Regulating the dopant clustering in LiZnAs-based diluted magnetic semiconductor

Tuning of the magnetic interaction plays the vital role in reducing the clustering of magnetic dopant in diluted magnetic semiconductors(DMS).Due to the not well understood magnetic mechanism and the interplay between different magnetic mechanisms,no efficient and universal tuning strategy is proposed at present.Here,the magnetic interactions and formation energies of isovalent-doped(Mn) and aliovalent(Cr)-doped LiZnAs are studied based on density functional theory(DFT).It is found that the dopant–dopant distance-dependent magnetic interaction is highly sensitive to the carrier concentration and carrier type and can only be explained by the interplay between two magnetic mechanisms,i.e.,superexchange and Zener’s p–d exchange model.Thus,the magnetic behavior and clustering of magnetic dopant can be tuned by the interplay between two magnetic mechanisms.The insensitivity of the tuning effect to U parameter suggests that our strategy could be universal to other DMS.

Growth process,defects,and dopants of bulk β-Ga_(2)O_(3) semiconductor single crystals

β-gallium oxide(β-Ga2O3),as the typical representative of the fourth generation of semiconductors,has attracted increasing attention owing to its ultra-wide bandgap,superior optical properties,and excellent tolerance to high temperature and radiation.Compared to the single crystals of other semiconductors,high-quality and large-size β-Ga_(2)O_(3) single crystals can be grown with low-cost melting methods,making them highly competitive.In this review,the growth process,defects,and dopants ofβ-Ga_(2)O_(3) are primarily discussed.Firstly,the growth process(e.g.,decomposition,crucible corrosion,spiral growth,and development)ofβ-Ga_(2)O_(3) single crystals are summarized and compared in detail.Then,the defects of β-Ga_(2)O_(3) single crystals and the influence of defects on Schottky barrier diode(SBD)devices are emphatically discussed.Besides,the influences of impurities and intrinsic defects on the electronic and optical properties ofβ-Ga_(2)O_(3) are also briefly discussed.Concluding this comprehensive analysis,the article offers a concise summary of the current state,challenges and prospects ofβ-Ga_(2)O_(3) single crystals.

A review of Al-based material dopants for high-performance solid state lithium metal batteries

As the world transitions to green energy, there is a growing focus among many researchers on the requirement for high-efficient and safe batteries. Solid-state lithium metal batteries(SSLMBs) have emerged as a promising alternative to traditional liquid lithium-ion batteries(LIBs), offering higher energy density, enhanced safety, and longer lifespan. The rise of SSLMBs has brought about a transformation in energy storage, with aluminum(Al)-based material dopants playing a crucial role in advancing the next generation of batteries. The review highlights the significance of Al-based material dopants in SSLMBs applications, particularly its contributions to solid-state electrolytes(SSEs), cathodes, anodes,and other components of SSLMBs. Some studies have also shown that Al-based material dopants effectively enhance SSE ion conductivity, stabilize electrode and SSE interfaces, and suppress lithium dendrite growth, thereby enhancing the electrochemical performance of SSLMBs. Despite the above mentioned progresses, there are still problems and challenges need to be addressed. The review offers a comprehensive insight into the important role of Al in SSLMBs and addresses some of the issues related to its applications, endowing valuable support for the practical implementation of SSLMBs.

Heteroatom dopant strategy triggered high-potential plateau to non-graphitized carbon with highly disordered microstructure for high-performance sodium ion storage

Non-graphitized carbon(NGC)has been extensively utilized as carbonaceous anode in sodium-ion batteries(SIBs).However,more optimization to achieve competitive capacity and stability is still challenging for SIBs.In the study,the dopant strategy is utilized to construct nitrogen/sulfur-doped non-graphitized carbon(N-NGC or S-NGC)shell decorated on three-dimensional graphene foam(GF)as a self-support electrode.The highly disordered microstructures of heteroatom doped carbons are produced by applying a low-temperature pyrolysis treatment to precursors containing nitrogen and sulfur.The DFT calculations of Na-ion adsorption energies at diverse heteroatom sites show marginal-S,pyrrolic N and pyridinic N with more intensive Na-ion adsorption ability than middle-S,C=O and pristine carbon.The N-NGC with dominant small graphitic regions delivers adsorption ability to Na-ion,while the S-NGC with significant single carbon lattice stripes demonstrates redox reaction with Na-ion.Evidently,in comparison with only adsorption-driven slope regions at high potential for N-NGC,the redox reaction-generated potentialplateau enables non-graphitized S-NGC superior discharge/charge capacity and cycle-stability in the slope region.This work could provide deep insight into the rational design of non-graphitized carbon with rich microstructure and composition.

