Engineering Vacancies in Bi2S3 yields sub-Bandgap Photoresponse and highly sensitive Short-Wave Infrared Photodetectors

Defects play an important role in tailoring the optoelectronic properties of materials. Here we demonstrate that sulphur vacancies are able to engineer sub-band photoresponse into the short-wave infrared range due to formation of in-gap states in Bi2S3 single crystals supported by density functional (DF) calculations. Sulfurization and subsequent refill of the vacancies results in faster response but limits the spectral range to the near infrared as determined by the bandgap of Bi2S3. A facile chemical treatment is then explored to accelerate the speed of sulphur deficient (SD)-based detectors on the order of 10 ms without sacrificing its spectral coverage into the infrared, while holding a high D* close to 10^15 Jones in the visible-near infrared range and 10^12 Jones at 1.6 um. This work also provides new insights into the role sulphur vacancies play on the electronic structure and, as a result, into sub-bandgap photoresponse enabling ultrasensitive, fast and broadband photodetectors

Three-dimensional core-shell ferromagnetic nanowires grown by focused electron beam induced deposition

Functional nanostructured materials often rely on the combination of more than one material to confer the desired functionality or an enhanced performance of the device. Here we report the procedure to create nanoscale heterostructured materials in the form of core-shell nanowires by focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) technologies. In our case, three-dimensional (3D) nanowires (<100 nm in diameter) with metallic ferromagnetic cores of Co- and Fe-FEBID have been grown and coated with a protective Pt-FEBID shell (ranging 10-20 nm in thickness) aimed to minimize the degradation of magnetic properties caused by the surface oxidation of the core to a non-ferromagnetic material. The structure, chemistry and magnetism of nanowire cores of Co and Fe have been characterized in Pt-coated and uncoated nanostructures to demonstrate that the morphology of the shell is conserved during Pt coating, the surface oxidation is suppressed or confined to the Pt layer, and the average magnetization of the core is strengthened up to 30%. The proposed approach paves the way to the fabrication of 3D FEBID nanostructures based on the smart alternate deposition of two or more materials combining different physical properties or added functionalities

Tunable resistivity exponents in the metallic phase of epitaxial nickelates

We report a detailed analysis of the electrical resistivity exponent of thin films of NdNiO3 as a function of epitaxial strain. Thin films under low strain conditions show a linear dependence of the resistivity versus temperature, consistent with a classical Fermi gas ruled by electron-phonon interactions. In addition, the apparent temperature exponent, n, can be tuned with the epitaxial strain between n = 1 and n = 3. We discuss the critical role played by quenched random disorder in the value of n. Our work shows that the assignment of Fermi/Non-Fermi liquid behaviour based on experimentally obtained resistivity exponents requires an in-depth analysis of the degree of disorder in the material

Relaxation Mechanisms and Strain-Controlled Oxygen Vacancies in Epitaxial SrMnO3 Films

: SrMnO3 has a rich epitaxial strain-dependent ferroic phase diagram, in which a variety of magnetic orderings, even ferroelectricity, and thus multiferroicity, are accessible by gradually modifying the strain. Different relaxation processes, though, including the presence of strain-induced oxygen vacancies, can severely curtail the possibility of stabilizing these ferroic phases. Here, we report on a thorough investigation of the strain relaxation mechanisms in SrMnO3 films grown on several substrates imposing varying degrees of strain from slightly compressive (−0.39%) to largely tensile ≈+3.8%. First, we determine the strain dependency of the critical thickness (tc) below which pseudomorphic growth is obtained. Second, the mechanisms of stress relaxation are elucidated, revealing that misfit dislocations and stacking faults accommodate the strain above tc. Yet, even for films thicker than tc, the atomic monolayers below tc are proved to remain fully coherent. Therefore, multiferroicity may also emerge even in films that appear to be partially relaxed. Last, we demonstrate that fully coherent films with the same thickness present a lower oxygen content for increasing tensile mismatch with the substrate. This behavior proves the coupling between the formation of oxygen vacancies and epitaxial strain, in agreement with first-principles calculations, enabling the strain control of the Mn3+/Mn4+ ratio, which strongly affects the magnetic and electrical properties. However, the presence of oxygen vacancies/Mn3+ cations reduces the effective epitaxial strain in the SrMnO3 films and, thus, the accessibility to the strain-induced multiferroic phase

Long-term performance of magnetic force microscopy tips grown by focused electron beam induced deposition

High-resolution micro- and nanostructures can be grown using Focused Electron Beam Induced Deposition (FEBID), a direct-write, resist-free nanolithography technology which allows additive patterning, typically with sub-100 nm lateral resolution, and down to 10 nm in optimal conditions. This technique has been used to grow magnetic tips for use in Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM). Due to their high aspect ratio and good magnetic behavior, these FEBID magnetic tips provide several advantages over commercial magnetic tips when used for simultaneous topographical and magnetic measurements. Here, we report a study of the durability of these excellent candidates for high-resolution MFM measurements. A batch of FEBID-grown magnetic tips was subjected to a systematic analysis of MFM magnetic contrast for 30 weeks, using magnetic storage tape as a test specimen. Our results indicate that these FEBID magnetic tips operate effectively over a long period of time. The magnetic signal was well preserved, with a maximum reduction of 60% after 21 weeks of recurrent use. No significant contrast degradation was observed after 30 weeks in storage

