Gamma Ray Irradiation Effects on Electrical Transport and Microwave Properties of BISCO Superconducting Films

High-T _c Superconducting films of Bi–Sr–Ca–Cu–O (2:2:1:2) have been synthesized by spray pyrolysis of nitrate precursors onto yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ). -ray irradiation of the sample, was carried out using a ⁶⁰Co source of 10³ Ci strength for several hundreds of hours; the dose received by the samples was 80 K rad/hr. Superconducting properties such as critical transition temperature (T _c), resistivity (R), critical current density (J _tc). Voltage-time relaxation (V _t) and microwave induced dc voltage were investigated as a function of temperature down to 77 K after -ray irradiation. -ray irradiation was found to have practically no effect on its structural modification and on the critical transition temperature. However, transport critical current density (J _tc) increased. The increase of pinning energies with irradiation suggests that these changes in properties are dominated by radiation-induced randomly distributed mobile oxygen defects in the films. An appreciable decrease in the microwave-induced dc voltage at 77 K was also observed after irradiation which suggests that the mobile defects are clustered at the major defect region and reduce the total number of weak links. These results suggests that oxygen defects induced by -ray irradiation of BISCO films act as important and major pinning centers which is responsible for the enhancement of J _tc and reduction of microwave induced dc voltage.     

Space charge limited current, variable range hopping and mobility gap in thermally evaporated amorphous InSe thin films

We have analyzed the properties of as-deposited InSe thin films, deposited onto well cleaned glass substrates under a vacuum of 10^–5 Torr, using X-ray diffraction, Rutherford back scattering, energy dispersive analysis of X-rays, optical transmittance and current–voltage (120–390 K) measurements. Allowed and indirect transition was identified and the mobility gap was determined as 1.44 eV. Under low field (<1×10⁵ V cm^–1) and in the temperature range of 130–200 K, the conductivity in the films was behaving like that of Mott's variable-range hopping (VRH) type. Mott's parameters such as characteristics temperature (T ₀), hopping range (R _hop), hopping energy (W _hop), values of localized states density N (E _F), and activation energy (E _a) were estimated. In the temperature range 210–290 K, thermionic conduction mechanism plays a dominant role and its activation energy was calculated. At high field (>2×10⁵ V cm^–1) and in the temperature range of 300–390 K, space charge limited conduction currents (SCLC) mechanism was observed and the related parameters, such as electron density (n ₀), trap density (n _t), the ratio between free electron density to the total electron density (), mobility () and the effective mobility (_eff) of the InSe film of typical thickness 265 nm were calculated and the results are discussed.     

Non-adiabatic polaron hopping conduction in semiconducting V2O5-Bi2O3 oxide glasses doped with BaTiO3

BaTiO₃-doped (5–40 wt %) 90V₂O₅-10Bi₂O₃ (VB) glasses have been prepared by a quick quenching technique. The d.c. electrical conductivities, _d.c., of these glasses have been reported in the temperature range 80–450 K. The electrical conductivity of these glasses, which arises due to the presence of V⁴⁺ and V⁵⁺ ions, has been analysed in the light of the small-polaron hopping conduction mechanism. The adiabatic hopping conduction valid for the undoped VB glasses (with 80–95 mol % V₂O₅), in the high-temperature region, is changed to a non-adiabatic hopping mechanism in the BaTiO₃-doped VB glasses. At lower temperatures, however, a variable range hopping (VRH) mechanism dominates the conduction mechanism in both the glass systems. Such a change-over from adiabatic to non-adiabatic conduction mechanism is a new feature in transition metal oxide glasses. Various parameters, such as density of states at the Fermi level N(E_F), electron wave-function decay constant, , polaron radius, r _p, and its effective mass, m _p ^* , etc., have been obtained for all the glass samples from a critical analysis of the electrical conductivity data satisfying the theory of polaron hopping conduction.     

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.     

