Applied Dc Bias Research Articles

Reduction of TCF effect in FBAR devices using DC bias

This study investigates the effect of applied DC bias on the resonant and antiresonant frequency of FBAR devices. In our model, we introduce linear electrostrictive coefficients and compare the theoretical results with experimental data. The FBAR structure utilizes an air cavity as the acoustic reflector layer, with Mo and AlN as the materials for the top/bottom electrodes and the piezoelectric layer, respectively. The resonant and antiresonant frequencies of the FBAR are designed at 2313.1 and 2374.7 MHz, respectively. Under an applied DC bias ranging from −10 to +10 V, the frequency shifts for the resonant and antiresonant frequencies are 37.7 and 27.7 ppm/V, respectively. The theoretical results, incorporating linear electrostrictive coefficients N=−7×1010 and G=−5×109, show excellent agreement with the measured results of the FBAR device. Finally, we compensated for the frequency drift by applying a 20 V DC bias at high temperatures to the FBAR device. These findings have significant implications for improving the performance of RF communication systems in varying temperature environments.

Polypyrrole film formation using DC biasing of substrate in in-solution plasma process

Beyond the existing in-solution plasma (iSP) process used for nanoparticle synthesis, polymer film synthesis has recently been demonstrated via iSP, which occurs at a specific cycle in a substrate with electrical potential. Herein, we propose an iSP reactor designed to tune the characteristics of polypyrrole (PPy) films by applying varied DC biases to the substrate during the solution plasma process. Applying DC bias to the substrate notably enhances the iSP during the negative cycle, thereby generating ionic precursors from pyrrole monomers for PPy film formation. These films demonstrated morphological variances as a function of the applied VDC. At a low voltage (VDC = 0.5 kV), a uniform film was formed via a layer-by-layer growth mechanism, and as the voltage was increased, the film exhibited a structured morphology. Specifically, at VDC = 0.5 kV, the PPy film was successfully coated onto a finely patterned electrode. The proposed iSP process, under specific DC biasing conditions, enables polymer coating without necessitating additional chemicals, catalysts, or masks. This method holds potential for a wide range of applications.

Design and Demonstration of a Microelectromechanical System Single-Ring Resonator with Inner Ring-Shaped Spring Supports for Inertial Sensors.

This paper presents a novel single-ring resonator design and experimentally demonstrates its dynamic behavior. The proposed ring resonator design is simple and has a solid anchor at its center connected to an outside ring via inner ring-shaped springs. The mode shapes and frequency of the ring resonator were determined numerically and compared with analytical approaches, and the minimum split frequency was observed for the n = 3 mode of vibration. Numerical and analytical methods were used to determine the resonance frequencies, pull-in voltage, resonance frequency shift and harmonic response of the ring resonator for different silicon orientations. The split frequency in the n = 3 mode of vibration increases by the applied DC bias voltage almost by the same amount for all types of silicon. When an AC voltage with a 180-degree phase is applied to two opposite electrodes, the ring has two resonance frequencies in mode n = 2, and when the AC voltage applied to two opposite electrodes is in the same phase, the ring has one resonance frequency regardless of the crystal orientation of silicon. Prototypes were fabricated using a double silicon-on-insulator-based wafer fabrication technique and were tested to verify the resonator performance.

Measurement and calculation for high frequency magnetic losses of Terfenol-D alloy rod under coupled stress and DC bias fields

Compressive stress, a DC bias magnetic field, and an AC excitation field significantly affect hysteresis characteristics and magnetic energy losses of magnetostrictive materials. Therefore, studying high frequency magnetic losses of magnetostrictive materials under coupling of these three conditions is of great importance for improving the output performance of high power magnetostrictive transducers. In this paper, a magnetic property testing system for magnetostrictive materials has been constructed. It enables the magnetic property testing of Terfenol-D alloy rods under the simultaneous application of stress and DC bias at high frequency excitation (a maximum AC magnetic flux density of 0.5 T at an excitation frequency of 9 kHz). Based on Bertotti separation theory and experimental data, considering the coupling effect of stress and DC bias, a computational model for the high frequency magnetic losses of Terfenol-D materials is proposed. The model incorporates relevant parameters of stress and DC bias to modify loss coefficients, and the expressions for loss coefficients are identified using the symbolic regression method. A comparative analysis between experimental data and model calculation shows good agreement, with the maximum and average errors of 4.68% and 1.74%, respectively.

