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At least 397 records · Page 22

Strategies to search for two-dimensional materials with long spin qubit coherence time

Two-dimensional (2D) materials that can host qubits with long spin coherence time (T 2 ) have the distinct advantage of integrating easily with existing microelectronic and photonic platforms, making them attractive for designing novel quantum devices with enhanced performance. However, the relative lack of 2D materials as spin qubit hosts, as well as appropriate substrates that can help maintain long T 2 , necessitates a strategy to search for candidates with robust spin coherence. Here, we develop a high-throughput computational workflow to predict the nuclear spin bath-driven qubit decoherence and T 2 in 2D materials and heterostructures. We initially screen 1172 2D materials and find 189 monolayers with T 2 > 1 ms, higher than that of naturally-abundant diamond. We then construct 1554 lattice-commensurate heterostructures between high-T 2 2D materials and select 3D substrates, and we find that T 2 is generally lower in a heterostructure than in the bare 2D host material; however, low-noise substrates (such as CeO 2 and CaO) can help maintain high T 2 . To further accelerate the material screening effort, we derive analytical models that enable rapid predictions of T 2 for 2D materials and heterostructures. The models offer a simple, yet quantitative, way to determine the relative contributions to decoherence from the nuclear spin baths of the 2D host and substrate in a heterostructural system. By developing a high-throughput workflow and analytical models, we expand the genome of 2D materials and their spin coherence times for the development of spin qubit platforms.

Toriyama, Michael Y. [Argonne National Laboratory ↗

Assessment of wafer scale MoS 2 atomic layers grown by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition using organo-metal, organo-sulfide, and H 2 S precursors

Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDs) are a unique class of materials that exhibit attractive electrical and optical properties which have generated significant interest for applications in microelectronics, optoelectronics, energy storage, and sensing. Considering the potential of these materials to impact such applications, it is crucial to develop a reliable and scalable synthesis process that is compatible with modern industrial manufacturing methods. Metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) offers an ideal solution to produce TMDs, due to its compatibility with large-scale production, precise layer control, and high material purity. Optimization of MOCVD protocols is necessary for effective TMD synthesis and integration into mainstream technologies. Additionally, improvements in metrology are necessary to measure the quality of the fabricated samples more accurately. In this work, we study MOCVD of wafer-scale molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) utilizing two common chalcogen precursors, H 2 S and DTBS. We then develop a metrology platform for wafer scale samples quality assessment. For this, the coalesced films were characterized using Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Kelvin probe force microscopy. We then correlate the structural analysis of these grown films with electrical performance by using aerosol jet printing to fabricate van der Pauw test structures and assess sheet resistance.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Probing electronic and dielectric properties of ultrathin Ga 2 O 3 /Al 2 O 3 atomic layer stacks made with in vacuo atomic layer deposition

Ultrathin (1–4 nm) films of wide-bandgap semiconductors are important to many applications in microelectronics, and the film properties can be sensitively affected by defects especially at the substrate/film interface. Motivated by this, an in vacuo atomic layer deposition (ALD) was developed for the synthesis of ultrathin films of Ga 2 O 3 /Al 2 O 3 atomic layer stacks (ALSs) on Al electrodes. It is found that the Ga 2 O 3 /Al 2 O 3 ALS can form an interface with the Al electrode with negligible interfacial defects under the optimal ALD condition whether the starting atomic layer is Ga 2 O 3 or Al 2 O 3 . Such an interface is the key to achieving an optimal and tunable electronic structure and dielectric properties in Ga 2 O 3 /Al 2 O 3 ALS ultrathin films. In situ scanning tunneling spectroscopy confirms that the electronic structure of Ga 2 O 3 /Al 2 O 3 ALS can have tunable bandgaps (E g ) between ~2.0 eV for 100% Ga 2 O 3 and ~3.4 eV for 100% Al 2 O 3 . With variable ratios of Ga:Al, the measured E g exhibits significant non-linearity, agreeing with the density functional theory simulation, and tunable carrier concentration. Furthermore, the dielectric constant of ultrathin Ga 2 O 3 /Al 2 O 3 ALS capacitors is tunable through the variation in the ratio of the constituent Ga 2 O 3 and Al 2 O 3 atomic layer numbers from 9.83 for 100% Ga 2 O 3 to 8.28 for 100% Al 2 O 3 . The high ε leads to excellent effective oxide thickness ~1.7–2.1 nm for the ultrathin Ga 2 O 3 /Al 2 O 3 ALS, which is comparable to that of high-K dielectric materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Polarization rotation in a ferroelectric BaTiO 3 film through low-energy He-implantation

