Behavior of exciton in direct−indirect band gap Al_(x)Ga_(1−x)As crystal lattice quantum wells

Excitons have significant impacts on the properties of semiconductors.They exhibit significantly different properties when a direct semiconductor turns in to an indirect one by doping.Huybrecht variational method is also found to influence the study of exciton ground state energy and ground state binding energy in Al_(x)Ga_(1−x)As semiconductor spherical quantum dots.The Al_(x)Ga_(1−x)As is considered to be a direct semiconductor at AI concentration below 0.45,and an indirect one at the concentration above 0.45.With regards to the former,the ground state binding energy increases and decreases with AI concentration and eigenfrequency,respectively;however,while the ground state energy increases with AI concentration,it is marginally influenced by eigenfrequency.On the other hand,considering the latter,while the ground state binding energy increases with AI concentration,it decreases with eigenfrequency;nevertheless,the ground state energy increases both with AI concentration and eigenfrequency.Hence,for the better practical performance of the semiconductors,the properties of the excitons are suggested to vary by adjusting AI concentration and eigenfrequency.

Ultra-wide band gap and wave attenuation mechanism of a novel star-shaped chiral metamaterial

A novel hollow star-shaped chiral metamaterial(SCM)is proposed by incorporating chiral structural properties into the standard hollow star-shaped metamaterial,exhibiting a wide band gap over 1500 Hz.To broaden the band gap,solid single-phase and two-phase SCMs are designed and simulated,which produce two ultra-wide band gaps(approximately 5116 Hz and 6027 Hz,respectively).The main reason for the formation of the ultra-wide band gap is that the rotational vibration of the concave star of two novel SCMs drains the energy of an elastic wave.The impacts of the concave angle of a single-phase SCM and the resonator radius of a two-phase SCM on the band gaps are studied.Decreasing the concave angle leads to an increase in the width of the widest band gap,and the width of the widest band gap increases as the resonator radius of the two-phase SCM increases.Additionally,the study on elastic wave propagation characteristics involves analyzing frequency dispersion surfaces,wave propagation directions,group velocities,and phase velocities.Ultimately,the analysis focuses on the transmission properties of finite periodic structures.The solid single-phase SCM achieves a maximum vibration attenuation over 800,while the width of the band gap is smaller than that of the two-phase SCM.Both metamaterials exhibit high vibration attenuation capabilities,which can be used in wideband vibration reduction to satisfy the requirement of ultra-wide frequencies.

Optimal design for rubber concrete layered periodic foundations based on the analytical approximations of band gaps and mapping relations

The seismic performance of rubber concrete-layered periodic foundations are significantly influenced by their design,in which the band gaps play a paramount role.Aiming at providing better designs for these foundations,this study first proposes and validates the analytical formulas to approximate the bounds of the first few band gaps.In addition,the mapping relations linking the frequencies of different band gaps are presented.Furthermore,an optimal design method for these foundations is developed,which is validated through an engineering example.It is demonstrated that ensuring the superstructure’s resonance zones are completely covered by the corresponding periodic foundation’s band gaps can achieve satisfactory vibration attenuation effects,which is a good strategy for the design of rubber concrete layered periodic foundations.

Langmuir-Schaefer Film Investigation and Density Functional Theory Band Gap Calculations of Calix[n]arene-Para-Aminobenzoic Acid for Drug Nanosensor Application

Calix[n]arenes was utilized to detect PABA,the primary sunscreen component.This study investigates the interaction of calix[4]arene(C4),calix[6]arene(C6),and PABA using the Langmuir method and first-principle density functional theory(DFT).Using the Langmuir-Schaefer(LS)technique,an ultrathin film composed of calix[n]arenes and their complexes with PABA was deposited on various substrates.Based on the Langmuir study,the PABA molecule was bonded to the lower rims of both C4 and C6 with the host-guest ratio of 1:1.All of the LS films formed were then characterized by ultravioletvisible spectroscopy(UV-Vis),Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR)and carbon,hydrogen,nitrogen,sulfur elemental analyzer(CHNS).The band gap reduction obtained in the DFT study denotes the charge transfer interaction with promising reactivity between the calix[n]arenes and PABA.The sensing of PABA by C4 and C6 is successful based on the formation of bonding between them due to the hosts’effective trapping capacity.The outcomes of this study could be applied to drug delivery systems for future pharmaceutical and medical applications.

