Strong magnetic field effect on above-barrier transport in Pb-p-HgCdTe Schottky barriers

Due to large difference in effective masses of light and heavy holes it is usually supposed that the above-barrier current in Schottky barriers on p-type semiconductor is controlled only by the heavy holes. However, in real structures, there is an additional potential barrier caused by a oxide layer at interface. For typical values of thickness and height of a barrier its tunnel transparency for light holes can be higher by three order of magnitude than that for heavy holes. Due to such separative role of insulator layer one can expect that the current is manly a contribution of light holes. To clear up this problem the investigation of transport in a magnetic field is used as a key experiment in this work. The pronounced magnetic field effect for heavy holes in investigated Pb-p-HgCdTe Schottky barriers is expected only at extremely strong magnetic fields B>10 T within the framework of both diode and diffusion mechanism of transport. At the same time experimentally more than twofold decrease in saturation current is observed even at B=0.5 T at any orientation of magnetic field. The studies performed for HgCdTe with different Kane's gap and at different temperatures show that the magnitude of magnetic field effect is uniquely determined by the ratio of light hole cyclotron energy to a thermal energy. However the magnitude of effect exceeds considerably the prediction of the simple theory and the experimental magnetic field dependencies of a saturation current do not follow the simple exponential falling predicted for thermionic current. The reason of this discrepancy remains a mystery.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure

Electric field induced strong localization of electrons on solid hydrogen surface: possible applications to quantum computing

Two-dimensional electron system on the liquid helium surface is one of the leading candidates for constructing large analog quantum computers (P.M. Platzman and M.I. Dykman, Science 284, 1967 (1999)). Similar electron systems on the surfaces of solid hydrogen or solid neon may have some important advantages with respect to electrons on liquid helium in quantum computing applications, such as larger state separation $\Delta E$, absence of propagating capillary waves (or ripplons), smaller vapor pressure, etc. As a result, it may operate at higher temperatures. Surface roughness is the main hurdle to overcome in building a realistic quantum computer using these states. Electric field induced strong localization of surface electrons is shown to be a convenient tool to characterize surface roughness.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Advances in experimental technique for quantitative two dimensional dopant profiling by scanning capacitance microscopy

Journal ArticleSeveral advances have been made toward the achievement of quantitative two-dimensional dopant and carrier profiling. To improve the dielectric and charge properties of the oxide-silicon interface, a method of low temperature heat treatment has been developed which produces an insulating layer with consistent quality and reproducibility. After a standard polishing procedure is applied to cross-sectional samples, the samples are heated to 300°C for 30 min under ultraviolet illumination. This additional surface treatment dramatically improves dielectric layer uniformity, scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) signal to noise ratio, and C-V curve flat band offset. Examples of the improvement in the surface quality and comparisons of converted SCM data with secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) data are shown. A SCM tip study has also been performed that indicates significant tip depletion problems can occur. It is shown that doped silicon tips are often depleted by the applied SCM bias voltage causing errors in the SCM measured profile. Worn metal coated and silicided silicon tips also can cause similar problems. When these effects are tested for and eliminated, excellent agreement can be achieved between quantitative SCM profiles and SIMS data over a five-decade range of dopant density using a proper physical model. The impact of the tip size and shape on SCM spatial accuracy is simulated. A flat tip model gives a good agreement with experimental data. It is found that the dc offset used to compensate the C-V curve flat band shift has a consistently opposite sign on p- and n-type substrates. This corresponds to a positive surface on p-type silicon and to a negative surface on n-type silicon. Rectification of the large capacitance probing voltage is considered as a mechanism responsible for the apparent flat band shift of (0.4-1) V measured on the samples after heating under UV irradiation. To explain the larger flat band shift of (1-5) V, tip induced charging of water-related traps is proposed and discussed

