Lateral Diffusion Process Research Articles

Impact of Al Alloying/Doping on the Performance Optimization of HfO2-Based RRAM

Al alloying/doping in HfO2-based resistive random-access memory (RRAM) has been proven to be an effective method for improving the low-resistance state (LRS) retention. However, a detailed understanding of Al concentration on oxygen vacancy migration and resistive switching (RS) behaviors still needs to be included. Herein, the impact of Al concentration on the RS properties of the TiN/Ti/HfAlO/TiN RRAM devices is addressed. Firstly, it is found that the forming voltage, SET voltage, and RESET voltage can be regulated by varying the Al doping concentration. Moreover, we have demonstrated that the device with 15% Al shows the minimum cycle-to-cycle variability (CCV) and superior endurance (over 106). According to density-functional theory (DFT) calculations, it is found that the increased operation voltage, improved uniformity, and improved endurance are attributed to the elevated migration barrier of oxygen vacancy through Al doping. In addition, LRS retention characteristics of the TiN/Ti/HfAlO/TiN devices with different Al concentrations are compared. It is observed that the LRS retention is greatly enhanced due to the suppressed lateral diffusion process of oxygen vacancy through Al doping. This study demonstrates that Al alloying/doping greatly affects the RS behaviors of HfO2-based RRAM and provides a feasible way to improve the RS properties through changing the Al concentration.

Time-dependent lateral diffusion in WO[formula omitted] thin films

We have studied the anomalous lateral diffusion process in thin tungsten trioxide films by optical means. The diffusion process seems to start at imperfections within the film a few seconds after the H+ ion intercalation begins, and progresses parallel to the surface of the film. We measured the mean square displacement of the diffusion front and used its time-dependence to calculate the instantaneous diffusion coefficient. The anomalous exponents are found to be 2.24 and 2.92 for 400 nm and 270 nm thick films, respectively. We explain the observed large diffusion coefficients and depth dependence of the expansion of the film by interfacial job-sharing diffusion of electrons and protons. Raman measurements were also carried out on virgin films, and on films after the lateral diffusion. Although the observed spectrum after the lateral diffusion is, in general, consistent with the literature for H+ intercalated films, we observe an additional strong band at 855 cm−1. This lateral diffusion process is observed to be irreversible; therefore, it has to be avoided in electrochromic switching devices based on WO3.

Dynamics of charge-transfer excitons in a transition metal dichalcogenide heterostructure.

Charge-transfer excitons are formed by photoexcited electrons and holes following charge transfer across a heterojunction. They are important quasiparticles for optoelectronic applications of semiconducting heterostructures. The newly developed two-dimensional heterostructures provide a new platform to study these excitons. We report spatially and temporally resolved transient absorption measurements on the dynamics of charge-transfer excitons in a MoS2/WS2/MoSe2 trilayer heterostructure. We observed a non-classical lateral diffusion process of charge-transfer excitons with a decreasing diffusion coefficient. This feature suggests that hot charge-transfer excitons with large kinetic energies are formed and their cooling process persists for about 100 ps. The long energy relaxation time of excitons in the trilayer compared to its monolayer components is attributed to the reduced carrier and phonon scattering due to the dielectric screening effect in the trilayer. Our results help develop an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of charge-transfer excitons in two-dimensional heterostructures.

Non-monotonic behavior of the lateral diffusivity in an adsorbate as a function of the surface coverage

Diffusion dynamics of adsorbate particles confined on a surface strongly depends on the adsorbate surface coverage. Our molecular dynamics simulation reveals that the average lateral diffusivity of the Lennard-Jones adsorbate on a flat substrate varies non-monotonically with the surface coverage. Given that the adsorbate becomes stratified into distinct layers, we propose a novel approach to analyze the lateral diffusion of the adsorbate particles in different layers, via dividing the total lateral diffusion into consecutive lateral diffusion processes, separated by the layer boundary crossing events. A new definition of the lateral diffusivity in the specific layer has been introduced, and it is revealed that the total lateral diffusivity is equal to the sum of lateral diffusivities in different layers. Moreover, the non-monotonic behavior of the average lateral diffusivity with the surface coverage is found to result from the difference in behavior of the lateral diffusivity between the first and other layers.

