Effect of annealing on the electrical performance of N-polarity GaN Schottky barrier diodes

A nitrogen-polarity(N-polarity)GaN-based high electron mobility transistor(HEMT)shows great potential for high-fre-quency solid-state power amplifier applications because its two-dimensional electron gas(2DEG)density and mobility are mini-mally affected by device scaling.However,the Schottky barrier height(SBH)of N-polarity GaN is low.This leads to a large gate leakage in N-polarity GaN-based HEMTs.In this work,we investigate the effect of annealing on the electrical characteristics of N-polarity GaN-based Schottky barrier diodes(SBDs)with Ni/Au electrodes.Our results show that the annealing time and tem-perature have a large influence on the electrical properties of N-polarity GaN SBDs.Compared to the N-polarity SBD without annealing,the SBH and rectification ratio at±5 V of the SBD are increased from 0.51 eV and 30 to 0.77 eV and 7700,respec-tively,and the ideal factor of the SBD is decreased from 1.66 to 1.54 after an optimized annealing process.Our analysis results suggest that the improvement of the electrical properties of SBDs after annealing is mainly due to the reduction of the inter-face state density between Schottky contact metals and N-polarity GaN and the increase of barrier height for the electron emis-sion from the trap state at low reverse bias.

Role of self-assembled molecules’anchoring groups for surface defect passivation and dipole modulation in inverted perovskite solar cells

Inverted perovskite solar cells have gained prominence in industrial advancement due to their easy fabrication,low hysteresis effects,and high stability.Despite these advantages,their efficiency is currently limited by excessive defects and poor carrier transport at the perovskite-electrode interface,particularly at the buried interface between the perovskite and transparent conductive oxide(TCO).Recent efforts in the perovskite community have focused on designing novel self-assembled molecules(SAMs)to improve the quality of the buried interface.However,a notable gap remains in understanding the regulation of atomic-scale interfacial properties of SAMs between the perovskite and TCO interfaces.This understanding is crucial,particularly in terms of identifying chemically active anchoring groups.In this study,we used the star SAM([2-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)ethyl]phosphonic acid)as the base structure to investigate the defect passivation effects of eight common anchoring groups at the perovskite-TCO interface.Our findings indicate that the phosphonic and boric acid groups exhibit notable advantages.These groups fulfill three key criteria:they provide the greatest potential for defect passivation,exhibit stable adsorption with defects,and exert significant regulatory effects on interface dipoles.Ionized anchoring groups exhibit enhanced passivation capabilities for defect energy levels due to their superior Lewis base properties,which effectively neutralize local charges near defects.Among various defect types,iodine vacancies are the easiest to passivate,whereas iodine-substituted lead defects are the most challenging to passivate.Our study provides comprehensive theoretical insights and inspiration for the design of anchoring groups in SAMs,contributing to the ongoing development of more efficient inverted perovskite solar cells.

Overcoming the Limits of Cross-Sensitivity:Pattern Recognition Methods for Chemiresistive Gas Sensor Array

As information acquisition terminals for artificial olfaction,chemiresistive gas sensors are often troubled by their cross-sensitivity,and reducing their cross-response to ambient gases has always been a difficult and important point in the gas sensing area.Pattern recognition based on sensor array is the most conspicuous way to overcome the cross-sensitivity of gas sensors.It is crucial to choose an appropriate pattern recognition method for enhancing data analysis,reducing errors and improving system reliability,obtaining better classification or gas concentration prediction results.In this review,we analyze the sensing mechanism of crosssensitivity for chemiresistive gas sensors.We further examine the types,working principles,characteristics,and applicable gas detection range of pattern recognition algorithms utilized in gas-sensing arrays.Additionally,we report,summarize,and evaluate the outstanding and novel advancements in pattern recognition methods for gas identification.At the same time,this work showcases the recent advancements in utilizing these methods for gas identification,particularly within three crucial domains:ensuring food safety,monitoring the environment,and aiding in medical diagnosis.In conclusion,this study anticipates future research prospects by considering the existing landscape and challenges.It is hoped that this work will make a positive contribution towards mitigating cross-sensitivity in gas-sensitive devices and offer valuable insights for algorithm selection in gas recognition applications.

