On-off Ratio Research Articles

Room-Temperature Solvent Evaporation Induced Crystallization: A General Strategy for Growth of Halide Perovskite Single Crystals by Applying the Le Chatelier's Principle.

The growth of high-quality halide perovskite single crystals is imperative to study their intrinsic physical properties and to realize high-performance optoelectronic devices. Here, a room-temperature solvent evaporation-induced crystallization (RTSEIC) method is reported based on Le Chatelier's principle, which provides a general strategy to grow halide perovskite single crystals including 3D, 2D, 1D, and 0D, and either hybrid or all-inorganic halide perovskites. Taking 2D n-BA2 PbBr4 (n-BA = butylammonium) as an example, the room-temperature crystallization kinetics is demonstrated. The centimeter-sized n-BA2 PbBr4 single crystals exhibit an extremely small full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 0.024° in (0 0 2) plane rocking curve and a small trap density of 2.74× 1010 cm-3 . The superior crystalline quality endows the n-BA2 PbBr4 single crystal ultraviolet photodetectors with recorded performance among reported n-BA2 PbBr4 ultraviolet photodetectors, demonstrating a detectivity reaching 1.8× 1013 Jones, a fast response time of 55 µs and a high on-off ratio of 104 . The low-cost, simple, general, and efficient RTSEIC method is anticipated to promote the blossoming of halide perovskites single crystals.

Novel Mixed-Dimensional hBN-Passivated Silicon Nanowire Reconfigurable Field Effect Transistors: Fabrication and Characterization.

This work demonstrates the novel concept of a mixed-dimensional reconfigurable field effect transistor (RFET) by combining a one-dimensional (1D) channel material such as a silicon (Si) nanowire with a two-dimensional (2D) material as a gate dielectric. An RFET is an innovative device that can be dynamically programmed to perform as either an n- or p-FET by applying appropriate gate potentials. In this work, an insulating 2D material, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), is introduced as a gate dielectric and encapsulation layer around the nanowire in place of a thermally grown or atomic-layer-deposited oxide. hBN flake was mechanically exfoliated and transferred onto a silicon nanowire-based RFET device using the dry viscoelastic stamping transfer technique. The thickness of the hBN flakes was investigated by atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The ambipolar transfer characteristics of the Si-hBN RFETs with different gating architectures showed a significant improvement in the device's electrical parameters due to the encapsulation and passivation of the nanowire with the hBN flake. Both n- and p-type characteristics measured through the top gate exhibited a reduction of hysteresis by 10-20 V and an increase in the on-off ratio (ION/IOFF) by 1 order of magnitude (up to 108) compared to the values measured for unpassivated nanowire. Specifically, the hBN encapsulation provided improved electrostatic top gate coupling, which is reflected in the enhanced subthreshold swing values of the devices. For a single nanowire, an improvement up to 0.97 and 0.5 V/dec in the n- and p-conduction, respectively, is observed. Due to their dynamic switching and polarity control, RFETs boast great potential in reducing the device count, lowering power consumption, and playing a crucial role in advanced electronic circuitry. The concept of mixed-dimensional RFET could further strengthen its functionality, opening up new pathways for future electronics.

Characteristics assessment of TFT through 2D simulation under different material and structural configurations

This paper presents a performance analysis of indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (IGZO)- and pentacene-based top-gate-top-contact (TGTC) and bottom-gate-top-contact (BGTC) thin film transistors (TFTs). Extensive simulation has been performed to assess the performances in terms of threshold voltage, subthreshold slope, on-off current ratio, mobility, and figure of merit (FoM). Results indicate a trade-off between mobility and current ratio with respect to the permittivity of the dielectric layer, where tantalum oxide (Ta2O[Formula: see text] provides the optimum result in terms of FoM. The mobility of IGZO is significantly higher for both structures, whereas the current ratio for IGZO is higher than pentacene in the BGTC configuration. Comparing the structural configurations, Ta2O5-IGZO-based BGTC achieves [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] better mobility and current ratio, respectively, over TGTC structures. The threshold voltage of IGZO-based TFT is observed to increase with the permittivity of the dielectric in TGTC configuration but decrease in BGTC configuration. Meanwhile, the increase in oxide and active layer thicknesses causes a decrease in the threshold voltage. Moreover, both mobility and current ratio improve with a decrease in oxide or active layer thickness. Maximum mobility of 32.30[Formula: see text]cm2/Vs and a maximum current ratio of 7.54E+08 are achieved for Ta2O5-IGZO-based BGTC TFT with 10[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m channel thickness and 5[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m oxide thickness.

