A new cryogenic memory system

The recently developed "current stretch" technique, a low temperature integration and amplification of sense signals, offers new freedom in the design of cryogenic memory cells. This scheme makes the sense voltage independent of cell switching speed and gives a good signal-to-noise ratio. A memory system using a double hole tin film storage cell driven by cryotron trees is described. Current stretch sensing is done through the trees so that no sense line is required. The cell operating range, which can be made arbitrarily large, has been set at 40 percent in the present study. Cells have been tested at densities of 10³bit/in²and switching speeds of 100 ns. Densities of 10⁴bit/in²appear feasible with existing fabrication techniques. In sizes of 10⁸cells or above, this memory system appears cheaper than any known room temperature technique of equal speed.     

Signal-to-noise limitations of particulate disc coatings

Within the next decade advanced digital disc memory sub-systems will exhibit capacities in the range of one to five billion bytes per spindle. The corresponding areal densities required for such capacities will be in the range of 1.55 to 7.75 × 10⁶flux changes/cm²(10 to 50 × 10⁶flux changes/inch²). The limitation in areal density is determined by the acceptable error rate. The error rate is proportional to the pattern induced peak shift and inversely proportional to the signal-to-noise ratio in practical systems. Therefore, the limitations of particulate coatings are primarily related to the head/media interface characteristics which determine the system peak shift and signal-to-noise. This paper provides a formalism which relates signal-to-noise, peak shift and error rate along with a signal-to-noise budget for current disc system configurations. Projections of future areal densities are made from measurements on improved media. Comparison with the Shannon limit is considered for current disc systems.     

Infrared optical properties of Bi2Ti2O7 thin films by spectroscopic ellipsometry

Bi₂Ti₂O₇ thin films have been grown directly on n-type GaAs (1 0 0) by the chemical solution decomposition technique. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the Bi₂Ti₂O₇ thin films are polycrystalline. The optical properties of the thin films are investigated using infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry (3.0–12.5 μm). By fitting the measured ellipsometric parameter (Ψ and Δ) data with a three-phase model (air/Bi₂Ti₂O₇/GaAs), and Lorentz–Drude dispersion relation, the optical constants and thickness of the thin films have been obtained simultaneously. The refractive index and extinction coefficient increase with increasing wavelength. The fitted plasma frequency ω_p is 1.64×10¹⁴ Hz, and the electron collision frequency γ is 1.05×10¹⁴ Hz, and it states that the electron average scattering time is 0.95×10⁻¹⁴ s. The absorption coefficient variation with respect to increasing wavelength has been obtained.     

Semiconducting and structural properties of CrSi2 A-type epitaxial films on Si(111)

Chromium disilicide (CrSi₂) films 1 000 Å thick have been prepared by molecular beam epitaxy on CrSi₂ templates grown on Si(111) substrate. The effect of the substrate temperature on the structural, electrical and optical properties of CrSi₂ films has been studied by transmission and scanning electron microscopies, optical microscopy, electrical resistivity and Hall effect measurements and infrared optical spectrometry. The optimal temperature for the formation of the epitaxial A-type CrSi₂ film have been found to be about 750°C. The electrical measurement have shown that the epitaxial A-type CrSi₂ film is p-type semiconductor having a hole concentration of 1 × 10¹⁷cm⁻³ and Hall mobility of 2 980 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ at room temperature. Optical absorption coefficient data have indicated a minimum, direct energy gap of 0.34 eV. The temperature dependence of the Hall mobility (μ) in the temperature range of T = 180–500 K can be expressed as μ = 7.8 × 10¹⁰T⁻³cm²V⁻¹s⁻¹.     

