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Sample records for charge-based silicon quantum

  1. Silicon-based spin and charge quantum computation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Belita Koiller

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available Silicon-based quantum-computer architectures have attracted attention because of their promise for scalability and their potential for synergetically utilizing the available resources associated with the existing Si technology infrastructure. Electronic and nuclear spins of shallow donors (e.g. phosphorus in Si are ideal candidates for qubits in such proposals due to the relatively long spin coherence times. For these spin qubits, donor electron charge manipulation by external gates is a key ingredient for control and read-out of single-qubit operations, while shallow donor exchange gates are frequently invoked to perform two-qubit operations. More recently, charge qubits based on tunnel coupling in P+2 substitutional molecular ions in Si have also been proposed. We discuss the feasibility of the building blocks involved in shallow donor quantum computation in silicon, taking into account the peculiarities of silicon electronic structure, in particular the six degenerate states at the conduction band edge. We show that quantum interference among these states does not significantly affect operations involving a single donor, but leads to fast oscillations in electron exchange coupling and on tunnel-coupling strength when the donor pair relative position is changed on a lattice-parameter scale. These studies illustrate the considerable potential as well as the tremendous challenges posed by donor spin and charge as candidates for qubits in silicon.Arquiteturas de computadores quânticos baseadas em silício vêm atraindo atenção devido às suas perspectivas de escalabilidade e utilização dos recursos já instalados associados à tecnologia do Si. Spins eletrônicos e nucleares de doadores rasos (por exemplo fósforo em Si são candidatos ideais para bits quânticos (qubits nestas propostas, devido aos tempos de coerência relativamente longos dos spins em matrizes de Si. Para estes qubits de spin, a manipulação da carga do elétron do doador

  2. Charge Dynamics and Spin Blockade in a Hybrid Double Quantum Dot in Silicon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matias Urdampilleta

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Electron spin qubits in silicon, whether in quantum dots or in donor atoms, have long been considered attractive qubits for the implementation of a quantum computer because of silicon’s “semiconductor vacuum” character and its compatibility with the microelectronics industry. While donor electron spins in silicon provide extremely long coherence times and access to the nuclear spin via the hyperfine interaction, quantum dots have the complementary advantages of fast electrical operations, tunability, and scalability. Here, we present an approach to a novel hybrid double quantum dot by coupling a donor to a lithographically patterned artificial atom. Using gate-based rf reflectometry, we probe the charge stability of this double quantum-dot system and the variation of quantum capacitance at the interdot charge transition. Using microwave spectroscopy, we find a tunnel coupling of 2.7 GHz and characterize the charge dynamics, which reveals a charge T_{2}^{*} of 200 ps and a relaxation time T_{1} of 100 ns. Additionally, we demonstrate a spin blockade at the inderdot transition, opening up the possibility to operate this coupled system as a singlet-triplet qubit or to transfer a coherent spin state between the quantum dot and the donor electron and nucleus.

  3. Silicon CMOS architecture for a spin-based quantum computer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veldhorst, M; Eenink, H G J; Yang, C H; Dzurak, A S

    2017-12-15

    Recent advances in quantum error correction codes for fault-tolerant quantum computing and physical realizations of high-fidelity qubits in multiple platforms give promise for the construction of a quantum computer based on millions of interacting qubits. However, the classical-quantum interface remains a nascent field of exploration. Here, we propose an architecture for a silicon-based quantum computer processor based on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. We show how a transistor-based control circuit together with charge-storage electrodes can be used to operate a dense and scalable two-dimensional qubit system. The qubits are defined by the spin state of a single electron confined in quantum dots, coupled via exchange interactions, controlled using a microwave cavity, and measured via gate-based dispersive readout. We implement a spin qubit surface code, showing the prospects for universal quantum computation. We discuss the challenges and focus areas that need to be addressed, providing a path for large-scale quantum computing.

  4. A compact T-shaped nanodevice for charge sensing of a tunable double quantum dot in scalable silicon technology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tagliaferri, M.L.V., E-mail: marco.tagliaferri@mdm.imm.cnr.it [Laboratorio MDM, CNR-IMM, Via C. Olivetti 2, 20864 Agrate Brianza (MB) (Italy); Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali, Università di Milano Bicocca, Via Cozzi 53, 20125 Milano (Italy); Crippa, A. [Laboratorio MDM, CNR-IMM, Via C. Olivetti 2, 20864 Agrate Brianza (MB) (Italy); Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali, Università di Milano Bicocca, Via Cozzi 53, 20125 Milano (Italy); De Michielis, M. [Laboratorio MDM, CNR-IMM, Via C. Olivetti 2, 20864 Agrate Brianza (MB) (Italy); Mazzeo, G.; Fanciulli, M. [Laboratorio MDM, CNR-IMM, Via C. Olivetti 2, 20864 Agrate Brianza (MB) (Italy); Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali, Università di Milano Bicocca, Via Cozzi 53, 20125 Milano (Italy); Prati, E. [Laboratorio MDM, CNR-IMM, Via C. Olivetti 2, 20864 Agrate Brianza (MB) (Italy); Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie, CNR, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano (Italy)

    2016-03-11

    We report on the fabrication and the characterization of a tunable complementary-metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) system consisting of two quantum dots and a MOS single electron transistor (MOSSET) charge sensor. By exploiting a compact T-shaped design and few gates fabricated by electron beam lithography, the MOSSET senses the charge state of either a single or double quantum dot at 4.2 K. The CMOS compatible fabrication process, the simplified control over the number of quantum dots and the scalable geometry make such architecture exploitable for large scale fabrication of multiple spin-based qubits in circuital quantum information processing. - Highlights: • Charge sensing of tunable, by position and number, quantum dots is demonstrated. • A compact T-shaped design with five gates at a single metalization level is proposed. • The electrometer is a silicon-etched nanowire acting as a disorder tolerant MOSSET.

  5. Cavity-assisted quantum computing in a silicon nanostructure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang Bao; Qin Hao; Zhang Rong; Xue Peng; Liu Jin-Ming

    2014-01-01

    We present a scheme of quantum computing with charge qubits corresponding to one excess electron shared between dangling-bond pairs of surface silicon atoms that couple to a microwave stripline resonator on a chip. By choosing a certain evolution time, we propose the realization of a set of universal single- and two-qubit logical gates. Due to its intrinsic stability and scalability, the silicon dangling-bond charge qubit can be regarded as one of the most promising candidates for quantum computation. Compared to the previous schemes on quantum computing with silicon bulk systems, our scheme shows such advantages as a long coherent time and direct control and readout. (general)

  6. Fabrication of a novel silicon single electron transistor for Si:P quantum computer devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Angus, S.J.; Smith, C.E.A.; Gauja, E.; Dzurak, A.S.; Clark, R.G.; Snider, G.L.

    2004-01-01

    Full text: Quantum computation relies on the successful measurement of quantum states. Single electron transistors (SETs) are known to be able to perform fast and sensitive charge measurements of solid state qubits. However, due to their sensitivity, SETs are also very susceptible to random charge fluctuations in a solid-state materials environment. In previous dc transport measurements, silicon-based SETs have demonstrated greater charge stability than A1/A1 2 O 3 SETs. We have designed and fabricated a novel silicon SET architecture for a comparison of the noise characteristics of silicon and aluminium based devices. The silicon SET described here is designed for controllable and reproducible low temperature operation. It is fabricated using a novel dual gate structure on a silicon-on-insulator substrate. A silicon quantum wire is formed in a 100nm thick high-resistivity superficial silicon layer using reactive ion etching. Carriers are induced in the silicon wire by a back gate in the silicon substrate. The tunnel barriers are created electrostatically, using lithographically defined metallic electrodes (∼40nm width). These tunnel barriers surround the surface of the quantum wire, thus producing excellent electrostatic confinement. This architecture provides independent control of tunnel barrier height and island occupancy, thus promising better control of Coulomb blockade oscillations than in previously investigated silicon SETs. The use of a near intrinsic silicon substrate offers compatibility with Si:P qubits in the longer term

  7. Silicon based quantum dot hybrid qubits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Dohun

    2015-03-01

    The charge and spin degrees of freedom of an electron constitute natural bases for constructing quantum two level systems, or qubits, in semiconductor quantum dots. The quantum dot charge qubit offers a simple architecture and high-speed operation, but generally suffers from fast dephasing due to strong coupling of the environment to the electron's charge. On the other hand, quantum dot spin qubits have demonstrated long coherence times, but their manipulation is often slower than desired for important future applications. This talk will present experimental progress of a `hybrid' qubit, formed by three electrons in a Si/SiGe double quantum dot, which combines desirable characteristics (speed and coherence) in the past found separately in qubits based on either charge or spin degrees of freedom. Using resonant microwaves, we first discuss qubit operations near the `sweet spot' for charge qubit operation. Along with fast (>GHz) manipulation rates for any rotation axis on the Bloch sphere, we implement two independent tomographic characterization schemes in the charge qubit regime: traditional quantum process tomography (QPT) and gate set tomography (GST). We also present resonant qubit operations of the hybrid qubit performed on the same device, DC pulsed gate operations of which were recently demonstrated. We demonstrate three-axis control and the implementation of dynamic decoupling pulse sequences. Performing QPT on the hybrid qubit, we show that AC gating yields π rotation process fidelities higher than 93% for X-axis and 96% for Z-axis rotations, which demonstrates efficient quantum control of semiconductor qubits using resonant microwaves. We discuss a path forward for achieving fidelities better than the threshold for quantum error correction using surface codes. This work was supported in part by ARO (W911NF-12-0607), NSF (PHY-1104660), DOE (DE-FG02-03ER46028), and by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program at Sandia National Laboratories

  8. Single-charge tunneling in ambipolar silicon quantum dots

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Müller, Filipp

    2015-01-01

    Spin qubits in coupled quantum dots (QDs) are promising for future quantum information processing (QIP). A quantum bit (qubit) is the quantum mechanical analogon of a classical bit. In general, each quantum mechanical two-level system can represent a qubit. For the spin of a single charge carrier

  9. Quantum conductance in silicon quantum wires

    CERN Document Server

    Bagraev, N T; Klyachkin, L E; Malyarenko, A M; Gehlhoff, W; Ivanov, V K; Shelykh, I A

    2002-01-01

    The results of investigations of electron and hole quantum conductance staircase in silicon quantum wires are presented. The characteristics of self-ordering quantum wells of n- and p-types, which from on the silicon (100) surface in the nonequilibrium boron diffusion process, are analyzed. The results of investigations of the quantum conductance as the function of temperature, carrier concentration and modulation degree of silicon quantum wires are given. It is found out, that the quantum conductance of the one-dimensional channels is observed, for the first time, at an elevated temperature (T >= 77 K)

  10. Growth of a delta-doped silicon layer by molecular beam epitaxy on a charge-coupled device for reflection-limited ultraviolet quantum efficiency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoenk, Michael E.; Grunthaner, Paula J.; Grunthaner, Frank J.; Terhune, R. W.; Fattahi, Masoud; Tseng, Hsin-Fu

    1992-01-01

    Low-temperature silicon molecular beam epitaxy is used to grow a delta-doped silicon layer on a fully processed charge-coupled device (CCD). The measured quantum efficiency of the delta-doped backside-thinned CCD is in agreement with the reflection limit for light incident on the back surface in the spectral range of 260-600 nm. The 2.5 nm silicon layer, grown at 450 C, contained a boron delta-layer with surface density of about 2 x 10 exp 14/sq cm. Passivation of the surface was done by steam oxidation of a nominally undoped 1.5 nm Si cap layer. The UV quantum efficiency was found to be uniform and stable with respect to thermal cycling and illumination conditions.

  11. Predictable quantum efficient detector based on n-type silicon photodiodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dönsberg, Timo; Manoocheri, Farshid; Sildoja, Meelis; Juntunen, Mikko; Savin, Hele; Tuovinen, Esa; Ronkainen, Hannu; Prunnila, Mika; Merimaa, Mikko; Tang, Chi Kwong; Gran, Jarle; Müller, Ingmar; Werner, Lutz; Rougié, Bernard; Pons, Alicia; Smîd, Marek; Gál, Péter; Lolli, Lapo; Brida, Giorgio; Rastello, Maria Luisa; Ikonen, Erkki

    2017-12-01

    The predictable quantum efficient detector (PQED) consists of two custom-made induced junction photodiodes that are mounted in a wedged trap configuration for the reduction of reflectance losses. Until now, all manufactured PQED photodiodes have been based on a structure where a SiO2 layer is thermally grown on top of p-type silicon substrate. In this paper, we present the design, manufacturing, modelling and characterization of a new type of PQED, where the photodiodes have an Al2O3 layer on top of n-type silicon substrate. Atomic layer deposition is used to deposit the layer to the desired thickness. Two sets of photodiodes with varying oxide thicknesses and substrate doping concentrations were fabricated. In order to predict recombination losses of charge carriers, a 3D model of the photodiode was built into Cogenda Genius semiconductor simulation software. It is important to note that a novel experimental method was developed to obtain values for the 3D model parameters. This makes the prediction of the PQED responsivity a completely autonomous process. Detectors were characterized for temperature dependence of dark current, spatial uniformity of responsivity, reflectance, linearity and absolute responsivity at the wavelengths of 488 nm and 532 nm. For both sets of photodiodes, the modelled and measured responsivities were generally in agreement within the measurement and modelling uncertainties of around 100 parts per million (ppm). There is, however, an indication that the modelled internal quantum deficiency may be underestimated by a similar amount. Moreover, the responsivities of the detectors were spatially uniform within 30 ppm peak-to-peak variation. The results obtained in this research indicate that the n-type induced junction photodiode is a very promising alternative to the existing p-type detectors, and thus give additional credibility to the concept of modelled quantum detector serving as a primary standard. Furthermore, the manufacturing of

  12. Nanoscale phosphorus atom arrays created using STM for the fabrication of a silicon based quantum computer.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    O' Brien, J. L. (Jeremy L.); Schofield, S. R. (Steven R.); Simmons, M. Y. (Michelle Y.); Clark, R. G. (Robert G.); Dzurak, A. S. (Andrew S.); Curson, N. J. (Neil J.); Kane, B. E. (Bruce E.); McAlpine, N. S. (Neal S.); Hawley, M. E. (Marilyn E.); Brown, G. W. (Geoffrey W.)

    2001-01-01

    Quantum computers offer the promise of formidable computational power for certain tasks. Of the various possible physical implementations of such a device, silicon based architectures are attractive for their scalability and ease of integration with existing silicon technology. These designs use either the electron or nuclear spin state of single donor atoms to store quantum information. Here we describe a strategy to fabricate an array of single phosphorus atoms in silicon for the construction of such a silicon based quantum computer. We demonstrate the controlled placement of single phosphorus bearing molecules on a silicon surface. This has been achieved by patterning a hydrogen mono-layer 'resist' with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip and exposing the patterned surface to phosphine (PH3) molecules. We also describe preliminary studies into a process to incorporate these surface phosphorus atoms into the silicon crystal at the array sites. Keywords: Quantum computing, nanotechriology scanning turincling microscopy, hydrogen lithography

  13. Nanodiamonds carrying silicon-vacancy quantum emitters with almost lifetime-limited linewidths

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jantzen, Uwe; Kurz, Andrea B.; Rudnicki, Daniel S.

    2016-01-01

    Colour centres in nanodiamonds are an important resource for applications in quantum sensing, biological imaging, and quantum optics. Here we report unprecedented narrow optical transitions for individual colour centres in nanodiamonds smaller than 200 nm. This demonstration has been achieved using...... the negatively charged silicon vacancy centre, which has recently received considerable attention due to its superb optical properties in bulk diamond. We have measured an ensemble of silicon-vacancy centres across numerous nanodiamonds to have an inhomogeneous distribution of 1.05 nmat 5 K. Individual spectral......, and advance the applicability of nanodiamond-hosted colour centres for quantum optics applications....

