Quantitative determination of the critical points of Mott metal–insulator transition in strongly correlated systems

Mottness is at the heart of the essential physics in a strongly correlated system as many novel quantum phenomena occur in the metallic phase near the Mott metal–insulator transition. We investigate the Mott transition in a Hubbard model by using the dynamical mean-field theory and introduce the local quantum state fidelity to depict the Mott metal–insulator transition. The local quantum state fidelity provides a convenient approach to determining the critical point of the Mott transition. Additionally, it presents a consistent description of the two distinct forms of the Mott transition points.

Pressure induced insulator to metal transition in quantum spin liquid candidate NaYbS_(2)

Pressure induced insulator to metal transition followed by the appearance of superconductivity has been observed recently in inorganic quantum spin liquid candidate NaYbSe_(2).In this paper,we study the properties of isostructural compound NaYbS_(2)under pressure.It is found that the resistance of Na YbS_(2)single crystal exhibits an insulating state below 82.9 GPa,but with a drop of more than six orders of magnitude at room temperature.Then a minimum of resistance is observed at about 100.1 GPa and it moves to lower temperature with further compression.Finally,a metallic state in the whole temperature range is observed at about 130.3 GPa accompanied by a non-Fermi liquid behavior below 100 K.The insulator to metal transition,non-monotonic resistance feature and non-Fermi liquid behavior of NaYbS_(2)under pressure are similar to those of NaYbSe_(2),suggesting that these phenomena might be the universal properties in NaLnCh_(2)(Ln=rare earth,Ch=O,S,Se)system.

The electrical characteristics of a 4H-silicon carbide metal-insulator-semiconductor structure with Al_2O_3 as the gate dielectric

A 4H-silicon carbide metal-insulator-semiconductor structure with ultra-thin Al2O3 as the gate dielectric, deposited by atomic layer deposition on tile epitaxial layer of a 4H-SiC （0001） 80N-/N＋ substrate, has been fabricated. The experimental results indicate that the prepared ultra-thin Al2O3 gate dielectric exhibits good physical and electrical characteristics, including a high breakdown electrical field of 25 MV/cm, excellent interface properties （1 × 10^14 cm^-2） and low gate-leakage current （IG = 1 × 10^-3 A/cm 2@Eox = 8 MV/cm）. Analysis of the current conduction mecha- nism on the deposited Al2O3 gate dielectric was also systematically performed. The confirmed conduction mechanisms consisted of Fowler-Nordheim （FN） tuaneling, the Frenkel-Poole mechanism, direct tunneling and Schottky emission, and the dominant current conduction mechanism depends on the applied electrical field. When the gate leakage current mechanism is dominated by FN tunneling, the barrier height of SiC/Al2O3 is 1.4 eV, which can meet the requirements of silicon carbide metal-insulator-semiconductor transistor devices.

Effect of NO annealing on charge traps in oxide insulator and transition layer for 4H-SiC metal–oxide–semiconductor devices

The effect of nitric oxide（NO） annealing on charge traps in the oxide insulator and transition layer in n-type4H–Si C metal–oxide–semiconductor（MOS） devices has been investigated using the time-dependent bias stress（TDBS）,capacitance–voltage（C–V）,and secondary ion mass spectroscopy（SIMS）.It is revealed that two main categories of charge traps,near interface oxide traps（Nniot） and oxide traps（Not）,have different responses to the TDBS and C–V characteristics in NO-annealed and Ar-annealed samples.The Nniotare mainly responsible for the hysteresis occurring in the bidirectional C–V characteristics,which are very close to the semiconductor interface and can readily exchange charges with the inner semiconductor.However,Not is mainly responsible for the TDBS induced C–V shifts.Electrons tunneling into the Not are hardly released quickly when suffering TDBS,resulting in the problem of the threshold voltage stability.Compared with the Ar-annealed sample,Nniotcan be significantly suppressed by the NO annealing,but there is little improvement of Not.SIMS results demonstrate that the Nniotare distributed within the transition layer,which correlated with the existence of the excess silicon.During the NO annealing process,the excess Si atoms incorporate into nitrogen in the transition layer,allowing better relaxation of the interface strain and effectively reducing the width of the transition layer and the density of Nniot.