High-throughput computational material screening of the cycloalkane-based two-dimensional Dion–Jacobson halide perovskites for optoelectronics

Two-dimensional(2D) layered perovskites have emerged as potential alternates to traditional three-dimensional(3D)analogs to solve the stability issue of perovskite solar cells. In recent years, many efforts have been spent on manipulating the interlayer organic spacing cation to improve the photovoltaic properties of Dion–Jacobson(DJ) perovskites. In this work, a serious of cycloalkane(CA) molecules were selected as the organic spacing cation in 2D DJ perovskites, which can widely manipulate the optoelectronic properties of the DJ perovskites. The underlying relationship between the CA interlayer molecules and the crystal structures, thermodynamic stabilities, and electronic properties of 58 DJ perovskites has been investigated by using automatic high-throughput workflow cooperated with density-functional(DFT) calculations.We found that these CA-based DJ perovskites are all thermodynamic stable. The sizes of the cycloalkane molecules can influence the degree of inorganic framework distortion and further tune the bandgaps with a wide range of 0.9–2.1 eV.These findings indicate the cycloalkane molecules are suitable as spacing cation in 2D DJ perovskites and provide a useful guidance in designing novel 2D DJ perovskites for optoelectronic applications.

Design of Waveguide Integrated Ge-Quantum-Well Electro-Absorption Modulators

We present two designs for a waveguide Oe-quantum-well electro-absorption modulator. In our designs, the strip SOI waveguides are butt-coupled and evanescent-coupled to the modulator, respectively. The proposed Gequantum-weB electro-absorption modulator is based on quantum-confined Stark effect （QCSE）, having a 3-dB bandwidth above 50GHz, as well as a low switching power （around 60fJ/bit at 1435nm）. In the butt-coupled design, the optimized extinction ratio is up to 11.4 dB, while the insertion loss is only 6. 74 dB. For the second one, which utilizes evanescent coupling, the extinction ratio and insertion loss are 9.18 dB and 6. 72 dB, respectively.

Influence of the lattice parameter of the AlN buffer layer on the stress state of GaN film grown on(111)Si

GaN films grown on(111)Si substrate with different lattice parameters of the AlN buffer layer by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition are studied.The stress states obtained by different test methods are compared and it is found that the lattice parameter of the AlN buffer layer may have a significant effect on the stress state in the initial stage of subsequent GaN film growth.A larger compressive stress is beneficial to improved surface morphology and crystal quality of GaN film.The results of further orthogonal experiments show that an important factor affecting the lattice parameter is the growth rate of the AlN buffer layer.This work may be helpful for realizing simple GaN-on-Si structures and thus reducing the costs of growth processes.

Negative Poisson's Ratios of Layered Materials by First-Principles High-Throughput Calculations

Auxetic two-dimensional(2D)materials,known from their negative Poisson's ratios(NPRs),exhibit the unique property of expanding(contracting)longitudinally while being laterally stretched(compressed),contrary to typical materials.These materials offer improved mechanical characteristics and hold great potential for applications in nanoscale devices such as sensors,electronic skins,and tissue engineering.Despite their promising attributes,the availability of 2D materials with NPRs is limited,as most 2D layered materials possess positive Poisson's ratios.In this study,we employ first-principles high-throughput calculations to systematically explore Poisson's ratios of 40 commonly used 2D monolayer materials,along with various bilayer structures.Our investigation reveals that BP,GeS and GeSe exhibit out-of-plane NPRs due to their hinge-like puckered structures.For 1T-type transition metal dichalcogenides such as M X_(2)(M=Mo,W;X=S,Se,Te)and transition metal selenides/halides the auxetic behavior stems from a combination of geometric and electronic structural factors.Notably,our findings unveil V_(2)O_(5) as a novel material with out-of-plane NPR.This behavior arises primarily from the outward movement of the outermost oxygen atoms triggered by the relaxation of strain energy under uniaxial tensile strain along one of the in-plane directions.Furthermore,our computations demonstrate that Poisson's ratio can be tuned by varying the bilayer structure with distinct stacking modes attributed to interlayer coupling disparities.These results not only furnish valuable insights into designing 2D materials with a controllable NPR but also introduce V_(2)O_(5) as an exciting addition to the realm of auxetic 2D materials,holding promise for diverse nanoscale applications.