Domain engineering in ferroelectric thin films is crucial for next-generation microelectronic and photonic technologies. Here, a method is demonstrated to precisely control domain configurations in BaTiO 3 thin films through low-energy He ion implantation. The approach transforms a mixed ferroelectric domain state with significant in-plane polarization into a uniform out-of-plane tetragonal phase by selectively modifying the strain state in the film’s top region. This structural transition significantly improves domain homogeneity and reduces polarization imprint, leading to symmetric ferroelectric switching characteristics. The demonstrated ability to manipulate ferroelectric domains post-growth enables tailored functional properties without compromising the coherently strained bottom interface. The method’s compatibility with semiconductor processing and ability to selectively modify specific regions make it particularly promising for practical implementation in integrated devices. This work establishes a versatile approach for strain-mediated domain engineering that could be extended to a wide range of ferroelectric systems, providing new opportunities for memory, sensing, and photonic applications where precise control of polarization states is essential.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Epitaxial stabilization and oxygen vacancy control of EuNiO 3 thin films

Rare-earth nickelates exhibit valuable behavior for neuromorphic computing at low temperature: Building blocks for biologically inspired microelectronic neurons like electrically driven insulator–metal transitions (IMTs), negative differential resistance, and self-oscillations have been shown up to 230 K for SmNiO 3 and NdNiO 3 . EuNiO 3 raises the IMT far above room temperature (460 K) but high-quality thin films are challenging to synthesize. Here, we explore the epitaxial stabilization of EuNiO 3 using pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction reciprocal space maps, x-ray absorption spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy show that higher growth temperature (800 °C) reduces oxygen vacancy concentrations in EuNiO 3 . Pseudomorphic EuNiO 3 is demonstrated on both SrLaAlO 4 and NdGaO 3 substrates, and LaNiO 3 buffer layers are incorporated to facilitate future vertical device fabrication. In contrast to bulk thermodynamic predictions, the greater oxidation and crystallinity at higher temperature we observe indicates that epitaxial substrates can stabilize EuNiO 3 at O 2 pressures less than 1 atm.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Structured light approaches in laser-based plasma diagnostics

There is a growing demand for plasma diagnostics suitable for industrial plasma reactors employed in semiconductor nanofabrication, especially relevant to microelectronics and quantum information systems. Such reactors typically have limited optical access and pose considerable diagnostic challenges, including intense background emission, significant thermal loads, and contamination of optical viewports. In this study, we outline research into structured light techniques (laser beams with tailored spatial, temporal, or phase characteristics) that effectively overcome these issues using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) as an example. The focus of presented diagnostics is on ion kinetics analysis within an industrial plasma source, although this approach is broadly applicable to other plasma systems and diagnostic contexts. We present a confocal LIF implementation using an axicon-generated Bessel annular beam, achieving spatial resolutions of approximately 5 mm at a focal distance of 300 mm, with potential improvements to about 1 mm. This approach matches conventional orthogonal LIF performance but requires only one optical port. Wavelength-modulation LIF employs nonlinear laser wavelength tuning to measure spectral line derivatives, suppressing background emission and enhancing details of spectral line shape. Additionally, we present new results on applying vortex beams (laser beams carrying orbital angular momentum, OAM) for LIF measurements in an industrial plasma device. These measurements enable simultaneous axial and tangential velocity determination using a single laser beam and have been tested with xenon ion transition. Initial quantification of results was performed. Together, these structured-light approaches provide robust, background-resilient, multi-dimensional diagnostics for complex plasma environments.

Romadanov, Ivan [Princeton Plasma Physics Laborato↗

Atomic scale etching of diamond: insights from molecular dynamics simulations

Diamond is a promising material for multiple applications in quantum information processing and sensing as well as applications in microelectronics. However, diamond devices can be limited by surface defects that compromise charge stability and spin coherence, among others. Improved strategies in plasma etching of diamond could play an important role in minimizing or eliminating these defects. In this work, we explore plasma-assisted atomic scale etching of diamond using argon ions (Ar + ), hydrogen ions (H + ) and hydrogen atoms (H). We employ classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and test several interatomic potentials based on the Reactive Empirical Bond Order (REBO) form with comparisons to a variety of published experimental results. We performed MD simulations of low-energy hydrogen ($\leqslant$50 eV) and argon ( $\leqslant$200 eV) ion bombardment of diamond surfaces. Ar + bombardment can be used to locally smooth initially rough diamond surfaces via the formation of an amorphous C layer, the thickness of which increases with argon ion energy. Subsequent exposure with hydrogen ions (or fast neutrals) will selectively etch this amorphous C layer, leaving the underlying diamond layer mostly intact if the H energy is maintained below about 10 eV. The simulations suggest that combining Ar + smoothing with selective, near threshold energy H removal of amorphous C can be an effective strategy for diamond surface engineering, leading to more reliable and sensitive diamond color center devices.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Anticathode effect on electron kinetics in electron beam generated E × B plasma

