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2012-04-16
Complementary Resistive Switching in Tantalum Oxide-Based Resistive Memory Devices
Complementary resistive switches (CRS) are considered as a potential solution for the sneak path problem in large-scale integration of passive crossbar resistive memory arrays. A typical CRS is composed of two bipolar memory cells that are connected anti-serially. Here we report a tantalum-oxide based resistive memory that achieves the complementary switching functionality within a single memory cell. The complementary switching effect is accompanied by switching polarity reversal in different voltage bias regimes. These effects were explained by the redistribution of oxygen vacancies inside the tantalum-oxide layers. The effects of symmetry breaking on bipolar switching and complementary switching were also discussed.
1204.3515v2
2014-03-16
InGaN/GaN Tunnel Junctions For Hole Injection in GaN Light Emitting Diodes
InGaN/GaN tunnel junction contacts were grown on top of an InGaN/GaN blue (450 nm) light emitting diode wafer using plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The tunnel junction contacts enable low spreading resistance n-GaN top contact layer thereby requiring less top metal contact coverage on the surface. A voltage drop of 5.3 V at 100 mA, forward resistance of 2 x 10-2 ohm cm2 and a higher light output power are measured in tunnel junction LED. A low resistance of 5 x 10-4 ohm cm2 was measured in a MBE grown tunnel junction on GaN PN junction device, indicating that the tunnel junction LED device resistance is limited by the regrowth interface and not by the intrinsic tunneling resistance.
1403.3932v1
2014-12-01
Resistivity minimum in strongly phase separated manganite thin films: impact of intrinsic and extrinsic perturbations
The origin of the resistivity minimum observed in strongly phase separated manganites has been investigated in single crystalline thin films of LPCMO (x~0.42, y~0.40). The antiferromagnetic/charge ordered insulator (AFM/COI)-ferromagnetic metal (FMM) phase transition, coupled with the colossal hysteresis between the field cool cooled and field cooled warming magnetization demonstrates strongly phase separated nature, which gives rise to non-equilibrium magnetic liquid state that freezes into a magnetic glass. The thermal cycling and magnetic field dependence of the resistivity unambiguously shows that the pronounced resistivity minimum observed during warming is a consequence non-equilibrium states resulting from the magnetic frustration created by the delicate coexistence of the FMM and AFM/COI phases. The non-equilibrium states and hence the resistivity minimum is extremely sensitive to the relative fraction of the coexisting phases and can be tuned by intrinsic and extrinsic perturbations like the defect density, thermal cycling and magnetic field.
1412.0418v1
2015-01-05
Reversed anisotropy of the in-plane resistivity in the antiferromagnetic phase of iron tellurides
We systematically investigated the anisotropic in-plane resistivity of the iron telluride including three kinds of impurity atoms: excess Fe, Se substituted for Te, and Cu substituted for Fe. Sizable resistivity anisotropy was found in the magneto-structurally ordered phase whereas the sign is opposite ($\rho_a$ $>$ $\rho_b$, where the $b$-axis parameter is shorter than the $a$-axis one) to that observed in the transition-metal doped iron arsenides ($\rho_a$ $<$ $\rho_b$). On the other hand, our results demonstrate that the magnitude of the resistivity anisotropy in the iron tellurides is correlated with the amount of impurities, implying that the resistivity anisotropy originates from an exotic impurity effect like that in the iron arsenides. This suggests that the anisotropic carrier scattering by impurities is a universal phenomenon in the magneto-structurally ordered phase of the iron-based materials.
1501.00774v1
2015-05-21
Resistance minimum and electrical conduction mechanism in polycrystalline CoFeB thin films
The temperature dependent resistance $R$($T$) of polycrystalline ferromagnetic CoFeB thin films of varying thickness are analyzed considering various electrical scattering processes. We observe a resistance minimum in $R$($T$) curves below $\simeq$ 29 K, which can be explained as an effect of intergranular Coulomb interaction in a granular system. The structural and Coulomb interaction related scattering processes contribute more as the film thickness decreases implying the role of disorder and granularity. Although the magnetic contribution to the resistance is the weakest compared to these two, it is the only thickness independent process. On the contrary, the negative coefficient of resistance can be explained by electron interaction effect in disordered amorphous films.
1505.05711v2
2015-10-29
Magneto-transport behaviour of Bi2Se3-xTex: Role of disorder
Magnetoresistance and Hall resistance measurements have been carried out in fastcooled single crystals of Bi2Se3-xTex (x: 0 to 2) in 4 to 300 K temperature range, under magnetic fields up to 15 T. The variation of resistivity with temperature that points to a metallic behaviour in Bi2Se3, shows an upturn at low temperatures in the Te doped samples. Magnetoresistance measurements in Bi2Se3 show clear signatures of Shubnikov de Hass oscillations that gets suppressed in the Te doped samples. In the Bi2SeTe2 sample, the magneto-resistance shows a cusp like positive magneto-resistance at low magnetic fields and low temperatures, a feature associated with weak antilocalisation (WAL), that crosses over to negative magneto-resistance at higher fields. The qualitatively different magnetotransport behaviour seen in Bi2SeTe2 as compared to Bi2Se3 is rationalised in terms of the disorder, through an estimate of the carrier density, carrier mobility and an analysis in terms of the Ioffe Regel criterion with support from Hall Effect measurements.
1510.08561v1
2015-12-10
Mini array of quantum Hall devices based on epitaxial graphene
Series connection of four quantum Hall effect (QHE) devices based on epitaxial graphene films was studied for realization of a quantum resistance standard with an up-scaled value. The tested devices showed quantum Hall plateaux RH,2 at filling factor i = 2 starting from relatively low magnetic field (between 4 T and 5 T) when temperature was 1.5 K. Precision measurements of quantized Hall resistance of four QHE devices connected by triple series connections and external bonding wires were done at B = 7 T and T = 1.5 K using a commercial precision resistance bridge with 50 microA current through the QHE device. The results showed that the deviation of the quantized Hall resistance of the series connection of four graphene-based QHE devices from the expected value of 4*RH,2 = 2h/e^2 was smaller than the relative standard uncertainty of the measurement (< 1*10^-7) limited by the used resistance bridge.
1512.03163v2
2016-01-04
Making Consistent Contacts to Graphene: Effect of Architecture and Growth Induced Defects
The effect of contact architecture, graphene defect density and metal-semiconductor work function difference on resistivity of metal-graphene contacts have been investigated. An architecture with metal on the bottom of graphene is found to yield resistivities that are lower, by a factor of 4, and most consistent as compared to metal on top of graphene. Growth defects in graphene film were found to further reduce resistivity by a factor of 2. Using a combination of method and metal used, the contact resistivity of graphene has been decreased by a factor of 10 to 1200 +- 250 Ohm-um using Palladium as the contact metal. While the improved consistency is due to the metal being able to contact uncontaminanted graphene in the metal on the bottom architecture, lower contact resistivities observed on defective graphene with the same metal is attributed to the increased number of modes of quantum transport in the channel.
1601.00429v1
2016-06-13
Effect of interstitial impurities on the field dependent microwave surface resistance of niobium
Previous work has demonstrated that the radio frequency surface resistance of niobium resonators is dramatically reduced when nitrogen impurities are dissolved as interstitial in the material. The origin of this effect is attributed to the lowering of the Mattis and Bardeen surface resistance contribution with increasing accelerating field. Meanwhile, an enhancement of the sensitivity to trapped magnetic field is typically observed for such cavities. In this paper we conduct the first systematic study on these different components contributing to the total surface resistance as a function of different levels of dissolved nitrogen, in comparison with standard surface treatments for niobium resonators. Adding these results together we are able to show for the first time which is the optimum surface treatment that maximizes the Q-factor of superconducting niobium resonators as a function of expected trapped magnetic field in the cavity walls. These results also provide new insights on the physics behind the change in the field dependence of the Mattis and Bardeen surface resistance, and of the trapped magnetic vortex induced losses in superconducting niobium resonators.
1606.04174v1
2016-10-18
Dichotomy between in-plane magnetic susceptibility and resistivity anisotropies in extremely strained $BaFe_{2}As_{2}$
The in-plane resistivity and uniform magnetic susceptibility anisotropies of $BaFe_{2}As_{2}$ are obtained with a new method, in which a large symmetry-breaking uniaxial strain is applied using a substrate with a very anisotropic thermal expansion. The resistivity anisotropy and its corresponding elastoresistivity exhibit very similar diverging behavior as those obtained from piezo-stack experiments. This suggests that the resistivity anisotropy is more a direct measure of magnetism than of nematicity, since the nematic transition is no longer well-defined under a large strain. In strong contrast to the large resistivity anisotropy above $T_{N}$, the anisotropy of the in-plane magnetic susceptibility develops largely below $T_{N}$. Using an itinerant model, we show that the observed anisotropy ($\chi_{b}>\chi_{a}$) is determined by spin-orbit coupling and the orientation of the magnetic moments in the antiferromagnetic phase, and that the anisotropy is dominated by intra-orbital ($yz,yz$) contributions of the Umklapp susceptibility.
1610.05575v2
2016-12-15
Reaction-Drift Model for Switching Transients in Pr$_{0.7}$Ca$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ Based Resistive RAM
Earlier, the DC hole-current modeling of PCMO RRAM by drift-diffusion (DD) including self-heating (SH) in TCAD (but without ionic transport) was able to explain the experimentally observed SCLC characteristics, prior to resistive switching. Further, transient analysis using DD+SH model was able to reproduce the experimentally observed fast current increase at ~100ns timescale followed by saturation increases, prior to resistive switching. However, resistive switching requires the inclusion of ionic transport. We propose a Reaction-Drift (RD) model of oxide ions, which is combined with the DD+SH model. Experimentally, SET operations consist of 3 stages and RESET operations consists of 4 stages. The DD+SH+RD model is able to reproduce the entire transient behavior over 10$^{-8}$-1s range in timescale for both SET and RESET operations for a range of bias, temperature. Remarkably, a universal RESET behaviour of $log(I)\propto m*log(t)$, where $m\approx -1/10$, is reproduced. The quantitatively different voltage time dilemma for SET and RESET is also replicated for a range of ambient temperature. This demonstrates a comprehensive model for resistance switching in PCMO based RRAM.
1612.05293v2
2018-06-20
Domain wall resistance in CoFeB-based heterostructures with interface Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction
We have studied the domain wall resistance in W/Ta/CoFeB/MgO heterostructures. The Ta layer thickness is varied to control the type of domain walls via changes in the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii Moriya interaction. We find a nearly constant domain wall resistance against the Ta layer thickness. Adding contributions from the anisotropic magnetoresistance, spin Hall magnetoresistance and anomalous Hall effect describe well the domain wall resistance of the thick Ta layer films. However, a discrepancy remains for the thin Ta layer films wherein chiral N\'eel-like domain walls are found. These results show the difficulty of studying the domain wall type from resistance measurements.
1806.07750v1
2019-02-12
Designing multi-level resistance states for multi-bit storage using half doped manganites
Designing nonvolatile multi-level resistive devices is the necessity of time to go beyond traditional one-bit storage systems, thus enhancing the storage density. Here, we explore the electronic phase competition scenario to design multi-level resistance states using a half doped CE-type charge ordered insulating bulk manganite, $Sm_{0.5}Ca_{0.25}Sr_{0.25}MnO_3$ (SCSMO). By introducing electronic phase coexistence in a controllable manner in SCSMO, we show that the system can be stabilized into several metastable states, against thermal cycling, up to 62 K. As a result the magnetization (and the resistivity) remains unaltered during the thermal cycling. Monte Carlo calculations using two-band double exchange model, including super-exchange, electron-phonon coupling, and quenched disorder, show that the system freezes into a phase coexistence metastable state during the thermal cycling due to the chemical disorder in SCSMO. Using the obtained insights we outline a pathway by utilizing four reversible metastable resistance states to design a prototype multi-bit memory device.
1902.04377v1
2019-03-02
On the origin of the anomalous peak in the resistivity of TiSe$_2$
Resistivity measurements of TiSe$_2$ typically show only a weak change in gradient at the charge density wave transition at $T_{CDW}\approx$ 200~K, but more prominently feature a broad peak at a lower $T_{peak}\sim$ 165~K, which has remained poorly understood despite decades of research on the material. Here we present quantitative simulations of the resistivity using a simplified parametrization of the normal state band structure, based on recent photoemission data. Our simulations reproduce the overall profile of the resistivity of TiSe$_2$, including its prominent peak, without implementing the CDW at all. We find that the peak in resistivity corresponds to a crossover between a low temperature regime with electron-like carriers only, to a regime around room temperature where thermally activated and highly mobile hole-like carriers dominate the conductivity. Even when implementing substantial modifications to model the CDW below the transition temperature, we find that these thermal population effects still dominate the transport properties of TiSe$_2$.
1903.00756v1
2012-06-13
Modelling of Current Percolation Channels in Emerging Resistive Switching Elements
Metallic oxides encased within Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) structures can demonstrate both unipolar and bipolar switching mechanisms, rendering them the capability to exhibit a multitude of resistive states and ultimately function as memory elements. Identifying the vital physical mechanisms behind resistive switching can enable these devices to be utilized more efficiently, reliably and in the long-term. In this paper, we present a new approach for analysing resistive switching by modelling the active core of two terminal devices as 2D and 3D grid circuit breaker networks. This model is employed to demonstrate that substantial resistive switching can only be supported by the formation of continuous current percolation channels, while multi-state capacity is ascribed to the establishment and annihilation of multiple channels.
1206.2746v1
2019-06-07
Extended Nyquist formula for a resistance subject to a heat flow
The Nyquist formula quantifies the thermal noise driven fluctuations of voltage across a resistance in equilibrium. We deal here with the case of a resistance driven out of equilibrium by putting it in contact with two thermostats at different temperatures. We reach a non-equilibrium steady state where a heat flux is flowing through the resistance. Our measurements demonstrate anyway that a simple extension of the Nyquist formula to the non uniform temperature field describes with an excellent precision the thermal noise. For a metallic ohmic material, the fluctuations are actually equivalent to those of a resistance in equilibrium with a single thermostat at the mean temperature between the hot and cold sources.
1906.02974v2
2020-06-22
Optimal design of a bilayer for the highest thermal resistance: A lesson learned from the shells of snails from hydrothermal extreme environment
Inspired by the unique design of the shells of snails inhabiting the deep-sea hydrothermal environment, here we theoretically study the temperature response of a bilayer to an external thermal impulse. A semi-analytical solution to the temperature field in the bilayer is obtained, allowing us to assess the peak temperature that occurs on the inner wall as a quantitative indicator of the thermal resistance of the bilayer. The structural determining factors of the thermal resistance of a bilayer are then investigated by examining the effects of the stacking sequence and volume fractions of the constitutive layers on the peak temperature on the inner wall. Our results indicate that the stacking sequence of the two layers in a bilayer, as well as their volume fractions, play important roles in determining the thermal resistance. For two layers with given materials, there exists an optimal stacking sequence and thickness ratio giving rise to the best thermal resistance. The results of our work not only account for the unique laminated design of the snail shells from hydrothermal environments but also provide practical guidelines for the design of multilayer thermal barriers in engineering.
