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At least 1,423 records · Page 79

Discovery of van Hove singularities: electronic fingerprints of 3Q magnetic order in a van der Waals quantum magnet

Magnetically intercalated transition metal dichalcogenides are emerging as a rich platform for exploring exotic quantum states in van der Waals magnets. Among them, Co x TaS 2 has attracted intense interest following the recent discovery of a distinctive 3Q magnetic ground state and a pronounced topological Hall effect below a critical doping of x ≈ 1/3, both intimately tied to cobalt concentration. To date, direct signatures of this enigmatic 3Q magnetic order in the electronic structure remain elusive. Here we report a comprehensive doping dependent angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy study that unveils these long-sought fingerprints. Our data reveal an unexpected inverse-Mexican-hat dispersion along the K-M-K' direction, accompanied by two van Hove singularities. These features are consistent with theoretical predictions for a 3Q magnetic order near three-quarters band filling on a cobalt triangular lattice. These results provide evidence of 3Q magnetic order in the electronic structure, establishing TMD van der Waals magnets as tunable materials to explore the interplay between magnetism and topology.

Luo, Hai-Lan [University of California, Berkeley, ↗

Surface reaction for efficient and stable inverted perovskite solar cells

We report perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with an inverted structure (often referred to as the p-i-n architecture) are attractive for future commercialization due to their easily scalable fabrication, reliable operation, and compatibility with a wide range of perovskite-based tandem device architectures. However, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of p-i-n PSCs falls behind n-i-p (or normal) structure counterparts. This large performance gap could undermine efforts to adopt p-i-n architectures, despite their other advantages. Given the remarkable advances in perovskite bulk materials optimization over the past decade, interface engineering has become the most important strategy to push PSC performance to its limit. Here, we report a reactive surface engineering approach based on a simple post-growth treatment of 3-(Aminomethyl)pyridine (3-APy) on top of a perovskite thin film. First, the 3-APy molecule selectively reacts with surface FA+, reducing perovskite surface roughness and surface potential fluctuations associated with surface steps/terraces. Second, the reaction product on the perovskite surface decreases the formation energy of charged iodine-vacancies, leading to effective n-type doping with a reduced work function in the surface region. With this reactive surface engineering, the resulting p-i-n PSCs obtained a PCE over 25%, along with retaining 87% of the initial PCE after over 2400 h of one-sun operation at about 55 degrees C in air.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Superconductor to Mott insulator transition in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 /LaCaMnO 3 heterostructures

The superconductor-to-insulator transition (SIT) induced by means such as external magnetic fields, disorder or spatial confinement is a vivid illustration of a quantum phase transition dramatically affecting the superconducting order parameter. In this paper, in pursuit of a new realization of the SIT by interfacial charge transfer, we developed extremely thin superlattices composed of high Tc superconductor YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 (YBCO) and colossal magnetoresistance ferromagnet La 0.67 Ca 0.33 MnO 3 (LCMO). By using linearly polarized resonant X-ray absorption spectroscopy and magnetic circular dichroism, combined with hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we derived a complete picture of the interfacial carrier doping in cuprate and manganite atomic layers, leading to the transition from superconducting to an unusual Mott insulating state emerging with the increase of LCMO layer thickness. In addition, contrary to the common perception that only transition metal ions may respond to the charge transfer process, we found that charge is also actively compensated by rare-earth and alkaline-earth metal ions of the interface. Finally, such deterministic control of Tc by pure electronic doping without any hindering effects of chemical substitution is another promising route to disentangle the role of disorder on the pseudo-gap and charge density wave phases of underdoped cuprates.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Role of t{sub 2g} electrons in Mn-Tb coupling of multiferroic TbMnO{sub 3}