Electron beam (e-beam) generated plasmas with applied crossed electric and magnetic (E x B) fields are promising for low damage processing of materials with applications to microelectronics and quantum information systems. In cylindrical e-beam E x B plasmas, radial confinement of electrons and ions is achieved by an axial magnetic field and radial electric field, respectively. To control the axial confinement of electrons, such e-beam generated plasma sources may incorporate a conducting boundary known as an anticathode, which is placed on the axially opposite side of the plasma from the cathode. In this work, it is shown that varying the anticathode voltage bias can control the degree to which the anticathode collects or repels incident electrons, allowing control of warm electron (electron energies in 10–30 eV range) and beam electron population confinement. It is suggested that the effect of the anticathode bias on the formation of these distinct electron populations is also associated with the transition between weak turbulence and strong Langmuir turbulence.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Leveraging dendritic complexity for neuromorphic computing

Abstract Beyond-von Neumann computing approaches are necessary to sustain the growth of microelectronics and the increasing appetite for artificial intelligence/machine learning algorithms. Neuromorphic computing is an emerging paradigm that takes inspiration from the brain to provide a path forward to improve the computational efficiency and computational density of next-generation computing architectures. In nature, we observe brains performing complex computations with a much smaller energy footprint than conventional computing approaches. Current neuromorphic systems are focused primarily on scalability, namely, increasing the number of computational units (neurons) and connections between units (synapses). However, for brain-like cognition and efficiency in next-generation computing hardware, we need increased complexity in function, as well as improved connection density for scalability. Here, we present our work that aims to incorporate dendrites for ‘compute-on-wire’ in neuromorphic architectures to increase the computational complexity (e.g. number of programmable parameters, nonlinear dynamics) as well as computational efficiency (energy/compute) of artificial neural networks (ANNs). We do this by showcasing neuromorphic dendrite elements that can be leveraged for various applications. We will present examples of neuroscience-inspired direction-selective circuits and an ANN with active dendrites leveraging shunting inhibition. We also demonstrate the benefits of using dendrites in deep neural networks. To conclude, we discuss how we can utilize emerging hardware devices in these systems and design next-generation neuromorphic architectures with dendrites.

Cardwell, Suma G. (ORCID:0000000226575545)↗

Enabling the Acquisition of Electron Beam-Induced Current (EBIC) Images in Conventional SEM and STEM Instruments

Electron beam-induced current (EBIC) imaging is a well-established scanning electron microscope (SEM) technique used to analyze the behavior of microelectronic devices including solar cells. Recently, the application of EBIC imaging in an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) has been demonstrated and offers great potential for the in situ study of electronic materials, correlating charge transport properties to atomic structural and elemental information. Here, this work presents two ways to implement EBIC imaging in conventional SEM and STEM systems: one relying on the instrument's inherent scanning and imaging electronics and the other involving third-party systems usually available in electron microscopes. The implementation of lock-in EBIC in systems equipped with a fast beam blanker is also described. In addition, this work shows and discusses the different mechanisms at play in EBIC imaging and their dependence on beam energy, sample impedance, and electrical measurement configuration, providing researchers with the basic information needed to apply the technique to their research.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Impact of external screening on the valence and core level photoelectron spectra of monolayer W⁢S 2

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) represent an emerging class of layered materials with applications in microelectronics, optoelectronics, photonics, and catalysis. The confinement of charge carriers within the highly anisotropic, quasi-two-dimensional geometry of one-layer (1L) TMDs leads to reduced, variable dielectric screening, giving rise to a quasiparticle band gap that is highly susceptible to the surrounding dielectric environment. Here, exploiting the contrasting external dielectric environments of gold-supported and suspended 1L W⁢S 2 , we show how the electronic states of W⁢S 2 under the effective and ineffective screening environments align at a junction made within the same sheet of material. Photoelectron spectra point to the close alignment of the charge neutrality levels of W⁢S 2 in both environments, and the breakdown of rigid shifts between the valence states and core levels with the core levels shifting more than twice as much as the valence states. Furthermore, the effectively screened W⁢S 2 exhibits a valence state with the photoemission linewidth twice as large as the ineffectively screened suspended W⁢S 2 , presumably originated from the locally varying W⁢S 2 -Au distance and substrate disorders. Collectively, these findings provide key insights into the electronic behavior of W⁢S 2 and its photoemission process with the electronic states renormalized according to the external screening environments.

