Enhancement of electroluminescence in p-i-n structures with nano-crystalline Si/SiO2 multilayers

Nano-crystalline Si/SiO2 multilayers were prepared by alternately changing the ultra-thin amorphous Si film deposition and the in situ plasma oxidation process followed by the post-annealing treatments. Well-defined periodic structures can be achieved with 2.5 nm thick SiO2 sublayers. It is shown that the size of formed nano-crystalline Si is about 3 nm. Room temperature electroluminescence can be observed and the spectrum contains two luminescence bands located at 650 nm and 520 nm. In order to improve the hole injection probability, p-i-n structures containing a nanocrystalline Si/SiO2 luminescent layer were designed and fabricated on different p-type substrates. It is found that the turn-on voltage of p-i-n structures is obviously reduced and the luminescence intensity increases by 50 times. It is demonstrated that the use of a heavy-doped p-type substrate can increase the luminescence intensity more efficiently compared with the light-doped p-type substrate due to the enhanced hole injection.

Silicon nanopore array structure using porous anodic alumina

A free-standing, bidirectionally permeable and ultra-thin (500-1000 nm) porous anodic alumina membrane was fabricated using a two-step aluminium anodization process, which was then placed on top of a silicon film as an etching mask. The pattern was transferred to silicon using dry-etching technology, and the silicon nanopore array structure was formed. The factors which afflct the pattern transfer process are discussed. Observation of the nanopatterned sample under a scanning electron microscope shows that the structure obtained by this method is made up of uniform and highly ordered holes, which attains to 125 nm depth. The photoluminescence spectrum from the nanopatterned sample,the surface of which has been thermal-oxidized, shows that the the luminesce is evidently enhanced, the mechanism of which is based on the normally weak TO phonon assisted bandgap light-emission process, and the physical reasons that underlic the enhancement have been analyzed. The PL results do show an attractive optical characteristic, which provides a promising pathway to achieve efficient light emission from silicon.

A full spd tight-binding treatment for electronic bands of graphitic tubes

A tight-binding (TB) treatment with the inclusion of d orbitals is applied to the electronic structures of graphitic tubes. The results show that the high angular moment bases in TB scheme are necessary to account the severe curvature effect in ultra-thin single wall carbon nanotubes, especially for properly reproducing the band edge overlap behavior in (5, 0) tube, predicted by the existing ab initio calculations. In the large diameter limit, the participation of two synnmetry-allowed d bases provides a natural replication to the recent measured electronic dispersions of valence band of graphene when the strong anisotropy due to the two-dimensional planar hexagonal sheet structure is dealt with properly. In addition, the detailed relation between the two sets of quantum numbers of screw symmetry and that of zone folding is formulated in appendix. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of cross-hatch grid morphology and its effect on ordering growth of quantum dots

We investigate the development of cross-hatch grid surface morphology in growing mismatched layers and its effect on ordering growth of quantum dots (QDs). For a 60degrees dislocation (MD), the effective part in strain relaxation is the part with the Burgers vector parallel to the film/substrate interface within its b(edge) component; so the surface stress over a MD is asymmetric. When the strained layer is relatively thin, the surface morphology is cross-hatch grid with asymmetric ridges and valleys. When the strained layer is relatively thick, the ridges become nearly symmetrical, and the dislocations and the ridges inclined-aligned. In the following growth of InAs, QDs prefer to nucleate on top of the ridges. By selecting ultra-thin In0.15Ga0.85As layer (50nm) and controlling the QDs layer at just formed QDs, we obtained ordered InAs QDs. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nano-layer structure of silicon-on-insulator materials

Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) has been recognized as a promising semiconductor starting material for ICs where high speed and low power consumption are desirable, in addition to its unique applications in radiation-hardened circuits. In the present paper, three novel SOI nano-layer structures have been demonstrated. ULTRA-THIN SOI has been fabricated by separation by implantation of oxygen (SIMOX) technique at low oxygen ion energy of 45 keV and implantation dosage of 1.81017/cm2. The formed SOI layer is uniform with thickness of only 60 nm. This layer is of crystalline quality. and the interface between this layer and the buried oxide layer is very sharp, PATTERNED SOI nanostructure is illustrated by source and drain on insulator (DSOI) MOSFETs. The DSOI structure has been formed by selective oxygen ion implantation in SIMOX process. With the patterned SOI technology, the floating-body effect and self-heating effect, which occur in the conventional SOI devices, are significantly suppressed. In order to improve the total-dose irradiation hardness of SOI devices, SILICON ON INSULATING MULTILAYERS (SOIM) nano-structure is proposed. The buried insulating multilayers, which are composed of SiOx and SiNy layers, have been realized by implantation of nitride and oxygen ions into silicon in turn at different ion energies, followed by two steps of high temperature annealing process, respectively, Electric property investigation shows that the hardness to the total-dose irradiation of SOIM is remarkably superior to those of the conventional SIMOX SOI and the Bond-and-Etch-Back SOI.

