Investigation of doped ZnO by Molecular Beam Epitaxy for n- and p-type Conductivity

This dissertation presents an investigation of the properties, especially the electrical properties, of doped ZnO films grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) under different conditions. The interest in investigating ZnO films is motivated by the potential of ZnO to replace the currently dominant ITO in industries as n-type transparent electrodes and the difficulty in achieving reliable and reproducible p-type ZnO. On the one hand, n-type ZnO heavily doped with Al or Ga (AZO or GZO) is the most promising to replace ITO due to the low cost, abundant material resources, non-toxicity , high conductivity, and high transparency. On the other hand, ZnO doped with a large-size-mismatched element of Sb (SZO) or co-doped with N and Te exhibits the possibility of achieving p-type ZnO. In this dissertation, the effects of MBE growth parameters on the properties of GZO have been investigated in detail. The ratio of oxygen to metal (Zn+Ga) was found to be critical in affecting the structural, electrical, and optical properties of GZO layers as revealed by x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Hall measurement, photoluminescence (PL), and transmittance measurements. Highly conductive (~2×10-4 Ω-cm) and transparent GZO films (\u3e 90% in the visible spectral range) were achieved by MBE under metal-rich conditions (reactive oxygen to incorporated Zn ratio \u3c 1). The highly conductive and transparent GZO layers grown under optimized conditions were applied as p-side transparent electrodes in InGaN-LEDs, which exhibited many advantages over the traditional thin semi-transparent Ni/Au electrodes. The surface morphologies of GaN templates were demonstrated to be important in affecting the structural and electrical properties of GZO layers. In those highly conductive and transparent GZO layers with high-quality crystalline structures, studies revealed ionized impurity scattering being the dominant mechanism limiting the mobility in the temperature range of 15-330 K, while polar optical phonon scattering being the mechanism responsible for the temperature-dependence for T\u3e150 K. The majority Sb ions were found to reside on Zn sites instead of O sites for lower Sb concentrations (~0.1 at.%), which can lead to a high electron concentration of above 1019 cm-3 along with a high electron mobility of 110 cm2/V-s at room temperature. The reduction in electron concentration and mobility for higher Sb concentrations (~1 at.%) was caused by the deterioration of the crystalline quality. ZnO co-doped with N and Te was also studied and the advantages of the co-doping technique and problems in achieving p-type conductivity are discussed

Strain sensing characterization of polymer optical fibre Bragg gratings

Static tensile strain is applied to polymer optical fibre Bragg gratings for the strain sensing characterization. Experimental results indicate that the strain coefficient of polymer fiber Bragg gratings is larger that that of silica fibre Bragg gratings. It is also demonstrated the large strain sensing range with good reproducibility, reversibility and repeatability is achieved. As a result, the study shows the great potential of polymer fibre Bragg gratings in the fibre strain sensing applications

Large pyroelectric effect in undoped epitaxial Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films on SrTiO3 substrates

We have studied pyroelectric and ferroelectric properties of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3thin filmsgrown epitaxially on SrTiO3(001) substrates by rf magnetron sputtering. The pyroelectric coefficient was measured in the temperature range from 280 to 370 K using the Byer–Roundy method. Values as high as 48 nC/cm2 K have been obtained at 300 K. The PZTthin films exhibited a remanent polarization of 45–58 μC/cm2. The improved pyroelectric coefficient was attributed to a high crystalline quality of the films, as revealed by x-ray diffraction that showed only (001)-oriented perovskitePZT phase and a ω-rocking curve full width at half maximum value as low as 4.2 arc min for 300 nm thick films

A TonB-dependent receptor regulates antifungal HSAF biosynthesis in \u3ci\u3eLysobacter\u3c/i\u3e

Lysobacter species are Gram-negative bacteria that are emerging as new sources of antibiotics, including HSAF (Heat Stable Antifungal Factor), which was identified from L. enzymogenes with a new mode of action. LesR, a LuxR solo, was recently shown to regulate the HSAF biosynthesis via an unidentified mechanism in L. enzymogenes OH11. Here, we used a comparative proteomic approach to identify the LesR targets and found that LesR influenced the expression of 33 proteins belonging to 10 functional groups, with 9 proteins belonging to the TBDR (TonB-Dependent Receptor) family. The fundamental role of bacterial TBDR in nutrient uptake motivates us to explore their potential regulation on HSAF biosynthesis which is also modulated by nutrient condition. Six out of 9 TBDR coding genes were individually in-frame deleted. Phenotypic and gene-expression assays showed that TBDR7, whose level was lower in a strain overexpressing lesR, was involved in regulating HSAF yield. TBDR7 was not involved in the growth, but played a vital role in transcribing the key HSAF biosynthetic gene. Taken together, the current lesR-based proteomic study provides the first report that TBDR7 plays a key role in regulating antibiotic (HSAF) biosynthesis, a function which has never been found for TBDRs in bacteria. Includes Supplementary materials

Factors impacting the benefits and pathogenicity of Th17 cells in the tumor microenvironment

