Effective channel length and parasitic resistance determination in non self-aligned low temperature polycrystalline silicon thin film transistors

The presence of high electric fields at the drain junction in polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) thin film transistors (TFTs), enhances several undesired effects, such as hot-carrier related instabilities and kink effect. In order to reduce the drain electric field, non-self-aligned (NSA) device architecture can be adopted. In this case, dopant activation and active layer crystallization are achieved at the same time by excimer laser annealing, resulting in a substantial lateral dopant diffusion. The gradual doping profile provides not only a reduction of the drain electric field, but also a channel length shortening. Therefore, an effective channel length (L_eff) has to be determined in such devices, in order to successfully design circuit applications. In this work, L_eff and parasitic resistance (R_p) modulation effects have been investigated in both n- and p-channel NSA polysilicon TFTs. Three different parameter extraction methods, originally proposed for the crystalline MOSFETs technology, have been used and compared in order to extract L_eff and R_p, including: the “channel resistance” method; the “paired V_g” method; the “shift and ratio” method. These methods indicate a channel length reduction up to 1 μm and a non negligible parasitic resistance effect. The reliability of the results of the three methods are discussed in terms of applicability of the underlying assumptions in the case of polysilicon TFTs and numerical simulations are used to support the analysis.     

AlGaN/GaN HEMTS: material, processing, and characterization

The growth of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) structures on sapphire by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) is described, with special emphasis on procedures to reduce dislocation density. All the processing steps involved in the fabrication of nitride-based HEMTs have been optimized, including dry etching by ion beam milling, evaporation of Pt/Ti/Au gate contacts, and SiN _x surface passivation. Devices with several gate lengths and different geometries have been fabricated by standard photo- and e-beam lithography. d.c. drain current and transconductance increase when gate length is reduced, up to 950 mA mm^–1 and 230 mS mm^–1, respectively, at V _GS=0 V, in HEMTs with a gate length L _G=0.2 m. A maximum output power higher than 5 W mm^–1 is estimated. Finally, small-signal measurements yield f _T=12 GHz and f _max=25 GHz for HEMTs with L _G=0.5 m, which increase up to 20 and 35 GHz for L _G=0.2 m, respectively. Limitation of high-frequency performance by parasitics is discussed.     

Development of a Nb3Sn multifilamentary composite conductor for a.c. use

A Nb₃Sn composite conductor with ≈ 10 000 submicron diameter filaments has been manufactured using the external diffusion process. A.c. losses were greatly reduced by the use of a fine filament size (0.53 μm, design value), a tight twist pitch (0.87 mm) and a small wire diameter (0.153 mm) with a bronze matrix. In an a.c. field with a frequency of 50 Hz and amplitude of 2.0 T, the hysteresis loss and the coupling current loss were observed to be 465 kW m⁻³ and 26 kW m⁻³, respectively. A triplex conductor was constructed by cabling three strands at a twisting pitch of 3 mm, and a small coil was wound from this cable (i.d. 11 mm, o.d. 33 mm, axial length 19 mm). With d.c. the coil generated a field of 1.3 T at the critical current, l_c of 37.4 A. When the coil was operated at 50 Hz, with an exciting current of I_c, the observed loss averaged over the windings was 240 kW m⁻³. The quenching current for 50 Hz operation was 53 A at a maximum field of 1.8 T. This was considerably higher than the critical values under d.c. conditions. Preliminary studies have shown that, if this conductor is used in superconducting armature windings of rotating machines, economical benefits are obtained compared with the use of conventional armatures.     

Effect of the adsorbate (Bromacil) equilibrium concentration in water on its adsorption on powdered activated carbon. Part 1. Equilibrium parameters