Optical Properties of Neutral and Charged Low Band Gap Alternating Copolyfluorenes： TD-DFT Investigation

Electronic structure and optical properties of neutral and charged low band gap alternating copolyfluorenes （Green 1, which is based on alternating repeating units consisting of alkyl-substituted fluorene and a thiophene-[1,2,5]thiadiazolo-[3,4]quinoxaline-thiophene （T-TDQ-T） unit were investigated theoretically with time-dependent density functional theory （TD-DFT） method, and their excited state properties were further analyzed with 2D site and 3D cube representations. For neutral Green 1, the band gap, binding energy, exciton binding energy, and nuclear relaxation energy were obtained. The transition dipole moments of neutral and charged Green 1 are compared using 3D transition density, which reveals the orientation and strength of transition dipole moments. The charge redistribution of neutral and charged Green 1 upon excitation are displayed and compared with 3D charge difference density. The electron-hole coherences of neutral and charged Green 1 upon excitation are investigated with 2D site representation （transition density matrix）. The excited state properties of neutral Green 1 calculated with TD-DFT method are compared with that calculated with ZINDO method, which reveals the importance of electron-electron interaction （in TD-DFT） in the excited state properties.

Band gap anomaly and topological properties in lead chalcogenides

Band gap anomaly is a well-known issue in lead chalcogenides PbX （X = S, Se, Te, Po）. Combining ab initio calculations and tight-binding （TB） method, we have studied the band evolution in PbX, and found that the band gap anomaly in PbTe is mainly related to the high on-site energy of Te 5s orbital and the large s-p hopping originated from the irregular extended distribution of Te 5s electrons. Furthermore, our calculations show that PbPo is an indirect band gap （6.5 meV） semiconductor with band inversion at L point, which clearly indicates that PbPo is a topological crystalline insulator （TCI）. The calculated mirror Chern number and surface states double confirm this conclusion.

Ab-initio calculations of bandgap tuning of In1-xGaxY(Y=N,P)alloys for optoelectronic applications

The III–V alloys and doping to tune the bandgap for solar cells and other optoelectronic devices has remained a hot topic of research for the last few decades.In the present article,the bandgap tuning and its influence on optical properties of In1-xGaxN/P,where(x=0.0,0.25,0.50,0.75,and 1.0)alloys are comprehensively analyzed by density functional theory based on full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method(FP-LAPW)and modified Becke and Johnson potentials(TB-mBJ).The direct bandgaps turn from 0.7 eV to 3.44 eV,and 1.41 eV to 2.32 eV for In1-xGaxN/P alloys,which increases their potentials for optoelectronic devices.The optical properties are discussed such as dielectric constants,refraction,absorption,optical conductivity,and reflection.The light is polarized in the low energy region with minimum reflection.The absorption and optical conduction are maxima in the visible region,and they are shifted into the ultraviolet region by Ga doping.Moreover,static dielectric constant e1(0)is in line with the bandgap from Penn’s model.

