A quadruple-scanning-probe force microscope for electrical property measurements of microscopic materials

Four-terminal electrical measurement is realized on a microscopic structure in air, without a lithographic process, using a home-built quadruple-scanning-probe force microscope (QSPFM). The QSPFM has four probes whose positions are individually controlled by obtaining images of a sample in the manner of atomic force microscopy (AFM), and uses the probes as contacting electrodes for electrical measurements. A specially arranged tuning fork probe (TFP) is used as a self-detection force sensor to operate each probe in a frequency modulation AFM mode, resulting in simultaneous imaging of the same microscopic feature on an insulator using the four TFPs. Four-terminal electrical measurement is then demonstrated in air by placing each probe electrode in contact with a graphene flake exfoliated on a silicon dioxide film, and the sheet resistance of the flake is measured by the van der Pauw method. The present work shows that the QSPFM has the potential to measure the intrinsic electrical properties of a wide range of microscopic materials in situ without electrode fabrication.     

Origin of electron mobility enhancement in (1 1 1)-oriented InGaAs channel metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect-transistors

Electrical and physical characteristics of the Al₂O₃/InGaAs interfaces with (1 1 1)A and (1 0 0) orientations were investigated in an attempt to understand the origin of electron mobility enhancement in the (1 1 1)A-channel metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect-transistor. The (1 1 1)A interface has less As atoms of high oxidation states as probed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrical measurements showed that energy distribution of the interface traps for the (1 1 1)A interface is shifted toward the conduction band as compared to that for the (1 0 0) interface. Laterally-compressed cross-section transmission electron microscopy images showed that the characteristic lengths of the interface roughness are different between the (1 1 1)A and (1 0 0) interfaces. The contributions of the Coulomb and roughness scattering mechanisms are discussed based on the experimental results.     

Cutting plane methods for Lagrangian relaxation‐based unit commitment algorithm

In this paper, we study cutting plane methods for a Lagrangian relaxation‐based unit commitment algorithm. In the algorithm, nondifferentiable optimization methods can be applied to optimize the dual function, and a subgradient method which needs parameter tuning and has some drawbacks such as computational inefficiency and oscillating behavior is commonly used. The cutting plane method and the central cutting plane method are applied to the algorithm and implemented using reoptimization techniques. A numerical example shows that both methods are accelerated by the reoptimization techniques and have good convergence without parameter tuning. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 141(3): 17–29, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10066     

Electrostatic Field Variation in the Atmosphere Induced by Earth Potential Difference Variation During Seismic Wave Propagation

To clarify the relationship between earthquakes and electrical phenomena, signals of three parameters were observed continuously at Sennan in Akita Prefecture, Japan: ground acceleration (GAC), earth potential difference (EPD), and electrostatic field in the atmosphere (EFA). A large metal plate was used as an electrostatic antenna to observe EFA variation. For this paper, we used the digital natural observation (D-NOB) method as a signal processing technique and found clear EPD and EFA waveforms during seismic wave propagation. Our observation and examination results show that GAC causes EPD variation. Subsequently, the EPD variation induces EFA variation     

Annealing effects of a high-quality ZnTe substrate

The sharp photoluminescence (PL) and optical-reflection spectra in the bandedge region of the high-quality nondoped ZnTe substrate (100) were observed at 4.2 K. Free exciton, associated with lower and upper polaritons (EX^L and EX^U) at 2.382 eV and 2.381 eV, respectively, were clearly observed. This meant that this substrate was high quality. The intensity of a bound exciton peak (2.375 eV), which is caused by a Zn vacancy, of a neutral acceptor decreased with an increase of the Zn vapor pressures.     