This study was carried out to investigate the adsorption equilibrium and kinetics of a pesticide of the uracil group on powdered activated carbon (PAC). The experiments were conducted at a wide range of initial pesticide concentrations (5 μg L⁻¹ to 500 μg L⁻¹ at pH 7.8), corresponding to equilibrium concentrations of less than 0.1 μg L⁻¹ for the weakest, which is compatible with the tolerance limits of drinking water. Such a very broad range of initial solute concentrations resulting powdered activated carbon (PAC) concentrations (0.1–5 mg L⁻¹) is the main particularity of our study. The application of several monosolute equilibrium models (two, three or more parameters) has generally shown that Bromacil adsorption is probably effective on two types of sites. High reactivity sites (K_L  10³ L mg⁻¹) which are 10–20 less present in a carbon surface than lower reactivity sites (K_L  10 L mg⁻¹), according to the q_m values calculated by two- or three-parameter models. The maximum capacity of the studied powdered activated carbon (PAC), corresponding to monolayer adsorption, compared to the Bromacil molecule surface, would be between 170 mg g⁻¹ and 190 mg g⁻¹. This theoretical value is very close to the experimental q_m values obtained when using linearized forms of Langmuir, Tóth and Fritz–Schluender models.     

Emissions properties of Ho: I7 → I8 transition sensitized by Er and Yb in fluorophosphate glasses

Emission properties of Ho³⁺ at 2.0 μm and the energy transfer mechanism between Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ and Ho³⁺ ions in fluorophosphate glasses are investigated. The measured emission spectra show that the ⁵I₇ → ⁵I₈ transition of Ho³⁺ upon 980 nm laser diode excitation is strong. Judd–Ofelt intensity parameters (Ω_λ, λ = 2, 4, 6), spontaneous transition probability (A_rad), radiative lifetime (τ_r), absorption cross section (σ_a), stimulated emission cross section (σ_e) and FWHM ×  for the transition of Ho³⁺: ⁵I₇ → ⁵I₈ are calculated and discussed. The obtained results show that the present Yb³⁺/Er³⁺/Ho³⁺ triply-doped fluorophosphate glass can be identified to be a promising material at 2.0 μm emission.     

Investigation of the temperature dependence of electron and phonon Raman scattering in single crystal YBa2Cu3O6.952

Detailed Raman-scattering measurements have been performed on high-quality YBa₂Cu₃O_6.952 single crystal (T _c =93 K, T _c =0.3 K). A sharp (FWHM 7.2 cm^–1 at 70 K and 10.0 cm^–1 at 110 K) 340 cm^–1phonon mode has been observed inB _1g polarization. An electronic scattering peak at 500 cm^–1 in theB _1g polarization extends down to 250 cm^–1. These FWHM values determine the upper limit of the homogeneous linewidth of the phonon and electronic excitations. The start of the electronic spectral function renormalization and of the 340 cm^–1 mode anomalies (frequency softening, linewidth sharpening, and intensity increase) have been observed to occur approximately 40 K aboveT _c . The 340 cm^–1 mode Fano shape analysis has been performed and the temperature dependences of the Fano shape parameters have been estimated. All 340 cm^–1 mode anomalies have been explained by the electronic spectral function renormalization.This work was supported by Swedish Natural Sciences Research Council (G.B. and L.B.) and by the National Science Foundation (DMR 91-20000) through the Science and Technology Center for Superconductivity (G.B. and M.V.K.).     

Effects of gate sidewall recess on Al<Subscript>0.2</Subscript>Ga<Subscript>0.8</Subscript>As/ In<Subscript>0.15</Subscript>Ga<Subscript>0.85</Subscript>As PHEMTs by citric-based selective etchant

In this report, an effective and simple method of selective gate sidewall recess is proposed to expose the low barrier channel at mesa sidewalls during device isolation for Al_0.2Ga_0.8As/ In_0.15Ga_0.85As PHEMTs (pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistors) by using a newly developed citric-acid-based etchant with high selectivity (> 250) for GaAs/Al_0.2Ga_0.8As or In_0.15Ga_0.85As/Al_0.2G_0.8 As interfaces. After sidewall recess, a revealed cavity will exist between the In_0.15Ga_0.85As layers and gate metals. Devices with 1 × 100μm² exhibit a very low gate leakage current of 2.4μA/mm even at V_GD = −10 V and high gate breakdown voltage over 25 V. As compared to that of no sidewall recess, nearly two orders of reduction in magnitude of gate leakage current and 100% improvement in gate breakdown voltage can be achieved.     