Small polaron transport in V2O5–NiO–TeO2 glasses

Semiconducting glasses of the V₂O₅–NiO–TeO₂ system were prepared by the press-quenching method and their d.c. conductivities in the temperature range 300–450 K were measured. The d.c. conductivities at 395 K for the present glasses were determined to be 10^–7 to 10^–1 S m^–1, indicating that the conductivity increased with increasing V₂O₅ concentration. A glass of composition 67.5V₂O₅–2.5NiO–30TeO₂ (mol %) having a conductivity of 2.47×10^–2 S m^–1 at a temperature of 395 K was found to be the most conductive glass among the vanadium-tellurite glasses. From the conductivity–temperature relation, it was found that a small polaron hopping model was applicable at the temperature above _D/2 (_D: the Debye temperature); the electrical conduction at T>_D/2 was due to adiabatic small polaron hopping of electrons between vanadium ions. The polaron bandwidth ranged from 0.06 to 0.21 eV. The hopping carrier mobility varied from 1.1×10^–7 to 5.48×10^–5 cm² V^–1 s^–1 at 400 K. The carrier density is evaluated to be 1.85×10¹⁹–5.50×10¹⁹ cm^–3. The conductivity of the present glasses was primarily determined by hopping carrier mobility. In the low-temperature (below _D/2) regime, however, both Mott's variable-range hopping and Greaves intermediate range hopping models are found to be applicable.     

The Density of UO2–ZrO2 Alloys

The density of a UO₂–ZrO₂ melt (atomic ratio U/Zr = 1.528) is experimentally measured by a pycnometric method in the temperature range of 2973–3373 K. The found temperature dependence of density has the form (T) = (7.0 ± 0.01) – (4.5 ± 0.4) × 10^–4 × (T – 2973 K), g/cm³. The temperature dependence measured enables one to calculate the values of the density of UO₂–ZrO₂ melts depending on the temperature and composition for any atomic ratio U/Zr.     

Studies on magnetization and microwave properties of gamma-ray-irradiated Sm-Ba-Cu-O superconductors

Studies on the effect of gamma-ray irradiation on critical transition temperature, transport and magnetic critical current density (at 4.2 K), high-field magnetization (at 4.2 K), and microwave-induced d.c. voltage (inverse a.c. Josephson effect) have been performed on SmBa₂Cu₃O_7– ceramic superconducting samples prepared by the coprecipitation technique. Gamma-ray irradiation of the samples was carried out using a⁶⁰Co source of 10³ Ci strength for several hundreds of hours; the dose received by the samples was 80 K rad/h.-Ray irradiation was found to have no effect on its structural modification and on the critical transition temperature. However, transport and magnetic critical current density are increased. Irradiation also caused a significant increase in the high-field magnetic hysteresis, which is presumably connected with the creation of radiation-induced mobile defects. An appreciable decrease in the microwave-induced d.c. voltage at 77 K was also observed after irradiation, which suggests that the mobile defects are clustered at the major defect region and thus reduce the total number of weak links. Enhancement of transport and magnetic critical current density may be due to the stronger pinning of flux lines at the-ray-induced defect site in SBCO ceramic superconductors.     

Insight into Phase Transition,Electronic, Magnetic,Mechanical, and Thermodynamic Properties of TbTe: a DFT Investigation

Theoretical investigation on TbTe for its structural, electronic, magnetic, and thermodynamic stuffs has been carried within density functional theory (DFT) as implemented in WIEN2K code. TbTe was found stable in ferromagnetic phase. The calculated ground-state parameters were found in a good agreement with the experimental data. The compound was found to have a structural stability in cubic B1 (NaCl-type structure) phase, but under the application of high pressure (at 27 GPa), it undergone to B2 (CsCl-type structure) phase of pressure. The second-order elastic constants and mechanical properties like Young’s modulus, Shear modulus, Poisson ratio, Cauchy pressure (C₁₂–C₄₄), and Pugh’s ratio (B/G) were calculated. The present calculations confirmed the ductile nature of TbTe. Further, the thermodynamic investigations have been carried using quasi-harmonic Debye approximation. We have calculated the pressure and temperature dependence of Debye temperature (??_D), bulk modulus (B), thermal expansion (α), heat capacities (C_V), and entropy (S) in the temperature range of 0 to 1000 K and pressure range of 0 to 25 GPa.     