The optical and electrical properties of copper indium di-selenide thin films

Thin films of copper indium di-selenide (CIS) with a wide range of compositions near stoichiometry have been formed on glass substrates in vacuum by the stacked elemental layer (SEL) deposition technique. The compositional and optical properties of the films have been measured by proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and spectrophotometry (photon wavelength range of 300–2500 nm), respectively. Electrical conductivity (σ), charge-carrier concentration (n), and Hall mobility (μ_H) were measured at temperatures ranging from 143 to 400 K. It was found that more indium-rich films have higher energy gaps than less indium-rich ones while more Cu-rich films have lower energy gaps than less Cu-rich films. The sub-bandgap absorption of photons is minimum in the samples having Cu/In ≈ 1 and it again decreases, as Cu/In ratio becomes less than 0.60. Indium-rich films show n-type conductivities while near-stoichiometric and copper-rich films have p-type conductivities. At 300 K σ, n and μ_H of the films vary from 2.15 × 10⁻³ to 1.60 × 10⁻¹ (Ω cm)⁻¹, 2.28 × 10¹⁵ to 5.74 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ and 1.74 to 5.88 cm² (V s)⁻¹, respectively, and are dependent on the composition of the films. All the films were found to be non-degenerate. The ionization energies for acceptors and donors vary between 12 and 24, and 3 and 8 meV, respectively, and they are correlated well with the Cu/In ratios. The crystallites of the films were found to be partially depleted in charge carriers.     

Feasibility of ultra-dense spin-tunneling random access memory

Three-dimensional (3-D) finite element models have been utilized to simulate electromagnetic behaviors in spin-tunneling random access memory (STram). The most significant contributors have been identified. Compared with conventional current-in-plane (CIP) giant magneto-resistive (GMR) memory, whose signal level is inversely proportional to the square root of the storage density, these current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) STram elements provide an excellent readout property in that their signal level is independent of their cross-section area. This result is so attractive that the density of STram should not be limited by signal degradation. Moreover, a magnetic flux closure design was found to reduce the crossfeed by about a factor of five, compared with conventional keeperless design, which is the most favored approach for achieving 10⁹ bits/cm² areal density. Although the storage mechanism described in this paper is made of STram, the flux-closure design could be generally applicable to other magnetic solid state memories     

Photoconductivity, photovoltaic effect and photoluminescence in chemically deposited films of (Cd0.95–Pb0.05)S:CdCl2,Gd

Results of XRD, optical absorption spectra, photoconductivity, photovoltaic effect and photoluminescence are reported for (Cd_0.95–Pb_0.05)S:CdCl₂,Gd films prepared by chemical deposition technique at 60 °C and room temperature (RT). The XRD studies show prominent diffraction lines of CdS and PbS. Optical absorption spectra show direct bandgap nature with decreasing value due to addition of PbS. The saturated photocurrent (I_pc) to dark current (I_dc) ratios 10⁷ are found in films prepared at 60 °C and 10⁴ in films prepared at RT. Photoluminescence is found to be brighter in films prepared at RT. Photovoltaic efficiency 5% has been observed in such films.     

Magnetooptics, lasers, and memory systems

The field of magnetooptics is reviewed and the application of a magnetic memory system as a readout technique is discussed. A review and comparison of the fundamental magneto-optic effects and their utility in a system is presented. It is shown for a longitudinal Kerr readout system that laser and shot noise limit wide-band (1 MHz) signal-to-noise ratios to about 40 dB. Media noise problems are reviewed. The limitations to packing density are discussed, and it is concluded that packing densities greater than 10⁷bit/in²(including suitable guardbands) are practical. The various techniques for optico-thermal recording are surveyed. A discussion of related hardware components (such as optical modulators and lasers) is presented. It is concluded that a viable magnetooptic detection-laser beam memory system is practical. No suitable nonmechanical scanning system has yet been developed.     

Electrical and optical properties of single-phase CuInS2 films prepared using spray pyrolysis

The spray pyrolysis conditions required to prepare single-phase CuInS₂ films of good optical quality were optimized. The as-deposited films had a sphalerite structure which transformed to the chalcopyrite structure on annealing at 670 K. Single-phase and two-phase (mixture of CuInS₂ and Cu_xS) regimes were established and were correlated with the cation-to-anion and copper-to-indium ratios in the spray solution. The resistivity of both as-deposited and annealed single-phase films changed from about 10³ Ωm to about 10⁻¹ Ωm with increasing copper-to-indium ratio in the spray solution. An optical gap of about 1.38 eV was measured for both the sphalerite and the chalcopyrite structures. Photoconductivity was observed in the as-deposited films and was enhanced on annealing. The photosensitivity decreased as the copper excess in the spray solution was increased (up to 7%).     