Dielectric properties↗

Stroboscopic x-ray diffraction microscopy of dynamic strain in diamond thin-film bulk acoustic resonators for quantum control of nitrogen-vacancy centers

Bulk-mode acoustic waves in a crystalline material exert lattice strain through the thickness of the sample, which couples to the spin Hamiltonian of defect-based qubits such as the nitrogen-vacancy (N-V) center defect in diamond. This mechanism has previously been harnessed for unconventional quantum spin control, spin decoherence protection, and quantum sensing. Bulk-mode acoustic wave devices are also important in the microelectronics industry as microwave filters. A key challenge in both applications is a lack of appropriate operando microscopy tools for quantifying and visualizing gigahertz-frequency dynamic strain. Here, in this work, we directly image acoustic strain within N-V center-coupled diamond thin-film bulk acoustic wave resonators using stroboscopic scanning hard x-ray diffraction microscopy at the Advanced Photon Source. The far-field scattering patterns of the nanofocused x-ray diffraction encode strain information entirely through the illuminated thickness of the resonator. These patterns have a real-space spatial variation that is consistent with the bulk strain’s expected modal distribution and a momentum-space angular variation from which the strain amplitude can be quantitatively deduced. We also perform optical measurements of strain-driven Rabi precession of of the N-V center spin ensemble, providing an additional quantitative measurement of the strain amplitude. As a result, we directly measure one of the six N-V spin-stress coupling parameters, 𝑏 =2.73⁢(2) MHz/GPa, by correlating these measurements at the same spatial position and applied microwave power. Our results demonstrate a unique technique for directly imaging ac lattice strain in micromechanical structures and provide a direct measurement of a fundamental constant for the N-V center defect spin Hamiltonian.

acoustic techniques↗

Low leakage current in heteroepitaxial Al 0.7 Sc 0.3 N ferroelectric films on Ga N

Wurtzite ( Al , Sc ) N ferroelectrics are attractive for microelectronics applications due to their chemical and structural compatibility with wurtzite semiconductors, such as Ga N and ( Al , Ga ) N . However, the leakage current in epitaxial stacks reported to date should be reduced for reliable device operation. Here, we demonstrate low leakage current in epitaxial Al 0.7 Sc 0.3 N films on Ga N with well-saturated ferroelectric hysteresis loops that are orders of magnitude lower (i.e., 0.07 A cm − 2 ) than previously reported films (1–19 A cm − 2 ) having similar or better structural characteristics. We also show that, for these high-quality epitaxial ( Al , Sc ) N films, structural quality (edge and screw dislocations), as measured by diffraction techniques, is not the dominant contributor to leakage. Instead, the small leakage in our films is limited by thermionic emission across the interfaces, which is distinct from the large leakage due to trap-mediated bulk transport in the previously reported ( Al , Sc ) N films. To support this conclusion, we show that Al 0.7 Sc 0.3 N on lattice-matched In 0.18 Ga 0.82 N buffers with improved structural characteristics but higher interface roughness exhibit increased leakage characteristics. This demonstration of low leakage current in heteroepitaxial ( Al , Sc ) N films and understanding of the importance of interface barrier and surface roughness can guide further efforts toward improving the reliability of wurtzite ferroelectric devices. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Diffusion coefficients predicting facet-dependent crystallization in amorphous silicon nitride

Amorphous silicon nitride is a common material in microelectronics devices, which acts as an insulating barrier. Extended annealing times at elevated temperature can initiate crystallization of α-Si 3 ⁢ N 4 , which does not possess the same barrier properties. Molecular dynamics can resolve the fundamental mechanism for α-Si 3 ⁢N 4 crystallization and the influence of local environments. Here, we compare two interatomic potentials and conclude that these models predict structural features (e.g., angular distributions and densities) which span the range of experimental measurements. We confirmed these models reproduce experimental estimates of activation energy and leveraged these models to identify crystallization drivers. We conclude that near-T g , facet-dependent silicon nitride crystal growth rates can be predicted directly by either bulk or interfacial diffusion properties.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Anomalous elastic softening in ferroelectric hafnia under pressure

