DC Bias Research Articles

Mobility and conductivity of laser-generated e-h plasmas in direct-gap nanowires

This article examines the role of field strength, frequency, and many-body scattering during the ultrafast optoelectronic response in a direct-gap semiconductor nanowire using numerical simulation. Following resonant laser excitation, an AC or bias DC field perturbs the 1D e-h plasma as it relaxes by carrier-phonon and Coulomb scattering. For bias DC fields, the laser-excited carrier distributions evolve to a static non-equilibrium from which a stable DC mobility is calculated. Carrier-phonon collisions contain the e-h carriers near energy minima for fields of 0.5 kV/cm or less, while the Coulomb collisions redistribute some electrons across the Brillouin zone where they drift into other band structure energy minima and are there contained by phonon scattering. This behavior results in carrier mobilities with a field-strength dependence specific to a 1D solid. For AC probe fields, the analyze the resulting frequency-dependent conductivity for frequencies between the plasmon frequency and interband resonance. In all cases, we compare results to standard-conductivity models by calculating distribution-averaged collision rates and times, and show how, unlike in the bulk, these quantities for the nanowire are strongly dependent on both field magnitude and frequency.

Design and Simulation of VCO for RF Transceivers with Low Power, Low Phase Noise and Wider Tuning Range using Silterra 130nm CMOS Technology

The performance of low-power transceivers is required to meet stringent specifications for an advanced wireless radio frequency (RF) application. The design topology in this paper is simulated to meet the specifications and operation of VCO for low power, low phase noise and wide tuning range in complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) 130nm technology for RF transceivers. The relationship between the phase noise, power consumption and frequency turning range is fully analyzed to further improve the performance of the voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO). The architecture of the VCO employs two sets of symmetrical cross-couple split NMOS and PMOS with biased current sources operating in the triode region, and a resonator tank that achieves the desired low phase noise performance of about -110 dB/Hz at a tuning range of 4.1 to 4.5 GHz with a supply of 0.9 V. The control of the DC bias point reduces the conduction angle, which improves the current efficiency, power consumption and phase noise. The topology generates sufficient –gm for the oscillator incorporation to mitigate the start-up issue of the VCO. At the center frequency of 4.38 GHz, the VCO serves as a promising solution for improving low power and low phase for wireless communication systems and RF transceiver applications. The design consumes a very low power of 0.138 mW, achieves a phase noise of -110.53 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset, and a figure of merit (FoM) of -191.90 dBc/Hz.

Electromechanical properties of uniaxial polar ionic plastic crystal [(C2H5)4N][FeBrCl3

Abstract Ferroelectric plastic crystals are an emerging class of materials that combine room temperature ferroelectricity and piezoelectricity with a high temperature plastic mesophase prior to melting. These materials offer possibilities for accessing different property parameter spaces from the state-of-the-art metal oxide and polymer ferroelectrics. Tetraethylammonium bromotrichloroferrite, [(C2H5)4N][FeBrCl3], has a unipolar wurtzite-like structure and thus may have potential for small but stable piezoelectric coefficients like the iso-symmetrical AlN. In this study, density functional theory was used to compute elastic compliance, piezoelectric coefficients, and dielectric constant values. Single crystals grown from aqueous solutions were evaluated via single crystal synchrotron x-ray diffraction, impedance spectroscopy and high and weak-field electromechanical characterization. Diffraction studies revealed that the anion tetrahedra orientated preferentially so that the Br− ion had a 30% alignment with the polarization vector. Electromechanical measurements found piezoelectric coefficients in the 5–9 pC N−1 and pm V−1 range. The piezoelectric coefficient (d 33) was most stable with 3.4% variation between 0.4 and 90 Hz and 0.5 and 3 V. Additional piezoelectric stability measurements were made as a function of DC bias field and temperature. Impedance measurements indicate contributions from either intrinsic effects unique to ionic plastic crystals, such as molecular rotation, or the extrinsic effect of electrode interfaces, both of which can play a role in the electromechanical response of the materials. The results show that [(C2H5)4N][FeBrCl3] has potential as a small signal piezoelectric that has a softer elastic moduli than AlN but a stiffer moduli than polyvinylidene fluoride, and thus occupies a unique parameter space.

