10,529 research outputs found
A model for retention on short, intermediate and long time-scale in ferroelectric thin films
We developed a model with no adjustable parameter for retention loss at short
and long time scale in ferroelectric thin-film capacitors. We found that the
predictions of this model are in good agreement with the experimental
observations in the literature. In particular, it explains why a power-law
function shows better fitting than a linear-log relation on a short time scale
(10^-7 s to 1 s) and why a stretched exponential relation gives more precise
description than a linear-log plot on a long time scale (>100 s), as reported
by many researchers in the past. More severe retention losses at higher
temperatures and in thinner films have also been correctly predicted by the
present theory.Comment: 15 pages and 3 figure
Unipolar and bipolar fatigue in antiferroelectric lead zirconate thin films and evidences for switching-induced charge injection inducing fatigue
For the first time, we show that unipolar fatigue does occur in
antiferroelectric capacitors, confirming the predictions of a previous work
[Appl. Phys. Lett., 94, 072901 (2009)]. We also show that unipolar fatigue in
antiferroelectrics is less severe than bipolar fatigue if the driving field is
of the same magnitude. This phenomenon has been attributed to the
switching-induced charge injection, the main cause for polarization fatigue in
ferroelectric and antiferroelectric materials. Other evidences for polarization
fatigue caused by the switching-induced charge injection from the nearby
electrode rather than the charge injection during stable/quasi-stable leakage
current stage are also discussed.Comment: 10 pages and 2 figure
Statistical switching kinetics in ferroelectrics
By assuming a more realistic nucleation and polarization reversal scenario we
build a new statistical switching model for ferroelectrics, which is different
from either the Kolmogorov-Avrami-Ishibashi (KAI) model or the
Nucleation-Limited-Switching (NLS) model. After incorporating a time-dependent
depolarization field this model gives a good description about the retardation
behavior in polycrystalline thin films at medium or low fields, which can not
be described by the traditional KAI model. This model predicts correctly n=1
for polycrystalline thin films at high Eappl or ceramic bulks in the ideal
case
Phase Separation of Bismuth Ferrite into Magnetite under Voltage Stressing
Micro-Raman studies show that under ~700 kV/cm of d.c. voltage stressing for
a few seconds, thin-film bismuth ferrite BiFeO3 phase separates into magnetite
Fe3O4. No evidence is found spectroscopically of hemite alpha-Fe2O3, maghemite
gamma-Fe2O3, or of Bi2O3. This relates to the controversy regarding the
magnitude of magnetization in BiFeO3.Comment: 9 pages and 2 figure
Effect of manganese doping on the size effect of lead zirconate titanate thin films and the extrinsic nature of dead layers
We have investigated the size effect in lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin
films with a range of manganese (Mn) doping concentrations. We found that the
size effect in the conventional Pt/PZT/Pt thin-film capacitors could be
systematically reduced and almost completely eliminated by increasing Mn doping
concentration. The interfacial layer at the electrode-film interface appears to
disappear almost entirely for the PZT films with 2% Mn doping levels, confirmed
by the fits using the conventional in-series capacitor model. Our work
indicates that the size effect in ferroelectrics is extrinsic in nature,
supporting the work by Saad et al. Other implications of our results have also
been discussed. By comparing a variety of experimental studies in the
literature we propose a scenario that the dead layer between PZT (or barium
strontium titanate, BST) and metal electrodes such as Pt and Au might have a
defective pyrochlore/fluorite structure (possibly with a small portion of
ferroelectric perovskite phase).Comment: 21 pages, 6 figure
Spin injection from the Heusler alloy Co_2MnGe into Al_0.1Ga_0.9As/GaAs heterostructures
Electrical spin injection from the Heusler alloy Co_2MnGe into a p-i-n
Al_0.1Ga_0.9As/GaAs light emitting diode is demonstrated. A maximum
steady-state spin polarization of approximately 13% at 2 K is measured in two
types of heterostructures. The injected spin polarization at 2 K is calculated
to be 27% based on a calibration of the spin detector using Hanle effect
measurements. Although the dependence on electrical bias conditions is
qualitatively similar to Fe-based spin injection devices of the same design,
the spin polarization injected from Co_2MnGe decays more rapidly with
increasing temperature.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
Distribution of Spectral Lags in Gamma Ray Bursts
Using the data acquired in the Time To Spill (TTS) mode for long gamma-ray
bursts (GRBs) collected by the Burst and Transient Source Experiment on board
the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (BATSE/CGRO), we have carefully measured
spectral lags in time between the low (25-55 keV) and high (110-320 keV) energy
bands of individual pulses contained in 64 multi-peak GRBs. We find that the
temporal lead by higher-energy gamma-ray photons (i.e., positive lags) is the
norm in this selected sample set of long GRBs. While relatively few in number,
some pulses of several long GRBs do show negative lags. This distribution of
spectral lags in long GRBs is in contrast to that in short GRBs. This apparent
difference poses challenges and constraints on the physical mechanism(s) of
producing long and short GRBs. The relation between the pulse peak count rates
and the spectral lags is also examined. Observationally, there seems to be no
clear evidence for systematic spectral lag-luminosity connection for pulses
within a given long GRB.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figure
Electrical Detection of Spin Accumulation at a Ferromagnet-Semiconductor Interface
We show that the accumulation of spin-polarized electrons at a forward-biased
Schottky tunnel barrier between Fe and n-GaAs can be detected electrically. The
spin accumulation leads to an additional voltage drop across the barrier that
is suppressed by a small transverse magnetic field, which depolarizes the spins
in the semiconductor. The dependence of the electrical accumulation signal on
magnetic field, bias current, and temperature is in good agreement with the
predictions of a drift-diffusion model for spin-polarized transport.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
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