Influences of anionic and cationic dopants on the morphology and optical properties of PbS nanostructures

Selenium and zinc are used as anionic and cationic dopant elements to dope PbS nanostructures. The undoped and doped PbS nanostructures are grown using a thermal evaporation method. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） results show similar morphologies for the undoped and doped PbS nanostructures. X-ray diffraction （XRD） patterns of three sets of the nanostructures indicate that these nanostructures each have a PbS structure with a cubic phase. Evidence of dopant incorporation is demonstrated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）. Raman spectra of the synthesized samples con- firm the XRD results and indicate five Raman active modes, which relate to the PbS cubic phase for all the nanostructures. Room temperature photoluminescence （PL） and UV-Vis spectrometers are used to study optical properties of the undoped and doped PbS nanostructures. Optical characterization shows that emission and absorption peaks are in the infrared （IR） region of the electromagnetic spectrum for all PbS nanostructures. In addition, the optical studies of the doped PbS nanos- tructures reveal that the band gap of the Se-doped PbS is smaller, and the band gap of the Zn-doped PbS is bigger than the band gap of the undoped PbS nanostructures.

Substituted Molecular <i>p</i>-Dopants: A Theoretical Study

Conductivity dopants with processing properties suitable for industrial applications are of importance to the organic electronics field. However, the number of commercially available organic molecular dopants is limited. The electron acceptor 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8,-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4-TCNQ) is the most utilized P-dopant;however, it has high volatility and a poor sticking coefficient, which makes it difficult to control doping levels and prevent vacuum system contamination. A design concept for P-type molecular dopants based on the TCNQ core which are substituted to improve processing properties without sacrificing the electronic properties necessary is presented. The correlation between the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy and the position of substitution as well as the choice of linker is evaluated. The position of substitution as well as the choice of linker has a significant effect on the electronic properties. However, the geometry of the substituted molecules was not significantly distorted from that of the parent F4-TCNQ, and the electron density was delocalized on the TCNQ core. We also put forward four possible molecular dopants with suitable energy levels.

Effect of Sb dopant amount on the structure and electrocatalytic capability of Ti/Sb-SnO_2 electrodes in the oxidation of 4-chlorophenol

Ti/Sb-SnO2 anodes were prepared by thermal decomposition to examine the influence of the amount of Sb dopant on the structure and electrocatalytic capability of the electrodes in the oxidation of 4-chlorophenol. The physicochemical properties of the Sb-SnO2 coating were markedly influenced by different amounts of Sb dopant. The electrodes, which contained 5% Sb dopant in the coating, presented a much more homogenous surface and much smaller mud-cracks, compared with Ti/Sb-SnO2 electrodes containing 10% or 15% Sb dopant, which exibited larger mud cracks and pores on the surface. However, the main microstructure remained unchanged with the addition of the Sb dopant. No new crystal phase was observed by X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The electrochemical oxidation of 4-chlorophenol on the Ti/SnO2 electrode with 5% Sb dopant was inclined to electrochemical combustion; while for those containing more Sb dopant, intermediate species were accumulated. The electrodes with 5% Sb dopant showed the highest efficiency in the bulk electrolysis of 4-chlorophenol at a current density of 20 mA/cm^2 for 180 min; and the removal rates of 4-chlorophenol and COD were 51.0% and 48.9%, respectively.

DASP: Defect and Dopant ab-initio Simulation Package

In order to perform automated calculations of defect and dopant properties in semiconductors and insulators, we developed a software package, the Defect and Dopant ab-initio Simulation Package(DASP), which is composed of four modules for calculating:(ⅰ) elemental chemical potentials,(ⅱ) defect(dopant) formation energies and charge-state transition levels,(ⅲ) defect and carrier densities and(ⅳ) carrier dynamics properties of high-density defects. DASP uses the materials genome database for quick determination of competing secondary phases when calculating the elemental chemical potential that stabilizes compound semiconductors. DASP calls the ab-initio software to perform the total energy, structural relaxation and electronic structure calculations of the defect supercells with different charge states, based on which the defect formation energies and charge-state transition levels are calculated. Then DASP can calculate the equilibrium densities of defects and electron and hole carriers as well as the Fermi level in semiconductors under different chemical potential conditions and growth/working temperature. For high-density defects, DASP can calculate the carrier dynamics properties such as the photoluminescence(PL) spectrum and carrier capture cross sections which can interpret the deep level transient spectroscopy(DLTS). Here we will show three application examples of DASP in studying the undoped GaN, C-doped GaN and quasi-one-dimensional SbSeI.

