Crystallization of Ge2Sb2Te5 films by amplified femtosecond optical pulses

Copyright © 2012 American Institute of PhysicsThe phase transition between the amorphous and crystalline states of Ge2Sb2Te5 has been studied by exposure of thin films to series of 60 femtosecond (fs) amplified laser pulses. The analysis of microscope images of marks of tens of microns in size provide an opportunity to examine the effect of a continuous range of optical fluence. For a fixed number of pulses, the dependence of the area of the crystalline mark upon the fluence is well described by simple algebraic results that provide strong evidence that thermal transport within the sample is one-dimensional (vertical). The crystalline mark area was thus defined by the incident fs laser beam profile rather than by lateral heat diffusion, with a sharp transition between the crystalline and amorphous materials as confirmed from line scans of the microscope images. A simplified, one-dimensional model that accounts for optical absorption, thermal transport and thermally activated crystallization provides values of the optical reflectivity and mark area that are in very good quantitative agreement with the experimental data, further justifying the one-dimensional heat flow assumption. Typically, for fluences below the damage threshold, the crystalline mark has annular shape, with the fluence at the centre of the irradiated mark being sufficient to induce melting. The fluence at the centre of the mark was correlated with the melt depth from the thermal model to correctly predict the observed melt fluence thresholds and to explain the closure and persistence of the annular crystalline marks as functions of laser fluence and pulse number. A solid elliptical mark may be obtained for smaller fluences. The analysis of marks made by amplified fs pulses present a new and effective means of observing the crystallization dynamics of phase-change material at elevated temperatures near the melting point, which provided estimates of the growth velocity in the range 7-9 m/s. Furthermore, finer control over the crystallization process in phase-change media can be obtained by controlling the number of pulses which, along with the laser fluence, can be tailored to any medium stack with relaxed restrictions on the thermal properties of the layers in the stack

Threshold switching via electric field induced crystallization in phase-change memory devices

Copyright © 2012 American Institute of PhysicsPhase-change devices exhibit characteristic threshold switching from the reset (off) to the set (on) state. Mainstream understanding of this electrical switching phenomenon is that it is initiated electronically via the influence of high electric fields on inter-band trap states in the amorphous phase. However, recent work has suggested that field induced (crystal) nucleation could instead be responsible. We compare and contrast these alternative switching “theories” via realistic simulations of device switching both with and without electric field dependent contributions to the system free energy. Results show that although threshold switching can indeed be obtained purely by electric field induced nucleation, the fields required are significantly larger than experimentally measured values

Dirac Electrons on a Sharply Edged Surface of Topological Insulators

An unpaired gapless Dirac electron emergent at the surface of a strong topological insulator (STI) is protected by the bulk-surface correspondence and believed to be immune to backward scattering. It is less obvious, however, and yet to be verified explicitly whether such a gapless Dirac state is smoothly extended over the entire surface when the surface is composed of more than a single facet with different orientations in contact with one another at sharp corner edges (typically forming a steplike structure). In the realistic situation that we consider, the anisotropy of the sample leads to different group velocities in each of such facets. Here, we propose that much insight on this issue can be obtained by studying the electronic states on a hyperbolic surface of an STI. By explicitly constructing the surface effective Hamiltonian, we demonstrate that no backward scattering takes place at a concave $90^\circ$ step edge. A strong renormalization of the velocity in the close vicinity of the step edge is also suggested.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Spin Drag in Ultracold Fermi Mixtures with Repulsive Interactions

We calculate the spin-drag relaxation rate for a two-component ultracold atomic Fermi gas with positive scattering length between the two spin components. In one dimension we find that it vanishes linearly with temperature. In three dimensions the spin-drag relaxation rate vanishes quadratically with temperature for sufficiently weak interactions. This quadratic temperature dependence is present, up to logarithmic corrections, in the two-dimensional case as well. For stronger interaction the system exhibits a Stoner ferromagnetic phase transition in two and three dimensions. We show that the spin-drag relaxation rate is enhanced by spin fluctuations as the temperature approaches the critical temperature of this transition from above.Comment: Submitted to New Journal of Physics Focus Issue "Strongly Correlated Quantum Fluids: From Ultracold Quantum Gases to QCD Plasmas

Разработка модели статического преобразователя напряжения

In this paper hybrid simulation approach for adequate modeling of Voltage Source Converter (VSC) of Highvoltage direct current (HVDC) systems as part of real electric power systems (EPS) is presented. The proposed VSC model allows to carry out the adequate simulation of different switching processes in VSC HVDC and EPS as a whole without any decomposition and limitation on their duration