Synthesis and characterization of new bimetallic transition metal oxynitrides: MI-MII-O-N (MI,MII=V,Mo, W and Nb)

A new class of materials, M_I-M_II-O-N (where M_I, M_II = V, Mo, W, and Nb), has been synthesized by nitriding bimetallic oxide precursors with ammonia gas via a temperature programmed reaction. The oxide precursors are prepared by conventional solid state reaction between two appropriate monometallic oxides. The synthesis of the oxynitrides involves passing NH₃ gas over the oxide precursors at a flow rate of 6.80×10² mols^–1 (1000 cm³ min^–1), and raising the temperature at a rate of 8.3×10^–2 Ks^–1 (5K min^–1) to a final temperature which is held constant for a short period of time. The oxynitrides thus obtained are pyrophoric and need to be passivated before exposing them to air. All these new bimetallic oxynitrides have a face centered cubic (f.c.c.) metal arrangement and high values of surface area. Their surface activity is assessed from their ability to chemisorb CO.     

CdSe : Sb electrode for photoelectrochemical applications

CdSe : Sb thin film electrodes with Sb³⁺ doping concentrations from 0 to 5 mol % were prepared in an aqueous alkaline medium (pH10) by a solution-growth technique. Use of these films was made as an active photoelectrode in an electrochemical photovoltaic cell comprising sulfide/polysulfide as an electrolyte redox couple and impregnated graphite as a counter electrode. The different cell characteristics such as current–voltage and capacitance–voltage in the dark, power output under 20 mW cm^–2 constant illumination intensity, built-in-potential, photo and spectral responses were examined. These characteristics were evaluated through such performance parameters as open-circuit voltage (V _oc), short-circuit current (I _sc), shunt and series resistances (R _sh and R _s), fill factor (ff%), efficiency (%), junction ideality factor (n _d), lighted quality factor (n _L), built-in-potential (_B) and the flat-band potential (V _fb). Careful inspection of calculated values of these parameters revealed that the cell performance was enhanced after doping the photoelectrode by trivalent antimony. Typically, the power conversion efficiency and fill factor improved from 0.14% to 0.24% and 42% to 51%, respectively, at a doping concentration of 0.1 mol % Sb³⁺ in CdSe. The incremental changes in the performance parameters, and consequently enhancement in the cell performance, have been explained on the basis of alterations in the electrode properties.     

Non-contact measurements of thermophysical properties of niobium at high temperature

Four thermophysical properties of both solid and liquid niobium have been measured using the vacuum version of the electrostatic levitation furnace developed by the National Space Development Agency of Japan. These properties are the density, the thermal expansion coefficient, the constant pressure heat capacity, and the hemispherical total emissivity. For the first time, we report these thermophysical quantities of niobium in its solid as well as in liquid state over a wide temperature range, including the undercooled state. Over the 2340 K to 2900 K temperature span, the density of the liquid can be expressed as _L (T) = 7.95 × 10³ – 0.23 (T – T _m)(kg · m^–3) with T _m = 2742 K, yielding a volume expansion coefficient _L(T) = 2.89 × 10^–5 (K^–1). Similarly, over the 1500 K to 2740 K temperature range, the density of the solid can be expressed as _s(T) = 8.26 × 10³ – 0.14(T – T _m)(kg · m^–3), giving a volume expansion coefficient _s(T) = 1.69 × 10^–5 (K^–1). The constant pressure heat capacity of the liquid phase could be estimated as C _PL(T) = 40.6 + 1.45 × 10^–3 (T – T _m) (J · mol^–1 · K^–1) if the hemispherical total emissivity of the liquid phase remains constant at 0.25 over the temperature range. Over the 1500 K to 2740 K temperature span, the hemispherical total emissivity of the solid phase could be rendered as _TS(T) = 0.23 + 5.81 × 10^–5 (T – T _m). The enthalpy of fusion has also been calculated as 29.1 kJ · mol^–1.     