The conductive mechanisms of a titanium oxide memristor with dopant drift and a tunnel barrier

Nano-scale titanium oxide memristors exhibit complex conductive characteristics, which have already been proved by existing research. One possible reason for this is that more than one mechanism exists, and together they codetermine the conductive behaviors of the memristor. In this paper, we first analyze the theoretical base and conductive process of a memristor, and then propose a compatible circuit model to discuss and simulate the coexistence of the dopant drift and tunnel barrier-based mechanisms. Simulation results are given and compared with the published experimental data to prove the possibility of the coexistence. This work provides a practical model and some suggestions for studying the conductive mechanisms of memristors.

P2 asymmetry of Au's M-band flux and its smoothing effect due to high-Z ablator dopants

X-ray drive asymmetry is one of the main seeds of low-mode implosion asymmetry that blocks further improvement of the nuclear per-formance of“high-foot”experiments on the National Ignition Facility[Miller et al.,Nucl.Fusion 44,S228(2004)].More particularly,the P2 asymmetry of Au's M-band flux can also severely influence the implosion performance of ignition capsules[Li et al.,Phys.Plasmas 23,072705(2016)].Here we study the smoothing effect of mid-and/or high-Z dopants in ablator on Au's M-band flux asymmetries,by modeling and comparing the implosion processes of a Ge-doped ignition capsule and a Si-doped one driven by X-ray sources with P2 M-band flux asymmetry.As the results,(1)mid-or high-Z dopants absorb hard X-rays(M-band flux)and re-emit isotropically,which helps to smooth the asymmetric M-band flux arriving at the ablation front,therefore reducing the P2 asymmetries of the imploding shell and hot spot;(2)the smoothing effect of Ge-dopant is more remarkable than Si-dopant because its opacity in Au's M-band is higher than the latter's;and(3)placing the doped layer at a larger radius in ablator is more efficient.Applying this effect may not be a main measure to reduce the low-mode implosion asymmetry,but might be of significance in some critical situations such as inertial confinement fusion(ICF)experiments very near the performance cliffs of asymmetric X-ray drives.

Effect of Some Metal Ion Dopants on Electrochemical Properties of Ni(OH)_2 Film Electrode

The Ni(OH) 2 film electrodes doped respectively with alkali-earth metal aluminum, lead, partial transition metal and some rare-earth metal(altogether 17 kinds of metals) ions were prepared by cathode electrodeposition. The electrode reaction reversibility, the difficult extent of oxygen evolution, the proton diffusion coefficient, the discharge potential of middle value and the active material utilization of the Ni(OH) 2 film electrode were compared with those of the ones doped with the metal ions by means of cyclic voltammetry, potential step and constant current charge-discharge experiments. It was found that Ca 2+ , Co 2+ , Cd 2+ , Al 3+ etc. have obviously positive effect.

Dopant Implantation into the Silicon Substrate with Non-Planar Surface

The influence of technological process parameters (aiming angle and implantation energy) on the distributions of dopant concentrations in a silicon substrate is investigated by computer modeling.

Threshold Lowering and by Intensity and Efficiency Enhancement by Dopants in Polymer Emitting Diodes

A new method to increase the luminance and quantum efficiency of polymer light emitting diodes with a lower threshold voltage has been reported.The threshold voltagef luminajice and quantum efficiency have been significantly improved by doping certain dopants with a lower highest occupied molecular orbital(HOMO)level into the hole transporting layer.A high performance device has been achieved by addition of the perylene and tri ph enylamin e as a dopant into poly(N-vinylcarbazole).The luminance and quantum efficiency increase by 2-3 times in comparison with the undoped device,reaching 10000cd/m^(2) in luminance and 0.58%in quantum efficiency,while threshold voltage is reduced to one half va/ue.The energy diagram has been obtained by measuring the HOMO levels and band gap values.Based on this,the carriers injection and balance between electrons and holes as well as the action of dopant are discussed.

Ge Complementary Tunneling Field-Effect Transistors Featuring Dopant Segregated NiGe Source/Drain

Ge complementary tunneling field-effect transistors（TFETs） are fabricated with the NiGe metal source/drain（S/D） structure. The dopant segregation method is employed to form the NiGe/Ge tunneling junctions of sufficiently high Schottky barrier heights. As a result, the Ge p-and n-TFETs exhibit decent electrical properties of large ON-state current and steep sub-threshold slope（S factor）. Especially, I_d of 0.2 μA/μm is revealed at V_g-V_（th） = V_d = ±0.5 V for Ge pTFETs,with the S factor of 28 mV/dec at 7 K.