2006.11987v1
2020-11-01
Reduction of interfacial thermal resistance of overlapped graphene by bonding carbon chains
Exploring the mechanism of interfacial thermal transport and reducing the interfacial thermal resistance is of great importance for thermal management and modulation. Herein, the interfacial thermal resistance between overlapped graphene nanoribbons is largely reduced by adding bonded carbon chains by performing molecular dynamics simulations. And the analytical model (cross-interface model, CIM) is utilized to analyze and explain the two-dimensional thermal transport mechanism at cross-interface. An order of magnitude reduction in interfacial thermal resistance is found as the graphene nanoribbons are bonded by just one carbon chain. Interestingly, the decreasing rate of interfacial thermal resistance slows down gradually with the increasing of the number of carbon chains, which can be explained by the proposed theoretical relationship based on CIM. Moreover, by the comparison of CIM and traditional simplified model, the accuracy of CIM is verified and demonstrated in overlapped graphene nanoribbons. This work provides a new way to improve the interfacial thermal transport and reveal the essential mechanism for low-dimensional materials applied in thermal management.
2011.00494v1
2021-04-15
Origins of anisotropic transport in electrically-switchable antiferromagnet $\mathrm{Fe_1/3NbS_2}$
Recent experiments on the antiferromagnetic intercalated transition metal dichalcogenide $\mathrm{Fe_{1/3}NbS_2}$ have demonstrated reversible resistivity switching by application of orthogonal current pulses below its magnetic ordering temperature, making $\mathrm{Fe_{1/3}NbS_2}$ promising for spintronics applications. Here, we perform density functional theory calculations with Hubbard U corrections of the magnetic order, electronic structure, and transport properties of crystalline $\mathrm{Fe_{1/3}NbS_2}$, clarifying the origin of the different resistance states. The two experimentally proposed antiferromagnetic ground states, corresponding to in-plane stripe and zigzag ordering, are computed to be nearly degenerate. In-plane cross sections of the calculated Fermi surfaces are anisotropic for both magnetic orderings, with the degree of anisotropy sensitive to the Hubbard U value. The in-plane resistance, computed within the Kubo linear response formalism using a constant relaxation time approximation, is also anisotropic, supporting a hypothesis that the current-induced resistance changes are due to a repopulating of AFM domains. Our calculations indicate that the transport anisotropy of $\mathrm{Fe_{1/3}NbS_2}$ in the zigzag phase is reduced relative to stripe, consistent with the relative magnitudes of resistivity changes in experiment. Finally, our calculations reveal the likely directionality of the current-domain response, specifically, which domains are energetically stabilized for a given current direction.
2104.07591v1
2021-08-01
First-principles study on the electrical resistivity in zirconium dichalcogenides with multi-valley bands: mode-resolved analysis of electron-phonon scattering
Based on the first-principles calculations, we study the electron-phonon scattering effect on the resistivity in the zirconium dichalcogenides, $\text{Zr}_{}\text{S}_{2}$ and $\text{Zr}_{}\text{Se}_{2}$, whose electronic band structures possess multiple valleys at conduction band minimum. The computed resistivity exhibits non-linear temperature dependence, especially for $\text{Zr}_{}\text{S}_{2}$, which is also experimentally observed on some TMDCs such as $\text{Ti}_{}\text{S}_{2}$ and $\text{Zr}_{}\text{Se}_{2}$. By performing the decomposition of the contributions of scattering processes, we find that the intra-valley scattering by acoustic phonons mainly contributes to the resistivity around 50 K. Moreover, the contribution of the intra-valley scattering by optical phonons becomes dominant even above 80 K, which is a sufficiently low temperature compared with their frequencies. By contrast, the effect of the inter-valley scattering is found to be not significant. Our study identifies the characteristic scattering channels in the resistivity of the zirconium dichalcogenides, which provides critical knowledge to microscopically understand electron transport in systems with multi-valley band structure.
2108.00474v1
2024-02-15
What can we learn from nonequilibrium response of a strange metal?
We critically address the recent experiment [Science 382, 907 (2023)] on nonequilibrium transport and noise in a strange metal YbRh2Si2 patterned into the nanowire shape. In the long device, resistivity, differential resistance and current noise data seem to be consistent allowing us to extract electron-phonon coupling and the temperature dependence of electron-phonon scattering length. The obtained values can be reconciled with the experimental data for the short device only assuming the significant contact resistance. We discuss its possible origin as due to the current redistribution between YbRh2Si2 and its gold covering, and reveal that this redistribution contact resistance should be proportional to the YbRh2Si2 resistivity. We also discuss some subtleties of the noise measurements. Overall, neglecting electron-phonon energy relaxation even in the shortest devices is arguable so that the observed shot noise suppression can hardly be attributed to the failure of quasiparticle concept.
2402.09946v1
2023-07-27
Reduced stress propagation leads to increased mechanical failure resistance in auxetic materials
Materials with negative Poisson ratio have the counter-intuitive property of expanding laterally when they are stretched longitudinally. They are accordingly termed auxetic, from the Greek auxesis meaning to increase. Experimental studies have demonstrated auxetic materials to have superior material properties, compared with conventional ones. These include synclastic curvature, increased acoustic absorption, increased resilience to material fatigue, and increased resistance to mechanical failure. Until now, the latter observations have remained poorly understood theoretically. With this motivation, the contributions of this work are twofold. First, we elucidate analytically the way in which stress propagates spatially across a material following a localised plastic failure event, finding a significantly reduced stress propagation in auxetic materials compared with conventional ones. In this way, a plastic failure event occurring in one part of a material has a reduced tendency to trigger knock-on plastic events in neighbouring regions. Second, via the numerical simulation of a lattice elastoplastic model, we demonstrate a key consequence of this reduced stress propagation to be an increased resistance to mechanical failure. This is seen not only via an increase in the externally measured yield strain, but also via a decreased tendency for plastic damage to percolate internally across a sample in catastrophic system-spanning clusters.
2307.14914v2
2014-11-28
Signature of high Tc around 25K in higher quality heavily boron-doped diamond
Diamond has outstanding physical properties: the hardest known material, a wide band gap, the highest thermal conductivity, and a very high Debye temperature. In 2004, Ekimov et al. discovered that heavily boron-doped (B-doped) diamond becomes a superconductor around 4 K. Our group successfully controlled the boron concentration and synthesized homoepitaxially grown superconducting diamond films by a CVD method. By CVD method, we found that superconductivity appears when the boron concentration (nB) exceeds a metal-insulator transition concentration of 3.0x10^20 cm^-3 and its Tczero increases up to 7.4 K with increasing nB. We additionally elucidated that the holes formed at the valence band are responsible for the metallic states leading to superconductivity. The calculations predicted that the hole doping into the valence band induces strong attractive interaction and a rapid increase in Tc with increasing boron concentration. According to the calculations, if substitutional doped boron could be arranged periodically or the degree of disorder is reduced, a Tc of approximately 100 K could be achieved via minimal percent doping. In this work, we have successfully observed zero resistivity above 10 K and an onset of resistivity reduction at 25.2 K in heavily B-doped diamond film. However, the effective carrier concentration is similar to that of superconducting diamond with a lower Tc. We found that the carrier has a longer mean free path and lifetime than previously reported, indicating that this highest Tc diamond has better crystallinity compared to that of other superconducting diamond films. In addition, the susceptibility shows a small transition above 20 K in the high quality diamond, suggesting a signature of superconductivity above 20 K. These results strongly suggest that heavier carrier doped defect-free crystalline diamond could give rise to high Tc diamond.
1411.7752v1
2019-08-21
Fatigue-resistant high-performance elastocaloric materials via additive manufacturing
Elastocaloric cooling, which exploits the latent heat released and absorbed as stress-induced phase transformations are reversibly cycled in shape memory alloys, has recently emerged as a frontrunner in non-vapor-compression cooling technologies. The intrinsically high thermodynamic efficiency of elastocaloric materials is limited only by work hysteresis. Here, we report on creating high-performance low-hysteresis elastocaloric cooling materials via additive manufacturing of Titanium-Nickel (Ti-Ni) alloys. Contrary to established knowledge of the physical metallurgy of Ti-Ni alloys, intermetallic phases are found to be beneficial to elastocaloric performances when they are combined with the binary Ti-Ni compound in nanocomposite configurations. The resulting microstructure gives rise to quasi-linear stress-strain behaviors with extremely small hysteresis, leading to enhancement in the materials efficiency by a factor of five. Furthermore, despite being composed of more than 50% intermetallic phases, the reversible, repeatable elastocaloric performance of this material is shown to be stable over one million cycles. This result opens the door for direct implementation of additive manufacturing to elastocaloric cooling systems where versatile design strategy enables both topology optimization of heat exchangers as well as unique microstructural control of metallic refrigerants.
1908.07900v1
2019-07-31
Quantum oscillations in diamond field effect transistors with a h-BN gate dielectric
Diamond has attracted attention as a next-generation semiconductor because of its various exceptional properties such as a wide bandgap and high breakdown electric field. Diamond field effect transistors, for example, have been extensively investigated for high-power and high-frequency electronic applications. The quality of their charge transport (i.e., mobility), however, has been limited due to charged impurities near the diamond surface. Here, we fabricate diamond field effect transistors by using a monocrystalline hexagonal boron nitride as a gate dielectric. The resulting high mobility of charge carriers allows us to observe quantum oscillations in both the longitudinal and Hall resistivities. The oscillations provide important information on the fundamental properties of the charge carriers, such as effective mass, lifetime, and dimensionality. Our results indicate the presence of a high-quality two-dimensional hole gas at the diamond surface and thus pave the way for studies of quantum transport in diamond and the development of low-loss and high-speed devices.
1907.13500v2
2021-12-08
High-Mg Calcite Nanoparticles Within a Low-Mg Calcite Matrix via Spinodal Decomposition: A Widespread Phenomenon in Biomineralization
During the process of biomineralization, organisms utilize various biostrategies to enhance the mechanical durability of their skeletons. In this work, we establish that the presence of high-Mg nanoparticles embedded within lower Mg calcite matrices is a widespread strategy utilized by various organisms from different kingdoms and phyla to improve the mechanical properties of their high Mg calcite skeletons. We show that such phase separation and the formation of high-Mg nanoparticles are achieved through spinodal decomposition of an amorphous Mg calcite precursor. Such decomposition is independent of the biological characteristics of the studied organisms belonging to different phyla and even kingdoms, but rather originates from their similar chemical composition and a specific Mg content within their skeletons, which generally ranges from 14 to 48 mol percent of Mg. We show evidence of high Mg calcite nanoparticles in the cases of 6 biologically different organisms all demonstrating more than 14 mol percent Mg calcite, and consider it likely that this phenomenon is immeasurably more prevalent in nature. We also establish the absence of these high Mg nanoparticles in organisms whose Mg content is lower than 14 mol percent, providing further evidence that whether or not spinodal decomposition of an amorphous Mg calcite precursor takes place is determined by the amount of Mg it contains. The valuable knowledge gained from this biostrategy significantly impacts the understanding of how biominerals, though comprised of intrinsically brittle materials, can effectively resist fracture.
2112.04141v1
2022-08-11
Superconductivity above 80 K in polyhydrides of hafnium
Studies on polyhydrides are attracting growing attentions recently due to their potential high temperature superconductivity (SC). We here report the discovery of SC in hafnium polyhydrides at high pressures. The hafnium superhydrides are synthesized at high pressure and high temperature conditions using diamond anvil cell in combination with in-situ high pressure laser heating technique. The SC was investigated by in-situ high pressure resistance measurements in applied magnetic fields. A superconducting transition with onset Tc ~83 K was observed at 243 GPa. The upper critical field Hc2(0) was estimated to be 24 Tesla by GL theory and the consequent superconducting coherent length to be ~37 angstrom. Our results suggest that the superconducting phase is from C2/m-HfH14. This is the first 5d transition metal polyhydride superconductor with Tc above the liquid nitrogen temperature.
2208.05816v2
2001-05-16
Superconducting properties of well-shaped MgB2 single crystal
We report measurements of the transport and the magnetic properties of high-quality, sub-millimeter-sized MgB2 single crystals with clear hexagonal-plate shapes. The low-field magnetization and the magnetic hysteresis curves show the vortex pinning of these crystals to be very weak. The Debye temperature of $\Theta_{D}\sim 1100$ K, obtained from the zero-field resistance curve, suggests that the normal-state transport properties are dominated by electron-phonon interactions. The resistivity ratio between 40 K and 300 K was about 5, and the upper critical field anisotropy ratio was 3 $\pm$ 0.2 at temperatures around 32 K.
0105330v7
2003-09-24
Quantum Effects in Thermal Conductivity of Solid Krypton - Methane Solutions
The dynamic interaction of a quantum rotor with its crystalline environment has been studied by measurement of the thermal conductivity of solid Kr1_c(CH4)_c solutions at c = 0.05-0.75 in the temperature region from 2 up to 40K. The thermal resistance of the solutions was mainly determined by the resonance scattering of phonons by CH4 molecules with the nuclear spin I=1 (the nuclear spin of T-species). The influence of the nuclear spin conversion on the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity k(T) was found: a clearly defined minimum on k(T), its temperature position depending on the CH4 concentration. It was shown that the anisotropy molecular field not increase monotonously with the CH4 concentration. A compensation effect in the mutual orientation arrangement of the neighboring rotors is observed at c > 0.5. The temperature dependence of Kr1_c(CH4)_c is described within the Debye model of thermal conductivity taking into account the lower limit of the phonon mean free path. The anomalous temperature dependence of the thermal resistance shows the evolution of the phonon-rotation coupling at varying temperature. It increases strongly when the character of CH4 rotation changes from the quantum at low temperatures to classical at high temperatures. Also, a jump of thermal conductivity (a sharp increase in k(T) within a narrow temperature range) was observed, whose position varies from 9.7 K to 8.4 K when the CH4 concentration changes from 0.25 to 0.45.
