Solid-state memories based on ferroelectric tunnel junctions

Ferroic-order parameters are useful as state variables in non-volatile information storage media because they show a hysteretic dependence on their electric or magnetic field. Coupling ferroics with quantum-mechanical tunnelling allows a simple and fast readout of the stored information through the influence of ferroic orders on the tunnel current. For example, data in magnetic random-access memories are stored in the relative alignment of two ferromagnetic electrodes separated by a non-magnetic tunnel barrier, and data readout is accomplished by a tunnel current measurement. However, such devices based on tunnel magnetoresistance typically exhibit OFF/ON ratios of less than 4, and require high powers for write operations (>1 × 10 6 A cm -2). Here, we report non-volatile memories with OFF/ON ratios as high as 100 and write powers as low as ∼1 × 10 4A cm -2 at room temperature by storing data in the electric polarization direction of a ferroelectric tunnel barrier. The junctions show large, stable, reproducible and reliable tunnel electroresistance, with resistance switching occurring at the coercive voltage of ferroelectric switching. These ferroelectric devices emerge as an alternative to other resistive memories, and have the advantage of not being based on voltage-induced migration of matter at the nanoscale, but on a purely electronic mechanism. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Structural and thermodynamic properties of different phases of supercooled liquid water.

Computer simulation results are reported for a realistic polarizable potential model of water in the supercooled region. Three states, corresponding to the low density amorphous ice, high density amorphous ice, and very high density amorphous ice phases are chosen for the analyses. These states are located close to the liquid-liquid coexistence lines already shown to exist for the considered model. Thermodynamic and structural quantities are calculated, in order to characterize the properties of the three phases. The results point out the increasing relevance of the interstitial neighbors, which clearly appear in going from the low to the very high density amorphous phases. The interstitial neighbors are found to be, at the same time, also distant neighbors along the hydrogen bonded network of the molecules. The role of these interstitial neighbors has been discussed in connection with the interpretation of recent neutron scattering measurements. The structural properties of the systems are characterized by looking at the angular distribution of neighboring molecules, volume and face area distribution of the Voronoi polyhedra, and order parameters. The cumulative analysis of all the corresponding results confirms the assumption that a close similarity between the structural arrangement of molecules in the three explored amorphous phases and that of the ice polymorphs I(h), III, and VI exists.

Defect influence on luminescence efficiency of GaN-based LEDs

Wafers with normal light-emitting diode structure were grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition system. The pressure and temperature were varied during growth of buffer layer in order to grow different types of epilayers. The cathodoluminescence results show that the interface distortion of quantum well plays an important role in radiant efficiency. The electroluminescence detections indicate that the dislocations also influence the external quantum efficiency by lowering the electron injection efficiency. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Defect influence on luminescence efficiency of GaN-based LEDs

Wafers with normal light-emitting diode structure were grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition system. The pressure and temperature were varied during growth of buffer layer in order to grow different types of epilayers. The cathodoluminescence results show that the interface distortion of quantum well plays an important role in radiant efficiency. The electroluminescence detections indicate that the dislocations also influence the external quantum efficiency by lowering the electron injection efficiency. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