Effects of DC bias on evolutions of repetitively pulsed streamer discharge in humid air

Modulation efficiency and mechanisms of repetitively pulsed streamer discharge in humid air are ambiguous with dramatic variations in free electron availability, residual ion mobility, enhanced heat release, etc, caused by water molecules intentionally supplemented or existing in the surrounding environment. The inception and propagation patterns of repetitively pulsed streamer discharge modulated by superimposed DC bias are experimentally investigated in the needle-plane electrode configuration. The inception voltage decreases due to negative ion drift under positive DC bias. The secondary streamer with a bright glowing cloud prolongs towards the plane electrode and the diameter decreases under positive DC bias. The primary streamer tends to propagate along the off-axis direction under negative DC bias. The number of applied pulses before breakdown decreases with the increase in positive DC bias and illustrates an insignificant dependence on the negative DC bias. The effect of air humidity is more pronounced than the DC bias. The streamer inception, propagation, and morphological transition are explained by residual space charge distributions and drift velocity.

Train-earth-grid coupling DC magnetic bias model for stray current diffusion

The DC magnetic bias phenomenon in transformers can result in increased noise and harmonic components. This study focuses on the DC magnetic bias generated by stray currents in the DC traction power supply system of neutral grounding transformers under multiple train operation conditions. A two-layer soil model is utilized to calculate geodetic potential, with rail potentials from both mainline and depot serving as sources for stray current within the model. Two paths of stray current intrusion into the transformer via the grounding network and cable armor layer from the Main substation have been modeled and analyzed. A simulation test has been designed to verify that the maximum error between experimental data and model calculation data is 8.87%. The implementation of a blocking connection device between the depot and mainline, as well as a change in grounding strategy for the metal protective layer, can effectively reduce DC bias magnetic current in the substation.

Analytical Model of Optical-Field-Driven Subcycle Electron Tunneling Pulses from Two-Dimensional Materials.

We develop analytical models of optical-field-driven electron tunneling from the edge and surface of free-standing two-dimensional (2D) materials. We discover a universal scaling between the tunneling current density (J) and the electric field near the barrier (F): In(J/|F|β) ∝ 1/|F| with β values of 3/2 and 1 for edge emission and vertical surface emission, respectively. At ultrahigh values of F, the current density exhibits an unexpected high-field saturation effect due to the reduced dimensionality of the 2D material, which is absent in the traditional bulk material. Our calculation reveals the dc bias as an efficient method for modulating the optical-field tunneling subcycle emission characteristics. Importantly, our model is in excellent agreement with a recent experiment on graphene. Our results offer a useful framework for understanding optical-field tunneling emission from 2D materials, which are helpful for the development of optoelectronics and emerging petahertz vacuum nanoelectronics.

Research on the filling of missing monitoring data under DC bias condition of power transformer

With the continuous expansion of the subway scale, a large number of stray currents invade the grid grounding transformer, resulting in a serious problem of magnetization to transformer DC bias, in order to analyze the DC bias need to use sensors to monitor the transformer operating status. In the actual monitoring process, the monitoring system is susceptible to electromagnetic interference and other environmental influences, resulting in abnormal sensor data, making the data missing, and thus affecting the operation and maintenance of the equipment decision-making. In this paper, a medium and long-time-series data-filling model for transformers based on Res-CNN-BiLSTM (abbreviated as RCBiLSTM) is proposed. In order to verify the effect of the model, the data are firstly processed as missing to simulate the problem of monitoring data missing caused by the sensor failure, and then six kinds of neural network models are respectively used to fill the missing data. The results show that with the increase of missing values, the prediction value error gradually increases and the data becomes scattered, but the model proposed in this paper can effectively reduce the impact of cumulative error on the prediction results and has an advantage in improving the accuracy of the prediction data.