We investigate the effect of Cr-doping in polycrystalline TbMn{sub 1−x}Cr{sub x}O{sub 3} (x ≤ 6%) ceramics on the magnetism, ferroelectricity, and dielectricity. The Cr substitution gradually suppresses the ferroelectricity induced by the Mn spiral spin ordering, and results in a stronger modulation of polarization by magnetic field with increasing x. However, the transition temperature T{sub Tb} corresponding to onset of Tb magnetic ordering has barely shifted with Cr doping. In other words, although the Cr-doping obviously disrupts the Mn spiral spin ordering, the exchange field J{sub Mn-Tb} acting on the Tb moments from the Mn-spin structure is hardly impacted. Our work demonstrates that the e{sub g} electron of Mn{sup 3+} plays an important role in forming the Mn spiral spin order, but the f-d exchange interaction between the Mn 3d spins and the Tb 4f moments in multiferroic TbMnO{sub 3} almost involves only the t{sub 2g} electrons.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Characterizing p-channel thin film transistors using ZnO/hydrated polyvinyl alcohol as the conducting channel

We report the characteristics of p-channel thin film transistors (p-TFTs) with ZnO/hydrated polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (ZnO/PVA) conducting channels. The metal-oxide-semiconductor structure of the p-TFTs was composed of indium tin oxide (ITO)/SiO{sub 2}/ZnO/PVA layers. The TFT was assembled using PVA gel, which was glued to ITO substrates patterned to form source and drain electrodes. The ZnO/PVA composite film acted as an effective conducting film because of the chemisorption reaction at the film interface where free electrons can be generated. The formation of the conducting channel was also affected by V{sub G} applied to the TFT. The ZnO/PVA-based TFTs demonstrated p-channel transistor performance, shown by current-voltage (I-V) data analysis. The electrical parameters of the device were evaluated, including the on/off ratio (∼10{sup 3}), threshold voltage (V{sub th}, −1 V), and subthreshold swing (−2.2 V/dec). The PVA/ZnO-based p-TFTs were fabricated using simple and cost-effective approaches instead of doping methods.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Comprehensive strain and band gap analysis of PA-MBE grown AlGaN/GaN heterostructures on sapphire with ultra thin buffer

In this work, cluster tool (CT) Plasma Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy (PA-MBE) grown AlGaN/GaN heterostructure on c-plane (0 0 0 1) sapphire (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) were investigated by High Resolution X-ray Diffraction (HRXRD), Room Temperature Raman Spectroscopy (RTRS), and Room Temperature Photoluminescence (RTPL). The effects of strain and doping on GaN and AlGaN layers were investigated thoroughly. The out-of-plane (‘c’) and in-plane (‘a’) lattice parameters were measured from RTRS analysis and as well as reciprocal space mapping (RSM) from HRXRD scan of (002) and (105) plane. The in-plane (out-of plane) strain of the samples were found to be −2.5 × 10{sup −3}(1 × 10{sup −3}), and −1.7 × 10{sup −3}(2 × 10{sup −3}) in GaN layer and 5.1 × 10{sup −3} (−3.3 × 10{sup −3}), and 8.8 × 10{sup −3}(−1.3 × 10{sup −3}) in AlGaN layer, respectively. In addition, the band structures of AlGaN/GaN interface were estimated by both theoretical (based on elastic theory) and experimental observations of the RTPL spectrum.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Post-annealing effect on the room-temperature ferromagnetism in Cu-doped ZnO thin films

In this work, we investigated the structural and magnetic properties of both as-deposited and post-annealed Cu-doped ZnO thin films for better understanding the possible mechanisms of room-temperature ferromagnetism (RT-FM) in ZnO-based diluted magnetic oxides. All of the films have a c-axis-oriented wurtzite structure and display RT-FM. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results showed that the incorporated Cu ions in as-deposited films are in 1+ valence state merely, while an additional 2+ valence state occurs in post-annealed films. The presence of Cu{sup 2+} state in post-annealed film accompanies a higher magnetization value than that of as-deposited film and, in particular, the magnetization curves at 10 K and 300 K of the post-annealed film separate distinctly. Since Cu{sup 1+} ion has a filled 3d band, the RT-FM in as-deposited Cu-doped ZnO thin films may stem solely from intrinsic defects, while that in post-annealed films is enhanced due to the presence of CuO crystallites.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

