next-previous wafer, and then placing the successive wafer on the stack. This stacking results in a stack of patterned wafers having a four-layer periodicity exhibiting a photonic band gap. 42 figures.

Reducing interface recombination for Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} by atomic layer deposited buffer layers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hultqvist, Adam; Bent, Stacey F.; Li, Jian V.

2015-07-20

Partial CuInGaSe{sub 2} (CIGS) solar cell stacks with different atomic layer deposited buffer layers and pretreatments were analyzed by photoluminescence (PL) and capacitance voltage (CV) measurements to investigate the buffer layer/CIGS interface. Atomic layer deposited ZnS, ZnO, and SnO{sub x} buffer layers were compared with chemical bath deposited CdS buffer layers. Band bending, charge density, and interface state density were extracted from the CV measurement using an analysis technique new to CIGS. The surface recombination velocity calculated from the density of interface traps for a ZnS/CIGS stack shows a remarkably low value of 810 cm/s, approaching the range of single crystallinemore » II–VI systems. Both the PL spectra and its lifetime depend on the buffer layer; thus, these measurements are not only sensitive to the absorber but also to the absorber/buffer layer system. Pretreatment of the CIGS prior to the buffer layer deposition plays a significant role on the electrical properties for the same buffer layer/CIGS stack, further illuminating the importance of good interface formation. Finally, ZnS is found to be the best performing buffer layer in this study, especially if the CIGS surface is pretreated with potassium cyanide.« less

Reducing interface recombination for Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 by atomic layer deposited buffer layers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hultqvist, Adam; Li, Jian V.; Kuciauskas, Darius

2015-07-20

Partial CuInGaSe2 (CIGS) solar cell stacks with different atomic layer deposited buffer layers and pretreatments were analyzed by photoluminescence (PL) and capacitance voltage (CV) measurements to investigate the buffer layer/CIGS interface. Atomic layer deposited ZnS, ZnO, and SnOx buffer layers were compared with chemical bath deposited CdS buffer layers. Band bending, charge density, and interface state density were extracted from the CV measurement using an analysis technique new to CIGS. The surface recombination velocity calculated from the density of interface traps for a ZnS/CIGS stack shows a remarkably low value of 810 cm/s, approaching the range of single crystalline II-VImore » systems. Both the PL spectra and its lifetime depend on the buffer layer; thus, these measurements are not only sensitive to the absorber but also to the absorber/buffer layer system. Pretreatment of the CIGS prior to the buffer layer deposition plays a significant role on the electrical properties for the same buffer layer/CIGS stack, further illuminating the importance of good interface formation. Finally, ZnS is found to be the best performing buffer layer in this study, especially if the CIGS surface is pretreated with potassium cyanide.« less

Reducing interface recombination for Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 by atomic layer deposited buffer layers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hultqvist, Adam; Li, Jian V.; Kuciauskas, Darius

2015-07-20

Partial CuInGaSe2 (CIGS) solar cell stacks with different atomic layer deposited buffer layers and pretreatments were analyzed by photoluminescence (PL) and capacitance voltage (CV) measurements to investigate the buffer layer/CIGS interface. Atomic layer deposited ZnS, ZnO, and SnOx buffer layers were compared with chemical bath deposited CdS buffer layers. Band bending, charge density, and interface state density were extracted from the CV measurement using an analysis technique new to CIGS. The surface recombination velocity calculated from the density of interface traps for a ZnS/CIGS stack shows a remarkably low value of 810 cm/s, approaching the range of single crystalline II–VImore » systems. Both the PL spectra and its lifetime depend on the buffer layer; thus, these measurements are not only sensitive to the absorber but also to the absorber/buffer layer system. Pretreatment of the CIGS prior to the buffer layer deposition plays a significant role on the electrical properties for the same buffer layer/CIGS stack, further illuminating the importance of good interface formation. Finally, ZnS is found to be the best performing buffer layer in this study, especially if the CIGS surface is pretreated with potassium cyanide.« less

Fast method for in-flight estimation of total dose from protons and electrons using RADE Minstrument on JUICE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hajdas, Wojtek; Mrigakshi, Alankrita; Xiao, Hualin

2017-04-01

The primary concern of the ESA JUICE mission to Jupiter is the harsh particle radiation environment. Ionizing particles introduce radiation damage by total dose effects, displacement damages or single events effects. Therefore, both the total ionizing dose and the displacement damage equivalent fluence must be assessed to alert spacecraft and its payload as well as to quantify radiation levels for the entire mission lifetime. We present a concept and implementations steps for simplified method used to compute in flight a dose rate and total dose caused by protons. We also provide refinement of the method previously developed for electrons. The dose rates values are given for predefined active volumes located behind layers of materials with known thickness. Both methods are based on the electron and proton flux measurements provided by the Electron and Proton Detectors inside the Radiation Hard Electron Monitor (RADEM) located on-board of JUICE. The trade-off between method accuracy and programming limitations for in-flight computations are discussed. More comprehensive and precise dose rate computations based on detailed analysis of all stack detectors will be made during off-line data processing. It will utilize full spectral unfolding from all RADEM detector subsystems.

Fatigue of extracted lead zirconate titanate multilayer actuators under unipolar high field electric cycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hong; Lee, Sung-Min; Wang, James L.; Lin, Hua-Tay

2014-12-01

Testing of large prototype lead zirconate titanate (PZT) stacks presents substantial technical challenges to electronic testing systems, so an alternative approach that uses subunits extracted from prototypes has been pursued. Extracted 10-layer and 20-layer plate specimens were subjected to an electric cycle test under an electric field of 3.0/0.0 kV/mm, 100 Hz to 108 cycles. The effects of measurement field level and stack size (number of PZT layers) on the fatigue responses of piezoelectric and dielectric coefficients were observed. On-line monitoring permitted examination of the fatigue response of the PZT stacks. The fatigue rate (based on on-line monitoring) and the fatigue index (based on the conductance spectrum from impedance measurement or small signal measurement) were developed to quantify the fatigue status of the PZT stacks. The controlling fatigue mechanism was analyzed against the fatigue observations. The data presented can serve as input to design optimization of PZT stacks and to operation optimization in critical applications, such as piezoelectric fuel injectors in heavy-duty diesel engines.

Fatigue of extracted lead zirconate titanate multilayer actuators under unipolar high field electric cycling

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Hong; Lee, Sung Min; Wang, James L.

Testing of large prototype lead zirconate titanate (PZT) stacks presents substantial technical challenges to electronic testing systems, so an alternative approach that uses subunits extracted from prototypes has been pursued. Extracted 10-layer and 20-layer plate specimens were subjected to an electric cycle test under an electric field of 3.0/0.0 kV/mm, 100 Hz to 10^8 cycles. The effects of measurement field level and stack size (number of PZT layers) on the fatigue responses of piezoelectric and dielectric coefficients were observed. On-line monitoring permitted examination of the fatigue response of the PZT stacks. The fatigue rate (based on on-line monitoring) and themore » fatigue index (based on the conductance spectrum from impedance measurement or small signal measurement) were developed to quantify the fatigue status of the PZT stacks. The controlling fatigue mechanism was analyzed against the fatigue observations. The data presented can serve as input to design optimization of PZT stacks and to operation optimization in critical applications such as piezoelectric fuel injectors in heavy-duty diesel engines.« less

Fatigue of extracted lead zirconate titanate multilayer actuators under unipolar high field electric cycling

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Hong, E-mail: wangh@ornl.gov; Lee, Sung-Min; Wang, James L.

Testing of large prototype lead zirconate titanate (PZT) stacks presents substantial technical challenges to electronic testing systems, so an alternative approach that uses subunits extracted from prototypes has been pursued. Extracted 10-layer and 20-layer plate specimens were subjected to an electric cycle test under an electric field of 3.0/0.0 kV/mm, 100 Hz to 10{sup 8} cycles. The effects of measurement field level and stack size (number of PZT layers) on the fatigue responses of piezoelectric and dielectric coefficients were observed. On-line monitoring permitted examination of the fatigue response of the PZT stacks. The fatigue rate (based on on-line monitoring) and the fatiguemore » index (based on the conductance spectrum from impedance measurement or small signal measurement) were developed to quantify the fatigue status of the PZT stacks. The controlling fatigue mechanism was analyzed against the fatigue observations. The data presented can serve as input to design optimization of PZT stacks and to operation optimization in critical applications, such as piezoelectric fuel injectors in heavy-duty diesel engines.« less

Fatigue of extracted lead zirconate titanate multilayer actuators under unipolar high field electric cycling

DOE PAGES

Wang, Hong; Lee, Sung Min; Wang, James L.; ...

2014-12-19

Testing of large prototype lead zirconate titanate (PZT) stacks presents substantial technical challenges to electronic testing systems, so an alternative approach that uses subunits extracted from prototypes has been pursued. Extracted 10-layer and 20-layer plate specimens were subjected to an electric cycle test under an electric field of 3.0/0.0 kV/mm, 100 Hz to 10^8 cycles. The effects of measurement field level and stack size (number of PZT layers) on the fatigue responses of piezoelectric and dielectric coefficients were observed. On-line monitoring permitted examination of the fatigue response of the PZT stacks. The fatigue rate (based on on-line monitoring) and themore » fatigue index (based on the conductance spectrum from impedance measurement or small signal measurement) were developed to quantify the fatigue status of the PZT stacks. The controlling fatigue mechanism was analyzed against the fatigue observations. The data presented can serve as input to design optimization of PZT stacks and to operation optimization in critical applications such as piezoelectric fuel injectors in heavy-duty diesel engines.« less

Tunable and laser-reconfigurable 2D heterocrystals obtained by epitaxial stacking of crystallographically incommensurate Bi2Se3 and MoS2 atomic layers

PubMed Central

Vargas, Anthony; Liu, Fangze; Lane, Christopher; Rubin, Daniel; Bilgin, Ismail; Hennighausen, Zachariah; DeCapua, Matthew; Bansil, Arun; Kar, Swastik

2017-01-01

Vertical stacking is widely viewed as a promising approach for designing advanced functionalities using two-dimensional (2D) materials. Combining crystallographically commensurate materials in these 2D stacks has been shown to result in rich new electronic structure, magnetotransport, and optical properties. In this context, vertical stacks of crystallographically incommensurate 2D materials with well-defined crystallographic order are a counterintuitive concept and, hence, fundamentally intriguing. We show that crystallographically dissimilar and incommensurate atomically thin MoS2 and Bi2Se3 layers can form rotationally aligned stacks with long-range crystallographic order. Our first-principles theoretical modeling predicts heterocrystal electronic band structures, which are quite distinct from those of the parent crystals, characterized with an indirect bandgap. Experiments reveal striking optical changes when Bi2Se3 is stacked layer by layer on monolayer MoS2, including 100% photoluminescence (PL) suppression, tunable transmittance edge (1.1→0.75 eV), suppressed Raman, and wide-band evolution of spectral transmittance. Disrupting the interface using a focused laser results in a marked the reversal of PL, Raman, and transmittance, demonstrating for the first time that in situ manipulation of interfaces can enable “reconfigurable” 2D materials. We demonstrate submicrometer resolution, “laser-drawing” and “bit-writing,” and novel laser-induced broadband light emission in these heterocrystal sheets. PMID:28740860

Monoclinic crystal structure of α - RuCl 3 and the zigzag antiferromagnetic ground state

DOE PAGES

Johnson, R. D.; Williams, S. C.; Haghighirad, A. A.; ...

2015-12-10

We have proposed the layered honeycomb magnet α - RuCl 3 as a candidate to realize a Kitaev spin model with strongly frustrated, bond-dependent, anisotropic interactions between spin-orbit entangled j eff = 1/2 Ru 3 + magnetic moments. We report a detailed study of the three-dimensional crystal structure using x-ray diffraction on untwinned crystals combined with structural relaxation calculations. We consider several models for the stacking of honeycomb layers and find evidence for a parent crystal structure with a monoclinic unit cell corresponding to a stacking of layers with a unidirectional in-plane offset, with occasional in-plane sliding stacking faults, inmore » contrast with the currently assumed trigonal three-layer stacking periodicity. We also report electronic band-structure calculations for the monoclinic structure, which find support for the applicability of the j eff = 1/2 picture once spin-orbit coupling and electron correlations are included. Of the three nearest-neighbor Ru-Ru bonds that comprise the honeycomb lattice, the monoclinic structure makes the bond parallel to the b axis nonequivalent to the other two, and we propose that the resulting differences in the magnitude of the anisotropic exchange along these bonds could provide a natural mechanism to explain the previously reported spin gap in powder inelastic neutron scattering measurements, in contrast to spin models based on the three-fold symmetric trigonal structure, which predict a gapless spectrum within linear spin wave theory. Our susceptibility measurements on both powders and stacked crystals, as well as magnetic neutron powder diffraction, show a single magnetic transition upon cooling below T N ≈ 13 K. Our analysis of our neutron powder diffraction data provides evidence for zigzag magnetic order in the honeycomb layers with an antiferromagnetic stacking between layers. Magnetization measurements on stacked single crystals in pulsed field up to 60 T show a single transition around 8 T for in-plane fields followed by a gradual, asymptotic approach to magnetization saturation, as characteristic of strongly anisotropic exchange interactions.« less

Is There Excitation Energy Transfer between Different Layers of Stacked Photosystem-II-Containing Thylakoid Membranes?

PubMed

Farooq, Shazia; Chmeliov, Jevgenij; Trinkunas, Gediminas; Valkunas, Leonas; van Amerongen, Herbert

2016-04-07

We have compared picosecond fluorescence decay kinetics for stacked and unstacked photosystem II membranes in order to evaluate the efficiency of excitation energy transfer between the neighboring layers. The measured kinetics were analyzed in terms of a recently developed fluctuating antenna model that provides information about the dimensionality of the studied system. Independently of the stacking state, all preparations exhibited virtually the same value of the apparent dimensionality, d = 1.6. Thus, we conclude that membrane stacking does not affect the efficiency of the delivery of excitation energy toward the reaction centers but ensures a more compact organization of the thylakoid membranes within the chloroplast and separation of photosystems I and II.

Oxidation precursor dependence of atomic layer deposited Al2O3 films in a-Si:H(i)/Al2O3 surface passivation stacks.

PubMed

Xiang, Yuren; Zhou, Chunlan; Jia, Endong; Wang, Wenjing

2015-01-01

In order to obtain a good passivation of a silicon surface, more and more stack passivation schemes have been used in high-efficiency silicon solar cell fabrication. In this work, we prepared a-Si:H(i)/Al2O3 stacks on KOH solution-polished n-type solar grade mono-silicon(100) wafers. For the Al2O3 film deposition, both thermal atomic layer deposition (T-ALD) and plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD) were used. Interface trap density spectra were obtained for Si passivation with a-Si films and a-Si:H(i)/Al2O3 stacks by a non-contact corona C-V technique. After the fabrication of a-Si:H(i)/Al2O3 stacks, the minimum interface trap density was reduced from original 3 × 10(12) to 1 × 10(12) cm(-2) eV(-1), the surface total charge density increased by nearly one order of magnitude for PE-ALD samples and about 0.4 × 10(12) cm(-2) for a T-ALD sample, and the carrier lifetimes increased by a factor of three (from about 10 μs to about 30 μs). Combining these results with an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, we discussed the influence of an oxidation precursor for ALD Al2O3 deposition on Al2O3 single layers and a-Si:H(i)/Al2O3 stack surface passivation from field-effect passivation and chemical passivation perspectives. In addition, the influence of the stack fabrication process on the a-Si film structure was also discussed in this study.

Van Der Waals heterogeneous layer-layer carbon nanostructures involving π···H-C-C-H···π···H-C-C-H stacking based on graphene and graphane sheets.

PubMed

Yuan, Kun; Zhao, Rui-Sheng; Zheng, Jia-Jia; Zheng, Hong; Nagase, Shigeru; Zhao, Sheng-Dun; Liu, Yan-Zhi; Zhao, Xiang

2017-04-15

Noncovalent interactions involving aromatic rings, such as π···π stacking, CH···π are very essential for supramolecular carbon nanostructures. Graphite is a typical homogenous carbon matter based on π···π stacking of graphene sheets. Even in systems not involving aromatic groups, the stability of diamondoid dimer and layer-layer graphane dimer originates from C - H···H - C noncovalent interaction. In this article, the structures and properties of novel heterogeneous layer-layer carbon-nanostructures involving π···H-C-C-H···π···H-C-C-H stacking based on [n]-graphane and [n]-graphene and their derivatives are theoretically investigated for n = 16-54 using dispersion corrected density functional theory B3LYP-D3 method. Energy decomposition analysis shows that dispersion interaction is the most important for the stabilization of both double- and multi-layer-layer [n]-graphane@graphene. Binding energy between graphane and graphene sheets shows that there is a distinct additive nature of CH···π interaction. For comparison and simplicity, the concept of H-H bond energy equivalent number of carbon atoms (noted as NHEQ), is used to describe the strength of these noncovalent interactions. The NHEQ of the graphene dimers, graphane dimers, and double-layered graphane@graphene are 103, 143, and 110, indicating that the strength of C-H···π interaction is close to that of π···π and much stronger than that of C-H···H-C in large size systems. Additionally, frontier molecular orbital, electron density difference and visualized noncovalent interaction regions are discussed for deeply understanding the nature of the C-H···π stacking interaction in construction of heterogeneous layer-layer graphane@graphene structures. We hope that the present study would be helpful for creations of new functional supramolecular materials based on graphane and graphene carbon nano-structures. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effects of channel thickness on oxide thin film transistor with double-stacked channel layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Kimoon; Kim, Yong-Hoon; Yoon, Sung-Min; Kim, Jiwan; Oh, Min Suk

2017-11-01

To improve the field effect mobility and control the threshold voltage ( V th ) of oxide thin film transistors (TFTs), we fabricated the oxide TFTs with double-stacked channel layers which consist of thick Zn-Sn-O (ZTO) and very thin In-Zn-O (IZO) layers. We investigated the effects of the thickness of thin conductive layer and the conductivity of thick layer on oxide TFTs with doublestacked channel layer. When we changed the thickness of thin conductive IZO channel layer, the resistivity values were changed. This resistivity of thin channel layer affected on the saturation field effect mobility and the off current of TFTs. In case of the thick ZTO channel layer which was deposited by sputtering in Ar: O2 = 10: 1, the device showed better performances than that which was deposited in Ar: O2 = 1: 1. Our TFTs showed high mobility ( μ FE ) of 40.7 cm2/Vs and V th of 4.3 V. We assumed that high mobility and the controlled V th were caused by thin conductive IZO layer and thick stable ZTO layer. Therefore, this double-stacked channel structure can be very promising way to improve the electrical characteristics of various oxide thin film transistors.

CD uniformity control for thick resist process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Chi-hao; Liu, Yu-Lin; Wang, Weihung; Yang, Mars; Yang, Elvis; Yang, T. H.; Chen, K. C.

2017-03-01

In order to meet the increasing storage capacity demand and reduce bit cost of NAND flash memories, 3D stacked flash cell array has been proposed. In constructing 3D NAND flash memories, the higher bit number per area is achieved by increasing the number of stacked layers. Thus the so-called "staircase" patterning to form electrical connection between memory cells and word lines has become one of the primarily critical processes in 3D memory manufacture. To provide controllable critical dimension (CD) with good uniformity involving thick photo-resist has also been of particular concern for staircase patterning. The CD uniformity control has been widely investigated with relatively thinner resist associated with resolution limit dimension but thick resist coupling with wider dimension. This study explores CD uniformity control associated with thick photo-resist processing. Several critical parameters including exposure focus, exposure dose, baking condition, pattern size and development recipe, were found to strongly correlate with the thick photo-resist profile accordingly affecting the CD uniformity control. To minimize the within-wafer CD variation, the slightly tapered resist profile is proposed through well tailoring the exposure focus and dose together with optimal development recipe. Great improvements on DCD (ADI CD) and ECD (AEI CD) uniformity as well as line edge roughness were achieved through the optimization of photo resist profile.

Centimeter Scale Patterned Growth of Vertically Stacked Few Layer Only 2D MoS2/WS2 van der Waals Heterostructure.

PubMed

Choudhary, Nitin; Park, Juhong; Hwang, Jun Yeon; Chung, Hee-Suk; Dumas, Kenneth H; Khondaker, Saiful I; Choi, Wonbong; Jung, Yeonwoong

2016-05-05

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waal (vdW) heterostructures composed of vertically-stacked multiple transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and tungsten disulfide (WS2) are envisioned to present unprecedented materials properties unobtainable from any other material systems. Conventional fabrications of these hybrid materials have relied on the low-yield manual exfoliation and stacking of individual 2D TMD layers, which remain impractical for scaled-up applications. Attempts to chemically synthesize these materials have been recently pursued, which are presently limited to randomly and scarcely grown 2D layers with uncontrolled layer numbers on very small areas. Here, we report the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of large-area (>2 cm(2)) patterned 2D vdW heterostructures composed of few layer, vertically-stacked MoS2 and WS2. Detailed structural characterizations by Raman spectroscopy and high-resolution/scanning transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM/STEM) directly evidence the structural integrity of two distinct 2D TMD layers with atomically sharp vdW heterointerfaces. Electrical transport measurements of these materials reveal diode-like behavior with clear current rectification, further confirming the formation of high-quality heterointerfaces. The intrinsic scalability and controllability of the CVD method presented in this study opens up a wide range of opportunities for emerging applications based on the unconventional functionalities of these uniquely structured materials.

Influence of basal-plane dislocation structures on expansion of single Shockley-type stacking faults in forward-current degradation of 4H-SiC p-i-n diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayashi, Shohei; Yamashita, Tamotsu; Senzaki, Junji; Miyazato, Masaki; Ryo, Mina; Miyajima, Masaaki; Kato, Tomohisa; Yonezawa, Yoshiyuki; Kojima, Kazutoshi; Okumura, Hajime

2018-04-01

The origin of expanded single Shockley-type stacking faults in forward-current degradation of 4H-SiC p-i-n diodes was investigated by the stress-current test. At a stress-current density lower than 25 A cm-2, triangular stacking faults were formed from basal-plane dislocations in the epitaxial layer. At a stress-current density higher than 350 A cm-2, both triangular and long-zone-shaped stacking faults were formed from basal-plane dislocations that converted into threading edge dislocations near the interface between the epitaxial layer and the substrate. In addition, the conversion depth of basal-plane dislocations that expanded into the stacking fault was inside the substrate deeper than the interface. These results indicate that the conversion depth of basal-plane dislocations strongly affects the threshold stress-current density at which the expansion of stacking faults occurs.

Revealing the preferred interlayer orientations and stackings of two-dimensional bilayer gallium selenide crystals.

PubMed

Li, Xufan; Basile, Leonardo; Yoon, Mina; Ma, Cheng; Puretzky, Alexander A; Lee, Jaekwang; Idrobo, Juan C; Chi, Miaofang; Rouleau, Christopher M; Geohegan, David B; Xiao, Kai

2015-02-23

Characterizing and controlling the interlayer orientations and stacking orders of two-dimensional (2D) bilayer crystals and van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures is crucial to optimize their electrical and optoelectronic properties. The four polymorphs of layered gallium selenide (GaSe) crystals that result from different layer stackings provide an ideal platform to study the stacking configurations in 2D bilayer crystals. Through a controllable vapor-phase deposition method, bilayer GaSe crystals were selectively grown and their two preferred 0° or 60° interlayer rotations were investigated. The commensurate stacking configurations (AA' and AB stacking) in as-grown bilayer GaSe crystals are clearly observed at the atomic scale, and the Ga-terminated edge structure was identified using scanning transmission electron microscopy. Theoretical analysis reveals that the energies of the interlayer coupling are responsible for the preferred orientations among the bilayer GaSe crystals. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Evaluation of Graphene/WO3 and Graphene/CeO x Structures as Electrodes for Supercapacitor Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaitoglou, Stefanos; Amade, Roger; Bertran, Enric

2017-12-01

The combination of graphene with transition metal oxides can result in very promising hybrid materials for use in energy storage applications thanks to its intriguing properties, i.e., highly tunable surface area, outstanding electrical conductivity, good chemical stability, and excellent mechanical behavior. In the present work, we evaluate the performance of graphene/metal oxide (WO3 and CeO x ) layered structures as potential electrodes in supercapacitor applications. Graphene layers were grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on copper substrates. Single and layer-by-layer graphene stacks were fabricated combining graphene transfer techniques and metal oxides grown by magnetron sputtering. The electrochemical properties of the samples were analyzed and the results suggest an improvement in the performance of the device with the increase in the number of graphene layers. Furthermore, deposition of transition metal oxides within the stack of graphene layers further improves the areal capacitance of the device up to 4.55 mF/cm2, for the case of a three-layer stack. Such high values are interpreted as a result of the copper oxide grown between the copper substrate and the graphene layer. The electrodes present good stability for the first 850 cycles before degradation.

Plasma Oxidation Of Silver And Zinc In Low-Emissivity Stacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ross, R. C.; Sherman, R.,; Bunger, R. A.; Nadel, S. J.

1987-11-01

The oxidation of silver and zinc films was studied by exposing metallic films to low-power 02 plasmas and analyzing the reacted films. This type of oxidation is an important phenomenon near the barrier layer in sputter-deposited metal-oxide/Ag/metal-oxide low-emissivity (low-e) coatings. Barrier layers generally are deposited on the Ag layer to prevent its degradation during subsequent 02 reactive sputtering. Both individual layers and complete stacks were studied. In addition, the thermal stability of plasma-oxidized Ag was examined. There are several important findings for the individual layers. Ag oxidizes rapidly in the plasma, forming Ag≍1.70 after complete reaction. Relative to the original Ag, the 9ide has -l.7 times greater thick-ness, >10 times higher electrical resistiv-ity (p), and increased surface roughness. Zn oxidizes slowly, at only -1% to 0.1% times the rate for Ag, and is thus more difficult to characterize. The results for individual layers are discussed as they relate to practical pro-perties of low-e stacks: the difficulty of obtaining complete barrier layer oxidation without partially degrading the Ag layer as well as the effects of heat treatment and aging.

Dimensional crossover of electron weak localization in ZnO/TiO{sub x} stacked layers grown by atomic layer deposition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saha, D., E-mail: sahaphys@gmail.com, E-mail: pmisra@rrcat.gov.in; Misra, P., E-mail: sahaphys@gmail.com, E-mail: pmisra@rrcat.gov.in; Joshi, M. P.

2016-01-25

We report on the dimensional crossover of electron weak localization in ZnO/TiO{sub x} stacked layers having well-defined and spatially-localized Ti dopant profiles along film thickness. These films were grown by in situ incorporation of sub-monolayer TiO{sub x} on the growing ZnO film surface and subsequent overgrowth of thin conducting ZnO spacer layer using atomic layer deposition. Film thickness was varied in the range of ∼6–65 nm by vertically stacking different numbers (n = 1–7) of ZnO/TiO{sub x} layers of nearly identical dopant-profiles. The evolution of zero-field sheet resistance (R{sub ◻}) versus temperature with decreasing film thickness showed a metal to insulator transition. Onmore » the metallic side of the metal-insulator transition, R{sub ◻}(T) and magnetoresistance data were found to be well corroborated with the theoretical framework of electron weak localization in the diffusive transport regime. The temperature dependence of both R{sub ◻} and inelastic scattering length provided strong evidence for a smooth crossover from 2D to 3D weak localization behaviour. Results of this study provide deeper insight into the electron transport in low-dimensional n-type ZnO/TiO{sub x} stacked layers which have potential applications in the field of transparent oxide electronics.« less

Growth and Implementation of Carbon-Doped AlGaN Layers for Enhancement-Mode HEMTs on 200 mm Si Substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Jie; Posthuma, Niels; Wellekens, Dirk; Saripalli, Yoga N.; Decoutere, Stefaan; Arif, Ronald; Papasouliotis, George D.

2016-12-01

We are reporting the growth of AlGaN based enhancement-mode high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) on 200 mm silicon (111) substrates using a single wafer metalorganic chemical vapor deposition reactor. It is found that TMAl pre-dosing conditions are critical in controlling the structural quality, surface morphology, and wafer bow of the HEMT stack. Optimal structural quality and pit-free surface are demonstrated for AlGaN HEMTs with pre-dosing temperature at 750°C. Intrinsically, carbon-doped AlGaN, is used as the current blocking layer in the HEMT structures. The lateral buffer breakdown and device breakdown characteristics, reach 400 V at a leakage current of 1 μA/mm measured at 150°C. The fabricated HEMT devices, with a Mg doped p-GaN gate layer, are operating in enhancement mode reaching a positive threshold voltage of 2-2.5 V, a low on-resistance of 10.5 Ω mm with a high drain saturation current of 0.35 A/mm, and a low forward bias gate leakage current of 0.5 × 10-6 A/mm ( V gs = 7 V). Tight distribution of device parameters across the 200 mm wafers and over repeat process runs is observed.

Post-test characterization of a solid oxide fuel cell stack operated for more than 30,000 hours: The cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menzler, Norbert H.; Sebold, Doris; Guillon, Olivier

2018-01-01

A four-layer solid oxide fuel cell stack with planar anode-supported cells was operated galvanostatically at 700 °C and 0.5Acm-2 for nearly 35,000 h. One of the four planes started to degrade more rapidly after ∼28,000 h and finally more progressively after ∼33,000 h. The stack was then shut down and a post-test analysis was carefully performed. The cell was characterized with respect to cathodic impurities and clarification of the reason(s) for failure. Wet chemical analysis revealed very low chromium incorporation into the cathode. However, SEM and TEM observations on polished and fractured surfaces showed catastrophic failure in the degraded layer. The cathode-barrier-electrolyte cell layer system delaminated from the entire cell over large areas. The source of delamination was the formation of a porous, sponge-like secondary phase consisting of zirconia, yttria and manganese (oxide). Large secondary phase islands grew from the electrolyte-anode interface towards the anode and cracked the bonding between both layers. The manganese originated from the contact or protection layers used on the air side. This stack result shows that volatile species - in this case manganese - should be avoided, especially when long-term applications are envisaged.

Thin film electronic devices with conductive and transparent gas and moisture permeation barriers

DOEpatents

Simpson, Lin Jay

2013-12-17

A thin film stack (100, 200) is provided for use in electronic devices such as photovoltaic devices. The stack (100, 200) may be integrated with a substrate (110) such as a light transmitting/transmissive layer. A electrical conductor layer (120, 220) is formed on a surface of the substrate (110) or device layer such as a transparent conducting (TC) material layer (120,220) with pin holes or defects (224) caused by manufacturing. The stack (100) includes a thin film (130, 230) of metal that acts as a barrier for environmental contaminants (226, 228). The metal thin film (130,230) is deposited on the conductor layer (120, 220) and formed from a self-healing metal such as a metal that forms self-terminating oxides. A permeation plug or block (236) is formed in or adjacent to the thin film (130, 230) of metal at or proximate to the pin holes (224) to block further permeation of contaminants through the pin holes (224).

Architecture of Pd-Au bimetallic nanoparticles in sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate reverse micelles as investigated by X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

PubMed

Chen, Ching-Hsiang; Sarma, Loka Subramanyam; Chen, Jium-Ming; Shih, Shou-Chu; Wang, Guo-Rung; Liu, Din-Goa; Tang, Mau-Tsu; Lee, Jyh-Fu; Hwang, Bing-Joe

2007-09-01

In this study, we demonstrate the unique application of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) as a fundamental characterization tool to help in designing and controlling the architecture of Pd-Au bimetallic nanoparticles within a water-in-oil microemulsion system of water/sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT)/n-heptane. Structural insights obtained from the in situ XAS measurements recorded at each step during the formation process revealed that Pd-Au bimetallic clusters with various Pd-Au atomic stackings are formed by properly performing hydrazine reduction and redox transmetalation reactions sequentially within water-in-oil microemulsions. A structural model is provided to explain reasonably each reaction step and to give detailed insight into the nucleation and growth mechanism of Pd-Au bimetallic clusters. The combination of in situ XAS analysis at both the Pd K-edge and the Au L(III)-edge and UV-vis absorption spectral features confirms that the formation of Pd-Au bimetallic clusters follows a (Pd(nuclei)-Au(stack))-Pd(surf) stacking. This result further implies that the thickness of Au(stack) and Pd(surf) layers may be modulated by varying the dosage of the Au precursor and hydrazine, respectively. In addition, a bimetallic (Pd-Au)(alloy) nanocluster with a (Pd(nuclei)-Au(stack))-(Pd-Au(alloy))(surf) stacking was also designed and synthesized in order to check the feasibility of Pd(surf) layer modification. The result reveals that the Pd(surf) layer of the stacked (Pd(nuclei)-Au)(stack) bimetallic clusters can be successfully modified to form a (Au-Pd alloy)(surf) layer by a co-reduction of Pd and Au ions by hydrazine. Further, we demonstrate the alloying extent or atomic distribution of Pd and Au in Pd-Au bimetallic nanoparticles from the derived XAS structural parameters. The complete XAS-based methodology, demonstrated here on the Pd-Au bimetallic system, can easily be extended to design and control the alloying extent or atomic distribution, atomic stacking, and electronic structure to construct many other types of bimetallic systems for interesting applications.

Structural, electronic and vibrational properties of few-layer 2H-and 1T-TaSe 2

DOE PAGES

Yan, Jia -An; Dela Cruz, Mack A.; Cook, Brandon G.; ...

2015-11-16

Two-dimensional metallic transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are of interest for studying phenomena such as charge-density wave (CDW) and superconductivity. Few-layer tantalum diselenides (TaSe 2) are typical metallic TMDs exhibiting rich CDW phase transitions. However, a description of the structural, electronic and vibrational properties for different crystal phases and stacking configurations, essential for interpretation of experiments, is lacking. We present first principles calculations of structural phase energetics, band dispersion near the Fermi level, phonon properties and vibrational modes at the Brillouin zone center for different layer numbers, crystal phases and stacking geometries. Evolution of the Fermi surfaces as well as themore » phonon dispersions as a function of layer number reveals dramatic dimensionality effects in this CDW material. Lastly, our results indicate strong electronic interlayer coupling, detail energetically possible stacking geometries, and provide a basis for interpretation of Raman spectra.« less

A broadband permeability measurement of FeTaN lamination stack by the shorted microstrip line method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xin; Ma, Yungui; Xu, Feng; Wang, Peng; Ong, C. K.

2009-01-01

In this paper, the microwave characteristics of a FeTaN lamination stack are studied with a shorted microstrip line method. The FeTaN lamination stack was fabricated by gluing 54 layers of FeTaN units with epoxy together. The FeTaN units were deposited on both sides of an 8 μm polyethylene terephthate (Mylar) film as the substrate by rf magnetron sputtering. On each side of the Mylar substrate, three 100-nm FeTaN layers are laminated with two 8 nm Al2O3 layers. The complex permeability of FeTaN lamination stack is calculated by the scattering parameters using the shorted load transmission line model based on the quasi-transverse-electromagnetic approximation. A full wave analysis combined with an optimization process is employed to determine the accurate effective permeability values. The optimized complex permeability data can be used for the microwave filter design.

Two stacked tandem white organic light-emitting diodes employing WO3 as a charge generation layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bin, Jong-Kwan; Lee, Na Yeon; Lee, SeungJae; Seo, Bomin; Yang, JoongHwan; Kim, Jinook; Yoon, Soo Young; Kang, InByeong

2016-09-01

Recently, many studies have been conducted to improve the electroluminescence (EL) performance of organic lightemitting diodes (OLEDs) by using appropriate organic or inorganic materials as charge generation layer (CGL) for their application such as full color displays, backlight units, and general lighting source. In a stacked tandem white organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs), a few emitting units are electrically interconnected by a CGL, which plays the role of generating charge carriers, and then facilitate the injection of it into adjacent emitting units. In the present study, twostacked WOLEDs were fabricated by using tungsten oxide (WO3) as inorganic charge generation layer and 1,4,5,8,9,11- hexaazatriphenylene hexacarbonitrile (HAT-CN) as organic charge generation layer (P-CGL). Organic P-CGL materials were used due to their ease of use in OLED fabrication as compared to their inorganic counterparts. To obtain high efficiency, we demonstrate two-stacked tandem WOLEDs as follows: ITO/HIL/HTL/HTL'/B-EML/ETL/N-CGL/P-CGL (WO3 or HAT-CN)/HTL″/YG-EML/ETL/LiF/Al. The tandem devices with blue- and yellow-green emitting layers were sensitive to the thickness of an adjacent layer, hole transporting layer for the YG emitting layer. The WOLEDs containing the WO3 as charge generation layer reach a higher power efficiency of 19.1 lm/W and the current efficiency of 51.2 cd/A with the white color coordinate of (0.316, 0.318) than the power efficiency of 13.9 lm/W, and the current efficiency of 43.7 cd/A for organic CGL, HAT-CN at 10 mA/cm2, respectively. This performance with inserting WO3 as CGL exhibited the highest performance with excellent CIE color coordinates in the two-stacked tandem OLEDs.

Thin Co/Ni-based bottom pinned spin-transfer torque magnetic random access memory stacks with high annealing tolerance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tomczak, Y., E-mail: Yoann.Tomczak@imec.be; Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven; Swerts, J.

2016-01-25

Spin-transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM) is considered as a replacement for next generation embedded and stand-alone memory applications. One of the main challenges in the STT-MRAM stack development is the compatibility of the stack with CMOS process flows in which thermal budgets up to 400 °C are applied. In this letter, we report on a perpendicularly magnetized MgO-based tunnel junction (p-MTJ) on a thin Co/Ni perpendicular synthetic antiferromagnetic layer with high annealing tolerance. Tunnel magneto resistance (TMR) loss after annealing occurs when the reference layer loses its perpendicular magnetic anisotropy due to reduction of the CoFeB/MgO interfacial anisotropy. Amore » stable Co/Ni based p-MTJ stack with TMR values of 130% at resistance-area products of 9 Ω μm{sup 2} after 400 °C anneal is achieved via moment control of the Co/Ta/CoFeB reference layer. Thinning of the CoFeB polarizing layer down to 0.8 nm is the key enabler to achieve 400 °C compatibility with limited TMR loss. Thinning the Co below 0.6 nm leads to a loss of the antiferromagnetic interlayer exchange coupling strength through Ru. Insight into the thickness and moment engineering of the reference layer is displayed to obtain the best magnetic properties and high thermal stability for thin Co/Ni SAF-based STT-MRAM stacks.« less

A comparative density functional study on electrical properties of layered penta-graphene

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yu, Zhi Gen, E-mail: yuzg@ihpc.a-star.edu.sg; Zhang, Yong-Wei, E-mail: zhangyw@ihpc.a-star.edu.sg

We present a comparative study of the influence of the number of layers, the biaxial strain in the range of −3% to 3%, and the stacking misalignments on the electronic properties of a new 2D carbon allotrope, penta-graphene (PG), based on hybrid-functional method within the density functional theory (DFT). In comparison with local exchange-correlation approximation in the DFT, the hybrid-functional provides an accurate description on the degree of p{sub z} orbitals localization and bandgap. Importantly, the predicted bandgap of few-layer PG has a weak layer dependence. The bandgap of monolayer PG is 3.27 eV, approximately equal to those of GaN andmore » ZnO; and the bandgap of few-layer PG decreases slowly with the number of layers (N) and converge to 2.57 eV when N ≥ 4. Our calculations using HSE06 functional on few-layer PG reveal that bandgap engineering by stacking misalignment can further tune the bandgap down to 1.37 eV. Importantly, there is no direct-to-indirect bandgap transition in PG by varying strain, layer number, and stacking misalignment. Owing to its tunable, robustly direct, and wide bandgap characteristics, few-layer PG is promising for optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications.« less

Synthesis, characterization and application of Co doped TiO2 multilayer thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, M. I.

2018-06-01

To use the visible portion of solar light, 2% cobalt doped TiO2 (Co: TiO2) multilayer thin films having 1, 2, 3 and 4 stacked layers have been deposited on FTO substrates using spray pyrolysis technique. XRD results show that 1 and 2 layers of films have anatase phase. Brookite phase has been appeared at the 3 and 4 layered films. The average grain size of 1, 2, 3 and 4 layers of films are 14.4, 23.5, 29.7 and 33.6 nm respectively. UV-Vis results show that 4th layer film has high absorption in the visible region. The calculated Eg of 1, 2, 3 and 4 layers is 3.54, 3.42, 3.30 and 3.03 eV respectively. The calculated average sheet resistivity of 1, 2, 3 and 4 layers of films is 7.68 × 104, 4.54 × 104, 8.85 × 103 and 7.95 × 102 (ohm-m) respectively, according to four point probe technique. Solar simulator results show that highest solar conversion efficiency (5.6%) has been obtained by using 3 stacked layers photoanode. This new structure in the form of stack layers provides a way to improve the efficiency of optoelectronic devices.

Multi-electrode double layer capacitor having single electrolyte seal and aluminum-impregnated carbon cloth electrodes

DOEpatents

Farahmandi, C. J.; Dispennette, J. M.; Blank, E.; Kolb, A. C.

1999-05-25

A single cell, multi-electrode high performance double layer capacitor includes first and second flat stacks of electrodes adapted to be housed in a closeable two-part capacitor case which includes only a single electrolyte seal. Each electrode stack has a plurality of electrodes connected in parallel, with the electrodes of one stack being interleaved with the electrodes of the other stack to form an interleaved stack, and with the electrodes of each stack being electrically connected to respective capacitor terminals. A porous separator sleeve is inserted over the electrodes of one stack before interleaving to prevent electrical shorts between the electrodes. The electrodes are made by folding a compressible, low resistance, aluminum-impregnated carbon cloth, made from activated carbon fibers, around a current collector foil, with a tab of the foils of each electrode of each stack being connected in parallel and connected to the respective capacitor terminal. The height of the interleaved stack is somewhat greater than the inside height of the closed capacitor case, thereby requiring compression of the interleaved electrode stack when placed inside of the case, and thereby maintaining the interleaved electrode stack under modest constant pressure. The closed capacitor case is filled with an electrolytic solution and sealed. A preferred electrolytic solution is made by dissolving an appropriate salt into acetonitrile (CH[sub 3]CN). In one embodiment, the two parts of the capacitor case are conductive and function as the capacitor terminals. 32 figs.

Method of making a multi-electrode double layer capacitor having single electrolyte seal and aluminum-impregnated carbon cloth electrodes

DOEpatents

Farahmandi, C. Joseph; Dispennette, John M.; Blank, Edward; Kolb, Alan C.

2002-09-17

A single cell, multi-electrode high performance double layer capacitor includes first and second flat stacks of electrodes adapted to be housed in a closeable two-part capacitor case which includes only a single electrolyte seal. Each electrode stack has a plurality of electrodes connected in parallel, with the electrodes of one stack being interleaved with the electrodes of the other stack to form an interleaved stack, and with the electrodes of each stack being electrically connected to respective capacitor terminals. A porous separator is positioned against the electrodes of one stack before interleaving to prevent electrical shorts between the electrodes. The electrodes are made by folding a compressible, low resistance, aluminum-impregnated carbon cloth, made from activated carbon fibers, around a current collector foil, with a tab of the foils of each electrode of each stack being connected in parallel and connected to the respective capacitor terminal. The height of the interleaved stack is somewhat greater than the inside height of the closed capacitor case, thereby requiring compression of the interleaved electrode stack when placed inside of the case, and thereby maintaining the interleaved electrode stack under modest constant pressure. The closed capacitor case is filled with an electrolytic solution and sealed. A preferred electrolytic solution is made by dissolving an appropriate salt into acetonitrile (CH.sub.3 CN). In one embodiment, the two parts of the capacitor case are conductive and function as the capacitor terminals.

Multi-electrode double layer capacitor having single electrolyte seal and aluminum-impregnated carbon cloth electrodes

DOEpatents

Farahmandi, C Joseph [San Diego, CA; Dispennette, John M [Oceanside, CA; Blank, Edward [San Diego, CA; Kolb, Alan C [Rancho Santa Fe, CA

1999-05-25

A single cell, multi-electrode high performance double layer capacitor includes first and second flat stacks of electrodes adapted to be housed in a closeable two-part capacitor case which includes only a single electrolyte seal. Each electrode stack has a plurality of electrodes connected in parallel, with the electrodes of one stack being interleaved with the electrodes of the other stack to form an interleaved stack, and with the electrodes of each stack being electrically connected to respective capacitor terminals. A porous separator sleeve is inserted over the electrodes of one stack before interleaving to prevent electrical shorts between the electrodes. The electrodes are made by folding a compressible, low resistance, aluminum-impregnated carbon cloth, made from activated carbon fibers, around a current collector foil, with a tab of the foils of each electrode of each stack being connected in parallel and connected to the respective capacitor terminal. The height of the interleaved stack is somewhat greater than the inside height of the closed capacitor case, thereby requiring compression of the interleaved electrode stack when placed inside of the case, and thereby maintaining the interleaved electrode stack under modest constant pressure. The closed capacitor case is filled with an electrolytic solution and sealed. A preferred electrolytic solution is made by dissolving an appropriate salt into acetonitrile (CH.sub.3 CN). In one embodiment, the two parts of the capacitor case are conductive and function as the capacitor terminals.

Multi-electrode double layer capacitor having single electrolyte seal and aluminum-impregnated carbon cloth electrodes

DOEpatents

Farahmandi, C. Joseph; Dispennette, John M.; Blank, Edward; Kolb, Alan C.

1999-01-19

A single cell, multi-electrode high performance double layer capacitor includes first and second flat stacks of electrodes adapted to be housed in a closeable two-part capacitor case which includes only a single electrolyte seal. Each electrode stack has a plurality of electrodes connected in parallel, with the electrodes of one stack being interleaved with the electrodes of the other stack to form an interleaved stack, and with the electrodes of each stack being electrically connected to respective capacitor terminals. A porous separator sleeve is inserted over the electrodes of one stack before interleaving to prevent electrical shorts between the electrodes. The electrodes are made by folding a compressible, low resistance, aluminum-impregnated carbon cloth, made from activated carbon fibers, around a current collector foil, with a tab of the foils of each electrode of each stack being connected in parallel and connected to the respective capacitor terminal. The height of the interleaved stack is somewhat greater than the inside height of the closed capacitor case, thereby requiring compression of the interleaved electrode stack when placed inside of the case, and thereby maintaining the interleaved electrode stack under modest constant pressure. The closed capacitor case is filled with an electrolytic solution and sealed. A preferred electrolytic solution is made by dissolving an appropriate salt into acetonitrile (CH.sub.3 CN). In one embodiment, the two parts of the capacitor case are conductive and function as the capacitor terminals.

Multi-electrode double layer capacitor having single electrolyte seal and aluminum-impregnated carbon cloth electrodes

DOEpatents

Farahmandi, C.J.; Dispennette, J.M.; Blank, E.; Kolb, A.C.

1999-01-19

A single cell, multi-electrode high performance double layer capacitor includes first and second flat stacks of electrodes adapted to be housed in a closeable two-part capacitor case which includes only a single electrolyte seal. Each electrode stack has a plurality of electrodes connected in parallel, with the electrodes of one stack being interleaved with the electrodes of the other stack to form an interleaved stack, and with the electrodes of each stack being electrically connected to respective capacitor terminals. A porous separator sleeve is inserted over the electrodes of one stack before interleaving to prevent electrical shorts between the electrodes. The electrodes are made by folding a compressible, low resistance, aluminum-impregnated carbon cloth, made from activated carbon fibers, around a current collector foil, with a tab of the foils of each electrode of each stack being connected in parallel and connected to the respective capacitor terminal. The height of the interleaved stack is somewhat greater than the inside height of the closed capacitor case, thereby requiring compression of the interleaved electrode stack when placed inside of the case, and thereby maintaining the interleaved electrode stack under modest constant pressure. The closed capacitor case is filled with an electrolytic solution and sealed. A preferred electrolytic solution is made by dissolving an appropriate salt into acetonitrile (CH{sub 3}CN). In one embodiment, the two parts of the capacitor case are conductive and function as the capacitor terminals. 32 figs.

Method of making a multi-electrode double layer capacitor having single electrolyte seal and aluminum-impregnated carbon cloth electrodes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farahmandi, C. Joseph; Dispennette, John M.; Blank, Edward

A method of making a double layer capacitior includes first and second flat stacks of electrodes adapted to be housed in a closeable two-part capacitor case which includes only a single electrolyte seal. Each electrode stack has a plurality of electrodes connected in parallel, with the electrodes of one stack being interleaved with the electrodes of the other stack to form an interleaved stack, and with the electrodes of each stack being electrically connected to respective capacitor terminals. A porous separator is positioned against the electrodes of one stack before interleaving to prevent electrical shorts between the electrodes. The electrodesmore » are made by folding a compressible, low resistance, aluminum-impregnated carbon cloth, made from activated carbon fibers, around a current collector foil, with a tab of the foils of each electrode of each stack being connected in parallel and connected to the respective capacitor terminal. The height of the interleaved stack is somewhat greater than the inside height of the closed capacitor case, thereby requiring compression of the interleaved electrode stack when placed inside of the case, and thereby maintaining the interleaved electrode stack under modest constant pressure. The closed capacitor case is filled with an electrolytic solution and sealed. A preferred electrolytic solution is made by dissolving an appropriate salt into acetonitrile (CH.sub.3 CN). In one embodiment, the two arts of the capacitor case are conductive and function as the capacitor terminals.« less

Reducing the layer number of AB stacked multilayer graphene grown on nickel by annealing at low temperature.

PubMed

Velasco, J Marquez; Giamini, S A; Kelaidis, N; Tsipas, P; Tsoutsou, D; Kordas, G; Raptis, Y S; Boukos, N; Dimoulas, A

2015-10-09

Controlling the number of layers of graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition is crucial for large scale graphene application. We propose here an etching process of graphene which can be applied immediately after growth to control the number of layers. We use nickel (Ni) foil at high temperature (T = 900 °C) to produce multilayer-AB-stacked-graphene (MLG). The etching process is based on annealing the samples in a hydrogen/argon atmosphere at a relatively low temperature (T = 450 °C) inside the growth chamber. The extent of etching is mainly controlled by the annealing process duration. Using Raman spectroscopy we demonstrate that the number of layers was reduced, changing from MLG to few-layer-AB-stacked-graphene and in some cases to randomly oriented few layer graphene near the substrate. Furthermore, our method offers the significant advantage that it does not introduce defects in the samples, maintaining their original high quality. This fact and the low temperature our method uses make it a good candidate for controlling the layer number of already grown graphene in processes with a low thermal budget.

The multi-scattering model for calculations of positron spatial distribution in the multilayer stacks, useful for conventional positron measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dryzek, Jerzy; Siemek, Krzysztof

2013-08-01

The spatial distribution of positrons emitted from radioactive isotopes into stacks or layered samples is a subject of the presented report. It was found that Monte Carlo (MC) simulations using GEANT4 code are not able to describe correctly the experimental data of the positron fractions in stacks. The mathematical model was proposed for calculations of the implantation profile or positron fractions in separated layers or foils being components of a stack. The model takes into account only two processes, i.e., the positron absorption and backscattering at interfaces. The mathematical formulas were applied in the computer program called LYS-1 (layers profile analysis). The theoretical predictions of the model were in the good agreement with the results of the MC simulations for the semi infinite sample. The experimental verifications of the model were performed on the symmetrical and non-symmetrical stacks of different foils. The good agreement between the experimental and calculated fractions of positrons in components of a stack was achieved. Also the experimental implantation profile obtained using the depth scanning of positron implantation technique is very well described by the theoretical profile obtained within the proposed model. The LYS-1 program allows us also to calculate the fraction of positrons which annihilate in the source, which can be useful in the positron spectroscopy.

Stacked competitive networks for noise reduction in low-dose CT

PubMed Central

Du, Wenchao; Chen, Hu; Wu, Zhihong; Sun, Huaiqiang; Liao, Peixi

2017-01-01

Since absorption of X-ray radiation has the possibility of inducing cancerous, genetic and other diseases to patients, researches usually attempt to reduce the radiation dose. However, reduction of the radiation dose associated with CT scans will unavoidably increase the severity of noise and artifacts, which can seriously affect diagnostic confidence. Due to the outstanding performance of deep neural networks in image processing, in this paper, we proposed a Stacked Competitive Network (SCN) approach to noise reduction, which stacks several successive Competitive Blocks (CB). The carefully handcrafted design of the competitive blocks was inspired by the idea of multi-scale processing and improvement the network’s capacity. Qualitative and quantitative evaluations demonstrate the competitive performance of the proposed method in noise suppression, structural preservation, and lesion detection. PMID:29267360

Controllable Growth and Formation Mechanisms of Dislocated WS2 Spirals.

PubMed

Fan, Xiaopeng; Zhao, Yuzhou; Zheng, Weihao; Li, Honglai; Wu, Xueping; Hu, Xuelu; Zhang, Xuehong; Zhu, Xiaoli; Zhang, Qinglin; Wang, Xiao; Yang, Bin; Chen, Jianghua; Jin, Song; Pan, Anlian

2018-06-13

Two-dimensional (2D) layered metal dichalcogenides can form spiral nanostructures by a screw-dislocation-driven mechanism, which leads to changes in crystal symmetry and layer stackings that introduce attractive physical properties different from their bulk and few-layer nanostructures. However, controllable growth of spirals is challenging and their growth mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we report the controllable growth of WS 2 spiral nanoplates with different stackings by a vapor phase deposition route and investigate their formation mechanisms by combining atomic force microscopy with second harmonic generation imaging. Previously not observed "spiral arm" features could be explained as covered dislocation spiral steps, and the number of spiral arms correlates with the number of screw dislocations initiated at the bottom plane. The supersaturation-dependent growth can generate new screw dislocations from the existing layers, or even new layers templated by existing screw dislocations. Different number of dislocations and orientation of new layers result in distinct morphologies, different layer stackings, and more complex nanostructures, such as triangular spiral nanoplates with hexagonal spiral pattern on top. This work provides the understanding and control of dislocation-driven growth of 2D nanostructures. These spiral nanostructures offer diverse candidates for probing the physical properties of layered materials and exploring new applications in functional nanoelectronic and optoelectronic devices.

