Terahertz high-sensitivity SIS mixer based on Nb–AlN–NbN hybrid superconducting tunnel junctions

The terahertz band,a unique segment of the electromagnetic spectrum,is crucial for observing the cold,dark universe and plays a pivotal role in cutting-edge scientific research,including the study of cosmic environments that support life and imaging black holes.High-sensitivity superconductor–insulator–superconductor(SIS)mixers are essential detectors for terahertz astronomical telescopes and interferometric arrays.Compared to the commonly used classical Nb/AlO_(x)/Nb superconducting tunnel junction,the Nb/AlN/NbN hybrid superconducting tunnel junction has a higher energy gap voltage and can achieve a higher critical current density.This makes it particularly promising for the development of ultra-wideband,high-sensitivity coherent detectors or mixers in various scientific research fields.In this paper,we present a superconducting SIS mixer based on Nb/AlN/NbN parallel-connected twin junctions(PCTJ),which has a bandwidth extending up to490 GHz–720 GHz.The best achieved double-sideband(DSB)noise temperature(sensitivity)is below three times the quantum noise level.

Electrical properties and structural optimization of GaN/InGaN/GaN tunnel junctions grown by molecular beam epitaxy

The InGaN films and GaN/InGaN/GaN tunnel junctions(TJs)were grown on GaN templates with plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy.As the In content increases,the quality of InGaN films grown on GaN templates decreases and the surface roughness of the samples increases.V-pits and trench defects were not found in the AFM images.p++-GaN/InGaN/n++-GaN TJs were investigated for various In content,InGaN thicknesses and doping concentration in the InGaN insert layer.The InGaN insert layer can promote good interband tunneling in GaN/InGaN/GaN TJ and significantly reduce operating voltage when doping is sufficiently high.The current density increases with increasing In content for the 3 nm InGaN insert layer,which is achieved by reducing the depletion zone width and the height of the potential barrier.At a forward current density of 500 A/cm^(2),the measured voltage was 4.31 V and the differential resistance was measured to be 3.75×10^(−3)Ω·cm^(2)for the device with a 3 nm p++-In_(0.35)Ga_(0.65)N insert layer.When the thickness of the In_(0.35)Ga_(0.65)N layer is closer to the“balanced”thickness,the TJ current density is higher.If the thickness is too high or too low,the width of the depletion zone will increase and the current density will decrease.The undoped InGaN layer has a better performance than n-type doping in the TJ.Polarization-engineered tunnel junctions can enhance the functionality and performance of electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Effect of the mixing of s-wave and chiral p-wave pairings on electrical shot noise properties of normal metal/superconductor tunnel junctions

We study theoretically the electrical shot noise properties of tunnel junctions between a normal metal and a superconductor with the mixture of singlet s-wave and chiral triplet p-wave pairing due to broken inversion symmetry. We investigate how the shot noise properties vary as the relative amplitude between the two parity components in the pairing potential is changed. It is demonstrated that some characteristics of the electrical shot noise properties of such tunnel junctions may depend sensitively on the relative amplitude between the two parity components in the pairing potential, and some significant changes may occur in the electrical shot noise properties when the relative amplitude between the two parity components is varied from the singlet s-wave pairing dominated regime to the chiral triplet p-wave pairing dominated regime. In the chiral triplet p-wave pairing dominated regime, the ratio of noise power to electric current is close to 2e both in the in-gap and in the out-gap region. In the singlet s-wave pairing dominated regime, the value of this ratio is close to 4e in the inner gap region but may reduce to about 2e in the outer gap region as the relative amplitude of the chiral triplet pairing component is increased. The variations of the differential shot noise with the bias voltage also exhibit some significantly different features in different regimes. Such different features can serve as useful diagnostic tools for the determination of the relative magnitude of the two parity components in the pairing potential.

The study of a new n/p tunnel recombination junction and its application in a-Si:H/μc-Si:H tandem solar cells

This paper reports that a double N layer （a-Si：H/μc-Si：H） is used to substitute the single microcrystalline silicon n layer （n-μc-Si：H） in n/p tunnel recombination junction between subcells in a-Si：H/μc-Si：H tandem solar cells. The electrical transport and optical properties of these tunnel recombination junctions are investigated by current voltage measurement and transmission measurement. The new n/p tunnel recombination junction shows a better ohmic contact. In addition, the n/p interface is exposed to the air to examine the effect of oxidation on the tunnel recombination junction performance. The open circuit voltage and FF of a-Si：H/μc-Si：H tandem solar cell are all improved and the current leakage of the subcells can be effectively prevented efficiently when the new n/p junction is implemented as tunnel recombination junction.