his study employs first-principles density-functional theory (DFT) calculations to explore the elastic and mechanical properties of ferroelectric hafnia (HfO 2 ) in its polar orthorhombic 𝑃⁢𝑐⁢𝑎⁢2 1 phase under varying hydrostatic pressure conditions up to 30 GPa. Utilizing a plane-wave basis set and Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof generalized-gradient approximation for solids in our DFT calculations, we investigate both pure and yttrium-substituted HfO 2 . Our findings reveal an anomalous reduction in the 𝐶 33 component of the elastic tensor with increasing pressure, which becomes significant above 15 GPa and signals a potential pressure-driven structural phase transition at higher pressure. The analysis of atomic displacements under pressure sheds light on the unusual mechanical behavior and phase stability of this material. Additionally, we observe a transition from an indirect band gap to a direct band gap with increasing pressure, which could have significant implications for optical applications. Here, the effects of yttrium substitution on the mechanical and electronic properties are further examined, revealing that yttrium substitution softens the elastic response of this material and reduces the electronic band gap. These results enhance our understanding of elastic and mechanical responses of ferroelectric hafnia and its potential for applications in microelectronics, piezoelectric devices, and nonvolatile ferroelectric random-access memories. Further experimental validation is recommended to confirm our predictions and explore the practical implications of the observed phase transitions and electronic behavior of the ferroelectric hafnia under high-pressure conditions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

A Survey on the Design, Detection, and Prevention of Pre-Silicon Hardware Trojans

The complexity of the semiconductor design lifecycle and globalized manufacturing process creates concern over the threat of deliberate malicious alterations, or hardware Trojans, being inserted into microelectronic designs. This has resulted in a significant corpus of hardware Trojan research including Trojan design and benchmarking efforts and development of corresponding metrics and detection and prevention techniques, over the last two decades. In this survey, we first highlight efforts in Trojan design and benchmarking, followed by a cataloging of seminal and recent works in Trojan detection and prevention and their accompanied metrics. Given the volume of literature in this field, this survey considers only pre-silicon techniques. We make this distinction between pre- and post-silicon to properly scope and provide appropriate context into the capabilities of existing hardware Trojan literature. Each major section (design, prevention, and detection) is accompanied by insights, and common pitfalls, which we highlight can be addressed by future research.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Benchmarking large language models for materials synthesis: The case of atomic layer deposition

In this work, we introduce an open-ended question benchmark, ALDbench, to evaluate the performance of large language models (LLMs) in materials synthesis, and, in particular, in the field of atomic layer deposition, a thin film growth technique used in energy applications and microelectronics. Our benchmark comprises questions with a level of difficulty ranging from the graduate level to domain expert current with the state of the art in the field. Human experts reviewed the questions along the criteria of difficulty and specificity, and the model responses along four different criteria: overall quality, specificity, relevance, and accuracy. We ran this benchmark on an instance of OpenAI’s GPT-4o. The responses from the model received a composite quality score of 3.7 on a 1–5 scale, consistent with a passing grade. However, 36% of the questions received at least one below average score. An in-depth analysis of the responses identified at least five instances of suspected hallucination. Finally, we observed statistically significant correlations between the difficulty of the question and the quality of the response, the difficulty of the question and the relevance of the response, the specificity of the question, and the accuracy of the response as graded by the human experts. Furthermore, this emphasizes the need to evaluate LLMs across multiple criteria beyond difficulty or accuracy.

Artificial intelligence↗

Operando XPS in reactive plasmas: The importance of the wall reactions

In this article, advancements in differential pumping and electron optics over the past few decades have enabled x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements at (near-)ambient pressures, bridging the pressure gap for characterizing realistic sample chemistries. Recently, we have demonstrated the capabilities of an ambient pressure XPS setup for in situ plasma environment measurements, allowing plasma-surface interactions to be studied in operando rather than using the traditional before-and-after analysis approach. This new “plasma-XPS” technique facilitates the identification of reaction intermediates critical for understanding plasma-assisted surface processes relevant to semiconductor nanomanufacturing, such as physical vapor deposition, etching, atomic layer deposition, and many other plasma applications. In this paper, we apply the plasma-XPS approach to monitor real-time surface chemical changes on a model Ag(111) single crystal exposed to oxidizing and reducing plasmas. We correlate surface-sensitive data with concurrent gas-phase XPS measurements and residual gas mass-spectrum analysis of species generated during plasma exposure, highlighting the significant role of plasma-induced chamber wall reactions. Ultimately, we demonstrate that plasma-XPS provides comprehensive insights into both surface and gas-phase chemistry, establishing it as a versatile and dynamic characterization tool with broad applications in microelectronics research. Finally, we outline potential enhancements and future metrology directions to advance plasma-XPS investigations further.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