Organic electronic devices with multiple solution-processed layers

DOEpatents

Forrest, Stephen R.; Lassiter, Brian E.; Zimmerman, Jeramy D.

2015-08-04

A method of fabricating a tandem organic photosensitive device involves depositing a first layer of an organic electron donor type material film by solution-processing of the organic electron donor type material dissolved in a first solvent; depositing a first layer of an organic electron acceptor type material over the first layer of the organic electron donor type material film by a dry deposition process; depositing a conductive layer over the interim stack by a dry deposition process; depositing a second layer of the organic electron donor type material over the conductive layer by solution-processing of the organic electron donor type material dissolved in a second solvent, wherein the organic electron acceptor type material and the conductive layer are insoluble in the second solvent; depositing a second layer of an organic electron acceptor type material over the second layer of the organic electron donor type material film by a dry deposition process, resulting in a stack.

Atomic layer deposition of insulating nitride interfacial layers for germanium metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors with high-κ oxide/tungsten nitride gate stacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kyoung H.; Gordon, Roy G.; Ritenour, Andrew; Antoniadis, Dimitri A.

2007-05-01

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used to deposit passivating interfacial nitride layers between Ge and high-κ oxides. High-κ oxides on Ge surfaces passivated by ultrathin (1-2nm) ALD Hf3N4 or AlN layers exhibited well-behaved C-V characteristics with an equivalent oxide thickness as low as 0.8nm, no significant flatband voltage shifts, and midgap density of interface states values of 2×1012cm-1eV-1. Functional n-channel and p-channel Ge field effect transistors with nitride interlayer/high-κ oxide/metal gate stacks are demonstrated.

Polarization-insensitive optical gain characteristics of highly stacked InAs/GaAs quantum dots

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kita, Takashi; Suwa, Masaya; Kaizu, Toshiyuki

2014-06-21

The polarized optical gain characteristics of highly stacked InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) with a thin spacer layer fabricated on an n{sup +}-GaAs (001) substrate were studied in the sub-threshold gain region. Using a 4.0-nm-thick spacer layer, we realized an electronically coupled QD superlattice structure along the stacking direction, which enabled the enhancement of the optical gain of the [001] transverse-magnetic (TM) polarization component. We systematically studied the polarized electroluminescence properties of laser devices containing 30 and 40 stacked InAs/GaAs QDs. The net modal gain was analyzed using the Hakki-Paoli method. Owing to the in-plane shape anisotropy of QDs, the polarizationmore » sensitivity of the gain depends on the waveguide direction. The gain showing polarization isotropy between the TM and transverse-electric polarization components is high for the [110] waveguide structure, which occurs for higher amounts of stacked QDs. Conversely, the isotropy of the [−110] waveguide is easily achieved even if the stacking is relatively low, although the gain is small.« less

Anisotropy of Earth's D'' layer and stacking faults in the MgSiO3 post-perovskite phase.

PubMed

Oganov, Artem R; Martonák, Roman; Laio, Alessandro; Raiteri, Paolo; Parrinello, Michele

2005-12-22

The post-perovskite phase of (Mg,Fe)SiO3 is believed to be the main mineral phase of the Earth's lowermost mantle (the D'' layer). Its properties explain numerous geophysical observations associated with this layer-for example, the D'' discontinuity, its topography and seismic anisotropy within the layer. Here we use a novel simulation technique, first-principles metadynamics, to identify a family of low-energy polytypic stacking-fault structures intermediate between the perovskite and post-perovskite phases. Metadynamics trajectories identify plane sliding involving the formation of stacking faults as the most favourable pathway for the phase transition, and as a likely mechanism for plastic deformation of perovskite and post-perovskite. In particular, the predicted slip planes are {010} for perovskite (consistent with experiment) and {110} for post-perovskite (in contrast to the previously expected {010} slip planes). Dominant slip planes define the lattice preferred orientation and elastic anisotropy of the texture. The {110} slip planes in post-perovskite require a much smaller degree of lattice preferred orientation to explain geophysical observations of shear-wave anisotropy in the D'' layer.

CMOS image sensor with organic photoconductive layer having narrow absorption band and proposal of stack type solid-state image sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takada, Shunji; Ihama, Mikio; Inuiya, Masafumi

2006-02-01

Digital still cameras overtook film cameras in Japanese market in 2000 in terms of sales volume owing to their versatile functions. However, the image-capturing capabilities such as sensitivity and latitude of color films are still superior to those of digital image sensors. In this paper, we attribute the cause for the high performance of color films to their multi-layered structure, and propose the solid-state image sensors with stacked organic photoconductive layers having narrow absorption bands on CMOS read-out circuits.

Solar cell contact formation using laser ablation

DOEpatents

Harley, Gabriel; Smith, David D.; Cousins, Peter John

2015-07-21

The formation of solar cell contacts using a laser is described. A method of fabricating a back-contact solar cell includes forming a poly-crystalline material layer above a single-crystalline substrate. The method also includes forming a dielectric material stack above the poly-crystalline material layer. The method also includes forming, by laser ablation, a plurality of contacts holes in the dielectric material stack, each of the contact holes exposing a portion of the poly-crystalline material layer; and forming conductive contacts in the plurality of contact holes.

Solar cell contact formation using laser ablation

DOEpatents

Harley, Gabriel; Smith, David; Cousins, Peter

2012-12-04

The formation of solar cell contacts using a laser is described. A method of fabricating a back-contact solar cell includes forming a poly-crystalline material layer above a single-crystalline substrate. The method also includes forming a dielectric material stack above the poly-crystalline material layer. The method also includes forming, by laser ablation, a plurality of contacts holes in the dielectric material stack, each of the contact holes exposing a portion of the poly-crystalline material layer; and forming conductive contacts in the plurality of contact holes.

Solar cell contact formation using laser ablation

DOEpatents

Harley, Gabriel; Smith, David D.; Cousins, Peter John

2014-07-22

The formation of solar cell contacts using a laser is described. A method of fabricating a back-contact solar cell includes forming a poly-crystalline material layer above a single-crystalline substrate. The method also includes forming a dielectric material stack above the poly-crystalline material layer. The method also includes forming, by laser ablation, a plurality of contacts holes in the dielectric material stack, each of the contact holes exposing a portion of the poly-crystalline materiat layer; and forming conductive contacts in the plurality of contact holes.

Energy-Sensitive Ion- and Cathode-Luminescent Radiation-Beam Monitors Based on Multilayer Thin-Film Designs.

PubMed

Gil-Rostra, Jorge; Ferrer, Francisco J; Espinós, Juan Pedro; González-Elipe, Agustín R; Yubero, Francisco

2017-05-17

A multilayer luminescent design concept is presented to develop energy-sensitive radiation-beam monitors on the basis of colorimetric analysis. Each luminescent layer within the stack consists of rare-earth-doped transparent oxides of optical quality and a characteristic luminescent emission under excitation with electron or ion beams. For a given type of particle beam (electron, protons, α particles, etc.), its penetration depth and therefore its energy loss at a particular buried layer within the multilayer stack depend on the energy of the initial beam. The intensity of the luminescent response of each layer is proportional to the energy deposited by the radiation beam within the layer, so characteristic color emission will be achieved if different phosphors are considered in the layers of the luminescent stack. Phosphor doping, emission efficiency, layer thickness, and multilayer structure design are key parameters relevant to achieving a broad colorimetric response. Two case examples are designed and fabricated to illustrate the capabilities of these new types of detector to evaluate the kinetic energy of either electron beams of a few kilo-electron volts or α particles of a few mega-electron volts.

Vertically stacked multi-heterostructures of layered materials for logic transistors and complementary inverters

PubMed Central

Yu, Woo Jong; Li, Zheng; Zhou, Hailong; Chen, Yu; Wang, Yang; Huang, Yu; Duan, Xiangfeng

2014-01-01

The layered materials such as graphene have attracted considerable interest for future electronics. Here we report the vertical integration of multi-heterostructures of layered materials to enable high current density vertical field-effect transistors (VFETs). An n-channel VFET is created by sandwiching few-layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) as the semiconducting channel between a monolayer graphene and a metal thin film. The VFETs exhibit a room temperature on-off ratio >103, while at same time deliver a high current density up to 5,000 A/cm2, sufficient for high performance logic applications. This study offers a general strategy for the vertical integration of various layered materials to obtain both p- and n-channel transistors for complementary logic functions. A complementary inverter with larger than unit voltage gain is demonstrated by vertically stacking the layered materials of graphene, Bi2Sr2Co2O8 (p-channel), graphene, MoS2 (n-channel), and metal thin film in sequence. The ability to simultaneously achieve high on-off ratio, high current density, and logic integration in the vertically stacked multi-heterostructures can open up a new dimension for future electronics to enable three-dimensional integration. PMID:23241535

Mo/Si multilayers with enhanced TiO II- and RuO II-capping layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yulin, Sergiy; Benoit, Nicolas; Feigl, Torsten; Kaiser, Norbert; Fang, Ming; Chandhok, Manish

2008-03-01

The lifetime of Mo/Si multilayer-coated projection optics is one of the outstanding issues on the road of commercialization of extreme-ultraviolet lithography (EUVL). The application of Mo/Si multilayer optics in EUVL requires both sufficient radiation stability and also the highest possible normal-incidence reflectivity. A serious problem of conventional high-reflective Mo/Si multilayers capped by silicon is the considerable degradation of reflective properties due to carbonization and oxidation of the silicon surface layer under exposure by EUV radiation. In this study, we focus on titanium dioxide (TiO II) and ruthenium dioxide (RuO II) as promising capping layer materials for EUVL multilayer coatings. The multilayer designs as well as the deposition parameters of the Mo/Si systems with different capping layers were optimized in terms of maximum peak reflectivity at the wavelength of 13.5 nm and longterm stability under high-intensive irradiation. Optimized TiO II-capped Mo/Si multilayer mirrors with an initial reflectivity of 67.0% presented a reflectivity drop of 0.6% after an irradiation dose of 760 J/mm2. The reflectivity drop was explained by the partial oxidation of the silicon sub-layer. No reflectivity loss after similar irradiation dose was found for RuO II-capped Mo/Si multilayer mirrors having initial peak reflectivity of 66%. In this paper we present data on improved reflectivity of interface-engineered TiO II- and RuO II-capped Mo/Si multilayer mirrors due to the minimization of both interdiffusion processes inside the multilayer stack and absorption loss in the oxide layer. Reflectivities of 68.5% at the wavelength of 13.4 nm were achieved for both TiO II- and RuO II-capped Mo/Si multilayer mirrors.

Simplified design of thin-film polarizing beam splitter using embedded symmetric trilayer stack.

PubMed

Azzam, R M A

2011-07-01

An analytically tractable design procedure is presented for a polarizing beam splitter (PBS) that uses frustrated total internal reflection and optical tunneling by a symmetric LHL trilayer thin-film stack embedded in a high-index prism. Considerable simplification arises when the refractive index of the high-index center layer H matches the refractive index of the prism and its thickness is quarter-wave. This leads to a cube design in which zero reflection for the p polarization is achieved at a 45° angle of incidence independent of the thicknesses of the identical symmetric low-index tunnel layers L and L. Arbitrarily high reflectance for the s polarization is obtained at subwavelength thicknesses of the tunnel layers. This is illustrated by an IR Si-cube PBS that uses an embedded ZnS-Si-ZnS trilayer stack.

6-[6-(Pyridin-2-yl)-1,2,4,5-tetra-zin-3-yl]pyridin-3-amine monohydrate.

PubMed

Broichhagen, Johannes; Klingl, Yvonne E; Trauner, Dirk; Mayer, Peter

2016-02-01

The packing of the title compound, C12H9N7·H2O, is dominated by hydrogen bonding and π-stacking. Layers parallel to [010] are established by hydrogen bonds involving all amine donor functions and one of the water donor functions, while the remaining water donor function enables the stacking of the layers along [10-1], which is accompanied by π-stacking. In the molecule, the plane of the central tetra-zine ring forms angles of 5.33 (7) and 19.84 (8)° with the adjacent 3-amine-pyridine and pyridine rings, respectively.

Fabrication of multiwall carbon nanotube sheet based hydrogen sensor on a stacking multi-layer structure.

PubMed

Yan, Keyi; Toku, Yuhki; Morita, Yasuyuki; Ju, Yang

2018-06-22

In this research, we propose a new simple method to fabricate hydrogen gas sensor by stacking the multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) sheets. MWCNT sheet offers a larger surface area and more CNT contacts, which are key factors for gas sensing, because of its super-high alignment and end-to-end structure comparing to the traditional CNT film. Besides, MWCNT sheet can be directly drawn from the spinnable CNT array in large scales. Therefore, this method is a potential answer for the mass production and commercialization of CNT based sensor with high response. By stacking different layers of sheet, microstructure and CNT interactions in the layers were changed and their influences towards gas sensing were investigated. It was observed that the sample with 3 layers of sheet and functionalized with 3 nm-thick Pd showed the best gas sensing performance with a response of 12.31% at 4% H2 and response time below 200 s. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Optimum stacking sequence design of laminated composite circular plates with curvilinear fibres by a layer-wise optimization method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guenanou, A.; Houmat, A.

2018-05-01

The optimum stacking sequence design for the maximum fundamental frequency of symmetrically laminated composite circular plates with curvilinear fibres is investigated for the first time using a layer-wise optimization method. The design variables are two fibre orientation angles per layer. The fibre paths are constructed using the method of shifted paths. The first-order shear deformation plate theory and a curved square p-element are used to calculate the objective function. The blending function method is used to model accurately the geometry of the circular plate. The equations of motion are derived using Lagrange's method. The numerical results are validated by means of a convergence test and comparison with published values for symmetrically laminated composite circular plates with rectilinear fibres. The material parameters, boundary conditions, number of layers and thickness are shown to influence the optimum solutions to different extents. The results should serve as a benchmark for optimum stacking sequences of symmetrically laminated composite circular plates with curvilinear fibres.

Franckeite as a naturally occurring van der Waals heterostructure

PubMed Central

Molina-Mendoza, Aday J.; Giovanelli, Emerson; Paz, Wendel S.; Niño, Miguel Angel; Island, Joshua O.; Evangeli, Charalambos; Aballe, Lucía; Foerster, Michael; van der Zant, Herre S. J.; Rubio-Bollinger, Gabino; Agraït, Nicolás; Palacios, J. J.; Pérez, Emilio M.; Castellanos-Gomez, Andres

2017-01-01

The fabrication of van der Waals heterostructures, artificial materials assembled by individual stacking of 2D layers, is among the most promising directions in 2D materials research. Until now, the most widespread approach to stack 2D layers relies on deterministic placement methods, which are cumbersome and tend to suffer from poor control over the lattice orientations and the presence of unwanted interlayer adsorbates. Here, we present a different approach to fabricate ultrathin heterostructures by exfoliation of bulk franckeite which is a naturally occurring and air stable van der Waals heterostructure (composed of alternating SnS2-like and PbS-like layers stacked on top of each other). Presenting both an attractive narrow bandgap (<0.7 eV) and p-type doping, we find that the material can be exfoliated both mechanically and chemically down to few-layer thicknesses. We present extensive theoretical and experimental characterizations of the material's electronic properties and crystal structure, and explore applications for near-infrared photodetectors. PMID:28194037

A Urea Biosensor from Stacked Sol-Gel Films with Immobilized Nile Blue Chromoionophore and Urease Enzyme.

PubMed

Alqasaimeh, Muawia Salameh; Heng, Lee Yook; Ahmad, Musa

2007-10-11

An optical urea biosensor was fabricated by stacking several layers of sol-gelfilms. The stacking of the sol-gel films allowed the immobilization of a Nile Bluechromoionophore (ETH 5294) and urease enzyme separately without the need of anychemical attachment procedure. The absorbance response of the biosensor was monitoredat 550 nm, i.e. the deprotonation of the chromoionophore. This multi-layer sol-gel filmformat enabled higher enzyme loading in the biosensor to be achieved. The urea opticalbiosensor constructed from three layers of sol-gel films that contained urease demonstrateda much wider linear response range of up to 100 mM urea when compared with biosensorsthat constructed from 1-2 layers of films. Analysis of urea in urine samples with thisoptical urea biosensor yielded results similar to that determined by a spectrophotometricmethod using the reagent p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde (R² = 0.982, n = 6). The averagerecovery of urea from urine samples using this urea biosensor is approximately 103%.

Incommensurate Graphene Foam as a High Capacity Lithium Intercalation Anode

PubMed Central

Paronyan, Tereza M.; Thapa, Arjun Kumar; Sherehiy, Andriy; Jasinski, Jacek B.; Jangam, John Samuel Dilip

2017-01-01

Graphite’s capacity of intercalating lithium in rechargeable batteries is limited (theoretically, 372 mAh g−1) due to low diffusion within commensurately-stacked graphene layers. Graphene foam with highly enriched incommensurately-stacked layers was grown and applied as an active electrode in rechargeable batteries. A 93% incommensurate graphene foam demonstrated a reversible specific capacity of 1,540 mAh g−1 with a 75% coulombic efficiency, and an 86% incommensurate sample achieves above 99% coulombic efficiency exhibiting 930 mAh g−1 specific capacity. The structural and binding analysis of graphene show that lithium atoms highly intercalate within weakly interacting incommensurately-stacked graphene network, followed by a further flexible rearrangement of layers for a long-term stable cycling. We consider lithium intercalation model for multilayer graphene where capacity varies with N number of layers resulting LiN+1C2N stoichiometry. The effective capacity of commonly used carbon-based rechargeable batteries can be significantly improved using incommensurate graphene as an anode material. PMID:28059110

A Urea Biosensor from Stacked Sol-Gel Films with Immobilized Nile Blue Chromoionophore and Urease Enzyme

PubMed Central

Alqasaimeh, Muawia Salameh; Heng, Lee Yook; Ahmad, Musa

2007-01-01

An optical urea biosensor was fabricated by stacking several layers of sol-gel films. The stacking of the sol-gel films allowed the immobilization of a Nile Blue chromoionophore (ETH 5294) and urease enzyme separately without the need of any chemical attachment procedure. The absorbance response of the biosensor was monitored at 550 nm, i.e. the deprotonation of the chromoionophore. This multi-layer sol-gel film format enabled higher enzyme loading in the biosensor to be achieved. The urea optical biosensor constructed from three layers of sol-gel films that contained urease demonstrated a much wider linear response range of up to 100 mM urea when compared with biosensors that constructed from 1-2 layers of films. Analysis of urea in urine samples with this optical urea biosensor yielded results similar to that determined by a spectrophotometric method using the reagent p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde (R2 = 0.982, n = 6). The average recovery of urea from urine samples using this urea biosensor is approximately 103%.

Method for Making a Fuel Cell from a Solid Oxide Monolithic Framework

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sofie, Stephen W. (Inventor); Cable, Thomas L. (Inventor)

2014-01-01

The invention is a novel solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack comprising individual bi-electrode supported fuel cells in which a thin electrolyte is supported between electrodes of essentially equal thickness. Individual cell units are made from graded pore ceramic tape that has been created by the freeze cast method followed by freeze drying. Each piece of graded pore tape later becomes a graded pore electrode scaffold that subsequent to sintering, is made into either an anode or a cathode by means of appropriate solution and thermal treatment means. Each cell unit is assembled by depositing of a thin coating of ion conducting ceramic material upon the side of each of two pieces of tape surface having the smallest pore openings, and then mating the coated surfaces to create an unsintered electrode scaffold pair sandwiching an electrolyte layer. The opposing major outer exposed surfaces of each cell unit is given a thin coating of electrically conductive ceramic, and multiple cell units are stacked, or built up by stacking of individual cell layers, to create an unsintered fuel cell stack. Ceramic or glass edge seals are installed to create flow channels for fuel and air. The cell stack with edge sealants is then sintered into a ceramic monolithic framework. Said solution and thermal treatments means convert the electrode scaffolds into anodes and cathodes. The thin layers of electrically conductive ceramic become the interconnects in the assembled stack.

Band gap modulation of mono and bi-layer hexagonal ZnS under transverse electric field and bi-axial strain: A first principles study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rai, D. P.; Kaur, Sumandeep; Srivastava, Sunita

2018-02-01

Density functional theory has been employed to study the electronic and mechanical properties of the monolayer and bilayer ZnS. AB stacked ZnS bilayer is found to be energetically more favorable over the AA stacked ZnS bilayer. The electronic bandgap decreases on moving from monolayer to bilayer. Application of positive transverse electric field in AA/AB stacked bilayers leads to a semiconductor to metal transition at 1.10 V/Å. Reversed polarity of electric field, on the other hand, leads to an asymmetric behavior of the bandgap for AB stacking while the behavior of the bandgap in AA stacking is polarity independent. The strong dependency of bandgap on polarity of electric field in AB stacked ZnS bilayer is due to the balancing of external field with the induced internal field which arises due the electronegativity and heterogeneity in the arrangements of atoms. The electronic structure varies with the variation of applied biaxial strain (compression/tensile). We report an increase in band gap in both single and double layers under compression up to -8.0%, which can be attributed to greater superposition of atomic orbitals (Zn-d and S-p hybridization). We expect that our results may stimulate more theoretical and experimental work on hexagonal multi-layers of ZnS employing external field (temperature, pressure, field etc.) for future applications of our present work.

Comparison of the Current Center of Site Annual Neshap Dose Modeling at the Savannah River Site with Other Assessment Methods.

PubMed

Minter, Kelsey M; Jannik, G Timothy; Stagich, Brooke H; Dixon, Kenneth L; Newton, Joseph R

2018-04-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires the use of the model CAP88 to estimate the total effective dose (TED) to an offsite maximally exposed individual (MEI) for demonstrating compliance with 40 CFR 61, Subpart H: The National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) regulations. For NESHAP compliance at the Savannah River Site (SRS), the EPA, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), South Carolina's Department of Health and Environmental Control, and SRS approved a dose assessment method in 1991 that models all radiological emissions as if originating from a generalized center of site (COS) location at two allowable stack heights (0 m and 61 m). However, due to changes in SRS missions, radiological emissions are no longer evenly distributed about the COS. An area-specific simulation of the 2015 SRS radiological airborne emissions was conducted to compare to the current COS method. The results produced a slightly higher dose estimate (2.97 × 10 mSv vs. 2.22 × 10 mSv), marginally changed the overall MEI location, and noted that H-Area tritium emissions dominated the dose. Thus, an H-Area dose model was executed as a potential simplification of the area-specific simulation by adopting the COS methodology and modeling all site emissions from a single location in H-Area using six stack heights that reference stacks specific to the tritium production facilities within H-Area. This "H-Area Tritium Stacks" method produced a small increase in TED estimates (3.03 × 10 mSv vs. 2.97 × 10 mSv) when compared to the area-specific simulation. This suggests that the current COS method is still appropriate for demonstrating compliance with NESHAP regulations but that changing to the H-Area Tritium Stacks assessment method may now be a more appropriate representation of operations at SRS.

Nitrogen-Doping Enables Covalent-Like pi-pi Bonding between Graphenes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tian, Yong-Hui; Huang, Jingsong; Sumpter, Bobby G

The neighboring layers in bi-layer (and few-layer) graphenes of both AA and AB stacking motifs are known to be separated at a distance corresponding to van der Waals (vdW) interactions. In this Letter, we present for the first time a new aspect of graphene chemistry in terms of a special chemical bonding between the giant graphene molecules . Through rigorous theoretical calculations, we demonstrate that the N-doped graphenes (NGPs) with various doping levels can form an unusual two-dimensional (2D) pi pi bonding in bi-layer NGPs bringing the neighboring NGPs to significantly reduced interlayer separations. The interlayer binding energies can bemore » enhanced by up to 50% compared to the pristine graphene bi-layers that are characterized by only vdW interactions. Such an unusual chemical bonding arises from the pi pi overlap across the vdW gap while the individual layers maintain their in-plane pi-conjugation and are accordingly planar. The existence of the resulting interlayer covalent-like bonding is corroborated by electronic structure calculations and crystal orbital overlap population (COOP) analyses. In NGP-based graphite with the optimal doping level, the NGP layers are uniformly stacked and the 3D bulk exhibits metallic characteristics both in the in-plane and along the stacking directions.« less

Fabrication of photovoltaic laser energy converterby MBE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lu, Hamilton; Wang, Scott; Chan, W. S.

1993-01-01

A laser-energy converter, fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), was developed. This converter is a stack of vertical p-n junctions connected in series by low-resistivity, lattice matched CoSi2 layers to achieve a high conversion efficiency. Special high-temperature electron-beam (e-beam) sources were developed especially for the MBE growth of the junctions and CoSi2 layers. Making use of the small (greater than 1.2 percent) lattice mismatch between CoSi2 and Si layers, high-quality and pinhole-free epilayers were achieved, providing a capability of fabricating all the junctions and connecting layers as a single growth process with one pumpdown. Well-defined multiple p-n junctions connected by CoSi2 layers were accomplished by employing a low growth temperature (greater than 700 C) and a low growth rate (less than 0.5 microns/hour). Producing negligible interdiffusion, the low growth temperature and rate also produced negligible pinholes in the CoSi2 layers. For the first time, a stack of three p-n junctions connected by two 10(exp -5) Ohm-cm CoSi2 layers was achieved, meeting the high conversion efficiency requirement. This process can now be optimized for high growth rate to form a practical converter with 10 p-n junctions in the stack.

Prediction of weak topological insulators in layered semiconductors.

PubMed

Yan, Binghai; Müchler, Lukas; Felser, Claudia

2012-09-14

We report the discovery of weak topological insulators by ab initio calculations in a honeycomb lattice. We propose a structure with an odd number of layers in the primitive unit cell as a prerequisite for forming weak topological insulators. Here, the single-layered KHgSb is the most suitable candidate for its large bulk energy gap of 0.24 eV. Its side surface hosts metallic surface states, forming two anisotropic Dirac cones. Although the stacking of even-layered structures leads to trivial insulators, the structures can host a quantum spin Hall layer with a large bulk gap, if an additional single layer exists as a stacking fault in the crystal. The reported honeycomb compounds can serve as prototypes to aid in the finding of new weak topological insulators in layered small-gap semiconductors.

Trapped charge densities in Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-based silicon surface passivation layers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jordan, Paul M., E-mail: Paul.Jordan@namlab.com; Simon, Daniel K.; Dirnstorfer, Ingo

2016-06-07

In Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-based passivation layers, the formation of fixed charges and trap sites can be strongly influenced by small modifications in the stack layout. Fixed and trapped charge densities are characterized with capacitance voltage profiling and trap spectroscopy by charge injection and sensing, respectively. Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} layers are grown by atomic layer deposition with very thin (∼1 nm) SiO{sub 2} or HfO{sub 2} interlayers or interface layers. In SiO{sub 2}/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and HfO{sub 2}/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} stacks, both fixed charges and trap sites are reduced by at least a factor of 5 compared with the value measured inmore » pure Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. In Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/SiO{sub 2}/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} or Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/HfO{sub 2}/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} stacks, very high total charge densities of up to 9 × 10{sup 12} cm{sup −2} are achieved. These charge densities are described as functions of electrical stress voltage, time, and the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} layer thickness between silicon and the HfO{sub 2} or the SiO{sub 2} interlayer. Despite the strong variation of trap sites, all stacks reach very good effective carrier lifetimes of up to 8 and 20 ms on p- and n-type silicon substrates, respectively. Controlling the trap sites in Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} layers opens the possibility to engineer the field-effect passivation in the solar cells.« less

Characterization of stacked-crystal PET detector designs for measurement of both TOF and DOI.

PubMed

Schmall, Jeffrey P; Surti, Suleman; Karp, Joel S

2015-05-07

A PET detector with good timing resolution and two-level depth-of-interaction (DOI) discrimination can be constructed using a single-ended readout of scintillator stacks of Lanthanum Bromide (LaBr3), with various Cerium dopant concentrations, including pure Cerium Bromide (CeBr3). The stacked crystal geometry creates a unique signal shape for interactions occurring in each layer, which can be used to identify the DOI, while retaining the inherently good timing properties of LaBr3 and CeBr3. In this work, single pixel elements are used to optimize the choice of scintillator, coupling of layers, and type of photodetector, evaluating the performance using a fast, single-channel photomultiplier tube (PMT) and a single 4 × 4 mm(2) silicon photomultiplier (SiPM). We also introduce a method to quantify and evaluate the DOI discrimination accuracy. From signal shape measurements using fast waveform sampling, we found that in addition to differences in signal rise times, between crystal layers, there were also differences in the signal fall times. A DOI accuracy of 98% was achieved using our classification method for a stacked crystal pair, consisting of a 15 mm long LaBr3(Ce:20%) crystal on top of a 15 mm long CeBr3 crystal, readout using a PMT. A DOI accuracy of 95% was measured with a stack of two, identical, 12 mm long, CeBr3 crystals. The DOI accuracy of this crystal pair was reduced to 91% when using a SiPM for readout. For the stack of two, 12 mm long, CeBr3 crystals, a coincidence timing resolution (average of timing results from the top and bottom layer) of 199 ps was measured using a PMT, and this was improved to 153 ps when using a SiPM. These results show that with stacked LaBr3/CeBr3 scintillators and fast waveform sampling nearly perfect DOI accuracy can be achieved with excellent timing resolution-timing resolution that is only minimally degraded compared to results from a single CeBr3 crystal of comparable length to the stacked crystals. The interface in the stacked crystal geometry itself plays a major role in creating the differences in signal shape and this can be used to construct stacked DOI detectors using the same scintillator type, thereby simplifying and broadening the application of this technique.

Characterization of stacked-crystal PET detector designs for measurement of both TOF and DOI

PubMed Central

Schmall, Jeffrey P; Surti, Suleman; Karp, Joel S

2015-01-01

A PET detector with good timing resolution and two-level depth-of-interaction (DOI) discrimination can be constructed using a single-ended readout of scintillator stacks of Lanthanum Bromide (LaBr3), with various Cerium dopant concentrations, including pure Cerium Bromide (CeBr3). The stacked crystal geometry creates a unique signal shape for interactions occurring in each layer, which can be used to identify the DOI, while retaining the inherently good timing properties of LaBr3 and CeBr3. In this work, single pixel elements are used to optimize the choice of scintillator, coupling of layers, and type of photodetector, evaluating the performance using a fast, single-channel photomultiplier tube (PMT) and a single 4×4 mm2 silicon photomultiplier (SiPM). We also introduce a method to quantify and evaluate the DOI discrimination accuracy. From signal shape measurements using fast waveform sampling, we found that in addition to differences in signal rise times, between crystal layers, there were also differences in the signal fall times. A DOI accuracy of 98% was achieved using our classification method for a stacked crystal pair, consisting of a 15-mm long LaBr3(Ce:20%) crystal on top of a 15-mm long CeBr3 crystal, readout using a PMT. A DOI accuracy of 95% was measured with a stack of two, identical, 12-mm long, CeBr3 crystals. The DOI accuracy of this crystal pair was reduced to 91% when using a SiPM for readout. For the stack of two, 12-mm long, CeBr3 crystals, a coincidence timing resolution (average of timing results from the top and bottom layer) of 199 ps was measured using a PMT, and this was improved to 153 ps when using a SiPM. These results show that with stacked LaBr3/CeBr3 scintillators and fast waveform sampling nearly perfect DOI accuracy can be achieved with excellent timing resolution—timing resolution that is only minimally degraded compared to results from a single CeBr3 crystal of comparable length to the stacked crystals. The interface in the stacked crystal geometry itself plays a major role in creating the differences in signal shape and this can be used to construct stacked DOI detectors using the same scintillator type, thereby simplifying and broadening the application of this technique. PMID:25860172

Two-Dimensional Heterostructure as a Platform for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering.

PubMed

Tan, Yang; Ma, Linan; Gao, Zhibin; Chen, Ming; Chen, Feng

2017-04-12

Raman enhancement on a flat nonmetallic surface has attracted increasing attention, ever since the discovery of graphene enhanced Raman scattering. Recently, diverse two-dimensional layered materials have been applied as a flat surface for the Raman enhancement, attributed to different mechanisms. Looking beyond these isolated materials, atomic layers can be reassembled to design a heterostructure stacked layer by layer with an arbitrary chosen sequence, which allows the flow of charge carriers between neighboring layers and offers novel functionalities. Here, we demonstrate the heterostructure as a novel Raman enhancement platform. The WSe 2 (W) monolayer and graphene (G) were stacked together to form a heterostructure with an area of 10 mm × 10 mm. Heterostructures with different stacked structuress are used as platforms for the enhanced Raman scattering, including G/W, W/G, G/W/G/W, and W/G/G/W. On the surface of the heterostructure, the intensity of the Raman scattering is much stronger compared with isolated layers, using the copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) molecule as a probe. It is found that the Raman enhancement effect on heterostructures depends on stacked methods. Phonon modes of CuPc have the strongest enhancement on G/W. W/G and W/G/G/W have a stronger enhancement than that on the isolated WSe 2 monolayer, while lower than the graphene monolayer. The G/W/G/W/substrate demonstrated a comparable Raman enhancement effect than the G/W/substrate. These differences are due to the different interlayer couplings in heterostructures related to electron transition probability rates, which are further proved by first-principle calculations and probe-pump measurements.

Method and apparatus for adding electrolyte to a fuel cell stack

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Congdon, J.V.; English, J.G.

1986-06-24

A process is described for adding electrolyte to a fuel cell stack, the stack comprising sheet-like elements defining a plurality of fuel cell units disposed one atop the other in abutting relationship, the units defining a substantially flat, vertically extending face, each unit including a cell comprising a pair of sheet-like spaced apart gas porous electrodes with a porous matrix layer sandwiched therebetween for retaining electrolyte during cell operation, each unit also including a sheet-like substantially non-porous separator, the separator being sandwiched between the cells of adjacent units. The improvement described here consists of: extending at least one of themore » sheet-like elements of each of a plurality of the fuel cell units outwardly from the stack face to define horizontal tabs disposed one above the other; depositing dilute electrolyte directly from electrolyte supply means upon substantially the full length, parallel to the stack face, of at least the uppermost tab, the tabs being constructed and arranged such that at least a portion of the deposited electrolyte cascades from tab to tab and down the face of the stack, the deposited electrolyte being absorbed by capillary action into the elements of the stack, the step of depositing continuing until all of the electrodes and matrix layers of the stack are fully saturated with the dilute electrolyte; and thereafter evaporating liquid from the saturated elements under controlled conditions of humidity and temperature until the stack has a desired electrolyte volume and electrolyte concentration therein.« less

Fabrication Methods for Adaptive Deformable Mirrors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toda, Risaku; White, Victor E.; Manohara, Harish; Patterson, Keith D.; Yamamoto, Namiko; Gdoutos, Eleftherios; Steeves, John B.; Daraio, Chiara; Pellegrino, Sergio

2013-01-01

Previously, it was difficult to fabricate deformable mirrors made by piezoelectric actuators. This is because numerous actuators need to be precisely assembled to control the surface shape of the mirror. Two approaches have been developed. Both approaches begin by depositing a stack of piezoelectric films and electrodes over a silicon wafer substrate. In the first approach, the silicon wafer is removed initially by plasmabased reactive ion etching (RIE), and non-plasma dry etching with xenon difluoride (XeF2). In the second approach, the actuator film stack is immersed in a liquid such as deionized water. The adhesion between the actuator film stack and the substrate is relatively weak. Simply by seeping liquid between the film and the substrate, the actuator film stack is gently released from the substrate. The deformable mirror contains multiple piezoelectric membrane layers as well as multiple electrode layers (some are patterned and some are unpatterned). At the piezolectric layer, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), or its co-polymer, poly(vinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene P(VDF-TrFE) is used. The surface of the mirror is coated with a reflective coating. The actuator film stack is fabricated on silicon, or silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate, by repeatedly spin-coating the PVDF or P(VDFTrFE) solution and patterned metal (electrode) deposition. In the first approach, the actuator film stack is prepared on SOI substrate. Then, the thick silicon (typically 500-micron thick and called handle silicon) of the SOI wafer is etched by a deep reactive ion etching process tool (SF6-based plasma etching). This deep RIE stops at the middle SiO2 layer. The middle SiO2 layer is etched by either HF-based wet etching or dry plasma etch. The thin silicon layer (generally called a device layer) of SOI is removed by XeF2 dry etch. This XeF2 etch is very gentle and extremely selective, so the released mirror membrane is not damaged. It is possible to replace SOI with silicon substrate, but this will require tighter DRIE process control as well as generally longer and less efficient XeF2 etch. In the second approach, the actuator film stack is first constructed on a silicon wafer. It helps to use a polyimide intermediate layer such as Kapton because the adhesion between the polyimide and silicon is generally weak. A mirror mount ring is attached by using adhesive. Then, the assembly is partially submerged in liquid water. The water tends to seep between the actuator film stack and silicon substrate. As a result, the actuator membrane can be gently released from the silicon substrate. The actuator membrane is very flat because it is fixed to the mirror mount prior to the release. Deformable mirrors require extremely good surface optical quality. In the technology described here, the deformable mirror is fabricated on pristine substrates such as prime-grade silicon wafers. The deformable mirror is released by selectively removing the substrate. Therefore, the released deformable mirror surface replicates the optical quality of the underlying pristine substrate.

Enhanced stability of thin film transistors with double-stacked amorphous IWO/IWO:N channel layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Dong; Pi, Shubin; Yang, Jianwen; Tiwari, Nidhi; Ren, Jinhua; Zhang, Qun; Liu, Po-Tsun; Shieh, Han-Ping

2018-06-01

In this work, bottom-gate top-contact thin film transistors with double-stacked amorphous IWO/IWO:N channel layer were fabricated. Herein, amorphous IWO and N-doped IWO were deposited as front and back channel layers, respectively, by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. The electrical characteristics of the bi-layer-channel thin film transistors (TFTs) were examined and compared with those of single-layer-channel (i.e., amorphous IWO or IWO:N) TFTs. It was demonstrated to exhibit a high mobility of 27.2 cm2 V‑1 s‑1 and an on/off current ratio of 107. Compared to the single peers, bi-layer a-IWO/IWO:N TFTs showed smaller hysteresis and higher stability under negative bias stress and negative bias temperature stress. The enhanced performance could be attributed to its unique double-stacked channel configuration, which successfully combined the merits of the TFTs with IWO and IWO:N channels. The underlying IWO thin film provided percolation paths for electron transport, meanwhile, the top IWO:N layer reduced the bulk trap densities. In addition, the IWO channel/gate insulator interface had reduced defects, and IWO:N back channel surface was insensitive to the ambient atmosphere. Overall, the proposed bi-layer a-IWO/IWO:N TFTs show potential for practical applications due to its possibly long-term serviceability.

Adhesion enhancement methods for a roll-to-sheet fabrication process of DE stack-transducers and their influences on the electric properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bochmann, Helge; von Heckel, Benedikt; Maas, Jürgen

2017-04-01

Transducers made of dielectric elastomers (DE) offer versatile opportunities for many different applications. To gain large strains and forces a multilayer topology is commonly used. DE stack-transducers represent one multilayer topology and can be operated as a sensor, a generator or an actuator simultaneously. They are made of many layers of DE films, like silicone (PDMS) and polyurethane (PUR), stacked on top of each other. The single layers are several micrometers thin and coated with a compliant electrode on both sides. Depending on the application a DE transducer has to withstand tensile forces, which may lead to a delamination of the layers and a ripping of the stack-transducer. This can be prevented by enhancing the adhesion among the layers. Within this contribution a surface plasma jet treatment with an atmospheric plasma beam as well as an adhesive utilized as electrode material was investigated to obtain an adhesion enhancement. The effects of these methods to enhance the adhesion are introduced briefly. Furthermore, various investigations were made to determine the benefits of the enhancement methods with respect to the electromechanical properties of the electrode. Therefore, certain tests regarding the surface resistance of the electrode and the dielectric breakdown strength (DBS) of the DE film were conducted. The tests indicate that the influences are strongly dependent on the composition of the electrode and the used DE material. Finally, improvements for a dry deposition roll-to-sheet manufacturing process for DE stack-transducers are derived from the obtained results.

Influence of Selenization Time on Microstructural, Optical, and Electrical Properties of Cu2ZnGeSe4 Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swapna Mary, G.; Hema Chandra, G.; Anantha Sunil, M.; Gupta, Mukul

2018-01-01

We have studied the effects of selenization time on the microstructural, optical, and electrical properties of stacked (Cu/Se/ZnSe/Se/Ge/Se) × 4 layers to demonstrate growth of Cu2ZnGeSe4 (CZGSe) thin films. Electron beam evaporation was used to deposit CZGSe films on glass substrates for selenization in high vacuum at 450°C for different times (15 min, 30 min, 45 min, and 60 min). The incomplete reaction of the precursor layers necessitates selenization at higher temperature for different durations to achieve desirable microstructural and optoelectronic properties. Energy-dispersive spectroscopic measurements revealed that the stacked layers selenized at 450°C for 30 min were nearly stoichiometric with atomic ratios of Cu/(Zn + Ge) = 0.88, Zn/Ge = 1.11, and Se/(Cu + Zn + Ge) = 1.03. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the stacks selenized at 450°C for 30 min crystallized in tetragonal stannite structure. Selenization-time-dependent Raman measurements of the selenized stacks are systematically presented to understand the growth of CZGSe. The elemental distribution through depth as a function of selenization time was investigated using secondary-ion mass spectroscopy. The ionic valency of the constituent elements in CZGSe films selenized at 450°C for 30 min was examined using high-resolution x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Significant changes were observed in the surface morphology of the stacked layers with increase in selenization time. The effects of defects on the electrical properties and of binary phases on the optical properties are discussed.

Direct Free Carrier Photogeneration in Single Layer and Stacked Organic Photovoltaic Devices.

PubMed

Chandran, Hrisheekesh Thachoth; Ng, Tsz-Wai; Foo, Yishu; Li, Ho-Wa; Qing, Jian; Liu, Xiao-Ke; Chan, Chiu-Yee; Wong, Fu-Lung; Zapien, Juan Antonio; Tsang, Sai-Wing; Lo, Ming-Fai; Lee, Chun-Sing

2017-06-01

High performance organic photovoltaic devices typically rely on type-II P/N junctions for assisting exciton dissociation. Heremans and co-workers recently reported a high efficiency device with a third organic layer which is spatially separated from the active P/N junction; but still contributes to the carrier generation by passing its energy to the P/N junction via a long-range exciton energy transfer mechanism. In this study the authors show that there is an additional mechanism contributing to the high efficiency. Some bipolar materials (e.g., subnaphthalocyanine chloride (SubNc) and subphthalocyanine chloride (SubPc)) are observed to generate free carriers much more effectively than typical organic semiconductors upon photoexcitation. Single-layer devices with SubNc or SubPc sandwiched between two electrodes can give power conversion efficiencies 30 times higher than those of reported single-layer devices. In addition, internal quantum efficiencies (IQEs) of bilayer devices with opposite stacking sequences (i.e., SubNc/SubPc vs SubPc/SubNc) are found to be the sum of IQEs of single layer devices. These results confirm that SubNc and SubPc can directly generate free carriers upon photoexcitation without assistance from a P/N junction. These allow them to be stacked onto each other with reversible sequence or simply stacking onto another P/N junction and contribute to the photocarrier generation. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Resonant tunneling through discrete quantum states in stacked atomic-layered MoS2.

PubMed

Nguyen, Linh-Nam; Lan, Yann-Wen; Chen, Jyun-Hong; Chang, Tay-Rong; Zhong, Yuan-Liang; Jeng, Horng-Tay; Li, Lain-Jong; Chen, Chii-Dong

2014-05-14

Two-dimensional crystals can be assembled into three-dimensional stacks with atomic layer precision, which have already shown plenty of fascinating physical phenomena and been used for prototype vertical-field-effect-transistors.1,2 In this work, interlayer electron tunneling in stacked high-quality crystalline MoS2 films were investigated. A trilayered MoS2 film was sandwiched between top and bottom electrodes with an adjacent bottom gate, and the discrete energy levels in each layer could be tuned by bias and gate voltages. When the discrete energy levels aligned, a resonant tunneling peak appeared in the current-voltage characteristics. The peak position shifts linearly with perpendicular magnetic field, indicating formation of Landau levels. From this linear dependence, the effective mass and Fermi velocity are determined and are confirmed by electronic structure calculations. These fundamental parameters are useful for exploitation of its unique properties.

Al2O3/SiON stack layers for effective surface passivation and anti-reflection of high efficiency n-type c-Si solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thi Thanh Nguyen, Huong; Balaji, Nagarajan; Park, Cheolmin; Triet, Nguyen Minh; Le, Anh Huy Tuan; Lee, Seunghwan; Jeon, Minhan; Oh, Donhyun; Dao, Vinh Ai; Yi, Junsin

2017-02-01

Excellent surface passivation and anti-reflection properties of double-stack layers is a prerequisite for high efficiency of n-type c-Si solar cells. The high positive fixed charge (Q f) density of N-rich hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiNx:H) films plays a poor role in boron emitter passivation. The more the refractive index ( n ) of a-SiNx:H is decreased, the more the positive Q f of a-SiNx:H is increased. Hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxynitride (SiON) films possess the properties of amorphous silicon oxide (a-SiOx) and a-SiNx:H with variable n and less positive Q f compared with a-SiNx:H. In this study, we investigated the passivation and anti-reflection properties of Al2O3/SiON stacks. Initially, a SiON layer was deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition with variable n and its chemical composition was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Then, the SiON layer was deposited as a capping layer on a 10 nm thick Al2O3 layer, and the electrical and optical properties were analyzed. The SiON capping layer with n = 1.47 and a thickness of 70 nm resulted in an interface trap density of 4.74 = 1010 cm-2 eV-1 and Q f of -2.59 = 1012 cm-2 with a substantial improvement in lifetime of 1.52 ms after industrial firing. The incorporation of an Al2O3/SiON stack on the front side of the n-type solar cells results in an energy conversion efficiency of 18.34% compared to the one with Al2O3/a-SiNx:H showing 17.55% efficiency. The short circuit current density and open circuit voltage increase by up to 0.83 mA cm-2 and 12 mV, respectively, compared to the Al2O3/a-SiNx:H stack on the front side of the n-type solar cells due to the good anti-reflection and front side surface passivation.

Spatial walk-off compensated beta-barium borate stack for efficient deep-UV generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Da; Lee, Huai-Chuan; Meissner, Stephanie K.; Meissner, Helmuth E.

2018-02-01

Beta-Barium Borate (β-BBO) crystal is commonly used in nonlinear frequency conversion from visible to deep ultraviolet (DUV). However, in a single crystal BBO, its large spatial walk-off effect will reduce spatial overlap of ordinary and extraordinary beam, and thus degrade the conversion efficiency. To overcome the restrictions in current DUV conversion systems, Onyx applies adhesive-free bonding technique to replace the single crystal BBO with a spatial Walk-off Compensated (WOC) BBO stack, which is capable of correcting the spatial walk-off while retaining a constant nonlinear coefficient in the adjacent bonding layers. As a result, the β-BBO stack will provide good beam quality, high conversion efficiency, and broader acceptance angle and spectral linewidth, when compared with a single crystal of BBO. In this work, we report on performance of a spatial walk-off compensated β-BBO stack with adhesive-free bonding technique, for efficiently converting from the visible to DUV range. The physics behind the WOC BBO stack are demonstrated, followed by simulation of DUV conversion efficiency in an external resonance cavity. We also demonstrate experimentally the beam quality improvement in a 4-layer WOC BBO stack over a single BBO crystal.

Electronic screening in stacked graphene flakes revealed by scanning tunneling microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Xiaofeng; Salmeron, Miquel

2013-02-01

Electronic doping and screening effects in stacked graphene flakes on Ru and Cu substrates have been observed using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The screening affects the apparent STM height of each flake in successive layers reflecting the density of states near the Fermi level and thus the doping level. It is revealed in this way that the strong doping of the first graphene layer on Ru(0001) is attenuated in the second one, and almost eliminated in the third and fourth layers. Similar effect is also observed in graphene flakes on Cu(111). In contrast, the strong doping effect is suppressed immediately by a water layer intercalated between the graphene and Ru.

Program scheme using common source lines in channel stacked NAND flash memory with layer selection by multilevel operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Do-Bin; Kwon, Dae Woong; Kim, Seunghyun; Lee, Sang-Ho; Park, Byung-Gook

2018-02-01

To obtain high channel boosting potential and reduce a program disturbance in channel stacked NAND flash memory with layer selection by multilevel (LSM) operation, a new program scheme using boosted common source line (CSL) is proposed. The proposed scheme can be achieved by applying proper bias to each layer through its own CSL. Technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulations are performed to verify the validity of the new method in LSM. Through TCAD simulation, it is revealed that the program disturbance characteristics is effectively improved by the proposed scheme.

AN ONLINE, RADIATION HARD PROTON ENERGY-RESOLVING SCINTILLATOR STACK FOR LASER-DRIVEN PROTON BUNCHES.

PubMed

Englbrecht, Franz Siegfried; Würl, Matthias; Olivari, Francesco; Ficorella, Andrea; Kreuzer, Christian; Lindner, Florian H; Palma, Matteo Dalla; Pancheri, Lucio; Betta, Gian-Franco Dalla; Schreiber, Jörg; Quaranta, Alberto; Parodi, Katia

2018-02-03

We report on a scintillator-based online detection system for the spectral characterization of polychromatic proton bunches. Using up to nine stacked layers of radiation hard polysiloxane scintillators, coupled to and readout edge-on by a large area pixelated CMOS detector, impinging polychromatic proton bunches were characterized. The energy spectra were reconstructed using calibration data and simulated using Monte-Carlo simulations. Despite the scintillator stack showed some problems like thickness inhomogeneities and unequal layer coupling, the prototype allows to obtain a first estimate of the energy spectrum of proton beams. © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

6-[6-(Pyridin-2-yl)-1,2,4,5-tetra­zin-3-yl]pyridin-3-amine monohydrate

PubMed Central

Broichhagen, Johannes; Klingl, Yvonne E.; Trauner, Dirk; Mayer, Peter

2016-01-01

The packing of the title compound, C12H9N7·H2O, is dominated by hydrogen bonding and π-stacking. Layers parallel to [010] are established by hydrogen bonds involving all amine donor functions and one of the water donor functions, while the remaining water donor function enables the stacking of the layers along [10-1], which is accompanied by π-stacking. In the molecule, the plane of the central tetra­zine ring forms angles of 5.33 (7) and 19.84 (8)° with the adjacent 3-amine-pyridine and pyridine rings, respectively. PMID:26958397

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Hao; Lunt, Barry M.; Gates, Richard J.

A novel write-once-read-many (WORM) optical stack on Mylar tape is proposed as a replacement for magnetic tape for archival data storage. This optical tape contains a cosputtered bismuth–tellurium–selenium (BTS) alloy as the write layer sandwiched between thin, protective films of reactively sputtered carbon. The composition and thickness of the BTS layer were confirmed by Rutherford Backscattering (RBS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. The C/BTS/C stack on Mylar was written to/marked by 532 nm laser pulses. Under the same conditions, control Mylar films without the optical stack were unaffected. Marks, which showed craters/movement of the write material, were characterized bymore » optical microscopy and AFM. The threshold laser powers for making marks on C/BTS/C stacks with different thicknesses were explored. Higher quality marks were made with a 60× objective compared to a 40× objective in our marking apparatus. Finally, the laser writing process was simulated with COMSOL.« less

Manganese oxide nanowires, films, and membranes and methods of making

DOEpatents

Suib, Steven Lawrence [Storrs, CT; Yuan, Jikang [Storrs, CT

2008-10-21

Nanowires, films, and membranes comprising ordered porous manganese oxide-based octahedral molecular sieves, and methods of making, are disclosed. A single crystal ultra-long nanowire includes an ordered porous manganese oxide-based octahedral molecular sieve, and has an average length greater than about 10 micrometers and an average diameter of about 5 nanometers to about 100 nanometers. A film comprises a microporous network comprising a plurality of single crystal nanowires in the form of a layer, wherein a plurality of layers is stacked on a surface of a substrate, wherein the nanowires of each layer are substantially axially aligned. A free standing membrane comprises a microporous network comprising a plurality of single crystal nanowires in the form of a layer, wherein a plurality of layers is aggregately stacked, and wherein the nanowires of each layer are substantially axially aligned.

Integrated approach to improving local CD uniformity in EUV patterning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Andrew; Hermans, Jan; Tran, Timothy; Viatkina, Katja; Liang, Chen-Wei; Ward, Brandon; Chuang, Steven; Yu, Jengyi; Harm, Greg; Vandereyken, Jelle; Rio, David; Kubis, Michael; Tan, Samantha; Dusa, Mircea; Singhal, Akhil; van Schravendijk, Bart; Dixit, Girish; Shamma, Nader

2017-03-01

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is crucial to enabling technology scaling in pitch and critical dimension (CD). Currently, one of the key challenges of introducing EUV lithography to high volume manufacturing (HVM) is throughput, which requires high source power and high sensitivity chemically amplified photoresists. Important limiters of high sensitivity chemically amplified resists (CAR) are the effects of photon shot noise and resist blur on the number of photons received and of photoacids generated per feature, especially at the pitches required for 7 nm and 5 nm advanced technology nodes. These stochastic effects are reflected in via structures as hole-to-hole CD variation or local CD uniformity (LCDU). Here, we demonstrate a synergy of film stack deposition, EUV lithography, and plasma etch techniques to improve LCDU, which allows the use of high sensitivity resists required for the introduction of EUV HVM. Thus, to improve LCDU to a level required by 5 nm node and beyond, film stack deposition, EUV lithography, and plasma etch processes were combined and co-optimized to enhance LCDU reduction from synergies. Test wafers were created by depositing a pattern transfer stack on a substrate representative of a 5 nm node target layer. The pattern transfer stack consisted of an atomically smooth adhesion layer and two hardmasks and was deposited using the Lam VECTOR PECVD product family. These layers were designed to mitigate hole roughness, absorb out-of-band radiation, and provide additional outlets for etch to improve LCDU and control hole CD. These wafers were then exposed through an ASML NXE3350B EUV scanner using a variety of advanced positive tone EUV CAR. They were finally etched to the target substrate using Lam Flex dielectric etch and Kiyo conductor etch systems. Metrology methodologies to assess dimensional metrics as well as chip performance and defectivity were investigated to enable repeatable patterning process development. Illumination conditions in EUV lithography were optimized to improve normalized image log slope (NILS), which is expected to reduce shot noise related effects. It can be seen that the EUV imaging contrast improvement can further reduce post-develop LCDU from 4.1 nm to 3.9 nm and from 2.8 nm to 2.6 nm. In parallel, etch processes were developed to further reduce LCDU, to control CD, and to transfer these improvements into the final target substrate. We also demonstrate that increasing post-develop CD through dose adjustment can enhance the LCDU reduction from etch. Similar trends were also observed in different pitches down to 40 nm. The solutions demonstrated here are critical to the introduction of EUV lithography in high volume manufacturing. It can be seen that through a synergistic deposition, lithography, and etch optimization, LCDU at a 40 nm pitch can be improved to 1.6 nm (3-sigma) in a target oxide layer and to 1.4 nm (3-sigma) at the photoresist layer.