The p recombination layer in tunnel junctions for micromorph tandem solar cells

A new tunnel recombination junction is fabricated for n-i-p type micromorph tandem solar cells. We insert a thin heavily doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon （a-Si：H） p^＋ recombination layer between the n a-Si：H and the p hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon （nc-Si：H） layers to improve the performance of the n-i-p tandem solar cells. The effects of the boron doping gas ratio and the deposition time of the p-a-Si：H recombination layer on the tunnel recombination junctions have been investigated. The current-voltage characteristic of the tunnel recombination junction shows a nearly ohmic characteristic, and the resistance of the tunnel recombination junction can be as low as 1.5 Ω-cm^2 by using the optimized p-a-Si：H recombination layer. We obtain tandem solar cells with open circuit voltage Voc = 1.4 V, which is nearly the sum of the Vocs of the two corresponding single cells, indicating no Voc losses at the tunnel recombination junction.

Spin torque oscillator based on magnetic tunnel junction with MgO cap layer for radio-frequency-oriented neuromorphic computing

Recently,it has been proposed that spin torque oscillators(STOs)and spin torque diodes could be used as artificial neurons and synapses to directly process microwave signals,which could lower latency and power consumption greatly.However,one critical challenge is to make the microwave emission frequency of the STO stay constant with a varying input current.In this work,we study the microwave emission characteristics of STOs based on magnetic tunnel junction with MgO cap layer.By applying a small magnetic field,we realize the invariability of the microwave emission frequency of the STO,making it qualified to act as artificial neuron.Furthermore,we have simulated an artificial neural network using STO neuron to recognize the handwritten digits in the Mixed National Institute of Standards and Technology database,and obtained a high accuracy of 92.28%.Our work paves the way for the development of radio-frequency-oriented neuromorphic computing systems.

Anisotropic spin transport and photoresponse characteristics detected by tip movement in magnetic single-molecule junction

Orientation-dependent transport properties induced by anisotropic molecules are enticing in single-molecule junctions.Here,using the first-principles method,we theoretically investigate spin transport properties and photoresponse characteristics in trimesic acid magnetic single-molecule junctions with different molecular adsorption orientations and electrode contact sites.The transport calculations indicate that a single-molecule switch and a significant enhancement of spin transport and photoresponse can be achieved when the molecular adsorption orientation changes from planar geometry to upright geometry.The maximum spin polarization of current and photocurrent in upright molecular junctions exceeds 90%.Moreover,as the Ni tip electrode moves,the tunneling magnetoresistance of upright molecular junctions can be increased to 70%.The analysis of the spin-dependent PDOS elucidates that the spinterfaces between organic molecule and ferromagnetic electrodes are modulated by molecular adsorption orientation,where the molecule in upright molecular junctions yields higher spin polarization.Our theoretical work paves the way for designing spintronic devices and optoelectronic devices with anisotropic functionality base on anisotropic molecules.

Tunnel Junction AlGaInP Light Emitting Diode

The n type GaAs substrates are used and their conductive type is changed to p type by tunnel junction for AlGaInP light emitting diodes(TJ LED),then n type GaP layer is used as current spreading layer.Because resistivity of the n type GaP is lower than that of p type,the effect of current spreading layer is enhanced and the light extraction efficiency is increased by the n type GaP current spreading layer.For TJ LED with 3μm n type GaP current spreading layer,experimental results show that compared with conventional LED with p type GaP current spreading layer,light output power is increased for 50% at 20mA and for 66 7% at 100mA.

A Hybrid Random Number Generator Using Single Electron Tunneling Junctions and MOS Transistors

This paper proposes a novel single electron random number generator （RNG）. The generator consists of multiple tunneling junctions （MTJ） and a hybrid single electron transistor （SET）/MOS output circuit. It is an oscillator-based RNG. MTJ is used to implement a high-frequency oscillator, which uses the inherent physical randomness in tunneling events of the MTJ to achieve large frequency drift. The hybrid SET and MOS output circuit is used to amplify and buffer the output signal of the MTJ oscillator. The RNG circuit generates high-quality random digital sequences with a simple structure. The operation speed of this circuit is as high as 1GHz. The circuit also has good driven capability and low power dissipation. This novel random number generator is a promising device for future cryptographic systems and communication applications.

