Heterojunction-engineered carrier transport in elevated-metal metal-oxide thin-film transistors

This study investigates the carrier transport of heterojunction channel in oxide semiconductor thin-film transistor(TFT)using the elevated-metal metal-oxide(EMMO)architecture and indium−zinc oxide(InZnO).The heterojunction band diagram of InZnO bilayer was modified by the cation composition to form the two-dimensional electron gas(2DEG)at the interface quantum well,as verified using a metal−insulator−semiconductor(MIS)device.Although the 2DEG indeed contributes to a higher mobility than the monolayer channel,the competition and cooperation between the gate field and the built-in field strongly affect such mobility-boosting effect,originating from the carrier inelastic collision at the heterojunction interface and the gate field-induced suppression of quantum well.Benefited from the proper energy-band engineering,a high mobility of 84.3 cm2·V^(−1)·s^(−1),a decent threshold voltage(V_(th))of−6.5 V,and a steep subthreshold swing(SS)of 0.29 V/dec were obtained in InZnO-based heterojunction TFT.

Indispensable gutter layers in thin-film composite membranes for carbon capture

Industrial thin-film composite(TFC)membranes achieve superior gas separation properties from high-performance selective layer materials,while the success of membrane technology relies on high-performance gutter layers to achieve production scalability and low-cost manufacturing.However,the current literature predominantly focuses on the design of polymer architectures to obtain high permeability and selectivity,while the art of fabricating gutter layers is usually safeguarded by industrial manufacturers and appears lackluster to academic researchers.This is the first report aiming to provide a comprehensive and critical review of state-of-the-art gutter layer materials and their design and modification to enable TFC membranes with superior separation performance.We first elucidate the importance of the gutter layer on membrane performance through modeling and experimental results.Then various gutter layer materials used to obtain high-performance composite membranes are critically reviewed,and the strategies to improve their compatibility with the selective layer are highlighted,such as oxygen plasma treatment,polydopamine deposition,and surface grafting.Finally,we present the opportunities of the gutter layer design for practical applications.

Implementation of sub-100 nm vertical channel-all-around(CAA) thin-film transistor using thermal atomic layer deposited IGZO channel

In-Ga-Zn-O(IGZO) channel based thin-film transistors(TFT), which exhibit high on-off current ratio and relatively high mobility, has been widely researched due to its back end of line(BEOL)-compatible potential for the next generation dynamic random access memory(DRAM) application. In this work, thermal atomic layer deposition(TALD) indium gallium zinc oxide(IGZO) technology was explored. It was found that the atomic composition and the physical properties of the IGZO films can be modulated by changing the sub-cycles number during atomic layer deposition(ALD) process. In addition, thin-film transistors(TFTs) with vertical channel-all-around(CAA) structure were realized to explore the influence of different IGZO films as channel layers on the performance of transistors. Our research demonstrates that TALD is crucial for high density integration technology, and the proposed vertical IGZO CAA-TFT provides a feasible path to break through the technical problems for the continuous scale of electronic equipment.

Numerical Study and Optimization of CZTS-Based Thin-Film Solar Cell Structure with Different Novel Buffer-Layer Materials Using SCAPS-1D Software

This study explored the performances of CZTS-based thin-film solar cell with three novel buffer layer materials ZnS, CdS, and CdZnS, as well as with variation in thickness of buffer and absorber-layer, doping concentrations of absorber-layer material and operating temperature. Our aims focused to identify the most optimal thin-film solar cell structure that offers high efficiency and lower toxicity which are desirable for sustainable and eco-friendly energy sources globally. SCAPS-1D, widely used software for modeling and simulating solar cells, has been used and solar cell fundamental performance parameters such as open-circuited voltage (), short-circuited current density (), fill-factor() and efficiency() have been optimized in this study. Based on our simulation results, it was found that CZTS solar cell with Cd0.4Zn0.6S as buffer-layer offers the most optimal combination of high efficiency and lower toxicity in comparison to other structure investigated in our study. Although the efficiency of Cd0.4Zn0.6S, ZnS and CdS are comparable, Cd0.4Zn0.6S is preferable to use as buffer-layer for its non-toxic property. In addition, evaluation of performance as a function of buffer-layer thickness for Cd0.4Zn0.6S, ZnS and CdS showed that optimum buffer-layer thickness for Cd0.4Zn0.6S was in the range from 50 to 150nm while ZnS offered only 50 – 75 nm. Furthermore, the temperature dependence performance parameters evaluation revealed that it is better to operate solar cell at temperature 290K for stable operation with optimum performances. This study would provide valuable insights into design and optimization of nanotechnology-based solar energy technology for minimizing global energy crisis and developing eco-friendly energy sources sustainable and simultaneously.

