Narrow Results

(La_2/3-xY_x) (Ca_1/3-ySr_y) MnO₃ (LYCSMO) thin films with x = 0.08 and y = 0.0868 deposited on SrTiO₃ (STO), Yttrium-stabilized ZrO₂ (YSZ), LaAlO₃ (LAO), and MgO substrates are fabricated. Atomic force microscopy measurements reveal that the morphology is quite different for all films. A two-dimensional growth mode is suitable for LYCSMO film on STO, while on LAO, YSZ, and MgO, an island growth mode may be a good description for the growth of LYCSMO films. X-ray diffraction studies show that the films epitaxially grow along c axis on STO, LAO, and MgO substrates, while grows along a axis on YSZ substrate. The in-plane and out-of-plane lattice parameters are also obtained for films grown on all substrates.

Molybdenum thin films were sputter deposited under different conditions of DC power and chamber pressure. The structure and topography of the films were investigated using AFM, SEM and XRD techniques. Van der Pauw method and tape test were employed to determine electrical resistivity and interfacial strength to the substrate, respectively. All the films are of sub-micron thickness with maximum growth rate of 78 nm/min and crystallite size in the range of 4 to 21 nm. The films produced at high power and low pressure exhibit compressive residual strains, low electrical resistivity and poor adhesion to the glass substrate, whereas the converse is true for films produced at high pressure.

In this work, we prepared LaNiO₃ (LNO) and Au-LaNiO₃ (Au-LNO) films using sol–gel multilayer coating method. The effects of lattice mismatch on the microstructure and electrical properties of the films were investigated by choosing different single-crystal substrate. XRD, SEM, and AFM results showed the high quality of LNO and Au-LNO films, indicating the successful epitaxial growth of the films on the single-crystal substrates. The room temperature resistivity of LNO films increased with the increase of lattice mismatch while different tendency was observed in Au-LNO films, suggesting that different mechanisms prevailed in the LNO and Au-LNO films. Both the transport behavior and the residual resistivity ratio were checked to explore the relationship between the lattice mismatch and the electrical properties of the films. Strain and defect concentration were proposed as the predominating factors for the changes in the resistivity of LNO and Au-LNO films under the influence of lattice mismatch.

A comprehensive theoretical study has been carried out to examine the electronic and thermoelectric properties of As$XY$ (where $X=\mathrm{\text{S}}$, Se; $Y=\mathrm{\text{Cl}}$, Br, and I) monolayers. The lattice constants of these monolayers are optimized to determine their most stable configurations. The electronic and thermoelectric characteristics of these monolayers are calculated using state-of-the-art computational methods. Specifically, the first-principles calculations in combination with semiclassical Boltzmann transport theory were employed to gain insights into their behavior. One of the crucial findings of the study is the observation of an indirect band nature in all the studied monolayers. This characteristic provides valuable information about the materials’ electronic behavior and potential applications. Furthermore, the impacts of tensile and compressive strains on these monolayers are investigated. Interestingly, we observed changes in the band value when strain is applied, which opens up exciting possibilities for engineering their electronic properties. Importantly, despite these changes, the band nature of the monolayers remains consistent. In particular, it is found that the AsSI monolayer exhibits a remarkable enhancement in the Seebeck coefficient, both in the unstrained state and under a compressive strain of 4% in the p-type region. This enhancement leads to a higher power factor (PF), suggesting that AsSI monolayers could be promising candidates for efficient thermoelectric devices. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of strain engineering to tailor the electronic properties of As$XY$ monolayers, offering exciting opportunities for their application in thermoelectric devices. This research contributes valuable insights into the design and optimization of novel materials for future energy conversion and electronic applications.

Magnetic susceptibility of the Co–Ni suck-cast plates underwent an abrupt change at 32 at% Ni due to phase transformation. Strain value of Co-32 at% Ni cast plate increased from 54 to 850 με as temperature decreased to 150 K. Phase formation of thin film is dependent upon deposition condition.