Photoresponse of the In0.3Ga0.7N metal-insulator-semiconductor photodetectors

In0.3Ga0.7N metal-insulator-semiconductor （MIS） and metal-semiconductor （MS） surface barrier photodetectors have been fabricated. The In0.3Ga0.7N epilayers were grown on sapphire by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition （MOCVD）. The photoresponse and reverse current-voltage characteristics of the In0.3Ga0.7N MIS and MS photodetectors were measured. A best zero bias responsivity of 0.18 A/W at 450 nm is obtained for the In0.3Ga0.7N MIS photodetector with 10 nm Si3N4 insulator layer, which is more than ten times higher than the In0.3Ga0.7N MS photodetector. The reason is attributed to the decrease of the interface states and increase of surface barrier height by the inserted insulator. The influence of the thickness of the Si3N4 insulator layer on the photoresponsivity of the MIS photodetector is also discussed.

Transforming a Two-Dimensional Layered Insulator into a Semiconductor or a Highly Conductive Metal through Transition Metal Ion Intercalation

Atomically thin two-dimensional(2D) materials are the building bricks for next-generation electronics and optoelectronics, which demand plentiful functional properties in mechanics, transport, magnetism and photoresponse.For electronic devices, not only metals and high-performance semiconductors but also insulators and dielectric materials are highly desirable. Layered structures composed of 2D materials of different properties can be delicately designed as various useful heterojunction or homojunction devices, in which the designs on the same material(namely homojunction) are of special interest because preparation techniques can be greatly simplified and atomically seamless interfaces can be achieved. We demonstrate that the insulating pristine ZnPS_3, a ternary transition-metal phosphorus trichalcogenide, can be transformed into a highly conductive metal and an n-type semiconductor by intercalating Co and Cu atoms, respectively. The field-effect-transistor(FET) devices are prepared via an ultraviolet exposure lithography technique. The Co-ZnPS_3 device exhibits an electrical conductivity of 8 × 10^(4) S/m, which is comparable to the conductivity of graphene. The Cu-ZnPS_3 FET reveals a current ON/OFF ratio of 1-05 and a mobility of 3 × 10^(-2 )cm^(2)·V^(-1)·s^(-1). The realization of an insulator, a typical semiconductor and a metallic state in the same 2D material provides an opportunity to fabricate n-metal homojunctions and other in-plane electronic functional devices.

Investigation of passivation effects in AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high electron-mobility transistor by gate-drain conductance dispersion study

This paper studies the drain current collapse of A1GaN/GaN metal insulator-semiconductor high electron-mobility transistors （MIS-HEMTs） with NbA10 dielectric by applying dual-pulsed stress to the gate and drain of the device. For NbA10 MIS-HEMT, smaller current collapse is found thorough study of the gate-drain conductance dispersion especially when the gate static voltage is -8 V. Through a it is found that the growth of NbA10 can reduce the trap density of the AlGaN surface. Therefore, fewer traps can be filled by gate electrons, and hence the depletion effect in the channel is suppressed effectively. It is proved that the NbAIO gate dielectric can not only decrease gate leakage current but also passivate the A1GaN surface effectively, and weaken the current collapse effect accordingly.

Temperature-dependent dielectric properties of Au/Si_3N_4/n-Si (metal insulator semiconductor) structures

The dielectric properties of Au/Si3N4/n-Si （MIS） structures are studied using the admittance measurements （C–V and G/ω–V） each as a function of temperature in a range from 80 K to 400 K for two frequencies （100 kHz and 1 MHz）. Experimental results show that both the dielectric constant （ε’） and the dielectric loss （ε＂） increase with temperature increasing and decrease with frequency increasing. The measurements also show that the ac conductivity （σac） increases with temperature and frequency increasing. The lnσac versus 1000/T plot shows two linear regions with different slopes which correspond to low （120 K–240 K） and high （280 K–400 K） temperature ranges for the two frequencies. It is found that activation energy increases with frequency and temperature increasing.