油气勘探中的弱磁异常提取与区域场分析

Petroleum and natural gas is an important strategic resources. The short of the reserves will block the development of economy and threaten the safety of nation, along with the main oil fields of our country coming to the height of power and splendor of the exploitation and exploration. Therefore, it makes a great sense to inaugurate new explorative field and increase the reserves of petroleum and natural gas. Magnetic exploration is a main method of geophysics exploration. the developing observation apparatus and the perfect processing method provide wide space for magnetic exploration in these years. The method of magnetic bright spot is an application of magnetic exploration. The vertical migration of the hydrocarbon changes physical and chemical environment above the hydrocarbon reservoir, the new environment make tervalent iron translate into bivalent iron, that produce small scale magnetic anomaly, that is magnetic bright spot. The method of magnetic bright spot explores oil and gas field by the relation between the hydrocarbon and magnetic anomaly. This paper systemically research to pick-up and identify magnetic bright spot combining an oil field item, then point out advantaged area. In order to test the result, the author use the seismic information to superpose the magnetic bright spot, that prove the magnetic bright spot is reliable. then, the author complete a software to pick and identify the magnetic bright spot. The magnetic basement is very important to research forming and evolvement of the basin, especially, it is a crucial parameter of exploring residual basin in the research on pre-Cenozoic residual. This paper put forward a new method to inverse the interface of the magnetic layer on the basis of previous work, that is the method of separation of magnetic field step by step. The theory of this method is to translate the result of magnetic layer fluctuation to the result of magnetization density change, and the magnetic layer is flat, the paper choose thickness of magnetic layer as unit thickness, and define magnetic layer as a unit-thickness layer in order to convenient calculation, at the same time, define the variational magnetization density as equivalent magnetic density. Then we translate the relation between magnetic field and layer fluctuation to the relation between magnetic field and equivalent magnetic density, then, we can obtain the layer fluctuation through calculating equivalent magnetic density. Contrast to conventional parker method, model experimentation and example checkout prove this method is effective. The merit of this method is to avoid flat result in a strongly fluctuant area because of using a uniform average depth, the result of this method is closer to the fact, and this method is to inverse equivalent magnetic density, then translate equivalent magnetic density to layer fluctuation, this lays a foundation to inverse variational magnetic density in the landscape orientation and portrait.

小波域地震资料的处理方法（WSSP）研究

The modeling formula based on seismic wavelet can well simulate zero - phase wavelet and hybrid-phase wavelet, and approximate maximal - phase and minimal - phase wavelet in a certain sense. The modeling wavelet can be used as wavelet function after suitable modification item added to meet some conditions. On the basis of the modified Morlet wavelet, the derivative wavelet function has been derived. As a basic wavelet, it can be sued for high resolution frequency - division processing and instantaneous feature extraction, in acoordance with the signal expanding characters in time and scale domains by each wavelet structured. Finally, an application example proves the effectiveness and reasonability of the method. Based on the analysis of SVD (Singular Value Decomposition) filter, by taking wavelet as basic wavelet and combining SVD filter and wavelet transform, a new de - noising method, which is Based on multi - dimension and multi-space de - noising method, is proposed. The implementation of this method is discussed the detail. Theoretical analysis and modeling show that the method has strong capacity of de - noising and keeping attributes of effective wave. It is a good tool for de - noising when the S/N ratio is poor. To give prominence to high frequency information of reflection event of important layer and to take account of other frequency information under processing seismic data, it is difficult for deconvolution filter to realize this goal. A filter from Fourier Transform has some problems for realizing the goal. In this paper, a new method is put forward, that is a method of processing seismic data in frequency division from wavelet transform and reconstruction. In ordinary seismic processing methods for resolution improvement, deconvolution operator has poor part characteristics, thus influencing the operator frequency. In wavelet transform, wavelet function has very good part characteristics. Frequency - division data processing in wavelet transform also brings quite good high resolution data, but it needs more time than deconvolution method does. On the basis of frequency - division processing method in wavelet domain, a new technique is put forward, which involves 1) designing filter operators equivalent to deconvolution operator in time and frequency domains in wavelet transform, 2) obtaining derivative wavelet function that is suitable to high - resolution seismic data processing, and 3) processing high resolution seismic data by deconvolution method in time domain. In the method of producing some instantaneous characteristic signals by using Hilbert transform, Hilbert transform is very sensitive to high - frequency random noise. As a result, even though there exist weak high - frequency noises in seismic signals, the obtained instantaneous characteristics of seismic signals may be still submerged by the noises. One method for having instantaneous characteristics of seismic signals in wavelet domain is put forward, which obtains directly the instantaneous characteristics of seismic signals by taking the characteristics of both the real part (real signals, namely seismic signals) and the imaginary part (the Hilbert transfom of real signals) of wavelet transform. The method has the functions of frequency division and noise removal. What is more, the weak wave whose frequency is lower than that of high - frequency random noise is retained in the obtained instantaneous characteristics of seismic signals, and the weak wave may be seen in instantaneous characteristic sections (such as instantaneous frequency, instantaneous phase and instantaneous amplitude). Impedance inversion is one of tools in the description of oil reservoir. one of methods in impedance inversion is Generalized Linear Inversion. This method has higher precision of inversion. But, this method is sensitive to noise of seismic data, so that error results are got. The description of oil reservoir in researching important geological layer, in order to give prominence to geological characteristics of the important layer, not only high frequency impedance to research thin sand layer, but other frequency impedance are needed. It is difficult for some impedance inversion method to realize the goal. Wavelet transform is very good in denoising and processing in frequency division. Therefore, in the paper, a method of impedance inversion is put forward based on wavelet transform, that is impedance inversion in frequency division from wavelet transform and reconstruction. in this paper, based on wavelet transform, methods of time - frequency analysis is given. Fanally, methods above are in application on real oil field - Sansan oil field.