Band gap calculation and photo catalytic activity of rare earths doped rutile TiO_2

The density of states （DOS） of 17 kinds of rare earths （RE） doped rutile TiO2 was by using first-principles density functional theory （DFT） calculation. The band gap widths of RE doped futile TiO2 were important factors for altering their absorbing wavelengths. The results show that RE ions could obviously reduce the band gap widths and form of energy of ruffle TiO2 except Lu, Y, Yb and Sc, and the order of absorbing wavelengths of RE doped ruffle TiO2 were the same as that of the results of calculation. The ratio of RE dopant was another important factor for the photo catalytic ＇activity of RE doped rutile TiO2, and there was an optimal ratio of dopant. There was a constant for predigesting the calculation difficulty, respectively, which were 0.5mol.% and 100 mol^-1 under supposition. The band gap widths of RE doped rutile TiOz by DFT calculation were much larger than that by experiment. Finally, by transferring the calculation values to experiment values, it could be found and predicted that RE enlarged obviously the absorbing wavelengh of ruffle TiO2. In addition, the degree of RE ions edging out the Ti atom using the parameters of RE dements was computed.

Development of ultra-narrow gap welding with constrained arc by flux band

Narrow gap welding has merits of lower residual stress and distortion, and superior mechanical properties of joints. A major problem of this process is the lack of fusion in sidewalls, hence many methods of weaving arc have been developed to increase heating effect of arc to the sidewalls. In this work, a new approach Without weaving arc is attempted to ensure the penetration of sidewall, and ultra-narrow gap welding with the gap of less than 5 mm was executed successfully. In this approach, the width of gap is decreased further, so that the sidewalls are made within range of arc heating to obtain the enough heat. In order to prevent the arc from being attracted by sidewall and going up along the sidewalls, two pieces of flux bands consisting of the specified aggregates are adhered to the sidewalls to constrain the arc. In addition, when flux band being heated by the arc, slag and gases are formed to shield the arc and the weld pool. This technique was tested on the welding experiment of pipeline steel with thickness of 20 mm. The involved welding parameters were obtained, that is, the width of gap is 4 mm, the welding current 250 A, and the heat input 0. 5 kJ/mm, the width of heat-affected zone is 1 -2 mm.

Three-dimensional simulation of a Ka-band relativistic Cherenkov source with metal photonic-band-gap structures

This paper presents a three-dimensional particle-in-cell （PIC） simulation of a Ka-band relativistic Cherenkov source with a slow wave structure （SWS） consisting of metal photonic band gap （PBG） structures. In the simulation, a perfect match layer boundary is employed to absorb passing band modes supported by the PBG lattice with an artificial metal boundary. The simulated axial field distributions in the cross section and surface of the SWS demonstrate that the device operates in the vicinity of the π point of a TM01-1ike mode. The Fourier transformation spectra of the axial fields as functions of time and space show that only a single frequency appears at 36.27 GHz, which is in good agreement with that of the intersection of the dispersion curve with the slow space charge wave generated on the beam. The simulation results demonstrate that the SWS has good mode selectivity.

Flexural vibration band gaps in thin plates with two-dimensional binary locally resonant structures

The complete flexural vibration band gaps are studied in the thin plates with two-dimensional binary locally resonant structures, i.e. the composite plate consisting of soft rubber cylindrical inclusions periodically placed in a host material. Numerical simulations show that the low-frequency gaps of flexural wave exist in the thin plates. The width of the first gap decreases monotonically as the matrix density increases, The frequency response of the finite periodic thin plates is simulated by the finite element method, which provides attenuations of over 20dB in the frequency range of the band gaps. The findings will be significant in the application of phononic crystals.

Tuning of band gaps for a two-dimensional piezoelectric phononic crystal with a rectangular lattice

In this paper, the elastic wave propagation in a two-dimensional piezoelectric phononic crystal is studied by considering the mechanic-electric coupling. The generalized eigenvalue equation is obtained by the relation of the mechanic and electric fields as well as the Bloch-Floquet theorem. The band structures of both the in-plane and anti-plane modes are calculated for a rectangular lattice by the planewave expansion method. The effects of the lattice constant ratio and the piezoelectricity with different filling fractions are analyzed. The results show that the largest gap width is not always obtained for a square lattice. In some situations, a rectangular lattice may generate larger gaps. The band gap characteristics are influenced obviously by the piezoelectricity with the larger lattice constant ratios and the filling fractions.