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.     

Fast ion transport in the new mixed system (CuI)x·[(Ag2O)2·(V2O5)]100−x (40≤x≤80)

The new mixed system (Cul) _x ·[(Ag₂O)₂·V₂O₅)]_100–x where x=40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75 and 80 mol% was investigated as a possible glassy fast ion conductor by preparing molten mixtures and quenching them to low temperatures. The analysis of their composition was carried out using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. These studies have confirmed the formation of new substances. Formation of AgI in some samples was also revealed by XRD analysis and by the occurrence of a characteristic phase transition temperature around 420 K identified through DSC experiments as well. Detailed temperature-dependent a.c. electrical conductivity studies were carried out on the new materials by a.c. impedance analysis in the frequency range 65.5 kHz-1 Hz and over the temperature range 293 to 398 K. It has been found that the highest electrical conductivity of 3.64×10^–3 S cm^–1 at 305 K due to the migration of Ag⁺ ions and the lowest activation energy of 0.1 eV in the above temperature range of investigation could be realized for the composition 40CuI-40Ag₂O-20V₂O₅ in the mixed system.     

Thin vanadium-aluminium alloy film resistivity saturation

Studies of the resistivity and structure of vanadium-aluminium alloy films have been performed. V_0.93Al_0.07 alloy films have been evaporated with an electron gun in an ultrahigh vacuum ( 10^–7 torr) on to quartz substrates at room temperature. Resistivity against temperature has been studiedin situ in vacuum of 10^–10 to 10^–8 torr in the temperature range 300 to 850 K. A resistivity saturation effect has been observed. The analysis of this effect has been conducted on the basis of the shunt resistance model.     

Structural and electrical properties of the Y-Ba-Cu-O superconducting films prepared by spray pyrolysis

High-T _c , superconducting YBa₂Cu₃O_7– thin films have been grown on (100) MgO substrates by a chemical spray pyrolysis method. The crystal structure and surface morphology have been studied by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The assprayed films were amorphous and insulating, but upon annealing the films became superconducting and show a textured surface morphology with an average grain size of the order of 5–15m. The films were highly oriented with thec-axis being perpendicular to the substrate surface. Three different microstructures were recorded: long rod-shaped grains, platelet or rounded-shape grains, and a melting-like growth. Electrical measurements were carried out in a low-temperature cryostat using a standard d.c. four-probe technique. The onset transition temperature was around 83–86 K, and the completion of the transition to zero resistance was in the range 73–78 K. The magnitude of the measured critical current density was in the range 750–3750 A/cm² at 30 K. A correlation between the resistance of the tunnelling junctions and the critical current density was found from the theoretical models.     

Non-linear concentration-dependent electrical properties of some semiconducting vanadate glasses

Characterizations of (50 – x) P₂O₅-x M-50V₂O₅ (M = Bi₂O₃, Sb₂O₃, and GeO₂ and x=0 to 45 mol% M) and P₂O₅-Bi₂O₃ semiconducting oxide glasses have been made from studies of electrical conductivities (both a.c. and d.c.) in the temperature range 77 to 400 K. All these glasses showed some interesting non-linear variation of d.c. and a.c. conductivity, together with other properties for particular values of M (between 20 and 30 mol% M). Because the non-vanadate (1–x) P₂O₅-x Bi₂O₃ glasses also showed similar conductivity anomaly (minimum) around 25 mol% Bi₂O₃ with a corresponding maximum in the activation energy (W), it is concluded (in contradiction to earlier suggestions) that not only the ratio (= V⁵⁺/V⁴⁺) but also the network-former ions in the vanadate glasses make a substantial contribution to the anomalous concentration variation of the physical properties of these glasses. The electrical conduction in these glasses is found to be mainly due to hopping of polarons in the adiabatic approximation. At low temperature, the d.c. conductivity obeys Mott's T ^–1/4 behaviour. The a.c. conductivity obeying the general ^s law (exponent s lying between 0.85 and 0.98) supports the theory based on the hopping over the barrier model.     