Carrier-Induced Magnetic Solitons and Metal-Insulator Transition in Diluted Magnetic Semiconductors Ga_1-xMn_xAs

We discuss hole-induced magnetic solitons and metal-insulator transition of transport properties in diluted magnetic semiconductors Ga1-xMnxAs from the standpoint of a field theoretical formulation, and analyze experimental data of transport properties, using the supersymmetry sigma formula and the effective Lagrangian of diffusion model.

Analysis of the breakdown mechanism for an ultra high voltage high-side thin layer silicon-on-insulator p-channel low-density metal-oxide semiconductor

This paper discusses the breakdown mechanism and proposes a new simulation and test method of breakdown voltage （BV） for an ultra-high-voltage （UHV） high-side thin layer silicon-on-insulator （SOI） p-channel low-density metal- oxide semiconductor （LDMOS）. Compared with the conventional simulation method, the new one is more accordant with the actual conditions of a device that can be used in the high voltage circuit. The BV of the SOI p-channel LDMOS can be properly represented and the effect of reduced bulk field can be revealed by employing the new simulation method. Simulation results show that the off-state （on-state） BV of the SOI p-channel LDMOS can reach 741 （620） V in the 3μm-thick buried oxide layer, 50μm-length drift region, and at -400 V back-gate voltage, enabling the device to be used in a 400 V UHV integrated circuit.

Impact of the Insulator on the Electric Field and Generation Characteristics of Vacuum Arc Metal Plasmas

The field electron emission plays a vital role in the process of vacuum discharge breakdown. The electric field strength at the cathode tip is significant to the generation char- acteristics of vacuum arc metal plasmas. To increase the field strength at the cathode tip, a coaxial electrode plasma source was employed with an insulator settled between the electrodes. The math expression of the field strength is derived based on the Gauss theory. The impact of the insulator on the electric field and parameters of plasmas were investigated by MAXWELL 3D simulation software and the Langmuir probe. In addition, a composite insulator was adopted to further strengthen the field strength. A series of experiments were performed to focus on the role of the composite insulator in detail. The experimental and simulation results indicate that, a reasonable layout of the insulator, especially the composite insulator, can effectively increase the field strength at the cathode tip and the plasma density.

Rubidium-induced phase transitions among metallic,band-insulating,Mott-insulating phases in 1T-TaS_(2)

Realizing phase transitions via non-thermal sample manipulations is important not only for applications,but also for uncovering the underlying physics.Here,we report on the discovery of two distinct metal–insulator transitions in 1T-TaS_(2) via angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and in-situ rubidium deposition.At 205 K,the rubidium deposition drives a normal metal–insulator transition via filling electrons into the conduction band.While at 225 K,however,the rubidium deposition drives a bandwidth-controlled Mott transition as characterized by a rapid collapsing of Mott gap and a loss of spectral weight of the lower Hubbard band.Our result,from a doping-controlled perspective,succeeds in distinguishing the metallic,band-insulating,and Mott-insulating phases of 1T-TaS_(2),manifesting a delicate balance among the electronitineracy,interlayer-coupling and Coulomb repulsion.We also establish an effective method to tune the balance between these interactions,which is useful in seeking exotic electronic phases and designing functional phase-changing devices.

Valley polarization in transition metal dichalcogenide layered semiconductors:Generation,relaxation,manipulation and transport

In recent years,valleytronics researches based on 2D semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides have attracted considerable attention.On the one hand,strong spin–orbit interaction allows the presence of spin–valley coupling in this system,which provides spin addressable valley degrees of freedom for information storage and processing.On the other hand,large exciton binding energy up to hundreds of me V enables excitons to be stable carriers of valley information.Valley polarization,marked by an imbalanced exciton population in two inequivalent valleys(+K and-K),is the core of valleytronics as it can be utilized to store binary information.Motivated by the potential applications,we present a thorough overview of the recent advancements in the generation,relaxation,manipulation,and transport of the valley polarization in nonmagnetic transition metal dichalcogenide layered semiconductors.We also discuss the development of valleytronic devices and future challenges in this field.

