SCATTERING AND LOCALIZATION OF ELECTRONS IN SYSTEMS OF LOWERED DIMENSIONALITY AND IMPLANTED FILMS

Semiconducting structures with the space boundedness of charge carriers on the base of arsenide of gallium and silicon are considered in the paper aiming at the investigation of mechanisms of conduction, scattering and particular features of localization of electrons. As a result theoretical calculations of a power spectrum and mobility of electrons of quantum pits have been held. Mechanisms of conduction, concentration and mobility of electrons in the structures investigated have been determined. Typical sizes of releief heterogeneities for side surfaces of pits have been determined in systems of quantum pitsAvailable from VNTIC / VNTIC - Scientific & Technical Information Centre of RussiaSIGLERURussian Federatio

Weak superconductivity in the surface layer of a bulk single-crystal boron-doped diamond

We have grown and investigated bulk single-crystal heavily boron-doped diamonds possessing superconductivity with $T_{C}^{\mathrm{onset}} =1.7\text{--}3.5\ \text{K}$ . Only the surface layer with the thickness less than $1\ \mu \text{m}$ showed the degenerate semiconductor behavior with transition to the superconducting state, while the bulk of the crystal was a typical doped semiconductor. The morphology of the surface layer is dendritic polycrystalline with an average boron content of 2.5–2.9 at.%. The typical Josephson junction current-voltage characteristic was observed. The degenerate semiconductor-superconductor transition as in single-crystal high-temperature superconductors and the structural data analysis of the surface layer indicate the two-dimensional character of superconductivity, and the actual superconducting structure is a set of few-nanometer thick boron carbide layers embedded in a diamond structure

High-pressure synthesis of cubic ZnO and its solid solutions with MgO doped with Li, Na, and K

The possibility of doping ZnO in its metastable rock salt structure with Li, Na, and K intended to act as acceptor dopants was investigated. For the first time, MgxZn1−xO alloys and pure ZnO with a rock salt structure doped with Li, Na, and K metals was obtained by high-pressure synthesis from pure oxides with the addition of carbonates or acetates of the corresponding metals as dopant sources. Successful stabilization of the metastable rock salt structure and phase purity were confirmed by X-ray diffraction. Transmission electron microscopy was used to study the particle size of nanocrystalline precursors, while the presence of Li, Na, and K metals in rock salt ZnO was detected by electron energy-loss spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in MgxZn1−xO alloys. Electron paramagnetic resonance measurements revealed the acceptor behavior of Li, Na, and K dopants based on the influence of the latter on native defects and natural impurities in ZnO-MgO alloys. In addition, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy was used to derive band gaps of quenched rock salt ZnO and its alloys with MgO

Doping nature of group V elements in ZnO single crystals grown from melts at high pressure

International audienceZnO single crystals doped with group-V elements have been grown from melt at high pressure. Dopants were introduced in several forms such as Sb2O3, P, As, Sb and Zn3X2 (X = P, As, Sb) in the high-pressure cell. Systematic studies of morphology were performed using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Crystal structure and lattice parameters were studied using X-ray diffraction and X-ray crystallography. Crystals exhibited distinct changes of size, shape and color compared to undoped ZnO melt-grown single crystals due to the dopants influence. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to determine valence states of group-V elements when incorporated in ZnO lattice. Photoluminescence, Raman spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy were employed to investigate the nature of defects formed as the result of doping. Formation of VZn and VZn-complexes was confirmed and their concentrations were measured. Estimates of the number of VZn per one dopant atom showed that the ratio is noticeably higher than the one suggested for the shallow complex As(P, Sb)Zn-2VZn commonly regarded as responsible for acceptor properties in ZnO

Synthesis and thermoelectric properties of Re3As6.6In0.4 with Ir3Ge7 crystal structure

The Re3As7−xInx solid solution was prepared for x ≤ 0.5 by heating the elements in stoichiometric ratios in evacuated silica tubes at 1073 K. It crystallizes with the Ir3Ge7 crystal structure, space group Im−3m, with a unit-cell parameter a ranging from 8.716 to 8.747 Å. The crystal structure and properties were investigated for a composition with x = 0.4. It is shown that indium substitutes arsenic exclusively at one crystallographic site, such that the As–As dumbbells with dAs–As = 2.54 Å remain intact. Re3As6.6In0.4 behaves as a bad metal or heavily doped semiconductor, with electrons being the dominant charge carriers. It possesses high values of Seebeck coefficient and low thermal conductivity, but relatively low electrical conductivity, which leads to rather low values of the thermoelectric figure of merit