Topology Optimization Design Method for Acoustic Imaging Array of Power Equipment.

Acoustic imaging technology has the advantages of non-contact and intuitive positioning. It is suitable for the rapid positioning of defects such as the mechanical loosening, discharge, and DC bias of power equipment. However, the existing research lacks the optimization design of microphone array topology. The acoustic frequency domain characteristics of typical power equipment are elaborately sorted out. After that, the cut-off frequencies of acoustic imaging instruments are determined, to meet the needs of the full bandwidth test requirements. Through a simulation calculation, the circular array is demonstrated to be the optimal shape. And the design parameters affect the imaging performance of the array to varying degrees, indicating that it is difficult to obtain the optimal array topology by an exhaustive method. Aimed at the complex working conditions of power equipment, a topology optimization design method of an acoustic imaging array for power equipment is proposed, and the global optimal solution of microphone array topology is obtained. Compared with the original array, the imaging performance of the improved LF and HF array is promoted by 54% and 49%, respectively. Combined with the simulation analysis and laboratory test, it is verified that the improved array can not only accurately locate the single sound source but also accurately identify the main sound source from the interference of the contiguous sound source.

Finemet nanocrystalline magnetic powder cores: Application of binder and warm compaction process

In this paper, Finemet flake amorphous powder with poor flowability is used as raw material to investigate the effect of the type of silicone resin and compaction method on the density and soft magnetic properties of the magnetic powder cores. The results show that due to the different thermal stability of the three silicone resins 600, S2 and JH, the permeability of the three magnetic powder cores has significant differences. Since the lubricant is in a viscous flow state during the warm compaction and reduces the friction between the particles, the density of the magnetic powder cores is increased, which further improves the soft magnetic properties of the magnetic powder cores. Among them, the density of Finemet magnetic powder cores prepared by warm compaction with the S2 silicone resin as binder is 5.62 g∙cm−3, the permeability is 43.86, the DC bias capability is 66.77 % at 100 Oe, and the total loss is 113.94 mW∙cm−3 (100 kHz, 50 mT), which has excellent comprehensive soft magnetic properties and is a very significant improvement compared with cold compaction. This shows that the warm compaction process is an effective method to further improve the soft magnetic properties of magnetic powder cores.

The Balance Between Low Core Loss, High Permeability, and Large DC Bias Performance in FeSiAl Cores Covered by Polydopamine/Polyethyleneimine

The Balance Between Low Core Loss, High Permeability, and Large DC Bias Performance in FeSiAl Cores Covered by Polydopamine/Polyethyleneimine

Enhanced Wear and Corrosion Resistance of AZ91 Magnesium Alloy via Adherent Si-DLC Coating with Si-Interlayer: Impact of Biasing Voltage

Magnesium alloys are the lowest-density structural metals with a wide range of applications, such as aircraft skins, engine casings and automobile hubs. However, its low surface hardness and non-corrosion resistance in natural environments limit its wide range of applications. In this work, Si-DLC coatings (Si: 15 at.%) are fabricated on AZ91 alloy using a hollow cathode discharge combined with a DC bias voltage from 0 to −300 V to increase the deposition rate and modulate the structure and properties of the coatings. The Si interlayer with a thickness of around 0.6 µm is deposited first to enhance the adhesion. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Raman spectroscopy are used to investigate the effect of DC bias on the microstructure evolution of Si-DLC coatings. Meanwhile, corrosion and wear resistance of the coatings at various bias voltages have been investigated using electrochemical workstations and pin-on-desk wear testers. It is shown that the bias-free coating has a loose structure and is less resistant to corrosion and wear. The bias coating has a compact structure, small carbon cluster size, high chloride ion corrosion resistance, and high wear resistance against Al2O3 spheres. The corrosion potential of the coating bias at −300 V is −0.98 V, the corrosion current density is 1.35 × 10−6 A·cm−2, the friction coefficient is 0.08, and the wear rate is 10−8 orders of magnitude. The formation of SiC nanocrystals and high sp3-C, as well as the formation of transfer films on the surface of their counterparts, are the main reasons for the ultra-high wear resistance of the bias coatings. The wear rate, coefficient of friction, and corrosion rate of the coating are 0.0069 times, 0.2 times, and 0.0088 times that of the AZ91 alloy, respectively. However, the bias coating has only short to medium-term protection against the magnesium alloy and no long-term protection due to cracks caused by its high internal stress.