Novel azobenzene precursors for NLO active polyuretanes: Synthesis, quantum chemical and experimental characterization

For the development of electro optical active polyurethanes six new derivatives of 2-{(2-hydroxyethyl)-[4-(4-nitrophenylazo)phenyl]amino}ethanol and two of 2-{(2-hydroxyethyl)-[4-(5-nitropyridin-2-ylazo)phenyl]amino}ethanol were synthesized by azocoupling reaction. Molecular geometry, hyperpolarizability β_FF and ground state dipole moment μ_g were acquired by RHF ab initio (6–31G**) calculations using HyperChem software package. To characterize NLO performance of synthesized azo compounds second order non linear coefficients d₃₁ and d₃₃ were measured as function of chromophore load in guest–host films (PMMA). Eight synthesized compounds can be grouped in four similar gross formula pairs (different position of octyloxy group) with almost equal μ_g β_FF product and different μ_g values. At low chromophore concentrations higher dipole moment compounds perform better. Lower dipole moment compounds have better NLO efficiency at high chromophore loads. Accurate ranking of all chromophores, based on two-level model corrected zero frequency d₃₃(0) values, was not viable due to overestimation of the dispersion factor.     

Interfacial microstructure of Si3N4/Si3N4 brazing joint with Cu–Zn–Ti filler alloy

In this study, Si₃N₄ ceramic was jointed by a brazing technique with a Cu–Zn–Ti filler alloy. The interfacial microstructure between Si₃N₄ ceramic and filler alloy in the Si₃N₄/Si₃N₄ joint was observed and analyzed by using electron-probe microanalysis, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicate that there are two reaction layers at the ceramic/filler interface in the joint, which was obtained by brazing at a temperature and holding time of 1223 K and 15 min, respectively. The layer nearby the Si₃N₄ ceramic is a TiN layer with an average grain size of 100 nm, and the layer nearby the filler alloy is a Ti₅Si₃N_x layer with an average grain size of 1–2 μm. Thickness of the TiN and Ti₅Si₃N_x layers is about 1 μm and 10 μm, respectively. The formation mechanism of the reaction layers was discussed. A model showing the microstructure from Si₃N₄ ceramic to filler alloy in the Si₃N₄/Si₃N₄ joint was provided as: Si₃N₄ ceramic/TiN reaction layer/Ti₅Si₃N_x reaction layer/Cu–Zn solution.     

An algorithm for spectral factorization using random search techniques

An approximation method for the energy spectrum of a stationary stochastic dynamical system is presented, which allows approximate functional rational factorization.This paper is in three parts. The first deals with a theoretical problem of approximation in Hardy Spaces, whose main result is the following:Let S⁽ⁱⁿ⁾, S be positive functions belonging to L¹(R_gw), such that log S⁽ⁿ⁾ and log S belong to L¹(R_ω, dω/1 + ω²).Let h⁽ⁿ⁾, h be the outer functions of the Hardy Space H²(Π₊) such that S^(g) = |h⁽ⁿ⁾|² and S = |h|² on iR.If S⁽ⁿ⁾ n^→∝ S in L¹(R_ω), and log S⁽ⁿ⁾ n^→∝ log S in L¹(R_ω, dω/1 + ω²), then: h⁽ⁿ⁾ n^→∝ h in H²(Π₊).The second part describes an effective algorithm, using random search methods, and gives an almost sure convergence result for it.The third part treats numerically two examples, permitting comparison of this algorithm with others (whenever there are…): the first example is a problem of approximation for a nonrational process (turbulence) that was considered in Ref. 22: the second example is a problem of model reduction (automatic) considered in Ref. 4.     