Strain-induced coupling of electrical polarization and structural defects in SrMnO3 films

Letter.-- et al.Local perturbations in complex oxides, such as domain walls, strain and defects, are of interest because they can modify the conduction or the dielectric and magnetic response, and can even promote phase transitions. Here, we show that the interaction between different types of local perturbations in oxide thin films is an additional source of functionality. Taking SrMnO 3 as a model system, we use nonlinear optics to verify the theoretical prediction that strain induces a polar phase, and apply density functional theory to show that strain simultaneously increases the concentration of oxygen vacancies. These vacancies couple to the polar domain walls, where they establish an electrostatic barrier to electron migration. The result is a state with locally structured room-temperature conductivity consisting of conducting nanosized polar domains encased by insulating domain boundaries, which we resolve using scanning probe microscopy. Our 'nanocapacitor' domains can be individually charged, suggesting stable capacitance nanobits with a potential for information storage technology.M.F., D.M. and M.L. acknowledge funding from grant ‘ETH-06 12-2’ and from SNF proposal no. 200021-149192. The authors acknowledge funding through the SNF R’equip Program (no. 206021-144988). Financial support from Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad through projects MAT2011-27553-C02, MAT2012-38213-C02-01, MAT2014-51982-C2 and from Regional Gobierno de Aragón through project E26 is acknowledged.Peer Reviewe

the State of Utah v. Brent Jay Sessions and Louis R. Dabbs : Brief of Appellant

Defendant, Brent Jay Sessions, Appeals from a Judgement of Guilty of Burglary In The Third Judicial District, In and For Salt Lake County, State of Utah, The Honorable Hal G, Taylor, Presiding

3D magnetic induction maps of nanoscale materials revealed by electron holographic tomography

This is an open access article published under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) License.-- et al.The investigation of three-dimensional (3D) ferromagnetic nanoscale materials constitutes one of the key research areas of the current magnetism roadmap and carries great potential to impact areas such as data storage, sensing, and biomagnetism. The properties of such nanostructures are closely connected with their 3D magnetic nanostructure, making their determination highly valuable. Up to now, quantitative 3D maps providing both the internal magnetic and electric configuration of the same specimen with high spatial resolution are missing. Here, we demonstrate the quantitative 3D reconstruction of the dominant axial component of the magnetic induction and electrostatic potential within a cobalt nanowire (NW) of 100 nm in diameter with spatial resolution below 10 nm by applying electron holographic tomography. The tomogram was obtained using a dedicated TEM sample holder for acquisition, in combination with advanced alignment and tomographic reconstruction routines. The powerful approach presented here is widely applicable to a broad range of 3D magnetic nanostructures and may trigger the progress of novel spintronic nonplanar nanodevices.This work was supported by the European Union under the Seventh Framework Program under a contract for an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative Reference 312483-ESTEEM2. S.B. and A.B. gratefully acknowledge funding by ERC Starting grants number 335078 COLOURATOMS and number 278510 VORTEX. A.F.-P. acknowledges an EPSRC Early Career fellowship and support from the Winton Foundation. E.S., C.G., and L.A.R. acknowledge the French ANR program for support though the project EMMA. J.M.D.T. and C. M. acknowledge the Spanish MINECO projects MAT2014-51982- C2-1-R and MAT2014-51982-C2-2-R, respectively.Peer Reviewe

Polar-Graded Multiferroic SrMnO3 Thin Films

Engineering defects and strains in oxides provides a promising route for the quest of thin film materials with coexisting ferroic orders, multiferroics, with efficient magnetoelectric coupling at room temperature. Precise control of the strain gradient would enable custom tailoring of the multiferroic properties but presently remains challenging. Here we explore the existence of a polar-graded state in epitaxially strained antiferromagnetic SrMnO3 thin films, whose polar nature was predicted theoretically and recently demonstrated experimentally. By means of aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy we map the polar rotation of the ferroelectric polarization with atomic resolution, both far from and near the domain walls, and find flexoelectricity resulting from vertical strain gradients. The origin of this particular strain state is a gradual distribution of oxygen vacancies across the film thickness, according to electron energy loss spectroscopy. Herein we present a chemistry-mediated route to induce polar rotations in oxygen-deficient multiferroic films, resulting in flexoelectric polar rotations and with potentially enhanced piezoelectricity

Role of the surface states in the magnetotransport properties of ultrathin bismuth films

We have investigated the magnetotransport properties of ultrathin films of Bi grown on thermally oxidized Si(001) substrates with thickness ranging from 10 to 100 nm at temperatures down to 2 K and in magnetic fields up to 90 kOe. Remarkable differences both in temperature and field dependence of the Hall resistivity are found for the films with thickness above and below 20 nm. These observations can be explained due to the presence of surface states, which play an important role in determining the electronic transport properties of the thinnest films. The estimated surface carrier density 4 x 10^(13) cm^(-2) at room temperature correlates well with that recently reported from angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on ultrathin Bi(001) films