ИМПЕДАНСНЫЙ АНАЛИЗ ПРОЦЕССОВ ПЕРЕНОСА ЗАРЯДА В СТРУКТУРЕ МЕТАЛЛ/ПОЛИМЕР/МЕТАЛЛ

The reaserch is devoted to the experimental study of charge transfer processes in thin films of an electroactive polymer from the class of polyarylene phthalides – poly (diphenylene phthalide). The method of impedance analysis of thin polymer films was used in this work. The material is quite well studied using other methods, such as thermally stimulated methods, optical spectroscopy, etc. However, frequency measurements were carried out mainly only in the field of determining capacitance-voltage characteristics. And since the polymer is electroactive, we should expect to identify features associated with charge transfer in the alternating field mode. In this regard, the work carried out an impedance analysis of thin films of poly (diphenylene phthalide) in the frequency range from 0.1 to 106 Hz. Typically, in impedance analysis, in addition to an ac field, a small DC bias voltage is applied to the metal/polymer/metal structure. This makes it possible to obtain data on surface polarization, charge carrier mobility, and the Maxwell-Wagner effect in the case of studying multilayer films. However, taking into account the electrical activity of the studied material, even impedance analysis in an alternating field, but with an effective voltage range from 0.1 to 10 V, made it possible to evaluate some of the electrophysical characteristics of the behavior of thin films. It was found that the slope of the impedance curve depends on the mechanism of transport of charge carriers in the polymer film. As the voltage increases from 0.1 to 10 V, an increase in the slope of the graph is observed. With an increase in the magnitude of the effective voltage, a transition occurs from the ohmic to the injection mechanism of transport of charge carriers limited by traps. When reaching 2 V, a mode of complete filling of the traps is observed, as a result of which an increase in voltage ceases to affect the slope of the frequency response. The dependence of the transition frequency fc on voltage has been plotted. This frequency corresponds to the transition from the predominance of the active to the reactive component of the impedance. Here, an exponential dependence on the magnitude of the applied voltage is observed, which also indicates the dependence of the mechanisms of transport of charge carriers in the polymer film on voltage (electric field).

Modeling of Dual-Phase Composite Magnetic Material and Its Application in Transformers

Dual-phase composite magnetic materials have magnetic and permanent magnetic properties. They can realize the dual-phase conversion of soft magnetic and permanent magnetic composites with a small amount of excitation energy. They have the advantages of good control and conversion characteristics and save energy, and they have a wide range of application scenarios in regard to power equipment. In this paper, the magnetization modeling of dual-phase composite magnetic materials is carried out based on micromagnetic theory, and a specific mathematical expression is given. Secondly, the preparation process of the dual-phase composite magnetic material is studied, the dual-phase composite magnetic material is prepared, and the demagnetization curve of the dual-phase composite magnetic material is measured. Finally, the application of dual-phase composite magnetic materials in power equipment is carried out. Using the soft magnetic and permanent magnetic characteristics of dual-phase composite magnetic materials, their impact on DC bias suppression in transformers is assessed. Magnetic circuit reluctance theory is used to develop the structure and electromagnetic design of a transformer. A transformer prototype with DC bias suppression ability based on dual-phase composite magnetic materials is manufactured, and simulation and experimental research are carried out. The simulation and experimental results verify the correctness of the proposed scheme. Although this scheme requires a more complex core structure, the energy-saving effect is remarkable without changing the transformer’s neutral grounding. The indicators meet the actual requirements of the project.