Comprehensive characterization of hydride VPE grown GaN layers and templates

GaN community has recently recognized that it is imperative that the extended, and point defects in GaN and related materials, and the mechanisms for their formation are understood. This is a first and an important step, which must be followed by defect reduction before full implementation of this material and its allied binaries/ternaries in devices. This review is based on a recent concerted effort to establish benchmarks as far as defects are concerned, and identify the basic issues involved. Samples were analyzed for extended defects by TEM and chemical etches, for polarity by electric force microscopy and convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED), for point defects by DLTS, for optical quality and deep defects by photoluminescence (PL), for vacancies by positron annihilation, for donor and acceptor like states within the gap by ODMR and EPR, and for carrier transport targeted for defects and impurities by variable temperature and magnetic field-dependent Hall measurements.Hydride VPE samples grown at Lincoln Laboratories with 1.5, 5.5 and 55 μm thicknesses were investigated for defects by TEM, and their polarity was found to be Ga-polarity, as expected, by CBDE combined with simulations. The density of misfit dislocations at the substrate/EPI interface was determined to be on the order of 10¹³ cm⁻² based on high-resolution electron microscopy images. The threading dislocation density decreased gradually with distance from the interface, reaching a value of about 10⁸ cm⁻² at the surface of a 55 μm film. A 200 μm thick laser separated and free-standing HVPE grown GaN template grown at Samsung was also characterized similarly. The free surface and substrate sides were confirmed to be Ga- and N-polarity, respectively. The density of dislocations near the N-face was determined to be, in order, (3±1)×10⁷ and (4±1)×10⁷ by cross-sectional TEM and plan-view TEM, respectively. Identical observations on the Ga-face revealed the defect concentration to be less than 1×10⁷ cm⁻² by plan-view TEM and 5×10⁵ cm⁻² by cross-sectional TEM.Defects in a 10 μm thick GaN layer grown by HVPE at Lincoln Laboratory have been investigated by photo electrochemical (PEC) etching, and by wet etching in hot H₃PO₄ acid and molten KOH. Threading vertical wires (i.e. whiskers) and hexagonal-shaped etch pits are formed on the etched sample surfaces by PEC and wet etching, respectively. Using atomic force microscopy, one finds the density of “whisker-like” features to be 2×10⁹ cm⁻², the same value found for the etch-pit density on samples etched with both H₃PO₄ and molten KOH. Values agree well with TEM results.A free standing GaN template has been characterized for its structural and optical properties using X-ray diffraction, defect delineation etch followed by imaging with atomic force microscopy (AFM). The Ga-face and the N-face of the c-plane GaN exhibited a wide variation in terms of the defect density. The defect concentrations on Ga- and N-faces were about 5×10⁵ cm⁻² for the former and about 1×10⁷ cm⁻² for the latter, again in good agreement with TEM results mentioned above.High resolution X-ray rocking curves (omega scans) were measured. The [0 0 2] symmetric and [1 0 4] asymmetric peaks in 10 μm thick HVPE films had FWHM values between 5.8 and 7.9 arcmin, and 3.9 and 5.2 arcmin, respectively. The Samsung template investigated had wide diffraction peaks (20.6 and 24 arcmin for [0 0 2] and [1 0 4] diffractions, respectively) on the Ga-face, similar for the N-face, when a 2 mm slit size was used. When the slit size was reduced to 0.02 mm, the Ga- and N-face [0 0 2] peaks reduced to 69 and 160 arcsec. A bowing radius of 1.2 m was calculated to account for increased broadening with wider slits.In the HVPE layer studied, SIMS investigations indicate that both O and Si concentrations drop rapidly away from the surface into the sample — mainly due in part to the artifact of the technique and in part due to condensates on the surface of the sample, down to about 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ for Si and high 10¹⁶ cm⁻³ for O. The Ga-face profile in the Samsung template indicated levels below mid-10¹⁶ cm⁻³ for all three of the impurities. The picture is different for the N-side, however, as it was juxtaposed to the substrate during growth and was mechanically polished after laser separation. The impurity concentration on this face, depending on the species, is some 1–3 orders of magnitude higher than the case for the Ga-face.Transport properties as a function of the layer thickness, ranging from about 1 to 68 μm, while all the other parameters being the same, as they evolve from the sapphire/GaN interface and up were determined in epitaxial layers. A strong dependence on distance