DDQ as an effective p-type dopant for the hole-transport material X1 and its application in stable solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

X1（Me O-TPD） is an inexpensive and easily synthesized π-conjugated molecule that has been used as a hole-transport material（HTM） in solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells（ssDSSCs）, achieving relatively high efficiency. In this paper, we characterize the physicochemical properties of 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone（DDQ） and show that it is a promising p-dopant in a spin-coating solution with X1 as the HTM. The doped ssDSSCs showed an increase in short-circuit current density from 5.38 mA cm-2 to7.39 mA cm-2, and their overall power conversion efficiency increased from 2.9% to 4.3%. Also, ssDSSCs with DDQ-doped X1 were more stable than the undoped samples, demonstrating that DDQ can act as a p-type dopant in X1 as an HTM for highly efficient, stable ssDSSCs.

Characterization of ZnO Based Varistor Derived from Nano ZnO Powders and Ultrafine Dopants

Nanosized ZnO powders were prepared with a two-step precipitation method. The average size of ZnO particles was about 80 nm and their size distribution was narrow. Combining with ultrafine additive powders, ZnO base varistor was produced via an oxide mixing route. ZnO varistor derived from normal reagent grade starting materials was investigated for comparison purpose. Outstanding microstructure of the ZnO varistor derived from nanosize ZnO powders and ultrafine dopants was obtained: uniform distribution of fine ZnO grains (less than 3 microns), grain boundary and the dopant position. Higher varistor voltage (U=492 V/mm) and nonlinear coefficient (α=56.2) as well as lower leakage current (TL=1.5 μuA) were achieved. The better electrical properties were attributed to the uniform microstructure, which in turn led to stable and uniform potential barriers. Also this improved technique is more feasible for producing ZnO nanopowders and resulting varistor in large scales.

Effects of Various Dopants on Solitons in Polyacetylene

The effects of various dopants on solitons in polyacetylene were studied by using CNDO/2 level semiempirical quantum chemical method. The width of solitons is reduced when dopant is present, and the charge density wave(CDW) is further gathered on the carbon atom in soliton center. The effects of p-type of dopants are greater than those of n-type of ones. The charge transfer in doped polyacetylene can be achieved by the propagation of CDW along the chain. The conductivity of doped polyacetylene is proportional to the quantity of charge transfer between dopant and polyacetylene chain.

Helical twisting properties of new chiral dopants with double (S)-1,2-propanediol units for nematic liquid crystals

A novel series of chiral dopants synthesized from(S)-1,2-propanediol and mesogenic carboxylic acids were characterized by FT-IR,~1H NMR,elemental analysis and their helical twisting properties were investigated by doping the chiral dopants into a nematic liquid crystal host(SLC-1717).The results show that,the helical pitch of N~*-LC mixture exhibited a terminal alkyl chain length dependence and the molecular twisting power β also exhibited a temperature dependence(increasing β with increasing temperature).

High-performance germanium n+/p junction by nickel-induced dopant activation of implanted phosphorus at low temperature

High-performance Ge n~＋/p junctions were fabricated at a low formation temperature from 325℃ to 400℃ with a metal（nickel）-induced dopant activation technique. The obtained Ni Ge electroded Ge n＋/p junction has a rectification ratio of 5.6×10~4 and a forward current of 387 A/cm^2at -1 V bias. The Ni-based metal-induced dopant activation technique is expected to meet the requirement of the shallow junction of Ge MOSFET.

Synthesis and helical twisting property of polymerizable chiral dopant with temperature-dependent solubility in liquid crystal

In this study, right-handed dicinnamate isosorbide was synthesized via the esterification reaction betweefi optically active isosorbide and cinnamate. The chiral dopant was characterized by FT-IR, ^1H NMR, elemental analysis, SEM, UV absorption spectrum. After dissolving in a nematic liquid crystal mixture, the chiral dopant exhibited a temperature-dependent solubility in the chiral nematic liquid crystal mixture. Meanwhile, a relatively high value of helical twisting power of the polymerizable chiral dopant was determined. The results show that the chiral dopant has great potential in achieving a polymer stabilized chiral nematic liquid crystal film with a broad-band selective reflection. C 2009 Huai Yang. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.