Bias Voltage Research Articles

Enhanced adhesion and wear resistance of DLC films on AZ31 alloy achieved with high bias voltage

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films exhibiting high adhesion and exceptional wear resistance were successfully applied onto the AZ31 surface without a adhesive layer. The structural features of the film were examined utilizing Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Raman spectroscopy. Mechanical properties were evaluated through Nano-indentation testing, while adhesion was evaluated using a scratch tester. Residual stress was determined by Stoney's equation. The results indicate that utilizing a high substrate bias ranging from −500 to −800 V, results in the presence of multiple craters and dislocations, which contribute to the enhancement of high residual compressive stress and hardness in the DLC film. The heightened compressive stress effectively embeds carbon atoms into the surface of the soft AZ31, creating an interfacial layer that significantly improves adhesion and wear resistance of the film. In contrast, at moderate bias levels with a range from −300 to −500 V, an increase in substrate temperature leads to the expansion and discontinuation of adjacent layers that decreases the mechanical properties, adhesion, and wear resistance of the film. When at low bias levels between 0 and -300 V, the hardness, crack resistance, residual stress, and wear resistance all increase with increasing of bias. Additionally, in this work, the mechanisms of adhesion and wear for the biased film are analyzed.

High-Performance Broadband Photodetectors Combining Perovskite and Organic Bulk Heterojunction Bifunctional Layers

Perovskite can be used to prepare high-performance photodetectors due to its excellent optical properties. However, the detection range of perovskite photodetectors is mostly limited to the visible light range, restricting their further development and application. In recent years, combining perovskite with organic bulk heterojunctions to prepare photodetectors with broadband detection capability has proven to be an effective strategy. Through this approach, the response spectrum of the photodetector can be flexibly regulated, and organic compounds can improve the perovskite film quality by passivating defects and inhibit the penetration of water molecules in the air, thereby improving the device performance and stability. In this work, we propose and demonstrate the feasibility of combining MAPbI3 perovskite with PTB7-Th:COTIC-4F to prepare high-performance photodetectors with wide spectral response characteristics. With the assistance of an organic bulk heterojunction, the defects of perovskite crystals are effectively passivated, and the detection spectrum of the device is successfully extended to about 1100 nm. As a result, the responsivity achieved is 0.58 A/W, 1.19 A/W, and 1.41 A/W under laser illumination of 532 nm, 808 nm, and 980 nm, with the power density of 5 μW/cm2 at the bias voltage of −0.5 V, respectively, which is one of the best performances among vertical device structures of this type. Moreover, the stability of the final hybrid film has been greatly improved. This work provides a new approach to the preparation of high-performance and broadband perovskite photodetectors.

Electronic structures and optoelectronic properties of self-powered black phosphorus/InSe heterojunction: A time-domain ab initio perspective

The design and research of multifunctional, high-performance optoelectronic devices are greatly facilitated by the vdW heterojunctions of 2D materials. This study thoroughly investigates the electronic structures and optoelectronic properties of a BP/InSe heterojunction using first-principles and molecular dynamics methods. The van der Waals (vdW) heterojunction exhibits a built-in electric field and demonstrates strong self-powered capabilities. The NAMD analysis shows that the BP/InSe heterojunction effectively suppresses the recombination of electron-hole pairs, and has a fast photoresponse at zero bias voltage. In addition, the application of biaxial strain effectively adjusts the electronic properties of BP/InSe heterojunction. With the increase of compressive strain, the self-powered capability and NIR light capture of BP/InSe heterojunction are obviously enhanced. This study offers valuable insights and effective strategies for advancing high-performance, self-powered optoelectronic devices using two-dimensional van der Waals (vdW) heterojunctions.

Morphology and Wettability of Polystyrene film on QCM Sensor Caused by Oxygen Plasma with DC Bias

