A theoretical model for predicting Schottky-barrier height of the nanostructured silicide-silicon junction

ABSTRACT In this work, we have performed the first-principles calculations to investigate the Schottky barrier height (SBH) of various nanostructured silicide-silicon junctions. As for the silicides, PtSi, NiSi, TiSi2, and YSi2 have been used. We find that EFiF = EFi – EF, where EFi and EF are the intrinsic Fermi level of the semiconductor part and the Fermi level of the junction, respectively, is unchanged by nanostructuring. From this finding, we suggest a model, a symmetric increase of the SBH (SI) model, to properly predict SBHs of nanostructured silicide-silicon junctions. We also suggest two measurable quantities for the experimental validation of our model. The effect of our SI model applied to nanostructures such as nanowires and ultra-thin-bodies is compared with that of the widely used previous SBH model

Vertical variation of optical properties of mixed Asian dust/pollution plumes according to pathway of air mass transport over East Asia

© Author(s) 2015. This is an Open Access article made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/We use five years (2009-2013) of multiwavelength Raman lidar measurements at Gwangju, South Korea (35.10° N, 126.53° E) for the identification of changes of optical properties of East Asian dust depending on its transport path over China. Profiles of backscatter and extinction coefficients, lidar ratios, and backscatter-related Ångström exponents (wavelength pair 355/532 nm) were measured at Gwangju. Linear particle depolarization ratios were used to identify East Asian dust layers. We used backward trajectory modeling to identify the pathway and the vertical position of dust-laden air masses over China during long-range transport. Most cases of Asian dust events can be described by the emission of dust in desert areas and subsequent transport over highly polluted regions of China. The Asian dust plumes could be categorized into two classes according to the height above ground at which these plumes were transported: (case I) the dust layers passed over China at high altitude levels (> 3 km) until arrival over Gwangju, and (case II) the Asian dust layers were transported near the surface and within the lower troposphere (< 3 km) over industrialized areas before they arrived over Gwangju. We find that the optical characteristics of these mixed Asian dust layers over Gwangju differ depending on their vertical position above ground over China and the change of height above ground during transport. The mean linear particle depolarization ratio was 0.21 ± 0.06 (at 532 nm), the mean lidar ratios were 52 ± 7 sr at 355 nm and 53 ± 8 sr at 532 nm, and the mean Ångström exponent was 0.74 ± 0.31 for case I. In contrast, plumes transported at lower altitudes (case II) showed low depolarization ratios (0.13 ± 0.04 at 532 nm), and higher lidar ratio (63 ± 9 sr at 355 nm and 62 ± 8 sr at 532 nm) and Ångström exponents (0.98 ± 0.51). These numbers show that the optical characteristics of mixed Asian plumes are more similar to optical characteristics of urban pollution. We find a decrease of the linear depolarization ratio of the mixed dust/pollution plume depending on transport time if the pollution layer traveled over China at low heights, i.e., below approximately 3 km above ground. In contrast, we do not find such a trend if the dust plumes traveled at heights above 3 km over China. We need a longer time series of lidar measurements in order to determine in a quantitative way the change of optical properties of dust with transport time.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

The Non-universal behaviour of Cold Fermi Condensates with Narrow Feshbach Resonances

In this paper we construct an effective field theory for a condensate of cold Fermi atoms whose scattering is controlled by a narrow Feshbach resonance. We show how, from first principles, it permits a hydrodynamic description of the BEC-BCS crossover from which the equation of state, intimately related to the speed of sound, can be derived. Specifically, we stress the non-universal behaviour of the equation of state at the unitary limit of infinite scattering length that arises when either, or both, of the range of the inter-atomic force and the scale of the molecular field become large.Comment: 7 pages, there is no differences in results between this (v2) and the older version (v1), but v2 makes the nature of the non-canonical behavior of the EOS cleare

Spin relaxation in mesoscopic superconducting Al wires

We studied the diffusion and the relaxation of the polarized quasiparticle spins in superconductors. To that end, quasiparticles of polarized spins were injected through an interface of a mesoscopic superconducting Al wire in proximity contact with an overlaid ferromagnetic Co wire in the single-domain state. The superconductivity was observed to be suppressed near the spin-injecting interface, as evidenced by the occurrence of a finite voltage for a bias current below the onset of the superconducting transition. The spin diffusion length, estimated from finite voltages over a certain length of Al wire near the interface, was almost temperature independent in the temperature range sufficiently below the superconducting transition but grew as the transition temperature was approached. This temperature dependence suggests that the relaxation of the spin polarization in the superconducting state is governed by the condensation of quasiparticles to the paired state. The spin relaxation in the superconducting state turned out to be more effective than in the normal state.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure