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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 253 records · Page 14
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Irreversible magnetization switching at the onset of superconductivity in a superconductor ferromagnet hybrid

We demonstrate that the magnetic state of a superconducting spin valve, that is normally controlled with an external magnetic field, can also be manipulated by varying the temperature which increases the functionality and flexibility of such structures as switching elements. In this case, switching is driven by changes in the magnetostatic energy due to spontaneous Meissner screening currents forming in the superconductor below the critical temperature. Our scanning Hall probe measurements also reveal vortex-mediated pinning of the ferromagnetic domain structure due to the pinning of quantized stray fields in the adjacent superconductor. The ability to use temperature as well as magnetic field to control the local magnetisation structure raises the prospect of potential applications in magnetic memory devices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

Nonvolatile “AND,” “OR,” and “NOT” Boolean logic gates based on phase-change memory

Electronic devices or circuits that can implement both logic and memory functions are regarded as the building blocks for future massive parallel computing beyond von Neumann architecture. Here we proposed phase-change memory (PCM)-based nonvolatile logic gates capable of AND, OR, and NOT Boolean logic operations verified in SPICE simulations and circuit experiments. The logic operations are parallel computing and results can be stored directly in the states of the logic gates, facilitating the combination of computing and memory in the same circuit. These results are encouraging for ultralow-power and high-speed nonvolatile logic circuit design based on novel memory devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Electric-field-controlled interface strain coupling and non-volatile resistance switching of La{sub 1-x}Ba{sub x}MnO₃ thin films epitaxially grown on relaxor-based ferroelectric single crystals

We have fabricated magnetoelectric heterostructures by growing ferromagnetic La{sub 1-x}Ba{sub x}MnO₃ (x=0.2, 0.4) thin films on (001)-, (110)-, and (111)-oriented 0.31Pb(In{sub 1/2}Nb{sub 1/2})O₃-0.35Pb(Mg{sub 1/3}Nb{sub 1/2})O₃-0.34PbTiO₃ (PINT) ferroelectric single-crystal substrates. Upon poling along the [001], [110], or [111] crystal direction, the electric-field-induced non-180° domain switching gives rise to a decrease in the resistance and an enhancement of the metal-to-insulator transition temperature T C of the films. By taking advantage of the 180° ferroelectric domain switching, we identify that such changes in the resistance and T C are caused by domain switching-induced strain but not domain switching-induced accumulation or depletion of charge carriers at the interface. Further, we found that the domain switching-induced strain effects can be efficiently controlled by a magnetic field, mediated by the electronic phase separation. Moreover, we determined the evolution of the strength of the electronic phase separation against temperature and magnetic field by recording the strain-tunability of the resistance [(ΔR/R){sub strain}] under magnetic fields. Additionally, opposing effects of domain switching-induced strain on ferromagnetism above and below 197 K for the La₀.₈Ba₀.₂MnO₃ film and 150 K for the La₀.₆Ba₀.₄MnO₃ film, respectively, were observed and explained by the magnetoelastic effect through adjusting the magnetic anisotropy. Finally, using the reversible ferroelastic domain switching of the PINT, we realized non-volatile resistance switching of the films at room temperature, implying potential applications of the magnetoelectric heterostructure in non-volatile memory devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2012

Effective Control of the Charge and Magnetic States of Transition-Metal Atoms on Single-Layer Boron Nitride

Developing approaches to effectively control the charge and magnetic states is critical to the use of magnetic nanostructures in quantum information devices but is still challenging. Here we suggest that the magnetic and charge states of transition-metal (TM) doped single-layer boron-nitride (SLBN) systems can be easily controlled by the (internal) defect engineering and (external) electric fields (E{sub ext}). The relative positions and symmetries of the in-gap levels induced by defect engineering and the TM d-orbital energy levels effectively determine the charge states and magnetic properties of the TM/SLBN system. Remarkably, the application of an E{sub ext} can easily control the size of the crystal field splitting of the TM d orbitals and thus, leading to the spin crossover in TM/SLBN, which could be used as E{sub ext}-driven nonvolatile memory devices. Our conclusion obtained from TM/SLBN is valid generally in other TM adsorbed layered semiconductors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Effect of electrode material on characteristics of non-volatile resistive memory consisting of Ag{sub 2}S nanoparticles

In this study, Ag{sub 2}S nanoparticles are synthesized and used as the active material for two-terminal resistance switching memory devices. Sintered Ag{sub 2}S films are successfully crystallized on plastic substrates with synthesized Ag{sub 2}S nanoparticles, after a relatively low-temperature sintering process (200 °C). After the sintering process, the crystallite size is increased from 6.8 nm to 80.3 nm. The high ratio of surface atoms to inner atoms of nanoparticles reduces the melting point temperature, deciding the sintering process temperature. In order to investigate the resistance switching characteristics, metal/Ag{sub 2}S/metal structures are fabricated and tested. The effect of the electrode material on the non-volatile resistive memory characteristics is studied. The bottom electrochemically inert materials, such as Au and Pt, were critical for maintaining stable memory characteristics. By using Au and Pt inert bottom electrodes, we are able to significantly improve the memory endurance and retention to more than 10{sup 3} cycles and 10{sup 4} sec, respectively.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Resistive switching phenomena in TiO{sub x} nanoparticle layers for memory applications