Surface wettability and morphology are important aspects of developing QCM sensors for chemical sensors and biosensors. The functionality and morphology of the sensitive coating on the sensor surface affect the sensor sensitivity and selectivity. Various materials and methods to improve the functionality and morphology of the sensor surface have been developed, one of which is plasma. Species and parameters of the generated plasma play an important role in the treatment. One parameter is the DC-bias voltage of RF plasma, which plays an important role in plasma generation and bombardment on the surface being modified. This work shows the effect of the DC bias of the 2 MHz RF plasma with oxygen species. Surface functionality and morphology modification of the polystyrene film on the QCM sensor was done by surface modification using oxygen plasma. Partial etching of the polystyrene film occurred when treated with oxygen plasma generated using 2 MHz with negative DC-bias. CII, CO+, and CO were detected during the exposure of oxygen plasma on polystyrene film, indicating a chemical reaction between the plasma species, oxygen plasma, and the polystyrene. Observation by optical microscope and SEM showed the occurrence of partial etching on the polystyrene film. As there is no masking, the partial etching occurred randomly. The average size of the etched film increased with the DC bias voltage, but the percentage of the etched area was not. The oxygen plasma converts the polystyrene film from hydrophobic to hydrophilic, but hydrophobicity increases with the DC bias voltage. HIGHLIGHTS Polystyrene surface treatment using oxygen plasma can be used to alter the surface hydrophobicity. The DC bias plays important role in the surface modification. High DCV bias gives stronger plasma energy which may etched the polystyrene film. Observation using SEM shows part of the polystyrene film was etched as the DC bias voltage increase. The amount of the etched surface can be measured using optical microscope and processed using ImageJ. Increasing the DC bias result in a wider etched film. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Ion velocity separation mechanism during vacuum spark stage

Abstract Supersonic ion jets produced in vacuum arc discharges have a wide range of applications, where precise control of ion kinetic energy is crucial. However, a comprehensive understanding of the ion acceleration mechanism remains elusive, particularly regarding whether there is ion velocity separation in the vacuum spark stage. In this paper, a 1D spherical implicit particle-in-cell (PIC) with Monte Carlo collision (MCC) model is employed to investigate the ion velocity separation in multi-charged vacuum arc plasma with varying electrode bias voltages and plasma ion densities. The results show that ion kinetic energy can reach hundreds of electron volts due to continuous acceleration by the formed potential valley, which leads to ion velocity separation at low electrode bias voltage or low plasma density. An increasing electrode bias voltage flattens the potential valley, reducing the electric field acceleration. While increasing the plasma density deepens the valley and intensifies Coulomb collisions, resulting in nearly-equal velocities across ions in different charge states. These findings can theoretically explain the discrepancies observed in previous experiments regarding the dependence of the ion velocity on its charge state during the vacuum spark stage.

Investigation of the TaOx unipolar switching memory on high efficiency computing

Memristor has shown great potential application for data storage, neuromorphic computing chip, and memory logic, but its bi-directional operation from setting in positive bias voltage region to resetting in a negative bias voltage region would introduce a complex control circuit. Herein, a memristor with the structure of Au/TaOx/F-doped SnO2 presents unipolar switching behavior, enabling the memristor to operate the set and reset processing in a single voltage direction. By comparison with bipolar switching memristor, using this unipolar switching memristor to operate the logic expression of the letter “D” based on American standard code for information interchange (ASCII) can reduce power consumption by 55.56% while switching the logic state from “0” to “1” and then back to “0” can save up to 48% of power consumption. This work provides a feasible method for the low power consumption computing as well as a road to simplify circuit design.

Electric transport and topological properties of binary heterostructures in topological insulators

The design of devices with coupled hybrid structures offers an approach to creating synthetic topological materials. This work discusses the topological and transport properties of low-dimensional binary heterostructures of topological and trivial materials. By adjusting the parameters of each component, we control the global topological properties to enhance tunneling and optimize the transmission of the topological edge states (TES). Considering a one-dimensional tight-binding model, we build heterostructures of coupled chains employing Green’s functions (GF) formalism. We determine the topological characteristics of chains and couple them together, applying Dyson’s equation to generate the heterostructure. The intensity and decay length of the TES vary depending on the coupling parameters and the size of each chain. We investigate the topological diagrams phase using the energy bands of the periodic system and calculating the invariant from the Zak phase. Using cross-band condition, we derive analytical functions of the parameter space to get the phase topological diagram, which can be compared with the LDOS maps at zero energy. Finally, we calculate the differential conductance with the Keldysh GF technique to demonstrate the tunneling of the TES at the zero bias voltage and discuss potential design and experimental applications.

Enhancement of copper nanoparticle yield in magnetron sputter inert gas condensation by applying substrate bias voltage and its influence on thin film morphology

Large-scale synthesis of high-purity nanoparticles is an intense topic of scientific research, with magnetron sputter inert gas condensation recognized as a promising, environmentally friendly technique avoiding wet chemical processes. This study explores the deposition of size-selected nanoparticles under varied substrate bias voltages and reports on a consequent increase in deposition rates up to 32 %. These alterations in substrate bias voltage induce a progressive change in the morphology of the resulting nanoparticle thin films, attributable to the increased kinetic energy of the nanoparticles. Comprehensive characterization via quadrupole mass spectroscopy of the nanoparticle flux, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and low-energy ion scattering spectroscopy of the deposited nanoparticles corroborates the enhanced nanoparticle yield associated with increased substrate bias voltage. These findings signify a methodological advancement, enhancing the efficiency of magnetron sputter inert gas condensation and moving the technology a step further towards feasible industrial production.