Giant acceleration of polaron transport by ultrafast laser-induced coherent phonons.

Polaron formation is ubiquitous in polarized materials, but severely hampers carrier transport for which effective controlling methods are urgently needed. Here, we show that laser-controlled coherent phonon excitation enables orders of magnitude enhancement of carrier mobility via accelerating polaron transport in a prototypical material, lithium peroxide (Li2O2). The selective excitation of specific phonon modes, whose vibrational pattern directly overlap with the polaronic lattice deformation, can remarkably reduce the energy barrier for polaron hopping. The strong nonadiabatic couplings between the electronic and ionic subsystem play a key role in triggering the migration of polaron, via promoting phonon-phonon scattering in q space within sub-picoseconds. These results extend our understanding of polaron transport dynamics to the nonequilibrium regime and allow for optoelectronic devices with ultrahigh on-off ratio and ultrafast responsibility, competitive with those of state-of-the-art devices fabricated based on free electron transport.

In-situ fluorine-doped ZnSnO thin film and thin-film transistor

In this paper, in-situ fluorine-doped ZnSnO (ZTO:F) thin films prepared by co-sputtering are proposed. It was found that the F had been successfully introduced into the ZTO thin films and distributed uniformly in the bulk. The corresponding top-contact bottom-gated ZTO:F thin film transistors (TFTs) were fabricated with an annealing temperature of 350 °C. The fabricated TFTs exhibit a field-effect mobility of 14.2 cm2V−1s−1, on-off ratio of over 109, and subthreshold swing (SS) as low as 87 mV/decade due to the incorporation of F. In addition, the bias stability of fabricated TFTs was also examined and the Vth shifts under negative gate bias stress are not more than ±0.1 V even without any passivation. It is expected that the In-free ZTO:F amorphous oxide semiconductor and the corresponding TFTs have potential for low-cost and environmentally safe fabrication.

An Aqueous Process for Preparing Flexible Transparent Electrodes Using Non-Oxidized Graphene/Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Solution.

In this study, we prepared flexible and transparent hybrid electrodes based on an aqueous solution of non-oxidized graphene and single-walled carbon nanotubes. We used a simple halogen intercalation method to obtain high-quality graphene flakes without a redox process and prepared hybrid films using aqueous solutions of graphene, single-walled carbon nanotubes, and sodium dodecyl sulfate surfactant. The hybrid films showed excellent electrode properties, such as an optical transmittance of ≥90%, a sheet resistance of ~3.5 kΩ/sq., a flexibility of up to ε = 3.6% ((R) = 1.4 mm), and a high mechanical stability, even after 103 bending cycles at ε = 2.0% ((R) = 2.5 mm). Using the hybrid electrodes, thin-film transistors (TFTs) were fabricated, which exhibited an electron mobility of ~6.7 cm2 V-1 s-1, a current on-off ratio of ~1.04 × 107, and a subthreshold voltage of ~0.122 V/decade. These electrical properties are comparable with those of TFTs fabricated using Al electrodes. This suggests the possibility of customizing flexible transparent electrodes within a carbon nanomaterial system.

1 mm2, 3.6 kV, 4.8 A NiO/Ga2O3 Heterojunction Rectifiers

Large area (1 mm2) vertical NiO/β n-Ga2O/n+ Ga2O3 heterojunction rectifiers are demonstrated with simultaneous high breakdown voltage and large conducting currents. The devices showed breakdown voltages (VB) of 3.6 kV for a drift layer doping of 8 × 1015 cm−3, with 4.8 A forward current. This performance is higher than the unipolar 1D limit for GaN, showing the promise of β-Ga2O3 for future generations of high-power rectification devices. The breakdown voltage was a strong function of drift region carrier concentration, with VB dropping to 1.76 kV for epi layer doping of 2 × 1016 cm−3. The power figure-of-merit, VB 2/RON, was 8.64 GW·cm−2, where RON is the on-state resistance (1.5 mΩ cm2). The on-off ratio switching from 12 to 0 V was 2.8 × 1013, while it was 2 × 1012 switching from 100 V. The turn-on voltage was 1.8 V. The reverse recovery time was 42 ns, with a reverse recovery current of 34 mA.