Electrical characteristics of a Co/ TiO{sub x}/Co resistive memory device, fabricated by two different methods, are reported. In addition to crystalline TiO{sub 2} layers fabricated via conventional atomic layer deposition (ALD), an alternative method has been examined, where TiO{sub x} nanoparticle layers were fabricated via sol-gel. The different devices have shown different hysteresis loops with a unique crossing point for the sol-gel devices. A simple qualitative model is introduced to describe the different current-voltage behaviours by suggesting only one active metal-oxide interface for the ALD devices and two active metal-oxide interfaces for the sol-gel devices. Furthermore, we show that the resistive switching behaviour could be easily tuned by proper interface engineering and that despite having a similar active material, different fabrication methods can lead to dissimilar resistive switching properties.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Hafnium carbide formation in oxygen deficient hafnium oxide thin films

On highly oxygen deficient thin films of hafnium oxide (hafnia, HfO{sub 2−x}) contaminated with adsorbates of carbon oxides, the formation of hafnium carbide (HfC{sub x}) at the surface during vacuum annealing at temperatures as low as 600 °C is reported. Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy the evolution of the HfC{sub x} surface layer related to a transformation from insulating into metallic state is monitored in situ. In contrast, for fully stoichiometric HfO{sub 2} thin films prepared and measured under identical conditions, the formation of HfC{sub x} was not detectable suggesting that the enhanced adsorption of carbon oxides on oxygen deficient films provides a carbon source for the carbide formation. This shows that a high concentration of oxygen vacancies in carbon contaminated hafnia lowers considerably the formation energy of hafnium carbide. Thus, the presence of a sufficient amount of residual carbon in resistive random access memory devices might lead to a similar carbide formation within the conducting filaments due to Joule heating.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Nanoscale nuclei in phase change materials: Origin of different crystallization mechanisms of Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5} and AgInSbTe

Phase change memory devices are based on the rapid and reversible amorphous-to-crystalline transformations of phase change materials, such as Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5} and AgInSbTe. Since the maximum switching speed of these devices is typically limited by crystallization speed, understanding the crystallization process is of crucial importance. While Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5} and AgInSbTe show very different crystallization mechanisms from their melt-quenched states, the nanostructural origin of this difference has not been clearly demonstrated. Here, we show that an amorphous state includes different sizes and number of nanoscale nuclei, after thermal treatment such as melt-quenching or furnace annealing is performed. We employ fluctuation transmission electron microscopy to detect nanoscale nuclei embedded in amorphous materials, and use a pump-probe laser technique and atomic force microscopy to study the kinetics of nucleation and growth. We confirm that melt-quenched amorphous Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5} includes considerably larger and more quenched-in nuclei than its as-deposited state, while melt-quenched AgInSbTe does not, and explain this contrast by the different ratio between quenching time and nucleation time in these materials. In addition to providing insights to the crystallization process in these technologically important devices, this study presents experimental illustrations of temperature-dependence of nucleation rate and growth speed, which was predicted by theory of phase transformation but rarely demonstrated.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

Off-resonant Raman quantum memory in impurity crystals: signal-to-noise ratio analysis

The possibility of implementing an off-resonant Raman scheme of optical quantum memory on the basis of an ensemble of three-level atoms is investigated under the condition of equal polarisations of resonant transitions forming the Λ-scheme. The developed model is used to analyse the signal-to-noise ratio at the output of an optical quantum memory device in {sup 143}Nd{sup 3+} : Y {sup 7}LiF{sub 4}. It is shown that this ratio can significantly exceed unity for single-photon input pulses. The required values of the parameters can be obtained by using an impurity crystal in the form of a whispering-gallery mode ring resonator. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS2020

Status of NEPP Radiation Testing 3D NAND Flash

This work provides a current update of radiation testing activities on 3D NAND flash memories in support of the NEPP program. Single-event effects data from heavy-ion and low-energy proton testing is highlighted on a state of the art memory device.

Flash↗
NASA NTRS2020

Status of NEPP Radiation Testing 3D NAND Flash

This work provides a current update of radiation testing activities on 3D NAND flash memories in support of the NEPP program. Single-event effects data from heavy-ion and low-energy proton testing is highlighted on a state of the art memory device.