Mercury-probe measurement of electron mobility in β-Ga2O3 using junction moderated dielectric relaxation

We demonstrate the junction-moderated dielectric relaxation method to measure the in-plane electron mobility in β-Ga2O3 epitaxial layers. Unlike the Hall technique and channel mobility measurement in field-effect transistors, this method does not require the deposition of permanent metal contacts. Rather, it measures the bias voltage and frequency dependence of the equivalent capacitance of the Mercury/β-Ga2O3/Mercury structure consisting of a Schottky contact, a quasi-neutral thin film semiconductor, and an Ohmic contact connected in series. The intrinsic dielectric relaxation of the bulk β-Ga2O3 semiconductor typically occurs at ∼1012 s−1, but when moderated by the Mercury/β-Ga2O3 Schottky junction, it manifests itself as an inflection in the capacitance-frequency characteristics at a much lower frequency of ∼106 s−1 within the range of most capacitance measuring instruments. Using carrier density and layer thickness determined from capacitance-voltage measurement, we extract the electron mobility of β-Ga2O3 from the junction-moderated dielectric relaxation frequency.

Separation of planar and edge contributions to total capacitance for accurate doping concentration determination in square silicon photodiodes

Accurately determining the doping concentrations of silicon photodiodes (PDs) is crucial for optimizing their performance in various applications. This study presents a methodology for separating the planar and edge contributions to the total capacitance of square silicon PDs with guard rings. Through capacitance-voltage measurements, we distinguished planar capacitance, which reflects the bulk properties of the silicon PD, from edge capacitance, influenced by device geometry and fringing fields. We demonstrated that the fabricated PDs with guard rings surrounding the active area could be effectively modeled using a coxial-like structure to estimate edge capacitance. Doping concentrations, depletion widths, and resistivities were determined through linear fitting of the inverse square of the measured capacitance per unit area as a function of the reverse bias voltage. All parameters obtained from the full depletion voltage Vd , determined by the intersection of the linear fits for V < Vd and V > Vd , demonstrated agreement within 1σ. Our results underscore the importance of accounting for edge effects to accurately determine doping concentrations from 1/C 2 vs. V plots.

Sensor response and radiation damage effects for 3D pixels in the ATLAS IBL Detector

Pixel sensors in 3D technology equip the outer ends of the staves of the Insertable B Layer (IBL), the innermost layer of the ATLAS Pixel Detector, which was installed before the start of LHC Run 2 in 2015. 3D pixel sensors are expected to exhibit more tolerance to radiation damage and are the technology of choice for the innermost layer in the ATLAS tracker upgrade for the HL-LHC programme. While the LHC has delivered an integrated luminosity of ≃ 235 fb-1 since the start of Run 2, the 3D sensors have received a non-ionising energy deposition corresponding to a fluence of ≃ 8.5 × 1014 1 MeV neutron-equivalent cm-2 averaged over the sensor area. This paper presents results of measurements of the 3D pixel sensors' response during Run 2 and the first two years of Run 3, with predictions of its evolution until the end of Run 3 in 2025. Data are compared with radiation damage simulations, based on detailed maps of the electric field in the Si substrate, at various fluence levels and bias voltage values. These results illustrate the potential of 3D technology for pixel applications in high-radiation environments.

Photonic device application of a self-driven MXene based nanocomposite

MXene based ternary composite photonic device was fabricated and characterized for the detection of different illuminations. The single chain polymer-cobalt phthallocyanine (SCP-CoPc) carrying metallised pthalocyanine macro ring was used as a polymer for the preparation of ternary composite. The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX) were used to differentiate MXene/ZnO/SCP-CoPc composite prepared. The presence of Ti, C, O, Zn and Co elements in the structure of the composite was confirmed by EDX. The electrical properties of planar interdigital coated MXene/ZnO/SCP-CoPc (1:1:1 by wt) were investigated for photovoltaic application. The photo-generated carriers contribute to the current flow, and the linear photoconductivity behaviour in current measurements with different illuminations such as 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100mW/cm2 indicates the possible photo device use of MXene/ZnO/SCP-CoPc nanocomposite. The photocurrent increased from 20mA/cm2 to 100mA/cm2 with the light intensity at 0.5V was tuned from 28 to 280 μA. The forbidden energy gap (Eg) value of the MXene/ZnO/SCP-CoPc ternary composite from optical measurements was was found to be 2.36eV. Experimental results showed that the presence of SCP-CoPc and ZnO (zinc oxide) in the ternary nanocomposite increased the ε' and ε" values of MXene. The ε′ and ε″ of the ternary composite is 13.0, 26217 at 1kHz and room temperature, respectively. The current-time results suggest that MXene based ternary composite photonic device is a self driven photodevice as the the device can detect light without any external voltage bias.