Numerical Analysis on the Effect of n-Si on Cu(In, Ga)Se2 Based Thin-Films for High-Performance Solar Cells by 1D-SCAPS

We report the performances of a chalcopyrite Cu(In, Ga)Se2 CIGS-based thin-film solar cell with a newly employed high conductive n-Si layer. The data analysis was performed with the help of the 1D-Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator (1D-SCAPS) software program. The new device structure is based on the CIGS layer as the absorber layer, n-Si as the high conductive layer, i-In2S3, and i-ZnO as the buffer and window layers, respectively. The optimum CIGS bandgap was determined first and used to simulate and analyze the cell performance throughout the experiment. This analysis revealed that the absorber layer’s optimum bandgap value has to be 1.4 eV to achieve maximum efficiency of 22.57%. Subsequently, output solar cell parameters were analyzed as a function of CIGS layer thickness, defect density, and the operating temperature with an optimized n-Si layer. The newly modeled device has a p-CIGS/n-Si/In2S3/Al-ZnO structure. The main objective was to improve the overall cell performance while optimizing the thickness of absorber layers, defect density, bandgap, and operating temperature with the newly employed optimized n-Si layer. The increase of absorber layer thickness from 0.2 - 2 µm showed an upward trend in the cell’s performance, while the increase of defect density and operating temperature showed a downward trend in solar cell performance. This study illustrates that the proposed cell structure shows higher cell performances and can be fabricated on the lab-scale and industrial levels.

All-Solid-State Thin-Film Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Lithium-sulfur(Li-S)system coupled with thin-film solid electrolyte as a novel high-energy micro-battery has enormous potential for complementing embedded energy harvesters to enable the autonomy of the Internet of Things microdevice.However,the volatility in high vacuum and intrinsic sluggish kinetics of S hinder researchers from empirically integrating it into allsolid-state thin-film batteries,leading to inexperience in fabricating all-solid-state thin-film Li-S batteries(TFLSBs).Herein,for the first time,TFLSBs have been successfully constructed by stacking vertical graphene nanosheets-Li2S(VGsLi2S)composite thin-film cathode,lithium-phosphorous-oxynitride(LiPON)thin-film solid electrolyte,and Li metal anode.Fundamentally eliminating Lipolysulfide shuttle effect and maintaining a stable VGs-Li2S/LiPON interface upon prolonged cycles have been well identified by employing the solid-state Li-S system with an“unlimited Li”reservoir,which exhibits excellent longterm cycling stability with a capacity retention of 81%for 3,000 cycles,and an exceptional high temperature tolerance up to 60℃.More impressively,VGs-Li2S-based TFLSBs with evaporated-Li thin-film anode also demonstrate outstanding cycling performance over 500 cycles with a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.71%.Collectively,this study presents a new development strategy for secure and high-performance rechargeable all-solid-state thin-film batteries.

Advanced Thermopile IR Dual Line Sensor for Smart Home

This article presents all steps between the advanced design and the production of CMOS compatible thermoelectric effect infrared sensors dedicated to smart home applications. It will start by making a comparison between thermopile, bolometer and pyroelectric technologies. Although sensitivity performances available with bolometers appear to be better at first sight, it is found that thermopiles have non-negligible advantages that make them more suitable for this application field. Then the different steps necessary for the design will be described, starting from the thermoelectric model of the sensor (temperature gradient, electrical sensitivity, etc.) and considering all steps up to technological manufacturing in a clean room. The results obtained on the structures produced on a specific computer-controlled measurement bench (temperature regulation with an onboard preamplification card) will be presented. Finally, the results prove that the square structures have better performances (S = 82 V/W and NETD = 208 mK).

