Influence of the heterointerface sharpness on exciton recombination dynamics in an ensemble of (In,Al)As/AlAs quantum dots with indirect band-gap

The dynamics of exciton recombination in an ensemble of indirect band-gap (In,Al)As/AlAs quantum dots with type-I band alignment is studied. The lifetime of confined excitons which are indirect in momentum-space is mainly influenced by the sharpness of the heterointerface between the (In,Al)As quantum dot and the AlAs barrier matrix. Time-resolved photoluminescence experiments and theoretical model calculations reveal a strong dependence of the exciton lifetime on the thickness of the interface diffusion layer. The lifetime of excitons with a particular optical transition energy varies because this energy is obtained for quantum dots differing in size, shape and composition. The different exciton lifetimes, which result in photoluminescence with non-exponential decay obeying a power-law function, can be described by a phenomenological distribution function, which allows one to explain the photoluminescence decay with one fitting parameter only.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

Defects in silicon heat-treated under uniform stress and irradiated with fast neutrons

Silicon samples of initial oxygen concentration [O 17 cm -3 were subjected to various high temperature-high pressure (HT-HP) treatments in the temperature range 900-1050 °C. Afterwards, the samples were irradiated by fast neutrons and then isothermally annealed at 400 °C. Infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), optical spectroscopy and selective etching measurements were performed. Besides the precipitates and the dislocation loops that usually form, small defect clusters were also detected in the samples. The presence of these clusters is revealed due to their decoration with radiation induced point defects, and attributed to the HP treatment

Dual threshold diode based on the superconductor-to-insulator transition in ultrathin TiN filmss

We investigate transport properties of superconducting TiN films in the vicinity of the superconductor-insulator transition (SIT). We show that the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics are mirror-symmetric with respect to the SIT and can be switched to each other by the applied magnetic field. In both superconducting and insulating states, the low-temperature I-V characteristics have pronounced diode-like threshold character, demonstrating voltage/current jumps over several orders of magnitude at the corresponding critical current or threshold voltage. We have found that for both states, the theory developed for Josephson junction arrays offers a quantitative description of the experimental results

Ferromagnetic HfO2/Si/GaAs interface for spin-polarimetry applications

In this letter, we present electrical and magnetic characteristics of HfO2-based metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs), along with the effect of pseudomorphic Si as a passivating interlayer on GaAs(001) grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Ultrathin HfO2 high-k gate dielectric films (3–15 nm) have been grown on Si/GaAs(001) structures through evaporation of a Hf/HfO2 target in NO2 gas. The lowest interface states density Dit at Au/HfO2/Si/GaAs(001) MOS-structures were obtained in the range of (6−13)×101

Hemozoin "knobs" in Opisthorchis felineus infected liver

Background Hemozoin is the pigment produced by some blood-feeding parasites. It demonstrates high diagnostic and therapeutic potential. In this work the formation of co-called hemozoin “knobs” – the bile duct ectasia filled up by hemozoin pigment - in Opisthorhis felineus infected hamster liver has been observed. Methods The O. felineus infected liver was examined by histological analysis and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The pigment hemozoin was identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis. Hemozoin crystals were characterised by high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Results Hemozoin crystals produced by O. felineus have average length 403 nm and the length-to-width ratio equals 2.0. The regurgitation of hemozoin from parasitic fluke during infection leads to formation of bile duct ectasia. The active release of hemozoin from O. felineus during in vitro incubation has also been evidenced. It has been shown that the hemozoin knobs can be detected by magnetic resonance imaging. Conclusions In the paper for the first time the characterisation of hemozoin pigment extracted from liver fluke O. felineus has been conducted. The role of hemozoin in the modification of immune response by opisthorchiasis is assumed

Silicon Suboxide Metal-Induced Crystallization Mechanisms Studies by Transmission Electron Microscopy

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy was used to study system: substrate/Al (or Au) film/a-SiOx (x = 1.8 for Al and 0.3 for Au) film before and after annealing. The polycrystalline silicon formation mechanisms based on metal-induced crystallization using these two metals are proposed.Работа выполнена при поддержке РНФ (грант № 19-79-10143) с использованием оборудования ЦКП «Наноструктуры»

Ca silicide films—promising materials for silicon optoelectronics

Single-phase films of semiconductor and semimetallic calcium silicides (Ca2Si, CaSi, and CaSi2), as well as films with a significant contribution of Ca5Si3 and Ca14Si19 silicides, were grown on single-crystal silicon and sapphire substrates. The analysis of the crystal structure of the grown films was carried out and the criterion of their matching with silicon and sapphire substrates was determined. Some lattice-matching models were proposed, and the subsequent deformations of the silicide lattices were estimated. Film’s optical functions, including the optical transparency, were calculated from the optical spectroscopy data and an extended comparison was performed with the results of ab initio calculations. The real limits of the optical transparency for the films on sapphire substrates were established. The maximum transparency limit (3.9 eV) was observed for the CaSi film. Based on an analysis of the photoelectric properties of Ca2Si/Si diodes on n- and p-type silicon substrates, a perspective of their applications in silicon optoelectronics was discussed

The convenient preparation of stable aryl-coated zerovalent iron nanoparticles

A novel approach for the in situ synthesis of zerovalent aryl-coated iron nanoparticles (NPs) based on diazonium salt chemistry is proposed. Surface-modified zerovalent iron NPs (ZVI NPs) were prepared by simple chemical reduction of iron(III) chloride aqueous solution followed by in situ modification using water soluble arenediazonium tosylate. The resulting NPs, with average iron core diameter of 21 nm, were coated with a 10 nm thick organic layer to provide long-term protection in air for the highly reactive zerovalent iron core up to 180 °C. The surface-modified iron NPs possess a high grafting density of the aryl group on the NPs surface of 1.23 mmol/g. FTIR spectroscopy, XRD, HRTEM, TGA/DTA, and elemental analysis were performed in order to characterize the resulting material

Visualization of Swift Ion Tracks in Suspended Local Diamondized Few-Layer Graphene

In the present study we investigated the nanostructuring processes in locally suspended few-layer graphene (FLG) films by irradiation with high energy ions (Xe, 26–167 MeV). For such an energy range, the main channel of energy transfer to FLG is local, short-term excitation of the electronic subsystem. The irradiation doses used in this study are 1 × 1011–5 × 1012 ion/cm2. The structural transformations in the films were identified by Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Two types of nanostructures formed in the FLG films as a result of irradiation were revealed. At low irradiation doses the nanostructures were formed preferably at a certain distance from the ion track and had the form of 15–35 nm “bunches”. We assumed that the internal mechanical stress that arises due to the excited atoms ejection from the central track part creates conditions for the nanodiamond formation near the track periphery. Depending on the energy of the irradiating ions, the local restructuring of films at the periphery of the ion tracks can lead either to the formation of nanodiamonds (ND) or to the formation of AA’ (or ABC) stacking. The compressive strain value and pressure at the periphery of the ion track were estimated as ~0.15–0.22% and ~0.8–1.2 GPa, respectively. The main novel results are the first visualization of ion tracks in graphene in the form of diamond or diamond-like rings, the determination of the main condition for the diamond formation (the absence of a substrate in combination with high ion energy), and estimates of the local strain at the track periphery. Generally, we have developed a novel material and have found how to control the film properties by introducing regions similar to quantum dots with the diamond interface in FLG films