Colorimetric stack pad immunoassay for bacterial identification.

PubMed

Eltzov, Evgeni; Marks, Robert S

2017-01-15

A new colorimetric immunoassay concept, utilizing conventional lateral flow membranes (e.g., conjugation, sample, absorption and nitrocellulose), were placed in a different configuration in a stacking manner, where the liquid sample that may contain the analyte diffuses from the bottom to the upper-most layer. The key element of this proprietary technology is a capture layer, where a nitrocellulose membrane is modified with the target analyte of interest, namely in this study target Escherichia coli. During the immunoassay operation, samples contaminated with the target bacteria will conjugate to their corresponding HRP-antibodies laying in wait and the immune-target measurand complex flows by capillarity towards the upper-most layer to generate a colorimetric signal (positive answer) through an enzymatic reaction. In target-free samples, previously immobilized target bacteria on the capture layer will prevent the HRP-labeled anti-target antibodies from migrating to the upper-most layer, where the enzymatic substrate lays in wait. After optimization, the sensitivity of this approach was found to be 1,000 folds higher than ELISAs (10 2 cellsmL -1 ). The advantages of the stacked pad assay include: miniaturization, operational simplicity, fast response time (less than 5min), useful sensitivity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Six-band terahertz metamaterial absorber based on the combination of multiple-order responses of metallic patches in a dual-layer stacked resonance structure.

PubMed

Wang, Ben-Xin; Wang, Gui-Zhen; Sang, Tian; Wang, Ling-Ling

2017-01-25

This paper reports on a numerical study of the six-band metamaterial absorber composed of two alternating stack of metallic-dielectric layers on top of a continuous metallic plane. Six obvious resonance peaks with high absorption performance (average larger than 99.37%) are realized. The first, third, fifth, and the second, fourth, sixth resonance absorption bands are attributed to the multiple-order responses (i.e., the 1-, 3- and 5-order responses) of the bottom- and top-layer of the structure, respectively, and thus the absorption mechanism of six-band absorber is due to the combination of two sets of the multiple-order resonances of these two layers. Besides, the size changes of the metallic layers have the ability to tune the frequencies of the six-band absorber. Employing the results, we also present a six-band polarization tunable absorber through varying the sizes of the structure in two orthogonal polarization directions. Moreover, nine-band terahertz absorber can be achieved by using a three-layer stacked structure. Simulation results indicate that the absorber possesses nine distinct resonance bands, and average absorptivities of them are larger than 94.03%. The six-band or nine-band absorbers obtained here have potential applications in many optoelectronic and engineering technology areas.

A dilute Cu(Ni) alloy for synthesis of large-area Bernal stacked bilayer graphene using atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Madito, M. J.; Bello, A.; Dangbegnon, J. K.

2016-01-07

A bilayer graphene film obtained on copper (Cu) foil is known to have a significant fraction of non-Bernal (AB) stacking and on copper/nickel (Cu/Ni) thin films is known to grow over a large-area with AB stacking. In this study, annealed Cu foils for graphene growth were doped with small concentrations of Ni to obtain dilute Cu(Ni) alloys in which the hydrocarbon decomposition rate of Cu will be enhanced by Ni during synthesis of large-area AB-stacked bilayer graphene using atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition. The Ni doped concentration and the Ni homogeneous distribution in Cu foil were confirmed with inductively coupledmore » plasma optical emission spectrometry and proton-induced X-ray emission. An electron backscatter diffraction map showed that Cu foils have a single (001) surface orientation which leads to a uniform growth rate on Cu surface in early stages of graphene growth and also leads to a uniform Ni surface concentration distribution through segregation kinetics. The increase in Ni surface concentration in foils was investigated with time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. The quality of graphene, the number of graphene layers, and the layers stacking order in synthesized bilayer graphene films were confirmed by Raman and electron diffraction measurements. A four point probe station was used to measure the sheet resistance of graphene films. As compared to Cu foil, the prepared dilute Cu(Ni) alloy demonstrated the good capability of growing large-area AB-stacked bilayer graphene film by increasing Ni content in Cu surface layer.« less

A dilute Cu(Ni) alloy for synthesis of large-area Bernal stacked bilayer graphene using atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madito, M. J.; Bello, A.; Dangbegnon, J. K.; Oliphant, C. J.; Jordaan, W. A.; Momodu, D. Y.; Masikhwa, T. M.; Barzegar, F.; Fabiane, M.; Manyala, N.

2016-01-01

A bilayer graphene film obtained on copper (Cu) foil is known to have a significant fraction of non-Bernal (AB) stacking and on copper/nickel (Cu/Ni) thin films is known to grow over a large-area with AB stacking. In this study, annealed Cu foils for graphene growth were doped with small concentrations of Ni to obtain dilute Cu(Ni) alloys in which the hydrocarbon decomposition rate of Cu will be enhanced by Ni during synthesis of large-area AB-stacked bilayer graphene using atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition. The Ni doped concentration and the Ni homogeneous distribution in Cu foil were confirmed with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and proton-induced X-ray emission. An electron backscatter diffraction map showed that Cu foils have a single (001) surface orientation which leads to a uniform growth rate on Cu surface in early stages of graphene growth and also leads to a uniform Ni surface concentration distribution through segregation kinetics. The increase in Ni surface concentration in foils was investigated with time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. The quality of graphene, the number of graphene layers, and the layers stacking order in synthesized bilayer graphene films were confirmed by Raman and electron diffraction measurements. A four point probe station was used to measure the sheet resistance of graphene films. As compared to Cu foil, the prepared dilute Cu(Ni) alloy demonstrated the good capability of growing large-area AB-stacked bilayer graphene film by increasing Ni content in Cu surface layer.

Monte Carlo simulations of ABC stacked kagome lattice films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yerzhakov, H. V.; Plumer, M. L.; Whitehead, J. P.

2016-05-01

Properties of films of geometrically frustrated ABC stacked antiferromagnetic kagome layers are examined using Metropolis Monte Carlo simulations. The impact of having an easy-axis anisotropy on the surface layers and cubic anisotropy in the interior layers is explored. The spin structure at the surface is shown to be different from that of the bulk 3D fcc system, where surface axial anisotropy tends to align spins along the surface [1 1 1] normal axis. This alignment then propagates only weakly to the interior layers through exchange coupling. Results are shown for the specific heat, magnetization and sub-lattice order parameters for both surface and interior spins in three and six layer films as a function of increasing axial surface anisotropy. Relevance to the exchange bias phenomenon in IrMn3 films is discussed.

IET. Stack interior. Masons lay fire brick liner, leaving air ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

IET. Stack interior. Masons lay fire brick liner, leaving air layer between bricks and concrete wall. Date: May 20, 1955. INEEL negative no. 55-1306 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Test Area North, Scoville, Butte County, ID

Ferroelectric HfZrOx-based MoS2 negative capacitance transistor with ITO capping layers for steep-slope device application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jing; Jiang, Shu-Ye; Zhang, Min; Zhu, Hao; Chen, Lin; Sun, Qing-Qing; Zhang, David Wei

2018-03-01

A negative capacitance field-effect transistor (NCFET) built with hafnium-based oxide is one of the most promising candidates for low power-density devices due to the extremely steep subthreshold swing (SS) and high on-state current induced by incorporating the ferroelectric material in the gate stack. Here, we demonstrated a two-dimensional (2D) back-gate NCFET with the integration of ferroelectric HfZrOx in the gate stack and few-layer MoS2 as the channel. Instead of using the conventional TiN capping metal to form ferroelectricity in HfZrOx, the NCFET was fabricated on a thickness-optimized Al2O3/indium tin oxide (ITO)/HfZrOx/ITO/SiO2/Si stack, in which the two ITO layers sandwiching the HfZrOx film acted as the control back gate and ferroelectric gate, respectively. The thickness of each layer in the stack was engineered for distinguishable optical identification of the exfoliated 2D flakes on the surface. The NCFET exhibited small off-state current and steep switching behavior with minimum SS as low as 47 mV/dec. Such a steep-slope transistor is compatible with the standard CMOS fabrication process and is very attractive for 2D logic and sensor applications and future energy-efficient nanoelectronic devices with scaling power supply.

Surface passivation of n-type doped black silicon by atomic-layer-deposited SiO2/Al2O3 stacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van de Loo, B. W. H.; Ingenito, A.; Verheijen, M. A.; Isabella, O.; Zeman, M.; Kessels, W. M. M.

2017-06-01

Black silicon (b-Si) nanotextures can significantly enhance the light absorption of crystalline silicon solar cells. Nevertheless, for a successful application of b-Si textures in industrially relevant solar cell architectures, it is imperative that charge-carrier recombination at particularly highly n-type doped black Si surfaces is further suppressed. In this work, this issue is addressed through systematically studying lowly and highly doped b-Si surfaces, which are passivated by atomic-layer-deposited Al2O3 films or SiO2/Al2O3 stacks. In lowly doped b-Si textures, a very low surface recombination prefactor of 16 fA/cm2 was found after surface passivation by Al2O3. The excellent passivation was achieved after a dedicated wet-chemical treatment prior to surface passivation, which removed structural defects which resided below the b-Si surface. On highly n-type doped b-Si, the SiO2/Al2O3 stacks result in a considerable improvement in surface passivation compared to the Al2O3 single layers. The atomic-layer-deposited SiO2/Al2O3 stacks therefore provide a low-temperature, industrially viable passivation method, enabling the application of highly n- type doped b-Si nanotextures in industrial silicon solar cells.

Synergistic effect of temperature and point defect on the mechanical properties of single layer and bi-layer graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Debroy, Sanghamitra; Pavan Kumar, V.; Vijaya Sekhar, K.; Acharyya, Swati Ghosh; Acharyya, Amit

2017-10-01

The present study reports a comprehensive molecular dynamics simulation of the effect of a) temperature (300-1073 K at intervals of every 100 K) and b) point defect on the mechanical behaviour of single (armchair and zigzag direction) and bilayer layer graphene (AA and AB stacking). Adaptive intermolecular reactive bond order (AIREBO) potential function was used to describe the many-body short-range interatomic interactions for the single layer graphene sheet. Moreover, Lennard Jones model was considered for bilayer graphene to incorporate the van der Waals interactions among the interlayers of graphene. The effect of temperature on the strain energy of single layer and bilayer graphene was studied in order to understand the difference in mechanical behaviour of the two systems. The strength of the pristine single layer graphene was found to be higher as compared to bilayer AA stacked graphene at all temperatures. It was observed at 1073 K and in the presence of vacancy defect the strength for single layer armchair sheet falls by 30% and for bilayer armchair sheet by 33% as compared to the pristine sheets at 300 K. The AB stacked graphene sheet was found to have a two-step rupture process. The strength of pristine AB sheet was found to decrease by 22% on increase of temperature from 300 K to 1073 K.

Measurement of the through thickness compression of a battery separator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Shutian; Huang, Xiaosong; Xiao, Xinran

2018-04-01

The mechanical integrity of the separator is critical to the reliable operation of a battery. Due to its minimal thickness, compression experiments with a single/a few layers of separator are difficult to perform. In this work, a capacitance based displacement set-up has been developed for the measurement of the through thickness direction (TTD) compression stress-strain behavior of the separator and the investigation of its interaction with the electrode. The experiments were performed for a stack of two layers of Celgard 2400 separator, NMC cathode, and separator/NMC cathode/separator stack in both dry and wet (i.e. submersed in dimethyl carbonate DMC) conditions. The experimental results reveal that the separator compression modulus can be significantly affected by the presence of DMC. The iso-stress based rule of mixtures was used to compute the compressive stress-strain curve for the stack from that of the separator and NMC layer. The computed curve agreed with the experimental curve reasonably well up to about 0.16 strain but deviated significantly to a softer response at higher strains. The results suggest that, in the stack, the TTD compressive deformation of the separator is influenced by the NMC cathode.

Graphene membranes with nanoslits for seawater desalination via forward osmosis.

PubMed

Dahanayaka, Madhavi; Liu, Bo; Hu, Zhongqiao; Pei, Qing-Xiang; Chen, Zhong; Law, Adrian Wing-Keung; Zhou, Kun

2017-11-22

Stacked graphene (GE) membranes with cascading nanoslits can be synthesized economically compared to monolayer nanoporous GE membranes, and have potential for molecular separation. This study focuses on investigating the seawater desalination performance of these stacked GE layers as forward osmosis (FO) membranes by using molecular dynamics simulations. The FO performance is evaluated in terms of water flux and salt rejection and is explained by analysing the water density distribution and radial distribution function. The water flow displays an Arrhenius type relation with temperature and the activation energy for the stacked GE membrane is estimated to be 8.02 kJ mol -1 , a value much lower than that of commercially available FO membranes. The study reveals that the membrane characteristics including the pore width, offset, interlayer separation distance and number of layers have significant effects on the desalination performance. Unlike monolayer nanoporous GE membranes, at an optimum layer separation distance, the stacked GE membranes with large pore widths and completely misaligned pore configuration can retain complete ion rejection and maintain a high water flux. Findings from the present study are helpful in developing GE-based membranes for seawater desalination via FO.

Atomic and electronic structure of trilayer graphene/SiC(0001): Evidence of Strong Dependence on Stacking Sequence and charge transfer.

PubMed

Pierucci, Debora; Brumme, Thomas; Girard, Jean-Christophe; Calandra, Matteo; Silly, Mathieu G; Sirotti, Fausto; Barbier, Antoine; Mauri, Francesco; Ouerghi, Abdelkarim

2016-09-15

The transport properties of few-layer graphene are the directly result of a peculiar band structure near the Dirac point. Here, for epitaxial graphene grown on SiC, we determine the effect of charge transfer from the SiC substrate on the local density of states (LDOS) of trilayer graphene using scaning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Different spectra are observed and are attributed to the existence of two stable polytypes of trilayer: Bernal (ABA) and rhomboedreal (ABC) staking. Their electronic properties strongly depend on the charge transfer from the substrate. We show that the LDOS of ABC stacking shows an additional peak located above the Dirac point in comparison with the LDOS of ABA stacking. The observed LDOS features, reflecting the underlying symmetry of the two polytypes, were reproduced by explicit calculations within density functional theory (DFT) including the charge transfer from the substrate. These findings demonstrate the pronounced effect of stacking order and charge transfer on the electronic structure of trilayer or few layer graphene. Our approach represents a significant step toward understand the electronic properties of graphene layer under electrical field.

Simplified efficient phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes by organic vapor phase deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfeiffer, P.; Beckmann, C.; Stümmler, D.; Sanders, S.; Simkus, G.; Heuken, M.; Vescan, A.; Kalisch, H.

2017-12-01

The most efficient phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are comprised of complex stacks with numerous organic layers. State-of-the-art phosphorescent OLEDs make use of blocking layers to confine charge carriers and excitons. On the other hand, simplified OLEDs consisting of only three organic materials have shown unexpectedly high efficiency when first introduced. This was attributed to superior energy level matching and suppressed external quantum efficiency (EQE) roll-off. In this work, we study simplified OLED stacks, manufactured by organic vapor phase deposition, with a focus on charge balance, turn-on voltage (Von), and efficiency. To prevent electrons from leaking through the device, we implemented a compositionally graded emission layer. By grading the emitter with the hole transport material, charge confinement is enabled without additional blocking layers. Our best performing organic stack is composed of only three organic materials in two layers including the emitter Ir(ppy)3 and yields a Von of 2.5 V (>1 cd/m2) and an EQE of 13% at 3000 cd/m2 without the use of any additional light extraction techniques. Changes in the charge balance, due to barrier tuning or adjustments in the grading parameters and layer thicknesses, are clearly visible in the current density-voltage-luminance (J-V-L) measurements. As charge injection at the electrodes and organic interfaces is of great interest but difficult to investigate in complex device structures, we believe that our simplified organic stack is not only a potent alternative to complex state-of-the-art OLEDs but also a well suited test vehicle for experimental studies focusing on the modification of the electrode-organic semiconductor interface.

Electric-field-induced plasmon in AA-stacked bilayer graphene

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chuang, Y.C., E-mail: yingchih.chuang@gmail.com; Wu, J.Y., E-mail: yarst5@gmail.com; Lin, M.F., E-mail: mflin@mail.ncku.edu.tw

2013-12-15

The collective excitations in AA-stacked bilayer graphene for a perpendicular electric field are investigated analytically within the tight-binding model and the random-phase approximation. Such a field destroys the uniform probability distribution of the four sublattices. This drives a symmetry breaking between the intralayer and interlayer polarization intensities from the intrapair band excitations. A field-induced acoustic plasmon thus emerges in addition to the strongly field-tunable intrinsic acoustic and optical plasmons. At long wavelengths, the three modes show different dispersions and field dependence. The definite physical mechanism of the electrically inducible and tunable mode can be expected to also be present inmore » other AA-stacked few-layer graphenes. -- Highlights: •The analytical derivations are performed by the tight-binding model. •An electric field drives the non-uniformity of the charge distribution. •A symmetry breaking between the intralayer and interlayer polarizations is illustrated. •An extra plasmon emerges besides two intrinsic modes in AA-stacked bilayer graphene. •The mechanism of a field-induced mode is present in AA-stacked few-layer graphenes.« less

Stacking multiple connecting functional materials in tandem organic light-emitting diodes

PubMed Central

Zhang, Tao; Wang, Deng-Ke; Jiang, Nan; Lu, Zheng-Hong

2017-01-01

Tandem device is an important architecture in fabricating high performance organic light-emitting diodes and organic photovoltaic cells. The key element in making a high performance tandem device is the connecting materials stack, which plays an important role in electric field distribution, charge generation and charge injection. For a tandem organic light-emitting diode (OLED) with a simple Liq/Al/MoO3 stack, we discovered that there is a significant current lateral spreading causing light emission over an extremely large area outside the OLED pixel when the Al thickness exceeds 2 nm. This spread light emission, caused by an inductive electric field over one of the device unit, limits one’s ability to fabricate high performance tandem devices. To resolve this issue, a new connecting materials stack with a C60 fullerene buffer layer is reported. This new structure permits optimization of the Al metal layer in the connecting stack and thus enables us to fabricate an efficient tandem OLED having a high 155.6 cd/A current efficiency and a low roll-off (or droop) in current efficiency. PMID:28225028

Stacking multiple connecting functional materials in tandem organic light-emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Tao; Wang, Deng-Ke; Jiang, Nan; Lu, Zheng-Hong

2017-02-01

Tandem device is an important architecture in fabricating high performance organic light-emitting diodes and organic photovoltaic cells. The key element in making a high performance tandem device is the connecting materials stack, which plays an important role in electric field distribution, charge generation and charge injection. For a tandem organic light-emitting diode (OLED) with a simple Liq/Al/MoO3 stack, we discovered that there is a significant current lateral spreading causing light emission over an extremely large area outside the OLED pixel when the Al thickness exceeds 2 nm. This spread light emission, caused by an inductive electric field over one of the device unit, limits one’s ability to fabricate high performance tandem devices. To resolve this issue, a new connecting materials stack with a C60 fullerene buffer layer is reported. This new structure permits optimization of the Al metal layer in the connecting stack and thus enables us to fabricate an efficient tandem OLED having a high 155.6 cd/A current efficiency and a low roll-off (or droop) in current efficiency.

Metal stack optimization for low-power and high-density for N7-N5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raghavan, P.; Firouzi, F.; Matti, L.; Debacker, P.; Baert, R.; Sherazi, S. M. Y.; Trivkovic, D.; Gerousis, V.; Dusa, M.; Ryckaert, J.; Tokei, Z.; Verkest, D.; McIntyre, G.; Ronse, K.

2016-03-01

One of the key challenges while scaling logic down to N7 and N5 is the requirement of self-aligned multiple patterning for the metal stack. This comes with a large cost of the backend cost and therefore a careful stack optimization is required. Various layers in the stack have different purposes and therefore their choice of pitch and number of layers is critical. Furthermore, when in ultra scaled dimensions of N7 or N5, the number of patterning options are also much larger ranging from multiple LE, EUV to SADP/SAQP. The right choice of these are also needed patterning techniques that use a full grating of wires like SADP/SAQP techniques introduce high level of metal dummies into the design. This implies a large capacitance penalty to the design therefore having large performance and power penalties. This is often mitigated with extra masking strategies. This paper discusses a holistic view of metal stack optimization from standard cell level all the way to routing and the corresponding trade-off that exist for this space.

Modeling of a Stacked Power Module for Parasitic Inductance Extraction

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-15

issues of heat dissipation, reliability, and parasitic inductance. An improved packaging approach has been proposed to simultaneously address each of...and mechanical attachments. The power devices in the resulting module design are stacked between copper layers with an integrated heat sink. By...stacking devices, the module’s parasitic inductance should be reduced, with concurrent improvement of reliability and heat dissipation, in comparison to

Stacking Nematic Elastomers for Artificial Muscle Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-04-01

nematic to isotropic phase transition. In this eport, a new approach is introduced by layering liquid crystal elastomer films to create thermally...actuated stacks. A heating element and thermally onductive grease embedded between elastomer films provide a means for rapid internal heat application...voltage application, stacks composed f two 100 m-thick films and a single heating element produce 18% strain between contracted and relaxed states. In

Dynamic structural colour using vanadium dioxide thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, K.; Marocico, C. A.; Bradley, A. L.

2018-06-01

A thin film stack consisting of layers of indium tin oxide (ITO) with an intermediate vanadium oxide (VO2) layer on an optically thick silver film has been investigated for dynamic structural colour. The structure benefits from the phase change properties of VO2. Compared with other phase change materials, such as germanium antimony telluride (GST), VO2 can be offered as a lower power consumption alternative. It has been overlooked in the visible spectral range due to its smaller refractive index change below 700 nm. We demonstrate that the sensitivity of the visible reflectance spectrum to the change in phase of a 30 nm VO2 layer is increased after it is incorporated in a thin film stack, with performance comparable to other phase change materials. The extent to which dynamic tuning of the reflectance spectra of ITO–VO2–ITO–Ag thin film stacks can be exploited for colour switching is reported, with approximately 25% change in reflectance demonstrated at 550 nm. Inclusion of a top ITO layer is also shown to improve the chromaticity change on phase transition.

Impact face influence on low velocity impact performance of interply laminated plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manikandan, Periyasamy; Chai, Gin Boay

2015-03-01

Fibre Metal Laminate (FML), a metal sandwiched hybrid composite material is well-known for its enhanced impact properties and better damage tolerance and it has been successfully implemented in diverse engineering applications in aviation industry. With heterogeneous constituents, the stacking sequence of FML is believe to play a critical role to govern its overall energy absorption capability by means of controlling delamination of metal composite interface and plastic deformation of metal layers. As a precursor, low velocity impact experiments were conducted on interply configured transparent plastic plates in order to extract the significance of stacking sequence and realize the characteristics of each layer through naked eye which is not possible in FML due to opacity of metal layer. The stack configuration constitute hard acrylic (brittle) and soft polycarbonate (ductile) plates analogous to composite (brittle) and metal (ductile) layers on FML laminate and the impact event is performed on either hard or soft facing sides separately. Hard side samples resemble more protective than soft side impact sample, with large peak resistant force and expose smaller damage growth in all experimented cases.

Development of Bipolar All-solid-state Lithium Battery Based on Quasi-solid-state Electrolyte Containing Tetraglyme-LiTFSA Equimolar Complex

PubMed Central

Gambe, Yoshiyuki; Sun, Yan; Honma, Itaru

2015-01-01

The development of high energy–density lithium-ion secondary batteries as storage batteries in vehicles is attracting increasing attention. In this study, high-voltage bipolar stacked batteries with a quasi-solid-state electrolyte containing a Li-Glyme complex were prepared, and the performance of the device was evaluated. Via the successful production of double-layered and triple-layered high-voltage devices, it was confirmed that these stacked batteries operated properly without any internal short-circuits of a single cell within the package: Their plateau potentials (6.7 and 10.0 V, respectively) were two and three times that (3.4 V) of the single-layered device, respectively. Further, the double-layered device showed a capacity retention of 99% on the 200th cycle at 0.5 C, which is an indication of good cycling properties. These results suggest that bipolar stacked batteries with a quasi-solid-state electrolyte containing a Li-Glyme complex could readily produce a high voltage of 10 V. PMID:25746860

Investigations of the Electronic, Vibrational and Structural Properties of Single and Few-Layer Graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lui, Chun Hung

Single and few-layer graphene (SLG and FLG) have stimulated great scientific interest because of their distinctive properties and potential for novel applications. In this dissertation, we investigate the mechanical, electronic and vibrational properties of these remarkable materials by various techniques, including atomic-force microscopy (AFM) and Raman, infrared (IR), and ultrafast optical spectroscopy. With respect to its mechanical properties, SLG is known to be capable of undergoing significant mechanical deformation. We have applied AFM to investigate how the morphology of SLG is influenced by the substrate on which it is deposited. We have found that SLG is strongly affected by the morphology of the underlying supporting surface. In particular, SLG deposited on atomically flat surfaces of mica substrates exhibits an ultraflat morphology, with height variation essentially indistinguishable from that observed for the surface of cleaved graphite. One of the most distinctive aspects of SLG is its spectrum of electronic excitations, with its characteristic linear energy-momentum dispersion relation. We have examined the dynamics of the corresponding Dirac fermions by optical emission spectroscopy. By analyzing the spectra of light emission induced in the spectral visible range by 30-femtosecond laser pulses, we find that the charge carriers in graphene cool by the emission of strongly coupled optical phonons in a few 10's of femtoseconds and thermalize among themselves even more rapidly. The charge carriers and the strongly coupled optical phonons are thus essentially in thermal equilibrium with one another on the picosecond time scale, but can be driven strongly out of equilibrium with the other phonons in the system. Temperatures exceeding 3000 K are achieved for the subsystem of the charge carriers and optical phonons under femtosecond laser excitation. While SLG exhibits remarkable physical properties, its few-layer counterparts are also of great interest. In particular, FLG can exist in various crystallographic stacking sequences, which strongly influence the material's electronic properties. We have developed an accurate and convenient method of characterizing stacking order in FLG using the lineshape of the Raman 2D-mode. Raman imaging allows us to visualize directly the spatial distribution of Bernal (ABA) and rhombohedral (ABC) stacking in trilayer and tetralayer graphene. We find that 15% of exfoliated graphene trilayers and tetralayers are comprised of micrometer-sized domains of rhombohedral stacking, rather than of usual Bernal stacking. The accurate identification of stacking domains in FLG allows us to investigate the influence of stacking order on the material's electronic properties. In particular, we have studied by means of IR spectroscopy the possibility of opening a band gap by the application of a strong perpendicular electric field in trilayer graphene. We observe an electrically tunable band gap exceeding 100 meV in ABC trilayers, while no band gap is found for ABA trilayers. We have also studied the influence of layer thickness and stacking order on the Raman response of the out-of-plane vibrations in FLG. We observe a Raman combination mode that involves the layer-breathing vibrations in FLG. This Raman mode is absent in SLG and exhibits a lineshape that depends sensitively on both the material's layer thickness and stacking sequence.

Surface and Interface Chemistry for Gate Stacks on Silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frank, M. M.; Chabal, Y. J.

This chapter addresses the fundamental silicon surface science associated with the continued progress of nanoelectronics along the path prescribed by Moore's law. Focus is on hydrogen passivation layers and on ultrathin oxide films encountered during silicon cleaning and gate stack formation in the fabrication of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). Three main topics are addressed. (i) First, the current practices and understanding of silicon cleaning in aqueous solutions are reviewed, including oxidizing chemistries and cleans leading to a hydrogen passivation layer. The dependence of the final surface termination and morphology/roughness on reactant choice and pH and the influence of impurities such as dissolved oxygen or metal ions are discussed. (ii) Next, the stability of hydrogen-terminated silicon in oxidizing liquid and gas phase environments is considered. In particular, the remarkable stability of hydrogen-terminated silicon surface in pure water vapor is discussed in the context of atomic layer deposition (ALD) of high-permittivity (high-k) gate dielectrics where water is often used as an oxygen precursor. Evidence is also provided for co-operative action between oxygen and water vapor that accelerates surface oxidation in humid air. (iii) Finally, the fabrication of hafnium-, zirconium- and aluminum-based high-k gate stacks is described, focusing on the continued importance of the silicon/silicon oxide interface. This includes a review of silicon surface preparation by wet or gas phase processing and its impact on high-k nucleation during ALD growth, and the consideration of gate stack capacitance and carrier mobility. In conclusion, two issues are highlighted: the impact of oxygen vacancies on the electrical characteristics of high-k MOS devices, and the way alloyed metal ions (such as Al in Hf-based gate stacks) in contact with the interfacial silicon oxide layer can be used to control flatband and threshold voltages.

CHARACTERIZATION OF POLED SINGLE-LAYER PZT FOR PIEZO STACK IN FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Hong; Matsunaga, Tadashi; Lin, Hua-Tay

2010-01-01

Poled single-layer PZT has been characterized in as-extracted and as-received states. PZT plate specimens in the former were extracted from a stack. Flexure strength of PZT was evaluated by using ball-on-ring and 4-point bend tests. Fractography showed that intergranular fractures dominated the fracture surface and that volume pores were the primary strength-limiting flaws. The electric field effect was investigated by testing the PZT in open circuit and coercive field levels. An asymmetrical response on the biaxial flexure strength with respect to the electric field direction was observed. These experimental results will assist reliability design of the piezo stack that ismore » being considered in fuel injection system.« less

Highly efficient solution-processed phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices with double-stacked hole injection layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yuehua; Hao, Lin; Zhang, Xinwen; Zhang, Xiaolin; Liu, Mengjiao; Zhang, Mengke; Wang, Jiong; Lai, Wen-Yong; Huang, Wei

2017-08-01

In this paper, solution-processed nickel oxide (NiOx) is used as hole-injection layers (HILs) in solution-processed phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PhOLEDs). Serious exciton quenching is verified at the NiOx/emitting layer (EML) interface, resulting in worse device performance. The device performance is significantly improved by inserting a layer of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonic acid) (PEDOT:PSS) between the EML and NiOx. The solution-processed blue PhOLED with the double-stacked NiOx/PEDOT:PSS HILs shows a maximum current efficiency of 30.5 cd/A, which is 75% and 30% higher than those of the devices with a single NiOx HIL and a PEDOT:PSS HIL, respectively. Improvement of device efficiency can be attributed to reducing exciton quenching of the PEDOT:PSS layer as well as the electron blocking effect of the NiOx layer.

How the Number of Layers and Relative Position Modulate the Interlayer Electron Transfer in π-Stacked 2D Materials.

PubMed

Biancardi, Alessandro; Caraiani, Claudiu; Chan, Wai-Lun; Caricato, Marco

2017-04-06

Understanding the interfacial electron transfer (IET) between 2D layers is central to technological applications. We present a first-principles study of the IET between a zinc phthalocyanine film and few-layer graphene by using our recent method for the calculation of electronic coupling in periodic systems. The ultimate goal is the development of a predictive in silico approach for designing new 2D materials. We find IET to be critically dependent on the number of layers and their stacking orientation. In agreement with experiment, IET to single-layer graphene is shown to be faster than that to double-layer graphene due to interference effects between layers. We predict that additional graphene layers increase the number of IET pathways, eventually leading to a faster rate. These results shed new light on the subtle interplay between structure and IET, which may lead to more effective "bottom up" design strategies for these materials.

Multi-stack InAs/InGaAs Sub-monolayer Quantum Dots Infrared Photodetectors

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

013110 (2013) Demonstration of high performance bias-selectable dual- band short-/mid-wavelength infrared photodetectors based on type-II InAs/ GaSb ...been used for the growth of QD structures . These include the formation of self-assembled QD, for example, Stranski-Krastanov (SK) growth mode,8,9 atomic...confinement in SML-QD and the reduction in the amount of InAs used per layer of QD can help stack more layers in a 3-dimensional QD structure . Several

Image transfer by cascaded stack of photonic crystal and air layers.

PubMed

Shen, C; Michielsen, K; De Raedt, H

2006-01-23

We demonstrate image transfer by a cascaded stack consisting of two and three triangular-lattice photonic crystal slabs separated by air. The quality of the image transfered by the stack is sensitive to the air/photonic crystal interface termination and the frequency. Depending on the frequency and the surface termination, the image can be transfered by the stack with very little deterioration of the resolution, that is the resolution of the final image is approximately the same as the resolution of the image formed behind one single photonic crystal slab.

Optical activity in chiral stacks of 2D semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poshakinskiy, Alexander V.; Kazanov, Dmitrii R.; Shubina, Tatiana V.; Tarasenko, Sergey A.

2018-03-01

We show that the stacks of two-dimensional semiconductor crystals with the chiral packing exhibit optical activity and circular dichroism. We develop a microscopic theory of these phenomena in the spectral range of exciton transitions that takes into account the spin-dependent hopping of excitons between the layers in the stack and the interlayer coupling of excitons via electromagnetic field. For the stacks of realistic two-dimensional semiconductors such as transition metal dichalcogenides, we calculate the rotation and ellipticity angles of radiation transmitted through such structures. The angles are resonantly enhanced at the frequencies of both bright and dark exciton modes in the stack. We also study the photoluminescence of chiral stacks and show that it is circularly polarized.

Revealing the preferred interlayer orientations and stackings of two-dimensional bilayer gallium selenide crystals

DOE PAGES

Li, Xufan; Basile Carrasco, Leonardo A.; Yoon, Mina; ...

2015-01-21

Characterizing and controlling the interlayer orientations and stacking order of bilayer two-dimensional (2D) crystals and van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure is crucial to optimize their electrical and optoelectronic properties. The four polymorphs of layered gallium selenide (GaSe) that result from different layer stacking provide an ideal platform to study the stacking configurations in bilayer 2D crystals. Here, through a controllable vapor-phase deposition method we selectively grow bilayer GaSe crystals and investigate their two preferred 0° or 60° interlayer rotations. The commensurate stacking configurations (AA' and AB-stacking) in as-grown 2D bilayer GaSe crystals are clearly observed at the atomic scale andmore » the Ga-terminated edge structure are identified for the first time by using atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Theoretical analysis of the interlayer coupling energetics vs. interlayer rotation angle reveals that the experimentally-observed orientations are energetically preferred among the bilayer GaSe crystal polytypes. Here, the combined experimental and theoretical characterization of the GaSe bilayers afforded by these growth studies provide a pathway to reveal the atomistic relationships in interlayer orientations responsible for the electronic and optical properties of bilayer 2D crystals and vdW heterostructures.« less

Energy Efficient Window Coatings that Please the Eye - Continuum Magazine

Science.gov Websites

voltage polarity reverses the lithium-ion flow, decreasing the glass tint and allowing more light to be transparent contact layers bookending a counterelectrode layer, ion-conducting layer, and electrochromic layer . Low voltage applied across the stacked layers causes lithium ions to migrate out of the

Performance of PZT stacks under high-field electric cycling at various temperatures in heavy-duty diesel engine fuel injectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Hong; Lin, Hua-Tay; Stafford, Mr Randy

2016-01-01

Testing and characterization of large prototype lead zirconate titanate (PZT) stacks present substantial technical challenges to electronic systems. The work in this study shows that an alternative approach can be pursued by using subunits extracted from prototype stacks. Piezoelectric and dielectric integrity was maintained even though the PZT plate specimens experienced an additional loading process involved with the extraction after factory poling. Extracted 10-layer plate specimens were studied by an electric cycle test under an electric field of 3.0/0.0 kV/mm, 100 Hz to 108 cycles, both at room temperature (22 C) and at 50 C. The elevated temperature had amore » defined impact on the fatigue of PZT stacks. About 48 and 28% reductions were observed in the piezoelectric and dielectric coefficients, respectively, after 108 cycles at 50 C, compared with reductions of 25 and 15% in the respective coefficients at 22 C. At the same time, the loss tangent varied to a limited extent. The evolution of PZT electrode interfacial layers or nearby dielectric layers should account for the difference in the fatigue rates of piezoelectric and dielectric coefficients. But the basic contribution to observed fatigue may result from the buildup of a bias field that finally suppressed the motion of the domain walls. Finally, monitoring of dielectric coefficients can be an effective tool for on-line lifetime prediction of PZT stacks in service if a failure criterion is defined properly.« less

Performance of PZT stacks under high-field electric cycling at various temperatures in heavy-duty diesel engine fuel injectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hong; Lee, Sung-Min; Lin, Hua-Tay; Stafford, Randy

2016-04-01

Testing and characterization of large prototype lead zirconate titanate (PZT) stacks present substantial technical challenges to electronic systems. The work in this study shows that an alternative approach can be pursued by using subunits extracted from prototype stacks. Piezoelectric and dielectric integrity was maintained even though the PZT plate specimens experienced an additional loading process involved with the extraction after factory poling. Extracted 10-layer plate specimens were studied by an electric cycle test under an electric field of 3.0/0.0 kV/mm, 100 Hz to 108 cycles, both at room temperature (22°C) and at 50°C. The elevated temperature had a defined impact on the fatigue of PZT stacks. About 48 and 28% reductions were observed in the piezoelectric and dielectric coefficients, respectively, after 108 cycles at 50°C, compared with reductions of 25 and 15% in the respective coefficients at 22°C. At the same time, the loss tangent varied to a limited extent. The evolution of PZT-electrode interfacial layers or nearby dielectric layers should account for the difference in the fatigue rates of piezoelectric and dielectric coefficients. But the basic contribution to observed fatigue may result from the buildup of a bias field that finally suppressed the motion of the domain walls. Finally, monitoring of dielectric coefficients can be an effective tool for on-line lifetime prediction of PZT stacks in service if a failure criterion is defined properly.

3D tissue formation by stacking detachable cell sheets formed on nanofiber mesh.

PubMed

Kim, Min Sung; Lee, Byungjun; Kim, Hong Nam; Bang, Seokyoung; Yang, Hee Seok; Kang, Seong Min; Suh, Kahp-Yang; Park, Suk-Hee; Jeon, Noo Li

2017-03-23

We present a novel approach for assembling 3D tissue by layer-by-layer stacking of cell sheets formed on aligned nanofiber mesh. A rigid frame was used to repeatedly collect aligned electrospun PCL (polycaprolactone) nanofiber to form a mesh structure with average distance between fibers 6.4 µm. When human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), human foreskin dermal fibroblasts, and skeletal muscle cells (C2C12) were cultured on the nanofiber mesh, they formed confluent monolayers and could be handled as continuous cell sheets with areas 3 × 3 cm 2 or larger. Thicker 3D tissues have been formed by stacking multiple cell sheets collected on frames that can be nested (i.e. Matryoshka dolls) without any special tools. When cultured on the nanofiber mesh, skeletal muscle, C2C12 cells oriented along the direction of the nanofibers and differentiated into uniaxially aligned multinucleated myotube. Myotube cell sheets were stacked (upto 3 layers) in alternating or aligned directions to form thicker tissue with ∼50 µm thickness. Sandwiching HUVEC cell sheets with two dermal fibroblast cell sheets resulted in vascularized 3D tissue. HUVECs formed extensive networks and expressed CD31, a marker of endothelial cells. Cell sheets formed on nanofiber mesh have a number of advantages, including manipulation and stacking of multiple cell sheets for constructing 3D tissue and may find applications in a variety of tissue engineering applications.

Atomic study on the ordered structure in Al melts induced by liquid/substrate interface with Ti solute

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, H. L.; Han, Y. F., E-mail: yfhan@sjtu.edu.cn, E-mail: bdsun@sjtu.edu.cn; Zhou, W.

2015-01-26

Atomic ordering in Al melts induced by liquid/substrate interface with Ti solute was investigated by ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction. It is predicted that deformed nanoscale ordering Al layers with a rhombohedral-centered hexagonal structure (R3{sup ¯}m space group) instead of the intrinsic fcc structure (Fm3{sup ¯}m space group) form on substrate at temperature above Al liquids. With Al atoms stacking away from the interface, the ordering structure reaches a critical thickness, which inhibits the consecutive stacking of Al atoms on substrates. The locally stacking reconstruction induced by Ti atom relieves the accumulated elastic strain energymore » in ordered Al layers, facilitating fully heterogeneous nucleation on substrate beyond the deformed ordering Al layer around the melting point. The roles of liquid/substrate interface with Ti solute in the physical behavior of heterogeneous nucleation on substrate were discussed.« less

Combining a multi deposition multi annealing technique with a scavenging (Ti) to improve the high-k/metal gate stack performance for a gate-last process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ShuXiang, Zhang; Hong, Yang; Bo, Tang; Zhaoyun, Tang; Yefeng, Xu; Jing, Xu; Jiang, Yan

2014-10-01

ALD HfO2 films fabricated by a novel multi deposition multi annealing (MDMA) technique are investigated, we have included samples both with and without a Ti scavenging layer. As compared to the reference gate stack treated by conventional one-time deposition and annealing (D&A), devices receiving MDMA show a significant reduction in leakage current. Meanwhile, EOT growth is effectively controlled by the Ti scavenging layer. This improvement strongly correlates with the cycle number of D&A (while keeping the total annealing time and total dielectrics thickness the same). Transmission electron microscope and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis suggests that oxygen incorporation into both the high-k film and the interfacial layer is likely to be responsible for the improvement of the device. This novel MDMA is promising for the development of gate stack technology in a gate last integration scheme.

Effect of spacer layer thickness on structural and optical properties of multi-stack InAs/GaAsSb quantum dots

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Yeongho; Ban, Keun-Yong, E-mail: kban1@asu.edu; Honsberg, Christiana B.

2015-10-26

The structural and optical properties of ten-stack InAs/GaAsSb quantum dots (QDs) with different spacer layer thicknesses (d{sub s} = 2, 5, 10, and 15 nm) are reported. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the strain relaxation of the GaAsSb spacers increases linearly from 0% to 67% with larger d{sub s} due to higher elastic stress between the spacer and GaAs matrix. In addition, the dislocation density in the spacers with d{sub s} = 10 nm is lowest as a result of reduced residual strain. The photoluminescence peak energy from the QDs does not change monotonically with increasing d{sub s} due to the competing effects of decreased compressivemore » strain and weak electronic coupling of stacked QD layers. The QD structure with d{sub s} = 10 nm is demonstrated to have improved luminescence properties and higher carrier thermal stability.« less

The structure of ice crystallized from supercooled water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, Benjamin

2013-03-01

The freezing of water to ice is fundamentally important to fields as diverse as cloud formation to cryopreservation. Traditionally ice was thought to exist in two well-crystalline forms: stable hexagonal ice and metastable cubic ice. It has recently been shown, using X-ray diffraction data, that ice which crystallizes homogeneously and heterogeneously from supercooled water is neither of these phases. The resulting ice is disordered in one dimension and therefore possesses neither cubic nor hexagonal symmetry and is instead composed of randomly stacked layers of cubic and hexagonal sequences. We refer to this ice as stacking-disordered ice I (ice Isd) . This result is consistent with a number of computational studies of the crystallization of water. Review of the literature reveals that almost all ice that has been identified as cubic ice in previous diffraction studies and generated in a variety of ways was most likely stacking-disordered ice I with varying degrees of stacking disorder, which raises the question of whether cubic ice exists. New data will be presented which shows significant stacking disorder (or stacking faults on the order of 1 in every 100 layers of ice Ih) in droplets which froze heterogeneously as warm as 257 K. The identification of stacking-disordered ice from heterogeneous ice nucleation supports the hypothesis that the structure of ice that initially crystallises from supercooled water is stacking-disordered ice I, independent of nucleation mechanism, but this ice can relax to the stable hexagonal phase subject to the kinetics of recrystallization. The formation and persistence of stacking disordered ice in the Earth's atmosphere will also be discussed. Funded by the European Research Council (FP7, 240449 ICE)

Toward a Mechanistic Understanding of Vertical Growth of van der Waals Stacked 2D Materials: A Multiscale Model and Experiments.

PubMed

Ye, Han; Zhou, Jiadong; Er, Dequan; Price, Christopher C; Yu, Zhongyuan; Liu, Yumin; Lowengrub, John; Lou, Jun; Liu, Zheng; Shenoy, Vivek B

2017-12-26

Vertical stacking of monolayers via van der Waals (vdW) interaction opens promising routes toward engineering physical properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials and designing atomically thin devices. However, due to the lack of mechanistic understanding, challenges remain in the controlled fabrication of these structures via scalable methods such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) onto substrates. In this paper, we develop a general multiscale model to describe the size evolution of 2D layers and predict the necessary growth conditions for vertical (initial + subsequent layers) versus in-plane lateral (monolayer) growth. An analytic thermodynamic criterion is established for subsequent layer growth that depends on the sizes of both layers, the vdW interaction energies, and the edge energy of 2D layers. Considering the time-dependent growth process, we find that temperature and adatom flux from vapor are the primary criteria affecting the self-assembled growth. The proposed model clearly demonstrates the distinct roles of thermodynamic and kinetic mechanisms governing the final structure. Our model agrees with experimental observations of various monolayer and bilayer transition metal dichalcogenides grown by CVD and provides a predictive framework to guide the fabrication of vertically stacked 2D materials.

Raman Signatures of Polytypism in Molybdenum Disulfide.

PubMed

Lee, Jae-Ung; Kim, Kangwon; Han, Songhee; Ryu, Gyeong Hee; Lee, Zonghoon; Cheong, Hyeonsik

2016-02-23

Since the stacking order sensitively affects various physical properties of layered materials, accurate determination of the stacking order is important for studying the basic properties of these materials as well as for device applications. Because 2H-molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is most common in nature, most studies so far have focused on 2H-MoS2. However, we found that the 2H, 3R, and mixed stacking sequences exist in few-layer MoS2 exfoliated from natural molybdenite crystals. The crystal structures are confirmed by HR-TEM measurements. The Raman signatures of different polytypes are investigated by using three different excitation energies that are nonresonant and resonant with A and C excitons, respectively. The low-frequency breathing and shear modes show distinct differences for each polytype, whereas the high-frequency intralayer modes show little difference. For resonant excitations at 1.96 and 2.81 eV, distinct features are observed that enable determination of the stacking order.

3D segmentations of neuronal nuclei from confocal microscope image stacks

PubMed Central

LaTorre, Antonio; Alonso-Nanclares, Lidia; Muelas, Santiago; Peña, José-María; DeFelipe, Javier

2013-01-01

In this paper, we present an algorithm to create 3D segmentations of neuronal cells from stacks of previously segmented 2D images. The idea behind this proposal is to provide a general method to reconstruct 3D structures from 2D stacks, regardless of how these 2D stacks have been obtained. The algorithm not only reuses the information obtained in the 2D segmentation, but also attempts to correct some typical mistakes made by the 2D segmentation algorithms (for example, under segmentation of tightly-coupled clusters of cells). We have tested our algorithm in a real scenario—the segmentation of the neuronal nuclei in different layers of the rat cerebral cortex. Several representative images from different layers of the cerebral cortex have been considered and several 2D segmentation algorithms have been compared. Furthermore, the algorithm has also been compared with the traditional 3D Watershed algorithm and the results obtained here show better performance in terms of correctly identified neuronal nuclei. PMID:24409123

3D segmentations of neuronal nuclei from confocal microscope image stacks.

PubMed

Latorre, Antonio; Alonso-Nanclares, Lidia; Muelas, Santiago; Peña, José-María; Defelipe, Javier

2013-01-01

In this paper, we present an algorithm to create 3D segmentations of neuronal cells from stacks of previously segmented 2D images. The idea behind this proposal is to provide a general method to reconstruct 3D structures from 2D stacks, regardless of how these 2D stacks have been obtained. The algorithm not only reuses the information obtained in the 2D segmentation, but also attempts to correct some typical mistakes made by the 2D segmentation algorithms (for example, under segmentation of tightly-coupled clusters of cells). We have tested our algorithm in a real scenario-the segmentation of the neuronal nuclei in different layers of the rat cerebral cortex. Several representative images from different layers of the cerebral cortex have been considered and several 2D segmentation algorithms have been compared. Furthermore, the algorithm has also been compared with the traditional 3D Watershed algorithm and the results obtained here show better performance in terms of correctly identified neuronal nuclei.

Stacking of 2D electron gases in Ge probed at the atomic level and its correlation to low-temperature magnetotransport.

PubMed

Scappucci, G; Klesse, W M; Hamilton, A R; Capellini, G; Jaeger, D L; Bischof, M R; Reidy, R F; Gorman, B P; Simmons, M Y

2012-09-12

Stacking of two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) obtained by δ-doping of Ge and patterned by scanning probe lithography is a promising approach to realize ultrascaled 3D epitaxial circuits, where multiple layers of active electronic components are integrated both vertically and horizontally. We use atom probe tomography and magnetotransport to correlate the real space 3D atomic distribution of dopants in the crystal with the quantum correction to the conductivity observed at low temperatures, probing if closely stacked δ-layers in Ge behave as independent 2DEGs. We find that at a separation of 9 nm the stacked-2DEGs, while interacting, still maintain their individuality in terms of electron transport and show long phase coherence lengths (∼220 nm). Strong vertical electron confinement is crucial to this finding, resulting in an interlayer scattering time much longer (∼1000 × ) than the scattering time within the dopant plane.

Theoretical and Monte Carlo optimization of a stacked three-layer flat-panel x-ray imager for applications in multi-spectral diagnostic medical imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez Maurino, Sebastian; Badano, Aldo; Cunningham, Ian A.; Karim, Karim S.

2016-03-01

We propose a new design of a stacked three-layer flat-panel x-ray detector for dual-energy (DE) imaging. Each layer consists of its own scintillator of individual thickness and an underlying thin-film-transistor-based flat-panel. Three images are obtained simultaneously in the detector during the same x-ray exposure, thereby eliminating any motion artifacts. The detector operation is two-fold: a conventional radiography image can be obtained by combining all three layers' images, while a DE subtraction image can be obtained from the front and back layers' images, where the middle layer acts as a mid-filter that helps achieve spectral separation. We proceed to optimize the detector parameters for two sample imaging tasks that could particularly benefit from this new detector by obtaining the best possible signal to noise ratio per root entrance exposure using well-established theoretical models adapted to fit our new design. These results are compared to a conventional DE temporal subtraction detector and a single-shot DE subtraction detector with a copper mid-filter, both of which underwent the same theoretical optimization. The findings are then validated using advanced Monte Carlo simulations for all optimized detector setups. Given the performance expected from initial results and the recent decrease in price for digital x-ray detectors, the simplicity of the three-layer stacked imager approach appears promising to usher in a new generation of multi-spectral digital x-ray diagnostics.

Why is there evidence for flowing ice at mid-latitudes on Mars but not at the poles?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, I. B.

2017-12-01

Ice has been detected on Mars in many places, from the polar caps, to mid-latitudes. In many locations there exists evidence for glacial flow. This raises the possibility of flow for the polar layered deposits (PLD). Since the >2000 m thick ice deposits were first observed, speculation about their flow status have persisted. Several stratigraphic predictions regarding flow have been made (Figure 1), but these predictions are not supported with observational data (Smith and Holt 2015) The disagreement between model and observations has led to a general consensus that the polar ice flows more slowly than other processes acting on the PLD, but the reasoning is not understood. Here I posit that the polar layered deposits do not act as a single, generic ice sheet. Instead, they act as a stack of thin ice sheets, where each layer is separated by a boundary of dust, and all layers flow individually. The layers act as barriers to vertical flow, so the viscosity of the cold ice can only be expressed through lateral expansion. I plan to present a simple experiment demonstrating the multi-layer, stacked flow hypothesis. I will demonstrate that the layers themselves flow but do not deform the entire ice sheet, as previously predicted. This allows for the PLD to retain their steep slopes and prevents many of the predicted flow features to form. The major component of this hypothesis is that the dust layers hinder flow. Thus, constraining the friction coefficient, viscosity, tensile strength and compressibility of the dust layers becomes an important next step for testing the stacked, multi-layer flow scenario. Acknowledgements: Thanks to Eric Larour and David Goldsby for helpful comments.

Synthesis and Characterization of Self-Standing and Highly Flexible δ-MnO2@CNTs/CNTs Composite Films for Direct Use of Supercapacitor Electrodes.