Fermi velocity engineering in graphene by substrate modification

The Fermi velocity is one of the key concepts in the study of a material, as it bears information on a variety of fundamental properties. Upon increasing demand on the device applications, graphene is viewed as a prototypical system for engineering Fermi velocity. Indeed, several efforts have succeeded in modifying Fermi velocity by varying charge carrier concentration. Here we present a powerful but simple new way to engineer Fermi velocity while holding the charge carrier concentration constant. We find that when the environment embedding graphene is modified, the Fermi velocity of graphene is (i) inversely proportional to its dielectric constant, reaching ~2.5$\times10^6$ m/s, the highest value for graphene on any substrate studied so far and (ii) clearly distinguished from an ordinary Fermi liquid. The method demonstrated here provides a new route toward Fermi velocity engineering in a variety of two-dimensional electron systems including topological insulators.Comment: accepted in Scientific Report

Positive and negative well-being and objectively measured sedentary behaviour in older adults: evidence from three cohorts

Background: Sedentary behaviour is related to poorer health independently of time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity. The aim of this study was to investigate whether wellbeing or symptoms of anxiety or depression predict sedentary behaviour in older adults. Method: Participants were drawn from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (LBC1936) (n = 271), and the West of Scotland Twenty-07 1950s (n = 309) and 1930s (n = 118) cohorts. Sedentary outcomes, sedentary time, and number of sit-to-stand transitions, were measured with a three-dimensional accelerometer (activPAL activity monitor) worn for 7 days. In the Twenty-07 cohorts, symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed in 2008 and sedentary outcomes were assessed ~ 8 years later in 2015 and 2016. In the LBC1936 cohort, wellbeing and symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed concurrently with sedentary behaviour in 2015 and 2016. We tested for an association between wellbeing, anxiety or depression and the sedentary outcomes using multivariate regression analysis. Results: We observed no association between wellbeing or symptoms of anxiety and the sedentary outcomes. Symptoms of depression were positively associated with sedentary time in the LBC1936 and Twenty-07 1950s cohort, and negatively associated with number of sit-to-stand transitions in the LBC1936. Meta-analytic estimates of the association between depressive symptoms and sedentary time or number of sit-to-stand transitions, adjusted for age, sex, BMI, long-standing illness, and education, were β = 0.11 (95% CI = 0.03, 0.18) and β = − 0.11 (95% CI = − 0.19, −0.03) respectively. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that depressive symptoms are positively associated with sedentary behavior. Future studies should investigate the causal direction of this association

Structural study of an amorphous NiZr2 alloy by anomalous wide angle X-ray scattering and Reverse Monte Carlo simulations

The local atomic structure of an amorphous NiZr2 alloy was investigated using the anomalous wide-angle x-ray scattering (AWAXS), differential anomalous scattering (DAS) and reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) simulations techniques. The AWAXS measurements were performed at eight different incident photon energies, including some close to the Ni and Zr K edges. From the measurements eight total structure factor S(K,E) were derived. Using the AWAXS data four differential structure factors DSFi(K,Em,En) were derived, two about the Ni and Zr edges. The partial structure factors SNi-Ni(K), SNi-Zr(K) and SZr-Zr(K) were estimated by using two different methods. First, the S(K,E) and DSFi(K,Em,En) factors were combined and used in a matrix inversion process. Second, three S(K,E) factors were used as input data in the RMC technique. The coordination numbers and interatomic distances for the first neighbors extracted from the partial structure factors obtained by these two methods show a good agreement. By using the three-dimensional structure derived from the RMC simulations, the bond-angle distributions were calculated and they suggest the presence of distorted triangular-faced polyhedral units in the amorphous NiZr2 structure. We have used the Warren chemical short-range order parameter to evaluate the chemical short-range order for the amorphous NiZr2 alloy and for the NiZr2 compound. The calculated values show that the chemical short-range order found in these two materials is similar to that found in a solid solution.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. B, 8 figure

Inter-diffusion of Plasmonic Metals and Phase Change Materials

This work investigates the problematic diffusion of metal atoms into phase change chalcogenides, which can destroy resonances in photonic devices. Interfaces between Ge2Sb2Te5 and metal layers were studied using X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and reflectometry of metal-Ge2Sb2Te5 layered stacks. The diffusion of metal atoms influences the crystallisation temperature and optical properties of phase change materials. When Au, Ag, Al, W structures are directly deposited on Ge2Sb2Te5 inter-diffusion occurs. Indeed, Au forms AuTe2 layers at the interface. Diffusion barrier layers, such as Si3N4 or stable diffusionless plasmonic materials, such as TiN, can prevent the interfacial damage. This work shows that the interfacial diffusion must be considered when designing phase change material tuned photonic devices, and that TiN is the most suitable plasmonic material to interface directly with Ge2Sb2Te5.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures, articl