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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 1,045 records · Page 58
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Indication of Te segregation in laser-irradiated ZnTe observed by in situ coherent-phonon spectroscopy

We irradiate a ZnTe single crystal with 10-fs laser pulses at a repetition rate of 80 MHz and investigate its resulting gradual modification by means of coherent-phonon spectroscopy. We observe the emergence of a phonon mode at about 3.6 THz whose amplitude and lifetime grow monotonously with irradiation time. The speed of this process depends sensitively on the pump-pulse duration. Our observations strongly indicate that the emerging phonon mode arises from a Te phase induced by multiphoton absorption of incident laser pulses. A potential application of our findings is laser-machining of microstructures in the bulk of a ZnTe crystal, a highly relevant electrooptic material.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Suspended InAs nanowire gate-all-around field-effect transistors

Gate-all-around field-effect transistors are realized with thin, single-crystalline, pure-phase InAs nanowires grown by molecular beam epitaxy. At room temperature, the transistors show a desired high on-state current I{sub on} of ∼10 μA and an on-off current ratio I{sub on}/I{sub off} of as high as 10{sup 6} at source-drain bias voltage of 50 mV and gate length of 1 μm with a gate underlap spacing of 1 μm from the source and from the drain. At low temperatures, the on-state current I{sub on} is only slightly reduced, while the ratio I{sub on}/I{sub off} is increased to 10{sup 7}. The field-effect mobility in the nanowire channels is also investigated and found to be ∼1500 cm{sup 2}/V s at room temperature and ∼2000 cm{sup 2}/V s at low temperatures. The excellent performance of the transistors is explained in terms of strong electrostatic and quantum confinements of carriers in the nanowires.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
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 OSTI2014

Ferroelectric-ferromagnetic multilayers: A magnetoelectric heterostructure with high output charge signal

Multiferroic composites and heterostructures comprising ferroelectric and ferromagnetic materials exhibit room-temperature magnetoelectric (ME) effects greatly exceeding those of single-phase magnetoelectrics known to date. Since these effects are mediated by the interfacial coupling between ferroic constituents, the ME responses may be enhanced by increasing the density of interfaces and improving their quality. A promising material system providing these features is a ferroelectric-ferromagnetic multilayer with epitaxial interfaces. In this paper, we describe theoretically the strain-mediated direct ME effect exhibited by free-standing multilayers composed of single-crystalline ferroelectric nanolayers interleaved by conducting ferromagnetic slabs. Using a nonlinear thermodynamic approach allowing for specific mechanical boundary conditions of the problem, we first calculate the polarization states and dielectric properties of ferroelectric nanolayers in dependence on the lattice mismatch between ferroic constituents and their volume fractions. In these calculations, the ferromagnetic component is described by a model which combines linear elastic behavior with magnetic-field-dependent lattice parameters. Then the quasistatic ME polarization and voltage coefficients are evaluated using the theoretical strain sensitivity of ferroelectric polarization and measured effective piezomagnetic coefficients of ferromagnets. For Pb(Zr₀.₅Ti₀.₅)O₃-FeGaB and BaTiO₃-FeGaB multilayers, the ME coefficients are calculated numerically as a function of the FeGaB volume fraction and used to evaluate the output charge and voltage signals. It is shown that the multilayer geometry of a ferroelectric-ferromagnetic nanocomposite opens the way for a drastic enhancement of the output charge signal. This feature makes biferroic multilayers advantageous for the development of ultrasensitive magnetic-field sensors for technical and biomedical applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Versatile module for experiments with focussing neutron guides

We report the development of a versatile module that permits fast and reliable use of focussing neutron guides under varying scattering angles. A simple procedure for setting up the module and neutron guides is illustrated by typical intensity patterns to highlight operational aspects as well as typical parasitic artefacts. Combining a high-precision alignment table with separate housings for the neutron guides on kinematic mounts, the change-over between neutron guides with different focussing characteristics requires no readjustments of the experimental setup. Exploiting substantial gain factors, we demonstrate the performance of this versatile neutron scattering module in a study of the effects of uniaxial stress on the domain populations in the transverse spin density wave phase of single crystal Cr.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Multiphoton photoluminescence contrast in switched Mg:LiNbO{sub 3} and Mg:LiTaO{sub 3} single crystals

We observed a multiphoton luminescence contrast between virgin and single-switched domains in Mg-doped LiNbO{sub 3} (LNO) and LiTaO{sub 3} (LTO) single crystals with different doping levels of 0–7 mol. % and 0–8 mol. %, respectively. A luminescence contrast in the range of 3% was measured between as-grown and electrically inverted domain areas in Mg:LNO samples, while the contrast reaches values of up to 30% for the Mg:LTO case. Under annealing, an exponential decay of the domain contrast was observed. The activation energy of about 1 eV being determined for the decay allowed a comparison with reported activation energies of associated defects, clearly illustrating a strong connection between thermal contrast decay and the H{sup +} and Li{sup +}-ion mobility. Finally, performing similar experiments on oxidized samples undoubtedly demonstrated that the origin of the reported luminescence contrast is strongly connected with lithium ions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