PubMed

Wu, Peng; Cheng, Shuang; Yang, Lufeng; Lin, Zhiqiang; Gui, Xuchun; Ou, Xing; Zhou, Jun; Yao, Minghai; Wang, Mengkun; Zhu, Yuanyuan; Liu, Meilin

2016-09-14

Self-standing and flexible films worked as pseudocapacitor electrodes have been fabricated via a simple vacuum-filtration procedure to stack δ-MnO2@carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composite layer and pure CNT layer one by one with CNT layers ended. The lightweight CNTs layers served as both current collector and supporter, while the MnO2@CNTs composite layers with birnessite-type MnO2 worked as active layer and made the main contribution to the capacitance. At a low discharge current of 0.2 A g(-1), the layered films displayed a high areal capacitance of 0.293 F cm(-2) with a mass of 1.97 mg cm(-2) (specific capacitance of 149 F g(-1)) and thickness of only 16.5 μm, and hence an volumetric capacitance of about 177.5 F cm(-3). Moreover, the films also exhibited a good rate capability (only about 15% fading for the capacitance when the discharge current increased to 5 A g(-1) from 0.2 A g(-1)), outstanding cycling stability (about 90% of the initial capacitance was remained after 5,000 cycles) and high flexibility (almost no performance change when bended to different angles). In addition, the capacitance of the films increased proportionally with the stacked layers and the geometry area. E.g., when the stacked layers were three times many with a mass of 6.18 mg cm(-2), the areal capacitance of the films was increased to 0.764 F cm(-2) at 0.5 A g(-1), indicating a high electronic conductivity. It is not overstated to say that the flexible and lightweight layered films emerged high potential for future practical applications as supercapacitor electrodes.

Dynamics-based Nondestructive Structural Monitoring Teclrniques

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-21

plate made from AS4/8552-2 carbon epoxy prepregs . The layup sequence: was [(0/45/90/-45)S]2 as illustrated in Figure 3.37. Each layer had the...at Penn State. Hexcel AS4/8552 unidirectional carbon/epoxy prepregs were used in the fabrication as raw materials. The prepregs were cut in pieces...with different fiber orientations and 132 stacked together following different stacking sequences. The stacked prepregs then went into a vacuum

Dynamics-based Nondestructive Structural Monitoring Techniques

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-21

made from AS4/8552-2 carbon epoxy prepregs . The layup sequence: was [(0/45/90/-45)S]2 as illustrated in Figure 3.37. Each layer had the thickness of...using facilities available at Penn State. Hexcel AS4/8552 unidirectional carbon/epoxy prepregs were used in the fabrication as raw materials. The... prepregs were cut in pieces with different fiber orientations and 132 stacked together following different stacking sequences. The stacked prepregs

Locking mechanisms in degree-4 vertex origami structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Hongbin; Li, Suyi; Xu, Jian; Wang, K. W.

2016-04-01

Origami has emerged as a potential tool for the design of mechanical metamaterials and metastructures whose novel properties originate from their crease patterns. Most of the attention in origami engineering has focused on the wellknown Miura-Ori, a folded tessellation that is flat-foldable for folded sheet and stacked blocks. This study advances the state of the art and expands the research field to investigate generic degree-4 vertex (4-vertex) origami, with a focus on facet-binding. In order to understand how facet-binding attributes to the mechanical properties of 4-vertex origami structures, geometries of the 4-vertex origami cells are analyzed and analytically expressed. Through repeating and stacking 4-vertex cells, origami sheets and stacked origami blocks can be constructed. Geometry analyses discover four mechanisms that will lead to the self-locking of 4-vertex origami cells, sheets, and stacked blocks: in-cell facet-binding, inlayer facet-binding, inter-layer facet binding, and in-layer and inter-layer facet-bindings. These mechanisms and the predicted self-locking phenomena are verified through 3D simulations and prototype experiments. Finally, this paper briefly introduces the unusual mechanical properties caused by the locking of 4-vertex origami structures. The research reported in this paper could foster a new breed of self-locking structures with various engineering applications.

Tensile Response of Hoop Reinforced Multiaxially Braided Thin Wall Composite Tubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Sree Shankhachur; Potluri, Prasad; Soutis, Constantinos

2017-04-01

This paper presents the tensile response of thin-walled composite tubes with multi-axial fibre architecture. A hybrid braid-wound layup has the potential to optimise the composite tube properties, however, stacking sequence plays a role in the failure mechanism. A braid-winding method has been used to produce stacked overwound braid layup [(±45°/0°)5/90°4]T. Influence of stacking sequence on premature failure of hoop layers has been reported. Under tensile loading, a cross-ply composite tube with the alternate stacking of hoop and axial fibre show hoop plies splitting similar to the overwound braided composite tube. However, splitting has been restricted by the surrounding axial plies and contained between the adjacent axial fibre tows. This observation suggests hoop layers sandwiched between braid layers will improve structural integrity. A near net shape architecture with three fibre orientation in a triaxial braid will provide additional support to prevent extensive damage for plies loaded in off-axis. Several notable observations for relatively open braid structures such as tow scissoring, high Poisson's ratio and influence of axial tow crimp on the strain to failure have been reported. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) in conjunction with surface strain gauging has been employed to capture the strain pattern.

Bottom-up Fabrication of Multilayer Stacks of 3D Photonic Crystals from Titanium Dioxide.

PubMed

Kubrin, Roman; Pasquarelli, Robert M; Waleczek, Martin; Lee, Hooi Sing; Zierold, Robert; do Rosário, Jefferson J; Dyachenko, Pavel N; Montero Moreno, Josep M; Petrov, Alexander Yu; Janssen, Rolf; Eich, Manfred; Nielsch, Kornelius; Schneider, Gerold A

2016-04-27

A strategy for stacking multiple ceramic 3D photonic crystals is developed. Periodically structured porous films are produced by vertical convective self-assembly of polystyrene (PS) microspheres. After infiltration of the opaline templates by atomic layer deposition (ALD) of titania and thermal decomposition of the polystyrene matrix, a ceramic 3D photonic crystal is formed. Further layers with different sizes of pores are deposited subsequently by repetition of the process. The influence of process parameters on morphology and photonic properties of double and triple stacks is systematically studied. Prolonged contact of amorphous titania films with warm water during self-assembly of the successive templates is found to result in exaggerated roughness of the surfaces re-exposed to ALD. Random scattering on rough internal surfaces disrupts ballistic transport of incident photons into deeper layers of the multistacks. Substantially smoother interfaces are obtained by calcination of the structure after each infiltration, which converts amorphous titania into the crystalline anatase before resuming the ALD infiltration. High quality triple stacks consisting of anatase inverse opals with different pore sizes are demonstrated for the first time. The elaborated fabrication method shows promise for various applications demanding broadband dielectric reflectors or titania photonic crystals with a long mean free path of photons.

Floquet high Chern insulators in periodically driven chirally stacked multilayer graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Si; Liu, Cheng-Cheng; Yao, Yugui

2018-03-01

Chirally stacked N-layer graphene is a semimetal with ±p N band-touching at two nonequivalent corners in its Brillioun zone. We predict that an off-resonant circularly polarized light (CPL) drives chirally stacked N-layer graphene into a Floquet Chern insulators (FCIs), aka quantum anomalous Hall insulators, with tunable high Chern number C F = ±N and large gaps. A topological phase transition between such a FCI and a valley Hall (VH) insulator with high valley Chern number C v = ±N induced by a voltage gate can be engineered by the parameters of the CPL and voltage gate. We propose a topological domain wall between the FCI and VH phases, along which perfectly valley-polarized N-channel edge states propagate unidirectionally without backscattering.

LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE OF SOLID OXIDE STACKS WITH ELECTRODE-SUPPORTED CELLS OPERATING IN THE STEAM ELECTROLYSIS MODE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

J. E. O'Brien; R. C. O'Brien; X. Zhang

2011-11-01

Performance characterization and durability testing have been completed on two five-cell high-temperature electrolysis stacks constructed with advanced cell and stack technologies. The solid oxide cells incorporate a negative-electrode-supported multi-layer design with nickel-zirconia cermet negative electrodes, thin-film yttria-stabilized zirconia electrolytes, and multi-layer lanthanum ferrite-based positive electrodes. The per-cell active area is 100 cm2. The stack is internally manifolded with compliant mica-glass seals. Treated metallic interconnects with integral flow channels separate the cells. Stack compression is accomplished by means of a custom spring-loaded test fixture. Initial stack performance characterization was determined through a series of DC potential sweeps in both fuel cellmore » and electrolysis modes of operation. Results of these sweeps indicated very good initial performance, with area-specific resistance values less than 0.5 ?.cm2. Long-term durability testing was performed with A test duration of 1000 hours. Overall performance degradation was less than 10% over the 1000-hour period. Final stack performance characterization was again determined by a series of DC potential sweeps at the same flow conditions as the initial sweeps in both electrolysis and fuel cell modes of operation. A final sweep in the fuel cell mode indicated a power density of 0.356 W/cm2, with average per-cell voltage of 0.71 V at a current of 50 A.« less

Analysis of Al diffusion processes in TiN barrier layers for the application in silicon solar cell metallization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumm, J.; Samadi, H.; Chacko, R. V.; Hartmann, P.; Wolf, A.

2016-07-01

An evaporated Al layer is known as an excellent rear metallization for highly efficient solar cells, but suffers from incompatibility with a common solder process. To enable solar cell-interconnection and module integration, in this work the Al layer is complemented with a solder stack of TiN/Ti/Ag or TiN/NiV/Ag, in which the TiN layer acts as an Al diffusion barrier. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements prove that diffusion of Al through the stack and the formation of an Al2O3 layer on the stack's surface are responsible for a loss of solderability after a strong post-metallization anneal, which is often mandatory to improve contact resistance and passivation quality. An optimization of the reactive TiN sputter process results in a densification of the TiN layer, which improves its barrier quality against Al diffusion. However, measurements with X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy show that small grains with vertical grain boundaries persist, which still offer fast diffusion paths. Therefore, the concept of stuffing is introduced. By incorporating oxygen into the grain boundaries of the sputtered TiN layer, Al diffusion is strongly reduced as confirmed by secondary ion mass spectroscopy profiles. A quantitative analysis reveals a one order of magnitude lower Al diffusion coefficient for stuffed TiN layers. This metallization system maintains its solderability even after strong post-metallization annealing at 425 °C for 15 min. This paper thus presents an industrially feasible, conventionally solderable, and long-term stable metallization scheme for highly efficient silicon solar cells.

Analyzing diffuse scattering with supercomputers. Corrigendum

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Michels-Clark, Tara M.; Lynch, Vickie E.; Hoffmann, Christina M.

2016-03-01

The study by Michels-Clark et al. (2013 [Michels-Clark, T. M., Lynch, V. E., Hoffmann, C. M., Hauser, J., Weber, T., Harrison, R. & Bürgi, H. B. (2013). J. Appl. Cryst. 46, 1616-1625.]) contains misleading errors which are corrected here. The numerical results reported in that paper and the conclusions given there are not affected and remain unchanged. The transition probabilities in Table 1 (rows 4, 5, 7, 8) and Fig. 2 (rows 1 and 2) of the original paper were different from those used in the numerical calculations. Corrected transition probabilities as used in the computations are given in Tablemore » 1 and Fig. 1 of this article. The Δ parameter in the stacking model expresses the preference for the fifth layer in a five-layer stack to be eclipsed with respect to the first layer. This statement corrects the original text on p. 1622, lines 4–7. In the original Fig. 2 the helicity of the layer stacks b L and b R in rows 3 and 4 had been given as opposite to those in rows 1, 2 and 5. Fig. 1 of this article shows rows 3 and 4 corrected to correspond to rows 1, 2 and 5.« less

Rearrangement of van der Waals stacking and formation of a singlet state at T = 90 K in a cluster magnet

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sheckelton, John P.; Plumb, Kemp W.; Trump, Benjamin A.

Insulating Nb3Cl8 is a layered chloride consisting of two-dimensional triangular layers of Seff = 1/2 Nb3Cl13 clusters at room temperature. Magnetic susceptibility measurement show a sharp, hysteretic drop to a temperature independent value below T = 90 K. Specific heat measurements show that the transition is first order, with ΔS ≈ 5 J K-1 mol-1 f.u.-1, and a low temperature T-linear contribution originating from defect spins. Neutron and X-ray diffraction show a lowering of symmetry from trigonal P[3 with combining macron]m1 to monoclinic C2/m symmetry, with a change in layer stacking from –AB–AB– to –AB'–BC'–CA'– and no observed magnetic order.more » This lowering of symmetry and rearrangement of successive layers evades geometric magnetic frustration to form a singlet ground state. It is the lowest temperature at which a change in stacking sequence is known to occur in a van der Waals solid, occurs in the absence of orbital degeneracies, and suggests that designer 2-D heterostructures may be able to undergo similar phase transitions.« less

Structural Properties, Order–Disorder Phenomena, and Phase Stability of Orotic Acid Crystal Forms

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Orotic acid (OTA) is reported to exist in the anhydrous (AH), monohydrate (Hy1), and dimethyl sulfoxide monosolvate (SDMSO) forms. In this study we investigate the (de)hydration/desolvation behavior, aiming at an understanding of the elusive structural features of anhydrous OTA by a combination of experimental and computational techniques, namely, thermal analytical methods, gravimetric moisture (de)sorption studies, water activity measurements, X-ray powder diffraction, spectroscopy (vibrational, solid-state NMR), crystal energy landscape, and chemical shift calculations. The Hy1 is a highly stable hydrate, which dissociates above 135 °C and loses only a small part of the water when stored over desiccants (25 °C) for more than one year. In Hy1, orotic acid and water molecules are linked by strong hydrogen bonds in nearly perfectly planar arranged stacked layers. The layers are spaced by 3.1 Å and not linked via hydrogen bonds. Upon dehydration the X-ray powder diffraction and solid-state NMR peaks become broader, indicating some disorder in the anhydrous form. The Hy1 stacking reflection (122) is maintained, suggesting that the OTA molecules are still arranged in stacked layers in the dehydration product. Desolvation of SDMSO, a nonlayer structure, results in the same AH phase as observed upon dehydrating Hy1. Depending on the desolvation conditions, different levels of order–disorder of layers present in anhydrous OTA are observed, which is also suggested by the computed low energy crystal structures. These structures provide models for stacking faults as intergrowth of different layers is possible. The variability in anhydrate crystals is of practical concern as it affects the moisture dependent stability of AH with respect to hydration. PMID:26741914

Apparatus and method of manufacture for depositing a composite anti-reflection layer on a silicon surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pain, Bedabrata (Inventor)

2012-01-01

An apparatus and associated method are provided. A first silicon layer having at least one of an associated passivation layer and barrier is included. Also included is a composite anti-reflection layer including a stack of layers each with a different thickness and refractive index. Such composite anti-reflection layer is disposed adjacent to the first silicon layer.

Chirality-induced magnon transport in AA-stacked bilayer honeycomb chiral magnets.

PubMed

Owerre, S A

2016-11-30

In this Letter, we study the magnetic transport in AA-stacked bilayer honeycomb chiral magnets coupled either ferromagnetically or antiferromagnetically. For both couplings, we observe chirality-induced gaps, chiral protected edge states, magnon Hall and magnon spin Nernst effects of magnetic spin excitations. For ferromagnetically coupled layers, thermal Hall and spin Nernst conductivities do not change sign as function of magnetic field or temperature similar to single-layer honeycomb ferromagnetic insulator. In contrast, for antiferromagnetically coupled layers, we observe a sign change in the thermal Hall and spin Nernst conductivities as the magnetic field is reversed. We discuss possible experimental accessible honeycomb bilayer quantum materials in which these effects can be observed.

Studies of molecular-beam epitaxy growth of GaAs on porous Si substrates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mii, Y. J.; Kao, Y. C.; Wu, B. J.; Wang, K. L.; Lin, T. L.; Liu, J. K.

1988-01-01

GaAs has been grown on porous Si directly and on Si buffer layer-porous Si substrates by molecular-beam epitaxy. In the case of GaAs growth on porous Si, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals that the dominant defects in GaAs layers grown on porous Si are microtwins and stacking faults, which originate from the GaAs/porous Si interface. GaAs is found to penetrate into the porous Si layers. By using a thin Si buffer layer (50 nm), GaAs penetration diminishes and the density of microtwins and stacking faults is largely reduced and localized at the GaAs/Si buffer interface. However, there is a high density of threading dislocations remaining. Both Si (100) aligned and four degree tilted substrates have been examined in this study. TEM results show no observable effect of the tilted substrates on the quality of the GaAs epitaxial layer.

Fabrication of PVDF-TrFE based bilayered PbTiO3/PVDF-TrFE films capacitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurbaya, Z.; Wahid, M. H.; Rozana, M. D.; Annuar, I.; Alrokayan, S. A. H.; Khan, H. A.; Rusop, M.

2016-07-01

Development of high performance capacitor is reaching towards new generation where the ferroelectric materials take places as the active dielectric layer. The motivation of this study is to produce high capacitance device with long life cycle. This was configured by preparing bilayered films where lead titanate as an active dielectric layer and stacked with the top dielectric layer, poly(vinyledenefluoride-trifluoroethylene). Both of them are being referred that have one in common which is ferroelectric behavior. Therefore the combination of ceramic and polymer ferroelectric material could perform optimum dielectric characteristic for capacitor applications. The fabrication was done by simple sol-gel spin coating method that being varied at spinning speed property for polymer layers, whereas maintaining the ceramic layer. The characterization of PVDF-TrFE/PbTiO3 was performed according to metal-insulator-metal stacked capacitor measurement which includes structural, dielectric, and ferroelectric measurement.

Tunneling Plasmonics in Bilayer Graphene.

PubMed

Fei, Z; Iwinski, E G; Ni, G X; Zhang, L M; Bao, W; Rodin, A S; Lee, Y; Wagner, M; Liu, M K; Dai, S; Goldflam, M D; Thiemens, M; Keilmann, F; Lau, C N; Castro-Neto, A H; Fogler, M M; Basov, D N

2015-08-12

We report experimental signatures of plasmonic effects due to electron tunneling between adjacent graphene layers. At subnanometer separation, such layers can form either a strongly coupled bilayer graphene with a Bernal stacking or a weakly coupled double-layer graphene with a random stacking order. Effects due to interlayer tunneling dominate in the former case but are negligible in the latter. We found through infrared nanoimaging that bilayer graphene supports plasmons with a higher degree of confinement compared to single- and double-layer graphene, a direct consequence of interlayer tunneling. Moreover, we were able to shut off plasmons in bilayer graphene through gating within a wide voltage range. Theoretical modeling indicates that such a plasmon-off region is directly linked to a gapped insulating state of bilayer graphene, yet another implication of interlayer tunneling. Our work uncovers essential plasmonic properties in bilayer graphene and suggests a possibility to achieve novel plasmonic functionalities in graphene few-layers.

Ceramic substrate including thin film multilayer surface conductor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wolf, Joseph Ambrose; Peterson, Kenneth A.

2017-05-09

A ceramic substrate comprises a plurality of ceramic sheets, a plurality of inner conductive layers, a plurality of vias, and an upper conductive layer. The ceramic sheets are stacked one on top of another and include a top ceramic sheet. The inner conductive layers include electrically conductive material that forms electrically conductive features on an upper surface of each ceramic sheet excluding the top ceramic sheet. The vias are formed in each of the ceramic sheets with each via being filled with electrically conductive material. The upper conductive layer includes electrically conductive material that forms electrically conductive features on anmore » upper surface of the top ceramic sheet. The upper conductive layer is constructed from a stack of four sublayers. A first sublayer is formed from titanium. A second sublayer is formed from copper. A third sublayer is formed from platinum. A fourth sublayer is formed from gold.« less

A cross-stacked plasmonic nanowire network for high-contrast femtosecond optical switching.

PubMed

Lin, Yuanhai; Zhang, Xinping; Fang, Xiaohui; Liang, Shuyan

2016-01-21

We report an ultrafast optical switching device constructed by stacking two layers of gold nanowires into a perpendicularly crossed network, which works at a speed faster than 280 fs with an on/off modulation depth of about 22.4%. The two stacks play different roles in enhancing consistently the optical switching performance due to their different dependence on the polarization of optical electric fields. The cross-plasmon resonance based on the interaction between the perpendicularly stacked gold nanowires and its Fano-coupling with Rayleigh anomaly is the dominant mechanism for such a high-contrast optical switching device.

Tunable terahertz radiation source

DOEpatents

Boulaevskii, Lev; Feldmann, David M; Jia, Quanxi; Koshelev, Alexei; Moody, Nathan A

2014-01-21

Terahertz radiation source and method of producing terahertz radiation, said source comprising a junction stack, said junction stack comprising a crystalline material comprising a plurality of self-synchronized intrinsic Josephson junctions; an electrically conductive material in contact with two opposing sides of said crystalline material; and a substrate layer disposed upon at least a portion of both the crystalline material and the electrically-conductive material, wherein the crystalline material has a c-axis which is parallel to the substrate layer, and wherein the source emits at least 1 mW of power.

New Growth Mode through Decorated Twin Boundaries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bleikamp, Sebastian; Thoma, Arne; Polop, Celia

2006-03-24

Scanning tunneling microscopy and low energy electron diffraction were used to investigate the growth of partly twinned Ir thin films on Ir(111). A transition from the expected layer-by-layer to a defect dominated growth mode with a fixed lateral length scale and increasing roughness is observed. During growth, the majority of the film is stably transformed to twinned stacking. This transition is initiated by the energetic avoidance of the formation of intrinsic stacking faults compared to two independent twin faults. The atomistic details of the defect kinetics are outlined.

New growth mode through decorated twin boundaries.

PubMed

Bleikamp, Sebastian; Thoma, Arne; Polop, Celia; Pirug, Gerhard; Linke, Udo; Michely, Thomas

2006-03-24

Scanning tunneling microscopy and low energy electron diffraction were used to investigate the growth of partly twinned Ir thin films on Ir(111). A transition from the expected layer-by-layer to a defect dominated growth mode with a fixed lateral length scale and increasing roughness is observed. During growth, the majority of the film is stably transformed to twinned stacking. This transition is initiated by the energetic avoidance of the formation of intrinsic stacking faults compared to two independent twin faults. The atomistic details of the defect kinetics are outlined.

Aerosol-Jet-Printing silicone layers and electrodes for stacked dielectric elastomer actuators in one processing device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reitelshöfer, Sebastian; Göttler, Michael; Schmidt, Philip; Treffer, Philipp; Landgraf, Maximilian; Franke, Jörg

2016-04-01

In this contribution we present recent findings of our efforts to qualify the so called Aerosol-Jet-Printing process as an additive manufacturing approach for stacked dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA). With the presented system we are able to print the two essential structural elements dielectric layer and electrode in one machine. The system is capable of generating RTV-2 silicone layers made of Wacker Elastosil P 7670. Therefore, two aerosol streams of both precursor components A and B are generated in parallel and mixed in one printing nozzle that is attached to a 4-axis kinematic. At maximum speed the printing of one circular Elastosil layer with a calculated thickness of 10 μm and a diameter of 1 cm takes 12 seconds while the process keeps stable for 4.5 hours allowing a quite high overall material output and the generation of numerous silicone layers. By adding a second printing nozzle and the infrastructure to generate a third aerosol, the system is also capable of printing inks with conductive particles in parallel to the silicone. We have printed a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) ink prepared in our lab to generate electrodes on VHB 4905, Elastosil foils and finally on Aerosol-Jet-Printed Elastosil layers. With rGO ink printed on Elastosil foil, layers with a 4-point measured sheet resistance as low as 4 kΩ can be realized leaving room for improving the electrode printing time, which at the moment is not as good as the quite good time-frame for printing the silicone layers. Up to now we have used the system to print a fully functional two-layer stacked DEA to demonstrate the principle of continuously 3D printing actuators.

The potential radiological impact from a Brazilian phosphate facility.

PubMed

Glória dos Reis, Rócio; da Costa Lauria, Dejanira

2014-10-01

In the semiarid region of Brazil, a facility for the production of phosphoric acid for fertilizer is in the last stages of the planning phase. The raw feedstock of Santa Quiteria has a very high level of uranium associated with the phosphate in form of apatite. The reaction by which phosphoric acid is produced generates phosphogypsum (PG) as a by-product. The ratio of phosphogypsum to phosphoric acid is approximately 5 to 1. After all of the phosphate has been extracted and processed, it is expected that some 37 million tons of phosphogypsum will be produced, containing 13 Bq/g of (226)Ra and 11 Bq/g of (210)Pb. To assess the potential impact of this PG stack on the surrounding inhabitants, a generic impact assessment was performed using a modeling approach. We estimated the amount and shape of the residue stack and used computational codes for assessing the radiological impact in a prospective risk assessment. A hypothetical farmer scenario was used to calculate two potential doses, one near the site boundary and another directly over the stack piles after the project is shut down. Using a conservative approach, the potential public dose was estimated to be 2.8 mSv/y. This study identified the rainfall erosion index, dissolution rate of PG, radionuclide distribution coefficients and fish consumption rate as parameters where improved information could enhance the quality of the dose assessment. The disposal and shape of the stack is of major concern, since the PG erosion might be the main pathway for the environmental contamination; therefore, studies should be carried out to determine a suitable shape and disposal of the stack. Furthermore, containment barriers should be evaluated for their potential to reduce or avoid environmental contamination by runoff. In addition, the onsite public dose underscores the importance of a planning for remediation of the area after the plant is shut down to assure that neither the public nor the environmental health will be affected by the presence of the PG stack. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Reference Stack for PHM Architectures

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-02

components, fault modes and prognostics such as that described by MIMOSA (2009) and ISO 13374-3:2012 (2012). Section 2.6 described a semantic...architecture, and the use of a SOA is further discussed in Section 3.3.2. MIMOSA is a stack-oriented data architecture. Figure 11 shows its stack of...format (US Army PEWG, 2011). The tagging in ABCD format respects the data layers that are found in the MIMOSA standard ( MIMOSA , 2009) and in ISO

A multi-layer circularly polarized microstrip patch antenna with proximity coupling and increased gain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zawadzki, M.

2001-01-01

Presented is a description of the single stacked element, and measured and calculated results at 2.56 GHz. Also included are measured results for the array, and calculated results of a stacked element for the required frequency-scaled version at 32 GHz.

7 CFR 29.3533 - Nested.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

..., or conditions and which is stacked or arranged in layers with the same kinds together so that the tobacco in the lower layer or layers is distinctly inferior in grade, quality, or condition from the tobacco in the top or upper layers. (See Rule 24, § 29.3625.) [30 FR 9207, July 23, 1965. Redesignated and...

Amorphous and crystalline silicon based heterojunction solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schüttauf, J. A.

2011-10-01

In this thesis, research on amorphous and crystalline silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells is described. Probably the most important feature of SHJ solar cells is a thin intrinsic amorphous silicion (a-Si:H) layer that is deposited before depositing the doped emitter and back surface field. The passivation properties of such intrinsic layers made by three different chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques have been investigated. For layers deposited at 130°C, all techniques show a strong reduction in surface recombination velocity (SRV) after annealing. Modelling indicates that dangling bond saturation by atomic hydrogen is the predominant mechanism. We obtain outstanding carrier lifetimes of 10.3 ms, corresponding to SRVs of 0.56 cm/s. For a-Si:H films made at 250°C, an as-deposited minority carrier lifetime of 2.0 ms is observed. In contrast to a-Si:H films fabricated at 130°C, however, no change in passivation quality upon thermal annealing is observed. These films were fabricated for the first time using a continuous in-line HWCVD mode. Wafer cleaning before a-Si:H deposition is a crucial step for c-Si surface passivation. We tested the influence of an atomic hydrogen treatment before a-Si:H deposition on the c-Si surface. The treatments were performed in a new virgin chamber to exclude Si deposition from the chamber walls. Subsequently, we deposited a-Si:H layers onto the c-Si wafers and measured the lifetime for different H treatment times. We found that increasing hydrogen treatment times led to lower effective lifetimes. Modelling of the measured minority carrier lifetime data shows that the decreased passivation quality is caused by an increased defect density at the amorphous-crystalline interface. Furtheremore, the passivation of different a-Si:H containing layers have been tested. For intrinsic films and intrinsic/n-type stacks, an improvement in passivation up to 255°C and 270°C is observed. This improvement is attributed to dangling bond saturation by H, whereas the decrease at higher temperatures is caused by H effusion. For intrinsic/n-type a-Si:H layer stacks, a record minority carrier lifetime of 13.3 ms is obtained. In contrast, for intrinsic/p-type a-Si:H layer stacks, a deterioration in passivation is observed over the whole temperature range, due to the asymmetric Fermi-level dependent defect formation enthalpy in n- and p-type a-Si:H. Comparing the lifetime values and trends for the different layer stacks to the performance of the corresponding cells, it is observed that the intrinsic/p-layer stack is limiting device performance. Based on these findings, the solar cells were prepared in a modified order, reaching an efficiency of 16.7% (VOC = 681 mV), versus 15.8% (VOC = 659 mV) in the ‘standard’ order. Finally, transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layers are studied for application into solar cells. It is observed that both types of TCO deposition have no significant influence on the passivation properties of standard a-Si:H layer stacks forming the emitter structure in the used SHJ cells. On flat wafers, a conversion efficiency of 16.7% has been obtained when ITO is used as TCO, versus an efficiency of 16.3% for ZnO:Al; slightly lower due to increased electrical losses.

Improved photoswitching response times of MoS2 field-effect transistors by stacking p-type copper phthalocyanine layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pak, Jinsu; Min, Misook; Cho, Kyungjune; Lien, Der-Hsien; Ahn, Geun Ho; Jang, Jingon; Yoo, Daekyoung; Chung, Seungjun; Javey, Ali; Lee, Takhee

2016-10-01

Photoswitching response times (rise and decay times) of a vertical organic and inorganic heterostructure with p-type copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) and n-type molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) semiconductors are investigated. By stacking a CuPc layer on MoS2 field effect transistors, better photodetection capability and fast photoswitching rise and decay phenomena are observed. Specifically, with a 2 nm-thick CuPc layer on the MoS2 channel, the photoswitching decay time decreases from 3.57 s to 0.18 s. The p-type CuPc layer, as a passivation layer, prevents the absorption of oxygen on the surface of the MoS2 channel layer, which results in a shortened photoswitching decay time because adsorbed oxygen destroys the balanced ratio of electrons and holes, leading to the interruption of recombination processes. The suggested heterostructure may deliver enhanced photodetection abilities and photoswitching characteristics for realizing ultra-thin and sensitive photodetectors.

Nature of Interlayer Binding and Stacking of sp–sp 2 Hybridized Carbon Layers: A Quantum Monte Carlo Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shin, Hyeondeok; Kim, Jeongnim; Lee, Hoonkyung

α-graphyne is a two-dimensional sheet of sp-sp2 hybridized carbon atoms in a honeycomb lattice. While the geometrical structure is similar to that of graphene, the hybridized triple bonds give rise to electronic structure that is different from that of graphene. Similar to graphene, α-graphyne can be stacked in bilayers with two stable configurations, but the different stackings have very different electronic structures: one is predicted to have gapless parabolic bands and the other a tunable bandgap which is attractive for applications. In order to realize applications, it is crucial to understand which stacking is more stable. This is difficult tomore » model, as the stability is a result of weak interlayer van der Waals interactions which are not well captured by density functional theory (DFT). We have used quantum Monte Carlo simulations that accurately include van der Waals interactions to calculate the interlayer binding energy of bilayer graphyne and to determine its most stable stacking mode. Our results show that inter-layer bindings of sp- and sp2-bonded carbon networks are significantly underestimated in a Kohn-Sham DFT approach, even with an exchange-correlation potential corrected to include, in some approximation, van der Waals interactions. Finally, our quantum Monte Carlo calculations reveal that the interlayer binding energy difference between the two stacking modes is only 0.9(4) eV/atom. From this we conclude that the two stable stacking modes of bilayer α-graphyne are almost degenerate with each other, and both will occur with about the same probability at room temperature unless there is a synthesis path that prefers one stacking over the other.« less

Nature of Interlayer Binding and Stacking of sp–sp 2 Hybridized Carbon Layers: A Quantum Monte Carlo Study

DOE PAGES

Shin, Hyeondeok; Kim, Jeongnim; Lee, Hoonkyung; ...

2017-10-25

α-graphyne is a two-dimensional sheet of sp-sp2 hybridized carbon atoms in a honeycomb lattice. While the geometrical structure is similar to that of graphene, the hybridized triple bonds give rise to electronic structure that is different from that of graphene. Similar to graphene, α-graphyne can be stacked in bilayers with two stable configurations, but the different stackings have very different electronic structures: one is predicted to have gapless parabolic bands and the other a tunable bandgap which is attractive for applications. In order to realize applications, it is crucial to understand which stacking is more stable. This is difficult tomore » model, as the stability is a result of weak interlayer van der Waals interactions which are not well captured by density functional theory (DFT). We have used quantum Monte Carlo simulations that accurately include van der Waals interactions to calculate the interlayer binding energy of bilayer graphyne and to determine its most stable stacking mode. Our results show that inter-layer bindings of sp- and sp2-bonded carbon networks are significantly underestimated in a Kohn-Sham DFT approach, even with an exchange-correlation potential corrected to include, in some approximation, van der Waals interactions. Finally, our quantum Monte Carlo calculations reveal that the interlayer binding energy difference between the two stacking modes is only 0.9(4) eV/atom. From this we conclude that the two stable stacking modes of bilayer α-graphyne are almost degenerate with each other, and both will occur with about the same probability at room temperature unless there is a synthesis path that prefers one stacking over the other.« less

Automated Rapid Prototyping of 3D Ceramic Parts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McMillin, Scott G.; Griffin, Eugene A.; Griffin, Curtis W.; Coles, Peter W. H.; Engle, James D.

2005-01-01

An automated system of manufacturing equipment produces three-dimensional (3D) ceramic parts specified by computational models of the parts. The system implements an advanced, automated version of a generic rapid-prototyping process in which the fabrication of an object having a possibly complex 3D shape includes stacking of thin sheets, the outlines of which closely approximate the horizontal cross sections of the object at their respective heights. In this process, the thin sheets are made of a ceramic precursor material, and the stack is subsequently heated to transform it into a unitary ceramic object. In addition to the computer used to generate the computational model of the part to be fabricated, the equipment used in this process includes: 1) A commercially available laminated-object-manufacturing machine that was originally designed for building woodlike 3D objects from paper and was modified to accept sheets of ceramic precursor material, and 2) A machine designed specifically to feed single sheets of ceramic precursor material to the laminated-object-manufacturing machine. Like other rapid-prototyping processes that utilize stacking of thin sheets, this process begins with generation of the computational model of the part to be fabricated, followed by computational sectioning of the part into layers of predetermined thickness that collectively define the shape of the part. Information about each layer is transmitted to rapid-prototyping equipment, where the part is built layer by layer. What distinguishes this process from other rapid-prototyping processes that utilize stacking of thin sheets are the details of the machines and the actions that they perform. In this process, flexible sheets of ceramic precursor material (called "green" ceramic sheets) suitable for lamination are produced by tape casting. The binder used in the tape casting is specially formulated to enable lamination of layers with little or no applied heat or pressure. The tape is cut into individual sheets, which are stacked in the sheet-feeding machine until used. The sheet-feeding machine can hold enough sheets for about 8 hours of continuous operation.

Method of Fabricating a Composite Apparatus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkie, W. Keats (Inventor); Bryant, Robert G. (Inventor); Fox, Robert L. (Inventor); Hellbaum, Richard F. (Inventor); High, James W. (Inventor); Jalink, Antony, Jr. (Inventor)

2007-01-01

A method for fabricating a piezoelectric macro-fiber composite actuator comprises making a piezoelectric fiber sheet by providing a plurality of wafers of piezoelectric material, bonding the wafers together with an adhesive material to from a stack of alternating layers of piezoelectric material and adhesive material, and cutting through the stack in a direction substantially parallel to the thickness of the stack and across the alternating layers of piezoelectric material and adhesive material to provide at least one piezoelectric fiber sheet having two sides comprising a plurality of piezoelectric fibers in juxtaposition to the adhesive material. The method further comprises bonding two electrically conductive films to the two sides of the piezoelectric fiber sheet. At least one conductive film has first and second conductive patterns formed thereon which are electrically isolated from one another and in electrical contact with the piezoelectric fiber sheet.

Stacking metal nano-patterns and fabrication of moth-eye structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taniguchi, Jun

2018-01-01

Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) can be used as a tool for three-dimensional nanoscale fabrication. In particular, complex metal pattern structures in polymer material are demanded as plasmonic effect devices and metamaterials. To fabricate of metallic color filter, we used silver ink and NIL techniques. Metallic color filter was composed of stacking of nanoscale silver disc patterns and polymer layers, thus, controlling of polymer layer thickness is necessary. To control of thickness of polymer layer, we used spin-coating of UV-curable polymer and NIL. As a result, ten stacking layers with 1000 nm layer thickness was obtained and red color was observed. Ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) is the most effective technique for mass fabrication of antireflection structure (ARS) films. For the use of ARS films in mobile phones and tablet PCs, which are touch-screen devices, it is important to protect the films from fingerprints and dust. In addition, as the nanoscale ARS that is touched by the hand is fragile, it is very important to obtain a high abrasion resistance. To solve these problems, a UV-curable epoxy resin has been developed that exhibits antifouling properties and high hardness. The high abrasion resistance ARS films are shown to withstand a load of 250 g/cm2 in the steel wool scratch test, and the reflectance is less than 0.4%.

Comparison of B{sub 2}O{sub 3} and BN deposited by atomic layer deposition for forming ultrashallow dopant regions by solid state diffusion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Consiglio, Steven, E-mail: steve.consiglio@us.tel.com; Clark, Robert D.; O'Meara, David

2016-01-15

In this study, the authors investigated atomic layer deposition (ALD) of B{sub 2}O{sub 3} and BN for conformal, ultrashallow B doping applications and compared the effect of dopant-containing overlayers on sheet resistance (R{sub s}) and B profiles for both types of films subjected to a drive-in thermal anneal. For the deposition of B{sub 2}O{sub 3}, tris(dimethylamido)borane and O{sub 3} were used as coreactants and for the deposition of BN, BCl{sub 3} and NH{sub 3} were used as coreactants. Due to the extreme air instability of B{sub 2}O{sub 3} films, physical analysis was performed on B{sub 2}O{sub 3} films, which weremore » capped in-situ with ∼30 Å ALD grown Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} layers. For the BN films, in-situ ALD grown Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} capping layers (∼30 Å) were used for comparison. From spectroscopic ellipsometry, a thickness decrease was observed after 1000 °C, 30 s anneal for the B{sub 2}O{sub 3} containing stack with 60 ALD cycles of B{sub 2}O{sub 3}, whereas the BN containing stacks showed negligible thickness decrease after the annealing step, regardless of the number of BN cycles tested. The postanneal reduction in film thickness as well as decrease in R{sub s} for the B{sub 2}O{sub 3} containing stack suggests that the solid state diffusion dopant mechanism is effective, whereas for the BN containing stacks this phenomenon seems to be suppressed. Further clarification of the effectiveness of the B{sub 2}O{sub 3} containing layer compared to the film stacks with BN was evidenced in backside secondary ion mass spectrometry profiling of B atoms. Thus, B{sub 2}O{sub 3} formed by an ALD process and subsequently capped in-situ followed by a drive-in anneal offers promise as a dopant source for ultrashallow doping, whereas the same method using BN seems ineffective. An integrated approach for B{sub 2}O{sub 3} deposition and annealing on a clustered tool also demonstrated controllable R{sub s} reduction without the use of a capping layer.« less

Inter-layered clay stacks in Jurassic shales

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pye, K.; Krinsley, D. H.

1983-01-01

Scanning electron microscopy in the backscattered electron mode is used together with energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis to show that Lower Jurassic shales from the North Sea Basin contain large numbers of clay mineral stacks up to 150 microns in size. Polished shale sections are examined to determine the size, shape orientation, textural relationships, and internal compositional variations of the clays. Preliminary evidence that the clay stacks are authigenic, and may have formed at shallow burial depths during early diagenesis, is presented.

Analysis of Al diffusion processes in TiN barrier layers for the application in silicon solar cell metallization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kumm, J.; Samadi, H.; Chacko, R. V.

An evaporated Al layer is known as an excellent rear metallization for highly efficient solar cells, but suffers from incompatibility with a common solder process. To enable solar cell-interconnection and module integration, in this work the Al layer is complemented with a solder stack of TiN/Ti/Ag or TiN/NiV/Ag, in which the TiN layer acts as an Al diffusion barrier. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements prove that diffusion of Al through the stack and the formation of an Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} layer on the stack's surface are responsible for a loss of solderability after a strong post-metallization anneal, which is often mandatorymore » to improve contact resistance and passivation quality. An optimization of the reactive TiN sputter process results in a densification of the TiN layer, which improves its barrier quality against Al diffusion. However, measurements with X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy show that small grains with vertical grain boundaries persist, which still offer fast diffusion paths. Therefore, the concept of stuffing is introduced. By incorporating oxygen into the grain boundaries of the sputtered TiN layer, Al diffusion is strongly reduced as confirmed by secondary ion mass spectroscopy profiles. A quantitative analysis reveals a one order of magnitude lower Al diffusion coefficient for stuffed TiN layers. This metallization system maintains its solderability even after strong post-metallization annealing at 425 °C for 15 min. This paper thus presents an industrially feasible, conventionally solderable, and long-term stable metallization scheme for highly efficient silicon solar cells.« less

Using quantum dot photoluminescence for load detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moebius, M.; Martin, J.; Hartwig, M.; Baumann, R. R.; Otto, T.; Gessner, T.

2016-08-01

We propose a novel concept for an integrable and flexible sensor capable to visualize mechanical impacts on lightweight structures by quenching the photoluminescence (PL) of CdSe quantum dots. Considering the requirements such as visibility, storage time and high optical contrast of PL quenching with low power consumption, we have investigated a symmetrical and an asymmetrical layer stack consisting of semiconductor organic N,N,N',N'-Tetrakis(3-methylphenyl)-3,3'-dimethylbenzidine (HMTPD) and CdSe quantum dots with elongated CdS shell. Time-resolved series of PL spectra from layer stacks with applied voltages of different polarity and simultaneous observation of power consumption have shown that a variety of mechanisms such as photo-induced charge separation and charge injection, cause PL quenching. However, mechanisms such as screening of external field as well as Auger-assisted charge ejection is working contrary to that. Investigations regarding the influence of illumination revealed that the positive biased asymmetrical layer stack is the preferred sensor configuration, due to a charge carrier injection at voltages of 10 V without the need of coincident illumination.

Equilibrium chemical vapor deposition growth of Bernal-stacked bilayer graphene.

PubMed

Zhao, Pei; Kim, Sungjin; Chen, Xiao; Einarsson, Erik; Wang, Miao; Song, Yenan; Wang, Hongtao; Chiashi, Shohei; Xiang, Rong; Maruyama, Shigeo

2014-11-25

Using ethanol as the carbon source, self-limiting growth of AB-stacked bilayer graphene (BLG) has been achieved on Cu via an equilibrium chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. We found that during this alcohol catalytic CVD (ACCVD) a source-gas pressure range exists to break the self-limitation of monolayer graphene on Cu, and at a certain equilibrium state it prefers to form uniform BLG with a high surface coverage of ∼94% and AB-stacking ratio of nearly 100%. More importantly, once the BLG is completed, this growth shows a self-limiting manner, and an extended ethanol flow time does not result in additional layers. We investigate the mechanism of this equilibrium BLG growth using isotopically labeled (13)C-ethanol and selective surface aryl functionalization, and results reveal that during the equilibrium ACCVD process a continuous substitution of graphene flakes occurs to the as-formed graphene and the BLG growth follows a layer-by-layer epitaxy mechanism. These phenomena are significantly in contrast to those observed for previously reported BLG growth using methane as precursor.

Structure analysis of Si(111)-7 × 7 reconstructed surface by transmission electron diffraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takayanagi, Kunio; Tanishiro, Yasumasa; Takahashi, Shigeki; Takahashi, Masaetsu

1985-12-01

The atomic structure of the 7 × 7 reconstructed Si(111) surface has been analysed by ultra-high vacuum (UHV) transmission electron diffraction (TED). A possible projected structure of the surface is deduced from the intensity distribution in TED patterns of normal electron incidence and from Patterson and Fourier syntheses of the intensities. A new three-dimensional structure model, the DAS model, is proposed: The model consists of 12 adatoms arranged locally in the 2 × 2 structure, a stacking fault layer and a layer with a vacancy at the corner and 9 dimers on the sides of each of the two triangular subcells of the 7 × 7 unit cell. The silicon layers in one subcell are stacked with the normal sequence, CcAaB + adatoms, while those in the other subcell are stacked with a faulted sequence, CcAa/C + adatoms. The model has only 19 dangling bonds, the smallest number among models so far proposed. Previously proposed models are tested quantitatively by the TED intensity. Advantages and limits of the TED analysis are discussed.

Disorder-controlled superconductivity at YBa2Cu3O7/SrTiO3 interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Barriocanal, J.; Perez-Muñoz, A. M.; Sefrioui, Z.; Arias, D.; Varela, M.; Leon, C.; Pennycook, S. J.; Santamaria, J.

2013-06-01

We examine the effect of interface disorder in suppressing superconductivity in coherently grown ultrathin YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) layers on SrTiO3 (STO) in YBCO/STO superlattices. The termination plane of the STO is TiO2 and the CuO chains are missing at the interface. Disorder (steps) at the STO interface cause alterations of the stacking sequence of the intracell YBCO atomic layers. Stacking faults give rise to antiphase boundaries which break the continuity of the CuO2 planes and depress superconductivity. We show that superconductivity is directly controlled by interface disorder outlining the importance of pair breaking and localization by disorder in ultrathin layers.

Arbitrarily shaped dual-stacked patch antennas: A hybrid FEM simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gong, Jian; Volakis, John L.

1995-01-01

A dual-stacked patch antenna is analyzed using a hybrid finite element - boundary integral (FE-BI) method. The metallic patches of the antenna are modeled as perfectly electric conducting (PEC) plates stacked on top of two different dielectric layers. The antenna patches may be of any shape and the lower patch is fed by a coaxial cable from underneath the ground plane or by an aperture coupled microstrip line. The ability of the hybrid FEM technique for the stacked patch antenna characterization will be stressed, and the EM coupling mechanism is also discussed with the aid of the computed near field patterns around the patches.

Study of the Au-Cr bilayer system using X-ray reflectivity, GDOES, and ToF-SIMS

DOE PAGES

Jonnard, Philippe; Modi, Mohammed H.; Le Guen, Karine; ...

2018-04-17

Here, we study a Au (25 nm)/Cr (10 nm) bilayer system as a model of mirror for the soft X–ray energy range. The Au and Cr thin films are a few nanometer thick and are deposited on a float glass substrate. The sample is characterized by using 3 complementary techniques: soft X–ray reflectivity, glow discharge optical emission spectrometry (GDOES), and time–of–flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF–SIMS). Soft X–ray reflectivity provides information about the thickness and roughness of the different layers, while GDOES is used to obtain the elemental depth profile of the stack and ToF–SIMS to obtain the elemental andmore » chemical depth profiles. GDOES and ToF–SIMS have both a nanometer depth resolution. A coherent description of the bilayer stack is obtained through the combination of these techniques. It consists in 5 layers namely a surface contamination layer, a principal gold layer, a Au–Cr mixed layer, a Cr layer, and another contamination layer at the top of the substrate.« less

Two-Dimensional Layered Oxide Structures Tailored by Self-Assembled Layer Stacking via Interfacial Strain.

PubMed

Zhang, Wenrui; Li, Mingtao; Chen, Aiping; Li, Leigang; Zhu, Yuanyuan; Xia, Zhenhai; Lu, Ping; Boullay, Philippe; Wu, Lijun; Zhu, Yimei; MacManus-Driscoll, Judith L; Jia, Quanxi; Zhou, Honghui; Narayan, Jagdish; Zhang, Xinghang; Wang, Haiyan

2016-07-06

Study of layered complex oxides emerge as one of leading topics in fundamental materials science because of the strong interplay among intrinsic charge, spin, orbital, and lattice. As a fundamental basis of heteroepitaxial thin film growth, interfacial strain can be used to design materials that exhibit new phenomena beyond their conventional forms. Here, we report a strain-driven self-assembly of bismuth-based supercell (SC) with a two-dimensional (2D) layered structure. With combined experimental analysis and first-principles calculations, we investigated the full SC structure and elucidated the fundamental growth mechanism achieved by the strain-enabled self-assembled atomic layer stacking. The unique SC structure exhibits room-temperature ferroelectricity, enhanced magnetic responses, and a distinct optical bandgap from the conventional double perovskite structure. This study reveals the important role of interfacial strain modulation and atomic rearrangement in self-assembling a layered singe-phase multiferroic thin film, which opens up a promising avenue in the search for and design of novel 2D layered complex oxides with enormous promise.

Study of the Au-Cr bilayer system using X-ray reflectivity, GDOES, and ToF-SIMS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jonnard, Philippe; Modi, Mohammed H.; Le Guen, Karine

Here, we study a Au (25 nm)/Cr (10 nm) bilayer system as a model of mirror for the soft X–ray energy range. The Au and Cr thin films are a few nanometer thick and are deposited on a float glass substrate. The sample is characterized by using 3 complementary techniques: soft X–ray reflectivity, glow discharge optical emission spectrometry (GDOES), and time–of–flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF–SIMS). Soft X–ray reflectivity provides information about the thickness and roughness of the different layers, while GDOES is used to obtain the elemental depth profile of the stack and ToF–SIMS to obtain the elemental andmore » chemical depth profiles. GDOES and ToF–SIMS have both a nanometer depth resolution. A coherent description of the bilayer stack is obtained through the combination of these techniques. It consists in 5 layers namely a surface contamination layer, a principal gold layer, a Au–Cr mixed layer, a Cr layer, and another contamination layer at the top of the substrate.« less

Identity federation in OpenStack - an introduction to hybrid clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denis, Marek; Castro Leon, Jose; Ormancey, Emmanuel; Tedesco, Paolo

2015-12-01

We are evaluating cloud identity federation available in the OpenStack ecosystem that allows for on premise bursting into remote clouds with use of local identities (i.e. domain accounts). Further enhancements to identity federation are a clear way to hybrid cloud architectures - virtualized infrastructures layered across independent private and public clouds.

Thermal Characterization for a Modular 3-D Multichip Module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fan, Mark S.; Plante, Jeannette; Shaw, Harry

2000-01-01

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has designed a high-density modular 3-D multichip module (MCM) for future spaceflight use. This MCM features a complete modular structure, i.e., each stack can be removed from the package without damaging the structure. The interconnection to the PCB is through the Column Grid Array (CGA) technology. Because of its high-density nature, large power dissipation from multiple layers of circuitry is anticipated and CVD diamond films are used in the assembly for heat conduction enhancement. Since each stacked layer dissipates certain amount of heat, designing effective heat conduction paths through each stack and balancing the heat dissipation within each stack for optimal thermal performance become a challenging task. To effectively remove the dissipated heat from the package, extensive thermal analysis has been performed with finite element methods. Through these analyses, we are able to improve the thermal design and increase the total wattage of the package for maximum electrical performance. This paper provides details on the design-oriented thermal analysis and performance enhancement. It also addresses issues relating to contact thermal resistance between the diamond film and the metallic heat conduction paths.

Nitrogen Doping Enables Covalent-Like π–π Bonding between Graphenes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tian, Yong-Hui; Huang, Jingsong; Sheng, Xiaolan

In neighboring layers of bilayer (and few-layer) graphenes, both AA and AB stacking motifs are known to be separated at a distance corresponding to van der Waals (vdW) interactions. In this Letter, we present for the first time a new aspect of graphene chemistry in terms of a special chemical bonding between the giant graphene "molecules". Through rigorous theoretical calculations, we demonstrate that the N-doped graphenes (NGPs) with various doping levels can form an unusual two-dimensional (2D) pi-pi bonding in bilayer NGPs bringing the neighboring NGPs to significantly reduced interlayer separations. The interlayer binding energies can be enhanced by upmore » to 50% compared to the pristine graphene bilayers that are characterized by only vdW interactions. Such an unusual chemical bonding arises from the pi-pi overlap across the vdW gap while the individual layers maintain their in-plane pi-conjugation and are accordingly planar. Moreover, the existence of the resulting interlayer covalent-like bonding is corroborated by electronic structure calculations and crystal orbital overlap population (COOP) analyses. In NGP-based graphite with the optimal doping level, the NGP layers are uniformly stacked and the 3D bulk exhibits metallic characteristics both in the in-plane and along the stacking directions.« less

Nitrogen Doping Enables Covalent-Like π–π Bonding between Graphenes

DOE PAGES

Tian, Yong-Hui; Huang, Jingsong; Sheng, Xiaolan; ...

2015-07-07

In neighboring layers of bilayer (and few-layer) graphenes, both AA and AB stacking motifs are known to be separated at a distance corresponding to van der Waals (vdW) interactions. In this Letter, we present for the first time a new aspect of graphene chemistry in terms of a special chemical bonding between the giant graphene "molecules". Through rigorous theoretical calculations, we demonstrate that the N-doped graphenes (NGPs) with various doping levels can form an unusual two-dimensional (2D) pi-pi bonding in bilayer NGPs bringing the neighboring NGPs to significantly reduced interlayer separations. The interlayer binding energies can be enhanced by upmore » to 50% compared to the pristine graphene bilayers that are characterized by only vdW interactions. Such an unusual chemical bonding arises from the pi-pi overlap across the vdW gap while the individual layers maintain their in-plane pi-conjugation and are accordingly planar. Moreover, the existence of the resulting interlayer covalent-like bonding is corroborated by electronic structure calculations and crystal orbital overlap population (COOP) analyses. In NGP-based graphite with the optimal doping level, the NGP layers are uniformly stacked and the 3D bulk exhibits metallic characteristics both in the in-plane and along the stacking directions.« less

Magneto-Optic Materials for Biasing Ring Laser Gyros. Report Number 3. (Computer Model for Evaluating Scattering from Multi-Layer Dielectric Thin Film Structures Containing a Magnetic Layer.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-09-30

16. "Substituted Rare Earth Garnet Substrate Crystals and LPE Films for Magneto-optic Applications," M. Kestigian, W.R. Bekebrede and A.B. Smith, J...transparent garnet magnetic films have been discussed by workers at Sperry [4,5]. The above considerations indicate that it is highly desirable to have...metallic magnetic film , such as a garnet , on top of an MLD stack. C. A partially transparent (very thin) magnetic metal film on top of an MLD stack. We

Generator stator core vent duct spacer posts

DOEpatents

Griffith, John Wesley; Tong, Wei

2003-06-24

Generator stator cores are constructed by stacking many layers of magnetic laminations. Ventilation ducts may be inserted between these layers by inserting spacers into the core stack. The ventilation ducts allow for the passage of cooling gas through the core during operation. The spacers or spacer posts are positioned between groups of the magnetic laminations to define the ventilation ducts. The spacer posts are secured with longitudinal axes thereof substantially parallel to the core axis. With this structure, core tightness can be assured while maximizing ventilation duct cross section for gas flow and minimizing magnetic loss in the spacers.