Emergence of field-induced memory effect in spin ices

Out-of-equilibrium investigation of strongly correlated materials deciphers the hidden equilibrium properties. Herein, we have investigated the out-of-equilibrium magnetic properties of polycrystalline Dy2Ti2O7 and Ho2Ti2O7 spin ices. Our experimental findings reveal the emergence of magnetic field-induced anomalous hysteresis observed solely in temperature-and magnetic field-dependent AC susceptibility measurements. The observed memory effect (anomalous thermomagnetic hysteresis) exhibits a strong dependence on both thermal and non-thermal driving variables. Owing to the non-collinear spin structure, the applied DC bias magnetic field produces quenched disorder sites in the cooperative Ising spin matrix and suppresses the spin–phonon coupling. These quench disorders create a dynamic spin correlation, having slow spin relaxation and quick decay time, which additionally contribute to AC susceptibility. The initial conditions and measurement protocol decide the magnitude and sign of this dynamical term contributing to AC susceptibility. It is being suggested that such out-of-equilibrium properties arise from the combined influences of geometric frustration, disorder, and the cooperative nature of spin dynamics exhibited by these materials.

1200 GHz High Spectral Resolution Receiver Front-End of Submillimeter Wave Instrument for JUpiter ICy Moon Explorer: Part I - RF Performance Optimization for Cryogenic Operation

The Submillimeter Wave Instrument (SWI) is a spectrometer/radiometer instrument on board of Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission operating in two submillimeter heterodyne bands around 530 μm (530 – 625 GHz) and 255 μm (1080 – 1275 GHz). The paper presents the results of acceptance testing and performance optimization carried out on the flight and spare model of the 1200 GHz receiver front-end. The safe operation conditions at 120-150 K ambient temperature, such as maximum authorized input RF power, applied DC bias voltage are determined through the definition of the Schottky junctions dissipated power and current density ranges. A tuning procedure that optimizes the sensitivity of the front-end while keeping it within safe limits at 120-150K temperature operation is discussed. In part II, we present a detailed analysis of reliability and endurance testing.

Many-body nonequilibrium effects in all-electric electron spin resonance

Motivated by recent developments in measurements of electron spin resonances of individual atoms and molecules with a scanning tunneling microscope (ESR-STM), we study electron transport through an impurity under periodic driving as a function of the transport parameters in a model junction. The model consists of a single-orbital quantum impurity connected to two electrodes via time-dependent hopping terms. The hopping terms are treated at the lowest order in perturbation theory to recover a Lindblad-like quantum master equation with electron transport. As in the experiment, the ESR-STM signal is given by the variation of the long-time DC current with the driving frequency. The density-matrix coherences play an important role in the evaluation of the ESR-STM signal. Electron correlation is included in our impurity mode. The charging energy $U$ has significant influence on the spin dynamics depending on the sign and magnitude of the applied DC bias. Our model allows direct insight into the origin of the ESR signal from the many-body dynamics of the impurity.

Nonlinear Dielectric Response of Relaxor Ferroelectric (1 − x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 − xPbTiO3 Epitaxial Thin Films

AbstractThin ferroelectric layers are capable of generating large dielectric and electromechanical responses at relatively low voltages, thus can be utilized in various applications including energy storage, energy harvesting, sensors, and actuators. Among ferroelectrics, relaxor ferroelectrics (1 − x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 − xPbTiO3 are particularly interesting due to their superior dielectric and piezoelectric properties. However, dielectric and piezoelectric responses of the ferroelectric thin films are significantly suppressed relative to their bulk counterparts. The physical mechanism of the properties degradation still remains elusive, which greatly hinders their technological applications. Herein, this work systematically investigates the dielectric nonlinearity and the relationship between composition and intrinsic/extrinsic contributions of high‐quality (1 − x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 − xPbTiO3 epitaxial thin films (x = 0, 0.1, 0.32) fabricated by pulsed laser deposition. Through the Rayleigh analysis, it is found that the suppression of domain wall motion by substrate clamping is the main cause of thin film performance degradation and is further confirmed by continuous application of background dc bias to extract the dielectric response's intrinsic and extrinsic contributions. This work will pave the way for practical applications of (1 − x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 − xPbTiO3 thin films in energy storage and electromechanical devices.