高三阶光学非线性Cd/CdS-SiO2复合薄膜的电化学–溶胶凝胶制备及表征

以硝酸镉、硫脲和正硅酸乙酯为前驱体, 采用电化学-溶胶凝胶法, 以ITO玻璃为基底制备了透明薄膜。扫描电子显微镜(SEM)表征表明薄膜为纳米束结构。X射线能谱(EDX)表征表明薄膜由Si、O、Cd、S元素组成, Cd/S(原子比)＞1。EDX表征结合循环伏安(CV)实验确定薄膜为Cd/CdS-SiO₂复合薄膜。Z扫描表征表明, 薄膜在1064 nm处表现出自散焦特性的非线性折射效应和饱和吸收特性的非线性吸收特性。薄膜的三阶非线性极化率(χ(3))较高, 达到了1.18×10^-14~1.39×10^-13 (m/V)², 表明薄膜具有优良的三阶光学非线性。分析认为薄膜中CdS的含量对薄膜的光学性非线性起主要作用。     

Preparation and characterization of chemically deposited PbSnS3 thin films

High-quality and well-reproducible PbSnS₃ thin films have been prepared by a simple and inexpensive chemical-bath deposition method from an aqueous medium, using thioacetamide as a sulphide ion source. X-ray diffraction analysis of the deposited films revealed that the as-deposited films were amorphous, however, an amorphous-to-crystalline phase transition was observed as the result of thermal annealing at 425 K for 1 h. The X-ray structure analysis of the collected powder from the bath annealed at 425 K for 1.5 h revealed an orthorhombic phase.

Analysis of the optical absorption data of crystalline PbSnS₃ films revealed that both direct and indirect optical transitions exist in the photon energy range 1.24–2.48 eV with optical band gaps of 1.68 and 1.42 eV, respectively. However, a forbidden direct optical transition with a band gap value of 1.038 eV dominates at low energy (<1.24 eV). The refractive index changes from 3.38 to 2.16 in the range 500–1300 nm. The high frequency dielectric constant and the carrier concentration to the effective mass ratio calculated from the refractive index analysis were found to be 4.79 and 2.3×10²⁰ cm⁻³, respectively. The temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity of the deposited films follows the semiconductor behaviour with extrinsic and intrinsic conduction. The determined activation energies range are 0.35–0.42 and 0.76–85 eV, respectively.     

Uniaxial and cubic anisotropy constants in ion-implanted Sm,Tm,Ga:YIG bubble thin films

The effects of ion implantation into (SmTmY)3(GaFe)5O12garnet thin films have been studied by ferromagnetic resonance. He+ ions were used for implantation with doses ranging from 3 to 4 × 10¹⁵He+/ cm²and implantation energy ranging from 150 to 175 Kev. The uniaxial and cubic anisotropy constants have been studied as a function of temperature from 0°C to 100°C for both as-grown and ion-implanted films. The implantation has effectively changed an easy-axis anisotropy to that of an easy plane in the implanted layers of the films. A cubic anisotropy constant K1with values varying from 4 × 10³to 6 × 10³erg/cm³at room temperature has been observed in these films. The results also indicated that to the first order, the implanted region in the film was essentially magnetically uncoupled from the bulk of the film.     