Effect of interjunction coupling on superconducting current and charge correlations in intrinsic Josephson junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shukrinov, Yu. M.; Hamdipour, M.; Kolahchi, M. R.

2009-07-01

Charge formations on superconducting layers and creation of the longitudinal plasma wave in the stack of intrinsic Josephson junctions change crucially the superconducting current through the stack. Investigation of the correlations of superconducting currents in neighboring Josephson junctions and the charge correlations in neighboring superconducting layers allows us to predict the additional features in the current-voltage characteristics. The charge autocorrelation functions clearly demonstrate the difference between harmonic and chaotic behavior in the breakpoint region. Use of the correlation functions gives us a powerful method for the analysis of the current-voltage characteristics of coupled Josephson junctions.

Asymmetry of radiation damage properties in Al-Ti nanolayers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Setyawan, Wahyu; Gerboth, Matthew D.; Yao, Bo

2014-02-01

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were employed with empirical potentials to study the effects of multilayer interfaces and interface spacing in Al-Ti nanolayers. Several model interfaces derived from stacking of close-packed layers or face-centered cubic \\{100\\} layers were investigated. The simulations reveal significant and important asymmetries in defect production withmore » $$\\sim$$60\\% of vacancies created in Al layers compared to Ti layers within the Al-Ti multilayer system. The asymmetry in the creation of interstitials is even more pronounced. The asymmetries cause an imbalance in the ratio of vacancies and interstitials in films of dissimilar materials leading to $>$$90\\% of the surviving interstitials located in the Al layers. While in the close-packed nanolayers the interstitials migrate to the atomic layers adjacent to the interface of the Al layers, in the \\{100\\} nanolayers the interstitials migrate to the center of the Al layers and away from the interfaces. The degree of asymmetry and defect ratio imbalance increases as the layer spacing decreases in the multilayer films. Underlying physical processes are discussed including the interfacial strain fields and the individual elemental layer stopping power in nanolayered systems. In addition, experimental work was performed on low-dose (10$$^{16}$ atoms/cm$^2$) helium (He) irradiation on Al/Ti nanolayers (5 nm per film), resulting in He bubble formation $$\\sim$$1 nm in diameter in the Ti film near the interface. The correlation between the preferential flux of displaced atoms from Ti films to Al films during the defect production that is revealed in the simulations and the morphology and location of He bubbles from the experiments is discussed.« less

Rhombohedral Multilayer Graphene: A Magneto-Raman Scattering Study.

PubMed

Henni, Younes; Ojeda Collado, Hector Pablo; Nogajewski, Karol; Molas, Maciej R; Usaj, Gonzalo; Balseiro, Carlos A; Orlita, Milan; Potemski, Marek; Faugeras, Clement

2016-06-08

Graphene layers are known to stack in two stable configurations, namely, ABA or ABC stacking, with drastically distinct electronic properties. Unlike the ABA stacking, little has been done to experimentally investigate the electronic properties of ABC graphene multilayers. Here, we report on the first magneto optical study of a large ABC domain in a graphene multilayer flake, with ABC sequences exceeding 17 graphene sheets. ABC-stacked multilayers can be fingerprinted with a characteristic electronic Raman scattering response, which persists even at room temperatures. Tracing the magnetic field evolution of the inter Landau level excitations from this domain gives strong evidence for the existence of a dispersionless electronic band near the Fermi level, characteristic of such stacking. Our findings present a simple yet powerful approach to probe ABC stacking in graphene multilayer flakes, where this highly degenerated band appears as an appealing candidate to host strongly correlated states.

New twinning route in face-centered cubic nanocrystalline metals.

PubMed

Wang, Lihua; Guan, Pengfei; Teng, Jiao; Liu, Pan; Chen, Dengke; Xie, Weiyu; Kong, Deli; Zhang, Shengbai; Zhu, Ting; Zhang, Ze; Ma, Evan; Chen, Mingwei; Han, Xiaodong

2017-12-15

Twin nucleation in a face-centered cubic crystal is believed to be accomplished through the formation of twinning partial dislocations on consecutive atomic planes. Twinning should thus be highly unfavorable in face-centered cubic metals with high twin-fault energy barriers, such as Al, Ni, and Pt, but instead is often observed. Here, we report an in situ atomic-scale observation of twin nucleation in nanocrystalline Pt. Unlike the classical twinning route, deformation twinning initiated through the formation of two stacking faults separated by a single atomic layer, and proceeded with the emission of a partial dislocation in between these two stacking faults. Through this route, a three-layer twin was nucleated without a mandatory layer-by-layer twinning process. This route is facilitated by grain boundaries, abundant in nanocrystalline metals, that promote the nucleation of separated but closely spaced partial dislocations, thus enabling an effective bypassing of the high twin-fault energy barrier.

Electrochemistry at Edge of Single Graphene Layer in a Nanopore

PubMed Central

Banerjee, Shouvik; Shim, Jiwook; Rivera, Jose; Jin, Xiaozhong; Estrada, David; Solovyeva, Vita; You, Xiuque; Pak, James; Pop, Eric; Aluru, Narayana; Bashir, Rashid

2013-01-01

We study the electrochemistry of single layer graphene edges using a nanopore-based structure consisting of stacked graphene and Al2O3 dielectric layers. Nanopores, with diameters ranging from 5 to 20 nm, are formed by an electron beam sculpting process on the stacked layers. This leads to unique edge structure which, along with the atomically thin nature of the embedded graphene electrode, demonstrates electrochemical current densities as high as 1.2 × 104 A/cm2. The graphene edge embedded structure offers a unique capability to study the electrochemical exchange at an individual graphene edge, isolated from the basal plane electrochemical activity. We also report ionic current modulation in the nanopore by biasing the embedded graphene terminal with respect to the electrodes in the fluid. The high electrochemical specific current density for a graphene nanopore-based device can have many applications in sensitive chemical and biological sensing, and energy storage devices. PMID:23249127

Landau quantization of Dirac fermions in graphene and its multilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Long-Jing; Bai, Ke-Ke; Wang, Wen-Xiao; Li, Si-Yu; Zhang, Yu; He, Lin

2017-08-01

When electrons are confined in a two-dimensional (2D) system, typical quantum-mechanical phenomena such as Landau quantization can be detected. Graphene systems, including the single atomic layer and few-layer stacked crystals, are ideal 2D materials for studying a variety of quantum-mechanical problems. In this article, we review the experimental progress in the unusual Landau quantized behaviors of Dirac fermions in monolayer and multilayer graphene by using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS). Through STS measurement of the strong magnetic fields, distinct Landau-level spectra and rich level-splitting phenomena are observed in different graphene layers. These unique properties provide an effective method for identifying the number of layers, as well as the stacking orders, and investigating the fundamentally physical phenomena of graphene. Moreover, in the presence of a strain and charged defects, the Landau quantization of graphene can be significantly modified, leading to unusual spectroscopic and electronic properties.

Stacking fault density and bond orientational order of fcc ruthenium nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seo, Okkyun; Sakata, Osami; Kim, Jae Myung; Hiroi, Satoshi; Song, Chulho; Kumara, Loku Singgappulige Rosantha; Ohara, Koji; Dekura, Shun; Kusada, Kohei; Kobayashi, Hirokazu; Kitagawa, Hiroshi

2017-12-01

We investigated crystal structure deviations of catalytic nanoparticles (NPs) using synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction. The samples were fcc ruthenium (Ru) NPs with diameters of 2.4, 3.5, 3.9, and 5.4 nm. We analyzed average crystal structures by applying the line profile method to a stacking fault model and local crystal structures using bond orientational order (BOO) parameters. The reflection peaks shifted depending on rules that apply to each stacking fault. We evaluated the quantitative stacking faults densities for fcc Ru NPs, and the stacking fault per number of layers was 2-4, which is quite large. Our analysis shows that the fcc Ru 2.4 nm-diameter NPs have a considerably high stacking fault density. The B factor tends to increase with the increasing stacking fault density. A structural parameter that we define from the BOO parameters exhibits a significant difference from the ideal value of the fcc structure. This indicates that the fcc Ru NPs are highly disordered.

High volumetric power density, non-enzymatic, glucose fuel cells.

PubMed

Oncescu, Vlad; Erickson, David

2013-01-01

The development of new implantable medical devices has been limited in the past by slow advances in lithium battery technology. Non-enzymatic glucose fuel cells are promising replacement candidates for lithium batteries because of good long-term stability and adequate power density. The devices developed to date however use an "oxygen depletion design" whereby the electrodes are stacked on top of each other leading to low volumetric power density and complicated fabrication protocols. Here we have developed a novel single-layer fuel cell with good performance (2 μW cm⁻²) and stability that can be integrated directly as a coating layer on large implantable devices, or stacked to obtain a high volumetric power density (over 16 μW cm⁻³). This represents the first demonstration of a low volume non-enzymatic fuel cell stack with high power density, greatly increasing the range of applications for non-enzymatic glucose fuel cells.

High volumetric power density, non-enzymatic, glucose fuel cells

PubMed Central

Oncescu, Vlad; Erickson, David

2013-01-01

The development of new implantable medical devices has been limited in the past by slow advances in lithium battery technology. Non-enzymatic glucose fuel cells are promising replacement candidates for lithium batteries because of good long-term stability and adequate power density. The devices developed to date however use an “oxygen depletion design” whereby the electrodes are stacked on top of each other leading to low volumetric power density and complicated fabrication protocols. Here we have developed a novel single-layer fuel cell with good performance (2 μW cm−2) and stability that can be integrated directly as a coating layer on large implantable devices, or stacked to obtain a high volumetric power density (over 16 μW cm−3). This represents the first demonstration of a low volume non-enzymatic fuel cell stack with high power density, greatly increasing the range of applications for non-enzymatic glucose fuel cells. PMID:23390576

π-Electron-system-layered polymer: through-space conjugation and properties as a single molecular wire.

PubMed

Morisaki, Yasuhiro; Ueno, Shizue; Saeki, Akinori; Asano, Atsushi; Seki, Shu; Chujo, Yoshiki

2012-04-02

[2.2]Paracyclophane-based through-space conjugated oligomers and polymers were prepared, in which poly(p-arylene-ethynylene) (PAE) units were partially π-stacked and layered, and their properties in the ground state and excited state were investigated in detail. Electronic interactions among PAE units were effective through at least ten units in the ground state. Photoexcited energy transfer occurred from the stacked PAE units to the end-capping PAE moieties. The electrical conductivity of the polymers was estimated using the flash-photolysis time-resolved microwave conductivity (FP-TRMC) method and investigated together with time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations, showing that intramolecular charge carrier mobility through the stacked PAE units was a few tens of percentage larger than through the twisted PAE units. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Evaluation of border traps and interface traps in HfO2/MoS2 gate stacks by capacitance–voltage analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Peng; Khosravi, Ava; Azcatl, Angelica; Bolshakov, Pavel; Mirabelli, Gioele; Caruso, Enrico; Hinkle, Christopher L.; Hurley, Paul K.; Wallace, Robert M.; Young, Chadwin D.

2018-07-01

Border traps and interface traps in HfO2/few-layer MoS2 top-gate stacks are investigated by C–V characterization. Frequency dependent C–V data shows dispersion in both the depletion and accumulation regions for the MoS2 devices. The border trap density is extracted with a distributed model, and interface traps are analyzed using the high-low frequency and multi-frequency methods. The physical origins of interface traps appear to be caused by impurities/defects in the MoS2 layers, performing as band tail states, while the border traps are associated with the dielectric, likely a consequence of the low-temperature deposition. This work provides a method of using multiple C–V measurements and analysis techniques to analyze the behavior of high-k/TMD gate stacks and deconvolute border traps from interface traps.

Quantum Dot Gate Three-State and Nonvolatile Memory Field-Effect Transistors Using a ZnS/ZnMgS/ZnS Heteroepitaxial Stack as a Tunnel Insulator on Silicon-on-Insulator Substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suarez, Ernesto; Chan, Pik-Yiu; Lingalugari, Murali; Ayers, John E.; Heller, Evan; Jain, Faquir

2013-11-01

This paper describes the use of II-VI lattice-matched gate insulators in quantum dot gate three-state and flash nonvolatile memory structures. Using silicon-on-insulator wafers we have fabricated GeO x -cladded Ge quantum dot (QD) floating gate nonvolatile memory field-effect transistor devices using ZnS-Zn0.95Mg0.05S-ZnS tunneling layers. The II-VI heteroepitaxial stack is nearly lattice-matched and is grown using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on a silicon channel. This stack reduces the interface state density, improving threshold voltage variation, particularly in sub-22-nm devices. Simulations using self-consistent solutions of the Poisson and Schrödinger equations show the transfer of charge to the QD layers in three-state as well as nonvolatile memory cells.

Cassettes for solid-oxide fuel cell stacks and methods of making the same

DOEpatents

Weil, K. Scott; Meinhardt, Kerry D; Sprenkle, Vincent L

2012-10-23

Solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack assembly designs are consistently investigated to develop an assembly that provides optimal performance, and durability, within desired cost parameters. A new design includes a repeat unit having a SOFC cassette and being characterized by a three-component construct. The three components include an oxidation-resistant, metal window frame hermetically joined to an electrolyte layer of a multi-layer, anode-supported ceramic cell and a pre-cassette including a separator plate having a plurality of vias that provide electrical contact between an anode-side collector within the pre-cassette and a cathode-side current collector of an adjacent cell. The third component is a cathode-side seal, which includes a standoff that supports a cathode channel spacing between each of the cassettes in a stack. Cassettes are formed by joining the pre-cassette and the window frame.

Stacking sequence and interlayer coupling in few-layer graphene revealed by in situ imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Zhu-Jun; Dong, Jichen; Cui, Yi

In the transition from graphene to graphite, the addition of each individual graphene layer modifies the electronic structure and produces a different material with unique properties. Controlled growth of few-layer graphene is therefore of fundamental interest and will provide access to materials with engineered electronic structure. Here we combine isothermal growth and etching experiments with in situ scanning electron microscopy to reveal the stacking sequence and interlayer coupling strength in few-layer graphene. The observed layer-dependent etching rates reveal the relative strength of the graphene graphene and graphene substrate interaction and the resulting mode of adlayer growth. Scanning tunnelling microscopy andmore » density functional theory calculations confirm a strong coupling between graphene edge atoms and platinum. Simulated etching confirms that etching can be viewed as reversed growth. This work demonstrates that real-time imaging under controlled atmosphere is a powerful method for designing synthesis protocols for sp2 carbon nanostructures in between graphene and graphite.« less

Fabrication of PVDF-TrFE based bilayered PbTiO{sub 3}/PVDF-TrFE films capacitor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nurbaya, Z., E-mail: nurbayazainal@gmail.com; Razak School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 54100 Kuala Lumpur; Wahid, M. H.

2016-07-06

Development of high performance capacitor is reaching towards new generation where the ferroelectric materials take places as the active dielectric layer. The motivation of this study is to produce high capacitance device with long life cycle. This was configured by preparing bilayered films where lead titanate as an active dielectric layer and stacked with the top dielectric layer, poly(vinyledenefluoride-trifluoroethylene). Both of them are being referred that have one in common which is ferroelectric behavior. Therefore the combination of ceramic and polymer ferroelectric material could perform optimum dielectric characteristic for capacitor applications. The fabrication was done by simple sol-gel spin coatingmore » method that being varied at spinning speed property for polymer layers, whereas maintaining the ceramic layer. The characterization of PVDF-TrFE/PbTiO3 was performed according to metal-insulator-metal stacked capacitor measurement which includes structural, dielectric, and ferroelectric measurement.« less

Stacking sequence and interlayer coupling in few-layer graphene revealed by in situ imaging

DOE PAGES

Wang, Zhu-Jun; Dong, Jichen; Cui, Yi; ...

2016-10-19

In the transition from graphene to graphite, the addition of each individual graphene layer modifies the electronic structure and produces a different material with unique properties. Controlled growth of few-layer graphene is therefore of fundamental interest and will provide access to materials with engineered electronic structure. Here we combine isothermal growth and etching experiments with in situ scanning electron microscopy to reveal the stacking sequence and interlayer coupling strength in few-layer graphene. The observed layer-dependent etching rates reveal the relative strength of the graphene graphene and graphene substrate interaction and the resulting mode of adlayer growth. Scanning tunnelling microscopy andmore » density functional theory calculations confirm a strong coupling between graphene edge atoms and platinum. Simulated etching confirms that etching can be viewed as reversed growth. This work demonstrates that real-time imaging under controlled atmosphere is a powerful method for designing synthesis protocols for sp2 carbon nanostructures in between graphene and graphite.« less

Stacking sequence and interlayer coupling in few-layer graphene revealed by in situ imaging

PubMed Central

Wang, Zhu-Jun; Dong, Jichen; Cui, Yi; Eres, Gyula; Timpe, Olaf; Fu, Qiang; Ding, Feng; Schloegl, R.; Willinger, Marc-Georg

2016-01-01

In the transition from graphene to graphite, the addition of each individual graphene layer modifies the electronic structure and produces a different material with unique properties. Controlled growth of few-layer graphene is therefore of fundamental interest and will provide access to materials with engineered electronic structure. Here we combine isothermal growth and etching experiments with in situ scanning electron microscopy to reveal the stacking sequence and interlayer coupling strength in few-layer graphene. The observed layer-dependent etching rates reveal the relative strength of the graphene–graphene and graphene–substrate interaction and the resulting mode of adlayer growth. Scanning tunnelling microscopy and density functional theory calculations confirm a strong coupling between graphene edge atoms and platinum. Simulated etching confirms that etching can be viewed as reversed growth. This work demonstrates that real-time imaging under controlled atmosphere is a powerful method for designing synthesis protocols for sp2 carbon nanostructures in between graphene and graphite. PMID:27759024

A two-ply polymer-based flexible tactile sensor sheet using electric capacitance.

PubMed

Guo, Shijie; Shiraoka, Takahisa; Inada, Seisho; Mukai, Toshiharu

2014-01-29

Traditional capacitive tactile sensor sheets usually have a three-layered structure, with a dielectric layer sandwiched by two electrode layers. Each electrode layer has a number of parallel ribbon-like electrodes. The electrodes on the two electrode layers are oriented orthogonally and each crossing point of the two perpendicular electrode arrays makes up a capacitive sensor cell on the sheet. It is well known that compatibility between measuring precision and resolution is difficult, since decreasing the width of the electrodes is required to obtain a high resolution, however, this may lead to reduction of the area of the sensor cells, and as a result, lead to a low Signal/Noise (S/N) ratio. To overcome this problem, a new multilayered structure and related calculation procedure are proposed. This new structure stacks two or more sensor sheets with shifts in position. Both a high precision and a high resolution can be obtained by combining the signals of the stacked sensor sheets. Trial production was made and the effect was confirmed.

A discrete three-layer stack aggregate of a linear porphyrin tetramer: solution-phase structure elucidation by NMR and X-ray scattering.

PubMed

Hutin, Marie; Sprafke, Johannes K; Odell, Barbara; Anderson, Harry L; Claridge, Tim D W

2013-08-28

Formation of stacked aggregates can dramatically alter the properties of aromatic π-systems, yet the solution-phase structure elucidation of these aggregates is often impossible because broad distributions of species are formed, giving uninformative spectroscopic data. Here, we show that a butadiyne-linked zinc porphyrin tetramer forms a remarkably well-defined aggregate, consisting of exactly three molecules, in a parallel stacked arrangement (in chloroform at room temperature; concentration 1 mM-0.1 μM). The aggregate has a mass of 14.7 kDa. Unlike most previously reported aggregates, it gives sharp NMR resonances and aggregation is in slow exchange on the NMR time scale. The structure was elucidated using a range of NMR techniques, including diffusion-editing, (1)H-(29)Si HMBC, (1)H-(1)H COSY, TOCSY and NOESY, and (1)H-(13)C edited HSQC spectroscopy. Surprisingly, the (1)H-(1)H COSY spectrum revealed many long-range residual dipolar couplings (RDCs), and detailed analysis of magnetic field-induced (1)H-(13)C RDCs provided further evidence for the structural model. The size and shape of the aggregate is supported by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data. It adopts a geometry that maximizes van der Waals contact between the porphyrins, while avoiding clashes between side chains. The need for interdigitation of the side chains prevents formation of stacks consisting of more than three layers. Although a detailed analysis has only been carried out for one compound (the tetramer), comparison with the NMR spectra of other oligomers indicates that they form similar three-layer stacks. In all cases, aggregation can be prevented by addition of pyridine, although at low pyridine concentrations, disaggregation takes many hours to reach equilibrium.

A novel form of epithelial wound healing of the embryonic epidermis.

PubMed

Armstrong, Margaret T; Turlo, Kirsten; Elges, Chris J; Dayton, Sarah M; Lee, Janet; Armstrong, Peter B

2006-08-01

The embryonic epidermis of amniotes is a two-cell layer sheet with a periderm positioned superficial to the basal cell layer which, itself, attaches apically to the basal surface of the periderm and basally to the basal lamina. The presence of the periderm is essential to maintain the basal layer as a two-dimensional monolayer. Wounds to the epidermis that remove selectively just the periderm are healed by a stacking of the basal layer cells that constitute the wound bed. Basal cell stacking involves the desertion of the basal lamina by many of the cells so as to increase their contact area with other basal layer cells. This suggests that a preferential adhesion to the planar basal lamina is not important for the monolayered organization of the basal layer but, instead, association with inner surface of the planar periderm is the principal process that maintains the basal layer as a monolayer. The conversion of the basal layer from monolayer to multilayer during wound healing diminishes its planar area, resulting in movement of the wound borders toward the center of the wound. This is a novel scenario for wound healing.

High performance perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction with Co/Ir interfacial anisotropy for embedded and standalone STT-MRAM applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huai, Yiming; Gan, Huadong; Wang, Zihui; Xu, Pengfa; Hao, Xiaojie; Yen, Bing K.; Malmhall, Roger; Pakala, Nirav; Wang, Cory; Zhang, Jing; Zhou, Yuchen; Jung, Dongha; Satoh, Kimihiro; Wang, Rongjun; Xue, Lin; Pakala, Mahendra

2018-02-01

High volume spin transfer torque magnetoresistance random access memory (STT-MRAM) for standalone and embedded applications requires a thin perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction (pMTJ) stack (˜10 nm) with a tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio over 200% after high temperature back-end-of-line (BEOL) processing up to 400 °C. A thin reference layer with low magnetic moment and strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) is key to reduce the total thickness of the full pMTJ stack. We demonstrated strong interfacial PMA and a perpendicular Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida exchange interaction in the Co/Ir system. Owing to the additional high PMA at the Ir/Co interface in combination with a conventional CoFeB/MgO interface in the Ir/Co/Mo/CoFeB/MgO reference layer, the full film pMTJ showed a TMR ratio over 210% after annealing at 400 °C for 150 min. The high TMR ratio can be attributed to the thin stack design by combining a thin reference layer with the efficient compensation by a thin pinned layer. The annealing stability may be explained by the absence of solid solution in the Co-Ir system and the low oxygen affinity of Mo in the reference layer and the free layer. High device performance with a TMR ratio over 210% was also confirmed after subjecting the patterned devices to BEOL processing temperatures of up to 400 °C. This proposed pMTJ design is suitable for both standalone and embedded STT-MRAM applications.

Investigating the complex mechanism of B migration in a magnetic-tunnel-junction trilayer structure—a combined study using XPS and TOF-SIMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ying, Ji-Feng; Ji, Rong; Ter Lim, Sze; Tran, Michael N.; Wang, Chen Chen; Ernult, Franck

2016-02-01

The magnetic-tunnel-junction (MTJ) structure is the core of many important devices, such as magnetic recording head and STT-RAM. CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB tri-layer thin-film stack is a widely researched MTJ structure. In this tri-layer, the functional property of the MTJ, i.e. its TMR ratio, is critically dependent on the crystal orientation of the CoFe grains. In order for the desired (1 0 0) out of plane texture to develop in the CoFeB layers, B needs to be engineered to be expelled out of these CoFeB layers, and diffuse or migrate into the adjacent layers. Ta is usually used as a seed layer adjacent to the MTJ structure. In this work, we investigated the important B-migration mechanisms within this MTJ structure through a combined XPS/TOF-SIMS study. Specifically, we tried to elucidate the possible physical/chemical interactions between the B and Ta that could happen with different film stack designs. Previous works have shown that there might be two possible B-migration mechanisms. One mechanism is direct B diffusion into the adjacent Ta layer during annealing. The other B-migration mechanism is through the formation of TaBOx species, in which B could be carried out by the Ta diffusion. In particular, through studying a series of film stacks, we discussed the circumstances under which one of these B-migration mechanisms becomes dominant. Furthermore, we discussed how these B-migration mechanisms facilitated the B expulsion in a common MTJ structure.

Method to adjust multilayer film stress induced deformation of optics

DOEpatents

Spiller, Eberhard A.; Mirkarimi, Paul B.; Montcalm, Claude; Bajt, Sasa; Folta, James A.

2000-01-01

Stress compensating systems that reduces/compensates stress in a multilayer without loss in reflectivity, while reducing total film thickness compared to the earlier buffer-layer approach. The stress free multilayer systems contain multilayer systems with two different material combinations of opposite stress, where both systems give good reflectivity at the design wavelengths. The main advantage of the multilayer system design is that stress reduction does not require the deposition of any additional layers, as in the buffer layer approach. If the optical performance of the two systems at the design wavelength differ, the system with the poorer performance is deposited first, and then the system with better performance last, thus forming the top of the multilayer system. The components for the stress reducing layer are chosen among materials that have opposite stress to that of the preferred multilayer reflecting stack and simultaneously have optical constants that allow one to get good reflectivity at the design wavelength. For a wavelength of 13.4 nm, the wavelength presently used for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, Si and Be have practically the same optical constants, but the Mo/Si multilayer has opposite stress than the Mo/Be multilayer. Multilayer systems of these materials have practically identical reflectivity curves. For example, stress free multilayers can be formed on a substrate using Mo/Be multilayers in the bottom of the stack and Mo/Si multilayers at the top of the stack, with the switch-over point selected to obtain zero stress. In this multilayer system, the switch-over point is at about the half point of the total thickness of the stack, and for the Mo/Be--Mo/Si system, there may be 25 deposition periods Mo/Be to 20 deposition periods Mo/Si.

Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Diode Consisting of Two-Dimensional Nanomaterials.

PubMed

Jeong, Hyun; Oh, Hye Min; Bang, Seungho; Jeong, Hyeon Jun; An, Sung-Jin; Han, Gang Hee; Kim, Hyun; Yun, Seok Joon; Kim, Ki Kang; Park, Jin Cheol; Lee, Young Hee; Lerondel, Gilles; Jeong, Mun Seok

2016-03-09

We present a novel metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) diode consisting of graphene, hexagonal BN, and monolayer MoS2 for application in ultrathin nanoelectronics. The MIS heterojunction structure was fabricated by vertically stacking layered materials using a simple wet chemical transfer method. The stacking of each layer was confirmed by confocal scanning Raman spectroscopy and device performance was evaluated using current versus voltage (I-V) and photocurrent measurements. We clearly observed better current rectification and much higher current flow in the MIS diode than in the p-n junction and the metal-semiconductor diodes made of layered materials. The I-V characteristic curve of the MIS diode indicates that current flows mainly across interfaces as a result of carrier tunneling. Moreover, we observed considerably high photocurrent from the MIS diode under visible light illumination.

Ultra-high density diffraction grating

DOEpatents

Padmore, Howard A.; Voronov, Dmytro L.; Cambie, Rossana; Yashchuk, Valeriy V.; Gullikson, Eric M.

2012-12-11

A diffraction grating structure having ultra-high density of grooves comprises an echellette substrate having periodically repeating recessed features, and a multi-layer stack of materials disposed on the echellette substrate. The surface of the diffraction grating is planarized, such that layers of the multi-layer stack form a plurality of lines disposed on the planarized surface of the structure in a periodical fashion, wherein lines having a first property alternate with lines having a dissimilar property on the surface of the substrate. For example, in one embodiment, lines comprising high-Z and low-Z materials alternate on the planarized surface providing a structure that is suitable as a diffraction grating for EUV and soft X-rays. In some embodiments, line density of between about 10,000 lines/mm to about 100,000 lines/mm is provided.

Composite lamination method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dickerson, G. E. (Inventor)

1977-01-01

A process was developed for preparing relatively thick composite laminate structure wherein thin layers of prepreg tapes are assembled, these thin layers are cut into strips that are partially cured, and stacked into the desired thickness with uncured prepreg disposed between each layer of strips. The formed laminate is finally cured and thereafter machined to the desired final dimensions.

Mapping of Low-Frequency Raman Modes in CVD-Grown Transition Metal Dichalcogenides: Layer Number, Stacking Orientation and Resonant Effects

PubMed Central

O’Brien, Maria; McEvoy, Niall; Hanlon, Damien; Hallam, Toby; Coleman, Jonathan N.; Duesberg, Georg S.

2016-01-01

Layered inorganic materials, such as the transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), have attracted much attention due to their exceptional electronic and optical properties. Reliable synthesis and characterization of these materials must be developed if these properties are to be exploited. Herein, we present low-frequency Raman analysis of MoS2, MoSe2, WSe2 and WS2 grown by chemical vapour deposition (CVD). Raman spectra are acquired over large areas allowing changes in the position and intensity of the shear and layer-breathing modes to be visualized in maps. This allows detailed characterization of mono- and few-layered TMDs which is complementary to well-established (high-frequency) Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy. This study presents a major stepping stone in fundamental understanding of layered materials as mapping the low-frequency modes allows the quality, symmetry, stacking configuration and layer number of 2D materials to be probed over large areas. In addition, we report on anomalous resonance effects in the low-frequency region of the WS2 Raman spectrum. PMID:26766208

Optimization of chemical structure of Schottky-type selection diode for crossbar resistive memory.

PubMed

Kim, Gun Hwan; Lee, Jong Ho; Jeon, Woojin; Song, Seul Ji; Seok, Jun Yeong; Yoon, Jung Ho; Yoon, Kyung Jean; Park, Tae Joo; Hwang, Cheol Seong

2012-10-24

The electrical performances of Pt/TiO(2)/Ti/Pt stacked Schottky-type diode (SD) was systematically examined, and this performance is dependent on the chemical structures of the each layer and their interfaces. The Ti layers containing a tolerable amount of oxygen showed metallic electrical conduction characteristics, which was confirmed by sheet resistance measurement with elevating the temperature, transmission line measurement (TLM), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) analysis. However, the chemical structure of SD stack and resulting electrical properties were crucially affected by the dissolved oxygen concentration in the Ti layers. The lower oxidation potential of the Ti layer with initially higher oxygen concentration suppressed the oxygen deficiency of the overlying TiO(2) layer induced by consumption of the oxygen from TiO(2) layer. This structure results in the lower reverse current of SDs without significant degradation of forward-state current. Conductive atomic force microscopy (CAFM) analysis showed the current conduction through the local conduction paths in the presented SDs, which guarantees a sufficient forward-current density as a selection device for highly integrated crossbar array resistive memory.

EUVL mask patterning with blanks from commercial suppliers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Pei-Yang; Zhang, Guojing; Nagpal, Rajesh; Shu, Emily Y.; Li, Chaoyang; Qu, Ping; Chen, Frederick T.

2004-12-01

Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) reflective mask blank development includes low thermal expansion material fabrication, mask substrate finishing, reflective multi-layer (ML) and capping layer deposition, buffer (optional)/absorber stack deposition, EUV specific metrology, and ML defect inspection. In the past, we have obtained blanks deposited with various layer stacks from several vendors. Some of them are not commercial suppliers. As a result, the blank and patterned mask qualities are difficult to maintain and improve. In this paper we will present the evaluation results of the EUVL mask pattering processes with the complete EUVL mask blanks supplied by the commercial blank supplier. The EUVL mask blanks used in this study consist of either quartz or ULE substrates which is a type of low thermal expansion material (LTEM), 40 pairs of molybdenum/silicon (Mo/Si) ML layer, thin ruthenium (Ru) capping layer, tantalum boron nitride (TaBN) absorber, and chrome (Cr) backside coating. No buffer layer is used. Our study includes the EUVL mask blank characterization, patterned EUVL mask characterization, and the final patterned EUVL mask flatness evaluation.

Laser-assisted atom probe tomography of four paired poly-Si/SiO2 multiple-stacks with each thickness of 10 nm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwak, C.-M.; Seol, J.-B.; Kim, Y.-T.; Park, C.-G.

2017-02-01

For the past 10 years, laser-assisted atom probe tomography (APT) analysis has been performed to quantify the near-atomic scale distribution of elements and their local chemical compositions within interfaces that determine the design, processing, and properties of virtually all materials. However, the nature of the occurring laser-induced emission at the surface of needle-shaped sample is highly complex and it has been an ongoing challenge to understand the surface-related interactions between laser-sources and tips containing non-conductive oxides for a robust and reliable analysis of multiple-stacked devices. Here, we find that the APT analysis of four paired poly-Si/SiO2 (conductive/non-conductive) multiple stacks with each thickness of 10 nm is governed by experimentally monitoring three experimental conditions, such as laser-beam energies ranged from 30 to 200 nJ, analysis temperatures varying with 30-100 K, and the inclination of aligned interfaces within a given tip toward analysis direction. Varying with laser-energy and analysis temperature, a drastic compositional ratio of doubly charged Si ions to single charged Si ions within conductive poly-Si layers is modified, as compared with ones detected in the non-conductive layers. Severe distorted APT images of multiple stacks are also inevitable, especially at the conductive layers, and leading to a lowering of the successful analysis yields. This lower throughput has been overcome though changing the inclination of interfaces within a given tip to analysis direction (planar interfaces parallel to the tip axis), but significant deviations in chemical compositions of a conductive layer counted from those of tips containing planar interfaces perpendicular to the tip axis are unavoidable owing to the Si2, SiH2O, and Si2O ions detected, for the first time, within poly-Si layers.

Band engineering in transition metal dichalcogenides: Stacked versus lateral heterostructures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guo, Yuzheng; Robertson, John

2016-06-06

We calculate a large difference in the band alignments for transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) heterojunctions when arranged in the stacked layer or lateral (in-plane) geometries, using direct supercell calculations. The stacked case follows the unpinned limit of the electron affinity rule, whereas the lateral geometry follows the strongly pinned limit of alignment of charge neutrality levels. TMDs therefore provide one of the few clear tests of band alignment models, whereas three-dimensional semiconductors give less stringent tests because of accidental chemical trends in their properties.

Enhancement of thermal stability and water resistance in yttrium-doped GeO{sub 2}/Ge gate stack

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lu, Cimang, E-mail: cimang@adam.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp; Hyun Lee, Choong; Zhang, Wenfeng

2014-03-03

We have systematically investigated the material and electrical properties of yttrium-doped GeO{sub 2} (Y-GeO{sub 2}) on Germanium (Ge). A significant improvement of both thermal stability and water resistance were demonstrated by Y-GeO{sub 2}/Ge stack, compared to that of pure GeO{sub 2}/Ge stack. The excellent electrical properties of Y-GeO{sub 2}/Ge stacks with low D{sub it} were presented as well as enhancement of dielectric constant in Y-GeO{sub 2} layer, which is beneficial for further equivalent oxide thickness scaling of Ge gate stack. The improvement of thermal stability and water resistance are discussed both in terms of the Gibbs free energy lowering andmore » network modification of Y-GeO{sub 2}.« less

Neutronic reactor

DOEpatents

Lewis, Warren R.

1978-05-30

A graphite-moderated, water-cooled nuclear reactor including a plurality of rectangular graphite blocks stacked in abutting relationship in layers, alternate layers having axes which are normal to one another, alternate rows of blocks in alternate layers being provided with a channel extending through the blocks, said channeled blocks being provided with concave sides and having smaller vertical dimensions than adjacent blocks in the same layer, there being nuclear fuel in the channels.

Two-Dimensional Layered Oxide Structures Tailored by Self-Assembled Layer Stacking via Interfacial Strain

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Wenrui; Li, Mingtao; Chen, Aiping; ...

2016-06-13

Two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures emerge as one of leading topics in fundamental materials science and could enable next generation nanoelectronic devices. Beyond graphene and molybdenum disulphide, layered complex oxides are another large group of promising 2D candidates because of their strong interplay of intrinsic charge, spin, orbital and lattice. As a fundamental basis of heteroepitaxial thin film growth, interfacial strain can be used to design materials exhibiting new phenomena beyond their conventional form. Here we report the strain-driven self-assembly of Bismuth-based supercells (SC) with a 2D layered structure, and elucidate the fundamental growth mechanism with combined experimental tools and first-principles calculations.more » The study revealed that the new layered structures were formed by the strain-enabled self-assembled atomic layer stacking, i.e., alternative growth of Bi 2O 2 layer and [Fe 0.5Mn 0.5]O 6 layer. The strain-driven approach is further demonstrated in other SC candidate systems with promising room-temperature multiferroic properties. This well-integrated theoretical and experimental study inspired by the Materials Genome Initiatives opens up a new avenue in searching and designing novel 2D layered complex oxides with enormous promises.« less

Stack of Layers at 'Payson' in Meridiani Planum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

The stack of fine layers exposed at a ledge called 'Payson' on the western edge of 'Erebus Crater' in Mars' Meridiani Planum shows a diverse range of primary and secondary sedimentary textures formed billions of years ago. These structures likely result from an interplay between windblown and water-involved processes.

The panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity acquired the exposures for this image on the rover's 749th Martian day (March 3, 2006) This view is an approximately true-color rendering mathematically generated from separate images taken through all of the left Pancam's 432-nanometer to 753-nanometer filters.

Design and characterization of terahertz-absorbing nano-laminates of dielectric and metal thin films.

PubMed

Bolakis, C; Grbovic, D; Lavrik, N V; Karunasiri, G

2010-07-05

A terahertz-absorbing thin-film stack, containing a dielectric Bragg reflector and a thin chromium metal film, was fabricated on a silicon substrate for applications in bi-material terahertz (THz) sensors. The Bragg reflector is to be used for optical readout of sensor deformation under THz illumination. The THz absorption characteristics of the thin-film composite were measured using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The absorption of the structure was calculated both analytically and by finite element modeling and the two approaches agreed well. Finite element modeling provides a convenient way to extract the amount of power dissipation in each layer and is used to quantify the THz absorption in the multi-layer stack. The calculation and the model were verified by experimentally characterizing the multi-layer stack in the 3-5 THz range. The measured and simulated absorption characteristics show a reasonably good agreement. It was found that the composite film absorbed about 20% of the incident THz power. The model was used to optimize the thickness of the chromium film for achieving high THz absorption and found that about 50% absorption can be achieved when film thickness is around 9 nm.

Determination of a refractive index and an extinction coefficient of standard production of CVD-graphene.

PubMed

Ochoa-Martínez, Efraín; Gabás, Mercedes; Barrutia, Laura; Pesquera, Amaia; Centeno, Alba; Palanco, Santiago; Zurutuza, Amaia; Algora, Carlos

2015-01-28

The refractive index and extinction coefficient of chemical vapour deposition grown graphene are determined by ellipsometry analysis. Graphene films were grown on copper substrates and transferred as both monolayers and bilayers onto SiO2/Si substrates by using standard manufacturing procedures. The chemical nature and thickness of residual debris formed after the transfer process were elucidated using photoelectron spectroscopy. The real layered structure so deduced has been used instead of the nominal one as the input in the ellipsometry analysis of monolayer and bilayer graphene, transferred onto both native and thermal silicon oxide. The effect of these contamination layers on the optical properties of the stacked structure is noticeable both in the visible and the ultraviolet spectral regions, thus masking the graphene optical response. Finally, the use of heat treatment under a nitrogen atmosphere of the graphene-based stacked structures, as a method to reduce the water content of the sample, and its effect on the optical response of both graphene and the residual debris layer are presented. The Lorentz-Drude model proposed for the optical response of graphene fits fairly well the experimental ellipsometric data for all the analysed graphene-based stacked structures.

Observation of dopant-profile independent electron transport in sub-monolayer TiO{sub x} stacked ZnO thin films grown by atomic layer deposition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saha, D., E-mail: sahaphys@gmail.com, E-mail: pmisra@rrcat.gov.in; Misra, P., E-mail: sahaphys@gmail.com, E-mail: pmisra@rrcat.gov.in; Joshi, M. P.

2016-01-18

Dopant-profile independent electron transport has been observed through a combined study of temperature dependent electrical resistivity and magnetoresistance measurements on a series of Ti incorporated ZnO thin films with varying degree of static-disorder. These films were grown by atomic layer deposition through in-situ vertical stacking of multiple sub-monolayers of TiO{sub x} in ZnO. Upon decreasing ZnO spacer layer thickness, electron transport smoothly evolved from a good metallic to an incipient non-metallic regime due to the intricate interplay of screening of spatial potential fluctuations and strength of static-disorder in the films. Temperature dependent phase-coherence length as extracted from the magnetotransport measurementmore » revealed insignificant role of inter sub-monolayer scattering as an additional channel for electron dephasing, indicating that films were homogeneously disordered three-dimensional electronic systems irrespective of their dopant-profiles. Results of this study are worthy enough for both fundamental physics perspective and efficient applications of multi-stacked ZnO/TiO{sub x} structures in the emerging field of transparent oxide electronics.« less

Theory and practical considerations of multilayer dielectric thin-film stacks in Ag-coated hollow waveguides.

PubMed

Bledt, Carlos M; Melzer, Jeffrey E; Harrington, James A

2014-02-01

This analysis explores the theory and design of dielectric multilayer reflection-enhancing thin film stacks based on high and low refractive index alternating layers of cadmium sulfide (CdS) and lead sulfide (PbS) on silver (Ag)-coated hollow glass waveguides (HGWs) for low loss transmission at midinfrared wavelengths. The fundamentals for determining propagation losses in such multilayer thin-film-coated Ag hollow waveguides is thoroughly discussed, and forms the basis for further theoretical analysis presented in this study. The effects on propagation loss resulting from several key parameters of these multilayer thin film stacks is further explored in order to bridge the gap between results predicted through calculation under ideal conditions and deviations from such ideal models that often arise in practice. In particular, the effects on loss due to the number of dielectric thin film layers deposited, deviation from ideal individual layer thicknesses, and surface roughness related scattering losses are presented and thoroughly investigated. Through such extensive theoretical analysis the level of understanding of the underlying loss mechanisms of multilayer thin-film Ag-coated HGWs is greatly advanced, considerably increasing the potential practical development of next-generation ultralow-loss mid-IR Ag/multilayer dielectric-coated HGWs.

Electromagnetic waves in a topological insulator thin film stack: helicon-like wave mode and photonic band structure.

PubMed

Inoue, Jun-ichi

2013-09-09

We theoretically explore the electromagnetic modes specific to a topological insulator superlattice in which topological and conventional insulator thin films are stacked periodically. In particular, we obtain analytic formulas for low energy mode that corresponds to a helicon wave, as well as those for photonic bands. We illustrate that the system can be modeled as a stack of quantum Hall layers whose conductivity tensors alternately change signs, and then we analyze the photonic band structures. This subject is a natural extension of a previous study by Tselis et al., which took into consideration a stack of identical quantum Hall layers but their discussion was limited into a low energy mode. Thus we provide analytic formulas for photonic bands and compare their features between the two systems. Our central findings in the topological insulator superlattice are that a low energy mode corresponding to a helicon wave has linear dispersion instead of the conventional quadratic form, and that a robust gapless photonic band appears although the system considered has spacial periodicity. In addition, we demonstrate that the photonic bands agree with the numerically calculated transmission spectra.

Electronic Asymmetry by Compositionally Braking Inversion Symmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warusawithana, Maitri

2005-03-01

By stacking molecular layers of 3 different perovskite titanate phases, BaTiO3, SrTiO3 and CaTiO3 with atomic layer control, we construct nanostructures where global inversion symmetry is broken. With the structures clamped to the substrate, the stacking order gives rise to asymmetric strain fields. The dielectric response show asymmetric field tuning consistent with the symmetry of the stacking order. By analyzing the temperature and frequency dependence of the complex dielectric constant, we show that the response comes from activated switching of dipoles between two asymmetric states separated by an energy barrier. We find the size of average dipole units from the temperature dependence of the linewidth of field tuning curves to be around 10 unit cells in all the different nanostructures we investigate. At low temperatures we observe a deviation from the kinetic response suggesting a further growth in correlations. Pyrocurrent measurements confirm this observation indicating a phase transition to a ferro-like state. We explain the high temperature dipoles as single unit cell cross sectional columns correlated via the strain fields in the stacking direction, with the height somewhat short of the film thickness possibly due to some form of weak disorder.

Stresses and deformations in cross-ply composite tubes subjected to a uniform temperature change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hyer, M. W.; Cooper, D. E.; Cohen, D.

1986-01-01

This study investigates the effects of a uniform temperature change on the stresses and deformations of composite tubes and determines the accuracy of an approximate solution based on the principle of complementary virtual work. Interest centers on tube response away from the ends and so a planar elasticity approach is used. For the approximate solution a piecewise linear variation of stresses with the radial coordinate is assumed. The results from the approximate solution are compared with the elasticity solution. The stress predictions agree well, particularly peak interlaminar stresses. Surprisingly, the axial deformations also agree well, despite the fact that the deformations predicted by the approximate solution do not satisfy the interface displacement continuity conditions required by the elasticity solution. The study shows that the axial thermal expansion coefficient of tubes with a specific number of axial and circumferential layers depends on the stacking sequence. This is in contrast to classical lamination theory, which predicts that the expansion will be independent of the stacking arrangement. As expected, the sign and magnitude of the peak interlaminar stresses depend on stacking sequence. For tubes with a specific number of axial and circumferential layers, thermally induced interlaminar stresses can be controlled by altering stacking arrangement.

Physical and engineering aspect of carbon beam therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanai, Tatsuaki; Kanematsu, Nobuyuki; Minohara, Shinichi; Yusa, Ken; Urakabe, Eriko; Mizuno, Hideyuki; Iseki, Yasushi; Kanazawa, Mitsutaka; Kitagawa, Atsushi; Tomitani, Takehiro

2003-08-01

Conformal irradiation system of HIMAC has been up-graded for a clinical trial using a technique of a layer-stacking method. The system has been developed for localizing irradiation dose to target volume more effectively than the present irradiation dose. With dynamic control of the beam modifying devices, a pair of wobbler magnets, and multileaf collimator and range shifter, during the irradiation, more conformal radiotherapy can be achieved. The system, which has to be adequately safe for patient irradiations, was constructed and tested from a viewpoint of safety and the quality of the dose localization realized. A secondary beam line has been constructed for use of radioactive beam in heavy-ion radiotherapy. Spot scanning method has been adapted for the beam delivery system of the radioactive beam. Dose distributions of the spot beam were measured and analyzed taking into account of aberration of the beam optics. Distributions of the stopped positron-emitter beam can be observed by PET. Pencil beam of the positron-emitter, about 1 mm size, can also be used for measurements ranges of the test beam in patients using positron camera. The positron camera, consisting of a pair of Anger-type scintillation detectors, has been developed for this verification before treatment. Wash-out effect of the positron-emitter was examined using the positron camera installed. In this report, present status of the HIMAC irradiation system is described in detail.

Influence of structure on radiation shielding effectiveness of graphite fiber reinforced polyethylene composite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emmanuel, A.; Raghavan, J.

2015-10-01

While LEO and GEO are used for most satellite missions, Highly Elliptical Orbits (HEOs) are also used for satellite missions covering Polar Regions of Earth. Satellites in HEO are exposed to a relatively harsher radiation environment than LEO and GEO. The mass of traditionally used aluminum radiation shield, required to attenuate the radiation to a level below a certain threshold that is safe for the satellite bus and payload, scales with the level of radiation. It has been shown (Emmanuel et al., 2014) that materials with low atomic number (Z) such as polyethylene (PE) can result in a lighter shield than aluminum (Al) in HEO. However, PE has to be reinforced with relatively high Z fibers such as graphite (G) to improve its mechanical properties. The effect of introduction of G and the resulting composite structure (that meets the requirements on mechanical properties, manufacturing and service) on the radiation shielding effectiveness of PE was studied through simulation using a layered PE-G composite. The Total Ionization Dose (TID), deposited in a silicon detector behind the composite shield, has been found to be function of layer volume fraction, layer thickness and stacking sequence of the PE and G layers. One composite configuration has resulted in a TID lower than that for PE, demonstrating the possibility of tailoring the mechanical properties of PE-based composite radiation shield with minimal negative impact on its radiation shielding effectiveness.

High efficient light absorption and nanostructure-dependent birefringence of a metal-dielectric symmetrical layered structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jen, Yi-Jun; Jhang, Yi-Ciang; Liu, Wei-Chih

2017-08-01

A multilayer that comprises ultra-thin metal and dielectric films has been investigated and applied as a layered metamaterial. By arranging metal and dielectric films alternatively and symmetrically, the equivalent admittance and refractive index can be tailored separately. The tailored admittance and refractive index enable us to design optical filters with more flexibility. The admittance matching is achieved via the admittance tracing in the normalized admittance diagram. In this work, an ultra-thin light absorber is designed as a multilayer composed of one or several cells. Each cell is a seven-layered film stack here. The design concept is to have the extinction as large as possible under the condition of admittance matching. For a seven-layered symmetrical film stack arranged as Ta2O5 (45 nm)/ a-Si (17 nm)/ Cr (30 nm)/ Al (30 nm)/ Cr (30 nm)/ a-Si (17 nm)/ Ta2O5 (45 nm), its mean equivalent admittance and extinction coefficient over the visible regime is 1.4+0.2i and 2.15, respectively. The unit cell on a transparent BK7 glass substrate absorbs 99% of normally incident light energy for the incident medium is glass. On the other hand, a transmission-induced metal-dielectric film stack is investigated by using the admittance matching method. The equivalent anisotropic property of the metal-dielectric multilayer varied with wavelength and nanostructure are investigated here.

Thermoelectric Properties and Microstructure of Ca3 Co 4 O 9 thin films on SrTiO3 and Al2 O 3 Substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paulauskas, T.; Qiao, Q.; Gulec, A.; Klie, R. F.; Ozdemir, M.; Boyraz, C.; Mazumdar, D.; Gupta, A.

2011-03-01

Ca 3 Co 4 O9 (CCO), a misfit layered structure exhibiting large Seebeck coefficient at temperatures up to 1000K has attracted increasing attention as a novel high-temperature thermoelectric material. In this work, we investigate CCO thin films grown on SrTi O3 (001) and Al 2 O3 (0001) using pulsed laser deposition. Quality of the thin films was examined using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and thermoelectric transport measurements. HRTEM images show incommensurate stacks of Cd I2 -type Co O2 layer alternating with rock-salt-type Ca 2 Co O3 layer along the c-axis. Perovskite buffer layer about 10nm thick was found present between CCO and SrTi O3 accompanied by higher density of stacking faults. The CCO grown on Al 2 O3 exhibited numerous misoriented grains and presence of Ca x Co O2 phase. Seebeck coefficient measurements yield an improvement for both samples compared to the bulk value. We suggest that thermoelectric properties of CCO increase due to additional phonon scattering at the stacking faults as well as at the film surfaces/interfaces. This research was supported by the US Army Research Office (W911NF-10-1-0147) and the Sivananthan Undergraduate Research Fellowship.

Photodetector having high speed and sensitivity

DOEpatents

Morse, Jeffrey D.; Mariella, Jr., Raymond P.

1991-01-01

The present invention provides a photodetector having an advantageous combination of sensitivity and speed; it has a high sensitivity while retaining high speed. In a preferred embodiment, visible light is detected, but in some embodiments, x-rays can be detected, and in other embodiments infrared can be detected. The present invention comprises a photodetector having an active layer, and a recombination layer. The active layer has a surface exposed to light to be detected, and comprises a semiconductor, having a bandgap graded so that carriers formed due to interaction of the active layer with the incident radiation tend to be swept away from the exposed surface. The graded semiconductor material in the active layer preferably comprises Al.sub.1-x Ga.sub.x As. An additional sub-layer of graded In.sub.1-y Ga.sub.y As may be included between the Al.sub.1-x Ga.sub.x As layer and the recombination layer. The recombination layer comprises a semiconductor material having a short recombination time such as a defective GaAs layer grown in a low temperature process. The recombination layer is positioned adjacent to the active layer so that carriers from the active layer tend to be swept into the recombination layer. In an embodiment, the photodetector may comprise one or more additional layers stacked below the active and recombination layers. These additional layers may include another active layer and another recombination layer to absorb radiation not absorbed while passing through the first layers. A photodetector having a stacked configuration may have enhanced sensitivity and responsiveness at selected wavelengths such as infrared.