Preparation and Properties of Stoichiometric Vanadium Oxides

Stoichiometric films of the V₂O₃–V₂O₅system, including the Magneli phases V _n O_{2n– 1}(3 n 9), were prepared by thermal oxidation of metallic vanadium between 720 and 950 K in quartz tubes evacuated to a residual pressure below 10^–3Pa. The oxidation was performed in the presence of powder mixtures of two vanadium oxides with adjacent stability fields so as to ensure an oxygen partial pressure corresponding to the stoichiometry of the required vanadium oxide. The oxide films thus prepared showed a sharp metal–insulator transition, with a conductivity change comparable to that in single crystals.     

Sputtered YBCO bicrystal dc-SQUIDS

An analysis of YBa₂Cu₃O_{7 –} bicrystal dc-SQUIDs is reported. The devices have been fabricated by dc cylindrical magnetron sputtering from a single target. SQUIDs operating at the liquid nitrogen temperature have been obtained employing high-quality films fabricatedinsitu exhibiting a critical temperature as high as 89–90 K. Two different geometrical configurations for the loop inductance have been investigated. A good control of the transport parameters of the junctions, together with a reasonable correlation between the calculated inductance and the voltage response to an applied magnetic field, have been achieved. A study of the voltage response vs. the applied magnetic field as a function of both temperature and bias current has been carried out. SQUIDs working at temperatures as high as 87 K have been characterized.     

Noncontact Measurements of Thermophysical Properties of Molybdenum at High Temperatures

Four thermophysical properties of both solid and liquid molybdenum, namely, the density, the thermal expansion coefficient, the constant-pressure heat capacity, and the hemispherical total emissivity, are reported. These thermophysical properties were measured over a wide temperature range, including the undercooled state, using an electrostatic levitation furnace developed by the National Space Development Agency of Japan. Over the 2500 to 3000 K temperature span, the density of the liquid can be expressed as _L(T)=9.10×10³–0.60(T–T _m) (kg·m^–3), with T _m=2896 K, yielding a volume expansion coefficient _L(T)=6.6×10^–5 (K^–1). Similarly, over the 2170 to 2890 K temperature range, the density of the solid can be expressed as _S(T)=9.49×10³–0.50(T–T _m), giving a volume expansion coefficient _S(T)=5.3×10^–5. The constant pressure heat capacity of the liquid phase could be estimated as C _PL(T)=34.2+1.13×10^–3(T–T _m) (J·mol^–1·K^–1) if the hemispherical total emissivity of the liquid phase remained constant at 0.21 over the temperature interval. Over the 2050 to 2890 K temperature span, the hemispherical total emissivity of the solid phase could be expressed as _TS(T)=0.29+9.86×10^–5(T–T _m). The latent heat of fusion has also been measured as 33.6 kJ·mol^–1.     

Influence of different process parameters on physical properties of fluorine dopes indium oxide thin films

Fluorine-doped indium oxide films were prepared by the spray pyrolysis technique. The physical properties of these films were investigated with respect to various process parameters, namely variation of dopant concentration (in the solution), deposition temperature (T _s), carrier gas (air) flow rate and the thickness of the film. The best films had a Hall mobility of the order of 28 cm²V^–1 s^–1 and a carrier density of 2.7 × 10²⁰ cm^–3. These films were deposited at T _s=425 °C at an air flow rate of 71 min^–1 for an atomic ratio of fluorine to indium of 72%. The electrical resistivity of these films was of the order of 10^–4 cm and the average transmission in the visible range was found to be 80–90%. The films were polycrystalline, n-type semiconductors with [400] as a preferred orientation. The preferred orientation changes from [400] to [222] depending upon the process parameters.