InP-based high-performance extended short wavelength p-B-n infrared photodetector with InGaAs/GaAsSb type-II superlattice absorption layer

High-performance p-B-n infrared photodetectors based on In0.53Ga0.47As/Ga0.51As0.49Sb type-II superlattices with an Al0.85Ga0.15AsSb barrier on an InP substrate have been demonstrated. These photodetectors exhibit 50% and 100% cutoff wavelengths of ∼2.1 μm and ∼2.6 μm, respectively. At a bias voltage of −100 mV bias voltage, the device exhibits a peak responsivity of 0.618 A/W at 2.1 μm, corresponding to a quantum efficiency of 36.5%. The device exhibits a saturated dark current shot noise limited specific detectivity (D*) of 4.12 × 1010 cm·Hz1/2/W (at a peak responsivity of 2.1 μm) under −100 mV applied bias at 300 K.

Bias control for optical single-sideband transmitter based on single IQ modulator

The optical in-phase and quadrature modulator (IQM) is typically utilized as an optical single-sideband (SSB) transmitter for its simple structure and low cost. It requires the modulator biases to be slightly offset for generating the optical carrier. However, this poses significant challenges in the bias control circuits, as most off-the-shelf automatic bias control (ABC) modules are designed to stabilize the IQM at its carrier suppression point for coherent optical communication. In this paper, a novel arbitrary ABC scheme is proposed to stabilize the carrier-to-signal power ratio (CSPR) of an optical SSB signal over long-term operation. This scheme uses SSB rather than double-sideband (DSB) sinusoidal signals as the dither signals. It does not violate the minimum phase condition, thus avoiding performance penalties compared to the conventional ABC scheme in which the DSB dither signal is used. We also develop a closed-form expression to reveal the relationship between the control parameter in the ABC algorithm and the CSPR of the optical SSB signal. By this means, the optical SSB transmitter can automatically adjust its bias voltages and stabilize them at a given CSPR value. The experimental results with ∼80 Gb/s optical SSB signal show that our proposed ABC scheme is effective in stabilizing the bias of the IQM at any point and maintains the CSPR value of the optical SSB signal over hours. It is also shown that the proposed method leads to 1 dB improvement in the receiver sensitivity compared with the traditional ABC technique.

Spin-polarized thermoelectrical currents induced in Aharonov-Bohm rings

We propose an interferometric device that generates spin-polarized electric currents based on an Aharonov-Bohm ring geometry. The device is driven by a temperature gradient and a magnetic flux without any voltage bias. Remarkably, no ferromagnetic contact is necessary once the two-path interference effects are present combined with a spin-orbit interaction. A large amplitude of spin current signal occurs where the charge current is small or even vanishing, thus easily creating pure spin currents by applying a magnetic field. Our proposal provides an ingredient of information processing devices in a generic caloritronic setup. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Improved DC and RF Characteristics of GaN-Based Double-Channel HEMTs by Ultra-Thin AlN Back Barrier Layer.

In order to improve the off-state and breakdown characteristics of double-channel GaN HEMTs, an ultra-thin barrier layer was chosen as the second barrier layer. The strongly polarized and ultra-thin AlN sub-barrier and the InAlN sub-barrier are great candidates. In this article, the two epitaxial structures, AlGaN/GaN/AlN/GaN (sub-AlN) HEMTs and AlGaN/GaN/InAlN/GaN (sub-InAlN) HEMTs, were compared to select a more suitable sub-barrier layer. Through TEM images of the InAlN barrier layer, the segregation of In components can be seen, which decreases the mobility of the second channel. Thus, the sub-AlN HEMTs have a higher output current density and transconductance than those of the sub-InAlN HEMTs. Because the high-quality AlN barrier layer shields the gate leakage current, a 294 V breakdown voltage was achieved by the sub-AlN HEMTs, which is higher than the 121 V of the sub-InAlN HEMTs. The current gain cut-off frequency (fT) and maximum oscillation frequency (fmax) of the sub-AlN HEMTs are higher than that of the sub-InAlN HEMTs from low to high bias voltage. The power-added efficiency (PAE) and output power density (Pout) of the sub-AlN HEMTs are 57% and 11.3 W/mm at 3.6 GHz and 50 V of drain voltage (Vd), respectively. For the sub-InAlN HEMTs, the PAE and Pout are 41.4% and 8.69 W/mm, because of the worse drain lag ratio. Thus, the Pout of the sub-AlN HEMTs is higher than that of the sub-InAlN HEMTs.