Enhancing the Performance of Organic Phototransistors Based on Oriented Floating Films of P3HT Assisted by Al-Island Deposition.

The fabrication of high-performance Organic Phototransistors (OPTs) by depositing Al-islands atop Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) thin film coated using the unidirectional floating-film transfer method (UFTM) has been realized. Further, the effect of Al-island thickness on the OPTs' performance has been intensively investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, Atomic force microscopy and UV-Vis spectroscopy analysis. Under the optimized conditions, OPTs' mobility and on-off ratio were found to be 2 × 10-2 cm2 V-1 s-1 and 3 × 104, respectively. Further, the device exhibited high photosensitivity of 105, responsivity of 339 A/W, detectivity of 3 × 1014 Jones, and external quantum efficiency of 7.8 × 103% when illuminated with a 525 nm LED laser (0.3 mW/cm2).

Activation Energy and Bipolar Switching Properties for the Co-Sputtering of ITOX:SiO2 Thin Films on Resistive Random Access Memory Devices.

Activation energy, bipolar resistance switching behavior, and the electrical conduction transport properties of ITOX:SiO2 thin film resistive random access memory (RRAM) devices were observed and discussed. The ITOX:SiO2 thin films were prepared using a co-sputtering deposition method on the TiN/Si substrate. For the RRAM device structure fabrication, an Al/ITOX:SiO2/TiN/Si structure was prepared by using aluminum for the top electrode and a TiN material for the bottom electrode. In addition, grain growth, defect reduction, and RRAM device performance of the ITOX:SiO2 thin film for the various oxygen gas flow conditions were observed and described. Based on the I-V curve measurements of the RRAM devices, the turn on-off ratio and the bipolar resistance switching properties of the Al/ITOX:SiO2/TiN/Si RRAM devices in the set and reset states were also obtained. At low operating voltages and high resistance values, the conductance mechanism exhibits hopping conduction mechanisms for set states. Moreover, at high operating voltages, the conductance mechanism behaves as an ohmic conduction current mechanism. Finally, the Al/ITOX:SiO2/TiN/Si RRAM devices demonstrated memory window properties, bipolar resistance switching behavior, and nonvolatile characteristics for next-generation nonvolatile memory applications.

Laser‐Induced Graphene Electrodes for Organic Electrochemical Transistors (OECTs)

AbstractOrganic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) have drawn significant interest because of their low cost, biocompatibility, and ease of fabrication, allowing them to be utilized in various applications including flexible displays, electrochemical sensing, and biosensing. Key components of OECTs are the gate, source, and drain electrodes. Herein, OECTs with laser‐induced graphene (LIG) electrodes are demonstrated. The electrode patterns for the source, drain, and gate are created by converting the polymer substrate polyimide (PI) into LIG using a scanned laser. The process is simple and inexpensive without complicated chemical synthesis routines or expensive materials such as gold. Patterns can be customized quickly and digitally. The low‐cost and porous LIG electrodes with low contact resistance and good electrical stability play an essential role in device performance. The minimum sheet resistance achieved with this laser method for the square patterned electrodes is 7.86 Ω sq−1. The LIG‐based OECTs demonstrate good electrical modulation with ON–OFF ratio of 72.80 and high ON current on the order of mA. The LIG‐based OECTs exhibit comparable or better performance in comparison with other reports of OECTs on plastic substrates using more complex fabrication methods in terms of OFF current, ON current, transconductance (gm), and contact resistance.

