Dopant Induced Impurity Bands and Carrier Concentration Control for Thermoelectric Enhancement in p‑Type Cr₂Ge₂Te₆

Our previous work demonstrated that Cr₂Ge₂Te₆ based compounds with a layered structure and high symmetry are good candidates for thermoelectric application. However, the power factor of only ∼0.23 mW/mK² in undoped material is much lower than that of conventional thermoelectrics. This indicates the importance of an electronic performance optimization for further improvements. In this work, either Mn- or Fe-substitution on the Cr site is investigated, with expectations of both carrier concentration control and band structure engineering. First-principle calculations indicate that an orbital hybridization between d orbitals of the doping atom and the p orbital of Te significantly increases the density of states (DOS) around the Fermi level. In addition, it is found that Mn doping is more favorable to improve the electrical properties than Fe doping. By tuning the carrier concentration via Mn doping, the peak power factor rises rapidly from 0.23 mW/mK² to 0.57 mW/mK² at 830 K with <i>x</i> = 0.05. Combined with the intrinsic low thermal conductivity, Cr_1.9Mn_0.1Ge₂Te₆ displays a decent <i>zT</i> of 0.63 at 833 K, a 2-fold value as compared to that of the undoped sample at the same direction and temperature

Observation of Exotic Domain Structures in Ferroelectric Nanodot Arrays Fabricated via a Universal Nanopatterning Approach

We report a facile and cost-competitive nanopatterning route, using Ar ion beam etching through a monolayer polystyrene sphere (PS) array placed on a ferroelectric epitaxial thin film, to fabricate ordered ferroelectric nanodot arrays. Using this method, well-ordered BiFeO₃ epitaxial nanodots, with tunable sizes from ∼100 to ∼900 nm in diameter, have been successfully synthesized. Interestingly, a plethora of exotic nanodomain structures, e.g., stripe domains, vortex and antivortex domains, and single domains, are observed in these nanodots. Moreover, this novel technique has been extended to produce Pb­(Zr,Ti)­O₃ nanodots and multiferroic composite Co/BiFeO₃ nanodots. These observations enable the creation of exotic domain structures and provide a wide range of application potentials for future nanoelectronic devices

Real-Time Observation of the Electrode-Size-Dependent Evolution Dynamics of the Conducting Filaments in a SiO₂ Layer

Conducting bridge random access memory (CBRAM) is one of the most promising candidates for future nonvolatile memories. It is important to understand the scalability and retention of CBRAM cells to realize better memory performance. Here, we directly observe the switching dynamics of Cu tip/SiO₂/W cells with various active electrode sizes using <i>in situ</i> transmission electron microscopy. Conducting filaments (CFs) grow from the active electrode (Cu tip) to inert electrode (W) during the SET operations. The size of the Cu tip affects the electric-field distribution, the amount of the cation injection into electrolyte, and the dimension of the CF. This study provides helpful understanding on the relationship between power consumption and retention of CBRAM cells. We also construct a theoretical model to explain the electrode-size-dependent CF growth in SET operations, showing good agreement with our experimental results

Real-Time Observation of the Electrode-Size-Dependent Evolution Dynamics of the Conducting Filaments in a SiO₂ Layer

Conducting bridge random access memory (CBRAM) is one of the most promising candidates for future nonvolatile memories. It is important to understand the scalability and retention of CBRAM cells to realize better memory performance. Here, we directly observe the switching dynamics of Cu tip/SiO₂/W cells with various active electrode sizes using <i>in situ</i> transmission electron microscopy. Conducting filaments (CFs) grow from the active electrode (Cu tip) to inert electrode (W) during the SET operations. The size of the Cu tip affects the electric-field distribution, the amount of the cation injection into electrolyte, and the dimension of the CF. This study provides helpful understanding on the relationship between power consumption and retention of CBRAM cells. We also construct a theoretical model to explain the electrode-size-dependent CF growth in SET operations, showing good agreement with our experimental results

Enhanced Metal–Insulator Transition Performance in Scalable Vanadium Dioxide Thin Films Prepared Using a Moisture-Assisted Chemical Solution Approach

Vanadium dioxide (VO₂) is a strong-correlated metal–oxide with a sharp metal–insulator transition (MIT) for a range of applications. However, synthesizing epitaxial VO₂ films with desired properties has been a challenge because of the difficulty in controlling the oxygen stoichiometry of VO_<i>x</i>, where <i>x</i> can be in the range of 1 < <i>x</i> < 2.5 and V has multiple valence states. Herein, a unique moisture-assisted chemical solution approach has been developed to successfully manipulate the oxygen stoichiometry, to significantly broaden the growth window, and to significantly enhance the MIT performance of VO₂ films. The obvious broadening of the growth window of stoichiometric VO₂ thin films, from 4 to 36 °C, is ascribed to a self-adjusted process for oxygen partial pressure at different temperatures by introducing moisture. A resistance change as large as 4 orders of magnitude has been achieved in VO₂ thin films with a sharp transition width of less than 1 °C. The much enhanced MIT properties can be attributed to the higher and more uniform oxygen stoichiometry. This technique is not only scientifically interesting but also technologically important for fabricating wafer-scaled VO₂ films with uniform properties for practical device applications