  14. Quantum information density scaling and qubit operation time constraints of CMOS silicon-based quantum computer architectures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rotta, Davide; Sebastiano, Fabio; Charbon, Edoardo; Prati, Enrico

    2017-06-01

    Even the quantum simulation of an apparently simple molecule such as Fe2S2 requires a considerable number of qubits of the order of 106, while more complex molecules such as alanine (C3H7NO2) require about a hundred times more. In order to assess such a multimillion scale of identical qubits and control lines, the silicon platform seems to be one of the most indicated routes as it naturally provides, together with qubit functionalities, the capability of nanometric, serial, and industrial-quality fabrication. The scaling trend of microelectronic devices predicting that computing power would double every 2 years, known as Moore's law, according to the new slope set after the 32-nm node of 2009, suggests that the technology roadmap will achieve the 3-nm manufacturability limit proposed by Kelly around 2020. Today, circuital quantum information processing architectures are predicted to take advantage from the scalability ensured by silicon technology. However, the maximum amount of quantum information per unit surface that can be stored in silicon-based qubits and the consequent space constraints on qubit operations have never been addressed so far. This represents one of the key parameters toward the implementation of quantum error correction for fault-tolerant quantum information processing and its dependence on the features of the technology node. The maximum quantum information per unit surface virtually storable and controllable in the compact exchange-only silicon double quantum dot qubit architecture is expressed as a function of the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology node, so the size scale optimizing both physical qubit operation time and quantum error correction requirements is assessed by reviewing the physical and technological constraints. According to the requirements imposed by the quantum error correction method and the constraints given by the typical strength of the exchange coupling, we determine the workable operation frequency

  15. Communication: Photoinduced carbon dioxide binding with surface-functionalized silicon quantum dots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Douglas-Gallardo, Oscar A.; Sánchez, Cristián Gabriel; Vöhringer-Martinez, Esteban

    2018-04-01

    Nowadays, the search for efficient methods able to reduce the high atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration has turned into a very dynamic research area. Several environmental problems have been closely associated with the high atmospheric level of this greenhouse gas. Here, a novel system based on the use of surface-functionalized silicon quantum dots (sf-SiQDs) is theoretically proposed as a versatile device to bind carbon dioxide. Within this approach, carbon dioxide trapping is modulated by a photoinduced charge redistribution between the capping molecule and the silicon quantum dots (SiQDs). The chemical and electronic properties of the proposed SiQDs have been studied with a Density Functional Theory and Density Functional Tight-Binding (DFTB) approach along with a time-dependent model based on the DFTB framework. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that proposes and explores the potential application of a versatile and friendly device based on the use of sf-SiQDs for photochemically activated carbon dioxide fixation.

  16. High-dimensional quantum key distribution based on multicore fiber using silicon photonic integrated circuits

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ding, Yunhong; Bacco, Davide; Dalgaard, Kjeld

    2017-01-01

    is intrinsically limited to 1 bit/photon. Here we propose and experimentally demonstrate, for the first time, a high-dimensional quantum key distribution protocol based on space division multiplexing in multicore fiber using silicon photonic integrated lightwave circuits. We successfully realized three mutually......-dimensional quantum states, and enables breaking the information efficiency limit of traditional quantum key distribution protocols. In addition, the silicon photonic circuits used in our work integrate variable optical attenuators, highly efficient multicore fiber couplers, and Mach-Zehnder interferometers, enabling...

  17. Photoluminescence Enhancement of Silole-Capped Silicon Quantum Dots Based on Förster Resonance Energy Transfer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Seongwoong; Kim, Sungsoo; Ko, Young Chun; Sohn, Honglae

    2015-07-01

    Photoluminescent porous silicon were prepared by an electrochemical etch of n-type silicon under the illumination with a 300 W tungsten filament bulb for the duration of etch. The red photoluminescence emitting at 650 nm with an excitation wavelength of 450 nm is due to the quantum confinement of silicon quantum dots in porous silicon. HO-terminated red luminescent PS was obtained by an electrochemical treatment of fresh PS with the current of 150 mA for 60 seconds in water and sodium chloride. As-prepared PS was sonicated, fractured, and centrifuged in toluene solution to obtain photoluminescence silicon quantum dots. Dichlorotetraphenylsilole exhibiting an emission band at 520 nm was reacted with HO-terminated silicon quantum dots to give a silole-capped silicon quantum dots. The optical characterization of silole-derivatized silicon quantum dots was investigated by UV-vis and fluorescence spectrometer. The fluorescence emission efficiency of silole-capped silicon quantum dots was increased by about 2.5 times due to F6rster resonance energy transfer from silole moiety to silicon quantum dots.

  18. Quantum computing based on space states without charge transfer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vyurkov, V.; Filippov, S.; Gorelik, L.

    2010-01-01

    An implementation of a quantum computer based on space states in double quantum dots is discussed. There is no charge transfer in qubits during a calculation, therefore, uncontrolled entanglement between qubits due to long-range Coulomb interaction is suppressed. Encoding and processing of quantum information is merely performed on symmetric and antisymmetric states of the electron in double quantum dots. Other plausible sources of decoherence caused by interaction with phonons and gates could be substantially suppressed in the structure as well. We also demonstrate how all necessary quantum logic operations, initialization, writing, and read-out could be carried out in the computer.

  19. Deep level transient spectroscopy studies of charge traps introduced into silicon by channeling ion implantation of phosphorus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCallum, J.C.; Lay, M.; Deenapanray, P.N.K.; Jagadish, C.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: The operating conditions of a silicon-based quantum computer are expected to place stringent requirements on the quality of the material and the processes used to make it. In the Special Research Centre for Quantum Computer Technology, ion implantation is one of the principle processing techniques under investigation for forming an ordered array of phosphorus atoms. This technique introduces defect centres in silicon which act as charge traps. Charge traps are expected to be detrimental to operation of the device. These defect centres, their dependence on ion implantation and thermal annealing conditions are being quantified using Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS). Since the aspect ratio of the masks required for the top-down fabrication process restrict the incident ions to a range of angles in which they may undergo channeling implantation in the silicon substrate, we have examined the effect of channeling implantation on the nature and quantity of the charge traps produced. This is the first time that DLTS studies have been performed for channeling implantation of a dopant species in silicon. DLTS is well-suited to the dose regime of ∼10 11 P/cm 3 required for the quantum computer, however, a standard DLTS measurement is unable to probe the shallow depth range of ∼ 20 nm required for the P atoms (∼ 10-15 keV implantation energy). Our aim has therefore been to perform P implants in the appropriate dose regime but using higher implantation energies, ∼ 75-450 keV, where DLTS can directly identify and profile the charge traps induced by the implantation step and monitor their annealing characteristics during subsequent processing. To map the behaviour observed in this energy regime onto the low energy range required for the quantum computer we are comparing the DLTS results to damage profiles predicted by the Monte Carlo code Crystal Trim which is used in the semiconductor industry to simulate ion implantation processes in crystalline

  20. Mathematical model of silicon smelting process basing on pelletized charge from technogenic raw materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nemchinova, N. V.; Tyutrin, A. A.; Salov, V. M.

    2018-03-01

    The silicon production process in the electric arc reduction furnaces (EAF) is studied using pelletized charge as an additive to the standard on the basis of the generated mathematical model. The results obtained due to the model will contribute to the analysis of the charge components behavior during melting with the achievement of optimum final parameters of the silicon production process. The authors proposed using technogenic waste as a raw material for the silicon production in a pelletized form using liquid glass and aluminum production dust from the electrostatic precipitators as a binder. The method of mathematical modeling with the help of the ‘Selector’ software package was used as a basis for the theoretical study. A model was simulated with the imitation of four furnace temperature zones and a crystalline silicon phase (25 °C). The main advantage of the created model is the ability to analyze the behavior of all burden materials (including pelletized charge) in the carbothermic process. The behavior analysis is based on the thermodynamic probability data of the burden materials interactions in the carbothermic process. The model accounts for 17 elements entering the furnace with raw materials, electrodes and air. The silicon melt, obtained by the modeling, contained 91.73 % wt. of the target product. The simulation results showed that in the use of the proposed combined charge, the recovery of silicon reached 69.248 %, which is in good agreement with practical data. The results of the crystalline silicon chemical composition modeling are compared with the real silicon samples of chemical analysis data, which showed the results of convergence. The efficiency of the mathematical modeling methods in the studying of the carbothermal silicon obtaining process with complex interphase transformations and the formation of numerous intermediate compounds using a pelletized charge as an additive to the traditional one is shown.

  1. Simulation of Si:P spin-based quantum computer architecture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang Yiachung; Fang Angbo

    2008-01-01

    We present realistic simulation for single and double phosphorous donors in a silicon-based quantum computer design by solving a valley-orbit coupled effective-mass equation for describing phosphorous donors in strained silicon quantum well (QW). Using a generalized unrestricted Hartree-Fock method, we solve the two-electron effective-mass equation with quantum well confinement and realistic gate potentials. The effects of QW width, gate voltages, donor separation, and donor position shift on the lowest singlet and triplet energies and their charge distributions for a neighboring donor pair in the quantum computer(QC) architecture are analyzed. The gate tunability are defined and evaluated for a typical QC design. Estimates are obtained for the duration of spin half-swap gate operation.

  2. Quantum Properties of Dichroic Silicon Vacancies in Silicon Carbide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagy, Roland; Widmann, Matthias; Niethammer, Matthias; Dasari, Durga B. R.; Gerhardt, Ilja; Soykal, Öney O.; Radulaski, Marina; Ohshima, Takeshi; Vučković, Jelena; Son, Nguyen Tien; Ivanov, Ivan G.; Economou, Sophia E.; Bonato, Cristian; Lee, Sang-Yun; Wrachtrup, Jörg

    2018-03-01

    Although various defect centers have displayed promise as either quantum sensors, single photon emitters, or light-matter interfaces, the search for an ideal defect with multifunctional ability remains open. In this spirit, we study the dichroic silicon vacancies in silicon carbide that feature two well-distinguishable zero-phonon lines and analyze the quantum properties in their optical emission and spin control. We demonstrate that this center combines 40% optical emission into the zero-phonon lines showing the contrasting difference in optical properties with varying temperature and polarization, and a 100% increase in the fluorescence intensity upon the spin resonance, and long spin coherence time of their spin-3 /2 ground states up to 0.6 ms. These results single out this defect center as a promising system for spin-based quantum technologies.

  3. Influence of excitonic effects on luminescence quantum yield in silicon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sachenko, A.V.; Kostylyov, V.P.; Vlasiuk, V.M. [V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, NAS of Ukraine, 41 prospect Nauky, 03028 Kyiv (Ukraine); Sokolovskyi, I.O., E-mail: isokolovskyi@mun.ca [V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, NAS of Ukraine, 41 prospect Nauky, 03028 Kyiv (Ukraine); Department of Physics and Physical Oceanography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John' s, NL, A1B 3X7 Canada (Canada); Evstigneev, M. [Department of Physics and Physical Oceanography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John' s, NL, A1B 3X7 Canada (Canada)

    2017-03-15

    Nonradiative exciton lifetime in silicon is determined by comparison of the experimental and theoretical curves of bulk minority charge carriers lifetime on doping and excitation levels. This value is used to analyze the influence of excitonic effects on internal luminescence quantum yield at room temperature, taking into account both nonradiative and radiative exciton lifetimes. A range of Shockley-Hall-Reed lifetimes is found, where excitonic effects lead to an increase of internal luminescence quantum yield.

  4. A surface code quantum computer in silicon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, Charles D.; Peretz, Eldad; Hile, Samuel J.; House, Matthew G.; Fuechsle, Martin; Rogge, Sven; Simmons, Michelle Y.; Hollenberg, Lloyd C. L.

    2015-01-01

    The exceptionally long quantum coherence times of phosphorus donor nuclear spin qubits in silicon, coupled with the proven scalability of silicon-based nano-electronics, make them attractive candidates for large-scale quantum computing. However, the high threshold of topological quantum error correction can only be captured in a two-dimensional array of qubits operating synchronously and in parallel—posing formidable fabrication and control challenges. We present an architecture that addresses these problems through a novel shared-control paradigm that is particularly suited to the natural uniformity of the phosphorus donor nuclear spin qubit states and electronic confinement. The architecture comprises a two-dimensional lattice of donor qubits sandwiched between two vertically separated control layers forming a mutually perpendicular crisscross gate array. Shared-control lines facilitate loading/unloading of single electrons to specific donors, thereby activating multiple qubits in parallel across the array on which the required operations for surface code quantum error correction are carried out by global spin control. The complexities of independent qubit control, wave function engineering, and ad hoc quantum interconnects are explicitly avoided. With many of the basic elements of fabrication and control based on demonstrated techniques and with simulated quantum operation below the surface code error threshold, the architecture represents a new pathway for large-scale quantum information processing in silicon and potentially in other qubit systems where uniformity can be exploited. PMID:26601310

  5. A surface code quantum computer in silicon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, Charles D; Peretz, Eldad; Hile, Samuel J; House, Matthew G; Fuechsle, Martin; Rogge, Sven; Simmons, Michelle Y; Hollenberg, Lloyd C L

    2015-10-01

    The exceptionally long quantum coherence times of phosphorus donor nuclear spin qubits in silicon, coupled with the proven scalability of silicon-based nano-electronics, make them attractive candidates for large-scale quantum computing. However, the high threshold of topological quantum error correction can only be captured in a two-dimensional array of qubits operating synchronously and in parallel-posing formidable fabrication and control challenges. We present an architecture that addresses these problems through a novel shared-control paradigm that is particularly suited to the natural uniformity of the phosphorus donor nuclear spin qubit states and electronic confinement. The architecture comprises a two-dimensional lattice of donor qubits sandwiched between two vertically separated control layers forming a mutually perpendicular crisscross gate array. Shared-control lines facilitate loading/unloading of single electrons to specific donors, thereby activating multiple qubits in parallel across the array on which the required operations for surface code quantum error correction are carried out by global spin control. The complexities of independent qubit control, wave function engineering, and ad hoc quantum interconnects are explicitly avoided. With many of the basic elements of fabrication and control based on demonstrated techniques and with simulated quantum operation below the surface code error threshold, the architecture represents a new pathway for large-scale quantum information processing in silicon and potentially in other qubit systems where uniformity can be exploited.

  6. Protecting a Diamond Quantum Memory by Charge State Control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pfender, Matthias; Aslam, Nabeel; Simon, Patrick; Antonov, Denis; Thiering, Gergő; Burk, Sina; Fávaro de Oliveira, Felipe; Denisenko, Andrej; Fedder, Helmut; Meijer, Jan; Garrido, Jose A; Gali, Adam; Teraji, Tokuyuki; Isoya, Junichi; Doherty, Marcus William; Alkauskas, Audrius; Gallo, Alejandro; Grüneis, Andreas; Neumann, Philipp; Wrachtrup, Jörg

    2017-10-11

    In recent years, solid-state spin systems have emerged as promising candidates for quantum information processing. Prominent examples are the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond, phosphorus dopants in silicon (Si:P), rare-earth ions in solids, and V Si -centers in silicon-carbide. The Si:P system has demonstrated that its nuclear spins can yield exceedingly long spin coherence times by eliminating the electron spin of the dopant. For NV centers, however, a proper charge state for storage of nuclear spin qubit coherence has not been identified yet. Here, we identify and characterize the positively charged NV center as an electron-spin-less and optically inactive state by utilizing the nuclear spin qubit as a probe. We control the electronic charge and spin utilizing nanometer scale gate electrodes. We achieve a lengthening of the nuclear spin coherence times by a factor of 4. Surprisingly, the new charge state allows switching of the optical response of single nodes facilitating full individual addressability.

  7. Magnetic resonance force microscopy quantum computer with tellurium donors in silicon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berman, G P; Doolen, G D; Hammel, P C; Tsifrinovich, V I

    2001-03-26

    We propose a magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM)-based nuclear spin quantum computer using tellurium impurities in silicon. This approach to quantum computing combines well-developed silicon technology and expected advances in MRFM. Our proposal does not use electrostatic gates to realize quantum logic operations.

  8. Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy Quantum Computer with Tellurium Donors in Silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berman, G. P.; Doolen, G. D.; Hammel, P. C.; Tsifrinovich, V. I.

    2001-01-01

    We propose a magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM)-based nuclear spin quantum computer using tellurium impurities in silicon. This approach to quantum computing combines well-developed silicon technology and expected advances in MRFM. Our proposal does not use electrostatic gates to realize quantum logic operations

  9. Strong quantum-confined stark effect in germanium quantum-well structures on silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuo, Y.; Lee, Y. K.; Gei, Y.; Ren, S; Roth, J. E.; Miller, D. A.; Harris, J. S.

    2006-01-01

    Silicon is the dominant semiconductor for electronics, but there is now a growing need to integrate such component with optoelectronics for telecommunications and computer interconnections. Silicon-based optical modulators have recently been successfully demonstrated but because the light modulation mechanisms in silicon are relatively weak, long (for example, several millimeters) devices or sophisticated high-quality-factor resonators have been necessary. Thin quantum-well structures made from III-V semiconductors such as GaAs, InP and their alloys exhibit the much stronger Quantum-Confined Stark Effect (QCSE) mechanism, which allows modulator structures with only micrometers of optical path length. Such III-V materials are unfortunately difficult to integrate with silicon electronic devices. Germanium is routinely integrated with silicon in electronics, but previous silicon-germanium structures have also not shown strong modulation effects. Here we report the discovery of the QCSE, at room temperature, in thin germanium quantum-well structures grown on silicon. The QCSE here has strengths comparable to that in III-V materials. Its clarity and strength are particularly surprising because germanium is an indirect gap semiconductor, such semiconductors often display much weak optical effects than direct gap materials (such as the III-V materials typically used for optoelectronics). This discovery is very promising for small, high-speed, low-power optical output devices fully compatible with silicon electronics manufacture. (author)

  10. A Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy Quantum Computer with Tellurium Donors in Silicon

    OpenAIRE

    Berman, G. P.; Doolen, G. D.; Tsifrinovich, V. I.

