Defect configurations of high-<i>k</i> cations in germanium

At germanium/high-k interfaces cations and oxygen interstitials can diffuse into the germanium substrate. Here we employ density functional theory calculations to investigate the interaction of a range of such cations (Al, Y, Zr, Nb, La, and Hf) with intrinsic defects and oxygen in germanium. It is predicted that high-k cations strongly bind with lattice vacancies, oxygen interstitials, and A-centers. The implications for microelectronic device performance are discussed. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics

Electron density effects in the modulation spectroscopy of strained and lattice-matched InGaAs/InAlAs/InP high-electron-mobility transistor structures

The effects of the channel electron density on the interband optical transitions of strained (x=0.6 and 0.65) and lattice-matched (x=0.53) InxGa1–xAs/In0.52Al0.48As/InP high-electron-mobility transistor structures have been investigated by phototransmittance at room temperature. Analysis of the ground and first excited transitions for low and high densities, respectively, enabled a separate estimation of the electron densities occupying each one of the first two subbands. It was found necessary to include the modulation of the phase-space filling in the analysis of the spectra, especially for the samples with a high electron density, in which case this modulation mechanism becomes dominant

Electric‐field dependence of interband transitions in In_(0.53)Ga_(0.47)As/In_(0.52)Al_(0.48)As single quantum wells by room‐temperature electrotransmittance

Room‐temperature electrotransmittance has been used in order to investigate the interband excitonic transitions in a 250‐Å‐thick In_(0.53)Ga_(0.47)As/In_(0.52)Al_(0.48)As single‐quantum‐well system as a function of an externally applied electric field. Parity forbidden transitions, involving conduction‐band states with quantum numbers up to n=5, which become more pronounced at high electric fields were observed. The ground‐state and the forbidden transitions showed a significant red shift due to the quantum confined Stark effect. A comparison with previously reported results on thinner InGaAs/InAlAs quantum wells indicated that the wide‐well sample exhibits the largest shift, as expected from theory. Despite the appreciable Stark shift, the rather large, field‐induced linewidth broadening and the relatively low electric field at which the ground‐state exciton is ionized poses limitations on using this wide‐quantum‐well system for electro‐optic applications

Gate Stack Dielectric Degradation of Rare-Earth Oxides Grown on High Mobility Ge Substrates

We report on the dielectric degradation of Rare-Earth Oxides (REOs), when used as interfacial buffer layers together with HfO2 high-k films (REOs/HfO2) on high mobility Ge substrates. Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS) devices with these stacks,show dissimilar charge trapping phenomena under varying levels of Constant- Voltage-Stress (CVS) conditions, which also influences the measured densities of the interface (Nit) and border (NBT) traps. In the present study we also report on C-Vg hysteresis curves related to Nit and NBT. We also propose a new model based on Maxwell-Wagner instabilities mechanism that explains the dielectric degradations (current decay transient behavior) of the gate stack devices grown on high mobility substrates under CVS bias from low to higher fields, and which is unlike to those used for other MOS devices. Finally, the time dependent degradation of the corresponding devices revealed an initial current decay due to relaxation, followed by charge trapping and generation of stress-induced leakage which eventually lead to hard breakdown after long CVS stressing.Comment: 19pages (double space), 7 figures, original research article, Submitted to JAP (AIP

Exploiting the close-to-Dirac point shift of Fermi level in Sb2Te3/Bi2Te3 topological insulator heterostructure for spin-charge conversion

Properly tuning the Fermi level position in topological insulators is of vital importance to tailor their spin-polarized electronic transport and to improve the efficiency of any functional device based on them. Here we report the full in situ Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) and study of a highly crystalline Bi2Te3/Sb2Te3 topological insulator heterostructure on top of large area (4'') Si(111) substrates. The bottom Sb2Te3 layer serves as an ideal seed layer for the growth of highly crystalline Bi2Te3 on top, also inducing a remarkable shift of the Fermi level to place it very close to the Dirac point, as visualized by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. In order to exploit such ideal topologically-protected surface states, we fabricate the simple spin-charge converter Si(111)/Sb2Te3/Bi2Te3/Au/Co/Au and spin-charge conversion (SCC) is probed by spin pumping ferromagnetic resonance. A large SCC is measured at room temperature, which is interpreted within the inverse Edelstein effect (IEE), thus resulting in a conversion efficiency lambda_IEE of 0.44 nm. Our results demonstrate the successful tuning of the surface Fermi level of Bi2Te3 when grown on top of Sb2Te3 with a full in situ MOCVD process, which is highly interesting in view of its future technology transfer.Comment: Main text: 19 pages, 6 figures. Supplementary information are also included in the file with additional 4 page

Chaos in Andreev Billiards

A new type of classical billiard - the Andreev billiard - is investigated using the tangent map technique. Andreev billiards consist of a normal region surrounded by a superconducting region. In contrast with previously studied billiards, Andreev billiards are integrable in zero magnetic field, {\it regardless of their shape}. A magnetic field renders chaotic motion in a generically shaped billiard, which is demonstrated for the Bunimovich stadium by examination of both Poincar\'e sections and Lyapunov exponents. The issue of the feasibility of certain experimental realizations is addressed.Comment: ReVTeX3.0, 4 pages, 3 figures appended as postscript file (uuencoded with uufiles