Tunable optically transparent graphene–ITO patterning-based millimeter-wave absorber

In this work, we demonstrated a multilayer millimeter-wave absorber capable of tuning the absorption frequency while simultaneously maintaining the optical transparency. It comprises indium tin oxide (ITO) as the bottom ground plane deposited over polyvinyl chloride (PVC) substrate over which a patterned ITO layer is formed. Above this ITO layer, a PVC spacer is put to isolate the upper graphene sandwich structure (GSS) comprising of two patterned graphene mediums separated by a diaphragm paper. The configuration shows the tunability of reflectance minima (which correspond to high absorptance of ≥ 98 %) in a frequency range of 92.5–97.5 GHz due to the adjustable bias voltage applied to GSS. Additionally, the designed absorber demonstrates adequate shielding effect, generally required for both commercial and military applications in the stated frequency range. This simultaneously configurable and optically transparent device has potential in multispectral and smart stealth technologies, particularly 6G applications.

A multi-mode self-centering piezo actuator: design, analysis and its application in full-stroke microscopic imaging

Parasitic piezo dive is a primary method for cross-scale positioning, which can adjust the locking force appropriately to increase the service life but bring radial fluctuations, backward motion, and bi-directional inconsistency issues. In this work, a multi-mode self-centering piezo actuator is proposed, a theoretical analysis model of the transmission mechanism is established, and parameterized design is conducted using the finite element method. The actuator features normal pressure adjustment, parallel drive, parasitic drive, and rectangular drive modes. Under the first mode, a bias voltage of 50 Vp-p achieved a locking force adjustment of 2.5 N. Furthermore, the characteristics of the remaining modes were compared. It was observed that the parallel trajectory drive mode exhibited a higher velocity of 31.68 mm/s, while the rectangular trajectory drive mode suppressed the backward motion to achieve smooth driving, with a linear correlation coefficient R2 of the displacement reaching 0.9999. Compared to the traditional parasitic actuator, the radial fluctuations in these two drive modes were reduced by up to 98.4 %, and the bidirectional consistency were improved to 97 %. Finally, we completed convenient imaging of various specimens across the full-stroke of microscopes by integrated circuit design and Bluetooth communication on mobile phones.

Molecular switching by proton-coupled electron transport drives giant negative differential resistance

To develop new types of dynamic molecular devices with atomic-scale control over electronic function, new types of molecular switches are needed with time-dependent switching probabilities. We report such a molecular switch based on proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reaction with giant hysteric negative differential resistance (NDR) with peak-to-valley ratios of 120 ± 6.6 and memory on/off ratios of (2.4 ± 0.6) × 103. The switching dynamics probabilities are modulated by bias voltage sweep rate and can also be controlled by pH and relative humidity, confirmed by kinetic isotope effect measurements. The demonstrated dynamical and environment-specific modulation of giant NDR and memory effects provide new opportunities for bioelectronics and artificial neural networks.

200 mm Wafer Level Characterization at 2 K of Si/SiGe Field-Effect Transistors

Si/SiGe has proven to be an excellent spin qubit platform, but industrial production of large-scale spin-qubit chips is missing. We use field effect transistors (FETs) to monitor and develop the quality of the fabrication process on 200 mm wafers at 2 K using a cryogenic wafer prober (CWP). This mass-characterization technique provides statistics on device performance. We observe variations in drain off current and gate threshold voltage of 213 FETs. These variations are related to bias voltage conditions during CWP cooldown, which differ from qubit chip cooldown. To address this, a new FET structure with an additional top gate is introduced, effectively suppressing unintentional charge accumulations. This eliminates drain off currents and improves homogeneity of FET characteristics at 2 K. Our results highlight significant impact of bias conditions during qubit chip cooldown, which, if not accounted for in the qubit chip design, can lead to incorrect conclusions when using CWP.