from the interface was observed with the averaged mobility figures increasing from 190 cm²/V s in the 5 μm film to 740 cm²/V s in the 68 μm film. The preliminary differential Hall measurements indicate that the mobility at the surface of the thick layer is about 1200 cm²/V s. Electron mobilities in free-standing template were 1425 cm²/V s at T=273 K and 7385 cm²/V s at T=48.2 K. By using the most recent unscreened acoustic deformation potential and allowing only the acceptor concentration to vary (2.4×10¹⁵ cm⁻³ for the best fit), one obtains an excellent fit to the measured mobility in the temperature range of 30–273 K by using an iterative BTE method. In addition, an excellent fit for the temperature-dependent electron concentration was also obtained utilizing the acceptor concentration determined from the fit to the Hall data, and the charge balance equation. This led to a donor concentration of 1.6×10¹⁶ cm⁻³, and activation energy of 26 meV, the latter being the highest reported in the literature for GaN.In the free-standing template, the Γ₅ and Γ₆ free excitons were identified from emission measurements by utilizing polarization geometries where the E field is perpendicular to the c-axis, favoring the Γ₅ exciton, and E field parallel to the c-axis (incident beam from the edge of the wafer) favoring the Γ₆ exciton. Focusing on the defect region of the PL spectrum, the N-face of the sample exhibited the usual yellow line. However, the Ga-face exhibited a broad band encompassing both yellow and green bands. The yellow luminescence in the free-standing template is weak and can be easily saturated. In contrast, the green luminescence is dominant and is attributed to the isolated defect involving gallium vacancy, whereas the yellow luminescence is related to the same defect bound to dislocation or surface-bound structural defect.Deep centers have been characterized by DLTS in HVPE-grown GaN epilayers of different thickness and dislocation densities, and templates. The main deep centers, such as A₁, B, and D, show higher concentrations in thinner samples, which suggests a correlation to the high dislocation densities. Based on the anti-correlation between A₁ and B, which is observed in thin HVPE-GaN layers, the defect B was tentatively attributed to N_Ga. Centers A₁ and E₁ found in thin HVPE-GaN are very similar to centers A₂ and E induced by electron-irradiation, indicating their point-defect nature. Centers A, C, and D are not affected by 1 MeV electron-irradiation, thus ruling out the possibility of these centers being identical to any EI-induced centers; however, their nature remains unknown. As the layer thickness decreases, an increase of deep centers, both in species and concentrations, was clearly observed, which is believed to be closely associated with the significant increase of threading dislocations as revealed by TEM. Based on a comparison with EI-induced centers and an observation of anti-correlation, A₁ is tentatively assigned to N_I, and B to N_Ga. The template exhibited a new trap B′, with parameters E_T=0.53 eV and σ_T=1.5×10⁻¹⁵ cm² on the Ga-face, in addition to the four traps commonly observed in various epitaxial GaN layers. For the N-face, an N vacancy-related trap E₁, with E_T=0.18 eV and σ_T=4×10⁻¹⁷ cm², was observed. On the other hand, the Ga-face sample contained trap C, with E_T=0.35 eV and σ_T=1.6×10⁻¹⁵ cm². This trap may be related to surface damage caused by the RIE process employed.Electron beam and optical depth-profiling of thick (5.5–68 μm) n-type HVPE-GaN samples have been carried out using electron beam-induced current (EBIC) and micro-PL to determine the minority carrier diffusion length, L, and minority carrier lifetime. The minority carrier diffusion length increased linearly from 0.25 μm, at a distance of about 5 μm from the GaN/sapphire interface, to 0.63 μm at the GaN surface for a 36 μm thick sample. The increase in L was accompanied by a corresponding increase in PL band-to-band radiative transition intensity as a function of distance from the GaN/sapphire interface. These observations in PL intensity and minority carrier diffusion length have been attributed to a reduced carrier mobility and lifetime at the interface and to scattering at threading dislocations.Positron annihilation experiments have been conducted in HVPE films with varying thicknesses from 1 to 68 μm. Mg-doped samples and bulk GaN platelets have also been investigated and the behavior of positron annihilation in Mg-doped samples established. Unlike the Mg-doped samples, the positron lifetime in the HVPE samples increased with decreasing lattice temperature. This was interpreted as acceptors in these n-type samples being due to Ga vacancies as opposed to relatively shallow acceptor impurities. The similarities in the behavior of these samples and those investigated