Four-stage cascaded variable optical attenuator with large attenuation range for quantum key distribution

A four-stage cascaded variable optical attenuator(VOA)with a large attenuation range is presented.The VOA is based on a Mach–Zehnder interferometer(MZI)and fabricated in a silica-based planar lightwave circuit(PLC)platform.The thermo-optic effect is used to achieve intensity modulation.The measured maximum attenuation of the four-stage cascaded VOA is 88.38 d B.The chip is also tested in a quantum key distribution(QKD)system to generate signal and decoy states.The mean photon number after attenuation of the four-stage cascaded VOA is less than 0.1,which can meet the requirement of QKD.

Moiré superlattices arising from growth induced by screw dislocations in layered materials

Moiré superlattices(MSLs) are modulated structures produced from homogeneous or heterogeneous two-dimensional layers stacked with a twist angle and/or lattice mismatch. Enriching the methods for fabricating MSL and realizing the unique emergent properties are key challenges in its investigation. Here we recommend that the spiral dislocation driven growth is another optional method for the preparation of high quality MSL samples. The spiral structure stabilizes the constant out-of-plane lattice distance, causing the variations in electronic and optical properties. Taking SnS_(2) MSL as an example, we find prominent properties including large band gap reduction(~ 0.4 e V) and enhanced optical activity. Firstprinciples calculations reveal that these unusual properties can be ascribed to the locally enhanced interlayer interaction associated with the Moiré potential modulation. We believe that the spiral dislocation driven growth would be a powerful method to expand the MSL family and broaden their scope of application.

Room-temperature continuous-wave operation of GaN-based blue-violet laser diodes with a lifetime longer than 1000h

GaN-based continuous-wave operated blue-violet laser diodes(LDs) with long lifetime are demonstrated, which are grown on a c-plane GaN substrate by metal organic chemical vapor deposition with a 10 × 600 μm^2 ridge waveguide structure.The electrical and optical characteristics of a blue-violet LD are investigated under direct-current injection at room temperature(25 °C). The stimulated emission wavelength and peak optical power of the LD are around 413 nm and over 600 mW, respectively.In addition, the threshold current density and voltage are as small as 1.46 kA/cm^2 and 4.1 V, respectively. Moreover, the lifetime is longer than 1000 hours under room-temperature continuous-wave operation.

Etching‐assisted femtosecond laser modification of hard materials

With high hardness, high thermal and chemical stability and excellent optical performance, hard materials exhibit great potential applications in various fields, especially in harsh conditions. Femtosecond laser ablation has the capability to fabricate three-dimensional micro/nanostructures in hard materials. However, the low efficiency, low precision and high surface roughness are the main stumbling blocks for femtosecond laser processing of hard materials. So far, etching- assisted femtosecond laser modification has demonstrated to be the efficient strategy to solve the above problems when processing hard materials, including wet etching and dry etching. In this review, femtosecond laser modification that would influence the etching selectivity is introduced. The fundamental and recent applications of the two kinds of etching assisted femtosecond laser modification technologies are summarized. In addition, the challenges and application prospects of these technologies are discussed.