Elastic flow interacting with a lateral diffusion process: the one-dimensional graph case

A finite element approach to the elastic flow of a curve coupled with a diffusion equation on the curve is analysed. Considering the graph case, the problem is weakly formulated and approximated with continuous linear finite elements, which is enabled thanks to second-order operator splitting. The error analysis builds up on previous results for the elastic flow. To obtain an error estimate for the quantity on the curve a better control of the velocity is required. For this purpose, a penalty approach is employed and then combined with a generalized Gronwall lemma. Numerical simulations support the theoretical convergence results. Further numerical experiments indicate stability beyond the parameter regime with respect to the penalty term that is covered by the theory.

Lateral carrier diffusion in InGaAs/GaAs coupled quantum dot-quantum well system

The lateral carrier diffusion process is investigated in coupled InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot-quantum well (QD-QW) structures by means of spatially resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy at low temperature. Under non-resonant photo-excitation above the GaAs bandgap, the lateral carrier transport reflected in the distorted electron-hole pair emission profiles is found to be mainly governed by high energy carriers created within the 3D density of states of GaAs. In contrast, for the case of resonant excitation tuned to the QW-like ground state of the QD-QW system, the emission profiles remain unaffected by the excess kinetic energy of carriers and local phonon heating within the pump spot. The lateral diffusion lengths are determined and present certain dependency on the coupling strength between QW and QDs. While for a strongly coupled structure the diffusion length is found to be around 0.8 μm and monotonically increases up to 1.4 μm with the excitation power density, in weakly coupled structures, it is determined to ca. 1.6 μm and remained virtually independent of the pumping power density.

Spiral multiple-effect diffusion solar still coupled with vacuum-tube collector and heat pipe

A novel solar still with spiral-shape multiple-effect diffusion unit is developed in the present study. The test results of a 14-effect unit coupled with vacuum-tube solar collector (absorber area 1.08m2) show that the highest daily pure water production is 40.6kgd−1. The measured highest productivity based on the area of glass cover, solar absorber, and evaporating surface is 34.7, 40.6, and 7.96kgm−2d−1, respectively, which are much higher than the published results. The measured solar distillation efficiency is 2.0–3.5. The performance enhancement results mainly from the lateral diffusion process in the spiraled still cell. The vapor flow generated by heat input can flow freely and laterally through the spiral channel down to the end when solar heat input is high. Besides, the larger evaporating and condensing area at the outer cell may increase heat and mass transfer at the outer cell.

A Multiscale Analysis of Diffusions on Rapidly Varying Surfaces

Lateral diffusion of molecules on surfaces plays a very important role in various biological processes, including lipid transport across the cell membrane, synaptic transmission and other phenomena such as exo- and endocytosis, signal transduction, chemotaxis and cell growth. In many cases, the surfaces can possess spatial inhomogeneities and/or be rapidly changing shape. Using a generalisation of the model for a thermally excited Helfrich elastic membrane, we consider the problem of lateral diffusion on quasi-planar surfaces, possessing both spatial and temporal fluctuations. Using results from homogenisation theory, we show that, under the assumption of scale separation between the characteristic length and time scales of the membrane fluctuations and the characteristic scale of the diffusing particle, the lateral diffusion process can be well approximated by a Brownian motion on the plane with constant diffusion tensor $D$ which depends in a highly nonlinear way on the detailed properties of the surface. The effective diffusion tensor will depend on the relative scales of the spatial and temporal fluctuations and, for different scaling regimes, we prove the existence of a macroscopic limit in each case.

Differential mobility of pigment-protein complexes in granal and agranal thylakoid membranes of C₃ and C₄ plants.