previously where the III/V ratio was changed also lend support to the Ga vacancy argument. Previous investigations established that as the III/V is lowered by increasing the ammonia flow during the growth, the Ga vacancy concentration increased. Using Mg-doped samples as a standard, the vacancy concentration was determined to be about 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ near the surface for the layer with a thickness greater than 30 μm. Assuming that the growth parameters in the set of layers with varying thicknesses that were investigated are the same, the Ga vacancy concentration increases to mid-10¹⁹ cm⁻³ near the interface. Since the interfacial region is n-type and highly conductive, this region must also contain even larger concentrations of O and/or N vacancies which lead to n-type material. SIMS results already indicate mid-10¹⁹ cm⁻³ levels of O being present in this region. This has been attributed to O out-diffusion from sapphire as previously reported.FTIR, ODMR and EPR measurements have been performed in GaN layers and templates. In FTIR measurements, two absorption bands corresponding to binding energies of 30.9 (Si) and 33.9 meV were found. Splitting of the binding energies with magnetic field is consistent with an effective mass of 0.22m₀. Angular rotation studies were performed with the magnetic field oriented perpendicular and parallel to the c-axis to provide symmetry information. The ODMR on the 2.2 eV peak in a 5–10 μm thick GaN layer, the notorious yellow emission, showed signatures of shallow donor (effective mass like) and deep defect centers with g-values of 1.95 and 1.99, respectively. The 3.27 eV peak with resolved LO phonon replicas, which is the blue peak observed in many GaN films grown by a variety of methods, is attributed to transitions involving shallow acceptors with g2.1 and g2.0. ODMR on the 2.4 eV “green” PL band in the free-standing template also revealed evidence for shallow donors with a g-value of 1.95 and other deeper centers. The larger line width of the shallow donor signal from the template, relative to that found for the epitaxial layers, is indicative of a lower concentration of this center, which leads to an increased hyperfine interaction. EPR studies confirmed the notable difference between the epilayers and the template, particularly the larger line widths in the template due to the lower concentration of shallow donors. Specifically, the free-standing sample has about 6×10¹⁵ cm⁻³ uncompensated donors while the epilayers have a concentration about a factor of four higher.Calculations indicate that incorporation of Si has a negligible effect on the lattice constant, but O and Mg can lead to an observable expansion of the lattice. Since values of the GaN lattice constant have often been based on bulk crystals that are now known to contain large concentrations of oxygen, the “true” GaN lattice constant is actually smaller than what has been measured for such crystals. Boron is an unintentional impurity that can be introduced during MBE growth. There has been speculation about whether B might act as an acceptor in GaN; this would require it to be incorporated on the nitrogen site. Computations indicate that incorporating B on the N site is energetically unfavorable. Even if it did incorporate there, it would act as a deep, rather than a shallow acceptor. Formation energies of H in AlN and GaN have also been calculated. The behavior of H in AlN is very similar to GaN: H⁺ dominates in p-type, H⁻ in n-type. Surprisingly, H in InN behaves exclusively as a donor, i.e. it is not amphoteric as in GaN and AlN, but actually contributes to the n-type conductivity of the material.Scanning thermal microscopy (SThM) has been applied to measure the local thermal conductivity of epitaxial GaN as it is affected to a large extent by phonon scattering, and a closer to the true value of this parameter can be obtained by a local measurement in areas of lower defect concentration such as those found in the wing regions of lateral epitaxially grown GaN. The method relies on a thermo-resistive tip forming one quadrant of a Winston bridge. The bridge is balanced with the tip heated followed by bringing the tip in contact with the sample under test which cools down due to thermal dissipation. However, the feedback circuit attempts to keep the thermo-resistance and thus the tip temperature the same. The square of the feedback voltage necessary for this is proportional to the thermal conductivity. Accurate values can be obtained with calibration using known substrates such as GaSb, GaAs, InP, Si and Al metal. Using SThM, thermal conductivity, κ, values of 2.0–2.1 W/cm K in the wing regions of lateral epitaxially grown GaN, 1.70–1.75 W/cm K in HVPE grown GaN, and 3.0–3.3 W/cm K for free-standing AlN have been measured.     