Nanofiber/nanowires-based flexible and stretchable sensors

Nanofibers/nanowires with one-dimension(1D)nanostructure or well-patterned microstructure have shown distinctly advantages in flexible and stretchable sensor fields,owing to their remarkable tolerance against mechanical bending or stretching,outstanding electronic/optoelectronic properties,good transparency,and excellent geometry.Herein,latest summaries in the unique structure and properties of nanofiber/nanowire function materials and their applications for flexible and stretchable sensor are highlighted.Several types of high-performance nanofiber/nanowire-based flexible pressure and stretchable sensors are also reviewed.Finally,a conclusion and prospect for 1D nanofiber/nanowires-based flexible and stretchable sensors are also intensively discussed.This summary offers new insights for the development of flexible and stretchable sensor based 1D nanostructure in next-generation flexible electronics.

GaN-based blue laser diode with 6.0 W of output power under continuous-wave operation at room temperature

In this work,we reported the room-temperature continuous-wave operation of 6.0 W GaN-based blue laser diode(LD),and its stimulated emission wavelength is around 442 nm.The GaN-based high power blue LD is grown on a c-plane GaN substrate by metal organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD),and the width and length of the ridge waveguide structure are 30 and 1200μm,respectively.The threshold current is about 400 mA,and corresponding threshold current density is 1.1 kA/cm2.

Infrared transition properties of vanadium dioxide thin films across semiconductor-metal transition

Vanadium dioxide thin films were fabricated through annealing vanadium oxide thin films deposited by dual ion beam sputtering. X-ray diffraction （XRD）, atom force microscopy （AFM）, and Fourier transform infrared spectrum （FTIR） were employed to measure the crystalline structure, surface morphology, and infrared optical transmittance. The phase transition properties were characterized by transmittance. The results show that the annealed vanadium oxide thin film is composed of monoclinic VO2, with preferred orientation of （011）. The maximum of transmittance change is beyond 65% as the temperature increases from 20 to 80 C. The reversible changes in optical transmittance against temperature were observed. The change rate of transmittance at short wavelength is higher than that at long wavelength at the same temperature across semiconductor-metal phase transition. This phenomenon was discussed using diffraction effect.

Unconventional phase transition of phase-change-memory materials for optical data storage

Recent years, optically controlled phase-change memory draws intensive attention owing to some advanced applications including integrated all-optical nonvolatile memory, in-memory computing, and neuromorphic computing. The light-induced phase transition is the key for this technology. Traditional understanding on the role of light is the heating effect. Generally, the RESET operation of phase-change memory is believed to be a melt-quenching-amorphization process. However, some recent experimental and theoretical investigations have revealed that ultrafast laser can manipulate the structures of phase-change materials by non-thermal effects and induces unconventional phase transitions including solid-to-solid amorphization and order-to-order phase transitions. Compared with the conventional thermal amorphization,these transitions have potential superiors such as faster speed, better endurance, and low power consumption. This article summarizes some recent progress of experimental observations and theoretical analyses on these unconventional phase transitions. The discussions mainly focus on the physical mechanism at atomic scale to provide guidance to control the phase transitions for optical storage. Outlook on some possible applications of the non-thermal phase transition is also presented to develop new types of devices.

Femtosecond laser fabrication of 3D templates for mass production of artificial compound eyes

Compound eyes are unique optical imaging systems that consist of numerous separate light-sensitive units(ommatidia).Attempts have been made to produce artificial compound eyes via advanced 3 D nanotechnologies.Among them,femtosecond laser direct writing(FsLDW)technology has emerged as an effective strategy due to its distinct advantages in 3 D designable and high precision fabrication capability.However,the point-by-point scanning process results in a very low fabrication efficiency,limiting the practical applications of the FsLDW technology.To solve this problem,we propose a high-efficiency method for the mass production of 3 D artificial compound eyes using a photopolymer template fabricated by FsLDW.The resultant 3 D SU-8 compound eye templates could be used to replicate polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)compound eyes many times(over 50 times)with a highly improved efficiency(nearly 20 times higher than the efficiency of direct fabrication using the point-by-point FsLDW).The PDMS replicas showed good focusing and imaging performances.We anticipate that this method may serve as an enabler for the mass production of 3 D artificial compound eyes and promote their practical applications in the near future.