Stability of high-salinity-enhanced foam:Surface behavior and thin-film drainage

Cocamidopropyl hydroxyl sulfobetaine(CHSB)is one of the most promising foaming agents for high-salinity reservoirs because the salt in place facilitates its foam stability,even with salinity as high as 2×10^(5)mg/L.However,the synergistic effects between CHSB and salt have not been fully understood.This study utilized bulk foam tests and thin-film interferometry to comprehensively investigate the macroscopic and microscopic decay processes of CHSB foams with NaCl concentrations ranging from 2.3×10^(4)to 2.1×10^(5)mg/L.We focused on the dilatational viscoelasticity and dynamic thin-film thickness to elucidate the high-salinity-enhanced foam stability.The increase in dilatational viscoelasticity and supramolecular oscillating structural force(Π_(OS))with salinity dominated the superior stability of CHSB foam.With increasing salinity,more CHSB molecules accumulated on the surface with a lower diffusion rate,leading to high dilatational moduli and surface elasticity,thus decelerating coarsening and coalescence.Meanwhile,the number density of micelles in the thin film increased with salinity,resulting in increasedΠOS.Consequently,the energy barrier for stepwise thinning intensified,and the thin-film drainage slowed.This work conduces to understand the mechanisms behind the pronounced stability of betaine foam and can promote the widespread application of foam in harsh reservoirs.

Low-temperature metal–oxide thin-film transistor technologies for implementing flexible electronic circuits and systems

Here we review two 300℃metal–oxide(MO)thin-film transistor(TFT)technologies for the implementation of flexible electronic circuits and systems.Fluorination-enhanced TFTs for suppressing the variation and shift of turn-on voltage(VON),and dual-gate TFTs for acquiring sensor signals and modulating VON have been deployed to improve the robustness and performance of the systems in which they are deployed.Digital circuit building blocks based on fluorinated TFTs have been designed,fabricated,and characterized,which demonstrate the utility of the proposed low-temperature TFT technologies for implementing flexible electronic systems.The construction and characterization of an analog front-end system for the acquisition of bio-potential signals and an active-matrix sensor array for the acquisition of tactile images have been reported recently.

Fluorination-mitigated high-current degradation of amorphous InGaZnO thin-film transistors

As growing applications demand higher driving currents of oxide semiconductor thin-film transistors(TFTs),severe instabilities and even hard breakdown under high-current stress(HCS)become critical challenges.In this work,the triggering voltage of HCS-induced self-heating(SH)degradation is defined in the output characteristics of amorphous indium-galliumzinc oxide(a-IGZO)TFTs,and used to quantitatively evaluate the thermal generation process of channel donor defects.The fluorinated a-IGZO(a-IGZO:F)was adopted to effectively retard the triggering of the self-heating(SH)effect,and was supposed to originate from the less population of initial deep-state defects and a slower rate of thermal defect transition in a-IGZO:F.The proposed scheme noticeably enhances the high-current applications of oxide TFTs.

Enhanced efficiency of the Sb_(2)Se_(3)thin-film solar cell by the anode passivation using an organic small molecular of TCTA

Antimony selenide(Sb_(2)Se_(3))is an emerging solar cell material.Here,we demonstrate that an organic small molecule of 4,4',4''-tris(carbazol-9-yl)-triphenylamine(TCTA)can efficiently passivate the anode interface of the Sb_(2)Se_(3)solar cell.We fabricated the device by the vacuum thermal evaporation,and took ITO/TCTA(3.0 nm)/Sb_(2)Se_(3)(50 nm)/C60(5.0 nm)/Alq3(3.0 nm)/Al as the device architecture,where Alq3 is the tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato)aluminum.By introducing a TCTA layer,the open-circuit voltage is raised from 0.36 to 0.42 V,and the power conversion efficiency is significantly improved from 3.2%to 4.3%.The TCTA layer not only inhibits the chemical reaction between the ITO and Sb_(2)Se_(3)during the annealing process but it also blocks the electron diffusion from Sb_(2)Se_(3)to ITO anode.The enhanced performance is mainly attributed to the suppression of the charge recombination at the anode interface.

