Photoluminescence and photo-induced conductivity in 2D siloxene nanosheet for optoelectronic applications.

Semiconducting 2D siloxene nanosheets of thickness 1.7 nm and band gap of 2.54 eV are synthesized using simple chemical route. Strong photoluminescence is observed in the as-synthesized nanosheets due to presence of oxygen atoms. The photoluminescence behaviour of siloxene nanosheets is investigated by controlling temperature, excitation and pH of the solution to understand the optical response and stability of the material. The as-synthesized sample heated with temperature 200 °C shows a blue shift of 90 nm compared to the sample synthesized at room temperature. The low temperature luminescence measurements of as-synthesized samples dried at different temperatures viz. 27, 100 and 200 °C. It is seen that the luminescence intensity is increasing with decreasing temperature for the sample dried at room temperature. However, after heating the sample at 100 °C, the luminescence intensity is not only increased but also red-shifted up to 52 nm. The photocurrent has been measured for the device structure of ITO/PEDOT: PSS/Siloxene/Al with different film thicknesses to optimize the photocurrent and the maximum percentage change in photo power gain. The maximum photopower gain of 2693% is observed for the film thickness of 600 nm.

ALD Al2O3 gate dielectric on the reduction of interface trap density and the enhanced photo-electric performance of IGO TFT.

The amorphous indium gallium oxide thin film transistor was fabricated using a cosputtering method. Two samples with different gate dielectric layers were used as follows: sample A with a SiO2 dielectric layer; and sample B with an Al2O3 dielectric layer. The influence of the gate dielectrics on the electric and photo performance has been investigated. Atomic layer deposition deposited the dense film with low interface trapping density and effectively increased drain current. Therefore, sample B exhibited optimal parameters, with an I on/I off ratio of 7.39 × 107, the subthreshold swing of 0.096 V dec-1, and µ FE of 5.36 cm2 V-1 s-1. For ultraviolet (UV) detection, the UV-to-visible rejection ratio of the device was 3 × 105, and the photoresponsivity was 0.38 A W-1 at the V GS of -5 V.

Impact of Oxygen Vacancy on the Photo-Electrical Properties of In2O3-Based Thin-Film Transistor by Doping Ga.

In this study, amorphous indium gallium oxide thin-film transistors (IGO TFTs) were fabricated by co-sputtering. Three samples with different deposition powers of the In2O3 target, namely, sample A with 50 W deposition power, sample B with 60 W deposition power, and sample C with 70 W deposition power, were investigated. The device performance revealed that oxygen vacancies are strongly dependent on indium content. However, when the deposition power of the In2O3 target increased, the number of oxygen vacancies, which act as charge carriers to improve the device performance, increased. The best performance was recorded at a threshold voltage of 1.1 V, on-off current ratio of 4.5 × 106, and subthreshold swing of 3.82 V/dec in sample B. Meanwhile, the optical properties of sample B included a responsivity of 0.16 A/W and excellent ultraviolet-to-visible rejection ratio of 8 × 104. IGO TFTs may act as photodetectors according to the results obtained for optical properties.

Improvement of the performance in Cr-doped ZnO memory devices via control of oxygen defects.

The defect-enhanced resistive switching behavior of Cr-doped ZnO films was investigated in this study, and evidence that the switching effect can be attributed to defects was found. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrated the existence of oxygen vacancies in the ZnO-based films, and the concentration of oxygen vacancies in the Cr-doped ZnO film was larger than that in the undoped ZnO film, which can be attributed to Cr doping. We concluded that the defects in Cr-doped ZnO were due to the Cr dopant, leading to excellent performance of Cr-doped ZnO films. In particular, depth-profiling analysis of the X-ray photoelectron spectra demonstrated that the resistive switching effects corresponded to variations in the concentration of the defects. The results confirmed that oxygen vacancies are crucial for the entire class of resistive switching effects in Cr-doped ZnO films. In particular, the Cr-doped ZnO films not only show bipolar resistive switching behavior but also excellent reliability and stability, which should be beneficial for next-generation memory device applications.

