Lateral space-charge effects on ballistic electron transport across graded heterojunctions

Hot electron transport across graded compound semiconductor heterojunctions has been explored using a two-dimensional formulation of the self-consistent ensemble Monte Carlo method. The Al_xGa_1-xAs/GaAs heterojunction imbedded into a vertical field effect transistor with two ohmic contacts (source, drain) and two lateral Schottky gates has been used as an example. Lateral space charges modulated by the gates are shown to control ballistic injection of electrons over the heterojunction under steady state conditions. The transient response to a gate pulse is found to be determined by carrier transit from the heavily doped source contact region into the channel. A conceptual one-dimensional section model is used to explain the Monte Carlo results.     

Phase Transformations in Dicalcium Silicate: II, TEM Studies of Crystallography, Microstructure, and Mechanisms

The crystallography, microstructures, and phase transformation mechanisms in dicalcium silicate (Ca₂SiO₄) were studied by TEM. Three types of superlattice structures were observed in the α'_L and β phases. Almost all β grains were twinned and strained. Symmetry-related domain structures inherited from previous high-temperature transformations were observed in β grains. Both the α→α'_H and α'_L→β transformations were considered to be ferroelastic, and spontaneous strains were calculated. In terms of the crystal structures, the major driving force for the β→γ transformation is proposed to be strains and cation charge repulsions in the β structure. This mechanism can be displacive, but it needs to overcome a comparatively high energy barrier.     

SiCf/O′-SiAlON composite: properties and oxidation retained properties

A composite of O′SiAlON (Si_2-xAl_xN_2-xO_1+x, with x 0.14) reinforced with 20 vol.% SiC monofilaments was fabricated by hot-pressing, at 1600°C, for 2 h under 34 MPa pressure. The mechanical and interfacial properties of the composites, as-fabricated as well as post-oxidized, were, investigated. The composite exhibited a significant improvement in ultimate flexure strength (640 MPa) and work of fracture (42 kJ m⁻²) compared with that (350 MPa and 1.8 kJ m⁻², respectively) of the monolithic material. These mechanical properties were slightly increased after the composite was heat treated for 24 h in air at 1200 and 1300°C. However, the composite exhibited a significant degradation in ultimate strength, while the work of fracture (WOF) remained unchanged after exposure in air at temperatures beyond 1400°C. The as-fabricated composite revealed a low interfacial shear strength (6.2 MPa) and a frictional sliding stress (3.2 MPa). After the composite was oxidized at elevated temperatures, the interfacial bonding and sliding stresses were reduced to noticeable extents, resulting from the degradation of the carbon coating layer of the SiC monofilaments.     

Formation and Properties of 2Tb2O3· Al2O3

The compound 2Tb₂O₃· Al₂O₃ was fabricated, and selected properties were investigated. The room-temperature X-ray diffraction pattern was indexed and the lattice parameters were calculated. Powder density was determined and used to calculate the number of molecules per unit cell (Z). This allowed calculation of a theoretical density. The material was characterized with regard to thermal expansion and indentation hardness and toughness. It was found to exhibit a rapid and reversible polymorphic transformation at high temperature.     

Preparation, Microstructure, and Mechanical Properties of Silicon Carbide–Dysprosia Composites

Composites of silicon carbide (SiC) with up to 30 vol% of dysprosia (Dy₂O₃) were fabricated by hot pressing and hot isostatic pressing. The effects of Dy₂O₃ dispersions on the microstructure and on selected mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. When 10-15 vol% of Dy₂O₃ was dispersed in the SiC matrix, the fracture toughness increased by ∼40%, whereas the flexural strength was comparable to that of unreinforced SiC. The increased fracture toughness was due to crack deflection, in conjunction with crack-interface grain bridging, and was not related to a phase transformation of Dy₂O₃ in the matrix.     

Tailorable thermal expansion in leucite-pollucite materials derived from geopolymers for environmental barrier coatings

The K[AlSi₂O₆]-Cs[AlSi₂O₆] pseudo-binary system was synthesized by geopolymer crystallization. The thermal expansion properties of these materials were studied by in situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction to characterize thermal expansion behavior for potential application as environmental barrier coatings. Tailorable thermal expansion through changing cation stoichiometry allowed reduced thermal expansion mismatch with SiC_f/SiC composites compared to rare-earth-based coatings.     

Resolution of singularities for multi-loop integrals

We report on a program for the numerical evaluation of divergent multi-loop integrals. The program is based on iterated sector decomposition. We improve the original algorithm of Binoth and Heinrich such that the program is guaranteed to terminate. The program can be used to compute numerically the Laurent expansion of divergent multi-loop integrals regulated by dimensional regularisation. The symbolic and the numerical steps of the algorithm are combined into one program.

Program summary

Program title: sector_decompositionCatalogue identifier: AEAG_v1_0Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEAG_v1_0.htmlProgram obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. IrelandLicensing provisions: Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.htmlNo. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 47 506No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 328 485Distribution format: tar.gzProgramming language: C++Computer: allOperating system: UnixRAM: Depending on the complexity of the problemClassification: 4.4External routines: GiNaC, available from http://www.ginac.de, GNU scientific library, available from http://www.gnu.org/software/gslNature of problem: Computation of divergent multi-loop integrals.Solution method: Sector decomposition.Restrictions: Only limited by the available memory and CPU time.Running time: Depending on the complexity of the problem.     

An efficient parallel implementation of the MSPAI preconditioner

We present an efficient implementation of the Modified SParse Approximate Inverse (MSPAI) preconditioner. MSPAI generalizes the class of preconditioners based on Frobenius norm minimizations, the class of modified preconditioners such as MILU, as well as interface probing techniques in domain decomposition: it adds probing constraints to the basic SPAI formulation, and one can thus optimize the preconditioner relative to certain subspaces. We demonstrate MSPAI’s qualities for iterative regularization problems arising from image deblurring.Such applications demand for a fast and parallel preconditioner realization. We present such an implementation introducing two new optimization techniques: First, we avoid redundant calculations using a dictionary. Second, our implementation reduces the runtime spent on the most demanding numerical parts as the code switches to sparse QR decomposition methods wherever profitable. The optimized code runs in parallel with a dynamic load balancing.     

Cantilever probes for high speed AFM

Since the invention in 1986 atomic force microscopy (AFM) has become the most widely used scanning probe microscopy (Binnig et al. in Phys Rev Lett 56:930–933, 1986). The microscope images the interaction of forces like Van der Waals or Coulomb forces between a sample and the apex of a small tip integrated near the free end of a flexible cantilever. But as all other scanning probe techniques the AFM requires serial data acquisition and suffers therefore from a low temporal resolution. Enhancing the speed to video rate imaging makes high demands on scanner technology, control electronics and on the key feature the cantilever with integrated sharp stylus. For the cantilever probes, fundamental resonance frequencies in the MHz regime are envisaged while the force constant of a few nN/nm shall be maintained. We present different novel AFM probes with ultrashort cantilevers and integrated sharp tips for high speed AFM while focusing on widely dispersed applications and on aspects of mass fabrication.