Particle conserving approach to ac-dc driven interacting quantum dots with superconducting leads

The combined action of a dc bias and a microwave drive on the transport characteristic of a superconductor-quantum dot-superconductor junction is investigated. To cope with time dependent nonequilibrium effects and interactions in the quantum dot, we develop a general formalism for the dynamics of the density operator based on a particle conserving approach to superconductivity. Without invoking a broken U(1) symmetry, we identify a dynamical phase connected to the coherent transfer of Cooper pairs across the junction. In the weak-coupling limit, we show that besides quasiparticle transport, proximity induced superconducting correlations manifest in anomalous pair tunneling involving the transfer of a Cooper pair. The resulting generalized master equation in presence of the microwave drive showcases the characteristic bichromatic response due to the combination of the ac Josephson effect and an ac voltage. Analytical expressions for all harmonics in the driving frequency of both the current and the reduced dot operator are given for arbitrary driving strength. For the net dc current, the resulting photon assisted processes give rise to rich current-voltage characteristics. In addition to photon assisted subgap transport, we find regions of total current inversion in the stability diagram. There, the junction acts as a pump with the net dc current flowing against the applied dc bias. The first harmonic of the current, being closely related to the nonlinear dynamic susceptibility of the junction, is discussed at finite applied dc bias.

Diastereomeric Effect on Bulk Photovoltaic Property and Polarized Electroluminescence in Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals Containing an Extended π-Conjugated Unit

Abstract We synthesized two diastereomers comprising the same π-conjugated unit. One diastereomer exhibited a smectic crystal phase in which the chromophores tilted 45 degrees from the layer normal and macroscopic polarization was induced by a DC bias application in a cooling process from the high temperature phase to the smectic crystal phase. The other diastereomer exhibited a smectic crystal phase in which the chromophores were parallel to the layer normal and macroscopic polarization was not induced. The bulk photovoltaic effect and polarization-induced electroluminescence were observed only in the polarized smectic crystal phase in which the chromophores tilted from the layer normal. In the bulk photovoltaic effect in the tilted smectic crystal phase doped with fullerene derivative, the open circuit voltage and short circuit current were 1.03 V and 100 µAcm−2 for white light illumination (20 mWcm−2), respectively. In the polarization-induced electroluminescence in the tilted smectic crystal phase, linearly polarized emission with the dichroic ratio exceeding 10 was obtained and the axis of the linearly polarized emission could be rotated 90 degrees by an inversion of a DC bias of poling treatment.

Structure and dielectric properties of Lu-doped SrBi2Ta2O9 synthesized by the molten salt method

Lu-doped SrBi2Ta2O9 (SrBi2-xLuxTa2O9 where x = 0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.75 and 0.1) powders were synthesized by combination of molten salt method and solid-state route. FTIR, Raman and XRD techniques were performed to follow the transformation of reactants into the desired products. Characterization of all samples shows pure and single-phase orthorhombic structured materials obtained with plate-like morphology that is composed of fine and coarse-grained particles. The prepared powders were pressed and sintered at different temperatures up to 1200?C. Microstructure of the sintered samples is also likely to be affected by doping. The first study of dielectric measurements describes the effect of the application of DC bias, at roomtemperature, on the undoped and Lu-doped ceramics and shows that there is little or no effect of DC bias. The sample SrBi1.95Lu0.05Ta2O9 had maximal dielectric constant (??) and minimal dielectric loss (tan?). In the second part of this work, the temperature dependence of ?? and tan_ was considered. It was concluded that Lu-doping not only reduces the Curie temperature, but also brings a diffused phase transition, showing a crossover between displacive and diffusive behaviour.

Polymer Gel with Tunable Conductive Properties: A Material for Thermal Energy Harvesting.

The spontaneous gelation of poly(4-vinyl pyridine)/pyridine solution produces materials with conductive properties that are suitable for various energy conversion technologies. The gel is a thermoelectric material with a conductivity of 2.2-5.0 × 10-6 S m-1 and dielectric constant ε = 11.3. On the molecular scale, the gel contains various types of hydrogen bonding, which are formed via self-protonation of the pyridine side chains. Our measurements and calculations revealed that the gelation process produces bias-dependent polymer complexes: quasi-symmetric, strongly hydrogen-bonded species, and weakly bound protonated structures. Under an applied DC bias, the gelled complexes differ in their capacitance/conductive characteristics. In this work, we exploited the bias-responsive characteristics of poly(4-vinyl pyridine) gelled complexes to develop a prototype of a thermal energy harvesting device. The measured device efficiency is S = ΔV/ΔT = 0.18 mV/K within the temperature range of 296-360 K. Investigation of the mechanism underlying the conversion of thermal energy into electric charge showed that the heat-controlled proton diffusion (the Soret effect) produces thermogalvanic redox reactions of hydrogen ions on the anode. The charge can be stored in an external capacitor for heat energy harvesting. These results advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying thermal energy conversion in the poly(4-vinyl pyridine)/pyridine gel. A device prototype, enabling thermal energy harvesting, successfully demonstrates a simple path toward the development of inexpensive, low-energy thermoelectric generators.