New scintillator materials for future and present facilities

In the recent years LaBr3:Ce crystals started a new generation of high performing scintillator detectors. In fact, a large number of different, new and promising scintillators are now becoming commercially available, as for example CeBr{sub 3}, CLYC, SrI{sub 2}. Some others, like GYGAG:Ce, CLLB, CLLC, will be available in the near future. The CLYC crystal enriched with {sup 6}Li provides extremely high efficiency for thermal neutron identification and detection with performances comparable to {sup 3}He tubes. The CLYC enriched with {sup 7}Li can provide the direct measurement of the neutron kinetic energy from the energy pulse signal. The most recent R and D activity shows that ‘co-doping’ technique has the effect to improve the crystal proportionality and the mechanical properties thus significantly increasing the reliability and energy resolution of LaBr{sub 3};Ce and CeBr{sub 3} scintillators. Such a new generation of detectors can be the backbone for the detectors array of the future accelerator facilities as for example ELI-NP which will provide very intense high-energy γ-ray beam with very low bandwidth.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Effect of solvent ratio on the optoelectronic properties of fluorine doped tin oxide thin films

Fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) thin films were deposited on to the well cleaned microscopic glass substrates using nebulized-spray pyrolysis (n-SP) technique by varying the water to ethanol solvent proportion. The deposited thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy and Hall measurements to study the structural, optical, surface morphological and electrical properties of the films, respectively. Results of the analyzes show that the films are polycrystalline, having tetragonal structure with the preferred orientation along (110) plane. The grain size varies between 7 to 20 nm. The optimized films exhibit the optical transparency of 85 % at the wavelength of 580 nm. The optical bandgap lies in the range of 3.94 to 4 eV. The optimized films, deposited with 40 % of ethanol proportion are having the mean resistivity 4.72×10{sup −3} Ω-cm, carrier concentration 1.79×10{sup 20} cm{sup 3} and the mobility 7 cm{sup 2}/Vs.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Strategy for stabilization of the antiferroelectric phase (Pbma) over the metastable ferroelectric phase (P2{sub 1}ma) to establish double loop hysteresis in lead-free (1−x)NaNbO{sub 3}-xSrZrO{sub 3} solid solution

A new lead-free antiferroelectric solid solution system, (1−x)NaNbO{sub 3}-xSrZrO{sub 3}, was rationalized through noting the crystal chemistry trend, of decreasing the tolerance factor and an increase in the average electronegativity of the system. The SrZrO{sub 3} doping was found to effectively stabilize the antiferroelectric (P) phase in NaNbO{sub 3} without changing its crystal symmetry. Preliminary electron diffraction and polarization measurements were presented which verified the enhanced antiferroelectricity. In view of our recent report of another lead-free antiferroelectric system (1−x)NaNbO{sub 3}-xCaZrO{sub 3} [H. Shimizu et al. “Lead-free antiferroelectric: xCaZrO{sub 3} - (1−x)NaNbO{sub 3} system (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.10),” Dalton Trans. (published online)], the present results point to a general strategy of utilizing tolerance factor to develop a broad family of new lead-free antiferroelectrics with double polarization hysteresis loops. We also speculate on a broad family of possible solid solutions that could be identified and tested for this important type of dielectric.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Enhancement of magnetoresistance and ferromagnetic coupling in the complex perovskites CaCu{sub 3}(Mn{sub 4−x}Al{sub x})O{sub 12} (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6): A neutron diffraction study