0309542v1
2005-05-19
Strongly correlated properties of the thermoelectric cobalt oxide Ca3Co4O9
We have performed both in-plane resistivity, Hall effect and specific heat measurements on the thermoelectric cobalt oxide Ca$_{3}$Co$_{4}$O$_{9}$. Four distinct transport regimes are found as a function of temperature, corresponding to a low temperature insulating one up to $T_{min}\approx $63 K, a strongly correlated Fermi liquid up to $T^*\approx $140 K, with $\rho=\rho_0+AT^2$ and $A\approx 3.63$ $10^{-2} \mu \Omega cm/K^{2}$, followed by an incoherent metal with $k_Fl\leq 1$ and a high temperature insulator above T$^{**}\approx $510 K . Specific heat Sommerfeld coefficient $\gamma = 93$ mJ/(mol.K$^{2}$) confirms a rather large value of the electronic effective mass and fulfils the Kadowaki-Woods ratio $A/\gamma^2 \approx 0.45$ 10$^{-5}$ $\mu \Omega cm.K^2/(mJ^2mol^{-2})$. Resistivity measurements under pressure reveal a decrease of the Fermi liquid transport coefficient A with an increase of $T^*$ as a function of pressure while the product $A(T^*)^2/a$ remains constant and of order $h/e^2$. Both thermodynamic and transport properties suggest a strong renormalization of the quasiparticles coherence scale of order $T^*$ that seems to govern also thermopower.
0505464v1
2005-10-03
New Misfit-Layered Cobalt Oxide (CaOH)1.14CoO2
We found a new cobalt oxide (CaOH)1.14CoO2 by utilizing the high-pressure technique. X-ray and electron diffraction studies revealed that the compound has layer structure which consists of CdI2-type CoO2 layers and rock-salt-type double CaOH atomic layers. The two subcells have incommensurate periodicity along the a-axis, resulting in modulated crystal structure due to the inter-subcell interaction. The structural modulation affects carrier conduction through the potential randomness. We found that the two-dimensional (2-D) variable-range hopping (VRH) regime with hole conduction is dominant at low temperature for this compound, and that the conduction mechanism undergoes crossover from the 2-D VRH regime to thermal activation-energy type one with increasing temperature. Based on the experimental results of resistivity, thermoelectric power, magnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements, we suggested a possible electronic-band structure model to explain these results. The cobalt t2g-derivative band crosses Fermi energy level near the band edge, yielding small finite density of localized states at the Fermi level in the band. The observed resistivity, Seebeck coefficient, large Pauli paramagnetic component in the magnetic susceptibility and comparatively small Sommerfeld constant in the specific heat are principally attributed to the holes in the t2g-derivative band. We estimated the Wilson ratio to be about 2.8, suggesting the strong electron correlation realized in this compound.
0510031v1
2007-09-12
The Hot-Spot Phenomenon and its Countermeasures in Bipolar Power Transistors by Analytical Electro-Thermal Simulation
This communication deals with a theoretical study of the hot spot onset (HSO) in cellular bipolar power transistors. This well-known phenomenon consists of a current crowding within few cells occurring for high power conditions, which significantly decreases the forward safe operating area (FSOA) of the device. The study was performed on a virtual sample by means of a fast, fully analytical electro-thermal simulator operating in the steady state regime and under the condition of imposed input base current. The purpose was to study the dependence of the phenomenon on several thermal and geometrical factors and to test suitable countermeasures able to impinge this phenomenon at higher biases or to completely eliminate it. The power threshold of HSO and its localization within the silicon die were observed as a function of the electrical bias conditions as for instance the collector voltage, the equivalent thermal resistance of the assembling structure underlying the silicon die, the value of the ballasting resistances purposely added in the emitter metal interconnections and the thickness of the copper heat spreader placed on the die top just to the aim of making more uniform the temperature of the silicon surface.
0709.1831v1
2007-09-14
An inhomogeneous Josephson phase in thin-film and High-Tc superconductors
In many cases inhomogeneities are known to exist near the metal (or superconductor)-insulator transition, as follows from well-known domain-wall arguments. If the conducting regions are large enough (i.e. when the T=0 superconducting gap is much larger than the single-electron level spacing), and if they have superconducting correlations, it becomes energetically favorable for the system to go into a Josephson-coupled zero-resistance state before (i.e. at higher resistance than) becoming a "real" metal. We show that this is plausible by a simple comparison of the relevant coupling constants. For small grains in the above sense, the electronic grain structure is washed out by delocalization and thus becomes irrelevant. When the proposed "Josephson state" is quenched by a magnetic field, an insulating, rather then a metallic, state should appear. This has been shown to be consistent with the existing data on oxide materials as well as ultra-thin films. We discuss the Uemura correlations versus the Homes law, and derive the former for the large-grain Josephson array (inhomogenous superconductor) model. The small-grain case behaves like a dirty homogenous metal. It should obey the Homes law provided that the system is in the dirty supeconductivity limit. A speculation why that is typically the case for d-wave superconductors is presented.
0709.2321v1
2009-03-18
Two-dimensional electrochemical model for mixed conductors: a study of ceria
A two-dimensional small bias model has been developed for a patterned metal current collector $|$ mixed oxygen ion and electronic conductor (MIEC) $|$ patterned metal current collector electrochemical cell in a symmetric gas environment. Specifically, we compute the electrochemical potential distributions of oxygen vacancies and electrons in the bulk and near the surface for $\text{Pt} | \text{Sm}_{0.15}\text{Ce}_{0.85}\text{O}_{1.925} | \text{Pt}$ symmetric cell in a $\text{H}_2-\text{H}_2\text{O}-\text{Ar}$ (reducing) atmosphere from 500 to $650^o C$. Using a two-dimensional finite-element model, we show that two types of electronic current exist within the cell: an in-plane drift-diffusion current that flows between the gas $|$ ceria chemical reaction site and the metal current collector, and a cross-plane current that flows between the two metal electrodes on the opposite side of the cell. By fitting the surface reaction constant $\tilde k_f^0$ to experimental electrode resistance values while fixing material properties such as bulk ionic and electronic equilibrium defect concentrations and mobilities, we are able to separate the electrode polarization into the surface reaction component and the in-plane electron drift-diffusion component. We show that for mixed conductors with a low electronic conductivity (a function of oxygen partial pressure) or a high surface reaction rate constant, the in-plane electron drift-diffusion resistance can become rate-limiting in the electrode reaction.
0903.3250v1
2009-11-11
The pseudogap behavior in the stoichiometric FeSe superconductor (Tc~9.4 K)
This paper reports the synthesis and superconducting behaviors of the tetragonal iron-chalcogenide superconductor FeSe. The electrical resistivity and magnetic moment measurements confirmed its superconductivity with a $T_c^{zero}$ and $T_c^{mag}$ at 9.4 K under ambient pressure. EPMA indicated the sample to have a stoichiometric Fe:Se ratio of 1:1 ($\pm$0.02). The Seebeck coefficient which was 12.3 $\mu$V/K at room temperature, changed to a negative value near 200 K, indicating it to be a two carriers material. Above $T_c$, the $\rho(T)$ curve revealed an 'S' shape. Hence $d\rho(T)/dT$, and $d^2\rho(T)/dT^2$ showed pseudogap-like behavior at $T^*$=110 K according to the resistivity curvature mapping (RCM) method for high $T_c$ cuprates. Moreover, the magnetoresistance $\rho_H(T)/\rho_{H=0}$ under a magnetic field and the Seebeck coefficient $S(T)$ revealed revealed pseudogap-like behavior near $T^*$. Interestingly, at the same temperature, 30 K, the sign of $S(T)$ and all signs of $d^2\rho(T)/dT^2$ changed from negative to positive above $T_c$.
0911.2045v2
2010-07-22
Anisotropic fluctuations and quasiparticle excitations in FeSe_0.5Te_0.5
We present data for the temperature dependence of the magnetic penetration depth lambda(T), heat capacity C(T), resistivity R(T) and magnetic torque ?tau for highly homogeneous single crystal samples of Fe1:0Se0:44(4)Te0:56(4). lambda(T) was measured down to 200mK in zero field. We find lambda(T) follows a power law lambda~T^n with n = 2.2 +/- 0.1. This is similar to some 122 iron-arsenides and likely results from a sign-changing pairing state combined with strong scattering. Magnetic fields of up to B =55T or 14T were used for the ? tau(B) and C(T)/R(T) measurements respectively. The specific heat, resistivity and torque measurements were used to map out the (H,T) phase diagram in this material. All three measurements were conducted on exactly the same single crystal sample so that the different information revealed by these probes is clearly distinguished. Heat capacity data strongly resemble those found for the high Tc cuprates, where strong fluctuation effects wipe-out the phase transition at Hc2. Unusually, here we find the fluctuation effects appear to be strongly anisotropic.
1007.3914v2
2010-11-09
Frustrated Metastable Behavior of Magnetic and Transport Properties in Charge Ordered La1-xCaxMnO3+d Manganites
We have studied the effect of metastable, irreversibility induced by repeated thermal cycles on the electric transport and magnetization of polycrystalline samples of La1-xCaxMnO3 (0.48\leq x \leq 0.55) close to charge ordering. With time and thermal cycling (T<300 K) there is an irreversible transformation of the low-temperature phase from a partially ferromagnetic and metallic to one that is less ferromagnetic and highly resistive for the composition close to charge ordering (x=050 and 0.52). Irrespective of the actual ground state of the compound, the effect of thermal cycling is towards an increase of the amount of the insulating phase. We have observed the magnetic relaxation in the metastable state and also the revival of the metastable state (in a relaxed sample) due to high temperature thermal treatment. We observed changes in the resistivity and magnetization as the revived metastable state is cycled. The time changes in the magnetization are logarithmic in general and activation energies are consistent with those expected for electron transfer between Mn ions. Changes induced by thermal cycling can be inhibited by applying magnetic field. These results suggest that oxygen non-stoichiometry results in mechanical strains in this two-phase system, leading to the development of frustrated metastable states which relax towards the more stable charge-ordered and antiferromagnetic microdomains. Our results also suggest that the growth and coexistence of phases gives rise to microstructural tracks and strain accommodation, producing the observed irreversibility.
1011.2179v1
2011-05-17
The metallic transport of (TMTSF)_2X organic conductors close to the superconducting phase
Comparing resistivity data of quasi-one dimensional superconductors (TMTSF)_2PF_6 and (TMTSF)_2ClO_4 along the least conducting c*-axis and along the high conductivity a -axis as a function of temperature and pressure, a low temperature regime is observed in which a unique scattering time governs transport along both directions of these anisotropic conductors. However, the pressure dependence of the anisotropy implies a large pressure dependence of the interlayer coupling. This is in agreement with the results of first-principles DFT calculations implying methyl group hyperconjugation in the TMTSF molecule. In this low temperature regime, both materials exhibit for rc a temperature dependence aT + bT^2. Taking into account the strong pressure dependence of the anisotropy, the T-linear rc is found to correlate with the suppression of the superconducting Tc, in close analogy with ra data. This work is revealing the domain of existence of the 3D coherent regime in the generic (TMTSF)_2X phase diagram and provides further support for the correlation between T-linear resistivity and superconductivity in non-conventional superconductors.
1105.3323v2
2011-11-29
Towards the Realization of Higher Connectivity in MgB2 Conductors: In-situ or Sintered Ex-situ?
The two most common types of MgB2 conductor fabrication technique - in-situ and ex-situ - show increasing conflicts concerning the connectivity, an effective current-carrying cross-sectional area. An in-situ reaction yields a strong intergrain coupling with a low packing factor, while an ex-situ process using pre-reacted MgB2 yields tightly packed grains, however, their coupling is much weaker. We studied the normal-state resistivity and microstructure of ex-situ MgB2 bulks synthesized with varied heating conditions under ambient pressure. The samples heated at moderately high temperatures of ~900{\deg}C for a long period showed an increased packing factor, a larger intergrain contact area and a significantly decreased resistivity, all of which indicate the solid-state self-sintering of MgB2. Consequently the connectivity of the sintered ex-situ samples exceeded the typical connectivity range 5-15% of the in-situ samples. Our results show self-sintering develops the superior connectivity potential of ex-situ MgB2, though its intergrain coupling is not yet fulfilled, to provide a strong possibility of twice or even much higher connectivity in optimally sintered ex-situ MgB2 than in in-situ MgB2.
1111.6767v2
2012-07-25
Metallic state in La-doped YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_y$ thin films with $n$-type charge carriers
We report hole and electron doping in La-doped YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_y$(YBCO) thin films synthesized by pulsed laser deposition technique and subsequent \emph{in-situ} postannealing in oxygen ambient and vaccum. The $n$-type samples show a metallic behavior below the Mott limit and a high carrier density of $\sim2.8$ $\times$ 10$^{21}$ cm$^{-3}$ at room temperature (\emph{T}) at the optimally reduced condition. The in-plane resistivity ($\rho$$_{ab}$) of the $n$-type samples exhibits a quadratic \emph{T} dependence in the moderate-\emph{T} range and shows an anomaly at a relatively higher \emph{T} probably related to pseudogap formation analogous to underdoped Nd$_{2-x}$Ce$_x$CuO$_4$ (NCCO). Furthermore, $\rho$$_{ab}$(T), \emph{T}$_c$ and \emph{T} with minimum resistivity (\emph{T}$_{min}$) were investigated in both $p$- and $n$-side. The present results reveal the $n$-$p$ asymmetry (symmetry) within the metallic-state region in an underdoped cuprate and suggest the potential toward ambipolar superconductivity in a single YBCO system.
1207.5914v1
2012-11-28
Photoconductivity effects in mixed-phase BSCCO whiskers
We report on combined photoconductivity and annealing experiments in whisker-like crystals of the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O (BSCCO) high-Tc superconductor. Both single-phase Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+\delta (Bi-2212) samples and crystals of the mixed phases Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+x (Bi-2223)/Bi-2212 have been subjected to annealing treatments at 90{\deg}C in air in a few hours steps, up to a maximum total annealing time of 47 h. At every step, samples have been characterized by means of electrical resistance vs temperature (R vs T) and resistance vs time at fixed temperature (R vs t) measurements, both in the dark and under illumination with a UV-VIS halogen arc lamp. A careful comparison of the results from the two techniques has shown that, while for single-phase samples no effect is recorded, for mixed-phase samples an enhancement in the conductivity that increases with increasing the annealing time is induced by the light at the nominal temperature T = 100 K, i.e. at an intermediate temperature between the critical temperatures of the two phases. A simple pseudo-1D model based on the Kudinov's scheme [Kudinov et al., Phys. Rev. B 47, 9017-28, (1993)] has been developed to account for the observed effects, which is based on the existence of Bi-2223 filaments embedded in the Bi-2212 matrix and on the presence of electronically active defects at their interfaces. This model reproduces fairly well the photoconductive experimental results and shows that the length of the Bi-2223 filaments decreases and the number of defects increases with increasing the annealing time.