A mono-nuclear Cu(II) complex of an unsymmetrical Schiff base ligand and its use to synthesise trinuclear CuII2MnII complexes showing anion dependent SMM behaviour

The effort for synthesis complexes of unsymmetrical Schiff base ligands derived from 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propanediamine, o-hydroxyacetophenone and salicylaldehyde by modified Edler's method resulted in the isolation of mononuclear [CuL]·CH3OH (1), where H2L = N-(α-methylsalicylidene)-N′-(salicylidene)-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propanediamine. Complex 1 on reaction with Mn(II) ion in presence of ClO4−, N(CN)2−, or N3− yielded three tri-nuclear complexes [(CuL)2Mn(CH3OH)2](ClO4)2·3H2O (2) [(CuL)2Mn(N(CN)2)2] (3) and [(CuL)2Mn(N3)2]∙2H2O (4), respectively. X-ray crystallography revealed square planar geometry of Cu(II) and distorted octahedral geometry of Mn(II) in the complexes. Temperature dependent molar magnetic susceptibility measurements illustrated overall anti-ferromagnetic coupling between the Cu(II) and Mn(II) centres in complexes 2–4 with exchange coupling parameters, J = −16.82 cm−1 and g = 2.06 for 2, J = −19.40 cm−1 and g = 2.10 for 3 and J = −18.98 cm−1 and g = 2.11 for 4. Among these hetero-metallic complexes only the azide derivative (4) presented prominent ac signals under an applied dc bias field. Cyclic voltammetry measurements showed reversible Cu(II)/Cu(I) couple for complex 1 whereas complexes 2–4 showed irreversible reduction of Cu(II).

Modeling and Characterizing of an Enhanced Practical Terahertz Photoconductive Antenna

Optical generation can be divided into photoconductive generation and optical rectification. Moreover, the generation of photoconductive is more efficient than optical rectification when standard laser oscillator systems are used. At photoconductive antenna (PCA), the efficiency and terahertz (THz) power generated are affected by different parameters (e.g. incident power of laser pump, dielectric properties and the applied DC bias voltage difference). In this research, four proposed designs of PCAs are presented and compared. Furthermore, microfabrication aspects and concerns have been considered in this study, which are rarely presented in the literature. Therefore, effects of different parameters are shown in this work such as adding adhesion layer in between electrodes and the substrate, varying of gap properties and dipole length. Output frequency, photocurrent and the total effective energy of different antenna models at different values of laser power have been studied and compared.

High-power inductive coupler with a high-voltage DC blocker

The authors of this study developed a high-power inductive coupler with a high-voltage DC blocker that is capable of delivering up to 100 kW of CW RF power at 176 MHz and 4 kV DC. The high-power indictive coupler was developed at the Soreq Nuclear Research Center for the radio-frequency quadrupole of the Soreq Applied Research Accelerator Facility. The purpose of the DC blocker is to enable the application of high-voltage DC bias to the inner conductors of the couplers in order to prevent the multipacting phenomena. A new, mechanically and thermally improved, version of the RF coupler is designed and implemented in conjunction with the DC blocker. The underlying design principles, indigenous development, and results of tests of the coupler are presented here.

Improving PMUT Receive Sensitivity via DC Bias and Piezoelectric Composition.

The receive sensitivity of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducers (PMUTs) was improved by applying a DC bias during operation. The PMUT receive sensitivity is governed by the voltage piezoelectric coefficient, h31,f. With applied DC biases (up to 15 V) on a 2 μm PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 film, e31,f increased 1.6 times, permittivity decreased by a factor of 0.6, and the voltage coefficient increased by ~2.5 times. For released PMUT devices, the ultrasound receive sensitivity improved by 2.5 times and the photoacoustic signal improved 1.9 times with 15 V applied DC bias. B-mode photoacoustic imaging experiments showed that with DC bias, the PMUT received clearer photoacoustic signals from pencil leads at 4.3 cm, compared to 3.7 cm without DC bias.

Amplitude-Phase Variation in a Graphene-Based Microstrip Line.

