ALBERT

Description: In this study, we provide insights into planar structure methylammonium lead triiodide (MAPbI 3 ) perovskite solar cells (PSCs) using electroluminescence and photoluminescence imaging techniques. We demonstrate the strength of these techniques in screening relatively large area PSCs, correlating the solar cell electrical parameters to the images and visualizing the features which contribute to the variation of the parameters extracted from current density-voltage characterizations. It is further used to investigate one of the major concerns about perovskite solar cells, their long term stability and aging. Upon storage under dark in dry glovebox condition for more than two months, the major parameter found to have deteriorated in electrical performance measurements was the fill factor; this was elucidated via electroluminescence image comparisons which revealed that the contacts' quality degrades. Interestingly, by deploying electroluminescence imaging, the significance of having a pin-hole free active layer is demonstrated. Pin-holes can grow over time and can cause degradation of the active layer surrounding them.

Description: Thin films of doped VO 2 were deposited, analyzed, and optimized with regard to their solar energy transmittance ( T sol ) and visible/luminous light transmittance ( T lum ) which are important parameters in the context of smart window applications in buildings. The doping with alkaline earth metals (AEM) like Mg, Ca, Sr, or Ba increased both T sol and T lum due to a bandgap widening and an associated absorption edge blue-shift. Thereby, the brown-yellowish color impression of pure VO 2 thin films, which is one major hindrance limiting the usage of VO 2 as thermochromic window coating, was overcome. Transparent thin films with excellent switching behavior were prepared by sputtering. Highly doped V 1− x Me x O 2 ( Me  = Ca, Sr, Ba) kept its excellent thermochromic switching behavior up to x ( Me ) =  Me /( Me  + V) = 10 at. % doping level, while the optical bandgap energy was increased from 1.64 eV for undoped VO 2 to 2.38 eV for x (Mg) = 7.7 at. %, 1.85 eV for x (Ca) = 7.4 at. %, 1.84 eV for x (Sr) = 6.4 at. % and 1.70 eV for x (Ba) = 6.8 at. %, as well as the absorption edge is blue shifted by increasing AEM contents. Also, the critical temperature ϑ c , at which the semiconductor-to-metal transition (SMT) occurs, was decreased by AEM doping, which amounted to about −0.5 K/at. % for all AEM on average. The critical temperature was determined by transmittance-temperature hysteresis measurements. Furthermore, T sol and T lum were calculated and were found to be significantly enhanced by AEM doping. T lum increased from 32.0% in undoped VO 2 to 43.4% in VO 2 doped with 6.4 at. % Sr. Similar improvements were found for other AEM. The modulation of the solar energy transmittance ΔT sol , which is the difference of the T sol values in the low and high temperature phase, was almost constant or even slightly increased when the doping level was increased up to about 10 at. % Ca, Sr, or Ba.

Description: We report on the implementation and characterization of grating interferometry operating at an x-ray energy of 183 keV. With the possibility to use this technique at high x-ray energies, bigger specimens could be studied in a quantitative way. Also, imaging strongly absorbing specimens will benefit from the advantages of the phase and dark-field signals provided by grating interferometry. However, especially at these high photon energies the performance of the absorption grating becomes a key point on the quality of the system, because the grating lines need to keep their small width of a couple of micrometers and exhibit a greater height of hundreds of micrometers. The performance of high aspect ratio absorption gratings fabricated with different techniques is discussed. Further, a dark-field image of an alkaline multicell battery highlights the potential of high energy x-ray grating based imaging.

Description: Neutron Spectroscopy employing extreme-conditions sample environments is nowadays a crucial tool for the understanding of fundamental scientific questions as well as for the investigation of materials and chemical-physical properties. For all these kinds of studies, an increased neutron flux over a small sample area is needed. The prototype of a focusing neutron guide component, developed and produced completely at the neutron source FRM II in Garching (Germany), has been installed at the time-of-flight (TOF) disc-chopper neutron spectrometer TOFTOF and came into routine-operation. The design is based on the compressed Archimedes' mirror concept for finite-size divergent sources. It represents a unique device combining the supermirror technology with Adaptive Optics, suitable for broad-bandwidth thermal-cold TOF neutron spectroscopy (here optimized for 1.4–10 Å). It is able to squeeze the beam cross section down to a square centimeter, with a more than doubled signal-to-background ratio, increased efficiency at high scattering angles, and improved symmetry of the elastic resolution function. We present a comparison between the simulated and measured beam cross sections, as well as the performance of the instrument within real experiments. This work intends to show the unprecedented opportunities achievable at already existing instruments, along with useful guidelines for the design and construction of next-generation neutron spectrometers.