Superparamagnetic behavior of MOCVD grown ZnO:Co films

Temperature and field dependences of magnetization have been measured for Co-doped ZnO films with different Co content grown by MOCVD on sapphire substrates. Measured field dependences of magnetization show ferromagnetic-like hysteresis loops and paramagnetic contribution. Coercive field decreases with an increase of Co content and temperature. The difference between temperature dependences of magnetization measured in zero field cooling and field cooling conditions was observed in the temperature range from 2 K to 300 K indicating superparamagnetic behaviour of the films. The distribution of blocking temperatures extracted from the temperature dependences of magnetization is broad and shifts to the low blocking temperatures with an increase of Co conten

Superparamagnetic behavior of MOCVD grown ZnO:Co films

Temperature and field dependences of magnetization have been measured for Co-doped ZnO films with different Co content grown by MOCVD on sapphire substrates. Measured field dependences of magnetization show ferromagnetic-like hysteresis loops and paramagnetic contribution. Coercive field decreases with an increase of Co content and temperature. The difference between temperature dependences of magnetization measured in zero field cooling and field cooling conditions was observed in the temperature range from 2 K to 300 K indicating superparamagnetic behaviour of the films. The distribution of blocking temperatures extracted from the temperature dependences of magnetization is broad and shifts to the low blocking temperatures with an increase of Co conten

Relaxation of Photogenerated Carriers in P3HT:PCBM Organic Blends

Relaxing in the sunlight. Long time-transient decays of photogenerated carriers in P3HT:PCBM blends for organic solar cells are interpreted in terms of the relaxation of hole carriers in a broad density of states. The after-pulse time-resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) decays observed in P3HT:PCBM blends display a dependence on time close to t−β, independent of excitation intensity, in the 10 ns–1 μs range. This is explained in terms of the relaxation of carriers in a Gaussian density of states (DOS). The model is based on a demarcation level that moves with time by thermal release and retrapping of initially trapped carriers. The model shows that when the disorder is large the after-pulse decay of the type t−β is obtained, while at low disorder and large temperature the carrier distribution becomes independent of time. In the measurements different β values were observed depending on the solvent used for spin-coating: 0.4–0.6 for chlorobenzene and 0.3–0.4 for toluene. The model was applied to extract the shape of the DOS from the TRMC decays, giving a dispersion parameter of about 120 meV for blends with high P3HT content

Photocatalytic CO2 Conversion Using Anodic TiO2 Nanotube-CuxO Composites

Nanosized titanium dioxide (TiO2) is currently being actively studied by the global scientific community, since it has a number of properties that are important from a practical point of view. One of these properties is a large specific surface, which makes this material promising for use in photocatalysts, sensors, solar cells, etc. In this work, we prepared photocatalysts based on TiO2 nanotubes for converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into energy-intensive hydrocarbon compounds. Efficient gas-phase CO2 conversion in the prepared single-walled TiO2 nanotube-CuxO composites was investigated. Parameters of defects (radicals) in composites were studied. Methanol and methane were detected during the CO2 photoreduction process. In single-walled TiO2 nanotubes, only Ti3+/oxygen vacancy defects were detected. The Cu2+ centers and O2− radicals were found in TiO2 nanotube-CuxO composites using the EPR technique. It has been established that copper oxide nanoparticles are present in the TiO2 nanotube-CuxO composites in the form of the CuO phase. A phase transformation of CuO to Cu2O takes place during illumination, as has been shown by EPR spectroscopy. It is shown that defects accumulate photoinduced charge carriers. The mechanism of methane and methanol formation is discussed. The results obtained are completely original and show high promise for the use of TiO2-CuxO nanotube composites as photocatalysts for CO2 conversion into hydrocarbon fuel precursors

Photocatalytic CO₂ Conversion Using Anodic TiO₂ Nanotube-Cu_xO Composites

Nanosized titanium dioxide (TiO2) is currently being actively studied by the global scientific community, since it has a number of properties that are important from a practical point of view. One of these properties is a large specific surface, which makes this material promising for use in photocatalysts, sensors, solar cells, etc. In this work, we prepared photocatalysts based on TiO2 nanotubes for converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into energy-intensive hydrocarbon compounds. Efficient gas-phase CO2 conversion in the prepared single-walled TiO2 nanotube-CuxO composites was investigated. Parameters of defects (radicals) in composites were studied. Methanol and methane were detected during the CO2 photoreduction process. In single-walled TiO2 nanotubes, only Ti3+/oxygen vacancy defects were detected. The Cu2+ centers and O2− radicals were found in TiO2 nanotube-CuxO composites using the EPR technique. It has been established that copper oxide nanoparticles are present in the TiO2 nanotube-CuxO composites in the form of the CuO phase. A phase transformation of CuO to Cu2O takes place during illumination, as has been shown by EPR spectroscopy. It is shown that defects accumulate photoinduced charge carriers. The mechanism of methane and methanol formation is discussed. The results obtained are completely original and show high promise for the use of TiO2-CuxO nanotube composites as photocatalysts for CO2 conversion into hydrocarbon fuel precursors