The photosynthetic performance of plants is crucially dependent on the mobility of the molecular complexes that catalyze the conversion of sunlight to metabolic energy equivalents in the thylakoid membrane network inside chloroplasts. The role of the extensive folding of thylakoid membranes leading to structural differentiation into stacked grana regions and unstacked stroma lamellae for diffusion-based processes of the photosynthetic machinery is poorly understood. This study examines, to our knowledge for the first time, the mobility of photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes in unstacked thylakoid regions in the C₃ plant Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and agranal bundle sheath chloroplasts of the C₄ plants sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and maize (Zea mays) by the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching technique. In unstacked thylakoid membranes, more than 50% of the protein complexes are mobile, whereas this number drops to about 20% in stacked grana regions. The higher molecular mobility in unstacked thylakoid regions is explained by a lower protein-packing density compared with stacked grana regions. It is postulated that thylakoid membrane stacking to form grana leads to protein crowding that impedes lateral diffusion processes but is required for efficient light harvesting of the modularly organized photosystem II and its light-harvesting antenna system. In contrast, the arrangement of the photosystem I light-harvesting complex I in separate units in unstacked thylakoid membranes does not require dense protein packing, which is advantageous for protein diffusion.

Free Volume Theory Applied to Lateral Diffusion in Langmuir Monolayers: Atomistic Simulations for a Protein-Free Model of Lung Surfactant

We hereby present a study on lateral diffusion of lipids in Langmuir monolayers. We apply atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to a model system whose composition is consistent with protein-free lung surfactant. Our main focus is on the assessment of the validity of the free volume theory for lateral diffusion and on the interpretation of the cross-sectional area and activation energy parameters appearing in the theory. We find that the diffusion results can be fitted to the description given by the free volume theory, but the interpretation of its parameters is not straightforward. While the cross-sectional area appears to be related to the hard-core cross-sectional area of a lipid, its role in the lateral diffusion process is unclear. Also, the activation energy derived using the free volume theory is different from the activation energy found through Arrhenius analysis, and its physical interpretation remains elusive. Finally, we find that lipid diffusion does not occur via rapid single-particle "jumps". Instead, lipids move in a concerted manner as loosely defined transient clusters, as observed earlier for lipid bilayers.

Differential Regulation of Phospholipase C-β2 Activity and Membrane Interaction by Gαq, Gβ1γ2, and Rac2

We combined fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) beam-size analysis with biochemical assays to investigate the mechanisms of membrane recruitment and activation of phospholipase C-beta(2) (PLCbeta(2)) by G protein alpha(q) and betagamma dimers. We show that activation by alpha(q) and betagamma differ from activation by Rac2 and from each other. Stimulation by alpha(q) enhanced the plasma membrane association of PLCbeta(2), but not of PLCbeta(2)Delta, which lacks the alpha(q)-interacting region. Although alpha(q) resembled Rac2 in increasing the contribution of exchange to the FRAP of PLCbeta(2) and in enhancing its membrane association, the latter effect was weaker than with Rac2. Moreover, the membrane recruitment of PLCbeta(2) by alpha(q) occurred by enhancing PLCbeta(2) association with fast-diffusing (lipid-like) membrane components, whereas stimulation by Rac2 led to interactions with slow diffusing membrane sites. On the other hand, activation by betagamma shifted the FRAP of PLCbeta(2) and PLCbeta(2)Delta to pure lateral diffusion 3- to 5-fold faster than lipids, suggesting surfing-like diffusion along the membrane. We propose that these different modes of PLCbeta(2) membrane recruitment may accommodate contrasting functional needs to hydrolyze phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdInsP(2)) in localized versus dispersed populations. PLCbeta(2) activation by Rac2, which leads to slow lateral diffusion and much faster exchange, recruits PLCbeta(2) to act locally on PtdInsP(2) at specific domains. Activation by alpha(q) leads to lipid-like diffusion of PLCbeta(2) accompanied by exchange, enabling the sampling of larger, yet limited, areas prior to dissociation. Finally, activation by betagamma recruits PLCbeta(2) to the membrane by transient interactions, leading to fast "surfing" diffusion along the membrane, sampling large regions for dispersed PtdInsP(2) populations.