Suppression of crosstalk in row–column actuator array using regulation of ferroelectric polarization

This article presents a method for suppressing electrical crosstalk in a ferroelectric row-column (RC) actuator array. In high-density two-dimensional (2D) arrays, the RC addressing scheme has advantages over the conventional method of fully addressing the array, primarily due to its requirement for fewer interconnections to drive the elements. However, electrical crosstalk is an undesirable side effect that restricts the practical use of RC arrays for sensing and actuation. To mitigate this crosstalk between elements and allow activation of the target element, an addressing method using orthogonal biasing is investigated for the RC array. Due to the voltage-dependent polarization state of the ferroelectric film, each element exhibits bias-sensitive activity. Applying a coercive voltage bias to the electrically coupled elements via row electrodes to minimize the net polarization and piezoelectric activity reduces electrical crosstalk, leaving only acoustic crosstalk in the array. The method using coercive voltage bias reduces crosstalk between the elements by 6.25 dB compared to the conventional method. Furthermore, applying a negative bias of 7 V to the target element enhances its activity and increases its dynamic displacement by 33%, thus alleviating the crosstalk by 7.25 dB. The on-off switching characteristics of the biasing method are examined to investigate the feasibility of adopting such biasing in area scanning techniques for potential applications, such as ultrasonic imaging. By adjusting the magnitude of the DC bias, on-off switching operation is demonstrated at 5 kHz while achieving a 3 dB on-off ratio.

Growth and High-Performance Photodetectors of CsPbBr3 Single Crystals.

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites have demonstrated exceptional photovoltaic properties, making them highly promising for solar cells and photodetectors (PDs). However, the organic components of these materials are vulnerable to heat and strong light illumination, limiting their application prospects. All-inorganic cesium-based perovskite PDs, on the other hand, possess enhanced thermal tolerance and stability, making them ideal for perovskite applications. The utilization of a ternary mixture solvent and additives in combination with single crystal (SC) growth has enabled the production of highly crystalline SCs with a defect density of 3.79 × 109 cm-3. The performance of the SC PDs had been evaluated using metal-semiconductor-metal devices, which demonstrated excellent results with a dark current as low as 0.198 μA at 10 V bias, on-off ratios exceeding 103, and a response time of shorter than 1 ms.

Multifunctional Magnetic Oxide-MoS2 Heterostructures on Silicon.

Correlated oxides and related heterostructures are intriguing for developing future multifunctional devices by exploiting their exotic properties, but their integration with other materials, especially on Si-based platforms, is challenging. Here, van der Waals heterostructures of La0.7 Sr0.3 MnO3 (LSMO) , a correlated manganite perovskite, and MoS2 are demonstrated on Si substrates with multiple functions. To overcome the problems due to the incompatible growth process, technologies involving freestanding LSMO membranes and van der Waals force-mediated transfer are used to fabricate the LSMO-MoS2 heterostructures. The LSMO-MoS2 heterostructures exhibit a gate-tunable rectifying behavior, based on which metal-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MESFETs) with on-off ratios of over 104 can be achieved. The LSMO-MoS2 heterostructures can function as photodiodes displaying considerable open-circuit voltages and photocurrents. In addition, the colossal magnetoresistance of LSMO endows the LSMO-MoS2 heterostructures with an electrically tunable magnetoresponse at room temperature. This work not only proves the applicability of the LSMO-MoS2 heterostructure devices on Si-based platform but also demonstrates a paradigm to create multifunctional heterostructures from materials with disparate properties.

An electroluminescent and tunable cavity-enhanced carbon-nanotube-emitter in the telecom band

Emerging photonic information processing systems require chip-level integration of controllable nanoscale light sources at telecommunication wavelengths. Currently, substantial challenges remain in the dynamic control of the sources, the low-loss integration into a photonic environment, and in the site-selective placement at desired positions on a chip. Here, we overcome these challenges using heterogeneous integration of electroluminescent (EL), semiconducting carbon nanotubes (sCNTs) into hybrid two dimensional – three dimensional (2D-3D) photonic circuits. We demonstrate enhanced spectral line shaping of the EL sCNT emission. By back-gating the sCNT-nanoemitter we achieve full electrical dynamic control of the EL sCNT emission with high on-off ratio and strong enhancement in the telecommunication band. Using nanographene as a low-loss material to electrically contact sCNT emitters directly within a photonic crystal cavity enables highly efficient EL coupling without compromising the optical quality of the cavity. Our versatile approach paves the way for controllable integrated photonic circuits.