On the local electronic and atomic structure of Ce 1-x Pr x O 2-δ epitaxial films on Si

The local electronic and atomic structure of (111)-oriented, single crystalline mixed Ce 1-x Pr x O 2-δ (x = 0, 0.1 and 0.6) epitaxial thin films on silicon substrates have been investigated in view of engineering redox properties of complex oxide films. Non-destructive X-ray absorption near edge structure reveals that Pr shows only +3 valence and Ce shows only nominal +4 valence in mixed oxides. Extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) studies were performed at K edges of Ce and Pr using a specially designed monochromator system for high energy measurements. They demonstrate that the fluorite lattice of ceria (CeO₂) is almost not perturbed for x = 0.1 sample, while higher Pr concentration (x = 0.6) not only generates a higher disorder level (thus more disordered oxygen) but also causes a significant reduction of Ce–O interatomic distances. The valence states of the cations were also examined by techniques operating in highly reducing environments: scanning transmission electron microscopy-electron energy loss spectroscopy and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy; in these reducing environments, evidence for the presence of Ce³⁺ was clearly found for the higher Pr concentration. Thus, the introduction of Pr³⁺ into CeO₂ strongly enhances the oxygen exchange properties of CeO₂. This improved oxygen mobility properties of CeO₂ are attributed to the lattice disorder induced by Pr mixing in the CeO₂ fluorite lattice, as demonstrated by EXAFS measurements. Thus, a comprehensive picture of the modifications of the atomic and electronic structure of Ce 1-x Pr x O 2-δ epitaxial films and their relation is obtained.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Possible contribution of low shear modulus C{sub 44} to the low Young's modulus of Ti-36Nb-5Zr alloy

Despite the importance of single-crystal elastic constants of β-phase titanium alloys in understanding their low Young's modulus—a property crucial for many applications, such data are often difficult to obtain when the alloy composition is close to the instability limit of the β phase, where the presence of α' martensite precludes the fabrication of β-phase single crystal. In the present study, we extracted the single-crystal elastic constants of such a β-phase titanium alloy with low Young's modulus, Ti-36Nb-5Zr (wt. %), from polycrystalline specimens by using an in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction technique. It is indicated that the low Young's modulus of the alloy originates from the anomalously low shear modulus C{sub 44} as well as the low shear modulus C′, which is different from a common viewpoint that the Young's modulus of β-phase titanium alloys is dominantly controlled by the C′. This suggests that low C{sub 44} is an important contributor to low Young's modulus for instable β-phase titanium alloys.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Design of a self-aligned, wide temperature range (300 mK-300 K) atomic force microscope/magnetic force microscope with 10 nm magnetic force microscope resolution

We describe the design of a wide temperature range (300 mK-300 K) atomic force microscope/magnetic force microscope with a self-aligned fibre-cantilever mechanism. An alignment chip with alignment groves and a special mechanical design are used to eliminate tedious and time consuming fibre-cantilever alignment procedure for the entire temperature range. A low noise, Michelson fibre interferometer was integrated into the system for measuring deflection of the cantilever. The spectral noise density of the system was measured to be ~12 fm/√Hz at 4.2 K at 3 mW incident optical power. Abrikosov vortices in BSCCO(2212) single crystal sample and a high density hard disk sample were imaged at 10 nm resolution to demonstrate the performance of the system.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Surface sensitivity of the spin Seebeck effect

We have investigated the influence of the interface quality on the spin Seebeck effect (SSE) of the bilayer system yttrium iron garnet (YIG)–platinum (Pt). The magnitude and shape of the SSE is strongly influenced by mechanical treatment of the YIG single crystal surface. We observe that the saturation magnetic field (H{sub sat}{sup SSE}) for the SSE signal increases from 55.3 mT to 72.8 mT with mechanical treatment. The change in the magnitude of H{sub sat}{sup SSE} can be attributed to the presence of a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy due to the treatment induced surface strain or shape anisotropy in the Pt/YIG system. Our results show that the SSE is a powerful tool to investigate magnetic anisotropy at the interface.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Electron-hole recombination on ZnO(0001) single-crystal surface studied by time-resolved soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Time-resolved soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) experiments were performed with time scales from picoseconds to nanoseconds to trace relaxation of surface photovoltage on the ZnO(0001) single crystal surface in real time. The band diagram of the surface has been obtained numerically using PES data, showing a depletion layer which extends to 1 μm. Temporal evolution of the photovoltage effect is well explained by a recombination process of a thermionic model, giving the photoexcited carrier lifetime of about 1 ps at the surface under the flat band condition. This lifetime agrees with a temporal range reported by the previous time-resolved optical experiments.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Photoconductivities in anatase TiO{sub 2} nanorods