Atomic-Monolayer Two-Dimensional Lateral Quasi-Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors with Resonant Tunneling Phenomenon.

High-frequency operation with ultrathin, lightweight, and extremely flexible semiconducting electronics is highly desirable for the development of mobile devices, wearable electronic systems, and defense technologies. In this work, the experimental observation of quasi-heterojunction bipolar transistors utilizing a monolayer of the lateral WSe2-MoS2 junctions as the conducting p-n channel is demonstrated. Both lateral n-p-n and p-n-p heterojunction bipolar transistors are fabricated to exhibit the output characteristics and current gain. A maximum common-emitter current gain of around 3 is obtained in our prototype two-dimensional quasi-heterojunction bipolar transistors. Interestingly, we also observe the negative differential resistance in the electrical characteristics. A potential mechanism is that the negative differential resistance is induced by resonant tunneling phenomenon due to the formation of quantum well under applying high bias voltages. Our results open the door to two-dimensional materials for high-frequency, high-speed, high-density, and flexible electronics.

Nonvolatile bio-memristor fabricated with egg albumen film.

This study demonstrates the fabrication and characterization of chicken egg albumen-based bio-memristors. By introducing egg albumen as an insulator to fabricate memristor devices comprising a metal/insulator/metal sandwich structure, significant bipolar resistive switching behavior can be observed. The 1/f noise characteristics of the albumen devices were measured, and results suggested that their memory behavior results from the formation and rupture of conductive filaments. Oxygen diffusion and electrochemical redox reaction of metal ions under a sufficiently large electric field are the principal physical mechanisms of the formation and rupture of conductive filaments; these mechanisms were observed by analysis of the time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) and resistance-temperature (R-T) measurement results. The switching property of the devices remarkably improved by heat-denaturation of proteins; reliable switching endurance of over 500 cycles accompanied by an on/off current ratio (Ion/off) of higher than 10(3) were also observed. Both resistance states could be maintained for a suitably long time (>10(4) s). Taking the results together, the present study reveals for the first time that chicken egg albumen is a promising material for nonvolatile memory applications.

Hybrid light-emitting diodes from anthracene-contained polymer and CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots.

In this paper, we added CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots (QDs) into anthracene-contained polymer. The photoluminescent (PL) characteristic of polymer/QD composite film could identify the energy transitions of anthracene-contained polymer and QDs. Furthermore, the electroluminescent (EL) characteristic of hybrid LED also identifies emission peaks of blue polymer and QDs. The maximum luminescence of the device is 970 cd/m(2) with 9.1 wt.% QD hybrid emitter. The maximum luminous efficiency is 2.08 cd/A for the same device.

An integrated thermal compensation system for MEMS inertial sensors.

An active thermal compensation system for a low temperature-bias-drift (TBD) MEMS-based gyroscope is proposed in this study. First, a micro-gyroscope is fabricated by a high-aspect-ratio silicon-on-glass (SOG) process and vacuum packaged by glass frit bonding. Moreover, a drive/readout ASIC, implemented by the 0.25 µm 1P5M standard CMOS process, is designed and integrated with the gyroscope by directly wire bonding. Then, since the temperature effect is one of the critical issues in the high performance gyroscope applications, the temperature-dependent characteristics of the micro-gyroscope are discussed. Furthermore, to compensate the TBD of the micro-gyroscope, a thermal compensation system is proposed and integrated in the aforementioned ASIC to actively tune the parameters in the digital trimming mechanism, which is designed in the readout ASIC. Finally, some experimental results demonstrate that the TBD of the micro-gyroscope can be compensated effectively by the proposed compensation system.

Negative differential resistance behavior and memory effect in laterally bridged ZnO nanorods grown by hydrothermal method.