Tumor development is closely associated with a complex tumor microenvironment, which is composed of tumor cells, blood vessels, tumor stromal cells, infiltrating immune cells, and associated effector molecules. T helper type 17 (Th17) cells, which are a subset of CD4+ T cells and are renowned for their ability to combat bacterial and fungal infections and mediate inflammatory responses, exhibit context-dependent effector functions. Within the tumor microenvironment, different molecular signals regulate the proliferation, differentiation, metabolic reprogramming, and phenotypic conversion of Th17 cells. Consequently, Th17 cells exert dual effects on tumor progression and can promote or inhibit tumor growth. This review aimed to investigate the impact of various alterations in the tumor microenvironment on the antitumor and protumor effects of Th17 cells to provide valuable clues for the exploration of additional tumor immunotherapy strategies

Structural and electrical properties of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 grown on (0001) GaN using a double PbTiO3∕PbO bridge layer

Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 films were deposited by rf magnetron sputtering on silicon-doped GaN(0001)∕c-sapphire with a PbTiO3∕PbO oxide bridge layer grown by molecular beam epitaxy. X-ray diffraction data showed the highly (111)-oriented perovskite phase in lead zirconate titanate(PZT) films with PbTiO3∕PbO bridge layers, compared to the pyrochlore phase grown directly on GaN. The in-plane epitaxial relationships were found from x-ray pole figures to be PZT[112¯]∥∥GaN[11¯00] and PZT[11¯0]∥∥GaN[112¯0]. The polarization-electric field measurements revealed the ferroelectric behavior with remanent polarization of 30–40μC/cm2 and asymmetric hysteresis loops due to the depletion layer formed in GaN under reverse bias which resulted in a high negative coercive electric field (950kV∕cm)

Thermal characterization of type I and Type II polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings

Two different types of POF gratings, named as Type I and Type I POF gratings, have been distinctively identified in our previous report. Thermal characterization for Type I and Type II POF gratings is carried out in this paper. Our investigation shows that the thermal sensitivity for Type I and Type II POF gratings are the same, while Type II are more thermally stable than Type I POF gratings. Furthermore, it is also demonstrated that POF gratings have much better thermal tunability and higher thermal sensitivity than that of silica fiber gratings

Polymer fiber gragg gratings with 28-dB transmission rejection

Polymer fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) with 28-dB transmission rejection and a line width less than 0.5 nm has been achieved for the first time. This result is achieved based on the systematic investigation of growth dynamics of polymer FBGs. We have observed that the growth of polymer FBGs bears some similarities to that of silica FBGs. This work links the mechanism of polymer fiber gratings formation to silica fiber grating and helps to gain better understanding of polymer fiber grating formation proces

A simple strain sensor using polymer fibre Bragg grating and long period fibre grating

We develop a simple strain sensor using polymer optical fibre Bragg grating and long period fibre grating. The sensor head is formed by a polymer optical fiber Bragg grating. A long period fibre grating is used for strain related wavelength shift demodulation. This particular combination of two quite different gratings could offer very large dynamic, up to tens of thousands micro-strains, for strain sensing. The preliminary experimental results have demonstrated that this sensing scheme provides good linearity, high resolution and large dynamic range

The interactions of volcanism and clastic sedimentation in rift basins: Insights from the Palaeogene-Neogene Shaleitian uplift and surrounding sub-basins, Bohai Bay Basin, China

Although volcanism is an important process in the evolution of rift basins, current tectono-sedimentary models largely neglect its impact on sediment supply, transport pathways, and depositional systems. In this paper, we integrate core, well logs, and 3D seismic data from the Palaeogene-Neogene Shaleitian (SLT) uplift and surrounding sub-basins, Bohai Bay Basin, China, to investigate the sedimentology and geomorphology of a volcanic rift basin. Results of this study show that the spatial distribution of extrusive centres was strongly controlled by basement-involved intra-basin normal faults. During the early part of the syn-rift stage, the SLT uplift supplied sediments to transverse fan deltas and braided-river deltas that fringed the adjacent syn-rift depocentres. Volcanic deposits mainly occurred as relatively thin lava flow and pyroclastic facies that partially filled fault-controlled topographic lows, reducing topographic rugosity, and enhanced breaching of basement highs between syn-rift depocentres. Integration of drainage to the syn-rift depocentres and development of through-flowing axial depositional systems was enhanced. During the later part of syn-rift and in early post-rift stages, the SLT uplift was progressively inundated, reducing sediment supply to the fringing transverse depositional systems. In contrast, axial braided-river deltas became the main depositional systems, sourced by large hinterland drainage from the Yanshan fold-belt to the northwest. Volcanism in the late syn-rift and early post-rift occurs as thick lava flow and pyroclastic facies that infill rift topographic lows and locally blocked axial fluvial systems creating isolated lakes. Within hanging wall depocentres, volcanic topographic highs split and diverted axial fluvial and deltaic systems. Furthermore, volcanism supplied large volumes of volcanic sediment to the rift resulting in increased sedimentation rates, and the development of unstable subaerial and subaqueous slopes and deposits, increasing the occurrence of landslides. Based on the observations of this study we update tectono-sedimentary models for rift basins to include volcanism.publishedVersio