Formation mechanism of the low-frequency locally resonant band gap in the two-dimensional ternary phononic crystals

The low-frequency band gap and the corresponding vibration modes in two-dimensional ternary locally resonant phononic crystals are restudied successfully with the lumped-mass method. Compared with the work of C. Goffaux and J. Sánchez-Dehesa （Phys. Rev. B 67 14 4301（2003））, it is shown that there exists an error of about 50% in their calculated results of the band structure, and one band is missing in their results. Moreover, the in-plane modes shown in their paper are improper, which results in the wrong conclusion on the mechanism of the ternary locally resonant phononic crystals. Based on the lumped-mass method and better description of the vibration modes according to the band gaps, the locally resonant mechanism in forming the subfrequency gaps is thoroughly analysed. The rule used to judge whether a resonant mode in the phononic crystals can result in a corresponding subfrequency gap is also verified in this ternary case.

INFLUENCES OF ANISOTROPY ON BAND GAPS OF 2D PHONONIC CRYSTAL

Band gaps of 2D phononic crystal with orthotropic cylindrical fillers embedded in the isotropic host are studied in this paper. Two kinds of periodic structures, namely, the square lattice and the triangle lattice, are considered. For anisotropic phononic crystal, band gaps not only depend on the periodic lattice but also the angle between the symmetry axis of orthotropic material and that of the periodic structure. Rotating these cylindrical fillers makes the angle changing continuously; as a result, pass bands and forbidden bands of the phononic crystal are changed. The plane wave expansion method is used to reduce the band gap problem to an eigenvalue problem. The numerical example is given for YBCO/Epoxy composites. The location and the width of band gaps are estimated for different rotating angles. The influence of anisotropy on band gaps is discussed based on numerical results.

Tunable band gaps in acoustic metamaterials with periodic arrays of resonant shunted piezos

Periodic arrays of resonant shunted piezoelectric patches are employed to control the wave propagation in a two-dimensional （2D） acoustic metamaterial. The performance is characterized by the finite element method. More importantly, we propose an approach to solving the conventional issue of the nonlinear eigenvalue problem, and give a convenient solution to the dispersion properties of 2D metamaterials with periodic arrays of resonant shunts in this article. Based on this modeling method, the dispersion relations of a 2D metamaterial with periodic arrays of resonant shunted piezos are calculated. The results show that the internal resonances of the shunting system split the dispersion curves, thereby forming a locally resonant band gap. However, unlike the conventional locally resonant gap, the vibrations in this locally resonant gap are unable to be completely localized in oscillators consisting of shunting inductors and piezo-patches.

A Study of Properties of the Photonic Band Gap of Unmagnetized Plasma Photonic Crystal

In this study, the propagation of electromagnetic waves in one-dimensional plasma photonic crystals （PPCs）, namely, superlattice structures consisting alternately of a homogeneous unmagnetized plasma and dielectric material, is simulated numerically using the finite-difference time-domain （FDTD） algorithm. A perfectly matched layer （PML） absorbing technique is used in this simulation. The reflection and transmission coefficients of electromagnetic （EM） waves through PPCs are calculated. The characteristics of the photonic band gap （PBG） are discussed in terms of plasma density, dielectric constant ratios, number of periods, and introduced layer defect. These may provide some useful information for designing plasma photonic crystal devices.

Dielectric Confinement Effect on Calculating the Band Gap of PbSe Quantum Dots

Considering the dielectric confinement effect on excitonics of PbSe quantum dots （QDs）, a correction factor in the wave function was introduced to propose a new band gap calculation model for QDs. The modified model showed great consistency with the experimental data, especially in small size range. According to the variation of confined barrier, the band gap calculation model of PbSe QDs was analyzed in different solvents. The calculating results showed that the modified model was almost solvent-independent, which was consistent with our experimental results and related reports.