Flash↗
DOE OSTI2016

Improved characteristics of amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide-based resistive random access memory using hydrogen post-annealing

The authors report an improvement in resistive switching (RS) characteristics of amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO)-based resistive random access memory devices using hydrogen post-annealing. Because this a-IGZO thin film has oxygen off-stoichiometry in the form of deficient and excessive oxygen sites, the film properties can be improved by introducing hydrogen atoms through the annealing process. After hydrogen post-annealing, the device exhibited a stable bipolar RS, low-voltage set and reset operation, long retention (>10{sup 5 }s), good endurance (>10{sup 6} cycles), and a narrow distribution in each current state. The effect of hydrogen post-annealing is also investigated by analyzing the sample surface using X-ray photon spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

Effect of La substitution on structure and magnetic properties of sol-gel prepared BiFeO{sub 3}

Detailed Rietveld analysis of the room temperature (RT) x-ray diffraction data of La{sub x}Bi{sub 1-x}FeO{sub 3} (LBFO) ceramics (0 {<=} x {<=} 0.4) prepared by sol-gel route revealed that the system retains distorted rhombohedral R3c structure of parent compound BiFeO{sub 3} (BFO) for x {<=} 0.2 but transforms to orthorhombic Pbnm structure for x > 0.2. The fundamental 12 Raman modes of pure BFO (x = 0.0) are reduced to 10 modes for x = 0.2 and further reduced to 7 modes for x = 0.4, which is a clear indication of structural modification and symmetry changes brought about by La doping. The coercive field, H{sub C}, increases remarkably with an increase in La doping and x = 0.4 exhibits the highest H{sub C} (19.5 kOe at RT) reported so far in any rare earth doped BFO, which will have a great potential for practical application in non-volatile memory devices. Moreover, high-field magnetization and remanence, M{sub r}, increase linearly with La doping content due to the gradual change in spin cycloid structure. M(T) curve shows an anomaly at 50 K, similar to that expected in a spin glass system. The Neel temperature (T{sub N}) of the LBFO increases with x, approaching that of the LaFeO{sub 3}.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Resistive switching memories in MoS{sub 2} nanosphere assemblies

A resistive switching memory device consisting of reduced graphene oxide and indium tin oxide as top/bottom two electrodes, separated by dielectric MoS{sub 2} nanosphere assemblies as the active interlayer, was fabricated. This device exhibits the rewritable nonvolatile resistive switching with low SET/RESET voltage (∼2 V), high ON/OFF resistance ratio (∼10{sup 4}), and superior electrical bistability, introducing a potential application in data storage field. The resistance switching mechanism was analyzed in the assumptive model of the electron tunneling across the polarized potential barriers.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Magnetic behaviour studies on nanocrystalline cobalt ferrite by employing the Arrott plot

Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) has been used to analyze the magnetic behavior of ferrimagnetic material (CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}) synthesized by the citric acid modified sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern confirms the phase purity of the sample. Its magnetic measurement has been carried out at room temperature in the field range ±1.5T. The magnetocrystalline anisotropy and saturation magnetization of CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} are two important parameters which need to be studied for exploring its technological applications like memory device, magnetic sensors etc. Law of Approach (LA) to saturation and the Arrott plot analysis have been carried out to obtain the saturation magnetization. The difference in the saturation magnetization obtained from the two methods gives the qualitative understanding of magnetocrystalline anisotropy and lattice strain present in the sample. The present study explores a new way of analyzing magnetic hysteresis loop of nanocrystalline cobalt ferrite.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2012

Pressure tunes electrical resistivity by four orders of magnitude in amorphous Ge[subscript 2]Sb[subscript 2]Te[subscript 5] phase-change memory alloy

Ge-Sb-Te-based phase-change memory is one of the most promising candidates to succeed the current flash memories. The application of phase-change materials for data storage and memory devices takes advantage of the fast phase transition (on the order of nanoseconds) and the large property contrasts (e.g., several orders of magnitude difference in electrical resistivity) between the amorphous and the crystalline states. Despite the importance of Ge-Sb-Te alloys and the intense research they have received, the possible phases in the temperature-pressure diagram, as well as the corresponding structure-property correlations, remain to be systematically explored. In this study, by subjecting the amorphous Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5} (a-GST) to hydrostatic-like pressure (P), the thermodynamic variable alternative to temperature, we are able to tune its electrical resistivity by several orders of magnitude, similar to the resistivity contrast corresponding to the usually investigated amorphous-to-crystalline (a-GST to rock-salt GST) transition used in current phase-change memories. In particular, the electrical resistivity drops precipitously in the P = 0 to 8 GPa regime. A prominent structural signature representing the underlying evolution in atomic arrangements and bonding in this pressure regime, as revealed by the ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, is the reduction of low-electron-density regions, which contributes to the narrowing of band gap and delocalization of trapped electrons. At P > 8 GPa, we have observed major changes of the average local structures (bond angle and coordination numbers), gradually transforming the a-GST into a high-density, metallic-like state. This high-pressure glass is characterized by local motifs that bear similarities to the body-centered-cubic GST (bcc-GST) it eventually crystallizes into at 28 GPa, and hence represents a bcc-type polyamorph of a-GST.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Giant spin torque in hybrids with anisotropic p-d exchange interaction

Control of magnetic domain wall movement by the spin-polarized current looks promising for creation of a new generation of magnetic memory devices. A necessary condition for this is the domain wall shift by a low-density current. Here, I show that a strongly anisotropic exchange interaction between mobile heavy holes and localized magnetic moments enormously increases the current-induced torque on the domain wall as compared to systems with isotropic exchange. This enables one to control the domain wall motion by current density 10{sup 4} A/cm{sup 2} in ferromagnet/semiconductor hybrids. The experimental observation of the anisotropic torque will facilitate the integration of ferromagnetism into semiconductor electronics.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