    2000-01-01

    We propose a magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM)-based nuclear spin quantum computer using tellurium impurities in silicon. This approach to quantum computing combines the well-developed silicon technology with expected advances in MRFM.

  11. Nanodiamonds carrying silicon-vacancy quantum emitters with almost lifetime-limited linewidths

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jantzen, Uwe; Kurz, Andrea B.; Rudnicki, Daniel S.; Schäfermeier, Clemens; Jahnke, Kay D.; Andersen, Ulrik L.; Davydov, Valery A.; Agafonov, Viatcheslav N.; Kubanek, Alexander; Rogers, Lachlan J.; Jelezko, Fedor

    2016-07-01

    Colour centres in nanodiamonds are an important resource for applications in quantum sensing, biological imaging, and quantum optics. Here we report unprecedented narrow optical transitions for individual colour centres in nanodiamonds smaller than 200 nm. This demonstration has been achieved using the negatively charged silicon vacancy centre, which has recently received considerable attention due to its superb optical properties in bulk diamond. We have measured an ensemble of silicon-vacancy centres across numerous nanodiamonds to have an inhomogeneous distribution of 1.05 nm at 5 K. Individual spectral lines as narrower than 360 MHz were measured in photoluminescence excitation, and correcting for apparent spectral diffusion yielded an homogeneous linewidth of about 200 MHz which is close to the lifetime limit. These results indicate the high crystalline quality achieved in these nanodiamond samples, and advance the applicability of nanodiamond-hosted colour centres for quantum optics applications.

  12. Nanodiamonds carrying silicon-vacancy quantum emitters with almost lifetime-limited linewidths

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jantzen, Uwe; Kurz, Andrea B; Jahnke, Kay D; Kubanek, Alexander; Rogers, Lachlan J; Jelezko, Fedor; Rudnicki, Daniel S; Schäfermeier, Clemens; Andersen, Ulrik L; Davydov, Valery A; Agafonov, Viatcheslav N

    2016-01-01

    Colour centres in nanodiamonds are an important resource for applications in quantum sensing, biological imaging, and quantum optics. Here we report unprecedented narrow optical transitions for individual colour centres in nanodiamonds smaller than 200 nm. This demonstration has been achieved using the negatively charged silicon vacancy centre, which has recently received considerable attention due to its superb optical properties in bulk diamond. We have measured an ensemble of silicon-vacancy centres across numerous nanodiamonds to have an inhomogeneous distribution of 1.05 nm at 5 K. Individual spectral lines as narrower than 360 MHz were measured in photoluminescence excitation, and correcting for apparent spectral diffusion yielded an homogeneous linewidth of about 200 MHz which is close to the lifetime limit. These results indicate the high crystalline quality achieved in these nanodiamond samples, and advance the applicability of nanodiamond-hosted colour centres for quantum optics applications. (paper)

  13. Stark tuning and electrical charge state control of single divacancies in silicon carbide

    Science.gov (United States)

    de las Casas, Charles F.; Christle, David J.; Ul Hassan, Jawad; Ohshima, Takeshi; Son, Nguyen T.; Awschalom, David D.

    2017-12-01

    Neutrally charged divacancies in silicon carbide (SiC) are paramagnetic color centers whose long coherence times and near-telecom operating wavelengths make them promising for scalable quantum communication technologies compatible with existing fiber optic networks. However, local strain inhomogeneity can randomly perturb their optical transition frequencies, which degrades the indistinguishability of photons emitted from separate defects and hinders their coupling to optical cavities. Here, we show that electric fields can be used to tune the optical transition frequencies of single neutral divacancy defects in 4H-SiC over a range of several GHz via the DC Stark effect. The same technique can also control the charge state of the defect on microsecond timescales, which we use to stabilize unstable or non-neutral divacancies into their neutral charge state. Using fluorescence-based charge state detection, we show that both 975 nm and 1130 nm excitation can prepare their neutral charge state with near unity efficiency.

  14. Theoretical analysis of the effect of charge-sharing on the Detective Quantum Efficiency of single-photon counting segmented silicon detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marchal, J [Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE (United Kingdom)], E-mail: julien.marchal@diamond.ac.uk

    2010-01-15

    A detector cascaded model is proposed to describe charge-sharing effect in single-photon counting segmented silicon detectors. Linear system theory is applied to this cascaded model in order to derive detector performance parameters such as large-area gain, presampling Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), Noise Power Spectrum (NPS) and Detective Quantum Efficiency (DQE) as a function of energy detection threshold. This theory is used to model one-dimensional detectors (i.e. strip detectors) where X-ray-generated charge can be shared between two sampling elements, but the concepts developed in this article can be generalized to two-dimensional arrays of detecting elements (i.e. pixels detectors). The zero-frequency DQE derived from this model is consistent with expressions reported in the literature using a different method. The ability of this model to simulate the effect of charge sharing on image quality in the spatial frequency domain is demonstrated by applying it to a hypothetical one-dimensional single-photon counting detector illuminated with a typical mammography spectrum.

  15. Superconducting single electron transistor for charge sensing in Si/SiGe-based quantum dots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Zhen

    Si-based quantum devices, including Si/SiGe quantum dots (QD), are promising candidates for spin-based quantum bits (quits), which are a potential platform for quantum information processing. Meanwhile, qubit readout remains a challenging task related to semiconductor-based quantum computation. This thesis describes two readout devices for Si/SiGe QDs and the techniques for developing them from a traditional single electron transistor (SET). By embedding an SET in a tank circuit and operating it in the radio-frequency (RF) regime, a superconducting RF-SET has quick response as well as ultra high charge sensitivity and can be an excellent charge sensor for the QDs. We demonstrate such RF-SETs for QDs in a Si/SiGe heterostructure. Characterization of the SET in magnetic fields is studied for future exploration of advanced techniques such as spin detection and spin state manipulation. By replacing the tank circuit with a high-quality-factor microwave cavity, the embedded SET will be operated in the supercurrent regime as a single Cooper pair transistor (CPT) to further increase the charge sensitivity and reduce any dissipation. The operating principle and implementation of the cavity-embedded CPT (cCPT) will be introduced.

  16. Quantum mechanics of charged particle beam optics

    CERN Document Server

    Khan, Sameen Ahmed

    2018-01-01

    Theory of charged particle beam optics is basic to the design and working of charged particle beam devices from electron microscopes to accelerator machines. Traditionally, the optical elements of the devices are designed and operated based on classical mechanics and classical electromagnetism, and only certain specific quantum mechanical aspects are dealt with separately using quantum theory. This book provides a systematic approach to quantum theory of charged particle beam optics, particularly in the high energy cases such as accelerators or high energy electron microscopy.

  17. Theoretical model for the detection of charged proteins with a silicon-on-insulator sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Birner, S; Uhl, C; Bayer, M; Vogl, P

    2008-01-01

    For a bio-sensor device based on a silicon-on-insulator structure, we calculate the sensitivity to specific charge distributions in the electrolyte solution that arise from protein binding to the semiconductor surface. This surface is bio-functionalized with a lipid layer so that proteins can specifically bind to the headgroups of the lipids on the surface. We consider charged proteins such as the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and artificial proteins that consist of a variable number of aspartic acids. Specifically, we calculate self-consistently the spatial charge and electrostatic potential distributions for different ion concentrations in the electrolyte. We fully take into account the quantum mechanical charge density in the semiconductor. We determine the potential change at the binding sites as a function of protein charge and ionic strength. Comparison with experiment is generally very good. Furthermore, we demonstrate the superiority of the full Poisson-Boltzmann equation by comparing its results to the simplified Debye-Hueckel approximation

  18. Improving Defect-Based Quantum Emitters in Silicon Carbide via Inorganic Passivation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polking, Mark J; Dibos, Alan M; de Leon, Nathalie P; Park, Hongkun

    2018-01-01

    Defect-based color centers in wide-bandgap crystalline solids are actively being explored for quantum information science, sensing, and imaging. Unfortunately, the luminescent properties of these emitters are frequently degraded by blinking and photobleaching that arise from poorly passivated host crystal surfaces. Here, a new method for stabilizing the photoluminescence and charge state of color centers based on epitaxial growth of an inorganic passivation layer is presented. Specifically, carbon antisite-vacancy pairs (CAV centers) in 4H-SiC, which serve as single-photon emitters at visible wavelengths, are used as a model system to demonstrate the power of this inorganic passivation scheme. Analysis of CAV centers with scanning confocal microscopy indicates a dramatic improvement in photostability and an enhancement in emission after growth of an epitaxial AlN passivation layer. Permanent, spatially selective control of the defect charge state can also be achieved by exploiting the mismatch in spontaneous polarization at the AlN/SiC interface. These results demonstrate that epitaxial inorganic passivation of defect-based quantum emitters provides a new method for enhancing photostability, emission, and charge state stability of these color centers. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Visualizing a silicon quantum computer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanders, Barry C; Hollenberg, Lloyd C L; Edmundson, Darran; Edmundson, Andrew

    2008-01-01

    Quantum computation is a fast-growing, multi-disciplinary research field. The purpose of a quantum computer is to execute quantum algorithms that efficiently solve computational problems intractable within the existing paradigm of 'classical' computing built on bits and Boolean gates. While collaboration between computer scientists, physicists, chemists, engineers, mathematicians and others is essential to the project's success, traditional disciplinary boundaries can hinder progress and make communicating the aims of quantum computing and future technologies difficult. We have developed a four minute animation as a tool for representing, understanding and communicating a silicon-based solid-state quantum computer to a variety of audiences, either as a stand-alone animation to be used by expert presenters or embedded into a longer movie as short animated sequences. The paper includes a generally applicable recipe for successful scientific animation production.

  20. Visualizing a silicon quantum computer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanders, Barry C.; Hollenberg, Lloyd C. L.; Edmundson, Darran; Edmundson, Andrew

    2008-12-01

    Quantum computation is a fast-growing, multi-disciplinary research field. The purpose of a quantum computer is to execute quantum algorithms that efficiently solve computational problems intractable within the existing paradigm of 'classical' computing built on bits and Boolean gates. While collaboration between computer scientists, physicists, chemists, engineers, mathematicians and others is essential to the project's success, traditional disciplinary boundaries can hinder progress and make communicating the aims of quantum computing and future technologies difficult. We have developed a four minute animation as a tool for representing, understanding and communicating a silicon-based solid-state quantum computer to a variety of audiences, either as a stand-alone animation to be used by expert presenters or embedded into a longer movie as short animated sequences. The paper includes a generally applicable recipe for successful scientific animation production.

  1. Visualizing a silicon quantum computer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanders, Barry C [Institute for Quantum Information Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4 (Canada); Hollenberg, Lloyd C L [ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computer Technology, School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010 (Australia); Edmundson, Darran; Edmundson, Andrew [EDM Studio Inc., Level 2, 850 16 Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta T2R 0S9 (Canada)], E-mail: bsanders@qis.ucalgary.ca, E-mail: lloydch@unimelb.edu.au, E-mail: darran@edmstudio.com

    2008-12-15

    Quantum computation is a fast-growing, multi-disciplinary research field. The purpose of a quantum computer is to execute quantum algorithms that efficiently solve computational problems intractable within the existing paradigm of 'classical' computing built on bits and Boolean gates. While collaboration between computer scientists, physicists, chemists, engineers, mathematicians and others is essential to the project's success, traditional disciplinary boundaries can hinder progress and make communicating the aims of quantum computing and future technologies difficult. We have developed a four minute animation as a tool for representing, understanding and communicating a silicon-based solid-state quantum computer to a variety of audiences, either as a stand-alone animation to be used by expert presenters or embedded into a longer movie as short animated sequences. The paper includes a generally applicable recipe for successful scientific animation production.

  2. Quantum interference and manipulation of entanglement in silicon wire waveguide quantum circuits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bonneau, D; Engin, E; O'Brien, J L; Thompson, M G; Ohira, K; Suzuki, N; Yoshida, H; Iizuka, N; Ezaki, M; Natarajan, C M; Tanner, M G; Hadfield, R H; Dorenbos, S N; Zwiller, V

    2012-01-01

    Integrated quantum photonic waveguide circuits are a promising approach to realizing future photonic quantum technologies. Here, we present an integrated photonic quantum technology platform utilizing the silicon-on-insulator material system, where quantum interference and the manipulation of quantum states of light are demonstrated in components orders of magnitude smaller than previous implementations. Two-photon quantum interference is presented in a multi-mode interference coupler, and the manipulation of entanglement is demonstrated in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, opening the way to an all-silicon photonic quantum technology platform. (paper)

  3. Silicon quantum processor with robust long-distance qubit couplings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tosi, Guilherme; Mohiyaddin, Fahd A.; Schmitt, Vivien; Tenberg, Stefanie; Rahman, Rajib; Klimeck, Gerhard; Morello, Andrea

    2017-09-06

    Practical quantum computers require a large network of highly coherent qubits, interconnected in a design robust against errors. Donor spins in silicon provide state-of-the-art coherence and quantum gate fidelities, in a platform adapted from industrial semiconductor processing. Here we present a scalable design for a silicon quantum processor that does not require precise donor placement and leaves ample space for the routing of interconnects and readout devices. We introduce the flip-flop qubit, a combination of the electron-nuclear spin states of a phosphorus donor that can be controlled by microwave electric fields. Two-qubit gates exploit a second-order electric dipole-dipole interaction, allowing selective coupling beyond the nearest-neighbor, at separations of hundreds of nanometers, while microwave resonators can extend the entanglement to macroscopic distances. We predict gate fidelities within fault-tolerance thresholds using realistic noise models. This design provides a realizable blueprint for scalable spin-based quantum computers in silicon.

  4. Porous silicon: silicon quantum dots for photonic applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pavesi, L.; Guardini, R.

    1996-01-01

    Porous silicon formation and structure characterization are briefly illustrated. Its luminescence properties rae presented and interpreted on the basis of exciton recombination in quantum dot structures: the trap-controlled hopping mechanism is used to describe the recombination dynamics. Porous silicon application to photonic devices is considered: porous silicon multilayer in general, and micro cavities in particular are described. The present situation in the realization of porous silicon LEDs is considered, and future developments in this field of research are suggested. (author). 30 refs., 30 figs., 13 tabs

  5. Analytical bounds on SET charge sensitivity for qubit readout in a solid-state quantum computer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Green, F.; Buehler, T.M.; Brenner, R.; Hamilton, A.R.; Dzurak, A.S.; Clark, R.G.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Quantum Computing promises processing powers orders of magnitude beyond what is possible in conventional silicon-based computers. It harnesses the laws of quantum mechanics directly, exploiting the in built potential of a wave function for massively parallel information processing. Highly ordered and scaleable arrays of single donor atoms (quantum bits, or qubits), embedded in Si, are especially promising; they are a very natural fit to the existing, highly sophisticated, Si industry. The success of Si-based quantum computing depends on precisely initializing the quantum state of each qubit, and on precise reading out its final form. In the Kane architecture the qubit states are read out by detecting the spatial distribution of the donor's electron cloud using a sensitive electrometer. The single-electron transistor (SET) is an attractive candidate readout device for this, since the capacitive, or charging, energy of a SET's metallic central island is exquisitely sensitive to its electronic environment. Use of SETs as high-performance electrometers is therefore a key technology for data transfer in a solid-state quantum computer. We present an efficient analytical method to obtain bounds on the charge sensitivity of a single electron transistor (SET). Our classic Green-function analysis provides reliable estimates of SET sensitivity optimizing the design of the readout hardware. Typical calculations, and their physical meaning, are discussed. We compare them with the measured SET-response data

  6. Silicon quantum dots: surface matters

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Dohnalová, K.; Gregorkiewicz, T.; Kůsová, Kateřina

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 26, č. 17 (2014), 1-28 ISSN 0953-8984 R&D Projects: GA ČR GPP204/12/P235 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : silicon quantum dots * quantum dot * surface chemistry * quantum confinement Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.346, year: 2014

  7. Silicon photonic transceiver circuit for high-speed polarization-based discrete variable quantum key distribution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Hong; Long, Christopher M; DeRose, Christopher T; Boynton, Nicholas; Urayama, Junji; Camacho, Ryan; Pomerene, Andrew; Starbuck, Andrew L; Trotter, Douglas C; Davids, Paul S; Lentine, Anthony L

    2017-05-29

    We demonstrate a silicon photonic transceiver circuit for high-speed discrete variable quantum key distribution that employs a common structure for transmit and receive functions. The device is intended for use in polarization-based quantum cryptographic protocols, such as BB84. Our characterization indicates that the circuit can generate the four BB84 states (TE/TM/45°/135° linear polarizations) with >30 dB polarization extinction ratios and gigabit per second modulation speed, and is capable of decoding any polarization bases differing by 90° with high extinction ratios.