1211.6594v1
2013-01-03
Studies of YBa2Cu3O6+x degradation and surface conductivity properties by Scanning Spreading Resistance Microscopy
Local surface conductivity properties and surface degradation of c-axis oriented YBa2Cu3O6+x (YBCO) thin films were studied by Scanning Spreading Resistance Microscopy (SSRM). For the surface degradation studies, the YBCO surface was cleaned by ion beam etching and the SSRM surface conductivity map has been subsequently repeatedly measured over several hours in air and pure nitrogen. Average surface conductivity of the scanned area was gradually decreasing over time in both cases, faster in air. This was explained by oxygen out-diffusion in both cases and chemical reactions with water vapor in air. The obtained surface conductivity images also revealed its high inhomogenity on micrometer and nanometer scale with numerous regions of highly enhanced conductivity compared to the surroundings. Furthermore, it has been shown that the size of these conductive regions considerably depends on the applied voltage. We propose that such inhomogeneous surface conductivity is most likely caused by varying thickness of degraded YBCO surface layer as well as varying oxygen concentration (x parameter) within this layer, what was confirmed by scanning Auger electron microscopy (SAM). In our opinion the presented findings might be important for analysis of current-voltage and differential characteristics measured on classical planar junctions on YBCO as well as other perovskites.
1301.0397v1
2013-02-21
Electronic transport on carbon nanotube networks: a multiscale computational approach
Carbon nanotube networks are one of the candidate materials to function as malleable, transparent, conducting films, with the technologically promising application of being used as flexible electronic displays. Nanotubes disorderly distributed in a film offers many possible paths for charge carriers to travel across the entire system, but the theoretical description of how this charge transport occurs is rather challenging for involving a combination of intrinsic nanotube properties with network morphology aspects. Here we attempt to describe the transport properties of such films in two different length scales. Firstly, from a purely macroscopic point of view we carry out a geometrical analysis that shows how the network connectivity depends on the nanotube concentration and on their respective aspect ratio. Once this is done, we are able to calculate the resistivity of a heavily disordered networked film. Comparison with experiment offers us a way to infer about the junction resistance between neighbouring nanotubes. Furthermore, in order to guide the frantic search for high-conductivity films of nanotube networks, we turn to the microscopic scale where we have developed a computationally efficient way for calculating the ballistic transport across these networks. While the ballistic transport is probably not capable of describing the observed transport properties of these films, it is undoubtedly useful in establishing an upper value for their conductivity. This can serve as a guideline in how much room there is for improving the conductivity of such networks.
1302.5379v1
2013-12-05
Giant topological Hall effect in strained Fe$_{0.7}$Co$_{0.3}$Si epilayers
The coupling of electron spin to real-space magnetic textures leads to a variety of interesting magnetotransport effects. The skyrmionic spin textures often found in chiral B20-lattice magnets give rise, via real-space Berry phases, to the topological Hall effect, but it is typically rather small. Here, B20-ordered Fe$_{0.7}$Co$_{0.3}$Si epilayers display a giant topological Hall effect due to the combination of three favourable properties: they have a high spin-polarisation, a large ordinary Hall coefficient, and dense chiral spin textures. The topological Hall resistivity is as large as 820 n$\Omega$cm at helium temperatures. Moreover, we observed a drop in the longitudinal resistivity of 100 n$\Omega$cm at low temperatures in the same field range, suggesting that it is also of topological origin. That such strong effects can be found in material grown in thin film form on commercial silicon wafer bodes well for skyrmion-based spintronics.
1312.1722v1
2013-12-23
Signatures of electronic phase separation in the Hall effect of anisotropically strained La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 films
Systematic transport measurements have been performed on a series of La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 (LCMO) thin films with varying degrees of anisotropic strain. The strain is induced via epitaxial growth on NdGaO3(001) substrates and varied by controlling the thermal annealing time. An antiferromagnetic insulating (AFI) state, possibly associated with charge ordering, emerges upon thermal annealing. The Hall effect in these materials exhibits features that are indicative of a percolative phase transition and correlate closely with the emergence of the AFI state. In the paramagnetic phase, the Hall resistivity takes on two slopes in all samples: a decreasing negative slope with increasing temperature at low fields, which is attributed to the carrier hopping motion, and an almost temperature independent positive slope at high fields due to diffusive transport of holes. Significantly, the crossover fields of the Hall resistivity slope at different temperatures correspond to the same magnetization, which is interpreted as the critical point of a magnetic field-driven percolative phase transition. At lower temperatures near the zero-field metal-insulator transition, pronounced enhancement of the Hall coefficient with the development of the AFI state is observed. The enhancement peaks near the magnetic field-driven percolation; its magnitude correlates with the strength of the AFI state and is suppressed with the melting of the AFI state by an in-plane magnetic field. The observations resemble many features of the enhancement of the Hall coefficient in granular metal films near the composition-driven percolation.
1312.6670v1
2014-04-16
Origin of High Temperature Oxidation Resistance of Ti-Al-Ta-N Coatings
Alloying Ti-Al-N coatings with Ta has proven to enhance their hardness, thermal stability, and oxidation resistance. However, especially for arc-evaporated Ti-Al-Ta-N coatings only limited information on the detailed influence of the elements on various properties is available. Therefore, we have developed arc-evaporated Ti1-x-yAlxTayN coatings with various Al (x = 0.50 - 0.65) and Ta (y = 0.00 - 0.15) contents. While the thermal stability of our coatings during annealing in inert He atmosphere increases with increasing Ta content, best results are obtained for specific Ta-Al ratios during oxidation. Single phase cubic Ti0.32Al0.60Ta0.08N yields a mass-gain of only ~5 % after 5 h at 950 {\deg}C in synthetic air, whereas Ti0.35Al0.65N is completely oxidized after 15 min. This is in part based on the suppressed anatase and direct rutile TiO2 formation at a defined Ta-Al content. Consequently, the anatase-to-rutile transformation, generally observed for Ti1-xAlxN, is absent. This reduces the generation of pores and cracks within the oxide scale and especially at the nitride-oxide interface, leading to the formation of a protective rutile and corundum based oxide scale. This is also reflected in the pronounced decrease in activation energy for the protective scale formation from 232 kJ/mol for Ti0.35Al0.65N down to 14.5 kJ/mol for Ti0.32Al0.60Ta0.08N. Based on our results we can conclude that especially phase transformations within the oxide scale need to be suppressed, as the connected volume changes lead to the formation of cracks and pores.
1404.4345v1
2014-12-02
Effect of phase separation induced supercooling on magnetotransport properties of epitaxial La5/8-yPryCa3/8MnO3 (y~0.4) thin film
Thin films of La5/8-yPryCa3/8MnO3 (y~0.4) have been grown on single crystal SrTiO3 (001) by RF sputtering. The structural and surface characterizations confirm the epitaxial nature of these film. However, the difference between the rocking curve of the (002) and (110) peaks and the presence of pits/holes in the step-terrace type surface morphology suggests high density of defect in these films. Pronounced hysteresis between the field cool cooled (FCC) and field cooled warming (FCW) magnetization measurements suggest towards the non-ergodic magnetic state. The origin of this nonergodicity could be traced to the magnetic liquid like state arising from the delicacy of the coexisting magnetic phases, viz., ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic-charge ordered (FM/AFM-CO). The large difference between the insulator metal transitions during cooling and warming cycles (TIMC~64 K and TIMW~123 K) could be regarded as a manifestation of the nonergodicity leading to supercooling of the magnetic liquid while cooling. The nonergodicity and supercooling are weakened by the AFM-FM phase transition induced by an external magnetic field. TIM and small polaron activation energy corresponding the magnetic liquid state (cooling cycle) vary nonlinearly with the applied magnetic field but become linear in the crystalline solid state (warming cycle). The analysis of the low temperature resistivity data shows that electron-phonon interaction is drastically reduced by the applied magnetic field. The resistivity minimum in the lower temperature region of the self-field warming curve has been explained in terms of the Kondo like scattering in the magnetically inhomogeneous regime.
1412.0862v1
2016-11-09
Unusual non saturating Giant Magneto-resistance in single crystalline Bi2Te3 topological insulator
We report synthesis, structural details and electrical transport properties of topological insulator Bi2Te3. The single crystalline specimens of Bi2Te3 are obtained from high temperature (950C) melt and slow cooling (2C/hour). The resultant crystals were shiny, one piece (few cm) and of bright silver color. The Bi2Te3 crystal is found to be perfect with clear [00l] alignment. The powder XRD pattern being carried out on crushed crystals showed that Bi2Te3 crystallized in R3m symmetry with a = b = 4.3866(2) A, c = 30.4978(13) A and Gamma = 120degree. The Bi position is refined to (0, 0, 0.4038 (9)) at Wyckoff position 6c and of Te are (0, 0, 0) at Wyckoff position 3a and at (0, 0, 0.2039(8)) at 6c. Ambient pressure and low temperature (down to 2K) electrical transport measurements revealed metallic behavior. Magneto transport measurements under magnetic field showed huge non saturating magneto resistance (MR) reaching up to 250% at 2.5K and under 50KOe field. Summarily, the short communication clearly demonstrates that Bi2Te3 topological insulator exhibit non-saturating large positive MR at low temperature of say below 10K. The non saturating MR is seen right up to room temperature albeit with much decreased magnitude. Worth mentioning is the fact that these crystals are bulk in nature and hence the anomalous MR is clearly an intrinsic property and not due to the size effect as reported for nano-wires or thin films of the same.
1611.02859v2
2016-11-28
Grand Design Spiral Arms in A Young Forming Circumstellar Disk
We study formation and long-term evolution of a circumstellar disk in a collapsing molecular cloud core using a resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulation. While the formed circumstellar disk is initially small, it grows as accretion continues and its radius becomes as large as 200 AUs toward the end of the Class-I phase. A pair of grand-design spiral arms form due to gravitational instability in the disk, and they transfer angular momentum in the highly resistive disk. Although the spiral arms disappear in a few rotations as expected in a classical theory, new spiral arms form recurrently as the disk soon becomes unstable again by gas accretion. Such recurrent spiral arms persist throughout the Class-0 and I phase. We then perform synthetic observations and compare our model with a recent high-resolution observation of a young stellar object Elias 2-27, whose circumstellar disk has grand design spiral arms. We find good agreement between our theoretical model and the observation. Our model suggests that the grand design spiral arms around Elias 2-27 are consistent with material arms formed by gravitational instability. If such spiral arms commonly exist in young circumstellar disks, it implies that young circumstellar disks are considerably massive and gravitational instability is the key process of angular momentum transport.
1611.09361v2
2017-09-27
Pressure induced spin crossover in disordered α-LiFeO2
Structural, magnetic and electrical-transport properties of {\alpha}-LiFeO2, crystallizing in the rock salt structure with random distribution of Li and Fe ions, have been studied by synchrotron X-ray diffraction, 57Fe M\"ossbauer spectroscopy and electrical resistance measurements at pressures up to 100 GPa using diamond anvil cells. It was found that the crystal structure is stable at least to 82 GPa, though a significant change in compressibility has been observed above 50 GPa. The changes in the structural properties are found to be on a par with a sluggish Fe3+ high- to low-spin (HS-LS) transition (S=5/2 to S=1/2) starting at 50 GPa and not completed even at ~100 GPa. The HS-LS transition is accompanied by an appreciable resistance decrease remaining a semiconductor up to 115 GPa and is not expected to be metallic even at about 200 GPa. The observed feature of the pressure-induced HS-LS transition is not an ordinary behavior of ferric oxides at high pressures. The effect of Fe3+ nearest and next nearest neighbors on the features of the spin crossover is discussed.
1709.09680v1
2018-03-24
Ion implantation in nanodiamonds: size effect and energy dependence
Nanoparticles are ubiquitous in nature and are increasingly important for technology. They are subject to bombardment by ionizing radiation in a diverse range of environments. In particular, nanodiamonds represent a variety of nanoparticles of significant fundamental and applied interest. Here we present a combined experimental and computational study of the behaviour of nanodiamonds under irradiation by xenon ions. Unexpectedly, we observed a pronounced size effect on the radiation resistance of the nanodiamonds: particles larger than 8 nm behave similarly to macroscopic diamond (i.e. characterized by high radiation resistance) whereas smaller particles can be completely destroyed by a single impact from an ion in a defined energy range. This latter observation is explained by extreme heating of the nanodiamonds by the penetrating ion. The obtained results are not limited to nanodiamonds, making them of interest for several fields, putting constraints on processes for the controlled modification of nanodiamonds, on the survival of dust in astrophysical environments, and on the behaviour of actinides released from nuclear waste into the environment.
1803.09081v1
2020-09-14
Memristive control of mutual SHNO synchronization for neuromorphic computing
Synchronization of large spin Hall nano-oscillators (SHNO) arrays is an appealing approach toward ultra-fast non-conventional computing based on nanoscale coupled oscillator networks. However, for large arrays, interfacing to the network, tuning its individual oscillators, their coupling, and providing built-in memory units for training purposes, remain substantial challenges. Here, we address all these challenges using memristive gating of W/CoFeB/MgO/AlOx based SHNOs. In its high resistance state (HRS), the memristor modulates the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) at the CoFeB/MgO interface purely by the applied electric field. In its low resistance state (LRS), and depending on the voltage polarity, the memristor adds/subtracts current to/from the SHNO drive. The operation in both the HRS and LRS affects the SHNO auto-oscillation mode and frequency, which can be tuned up to 28 MHz/V. This tuning allows us to reversibly turn on/off mutual synchronization in chains of four SHNOs. We also demonstrate two individually controlled memristors to tailor both the coupling strength and the frequency of the synchronized state. Memristor gating is therefore an efficient approach to input, tune, and store the state of the SHNO array for any non-conventional computing paradigm, all in one platform.
2009.06594v1
2022-02-09
Electron-Electron Interaction and Weak Antilocalization Effect in a Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Superconductor
In disordered transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) superconductor, both the strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and disorder show remarkable effects on superconductivity. However, the features of SOC and disorder were rarely detected directly. Here we report the quantum transport behaviors arising from the interplay of SOC and disorder in the TMD superconductor 1T-NbSeTe. Before entering the superconducting state, the single crystal at low temperature shows a resistivity upturn, which is T1/2 dependent and insensitive to the applied magnetic fields. The magnetoresistance (MR) at low temperatures shows a H1/2 dependence at high magnetic fields. The characteristics are in good agreement with the electron-electron interaction (EEI) in a disordered conductor. In addition, the upturn changes and MR at low magnetic fields suggest the contribution of weak antilocalization (WAL) effect arising from the strong SOC in the material. Moreover, the quantitative analyses of the transport features in different samples imply anomalous disorder-enhanced superconductivity that needs to be further understood. The results reveal the disorder enhanced EEI and the strong SOC induced WAL effect in 1T-NbSeTe, which illustrate the resistivity minimum in the widely studied doped superconductors. The work also provides insights into the disorder effect on the superconductivity.
2202.04338v1
2016-03-21
Measurement of Characteristic Impedance of Silicon Fiber Sheet based readout strips panel for RPC detector in INO
The India based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is a mega science project of India, which is going to use near about 30, 000 Resistive Plate Chambers (RPC) as active detector elements for the study of atmospheric neutrino oscillations. Each RPC detector will consist of two orthogonally placed readout strips panel for picking the signals generated in the gas chamber. The area of RPC detector in INO-ICAL (Iron Calorimeter) experiment will be 2m x 2m, therefore the dimension of readout strips panel will also be of 2m x 2m. To get undistorted signals pass through the readout strips panel to frontend electronics, their Characteristic Impedance should be matched with each other. For the matching of Characteristic Impedance we have used the principle of termination. In the present paper we will describe the need and search of new dielectric material for the fabrication of flame resistant, waterproof and flexible readout pickup strips panel. We will also describe the measurement of Characteristic Impedance of plastic honeycomb based readout strips panel and Silicon Fiber sheet based readout strips panel in a comparative way, and its variation under loading and with time.