Thermal runaway and induced electrical failure of epoxy resin in high‐frequency transformers: Insulation design reference

AbstractSolid‐state transformers (SSTs) have applications in medium‐voltage (MV) DC grids and compact power systems. High‐frequency transformer (HFT) is the core component of SSTs. High levels of high frequency high dv/dt voltage stresses challenged the integrity of the galvanic insulation of HFTs. However, dielectric thermal runaway and resultant electrical failure mechanisms in epoxy resin (EP) cast insulation remain unclear. Dielectric heating of EP across varying voltages, frequencies, rising edges, duty cycles and DC biases were measured and corroborated by simulation. The thermal runaway threshold mainly depends on the tangency point of the loss generation and heat dissipation curves below the glass transition temperature. Observations reveal that thermal runaway does not directly cause breakdown; instead, thermal decomposition above 200°C triggers discharge and eventual failure. Simulations demonstrate that temperature rise mainly depends on the average field within the electrode region and inter‐segment and inter‐layer distances within the HFT winding definitively impact insulation thermal runaway. By applying different criteria for MV and high‐voltage (HV) transformers, the reference electric fields for insulation design with unfilled and filled EP were obtained. For instance, limiting dielectric heating below 5 K at 50 kHz necessitates an RMS average field less than 0.44 V/mm, which is much lower than dry‐type transformer conventions. The authors prove the necessity of re‐evaluating the permissible field strength in HFT insulation design.

Photonics-assisted simultaneous frequency and angle-of-arrival measurement using parameter mapping method

A photonics-assisted simultaneous frequency and angle of arrival (AOA) measurement system based on parameter mapping method is proposed and demonstrated by simulation and experiment. Using optical sideband sweeping and envelope detection, the frequencies of the signals under test (SUT) are mapped to the time domain of the output amplitude of the electrical pulses, and the AOA-dependent phase differences are mapped to the amplitudes of the output electrical pulses. The experiment achieved multiple-frequency signal measurements, and the absolute measurement error was between 1.8 MHz and 5.4 MHz in the range from 9.4 GHz to 13 GHz. The frequency range can be adjusted by modifying the bandwidth of the frequency-swept signal or the DC bias voltage. Furthermore, the unambiguous AOA measurement from −90° to 90° is successfully realized simultaneously, and the error of the AOA measurement ranging from −66.44° to 66.44° is confined to within ±1.4°. Due to its robustness and flexibility, this dual-function measurement system can find various applications in future electronic warfare systems.

Room‐temperature tunable tunneling magnetoresistance in Fe3GaTe2/WSe2/Fe3GaTe2 van der Waals heterostructures

AbstractThe exceptional properties of two‐dimensional (2D) magnet materials present a novel approach to fabricate functional magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) by constructing full van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures with atomically sharp and clean interfaces. The exploration of vdW MTJ devices with high working temperature and adjustable functionalities holds great potential for advancing the application of 2D materials in magnetic sensing and data storage. Here, we report the observation of highly tunable room‐temperature tunneling magnetoresistance through electronic means in a full vdW Fe3GaTe2/WSe2/Fe3GaTe2 MTJ. The spin valve effect of the MTJ can be detected even with the current below 1 nA, both at low and room temperatures, yielding a tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) of 340% at 2 K and 50% at 300 K, respectively. Importantly, the magnitude and sign of TMR can be modulated by a DC bias current, even at room temperature, a capability that was previously unrealized in full vdW MTJs. This tunable TMR arises from the contribution of energy‐dependent localized spin states in the metallic ferromagnet Fe3GaTe2 during tunnel transport when a finite electrical bias is applied. Our work offers a new perspective for designing and exploring room‐temperature tunable spintronic devices based on vdW magnet heterostructures.