A novel memory device based on laterally bridged ZnO nanorods (NRs) in the opposite direction was fabricated by the hydrothermal growth method and characterized. The electrodes were defined by a simple photolithography method. This method has lower cost, simpler process, and higher reliability than the traditional focused ion beam lithography method. For the first time, the negative differential resistance and bistable unipolar resistive switching (RS) behavior in the current-voltage curve was observed at room temperature. The memory device is stable and rewritable; it has an ultra-low current level of about 1 × 10(-13) A in the high resistance state; and it is nonvolatile with an on-off current ratio of up to 1.56 × 10(6). Moreover, its peak-to-valley current ratio of negative differential resistance behavior is greater than 1.76 × 10(2). The negative differential resistance and RS behavior of this device may be related to the boundaries between the opposite bridged ZnO NRs. Specifically, the RS behavior found in ZnO NR devices with a remarkable isolated boundary at the NR/NR interface was discussed for the first time. The memory mechanism of laterally bridged ZnO NR-based devices has not been discussed in the literature yet. In this work, results show that laterally bridged ZnO NR-based devices may have next-generation resistive memories and nanoelectronic applications.

Nanoepitaxy of GaAs on a Si(001) substrate using a round-hole nanopatterned SiO2 mask.

GaAs is grown by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy on a 55 nm round-hole patterned Si substrate with SiO(2) as a mask. The threading dislocations, which are stacked on the lowest energy facet plane, move along the SiO(2) walls, reducing the number of dislocations. The etching pit density of GaAs on the 55 nm round-hole patterned Si substrate is about 3.3 × 10(5) cm(-2). Compared with the full width at half maximum measurement from x-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectra of GaAs on a planar Si(001) substrate, those of GaAs on the 55 nm round-hole patterned Si substrate are reduced by 39.6 and 31.4%, respectively. The improvement in material quality is verified by transmission electron microscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, Hall measurements, Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and x-ray diffraction studies.

Dislocation reduction of InAs nanofins prepared on Si substrate using metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy.

InAs nanofins were prepared on a nanopatterned Si (001) substrate by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy. The threading dislocations, stacked on the lowest-energy-facet plane {111}, move along the SiO2 walls, resulting in a dislocation reduction, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The dislocations were trapped within a thin InAs epilayer. The obtained 90-nm-wide InAs nanofins with an almost etching-pit-free surface do not require complex intermediate-layer epitaxial growth processes and large thickness typically required for conventional epitaxial growth.

Cathodoluminescence studies of GaAs nano-wires grown on shallow-trench-patterned Si.

The optical properties of GaAs nano-wires grown on shallow-trench-patterned Si(001) substrates were investigated by cathodoluminescence. The results showed that when the trench width ranges from 80 to 100 nm, the emission efficiency of GaAs can be enhanced and is stronger than that of a homogeneously grown epilayer. The suppression of non-radiative centers is attributed to the trapping of both threading dislocations and planar defects at the trench sidewalls. This approach demonstrates the feasibility of growing nano-scaled GaAs-based optoelectronic devices on Si substrates.

Efficiency enhancement in GaAs solar cells using self-assembled microspheres.

In this study we develop an efficient light harvesting scheme that can enhance the efficiency of GaAs solar cells using self-assembled microspheres. Based on the scattering of the microspheres and the theory of photonic crystals, the path length can be increased. In addition, the self-assembly of microspheres is one of the simplest and the fastest methods with which to build a 2D periodic structure. The experimental results are confirmed by the use of a simulation in which a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is used to analyze the absorption and electric field of the 2D periodic structure. Both the results of the numerical simulations and the experimental results show an increase in the conversion power efficiency of GaAs solar cell of about 25% when 1 microm microspheres were assembled on the surface of GaAs solar cells.

Electroluminescent Characteristics of DBPPV-ZnO Nanocomposite Polymer Light Emitting Devices.

We have demonstrated that fabrication and characterization of nanocomposite polymer light emitting devices with metal Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles and 2,3-dibutoxy-1,4-poly(phenylenevinylene) (DBPPV). The current and luminance characteristics of devices with ZnO nanoparticles are much better than those of device with pure DBPPV. Optimized maximum luminance efficiencies of DBPPV-ZnO (3:1 wt%) before annealing (1.78 cd/A) and after annealing (2.45 cd/A) having a brightness 643 and 776 cd/m(2) at a current density of 36.16 and 31.67 mA/cm(2) are observed, respectively. Current density-voltage and brightness-voltage characteristics indicate that addition of ZnO nanoparticles can facilitate electrical injection and charge transport. The thermal annealing is thought to result in the formation of an interfacial layer between emissive polymer film and cathode.