Study of temperature effect on junctionless Si nanotube FET concerning analog/RF performance

This paper for the first time investigates the effect of temperature variation on analog/RF performance of SiO₂ as well as high-K gate dielectric based junctionless silicon nanotube FET (JL-SiNTFET). It is observed that the change in temperature does not variate the analog/RF performance of junctionless silicon nanotube FET by substantial amount. By increasing the temperature from 77 K to 400 K, the deterioration in intrinsic dc gain (A_V) is marginal that is only ∼3 dB. Furthermore, the variation in cut-off frequency (f_T), maximum oscillation frequency (f_MAX), and gain-frequency product (GFP) with temperature is also minimal in JLSiNT-FET. More so, the same trend is observed even at scaled gate length (L_g = 15 nm). Furthermore, we have observed that the use of high-K gate dielectric deteriorates the analog/RF performance of JLSiNT-FET. However, the use of high-K gate dielectric negligibly changes the effect of temperature variation on analog/RF performance of JLSINT-FET device.     

Optical, electrical and magnetic properties of Co3O4 nanocrystallites obtained by thermal decomposition of sol–gel derived oxalates

Nanocrystallites of tricobalt tetraoxide (Co₃O₄) have been synthesized by sol–gel process using cobalt acetate tetrahydrate, oxalic acid as precursors and ethanol as a solvent. The process comprises of gel formation, drying at 80 °C for 24 h to obtain cobalt oxalate dihydrate (α-CoC₂O₄·2H₂O) followed by calcination at or above 400 °C for 2 h in air. These results combined with thermal analysis have been used to determine the scheme of oxide formation. The room temperature optical absorption spectra exhibits blue shift in both (i) ligand to metal (p(O²⁻) → e_g(Co³⁺), 3.12 eV), and (ii) metal to metal charge transfer transitions (a) t_2g(Co³⁺) → t₂(Co²⁺), 1.77 eV, (b) t₂(Co²⁺) → e_g(Co³⁺), 0.95 eV together with the d–d transitions (0.853 and 0.56 eV) within the Co²⁺ tetrahedra. The temperature dependent ac electrical and dielectric properties of these nanocrystals have been studied in the frequency range 100 Hz to 15 MHz. There are two regimes distinguishing different temperature dependences of the conductivity (70–100 K and 200–300 K). The ac conductivity in both the temperature regions is explained in terms of nearest neighbor hopping (NNH) mechanism of electrons. The carrier concentration measured from the capacitance (C)–voltage (V) measurements is found to be 1.05 × 10¹⁶ m⁻³. The temperature dependent dc magnetic susceptibility curves under zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) conditions exhibit irreversibilities whose blocking temperature (T_B) is centered at 35 K. The observed Néel temperature (T_N  25 K) is significantly lower than the bulk Co₃O₄ value (T_N = 40 K) possibly due to the associate finite size effects.     

Electronic Raman scattering of superconducting YBa2Cu3Oy single crystals

TheA _1g andB _1g low-energy Raman continua of YBa₂Cu₃O _y (Y123) single crystals, withy=7.0, 6.99, and 6.93, have been investigated. It is found that the peak frequency of theA _1g continuum is equal to 310±10 cm^–1 and independent of oxygen concentration fory in the above range. The central frequency of the broad peak in theB _1g continuum, however, shifts from about 470 cm^–1 fory7.0 to 550 cm^–1 fory6.93. Thus, a relatively small change in oxygen concentration results in a significant redistribution of the states contributing to theB _1g continuum. Assuming the low-energy portions of the continua are electronic in origin, the Raman spectra have been calculated and the results compared to the experimental spectra. It is suggested that the Raman continua arise, at least in part, from scattering across a spin fluctuation-induced pseudogap.     

Preparation of AlVO4-films for sensor application via a sol-gel/spin-coating technique

The preparation of thin AlVO₄ films on corundum substrates for possible sensor application is described. Thermally stable, crack-free thin films having thicknesses typically below 0.1 μm were obtained by a sol-gel process using alkoxide reagents combined with a spin-coating technique. The films were structurally characterized by XRD, Raman and FTIR spectroscopy and their morphology was analyzed by SEM. XRD showed that the films consisted almost exclusively (> 90%) of AlVO₄ after calcination at 923 K.     