High-performance amorphous In–Ga–Zn–O thin-film transistor nonvolatile memory with a novel p-SnO/n-SnO_(2) heterojunction charge trapping stack

Amorphous In–Ga–Zn–O(a-IGZO)thin-film transistor(TFT)memories with novel p-SnO/n-SnO_(2) heterojunction charge trapping stacks(CTSs)are investigated comparatively under a maximum fabrication temperature of 280℃.Compared to a single p-SnO or n-SnO_(2) charge trapping layer(CTL),the heterojunction CTSs can achieve electrically programmable and erasable characteristics as well as good data retention.Of the two CTSs,the tunneling layer/p-SnO/nSnO_(2)/blocking layer architecture demonstrates much higher program efficiency,more robust data retention,and comparably superior erase characteristics.The resulting memory window is as large as 6.66 V after programming at 13 V/1 ms and erasing at-8 V/1 ms,and the ten-year memory window is extrapolated to be 4.41 V.This is attributed to shallow traps in p-SnO and deep traps in n-SnO_(2),and the formation of a built-in electric field in the heterojunction.

Advances in mobility enhancement of ITZO thin-film transistors:a review

Indium-tin-zinc oxide(ITZO)thin-film transistor(TFT)technology holds promise for achieving high mobility and offers significant opportunities for commercialization.This paper provides a review of progress made in improving the mobility of ITZO TFTs.This paper begins by describing the development and current status of metal-oxide TFTs,and then goes on to explain the advantages of selecting ITZO as the TFT channel layer.The evaluation criteria for TFTs are subsequently introduced,and the reasons and significance of enhancing mobility are clarified.This paper then explores the development of high-mobility ITZO TFTs from five perspectives:active layer optimization,gate dielectric optimization,electrode optimization,interface optimization,and device structure optimization.Finally,a summary and outlook of the research field are presented.

薄膜热流计与原子层热电堆热流传感器的激波风洞试验对比

激波风洞试验的主要测试量是热流密度,且多采用薄膜热流计进行测试,但薄膜热流计热流测试结果缺乏直接验证手段,存在测热结果不确定度偏大等问题。原子层热电堆(ALTP)热流传感器响应时间短且线性度好,结合高精度可溯源的热流传感器标定实验,可保证ALTP热流传感器测热结果的准确性和可靠性。在多个流场条件下的激波风洞试验中开展了薄膜热流计和ALTP热流传感器测热结果交叉对比验证。对比试验显示:ALTP热流传感器和薄膜热流计在不同流场参数下测热结果相对稳定,中高热流下两者测热结果相差在8%以内。结合对比标定溯源链以及激波风洞试验测热结果的讨论,展现了利用ALTP热流传感器在激波风洞试验中在线标定薄膜热流计的可行性。

Equivalent Circuit Analysis of an RF Integrated Inductor with Ferrite Thin-Film

An equivalent circuit for a novel RF integrated inductor with ferrite thin-film is derived. The enhancement of the magnetic ferrite thin-film on the inductance （L） and quality factor （Q） of the inductor is analyzed. Circuit element parameters are extracted from RF measurements. Compared with the reference air-core inductor without magnetic film, L and Q of the ferrite thin-film inductor are 17% and 40% higher at 2GHz,respectively. Both the equivalent circuit analysis and test results demonstrate significant enhancement of the performance of RF integration inductors by ferrite thin-film integration.

基于超材料吸波结构的MEMS热电堆红外温度传感器设计

提出了一种基于超材料吸波结构的MEMS热电堆红外温度传感器,避免了使用特殊的滤光片进行封装,从而降低了传感器的体积。在设计上,采用超材料吸波结构将待测目标辐射的红外光选择性吸收,并将光能转化为热。通过利用时域有限差分方法研究了超材料吸波结构的结构参数与红外吸收光谱和吸收率之间的关系,并优化出用于检测人体红外辐射的超材料吸波结构尺寸。结果表明,当红外光波长范围为9.5μm~10.5μm时,该传感器的红外吸收率优于0.38,其中在波长为9.989μm处出现红外吸收峰,其最大吸收值为0.997。由超材料吸波结构产生的热量传递到其下方的热电堆,通过多物理场仿真可得热电堆的热端和冷端的温差为0.046 K,进而转化为输出电压,从而验证了整体设计的有效性。