Revisit of the band gaps of rutile SnO2 and TiO2: a first-principles study

From the recent experimentally observed conduction band offset and previously reported band gaps,one may deduce that the valence band offset between rutile SnO2 and TiO2 is around 1 eV,with TiO2 having a higher valence band maximum.This implication sharply contradicts the fact that the two compounds have the same rutile structure and the Γ3^+ VBM state is mostly an oxygen p state with a small amount of cation d character,thus one would expect that SnO2 and TiO2 should have small valence band offset.If the valence band offset between SnO2 and TiO2 is indeed small,one may question the correctness of the previously reported band gaps of SnO2 and TiO2.In this paper,using first-principles calculations with different levels of computational methods and functionals within the density functional theory,we reinvestigate the long-standing band gap problem for SnO2.Our analysis suggests that the fundamental band gap of SnO2 should be similar to that of TiO2,i.e.,around 3.0 eV.This value is significantly smaller than the previously reported value of about 3.6 eV,which can be attributed as the optical band gap of this material.Similar to what has been found in In2O3,the discrepancy between the fundamental and optical gaps of SnO2 can be ascribed to the inversion symmetry of its crystal structure and the resultant dipole-forbidden transitions between its band edges.Our results are consistent with most of the optical and electrical measurements of the band gaps and band offset between SnO2 and TiO2,thus provide new understanding of the band structure and optical properties of SnO2.Experimental tests of our predictions are called for.

Folding beam-type piezoelectric phononic crystal with low-frequency and broad band gap

A folding beam-type piezoelectric phononic crystal model is proposed to isolate vibration. Two piezoelectric bimorphs are joined by two masses as a folding structure to comprise each unit cell of the piezoelectric phononic crystal. Each bimorph is connected independently by a resistive-inductive resonant shunting circuit. The folding structure extends the propagation path of elastic waves, while its structure size remains quite small. Propagation of coupled extension-flexural elastic waves is studied by the classical laminated beam theory and transfer matrix method. The theoretical model is further verified with the finite element method(FEM). The effects of geometrical and circuit parameters on the band gaps are analyzed. With only 4 unit cells, the folding beam-type piezoelectric phononic crystal generates two Bragg band gaps of 369 Hz to1 687 Hz and 2 127 Hz to 4 000 Hz. In addition, between these two Bragg band gaps, a locally resonant band gap is induced by resonant shunting circuits. Appropriate circuit parameters are used to join these two Bragg band gaps by the locally resonant band gap.Thus, a low-frequency and broad band gap of 369 Hz to 4 000 Hz is obtained.

Syntheses,Structures and Band Gaps of KLnSiS_4(Ln=Sm,Yb)

Two new quaternary sulfides, KSmSiS4 （1） and KYbSiS4 （2）, have been synthesized by high-temperature solid-state reaction. Single,crystal X-ray diffraction analyses indicate that both compounds crystallize in the space group P21/m, and the crystal data are as follows： a = 6.426（11）, b = 6.582（11）, c = 8.602（15）A, β= 107.90（13）°, Z = 2, V= 346.2（10） A^3, Dc = 3.317 g/cm^3, F（000） = 318,μ（MoKα） = 10.334 mm^-1, the final R = 0.0559 and wR = 0.1370 for 1; and α= 6.3244（10）, b = 6.5552（10）, c = 8.5701（15）A, β= 108.001（13）°, Z = 2, V = 337.91（9） A^3, De= 3.621 g/cm^3, F（000） = 334, μ（MoKα） = 15.737 mm^-1, the final R = 0.0422 and wR = 0.0960 for 2. The KLnSiS4 （Ln = Sm, Yb） structure consists of corrugated ∞^2 [LnSiS4]^- layers which are formed by edge-sharing LnS8 bicapped trigonal prisms and SiS4 tetrahedra. The K^＋ cations are located in the cavities defined by S2 anions between the ∞^2[LnSiS4]^- layers. Band-gap analyses show that compounds 1 and 2 are semiconductors with optical band-gaps of 2.40 and 2.34 eV, respectively.