Art across the Curriculum: Ellipse Clips

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sartorius, Tara Cady

2011-01-01

This article discusses Al Souza's "Orlando City Maps," which was created not by adding colored ink to paper, but by cutting the printed paper away. Seven layers of pages are stacked upon one another and, except for the intact bottom layer, oval-shaped holes are cut through each page to reveal the layers below. When designing "Orlando City Maps,"…

Development of dissipative elastic metamaterials based on the layered cantilever-in-mass structure for attenuating the broad spectrum vibrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jun; Zhou, Xiaoqin; Wang, Rongqi; Lin, Jieqiong

2018-05-01

In this paper, the layered cantilever-in-mass structures (LCIMs) will be theoretically investigated to reveal the effects of the layered structures on band gaps, which have great potential to bring in many useful material properties without much increasing the manufacturing difficulty by stacking the damped layers or other different component layers. Firstly, the negative effective mass model of LCIMs is derived based on the mass-in-mass model, which is applied to analyze the effective parameters of band gaps in terms of the geometrical features and material properties, the analytical results indicate the negative effective masses of LCIMs depend highly on the material parameter and thicknesses of each constituent layers. Then the LCIMs consist of the same thickness layers are further researched, which has found that their resonance frequency are independent on the layer thickness, and the numeric values of resonance frequencies are between the maximum and minimum local resonance frequency of their constituent layers. To validate the above analytical model, the three-dimensional model and the two-dimensional shell model of LCIMs are constructed in COMSOL Multiphysics. The obtained results show well agreement with the derived model in both the three-dimensional model and shell model. Finally, the dissipative LCIMs modeled by stacking the damped layers and metal layers are studied and discussed.

Effects of neutron irradiation of Ti 3SiC 2 and Ti 3AlC 2 in the 121–1085 °C temperature range

DOE PAGES

Tallman, Darin J.; He, Lingfeng; Gan, Jian; ...

2016-11-19

Herein we report on the formation of defects in response to neutron irradiation of polycrystalline Ti 3SiC 2 and Ti 3AlC 2 samples exposed to doses of 0.14±0.01, 1.6±0.1, and 3.4±0.1 displacements per atom (dpa) at irradiation temperatures of 121±12, 735±6 and 1085±68 °C. After irradiation to 0.14 dpa at 121 °C and 735 °C, black spots are observed in both Ti 3SiC 2 and Ti 3AlC 2. After irradiation to 1.6 and 3.4 dpa at 735 °C, basal dislocation loops, with a Burgers vector of b = ½ [0001] are observed in Ti 3SiC 2, with loop diameters ofmore » 21±6 and 30±8 nm for 1.6 dpa and 3.4 dpa, respectively. In Ti3AlC2, larger dislocation loops, 75±34 nm in diameter are observed after 3.4 dpa at 735 °C, in addition to stacking faults. Impurity particles of TiC, as well as stacking fault TiC platelets in the MAX phases, are seen to form extensive dislocation loops under all conditions. Voids are observed at grain boundaries and within stacking faults after 3.4 dpa irradiation, with extensive void formation in the TiC regions at 1085 °C. Remarkably, denuded zones on the order of 1 µm are observed in Ti 3SiC 2 after irradiation to 3.4 dpa at 735 °C. Small grains, 3-5 µm in diameter, are damage free after irradiation at 1085 °C at this dose. The presence of the A-layer in the MAX phases is seen to provide enhanced irradiation tolerance. Based on these results, and up to 3.41 dpa, Ti 3SiC 2 remains a promising candidate for high temperature nuclear applications.« less

Effects of neutron irradiation of Ti 3SiC 2 and Ti 3AlC 2 in the 121–1085 °C temperature range

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tallman, Darin J.; He, Lingfeng; Gan, Jian

Herein we report on the formation of defects in response to neutron irradiation of polycrystalline Ti 3SiC 2 and Ti 3AlC 2 samples exposed to doses of 0.14±0.01, 1.6±0.1, and 3.4±0.1 displacements per atom (dpa) at irradiation temperatures of 121±12, 735±6 and 1085±68 °C. After irradiation to 0.14 dpa at 121 °C and 735 °C, black spots are observed in both Ti 3SiC 2 and Ti 3AlC 2. After irradiation to 1.6 and 3.4 dpa at 735 °C, basal dislocation loops, with a Burgers vector of b = ½ [0001] are observed in Ti 3SiC 2, with loop diameters ofmore » 21±6 and 30±8 nm for 1.6 dpa and 3.4 dpa, respectively. In Ti3AlC2, larger dislocation loops, 75±34 nm in diameter are observed after 3.4 dpa at 735 °C, in addition to stacking faults. Impurity particles of TiC, as well as stacking fault TiC platelets in the MAX phases, are seen to form extensive dislocation loops under all conditions. Voids are observed at grain boundaries and within stacking faults after 3.4 dpa irradiation, with extensive void formation in the TiC regions at 1085 °C. Remarkably, denuded zones on the order of 1 µm are observed in Ti 3SiC 2 after irradiation to 3.4 dpa at 735 °C. Small grains, 3-5 µm in diameter, are damage free after irradiation at 1085 °C at this dose. The presence of the A-layer in the MAX phases is seen to provide enhanced irradiation tolerance. Based on these results, and up to 3.41 dpa, Ti 3SiC 2 remains a promising candidate for high temperature nuclear applications.« less

Tunable Emission Wavelength Stacked InAs/GaAs Quantum Dots by Chemical Beam Epitaxy for Optical Coherence Tomography

PubMed Central

Ilahi, Bouraoui; Zribi, Jihene; Guillotte, Maxime; Arès, Richard; Aimez, Vincent; Morris, Denis

2016-01-01

We report on Chemical Beam Epitaxy (CBE) growth of wavelength tunable InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QD) based superluminescent diode’s active layer suitable for Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). The In-flush technique has been employed to fabricate QD with controllable heights, from 5 nm down to 2 nm, allowing a tunable emission band over 160 nm. The emission wavelength blueshift has been ensured by reducing both dots’ height and composition. A structure containing four vertically stacked height-engineered QDs have been fabricated, showing a room temperature broad emission band centered at 1.1 µm. The buried QD layers remain insensitive to the In-flush process of the subsequent layers, testifying the reliability of the process for broadband light sources required for high axial resolution OCT imaging. PMID:28773633

High efficiency photovoltaic device

DOEpatents

Guha, Subhendu; Yang, Chi C.; Xu, Xi Xiang

1999-11-02

An N-I-P type photovoltaic device includes a multi-layered body of N-doped semiconductor material which has an amorphous, N doped layer in contact with the amorphous body of intrinsic semiconductor material, and a microcrystalline, N doped layer overlying the amorphous, N doped material. A tandem device comprising stacked N-I-P cells may further include a second amorphous, N doped layer interposed between the microcrystalline, N doped layer and a microcrystalline P doped layer. Photovoltaic devices thus configured manifest improved performance, particularly when configured as tandem devices.

Theoretical investigation of the formation of basal plane stacking faults in heavily nitrogen-doped 4H-SiC crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Taniguchi, Chisato; Ichimura, Aiko; Ohtani, Noboru, E-mail: ohtani.noboru@kwansei.ac.jp

The formation of basal plane stacking faults in heavily nitrogen-doped 4H-SiC crystals was theoretically investigated. A novel theoretical model based on the so-called quantum well action mechanism was proposed; the model considers several factors, which were overlooked in a previously proposed model, and provides a detailed explanation of the annealing-induced formation of double layer Shockley-type stacking faults in heavily nitrogen-doped 4H-SiC crystals. We further revised the model to consider the carrier distribution in the depletion regions adjacent to the stacking fault and successfully explained the shrinkage of stacking faults during annealing at even higher temperatures. The model also succeeded inmore » accounting for the aluminum co-doping effect in heavily nitrogen-doped 4H-SiC crystals, in that the stacking fault formation is suppressed when aluminum acceptors are co-doped in the crystals.« less

Large scale 2D/3D hybrids based on gallium nitride and transition metal dichalcogenides.

PubMed

Zhang, Kehao; Jariwala, Bhakti; Li, Jun; Briggs, Natalie C; Wang, Baoming; Ruzmetov, Dmitry; Burke, Robert A; Lerach, Jordan O; Ivanov, Tony G; Haque, Md; Feenstra, Randall M; Robinson, Joshua A

2017-12-21

Two and three-dimensional (2D/3D) hybrid materials have the potential to advance communication and sensing technologies by enabling new or improved device functionality. To date, most 2D/3D hybrid devices utilize mechanical exfoliation or post-synthesis transfer, which can be fundamentally different from directly synthesized layers that are compatible with large scale industrial needs. Therefore, understanding the process/property relationship of synthetic heterostructures is priority for industrially relevant material architectures. Here we demonstrate the scalable synthesis of molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) and tungsten diselenide (WSe 2 ) via metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on gallium nitride (GaN), and elucidate the structure, chemistry, and vertical transport properties of the 2D/3D hybrid. We find that the 2D layer thickness and transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) choice plays an important role in the transport properties of the hybrid structure, where monolayer TMDs exhibit direct tunneling through the layer, while transport in few layer TMDs on GaN is dominated by p-n diode behavior and varies with the 2D/3D hybrid structure. Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), low energy electron microscopy (LEEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveal a strong intrinsic dipole and charge transfer between n-MoS 2 and p-GaN, leading to a degraded interface and high p-type leakage current. Finally, we demonstrate integration of heterogeneous 2D layer stacks of MoS 2 /WSe 2 on GaN with atomically sharp interface. Monolayer MoS 2 /WSe 2 /n-GaN stacks lead to near Ohmic transport due to the tunneling and non-degenerated doping, while few layer stacking is Schottky barrier dominated.

Epitaxial ZnO/LiNbO{sub 3}/ZnO stacked layer waveguide for application to thin-film Pockels sensors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Akazawa, Housei, E-mail: akazawa.housei@lab.ntt.co.jp; Fukuda, Hiroshi

We produced slab waveguides consisting of a LiNbO{sub 3} (LN) core layer that was sandwiched with Al-doped ZnO cladding layers. The ZnO/LN/ZnO stacked layers were grown on sapphire C-planes by electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma sputtering and were subjected to structural, electrical, and optical characterizations. X-ray diffraction confirmed that the ZnO and LN layers were epitaxial without containing misoriented crystallites. The presence of 60°-rotational variants of ZnO and LN crystalline domains were identified from X-ray pole figures. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy images revealed a c-axis orientated columnar texture for LN crystals, which ensured operation as electro-optic sensors based on opticalmore » anisotropy along longitudinal and transversal directions. The interfacial roughness between the LN core and ZnO bottom layers as well as that between the ZnO top and the LN core layers was less than 20 nm, which agreed with surface images observed with atomic force microscopy. Outgrowth of triangular LN crystalline domains produced large roughness at the LN film surface. The RMS roughness of the LN film surface was twice that of the same structure grown on sapphire A-planes. Vertical optical transmittance of the stacked films was higher than 85% within the visible and infrared wavelength range. Following the approach adopted by Teng and Man [Appl. Phys. Lett. 56, 1734 (1990)], ac Pockels coefficients of r{sub 33} = 24-28 pm/V were derived for c-axis oriented LN films grown on low-resistive Si substrates. Light propagation within a ZnO/LN/ZnO slab waveguide as well as within a ZnO single layer waveguide was confirmed. The birefringence of these waveguides was 0.11 for the former and 0.05 for the latter.« less

Corrosion protected, multi-layer fuel cell interface

DOEpatents

Feigenbaum, Haim; Pudick, Sheldon; Wang, Chiu L.

1986-01-01

An improved interface configuration for use between adjacent elements of a fuel cell stack. The interface is impervious to gas and liquid and provides resistance to corrosion by the electrolyte of the fuel cell. The multi-layer configuration for the interface comprises a non-cupreous metal-coated metallic element to which is film-bonded a conductive layer by hot pressing a resin therebetween. The multi-layer arrangement provides bridging electrical contact.

Design and implementation of wireless dose logger network for radiological emergency decision support system.

PubMed

Gopalakrishnan, V; Baskaran, R; Venkatraman, B

2016-08-01

A decision support system (DSS) is implemented in Radiological Safety Division, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research for providing guidance for emergency decision making in case of an inadvertent nuclear accident. Real time gamma dose rate measurement around the stack is used for estimating the radioactive release rate (source term) by using inverse calculation. Wireless gamma dose logging network is designed, implemented, and installed around the Madras Atomic Power Station reactor stack to continuously acquire the environmental gamma dose rate and the details are presented in the paper. The network uses XBee-Pro wireless modules and PSoC controller for wireless interfacing, and the data are logged at the base station. A LabView based program is developed to receive the data, display it on the Google Map, plot the data over the time scale, and register the data in a file to share with DSS software. The DSS at the base station evaluates the real time source term to assess radiation impact.

Design and implementation of wireless dose logger network for radiological emergency decision support system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gopalakrishnan, V.; Baskaran, R.; Venkatraman, B.

A decision support system (DSS) is implemented in Radiological Safety Division, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research for providing guidance for emergency decision making in case of an inadvertent nuclear accident. Real time gamma dose rate measurement around the stack is used for estimating the radioactive release rate (source term) by using inverse calculation. Wireless gamma dose logging network is designed, implemented, and installed around the Madras Atomic Power Station reactor stack to continuously acquire the environmental gamma dose rate and the details are presented in the paper. The network uses XBee–Pro wireless modules and PSoC controller for wireless interfacing,more » and the data are logged at the base station. A LabView based program is developed to receive the data, display it on the Google Map, plot the data over the time scale, and register the data in a file to share with DSS software. The DSS at the base station evaluates the real time source term to assess radiation impact.« less

Stacking fault induced tunnel barrier in platelet graphite nanofiber

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lan, Yann-Wen, E-mail: chiidong@phys.sinica.edu.tw, E-mail: ywlan@phys.sinica.edu.tw; Chang, Yuan-Chih; Chang, Chia-Seng

A correlation study using image inspection and electrical characterization of platelet graphite nanofiber devices is conducted. Close transmission electron microscopy and diffraction pattern inspection reveal layers with inflection angles appearing in otherwise perfectly stacked graphene platelets, separating nanofibers into two domains. Electrical measurement gives a stability diagram consisting of alternating small-large Coulomb blockade diamonds, suggesting that there are two charging islands coupled together through a tunnel junction. Based on these two findings, we propose that a stacking fault can behave as a tunnel barrier for conducting electrons and is responsible for the observed double-island single electron transistor characteristics.

Thermomechanical Performance of C and SiC Multilayer, Fiber-Reinforced, CVI SiC Matrix Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morscher, Gregory N.; Singh, Mrityunjay

2004-01-01

Hybrid fiber approaches have been attempted in the past to alloy desirable properties of different fiber-types for mechanical properties, thermal stress management, and oxidation resistance. Such an approach has potential for the CrSiC and SiCrSiC composite systems. SiC matrix composites with different stacking sequences of woven C fiber (T300) layers and woven Sic fiber (Hi-NicalonTM) layers were fabricated using the standard CVI process. Delamination occurred to some extent due to thermal mismatch for all of the composites. However, for the composites with a more uniform stacking sequence, minimal delamination occurred, enabling tensile properties to be determined at room temperature and elevated temperatures (stress-rupture in air). Composites were seal-coated with a CVI SiC layer as well as a proprietary C-B-Si (CBS) layer. Definite improvement in rupture behavior was observed in air for composites with increasing SiC fiber content and a CBS layer. The results will be compared to standard C fiber reinforced CVI SiC matrix and Hi-Nicalon reinforced CVI SiC matrix composites.

Photonic band gaps from a stack of right- and left-hand chiral photonic crystal layers.

PubMed

Gevorgyan, A H

2012-02-01

In the present paper we investigated the optical properties of a stack of right- and left- hand chiral photonic crystal layers. The problem is solved by Ambartsumian's layer addition modified method. We investigated the reflection spectra peculiarities of this system and showed that in contrast to a single cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) layer this system has multiple photonic band gaps (PBGs) (at light normal incidence). We showed that this system has unique polarization properties, particularly the eigenpolarizations (EPs) of the system are degenerated (i.e., the two EPs coincide) for an even number of layers and, in contrast to ordinary gyrotropic systems, the polarization plane rotation decreases if the system thickness is increased, the rotation sign depends on the first sublayer chirality sign, the system is very sensitive to the change of the sublayer number in the system, etc. We also investigated the influence of sublayer thicknesses, incidence angle, the sublayer local dielectric anisotropies, the sublayer helix pitches on the reflection peculiarities, and other optical parameters of the system. © 2012 American Physical Society

Stacked Multilayer Self-Organizing Map for Background Modeling.

PubMed

Zhao, Zhenjie; Zhang, Xuebo; Fang, Yongchun

2015-09-01

In this paper, a new background modeling method called stacked multilayer self-organizing map background model (SMSOM-BM) is proposed, which presents several merits such as strong representative ability for complex scenarios, easy to use, and so on. In order to enhance the representative ability of the background model and make the parameters learned automatically, the recently developed idea of representative learning (or deep learning) is elegantly employed to extend the existing single-layer self-organizing map background model to a multilayer one (namely, the proposed SMSOM-BM). As a consequence, the SMSOM-BM gains several merits including strong representative ability to learn background model of challenging scenarios, and automatic determination for most network parameters. More specifically, every pixel is modeled by a SMSOM, and spatial consistency is considered at each layer. By introducing a novel over-layer filtering process, we can train the background model layer by layer in an efficient manner. Furthermore, for real-time performance consideration, we have implemented the proposed method using NVIDIA CUDA platform. Comparative experimental results show superior performance of the proposed approach.

Giant optical field enhancement in multi-dielectric stacks by photon scanning tunneling microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ndiaye, C.; Zerrad, M.; Lereu, A. L.; Roche, R.; Dumas, Ph.; Lemarchand, F.; Amra, C.

2013-09-01

Dielectric optical thin films, as opposed to metallic, have been very sparsely explored as good candidates for absorption-based optical field enhancement. In such materials, the low imaginary part of the refractive index implies that absorption processes are usually not predominant. This leads to dielectric-based optical resonances mainly via waveguiding modes. We show here that when properly designed, a multi-layered dielectric thin films stack can give rise to optical resonances linked to total absorption. We report here, on such dielectric stack designed to possess a theoretical optical field enhancement above 1000. Using photon scanning tunneling microscopy, we experimentally evaluate the resulting field enhancement of the stack as well as the associated penetration depth. We thus demonstrate the capability of multi-dielectric stacks in generating giant optical field with tunable penetration depth (down to few dozens of nm).

Metal-polysiloxane shields for radiation therapy of maxillo-facial tumors.

PubMed

Farahani, M; Eichmiller, F C; McLaughlin, W L

1991-01-01

In the treatment of some head and neck lesions with high-intensity radiation (teletherapy), an essential procedure is the application of an individually customized shielding appliance, which is designed, modeled, and formed into a working extra- or intraoral stent for the purpose of sparing healthy tissues. The present state of the art is slow and technique intensive, which can add to patient discomfort and inconvenience during molding and fabrication. A new formulation is described, which offers speed and ease of forming a moldable composite stent especially for intraoral use. Interleaved stacks of calibrated thin radiochromic film strips and soft-tissue-simulating plastic (polystyrene) layers gave a means of mapping one- or two-dimensional profiles of dose distributions adjacent to the high-density shielding materials using a spectrophotometer equipped with a gel scanner or a scanning laser-beam microdensitometer. Tests using collimated gamma-ray beams from a 60Co teletherapy unit were made in order to measure the dose distribution near interfaces of tissue-simulating polymer and the composite stent material with and without mixtures of metals (Ag-Cu and Sn-Sb). These results show that quickly formed composites made of a flexible resin with high concentrations of powdered spherical metal alloys provide effective custom-designed shielding, and, with a thin overlayer of the resin without metal, a diminished back-scattered radiation dose to normal tissues. An example of a successful formulation is a mixture of 90% by weight Ag-Cu alloy powder in a vinyl polysiloxane resin. This material is a moldable putty which, upon polymerization, forms a rigid elastomeric material, providing a half-value layer of approximately 2.5 to 2.8 cm for a gamma-ray beam from a 60Co source.

Use of π-π forces to steer the assembly of a NTA complex of Cu(II) into hydrogen bonded supramolecular layers (H 3NTA = nitrilotriacetic acid)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dey, Biswajit; Choudhury, Somnath Ray; Suresh, Eringathodi; Jana, Atish Dipankar; Mukhopadhyay, Subrata

2009-03-01

We propose a crystal engineering principle where we show that it might be possible to direct the organization of molecular complexes into hydrogen bonded supramolecular layers through the use of suitable co-ligands possessing both the hydrogen-bonding as well as π-π stacking capability. This principle has been tested for the organization of [Cu(NTA) 2] units (H 3NTA = nitrilotriacetic acid, N(CH 2CO 2H) 3) in the molecular complex with formula (2-A-PH) 4[Cu(NTA) 2]·6H 2O ( 1), where 2-A-PH is protonated 2-amino-4-picoline. In 1, the 2-amino-4-picoline co-ligands have been utilized to direct the organization of [Cu(NTA) 2] units into hydrogen bonded layers. The linear stacking of π-π bonded protonated 2-amino-4-picoline molecules can be thought as the influencing agent for the organization of [Cu(NTA) 2] units into hydrogen bonded layers.

Self-assembly of dodecaphenyl POSS thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handke, Bartosz; Klita, Łukasz; Niemiec, Wiktor

2017-12-01

The self-assembly abilities of Dodecaphenyl Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane thin films on Si(1 0 0) surfaces were studied. Due to their thermal properties - relatively low sublimation temperature and preservation of molecular structure - cage type silsesquioxanes are ideal material for the preparation of a thin films by Physical Vapor Deposition. The Ultra-High Vacuum environment and the deposition precision of the PVD method enable the study of early stages of thin film growth and its molecular organization. X-ray Reflectivity and Atomic Force Microscopy measurements allow to pursuit size-effects in the structure of thin films with thickness ranges from less than a single molecular layer up to several tens of layers. Thermal treatment of the thin films triggered phase change: from a poorly ordered polycrystalline film into a well-ordered multilayer structure. Self-assembly of the layers is the effect of the π-stacking of phenyl rings, which force molecules to arrange in a superlattice, forming stacks of alternating organic-inorganic layers.

Band-edges and band-gap in few-layered transition metal dichalcogenides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhunia, Hrishikesh; Pal, Amlan J.

2018-05-01

We have considered liquid-exfoliated transition metal dichalcogenides (WS2, WSe2, MoS2, and MoSe2) and studied their band-edges and band-gap through scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) and density of states. A monolayer, bilayer (2L), and trilayer (3L) of each of the layered materials were characterized to derive the energies. Upon an increase in the number of layers, both the band-edges were found to shift towards the Fermi energy. The results from the exfoliated nanosheets have been compared with reported STS studies of MoS2 and WSe2 formed through chemical vapor deposition or molecular beam epitaxy methods; an uncontrolled lattice strain existed in such 2L and 3L nanoflakes due to mismatch in stacking-patterns between the monolayers affecting their energies. In the present work, the layers formed through the liquid-exfoliation process retained their interlayer coupling or stacking-sequence prevalent to the bulk and hence allowed determination of band-energies in these strain-free two-dimensional materials.

Total Scattering Analysis of Disordered Nanosheet Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metz, Peter C.

Two dimensional materials are of increasing interest as building blocks for functional coatings, catalysts, and electrochemical devices. While increasingly sophisticated processing routes have been designed to obtain high-quality exfoliated nanosheets and controlled, self-assembled mesostructures, structural characterization of these materials remains challenging. This work presents a novel method of analyzing pair distribution function (PDF) data for disordered nanosheet ensembles, where supercell stacking models are used to infer atom correlations over as much as 50 A. Hierarchical models are used to reduce the parameter space of the refined model and help eliminate strongly correlated parameters. Three data sets for restacked nanosheet assemblies with stacking disorder are analyzed using these methods: simulated data for graphene-like layers, experimental data for 1 nm thick perovskite layers, and experimental data for highly defective delta-MnO2 layers. In each case, the sensitivity of the PDF to the real-space distribution of layer positions is demonstrated by exploring the fit residual as a function of stacking vectors. The refined models demonstrate that nanosheets tend towards local interlayer ordering, which is hypothesized to be driven by the electrostatic potential of the layer surfaces. Correctly accounting for interlayer atom correlations permits more accurate refinement of local structural details including local structure perturbations and defect site occupancies. In the delta-MnO2 nanosheet material, the new modeling approach identified 14% Mn vacancies while application of 3D periodic crystalline models to the < 7 A PDF region suggests a 25% vacancy concentration. In contrast, the perovskite nanosheet material is demonstrated to exhibit almost negligible structural relaxation in contrast with the bulk crystalline material from which it is derived.

Stacked Metal Silicide/Silicon Far-Infrared Detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maserjian, Joseph

1988-01-01

Selective doping of silicon in proposed metal silicide/silicon Schottky-barrier infrared photodetector increases maximum detectable wavelength. Stacking layers to form multiple Schottky barriers increases quantum efficiency of detector. Detectors of new type enhance capabilities of far-infrared imaging arrays. Grows by molecular-beam epitaxy on silicon waferscontaining very-large-scale integrated circuits. Imaging arrays of detectors made in monolithic units with image-preprocessing circuitry.

Injected carrier concentration dependence of the expansion of single Shockley-type stacking faults in 4H-SiC PiN diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tawara, T.; Matsunaga, S.; Fujimoto, T.; Ryo, M.; Miyazato, M.; Miyazawa, T.; Takenaka, K.; Miyajima, M.; Otsuki, A.; Yonezawa, Y.; Kato, T.; Okumura, H.; Kimoto, T.; Tsuchida, H.

2018-01-01

We investigated the relationship between the dislocation velocity and the injected carrier concentration on the expansion of single Shockley-type stacking faults by monitoring the electroluminescence from 4H-SiC PiN diodes with various anode Al concentrations. The injected carrier concentration was calculated using a device simulation that took into account the measured accumulated charge in the drift layer during diode turn-off. The dislocation velocity was strongly dependent on the injected hole concentration, which represents the excess carrier concentration. The activation energy of the dislocation velocity was quite small (below 0.001 eV between 310 and 386 K) over a fixed range of hole concentrations. The average threshold hole concentration required for the expansion of bar-shaped single Shockley-type stacking faults at the interface between the buffer layer and the substrate was determined to be 1.6-2.5 × 1016 cm-3 for diodes with a p-type epitaxial anode with various Al concentrations.

Manipulation of domain-wall solitons in bi- and trilayer graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Lili; Wang, Sheng; Shi, Zhiwen; Jin, Chenhao; Utama, M. Iqbal Bakti; Zhao, Sihan; Shen, Yuen-Ron; Gao, Hong-Jun; Zhang, Guangyu; Wang, Feng

2018-01-01

Topological dislocations and stacking faults greatly affect the performance of functional crystalline materials1-3. Layer-stacking domain walls (DWs) in graphene alter its electronic properties and give rise to fascinating new physics such as quantum valley Hall edge states4-10. Extensive efforts have been dedicated to the engineering of dislocations to obtain materials with advanced properties. However, the manipulation of individual dislocations to precisely control the local structure and local properties of bulk material remains an outstanding challenge. Here we report the manipulation of individual layer-stacking DWs in bi- and trilayer graphene by means of a local mechanical force exerted by an atomic force microscope tip. We demonstrate experimentally the capability to move, erase and split individual DWs as well as annihilate or create closed-loop DWs. We further show that the DW motion is highly anisotropic, offering a simple approach to create solitons with designed atomic structures. Most artificially created DW structures are found to be stable at room temperature.

Impacts of Annealing Conditions on the Flat Band Voltage of Alternate La2O3/Al2O3 Multilayer Stack Structures.

PubMed

Feng, Xing-Yao; Liu, Hong-Xia; Wang, Xing; Zhao, Lu; Fei, Chen-Xi; Liu, He-Lei

2016-12-01

The mechanism of flat band voltage (VFB) shift for alternate La2O3/Al2O3 multilayer stack structures in different annealing condition is investigated. The samples were prepared for alternate multilayer structures, which were annealed in different conditions. The capacitance-voltage (C-V) measuring results indicate that the VFB of samples shift negatively for thinner bottom Al2O3 layer, increasing annealing temperature or longer annealing duration. Simultaneously, the diffusion of high-k material to interfaces in different multilayer structures and annealing conditions is observed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Based on the dipole theory, a correlation between the diffusion effect of La towards bottom Al2O3/Si interface and VFB shift is found. Without changing the dielectric constant k of films, VFB shift can be manipulated by controlling the single-layer cycles and annealing conditions of alternate high-k multilayer stack.

High quantum efficiency and low dark count rate in multi-layer superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jafari Salim, A., E-mail: ajafaris@uwaterloo.ca; Eftekharian, A.; University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1

In this paper, we theoretically show that a multi-layer superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) is capable of approaching characteristics of an ideal SNSPD in terms of the quantum efficiency, dark count, and band-width. A multi-layer structure improves the performance in two ways. First, the potential barrier for thermally activated vortex crossing, which is the major source of dark counts and the reduction of the critical current in SNSPDs is elevated. In a multi-layer SNSPD, a vortex is made of 2D-pancake vortices that form a stack. It will be shown that the stack of pancake vortices effectively experiences a larger potentialmore » barrier compared to a vortex in a single-layer SNSPD. This leads to an increase in the experimental critical current as well as significant decrease in the dark count rate. In consequence, an increase in the quantum efficiency for photons of the same energy or an increase in the sensitivity to photons of lower energy is achieved. Second, a multi-layer structure improves the efficiency of single-photon absorption by increasing the effective optical thickness without compromising the single-photon sensitivity.« less

Solid-state dewetting of Au-Ni bi-layer films mediated through individual layer thickness and stacking sequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herz, Andreas; Theska, Felix; Rossberg, Diana; Kups, Thomas; Wang, Dong; Schaaf, Peter

2018-06-01

In the present work, the solid-state dewetting of Au-Ni bi-layer thin films deposited on SiO2/Si is systematically studied with respect to individual layer thickness and stacking sequence. For this purpose, a rapid heat treatment at medium temperatures is applied in order to examine void formation at the early stages of the dewetting. Compositional variations are realized by changing the thickness ratio of the bi-layer films, while the total thickness is maintained at 20 nm throughout the study. In the event of Au/Ni films annealed at 500 °C, crystal voids exposing the substrate are missing regardless of chemical composition. In reverse order, the number of voids per unit area in two-phase Au-Ni thin films is found to be governed by the amount of Au-rich material. At higher temperatures up to 650 °C, a decreased probability of nucleation comes at the expense of a major portion of cavities, resulting in the formation of bubbles in 15 nm Ni/5 nm Au bi-layers. Film buckling predominantly occurred at phase boundaries crossing the bubbles.

A vacancy-modulated self-selective resistive switching memory with pronounced nonlinear behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Haili; Feng, Jie; Gao, Tian; Zhu, Xi

2017-12-01

In this study, we report a self-selective (nonlinear) resistive switching memory cell, with high on-state half-bias nonlinearity of 650, sub-μA operating current, and high On/Off ratios above 100×. Regarding the cell structure, a thermal oxidized HfO x layer in combination with a sputtered Ta2O5 layer was configured as an active stack, with Pt and Hf as top and bottom electrodes, respectively. The Ta2O5 acts as a selective layer as well as a series resistor, which could make the resistive switching happened in HfO x layer. Through the analysis of the physicochemical properties and electrical conduction mechanisms at each state, a vacancy-modulated resistance switching model was proposed to explain the switching behavior. The conductivity of HfO x layer was changed by polarity-dependent drift of the oxygen vacancy ( V o), resulting in an electron hopping distance change during switching. With the help of Ta2O5 selective layer, high nonlinearity observed in low resistance state. The proposed material stack shows a promising prospect to act as a self-selective cell for 3D vertical RRAM application.

An investigation of green iridescence on the mollusc Patella granatina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brink, D. J.; van der Berg, N. G.

2005-01-01

In this paper we investigate the relatively rare phenomenon of iridescence on the outer surface of seashells (not the well known pearly inner surfaces). Using reflection spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy we show that rows of iridescent green spots on the mollusc Patella granatina are caused by a thin-film stack buried about 100 µm below the rough outer surface of the shell. The high-density layers in the stack seem to be made of crystalline aragonite, but according to Raman spectroscopy and ellipsometry measurements the low-density layers as well as the bulk of the shell wall are a mixture of porous aragonite and organic materials such as carotenoids.

Dual-band absorption of mid-infrared metamaterial absorber based on distinct dielectric spacing layers.

PubMed

Zhang, Nan; Zhou, Peiheng; Cheng, Dengmu; Weng, Xiaolong; Xie, Jianliang; Deng, Longjiang

2013-04-01

We present the simulation, fabrication, and characterization of a dual-band metamaterial absorber in the mid-infrared regime. Two pairs of circular-patterned metal-dielectric stacks are employed to excite the dual-band absorption peaks. Dielectric characteristics of the dielectric spacing layer determine energy dissipation in each resonant stack, i.e., dielectric or ohmic loss. By controlling material parameters, both two mechanisms are introduced into our structure. Up to 98% absorption is obtained at 9.03 and 13.32 μm in the simulation, which is in reasonable agreement with experimental results. The proposed structure holds promise for various applications, e.g., thermal radiation modulators and multicolor infrared focal plane arrays.

Wishart Deep Stacking Network for Fast POLSAR Image Classification.

PubMed

Jiao, Licheng; Liu, Fang

2016-05-11

Inspired by the popular deep learning architecture - Deep Stacking Network (DSN), a specific deep model for polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (POLSAR) image classification is proposed in this paper, which is named as Wishart Deep Stacking Network (W-DSN). First of all, a fast implementation of Wishart distance is achieved by a special linear transformation, which speeds up the classification of POLSAR image and makes it possible to use this polarimetric information in the following Neural Network (NN). Then a single-hidden-layer neural network based on the fast Wishart distance is defined for POLSAR image classification, which is named as Wishart Network (WN) and improves the classification accuracy. Finally, a multi-layer neural network is formed by stacking WNs, which is in fact the proposed deep learning architecture W-DSN for POLSAR image classification and improves the classification accuracy further. In addition, the structure of WN can be expanded in a straightforward way by adding hidden units if necessary, as well as the structure of the W-DSN. As a preliminary exploration on formulating specific deep learning architecture for POLSAR image classification, the proposed methods may establish a simple but clever connection between POLSAR image interpretation and deep learning. The experiment results tested on real POLSAR image show that the fast implementation of Wishart distance is very efficient (a POLSAR image with 768000 pixels can be classified in 0.53s), and both the single-hidden-layer architecture WN and the deep learning architecture W-DSN for POLSAR image classification perform well and work efficiently.

Two-dimensional GaSe/MoSe2 misfit bilayer heterojunctions by van der Waals epitaxy.

PubMed

Li, Xufan; Lin, Ming-Wei; Lin, Junhao; Huang, Bing; Puretzky, Alexander A; Ma, Cheng; Wang, Kai; Zhou, Wu; Pantelides, Sokrates T; Chi, Miaofang; Kravchenko, Ivan; Fowlkes, Jason; Rouleau, Christopher M; Geohegan, David B; Xiao, Kai

2016-04-01

Two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures hold the promise for future atomically thin electronics and optoelectronics because of their diverse functionalities. Although heterostructures consisting of different 2D materials with well-matched lattices and novel physical properties have been successfully fabricated via van der Waals (vdW) epitaxy, constructing heterostructures from layered semiconductors with large lattice misfits remains challenging. We report the growth of 2D GaSe/MoSe2 heterostructures with a large lattice misfit using two-step chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Both vertically stacked and lateral heterostructures are demonstrated. The vertically stacked GaSe/MoSe2 heterostructures exhibit vdW epitaxy with well-aligned lattice orientation between the two layers, forming a periodic superlattice. However, the lateral heterostructures exhibit no lateral epitaxial alignment at the interface between GaSe and MoSe2 crystalline domains. Instead of a direct lateral connection at the boundary region where the same lattice orientation is observed between GaSe and MoSe2 monolayer domains in lateral GaSe/MoSe2 heterostructures, GaSe monolayers are found to overgrow MoSe2 during CVD, forming a stripe of vertically stacked vdW heterostructures at the crystal interface. Such vertically stacked vdW GaSe/MoSe2 heterostructures are shown to form p-n junctions with effective transport and separation of photogenerated charge carriers between layers, resulting in a gate-tunable photovoltaic response. These GaSe/MoSe2 vdW heterostructures should have applications as gate-tunable field-effect transistors, photodetectors, and solar cells.

Two-dimensional GaSe/MoSe2 misfit bilayer heterojunctions by van der Waals epitaxy

PubMed Central

Li, Xufan; Lin, Ming-Wei; Lin, Junhao; Huang, Bing; Puretzky, Alexander A.; Ma, Cheng; Wang, Kai; Zhou, Wu; Pantelides, Sokrates T.; Chi, Miaofang; Kravchenko, Ivan; Fowlkes, Jason; Rouleau, Christopher M.; Geohegan, David B.; Xiao, Kai

2016-01-01

Two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures hold the promise for future atomically thin electronics and optoelectronics because of their diverse functionalities. Although heterostructures consisting of different 2D materials with well-matched lattices and novel physical properties have been successfully fabricated via van der Waals (vdW) epitaxy, constructing heterostructures from layered semiconductors with large lattice misfits remains challenging. We report the growth of 2D GaSe/MoSe2 heterostructures with a large lattice misfit using two-step chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Both vertically stacked and lateral heterostructures are demonstrated. The vertically stacked GaSe/MoSe2 heterostructures exhibit vdW epitaxy with well-aligned lattice orientation between the two layers, forming a periodic superlattice. However, the lateral heterostructures exhibit no lateral epitaxial alignment at the interface between GaSe and MoSe2 crystalline domains. Instead of a direct lateral connection at the boundary region where the same lattice orientation is observed between GaSe and MoSe2 monolayer domains in lateral GaSe/MoSe2 heterostructures, GaSe monolayers are found to overgrow MoSe2 during CVD, forming a stripe of vertically stacked vdW heterostructures at the crystal interface. Such vertically stacked vdW GaSe/MoSe2 heterostructures are shown to form p-n junctions with effective transport and separation of photogenerated charge carriers between layers, resulting in a gate-tunable photovoltaic response. These GaSe/MoSe2 vdW heterostructures should have applications as gate-tunable field-effect transistors, photodetectors, and solar cells. PMID:27152356

IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO NUCLEAR REACTOR CORE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bell, F.R.

1963-03-01

A nuclear reactor core composed of a number of stacked horizontal layers is described. Each layer is made up of elements of moderator material of equal height and of generally hexagonal cross-section. Each element has holes containing nuclear fuel and separate ones for coolant. (C.E.S.)

In Situ Ramp Anneal X-ray Diffraction Study of Atomic Layer Deposited Ultrathin TaN and Ta 1-x Al x N y Films for Cu Diffusion Barrier Applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Consiglio, S.; Dey, S.; Yu, K.

2016-01-01

Ultrathin TaN and Ta 1-xAl xN y films with x = 0.21 to 0.88 were deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and evaluated for Cu diffusion barrier effectiveness compared to physical vapor deposition (PVD) grown TaN. Cu diffusion barrier effectiveness was investigated using in-situ ramp anneal synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) on Cu/1.8 nm barrier/Si stacks. A Kissinger-like analysis was used to assess the kinetics of Cu 3Si formation and determine the effective activation energy (E a) for Cu silicidation. Compared to the stack with a PVD TaN barrier, the stacks with the ALD films exhibited a higher crystallization temperature (Tmore » c) for Cu silicidation. The Ea values of Cu 3Si formation for stacks with the ALD films were close to the reported value for grain boundary diffusion of Cu whereas the Ea of Cu 3Si formation for the stack with PVD TaN is closer to the reported value for lattice diffusion. For 3 nm films, grazing incidence in-plane XRD showed evidence of nanocrystallites in an amorphous matrix with broad peaks corresponding to high density cubic phase for the ALD grown films and lower density hexagonal phase for the PVD grown film further elucidating the difference in initial failure mechanisms due to differences in barrier crystallinity and associated phase.« less

Method to fabricate layered material compositions

DOEpatents

Fleming, James G.; Lin, Shawn-Yu

2004-11-02

A new class of processes suited to the fabrication of layered material compositions is disclosed. Layered material compositions are typically three-dimensional structures which can be decomposed into a stack of structured layers. The best known examples are the photonic lattices. The present invention combines the characteristic features of photolithography and chemical-mechanical polishing to permit the direct and facile fabrication of, e.g., photonic lattices having photonic bandgaps in the 0.1-20.mu. spectral range.

Weak Van der Waals Stacking, Wide-Range Band Gap, and Raman Study on Ultrathin Layers of Metal Phosphorus Trichalcogenides.

PubMed

Du, Ke-zhao; Wang, Xing-zhi; Liu, Yang; Hu, Peng; Utama, M Iqbal Bakti; Gan, Chee Kwan; Xiong, Qihua; Kloc, Christian

2016-02-23

2D semiconducting metal phosphorus trichalcogenides, particularly the bulk crystals of MPS3 (M = Fe, Mn, Ni, Cd and Zn) sulfides and MPSe3 (M = Fe and Mn) selenides, have been synthesized, crystallized and exfoliated into monolayers. The Raman spectra of monolayer FePS3 and 3-layer FePSe3 show the strong intralayer vibrations and structural stability of the atomically thin layers under ambient condition. The band gaps can be adjusted by element choices in the range of 1.3-3.5 eV. The wide-range band gaps suggest their optoelectronic applications in a broad wavelength range. The calculated cleavage energies of MPS3 are smaller than that of graphite. Therefore, the monolayers used for building of heterostructures by van der Waals stacking could be considered as the candidates for artificial 2D materials with unusual ferroelectric and magnetic properties.

2D Heterostructure coatings of hBN-MoS2 layers for corrosion resistance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vandana, Sajith; Kochat, Vidya; Lee, Jonghoon; Varshney, Vikas; Yazdi, Sadegh; Shen, Jianfeng; Kosolwattana, Suppanat; Vinod, Soumya; Vajtai, Robert; Roy, Ajit K.; Sekhar Tiwary, Chandra; Ajayan, P. M.

2017-02-01

Heterostructures of atomically thin 2D materials could have improved physical, mechanical and chemical properties as compared to its individual components. Here we report, the effect of heterostructure coatings of hBN and MoS2 on the corrosion behavior as compared to coatings employing the individual 2D layer compositions. The poor corrosion resistance of MoS2 (widely used as wear resistant coating) can be improved by incorporating hBN sheets. Depending on the atomic stacking of the 2D sheets, we can further engineer the corrosion resistance properties of these coatings. A detailed spectroscopy and microscopy analysis has been used to characterize the different combinations of layered coatings. Detailed DFT based calculation reveals that the effect on the electrical properties due to atomic stacking is one of the major reasons for the improvement seen in corrosion resistance.

Hybrid composite laminates reinforced with Kevlar/carbon/glass woven fabrics for ballistic impact testing.

PubMed

Randjbaran, Elias; Zahari, Rizal; Jalil, Nawal Aswan Abdul; Majid, Dayang Laila Abang Abdul

2014-01-01

Current study reported a facile method to investigate the effects of stacking sequence layers of hybrid composite materials on ballistic energy absorption by running the ballistic test at the high velocity ballistic impact conditions. The velocity and absorbed energy were accordingly calculated as well. The specimens were fabricated from Kevlar, carbon, and glass woven fabrics and resin and were experimentally investigated under impact conditions. All the specimens possessed equal mass, shape, and density; nevertheless, the layers were ordered in different stacking sequence. After running the ballistic test at the same conditions, the final velocities of the cylindrical AISI 4340 Steel pellet showed how much energy was absorbed by the samples. The energy absorption of each sample through the ballistic impact was calculated; accordingly, the proper ballistic impact resistance materials could be found by conducting the test. This paper can be further studied in order to characterise the material properties for the different layers.

Electronic Structure of ABC-stacked Multilayer Graphene and Trigonal Warping:A First Principles Calculation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yelgel, Celal

2016-04-01

We present an extensive density functional theory (DFT) based investigation of the electronic structures of ABC-stacked N-layer graphene. It is found that for such systems the dispersion relations of the highest valence and the lowest conduction bands near the K point in the Brillouin zone are characterised by a mixture of cubic, parabolic, and linear behaviours. When the number of graphene layers is increased to more than three, the separation between the valence and conduction bands decreases up until they touch each other. For five and six layer samples these bands show flat behaviour close to the K point. We note that all states in the vicinity of the Fermi energy are surface states originated from the top and/or bottom surface of all the systems considered. For the trilayer system, N = 3, pronounced trigonal warping of the bands slightly above the Fermi level is directly obtained from DFT calculations.

Photonic devices on planar and curved substrates and methods for fabrication thereof

DOEpatents

Bartl, Michael H.; Barhoum, Moussa; Riassetto, David

2016-08-02

A versatile and rapid sol-gel technique for the fabrication of high quality one-dimensional photonic bandgap materials. For example, silica/titania multi-layer materials may be fabricated by a sol-gel chemistry route combined with dip-coating onto planar or curved substrate. A shock-cooling step immediately following the thin film heat-treatment process is introduced. This step was found important in the prevention of film crack formation--especially in silica/titania alternating stack materials with a high number of layers. The versatility of this sol-gel method is demonstrated by the fabrication of various Bragg stack-type materials with fine-tuned optical properties by tailoring the number and sequence of alternating layers, the film thickness and the effective refractive index of the deposited thin films. Measured optical properties show good agreement with theoretical simulations confirming the high quality of these sol-gel fabricated optical materials.

Transmission electron microscopy of AlGaAs/GaAs quantum cascade laser structures.

PubMed

Walther, T; Krysa, A B

2017-12-01

Quantum cascade lasers can be efficient infrared radiation sources and consist of several hundreds of very thin layers arranged in stacks that are repeated periodically. Both the thicknesses of the individual layers as well as the period lengths need to be monitored to high precision. Different transmission electron microscopy methods have been combined to analyse AlGaAs/GaAs quantum cascade laser structures in cross-section. We found a small parabolic variation of the growth rate during deposition, affecting the stack periodicity and a reduced aluminium content of the AlGaAs barriers, whereas their widths as well as those of the GaAs quantum wells agreed with the nominal values within one atomic layer. Growth on an offcut substrate led to facets and steps at the interfaces. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2017 Royal Microscopical Society.

Fabrication of artificially stacked ultrathin ZnS/MgF2 multilayer dielectric optical filters.

PubMed

Kedawat, Garima; Srivastava, Subodh; Jain, Vipin Kumar; Kumar, Pawan; Kataria, Vanjula; Agrawal, Yogyata; Gupta, Bipin Kumar; Vijay, Yogesh K

2013-06-12

We report a design and fabrication strategy for creating an artificially stacked multilayered optical filters using a thermal evaporation technique. We have selectively chosen a zinc sulphide (ZnS) lattice for the high refractive index (n = 2.35) layer and a magnesium fluoride (MgF2) lattice as the low refractive index (n = 1.38) layer. Furthermore, the microstructures of the ZnS/MgF2 multilayer films are also investigated through TEM and HRTEM imaging. The fabricated filters consist of high and low refractive 7 and 13 alternating layers, which exhibit a reflectance of 89.60% and 99%, respectively. The optical microcavity achieved an average transmittance of 85.13% within the visible range. The obtained results suggest that these filters could be an exceptional choice for next-generation antireflection coatings, high-reflection mirrors, and polarized interference filters.

Nonlinear pulse propagation in one-dimensional metal-dielectric multilayer stacks: ultrawide bandwidth optical limiting.

PubMed

Scalora, Michael; Mattiucci, Nadia; D'Aguanno, Giuseppe; Larciprete, MariaCristina; Bloemer, Mark J

2006-01-01

We numerically study the nonlinear optical properties of metal-dielectric photonic band gap structures in the pulsed regime. We exploit the high chi3 of copper metal to induce nonlinear effects such as broadband optical limiting, self-phase modulation, and unusual spectral narrowing of high intensity pulses. We show that in a single pass through a typical, chirped multilayer stack nonlinear transmittance and peak powers can be reduced by nearly two orders of magnitude compared to low light intensity levels across the entire visible range. Chirping dielectric layer thickness dramatically improves the linear transmittance through the stack and achieves large fields inside the copper to access the large nonlinearity. At the same time, the linear properties of the stack block most of the remaining electromagnetic spectrum.

Nanocarbon: Defect Architectures and Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vuong, Amanda

The allotropes of carbon make its solid phases amongst the most diverse of any element. It can occur naturally as graphite and diamond, which have very different properties that make them suitable for a wide range of technological and commercial purposes. Recent developments in synthetic carbon include Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG) and nano-carbons, such as fullerenes, nanotubes and graphene. The main industrial application of bulk graphite is as an electrode material in steel production, but in purified nuclear graphite form, it is also used as a moderator in Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors across the United Kingdom. Both graphene and graphite are damaged over time when subjected to bombardment by electrons, neutrons or ions, and these have a wide range of effects on their physical and electrical properties, depending on the radiation flux and temperature. This research focuses on intrinsic defects in graphene and dimensional change in nuclear graphite. The method used here is computational chemistry, which complements physical experiments. Techniques used comprise of density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD), which are discussed in chapter 2 and chapter 3, respectively. The succeeding chapters describe the results of simulations performed to model defects in graphene and graphite. Chapter 4 presents the results of ab initio DFT calculations performed to investigate vacancy complexes that are formed in AA stacked bilayer graphene. In AB stacking, carbon atoms surrounding the lattice vacancies can form interlayer structures with sp2 bonding that are lower in energy compared to in-plane reconstructions. From the investigation of AA stacking, sp2 interlayer bonding of adjacent multivacancy defects in registry creates a type of stable sp2 bonded wormhole between the layers. Also, a new class of mezzanine structure characterised by sp3 interlayer bonding, resembling a prismatic vacancy loop has also been identified. The mezzanine, which is a V6 hexavacancy variant, where six sp3 carbon atoms sit midway between two carbon layers and bond to both, is substantially more stable than any other vacancy aggregate in AA stacked layers. Chapter 5 presents the results of ab initio DFT calculations performed to investigate the wormhole and mezzanine defect that were identified in chapter 4 and the ramp defect discovered by Trevethan et al.. DFT calculations were performed on these defects in twisted bilayer graphene. From the investigation of vacancy complexes in twisted bilayer graphene, it is found that vacancy complexes are unstable in the twisted region and are more favourable in formation energy when the stacking arrangement is close to AA or AB stacking. It has also been discovered that the ramp defect is more stable in the twisted bilayer graphene compared to the mezzanine defect. Chapter 6 presents the results of ab initio DFT calculations performed to investigate a form of extending defect, prismatic edge dislocation. Suarez-Martinez et al.'s research suggest the armchair core is disconnected from any other layer, whilst the zigzag core is connected. In the investigation here, the curvature of the mezzanine defect allows it to swing between the armchair, zigzag and Klein in the AA stacking. For the AB stacking configuration, the armchair and zigzag core are connected from any other layer. Chapter 7 present results of MD simulations using the adaptive intermolecular reactive empirical bond order (AIREBO) potential to investigate the dimensional change of graphite due to the formation of vacancies present in a single crystal. It has been identified that there is an expansion along the c-axis, whilst a contraction along the a- and b- axes due to the coalescence of vacancy forming in-plane and between the layers. The results here are in good agreement with experimental studies of low temperature irradiation. The final chapter gives conclusions to this work.

Diffusion reaction of oxygen in HfO2/SiO2/Si stacks.

PubMed

Ferrari, S; Fanciulli, M

2006-08-03

We study the oxidation mechanism of silicon in the presence of a thin HfO2 layer. We performed a set of annealing in 18O2 atmosphere on HfO2/SiO2/Si stacks observing the 18O distribution in the SiO2 layer with time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The 18O distribution in HfO2/SiO2/Si stacks upon 18O2 annealing suggests that what is responsible for SiO2 growth is the molecular O2, whereas no contribution is found of the atomic oxygen to the oxidation. By studying the dependence of the oxidation velocity from oxygen partial pressure and annealing temperature, we demonstrate that the rate-determining step of the oxidation is the oxygen exchange at the HfO2/SiO2 interface. When moisture is chemisorbed in HfO2 films, the oxidation of the underlying silicon substrate becomes extremely fast and its kinetics can be described as a wet silicon oxidation process. The silicon oxidation during O2 annealing of the atomic layer deposited HfO2/Si is fast in its early stage due to chemisorbed moisture and becomes slow after the first 10 s.

Interface adjustment and exchange coupling in the IrMn/NiFe system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spizzo, F.; Tamisari, M.; Chinni, F.; Bonfiglioli, E.; Del Bianco, L.

2017-01-01

The exchange bias effect was investigated, in the 5-300 K temperature range, in samples of IrMn [100 Å]/NiFe [50 Å] (set A) and in samples with inverted layer-stacking sequence (set B), produced at room temperature by DC magnetron sputtering in a static magnetic field of 400 Oe. The samples of each set differ for the nominal thickness (tCu) of a Cu spacer, grown at the interface between the antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic layers, which was varied between 0 and 2 Å. It has been found out that the Cu insertion reduces the values of the exchange field and of the coercivity and can also affect their thermal evolution, depending on the stack configuration. Indeed, the latter also determines a peculiar variation of the exchange bias properties with time, shown and discussed with reference to the samples without Cu of the two sets. The results have been explained considering that, in this system, the exchange coupling mechanism is ruled by the glassy magnetic behavior of the IrMn spins located at the interface with the NiFe layer. Varying the stack configuration and tCu results in a modulation of the structural and magnetic features of the interface, which ultimately affects the spins dynamics of the glassy IrMn interfacial component.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kuz'mina, L. G., E-mail: kuzmina@igic.ras.ru; Kucherepa, N. S.; Rodnikova, M. N.

The molecular and crystal structures of two p-(alkoxybenzylidene)-p'-toluidines C{sub 5}H{sub 11}O-C{sub 6}H{sub 4}-CH=N-C{sub 6}H{sub 4}-CH{sub 3} (1) and C{sub 8}H{sub 17}O-C{sub 6}H{sub 4}-CH=N-C{sub 6}H{sub 4}-CH{sub 3} (2), which form the nematic phase upon melting, is determined by X-ray diffraction. The geometry of the benzylideneaniline fragments in molecules 1 and 2 is actually identical. The crystal packings of 1 and 2 are characterized by the alternation of layers formed by loosely packed aliphatic fragments of molecules and layers of closely packed aromatic fragments. The packing in the aromatic regions of 1 follows the parquet pattern. The crystal packing of 2 hasmore » a stacking structure, which is formed by {pi}-stacking dimers superimposed on one another. The formation of the mesogenic phase upon melting of crystals 1 is due to the disturbance of the structurality of loose aliphatic layers with retention of the structure of the aromatic regions, which are stabilized by the cooperative effect of weak directed C-H ... {pi}-system interactions. The mesogenic phase of crystals 2 is formed upon melting as a consequence of the retention of the structure of {pi}-stacking dimers.« less

Ti-Doped GaOx Resistive Switching Memory with Self-Rectifying Behavior by Using NbOx/Pt Bilayers.