A Novel Design and Fabrication of Magnetic Random Access Memory Based on Nano-ring-type Magnetic Tunnel Junctions

Nano-ring-type magnetic tunnel junctions （NR-MTJs） with the layer structure of Ta（5）/Ir22Mn78（10）/ Co75Fe25（2）/Ru（0.75）/CoooFe20B20（3）/Al（0.6）-oxide/Co60Fe20B20（2.5）/Ta（3）/Ru（5） （thickness unit： nm） were nano-fabricated on the Si（100）/SiO2 substrate using magnetron sputtering deposition combined with the optical lithography, electron beam lithography （EBL） and Ar ion-beam etching techniques. The smaller NR-MTJs with the inner- and outer-diameter of around 50 and 100 nm and also their corresponding NR-MTJ arrays were nano-patterned. The tunnelling magnetoresistance （TMR ＆ R） versus driving current （I） loops for a spin-polarized current switching were measured, and the TMR ratio of around 35% at room temperature were observed. The critical values of switching current for the free Co60Fe20B20 layer relative to the reference Co6oFe2oB2o layer between parallel and anti-parallel magnetization states were between 0.50 and 0.75 mA in such NR-MTJs. It is suggested that the applicable MRAM fabrication with the density and capacity higher than 256 Mbit/inch2 even 6 Gbite/inch2 are possible using both I NR-MTJ＋1 transistor structure and current switching mechanism based on based on our fabricated 4×4 MRAM demo devices.

Two-dimensional XSe2（X = Mn, V） based magnetic tunneling junctions with high Curie temperature

Two-dimensional(2D) magnetic crystals have attracted great attention due to their emerging new physical phenomena. They provide ideal platforms to study the fundamental physics of magnetism in low dimensions. In this research,magnetic tunneling junctions(MTJs) based on XSe2(X = Mn, V) with room-temperature ferromagnetism were studied using first-principles calculations. A large tunneling magnetoresistance(TMR) of 725.07% was obtained in the MTJs based on monolayer MnSe2. Several schemes were proposed to improve the TMR of these devices. Moreover, the results of our non-equilibrium transport calculations showed that the large TMR was maintained in these devices under a finite bias.The transmission spectrum was analyzed according to the orbital components and the electronic structure of the monolayer XSe2(X = Mn, V). The results in this paper demonstrated that the MTJs based on a 2D ferromagnet with room-temperature ferromagnetism exhibited reliable performance. Therefore, such devices show the possibility for potential applications in spintronics.

Study of the Intrinsic Recombination Velocity at the Junction of Silicon Solar under Frequency Modulation and Irradiation

In this study, a method for determining the intrinsic recombination velocity at the junction of a silicon solar cell is presented. The expression of intrinsic recombination velocity at the junction was established under irradiation in frequency modulation. Based on this expression, an electrical model of the intrinsic recombination velocity at the junction is presented.

Characteristics of Nb/Al superconducting tunnel junctions fabricated using ozone gas

To improve the energy resolution（？E） of Nb/Al superconducting tunnel junctions（STJs）, an ozone（O3） oxidation process has been developed to fabricate a thin defect-free tunnel barrier that simultaneously shows high critical current JC〉 1000 A/cm^2 and high normalized dynamic resistance RDA 〉 100 MΩ·μm^2, where A is the size of the STJ. The 50-μm^2 STJs produced by O3 exposure of 0.26 Pa·min with an indirect spray of O3 gas, which is a much lower level of exposure than the O2 exposure used in a conventional O2 oxidation process, exhibit a maximum JC= 800 A/cm^2 and a high RDA = 372 MΩ ·μm^2. The 100-pixel array of the 100-μm^2STJs produced using the same O3 oxidation conditions exhibits a constant leak current I leak= 14.9 ± 3.2 n A at a bias point around △ /e（where e is half the energy gap of an STJ）,and a high fabrication yield of 87%. Although the I leak values are slightly larger than those of STJs produced using the conventional O2 oxidation process, the STJ produced using O3 oxidation shows a ？E = 10 eV for the C-Kα line, which is the best value of our Nb/Al STJ x-ray detectors.

Bifacial Silicon Solar Cell Steady Photoconductivity under Constant Magnetic Field and Junction Recombination Velocity Effects

The paper reported a theoretical study on the photoconductivity of a bifacial silicon solar cell under polychromatic illumination and a constant magnetic field effect. By use of the continuity equation in the base of the solar cell maintained in a constant temperature at 300 K, an expression of the excess minority carriers’ density was determined according to the applied magnetic field, the base depth and the junction recombination velocity. From the expression of the minority carriers’ density, the photoconductivity of the solar cell was deduced and which allowed us to predict some recombination phenomena, the use of such solar cell in optoelectronics. The profile of the photoconductivity also permitted us to utilize a linear model in order to determine an electrical capacitance that varied with magnetic field.