Dielectric properties of AlN films prepared by laser-induced chemical vapour deposition

The dielectric properties and electrical conductivity of AlN films deposited by laser-induced chemical vapour deposition (LCVD) are studied for a range of growth conditions. The static dielectric constant is 8.0 ± 0.2 over the frequency range 10²−10⁷ Hz and breakdown electric fields better than 10⁶ V cm⁻¹ are found for all films grown at temperatures above 130°C. The resistivity of the films grown under optimum conditions (substrate temperature above 170°C, NH₃/TMA flow rate ratio greater than 300 and a deposition pressure of 1–2 Torr) is about 10¹⁴ Ω cm and two conduction mechanisms can be identified. At low fields, F < 5 × 10⁵ V cm⁻¹ and conductivity is ohmic with a temperature dependence showing a thermal activation energy of 50–100 meV, compatible with the presumed shallow donor-like states. At high fields, F > 1 × 10⁶ V cm⁻¹, a Poole-Frenkel (field-induced emission) process dominates, with electrons activated from traps at about 0.7–1.2 eV below the conduction band edge. A trap in this depth region is well-known in AlN. At fields between 4 and 7 × 10⁵ V cm⁻¹ both conduction paths contribute significantly. The degradation of properties under non-ideal growth conditions of low temperature or low precursor V/III ratio is described.     

Optically active Er–Yb codoped Y2O3 films produced by pulsed laser deposition

Optically active Er³⁺:Yb³⁺ codoped Y₂O₃ films have been produced on c-cut sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition from ceramic Er:Yb:Y₂O₃ targets having different rare-earth concentrations. Stoichiometic films with very high rare-earth concentrations (up to 5.5 × 10²¹ at cm^− 3) have been achieved by using a low oxygen pressure (1 Pa) during deposition whereas higher pressures lead to films having excess of oxygen. The crystalline structure of such stoichiometric films was found to worsen the thicker the films are. Their luminescence at 1.53 μm and up-conversion effects have been studied by pumping the Yb³⁺ at 0.974 μm. The highest lifetime value (up to 4.6 ms) is achieved in films having Er concentrations of ≈ 3.5 × 10²⁰ at cm^− 3 and total rare-earth concentration ≈ 1.8 × 10²¹ at cm^− 3. All the stoichiometric films irrespective of their rare-earth concentration or crystalline quality have shown no significant up-conversion.     

Aging effect on coercivity of iron oxide thin films

Changes in magnetic properties for Fe_3-x□_x O₄ (x: oxidation degree) thin films made by reactive sputtering and subsequent heat treatments have been examined under room temperature aging and constant temperature annealing. Aging causes variations in coercivity of insufficiently oxidized films which have a specific resistance of less than 1×10¹ Ω·cm, while the coercivity of γ-Fe₂O₃ (x=1/3) did not change. This phenomenon did not depend on additive elements or preparation method. Other magnetic properties such as saturation magnetization, residual magnetization, squareness ratio and coercive squareness, were not affected by aging for any Fe_3-x □_xO₄ composition. The activation energy for a coercivity change is 0.72-0.95 eV near room temperature for films with a specific resistance below 1×10¹ Ω·cm. It was confirmed that only the coercivity varied at 20°C, while both coercivity and the degree of oxidation changed with annealing at 100°C     

Measurement of weak magnetic fields using zero-field parametric resonance in optically pumped He4

A vector magnetometer has been built utilizing then = 0, p = 1parametric resonance associated with zero-field level crossings in the optically pumped 2³S1level of He⁴. The principles of operation are discussed and performance is described. The parametric resonance signal-to-noise ratio is 3.5 × 10⁴in a 0.5 Hz noise bandwidth. The linewidth is 9.7 × 10^-4G. Techniques for optimizing the sensitivity are discussed, and the sensitivity of the instrument is demonstrated by placing the sensor inside a superconducting magnetic shield and applying calibration signals, The peak-to-peak noise level is 1 × 10^-8G. The use of parametric resonance instruments to measure interplanetary and geomagnetic fields is discussed.     