Thickness for optimizing of organic layer and multi-layer anode on luminance efficiency in white-light top-emission organic light-emitting diodes.

The multilayer contact structures in both the anode and organic layers for top-emission organic light emitting diodes (TEOLEDs) are studied in this paper. The anode consists of aluminum/gold (Al/Au). The Al is used for high reflectivity and Au for high work function by enhancing the hole injection from the anode into the organic hole injection layer. The organic layer thicknesses on the luminance characteristics were studied. The hole injection (HIL), hole transport (HTL) and electron transport layer (ETL) thicknesses were adjusted to balance the electron and hole recombination ratio. A highest brightness and best luminance efficiency of 8041 cd/m2 and 3 cd/A were obtained, respectively. After optimization of each organic layer thickness, the white top-emission organic light emitting diodes (white TEOLEDs) was also studied. The white TEOLEDs were achieved using two approaches with doped concentrations adjustment (CIE coordinates at x = 0.31, y = 0.38, density of 0.6%) and doped positions adjustment with CIE coordinates at x = 0.30, y = 0.34 at position = 15 nm away from carriers recombination interface.

Black film for improving the contrast ratio of organic light emitting diodes.

This paper presents a black film with double period metal-organic cathode structure for reducing the cathode reflection and enhancing the contrast ratio (CR) in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). The absorption and destructive interference effect caused by the copper-phthalocyanine (CuPc) and ultra thin aluminum (Al) periodic layers decrease the ambient light. The double-period black film structure (Al/CuPc/Al/CuPc/Al) has the lowest reflected luminance of 2.61 cd/m2 during ambient light of 33.5 cd/m2. The device CR without any black film is only 82.5. The device with single period black film (Al/CuPc/Al) obtains up to 267.1 and the highest CR of 958 can be achieved with a double period black film Al/CuPc/Al/CuPc/Al structure.

Analysis of a spatially dispersive displacement sensor utilizing an AlGaInP chip.

We present a demonstration and analysis of an industrialized design of a spatially dispersive displacement sensor, which is composed of an AlGaInP gain chip in visible range, optical assembly, and a spectrum analyzer. The sensor utilizes the spatial dispersion of focus from the optical assembly and wavelength spectrum's deviation induced by the displacement of the target. As a result, the sensor delivers a quick and simple way of measuring displacement. By adapting the magnification and resolution of the optical assembly, a displacement sensor with a middle measurement range, ~10 microm, was obtained. However, we should note that 25 nm resolution is limited by the bandwidth and temperature fluctuation of the gain chip.

Spatially dispersive displacement sensor utilizing a semiconductor gain chip.

We demonstrate the development of a simply equipped displacement sensor utilizing spatially dispersive confocal technology. It feeds the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) of a laser diode to a wavelength-selective feedback structure that corresponds to the position of a measured surface. The displacement sensor has a detecting range of 4 microm and precision of less than 2 nm, as proven by the analysis of the spectral shifts of the multipassed amplified output ASE. As compared with traditional sensors, the displacement sensor presented in our study requires fewer components and has as high precision as complex systems and a higher measurement rate due to the simpler strategy of displacement determination.

Buckling instabilities in GaN nanotubes under uniaxial compression.

We report experimental observations of shell buckling instabilities in free-standing, vertically aligned GaN nanotubes subjected to uniaxial compression. Highly uniform arrays of the GaN nanotubes standing on a GaN template were fabricated and subjected to uniaxial compression using a nanoindenter. The buckling load was found to be of the order of 150 microN for the GaN nanotubes with an outer radius of 40 nm, an inner radius of 20 nm, and heights of 500 and 300 nm. Good agreement was found between the experimental observations, the stress-strain relation equation study findings and the predictions from the cylindrical shell buckling theory.