15N NMR relaxation data reveal significant chemical exchange broadening in the alpha-domain of human α-lactalbumin

Human alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-LA), a 123-residue calcium-binding protein, has been studied using (15)N NMR relaxation methods in order to characterize backbone dynamics of the native state at the level of individual residues. Relaxation data were collected at three magnetic field strengths and analyzed using the model-free formalism of Lipari and Szabo. The order parameters derived from this analysis are generally high, indicating a rigid backbone. A total of 46 residues required an exchange contribution to T(2); 43 of these residues are located in the alpha-domain of the protein. The largest exchange contributions are observed in the A-, B-, D-, and C-terminal 3(10)-helices of the alpha-domain; these residues have been shown previously to form a highly stable core in the alpha-LA molten globule. The observed exchange broadening, along with previous hydrogen/deuterium amide exchange data, suggests that this part of the alpha-domain may undergo a local structural transition between the well-ordered native structure and a less-ordered molten-globule-like structure.

Optimisation of source/drain extension region profile for suppression of short channel effects in sub-50 nm DG SOI MOSFETs with high- k gate dielectrics

Novel technology dependent scaling parameters i.e. spacer to gradient ratio and effective channel length (Leff) are proposed for source/drain engineered DG MOSFET, and their significance in minimizing short channel effects (SCES) in high-k gate dielectrics is discussed in detail. Results show that a high-k dielectric should be associated with a higher spacer to gradient ratio to minimise SCEs The analytical model agrees with simulated data over the entire range of spacer widths, doping gradients, high-k gate dielectrics and effective channel lengths.

Detection of Entanglement in Ultracold Lattice Gases

Probing non trivial magnetic ordering in quantum magnets realized with ultracold lattice gases demands detection methods with some spatial resolution built on it. Here we demonstrate that the Faraday matter-light interface provides an experimentally feasible tool to distinguish indubitably different quantum phases of a given many-body system in a non-demolishing way. We illustrate our approach by focussing on the Heisenberg chain for spin-1 bosons in the presence of a SU(2) symmetry breaking field. We explain how using the light signal obtained via homodyne detection one can reconstruct the phase diagram of the model. Further we show that the very same technique that provides a direct experimentally measurable signal of different order parameters can be extended to detect also the presence of multipartite entanglement in such systems.

Magnetic switching of ferroelectric domains at room temperature in multiferroic PZTFT

Single-phase magnetoelectric multiferroics are ferroelectric materials that display some form of magnetism. In addition, magnetic and ferroelectric order parameters are not independent of one another. Thus, the application of either an electric or magnetic field simultaneously alters both the electrical dipole configuration and the magnetic state of the material. The technological possibilities that could arise from magnetoelectric multiferroics are considerable and a range of functional devices has already been envisioned. Realising these devices, however, requires coupling effects to be significant and to occur at room temperature. Although such characteristics can be created in piezoelectric-magnetostrictive composites, to date they have only been weakly evident in single-phase multiferroics. Here in a newly discovered room temperature multiferroic, we demonstrate significant room temperature coupling by monitoring changes in ferroelectric domain patterns induced by magnetic fields. An order of magnitude estimate of the effective coupling coefficient suggests a value of ~1 × 10-7 sm-1.