A graphene-based transmission line with independent amplitude and phase variation capability is proposed. Variation of graphene’s tunable conductivity by an applied DC bias is exploited in designing an attenuator and a phase shifter. The attenuator and phase shifter are separated from each other by an interdigitated capacitor to ensure independent control of each section through an applied DC bias. The phase shifter is designed by optimizing lengths of a tapered line and an open stub for a maximum variation of input reactance with a change in graphene resistance. The attenuator is designed by two pairs of grounded vias connected to the transmission line through graphene. Variation of graphene resistance controls the signal passing through graphene pads into the ground causing attenuation. An independent variation of 5 dB of attenuation is measured along with an independent phase variation of 23 degrees in the frequency range of 4 GHz to 4.5 GHz.

Parametric amplification of a resonant MEMS mirror with all-piezoelectric excitation

We report a resonant torsional micro-mirror with all-piezoelectric driving and tunable spring stiffness. Stiffness modulation finds two practical applications. First is tuning of the resonance frequency, achieved by applying DC bias voltage to the stiffness modulating structures. A tuning rate was found to be 0.95 Hz V−1 with up to 20 Hz of usable frequency range. Second, when direct excitation of the torsional mode is combined with the harmonic modulation of the spring stiffness, an optical scan angle is shown to be increased by more than 4° through 2:1 degenerate parametric amplification. By varying the phase of the parametric pump with respect to the direct excitation, the Q-factor is tuned between 617 and 898, corresponding to the minimum and maximum parametric gain factors of 0.84× and 1.21×, respectively, achieved at a nominal unpumped optical scan angle of 16.3°. Increasing the pump amplitude shows a moderate increase in the amplifier's gain with clear saturation at 1.43× in the superthreshold pumping regime, indicating a presence of the third order stiffness nonlinearity. The results show potential to apply parametric amplification to future piezo-micro-electro-mechanical-system actuators for large frequency and large-stroke mechanical response achieved at ambient pressure.

Effect of Sintering Temperature and Polarization on the Dielectric and Electrical Properties of La0.9Sr0.1MnO3 Manganite in Alternating Current

The electrical characterization ofa La0.9Sr0.1MnO3 compound sintered at 800, 1000 and 1200 °C was investigated by means of the impedance-spectroscopy technique. As the results, the experimental conductivity spectra were explained in terms of the power law. The AC-conductivity study reveals the contributions of different conduction mechanisms. Indeed, the variation in the frequency exponents (‘s1’ and ‘s2’) as a function of the temperature confirms the thermal activation of the conduction process in the system. It proves, equally, that the transport properties are governed by the non-small-polaron-tunneling and the correlated-barrier-hopping mechanisms. Moreover, the values of the frequency exponents increase under the sintering-temperature (TS) effect. Such an evolution may be explained energetically. The jump relaxation model was used to explain the electrical conductivity in the dispersive region, as well as the frequency-exponent values by ionic conductivity. Under electrical polarization with applied DC biases of Vp = 0.1 and 2 V at room temperature, the results show the significant enhancement of the electrical conductivity. In addition, the dielectric study reveals the evident presence of dielectric relaxation. Under the sintering-temperature effect, the dielectric constant increases enormously. Indeed, the temperature dependence of the dielectric constant is well fitted by the modified Curie–Weiss law. Thus, the deduced values of the parameter (γ) confirm the relaxor character and prove the diffuse phase transition of our material. Of note is the high dielectric-permittivity magnitude, which indicates that the material is promising for microelectronic devices.

The microwave properties of tin sulfide thin films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering techniques

In this paper we present the microwave properties of tin sulfide (SnS) thin films with the thickness of just 10 nm, grown by RF magnetron sputtering techniques on a 4 inch silicon dioxide/high-resistivity silicon wafer. In this respect, interdigitated capacitors in coplanar waveguide technology were fabricated directly on the SnS film to be used as both phase shifters and detectors, depending on the ferroelectric or semiconductor behaviour of the SnS material. The ferroelectricity of the semiconducting thin layer manifests itself in a strong dependence of the electrical permittivity on the applied DC bias voltage, which induces a phase shift of 30 degrees mm−1 at 1 GHz and of 8 degrees mm−1 at 10 GHz, whereas the transmission losses are less than 2 dB in the frequency range 2–20 GHz. We have also investigated the microwave detection properties of SnS, obtaining at 1 GHz a voltage responsivity of about 30 mV mW−1 in the unbiased case and with an input power level of only 16 μW.