  8. Charge trapping and carrier transport mechanism in silicon-rich silicon oxynitride

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu Zhenrui; Aceves, Mariano; Carrillo, Jesus; Lopez-Estopier, Rosa

    2006-01-01

    The charge-trapping and carrier transport properties of silicon-rich silicon oxynitride (SRO:N) were studied. The SRO:N films were deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition. Infrared (IR) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) measurements were performed to characterize their structural properties. Capacitance versus voltage and current versus voltage measurements (I-V) were used to study the charge-trapping and carrier transport mechanism. IR and TEM measurements revealed the existence of Si nanodots in SRO:N films. I-V measurements revealed that there are two conduction regimes divided by a threshold voltage V T . When the applied voltage is smaller than V T , the current is dominated by the charge transfer between the SRO:N and substrate; and in this regime only dynamic charging/discharging of the SRO:N layer is observed. When the voltage is larger than V T , the current increases rapidly and is dominated by the Poole-Frenkel mechanism; and in this regime, large permanent trapped charge density is obtained. Nitrogen incorporation significantly reduced the silicon nanodots or defects near the SRO:N/Si interface. However, a significant increase of the density of silicon nanodot in the bulk of the SRO:N layer is obtained

  9. Memory characteristics of silicon nitride with silicon nanocrystals as a charge trapping layer of nonvolatile memory devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Sangmoo; Yang, Hyundeok; Chang, Man; Baek, Sungkweon; Hwang, Hyunsang; Jeon, Sanghun; Kim, Juhyung; Kim, Chungwoo

    2005-01-01

    Silicon nitride with silicon nanocrystals formed by low-energy silicon plasma immersion ion implantation has been investigated as a charge trapping layer of a polycrystalline silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon-type nonvolatile memory device. Compared with the control sample without silicon nanocrystals, silicon nitride with silicon nanocrystals provides excellent memory characteristics, such as larger width of capacitance-voltage hysteresis, higher program/erase speed, and lower charge loss rate at elevated temperature. These improved memory characteristics are derived by incorporation of silicon nanocrystals into the charge trapping layer as additional accessible charge traps with a deeper effective trap energy level

  10. Silicon Quantum Dots for Quantum Information Processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-01

    S. Lai, C. Tahan, A. Morello and A. S. Dzurak, Electron Spin lifetimes in multi-valley sil- icon quantum dots, S3NANO Winter School Few spin solid...lifetimes in multi-valley sil- icon quantum dots, International Workshop on Silicon Quantum Electronics, Grenoble, France, February 2012 (Poster). C...typically plunger gates), PMMA A5 is spun at 5000 rpm for 30 seconds, resulting in a 280 nm resist thickness. The resists are baked for 90 seconds at 180

  11. Pseudo-direct bandgap transitions in silicon nanocrystals: effects on optoelectronics and thermoelectrics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Vivek; Yu, Yixuan; Sun, Qi-C.; Korgel, Brian; Nagpal, Prashant

    2014-11-01

    While silicon nanostructures are extensively used in electronics, the indirect bandgap of silicon poses challenges for optoelectronic applications like photovoltaics and light emitting diodes (LEDs). Here, we show that size-dependent pseudo-direct bandgap transitions in silicon nanocrystals dominate the interactions between (photoexcited) charge carriers and phonons, and hence the optoelectronic properties of silicon nanocrystals. Direct measurements of the electronic density of states (DOS) for different sized silicon nanocrystals reveal that these pseudo-direct transitions, likely arising from the nanocrystal surface, can couple with the quantum-confined silicon states. Moreover, we demonstrate that since these transitions determine the interactions of charge carriers with phonons, they change the light emission, absorption, charge carrier diffusion and phonon drag (Seebeck coefficient) in nanoscaled silicon semiconductors. Therefore, these results can have important implications for the design of optoelectronics and thermoelectric devices based on nanostructured silicon.While silicon nanostructures are extensively used in electronics, the indirect bandgap of silicon poses challenges for optoelectronic applications like photovoltaics and light emitting diodes (LEDs). Here, we show that size-dependent pseudo-direct bandgap transitions in silicon nanocrystals dominate the interactions between (photoexcited) charge carriers and phonons, and hence the optoelectronic properties of silicon nanocrystals. Direct measurements of the electronic density of states (DOS) for different sized silicon nanocrystals reveal that these pseudo-direct transitions, likely arising from the nanocrystal surface, can couple with the quantum-confined silicon states. Moreover, we demonstrate that since these transitions determine the interactions of charge carriers with phonons, they change the light emission, absorption, charge carrier diffusion and phonon drag (Seebeck coefficient) in

  12. A prototype silicon detector system for space cosmic-ray charge measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Fei; Fan, Rui-Rui; Peng, Wen-Xi; Dong, Yi-Fa; Gong, Ke; Liang, Xiao-Hua; Liu, Ya-Qing; Wang, Huan-Yu

    2014-06-01

    A readout electronics system used for space cosmic-ray charge measurement for multi-channel silicon detectors is introduced in this paper, including performance measurements. A 64-channel charge sensitive ASIC (VA140) from the IDEAS company is used. With its features of low power consumption, low noise, large dynamic range, and high integration, it can be used in future particle detecting experiments based on silicon detectors.

  13. Charge transport model in nanodielectric composites based on quantum tunneling mechanism and dual-level traps

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Guochang; Chen, George, E-mail: gc@ecs.soton.ac.uk, E-mail: sli@mail.xjtu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China); School of Electronic and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ (United Kingdom); Li, Shengtao, E-mail: gc@ecs.soton.ac.uk, E-mail: sli@mail.xjtu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China)

    2016-08-08

    Charge transport properties in nanodielectrics present different tendencies for different loading concentrations. The exact mechanisms that are responsible for charge transport in nanodielectrics are not detailed, especially for high loading concentration. A charge transport model in nanodielectrics has been proposed based on quantum tunneling mechanism and dual-level traps. In the model, the thermally assisted hopping (TAH) process for the shallow traps and the tunnelling process for the deep traps are considered. For different loading concentrations, the dominant charge transport mechanisms are different. The quantum tunneling mechanism plays a major role in determining the charge conduction in nanodielectrics with high loading concentrations. While for low loading concentrations, the thermal hopping mechanism will dominate the charge conduction process. The model can explain the observed conductivity property in nanodielectrics with different loading concentrations.

  14. Large-scale quantum photonic circuits in silicon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harris Nicholas C.

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Quantum information science offers inherently more powerful methods for communication, computation, and precision measurement that take advantage of quantum superposition and entanglement. In recent years, theoretical and experimental advances in quantum computing and simulation with photons have spurred great interest in developing large photonic entangled states that challenge today’s classical computers. As experiments have increased in complexity, there has been an increasing need to transition bulk optics experiments to integrated photonics platforms to control more spatial modes with higher fidelity and phase stability. The silicon-on-insulator (SOI nanophotonics platform offers new possibilities for quantum optics, including the integration of bright, nonclassical light sources, based on the large third-order nonlinearity (χ(3 of silicon, alongside quantum state manipulation circuits with thousands of optical elements, all on a single phase-stable chip. How large do these photonic systems need to be? Recent theoretical work on Boson Sampling suggests that even the problem of sampling from e30 identical photons, having passed through an interferometer of hundreds of modes, becomes challenging for classical computers. While experiments of this size are still challenging, the SOI platform has the required component density to enable low-loss and programmable interferometers for manipulating hundreds of spatial modes.

  15. A fault-tolerant addressable spin qubit in a natural silicon quantum dot

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takeda, Kenta; Kamioka, Jun; Otsuka, Tomohiro; Yoneda, Jun; Nakajima, Takashi; Delbecq, Matthieu R.; Amaha, Shinichi; Allison, Giles; Kodera, Tetsuo; Oda, Shunri; Tarucha, Seigo

    2016-01-01

    Fault-tolerant quantum computing requires high-fidelity qubits. This has been achieved in various solid-state systems, including isotopically purified silicon, but is yet to be accomplished in industry-standard natural (unpurified) silicon, mainly as a result of the dephasing caused by residual nuclear spins. This high fidelity can be achieved by speeding up the qubit operation and/or prolonging the dephasing time, that is, increasing the Rabi oscillation quality factor Q (the Rabi oscillation decay time divided by the π rotation time). In isotopically purified silicon quantum dots, only the second approach has been used, leaving the qubit operation slow. We apply the first approach to demonstrate an addressable fault-tolerant qubit using a natural silicon double quantum dot with a micromagnet that is optimally designed for fast spin control. This optimized design allows access to Rabi frequencies up to 35 MHz, which is two orders of magnitude greater than that achieved in previous studies. We find the optimum Q = 140 in such high-frequency range at a Rabi frequency of 10 MHz. This leads to a qubit fidelity of 99.6% measured via randomized benchmarking, which is the highest reported for natural silicon qubits and comparable to that obtained in isotopically purified silicon quantum dot–based qubits. This result can inspire contributions to quantum computing from industrial communities. PMID:27536725

  16. Stochastic quantum confinement in nanocrystalline silicon layers: The role of quantum dots, quantum wires and localized states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramírez-Porras, A.; García, O.; Vargas, C.; Corrales, A.; Solís, J.D.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • PL spectra of porous silicon samples have been studied using a stochastic model. • This model can deconvolute PL spectra into three components. • Quantum dots, quantum wires and localized states have been identified. • Nanostructure diameters are in the range from 2.2 nm to 4.0 nm. • Contributions from quantum wires are small compared to the others. - Abstract: Nanocrystallites of Silicon have been produced by electrochemical etching of crystal wafers. The obtained samples show photoluminescence in the red band of the visible spectrum when illuminated by ultraviolet light. The photoluminescence spectra can be deconvolved into three components according to a stochastic quantum confinement model: one band coming from Nanocrystalline dots, or quantum dots, one from Nanocrystalline wires, or quantum wires, and one from the presence of localized surface states related to silicon oxide. The results fit well within other published models

  17. Stochastic quantum confinement in nanocrystalline silicon layers: The role of quantum dots, quantum wires and localized states

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramírez-Porras, A., E-mail: aramirez@fisica.ucr.ac.cr [Centro de Investigación en Ciencia e Ingeniería de Materiales (CICIMA), Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro de Montes de Oca 11501 (Costa Rica); Escuela de Física, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro de Montes de Oca 11501 (Costa Rica); García, O. [Escuela de Física, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro de Montes de Oca 11501 (Costa Rica); Escuela de Química, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro de Montes de Oca 11501 (Costa Rica); Vargas, C. [Escuela de Física, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro de Montes de Oca 11501 (Costa Rica); Corrales, A. [Escuela de Física, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro de Montes de Oca 11501 (Costa Rica); Escuela de Química, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro de Montes de Oca 11501 (Costa Rica); Solís, J.D. [Escuela de Física, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro de Montes de Oca 11501 (Costa Rica)

    2015-08-30

    Highlights: • PL spectra of porous silicon samples have been studied using a stochastic model. • This model can deconvolute PL spectra into three components. • Quantum dots, quantum wires and localized states have been identified. • Nanostructure diameters are in the range from 2.2 nm to 4.0 nm. • Contributions from quantum wires are small compared to the others. - Abstract: Nanocrystallites of Silicon have been produced by electrochemical etching of crystal wafers. The obtained samples show photoluminescence in the red band of the visible spectrum when illuminated by ultraviolet light. The photoluminescence spectra can be deconvolved into three components according to a stochastic quantum confinement model: one band coming from Nanocrystalline dots, or quantum dots, one from Nanocrystalline wires, or quantum wires, and one from the presence of localized surface states related to silicon oxide. The results fit well within other published models.

  18. Metropolitan Quantum Key Distribution with Silicon Photonics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bunandar, Darius; Lentine, Anthony; Lee, Catherine; Cai, Hong; Long, Christopher M.; Boynton, Nicholas; Martinez, Nicholas; DeRose, Christopher; Chen, Changchen; Grein, Matthew; Trotter, Douglas; Starbuck, Andrew; Pomerene, Andrew; Hamilton, Scott; Wong, Franco N. C.; Camacho, Ryan; Davids, Paul; Urayama, Junji; Englund, Dirk

    2018-04-01

    Photonic integrated circuits provide a compact and stable platform for quantum photonics. Here we demonstrate a silicon photonics quantum key distribution (QKD) encoder in the first high-speed polarization-based QKD field tests. The systems reach composable secret key rates of 1.039 Mbps in a local test (on a 103.6-m fiber with a total emulated loss of 9.2 dB) and 157 kbps in an intercity metropolitan test (on a 43-km fiber with 16.4 dB loss). Our results represent the highest secret key generation rate for polarization-based QKD experiments at a standard telecom wavelength and demonstrate photonic integrated circuits as a promising, scalable resource for future formation of metropolitan quantum-secure communications networks.

  19. A radiation-tolerant, low-power non-volatile memory based on silicon nanocrystal quantum dots

    OpenAIRE

    Bell, L. D.; Boer, E.; Ostraat, M.; Brongersma, M. L.; Flagan, R. C.; Atwater, H. A.; De Blauwe, J.; Green, M. L.

    2001-01-01

    Nanocrystal nonvolatile floating-gate memories are a good candidate for space applications - initial results suggest they are fast, more reliable and consume less power than conventional floating gate memories. In the nanocrystal based NVM device, charge is not stored on a continuous polysilicon layer (so-called floating gate), but instead on a layer of discrete nanocrystals. Charge injection and storage in dense arrays of silicon nanocrystals in SiO_2 is a critical aspect of the performance ...

  20. Electron spin resonance and spin-valley physics in a silicon double quantum dot.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Xiaojie; Ruskov, Rusko; Xiao, Ming; Tahan, Charles; Jiang, HongWen

    2014-05-14

    Silicon quantum dots are a leading approach for solid-state quantum bits. However, developing this technology is complicated by the multi-valley nature of silicon. Here we observe transport of individual electrons in a silicon CMOS-based double quantum dot under electron spin resonance. An anticrossing of the driven dot energy levels is observed when the Zeeman and valley splittings coincide. A detected anticrossing splitting of 60 MHz is interpreted as a direct measure of spin and valley mixing, facilitated by spin-orbit interaction in the presence of non-ideal interfaces. A lower bound of spin dephasing time of 63 ns is extracted. We also describe a possible experimental evidence of an unconventional spin-valley blockade, despite the assumption of non-ideal interfaces. This understanding of silicon spin-valley physics should enable better control and read-out techniques for the spin qubits in an all CMOS silicon approach.

  1. Influence of qubit displacements on quantum logic operations in a silicon-based quantum computer with constant interaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamenev, D. I.; Berman, G. P.; Tsifrinovich, V. I.

    2006-01-01

    The errors caused by qubit displacements from their prescribed locations in an ensemble of spin chains are estimated analytically and calculated numerically for a quantum computer based on phosphorus donors in silicon. We show that it is possible to polarize (initialize) the nuclear spins even with displaced qubits by using controlled-NOT gates between the electron and nuclear spins of the same phosphorus atom. However, a controlled-NOT gate between the displaced electron spins is implemented with large error because of the exponential dependence of exchange interaction constant on the distance between the qubits. If quantum computation is implemented on an ensemble of many spin chains, the errors can be small if the number of chains with displaced qubits is small

  2. III–V quantum light source and cavity-QED on Silicon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luxmoore, I. J.; Toro, R.; Pozo-Zamudio, O. Del; Wasley, N. A.; Chekhovich, E. A.; Sanchez, A. M.; Beanland, R.; Fox, A. M.; Skolnick, M. S.; Liu, H. Y.; Tartakovskii, A. I.