1603.06334v1
2017-04-18
Extruded Mg based hybrid composite alloys studied by longitudinal impression creep
The creep behaviour of a creep-resistant AE42 magnesium alloy reinforced with Saffil short fibres and SiC particulates in various combinations has been examined in the longitudinal direction, i.e., the plane containing random fibre orientation was parallel to the loading direction, in the temperature range of 175-300 C at the stress levels ranging from 60 to 140 MPa using impression creep test technique. At 175 C, normal creep behaviour, i.e., strain rate decreasing with strain and then reaching a steady state, is observed at all the stresses employed. At 240 C, normal creep behaviour is observed up to 80 MPa and reverse creep behaviour, i.e., strain rate increasing with strain, then reaching a steady state and again decreasing, is observed above that stress. At 300 C, reverse creep behaviour is observed at all the stresses employed. This pattern remains the same for all the composites. The reverse creep behaviour is found to be associated with the fibre breakage. The stress exponent is found to be very high for all the composites. However, after taking the threshold stress into account, the stress exponent varies from 3.9 to 7.0, which suggests viscous glide and dislocation climb being the dominant creep mechanisms. The apparent activation energy Qc was not calculated due to insufficient data at any stress level either for normal or reverse creep behaviour. The creep resistance of the hybrid composites is found to be comparable to that of the composite reinforced with 20% Saffil short fibres at all the temperatures and stress levels investigated.
1704.06563v2
2018-08-12
High-pressure polymorphism of BaFe2Se3
BaFe2Se3 is a potential superconductor material exhibiting transition at 11 K and ambient pressure. Here we extended the structural and performed electrical resistivity measurements on this compound up to 51 GPa and 20 GPa, respectively, in order to distinguish if the superconductivity in this sample is intrinsic to the BaFe2Se3 phase or if it is originating from minor FeSe impurities that show a similar superconductive transition temperature. The electrical resistance measurements as a function of pressure show that at 5 GPa the superconducting transition is observed at around 10 K, similar to the one previously observed for this sample at ambient pressure. This indicates that the superconductivity in this sample is intrinsic to the BaFe2Se3 phase and not to FeSe with Tc > 20 K at these pressures. Further increase in pressure suppressed the superconductive signal and the sample remained in an insulating state up to the maximum achieved pressure of 20 GPa. Single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction measurements revealed two structural transformations in BaFe2Se3: a second order transition above 3.5 GPa from Pnma (CsAg2I3-type structure) to Cmcm (CsCu2Cl3-type structure) and a first order transformation at 16.6 GPa. Here, {\gamma}-BaFe2Se3 transforms into {\delta}-BaFe2Se3 (Cmcm, CsCu2Cl3-type average structure) via a first order phase transition mechanism. This transitions is characterized by a significant shortening of the b lattice parameter of {\gamma}-BaFe2Se3 (17%) and accompanied by an anisotropic expansion in the orthogonal ac plane at the transition point.
1808.03952v1
2019-03-14
Electric Switching of the Charge-Density-Wave and Normal Metallic Phases in Tantalum Disulfide Thin-Film Devices
We report on switching among three charge-density-wave phases - commensurate, nearly commensurate, incommensurate - and the high-temperature normal metallic phase in thin-film 1T-TaS2 devices induced by application of an in-plane electric field. The electric switching among all phases has been achieved over a wide temperature range, from 77 K to 400 K. The low-frequency electronic noise spectroscopy has been used as an effective tool for monitoring the transitions, particularly the switching from the incommensurate charge-density-wave phase to the normal metal phase. The noise spectral density exhibits sharp increases at the phase transition points, which correspond to the step-like changes in resistivity. Assignment of the phases is consistent with low-field resistivity measurements over the temperature range from 77 K to 600 K. Analysis of the experimental data and calculations of heat dissipation suggest that Joule heating plays a dominant role in the electric-field induced transitions in the tested 1T-TaS2 devices on Si/SiO2 substrates. The possibility of electrical switching among four different phases of 1T-TaS2 is a promising step toward nanoscale device applications. The results also demonstrate the potential of noise spectroscopy for investigating and identifying phase transitions in materials.
1903.06050v1
2015-06-26
Negative Differential Resistance in Boron Nitride Graphene Heterostructures: Physical Mechanisms and Size Scaling Analysis
Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is drawing increasing attention as an insulator and substrate material to develop next generation graphene-based electronic devices. In this paper, we investigate the quantum transport in heterostructures consisting of a few atomic layers thick hBN film sandwiched between graphene nanoribbon electrodes. We show a gate-controllable vertical transistor exhibiting strong negative differential resistance (NDR) effect with multiple resonant peaks, which stay pronounced for various device dimensions. We find two distinct mechanisms that are responsible for NDR, depending on the gate and applied biases, in the same device. The origin of first mechanism is a Fabry-P\'e like interference and that of the second mechanism is an in-plane wave vector matching when the Dirac points of the electrodes align. The hBN layers can induce an asymmetry in the current-voltage characteristics which can be further modulated by an applied bias. We find that the electron-phonon scattering introduces the decoherence and therefore suppresses first mechanism whereas second mechanism remains relatively unaffected. We also show that the NDR features are tunable by varying device dimensions. The NDR feature with multiple resonant peaks, combined with the ultrafast tunneling speed provides prospect for the graphene-hBN-graphene heterostructure in the high-performance electronics.
1506.08207v1
2015-07-02
Massive $2$-form field and holographic ferromagnetic phase transition
In this paper, we investigate in some detail the holographic ferromagnetic phase transition in an AdS${_4}$ black brane background by introducing a massive 2-form field coupled to the Maxwell field strength in the bulk. In the two probe limits, one is to neglect the back reaction of the 2-form field to the background geometry and to the Maxwell field, and the other to neglect the back reaction of both the Maxwell field and the 2-form field, we find that the spontaneous magnetization and the ferromagnetic phase transition always happen when the temperature gets low enough with similar critical behavior. We calculate the DC resistivity in a semi-analytical method in the second probe limit and find it behaves as the colossal magnetic resistance effect in some materials. In the case with the first probe limit, we obtain the off-shell free energy of the holographic model near the critical temperature and compare with the Ising-like model. We also study the back reaction effect and find that the phase transition is always second order. In addition, we find an analytical Reissner-Norstr\"om-like black brane solution in the Einstein-Maxwell-2-form field theory with a negative cosmological constant.
1507.00546v2
2018-12-31
Growth, Characterization and High Field Magneto-Conductivity of Co0.1Bi2Se3 Topological Insulator
We report the crystal growth as well as transport properties of Co added Bi2Se3 single crystals. The values of the lattice parameters a and b for Co added sample were observed to increase as compared to the pure Bi2Se3. The Raman spectroscopy displayed higher Raman shift of corresponding vibrational modes for Co0.1Bi2Se3, and the resistivity curves with and without applied magnetic field shows a metallic behaviour. Both the crystals were subjected to magneto-resistance (MR) measurements under applied fields of 14Tesla. The value of MR is found to decrease from about 380 (5K, 14 Tesla) for Bi2Se3 to 200 degree for Co0.1Bi2Se3. To elaborate the transport properties of pure and Co added Bi2Se3 crystals, the magneto-conductivity is fitted to the HLN (Hikami Larkin Nagaoka) equation and it is found that the charge conduction is mainly dominated by surface driven WAL (weak anti-localization) with negligible bulk WL (weak localization) contribution in both crystals alike. The MH curves of Co0.1Bi2Se3 crystal at different temperatures displayed a combination of both ferromagnetic and diamagnetic behaviour. On the other hand, the Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) revealed that pure Bi2Se3 is diamagnetic whereas, Co orders ferro-magnetically with resonating field around 3422Oe at room temperature.
1812.11713v1
2019-11-28
Low-friction, wear-resistant, and electrically homogeneous multilayer graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition on molybdenum
Chemical vapour deposition (CVD) is a promising method for producing large-scale graphene (Gr). Nevertheless, microscopic inhomogeneity of Gr grown on traditional metal substrates such as copper or nickel results in a spatial variation of Gr properties due to long wrinkles formed when the metal substrate shrinks during the cooling part of the production cycle. Recently, molybdenum (Mo) has emerged as an alternative substrate for CVD growth of Gr, mainly due to a better matching of the thermal expansion coefficient of the substrate and Gr. We investigate the quality of multilayer Gr grown on Mo and the relation between Gr morphology and nanoscale mechanical and electrical properties, and spatial homogeneity of these parameters. With atomic force microscopy (AFM) based scratching, Kelvin probe force microscopy, and conductive AFM, we measure friction and wear, surface potential, and local conductivity, respectively. We find that Gr grown on Mo is free of large wrinkles that are common with growth on other metals, although it contains a dense network of small wrinkles. We demonstrate that as a result of this unique and favorable morphology, the Gr studied here has low friction, high wear resistance, and excellent homogeneity of electrical surface potential and conductivity.
1911.12653v1
2021-02-23
Strain-tuning of nematicity and superconductivity in single crystals of FeSe
Strain is a powerful experimental tool to explore new electronic states and understand unconventional superconductivity. Here, we investigate the effect of uniaxial strain on the nematic and superconducting phase of single crystal FeSe using magnetotransport measurements. We find that the resistivity response to the strain is strongly temperature dependent and it correlates with the sign change in the Hall coefficient being driven by scattering, coupling with the lattice and multiband phenomena. Band structure calculations suggest that under strain the electron pockets develop a large in-plane anisotropy as compared with the hole pocket. Magnetotransport studies at low temperatures indicate that the mobility of the dominant carriers increases with tensile strain. Close to the critical temperature, all resistivity curves at constant strain cross in a single point, indicating a universal critical exponent linked to a strain-induced phase transition. Our results indicate that the superconducting state is enhanced under compressive strain and suppressed under tensile strain, in agreement with the trends observed in FeSe thin films and overdoped pnictides, whereas the nematic phase seems to be affected in the opposite way by the uniaxial strain. By comparing the enhanced superconductivity under strain of different systems, our results suggest that strain on its own cannot account for the enhanced high $T_c$ superconductivity of FeSe systems.
2102.11984v1
2021-02-24
Calibration of manganin pressure gauge for diamond-anvil cells
Pressure calibration for most diamond-anvil cell (DAC) experiments is mainly based on the ruby scale, which is key to implement this powerful tool for high-pressure study. However, the ruby scale can often hardly be used for programmably-controlled DAC devices, especially the piezoelectric-driving cells, where a continuous pressure calibration is required. In this work, we present an effective pressure gauge for DACs made of manganin metal, based on the four-probe resistivity measurements. Pressure dependence of its resistivity is well established and shows excellent linear relations in the 0 - 30 GPa pressure range with a slope of 23.4 (9) GPa for the first-cycle compression, in contrast to that of multiple-cycle compression and decompression having a nearly identical slope of 33.7 (4) GPa likely due to the strain effect. In addition, such-established manganin scale can be used for continuously monitoring the cell pressure of piezoelectric-driving DACs, and the reliability of this method is also verified by the fixed-point method with a Bi pressure standard. Realization of continuous pressure calibration for programmably-controlled DACs would offer many opportunities for study of dynamics, kinetics, and critical behaviors of pressure-induced phase transitions.
2102.12125v1
2021-03-19
A Robust nitridation technique for fabrication of disordered superconducting TiN thin films featuring phase slip events
Disorder induced phase slip (PS) events appearing in the current voltage characteristics (IVCs) are reported for two-dimensional TiN thin films produced by a robust substrate mediated nitridation technique. Here, high temperature annealing of Ti/Si3N4 based metal/substrate assembly is the key to produce majority phase TiN accompanied by TiSi2 and elemental Si as minority phases. The method itself introduces different level of disorder intrinsically by tuning the amount of the non-superconducting minority phases that are controlled by annealing temperature (Ta) and the film thickness. The superconducting critical temperature (Tc) strongly depends on Ta and the maximum Tc obtained from the demonstrated technique is about 4.8 K for the thickness range of about 12 nm and above. Besides, the dynamics of IVCs get modulated by the appearance of intermediated resistive steps for decreased Ta and the steps get more prominent for reduced thickness. Further, the deviation in the temperature dependent critical current (Ic) from the Ginzburg-Landau theoretical limit varies strongly with the thickness. Finally, the Tc, intermediate resistive steps in the IVCs and the depairing current are observed to alter in a similar fashion with Ta and the thickness indicating the robustness of the synthesis process to fabricate disordered nitride-based superconductor.
2103.10751v2
2021-07-22
Temperature dependence of on-state inter-terminal capacitances (Cgd and Cgs) of SiC MOSFETs and frequency limitations of their measurements
Inter-terminal capacitances (ITCs) have major influence on the dynamic performance of power SiC MOSFETs. Knowledge of the exact values for the ITCs is required in order to perform accurate and predictive compact model simulations of their dynamic performance. Since commercial SiC MOSFETs are capable of operating in a wide range of temperatures, it is important to know the values of ITCs in the whole temperature range of operation. Direct measurements of the ITCs with standard equipment is possible only at low current levels (i.e. in the off-state (Vgs < Vth) for Vds > 0 V), however their values in the on-state (Vgs>Vth) also influence the MOSFETs switching performance. In this work, ITCs of a planar SiC MOSFET in the on-state are studied by the means of a calibrated TCAD model, revealing substantial temperature dependence in the range of 300-450 K. In the first approximation, this temperature dependence of the ITCs can be explained by a weaker temperature dependence of the MOSFET channel resistance in comparison to its JFET and epitaxial layer resistances. In addition, it is shown that at high frequencies stray inductances of the TO-247-3 package result in a change of the extracted values of the on-state ITCs. This effect is already notable at 1 MHz.