Numerical and experimental evaluation for density-related thermal insulation capability of entangled porous metallic wire material

Entangled porous metallic wire material(EPMWM)has the potential as a thermal insulation material in defence and engineering.In order to optimize its thermophysical properties at the design stage,it is of great significance to reveal the thermal response mechanism of EPMWM based on its complex structural effects.In the present work,virtual manufacturing technology(VMT)was developed to restore the physics-based 3D model of EPMWM.On this basis,the transient thermal analysis is carried out to explore the contact-relevant thermal behavior of EPMWM,and then the spiral unit containing unique structural information are further extracted and counted.In particular,the thermal resistance network is numerically constructed based on the spiral unit through the thermoelectric analogy method to accurately predict the effective thermal conductivity(ETC)of EPMWM.Finally,the thermal diffusivity and specific heat of the samples were obtained by the laser thermal analyzer to calculate the ETC and thermal insulation factor of interest.The results show that the ETC of EPMWM increases with increasing temperature or reducing density under the experimental conditions.The numerical prediction is consistent with the experimental result and the average error is less than 4%.

Hybrid metal-insulator-metal structures on Si nanowires array for surface enhanced Raman scattering

Surface enhanced Raman scattering(SERS)is an efficient technique to detect low concentration molecules.In this work,periodical silicon nanowires(Si NWs)integrated with metal-insulator-metal(MIM)layers are employed as SERS substrates.Laser interference lithography(LIL)combined with reactive ion etching(RIE)is used to fabricate large-area periodic nanostructures,followed by decorating the MIM layers.Compared to MIM disks array on Si surface,the SERS enhancement factor(EF)of the MIM structures on the Si NWs array can be increased up to 5 times,which is attributed to the enhanced electric field at the boundary of the MIM disks.Furthermore,high density of nanoparticles and nanogaps serving as hot spots on sidewall surfaces also contribute to the enhanced SERS signals.Via changing the thickness of the insulator layer,the plasmonic resonance can be tuned,which provides a new localized surface plasmon resonance(LSPR)characteristic for SERS applications.

High density Al2O3/TaN-based metal-insulatormetal capacitors in application to radio equency integrated circuits

Metal-insulator-metal （MIM） capacitors with atomic-layer-deposited Al2O3 dielectric and reactively sputtered TaN electrodes in application to radio frequency integrated circuits have been characterized electrically. The capacitors exhibit a high density of about 6.05 fF/μm^2, a small leakage current of 4.8 × 10^-8 A/cm^2 at 3 V, a high breakdown electric field of 8.61 MV/cm as well as acceptable voltage coefficients of capacitance （VCCs） of 795 ppm/V2 and 268ppm/V at 1 MHz. The observed properties should be attributed to high-quality Al2O3 film and chemically stable TaN electrodes. Further, a logarithmically linear relationship between quadratic VCC and frequency is observed due to the change of relaxation time with carrier mobility in the dielectric. The conduction mechanism in the high field ranges is dominated by the Poole-Frenkel emission, and the leakage current in the low field ranges is likely to be associated with trap-assisted tunnelling. Meanwhile, the Al2O3 dielectric presents charge trapping under low voltage stresses, and defect generation under high voltage stresses, and it has a hard-breakdown performance.