    2013-01-01

    Non-classical light sources offer a myriad of possibilities in both fundamental science and commercial applications. Single photons are the most robust carriers of quantum information and can be exploited for linear optics quantum information processing. Scale-up requires miniaturisation of the waveguide circuit and multiple single photon sources. Silicon photonics, driven by the incentive of optical interconnects is a highly promising platform for the passive optical components, but integrated light sources are limited by silicon's indirect band-gap. III–V semiconductor quantum-dots, on the other hand, are proven quantum emitters. Here we demonstrate single-photon emission from quantum-dots coupled to photonic crystal nanocavities fabricated from III–V material grown directly on silicon substrates. The high quality of the III–V material and photonic structures is emphasized by observation of the strong-coupling regime. This work opens-up the advantages of silicon photonics to the integration and scale-up of solid-state quantum optical systems. PMID:23393621

  3. III-V quantum light source and cavity-QED on silicon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luxmoore, I J; Toro, R; Del Pozo-Zamudio, O; Wasley, N A; Chekhovich, E A; Sanchez, A M; Beanland, R; Fox, A M; Skolnick, M S; Liu, H Y; Tartakovskii, A I

    2013-01-01

    Non-classical light sources offer a myriad of possibilities in both fundamental science and commercial applications. Single photons are the most robust carriers of quantum information and can be exploited for linear optics quantum information processing. Scale-up requires miniaturisation of the waveguide circuit and multiple single photon sources. Silicon photonics, driven by the incentive of optical interconnects is a highly promising platform for the passive optical components, but integrated light sources are limited by silicon's indirect band-gap. III-V semiconductor quantum-dots, on the other hand, are proven quantum emitters. Here we demonstrate single-photon emission from quantum-dots coupled to photonic crystal nanocavities fabricated from III-V material grown directly on silicon substrates. The high quality of the III-V material and photonic structures is emphasized by observation of the strong-coupling regime. This work opens-up the advantages of silicon photonics to the integration and scale-up of solid-state quantum optical systems.

  4. Multi-quantum spin resonances of intrinsic defects in silicon carbide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Georgy Astakhov

    2014-01-01

    We report the observation of multi-quantum microwave absorption and emission, induced by the optical excitation of silicon vacancy related defects in silicon carbide (SiC). In particular, we observed two-quantum transitions from +3/2 to -1/2 and from -3/2 to +1/2 spin sublevels, unambiguously indicating the spin S = 3/2 ground state. Our findings may have implications for a broad range of quantum applications. On one hand, a single silicon vacancy defect is a potential source of indistinguishable microwave photon pairs due to the two-quantum emission process. On the other hand, the two-quantum absorption can be used generate a population inversion, which is a prerequisite to fabricate solid-state maser and quantum microwave amplifier. This opens a new platform cavity quantum electrodynamics experiments and quantum information processing on a single chip. (author)

  5. Metropolitan Quantum Key Distribution with Silicon Photonics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Darius Bunandar

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Photonic integrated circuits provide a compact and stable platform for quantum photonics. Here we demonstrate a silicon photonics quantum key distribution (QKD encoder in the first high-speed polarization-based QKD field tests. The systems reach composable secret key rates of 1.039 Mbps in a local test (on a 103.6-m fiber with a total emulated loss of 9.2 dB and 157 kbps in an intercity metropolitan test (on a 43-km fiber with 16.4 dB loss. Our results represent the highest secret key generation rate for polarization-based QKD experiments at a standard telecom wavelength and demonstrate photonic integrated circuits as a promising, scalable resource for future formation of metropolitan quantum-secure communications networks.

  6. Charge sensing of a few-donor double quantum dot in silicon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Watson, T. F., E-mail: tfwatson15@gmail.com; Weber, B.; Büch, H.; Fuechsle, M.; Simmons, M. Y., E-mail: michelle.simmons@unsw.edu.au [Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052 (Australia)

    2015-12-07

    We demonstrate the charge sensing of a few-donor double quantum dot precision placed with atomic resolution scanning tunnelling microscope lithography. We show that a tunnel-coupled single electron transistor (SET) can be used to detect electron transitions on both dots as well as inter-dot transitions. We demonstrate that we can control the tunnel times of the second dot to the SET island by ∼4 orders of magnitude by detuning its energy with respect to the first dot.

  7. Spectrometer based on the silicon semiconductor detectors for a study of the two charged particles correlation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krumsztein, Z.W.; Siemiarczuk, T.; Szawlowski, M.

    1974-01-01

    The spectrometer based on the silicon semiconductor detectors for a study of the correlation between two charged particles is described. The results of the time resolution and particles identification measurements are presented. The tests were performed in the proton beam of the JINR synchrocyclotron. (author)

  8. Charge Collection Efficiency Simulations of Irradiated Silicon Strip Detectors

    CERN Document Server

    Peltola, T.

    2014-01-01

    During the scheduled high luminosity upgrade of LHC, the world's largest particle physics accelerator at CERN, the position sensitive silicon detectors installed in the vertex and tracking part of the CMS experiment will face more intense radiation environment than the present system was designed for. Thus, to upgrade the tracker to required performance level, comprehensive measurements and simulations studies have already been carried out. Essential information of the performance of an irradiated silicon detector is obtained by monitoring its charge collection efficiency (CCE). From the evolution of CCE with fluence, it is possible to directly observe the effect of the radiation induced defects to the ability of the detector to collect charge carriers generated by traversing minimum ionizing particles (mip). In this paper the numerically simulated CCE and CCE loss between the strips of irradiated silicon strip detectors are presented. The simulations based on Synopsys Sentaurus TCAD framework were performed ...

  9. Silicon quantum dots with counted antimony donor implants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Meenakshi; Pacheco, Jose; Perry, Daniel; Wendt, Joel; Manginell, Ronald; Dominguez, Jason; Pluym, Tammy; Luhman, Dwight; Bielejec, Edward; Lilly, Michael; Carroll, Malcolm

    Antimony donor implants next to silicon quantum dots have been detected with integrated solid-state diode detectors with single ion precision. Devices with counted number of donors have been fabricated and low temperature transport measurements have been performed. Charge offsets, indicative of donor ionization and coupling to the quantum dot, have been detected in these devices. The number of offsets corresponds to 10-50% of the number of donors counted. We will report on tunneling time measurements and spin readout measurements on the donor offsets. This work was performed, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, a U.S. DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences user facility. The work was supported by Sandia National Laboratories Directed Research and Development Program. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed-Martin Company, for the U. S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000.

  10. Spin filling of valley-orbit states in a silicon quantum dot

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lim, W H; Yang, C H; Zwanenburg, F A; Dzurak, A S, E-mail: wee.lim@unsw.edu.au [Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia)

    2011-08-19

    We report the demonstration of a low-disorder silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor (Si MOS) quantum dot containing a tunable number of electrons from zero to N = 27. The observed evolution of addition energies with parallel magnetic field reveals the spin filling of electrons into valley-orbit states. We find a splitting of 0.10 meV between the ground and first excited states, consistent with theory and placing a lower bound on the valley splitting. Our results provide optimism for the realisation in the near future of spin qubits based on silicon quantum dots.

  11. Strong spin-photon coupling in silicon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samkharadze, N.; Zheng, G.; Kalhor, N.; Brousse, D.; Sammak, A.; Mendes, U. C.; Blais, A.; Scappucci, G.; Vandersypen, L. M. K.

    2018-03-01

    Long coherence times of single spins in silicon quantum dots make these systems highly attractive for quantum computation, but how to scale up spin qubit systems remains an open question. As a first step to address this issue, we demonstrate the strong coupling of a single electron spin and a single microwave photon. The electron spin is trapped in a silicon double quantum dot, and the microwave photon is stored in an on-chip high-impedance superconducting resonator. The electric field component of the cavity photon couples directly to the charge dipole of the electron in the double dot, and indirectly to the electron spin, through a strong local magnetic field gradient from a nearby micromagnet. Our results provide a route to realizing large networks of quantum dot–based spin qubit registers.

  12. Impact of Various Charge States of Hydrogen on Passivation of Dislocation in Silicon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Lihui; Lou, Jingjing; Fu, Jiayi; Ji, Zhenguo

    2018-03-01

    Dislocation, one of typical crystallographic defects in silicon, is detrimental to the minority carrier lifetime of silicon wafer. Hydrogen passivation is able to reduce the recombination activity of dislocation, however, the passivation efficacy is strongly dependent on the experimental conditions. In this paper, a model based on the theory of hydrogen charge state control is proposed to explain the passivation efficacy of dislocation correlated to the peak temperature of thermal annealing and illumination intensity. Experimental results support the prediction of the model that a mix of positively charged hydrogen and negatively charged hydrogen at certain ratio can maximise the passivation efficacy of dislocation, leading to a better power conversion efficiency of silicon solar cell with dislocation in it.

  13. Mobility of charge carriers in porous silicon layers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Forsh, P. A.; Martyshov, M. N.; Latysheva, A. P.; Vorontsov, A. S.; Timoshenko, V. Yu.; Kashkarov, P. K.

    2008-01-01

    The (conduction) mobility of majority charge carriers in porous silicon layers of the n and p types is estimated by joint measurements of electrical conductivity and free charge carrier concentration, which is determined from IR absorption spectra. Adsorption of donor and acceptor molecules leading to a change in local electric fields in the structure is used to identify the processes controlling the mobility in porous silicon. It is found that adsorption of acceptor and donor molecules at porous silicon of the p and n types, respectively, leads to a strong increase in electrical conductivity, which is associated with an increase in the concentration of free carrier as well as in their mobility. The increase in the mobility of charge carriers as a result of adsorption indicates the key role of potential barriers at the boundaries of silicon nanocrystals and may be due to a decrease in the barrier height as a result of adsorption

  14. A fabrication guide for planar silicon quantum dot heterostructures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spruijtenburg, Paul C.; Amitonov, Sergey V.; van der Wiel, Wilfred G.; Zwanenburg, Floris A.

    2018-04-01

    We describe important considerations to create top-down fabricated planar quantum dots in silicon, often not discussed in detail in literature. The subtle interplay between intrinsic material properties, interfaces and fabrication processes plays a crucial role in the formation of electrostatically defined quantum dots. Processes such as oxidation, physical vapor deposition and atomic-layer deposition must be tailored in order to prevent unwanted side effects such as defects, disorder and dewetting. In two directly related manuscripts written in parallel we use techniques described in this work to create depletion-mode quantum dots in intrinsic silicon, and low-disorder silicon quantum dots defined with palladium gates. While we discuss three different planar gate structures, the general principles also apply to 0D and 1D systems, such as self-assembled islands and nanowires.

  15. Fluorescent porous silicon biological probes with high quantum efficiency and stability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tu, Chang-Ching; Chou, Ying-Nien; Hung, Hsiang-Chieh; Wu, Jingda; Jiang, Shaoyi; Lin, Lih Y

    2014-12-01

    We demonstrate porous silicon biological probes as a stable and non-toxic alternative to organic dyes or cadmium-containing quantum dots for imaging and sensing applications. The fluorescent silicon quantum dots which are embedded on the porous silicon surface are passivated with carboxyl-terminated ligands through stable Si-C covalent bonds. The porous silicon bio-probes have shown photoluminescence quantum yield around 50% under near-UV excitation, with high photochemical and thermal stability. The bio-probes can be efficiently conjugated with antibodies, which is confirmed by a standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method.

  16. Silicon Quantum Dots with Counted Antimony Donor Implants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh, Meenakshi [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Pacheco, Jose L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Perry, Daniel Lee [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Garratt, E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Ten Eyck, Gregory A. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Wendt, Joel R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Manginell, Ronald P. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Luhman, Dwight [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Bielejec, Edward S. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Lilly, Michael [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Carroll, Malcolm S. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies

    2015-10-01

    Deterministic control over the location and number of donors is crucial to donor spin quantum bits (qubits) in semiconductor based quantum computing. A focused ion beam is used to implant close to quantum dots. Ion detectors are integrated next to the quantum dots to sense the implants. The numbers of ions implanted can be counted to a precision of a single ion. Regular coulomb blockade is observed from the quantum dots. Charge offsets indicative of donor ionization, are observed in devices with counted implants.

  17. Quantum modeling of ultrafast photoinduced charge separation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rozzi, Carlo Andrea; Troiani, Filippo; Tavernelli, Ivano

    2018-01-01

    Phenomena involving electron transfer are ubiquitous in nature, photosynthesis and enzymes or protein activity being prominent examples. Their deep understanding thus represents a mandatory scientific goal. Moreover, controlling the separation of photogenerated charges is a crucial prerequisite in many applicative contexts, including quantum electronics, photo-electrochemical water splitting, photocatalytic dye degradation, and energy conversion. In particular, photoinduced charge separation is the pivotal step driving the storage of sun light into electrical or chemical energy. If properly mastered, these processes may also allow us to achieve a better command of information storage at the nanoscale, as required for the development of molecular electronics, optical switching, or quantum technologies, amongst others. In this Topical Review we survey recent progress in the understanding of ultrafast charge separation from photoexcited states. We report the state-of-the-art of the observation and theoretical description of charge separation phenomena in the ultrafast regime mainly focusing on molecular- and nano-sized solar energy conversion systems. In particular, we examine different proposed mechanisms driving ultrafast charge dynamics, with particular regard to the role of quantum coherence and electron-nuclear coupling, and link experimental observations to theoretical approaches based either on model Hamiltonians or on first principles simulations.

  18. Highly efficient luminescent solar concentrators based on earth-abundant indirect-bandgap silicon quantum dots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meinardi, Francesco; Ehrenberg, Samantha; Dhamo, Lorena; Carulli, Francesco; Mauri, Michele; Bruni, Francesco; Simonutti, Roberto; Kortshagen, Uwe; Brovelli, Sergio

    2017-02-01

    Building-integrated photovoltaics is gaining consensus as a renewable energy technology for producing electricity at the point of use. Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) could extend architectural integration to the urban environment by realizing electrode-less photovoltaic windows. Crucial for large-area LSCs is the suppression of reabsorption losses, which requires emitters with negligible overlap between their absorption and emission spectra. Here, we demonstrate the use of indirect-bandgap semiconductor nanostructures such as highly emissive silicon quantum dots. Silicon is non-toxic, low-cost and ultra-earth-abundant, which avoids the limitations to the industrial scaling of quantum dots composed of low-abundance elements. Suppressed reabsorption and scattering losses lead to nearly ideal LSCs with an optical efficiency of η = 2.85%, matching state-of-the-art semi-transparent LSCs. Monte Carlo simulations indicate that optimized silicon quantum dot LSCs have a clear path to η > 5% for 1 m2 devices. We are finally able to realize flexible LSCs with performances comparable to those of flat concentrators, which opens the way to a new design freedom for building-integrated photovoltaics elements.

  19. Effects of ion implantation on charges in the silicon--silicon dioxide system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Learn, A.J.; Hess, D.W.

    1977-01-01

    Structures consisting of thermally grown oxide on silicon were implanted with boron, arsenic, or argon ions. For argon implantation through oxides, an increased fixed oxide charge (Q/sub ss/) was observed with the increase being greater for than for silicon. This effect is attributed to oxygen recoil which produces additional excess ionized silicon in the oxide of a type similar to that arising in thermal oxidation. Fast surface state (N/sub st/) generation was also noted which in most cases obscured the Q/sub ss/ increase. Of various heat treatments tested, only a 900 degreeC anneal in hydrogen annihilated N/sub st/ and allowed Q/sub ss/ measurement. Such N/sub st/ apparently arises as a consequence of implantation damage at the silicon--silicon dioxide interface. With the exception of boron implantations into thick oxides or through aluminum electrodes, reduction of the mobile ionic charge (Q/sub o/) was achieved by implantation. The reduction again is presumably damage related and is not negated by high-temperature annealing but may be counterbalanced by aluminum incorporation in the oxide

  20. Engineered valley-orbit splittings in quantum-confined nanostructures in silicon

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rahman, R.; Verduijn, J.; Kharche, N.; Lansbergen, G.P.; Klimeck, G.; Hollenberg, L.C.L.; Rogge, S.

    2011-01-01

    An important challenge in silicon quantum electronics in the few electron regime is the potentially small energy gap between the ground and excited orbital states in 3D quantum confined nanostructures due to the multiple valley degeneracies of the conduction band present in silicon. Understanding

  1. Spectroscopy of Charged Quantum Dot Molecules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stinaff, E. A.; Scheibner, M.; Bracker, A. S.; Ponomarev, I. V.; Ware, M. E.; Doty, M. F.; Reinecke, T. L.; Gammon, D.; Korenev, V. L.

    2006-03-01

    Spins of single charges in quantum dots are attractive for many quantum information and spintronic proposals. Scalable quantum information applications require the ability to entangle and operate on multiple spins in coupled quantum dots (CQDs). To further the understanding of these systems, we present detailed spectroscopic studies of InAs CQDs with control of the discrete electron or hole charging of the system. The optical spectrum reveals a pattern of energy anticrossings and crossings in the photoluminescence as a function of applied electric field. These features can be understood as a superposition of charge and spin configurations of the two dots and represent clear signatures of quantum mechanical coupling. The molecular resonance leading to these anticrossings is achieved at different electric fields for the optically excited (trion) states and the ground (hole) states allowing for the possibility of using the excited states for optically induced coupling of the qubits.

  2. Australian - US initiative to construct a silicon-based solid state quantum computer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clark, R.G.