Photonic switch and NOT logic gate based on the hybrid integration of a GaAsVCSEL and a GaAs MISS

The hybrid integrated photonic switch and not logic gate based on the integration of a GaAs VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers) and a MISS (Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Switches) device are reported. The GaAs VCSEL is fabricated by selective etching and selective oxidation. The Ultra-Thin semi-Insulating layer (UTI) of the GaAs MISS is formed by using oxidation of A1As that is grown by MBE. The accurate control of UTI and the processing compatibility between VCSEL and MISS are solved by this procedure. Ifa VCSEL is connected in series with a MISS, the integrated device can be used as a photonic switch, or a light amplifier. A low switching power (10 mu W) and a good on-off ratio (17 dB contrast) have been achieved. If they are connected in parallel, they perform a photonic NOT gate operation.

Investigation on a pressure-gradient fiber laser hydrophone

In this paper, a pressure-gradient fiber laser hydrophone is demonstrated. Two brass diaphragms are installed at the end of a metal cylinder as sensing elements. A distributed feedback fiber laser, fixed at the center of the two diaphragms, is elongated or shortened due to the acoustic wave. There are two orifices at the middle of the cylinder. So this structure can work as a pressure-gradient microphone in the acoustic field. Furthermore, the hydrostatic pressure is self-compensated and an ultra-thin dimension is achieved. Theoretical analysis is given based on the electro-acoustic theory. Field trials are carried out to test the performance of the hydrophone. A sensitivity of 100 nm MPa-1 has been achieved. Due to the small dimensions, no directivity is found in the test.

层层组装制备低介电常数超薄膜

低介电常数材料可作为微电子器件的层间或是导线间的绝缘材料，以提高微电子芯片的信号传输速率。在聚合物材料中引入氟元素或引入空洞可以有效降低聚合物材料介电常数。本文利用层层组装的方法在聚合物中引入空洞以降低聚合物材料的介电常数。这样，不仅能够获得低介电常数材料，而且可以得到超薄膜，对于降低电子元件的尺寸、提高芯片的信号传输速率具有实际的应用价值。 对具有笼状结构的八苯代聚倍半硅氧烷（OPS）采取先用发烟硝酸硝化为带有硝基的产物ONPS，然后再以水合肼作为还原剂将硝基还原为胺基的两步反应方法，制得了带有胺基的聚倍半硅氧烷（OAPS）。用NMR、FTIR方法对合成过程从原料、中间产物、及目标产物进行跟踪分析证明反应结束后，OAPS仍然具有完整的笼状结构，并且胺基化很完全。另外，利用发烟硫酸作为磺化试剂，采用一步合成的方法制得了磺化OPS（SOPS）。经NMR、FTIR表征，确认了SOPS的结构，磺酸基是在苯环上Si的间位发生了取代。经XPS分析得知，OPS上约有91％的苯环参与了磺化反应。在合适的条件下SOPS与OAPS都可以溶于水，分别带有负电荷与正电荷。 然后，利用合成的SOPS与聚丙烯胺(PAH)进行组装。当PAH溶液的pH值小于7.5时，SOPS在PAH溶液中产生脱落现象。通过调节PAH溶液的pH值，可以控制SOPS在PAH溶液中的脱落现象。当PAH溶液的pH值为9.0时，SOPS在PAH溶液中不再脱落。紫外数据表明，尽管组装过程中SOPS在PAH溶液中会有部分脱落，但这并不影响SOPS/PAH复合多层膜的组装。当溶液的pH为3.0时，OAPS溶于水中并带有正电荷。带有负电荷的聚对苯乙烯磺酸钠（PSS）、聚丙烯酸（PAcA）分别与带有正电荷的OAPS实现层层组装。经过QCM、Contact Angle、XPS、UV等方法表征，证明OAPS/PSS与OAPS/PAcA复合多层膜组装过程中生长均匀，并且多层膜厚度可控。用椭圆偏振的方法测得OAPS/PAcA多层膜的折光指数，运用Maxwell方程将其转化为介电常数为2.01，较纯聚丙烯酸的介电常数（2.56）有明显的降低。加热处理OAPS/PAcA多层膜，红外（FTIR）光谱数据显示OAPS与PAcA间发生了交联反应，形成新的酰胺键。紫外可见（UV-Vis）光谱数据也表明，加热后的OAPS/PAcA多层膜在强酸性溶液中的稳定性较加热前的样品有极大的提高。 合成了聚酰胺酸，并将其制成可溶于水的聚酰胺酸三乙胺盐（PAAs）。调节PAAs溶液的pH值为7.5，使之带有负电荷，可以与带有正电荷的OctaAmmonium（OA-POSS）纳米粒子进行组装。QCM数据显示，当OA-POSS的pH为4.5时，PAAs与OA-POSS的组装量相当，组装量比较大。UV-Vis、XPS数据表明，OA-POSS与PAAs可以实现层层组装，并且组装均匀，可控。加热交联后，PAAs能够很容易地转化为聚酰亚胺（PI）。 调节溶液的pH值，使豇豆花叶病毒（CPMV）表面带有负电。以聚阳离子的聚二烯丙基二甲基胺盐酸盐（PDDA）和聚丙烯胺（PAH）作为插层材料可以实现PAAs与CPMV的层层组装，制得复合多层膜[PDDA/CPMV+(PDDA/PAAs)m]n和[PAH/CPMV+(PAH/PAAs)m]n。QCM、UV-Vis数据表明，多层组装膜的厚度可以通过改变[PAH/CPMV+(PAH/PAAs)m]或[PDDA/CPMV+(PDDA/PAAs)m]的组装循环层数进行调节。而且，薄膜中CPMV与PAAs的比例也可以通过改变（PAH/PAAs）或（PDDA/PAAs）的循环个数进行调节。得到组装多层膜后，将其进行加热处理。FTIR数据显示，以PAH、PDDA作为插层所制备得到的CPMV/PAAs复合多层膜经过加热处理后，PAAs向PI的转化非常完全。用椭圆偏振的方法测试加热交联前后的多层膜样品[PAH/CPMV+(PAH/PAAs)m]n的厚度及折光指数，可以得知，加热处理后，薄膜的厚度稍有降低。将折光指数用Maxwell方程转化为介电常数为2.32，这一数值比纯聚酰亚胺的介电常数值（3.40）降低很多，归因于聚酰亚胺中引入带有空洞结构的CPMV，使聚酰亚胺的密度降低，从而降低材料的介电常数。