PubMed

Park, Ju Hyun; Jeon, Dong Su; Kim, Tae Geun

2017-12-13

Crossbar arrays (CBAs) with resistive random access memory (ReRAM) constitute an established architecture for high-density memory. However, sneak paths via unselected cells increase the total power consumption of these devices and limit the array size. To eliminate such sneak-path problems, we propose a Ti/GaO x /NbO x /Pt structure with a self-rectifying resistive-switching (RS) behavior. In this structure, to reduce the operating voltage, we used a Ti/GaO x stack to increase the number of trap sites in the RS GaO x layer through interfacial reactions between the Ti and GaO x layers. This increase enables easier carrier transport with reduced electric fields. We then adopted a NbO x /Pt stack to add rectifying behavior to the RS GaO x layer. This behavior is a result of the large Schottky barrier height between the NbO x and Pt layers. Finally, both the Ti/GaO x and NbO x /Pt stacks were combined to realize a self-rectifying ReRAM device, which exhibited excellent performance. Characteristics of the device include a low operating voltage range (-2.8 to 2.5 V), high on/off ratios (∼20), high selectivity (∼10 4 ), high operating speeds (200-500 ns), a very low forming voltage (∼3 V), stable operation, and excellent uniformity for high-density CBA-based ReRAM applications.

Local receptive field constrained stacked sparse autoencoder for classification of hyperspectral images.

PubMed

Wan, Xiaoqing; Zhao, Chunhui

2017-06-01

As a competitive machine learning algorithm, the stacked sparse autoencoder (SSA) has achieved outstanding popularity in exploiting high-level features for classification of hyperspectral images (HSIs). In general, in the SSA architecture, the nodes between adjacent layers are fully connected and need to be iteratively fine-tuned during the pretraining stage; however, the nodes of previous layers further away may be less likely to have a dense correlation to the given node of subsequent layers. Therefore, to reduce the classification error and increase the learning rate, this paper proposes the general framework of locally connected SSA; that is, the biologically inspired local receptive field (LRF) constrained SSA architecture is employed to simultaneously characterize the local correlations of spectral features and extract high-level feature representations of hyperspectral data. In addition, the appropriate receptive field constraint is concurrently updated by measuring the spatial distances from the neighbor nodes to the corresponding node. Finally, the efficient random forest classifier is cascaded to the last hidden layer of the SSA architecture as a benchmark classifier. Experimental results on two real HSI datasets demonstrate that the proposed hierarchical LRF constrained stacked sparse autoencoder and random forest (SSARF) provides encouraging results with respect to other contrastive methods, for instance, the improvements of overall accuracy in a range of 0.72%-10.87% for the Indian Pines dataset and 0.74%-7.90% for the Kennedy Space Center dataset; moreover, it generates lower running time compared with the result provided by similar SSARF based methodology.

Stacked charge stripes in the quasi-2D trilayer nickelate La4Ni3O8

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Junjie; Chen, Yu-Sheng; Phelan, D.; Zheng, Hong; Norman, M. R.; Mitchell, J. F.

2016-08-01

The quasi-2D nickelate La4Ni3O8 (La-438), consisting of trilayer networks of square planar Ni ions, is a member of the so-called T' family, which is derived from the Ruddlesden-Popper (R-P) parent compound La4Ni3O10-x by removing two oxygen atoms and rearranging the rock salt layers to fluorite-type layers. Although previous studies on polycrystalline samples have identified a 105-K phase transition with a pronounced electronic and magnetic response but weak lattice character, no consensus on the origin of this transition has been reached. Here, we show using synchrotron X-ray diffraction on high-pO2 floating zone-grown single crystals that this transition is associated with a real space ordering of charge into a quasi-2D charge stripe ground state. The charge stripe superlattice propagation vector, q = (2/3, 0, 1), corresponds with that found in the related 1/3-hole doped single-layer R-P nickelate, La5/3Sr1/3NiO4 (LSNO-1/3; Ni2.33+), with orientation at 45° to the Ni-O bonds. The charge stripes in La-438 are weakly correlated along c to form a staggered ABAB stacking that reduces the Coulomb repulsion among the stripes. Surprisingly, however, we find that the charge stripes within each trilayer of La-438 are stacked in phase from one layer to the next, at odds with any simple Coulomb repulsion argument.

SEGR in SiO$${}_2$$ –Si$$_3$$ N$$_4$$ Stacks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Javanainen, Arto; Ferlet-Cavrois, Veronique; Bosser, Alexandre

2014-04-17

This work presents experimental SEGR data for MOS-devices, where the gate dielectrics are are made of stacked SiO 2–Si 3N 4 structures. Also a semi-empirical model for predicting the critical gate voltage in these structures under heavy-ion exposure is proposed. Then statistical interrelationship between SEGR cross-section data and simulated energy deposition probabilities in thin dielectric layers is discussed.

A disposable power source in resource-limited environments: A paper-based biobattery generating electricity from wastewater.

PubMed

Fraiwan, Arwa; Kwan, Landen; Choi, Seokheun

2016-11-15

We report a novel paper-based biobattery which generates power from microorganism-containing liquid derived from renewable and sustainable wastewater which is readily accessible in the local environment. The device fuses the art of origami and the technology of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and has the potential to shift the paradigm for flexible and stackable paper-based batteries by enabling exceptional electrical characteristics and functionalities. 3D, modular, and retractable battery stack is created from (i) 2D paper sheets through high degrees of folding and (ii) multifunctional layers sandwiched for MFC device configuration. The stack is based on ninja star-shaped origami design formed by eight MFC modular blades, which is retractable from sharp shuriken (closed) to round frisbee (opened). The microorganism-containing wastewater is added into an inlet of the closed battery stack and it is transported into each MFC module through patterned fluidic pathways in the paper layers. During operation, the battery stack is transformed into the round frisbee to connect eight MFC modules in series for improving the power output and simultaneously expose all air-cathodes to the air for their cathodic reactions. The device generates desired values of electrical current and potential for powering an LED for more than 20min. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Managing multiple image stacks from confocal laser scanning microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zerbe, Joerg; Goetze, Christian H.; Zuschratter, Werner

1999-05-01

A major goal in neuroanatomy is to obtain precise information about the functional organization of neuronal assemblies and their interconnections. Therefore, the analysis of histological sections frequently requires high resolution images in combination with an overview about the structure. To overcome this conflict we have previously introduced a software for the automatic acquisition of multiple image stacks (3D-MISA) in confocal laser scanning microscopy. Here, we describe a Windows NT based software for fast and easy navigation through the multiple images stacks (MIS-browser), the visualization of individual channels and layers and the selection of user defined subregions. In addition, the MIS browser provides useful tools for the visualization and evaluation of the datavolume, as for instance brightness and contrast corrections of individual layers and channels. Moreover, it includes a maximum intensity projection, panning and zoom in/out functions within selected channels or focal planes (x/y) and tracking along the z-axis. The import module accepts any tiff-format and reconstructs the original image arrangement after the user has defined the sequence of images in x/y and z and the number of channels. The implemented export module allows storage of user defined subregions (new single image stacks) for further 3D-reconstruction and evaluation.

Advanced Cu chemical displacement technique for SiO2-based electrochemical metallization ReRAM application.

PubMed

Chin, Fun-Tat; Lin, Yu-Hsien; You, Hsin-Chiang; Yang, Wen-Luh; Lin, Li-Min; Hsiao, Yu-Ping; Ko, Chum-Min; Chao, Tien-Sheng

2014-01-01

This study investigates an advanced copper (Cu) chemical displacement technique (CDT) with varying the chemical displacement time for fabricating Cu/SiO2-stacked resistive random-access memory (ReRAM). Compared with other Cu deposition methods, this CDT easily controls the interface of the Cu-insulator, the switching layer thickness, and the immunity of the Cu etching process, assisting the 1-transistor-1-ReRAM (1T-1R) structure and system-on-chip integration. The modulated shape of the Cu-SiO2 interface and the thickness of the SiO2 layer obtained by CDT-based Cu deposition on SiO2 were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The CDT-fabricated Cu/SiO2-stacked ReRAM exhibited lower operation voltages and more stable data retention characteristics than the control Cu/SiO2-stacked sample. As the Cu CDT processing time increased, the forming and set voltages of the CDT-fabricated Cu/SiO2-stacked ReRAM decreased. Conversely, decreasing the processing time reduced the on-state current and reset voltage while increasing the endurance switching cycle time. Therefore, the switching characteristics were easily modulated by Cu CDT, yielding a high performance electrochemical metallization (ECM)-type ReRAM.

Yeast community associated with the solid state fermentation of traditional Chinese Maotai-flavor liquor.

PubMed

Wu, Qun; Chen, Liangqiang; Xu, Yan

2013-09-02

Yeasts are the most important group of microorganisms contributing to liquor quality in the solid-state fermentation process of Chinese Maotai-flavor liquor. There occurred a complex yeast community structure during this process, including stages of Daqu (the starter) making, stacking fermentation on the ground and liquor fermentation in the pits. In the Daqu making stage, few yeast strains accumulated. However, the stacking fermentation stage accumulated nine yeast species with different physio-biochemical characteristics. But only four species kept dominant until liquor fermentation, which were Zygosaccharomyces bailii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pichia membranifaciens, and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, implying their important functions in liquor making. The four species tended to inhabit in different locations of the stack and pits during stacking and liquor fermentation, due to the condition heterogeneity of the solid-state fermentation, including the different fermentation temperature profiles and oxygen density in different locations. Moreover, yeast population was much larger in the upper layer than that in the middle and bottom layers in liquor fermentation, which was in accordance with the profile of reducing sugar consumption and ethanol production. This was a systematical investigation of yeast community structure dynamics in the Maotai-flavor liquor fermentation process. It would be of help to understand the fermentative mechanism in solid-state fermentation for Maotai-flavor liquor. © 2013.

Bond layer for a solid oxide fuel cell, and related processes and devices

DOEpatents

Wu, Jian; Striker, Todd-Michael; Renou, Stephane; Gaunt, Simon William

2017-03-21

An electrically-conductive layer of material having a composition comprising lanthanum and strontium is described. The material is characterized by a microstructure having bimodal porosity. Another concept in this disclosure relates to a solid oxide fuel cell attached to at least one cathode interconnect by a cathode bond layer. The bond layer includes a microstructure having bimodal porosity. A fuel cell stack which incorporates at least one of the cathode bond layers is also described herein, along with related processes for forming the cathode bond layer.

The Effects of Graphene Stacking on the Performance of Methane Sensor: A First-Principles Study on the Adsorption, Band Gap and Doping of Graphene

PubMed Central

Yang, Daoguo; Zhang, Guoqi; Chen, Liangbiao; Liu, Dongjing; Cai, Miao; Fan, Xuejun

2018-01-01

The effects of graphene stacking are investigated by comparing the results of methane adsorption energy, electronic performance, and the doping feasibility of five dopants (i.e., B, N, Al, Si, and P) via first-principles theory. Both zigzag and armchair graphenes are considered. It is found that the zigzag graphene with Bernal stacking has the largest adsorption energy on methane, while the armchair graphene with Order stacking is opposite. In addition, both the Order and Bernal stacked graphenes possess a positive linear relationship between adsorption energy and layer number. Furthermore, they always have larger adsorption energy in zigzag graphene. For electronic properties, the results show that the stacking effects on band gap are significant, but it does not cause big changes to band structure and density of states. In the comparison of distance, the average interlamellar spacing of the Order stacked graphene is the largest. Moreover, the adsorption effect is the result of the interactions between graphene and methane combined with the change of graphene’s structure. Lastly, the armchair graphene with Order stacking possesses the lowest formation energy in these five dopants. It could be the best choice for doping to improve the methane adsorption. PMID:29389860

The Effects of Graphene Stacking on the Performance of Methane Sensor: A First-Principles Study on the Adsorption, Band Gap and Doping of Graphene.

PubMed

Yang, Ning; Yang, Daoguo; Zhang, Guoqi; Chen, Liangbiao; Liu, Dongjing; Cai, Miao; Fan, Xuejun

2018-02-01

The effects of graphene stacking are investigated by comparing the results of methane adsorption energy, electronic performance, and the doping feasibility of five dopants (i.e., B, N, Al, Si, and P) via first-principles theory. Both zigzag and armchair graphenes are considered. It is found that the zigzag graphene with Bernal stacking has the largest adsorption energy on methane, while the armchair graphene with Order stacking is opposite. In addition, both the Order and Bernal stacked graphenes possess a positive linear relationship between adsorption energy and layer number. Furthermore, they always have larger adsorption energy in zigzag graphene. For electronic properties, the results show that the stacking effects on band gap are significant, but it does not cause big changes to band structure and density of states. In the comparison of distance, the average interlamellar spacing of the Order stacked graphene is the largest. Moreover, the adsorption effect is the result of the interactions between graphene and methane combined with the change of graphene's structure. Lastly, the armchair graphene with Order stacking possesses the lowest formation energy in these five dopants. It could be the best choice for doping to improve the methane adsorption.

X-ray and neutron total scattering analysis of Hy·(Bi0.2Ca0.55Sr0.25)(Ag0.25Na0.75)Nb3O10·xH2O perovskite nanosheet booklets with stacking disorder

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Metz, Peter; Koch, Robert; Cladek, Bernadette

Ion-exchanged Aurivillius materials form perovskite nanosheet booklets wherein well-defined bi-periodic sheets, with ~11.5 Å thickness, exhibit extensive stacking disorder. The perovskite layer contents were defined initially using combined synchrotron X-ray and neutron Rietveld refinement of the parent Aurivillius structure. The structure of the subsequently ion-exchanged material, which is disordered in its stacking sequence, is analyzed using both pair distribution function (PDF) analysis and recursive method simulations of the scattered intensity. Combined X-ray and neutron PDF refinement of supercell stacking models demonstrates sensitivity of the PDF to both perpendicular and transverse stacking vector components. Further, hierarchical ensembles of stacking models weightedmore » by a standard normal distribution are demonstrated to improve PDF fit over 1–25 Å. Recursive method simulations of the X-ray scattering profile demonstrate agreement between the real space stacking analysis and more conventional reciprocal space methods. The local structure of the perovskite sheet is demonstrated to relax only slightly from the Aurivillius structure after ion exchange.« less

Structure of ice crystallized from supercooled water

PubMed Central

Malkin, Tamsin L.; Murray, Benjamin J.; Brukhno, Andrey V.; Anwar, Jamshed; Salzmann, Christoph G.

2012-01-01

The freezing of water to ice is fundamentally important to fields as diverse as cloud formation to cryopreservation. At ambient conditions, ice is considered to exist in two crystalline forms: stable hexagonal ice and metastable cubic ice. Using X-ray diffraction data and Monte Carlo simulations, we show that ice that crystallizes homogeneously from supercooled water is neither of these phases. The resulting ice is disordered in one dimension and therefore possesses neither cubic nor hexagonal symmetry and is instead composed of randomly stacked layers of cubic and hexagonal sequences. We refer to this ice as stacking-disordered ice I. Stacking disorder and stacking faults have been reported earlier for metastable ice I, but only for ice crystallizing in mesopores and in samples recrystallized from high-pressure ice phases rather than in water droplets. Review of the literature reveals that almost all ice that has been identified as cubic ice in previous diffraction studies and generated in a variety of ways was most likely stacking-disordered ice I with varying degrees of stacking disorder. These findings highlight the need to reevaluate the physical and thermodynamic properties of this metastable ice as a function of the nature and extent of stacking disorder using well-characterized samples. PMID:22232652

Structure of ice crystallized from supercooled water.

PubMed

Malkin, Tamsin L; Murray, Benjamin J; Brukhno, Andrey V; Anwar, Jamshed; Salzmann, Christoph G

2012-01-24

The freezing of water to ice is fundamentally important to fields as diverse as cloud formation to cryopreservation. At ambient conditions, ice is considered to exist in two crystalline forms: stable hexagonal ice and metastable cubic ice. Using X-ray diffraction data and Monte Carlo simulations, we show that ice that crystallizes homogeneously from supercooled water is neither of these phases. The resulting ice is disordered in one dimension and therefore possesses neither cubic nor hexagonal symmetry and is instead composed of randomly stacked layers of cubic and hexagonal sequences. We refer to this ice as stacking-disordered ice I. Stacking disorder and stacking faults have been reported earlier for metastable ice I, but only for ice crystallizing in mesopores and in samples recrystallized from high-pressure ice phases rather than in water droplets. Review of the literature reveals that almost all ice that has been identified as cubic ice in previous diffraction studies and generated in a variety of ways was most likely stacking-disordered ice I with varying degrees of stacking disorder. These findings highlight the need to reevaluate the physical and thermodynamic properties of this metastable ice as a function of the nature and extent of stacking disorder using well-characterized samples.

Finite element analysis of multilayer DEAP stack-actuators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuhring, Stefan; Uhlenbusch, Dominik; Hoffstadt, Thorben; Maas, Jürgen

2015-04-01

Dielectric elastomers (DE) are thin polymer films belonging to the class of electroactive polymers (EAP). They are coated with compliant and conductive electrodes on each side, which make them performing a relative high amount of deformation with considerable force generation under the influence of an electric field. Because the realization of high electric fields with a limited voltage level requests single layer polymer films to be very thin, novel multilayer actuators are utilized to increase the absolute displacement and force. In case of a multilayer stack-actuator, many actuator films are mechanically stacked in series and electrically connected in parallel. Because there are different ways to design such a stack-actuator, this contribution considers an optimization of some design parameters using the finite element analysis (FEA), whereby the behavior and the actuation of a multilayer dielectric electroactive polymer (DEAP) stack-actuator can be improved. To describe the material behavior, first different material models are compared and necessary material parameters are identified by experiments. Furthermore, a FEA model of a DEAP film is presented, which is expanded to a multilayer DEAP stack-actuator model. Finally, the results of the FEA are discussed and conclusions for design rules of optimized stack-actuators are outlined.

Interlayer interactions in graphites.

PubMed

Chen, Xiaobin; Tian, Fuyang; Persson, Clas; Duan, Wenhui; Chen, Nan-xian

2013-11-06

Based on ab initio calculations of both the ABC- and AB-stacked graphites, interlayer potentials (i.e., graphene-graphene interaction) are obtained as a function of the interlayer spacing using a modified Möbius inversion method, and are used to calculate basic physical properties of graphite. Excellent consistency is observed between the calculated and experimental phonon dispersions of AB-stacked graphite, showing the validity of the interlayer potentials. More importantly, layer-related properties for nonideal structures (e.g., the exfoliation energy, cleave energy, stacking fault energy, surface energy, etc.) can be easily predicted from the interlayer potentials, which promise to be extremely efficient and helpful in studying van der Waals structures.

Lateral excitonic switching in vertically stacked quantum dots

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jarzynka, Jarosław R.; McDonald, Peter G.; Galbraith, Ian

2016-06-14

We show that the application of a vertical electric field to the Coulomb interacting system in stacked quantum dots leads to a 90° in-plane switching of charge probability distribution in contrast to a single dot, where no such switching exists. Results are obtained using path integral quantum Monte Carlo with realistic dot geometry, alloy composition, and piezo-electric potential profiles. The origin of the switching lies in the strain interactions between the stacked dots hence the need for more than one layer of dots. The lateral polarization and electric field dependence of the radiative lifetimes of the excitonic switch are alsomore » discussed.« less

Cell separator for use in bipolar-stack energy storage devices

DOEpatents

Mayer, Steven T.; Feikert, John H.; Kachmitter, James L.; Pekala, Richard W.

1995-01-01

An improved multi-cell electrochemical energy storage device, such as a battery, fuel cell, or double layer capacitor using a cell separator which allows cells to be stacked and interconnected with low electrical resistance and high reliability while maximizing packaging efficiency. By adding repeating cells, higher voltages can be obtained. The cell separator is formed by applying an organic adhesive on opposing surfaces of adjacent carbon electrodes or surfaces of aerogel electrodes of a pair of adjacent cells prior to or after pyrolysis thereof to form carbon aerogel electrodes. The cell separator is electronically conductive, but ionically isolating, preventing an electrolytic conduction path between adjacent cells in the stack.

Ab initio study of point defects near stacking faults in 3C-SiC

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xi, Jianqi; Liu, Bin; Zhang, Yanwen

Interactions between point defects and stacking faults in 3C-SiC are studied using an ab initio method based on density functional theory. The results show that the discontinuity of the stacking sequence considerably affects the configurations and behavior of intrinsic defects, especially in the case of silicon interstitials. The existence of an intrinsic stacking fault (missing a C-Si bilayer) shortens the distance between the tetrahedral-center site and its second-nearest-neighboring silicon layer, making the tetrahedral silicon interstitial unstable. Instead of a tetrahedral configuration with four C neighbors, a pyramid-like interstitial structure with a defect state within the band gap becomes a stablemore » configuration. In addition, orientation rotation occurs in the split interstitials that has diverse effects on the energy landscape of silicon and carbon split interstitials in the stacking fault region. Moreover, our analyses of ionic relaxation and electronic structure of vacancies show that the built-in strain field, owing to the existence of the stacking fault, makes the local environment around vacancies more complex than that in the bulk.« less

Ab initio study of point defects near stacking faults in 3C-SiC

DOE PAGES

Xi, Jianqi; Liu, Bin; Zhang, Yanwen; ...

2016-07-02

Interactions between point defects and stacking faults in 3C-SiC are studied using an ab initio method based on density functional theory. The results show that the discontinuity of the stacking sequence considerably affects the configurations and behavior of intrinsic defects, especially in the case of silicon interstitials. The existence of an intrinsic stacking fault (missing a C-Si bilayer) shortens the distance between the tetrahedral-center site and its second-nearest-neighboring silicon layer, making the tetrahedral silicon interstitial unstable. Instead of a tetrahedral configuration with four C neighbors, a pyramid-like interstitial structure with a defect state within the band gap becomes a stablemore » configuration. In addition, orientation rotation occurs in the split interstitials that has diverse effects on the energy landscape of silicon and carbon split interstitials in the stacking fault region. Moreover, our analyses of ionic relaxation and electronic structure of vacancies show that the built-in strain field, owing to the existence of the stacking fault, makes the local environment around vacancies more complex than that in the bulk.« less

Note: Resonance magnetoelectric interactions in laminate of FeCuNbSiB and multilayer piezoelectric stack for magnetic sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jianqiang; Lu, Caijiang; Xu, Changbao; Zhong, Ming

2015-09-01

This paper develops a simple miniature magnetoelectric (ME) laminate FeCuNbSiB/PZT-stack made up of magnetostrictive Fe73.5Cu1Nb3Si13.5B9 (FeCuNbSiB) foils and piezoelectric Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 (PZT) multilayer stack vibrator. Resonant ME interactions of FeCuNbSiB/PZT-stack with different layers of FeCuNbSiB foil (L) are investigated in detail. The experimental results show that the ME voltage coefficient reaches maximum value of 141.5 (V/cm Oe) for FeCuNbSiB/PZT-stack with L = 6. The AC-magnetic sensitivities can reach 524.29 mV/Oe and 1.8 mV/Oe under resonance 91.6 kHz and off-resonance 1 kHz, respectively. The FeCuNbSiB/PZT-stack can distinguish small dc-magnetic field of ˜9 nT. The results indicate that the proposed ME composites are very promising for the cheap room-temperature magnetic field sensing technology.

Application of preconditioned alternating direction method of multipliers in depth from focal stack

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Javidnia, Hossein; Corcoran, Peter

2018-03-01

Postcapture refocusing effect in smartphone cameras is achievable using focal stacks. However, the accuracy of this effect is totally dependent on the combination of the depth layers in the stack. The accuracy of the extended depth of field effect in this application can be improved significantly by computing an accurate depth map, which has been an open issue for decades. To tackle this issue, a framework is proposed based on a preconditioned alternating direction method of multipliers for depth from the focal stack and synthetic defocus application. In addition to its ability to provide high structural accuracy, the optimization function of the proposed framework can, in fact, converge faster and better than state-of-the-art methods. The qualitative evaluation has been done on 21 sets of focal stacks and the optimization function has been compared against five other methods. Later, 10 light field image sets have been transformed into focal stacks for quantitative evaluation purposes. Preliminary results indicate that the proposed framework has a better performance in terms of structural accuracy and optimization in comparison to the current state-of-the-art methods.

Layer-by-layer assembly of two-dimensional materials into wafer-scale heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Kibum; Lee, Kan-Heng; Han, Yimo; Gao, Hui; Xie, Saien; Muller, David A.; Park, Jiwoong

2017-10-01

High-performance semiconductor films with vertical compositions that are designed to atomic-scale precision provide the foundation for modern integrated circuitry and novel materials discovery. One approach to realizing such films is sequential layer-by-layer assembly, whereby atomically thin two-dimensional building blocks are vertically stacked, and held together by van der Waals interactions. With this approach, graphene and transition-metal dichalcogenides--which represent one- and three-atom-thick two-dimensional building blocks, respectively--have been used to realize previously inaccessible heterostructures with interesting physical properties. However, no large-scale assembly method exists at present that maintains the intrinsic properties of these two-dimensional building blocks while producing pristine interlayer interfaces, thus limiting the layer-by-layer assembly method to small-scale proof-of-concept demonstrations. Here we report the generation of wafer-scale semiconductor films with a very high level of spatial uniformity and pristine interfaces. The vertical composition and properties of these films are designed at the atomic scale using layer-by-layer assembly of two-dimensional building blocks under vacuum. We fabricate several large-scale, high-quality heterostructure films and devices, including superlattice films with vertical compositions designed layer-by-layer, batch-fabricated tunnel device arrays with resistances that can be tuned over four orders of magnitude, band-engineered heterostructure tunnel diodes, and millimetre-scale ultrathin membranes and windows. The stacked films are detachable, suspendable and compatible with water or plastic surfaces, which will enable their integration with advanced optical and mechanical systems.

Layer-by-layer assembly of two-dimensional materials into wafer-scale heterostructures.

PubMed

Kang, Kibum; Lee, Kan-Heng; Han, Yimo; Gao, Hui; Xie, Saien; Muller, David A; Park, Jiwoong

2017-10-12

High-performance semiconductor films with vertical compositions that are designed to atomic-scale precision provide the foundation for modern integrated circuitry and novel materials discovery. One approach to realizing such films is sequential layer-by-layer assembly, whereby atomically thin two-dimensional building blocks are vertically stacked, and held together by van der Waals interactions. With this approach, graphene and transition-metal dichalcogenides-which represent one- and three-atom-thick two-dimensional building blocks, respectively-have been used to realize previously inaccessible heterostructures with interesting physical properties. However, no large-scale assembly method exists at present that maintains the intrinsic properties of these two-dimensional building blocks while producing pristine interlayer interfaces, thus limiting the layer-by-layer assembly method to small-scale proof-of-concept demonstrations. Here we report the generation of wafer-scale semiconductor films with a very high level of spatial uniformity and pristine interfaces. The vertical composition and properties of these films are designed at the atomic scale using layer-by-layer assembly of two-dimensional building blocks under vacuum. We fabricate several large-scale, high-quality heterostructure films and devices, including superlattice films with vertical compositions designed layer-by-layer, batch-fabricated tunnel device arrays with resistances that can be tuned over four orders of magnitude, band-engineered heterostructure tunnel diodes, and millimetre-scale ultrathin membranes and windows. The stacked films are detachable, suspendable and compatible with water or plastic surfaces, which will enable their integration with advanced optical and mechanical systems.

Echinococcus granulosus equinus: variation in the germinal layer of murine hydatids and evidence of autophagy.

PubMed

Richards, K S; Arme, C; Bridges, J F

1984-08-01

The germinal layer of sterile 9-month-old murine peritoneal cysts of Echinococcus granulosus equinus shows interrelated variation in depth, tissue integrity, metabolic reserves and the number of autophagic lamellar bodies present. These features are similar in large and medium-sized cysts from the same host, whether occurring singly or within cyst masses. Deep germinal layers (greater than 16 micron) are lipid- and glycogen-rich and possess numerous autophagic vacuoles with 6 nm period lamellar stacks asymmetrically disposed peripherally; shallow layers (less than 12 micron), with indications of degeneration, have depleted metabolic reserves and fewer lamellar bodies. These bodies are formed by smooth endoplasmic reticulum encirclement of small glycogen masses followed by further sequestration, and eventually definition of glycogen particles may be lost. Autophagy of mitochondria and cytoplasmic vesicles also occurs. The presence of lysosomal enzymes within the layer suggests autolysosomal compartmentalization of excess substrate and effete material. Mucopolysaccharide bodies, containing material similar to that exocytosed to form the laminated layer matrix, occur and are formed from fusion and autophagy of Golgi-derived vesicles. These bodies may also develop peripheral 6 nm period lamellar stacks, but of limited depth. Mucopolysaccharide bodies are the dominant feature of the germinal layer of very small cyst-mass cysts in which laminated layer production is considered to be arrested. They thus represent a repository for the unreleased mucopolysaccharide material.

Evidence of a reduction reaction of oxidized iron/cobalt by boron atoms diffused toward naturally oxidized surface of CoFeB layer during annealing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sato, Soshi, E-mail: sato.soshi@cies.tohoku.ac.jp; Honjo, Hiroaki; Niwa, Masaaki

2015-04-06

We have investigated the redox reaction on the surface of Ta/CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB magnetic tunnel junction stack samples after annealing at 300, 350, and 400 °C for 1 h using angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for precise analysis of the chemical bonding states. At a capping tantalum layer thickness of 1 nm, both the capping tantalum layer and the surface of the underneath CoFeB layer in the as-deposited stack sample were naturally oxidized. By comparison of the Co 2p and Fe 2p spectra among the as-deposited and annealed samples, reduction of the naturally oxidized cobalt and iron atoms occurred on the surface of the CoFeB layer.more » The reduction reaction was more significant at higher annealing temperature. Oxidized cobalt and iron were reduced by boron atoms that diffused toward the surface of the top CoFeB layer. A single CoFeB layer was prepared on SiO{sub 2}, and a confirmatory evidence of the redox reaction with boron diffusion was obtained by angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of the naturally oxidized surface of the CoFeB single layer after annealing. The redox reaction is theoretically reasonable based on the Ellingham diagram.« less

Purex Plant comparison with 40 CFR 61, subpart H, and other referenced guidelines for the Product Removal (PR) (296-A-1) stack

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lohrasbi, J.

Dose calculations for atmospheric radionuclide releases from the Hanford Site for calendar year (CY) 1992 were performed by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) using the approved US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) CAP-88 computer model. Emissions from discharge points in the Hanford Site 100, 200, 300, 400, and 600 areas were calculated based on results of analyses of continuous and periodic sampling conducted at the discharge points. These calculated emissions were provided for inclusion in the CAP-88 model by area and by individual facility for those facilities having the potential to contribute more than 10 percent of the Hanford Site total ormore » to result in an impact of greater than 0.1 mrem per year to the maximally exposed individual (MEI). Also included in the assessment of offsite dose modeling are the measured radioactive emissions from all Hanford Site stacks that have routine monitoring performed. Record sampling systems have been installed on all stacks and vents that use exhaust fans to discharge air that potentially may carry airborne radioactivity. Estimation of activity from ingrowth of long-lived radioactive progeny is not included in the CAP-88 model; therefore, the Hanford Site GENII code (Napier et al. 1988) was used to supplement the CAP-88 dose calculations. When the dose to the MEI located in the Ringold area was calculated, the effective dose equivalent (EDE) from combined Hanford Site radioactive airborne emissions was shown to be 3.7E-03 mrem. This value was reported in the annual air emission report prepared for the Hanford Site (RL 1993).« less

Threshold voltage control in TmSiO/HfO2 high-k/metal gate MOSFETs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dentoni Litta, E.; Hellström, P.-E.; Östling, M.

2015-06-01

High-k interfacial layers have been proposed as a way to extend the scalability of Hf-based high-k/metal gate CMOS technology, which is currently limited by strong degradations in threshold voltage control, channel mobility and device reliability when the chemical oxide (SiOx) interfacial layer is scaled below 0.4 nm. We have previously demonstrated that thulium silicate (TmSiO) is a promising candidate as a high-k interfacial layer, providing competitive advantages in terms of EOT scalability and channel mobility. In this work, the effect of the TmSiO interfacial layer on threshold voltage control is evaluated, showing that the TmSiO/HfO2 dielectric stack is compatible with threshold voltage control techniques commonly used with SiOx/HfO2 stacks. Specifically, we show that the flatband voltage can be set in the range -1 V to +0.5 V by the choice of gate metal and that the effective workfunction of the stack is properly controlled by the metal workfunction in a gate-last process flow. Compatibility with a gate-first approach is also demonstrated, showing that integration of La2O3 and Al2O3 capping layers can induce a flatband voltage shift of at least 150 mV. Finally, the effect of the annealing conditions on flatband voltage is investigated, finding that the duration of the final forming gas anneal can be used as a further process knob to tune the threshold voltage. The evaluation performed on MOS capacitors is confirmed by the fabrication of TmSiO/HfO2/TiN MOSFETs achieving near-symmetric threshold voltages at sub-nm EOT.

Transient absorption microscopy studies of energy relaxation in graphene oxide thin film.

PubMed

Murphy, Sean; Huang, Libai

2013-04-10

Spatial mapping of energy relaxation in graphene oxide (GO) thin films has been imaged using transient absorption microscopy (TAM). Correlated AFM images allow us to accurately determine the thickness of the GO films. In contrast to previous studies, correlated TAM-AFM allows determination of the effect of interactions of GO with the substrate and between stacked GO layers on the relaxation dynamics. Our results show that energy relaxation in GO flakes has little dependence on the substrate, number of stacked layers, and excitation intensity. This is in direct contrast to pristine graphene, where these factors have great consequences in energy relaxation. This suggests intrinsic factors rather than extrinsic ones dominate the excited state dynamics of GO films.

Thulium-170 heat source

DOEpatents

Walter, Carl E.; Van Konynenburg, Richard; VanSant, James H.

1992-01-01

An isotopic heat source is formed using stacks of thin individual layers of a refractory isotopic fuel, preferably thulium oxide, alternating with layers of a low atomic weight diluent, preferably graphite. The graphite serves several functions: to act as a moderator during neutron irradiation, to minimize bremsstrahlung radiation, and to facilitate heat transfer. The fuel stacks are inserted into a heat block, which is encased in a sealed, insulated and shielded structural container. Heat pipes are inserted in the heat block and contain a working fluid. The heat pipe working fluid transfers heat from the heat block to a heat exchanger for power conversion. Single phase gas pressure controls the flow of the working fluid for maximum heat exchange and to provide passive cooling.

Topochemical Reduction of YMnO3 into a Composite Structure.

PubMed

Kabbour, Houria; Gauthier, Gilles H; Tessier, Franck; Huvé, Marielle; Pussacq, Tanguy; Roussel, Pascal; Hayward, Michael A; Moreno B, Zulma L; Marinova, Maya; Colmont, Marie; Colis, Silviu; Mentré, Olivier

2017-07-17

Topochemical modification methods for solids have shown great potential in generating metastable structures inaccessible through classical synthetic routes. Here, we present the enhanced topotactic reduction of the multiferroic compound YMnO 3 . At moderate temperature in ammonia flow, the most reduced YMnO 3-δ (δ = 0.5) phase could be stabilized. XRD, PND, and HREM results show that phase separation occurs into two intimately intergrown layered sublattices with nominal compositions ∞ [YMn 2+ O 2+x ] (1-2x)+ and ∞ [YMn 2+ O 3-x ] (1-2x)- containing versatile Mn 2+ coordinations. The former sublattice shows original AA stacking between Mn layers, while AB stacking in the latter results from oxygen removal from the parent YMnO 3 crystal structure.

Cluster Tool for In Situ Processing and Comprehensive Characterization of Thin Films at High Temperatures.

PubMed

Wenisch, Robert; Lungwitz, Frank; Hanf, Daniel; Heller, René; Zscharschuch, Jens; Hübner, René; von Borany, Johannes; Abrasonis, Gintautas; Gemming, Sibylle; Escobar-Galindo, Ramon; Krause, Matthias

2018-06-13

A new cluster tool for in situ real-time processing and depth-resolved compositional, structural and optical characterization of thin films at temperatures from -100 to 800 °C is described. The implemented techniques comprise magnetron sputtering, ion irradiation, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, Raman spectroscopy, and spectroscopic ellipsometry. The capability of the cluster tool is demonstrated for a layer stack MgO/amorphous Si (∼60 nm)/Ag (∼30 nm), deposited at room temperature and crystallized with partial layer exchange by heating up to 650 °C. Its initial and final composition, stacking order, and structure were monitored in situ in real time and a reaction progress was defined as a function of time and temperature.

Solution-Processable Transparent Conductive Hole Injection Electrode for OLED SSL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pschenitzka, Florian; Mathai, Mathew; Torke, Terri

2012-07-15

An interconnected network of silver nanowires has been used as transparent anode in OLED devices. This layer was deposited by spin-coating and slot-die coating from an aqueous nanowire suspension. The sheet resistance of the film was 10ohms/sq with a transmission (including the glass substrate) of higher than 85%. The first phase of the project focused on the implementation of this nanowire layer with a hole-injection-layer (HIL) which has been developed at Plextronics and has been shown to provide good stability and efficiency in conventional OLED devices. We modified the HIL solution such that it coated reasonably well with suitable surfacemore » morphology so that actual devices can be manufactured. During the second phase we investigated the hole-injection and stability of hole-onlydevices. We determined that the use of the nanowire network as anode does not introduce an additional degradation mechanism since the observed device characteristics did not differ from those made with ITO anode. We then proceeded to make actual OLED devices with this nanowire / HIL stack and achieved device characteristics similar state-of-the-art OLED devices with a single junction. In order to gain traction with potential OLED manufacturers, we decided to contract Novaled to prepare large-area demonstrators for us. For these devices, we used an allevaporated stack, i.e. we did use Novaled's HIL material instead of Plextronics. We successfully fabricated demonstrators with an area of 25cm2 with a double or triple junction stack. Minor stack optimizations were necessary to achieve efficacies and lifetime equivalent with ITO devices made with the same devices stack. Due to the reduced microcavity effect, the color of the emitted light is significantly more stable with respect to the viewing angle compared to ITO devices. This fact in conjunction with the promise of lower production cost due to the elimination of the ITO sputtering process and the direct patterning of the anode layer are the obvious advantages of this technology. The project has shown that this nanowire technology is a viable option to achieve OLED devices with good lifetime and efficiency and we are currently working with manufacturers to utilize this technology in a production setting.« less

Stacking order dynamics in the quasi-two-dimensional dichalcogenide 1 T-TaS 2 probed with MeV ultrafast electron diffraction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Le Guyader, L.; Chase, T.; Reid, A. H.

Transitions between different charge density wave (CDW) states in quasi-two-dimensional materials may be accompanied also by changes in the inter-layer stacking of the CDW. Using MeV ultrafast electron diffraction, the out-of-plane stacking order dynamics in the quasi-two-dimensional dichalcogenide 1 T-TaS 2 is investigated for the first time. From the intensity of the CDW satellites aligned around the commensurate l = 1/6 characteristic stacking order, it is found out that this phase disappears with a 0.3 ps time constant. Simultaneously, in the same experiment, the emergence of the incommensurate phase, with a slightly slower 2.0 ps time constant, is determined frommore » the intensity of the CDW satellites aligned around the incommensurate l = 1/3 characteristic stacking order. Finally, these results might be of relevance in understanding the metallic character of the laser-induced metastable “hidden” state recently discovered in this compound.« less

Floating stacking faults on the (111) surface of FCC metals: a finite-temperature first-principles study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rechtsman, Mikael; de Gironcoli, Stefano; Ceder, Gerbrand; Marzari, Nicola

2003-03-01

The (111) surfaces of FCC metals can develop anomalous thermal expansion properties at high temperatures (e.g. for the case of Ag(111)), and display floating stacking faults during homoepitaxial growth in the presence of surfactants. Inspired by the results of high-temperature ensemble-DFT molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate here the relative stability of FCC and HCP stacking in simple and transition metals (Al, Ag, Zn), searching for a structural phase transition taking place at the surface layer in the high-temperature regime. We use a combination of total-energy structural relaxations and linear-response perturbation theory to determine the surface phonon dispersions, and then the relative free energies in the quasi-harmonic approximation. Our results in Al show that the vibrational entropy strongly favors HCP stacking, substantially offsetting the energetic cost of the stacking fault that becomes favored close to the melting temperature. Besides its fundamental interest, HCP phonon softening is relevant in determining the relative stability of small islands during homoeptiaxial growth.

Stacking order dynamics in the quasi-two-dimensional dichalcogenide 1T-TaS2 probed with MeV ultrafast electron diffraction.

PubMed

Le Guyader, L; Chase, T; Reid, A H; Li, R K; Svetin, D; Shen, X; Vecchione, T; Wang, X J; Mihailovic, D; Dürr, H A

2017-07-01

Transitions between different charge density wave (CDW) states in quasi-two-dimensional materials may be accompanied also by changes in the inter-layer stacking of the CDW. Using MeV ultrafast electron diffraction, the out-of-plane stacking order dynamics in the quasi-two-dimensional dichalcogenide 1 T -TaS 2 is investigated for the first time. From the intensity of the CDW satellites aligned around the commensurate l  = 1/6 characteristic stacking order, it is found out that this phase disappears with a 0.3 ps time constant. Simultaneously, in the same experiment, the emergence of the incommensurate phase, with a slightly slower 2.0 ps time constant, is determined from the intensity of the CDW satellites aligned around the incommensurate l  = 1/3 characteristic stacking order. These results might be of relevance in understanding the metallic character of the laser-induced metastable "hidden" state recently discovered in this compound.

Stacking order dynamics in the quasi-two-dimensional dichalcogenide 1 T-TaS 2 probed with MeV ultrafast electron diffraction

DOE PAGES

Le Guyader, L.; Chase, T.; Reid, A. H.; ...

2017-05-03

Transitions between different charge density wave (CDW) states in quasi-two-dimensional materials may be accompanied also by changes in the inter-layer stacking of the CDW. Using MeV ultrafast electron diffraction, the out-of-plane stacking order dynamics in the quasi-two-dimensional dichalcogenide 1 T-TaS 2 is investigated for the first time. From the intensity of the CDW satellites aligned around the commensurate l = 1/6 characteristic stacking order, it is found out that this phase disappears with a 0.3 ps time constant. Simultaneously, in the same experiment, the emergence of the incommensurate phase, with a slightly slower 2.0 ps time constant, is determined frommore » the intensity of the CDW satellites aligned around the incommensurate l = 1/3 characteristic stacking order. Finally, these results might be of relevance in understanding the metallic character of the laser-induced metastable “hidden” state recently discovered in this compound.« less

High spatial resolution correlated investigation of Zn segregation to stacking faults in ZnTe/CdSe nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonef, Bastien; Grenier, Adeline; Gerard, Lionel; Jouneau, Pierre-Henri; André, Regis; Blavette, Didier; Bougerol, Catherine

2018-02-01

The correlative use of atom probe tomography (APT) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) allows us to characterize the structure of ZnTe/CdSe superlattices at the nanometre scale. Both techniques reveal the segregation of zinc along [111] stacking faults in CdSe layers, which is interpreted as a manifestation of the Suzuki effect. Quantitative measurements reveal a zinc enrichment around 9 at. % correlated with a depletion of cadmium in the stacking faults. Raw concentration data were corrected so as to account for the limited spatial resolution of both STEM and APT techniques. A simple calculation reveals that the stacking faults are almost saturated in Zn atoms (˜66 at. % of Zn) at the expense of Cd that is depleted.

POx/Al2O3 stacks: Highly effective surface passivation of crystalline silicon with a large positive fixed charge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Black, Lachlan E.; Kessels, W. M. M. Erwin

2018-05-01

Thin-film stacks of phosphorus oxide (POx) and aluminium oxide (Al2O3) are shown to provide highly effective passivation of crystalline silicon (c-Si) surfaces. Surface recombination velocities as low as 1.7 cm s-1 and saturation current densities J0s as low as 3.3 fA cm-2 are obtained on n-type (100) c-Si surfaces passivated by 6 nm/14 nm thick POx/Al2O3 stacks deposited in an atomic layer deposition system and annealed at 450 °C. This excellent passivation can be attributed in part to an unusually large positive fixed charge density of up to 4.7 × 1012 cm-2, which makes such stacks especially suitable for passivation of n-type Si surfaces.

Force-deflection behavior of piezoelectric actuators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Ashok K.; Nagpal, Pawan

2001-11-01

In the present endeavour, force - deflection behavior of various piezoelectric actuator configurations has been analyzed for performance comparison. The response of stack actuator has been simulated using MATLAB Simulink, in a stack actuator-pendulum configuration. During simulation, stack actuator has been used in charge control feedback mode, because of the advantage of low hysteresis, and high linearity. The model incorporates three compensation blocks, viz 1) a PID position controller, 2) a PI piezoelectric current controller, and 3) a dynamic force feedback. A typical stack actuator, having 130 layers, 1.20x10-4 m thickness, 3.46x10-5m2 cross sectional area, of PZT-5H type, has been utilized for simulation. The response of the system has been tested by applying a sinusoidal input of frequency 500 Hz, and waveform amplitude of 1x10-3V.

Two-dimensional GaSe/MoSe 2 misfit bilayer heterojunctions by van der Waals epitaxy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Xufan; Lin, Ming-Wei; Lin, Junhao

Two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures hold the promise for future atomically-thin electronics and optoelectronics due to their diverse functionalities. While heterostructures consisting of different transition metal dichacolgenide monolayers with well-matched lattices and novel physical properties have been successfully fabricated via van der Waals (vdW) or edge epitaxy, constructing heterostructures from monolayers of layered semiconductors with large lattice misfits still remains challenging. Here, we report the growth of monolayer GaSe/MoSe 2 heterostructures with large lattice misfit by two-step chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Both vertically stacked and lateral heterostructures are demonstrated. The vertically stacked GaSe/MoSe 2 heterostructures exhibit vdW epitaxy with well-aligned lattice orientationmore » between the two layers, forming an incommensurate vdW heterostructure. However, the lateral heterostructures exhibit no lateral epitaxial alignment at the interface between GaSe and MoSe 2 crystalline domains. Instead of a direct lateral connection at the boundary region where the same lattice orientation is observed between GaSe and MoSe 2 monolayer domains in lateral GaSe/MoSe 2 heterostructures, GaSe monolayers are found to overgrow MoSe 2 during CVD, forming a stripe of vertically stacked vdW heterostructure at the crystal interface. Such vertically-stacked vdW GaSe/MoSe 2 heterostructures are shown to form p-n junctions with effective transport and separation of photo-generated charge carriers between layers, resulting in a gate-tunable photovoltaic response. In conclusion, these GaSe/MoSe 2 vdW heterostructures should have applications as gate-tunable field-effect transistors, photodetectors, and solar cells.« less

Investigations of stacking fault density in perpendicular recording media

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Piramanayagam, S. N., E-mail: prem-SN@dsi.a-star.edu.sg; Varghese, Binni; Yang, Yi

In magnetic recording media, the grains or clusters reverse their magnetization over a range of reversal field, resulting in a switching field distribution. In order to achieve high areal densities, it is desirable to understand and minimize such a distribution. Clusters of grains which contain stacking faults (SF) or fcc phase have lower anisotropy, an order lower than those without them. It is believed that such low anisotropy regions reverse their magnetization at a much lower reversal field than the rest of the material with a larger anisotropy. Such clusters/grains cause recording performance deterioration, such as adjacent track erasure andmore » dc noise. Therefore, the observation of clusters that reverse at very low reversal fields (nucleation sites, NS) could give information on the noise and the adjacent track erasure. Potentially, the observed clusters could also provide information on the SF. In this paper, we study the reversal of nucleation sites in granular perpendicular media based on a magnetic force microscope (MFM) methodology and validate the observations with high resolution cross-section transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) measurements. Samples, wherein a high anisotropy CoPt layer was introduced to control the NS or SF in a systematic way, were evaluated by MFM, TEM, and magnetometry. The magnetic properties indicated that the thickness of the CoPt layer results in an increase of nucleation sites. TEM measurements indicated a correlation between the thickness of CoPt layer and the stacking fault density. A clear correlation was also observed between the MFM results, TEM observations, and the coercivity and nucleation field of the samples, validating the effectiveness of the proposed method in evaluating the nucleation sites which potentially arise from stacking faults.« less

Two-dimensional GaSe/MoSe 2 misfit bilayer heterojunctions by van der Waals epitaxy

DOE PAGES

Li, Xufan; Lin, Ming-Wei; Lin, Junhao; ...

2016-04-01

Two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures hold the promise for future atomically-thin electronics and optoelectronics due to their diverse functionalities. While heterostructures consisting of different transition metal dichacolgenide monolayers with well-matched lattices and novel physical properties have been successfully fabricated via van der Waals (vdW) or edge epitaxy, constructing heterostructures from monolayers of layered semiconductors with large lattice misfits still remains challenging. Here, we report the growth of monolayer GaSe/MoSe 2 heterostructures with large lattice misfit by two-step chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Both vertically stacked and lateral heterostructures are demonstrated. The vertically stacked GaSe/MoSe 2 heterostructures exhibit vdW epitaxy with well-aligned lattice orientationmore » between the two layers, forming an incommensurate vdW heterostructure. However, the lateral heterostructures exhibit no lateral epitaxial alignment at the interface between GaSe and MoSe 2 crystalline domains. Instead of a direct lateral connection at the boundary region where the same lattice orientation is observed between GaSe and MoSe 2 monolayer domains in lateral GaSe/MoSe 2 heterostructures, GaSe monolayers are found to overgrow MoSe 2 during CVD, forming a stripe of vertically stacked vdW heterostructure at the crystal interface. Such vertically-stacked vdW GaSe/MoSe 2 heterostructures are shown to form p-n junctions with effective transport and separation of photo-generated charge carriers between layers, resulting in a gate-tunable photovoltaic response. In conclusion, these GaSe/MoSe 2 vdW heterostructures should have applications as gate-tunable field-effect transistors, photodetectors, and solar cells.« less

60 GHz Tapered Transmission Line Resonators

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-15

and out small capacitors, using varactors for part of the capacitance, or both. However, at high frequencies the size of these lumped components...the full substrate stack is made up of many oxide layers with different EM characteristics. To speed up simulation time it is imperative to simplify...the substrate stackup dramatically. This was achieved by using only one oxide layer which encompasses all metal layers. The character- istics of this

Multi-clad black display panel

DOEpatents

Veligdan, James T.; Biscardi, Cyrus; Brewster, Calvin

2002-01-01

A multi-clad black display panel, and a method of making a multi-clad black display panel, are disclosed, wherein a plurality of waveguides, each of which includes a light-transmissive core placed between an opposing pair of transparent cladding layers and a black layer disposed between transparent cladding layers, are stacked together and sawed at an angle to produce a wedge-shaped optical panel having an inlet face and an outlet face.

Atomic layer MoS2-graphene van der Waals heterostructure nanomechanical resonators.

PubMed

Ye, Fan; Lee, Jaesung; Feng, Philip X-L

2017-11-30

Heterostructures play significant roles in modern semiconductor devices and micro/nanosystems in a plethora of applications in electronics, optoelectronics, and transducers. While state-of-the-art heterostructures often involve stacks of crystalline epi-layers each down to a few nanometers thick, the intriguing limit would be hetero-atomic-layer structures. Here we report the first experimental demonstration of freestanding van der Waals heterostructures and their functional nanomechanical devices. By stacking single-layer (1L) MoS 2 on top of suspended single-, bi-, tri- and four-layer (1L to 4L) graphene sheets, we realize an array of MoS 2 -graphene heterostructures with varying thickness and size. These heterostructures all exhibit robust nanomechanical resonances in the very high frequency (VHF) band (up to ∼100 MHz). We observe that fundamental-mode resonance frequencies of the heterostructure devices fall between the values of graphene and MoS 2 devices. Quality (Q) factors of heterostructure resonators are lower than those of graphene but comparable to those of MoS 2 devices, suggesting interface damping related to interlayer interactions in the van der Waals heterostructures. This study validates suspended atomic layer heterostructures as an effective device platform and provides opportunities for exploiting mechanically coupled effects and interlayer interactions in such devices.

Tandem junction amorphous semiconductor photovoltaic cell

DOEpatents

Dalal, V.L.

1983-06-07

A photovoltaic stack comprising at least two p[sup +]i n[sup +] cells in optical series, said cells separated by a transparent ohmic contact layer(s), provides a long optical path for the absorption of photons while preserving the advantageous field-enhanced minority carrier collection arrangement characteristic of p[sup +]i n[sup +] cells. 3 figs.

Tandem junction amorphous silicon solar cells

DOEpatents

Hanak, Joseph J.

1981-01-01

An amorphous silicon solar cell has an active body with two or a series of layers of hydrogenated amorphous silicon arranged in a tandem stacked configuration with one optical path and electrically interconnected by a tunnel junction. The layers of hydrogenated amorphous silicon arranged in tandem configuration can have the same bandgap or differing bandgaps.

Tandem junction amorphous semiconductor photovoltaic cell

DOEpatents

Dalal, Vikram L.

1983-01-01

A photovoltaic stack comprising at least two p.sup.+ i n.sup.+ cells in optical series, said cells separated by a transparent ohmic contact layer(s), provides a long optical path for the absorption of photons while preserving the advantageous field-enhanced minority carrier collection arrangement characteristic of p.sup.+ i n.sup.+ cells.

Fabrication of arrayed Si nanowire-based nano-floating gate memory devices on flexible plastics.