Description: This paper presents a detailed investigation of the temperature dependence of frequency dispersion observed in capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements of III-V metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices. The dispersion in the accumulation region of the capacitance data is found to change from 4%–9% (per decade frequency) to ∼0% when the temperature is reduced from 300 K to 4 K in a wide range of MOS capacitors with different gate dielectrics and III-V substrates. We show that such significant temperature dependence of C-V frequency dispersion cannot be due to the temperature dependence of channel electrostatics, i.e., carrier density and surface potential. We also show that the temperature dependence of frequency dispersion, and hence, the capture/emission process of border traps can be modeled by a combination of tunneling and a “temperature-activated” process described by a non-radiative multi-phonon model, instead of a widely believed single-step elastic tunneling process.

Description: An emerging branch of electronics, the optospintronics, would be highly boosted if the control of magnetic order by light is implemented in magnetic semiconductors' nanostructures being compatible with the actual technology. Here, we show that the ferromagnetic magnetization of low Fe-doped ZnO nanowires prepared by carbothermal process is enhanced under illumination up to temperatures slightly below room temperature. This enhancement is related to the existence of an oxygen vacancy V O in the neighborhood of an antiferromagnetic superexchange Fe 3+ -Fe 3+ pair. Under illumination, the V O is ionized to V O + giving an electron to a close Fe 3+ ion from the antiferromagnetic pair. This light excited electron transition allows the transition of Fe 3+ to Fe 2+ forming stable ferromagnetic double exchange pairs, increasing the total magnetization. The results presented here indicate an efficient way to influence the magnetic properties of ZnO based nanostructures by light illumination at high temperatures.

Description: A dual-channel AlN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) architecture is demonstrated that leverages ultra-thin epitaxial layers to suppress surface-related gate lag. Two high-density two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) channels are utilized in an AlN/GaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure wherein the top 2DEG serves as a quasi-equipotential that screens potential fluctuations resulting from distributed surface and interface states. The bottom channel serves as the transistor's modulated channel. Dual-channel AlN/GaN heterostructures were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on free-standing hydride vapor phase epitaxy GaN substrates. HEMTs fabricated with 300 nm long recessed gates demonstrated a gate lag ratio (GLR) of 0.88 with no degradation in drain current after bias stressed in subthreshold. These structures additionally achieved small signal metrics f t / f max of 27/46 GHz. These performance results are contrasted with the non-recessed gate dual-channel HEMT with a GLR of 0.74 and 82 mA/mm current collapse with f t / f max of 48/60 GHz.

Description: By means of benchmarking reduced gravity experiments, we have verified the measured viscosity of binary Zr-Ni glass forming liquids utilizing the oscillating drop technique combined with ground-based electrostatic levitation (ESL). Reliable viscosity data can be obtained as long as internal viscous damping of a single oscillation mode of a levitated drop dominates external perturbations. This can be verified by the absence of a sample mass dependence of the results. Hence, ESL is an excellent tool for studying the viscosity of metallic glass forming melts in the range of about 10–250 mPa s, with sample masses below 100 mg. To this end, we show that, for binary Zr-Ni melts, the viscosity is qualitatively controlled by the packing density.

Description: In this article, we present the observation of coherent elastic dynamics in a nano-scale phononic superlattice, which consists of only 4 bilayers. We demonstrate how ultra-short light pulses with a length of 40 fs can be utilized to excite a coherent elastic wave at 0.535 THz, which persist over about 20 ps. In later steps of the elastic dynamics, modes with frequency of 1.7 THz and above appear. All these modes are related to acoustic band gaps. Thus, the periodicity strongly manifests in the wave physics, although the system under investigation has only a small number of spatial periods. To further illustrate this, we show how by breaking the translational invariance of the superlattice, these features can be suppressed. Discussed in terms of phonon blocking and radiation, we elucidate in how far our structures can be considered as useful building blocks for phononic devices.

Description: AlN/GaN resonant tunneling diodes grown on low dislocation density semi-insulating bulk GaN substrates via plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy are reported. The devices were fabricated using a six mask level, fully isolated process. Stable room temperature negative differential resistance (NDR) was observed across the entire sample. The NDR exhibited no hysteresis, background light sensitivity, or degradation of any kind after more than 1000 continuous up-and-down voltage sweeps. The sample exhibited a ∼90% yield of operational devices which routinely displayed an average peak current density of 2.7 kA/cm 2 and a peak-to-valley current ratio of ≈1.15 across different sizes.