Design and fabrication of GaAs OMIST photodetector

We designed and fabricated GaAs OMIST (Optical-controlled Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Thyristor) device. Using oxidation of A1As layer that is grown by MBE form the Ultra-Thin semi-Insulating layer (UTI) of the GAAS OMIST. The accurate control and formation of high quality semi-insulating layer (AlxOy) are the key processes for fabricating GaAs OMIST. The device exhibits a current-controlled negative resistance region in its I-V characteristics. When illuminated, the major effect of optical excitation is the reduction of the switching voltage. If the GaAs OMIST device is biased at a voltage below its dark switching voltage V-s, sufficient incident light can switch OMIST from high impedance low current"off"state to low impedance high current "on"state. The absorbing material of OMIST is GaAs, so if the wavelength of incident light within 600 similar to 850nm can be detected effectively. It is suitable to be used as photodetector for digital optical data process. The other attractive features of GaAs OMIST device include suitable conducted current, switching voltage and power levels for OEIC, high switch speed and high sensitivity to light or current injection.

Nano-layer structure of silicon-on-insulator materials

Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) has been recognized as a promising semiconductor starting material for ICs where high speed and low power consumption are desirable, in addition to its unique applications in radiation-hardened circuits. In the present paper, three novel SOI nano-layer structures have been demonstrated. ULTRA-THIN SOI has been fabricated by separation by implantation of oxygen (SIMOX) technique at low oxygen ion energy of 45 keV and implantation dosage of 1.81017/cm2. The formed SOI layer is uniform with thickness of only 60 nm. This layer is of crystalline quality. and the interface between this layer and the buried oxide layer is very sharp, PATTERNED SOI nanostructure is illustrated by source and drain on insulator (DSOI) MOSFETs. The DSOI structure has been formed by selective oxygen ion implantation in SIMOX process. With the patterned SOI technology, the floating-body effect and self-heating effect, which occur in the conventional SOI devices, are significantly suppressed. In order to improve the total-dose irradiation hardness of SOI devices, SILICON ON INSULATING MULTILAYERS (SOIM) nano-structure is proposed. The buried insulating multilayers, which are composed of SiOx and SiNy layers, have been realized by implantation of nitride and oxygen ions into silicon in turn at different ion energies, followed by two steps of high temperature annealing process, respectively, Electric property investigation shows that the hardness to the total-dose irradiation of SOIM is remarkably superior to those of the conventional SIMOX SOI and the Bond-and-Etch-Back SOI.