2107.10408v1
2021-07-24
Anomalous Nernst thermopower and giant magnetostriction in microwave synthesized La0.5Sr0.5CoO3
Ferromagnetic metallic oxides have potential applications in spincaloric devices which utilize the spin property of charge carriers for interconversion of heat and electricity through the spin Seebeck or the anomalous Nernst effect or both. In this work, we synthesized polycrystalline La0.5S0.5CoO3 by microwave irradiation method and studied its transverse thermoelectric voltage (Nernst thermopower) and change in the linear dimension of the sample (Joule magnetostriction) in response to external magnetic fields. In addition, magnetization, temperature dependences of electrical resistivity, and longitudinal Seebeck coefficient (Sxx) in absence of an external magnetic field were also measured. The sample is ferromagnetic with a Curie temperature of TC = 247 K and shows a metal-like resistivity above and below TC with a negative sign of Sxx suggesting charge transport due to electrons. Magnetic field dependence of the Nernst thermopower (Sxy) at a fixed temperature shows a rapid increase at low fields and a tendency to saturate at high fields as like the magnetization. Anomalous contribution to Sxy was extracted from total Sxy measured and it exhibits a maximum value of ~ 0.21 microV/K at 180 K for H = 50 kOe, which is comparable to the value found in a single crystal for a lower Sr content. The Joule magnetostriction is positive, i.e., the length of the sample expands along the direction of the magnetic field and it does not saturate even at 50 kOe. The magnetostriction increases with decreasing temperature below TC and reaches a maximum value of 500 ppm at T = 40 K and below. Coexistence of the anomalous Nernst thermopower and giant magnetostriction in a single compound has potential applications for thermal energy harvesting and low-temperature actuators, respectively.
2107.11535v1
2022-01-15
Fabrication and micro-Raman spectroscopy of arrays of copper phthalocyanine molecular-magnet microdisks
Phthalocyanines as organic semiconductors and molecular magnets provide plenty of industrial or high-tech applications from dyes and pigments up to gas sensors, molecular electronics, spintronics and quantum computing. Copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) belongs among the most used phthalocyanines, typically in the form of powder or films but self-grown nanowires are also known. Here we describe an opposite, i.e., top-down approach based on fabrication of ordered arrays of CuPc microstructures (microdisks) using electron beam lithography and other steps. Among critical points of this approach belongs a choice of a proper resist and a solvent. Fabricated CuPc microdisks have a diameter of 5 ${\mu}$m and heights from 7 up to 70 nm. Micro-Raman spectroscopy of the films and microdisks reveals a crystalline ${\beta}$ phase associated with a paramagnetic form. Additional measurements with an increasing laser power show a significant shift (${\Delta}{\omega}$ ~ 7.1 cm$^{-1}$ ) and broadening of a peak at 1532 rel$\cdot$cm$^{-1}$ corresponding to the phonon B1g mode. The observed smooth changes exclude a phase transition and confirm the thermally stable polymorph. Our versatile fabrication technique using the common lithographic resist brings new possibilities for the fabrication of various micro/nanostructures such as micromagnets, heterostructures or organic electronic devices.
2201.08235v1
2022-07-06
Mechanism of the Resistivity Switching Induced by the Joule Heating in Crystalline NbO$_2$
Recently the memristive electrical transport properties in NbO$_2$ have attracted much attention for their promising application to the neuromorphic computation. At the center of debates is whether the metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) originates from the structural distortion (Peierls) or the electron correlation (Mott). With inputs from experiments and first principles calculations, we develop a thermodynamical model rooted in the scenario of the MIT driven by a $2^{nd}$ order Peierls instability. We find that the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity can be accurately fit by the band gap varying with temperature due to the gradual weakening of the Nb-Nb dimers. The resistivity switching can consequently be understood by dimer-free metallic domains induced by local Joule heating. In solving the heat equation, we find that the steady state can not be reached if the applied voltage exceeds a threshold, resulting in the chaotic behavior observed in the high voltage and current states. With the Ginzburg-Landau theory and the Joule heating equation, the evolution of the metallic domains under bias voltage can be simulated and directly verified by experiments.
2207.02682v2
2022-12-13
Deep multilevel wet etching of fused silica glass microstructures in BOE solution
Fused silica glass is a material of choice for micromechanical, microfluidic, and optical devices due to its ultimate chemical resistance, optical, electrical, and mechanical performance. Wet etching in hydrofluoric solutions especially a buffered oxide etching (BOE) solution is still the key method for fabricating fused silica glass-based microdevices. It is well known that protective mask integrity during deep fused silica wet etching is a big challenge due to chemical stability of fused glass and extremely aggressive BOE properties. Here, we propose a multilevel fused silica glass microstructures fabrication route based on deep wet etching through a stepped mask with just a one grayscale photolithography step. First, we provide a deep comprehensive analysis of a fused quartz dissolution mechanism in BOE solution and calculate the main fluoride fractions like $HF^-_2$, $F^-$, $(HF)_2$ components in a BOE solution as a function of pH and $NH_4F:HF$ ratio at room temperature. Then, we experimentally investigate the influence of BOE concentration ($NH_4F:HF$ from 1:1 to 14:1) on the mask resistance, etch rate and profile isotropy during fused silica 60 minutes etching through a metal/photoresist mask. Finally, we demonstrate a high-quality multilevel over-200 um isotropic wet etching process with the rate up to 3 um/min, which could be of a great interest for advanced fused silica microdevices with flexure suspensions, inertial masses, microchannels, and through-wafer holes.
2212.06699v1
2023-03-02
Evolution of complex magnetic phases and metal-insulator transition through Nb substitution in La$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.5}$Co$_{1-x}$Nb$_x$O$_3$
We report the evolution of structural, magnetic, transport, and electronic properties of bulk polycrystalline La$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.5}$Co$_{1-x}$Nb$_x$O$_3$ ($x =$ 0.025--0.25) samples. The Rietveld refinement of the x-ray diffraction patterns with R$\bar3$c space group reveals that the lattice parameters and rhombohedral distortion monotonously increase with the Nb$^{5+}$(4$d^0$) substitution ($x$). The magnetic susceptibility exhibits a decrease in the magnetic ordering temperature and net magnetization with $x$, which manifests that the Nb substitution dilutes the ferromagnetic (FM) double exchange interaction and enhances the antiferromagnetic (AFM) super-exchange interaction. Interestingly, for the $x>$ 0.1 samples the FM order is completely suppressed and the emergence of a glassy state is clearly evident. Moreover, the decrease in the coercivity (H$\rm_{C}$) and remanence (M$\rm_{r}$) with $x$ in the magnetic isotherms measured at 5~K further confirms the dominance of AFM interactions and reduction of FM volume fraction for the $x>$ 0.1 samples. More interestingly, we observe resistivity minima for the $x=$ 0.025 and 0.05 samples, which are analyzed using the quantum corrections in the conductivity, and found that the weak localization effect dominates over the renormalized electron-electron interactions in the 3D limit. Further, a semiconducting resistivity behavior is obtained for $x>$ 0.05, which follows the Arrhenius law at high temperatures ($\sim$160--320~K), and the 3D-variable range hopping prevails in the low-temperature region ($<$160~K). The core-level photoemission spectra confirm the valence state of constituent elements and the absence of Co$^{2+}$ is discernible.
2303.01108v1
2023-10-18
Electrically-driven amplification of terahertz acoustic waves in graphene
In graphene devices, the electronic drift velocity can easily exceed the speed of sound in the material at moderate current biases. Under this condition, the electronic system can efficiently amplify acoustic phonons, leading to the exponential growth of sound waves in the direction of the carrier flow. Here, we demonstrate that such phonon amplification can significantly modify the electrical properties of graphene devices. We observe a super-linear growth of the resistivity in the direction of the carrier flow when the drift velocity exceeds the speed of sound, causing up to a 7 times increase over 8 micrometers. The resistance growth is observable for carrier densities away from the Dirac point and is enhanced at cryogenic temperatures. These observations are explained by a theoretical model for the electrical-amplification of acoustic phonons, which reach frequencies up to 2.2 terahertz with the nanoscale wavelength set by gate-tunable ~kF transitions across the Fermi surface. These findings offer a route to high-frequency on-chip sound generation and detection, which can be used to modulate and probe electronic physics in van der Waals heterostructures in the terahertz frequency range.
2310.12225v1
2024-04-24
Structural investigation of the quasi-one-dimensional topological insulator Bi$_4$I$_4$
The bismuth-halide Bi$_4$I$_4$ undergoes a structural transition around $T_P\sim 300$K, which separates a high-temperature $\beta$ phase ($T>T_P$) from a low-temperature $\alpha$ phase ($T<T_P$). $\alpha$ and $\beta$ phases are suggested to host electronic band structures with distinct topological classifications. Rapid quenching was reported to stabilize a metastable $\beta$-Bi$_4$I$_4$ at $T<T_P$, making possible a comparative study of the physical properties of the two phases in the same low-temperature range. In this work, we present a structural investigation of the Bi$_4$I$_4$ before and after quenching together with electrical resistivity measurements. We found that rapid cooling does not consistently lead to a metastable $\beta$-Bi$_4$I$_4$, and a quick transition to $\alpha$-Bi$_4$I$_4$ is observed. As a result, the comparison of putative signatures of different topologies attributed to a specific structural phase should be carefully considered. The observed phase instability is accompanied by an increase in iodine vacancies and by a change in the temperature dependence of electrical resistivity, pointing to native defects as a possible origin of our finding. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations support the scenario that iodine vacancies, together with bismuth antisites and interstitials, are among the defects that are more likely to occur in Bi$_4$I$_4$ during the growth.
2404.16194v1
1998-12-22
Theory of Colossal Magnetoresistance in Doped Manganites
The exchange interaction of polaronic carriers with localized spins leads to a ferromagnetic/paramagnetic transition in doped charge-transfer insulators with strong electron-phonon coupling. The relative strength of the exchange and electron-phonon interactions determines whether the transition is first or second order. A giant drop in the number of current carriers during the transition, which is a consequence of local bound pair (bipolaron) formation in the paramagnetic phase, is extremely sensitive to an external magnetic field. Below the critical temperature of the transition, $T_c$, the binding of the polarons into immobile pairs competes with the ferromagnetic exchange between polarons and the localized spins on Mn ions, which tends to align the polaron moments and, therefore, breaks up those pairs. The number of carriers abruptly increases below $T_c$ leading to a sudden drop in resistivity. We show that the carrier density collapse describes the colossal magnetoresistance of doped manganites close to the transition. Below $T_c$, transport occurs by polaronic tunneling, whereas at high temperatures the transport is by hopping processes. The transition is accompanied by a spike in the specific heat, as experimentally observed. The gap feature in tunneling spectroscopy is related to the bipolaron binding energy, which depends on the ion mass. This dependence explains the giant isotope effect of the magnetization and resistivity upon substitution of $^{16}$O by $^{18}$O. It is shown also that the localization of polaronic carriers by disorder {\em cannot} explain the observed huge sensitivity of the transport properties to the magnetic field in doped manganites.
9812355v1
1999-02-22
Hall-effect in LuNi_2B_2C and YNi_2B_2C borocarbides: a comparative study
The Hall effect in LuNi_2B_2C and YNi_2B_2C borocarbides has been investigated in normal and superconducting mixed states. The Hall resistivity rho_{xy} for both compounds is negative in the normal as well as in the mixed state and has no sign reversal below T_c typical for high-T_c superconductors. In the mixed state the behavior of both systems is quite similar. The scaling relation rho_{xy}\sim\rho_{xx}^\beta (\rho_{xx} is the longitudinal resistivity) was found with \beta=2.0 and 2.1 for annealed Lu- and Y-based compounds, respectively. The scaling exponent \beta decreases with increasing degree of disorder and can be varied by annealing. This is attributed to a variation of the strength of flux pinning. In the normal state weakly temperature dependent Hall coefficients were observed for both compounds. A distinct nonlinearity in the \rho_{xy} dependence on field H was found for LuNi_2B_2C in the normal state below 40K, accompanied by a large magnetoresistance (MR) reaching +90% for H=160kOe at T=20K. At the same time for YNi_2B_2C only linear \rho_{xy}(H) dependences were observed in the normal state with an approximately three times lower MR value. This difference in the normal state behavior of the very similar Lu- and Y-based borocarbides seems to be connected with the difference in the topology of the Fermi surface of these compounds.
9902299v1
2000-07-21
Effect of γ-irradiation on superconductivity in polycrystalline YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{7-δ}
A bulk polycrystalline sample of YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{7-\delta} (\delta \approx 0.1) has been irradiated by \gamma-rays with ^{60}Co source. Non-monotonic behavior of T_c (defined as the temperature at which normal resistance is halved) with increasing irradiation dose \Phi (up to about 220 MR) is observed: T_c decreases at low doses (\Phi \leq 50 MR) from initial value (\approx 93 K) by about 2 K and then rises, forming minimum. At highest doses (\Phi \geq 120 MR) T_c goes down again. The temperature width, \delta T_c, of resistive transition increases rather sharp with dose below 75 MR and somewhat drops at higher dose. We believe that this effect is revealed for the first time at \gamma-irradiation of high-T_c superconductor. The cross section for the displacement of lattice atoms in YBCO by \gamma-rays due to the Compton process were calculated, and possible dpa values were estimated. The results obtained are discussed taking into account that the sample is granular superconductor and, hence, the observed variations of superconducting properties should be connected primarily with the influence of \gamma-rays on intergrain Josephson coupling.
0007345v1
2004-08-13
The effect of oxygen stoichiometry on electrical transport and magnetic properties of La0.9Te0.1MnOy
The effect of the variation of oxygen content on structural, magnetic and transport properties in the electron-doped manganites La0.9Te0.1MnOy has been investigated. All samples show a rhombohedral structure with the space group . The Curie temperature decreases and the paramagnetic-ferromagnetic (PM-FM) transition becomes broader with the reduction of oxygen content. The resistivity of the annealed samples increases slightly with a small reduction of oxygen content. Further reduction in the oxygen content, the resistivity maximum increases by six orders of magnitude compared with that of the as-prepared sample, and the r(T) curves of samples with y = 2.86 and y = 2.83 display the semiconducting behavior () in both high-temperature PM phase and low-temperature FM phase, which is considered to be related to the appearance of superexchange ferromagnetism (SFM) and the localization of carriers. The results are discussed in terms of the combined effects of the increase in the Mn2+/(Mn2++Mn3+) ratio, the partial destruction of double exchange (DE) interaction, and the localization of carriers due to the introduction of oxygen vacancies in the Mn-O-Mn network.
0408302v1
2007-09-14
Crystallography, magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity, and electrical resistivity of heavy fermion LiV$_2$O$_4$ single crystals grown using a self-flux technique
Magnetically pure spinel compound ${\rm LiV_2O_4}$ is a rare $d$-electron heavy fermion. Measurements on single crystals are needed to clarify the mechanism for the heavy fermion behavior in the pure material. In addition, it is known that small concentrations ($< 1$ mol%) of magnetic defects in the structure strongly affect the properties, and measurements on single crystals containing magnetic defects would help to understand the latter behaviors. Herein, we report flux growth of ${\rm LiV_2O_4}$ and preliminary measurements to help resolve these questions. The magnetic susceptibility of some as-grown crystals show a Curie-like upturn at low temperatures, showing the presence of magnetic defects within the spinel structure. The magnetic defects could be removed in some of the crystals by annealing them at 700 $^\circ$C\@. A very high specific heat coefficient $\gamma$ = 450 mJ/(mol K${^2}$\@) was obtained at a temperature of 1.8 K for a crystal containing a magnetic defect concentration $n$${\rm_{defect}}$ = 0.5 mol%. A crystal with $n$${\rm _{defect}}$ = 0.01 mol% showed a residual resistivity ratio of 50.