Optical and structural characterizations of Cu-doped KCl films

The production of highly Cu⁺-doped KCl films and the properties of their 266 nm absorption band, which has an off-center property in doped single crystals, open the possibility of application of these films as ultra-violet optical filters. The investigated films, of approximately 1 μm thickness, were prepared by resistive co-evaporation of KCl and CuCl powders on different substrates of CaF₂, Al₂O₃, SiO₂, KCl and Si. The Cu⁺ concentration, as determined by energy-dispersive X-ray, ranges from 10²⁰ to 10²¹ cm⁻³, for 1–15% CuCl nominal mole percent concentration. Structural and optical properties were investigated through scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, ellipsometry, optical absorption and transmission. The films are polycrystalline, and the gain size decreases with increasing Cu⁺ impurity concentration, yielding an increase of visible transmission to a limited CuCl concentration. These films show a 6.295 Å lattice parameter with a f.c.c. structure and an index of refraction of 1.53 at 266 nm. When the Cu⁺ concentration is increased, the UV band position remains the same and no clusters are evidenced even to the high 15% CuCl concentration investigated, which differs very much from single crystals samples grown by the Kyropoulos-Czochralski method. For a Cu⁺ concentration of 8×10²⁰ cm⁻³ the film shows a transmission better than 88% at 350 nm wavelength.     

Magnetic and magnetooptical properties of sputtered Fe5Si3films

Polycrystalline films of Fe5Si3have been prepared by RF sputtering from a sintered target composed of 62.5 at% Fe and 37.5 at% Si. The Faraday rotation and optical absorption were measured for these films in the visible and near infrared. At a wavelength of 6328Å, room-temperature absorption (corrected for reflection) and specific Faraday rotation are 3.7 × 10⁵cm^-1and 1.3 × 10⁵deg/cm, respectively. The rotation decreases with rising temperature and vanishes around 120°C, the Curie temperature of the films. From polar and in-plane hysteresis loop measurements the spontaneous magnetization is found to lie in the film plane. Square hysteresis loops are observed when the external field is applied in the plane of the film, and the in-plane coercive force decreases monotonically with temperature at an average rate of -2 Oe/°C as Tcis approached.     

Implantation effect of diamond-like carbon films by 110 keV nitrogen ions

Diamond-like carbon films, grown on microscope slides by a dual-ion beam sputtering system, were implanted by 110 keV N⁺ under the doses of 1 × 10¹⁵, 1 × 10¹⁶ and 1 × 10¹⁷ions cm⁻² respectively. The implantation induced changes in electrical resistivity of the films and in infrared (IR) transmittance of the specimens were investigated as a function of implantation dose. The structural changes of the films were also studied using IR spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. It was observed that, with the increase of implantation dose, the diamond-like carbon films display two different stages in electrical and optical behaviours. The first is the increase of both the film resistivity and the IR transmittance of specimen at the dose of 1 × 10¹⁵ ions cm⁻² which, we consider, is attributed to the implantation-induced increase sp³ C---H bonds. However, when the doses are higher than 1 × 10¹⁵ ions cm⁻², the film resistivity and the IR transmittance of specimen decrea significantly and the decrease rates at dose range of 1×10¹⁶ to 1×10¹⁷ ions cm⁻² are smaller than those between 1×10¹⁵ and 1 × 10¹⁶ ions cm⁻². We conclude that the significant reductions of the two parameters at high doses are caused by the decreases of bond-angle disorder and of sp³ C---H bonds, the increases of sp² C---C bonds dominated the crystallite size and/or number and also the sp² C---H bonds. The smaller decrease rates at a dose range of 1 × 10¹⁶ to 1 × 10¹⁷ ions cm⁻² may be caused by further recombination of some retained hydrogen atoms to carbon atoms.     

MnBi films for magnetooptic recording

Progress made during the past years in the area of magnetooptic data storage by the computer industry has been most impressive. Many material media and physical phenomena have been developed for this particular application. It now appears that a large capacity (gsim 10^{10}bits) magnetooptic data store possessing major advantages over the conventional recording techniques could be developed. Of the many materials and techniques advanced to date, the use of thin films of MnBi for thermomagnetic writing, erasing, and magnetooptic reading has received particularly intensive study because of the many unique properties of this film medium. In order to provide an assessment of the potential of this medium for optical memory application, we have included in this review the pertinent material physical properties of MnBi; the memory characteristics in regard to read, write, and erase operation; the physical process involved in the writing and erasure by thermomagnetic technique; the technique for detection of written information; and the utilization of this medium for magnetic holographic storage. Emphasis is given to the material properties and physical phenomena, rather than the systems considerations in using MnBi films for optical memory.