Broadband short-range surface plasmon structures for absorption enhancement in organic photovoltaics

We theoretically demonstrate a polarization-independent nanopatterned ultra-thin metallic structure supporting short-range surface plasmon polariton (SRSPP) modes to improve the performance of organic solar cells. The physical mechanism and the mode distribution of the SRSPP excited in the cell device were analyzed, and reveal that the SRSPP-assisted broadband absorption enhancement peak could be tuned by tailoring the parameters of the nanopatterned metallic structure. Three-dimensional finite-difference time domain calculations show that this plasmonic structure can enhance the optical absorption of polymer-based photovoltaics by 39% to 112%, depending on the nature of the active layer (corresponding to an enhancement in short-circuit current density by 47% to 130%). These results are promising for the design of organic photovoltaics with enhanced performance.

Strain gradient theory based on a new framework of non-local model

A new framework of non-local model for the strain energy density is proposed in this paper. The global strain energy density of the representative volume element is treated as a non-local variable and can be obtained through a special integral of the local strain energy density. The local strain energy density is assumed to be dependent on both the strain and the rotation-gradient. As a result of the non-local model, a new strain gradient theory is derived directly, in which the first and second strain gradients, as well as the triadic and tetradic stress, are introduced in the context of work conjugate. For power law hardening materials, size effects in thin metallic wire torsion and ultra-thin cantilever beam bend are investigated. It is found that the result predicted by the theoretical model is well consistent with the experimental data for the thin wire torsion. On the other hand, the calculation result for the micro-cantilever beam bend clearly shows the size effect.

Quartz crystal microbalance study of the kinetics of surface initiated polymerization

Surface initiated polymerization (SIP) is a valuable tool in synthesizing functional polymer brushes, yet the kinetic understanding of SIP lags behind the development of its application. We apply quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) to address two issues that are not fully addressed yet play a central role in the rational design of functional polymer brushes, namely quantitative determination of the kinetics and the initiator efficiency (IE) of SIP. SIP are monitored online using QCM. Two quantitative frequency-thickness (f-T) relations make the direct determination and comparison of the rate of polymerization possible even for different monomers. Based on the bi-termination model, the kinetics of SIP is simply described by two variables, which are related to two polymerization constants, namely a = 1/(k (p,s,app)-[M][R center dot](0)) and b = k (t,s,app)/(k (p,s,app)[M]). Factors that could alter the kinetics of SIP are studied, including (i) the molecular weight of monomers, (ii) the solvent used, (iii) the initial density of the initiator, (iv) the concentration of monomer, [M], and (v) the catalyst system (ratio among the ingredients, metal, ligands, and additives). The dynamic nature of IE is also described by these two variables, IE = a/(a + bt). Instead of the molecular weight and the polydispersity, we suggest that film thickness, the two kinetic parameters (a and b), and the initial density of the initiator and IE be the parameters that characterize ultra-thin polymer brushes. Besides the kinetics study of SIP, the reported method has many other applications, for example, in the fast screening of catalyst system for SIP and other polymerization systems.

Improved electron injection in organic light-emitting devices with a lithium acetylacetonate [Li(acac)]/aluminium bilayer cathode

Lithium acetylacetonate [Li(acac)] covered with aluminium was used as an efficient electron injection layer in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) consisting of NPB as the hole transport layer and Alq(3) as the electron transport and light emitting layer, resulting in lower turn- on voltage and increased current efficiency. The turn- on voltage (the voltage at a luminance of 1 cd m(-2)) was decreased from 5.5 V for the LiF/Al and 4.4 V for Ca/Al to 4.0 V for Li(acac)/Al, and the device current efficiency was enhanced from 4.71 and 5.2 to 7.0 cd A(-1). The performance tolerance to the layer thickness of Li(acac) is also better than that of the device with LiF. LiF can only be used when deposited as an ultra- thin layer because of its highly insulating nature, while the Li(acac) can be as thick as 5 nm without significantly affecting the EL performance. We suppose that the free lithium released from Li(acac) improves the electron injection when Li(acac) is covered with an Al cathode.

THE IMPEDANCE STUDY OF MODIFIED PEO POLYMER ELECTROLYTE

The ultra-thin modified PEO (polyethylene oxide)-LiClO4 polymer electrolyte film (50-mu-m) was obtained by solution-casting technique. Impedance spectra were taken on the cells consisting of above PEO film electrolyte and ion-blocking or nonblocking electrodes. The ambient conductivity as high as 1.33 X 10(-4)S cm-1 could be achieved for PEO electrolyte modified by the crosslinking. It was shown that the resistance at the interface between solid polymer electrolyte and lithium electrode is growing with increasing the storage time. At high temperature, as 96-degrees-C, the ionic transport is clearly controlled by diffusion.