Single-Molecule Investigation of the Influence Played by Lipid Rafts on Ion Transport and Dynamic Features of the Pore-Forming Alamethicin Oligomer

In this experimental work we employed single-molecule electrical recordings on alamethicin oligomers inserted in lipid bilayers made of brain sphingomyelin (bSM), palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC) and cholesterol (chol) to unravel novel aspects regarding lipid raft interactions with pore-forming peptides. We probed the effect of lipid rafts on electrical properties of inserted alamethicin oligomers, and our data convincingly prove that the single-channel electrical conductance of various subconductance states of the alamethicin oligomer (1) increases in the presence of raft-containing ternary lipid mixtures (POPC-chol-bSM) compared to cases when bilayers were made of POPC-chol and POPC and (2) decreases in the presence of raft-containing ternary lipid mixtures compared to nonraft ternary mixtures which favor the fluid and liquid ordered phases alone. Our data demonstrate that the presence of lipid rafts leads to a slower association kinetics of alamethicin oligomers, seemingly reflecting a slower lateral diffusion process of such peptide aggregates compared to the case of nonraft, binary lipid mixtures. Furthermore, we show that the electrical capacitance of ternary lipid mixtures (POPC-chol-bSM) decreases in the presence of raft domains by comparison to nonraft binary phases (POPC-chol) or POPC alone, and this could constitute an additional mechanism via which macroscopic electrical manifestations of eukaryotic cells are modulated by the coexistence of gel and fluid domains of the plasma membrane.

Buoyant Surface Discharges into Water Bodies. I: Flow Classification and Prediction Methodology

Buoyant surface discharges into ambient water bodies can exhibit multiple complex flow processes, which cover the spatial range from the near field with initial jet mixing to the far field with passive ambient diffusion. Multiple flow phenomena can occur, such as buoyant collapse motions, bottom attachment, deflection by the ambient current, and dynamic shoreline interaction, in the near field, and lateral and/or upstream spreading motions and turbulent diffusion processes, in the far field. Efficient and reliable predictive techniques covering the whole range of these processes are needed for the design and prediction of wastewater effluents that are subject to water quality regulations that can apply in either near and/or far field. A new comprehensive classification framework distinguishes among ten hydrodynamically distinct flow classes within four major flow categories: free jets, shoreline-attached jets, wall jets, and upstream intruding plumes. A prediction methodology for these discharges has been presented that covers the entire spatial domain from the near to the far field. It is based on the linkage of separate predictive modules in form of the expert system CORMIX3. These hydrodynamic modules are implemented by specific flow protocols and transition criteria determine their spatial extent. The methodology, corroborated by numerous detailed laboratory and some field data sources, constitutes a simple and efficient, yet accurate and robust, tool with few data requirements for surface discharge design and mixing analysis.

Dependence of the Lateral Photoeffect in a-Si:H P-I-N Structures on the Material Characteristics Studied by Means of a Numerical Simulation

AbstractWhen an a-Si:H p-i-n structure is locally illuminated by a light spot, the non uniformity of light causes the appearance of a gradient in the carrier concentration between the illuminated and the dark zone. Carrier start to flow in agreement with such gradients, and when equilibrium is reached, the lateral diffusion process is counterbalanced by the appearance of a lateral component of the electric field vector in addition to the transverse usual one. The lateral fields act as a gate for the lateral flow of the carriers and small lateral currents appears at the transition region between the illuminated and the dark zone. Known as lateral photo-effect, this phenomena depends on the incident light wavelength, light intensity and on the applied bias. Anyway, its intensity can be, depending on the foreseen application, alternatively enhanced or reduced by correct device engineering. We have used the 2D numerical simulator ASCA to analyze the behavior of a-Si:H p-i-n structures under local illumination with the goal of observing the appearance of the lateral components of the electric field and current density vectors. The dependence of the lateral potential redistribution on the doping density, density of defects in the intrinsic layer, and layer thickness have been analyzed. This study aims to show how material properties and device geometry can be combined in order to control the lateral photo-effect.

Spin transport driven by giant ambipolar diffusion

We report on the dynamics of photoinduced spin-polarized carriers in p–i–n–i–p doped structures. The lateral diffusion process along the doping layers in such structures is strongly enhanced due to the spatial separation of electrons and holes (giant ambipolar diffusion). We show that this fast diffusion process can be utilized to transport spin polarization within the short relaxation time over distances large compared to bulk semiconductors. Besides the fast diffusion process, the spin diffusion length is also strongly enhanced due to the fact that both internal recombination and spin relaxation due to electron–hole interaction (Bir–Aronov–Pikus mechanism) are negligible because of the spatial separation of electrons and holes.