The crystallization process of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) thin film and the growth process of silicon oxide (SiO_x) have been directly investigated by in-situ heating TEM method from plan-view and cross-sectional directions. The YSZ layer is crystallized by the nucleation and growth mechanism. The nucleation is started from the surface region of the YSZ layer. Ultra thin SiO_x layer on the surface of Si substrate plays an important role in the strain relaxation in the crystallization process.

Nanocrystalline thin films of CdSe have been synthesized from an acidic solution containing CdSO₄ and SeO₂ by a cathodic electrodeposition technique under galvanostatic condition. The crystal structure and morphology have been investigated by Grazing angle X-Ray Diffraction (GXRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and optical microscopic measurement. The X-Ray and TEM diffraction patterns of the deposit reveal a bimodal size distribution with the presence of cubic (zinc blende) phase in the deposit. The particle sizes have been estimated from GXRD measurement found to be 4 nm to 6 nm, comparable to that obtained from TEM analysis. A Branched Fractal Pattern (BFP) in CdSe nanocrystals has been observed by optical microscopy, suggesting a diffusion-limited aggregation growth mechanism with fractal dimension 1.69 ± 0.04.

Hofstadter's fractal energy spectrum, which is also called Hofstadter butterfly, remained as one of the most interesting topics of condensed matter physics for decades. We study, in this paper, how different patterns of energy spectrum emerge when a graphene sheet is subjected to in-plane uniaxial and shear strain in the presence of transverse magnetic field. We discuss these patterns in the context of opening of the electronic energy band structure of graphene. We thus provide a unified framework for graphene under the coupled effect of strain and magnetic field. Due to such coupling, the energy bandgap opens when certain threshold of strain in the zigzag direction of graphene is crossed. The threshold strain value depends on the rationality of the parameter ϕ/ϕ_o, i.e., the ratio of magnetic flux through the deformed hexagonal plaquette and the quantum flux (h/e). Numerical results shows that the energy bandgap depends nonlinearly on the magnitude of strain, and that the threshold strain and energy gap decrease with decreasing magnetic field.

To apply the high hardness of TiN film to soft and hard multilayer composite sheets, we constructed a new type of composite structural material with ultra-high strength. The strain of crystal and cohesive energy between the atoms in the eight structures of N atom, Ti atom, 2N2Ti island and TiN rock salt deposited on the Al(001) surface were calculated with the first-principle ultra-soft pseudopotential approach of the plane wave based on the density functional theory. The calculations of the cohesive energy showed that N atoms could be deposited in the face-centered-cubic vacancy position of the Al(001) surface and results in a cubic structure AlN surface. The TiN film could be deposited on the interface of $\beta$-AlN. The calculations of the strains showed that the strain in the TiN film deposited on the Al(001) surface was less than that in the 2N2Ti island deposited on the Al(001) surface. The diffusion behavior of interface atom N was investigated by a nudged elastic band method. Diffusion energy calculation showed that the N atom hardly diffused to the substrate Al layer.

This paper presents a detailed investigation of the effects of piezoelectricity, spontaneous polarization and charge density on the electronic states and the quasi-Fermi level energy in wurtzite-type semiconductor heterojunctions. This has required a full solution to the coupled Schrödinger–Poisson–Navier model, as a generalization of earlier work on the Schrödinger–Poisson problem. Finite-element-based simulations have been performed on a AlN/GaN quantum well by using both one-step calculation as well as the self-consistent iterative scheme. Results have been provided for field distributions corresponding to cases with zero-displacement boundary conditions and also stress-free boundary conditions. It has been further demonstrated by using four case study examples that a complete self-consistent coupling of electromechanical fields is essential to accurately capture the electromechanical fields and electronic wavefunctions. We have demonstrated that electronic energies can change up to approximately 0.5 eV when comparing partial and complete coupling of electromechanical fields. Similarly, wavefunctions are significantly altered when following a self-consistent procedure as opposed to the partial-coupling case usually considered in literature. Hence, a complete self-consistent procedure is necessary when addressing problems requiring more accurate results on optoelectronic properties of low-dimensional nanostructures compared to those obtainable with conventional methodologies.

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