PubMed

Yoon, Changjoon; Jeon, Youngin; Yun, Junggwon; Kim, Sangsig

2012-01-01

Arrayed Si nanowire (NW)-based nano-floating gate memory (NFGM) devices with Pt nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in Al2O3 gate layers are successfully constructed on flexible plastics by top-down approaches. Ten arrayed Si NW-based NFGM devices are positioned on the first level. Cross-linked poly-4-vinylphenol (PVP) layers are spin-coated on them as isolation layers between the first and second level, and another ten devices are stacked on the cross-linked PVP isolation layers. The electrical characteristics of the representative Si NW-based NFGM devices on the first and second levels exhibit threshold voltage shifts, indicating the trapping and detrapping of electrons in their NPs nodes. They have an average threshold voltage shift of 2.5 V with good retention times of more than 5 x 10(4) s. Moreover, most of the devices successfully retain their electrical characteristics after about one thousand bending cycles. These well-arrayed and stacked Si NW-based NFGM devices demonstrate the potential of nanowire-based devices for large-scale integration.

Multi-layer electrode with nano-Li4Ti5O12 aggregates sandwiched between carbon nanotube and graphene networks for high power Li-ion batteries.

PubMed

Choi, Jin-Hoon; Ryu, Won-Hee; Park, Kyusung; Jo, Jeong-Dai; Jo, Sung-Moo; Lim, Dae-Soon; Kim, Il-Doo

2014-12-05

Self-aggregated Li4Ti5O12 particles sandwiched between graphene nanosheets (GNSs) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) network are reported as new hybrid electrodes for high power Li-ion batteries. The multi-layer electrodes are fabricated by sequential process comprising air-spray coating of GNSs layer and the following electrostatic spray (E-spray) coating of well-dispersed colloidal Li4Ti5O12 nanoparticles, and subsequent air-spray coating of SWCNTs layer once again. In multi-stacked electrodes of GNSs/nanoporous Li4Ti5O12 aggregates/SWCNTs networks, GNSs and SWCNTs serve as conducting bridges, effectively interweaving the nanoporous Li4Ti5O12 aggregates, and help achieve superior rate capability as well as improved mechanical stability of the composite electrode by holding Li4Ti5O12 tightly without a binder. The multi-stacked electrodes deliver a specific capacity that maintains an impressively high capacity of 100 mA h g(-1) at a high rate of 100C even after 1000 cycles.

Quantitative analysis of hydrogen in SiO{sub 2}/SiN/SiO{sub 2} stacks using atom probe tomography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kunimune, Yorinobu, E-mail: yorinobu.kunimune.vz@renesas.com; Shimada, Yasuhiro; Sakurai, Yusuke

2016-04-15

We have demonstrated that it is possible to reproducibly quantify hydrogen concentration in the SiN layer of a SiO{sub 2}/SiN/SiO{sub 2} (ONO) stack structure using ultraviolet laser-assisted atom probe tomography (APT). The concentration of hydrogen atoms detected using APT increased gradually during the analysis, which could be explained by the effect of hydrogen adsorption from residual gas in the vacuum chamber onto the specimen surface. The amount of adsorbed hydrogen in the SiN layer was estimated by analyzing another SiN layer with an extremely low hydrogen concentration (<0.2 at. %). Thus, by subtracting the concentration of adsorbed hydrogen, the actualmore » hydrogen concentration in the SiN layer was quantified as approximately 1.0 at. %. This result was consistent with that obtained by elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA), which confirmed the accuracy of the APT quantification. The present results indicate that APT enables the imaging of the three-dimensional distribution of hydrogen atoms in actual devices at a sub-nanometer scale.« less

Fabrication and characterization of TiO2/SiO2 based Bragg reflectors for light trapping applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubey, R. S.; Ganesan, V.

Distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) have received an intensive attention due to their increasing demand in optoelectronic and photonic devices. Such reflectors are capable to prohibit the light propagation within the specified wavelength range of interest. In this paper, we present the fabrication of TiO2/SiO2 stacks based Bragg reflectors by using a simple and in-expensive sol-gel spin coating technique. The prepared single-layer thin films of TiO2 and SiO2 onto glass substrates were characterized for their optical constants. By tuning the process parameters, one-seven DBR stacks of TiO2/SiO2 were prepared. The corresponding shift of the Bragg reflection peak was observed with the increased number of DBR stacks and as much as about 90% reflectance is observed from the 7DBR stacks. The experimentally measured reflectance was compared with the simulated one, which showed good in agreement. FESEM measurement has confirmed the formation of bright and dark strips of TiO2 and SiO2 films with their thicknesses 80 and 115 nm respectively. The simulation study was explored to a design of thin film silicon solar cell using 7DBR stacks. An enhancement in light absorption in the visible wavelength range is observed which coincides with the experimental result of the reflectance. The use of DBR at the bottom of the solar cell could felicitate the better light harvesting with the occurrence of Fabry-Perot resonances in the absorbing layer.

Full-Scale Hollow Fiber Spacesuit Water Membrane Evaporator Prototype Development and Testing for Advanced Spacesuits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bue, Grant; Trevino, Luis; Tsioulos, Gus; Mitchell, Keith; Dillon, Paul; Weaver, Gregg

2009-01-01

The spacesuit water membrane evaporator (SWME) is being developed to perform the thermal control function for advanced spacesuits to take advantage of recent advances in micropore membrane technology in providing a robust heat-rejection device that is potentially less sensitive to contamination than is the sublimator. Principles of a sheet membrane SWME design were demonstrated using a prototypic test article that was tested in a vacuum chamber at JSC in July 1999. The Membrana Celgard X50-215 microporous hollow fiber (HoFi) membrane was selected after recent contamination tests as the superior candidate among commercial alternatives for HoFi SWME prototype development. Although a number of design variants were considered, one that grouped the fiber layers into stacks, which were separated by small spaces and packaged into a cylindrical shape, was deemed best for further development. An analysis of test data showed that eight layer stacks of the HoFi sheets that had good exposure on each side of the stack would evaporate water with high efficiency. A design that has 15,000 tubes, with 18 cm of exposed tubes between headers has been built and tested that meets the size, weight, and performance requirements of the SWME. This full-scale prototype consists of 30 stacks, each of which are formed into a chevron shape and separated by spacers and organized into three sectors of ten nested stacks. Testing has been performed to show contamination resistance to the constituents expected to be found in potable water produced by the distillation processes. Other tests showed the sensitivity to surfactants.

Surface effects on the radiation response of nanoporous Au foams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fu, E. G.; Caro, M.; Wang, Y. Q.

2012-11-05

We report on an experimental and simulation campaign aimed at exploring the radiation response of nanoporous Au (np-Au) foams. We find different defect accumulation behavior by varying radiation dose-rate in ion-irradiated np-Au foams. Stacking fault tetrahedra are formed when np-Au foams are irradiated at high dose-rate, but they do not seem to be formed in np-Au at low dose-rate irradiation. A model is proposed to explain the dose-rate dependent defect accumulation based on these results.

Multijunction photovoltaic device and fabrication method

DOEpatents

Arya, Rajeewa R.; Catalano, Anthony W.

1993-09-21

A multijunction photovoltaic device includes first and second amorphous silicon PIN photovoltaic cells in a stacked arrangement. An interface layer, composed of a doped silicon compound, is disposed between the two cells and has a lower bandgap than the respective n- and p-type adjacent layers of the first and second cells. The interface layer forms an ohmic contact with the one or the adjacent cell layers of the same conductivity type, and a tunnel junction with the other of the adjacent cell layers. The disclosed device is fabricated by a glow discharge process.

SU-E-T-91: Correction Method to Determine Surface Dose for OSL Detectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reynolds, T; Higgins, P

Purpose: OSL detectors are commonly used in clinic due to their numerous advantages, such as linear response, negligible energy, angle and temperature dependence in clinical range, for verification of the doses beyond the dmax. Although, due to the bulky shielding envelope, this type of detectors fails to measure skin dose, which is an important assessment of patient ability to finish the treatment on time and possibility of acute side effects. This study aims to optimize the methodology of determination of skin dose for conventional accelerators and a flattening filter free Tomotherapy. Methods: Measurements were done for x-ray beams: 6 MVmore » (Varian Clinac 2300, 10×10 cm{sup 2} open field, SSD = 100 cm) and for 5.5 MV (Tomotherapy, 15×40 cm{sup 2} field, SAD = 85 cm). The detectors were placed at the surface of the solid water phantom and at the reference depth (dref=1.7cm (Varian 2300), dref =1.0 cm (Tomotherapy)). The measurements for OSLs were related to the externally exposed OSLs measurements, and further were corrected to surface dose using an extrapolation method indexed to the baseline Attix ion chamber measurements. A consistent use of the extrapolation method involved: 1) irradiation of three OSLs stacked on top of each other on the surface of the phantom; 2) measurement of the relative dose value for each layer; and, 3) extrapolation of these values to zero thickness. Results: OSL measurements showed an overestimation of surface doses by the factor 2.31 for Varian 2300 and 2.65 for Tomotherapy. The relationships: SD{sup 2300} = 0.68 × M{sup 2300}-12.7 and SDτoμo = 0.73 × Mτoμo-13.1 were found to correct the single OSL measurements to surface doses in agreement with Attix measurements to within 0.1% for both machines. Conclusion: This work provides simple empirical relationships for surface dose measurements using single OSL detectors.« less

Three-dimensional carbon nanotubes for high capacity lithium-ion batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Chiwon; Patel, Mumukshu; Rangasamy, Baskaran; Jung, Kyu-Nam; Xia, Changlei; Shi, Sheldon; Choi, Wonbong

2015-12-01

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been considered as a potential anode material for next generation Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high conductivity, flexibility, surface area, and lithium-ion insertion ability. However, the low mass loading and bulk density of carbon nanomaterials hinder their use in large-scale energy storage because their high specific capacity may not scale up linearly with the thickness of the electrode. To address this issue, a novel three-dimensional (3D) architecture is rationally designed by stacking layers of free-standing CNTs with the increased areal density to 34.9 mg cm-2, which is around three-times higher than that of the state-of-the-art graphitic anodes. Furthermore, a thermal compression process renders the bulk density of the multi-stacked 3D CNTs to be increased by 1.85 g cm-3, which yields an excellent volumetric capacity of 465 mAh cm-3 at 0.5C. Our proposed strategy involving the stacking of 3D CNT based layers and post-thermal compression provides a powerful platform for the utilization of carbon nanomaterials in the advanced LIB technology.

Development of the morphology during functional stack build-up of P3HT:PCBM bulk heterojunction solar cells with inverted geometry.

PubMed

Wang, Weijia; Pröller, Stephan; Niedermeier, Martin A; Körstgens, Volker; Philipp, Martine; Su, Bo; Moseguí González, Daniel; Yu, Shun; Roth, Stephan V; Müller-Buschbaum, Peter

2015-01-14

Highly efficient poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT):phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) bulk heterojunction solar cells are achieved by using an inverted geometry. The development of the morphology is investigated as a function of the multilayer stack assembling during the inverted solar cell preparation. Atomic force microscopy is used to reveal the surface morphology of each stack, and the inner structure is probed with grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering. It is found that the smallest domain size of P3HT is introduced by replicating the fluorine-doped tin oxide structure underneath. The structure sizes of the P3HT:PCBM active layer are further optimized after thermal annealing. Compared to devices with standard geometry, the P3HT:PCBM layer in the inverted solar cells shows smaller domain sizes, which are much closer to the exciton diffusion length in the polymer. The decrease in domain sizes is identified as the main reason for the improvement of the device performance.

Designing Thin, Ultrastretchable Electronics with Stacked Circuits and Elastomeric Encapsulation Materials.

PubMed

Xu, Renxiao; Lee, Jung Woo; Pan, Taisong; Ma, Siyi; Wang, Jiayi; Han, June Hyun; Ma, Yinji; Rogers, John A; Huang, Yonggang

2017-01-26

Many recently developed soft, skin-like electronics with high performance circuits and low modulus encapsulation materials can accommodate large bending, stretching, and twisting deformations. Their compliant mechanics also allows for intimate, nonintrusive integration to the curvilinear surfaces of soft biological tissues. By introducing a stacked circuit construct, the functional density of these systems can be greatly improved, yet their desirable mechanics may be compromised due to the increased overall thickness. To address this issue, the results presented here establish design guidelines for optimizing the deformable properties of stretchable electronics with stacked circuit layers. The effects of three contributing factors (i.e., the silicone inter-layer, the composite encapsulation, and the deformable interconnects) on the stretchability of a multilayer system are explored in detail via combined experimental observation, finite element modeling, and theoretical analysis. Finally, an electronic module with optimized design is demonstrated. This highly deformable system can be repetitively folded, twisted, or stretched without observable influences to its electrical functionality. The ultrasoft, thin nature of the module makes it suitable for conformal biointegration.

Designing Thin, Ultrastretchable Electronics with Stacked Circuits and Elastomeric Encapsulation Materials

PubMed Central

Xu, Renxiao; Lee, Jung Woo; Pan, Taisong; Ma, Siyi; Wang, Jiayi; Han, June Hyun; Ma, Yinji

2017-01-01

Many recently developed soft, skin-like electronics with high performance circuits and low modulus encapsulation materials can accommodate large bending, stretching, and twisting deformations. Their compliant mechanics also allows for intimate, nonintrusive integration to the curvilinear surfaces of soft biological tissues. By introducing a stacked circuit construct, the functional density of these systems can be greatly improved, yet their desirable mechanics may be compromised due to the increased overall thickness. To address this issue, the results presented here establish design guidelines for optimizing the deformable properties of stretchable electronics with stacked circuit layers. The effects of three contributing factors (i.e., the silicone inter-layer, the composite encapsulation, and the deformable interconnects) on the stretchability of a multilayer system are explored in detail via combined experimental observation, finite element modeling, and theoretical analysis. Finally, an electronic module with optimized design is demonstrated. This highly deformable system can be repetitively folded, twisted, or stretched without observable influences to its electrical functionality. The ultrasoft, thin nature of the module makes it suitable for conformal biointegration. PMID:29046624

Improving organic tandem solar cells based on water-processed nanoparticles by quantitative 3D nanoimaging.

PubMed

Pedersen, E B L; Angmo, D; Dam, H F; Thydén, K T S; Andersen, T R; Skjønsfjell, E T B; Krebs, F C; Holler, M; Diaz, A; Guizar-Sicairos, M; Breiby, D W; Andreasen, J W

2015-08-28

Organic solar cells have great potential for upscaling due to roll-to-roll processing and a low energy payback time, making them an attractive sustainable energy source for the future. Active layers coated with water-dispersible Landfester particles enable greater control of the layer formation and easier access to the printing industry, which has reduced the use of organic solvents since the 1980s. Through ptychographic X-ray computed tomography (PXCT), we image quantitatively a roll-to-roll coated photovoltaic tandem stack consisting of one bulk heterojunction active layer and one Landfester particle active layer. We extract the layered morphology with structural and density information including the porosity present in the various layers and the silver electrode with high resolution in 3D. The Landfester particle layer is found to have an undesired morphology with negatively correlated top- and bottom interfaces, wide thickness distribution and only partial surface coverage causing electric short circuits through the layer. By top coating a polymer material onto the Landfester nanoparticles we eliminate the structural defects of the layer such as porosity and roughness, and achieve the increased performance larger than 1 V expected for a tandem cell. This study highlights that quantitative imaging of weakly scattering stacked layers of organic materials has become feasible by PXCT, and that this information cannot be obtained by other methods. In the present study, this technique specifically reveals the need to improve the coatability and layer formation of Landfester nanoparticles, thus allowing improved solar cells to be produced.

Fabrication of complex nanoscale structures on various substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Kang-Soo; Hong, Sung-Hoon; Lee, Heon

2007-09-01

Polymer based complex nanoscale structures were fabricated and transferred to various substrates using reverse nanoimprint lithography. To facilitate the fabrication and transference of the large area of the nanostructured layer to the substrates, a water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol mold was used. After generation and transference of the nanostructured layer, the polyvinyl alcohol mold was removed by dissolving in water. A residue-free, UV-curable, glue layer was formulated and used to bond the nanostructured layer onto the substrates. As a result, nanometer scale patterned polymer layers were bonded to various substrates and three-dimensional nanostructures were also fabricated by stacking of the layers.

Resin infusion of layered metal/composite hybrid and resulting metal/composite hybrid laminate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cano, Roberto J. (Inventor); Grimsley, Brian W. (Inventor); Weiser, Erik S. (Inventor); Jensen, Brian J. (Inventor)

2009-01-01

A method of fabricating a metal/composite hybrid laminate is provided. One or more layered arrangements are stacked on a solid base to form a layered structure. Each layered arrangement is defined by a fibrous material and a perforated metal sheet. A resin in its liquid state is introduced along a portion of the layered structure while a differential pressure is applied across the laminate structure until the resin permeates the fibrous material of each layered arrangement and fills perforations in each perforated metal sheet. The resin is cured thereby yielding a metal/composite hybrid laminate.

High-Si content BARC for dual-BARC systems such as trilayer patterning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kennedy, Joseph; Xie, Song-Yuan; Wu, Ze-Yu; Katsanes, Ron; Flanigan, Kyle; Lee, Kevin; Slezak, Mark; Liu, Zhi; Lin, Shang-Ho

2009-03-01

This work discusses the requirements and performance of Honeywell's middle layer material, UVAS, for tri-layer patterning. UVAS is a high Si content polymer synthesized directly from Si containing starting monomer components. The monomers are selected to produce a film that meets the requirements as a middle layer for tri-layer patterning (TLP) and gives us a level of flexibility to adjust the properties of the film to meet the customer's specific photoresist and patterning requirements. Results of simulations of the substrate reflectance versus numerical aperture, UVAS thickness, and under layer film are presented. ArF photoresist line profiles and process latitude versus UVAS bake at temperatures as low as 150ºC are presented and discussed. Immersion lithographic patterning of ArF photoresist line space and contact hole features will be presented. A sequence of SEM images detailing the plasma etch transfer of line space photoresist features through the middle and under layer films comprising the TLP film stack will be presented. Excellent etch selectivity between the UVAS and the organic under layer film exists as no edge erosion or faceting is observed as a result of the etch process. A detailed study of the impact of a PGMEA solvent photoresist rework process on the lithographic process window of a TLP film stack was performed with the results indicating that no degradation to the UVAS film occurs.

Comparison between semiconducting and oxide layers as a reflection layer in spin-valve films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dinia, A.; Schmerber, G.; Ulhaq, C.

2003-07-01

It is well established that appropriate oxide capping is effective in forming nano-oxide layers (NOL) in spin-valve films for specular enhancement of giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect. However, the beneficial effect of a NOL is strongly dependent on its process of formation. Therefore, we are interested to use a nano-semiconducting layer (NSL) for specular reflection instead of oxide layers because its achievement is easier since no specific growth conditions are needed. Moreover, we intend to compare the efficiency of the electronic confinement inside the spin valve induced either by NSL or NOLs for structures with the same stack. We have prepared hard-soft spin valve structures by sputtering on glass substrates with the following stacking sequence: Fe6 nm/Cu3 nm/CoFe1.8 nmRu0.8 nmCoFe3 nmCu2 nmRu2 nm. The reflecting layers have been inserted in the middle of the Fe soft layer and on the top of the spin valve. The GMR effect is enhanced by 60% and 75% respectively for the NSL and the NOL. This shows that the NOL is more efficient in term of electronic confinement. To understand the origin of the difference between the NOL and NSL magnetization measurements as well as transmission electron microscopy are presented.

Stacked charge stripes in the quasi-2D trilayer nickelate La 4 Ni 3 O 8

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Junjie; Chen, Yu-Sheng; Phelan, D.; ...

2016-07-26

The quasi-2D nickelate La 4Ni 3O 8 (La-438), consisting of trilayer networks of square planar Ni ions, is a member of the so-called T' family, which is derived from the Ruddlesden-Popper (R-P) parent compound La 4Ni 3O 10-x by removing two oxygen atoms and rearranging the rock salt layers to fluorite-type layers. Although previous studies on polycrystalline samples have identified a 105-K phase transition with a pronounced electronic and magnetic response but weak lattice character, no consensus on the origin of this transition has been reached. We show using synchrotron X-ray diffraction on high-pO(2) floating zone-grown single crystals that thismore » transition is associated with a real space ordering of charge into a quasi-2D charge stripe ground state. We found that the charge stripe superlattice propagation vector, q = (2/3, 0, 1), corresponds with that those in the related 1/3-hole doped single- layer R-P nickelate, La 5/3Sr 1/3NiO 4 (LSNO-1/3; Ni 2.33+), with orientation at 45 degrees to the Ni-O bonds. Furthermore, the charge stripes in La-438 are weakly correlated along c to form a staggered ABAB stacking that reduces the Coulomb repulsion among the stripes. Surprisingly, however, we find that the charge stripes within each trilayer of La-438 are stacked in phase from one layer to the next, at odds with any simple Coulomb repulsion argument.« less

Stacked charge stripes in the quasi-2D trilayer nickelate La 4 Ni 3 O 8

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Junjie; Chen, Yu-Sheng; Phelan, D.

The quasi-2D nickelate La 4Ni 3O 8 (La-438), consisting of trilayer networks of square planar Ni ions, is a member of the so-called T' family, which is derived from the Ruddlesden-Popper (R-P) parent compound La 4Ni 3O 10-x by removing two oxygen atoms and rearranging the rock salt layers to fluorite-type layers. Although previous studies on polycrystalline samples have identified a 105-K phase transition with a pronounced electronic and magnetic response but weak lattice character, no consensus on the origin of this transition has been reached. We show using synchrotron X-ray diffraction on high-pO(2) floating zone-grown single crystals that thismore » transition is associated with a real space ordering of charge into a quasi-2D charge stripe ground state. We found that the charge stripe superlattice propagation vector, q = (2/3, 0, 1), corresponds with that those in the related 1/3-hole doped single- layer R-P nickelate, La 5/3Sr 1/3NiO 4 (LSNO-1/3; Ni 2.33+), with orientation at 45 degrees to the Ni-O bonds. Furthermore, the charge stripes in La-438 are weakly correlated along c to form a staggered ABAB stacking that reduces the Coulomb repulsion among the stripes. Surprisingly, however, we find that the charge stripes within each trilayer of La-438 are stacked in phase from one layer to the next, at odds with any simple Coulomb repulsion argument.« less

Impact of stacking order on the microstructural properties of Cu2ZnGeSe4 thin film absorber layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mary, G. Swapna; Chandra, G. Hema; Sunil, M. Anantha; Subbaiah, Y. P. Venkata; Gupta, Mukul; Rao, R. Prasada

2018-05-01

Six possible multiple stacks of Cu-ZnSe-Ge with selenium incorporation at a precursor stage were prepared using electron beam evaporation followed by vacuum selenization at 475 °C for 30 min to investigate the role of stacking order on the growth and properties of Cu2ZnGeSe4 films. The X-ray diffraction measurements affirm the existence of various binary and ternary phases (ZnSe, Cu2Se, GeSe2 and Cu2GeSe3) for all the precursor stacks. These phases are completely diminished after selenization at 475 °C except a minor co-existence of ZnSe (111) phase along with dominant Cu2ZnGeSe4 (112) phase for stack A: (Cu/Se/ZnSe/Se/Ge/Se) × 4. The Raman measurements for selenized multiple stack A, revealed two major A3, A1 modes at 206 cm-1 and 176 cm-1 and one minor E5 mode at 270 cm-1 corresponding to CZGSe phase. The surface morphology and the elemental distribution across the thickness found to vary significantly with the change of stacking order. The selenized multiple stacks A films shows densely packed flake and capsule shaped grains. The selenized stack A found to have a direct energy band gap of 1.60 eV, showing p-type conductivity with a Hall mobility of 22 cm2 (Vs)-1.

Cross-stacked carbon nanotube film as an additional built-in current collector and adsorption layer for high-performance lithium sulfur batteries.

PubMed

Sun, Li; Kong, Weibang; Li, Mengya; Wu, Hengcai; Jiang, Kaili; Li, Qunqing; Zhang, Yihe; Wang, Jiaping; Fan, Shoushan

2016-02-19

Cross-stacked carbon nanotube (CNT) film is proposed as an additional built-in current collector and adsorption layer in sulfur cathodes for advanced lithium sulfur (Li-S) batteries. On one hand, the CNT film with high conductivity, microstructural rough surface, high flexibility and mechanical durability retains stable and direct electronic contact with the sulfur cathode materials, therefore decreasing internal resistivity and suppressing polarization of the cathode. On the other hand, the highly porous structure and the high surface area of the CNT film provide abundant adsorption points to support and confine sulfur cathode materials, alleviate their aggregation and promote high sulfur utilization. Moreover, the lightweight and compact structure of the CNT film adds no extra weight or volume to the sulfur cathode, benefitting the improvement of energy densities. Based on these characteristics, the sulfur cathode with a 100-layer cross-stacked CNT film presents excellent rate performances with capacities of 986, 922 and 874 mAh g(-1) at cycling rates of 0.2C, 0.5C and 1C for sulfur loading of 60 wt%, corresponding to an improvement of 52%, 109% and 146% compared to that without a CNT film. Promising cycling performances are also demonstrated, offering great potential for scaled-up production of sulfur cathodes for Li-S batteries.

Improvement of optical quality of semipolar (11 2 ¯ 2 ) GaN on m-plane sapphire by in-situ epitaxial lateral overgrowth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monavarian, Morteza; Izyumskaya, Natalia; Müller, Marcus; Metzner, Sebastian; Veit, Peter; Can, Nuri; Das, Saikat; Özgür, Ümit; Bertram, Frank; Christen, Jürgen; Morkoç, Hadis; Avrutin, Vitaliy

2016-04-01

Among the major obstacles for development of non-polar and semipolar GaN structures on foreign substrates are stacking faults which deteriorate the structural and optical quality of the material. In this work, an in-situ SiNx nano-network has been employed to achieve high quality heteroepitaxial semipolar (11 2 ¯ 2 ) GaN on m-plane sapphire with reduced stacking fault density. This approach involves in-situ deposition of a porous SiNx interlayer on GaN that serves as a nano-mask for the subsequent growth, which starts in the nanometer-sized pores (window regions) and then progresses laterally as well, as in the case of conventional epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO). The inserted SiNx nano-mask effectively prevents the propagation of defects, such as dislocations and stacking faults, in the growth direction and thus reduces their density in the overgrown layers. The resulting semipolar (11 2 ¯ 2 ) GaN layers exhibit relatively smooth surface morphology and improved optical properties (PL intensity enhanced by a factor of 5 and carrier lifetimes by 35% to 85% compared to the reference semipolar (11 2 ¯ 2 ) GaN layer) which approach to those of the c-plane in-situ nano-ELO GaN reference and, therefore, holds promise for light emitting and detecting devices.

Stacked waveguide reactors with gradient embedded scatterers for high-capacity water cleaning

DOE PAGES

Ahsan, Syed Saad; Gumus, Abdurrahman; Erickson, David

2015-11-04

We present a compact water-cleaning reactor with stacked layers of waveguides containing gradient patterns of optical scatterers that enable uniform light distribution and augmented water-cleaning rates. Previous photocatalytic reactors using immersion, external, or distributive lamps suffer from poor light distribution that impedes scalability. Here, we use an external UV-source to direct photons into stacked waveguide reactors where we scatter the photons uniformly over the length of the waveguide to thin films of TiO 2-catalysts. In conclusion, we also show 4.5 times improvement in activity over uniform scatterer designs, demonstrate a degradation of 67% of the organic dye, and characterize themore » degradation rate constant.« less

Stacked waveguide reactors with gradient embedded scatterers for high-capacity water cleaning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ahsan, Syed Saad; Gumus, Abdurrahman; Erickson, David

We present a compact water-cleaning reactor with stacked layers of waveguides containing gradient patterns of optical scatterers that enable uniform light distribution and augmented water-cleaning rates. Previous photocatalytic reactors using immersion, external, or distributive lamps suffer from poor light distribution that impedes scalability. Here, we use an external UV-source to direct photons into stacked waveguide reactors where we scatter the photons uniformly over the length of the waveguide to thin films of TiO 2-catalysts. In conclusion, we also show 4.5 times improvement in activity over uniform scatterer designs, demonstrate a degradation of 67% of the organic dye, and characterize themore » degradation rate constant.« less

Method for forming a cell separator for use in bipolar-stack energy storage devices

DOEpatents

Mayer, Steven T.; Feikert, John H.; Kaschmitter, James L.; Pekala, Richard W.

1994-01-01

An improved multi-cell electrochemical energy storage device, such as a battery, fuel cell, or double layer capacitor using a cell separator which allows cells to be stacked and interconnected with low electrical resistance and high reliability while maximizing packaging efficiency. By adding repeating cells, higher voltages can be obtained. The cell separator is formed by applying an organic adhesive on opposing surfaces of adjacent carbon electrodes or surfaces of aerogel electrodes of a pair of adjacent cells prior to or after pyrolysis thereof to form carbon aerogel electrodes. The cell separator is electronically conductive, but ionically isolating, preventing an electrolytic conduction path between adjacent cells in the stack.

Cell separator for use in bipolar-stack energy storage devices

DOEpatents

Mayer, S.T.; Feikert, J.H.; Kachmitter, J.L.; Pekala, R.W.

1995-02-28

An improved multi-cell electrochemical energy storage device is described, such as a battery, fuel cell, or double layer capacitor using a cell separator which allows cells to be stacked and interconnected with low electrical resistance and high reliability while maximizing packaging efficiency. By adding repeating cells, higher voltages can be obtained. The cell separator is formed by applying an organic adhesive on opposing surfaces of adjacent carbon electrodes or surfaces of aerogel electrodes of a pair of adjacent cells prior to or after pyrolysis thereof to form carbon aerogel electrodes. The cell separator is electronically conductive, but ionically isolating, preventing an electrolytic conduction path between adjacent cells in the stack. 2 figs.

Method for forming a cell separator for use in bipolar-stack energy storage devices

DOEpatents

Mayer, S.T.; Feikert, J.H.; Kaschmitter, J.L.; Pekala, R.W.

1994-08-09

An improved multi-cell electrochemical energy storage device, such as a battery, fuel cell, or double layer capacitor using a cell separator which allows cells to be stacked and interconnected with low electrical resistance and high reliability while maximizing packaging efficiency. By adding repeating cells, higher voltages can be obtained. The cell separator is formed by applying an organic adhesive on opposing surfaces of adjacent carbon electrodes or surfaces of aerogel electrodes of a pair of adjacent cells prior to or after pyrolysis thereof to form carbon aerogel electrodes. The cell separator is electronically conductive, but ionically isolating, preventing an electrolytic conduction path between adjacent cells in the stack. 2 figs.

A long-term stable power supply μDMFC stack for wireless sensor node applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Z. L.; Wang, X. H.; Teng, F.; Li, X. Z.; Wu, X. M.; Liu, L. T.

2013-12-01

A passive, air-breathing 4-cell micro direct methanol fuel cell (μDMFC) stack is presented featured by a fuel delivery structure for a long-term & stable power supply. The fuel is reserved in a T shape tank and diffuses through the porous diffusion layer to the catalyst at anode. The stack has a maximum power output of 110mW with 3M methanol at room temperature and output a stable power even thought 5% fuel is the remained in reservoir. Its performance decreases less than 3% for 100 hours continuous work. As such, it is believed to be more applicable for powering the wireless sensor nodes.

A novel fast-neutron detector concept for energy-selective imaging and imaging spectroscopy.

PubMed

Cortesi, M; Dangendorf, V; Zboray, R; Prasser, H-M

2014-07-01

We present and discuss the operational principle of a new fast-neutron detector concept suitable for either energy-selective imaging or for imaging spectroscopy. The detector is comprised of a series of energy-selective stacks of converter foils immersed in a noble-gas based mixture, coupled to a position-sensitive charge readout. Each foil in the various stacks is made of two layers of different thicknesses, fastened together: a hydrogen-rich (plastic) layer for neutron-to-proton conversion, and a hydrogen-free coating to selectively stop/absorb the recoil protons below a certain energy cut-off. The neutron-induced recoil protons, that escape the converter foils, release ionization electrons in the gas gaps between consecutive foils. The electrons are then drifted towards and localized by a position-sensitive charge amplification and readout stage. Comparison of the images detected by stacks with different energy cut-offs allows energy-selective imaging. Neutron energy spectrometry is realized by analyzing the responses of a sufficient large number of stacks of different energy response and unfolding techniques. In this paper, we present the results of computer simulation studies and discuss the expected performance of the new detector concept. Potential applications in various fields are also briefly discussed, in particularly, the application of energy-selective fast-neutron imaging for nuclear safeguards application, with the aim of determining the plutonium content in Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuels.

Diverse Functionalities of Vertically Stacked Graphene/Single layer n-MoS2/SiO2/p-GaN Heterostructures.

PubMed

Perumal, Packiyaraj; Karuppiah, Chelladurai; Liao, Wei-Cheng; Liou, Yi-Rou; Liao, Yu-Ming; Chen, Yang-Fang

2017-08-30

Integrating different dimentional materials on vertically stacked p-n hetero-junctions have facinated a considerable scrunity and can open up excellent feasibility with various functionalities in opto-electronic devices. Here, we demonstrate that vertically stacked p-GaN/SiO 2 /n-MoS 2 /Graphene heterostructures enable to exhibit prominent dual opto-electronic characteristics, including efficient photo-detection and light emission, which represents the emergence of a new class of devices. The photoresponsivity was found to achieve as high as ~10.4 AW -1 and the detectivity and external quantum efficiency were estimated to be 1.1 × 10 10 Jones and ~30%, respectively. These values are superier than most reported hererojunction devices. In addition, this device exhibits as a self-powered photodetector, showing a high responsivity and fast response speed. Moreover, the device demonstrates the light emission with low turn-on voltage (~1.0 V) which can be realized by electron injection from graphene electrode and holes from GaN film into monolayer MoS 2 layer. These results indicate that with a suitable choice of band alignment, the vertical stacking of materials with different dimentionalities could be significant potential for integration of highly efficient heterostructures and open up feasible pathways towards integrated nanoscale multi-functional optoelectronic devices for a variety of applications.

Effect of stacking sequence on the coefficients of mutual influence of composite laminates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dupir (Hudișteanu, I.; Țăranu, N.; Axinte, A.

2016-11-01

Fiber reinforced polymeric (FRP) composites are nowadays widely used in engineering applications due to their outstanding features, such as high specific strength and specific stiffness as well as good corrosion resistance. A major advantage of fibrous polymeric composites is that their anisotropy can be controlled through suitable choice of the influencing parameters. The unidirectional fiber reinforced composites provide much higher longitudinal mechanical properties compared to the transverse ones. Therefore, composite laminates are formed by stacking two or more laminas, with different fiber orientations, as to respond to complex states of stresses. These laminates experience the effect of axial-shear coupling, which is caused by applying normal or shear stresses, implying shear or normal strains, respectively. The normal-shear coupling is expressed by the coefficients of mutual influence. They are engineering constants of primary interest for composite laminates, since the mismatch of the material properties between adjacent layers can produce interlaminar stresses and/or plies delamination. The paper presents the variation of the in-plane and flexural coefficients of mutual influence for three types of multi-layered composites, with different stacking sequences. The results are obtained using the Classical Lamination Theory (CLT) and are illustrated graphically in terms of fiber orientations, for asymmetric, antisymmetric and symmetric laminates. Conclusions are formulated on the variation of these coefficients, caused by the stacking sequence.

Classifier Subset Selection for the Stacked Generalization Method Applied to Emotion Recognition in Speech

PubMed Central

Álvarez, Aitor; Sierra, Basilio; Arruti, Andoni; López-Gil, Juan-Miguel; Garay-Vitoria, Nestor

2015-01-01

In this paper, a new supervised classification paradigm, called classifier subset selection for stacked generalization (CSS stacking), is presented to deal with speech emotion recognition. The new approach consists of an improvement of a bi-level multi-classifier system known as stacking generalization by means of an integration of an estimation of distribution algorithm (EDA) in the first layer to select the optimal subset from the standard base classifiers. The good performance of the proposed new paradigm was demonstrated over different configurations and datasets. First, several CSS stacking classifiers were constructed on the RekEmozio dataset, using some specific standard base classifiers and a total of 123 spectral, quality and prosodic features computed using in-house feature extraction algorithms. These initial CSS stacking classifiers were compared to other multi-classifier systems and the employed standard classifiers built on the same set of speech features. Then, new CSS stacking classifiers were built on RekEmozio using a different set of both acoustic parameters (extended version of the Geneva Minimalistic Acoustic Parameter Set (eGeMAPS)) and standard classifiers and employing the best meta-classifier of the initial experiments. The performance of these two CSS stacking classifiers was evaluated and compared. Finally, the new paradigm was tested on the well-known Berlin Emotional Speech database. We compared the performance of single, standard stacking and CSS stacking systems using the same parametrization of the second phase. All of the classifications were performed at the categorical level, including the six primary emotions plus the neutral one. PMID:26712757

Investigation of Ruthenium Dissolution in Advanced Membrane Electrode Assemblies for Direct Methanol Based Fuel Cell Stacks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Valdez, Thomas I.; Firdosy, S.; Koel, B. E.; Narayanan, S. R.

2005-01-01

Dissolution of ruthenium was observed in the 80-cell stack. Duration testing was performed in single cell MEAs to determine the pathway of cell degradation. EDAX analysis on each of the single cell MEAs has shown that the Johnson Matthey commercial catalyst is stable in DMFC operation for 250 hours, no ruthenium dissolution was observed. Changes in the hydrophobicity of the cathode backing papers was minimum. Electrode polarization analysis revealed that the MEA performance loss is attributed to changes in the cathode catalyst layer. Ruthenium migration does not seem to occur during cell operation but can occur when methanol is absent from the anode compartment, the cathode compartment has access to air, and the cells in the stack are electrically connected to a load (Shunt Currents). The open-to-air cathode stack design allowed for: a) The MEAs to have continual access to oxygen; and b) The stack to sustain shunt currents. Ruthenium dissolution in a DMFC stack can be prevented by: a) Developing an internally manifolded stacks that seal reactant compartments when not in operation; b) Bringing the cell voltages to zero quickly when not in operation; and c) Limiting the total number of cells to 25 in an effort to limit shunt currents.

Method and tool to reverse the charges in anti-reflection films used for solar cell applications

DOEpatents

Sharma, Vivek; Tracy, Clarence

2017-01-31

A method is provided for making a solar cell. The method includes providing a stack including a substrate, a barrier layer disposed on the substrate, and an anti-reflective layer disposed on the barrier layer, where the anti-reflective layer has charge centers. The method also includes generating a corona with a charging tool and contacting the anti-reflective layer with the corona thereby injecting charge into at least some of the charge centers in the anti-reflective layer. Ultra-violet illumination and temperature-based annealing may be used to modify the charge of the anti-reflective layer.

Long range wetting transparency on top of layered metal dielectric substrates

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-20

multi-layered stacks were deposited onto glass substrates ( silica -based Micro cover glass , 22mmx22mm from VWR (48366-067), index of refraction n...necessarily endorsed by the United States Government. Long-range wetting transparency on top of layered metal-dielectric substrates M. A...as far as ~100 nm beneath the water/MgF2 interface. We refer to this phenomenon as long range wetting transparency . The latter effect cannot be

Integrated Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Active Cooling With Piezoelectric Actuator

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

The cooler substrate is a laminated multilayer FR-4 substrate. Individual layers are patterned to support the active element, form a resonant...prepreg epoxy. Individual FR-4 lamina were mechanically machined to pattern each layer. The layers were aligned, stacked, and laminated to form the... laminated with 70/30 copper-nickel alloy or 80/20 nickel-chrome alloy and patterned by means of photolithographic techniques and wet etching in a ferric

Atomically Phase-Matched Second-Harmonic Generation in a 2D Crystal

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-08-26

thin mate- rials. However, despite the inversion asymmetry of the single layer, the typical crystal stacking restores inversion symmetry for even...typically do not produce SH signals when inversion symmetry is restored in their multilayer counterparts. Group VI transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs...group D3h). However, adjacent layers of the 2H are mirrored to restore the inversion symmetry, while the layers in the 3R phase retain the same

Transfer of micro and nano-photonic silicon nanomembrane waveguide devices on flexible substrates.

PubMed

Ghaffari, Afshin; Hosseini, Amir; Xu, Xiaochuan; Kwong, David; Subbaraman, Harish; Chen, Ray T

2010-09-13

This paper demonstrates transfer of optical devices without extra un-patterned silicon onto low-cost, flexible plastic substrates using single-crystal silicon nanomembranes. Employing this transfer technique, stacking two layers of silicon nanomembranes with photonic crystal waveguide in the first layer and multi mode interference couplers in the second layer is shown, respectively. This technique is promising to realize high density integration of multilayer hybrid structures on flexible substrates.

Fluorinated copper phthalocyanine nanowires for enhancing interfacial electron transport in organic solar cells.

PubMed

Yoon, Seok Min; Lou, Sylvia J; Loser, Stephen; Smith, Jeremy; Chen, Lin X; Facchetti, Antonio; Marks, Tobin J; Marks, Tobin

2012-12-12

Zinc oxide is a promising candidate as an interfacial layer (IFL) in inverted organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells due to the n-type semiconducting properties as well as chemical and environmental stability. Such ZnO layers collect electrons at the transparent electrode, typically indium tin oxide (ITO). However, the significant resistivity of ZnO IFLs and an energetic mismatch between the ZnO and the ITO layers hinder optimum charge collection. Here we report that inserting nanoscopic copper hexadecafluorophthalocyanine (F(16)CuPc) layers, as thin films or nanowires, between the ITO anode and the ZnO IFL increases OPV performance by enhancing interfacial electron transport. In inverted P3HT:PC(61)BM cells, insertion of F(16)CuPc nanowires increases the short circuit current density (J(sc)) versus cells with only ZnO layers, yielding an enhanced power conversion efficiency (PCE) of ∼3.6% vs ∼3.0% for a control without the nanowire layer. Similar effects are observed for inverted PTB7:PC(71)BM cells where the PCE is increased from 8.1% to 8.6%. X-ray scattering, optical, and electrical measurements indicate that the performance enhancement is ascribable to both favorable alignment of the nanowire π-π stacking axes parallel to the photocurrent flow and to the increased interfacial layer-active layer contact area. These findings identify a promising strategy to enhance inverted OPV performance by inserting anisotropic nanostructures with π-π stacking aligned in the photocurrent flow direction.

Prediction of weak and strong topological insulators in layered semiconductors.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Felser, Claudia

2013-03-01

We investigate a new class of ternary materials such as LiAuSe and KHgSb with a honeycomb structure in Au-Se and Hg-Sb layers. We demonstrate the band inversion in these materials similar to HgTe, which is a strong precondition for existence of the topological surface states. In contrast with graphene, these materials exhibit strong spin-orbit coupling and a small direct band gap at the point. Since these materials are centrosymmetric, it is straightforward to determine the parity of their wave functions, and hence their topological character. Surprisingly, the compound with strong spin-orbit coupling (KHgSb) is trivial, whereas LiAuSe is found to be a topological insulator. However KHgSb is a weak topological insulators in case of an odd number of layers in the primitive unit cell. Here, the single-layered KHgSb shows a large bulk energy gap of 0.24 eV. Its side surface hosts metallic surface states, forming two anisotropic Dirac cones. Although the stacking of even-layered structures leads to trivial insulators, the structures can host a quantum spin Hall layer with a large bulk gap, if an additional single layer exists as a stacking fault in the crystal. The reported honeycomb compounds can serve as prototypes to aid in the finding of new weak topological insulators in layered small-gap semiconductors. In collaboration with Binghai Yan, Lukas Müchler, Hai-Jun Zhang, Shou-Cheng Zhang and Jürgen Kübler.

Interface Optoelectronics Engineering for Mechanically Stacked Tandem Solar Cells Based on Perovskite and Silicon.

PubMed

Kanda, Hiroyuki; Uzum, Abdullah; Nishino, Hitoshi; Umeyama, Tomokazu; Imahori, Hiroshi; Ishikawa, Yasuaki; Uraoka, Yukiharu; Ito, Seigo

2016-12-14

Engineering of photonics for antireflection and electronics for extraction of the hole using 2.5 nm of a thin Au layer have been performed for two- and four-terminal tandem solar cells using CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 perovskite (top cell) and p-type single crystal silicon (c-Si) (bottom cell) by mechanically stacking. Highly transparent connection multilayers of evaporated-Au and sputtered-ITO films were fabricated at the interface to be a point-contact tunneling junction between the rough perovskite and flat silicon solar cells. The mechanically stacked tandem solar cell with an optimized tunneling junction structure was ⟨perovskite for the top cell/Au (2.5 nm)/ITO (154 nm) stacked-on ITO (108 nm)/c-Si for the bottom cell⟩. It was confirmed the best efficiency of 13.7% and 14.4% as two- and four-terminal devices, respectively.

Supra-Nanoparticle Functional Assemblies through Programmable Stacking

DOE PAGES

Tian, Cheng; Cordeiro, Marco Aurelio L.; Lhermitte, Julien; ...

2017-05-25

The quest for the by-design assembly of material and devices from nanoscale inorganic components is well recognized. Conventional self-assembly is often limited in its ability to control material morphology and structure simultaneously. We report a general method of assembling nanoparticles in a linear “pillar” morphology with regulated internal configurations. Our approach is inspired by supramolecular systems, where intermolecular stacking guides the assembly process to form diverse linear morphologies. Programmable stacking interactions were realized through incorporation of DNA coded recognition between the designed planar nanoparticle clusters. This resulted in the formation of multilayered pillar architectures with a well-defined internal nanoparticle organization.more » Furthermore, by controlling the number, position, size, and composition of the nanoparticles in each layer, a broad range of nanoparticle pillars were assembled and characterized in detail. In addition, we demonstrated the utility of this stacking assembly strategy for investigating plasmonic and electrical transport properties.« less

Supra-Nanoparticle Functional Assemblies through Programmable Stacking

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tian, Cheng; Cordeiro, Marco Aurelio L.; Lhermitte, Julien

The quest for the by-design assembly of material and devices from nanoscale inorganic components is well recognized. Conventional self-assembly is often limited in its ability to control material morphology and structure simultaneously. We report a general method of assembling nanoparticles in a linear “pillar” morphology with regulated internal configurations. Our approach is inspired by supramolecular systems, where intermolecular stacking guides the assembly process to form diverse linear morphologies. Programmable stacking interactions were realized through incorporation of DNA coded recognition between the designed planar nanoparticle clusters. This resulted in the formation of multilayered pillar architectures with a well-defined internal nanoparticle organization.more » Furthermore, by controlling the number, position, size, and composition of the nanoparticles in each layer, a broad range of nanoparticle pillars were assembled and characterized in detail. In addition, we demonstrated the utility of this stacking assembly strategy for investigating plasmonic and electrical transport properties.« less

Supra-Nanoparticle Functional Assemblies through Programmable Stacking.

PubMed

Tian, Cheng; Cordeiro, Marco Aurelio L; Lhermitte, Julien; Xin, Huolin L; Shani, Lior; Liu, Mingzhao; Ma, Chunli; Yeshurun, Yosef; DiMarzio, Donald; Gang, Oleg

2017-07-25

The quest for the by-design assembly of material and devices from nanoscale inorganic components is well recognized. Conventional self-assembly is often limited in its ability to control material morphology and structure simultaneously. Here, we report a general method of assembling nanoparticles in a linear "pillar" morphology with regulated internal configurations. Our approach is inspired by supramolecular systems, where intermolecular stacking guides the assembly process to form diverse linear morphologies. Programmable stacking interactions were realized through incorporation of DNA coded recognition between the designed planar nanoparticle clusters. This resulted in the formation of multilayered pillar architectures with a well-defined internal nanoparticle organization. By controlling the number, position, size, and composition of the nanoparticles in each layer, a broad range of nanoparticle pillars were assembled and characterized in detail. In addition, we demonstrated the utility of this stacking assembly strategy for investigating plasmonic and electrical transport properties.

Electrically Conductive and Protective Coating for Planar SOFC Stacks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Choi, Jung-Pyung; Stevenson, Jeffry W.

Ferritic stainless steels are preferred interconnect materials for intermediate temperature SOFCs because of their resistance to oxidation, high formability and low cost. However, their protective oxide layer produces Cr-containing volatile species at SOFC operating temperatures and conditions, which can cause cathode poisoning. Electrically conducting spinel coatings have been developed to prevent cathode poisoning and to maintain an electrically conductive pathway through SOFC stacks. However, this coating is not compatible with the formation of stable, hermetic seals between the interconnect frame component and the ceramic cell. Thus, a new aluminizing process has been developed by PNNL to enable durable sealing, preventmore » Cr evaporation, and maintain electrical insulation between stack repeat units. Hence, two different types of coating need to have stable operation of SOFC stacks. This paper will focus on the electrically conductive coating process. Moreover, an advanced coating process, compatible with a non-electrically conductive coating will be« less

A CMOS image sensor with stacked photodiodes for lensless observation system of digital enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takehara, Hironari; Miyazawa, Kazuya; Noda, Toshihiko; Sasagawa, Kiyotaka; Tokuda, Takashi; Kim, Soo Hyeon; Iino, Ryota; Noji, Hiroyuki; Ohta, Jun

2014-01-01

A CMOS image sensor with stacked photodiodes was fabricated using 0.18 µm mixed signal CMOS process technology. Two photodiodes were stacked at the same position of each pixel of the CMOS image sensor. The stacked photodiodes consist of shallow high-concentration N-type layer (N+), P-type well (PW), deep N-type well (DNW), and P-type substrate (P-sub). PW and P-sub were shorted to ground. By monitoring the voltage of N+ and DNW individually, we can observe two monochromatic colors simultaneously without using any color filters. The CMOS image sensor is suitable for fluorescence imaging, especially contact imaging such as a lensless observation system of digital enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Since the fluorescence increases with time in digital ELISA, it is possible to observe fluorescence accurately by calculating the difference from the initial relation between the pixel values for both photodiodes.

Alternating stacking of ferromagnetic nanosheet and nanoparticle films: heteroassembly and magneto-optical Kerr effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Baoping; Zhang, Wei; Liu, Hui; Lin, Bencai; Ding, Jianning

2016-09-01

Heterostructured multilayer films of two different nanocrystals have been successfully fabricated by layer-by-layer stacking of Ti0.8Co0.2O2 nanosheet and Fe3O4 nanoparticle films. UV-Vis spectroscopy and AFM observation confirmed the successful alternating deposition in the multilayer buildup process. The average thickness of both Ti0.8Co0.2O2 nanosheet and Fe3O4 nanoparticle layers was determined to be about 1.4-1.7 and 5 nm, which was in good agreement with TEM results. Magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements demonstrated that the heteroassemblies exhibit gigantic magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) (2 × 104 deg/cm) at 320-360 nm, deriving from strong interlayer [Co2+]t2g-[Fe3+]eg d-d charge transfer which was further confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Their structure-dependent MCD showed high potential in rational design and construction of high-efficiency magneto-optical devices.

ReWritable Data Storage on DVD by Using Phase Change Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleine, H.; Martin, F.; Kapeller, M.; Cord, B.; Ebinger, H.

It is expected that the next few years the VHS casette will be replaced by rewritable Digital Versatile Discs (DVD) for home video recording. At this moment three different standards DVD+RW, DVD-RW and DVD-RAM exist, out of which the DVD+RW is expected to dominate the market in Europe and the United States. The disc holds 4.7 GB of computer data, which is equivalent to several hours of high quality video content. At the heart of the disc is a thin film layer stack with a special phase change recording layer. By proper laser irradiation the disc can be overwritten up to 1000 times without noticeable quality loss. A shelf lifetime of 20-50 years is anticipated. With these characteristics the disc is well suited for consumer applications. The present article illuminates how a process engineer can control the disc recording sensitivity, the recording speed and the number of overwriting cycles by the design of the thin film layer stack.

Temperature-insensitive vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers and method for fabrication thereof

DOEpatents

Chow, W.W.; Choquette, K.D.; Gourley, P.L.

1998-01-27

A temperature-insensitive vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) and method for fabrication thereof are disclosed. The temperature-insensitive VCSEL comprises a quantum-well active region within a resonant cavity, the active region having a gain spectrum with a high-order subband (n {>=} 2) contribution thereto for broadening and flattening the gain spectrum, thereby substantially reducing any variation in operating characteristics of the VCSEL over a temperature range of interest. The method for forming the temperature-insensitive VCSEL comprises the steps of providing a substrate and forming a plurality of layers thereon for providing first and second distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) mirror stacks with an active region sandwiched therebetween, the active region including at least one quantum-well layer providing a gain spectrum having a high-order subband (n {>=} 2) gain contribution, and the DBR mirror stacks having predetermined layer compositions and thicknesses for providing a cavity resonance within a predetermined wavelength range substantially overlapping the gain spectrum. 12 figs.

Retinal optical coherence tomography at 1 μm with dynamic focus control and axial motion tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cua, Michelle; Lee, Sujin; Miao, Dongkai; Ju, Myeong Jin; Mackenzie, Paul J.; Jian, Yifan; Sarunic, Marinko V.

2016-02-01

High-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) retinal imaging is important to noninvasively visualize the various retinal structures to aid in better understanding of the pathogenesis of vision-robbing diseases. However, conventional OCT systems have a trade-off between lateral resolution and depth-of-focus. In this report, we present the development of a focus-stacking OCT system with automatic focus optimization for high-resolution, extended-focal-range clinical retinal imaging by incorporating a variable-focus liquid lens into the sample arm optics. Retinal layer tracking and selection was performed using a graphics processing unit accelerated processing platform for focus optimization, providing real-time layer-specific en face visualization. After optimization, multiple volumes focused at different depths were acquired, registered, and stitched together to yield a single, high-resolution focus-stacked dataset. Using this system, we show high-resolution images of the retina and optic nerve head, from which we extracted clinically relevant parameters such as the nerve fiber layer thickness and lamina cribrosa microarchitecture.