    2000-01-01

    Full text: The ability of a quantum computer to carry out calculations at the atomic level by manipulation of superpositions of quantum states is expected to provide massive parallel processing leading to unprecedented computing power in applications of commercial and national significance. An overview will be given of the Australian-US initiative to construct a (nuclear spin) solid state quantum computer (SSQC) based on a precise array of 31 P dopants (nuclear spin I = 1/2) embedded in isotopically-pure 28 Si (I=0). The main goals with respect to the engineering of a SSQC prototype are the construction and characterisation of a 2-qubit device that will form the fundamental building block of a scalable, silicon-based QC and development of an 'industrial' fabrication method which constitutes a blueprint for a practical large-scale QC. Fabrication of the SSQC prototype, and its readout and control, is being approached through proving experiments on a series of test structures achievable in the near-term. I will also outline the research programs of the Special Research Centre for Quantum Computer Technology, which involves some 50 researchers at the Universities of New South Wales, Queensland and Melbourne, and how these programs link in to the projects conducted by our partner investigators at Los Alamos National Laboratory. In the first six months of research at the Centre, we are close to achieving our three year objectives

  3. Charge transfer processes in hybrid solar cells composed of amorphous silicon and organic materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schaefer, Sebastian; Neher, Dieter [Universitaet Potsdam, Inst. Physik u. Astronomie, Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 24/25, 14467 Potsdam-Golm (Germany); Schulze, Tim; Korte, Lars [Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin, Inst. fuer Silizium Photovoltaik, Kekulestrasse 5, 12489 Berlin (Germany)

    2011-07-01

    The efficiency of hybrid solar cells composed of organic materials and amorphous hydrogenated silicon (a-Si:H) strongly depends upon the efficiency of charge transfer processes at the inorganic-organic interface. We investigated the performance of devices comprising an ITO/a-Si:H(n-type)/a-Si:H(intrinsic)/organic/metal multilayer structure and using two different organic components: zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). The results show higher power conversion- and quantum efficiencies for the P3HT based cells, compared to ZnPc. This can be explained by larger energy-level offset at the interface between the organic layer and a-Si:H, which facilitates hole transfer from occupied states in the valence band tail to the HOMO of the organic material and additionally promotes exciton splitting. The performance of the a-Si:H/P3HT cells can be further improved by treatment of the amorphous silicon surface with hydrofluoric acid (HF) and p-type doping of P3HT with F4TCNQ. The improved cells reached maximum power conversion efficiencies of 1%.

  4. Switching-on quantum size effects in silicon nanocrystals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Wei; Qian, Chenxi; Wang, Liwei; Wei, Muan; Mastronardi, Melanie L; Casillas, Gilberto; Breu, Josef; Ozin, Geoffrey A

    2015-01-27

    The size-dependence of the absolute luminescence quantum yield of size-separated silicon nanocrystals reveals a "volcano" behavior, which switches on around 5 nm, peaks at near 3.7-3.9 nm, and decreases thereafter. These three regions respectively define: i) the transition from bulk to strongly quantum confined emissive silicon, ii) increasing confinement enhancing radiative recombination, and iii) increasing contributions favoring non-radiative recombination. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Hybrid Integration of Solid-State Quantum Emitters on a Silicon Photonic Chip.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Je-Hyung; Aghaeimeibodi, Shahriar; Richardson, Christopher J K; Leavitt, Richard P; Englund, Dirk; Waks, Edo

    2017-12-13

    Scalable quantum photonic systems require efficient single photon sources coupled to integrated photonic devices. Solid-state quantum emitters can generate single photons with high efficiency, while silicon photonic circuits can manipulate them in an integrated device structure. Combining these two material platforms could, therefore, significantly increase the complexity of integrated quantum photonic devices. Here, we demonstrate hybrid integration of solid-state quantum emitters to a silicon photonic device. We develop a pick-and-place technique that can position epitaxially grown InAs/InP quantum dots emitting at telecom wavelengths on a silicon photonic chip deterministically with nanoscale precision. We employ an adiabatic tapering approach to transfer the emission from the quantum dots to the waveguide with high efficiency. We also incorporate an on-chip silicon-photonic beamsplitter to perform a Hanbury-Brown and Twiss measurement. Our approach could enable integration of precharacterized III-V quantum photonic devices into large-scale photonic structures to enable complex devices composed of many emitters and photons.

  6. Compact Quantum Random Number Generator with Silicon Nanocrystals Light Emitting Device Coupled to a Silicon Photomultiplier

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bisadi, Zahra; Acerbi, Fabio; Fontana, Giorgio; Zorzi, Nicola; Piemonte, Claudio; Pucker, Georg; Pavesi, Lorenzo

    2018-02-01

    A small-sized photonic quantum random number generator, easy to be implemented in small electronic devices for secure data encryption and other applications, is highly demanding nowadays. Here, we propose a compact configuration with Silicon nanocrystals large area light emitting device (LED) coupled to a Silicon photomultiplier to generate random numbers. The random number generation methodology is based on the photon arrival time and is robust against the non-idealities of the detector and the source of quantum entropy. The raw data show high quality of randomness and pass all the statistical tests in national institute of standards and technology tests (NIST) suite without a post-processing algorithm. The highest bit rate is 0.5 Mbps with the efficiency of 4 bits per detected photon.

  7. Modulation Doping of Silicon using Aluminium-induced Acceptor States in Silicon Dioxide

    OpenAIRE

    K?nig, Dirk; Hiller, Daniel; Gutsch, Sebastian; Zacharias, Margit; Smith, Sean

    2017-01-01

    All electronic, optoelectronic or photovoltaic applications of silicon depend on controlling majority charge carriers via doping with impurity atoms. Nanoscale silicon is omnipresent in fundamental research (quantum dots, nanowires) but also approached in future technology nodes of the microelectronics industry. In general, silicon nanovolumes, irrespective of their intended purpose, suffer from effects that impede conventional doping due to fundamental physical principles such as out-diffusi...

  8. A programmable two-qubit quantum processor in silicon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watson, T F; Philips, S G J; Kawakami, E; Ward, D R; Scarlino, P; Veldhorst, M; Savage, D E; Lagally, M G; Friesen, Mark; Coppersmith, S N; Eriksson, M A; Vandersypen, L M K

    2018-03-29

    Now that it is possible to achieve measurement and control fidelities for individual quantum bits (qubits) above the threshold for fault tolerance, attention is moving towards the difficult task of scaling up the number of physical qubits to the large numbers that are needed for fault-tolerant quantum computing. In this context, quantum-dot-based spin qubits could have substantial advantages over other types of qubit owing to their potential for all-electrical operation and ability to be integrated at high density onto an industrial platform. Initialization, readout and single- and two-qubit gates have been demonstrated in various quantum-dot-based qubit representations. However, as seen with small-scale demonstrations of quantum computers using other types of qubit, combining these elements leads to challenges related to qubit crosstalk, state leakage, calibration and control hardware. Here we overcome these challenges by using carefully designed control techniques to demonstrate a programmable two-qubit quantum processor in a silicon device that can perform the Deutsch-Josza algorithm and the Grover search algorithm-canonical examples of quantum algorithms that outperform their classical analogues. We characterize the entanglement in our processor by using quantum-state tomography of Bell states, measuring state fidelities of 85-89 per cent and concurrences of 73-82 per cent. These results pave the way for larger-scale quantum computers that use spins confined to quantum dots.

  9. A programmable two-qubit quantum processor in silicon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watson, T. F.; Philips, S. G. J.; Kawakami, E.; Ward, D. R.; Scarlino, P.; Veldhorst, M.; Savage, D. E.; Lagally, M. G.; Friesen, Mark; Coppersmith, S. N.; Eriksson, M. A.; Vandersypen, L. M. K.

    2018-03-01

    Now that it is possible to achieve measurement and control fidelities for individual quantum bits (qubits) above the threshold for fault tolerance, attention is moving towards the difficult task of scaling up the number of physical qubits to the large numbers that are needed for fault-tolerant quantum computing. In this context, quantum-dot-based spin qubits could have substantial advantages over other types of qubit owing to their potential for all-electrical operation and ability to be integrated at high density onto an industrial platform. Initialization, readout and single- and two-qubit gates have been demonstrated in various quantum-dot-based qubit representations. However, as seen with small-scale demonstrations of quantum computers using other types of qubit, combining these elements leads to challenges related to qubit crosstalk, state leakage, calibration and control hardware. Here we overcome these challenges by using carefully designed control techniques to demonstrate a programmable two-qubit quantum processor in a silicon device that can perform the Deutsch–Josza algorithm and the Grover search algorithm—canonical examples of quantum algorithms that outperform their classical analogues. We characterize the entanglement in our processor by using quantum-state tomography of Bell states, measuring state fidelities of 85–89 per cent and concurrences of 73–82 per cent. These results pave the way for larger-scale quantum computers that use spins confined to quantum dots.

  10. Quantum conductance staircase of holes in silicon nanosandwiches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nikolay T. Bagraev

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The results of studying the quantum conductance staircase of holes in one-dimensional channels obtained by the split-gate method inside silicon nanosandwiches that are the ultra-narrow quantum well confined by the delta barriers heavily doped with boron on the n-type Si (100 surface are reported. Since the silicon quantum wells studied are ultra-narrow (~2 nm and confined by the delta barriers that consist of the negative-U dipole boron centers, the quantized conductance of one-dimensional channels is observed at relatively high temperatures (T>77 K. Further, the current-voltage characteristic of the quantum conductance staircase is studied in relation to the kinetic energy of holes and their sheet density in the quantum wells. The results show that the quantum conductance staircase of holes in p-Si quantum wires is caused by independent contributions of the one-dimensional (1D subbands of the heavy and light holes. In addition, the field-related inhibition of the quantum conductance staircase is demonstrated in the situation when the energy of the field-induced heating of the carriers become comparable to the energy gap between the 1D subbands. The use of the split-gate method made it possible to detect the effect of a drastic increase in the height of the quantum conductance steps when the kinetic energy of holes is increased; this effect is most profound for quantum wires of finite length, which are not described under conditions of a quantum point contact. In the concluding section of this paper we present the findings for the quantum conductance staircase of holes that is caused by the edge channels in the silicon nanosandwiches prepared within frameworks of the Hall geometry. This longitudinal quantum conductance staircase, Gxx, is revealed by the voltage applied to the Hall contacts, with the plateaus and steps that bring into correlation respectively with the odd and even fractional values.

  11. Enhanced Electroluminescence from Silicon Quantum Dots Embedded in Silicon Nitride Thin Films Coupled with Gold Nanoparticles in Light Emitting Devices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Luz Muñoz-Rosas

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays, the use of plasmonic metal layers to improve the photonic emission characteristics of several semiconductor quantum dots is a booming tool. In this work, we report the use of silicon quantum dots (SiQDs embedded in a silicon nitride thin film coupled with an ultra-thin gold film (AuNPs to fabricate light emitting devices. We used the remote plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique (RPECVD in order to grow two types of silicon nitride thin films. One with an almost stoichiometric composition, acting as non-radiative spacer; the other one, with a silicon excess in its chemical composition, which causes the formation of silicon quantum dots imbibed in the silicon nitride thin film. The ultra-thin gold film was deposited by the direct current (DC-sputtering technique, and an aluminum doped zinc oxide thin film (AZO which was deposited by means of ultrasonic spray pyrolysis, plays the role of the ohmic metal-like electrode. We found that there is a maximum electroluminescence (EL enhancement when the appropriate AuNPs-spacer-SiQDs configuration is used. This EL is achieved at a moderate turn-on voltage of 11 V, and the EL enhancement is around four times bigger than the photoluminescence (PL enhancement of the same AuNPs-spacer-SiQDs configuration. From our experimental results, we surmise that EL enhancement may indeed be due to a plasmonic coupling. This kind of silicon-based LEDs has the potential for technology transfer.

  12. Compact Quantum Random Number Generator with Silicon Nanocrystals Light Emitting Device Coupled to a Silicon Photomultiplier

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zahra Bisadi

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available A small-sized photonic quantum random number generator, easy to be implemented in small electronic devices for secure data encryption and other applications, is highly demanding nowadays. Here, we propose a compact configuration with Silicon nanocrystals large area light emitting device (LED coupled to a Silicon photomultiplier to generate random numbers. The random number generation methodology is based on the photon arrival time and is robust against the non-idealities of the detector and the source of quantum entropy. The raw data show high quality of randomness and pass all the statistical tests in national institute of standards and technology tests (NIST suite without a post-processing algorithm. The highest bit rate is 0.5 Mbps with the efficiency of 4 bits per detected photon.

  13. Quantum conserved charges in N=1 and N=2 supersymmetric sine-Gordon theories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kobayashi, Ken-ichiro; Uematsu, Tsuneo; Yu Yangzheng

    1993-01-01

    We investigate quantum conservation laws in the N=1 and N=2 supersymmetric sine-Gordon theories. We study conserved charges at the quantum level based on perturbation theory formulated in superspace. It will turn out that there exist extra conserved charges of the vertex operator type at the quantum level and they generate a quantum group symmetry in supersymmetric sine-Gordon systems. We also discuss the implication of the quantum group symmetry on the S-matrix structure. (orig.)

  14. Quantum interference in heterogeneous superconducting-photonic circuits on a silicon chip.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schuck, C; Guo, X; Fan, L; Ma, X; Poot, M; Tang, H X

    2016-01-21

    Quantum information processing holds great promise for communicating and computing data efficiently. However, scaling current photonic implementation approaches to larger system size remains an outstanding challenge for realizing disruptive quantum technology. Two main ingredients of quantum information processors are quantum interference and single-photon detectors. Here we develop a hybrid superconducting-photonic circuit system to show how these elements can be combined in a scalable fashion on a silicon chip. We demonstrate the suitability of this approach for integrated quantum optics by interfering and detecting photon pairs directly on the chip with waveguide-coupled single-photon detectors. Using a directional coupler implemented with silicon nitride nanophotonic waveguides, we observe 97% interference visibility when measuring photon statistics with two monolithically integrated superconducting single-photon detectors. The photonic circuit and detector fabrication processes are compatible with standard semiconductor thin-film technology, making it possible to implement more complex and larger scale quantum photonic circuits on silicon chips.

  15. Optical Spectroscopy Of Charged Quantum Dot Molecules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scheibner, M.; Bracker, A. S.; Stinaff, E. A.; Doty, M. F.; Gammon, D.; Ponomarev, I. V.; Reinecke, T. L.; Korenev, V. L.

    2007-04-01

    Coupling between two closely spaced quantum dots is observed by means of photoluminescence spectroscopy. Hole coupling is realized by rational crystal growth and heterostructure design. We identify molecular resonances of different excitonic charge states, including the important case of a doubly charged quantum dot molecule.

  16. Origin of interfacial charging in irradiated silicon nitride capacitors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hughes, R.C.

    1984-01-01

    Many experiments show that when metal-silicon nitride-silicon dioxide-silicon (MNOS) devices are irradiated in short circuit, a large interfacial charge builds up near the nitride-SiO 2 -Si interface. This effect cannot be explained by simple models of radiation-induced conductivity of the nitride, but it is reported here that inclusion of carrier diffusion and recombination in the photoconductivity equations can predict the observed behavior. Numerical solutions on a computer are required, however, when these complications are added. The simulations account for the magnitude and radiation dose dependence of the results, as well as the occurrence of a steady state during the irradiation. The location of the excess trapped charge near the interface is also predicted, along with the large number of new traps which must be introduced to influence the steady-state charge distribution

  17. On-Demand Generation of Neutral and Negatively Charged Silicon-Vacancy Centers in Diamond

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhomkar, Siddharth; Zangara, Pablo R.; Henshaw, Jacob; Meriles, Carlos A.

    2018-03-01

    Point defects in wide-band-gap semiconductors are emerging as versatile resources for nanoscale sensing and quantum information science, but our understanding of the photoionization dynamics is presently incomplete. Here, we use two-color confocal microscopy to investigate the dynamics of charge in type 1b diamond hosting nitrogen-vacancy (NV) and silicon-vacancy (SiV) centers. By examining the nonlocal fluorescence patterns emerging from local laser excitation, we show that, in the simultaneous presence of photogenerated electrons and holes, SiV (NV) centers selectively transform into the negative (neutral) charge state. Unlike NVs, 532 nm illumination ionizes SiV- via a single-photon process, thus hinting at a comparatively shallower ground state. In particular, slower ionization rates at longer wavelengths suggest the latter lies approximately ˜1.9 eV below the conduction band minimum. Building on the above observations, we demonstrate on-demand SiV and NV charge initialization over large areas via green laser illumination of variable intensity.

  18. Optical property of silicon quantum dots embedded in silicon nitride by thermal annealing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Baek Hyun, E-mail: bhkim@andrew.cmu.ed [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United Sates (United States); Davis, Robert F. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United Sates (United States); Park, Seong-Ju [Nanophotonic Semiconductors Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, 500-712 (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-01-01

    We present the effects on the thermal annealing of silicon quantum dots (Si QDs) embedded in silicon nitride. The improved photoluminescence (PL) intensities and the red-shifted PL spectra were obtained with annealing treatment in the range of 700 to 1000 {sup o}C. The shifts of PL spectra were attributed to the increase in the size of Si QDs. The improvement of the PL intensities was also attributed to the reduction of point defects at Si QD/silicon nitride interface and in the silicon nitride due to hydrogen passivation effects.