Cascaded Logic Gates Based on High-Performance Ambipolar Dual-Gate WSe2 Thin Film Transistors.

Ambipolar dual-gate transistors based on low-dimensional materials, such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, black phosphorus, and certain transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), enable reconfigurable logic circuits with a suppressed off-state current. These circuits achieve the same logical output as complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) with fewer transistors and offer greater flexibility in design. The primary challenge lies in the cascadability and power consumption of these logic gates with static CMOS-like connections. In this article, high-performance ambipolar dual-gate transistors based on tungsten diselenide (WSe2) are fabricated. A high on-off ratio of 108 and 106, a low off-state current of 100 to 300 fA, a negligible hysteresis, and an ideal subthreshold swing of 62 and 63 mV/dec are measured in the p- and n-type transport, respectively. We demonstrate cascadable and cascaded logic gates using ambipolar TMD transistors with minimal static power consumption, including inverters, XOR, NAND, NOR, and buffers made by cascaded inverters. A thorough study of both the control gate and the polarity gate behavior is conducted. The noise margin of the logic gates is measured and analyzed. The large noise margin enables the implementation of VT-drop circuits, a type of logic with reduced transistor number and simplified circuit design. Finally, the speed performance of the VT-drop and other circuits built by dual-gate devices is qualitatively analyzed. This work makes advancements in the field of ambipolar dual-gate TMD transistors, showing their potential for low-power, high-speed, and more flexible logic circuits.

Modeling the Impact of Phonon Scattering with Strain Effects on the Electrical Properties of MoS2 Field-Effect Transistors.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has distinctive electronic and mechanical properties which make it a highly prospective material for use as a channel in upcoming nanoelectronic devices. An analytical modeling framework was used to investigate the I-V characteristics of field-effect transistors based on MoS2. The study begins by developing a ballistic current equation using a circuit model with two contacts. The transmission probability, which considers both the acoustic and optical mean free path, is then derived. Next, the effect of phonon scattering on the device was examined by including transmission probabilities into the ballistic current equation. According to the findings, the presence of phonon scattering caused a decrease of 43.7% in the ballistic current of the device at room temperature when L = 10 nm. The influence of phonon scattering became more prominent as the temperature increased. In addition, this study also considers the impact of strain on the device. It is reported that applying compressive strain could increase the phonon scattering current by 13.3% at L = 10 nm at room temperature, as evaluated in terms of the electrons' effective masses. However, the phonon scattering current decreased by 13.3% under the same condition due to the existence of tensile strain. Moreover, incorporating a high-k dielectric to mitigate the impact of scattering resulted in an even greater improvement in device performance. Specifically, at L = 6 nm, the ballistic current was surpassed by 58.4%. Furthermore, the study achieved SS = 68.2 mV/dec using Al2O3 and an on-off ratio of 7.75 × 104 using HfO2. Finally, the analytical results were validated with previous works, showing comparable agreement with the existing literature.

Self-Powered Flexible Ultraviolet Photodetectors Based on CuI/a-ZTO Heterojunction Processed at Room Temperature.

For traditional wide-bandgap semiconductor materials, a high-temperature process is unavoidable for improving crystallization quality, so the substrate of the device is greatly limited. In this work, zinc-tin oxide (a-ZTO) amorphous oxide processed by the pulsed laser deposition method was utilized as the n-type layer, which exhibits considerable electron mobility and optical transparency, and can be deposited at room temperature. At the same time, by combining p-type CuI grown by the thermal evaporation method, a vertically structured ultraviolet photodetector based on CuI/ZTO heterojunction was obtained. The detector demonstrates self-powered properties, with an on-off ratio exceeding 104, and rapid response with a rise time of 2.36 ms and a fall time of 1.49 ms. Also, the photodetector shows long-term stability with 92% retention after 5000 s cyclic lighting and maintains reproducible response in frequency dependence measurement. Furthermore, the flexible photodetector on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrates was constructed, exhibiting fast response and durability in the bending state. This is the first time that the heterostructure based on CuI has been applied in the flexible photodetector. The excellent results indicate that the combination of amorphous oxide and CuI has the potential for ultraviolet photodetectors, and will broaden the application range of high-performance flexible/transparent optoelectronic devices in the future.