On the possibility to supercool molecular hydrogen down to superfluid transition

Recent calculations by Vorobev and Malyshenko (JETP Letters, 71, 39, 2000) show that molecular hydrogen may stay liquid and superfluid in strong electric fields of the order of $4\times 10^7 V/cm$. I demonstrate that strong local electric fields of similar magnitude exist beneath a two-dimensional layer of electrons localized in the image potential above the surface of solid hydrogen. Even stronger local fields exist around charged particles (ions or electrons) if surface or bulk of a solid hydrogen crystal is statically charged. Measurements of the frequency shift of the $1 \to 2$ photoresonance transition in the spectrum of two-dimensional layer of electrons above positively or negatively charged solid hydrogen surface performed in the temperature range 7 - 13.8 K support the prediction of electric field induced surface melting. The range of surface charge density necessary to stabilize the liquid phase of molecular hydrogen at the temperature of superfluid transition is estimated.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Mathematical model of mechanical parts interconnected electric drives of head and lift in rock digger

The need for development of new approach to modelling lift and head electric drives of quarry digger in the process of digging has been justified. The differences of the mathematical model suggested from the traditional approach are shown. The disadvantages of existing control systems in digger electric drives are revealed, the method of their removing is proposed

Instrumentation for Studies of Electron Emission and Charging from Insulators

Making measurements of electron emission properties of insulators is difficult since insulators can charge either negatively or positively under charge particle bombardment. In addition, high incident energies or high fluences can result in modification of a material’s conductivity, bulk and surface charge profile, structural makeup through bond breaking and defect creation, and emission properties. We discuss here some of the charging difficulties associated with making insulator-yield measurements and review the methods used in previous studies of electron emission from insulators. We present work undertaken by our group to make consistent and accurate measurements of the electron/ion yield properties for numerous thin-film and thick insulator materials using innovative instrumentation and techniques. We also summarize some of the necessary instrumentation developed for this purpose including fast-response, low-noise, highsensitivity ammeters; signal isolation and interface to standard computer data acquisition apparatus using opto-isolation, sample-and-hold, and boxcar integration techniques; computer control, automation and timing using Labview software; a multiple sample carousel; a pulsed, compact, low-energy, charge neutralization electron flood gun; and pulsed visible and UV light neutralization sources. This work is supported through funding from the NASA Space Environments and Effects Program and the NASA Graduate Research Fellowship Program

Development of human capital in the system of economic categories of work

Today, human capital is one of the main factors in the formation of the knowledge economy, which is the highest stage in the development of an innovative, post-industrial economy. The development of intellectual and spiritual capabilities of a person, as well as the accumulation of human capital, which has a strong influence on the productivity and quality of labor, becomes one of the priorities for the future development of the state. This article discusses the development of human capital in the system of economic categories of labor.peer-reviewe

Materials Characterization at Utah State University: Facilities and Knowledgebase of Electronic Properties of Materials Applicable to Spacecraft Charging

In an effort to improve the reliability and versatility of spacecraft charging models designed to assist spacecraft designers in accommodating and mitigating the harmful effects of charging on spacecraft, the NASA Space Environments and Effects (SEE) Program has funded development of facilities at Utah State University for the measurement of the electronic properties of both conducting and insulating spacecraft materials. We present here an overview of our instrumentation and capabilities, which are particularly well suited to study electron emission as related to spacecraft charging. These measurements include electron-induced secondary and backscattered yields, spectra, and angular resolved measurements as a function of incident energy, species and angle, plus investigations of ion-induced electron yields, photoelectron yields, sample charging and dielectric breakdown. Extensive surface science characterization capabilities are also available to fully characterize the samples in situ. Our measurements for a wide array of conducting and insulating spacecraft materials have been incorporated into the SEE Charge Collector Knowledgebase as a Database of Electronic Properties of Materials Applicable to Spacecraft Charging. This Database provides an extensive compilation of electronic properties, together with parameterization of these properties in a format that can be easily used with existing spacecraft charging engineering tools and with next generation plasma, charging, and radiation models. Tabulated properties in the Database include: electron-induced secondary electron yield, backscattered yield and emitted electron spectra; He, Ar and Xe ion-induced electron yields and emitted electron spectra; photoyield and solar emittance spectra; and materials characterization including reflectivity, dielectric constant, resistivity, arcing, optical microscopy images, scanning electron micrographs, scanning tunneling microscopy images, and Auger electron spectra. Further details of the instrumentation used for insulator measurements and representative measurements of insulating spacecraft materials are provided in other Spacecraft Charging Conference presentations. The NASA Space Environments and Effects Program, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Boeing Corporation, NASA Graduate Research Fellowships, and the NASA Rocky Mountain Space Grant Consortium have provided support