  19. Memory effects in MIS structures based on silicon and polymethylmethacrylate with nanoparticle charge-storage elements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mabrook, M.F. [School of Engineering and Centre for Molecular and Nanoscale Electronics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)], E-mail: m.f.mabrook@durham.ac.uk; Jombert, A.S. [School of Engineering and Centre for Molecular and Nanoscale Electronics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Department of Chemistry, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Machin, S.E.; Pearson, C.; Kolb, D. [School of Engineering and Centre for Molecular and Nanoscale Electronics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Coleman, K.S. [Department of Chemistry, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Zeze, D.A.; Petty, M.C. [School of Engineering and Centre for Molecular and Nanoscale Electronics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

    2009-03-15

    We report on the electrical behaviour of metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structures fabricated on p-type silicon substrates and using polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as the dielectric. Gold nanoparticles, single-wall carbon nanotubes and C{sub 60}, deposited at room temperature, were used as charge-storage elements. In all cases, the MIS devices containing the nanoparticles exhibited hysteresis in their capacitance versus voltage characteristics, with a memory window depending on the range of the voltage sweep. This hysteresis was attributed to the charging and discharging of the nanoparticles from the gate electrode. A relatively large memory window of about 2.2 V was achieved by scanning the applied voltage of an Al/PMMA/C{sub 60}/SiO{sub 2}/Si structure between 4 and -4 V. Gold nanoparticle-based memory devices produced the best charge retention behaviour compared to the other MIS structures investigated.

  20. The charge collection in silicon strip detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boehringer, T.; Hubbeling, L.; Weilhammer, P.; Kemmer, J.; Koetz, U.; Riebesell, M.; Belau, E.; Klanner, R.; Lutz, G.; Neugebauer, E.; Seebrunner, H.J.; Wylie, A.

    1983-02-01

    The charge collection in silicon detectors has been studied, by measuring the response to high-energy particles of a 20μm pitch strip detector as a function of applied voltage and magnetic field. The results are well described by a simple model. The model is used to predict the spatial resolution of silicon strip detectors and to propose a detector with optimized spatial resolution. (orig.)

  1. Poly-silicon quantum-dot single-electron transistors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Kwon-Chil; Lee, Joung-Eob; Lee, Jung-Han; Lee, Jong-Ho; Shin, Hyung-Cheol; Park, Byung-Gook

    2012-01-01

    For operation of a single-electron transistors (SETs) at room temperature, we proposed a fabrication method for a SET with a self-aligned quantum dot by using polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si). The self-aligned quantum dot is formed by the selective etching of a silicon nanowire on a planarized surface and the subsequent deposition and etch-back of poly-silicon or chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). The two tunneling barriers of the SET are fabricated by thermal oxidation. Also, to decrease the leakage current and control the gate capacitance, we deposit a hard oxide mask layer. The control gate is formed by using an electron beam and photolithography on chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Owing to the small capacitance of the narrow control gate due to the tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) hard mask, we observe clear Coulomb oscillation peaks and differential trans-conductance curves at room temperature. The clear oscillation period of the fabricated SET is 2.0 V.

  2. Quantacell: powerful charging of quantum batteries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Binder, Felix C; Vinjanampathy, Sai; Modi, Kavan; Goold, John

    2015-01-01

    We study the problem of charging a quantum battery in finite time. We demonstrate an analytical optimal protocol for the case of a single qubit. Extending this analysis to an array of N qubits, we demonstrate that an N-fold advantage in power per qubit can be achieved when global operations are permitted. The exemplary analytic argument for this quantum advantage in the charging power is backed up by numerical analysis using optimal control techniques. It is demonstrated that the quantum advantage for power holds when, with cyclic operation in mind, initial and final states are required to be separable. (paper)

  3. Measurement Back-Action in Quantum Point-Contact Charge Sensing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruno Küng

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Charge sensing with quantum point-contacts (QPCs is a technique widely used in semiconductor quantum-dot research. Understanding the physics of this measurement process, as well as finding ways of suppressing unwanted measurement back-action, are therefore both desirable. In this article, we present experimental studies targeting these two goals. Firstly, we measure the effect of a QPC on electron tunneling between two InAs quantum dots, and show that a model based on the QPC’s shot-noise can account for it. Secondly, we discuss the possibility of lowering the measurement current (and thus the back-action used for charge sensing by correlating the signals of two independent measurement channels. The performance of this method is tested in a typical experimental setup.

  4. Embracing the quantum limit in silicon computing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morton, John J L; McCamey, Dane R; Eriksson, Mark A; Lyon, Stephen A

    2011-11-16

    Quantum computers hold the promise of massive performance enhancements across a range of applications, from cryptography and databases to revolutionary scientific simulation tools. Such computers would make use of the same quantum mechanical phenomena that pose limitations on the continued shrinking of conventional information processing devices. Many of the key requirements for quantum computing differ markedly from those of conventional computers. However, silicon, which plays a central part in conventional information processing, has many properties that make it a superb platform around which to build a quantum computer. © 2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved

  5. A split accumulation gate architecture for silicon MOS quantum dots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rochette, Sophie; Rudolph, Martin; Roy, Anne-Marie; Curry, Matthew; Ten Eyck, Gregory; Dominguez, Jason; Manginell, Ronald; Pluym, Tammy; King Gamble, John; Lilly, Michael; Bureau-Oxton, Chloé; Carroll, Malcolm S.; Pioro-Ladrière, Michel

    We investigate tunnel barrier modulation without barrier electrodes in a split accumulation gate architecture for silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor quantum dots (QD). The layout consists of two independent accumulation gates, one gate forming a reservoir and the other the QD. The devices are fabricated with a foundry-compatible, etched, poly-silicon gate stack. We demonstrate 4 orders of magnitude of tunnel-rate control between the QD and the reservoir by modulating the reservoir gate voltage. Last electron charging energies of app. 10 meV and tuning of the ST splitting in the range 100-200 ueV are observed in two different split gate layouts and labs. This work was performed, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed-Martin Company, for the U. S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000.

  6. Silicon nanophotonics for scalable quantum coherent feedback networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarovar, Mohan; Brif, Constantin; Soh, Daniel B.S.; Cox, Jonathan; DeRose, Christopher T.; Camacho, Ryan; Davids, Paul

    2016-01-01

    The emergence of coherent quantum feedback control (CQFC) as a new paradigm for precise manipulation of dynamics of complex quantum systems has led to the development of efficient theoretical modeling and simulation tools and opened avenues for new practical implementations. This work explores the applicability of the integrated silicon photonics platform for implementing scalable CQFC networks. If proven successful, on-chip implementations of these networks would provide scalable and efficient nanophotonic components for autonomous quantum information processing devices and ultra-low-power optical processing systems at telecommunications wavelengths. We analyze the strengths of the silicon photonics platform for CQFC applications and identify the key challenges to both the theoretical formalism and experimental implementations. In particular, we determine specific extensions to the theoretical CQFC framework (which was originally developed with bulk-optics implementations in mind), required to make it fully applicable to modeling of linear and nonlinear integrated optics networks. We also report the results of a preliminary experiment that studied the performance of an in situ controllable silicon nanophotonic network of two coupled cavities and analyze the properties of this device using the CQFC formalism. (orig.)

  7. Silicon nanophotonics for scalable quantum coherent feedback networks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sarovar, Mohan; Brif, Constantin [Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA (United States); Soh, Daniel B.S. [Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA (United States); Stanford University, Edward L. Ginzton Laboratory, Stanford, CA (United States); Cox, Jonathan; DeRose, Christopher T.; Camacho, Ryan; Davids, Paul [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2016-12-15

    The emergence of coherent quantum feedback control (CQFC) as a new paradigm for precise manipulation of dynamics of complex quantum systems has led to the development of efficient theoretical modeling and simulation tools and opened avenues for new practical implementations. This work explores the applicability of the integrated silicon photonics platform for implementing scalable CQFC networks. If proven successful, on-chip implementations of these networks would provide scalable and efficient nanophotonic components for autonomous quantum information processing devices and ultra-low-power optical processing systems at telecommunications wavelengths. We analyze the strengths of the silicon photonics platform for CQFC applications and identify the key challenges to both the theoretical formalism and experimental implementations. In particular, we determine specific extensions to the theoretical CQFC framework (which was originally developed with bulk-optics implementations in mind), required to make it fully applicable to modeling of linear and nonlinear integrated optics networks. We also report the results of a preliminary experiment that studied the performance of an in situ controllable silicon nanophotonic network of two coupled cavities and analyze the properties of this device using the CQFC formalism. (orig.)

  8. Al transmon qubits on silicon-on-insulator for quantum device integration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keller, Andrew J.; Dieterle, Paul B.; Fang, Michael; Berger, Brett; Fink, Johannes M.; Painter, Oskar

    2017-07-01

    We present the fabrication and characterization of an aluminum transmon qubit on a silicon-on-insulator substrate. Key to the qubit fabrication is the use of an anhydrous hydrofluoric vapor process which selectively removes the lossy silicon oxide buried underneath the silicon device layer. For a 5.6 GHz qubit measured dispersively by a 7.1 GHz resonator, we find T1 = 3.5 μs and T2* = 2.2 μs. This process in principle permits the co-fabrication of silicon photonic and mechanical elements, providing a route towards chip-scale integration of electro-opto-mechanical transducers for quantum networking of superconducting microwave quantum circuits. The additional processing steps are compatible with established fabrication techniques for aluminum transmon qubits on silicon.

  9. Spin properties of charged Mn-doped quantum dota)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Besombes, L.; Léger, Y.; Maingault, L.; Mariette, H.

    2007-04-01

    The optical properties of individual quantum dots doped with a single Mn atom and charged with a single carrier are analyzed. The emission of the neutral, negatively and positively charged excitons coupled with a single magnetic atom (Mn) are observed in the same individual quantum dot. The spectrum of the charged excitons in interaction with the Mn atom shows a rich pattern attributed to a strong anisotropy of the hole-Mn exchange interaction slightly perturbed by a small valence-band mixing. The anisotropy in the exchange interaction between a single magnetic atom and a single hole is revealed by comparing the emission of a charged Mn-doped quantum dot in longitudinal and transverse magnetic field.

  10. Quantum and classical dissipation of charged particles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ibarra-Sierra, V.G. [Departamento de Física, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana at Iztapalapa, Av. San Rafael Atlixco 186, Col. Vicentina, 09340 México D.F. (Mexico); Anzaldo-Meneses, A.; Cardoso, J.L.; Hernández-Saldaña, H. [Área de Física Teórica y Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana at Azcapotzalco, Av. San Pablo 180, Col. Reynosa-Tamaulipas, Azcapotzalco, 02200 México D.F. (Mexico); Kunold, A., E-mail: akb@correo.azc.uam.mx [Área de Física Teórica y Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana at Azcapotzalco, Av. San Pablo 180, Col. Reynosa-Tamaulipas, Azcapotzalco, 02200 México D.F. (Mexico); Roa-Neri, J.A.E. [Área de Física Teórica y Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana at Azcapotzalco, Av. San Pablo 180, Col. Reynosa-Tamaulipas, Azcapotzalco, 02200 México D.F. (Mexico)

    2013-08-15

    A Hamiltonian approach is presented to study the two dimensional motion of damped electric charges in time dependent electromagnetic fields. The classical and the corresponding quantum mechanical problems are solved for particular cases using canonical transformations applied to Hamiltonians for a particle with variable mass. Green’s function is constructed and, from it, the motion of a Gaussian wave packet is studied in detail. -- Highlights: •Hamiltonian of a damped charged particle in time dependent electromagnetic fields. •Exact Green’s function of a charged particle in time dependent electromagnetic fields. •Time evolution of a Gaussian wave packet of a damped charged particle. •Classical and quantum dynamics of a damped electric charge.

  11. Quantum and classical dissipation of charged particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ibarra-Sierra, V.G.; Anzaldo-Meneses, A.; Cardoso, J.L.; Hernández-Saldaña, H.; Kunold, A.; Roa-Neri, J.A.E.

    2013-01-01

    A Hamiltonian approach is presented to study the two dimensional motion of damped electric charges in time dependent electromagnetic fields. The classical and the corresponding quantum mechanical problems are solved for particular cases using canonical transformations applied to Hamiltonians for a particle with variable mass. Green’s function is constructed and, from it, the motion of a Gaussian wave packet is studied in detail. -- Highlights: •Hamiltonian of a damped charged particle in time dependent electromagnetic fields. •Exact Green’s function of a charged particle in time dependent electromagnetic fields. •Time evolution of a Gaussian wave packet of a damped charged particle. •Classical and quantum dynamics of a damped electric charge

  12. Control of single-electron charging of metallic nanoparticles onto amorphous silicon surface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weis, Martin; Gmucová, Katarína; Nádazdy, Vojtech; Capek, Ignác; Satka, Alexander; Kopáni, Martin; Cirák, Július; Majková, Eva

    2008-11-01

    Sequential single-electron charging of iron oxide nanoparticles encapsulated in oleic acid/oleyl amine envelope and deposited by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique onto Pt electrode covered with undoped hydrogenated amorphous silicon film is reported. Single-electron charging (so-called quantized double-layer charging) of nanoparticles is detected by cyclic voltammetry as current peaks and the charging effect can be switched on/off by the electric field in the surface region induced by the excess of negative/positive charged defect states in the amorphous silicon layer. The particular charge states in amorphous silicon are created by the simultaneous application of a suitable bias voltage and illumination before the measurement. The influence of charged states on the electric field in the surface region is evaluated by the finite element method. The single-electron charging is analyzed by the standard quantized double layer model as well as two weak-link junctions model. Both approaches are in accordance with experiment and confirm single-electron charging by tunnelling process at room temperature. This experiment illustrates the possibility of the creation of a voltage-controlled capacitor for nanotechnology.

  13. Influence of the quantum dot geometry on p -shell transitions in differently charged quantum dots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holtkemper, M.; Reiter, D. E.; Kuhn, T.

    2018-02-01

    Absorption spectra of neutral, negatively, and positively charged semiconductor quantum dots are studied theoretically. We provide an overview of the main energetic structure around the p -shell transitions, including the influence of nearby nominally dark states. Based on the envelope function approximation, we treat the four-band Luttinger theory as well as the direct and short-range exchange Coulomb interactions within a configuration interaction approach. The quantum dot confinement is approximated by an anisotropic harmonic potential. We present a detailed investigation of state mixing and correlations mediated by the individual interactions. Differences and similarities between the differently charged quantum dots are highlighted. Especially large differences between negatively and positively charged quantum dots become evident. We present a visualization of energetic shifts and state mixtures due to changes in size, in-plane asymmetry, and aspect ratio. Thereby we provide a better understanding of the experimentally hard to access question of quantum dot geometry effects. Our findings show a method to determine the in-plane asymmetry from photoluminescence excitation spectra. Furthermore, we supply basic knowledge for tailoring the strength of certain state mixtures or the energetic order of particular excited states via changes of the shape of the quantum dot. Such knowledge builds the basis to find the optimal QD geometry for possible applications and experiments using excited states.

  14. Quantum Dot Laser for a Light Source of an Athermal Silicon Optical Interposer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nobuaki Hatori

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports a hybrid integrated light source fabricated on a silicon platform using a 1.3 μm wavelength quantum dot array laser. Temperature insensitive characteristics up to 120 °C were achieved by the optimum quantum dot structure and laser structure. Light output power was obtained that was high enough to achieve an optical error-free link of a silicon optical interposer. Furthermore, we investigated a novel spot size convertor in a silicon waveguide suitable for a quantum dot laser for lower energy cost operation of the optical interposer.

  15. Highly enhanced avalanche probability using sinusoidally-gated silicon avalanche photodiode

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suzuki, Shingo; Namekata, Naoto, E-mail: nnao@phys.cst.nihon-u.ac.jp; Inoue, Shuichiro [Institute of Quantum Science, Nihon University, 1-8-14 Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8308 (Japan); Tsujino, Kenji [Tokyo Women' s Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8666 (Japan)

    2014-01-27

    We report on visible light single photon detection using a sinusoidally-gated silicon avalanche photodiode. Detection efficiency of 70.6% was achieved at a wavelength of 520 nm when an electrically cooled silicon avalanche photodiode with a quantum efficiency of 72.4% was used, which implies that a photo-excited single charge carrier in a silicon avalanche photodiode can trigger a detectable avalanche (charge) signal with a probability of 97.6%.