0709.2387v3
2009-08-26
On the strong impact of doping in the triangular antiferromagnet CuCrO2
Electronic band structure calculations using the augmented spherical wave method have been performed for CuCrO2. For this antiferromagnetic (T_N = 24 K) semiconductor crystallizing in the delafossite structure, it is found that the valence band maximum is mainly due to the t_2g orbitals of Cr^3+ and that spin polarization is predicted with 3 mu_B per Cr^3+. The structural characterizations of CuCr1-xMgxO2 reveal a very limited range of Mg^2+ substitution for Cr^3+ in this series. As soon as x = 0.02, a maximum of 1% Cr ions substituted by Mg site is measured in the sample. This result is also consistent with the detection of Mg spinel impurities from X-ray diffraction for x = 0.01. This explains the saturation of the Mg^2+ effect upon the electrical resistivity and thermoelectric power observed for x > 0.01. Such a very weak solubility limit could also be responsible for the discrepancies found in the literature. Furthermore, the measurements made under magnetic field (magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient) support that the Cr^4+ "holes", created by the Mg^2+ substitution, in the matrix of high spin Cr^3+ (S = 3/2) are responsible for the transport properties of these compounds.
0908.3828v1
2009-12-02
Magnetotransport of La0.70ca0.3-xsrxmno3 (Ag): A Potential Room Temperature Bolometer and Magnetic Sensor
Here we report the optimized magneto-transport properties of polycrystalline La0.70Ca0.3-xSrxMnO3 and their composites with Ag. The optimization was carried out by varying the Sr and Ag contents simultaneously to achieve large temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) as well as low field magneto-resistance (MR) at room temperature. Sharpest paramagnetic (PM)-ferromagnetic (FM) and insulator-metal (IM) transition is observed in the vicinity of the room temperature (TC=300 K=TIM) for the composition La0.70Ca0.20Sr00.10MnO3:Ag0.20. Partial substitution of larger Sr2+ ions at the Ca2+ ions sites controls the magnitude of the FM and IM transition temperatures, while the Ag induces the desired sharpness in these transitions. For the optimized composition, maximum TCR and MR are tuned to room temperature (300 K) with the former being as high as 9% and the later being 20 and 30 percent at 5 and 10 kOe magnetic fields respectively. Such sharp single peak (TCR= 9 percent) at room temperature can be used for the bolometric and infrared detector applications. The achievement of large TCR and low field MR at T~300K in polycrystalline samples is encouraging and we believe that further improvements can be achieved in thin films, which, by virtue of their low conduction noise, are more suitable for device applications.
0912.0347v2
2012-08-16
Gate tunable quantum transport in double layer graphene
We analyze the effect of screening provided by the additional graphene layer in double layer graphene heterostructures (DLGs) on transport characteristics of DLG devices in the metallic regime. The effect of gate-tunable charge density in the additional layer is two-fold: it provides screening of the long-range potential of charged defects in the system, and screens out Coulomb interactions between charge carriers. We find that the efficiency of defect charge screening is strongly dependent on the concentration and location of defects within the DLG. In particular, only a moderate suppression of electron-hole puddles around the Dirac point induced by the high concentration of remote impurities in the silicon oxide substrate could be achieved. A stronger effect is found on the elastic relaxation rate due to charged defects resulting in mobility strongly dependent on the electron denisty in the additional layer of DLG. We find that the quantum interference correction to the resistivity of graphene is also strongly affected by screening in DLG. In particular, the dephasing rate is strongly suppressed by the additional screening that supresses the amplitude of electron-electron interaction and reduces the diffusion time that electrons spend in proximity of each other. The latter effect combined with screening of elastic relaxation rates results in a peculiar gate tunable weak-localization magnetoresistance and quantum correction to resistivity. We propose suitable experiments to test our theory and discuss the possible relevance of our results to exisiting data.
1208.3470v2
2012-10-20
Tunable spin reorientation transition and magnetocaloric effect in Sm0.7-xLaxSr0.3MnO3 series
We report electrical resistivity, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties in Sm0.7-xLaxSr0.3MnO3 series for x= 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.65, and 0.7. All the compounds show second order paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition at T = Tc which is tunable anywhere between 83 K and 373 K with a proper choice of the doping level (x). The insulating ferromagnet x= 0 transforms to ferromagnetic metal below Tc for x= 0.1 and the insulator-metal transition temperature shifts up with increasing x. The magnetization (M) exhibits an interesting behavior as a function of temperature and doping level. The field-cooled M(T) of all but x= 0.7 compound show a cusp at a temperature T* much below Tc. While the Tc increases monotonically with increasing x, T* increases gradually, attains a maximum value (T*= 137 K) for x= 0.6 and decreases rapidly thereafter. It is suggested that the decrease of M(T) below T* is due to ferrimagnetic interaction between Sm(4f) and Mn(3d) sublattices that promotes spin-reorientation transition of the Mn-sublattice. The observed anomalous feature in M(T) does not have impact on the dc resistivity. Magnetic entropy change (delta Sm) was estimated from magnetization isotherms. The sign of delta Sm is found to change from negative above T* to positive below T* indicating the coexistence of normal and inverse magnetocaloric effects. delta Sm is nearly composition independent (-delta Sm is about 1.5 J/Kg K for delta H = 1 Tesla) and refrigeration capacity lies between 50 and 80 J/kg K for x = 0.1-0.6. The tunability of Curie temperature with a nearly constant delta Sm value along with high refrigeration capacity makes this series of compounds interesting for magnetic refrigeration over a wide temperature range.
1210.5595v1
2012-11-27
Anisotropic Impurity-States, Quasiparticle Scattering and Nematic Transport in Underdoped Ca(Fe1-xCox)2As2
Iron-based high temperature superconductivity develops when the `parent' antiferromagnetic/orthorhombic phase is suppressed, typically by introduction of dopant atoms. But their impact on atomic-scale electronic structure, while in theory quite complex, is unknown experimentally. What is known is that a strong transport anisotropy with its resistivity maximum along the crystal b-axis, develops with increasing concentration of dopant atoms; this `nematicity' vanishes when the `parent' phase disappears near the maximum superconducting Tc. The interplay between the electronic structure surrounding each dopant atom, quasiparticle scattering therefrom, and the transport nematicity has therefore become a pivotal focus of research into these materials. Here, by directly visualizing the atomic-scale electronic structure, we show that substituting Co for Fe atoms in underdoped Ca(Fe1-xCox)2As2 generates a dense population of identical anisotropic impurity states. Each is ~8 Fe-Fe unit cells in length, and all are distributed randomly but aligned with the antiferromagnetic a-axis. By imaging their surrounding interference patterns, we further demonstrate that these impurity states scatter quasiparticles in a highly anisotropic manner, with the maximum scattering rate concentrated along the b-axis. These data provide direct support for the recent proposals that it is primarily anisotropic scattering by dopant-induced impurity states that generates the transport nematicity; they also yield simple explanations for the enhancement of the nematicity proportional to the dopant density and for the occurrence of the highest resistivity along the b-axis.
1211.6454v1
2013-05-16
Different routes to pressure-induced volume collapse transitions in gadolinium and terbium metals
The sudden decrease in molar volume exhibited by most lanthanides under high pressure is often attributed to changes in the degree of localization of their 4f-electrons. We give evidence, based on electrical resistivity measurements of dilute Y(Gd) and Y(Tb) alloys to 120 GPa, that the volume collapse transitions in Gd and Tb metals have different origins, despite their being neighbors in the periodic table. Remarkably, the change under pressure in the magnetic state of isolated Pr or Tb impurity ions in the nonmagnetic Y host appears to closely mirror corresponding changes in pure Pr or Tb metals. The collapse in Tb appears to be driven by an enhanced negative exchange interaction between 4f and conduction electrons under pressure (Kondo resonance) which, in the case of Y(Tb), dramatically alters the superconducting properties of the Y host, much like previously found for Y(Pr). In Gd our resistivity measurements suggest that a Kondo resonance is not the main driver for its volume collapse. X-ray absorption and emission spectroscopies clearly show that 4f local moments remain largely intact across both volume collapse transitions ruling out 4f band formation (delocalization) and valence transition models as possible drivers. The results highlight the richness of behavior behind the volume collapse transition in lanthanides and demonstrate the stability of the 4f level against band formation to extreme pressure.
1305.3852v4
2014-04-09
Quantum transport evidence for a three-dimensional Dirac semimetal phase in Cd3As2
The material termed three-dimensional (3D) Dirac semimetal has attracted great interests recently, since it is an electronic analogue to two-dimensional graphene. Starting from this novel phase, various topologically distinct phases may be obtained, such as topological insulator, Weyl semimetal, quantum spin Hall insulator, and topological superconductor. Soon after the theoretical predictions, the angle-resolve photoemission spectroscopy and scanning tunnelling microscopy experiments gave evidences for 3D Dirac points in Na3Bi and Cd3As2. Here we report quantum transport properties of Cd3As2 single crystal in magnetic field. A sizable linear quantum magnetoresistance is observed at high temperature. With decreasing temperature, the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations appear in both longitudinal resistance Rxx and transverse Hall resistance Rxy. From the strong oscillatory component \Delta Rxx, the linear dependence of Landau index n on 1/B gives an n-axis intercept 0.58. Our quantum transport result clearly reveals a nontrivial \pi\ Berry's phase, thus provides strong bulk evidence for a 3D Dirac semimetal phase in Cd3As2. This may open new perspectives for its use in electronic devices.
1404.2557v3
2014-04-15
Formation of a topological non-Fermi liquid in MnSi
Fermi liquid theory provides a remarkably powerful framework for the description of the conduction electrons in metals and their ordering phenomena, such as superconductivity, ferromagnetism, and spin- and charge-density-wave order. A different class of ordering phenomena of great interest concerns spin configurations that are topologically protected, that is, their topology can be destroyed only by forcing the average magnetization locally to zero. Examples of such configurations are hedgehogs (points at which all spins are either pointing inwards or outwards) or vortices. A central question concerns the nature of the metallic state in the presence of such topologically distinct spin textures. Here we report a high-pressure study of the metallic state at the border of the skyrmion lattice in MnSi, which represents a new form of magnetic order composed of topologically non-trivial vortices. When long-range magnetic order is suppressed under pressure, the key characteristic of the skyrmion lattice - that is, the topological Hall signal due to the emergent magnetic flux associated with their topological winding - is unaffected in sign or magnitude and becomes an important characteristic of the metallic state. The regime of the topological Hall signal in temperature, pressure and magnetic field coincides thereby with the exceptionally extended regime of a pronounced non-Fermi-liquid resistivity. The observation of this topological Hall signal in the regime of the NFL resistivity suggests empirically that spin correlations with non-trivial topological character may drive a breakdown of Fermi liquid theory in pure metals.
1404.4050v1
2014-09-12
Observation of topological surface state quantum Hall effect in an intrinsic three-dimensional topological insulator
A three-dimensional (3D) topological insulator (TI) is a quantum state of matter with a gapped insulating bulk yet a conducting surface hosting topologically-protected gapless surface states. One of the most distinct electronic transport signatures predicted for such topological surface states (TSS) is a well-defined half-integer quantum Hall effect (QHE) in a magnetic field, where the surface Hall conductivities become quantized in units of (1/2)e2/h (e being the electron charge, h the Planck constant) concomitant with vanishing resistance. Here, we observe well-developed QHE arising from TSS in an intrinsic TI of BiSbTeSe2. Our samples exhibit surface dominated conduction even close to room temperature, while the bulk conduction is negligible. At low temperatures and high magnetic fields perpendicular to the top and bottom surfaces, we observe well-developed integer quantized Hall plateaus, where the two parallel surfaces each contributing a half integer e2/h quantized Hall (QH) conductance, accompanied by vanishing longitudinal resistance. When the bottom surface is gated to match the top surface in carrier density, only odd integer QH plateaus are observed, representing a half-integer QHE of two degenerate Dirac gases. This system provides an excellent platform to pursue a plethora of exotic physics and novel device applications predicted for TIs, ranging from magnetic monopoles and Majorana particles to dissipationless electronics and fault-tolerant quantum computers.
1409.3778v2
2014-12-23
Magnetic and structural transitions in La$_{0.4}$Na$_{0.6}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ single crystals
La$_{0.4}$Na$_{0.6}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ single crystals have been grown out of an NaAs flux in an alumina crucible and characterized by measuring magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity, specific heat, as well as single crystal x-ray and neutron diffraction. La$_{0.4}$Na$_{0.6}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ single crystals show a structural phase transition from a high temperature tetragonal phase to a low-temperature orthorhombic phase at T$_s$\,=\,125\,K. This structural transition is accompanied by an anomaly in the temperature dependence of electrical resistivity, anisotropic magnetic susceptibility, and specific heat. Concomitant with the structural phase transition, the Fe moments order along the \emph{a} direction with an ordered moment of 0.7(1)\,$\mu_{\textup{B}}$ at \emph{T}\,=\,5 K. The low temperature stripe antiferromagnetic structure is the same as that in other \emph{A}Fe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ (\emph{A}\,=\,Ca, Sr, Ba) compounds. La$_{0.5-x}$Na$_{0.5+x}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ provides a new material platform for the study of iron-based superconductors where the electron-hole asymmetry could be studied by simply varying La/Na ratio.
1412.7447v1
2015-01-08
Structure and bonding in amorphous iron carbide thin films
We investigate the amorphous structure, chemical bonding, and electrical properties of magnetron sputtered Fe1-xCx (0.21<x<0.72) thin films. X-ray, electron diffraction and transmission electron microscopy show that the Fe1-xCx films are amorphous nanocomposites, consisting of a two-phase domain structure with Fe-rich carbidic FeCy, and a carbon-rich matrix. Pair distribution function analysis indicates a close-range order similar to those of crystalline Fe3C carbides in all films with additional graphene-like structures at high carbon content (71.8 at% C). From X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, we find that the amorphous carbidic phase has a composition of 15-25 at% carbon that slightly increases with total carbon content. X-ray absorption spectra exhibit increasing number of unoccupied 3d states and decreasing number of C 2p states as a function of carbon content. These changes signify a systematic redistribution in orbital occupation due to charge-transfer effects at the domain-size dependent carbide/matrix interfaces. Four-point probe resistivity of the Fe1-xCx films increases exponentially with carbon content from 200 mu-Ohm-cm (x=0.21) to 1200 mu-Ohm-cm (x=0.72), and is found to depend on the total carbon content rather than the composition of the carbide. Our findings open new possibilities for modifying the resistivity of amorphous thin film coatings based on transition metal carbides by control of amorphous domain structures.