The photoconduction (PC) properties of single-crystalline titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}) nanorods (NRs) with anatase phase were investigated and compared. By examining the material's inherent properties, the anatase TiO{sub 2} NRs exhibit superior PC efficiency (quantitatively defined by normalized gain) which is near one order of magnitude higher than that of the rutile ones. The optimal photoconductive gain of the anatase NR device can also reach 1.6 × 10{sup 7} at the light intensity of 0.02 Wm{sup −2} and a low bias of 0.1 V. The power-dependent and time-resolved PC measurements were performed to investigate the physical mechanisms. The higher quantum efficiency and mobility product was confirmed to be responsible for the higher PC efficiency in the anatase TiO{sub 2} NRs in comparison to the rutile ones.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Native point defects in GaSb

We have applied positron annihilation spectroscopy to study native point defects in Te-doped n-type and nominally undoped p-type GaSb single crystals. The results show that the dominant vacancy defect trapping positrons in bulk GaSb is the gallium monovacancy. The temperature dependence of the average positron lifetime in both p- and n-type GaSb indicates that negative ion type defects with no associated open volume compete with the Ga vacancies. Based on comparison with theoretical predictions, these negative ions are identified as Ga antisites. The concentrations of these negatively charged defects exceed the Ga vacancy concentrations nearly by an order of magnitude. We conclude that the Ga antisite is the native defect responsible for p-type conductivity in GaSb single crystals.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Multi-direction high-efficiency second harmonic generation in ellipse structure nonlinear photonic crystals

We have designed and fabricated a lithium niobate (LN) nonlinear photonic crystal (NPC) with a two-dimensional (2D) ellipse structure of inverse poling domains. The structure can offer continuously varying reciprocal lattice vectors in different directions to compensate the phase-mismatching during the second harmonic generation (SHG) for diverse pump wavelengths. We consider three propagation directions with large effective nonlinear susceptibility and measure the nonlinear conversion efficiency of SHG. The experimental data are in good agreement with the quantitative calculation results using the effective susceptibility model with pump depletion. With high-efficiency SHG in multiple propagation direction, the 2D ellipse structure of LN NPC has the potential to realize various broadband nonlinear frequency conversion processes in different propagation direction with a single crystal.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Growth, structural and optical characterization of L-histidine 4-nitrophenolate (LHPNP) single crystals for NLO applications

Using slow evaporation solution growth technique, single crystals of L-histidine-4-nitro phenolate has been grown from the solution. Structural analyses were carried out by powder x-ray diffraction, FT-Raman, Fourier Transform Infrared and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectral methods to conform the grown crystals. Thermal stability of the grown crystals was studied by thermo-gravimetric (TG) and differential thermal analyses (DTA). UV-Vis spectral analysis has been carried out to find the transparency of the grown crystal. Nonlinear optical property has been confirmed by Kurtz powder technique. The PL measurements were carried out in Perkin Elmer LS 55 Luminescence spectrometer using 410 nm as excitation wavelength. The observed properties have confirmed that the grown crystal is suitable for nonlinear optical applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effect of nonlinear absorption on electric field applied lead chloride by Z-scan technique

The preparation, spectral response and optical nonlinearity of gel grown lead chloride single crystals subjected to electric field of 20V using parallel plate arrangements have been investigated. Optical band gap of the samples were determined using linear absorption spectra. Open aperture z-scan was employed for the determination of nonlinear absorption coefficient of PbCl{sub 2} solution. The normalized transmittance curve exhibits a valley shows reverse saturable absorption. The non linear absorption at different input fluences were recorded using a single Gaussian laser beam in tight focus geometry. The RSA nature of the sample makes it suitable for optical limiting applications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Polarization reversal and domain kinetics in magnesium doped stoichiometric lithium tantalate

The polarization reversal process has been studied in 1 mol. % MgO doped stoichiometric lithium tantalate (LT) single crystal. The revealed stages of domain structure evolution represent (1) continuous nucleation and growth of isolated hexagonal domains with walls oriented along Y directions and (2) continuous motion of the plane domain walls stimulated by merging with isolated domains. The activation field dependence of the switching time has been revealed. The coercive field for quasi-static switching is about 150 V/mm. The bulk screening process has been analyzed. The main parameters of the switching process have been compared with other representatives of LT family.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Catalyst-free growth of Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} nanostructures by molecular beam epitaxy

We present the catalyst-free growth of binary Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} topological insulator nanostructures on c-plane sapphire substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. Dense arrays of single-crystalline nanostructures, growing along the [110] direction, are obtained for substrate temperatures ranging from ∼180 °C to 260 °C. The growth rate and shape of the nanostructures are highly temperature-dependent. The microscopic study of the nanostructures and their relationship to the underlying Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} thin film gives an insight into the growth mechanism.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