Creep of magnesium strengthened with high volume fractions of yttria dispersoids

Creep experiments were performed on dispersion-strengthened-cast magnesium (DSC-Mg), consisting of unalloyed magnesium with 1 μm grain size containing 30 vol.% of 0.33 μm yttria particles. Strain rates were measured for temperatures between 573 and 723 K at compressive stresses between 7 and 125 MPa. DSC-Mg exhibits outstanding creep strength as compared with other magnesium materials, but is less creep resistant than comparable DSC-Al and other dispersion-strengthened aluminum materials. Two separate creep regimes were observed in DSC-Mg, at low stresses (σ<30 MPa), both the apparent stress exponent (n_app≈2) and the apparent activation energy (Q_app≈48 kJ mol⁻¹) are low, while at high stresses (σ>34 MPa), these parameters are much higher (n_app=9–15 and Q_app=230–325 kJ mol⁻¹) and increase, respectively, with increasing temperature and stress. The low-stress regime can be explained by an existing model of grain-boundary sliding inhibited by dispersoids at grain-boundaries. The unexpectedly low activation energy (about half the activation energy of grain boundary diffusion in pure magnesium) is interpreted as interfacial diffusion at the Mg/Y₂O₃ interface. The high-stress regime can be described by dislocation creep with dispersion-strengthening from the interaction of the submicron particles with matrix dislocations. The origin of the threshold stress is discussed in the light of existing dislocation climb, detachment and pile-up models.     

Second harmonic generation in surface crystallized 30GeS2 · 35Ga2S3 · 35AgCl chalcohalide glasses

The infrared transmitting surface crystallized chalcohalide glasses containing nontoxic and excellent nonlinear optical AgGaGeS₄ crystallites were fabricated by heat-treatment of the as-prepared 30GeS₂ · 35Ga₂S₃ · 35AgCl chalcohalide glass at 350 °C (T_g −10 °C) for 24 h. An intensive second harmonic generation (SHG) was observed clearly using the Maker fringe technique, and the origin of SHG was mainly ascribed to the AgGaGeS4 nonlinear optical crystallites contained in the surface crystallized layer. The thickness of the surface crystallized layer showing SHG activation is approximate 50 μm. The χ⁽²⁾ susceptibility of the prepared surface crystallized 30GeS₂ · 35Ga₂S₃ · 35AgCl chalcohalide glass is calculated to be about 12.4 pm/V at a fundamental wavelength of 1064 nm, which indicates a promising nonlinear optical material in the infrared spectral region.     

Role of Pb substitution and a study of synthesizing procedure for Bi-based superconductors

Bulk superconductors of the (Bi_1–x Pb _x )₂Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O _y system have been synthesized by changing the Bi/Pb ratio. The effect of Pb substitution onT _c has been studied by standard d.c. resistivity measurements. An appropriate thermal procedure and time for the preparation of the 110 K phase has also been studied at length. The experiments indicate that the best results are obtained forx=0.2 and that a slow cooling process is necessary for a better control of the thermal process. Indexed X-ray diffraction patterns indicate the lattice parameters of low- and high-T _c phases asa _L=0.54004 nm,b _L=0.5445 nm,c _L=3.084 nm anda _H=0.5483 nm,b _H=0.5339 nm,c _H=3.772 nm, respectively. The observed superconducting behaviour is stable on thermal cycling between 77 and 300 K.     

High-capacity superconducting current leads of Y1Ba2Cu3O7?x

We have fabricated and measured a high-capacity superconducting current lead composed of a Y₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7–x cylinder, 20 cm long and 0.9 cm² cross section. A steady-state, d.c., critical current of 225 A at a temperature of 77 K was measured in this sample, using a voltage criterion of 2×10^–7 V/cm (p = 8×10^–10 ohm-cm). This current was limited by the currentinduced, self magnetic field. To our knowledge this is the largest d.c. critical current so far reported in a Y₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7–x sample and demonstrates the possibility of using hightemperature superconducting HTS materials for current leads to low-temperature superconducting LTS magnets or in power distribution systems.     

Current controlled high Tc superconducting switch

When a current is applied above the critical current l_c of a superconductor, the material is in its normal state and has a finite resistance. Below l_c the material becomes a superconductor with zero resistance. Switching between these two states can be achieved by modulating a current through the sample. Various high T_c superconducting (HTS) line structures have been made. In the normal state these structures are ordinary resistors with resistances ranging from 10 μ to 100 kμ. The critical currents are in the range 10 μA–100 mA. Switching behaviour has been observed in a simple divider circuit using the HTS lines at 77 K. Applications of the current controlled HTS switch to digital and logic circuits are discussed.