Low-temperature synthesis of crystalline GeSn with high Sn concentration by electron excitation effect

The low-temperature synthesis of high-Sn-concentration GeSn is challenging in realizing flexible thin-film transistors and solar cells. Because of athermal processes, irradiation with energetic particles is anticipated to significantly reduce the processing temperature for device fabrication. Here, we demonstrated that polycrystalline Ge with ~30 at. % Sn can be realized at room temperature by the electron-beam-induced recrystallization of amorphous GeSn. We found that inelastic electronic stopping, the so-called electron excitation effect, plays an important role in the recrystallization of amorphous GeSn

Regional Potential and Wage Differentials, Simulation of Regional Integration and Employment Distribution across Regions: NEG approach by interregional IO table (Japanese)

Based on the NEG model incorporating the interregional input-output structure, we estimate the differentials of wage structure and simulate the labor distribution patterns by changing transportation parameters in Japan. There are two kinds of approaches to estimate regional potential and/or wage equations in the NEG model: the first is the two-step approach with dummy variables (Redding and Venables, 2004, Head and Mayer, 2006, etc.) and the second is the single-step approach (Hanson, 2005, Brackman et al., 2006, etc.), which directly estimates parameters related to regional potentials. We evaluate these approaches by making use of interregional IO tables with nine regions in which regional CPI and income are available. In addition, the estimation is conducted by more comprehensive regional variables such as regional infrastructure, land endowment, and interregional/intersectoral trade data, which are classified into intermediate and final goods. Based on the estimation results, furthermore, we simulate the multi-regional NEG model of Japan, and investigate the equilibrium labor distribution which equalizes interregional utilities in different levels of transport costs.

Deposition-Temperature Dependence of Vortex Pinning Property in YBa2Cu3O7+BaHfO3 Films

Improvement of critical current density (Jc) in magnetic fields is required in YBa2Cu3O7 films, and process parameters should be optimized for controlling pinning centers. In the present study, a deposition temperature was varied in pulsed laser deposition of YBa2Cu3O7+BaHfO3 films to control the nanorod structure, and its influence on Jc was analyzed. The YBa2Cu3O7+BaHfO3 film deposited at 850°C exhibited pinning force maximum (Fp,max) as high as 413 GN/m3 at 40 K, while the Fp,max for the deposition temperature of 850°C at 77 K was smaller than that in the YBa2Cu3O7+BaHfO3 film deposited at 900°C. A critical temperature decreased and matching field increased with decreasing the deposition temperature. Increase in deposition temperature is effective in improving the Fp,max in high temperatures, since the critical temperature and matching field dependences of Jc value dominate the Fp,max. On the other hand, low deposition temperature improves the Fp,max in low temperatures since the Fp shift in accordance with matching field is dominant to the Fp,max. Thus, the deposition temperature should be set in pulsed laser deposition of YBa2Cu3O7 films containing nanorods considering the Jc variation with critical temperature and matching field

Magnon-exciton proximity coupling at a van der Waals heterointerface

Spin and photonic systems are at the heart of modern information devices and emerging quantum technologies. An interplay between electron-hole pairs (excitons) in semiconductors and collective spin excitations (magnons) in magnetic crystals would bridge these heterogeneous systems, leveraging their individual assets in novel interconnected devices. Here, we report the magnon-exciton coupling at the interface between a magnetic thin film and an atomically-thin semiconductor. Our approach allies the long-lived magnons hosted in a film of yttrium iron garnet (YIG) to strongly-bound excitons in a flake of a transition metal dichalcogenide, MoSe$_2$. The magnons induce on the excitons a dynamical valley Zeeman effect ruled by interfacial exchange interactions. This nascent class of hybrid system suggests new opportunities for information transduction between microwave and optical regions.Comment: 23 pages with 14 figure

Direct observations of crystallization processes of amorphous GeSn during thermal annealing: A temperature window for suppressing Sn segregation

The solubility limit of tin (Sn) in germanium (Ge) is very small, and, therefore, it is difficult to synthesize high Sn concentration GeSn crystals by conventional methods. An amorphous phase can contain elements beyond the solubility limit of the crystal state, and, therefore, recrystallization of the amorphous alloy is one of the possible ways to realize materials far from the equilibrium state. To suppress Sn precipitation during thermal annealing, knowledge of crystallization processes is required. In the present study, amorphous GeSn thin films with different Sn concentrations were prepared by sputtering, and their crystallization processes were examined by in situ transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the crystallization temperature decreases with increasing Sn concentration, and it became lower than the eutectic temperature when the Sn concentration exceeded ∼25 at. %. Radial distribution function analyses revealed that phase decomposition occurs in the amorphous state of the specimens which crystallize below the eutectic temperature, and Sn crystallites were simultaneously precipitated with crystallization. On the other hand, no remarkable phase decomposition was detected in amorphous GeSn with <25 at. % Sn. Sn precipitation occurred at a higher temperature than the crystallization in these specimens, and the difference between the crystallization and Sn precipitation temperatures became large with decreasing Sn concentration. Because of the existence of this temperature difference, a temperature window for suppressing Sn segregation existed. We demonstrated that large GeSn grains with high Sn concentration could be realized by annealing the specimens within the temperature window