Distinct armchair and zigzag charge transport through single polycyclic aromatics.

In aromatic systems with large π-conjugated structures, armchair and zigzag configurations can affect each material's electronic properties, determining their performance and generating certain quantum effects. Here, we explore the intrinsic effect of armchair and zigzag pathways on charge transport through single hexabenzocoronene molecules. Theoretical calculations and systematic experimental results from static carbon-based single-molecule junctions and dynamic scanning tunneling microscope break junctions show that charge carriers are preferentially transported along the hexabenzocoronene armchair pathway, and thus, the corresponding current through this pathway is approximately one order of magnitude higher than that through the zigzag pathway. In addition, the molecule with the zigzag pathway has a smaller energy gap. In combination with its lower off-state conductance, it shows a better field-effect performance because of its higher on-off ratio in electrical measurements. This study on charge transport pathways offers a useful perspective for understanding the electronic properties of π-conjugated systems and realizing high-performance molecular nanocircuits toward practical applications.

Bistable Resistive Memory Switches fabricated by Floating Thin Films of Conjugated Polymers

The layer-by-layer (LBL) fabrication of conjugated polymer (CPs) thin films while preserving their microstructural features by solution processing is highly desired for compact and flexible electronic circuits. However, it is cumbersome and challenging owing to the unavoidable damage to the underlying layers. To circumvent this issue, the unidirectional floating-film transfer method (UFTM) was utilized for the LBL fabrication of oriented CP thin films on the orthogonal liquid surfaces. Further, resistive bistable memory switches were fabricated by sandwiching a layer of metal nanostructures between the LBL-fabricated oriented CP thin films. The resistive switching phenomena were realized by utilizing the applied bias-dependent charge trapping, holding, and recombination on the available states at vacuum-deposited aluminum nanostructures. The effect of CP backbone conformation on the vertical charge transport was also analyzed via a comparative study of three thiophene-based polymers namely RR-P3HT, PBTTT, and PTB-7. It was revealed that CPs with relatively fewer hydrophobic side chains was more favorable for the facile vertical charge transport due to its preferred face-on conformation on the hydrophilic liquid substrate used in UFTM. It was demonstrated that a non-volatile bistable resistive memory switch fabricated using UFTM-processed oriented thin films of PTB-7 exhibited a remarkably high on-off ratio of 1.5 × 106 with high durability.

Biocompatible AlOOH-based memristor with biomimicking synaptic functions for artificial nociceptor applications

Electronic devices with biomimetic synaptic characteristics are one of the most critical components in health monitoring and artificial intelligence. The design of neuromorphic responsive devices, however, yet remains a ground challenge. Herein, a biocompatible and electrically responsive boehmite material (γ-AlOOH) is utilized to fabricate artificial memristors to realize mimicking biological synapsefunctions. The obtained AlOOH memristor is flexible, highly transparent, and biocompatible, exhibiting nonvolatile resistive switching behaviours with low threshold voltages, high ON-OFF ratios (>103), good switching durability (>104 cycles), and long retention time (>104 s). Specifically, the device can mimic the biosynaptic functions, such as paired-pulse facilitation (PPF), long-term potentiation/depression (LTP/LTD), amplitude-dependent plasticity (SADP), and spike time dependent plasticity (STDP), and the typical sensitization, desensitization, hyperalgesia, and allodynia behaviours of the biological nociceptors. This study reveals that the AlOOH memristor with excellent artificial synapses is resulted by the high proton mobility along with the OH bond length variation of AlOOH subjected to applied stimuli, such as voltages, pulse width, and pulse intervals. Therefore, the biocompatible AlOOH-based memristors with artificial synapse behaviour have promising potential for the applications in high-performance neuromorphic devices and future artificial intelligence.