1501.01839v1
2015-09-09
Controlling the Electrical Properties of Undoped and Ta-doped TiO2 Polycrystalline Films via Ultra-Fast Annealing Treatments
We present a study on the crystallization process of undoped and Ta doped TiO2 amorphous thin films. In particular, the effect of ultra-fast annealing treatments in environments characterized by different oxygen concentrations is investigated via in-situ resistance measurements. The accurate examination of the key parameters involved in this process allows us to reduce the time needed to obtain highly conducting and transparent polycrystalline thin films (resistivity about $6 \times 10^{-4}$ {\Omega}cm, mean transmittance in the visible range about $81\%$) to just 5 minutes (with respect to the 180 minutes required for a standard vacuum annealing treatment) in nitrogen atmosphere (20 ppm oxygen concentration) at ambient pressure. Experimental evidence of superficial oxygen incorporation in the thin films and its detrimental role for the conductivity are obtained by employing different concentrations of traceable 18O isotopes during ultra-fast annealing treatments. The results are discussed in view of the possible implementation of the ultra-fast annealing process for TiO2-based transparent conducting oxides as well as electron selective layers in solar cell devices; taking advantage of the high control of the ultra-fast crystallization processes which has been achieved, these two functional layers are shown to be obtainable from the crystallization of a single homogeneous thin film.
1509.02744v1
2016-10-14
rHARM: Accretion and Ejection in Resistive GR-MHD
Turbulent magnetic diffusivity plays an important role for accretion disks and the launching of disk winds. We have implemented magnetic diffusivity, respective resistivity in the general relativistic MHD code HARM. This paper describes the theoretical background of our implementation, its numerical realization, our numerical tests and preliminary applications. The test simulations of the new code rHARM are compared with an analytic solution of the diffusion equation and a classical shock tube problem. We have further investigated the evolution of the magneto-rotational instability (MRI) in tori around black holes for a range of magnetic diffusivities. We find indication for a critical magnetic diffusivity (for our setup) beyond which no MRI develops in the linear regime and for which accretion of torus material to the black hole is delayed. Preliminary simulations of magnetically diffusive thin accretion disks around Schwarzschild black holes that are threaded by a large-scale poloidal magnetic field show the launching of disk winds with mass fluxes of about 50% of the accretion rate. The disk magnetic diffusivity allows for efficient disk accretion that replenishes the mass reservoir of the inner disk area and thus allows for long-term simulations of wind launching for more than 5000 time units.
1610.04445v1
2016-10-26
Doping of Ga in antiferromagnetic semiconductor alpha-Cr2O3oxide and its effects on modified magnetic and electronic properties
The samples of Ga doped Cr2O3 oxide have been prepared using chemical co-precipitation route. X-ray diffraction pattern and Raman spectra have confirmed rhombohedral crystal structure with space group R3-C. Magnetic measurement has indicated the dilution of antiferromagnetic (AFM) spin order in Ga doped alpha-Cr2O3 system oxide, where the AFM transition temperature of bulk alpha-Cr2O3 oxide at about 320 K has been suppressed and ferrimagnetic behavior is observed from the analysis of the temperature dependence of magnetization data below 350 K. Apart from Ga doping effect, the spin freezing (50 K-70 K) and superparamagnetic behavior of the surface spins at lower temperatures, typically below 50 K, have been exhibited due to nano-sized grains of the samples. All the samples showed non-linear current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. However, I-V characteristics of the Ga doped samples are remarkably different from alpha-Cr2O3 sample. The I-V curves of Ga doped samples have exhibited many unique electronic properties, e.g., bi-stable (low resistance- LR and high resistance-HR) electronic states and negative differential resistance (NDR). Optical absorption spectra revealed three electronic transitions in the samples associated with band gap energy at about 2.67-2.81 eV, 1.91-2.11 eV, 1.28-1.35 eV, respectively.
1610.08426v1
2018-02-21
Multi-Terminal Memtransistors from Polycrystalline Monolayer MoS2
In the last decade, a 2-terminal passive circuit element called a memristor has been developed for non-volatile resistive random access memory and has more recently shown promise for neuromorphic computing. Compared to flash memory, memristors have higher endurance, multi-bit data storage, and faster read/write times. However, although 2-terminal memristors have demonstrated basic neural functions, synapses in the human brain outnumber neurons by more than a factor of 1000, which implies that multiterminal memristors are needed to perform complex functions such as heterosynaptic plasticity. Previous attempts to move beyond 2-terminal memristors include the 3-terminal Widrow-Hoff memistor and field-effect transistors with nanoionic gates or floating gates, albeit without memristive switching in the transistor. Here, we report the scalable experimental realization of a multi-terminal hybrid memristor and transistor (i.e., memtransistor) using polycrystalline monolayer MoS2. Two-dimensional (2D) MoS2 memtransistors show gate tunability in individual states by 4 orders of magnitude in addition to large switching ratios with high cycling endurance and long-term retention of states. In addition to conventional neural learning behavior of long-term potentiation/depression, 6-terminal MoS2 memtransistors possess gate-tunable heterosynaptic functionality that is not achievable using 2-terminal memristors. For example, the conductance between a pair of two floating electrodes (pre-synaptic and post-synaptic neurons) is varied by 10X by applying voltage pulses to modulatory terminals. In situ scanning probe microscopy, cryogenic charge transport measurements, and device modeling reveal that bias-induced MoS2 defect motion drives resistive switching by dynamically varying Schottky barrier heights.
1802.07783v1
2019-02-20
Effect of the temperature and magnetic field induced martensitic transformation in bulk Fe$_{45}$Mn$_{26}$Ga$_{29}$ alloy on its electronic structure and physical properties
Effect of the temperature and magnetic field induced martensitic transformation (MT) on the electronic structure and some physical properties of bulk Fe$_{45.2}$Mn$_{25.9}$Ga$_{28.9}$ Heusler alloy has been investigated. {According to the experimental results of DSC, magnetic and transport measurements direct and reverse martensitic transformation without external magnetic field takes place within 194 $\leq T \leq$ 328 K temperature range with a hysteresis up to $\Delta T \approx$ 100 K defined as $\Delta T$ = $A_{f,s}$ - $M_{s,f}$, where $A_{f,s}$ and $M_{s,f}$ are the critical temperatures of direct and reverse martensitic transformation. External magnetic field of $\mu_{0}H$ = 5 T causes a high-temperature shift of MT temperatures.} MT from parent austenite L2$_{1}$ phase to martensitic tetragonally distorted L2$_{1}$ one (i. e. to L1$_{0}$) causes significant changes in the electronic structure of alloy, a drastic increase in alloy magnetization, a decrease in the alloy resistivity, and a reversal of the sign of the temperature coefficient of resistivity from negative to positive. At the same time experimentally determined optical properties of Fe$_{45.6}$Mn$_{25.9}$Ga$_{28.9}$ Heusler alloy in austenitic and martensitic states look visually rather similar being noticeable different in microscopic nature as can be concluded from first-principle calculations. Experimentally observed changes in the physical properties of the alloy are discussed in terms of the electronic structures of an austenite and martensite phases.
1902.07462v1
2020-02-04
Single-defect Memristor in MoS$_2$ Atomic-layer
Non-volatile resistive switching, also known as memristor effect in two terminal devices, has emerged as one of the most important components in the ongoing development of high-density information storage, brain-inspired computing, and reconfigurable systems. Recently, the unexpected discovery of memristor effect in atomic monolayers of transitional metal dichalcogenide sandwich structures has added a new dimension of interest owing to the prospects of size scaling and the associated benefits. However, the origin of the switching mechanism in atomic sheets remains uncertain. Here, using monolayer MoS$_2$ as a model system, atomistic imaging and spectroscopy reveal that metal substitution into sulfur vacancy results in a non-volatile change in resistance. The experimental observations are corroborated by computational studies of defect structures and electronic states. These remarkable findings provide an atomistic understanding on the non-volatile switching mechanism and open a new direction in precision defect engineering, down to a single defect, for achieving optimum performance metrics including memory density, switching energy, speed, and reliability using atomic nanomaterials.
2002.01574v1
2020-04-07
Temperature dependence of transport mechanisms in organic multiferroic tunnel junctions
Organic multiferroic tunnel junctions (OMFTJs) with multi-resistance states have been proposed and drawn intensive interests due to their potential applications, for examples of memristor and spintronics based synapse devices. The ferroelectric control of spin-polarization at ferromagnet (FM)/ferroelectric organic (FE-Org) interface by electrically switching the ferroelectric polarization of the FE-Org has been recently realized. However, there is still a lack of understanding of the transport properties in OMFTJs, especially the interplay between the ferroelectric domain structure in the organic barrier and the spin-polarized electron tunneling through the barrier. Here, we report on a systematic study of the temperature dependent transport behavior in La0.6Sr0.4MnO3/PVDF/Co OMFTJs. It is found that the thermal fluctuation of the ferroelectric domains plays an important role on the transport properties. When T>120K, the opposite temperature dependence of resistance for in up and down ferroelectric polarization states results in a rapid diminishing of tunneling electroresistance (TER). These results contribute to the understanding of the transport properties for designing high performance OMFTJs for memristor and spintronics applications.
2004.03284v1
2020-09-16
High Field Magneto-Transport of Mixed Topological Insulators Bi2Se3-xTex (x = 0, 1, 2 & 3)
The article comprises structural, microstructural, and physical properties analysis of Bi2Se3-xTex (x= 0, 1, 2 and 3) mixed topological insulator (MTI) single crystals. All the crystals were grown through a well-optimized solid-state reaction route via the self-flux method. These MTI are well characterized through XRD (X-ray Diffraction), SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), EDAX (Energy Dispersive spectroscopy), and thereby, the physical properties are analyzed through the RT (Resistance vs temperature) down to 10K as well as the magneto-resistance (MR) measurements (at 5K) in a magnetic field of up to 10 Tesla. The MR drastically varies from x=0 to x=3 in MTI, from a huge 400 percent, it goes down to 20 percent and 5 percent and eventually back to 315 percent. This fascinated behaviour of MR is explained in this article through HLN (Hikami-Larkin-Nagaoka) equation and an additional term. This article not only proposed the mesmerizing behavior of MR in MTI but also explains the reason through competing WAL (Weak Anti-Localization) and WL (Weak Localization) conduction processes.
2009.07757v1
2016-03-05
Development and characterization of single gap glass RPC
India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) facility is going to have a 50 kton magnetized Iron CALorimeter (ICAL) detector for precision measurements of neutrino oscillations using atmospheric neutrinos. The proposed ICAL detector will be a stack of magnetized iron plates (acting as target material) interleaved with glass Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) as the active detector elements. An RPC is a gaseous detector made up of two parallel electrode plates having high bulk resistivity like that of float glass and bakelite. For the ICAL detector, glass is preferred over bakelite as it does not need any kind of surface treatment to achieve better surface uniformity and also the cost of associated electronics is reduced. Under the detector R&D efforts for the proposed glass RPC detector, a few glass RPCs of 1m X 1m dimension are fabricated procuring glass of ~ 2 mm thickness from one of the Indian glass manufacturers (Asahi). In the present paper, we report the characterization of RPC based on leakage current study, muon detection efficiency and noise rate studies with varying gas compositions.
1603.01719v5
2017-08-08
High Surface Conductivity of Fermi Arc Electrons in Weyl semimetals
Weyl semimetals (WSMs), a new type of topological condensed matter, are currently attracting great interest due to their unusual electronic states and intriguing transport properties such as chiral anomaly induced negative magnetoresistance, a semi--quantized anomalous Hall effect and the debated chiral magnetic effect. These systems are close cousins of topological insulators (TIs) which are known for their disorder tolerant surface states. Similarly, WSMs exhibit unique topologically protected Fermi arcs surface states. Here we analyze electron--phonon scattering, a primary source of resistivity in metals at finite temperatures, as a function of the shape of the Fermi arc where we find that the impact on surface transport is significantly dependent on the arc curvature and disappears in the limit of a straight arc. Next, we discuss the effect of strong surface disorder on the resistivity by numerically simulating a tight binding model with the presence of quenched surface vacancies using the Coherent Potential Approximation (CPA) and Kubo--Greenwood formalism. We find that the limit of a straight arc geometry is remarkably disorder tolerant, producing surface conductivity that is a factor of 50 larger of a comparable set up with surface states of TI. Finally, a simulation of the effects of surface vacancies on TaAs is presented, illustrating the disorder tolerance of the topological surface states in a recently discovered WSM material.
1708.02415v1
2019-08-21
Half-metallic ferromagnetism and Ru-induced localization in quaternary Heusler alloy CoRuMnSi
We report a combined theoretical and experimental investigation of half-metallic ferromagnetism in equiatomic quaternary Heusler alloy CoRuMnSi. Room temperature XRD analysis reveals that the alloy crystallizes in L21 disorder instead of pristine Y-type structure due to 50% swap disorder between the tetrahedral sites, i.e., Co and Ru atoms. Magnetization measurements reveal a net magnetization of 4 $\mu_B$ with Curie temperature of ~780 K. Resistivity measurement reveals the presence of localization effect below 35 K while above 100 K, a linear dependence is observed. Resistivity behavior indicates the absence of single magnon scattering, which indirectly supports the half-metallic nature. The majority spin band near the Fermi level clearly indicates the overlap of flat eg bands with sharply varying conduction bands that are responsible for the localization. In-depth analysis of the projected atomic d-orbital character of band structure reveals unusual bonding, giving rise to the flat eg bands purely arising out of Ru ions. Co-Ru swap disorder calculations indicate the robustness of half-metallic nature, even when the structure changes from Y-type to L21-type, with no major change in the net magnetization of the system. Thus, robust half-metallic nature, stable structure, and high Curie temperature make this alloy quite a promising candidate to be used as a source of highly spin-polarized currents in spintronic applications.
1908.07804v1
2012-03-10
How local is the Phantom Force?
The phantom force is an apparently repulsive force, which can dominate the atomic contrast of an AFM image when a tunneling current is present. We described this effect with a simple resistive model, in which the tunneling current causes a voltage drop at the sample area underneath the probe tip. Because tunneling is a highly local process, the areal current density is quite high, which leads to an appreciable local voltage drop that in turn changes the electrostatic attraction between tip and sample. However, Si(111)-7\times7 has a metallic surface-state and it might be proposed that electrons should instead propagate along the surface-state, as through a thin metal film on a semiconducting surface, before propagating into the bulk. In this article, we investigate the role of the metallic surface-state on the phantom force. First, we show that the phantom force can be observed on H/Si(100), a surface without a metallic surface-state. Furthermore, we investigate the influence of the surface-state on our phantom force observations of Si(111)-7\times7 by analyzing the influence of the macroscopic tip radius R on the strength of the phantom force, where a noticeable effect would be expected if the local voltage drop would reach extensions comparable to the tip radius. We conclude that a metallic surface-state does not suppress the phantom force, but that the local resistance Rs has a strong effect on the magnitude of the phantom force.
1203.2258v1