Synthesis and Upconversion Luminescence of LaF_3:Yb^(3+),Er^(3+)/SiO_2 Core/Shell Microcrystals

LaF3：Yb^3＋ , Er^＋ microcrystals were synthesized by a hydrothermal method, and then, the LaF3： Yb^3＋ , Er^＋ microcrystals were coated with silica. Phase identification of LaF3： Yb^3＋ , Er^＋ and LaF3： Yb^3＋ , Er^＋/SiO2 was performed via XRD. The TEM image showed that the size of LaF3： Yb^3＋ , Er^＋ was 150 nm and LaF3： Yb^3＋ , Er^＋/SiO2 presented clearly a core/shell structure with 20 nm shell thickness. The upconversion spectra of LaF3： Yb^3＋ , Er^＋ and LaF3： Yb^3＋ , Er^＋/SiO2 in solid state and in ethanol were studied with a 980 nm diode laser as the excitation source. The upconversion spectra showed that the silica shell had little effect on the properties of fluorescence of the LaF3：Yb^3＋ , Er^＋ microcrystals. At the same time, the green luminescence photo of LaF3： Yb3＋, Er3＋/SiO2 in the PBS buffer was obtained, which indicated that the LaF3： Yb^3＋ , Er^＋/SiO2 could be used in biological applications.

Synthesis,characterization,photoluminescence and electroluminescence properties of new 1,3,4-oxadiazole-containing rhenium(I)complex Re(CO)_3(Bphen)(PTOP)

A new 1,3,4-oxadiazole-contanining rhenium（I） complex, with the formula [Re（CO）a（Bphen）（PTOP）], （Bphen = bathophe- nardine, PTOP = 4-（5-p-tolyl-1,3, 4-oxadiazd-2-yl） pyridine）, is synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1H NMR, UV-vis and luminescence spectroscopy. The double-layer electroluminescence devices based on the Re（l） complex have been fabricated by spin-coating technique. The turn-on voltage, maximum efficiency, and brightness for green emission obtained from the devices are 9 V, 2.1 cd/A and 165 cd/m^2, respectively.

Evaluation of polarization field in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well structures by using electroluminescence spectra shift

In order to investigate the inherent polarization intensity in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well(MQW) structures,the electroluminescence(EL) spectra of three samples with different GaN barrier thicknesses of 21.3 nm, 11.4 nm, and 6.5 nm are experimentally studied. All of the EL spectra present a similar blue-shift under the low-level current injection,and then turns to a red-shift tendency when the current increases to a specific value, which is defined as the turning point.The value of this turning point differs from one another for the three InGaN/GaN MQW samples. Sample A, which has the GaN barrier thickness of 21.3 nm, shows the highest current injection level at the turning point as well as the largest value of blue-shift. It indicates that sample A has the maximum intensity of the polarization field. The red-shift of the EL spectra results from the vertical electron leakage in InGaN/GaN MQWs and the corresponding self-heating effect under the high-level current injection. As a result, it is an effective approach to evaluate the polarization field in the InGaN/GaN MQW structures by using the injection current level at the turning point and the blue-shift of the EL spectra profiles.

The single-longitudinal-mode operation of a ridge waveguide laser based on two-dimensional photonic crystals

An electrically driven, single-longitudinal-mode GaAs based photonic crystal （PC） ridge waveguide （RWG） laser emitting at around 850 nm is demonstrated. The single-longitudinal-mode lasing characteristic is achieved by introducing the PC to the RWG laser. The triangle PC is etched on both sides of the ridge by photolithography and inductive coupled plasma （ICP） etching. The lasing spectra of the RWG lasers with and without the PC are studied, and the result shows that the PC purifies the longitudinal mode. The power per facet versus current and current-voltage characteristics have also been studied and compared.