New compounds of the series CaCu{sub 3}(Mn{sub 4−x}Al{sub x})O{sub 12} have been prepared under high pressure conditions (2 GPa), in the presence of KClO{sub 4} as oxidizing agent to stabilize Mn{sup 3+,4+} mixed valence. The polycrystalline samples have been characterized by x-ray diffraction, neutron powder diffraction (NPD), magnetic, and magnetotransport measurements. All the samples are cubic, space group Im-3. These oxides adopt a superstructure of ABO{sub 3} perovskite given by the long-range 1:3 ordering of Ca{sup 2+} and Cu{sup 2+} ions at the A sublattice. The NPD study for x = 0.4 shows that Al{sup 3+} ions are statistically distributed at the octahedral positions, being the (Mn,Al)O{sub 6} octahedra strongly tilted, with superexchange (Mn,Al)-O-(Mn,Al) angles of 142.1°. Also, neutron data clearly show that some Mn{sup 3+} ions (0.65(2) per formula) are located together with Cu{sup 2+} at the square-planar 6b positions. Regarding the magnetic properties, all the compounds present a spontaneous increase of the magnetization below T{sub C}, typical of ferro-or ferrimagnetic materials, with T{sub C} decreasing upon Al introduction. The magnetic structure determined from low-temperature NPD data unveils a ferromagnetic coupling between (Cu{sup 2+}, Mn{sup 3+}){sub 6b} spins and Mn{sub 8c} spins at octahedral positions; this is in contrast with the ferrimagnetic structure observed for RCu{sub 3}Mn{sub 4}O{sub 12} and CaCu{sub 3}Mn{sub 4}O{sub 12}, where an AFM coupling is observed between both magnetic sublattices. Interestingly, an enhancement of the magnetoresistance effect is observed for x = 0.2, well beyond that found for the parent compound. This effect, in materials subtly doped with non-magnetic elements at the Mn positions, may be of interest for applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Thermoelectric properties of p-type PbTe/Ag{sub 2}Te bulk composites by extrinsic phase mixing

We investigated the thermoelectric properties of PbTe/Ag{sub 2}Te bulk composites, synthesized by hand milling, mixing, and hot press sintering. From x-ray diffraction and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy measurements, we observed Ag{sub 2}Te phase separation in the PbTe matrix without Ag atom diffusion. In comparison with previously reported pseudo-binary (PbTe){sub 1−x}(Ag{sub 2}Te){sub x} composites, synthesized by high temperature phase separation, the PbTe/Ag{sub 2}Te bulk composites fabricated with a low temperature phase mixing process give rise to p-type conduction of carriers with significantly decreased electrical conductivity. This indicates that Ag atom diffusion in the PbTe matrix changes the sign of the Seebeck coefficient to n-type and also increases the carrier concentration. Effective p-type doping with low temperature phase separation by mixing and hot press sintering can enhance the thermoelectric performance of PbTe/Ag{sub 2}Te bulk composites, which can be used as a p-type counterpart of n-type (PbTe){sub 1−x}(Ag{sub 2}Te){sub x} bulk composites.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Measurement of laser power for photo-triggered drug delivery in vivo

Thus far, despite many investigations have been carried out for photo-triggered drug delivery systems, most of them suffer from an intrinsic drawback of without real-time monitoring mechanism. Incident intensity of light is a feasible parameter to monitor the drug release profiles. However, it is difficult to measure the incident laser power irradiated onto the photo-triggered carriers in drug delivery systems during in vivo therapy. We design an online measurement method based on the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) technique through upconversion nanoparticles. FIR value varies with temperature of sample due to the thermal effect induced by the incident laser, which validates the laser power measurement. Effects of rare earth doping concentration, as well as experimental conditions including laser spots and wavelengths on the measurement behavior were also investigated.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

(Bi 0.2 Sb 0.8 ) 2 Te 3 based dynamic synapses with programmable spatio-temporal dynamics