Interfacial polarization-driven relaxation in CuO epitaxial thin films

In this manuscript, we examine the electrical behavior of pulse laser deposition grown epitaxial (111) oriented CuO thin films using impedance spectroscopy to understand the microscopic origin of their relaxor-like characteristics. Temperature (T) dependent variation of the real part of dielectric permittivity (ε′) shows a relaxor ferroelectric-like anomaly with Vogel–Fulcher relation fitting well with the observed dielectric behavior, and thus, pointing toward a relaxor ferroelectric nature of the CuO thin film. However, the loss tangent and frequency-dependent dielectric spectroscopy measurements suggest the need to further explore the different mechanisms to understand the origin of observed relaxor behavior. Deconvolution of the impedance spectra reveals that interfacial contributions dominate in the dielectric response. Moreover, deconvoluted capacitances are temperature-independent within the specified temperature range, thereby excluding the possibility of a ferroelectric transition suggested by ε′ vs T data. The DC bias measurement of dielectric permittivity and I–V measurements reveal the MW (Maxwell–Wagner) nature of the observed dielectric anomaly. The measurements also suggest interface-limited Schottky conduction as the predominant conduction mechanism in the CuO thin films. This work demonstrates that the apparent relaxor behavior observed in the CuO thin film is related to extrinsic, i.e., interfacial polarization effect, instead of the intrinsic ferroelectric nature of the material.

Experimental evidence for a current-biased Josephson junction acting as either a macroscopic boson or fermion

It is well known that elementary particles in the real 3+1-dimensional world are either bosons or fermions, without exception, and not both. Here, we show that a quantized current-biased Josephson junction (CBJJ), as an artificial macroscopic “particle,” can serve as either a boson or a fermion or the combination, depending on the amplitude of the biased dc current. By using high vacuum two-angle electron beam evaporations, we fabricated CBJJ devices and calibrated their physical parameters by applying low-frequency signal drivings. At 50mK temperature environment, the microwave transmission characteristics of the fabricated CBJJ devices were measured at the low power limit. The experimental results verify the relevant theoretical predictions, i.e., when the bias current is significantly lower than the critical ones of the junctions, the device works in a very linear regime and thus behaves as a harmonic oscillator “boson”; while if the biased current is sufficiently large (especially approaching the junctions' critical currents), the device works manifestly in the nonlinear regime and thus behaves as a two-level artificial atom “fermion.” Therefore, by adjusting the biased dc current, the CBJJ device can be effectively switched from a Bose-type macroscopic particle to a Fermi-type one and thus might open an approach for quantum technology applications at a macroscopic scale. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

In-situ S/TEM DC biasing of p-GaN/AlGaN/GaN heterostructure for E-mode GaN HEMT devices

This work describes an in-situ electrical DC bias study of the E-mode GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) device. A single transistor structure is biased and studied in real-time. The sample was made from an E-mode GaN HEMT device using Focused Ion Beam (FIB) milling and upright lift-off. The device lamella is subjected to forward gate bias to understand the device operation and physical changes under the bias. Active device area and micron level changes due to biasing were studied and identified as crucial factors affecting device reliability during continuous operation. Electric bias-induced physical changes are observed at the p-GaN layer and AlGaN interface on the p-GaN and GaN sides. Localized damage and defect formation, along with elemental diffusion, is observed. The formation of new defects over existing growth defects was seen in the p-GaN/AlGaN/GaN heterostructure. The study helped us identify the exact location of the failure, the region affected under bias, and the occurrence of physical changes due to the electrical bias on the in-situ device. Based on the study, gate breakdown failure and its location at the metal/p-GaN interface are understood to result from physical changes activated by electrical bias.

Transformer DC Bias Detection: Using Differential Current Waveforms

Transformer DC Bias Detection: Using Differential Current Waveforms