Relative Entropies and Irreversible Thermodynamics

A critical discussion is given of the idea that the relation between microscopic dynamics and thermodynamics can be based on the concept of relative entropy. It is shown how dissipation can be treated in the response theory under certain conditions. A thermodynamic interpretation of the dynamical semigroup theory for a system interacting with its surroundings is given. By utilizing the method of maximum entropy with the well specified set of relevant observables, the construction of thermodynamic entropy is demonstrated. It is argued that the statistical (say, information) entropy cannot be identified with the thermodynamic entropy and that the relation between the two entropies is written in terms of the relative entropy. In this form, the distinction between the H-theorem and the second law of thermodynamics is easily made. It should be kept in mind that the H-theorem is for the kinetic stage while the second law is for the thermodynamic (or, hydrodynamic) stage.     

Effect of gaseous ammonia on barley straws showing different rumen degradabilities

Straw samples from five cultivars of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L; Golden Promise, Golf, Klaxon, Heriot and Doublet), selected to show a range of rumen degradabilities, were examined to measure the effect of gaseous ammonia on aspects of their cell wall composition and degradability after treatment. Cellulose degradability of the untreated straws, as measured by the nylon-bag method, ranged from 41.0% for Golden Promise to 57.1% for Doublet. The extent of improvement in degradability following ammonia treatment was 12.5% units for Golden Promise and only 2.5% units for Doublet, showing that the effect of ammonia was more pronounced for materials of lower inherent degradability (r= ?0.774). Straw from three of the five cultivars was dissected into its botanical parts, and the dry matter content and digestibility of the fractions were determined. Leaf material formed a higher fraction of dry matter in Doublet (0.48), the most degradable cultivar, than in Golden Promise (0.30), the least degradable straw. Half of the observed difference in degradability between Doublet and Golden Promise could be attributed to differences in dry matter distribution between botanical fractions. For untreated straw, degradability was weakly, negatively correlated with the proportion of arabinose residues substituted with alkali-labile linkages at position 0–5 (r = ?0.690), and positively correlated with the moisture retention (water-holding capacity) of straws (r = 0.838), water-soluble dry matter content (r = 0.922) and water-soluble phenolic content (r = 0.791). The proportion of pentose residues carrying alkali-labile linkages was only slightly decreased followign ammonia treatment. In the case of the 0–5 position of arabinose residues the original values were reduced by 2.4–15.9%. Ammonia treatment had little effect on the capacity of the straw to retain moisture, and did not significantly increase the proportion of water-soluble dry matter or phenolics. Cellulose degradability, or the improvement in degradability, of ammonia-treated straw was not correlated with any of the physical and chemical characteristicds of staw considered above.     

Advanced evaluation of thermal ratchetting of FBR components

A new prediction method for the thermal ratchetting of a cylinder subjected to an axially moving temperature distribution is proposed in this paper. This ratchetting is quite different from the conventional Bree-type ratchetting, and an advanced evaluation method has been required in the structural design of FBR components. The proposed method considers the work hardening of actual materials for FBR components. Firstly the basic scheme of the prediction method is shown, and secondly the application procedure to the actual design is shown. Predicted results by using this method coincide well with experimental results, when compared with the case by using the previous method.     

Impedance characteristics of double-hetero structure laser diodes

The effects of the onset of lasing on the I-V characteristics, the impedance characteristics and the light modulation characteristics of laser diodes have been discussed by introducing the rate equations which involve carrier diffusion process in the active layer interacting with the radiation field intensity. The static I-V characteristics exhibit a kink at lasing threshold current, reflecting the decrease of effective lifetime of carriers. Effective carrier lifetimes decrease with increasing light intensity, which results in a steep attenuation of injected carrier density in the active region. The impedance and light modulation characteristics are obtained in the small signal approximation. The small signal light modulation characteristics depend strongly on whether the laser diode is excited by the constant current modulation or the constant voltage modulation. The impedance is changed drastically by the onset of lasing and exhibits a resonance which coincides exactly with the optical modulation resonance frequency.     

Estimation method of frequency bias using normal operating data

A technique of calculating the frequency bias of an electric power system from frequency fluctuation data and total output power is described. An evaluation method for testing the calculations by the new method is developed. The results are in good agreement with estimates based on generator speed regulation but the method gives an excessively high figure for the load frequency bias.