Tunneling magnetoresistance based on a Cr/graphene/Cr magnetotunnel junction

Using the density functional theory and the nonequilibrium Green＇s function method, we studied the finite-bias quan- tum transport in a Cr/graphene/Cr magnetotunnel junction （MTJ） constructed by a single graphene layer sandwiched be- tween two semi-infinite Cr（111 ） electrodes. We found that the tunneling magnetoresistance （TMR） ratio in this MTJ reached 108%, which is close to that of a perfect spin filter. Under an external positive bias, we found that the TMR ratio remained constant at 65%, in contrast to MgO-based MTJs, the TMR ratios of which decrease with increasing bias. These results indicate that the Cr/graphene/Cr MTJ is a promising candidate for spintronics applications.

Influence of interface within the composite barrier on the tunneling electroresistance of ferroelectric tunnel junctions with symmetric electrodes

The interface with a pinned dipole within the composite barrier in a ferroelectric tunnel junction（FTJ） with symmetric electrodes is investigated.Different from the detrimental effect of the interface between the electrode and barrier in previous studies,the existence of an interface between the dielectric SrTiO_3 slab and ferroelectric BaTiO_3 slab in FTJs will enhance the tunneling electroresistance（TER） effect.Specifically,the interface with a lower dielectric constant and larger polarization pointing to the ferroelectric slab favors the increase of TER ratio.Therefore,interface control of high performance FTJ can be achieved.

Magnetic Tunnel Junction Based on MgO Barrier Prepared by Natural Oxidation and Direct Sputtering Deposition

Magnetic tunnel junctions(MTJs) based on MgO barrier have been fabricated by sputtering single crystal MgO target and metal Mg target, respectively, using magnetic sputtering system Nordiko 2000. MgO barriers have been formed by a multi-step deposition and natural oxidization of Mg layer. Mg layer thickness,oxygen flow rate and oxidization time were adjusted and the tunnel magnetoresistance(TMR) ratio of optimal MTJs is over 60% at annealing temperature 385. The(001) MgO crystal structure was obtained when the separation distance between MgO target and substrate is less than 6 cm. The TMR ratio of most MgO based MTJs are over 100% at the separation distance of 5 cm and annealing temperature 340. The TMR ratios of MTJs are almost zero when the separation distance ranges from 6 to 10 cm, due to the amorphous nature of the MgO film.

Perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction and its application in magnetic random access memory

Recent progresses in magnetic tunnel junctions with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy （PMA） are reviewed and summarized. At first, the concept and source of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy （PMA） are introduced. Next, a historical overview of PMA materials as magnetic electrodes, such as the RE-TM alloys TbFeCo and GdFeCo, novel tetragonal manganese alloys Mn-Ga, L10-ordered （Co, Fe）/Pt alloy, multilayer film [Co, Fe, CoFe/Pt, Pd, Ni, AU]N, and ultra-thin magnetic metal/oxidized barrier is offered. The other part of the article focuses on the optimization and fabrication of CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB p-MTJs, which is thought to have high potential to meet the main demands for non-volatile magnetic random access memory.

Detection of HIV-1 antigen based on magnetic tunnel junction sensors

We report a p24(HIV disease biomarker)detection assay using an MgO-based magnetic tunnel junction(MTJ)sensor and 20-nm magnetic nanoparticles.The MTJ array sensor with sensing area of 890×890μ2 possessing a sensitivity of 1.39%/Oe was used to detect p24 antigens.It is demonstrated that the p24 antigens could be detected at a concentration of 0.01μg/ml.The development of bio-detection systems based on magnetic tunnel junction sensors with high-sensitivity will greatly benefit the early diagnosis of HIV.

Effects of interface bound states on the shot noise in normal metal–low-dimensional Rashba semiconductor tunnel junctions with induced s-wave pairing potential

We consider the effects of interface bound states on the electrical shot noise in tunnel junctions formed between normal metals and one-dimensional(1 D) or two-dimensional(2 D) Rashba semiconductors with proximity-induced s-wave pairing potential. We investigate how the shot noise properties vary as the interface bound state is evolved from a non-zero energy bound state to a zero-energy bound state. We show that in both 1 D and 2 D tunnel junctions, the ratio of the noise power to the charge current in the vicinity of zero bias voltage may be enhanced significantly due to the induction of the midgap interface bound state. But as the interface bound state evolves from a non-zero energy bound state to a zero-energy bound state, this ratio tends to vanish completely at zero bias voltage in 1 D tunnel junctions, while in 2 D tunnel junctions it decreases smoothly to the usual classical Schottky value for the normal state. Some other important aspects of the shot noise properties in such tunnel junctions are also clarified.