Studies of the Room-Temperature Multiferroic Pb(Fe0.5Ta0.5)0.4(Zr0.53Ti0.47)0.6O3: Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy, Dielectric, and Magnetic Phenomena

Recently, lead iron tantalate/lead zirconium titanate (PZTFT) was demonstrated to possess large, but unreliable, magnetoelectric coupling at room temperature. Such large coupling would be desirable for device applications but reproducibility would also be critical. To better understand the coupling, the properties of all 3 ferroic order parameters, elastic, electric, and magnetic, believed to be present in the material across a range of temperatures, are investigated. In high temperature elastic data, an anomaly is observed at the orthorhombic mm2 to tetragonal 4mm transition, Tot = 475 K, and a softening trend is observed as the temperature is increased toward 1300 K, where the material is known to become cubic. Thermal degradation makes it impos- sible to measure elastic behavior up to this temperature, however. In the low temperature region, there are elastic anomalies near ≈40 K and in the range 160–245 K. The former is interpreted as being due to a magnetic ordering transition and the latter is interpreted as a hysteretic regime of mixed rhom- bohedral and orthorhombic structures. Electrical and magnetic data collected below room temperature show anomalies at remarkably similar temperature ranges to the elastic data. These observations are used to suggest that the three order parameters in PZTFT are strongly coupled.

Hierarchical energy management system for multi-source multi-product microgrids

This paper proposes a hierarchical energy management system for multi-source multi-product (MSMP) microgrids. Traditional energy hub based scheduling method is combined with a hierarchical control structure to incorporate transient characteristics of natural gas flow and dynamics of energy converters in microgrids. The hierarchical EMS includes a supervisory control layer, an optimizing control layer, and an execution control layer. In order to efficiently accommodate the systems multi time-scale characteristics, the optimizing control layer is decomposed into three sub-layers: slow, medium and fast. Thermal, gas and electrical management systems are integrated into the slow, medium, and fast control layer, respectively. Compared with wind energy, solar energy is easier to integrate and more suitable for the microgrid environment, therefore, potential impacts of the hierarchical EMS on MSMP microgrids is investigated based on a building energy system integrating photovoltaic and microturbines. Numerical studies indicate that by using a hierarchical EMS, MSMP microgrids can be economically operated. Also, interactions among thermal, gas, and electrical system can be effectively managed.

An uncertainty and sensitivity analysis applied to the prioritisation of pharmaceuticals as surface water contaminants from wastewater treatment plant direct emissions

In this study, the concentration probability distributions of 82 pharmaceutical compounds detected in the effluents of 179 European wastewater treatment plants were computed and inserted into a multimedia fate model. The comparative ecotoxicological impact of the direct emission of these compounds from wastewater treatment plants on freshwater ecosystems, based on a potentially affected fraction (PAF) of species approach, was assessed to rank compounds based on priority. As many pharmaceuticals are acids or bases, the multimedia fate model accounts for regressions to estimate pH-dependent fate parameters. An uncertainty analysis was performed by means of Monte Carlo analysis, which included the uncertainty of fate and ecotoxicity model input variables, as well as the spatial variability of landscape characteristics on the European continental scale. Several pharmaceutical compounds were identified as being of greatest concern, including 7 analgesics/anti-inflammatories, 3 β-blockers, 3 psychiatric drugs, and 1 each of 6 other therapeutic classes. The fate and impact modelling relied extensively on estimated data, given that most of these compounds have little or no experimental fate or ecotoxicity data available, as well as a limited reported occurrence in effluents. The contribution of estimated model input variables to the variance of freshwater ecotoxicity impact, as well as the lack of experimental abiotic degradation data for most compounds, helped in establishing priorities for further testing. Generally, the effluent concentration and the ecotoxicity effect factor were the model input variables with the most significant effect on the uncertainty of output results.

Asymmetric Little spin-Glass model

We study the static properties of the Little model with asymmetric couplings. We show that the thermodynamics of this model coincides with that of the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model, and we compute the main finite-size corrections to the difference of the free energy between these two models and to some clarifying order parameters. Our results agree with numerical simulations. Numerical results are presented for the symmetric Little model, which show that the same conclusions are also valid in this case.

Production of carbon nanotubes by PECVD and their applications to supercapacitors

Màster en Nanociència i Nanotecnologia