Neuromorphic computing has recently emerged as a promising paradigm to overcome the von-Neumann bottleneck and enable orders of magnitude improvement in bandwidth and energy efficiency. However, existing complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) digital devices, the building block of our computing system, are fundamentally different from the analog synapses, the building block of the biological neural network—rendering the hardware implementation of the artificial neural networks (ANNs) not scalable in terms of area and power, with existing CMOS devices. In addition, the spatiotemporal dynamic, a crucial component for cognitive functions in the neural network, has been difficult to replicate with CMOS devices. Here, we present the first topological insulator (TI) based electrochemical synapse with programmable spatiotemporal dynamics, where long-term and short-term plasticity in the TI synapse are achieved through the charge transfer doping and ionic gating effects, respectively. We also demonstrate basic neuronal functions such as potentiation/depression and paired-pulse facilitation with high precision (>500 states per device), as well as a linear and symmetric weight update. We envision that the dynamic TI synapse, which shows promising scaling potential in terms of energy and speed, can lead to the hardware acceleration of truly neurorealistic ANNs with superior cognitive capabilities and excellent energy efficiency.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Proximity-induced anisotropic magnetoresistance in magnetized topological insulators.

Topological insulators (TIs) host spin-momentum locked surface states that are inherently susceptible to magnetic proximity modulations, making them promising for nano-electronic, spintronic, and quantum computing applications. While much effort has been devoted to studying (quantum) anomalous Hall effects in magnetic magnetically doped TIs, the inherent magnetoresistance (MR) properties in magnetic proximity-coupled surface states remain largely unexplored. Here, we directly exfoliate Bi 2 Se 3 TI flakes onto a magnetic insulator, yttrium iron garnet, and measure the MR at various temperatures. We experimentally observe an anisotropic magnetoresistance that is consistent with a magnetized surface state. Our results indicate that the TI has magnetic anisotropy out of the sample plane, which opens an energy gap between the surface states. Additionally, by applying a magnetic field along any in-plane orientation, the magnetization of the TI rotates toward the plane and the gap closes. Consequently, we observe a large (similar to 6.5%) MR signal that is attributed to an interplay between coherent rotation of magnetization within a topological insulator and abrupt switching of magnetization in the underlying magnetic insulator.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Gallium vacancy formation in oxygen annealed β-Ga 2 O 3

Here, the formation and character of gallium vacancies (V Ga ) and their complexes in near surface and bulk regions of single crystal β-Ga 2 O 3 were explored using unintentionally doped single crystals grown by the Czochralski method. As-grown and O 2 annealed (up to 1550 °C) samples were investigated using positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) to study the top 0.05–6 μm, and also current–voltage measurements and infrared (IR) spectroscopy, with hydrogenated samples to probe V Ga , to study the bulk. After annealing in O 2 > 1000 °C, the β-Ga 2 O 3 resistivity begins increasing, up to ~10 9 Ω cm for 1550 °C treatment, with the top 0.5 mm being many orders of magnitude more resistive. PAS measurements of the top 6 μm (S values) and very near surface 200 nm (diffusion length, L) indicate differential behavior as a function of peak annealing temperature. At least four temperature regimes of behavior are described. V Ga are present in the bulk after growth, but considerable changes occur upon annealing at a temperature ≈1000 °C, where L and S decrease simultaneously, suggesting an increasing defect concentration (L) but a decreasing defect volume (S). Annealing at a temperature ≈1400 °C increases S again, showing an increasing volume concentration of V Ga , with IR absorption showing a large signature of V Ga -2H, indicative of increased V Ga formation that was not present when annealing at a temperature ≈1000 °C. These results suggest that defect changes from annealing in oxygen are depth dependent, and that V Ga configuration may not be the same near the oxygen-exposed surface of the sample and in the bulk.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Optimisation of an acoustically antiguiding structure for raising the stimulated Brillouin scattering threshold in optical fibres

Optical fibres having a radially nonuniform acoustically antiguiding structure produced by codoping their core with alumina and germania have been fabricated and investigated. The influence of the shape of the antiguiding acoustic refractive index profile and fibre core diameter on the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) threshold and spectrum in the fibres has been assessed. An increase in SBS threshold by 4.4 dB with respect to a germanosilicate fibre having the same mode field diameter has been demonstrated. (optical fibres)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