Plasmonically induced reflection in metal-insulator-metal waveguides with two silver baffles coupled square ring resonator

A plasmonic waveguide coupled system that is composed of a square ring cavity and a metal-insulator-metal （MIM） waveguide with two silver baffles is proposed. The transmission and reflection properties of the proposed plasmonic system are investigated numerically using the finite element method. The normalized Hz field distributions are calculated to analyze the transmission mode in the plasmonic system. The extreme destructive interference between light mode and dark mode causes plasmonically induced reflection （PIR） window in the transmission spectrum. The PIR window is fitted using the coupled mode theory. The analytical result agrees with the simulation result approximately. In addition, the PIR window can be controlled by adjusting structural parameters and filling different dielectric into the MIM waveguide and the square ring cavity. The results provide a new approach to designing plasmonic devices.

Surface doping manipulation of the insulating ground states in Ta_(2)Pd_(3)Te_(5) and Ta_(2)Ni_(3)Te_(5)

Manipulating emergent quantum phenomena is a key issue for understanding the underlying physics and contributing to possible applications.Here we study the evolution of insulating ground states of Ta_(2)Pu_(3)Te_(5) and Ta_(2)Ni_(3)Te_(5) under in-situ surface potassium deposition via angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy.Our results confirm the excitonic insulator character of Ta_(2)d_(3)Te_(5).Upon surface doping,the size of its global gap decreases obviously.After a deposition time of more than 7 min,the potassium atoms induce a metal-insulator phase transition and make the system recover to a normal state.In contrast,our results show that the isostructural compound Ta_(2)Ni_(3)Te_(5) is a conventional insulator.The size of its global gap decreases upon surface doping,but persists positive throughout the doping process.Our results not only confirm the excitonic origin of the band gap in Ta_(2)Pd_(3)Te_(5),but also offer an effective method for designing functional quantum devices in the future.

Indentation behavior of a semi-infinite piezoelectric semiconductor under a rigid flat-ended cylindrical indenter

This paper theoretically studies the axisymmetric frictionless indentation of a transversely isotropic piezoelectric semiconductor(PSC)half-space subject to a rigid flatended cylindrical indenter.The contact area and other surface of the PSC half-space are assumed to be electrically insulating.By the Hankel integral transformation,the problem is reduced to the Fredholm integral equation of the second kind.This equation is solved numerically to obtain the indentation behaviors of the PSC half-space,mainly including the indentation force-depth relation and the electric potential-depth relation.The results show that the effect of the semiconductor property on the indentation responses is limited within a certain range of variation of the steady carrier concentration.The dependence of indentation behavior on material properties is also analyzed by two different kinds of PSCs.Finite element simulations are conducted to verify the results calculated by the integral equation technique,and good agreement is demonstrated.

A layered multifunctional framework based on polyacrylonitrile and MOF derivatives for stable lithium metal anode

Composite Li metal anodes based on three-dimensional(3D) porous frameworks have been considered as an effective material for achieving stable Li metal batteries with high energy density.However,uneven Li deposition behavior still occurs at the top of 3D frameworks owing to the local accumulation of Li ions.To promote uniform Li deposition without top dendrite growth,herein,a layered multifunctional framework based on oxidation-treated polyacrylonitrile(OPAN) and metal-organic framework(MOF) derivatives was proposed for rationally regulating the distribution of Li ions flux,nucleation sites,and electrical conductivity.Profiting from these merits,the OPAN/carbon nano fiber-MOF(CMOF) composite framework demonstrated a reversible Li plating/stripping behavior for 500 cycles with a stable Coulombic efficiency of around 99.0% at the current density of 2 mA/cm~2.Besides,such a Li composite anode exhibited a superior cycle lifespan of over 1300 h under a low polarized voltage of 18 mV in symmetrical cells.When the Li composite anode was paired with LiFePO_(4)(LFP) cathode,the obtained full cell exhibited a stable cycling over 500 cycles.Moreover,the COMSOL Multiphysics simulation was conducted to reveal the effects on homogeneous Li ions distribution derived from the above-mentioned OPAN/CMOF framework and electrical insulation/conduction design.These electrochemical and simulated results shed light on the difficulties of designing stable and safe Li metal anode via optimizing the 3D frameworks.