Controlling The Lateral Photoeffect In a-Si:H Heterojunction Structures: The Influence of The Band Offset Analysed Through A Numerical Simulation

ABSTRACTWhen an a-Si:H p-i-n structure is locally illuminated by a light spot, the non uniformity of light causes the appearance of a gradient in the carrier concentration between the illuminated and the dark zone. Carrier start to flow in agreement with such gradients, and when equilibrium is reached, the lateral diffusion process is counterbalanced by the appearance of a lateral component of the electric field vector in addition to the transverse usual one. The lateral fields act as a gate for the lateral flow of the carriers and small lateral currents appears at the transition region between the illuminated and the dark zone.Such lateral photoeffect depends on the incident light wavelength, light intensity and on the device operation condition (mainly the applied bias). The introduction of carbon in the doped layers modifies the intensity and the extension of these lateral effects through the potential barriers deriving from the band banding at the interfaces.We have used the 2D numerical simulator ASCA to analyze the behavior of an a-Si:H p-i-n structure under local illumination with the goal of observing the appearance of the lateral components of the electric field and current density vectors. Different homo and heterojunctions have been simulated, outlining how the band offset at the interfaces influences the induced lateral photoeffect and aiming to explain how a correct device design and engineering can, depending on the foreseen application, alternatively enhance or reduce the intensity of such lateral effects.

Electric field induced interfacial reaction of Au-Ag bimetal film on SiO2 surface

Interface evolution of nanometer scale Au-Ag bimetal film on SiO2 substrate surface during electromigration was investigated by angle resolved X-ray photoelectronspectroscopy (ARXPS). ARXPS spectra showed that a chemical reaction between Au-Ag filmand SiO2 layer occurred at interface, which caused Au, Ag and Si having differentdistribution and chemical states across the film. This result as well as previousobservation by atomic force microscopy (AFM) demonstrate that electromigration of Au-Agbimetal film on SiO2 surface is accompanied with strong interfacial chemicalreaction rather than a simple lateral physical diffusion process.

Translational diffusion of flexible lipid chains in a Langmuir monolayer: a dynamic Monte Carlo study.

We report a computer simulation study of the lateral diffusion of conformationally disordered lipid molecules in a monolayer structure. The simulations were carried out with dynamic Monte Carlo methods, employing two different representations of the internal motions of the lipid chains. The classical Cohen-Turnbull theory is found to provide a good description of the simulated lateral diffusion coefficients at moderate densities. The substantial deviations found at low densities are attributed to the small density fluctuations needed to create the free volume required for the lateral diffusion process.

LATERAL DIFFUSION OF FLEXIBLE LIPID CHAINS: A DYNAMIC MONTE CARLO STUDY

A computer simulation study of the lateral diffusion of conformationally-disordered lipid molecules in a monolayer structure is reported. The simulations were carried out with dynamic Monte Carlo methods, employing two different representations of the internal motions of the lipid chains. The results indicate that the dependence of the lateral diffusion coefficients on the density (area-per-molecule) in the monolayer is determined by the conformational behavior of the lipid chains. The classical Cohen–Turnbull theory is found to provide a good description of the simulated lateral diffusion coefficients at moderate densities. The substantial deviations found at low densities are attributed to the small density fluctuations creating the free volume needed for the lateral diffusion process.

Properties of lipid vesicles: FT-IR spectroscopy and fluorescence probe studies

The structure, conformation and dynamic properties of lipids in lamellar phases can be studied using FT-IR and optical probe techniques, particularly fluorescence spectroscopy. Recent advances in the analysis of FT-IR spectra of lipids and the use of isotopic labelling techniques have provided new insight into the conformational behaviour of the lipid chains in different lamellar phases and have made it possible to distinguish different hydration sites in the lipid head groups. These techniques have been extended to study lipid mixtures and to help determine whether microdomain formation is possible in liquid-crystalline lamellar systems. Ruorescent probe techniques are ideally suited to study lateral diffusion processes in lipid bilayers using either the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) technique or the excimer fluorescence method, the latter monitoring more local dynamic processes. Rotational dynamics and order of probe molecules can be determined by time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy measurements. Both spectroscopic techniques (FT-IR and fluorescence spectroscopy) are suited to gain information on membrane heterogeneity and have improved our understanding of membrane behaviour.