热电堆式MEMS气体流量传感器设计及性能研究

提出一种由微加热器和热电堆构成的热式MEMS气体流量传感器用以实现高灵敏、快响应且低功耗的气体流量检测。采用N/P型重掺杂多晶硅材料构造双层堆叠的热电堆结构,可以实现低热导和高塞贝克系数,具有更高的温度敏感性。实验测试表明,该传感器件在0~1000 sccm的气流范围内灵敏度可达0.309 mV/sccm(58.22 mV/ms-1),响应时间仅约139 ms,其工作电压为2.56 V时,微加热器的加热功耗仅有34.9 mW。该器件的整体尺寸仅有1300 mm×1300 mm,有利于检测系统的小型化和集成化,在动力氢燃料电池、医疗辅助呼吸设备等流速流量检测场景中具有一定应用价值。

基于DSConvBiGRU网络和热电堆阵列的动态手势识别方法

提出了适用于嵌入式系统并融合深度可分离卷积神经网络与双向门控循环单元的DSConvBiGRU网络模型,将其用于动态手势序列的分类,设计并实现了一种使用低分辨率热电堆阵列传感器的动态手势识别解决方案,构建了动态手势数据集并在公开网站发布,完成了预训练网络模型在Raspberry Pi边缘端的部署。系统对传感器输出的连续20个温度矩阵进行区间映射、背景减除、Lanczos插值和Otsu二值化预处理得到单个动态手势序列,再由预训练的DSConvBiGRU网络进行分类。实验结果表明:网络模型在测试集上识别准确率为99.291%,在边缘端预处理耗时5.513 ms,推理耗时8.231 ms,该系统满足低功耗、高精度和实时性的设计需求。

Soliton microcomb generation by cavity polygon modes

Soliton microcombs,which require the hosting cavity to operate in an anomalous dispersion regime,are essential to integrate photonic systems.In the past,soliton microcombs were generated on cavity whispering gallery modes(WGMs),and the anomalous dispersion requirement of the cavity made by normal dispersion material was achieved through structural dispersion engineering.This inevitably degrades the cavity optical quality factor(Q)and increases pump threshold power for soliton comb generation.To overcome the challenges,here,we report a soliton microcomb excited by cavity polygon modes.These modes display anomalous dispersion at near-infrared while optical Q factors exceeding 4×10^(6) are maintained.Consequently,a soliton comb spanning from 1450 nm to 1620 nm with a record low pump power of 11 m W is demonstrated,a three-fold improvement compared to the state of the art on the same material platform.

Sandwich probe temperature sensor based on In_(2)O_(3)-IZO thin film for ultra-high temperatures

High-temperature thin-film thermocouples(TFTCs)have attracted significant attention in the aerospace and steel metallurgy industry.However,previous studies on TFTCs have primarily focused on the two-dimensional planar-type,whose thermal sensitive area has to be perpendicular to the test environment,and therefore affects the thermal fluids pattern or loses accuracy.In order to address this problem,recent studies have developed three-dimensional probe-type TFTCs,which can be set parallel to the test environment.Nevertheless,the probe-type TFTCs are limited by their measurement threshold and poor stability at high temperatures.To address these issues,in this study,we propose a novel probe-type TFTC with a sandwich structure.The sensitive layer is compounded with indium oxide doped zinc oxide and fabricated using screen-printing technology.With the protection of sandwich structure on electrode film,the sensor demonstrates robust high-temperature stability,enabling continuous working at 1200℃ above 5 h with a low drift rate of 2.3℃·h^(−1).This sensor exhibits a high repeatability of 99.3% when measuring a wide range of temperatures,which is beyond the most existing probe-type TFTCs reported in the literature.With its excellent high-temperature performance,this temperature sensor holds immense potentials for enhancing equipment safety in the aerospace engineering and ensuring product quality in the steel metallurgy industry.