  16. High-efficiency power transfer for silicon-based photonic devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Son, Gyeongho; Yu, Kyoungsik

    2018-02-01

    We demonstrate an efficient coupling of guided light of 1550 nm from a standard single-mode optical fiber to a silicon waveguide using the finite-difference time-domain method and propose a fabrication method of tapered optical fibers for efficient power transfer to silicon-based photonic integrated circuits. Adiabatically-varying fiber core diameters with a small tapering angle can be obtained using the tube etching method with hydrofluoric acid and standard single-mode fibers covered by plastic jackets. The optical power transmission of the fundamental HE11 and TE-like modes between the fiber tapers and the inversely-tapered silicon waveguides was calculated with the finite-difference time-domain method to be more than 99% at a wavelength of 1550 nm. The proposed method for adiabatic fiber tapering can be applied in quantum optics, silicon-based photonic integrated circuits, and nanophotonics. Furthermore, efficient coupling within the telecommunication C-band is a promising approach for quantum networks in the future.

  17. Double Super-Exchange in Silicon Quantum Dots Connected by Short-Bridged Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Huashan; Wu, Zhigang; Lusk, Mark

    2013-03-01

    Silicon quantum dots (QDs) with diameters in the range of 1-2 nm are attractive for photovoltaic applications. They absorb photons more readily, transport excitons with greater efficiency, and show greater promise in multiple-exciton generation and hot carrier collection paradigms. However, their high excitonic binding energy makes it difficult to dissociate excitons into separate charge carriers. One possible remedy is to create dot assemblies in which a second material creates a Type-II heterojunction with the dot so that exciton dissociation occurs locally. This talk will focus on such a Type-II heterojunction paradigm in which QDs are connected via covalently bonded, short-bridge molecules. For such interpenetrating networks of dots and molecules, our first principles computational investigation shows that it is possible to rapidly and efficiently separate electrons to QDs and holes to bridge units. The bridge network serves as an efficient mediator of electron superexchange between QDs while the dots themselves play the complimentary role of efficient hole superexchange mediators. Dissociation, photoluminescence and carrier transport rates will be presented for bridge networks of silicon QDs that exhibit such double superexchange. This material is based upon work supported by the Renewable Energy Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (REMRSEC) under Grant No. DMR-0820518 and Golden Energy Computing Organization (GECO).

  18. Dopant atoms as quantum components in silicon nanoscale devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Xiaosong; Han, Weihua; Wang, Hao; Ma, Liuhong; Li, Xiaoming; Zhang, Wang; Yan, Wei; Yang, Fuhua

    2018-06-01

    Recent progress in nanoscale fabrication allows many fundamental studies of the few dopant atoms in various semiconductor nanostructures. Since the size of nanoscale devices has touched the limit of the nature, a single dopant atom may dominate the performance of the device. Besides, the quantum computing considered as a future choice beyond Moore's law also utilizes dopant atoms as functional units. Therefore, the dopant atoms will play a significant role in the future novel nanoscale devices. This review focuses on the study of few dopant atoms as quantum components in silicon nanoscale device. The control of the number of dopant atoms and unique quantum transport characteristics induced by dopant atoms are presented. It can be predicted that the development of nanoelectronics based on dopant atoms will pave the way for new possibilities in quantum electronics. Project supported by National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2016YFA0200503).

  19. Charge-field formulation of quantum electrodynamics (QEMED)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leiter, D.

    1980-01-01

    By expressing classical electron theory in terms of 'charge-field' functional structures, it is shown that a finite formulation of the classical electrodynamics of point charges emerges in a simple and elegant fashion. This is used to construct a 'charge-field' quantum electrodynamic theory. It is found that interacting photon states are generated as a secondary manifestation of electron-positron quantization, and do not require the usual 'free' canonical quantization scheme. The possibility is discussed that this approach may lead to a better formulation of quantum electrodynamics in the Heisenberg picture and suggests a crucial experimental test to distinguish this new 'charge-field' quantum electrodynamics 'QEMED' from the standard QED formulation. Specifically QEMED predicts that the 'Einstein principle of separability' should be found to be valid for correlated photon polarization measurements, in which the polarizers are changed more rapidly than a characteristic photon travel time. Such an experiment (Aspect 1976) can distinguish between QEMED and QED in a complete and clear-cut fashion. (U.K.)

  20. Quantum memory on a charge qubit in an optical microresonator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsukanov, A. V.

    2017-10-01

    A quantum-memory unit scheme on the base of a semiconductor structure with quantum dots is proposed. The unit includes a microresonator with single and double quantum dots performing frequencyconverter and charge-qubit functions, respectively. The writing process is carried out in several stages and it is controlled by optical fields of the resonator and laser. It is shown that, to achieve high writing probability, it is necessary to use high-Q resonators and to be able to suppress relaxation processes in quantum dots.

  1. Current signal of silicon detectors facing charged particles and heavy ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamrita, H.

    2005-07-01

    This work consisted in collecting and studying for the first time the shapes of current signals obtained from charged particles or heavy ions produced by silicon detectors. The document is divided into two main parts. The first consisted in reducing the experimental data obtained with charged particles as well as with heavy ions. These experiments were performed at the Orsay Tandem and at GANIL using LISE. These two experiments enabled us to create a data base formed of current signals with various shapes and various times of collection. The second part consisted in carrying out a simulation of the current signals obtained from the various ions. To obtain this simulation we propose a new model describing the formation of the signal. We used the data base of the signals obtained in experiments in order to constrain the three parameters of our model. In this model, the charge carriers created are regarded as dipoles and their density is related to the dielectric polarization in the silicon detector. This phenomenon induces an increase in permittivity throughout the range of the incident ion and consequently the electric field between the electrodes of the detector is decreased inside the trace. We coupled with this phenomenon a dissociation and extraction mode of the charge carriers so that they can be moved in the electric field. (author)

  2. Pseudopotential-based electron quantum transport: Theoretical formulation and application to nanometer-scale silicon nanowire transistors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fang, Jingtian, E-mail: jingtian.fang@utdallas.edu; Vandenberghe, William G.; Fu, Bo; Fischetti, Massimo V. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080 (United States)

    2016-01-21

    We present a formalism to treat quantum electronic transport at the nanometer scale based on empirical pseudopotentials. This formalism offers explicit atomistic wavefunctions and an accurate band structure, enabling a detailed study of the characteristics of devices with a nanometer-scale channel and body. Assuming externally applied potentials that change slowly along the electron-transport direction, we invoke the envelope-wavefunction approximation to apply the open boundary conditions and to develop the transport equations. We construct the full-band open boundary conditions (self-energies of device contacts) from the complex band structure of the contacts. We solve the transport equations and present the expressions required to calculate the device characteristics, such as device current and charge density. We apply this formalism to study ballistic transport in a gate-all-around (GAA) silicon nanowire field-effect transistor with a body-size of 0.39 nm, a gate length of 6.52 nm, and an effective oxide thickness of 0.43 nm. Simulation results show that this device exhibits a subthreshold slope (SS) of ∼66 mV/decade and a drain-induced barrier-lowering of ∼2.5 mV/V. Our theoretical calculations predict that low-dimensionality channels in a 3D GAA architecture are able to meet the performance requirements of future devices in terms of SS swing and electrostatic control.

  3. Silicon Carbide Defect Qubits/Quantum Memory with Field-Tuning: OSD Quantum Science and Engineering Program (QSEP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-08-01

    TECHNICAL REPORT 3073 August 2017 Silicon Carbide Defect Qubits/Quantum Memory with Field-tuning: OSD Quantum Science and Engineering Program...Quantum Science and Engineering Program) by the Advanced Concepts and Applied Research Branch (Code 71730), the Energy and Environmental Sustainability...the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Quantum Science and Engineering Program (QSEP). Their collaboration topic was to examine the effect of electric-field

  4. Methods of optimising ion beam induced charge collection of polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Witham, L.C.G.; Jamieson, D.N.; Bardos, R.A.

    1998-01-01

    Ion Beam Induced Charge (IBIC) is a valuable method for the mapping of charge carrier transport and recombination in silicon solar cells. However performing IBIC analysis of polycrystalline silicon solar cells is problematic in a manner unlike previous uses of IBIC on silicon-based electronic devices. Typical solar cells have a surface area of several square centimeters and a p-n junction thickness of only few microns. This means the cell has a large junction capacitance in the many nanoFarads range which leads to a large amount of noise on the preamplifier inputs which typically swamps the transient IBIC signal. The normal method of improving the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio by biasing the junction is impractical for these cells as the low-quality silicon used leads to a large leakage current across the device. We present several experimental techniques which improve the S/N ratio which when used together should make IBIC analysis of many low crystalline quality devices a viable and reliable procedure. (authors)

  5. Electrostatically defined silicon quantum dots with counted antimony donor implants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh, M., E-mail: msingh@sandia.gov; Luhman, D. R.; Lilly, M. P. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States); Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87175 (United States); Pacheco, J. L.; Perry, D.; Garratt, E.; Ten Eyck, G.; Bishop, N. C.; Wendt, J. R.; Manginell, R. P.; Dominguez, J.; Pluym, T.; Bielejec, E.; Carroll, M. S. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States)

    2016-02-08

    Deterministic control over the location and number of donors is crucial to donor spin quantum bits (qubits) in semiconductor based quantum computing. In this work, a focused ion beam is used to implant antimony donors in 100 nm × 150 nm windows straddling quantum dots. Ion detectors are integrated next to the quantum dots to sense the implants. The numbers of donors implanted can be counted to a precision of a single ion. In low-temperature transport measurements, regular Coulomb blockade is observed from the quantum dots. Charge offsets indicative of donor ionization are also observed in devices with counted donor implants.

  6. Nitride-based Quantum-Confined Structures for Ultraviolet-Visible Optical Devices on Silicon Substrates

    KAUST Repository

    Janjua, Bilal

    2017-04-01

    III–V nitride quantum-confined structures embedded in nanowires (NWs), also known as quantum-disks-in-nanowires (Qdisks-in-NWs), have recently emerged as a new class of nanoscale materials exhibiting outstanding properties for optoelectronic devices and systems. It is promising for circumventing the technology limitation of existing planar epitaxy devices, which are bounded by the lattice-, crystal-structure-, and thermal- matching conditions. This work presents significant advances in the growth of good quality GaN, InGaN and AlGaN Qdisks-in-NWs based on careful optimization of the growth parameters, coupled with a meticulous layer structure and active region design. The NWs were grown, catalyst-free, using plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE) on silicon (Si) substrates. A 2-step growth scheme was developed to achieve high areal density, dislocation free and vertically aligned NWs on Ti/Si substrates. Numerical modeling of the NWs structures, using the nextnano3 software, showed reduced polarization fields, and, in the presence of Qdisks, exhibited improved quantum-confinement; thus contributing to high carrier radiative-recombination rates. As a result, based on the growth and device structure optimization, the technologically challenging orange and yellow NWs light emitting devices (LEDs) targeting the ‘green-yellow’ gap were demonstrated on scalable, foundry compatible, and low-cost Ti coated Si substrates. The NWs work was also extended to LEDs emitting in the ultraviolet (UV) range with niche applications in environmental cleaning, UV-curing, medicine, and lighting. In this work, we used a Ti (100 nm) interlayer and Qdisks to achieve good quality AlGaN based UV-A (320 - 400 nm) device. To address the issue of UV-absorbing polymer, used in the planarization process, we developed a pendeo-epitaxy technique, for achieving an ultra-thin coalescence of the top p-GaN contact layer, for a self-planarized Qdisks-in-NWs UV-B (280 – 320 nm) LED grown

  7. Josephson junction in the quantum mesoscopic electric circuits with charge discreteness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pahlavani, H.

    2018-04-01

    A quantum mesoscopic electrical LC-circuit with charge discreteness including a Josephson junction is considered and a nonlinear Hamiltonian that describing the dynamic of such circuit is introduced. The quantum dynamical behavior (persistent current probability) is studied in the charge and phase regimes by numerical solution approaches. The time evolution of charge and current, number-difference and the bosonic phase and also the energy spectrum of a quantum mesoscopic electric LC-circuit with charge discreteness that coupled with a Josephson junction device are investigated. We show the role of the coupling energy and the electrostatic Coulomb energy of the Josephson junction in description of the quantum behavior and the spectral properties of a quantum mesoscopic electrical LC-circuits with charge discreteness.

  8. Non-local charges in local quantum field theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buchholz, D.; Lopuszanski, J.T.; Rabsztyn, S.

    1985-05-01

    Non-local charges are studied in the general setting of local quantum field theory. It is shown, that these charges can be represented as polynomials in the incoming respectively outgoing fields with coefficients (kernels) which are subject to specific constraints. For the restricted class of models of a scalar, massive, self interacting particle in four dimensions, a more detailed analysis shows that all non-local charges of the generic type (genus 2) are products of generators of the Poincare group. This analysis, which is based on the macroscopic causality properties of the S-matrix, seems to indicate that less trivial examples of non-local charges can only exist in two dimensions. (orig.)

  9. Dynamics of electrically charged extended bodies: classical and quantum systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aaberge, T.

    1987-01-01

    The author present generalizations of classical mechanics and quantum mechanics that make it possible to describe N charged extended bodies.In particular, we are able to write down a set of coupled equations for the system of N bodies plus field. The theory is based on a theory for the description of N charged chemical fluid components

  10. 2 μm wavelength range InP-based type-II quantum well photodiodes heterogeneously integrated on silicon photonic integrated circuits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ruijun; Sprengel, Stephan; Muneeb, Muhammad; Boehm, Gerhard; Baets, Roel; Amann, Markus-Christian; Roelkens, Gunther

    2015-10-05

    The heterogeneous integration of InP-based type-II quantum well photodiodes on silicon photonic integrated circuits for the 2 µm wavelength range is presented. A responsivity of 1.2 A/W at a wavelength of 2.32 µm and 0.6 A/W at 2.4 µm wavelength is demonstrated. The photodiodes have a dark current of 12 nA at -0.5 V at room temperature. The absorbing active region of the integrated photodiodes consists of six periods of a "W"-shaped quantum well, also allowing for laser integration on the same platform.

  11. Charged particle discrimination with silicon surface barrier detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coote, G.E.; Pithie, J.; Vickridge, I.C.

    1996-01-01

    The application for materials analysis of nuclear reactions that give rise to charged particles is a powerful surface analytical and concentration depth profiling technique. Spectra of charged particles, with energies in the range 0.1 to 15 MeV, emitted from materials irradiated with beams of light nuclei such as deuterons are measured with silicon surface barrier detectors. The spectra from multi-elemental materials typically encountered in materials research are usually composed of an overlapping superposition of proton, alpha, and other charged particle spectra. Interpretation of such complex spectra would be simplified if a means were available to electronically discriminate between the detector response to the different kinds of charged particle. We have investigated two methods of discriminating between different types of charged particles. The fast charge pulses from a surface barrier detector have different shapes, depending on the spatial distribution of energy deposition of the incident particle. Fast digitisation of the pulses, followed by digital signal processing provides one avenue for discrimination. A second approach is to use a thin transmission detector in front of a thick detector as a detector telescope. For a given incident energy, different types of charged particles will lose different amounts of energy in the thin detector, providing an alternative means of discrimination. We show that both approaches can provide significant simplification in the interpretation of charged particle spectra in practical situations, and suggest that silicon surface barrier detectors having graded electronic properties could provide improved discrimination compared to the current generation of detectors having homogeneous electronic properties. (author).12 refs., 2 tabs., 28 figs

  12. Quantum aspects of charged-particle beam optics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Khan, Sameen Ahmed, E-mail: rohelakhan@yahoo.com [Department of Mathematics and Sciences, College of Arts and Applied Sciences, Dhofar University, Salalah, Sultanate of Oman (Oman)

    2016-06-10

    The classical treatments have been successful in designing numerous charged-particle devices. It is natural to develop a quantum prescription, since all systems are fundamentally quantum mechanical in nature. The quantum theory leads to new insights accompanied with wavelength-dependent contributions. The action of a magnetic quadrupole is derived from the Dirac equation.

  13. Excitation dependence of photoluminescence in silicon quantum dots

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wen Xiaoming; Lap Van Dao; Hannaford, Peter; Cho, E-C; Cho, Young H; Green, Martin A

    2007-01-01

    We have studied the optical properties of silicon quantum dots (QDs) embedded in a silicon oxide matrix using photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved PL. A broad luminescence band is observed in the red region, in which the time evolution exhibits a stretched exponential decay. With increasing excitation intensity a significant saturation effect is observed. Direct electron-hole recombination is the dominant effect in the red band. A relatively narrow peak appears around 1.5 eV, which is attributed to the interface states overlapping with transition from the ground state of the silicon QDs. The saturation factor increases slowly with detection photon energy between 1.5 and 1.8 eV, which is attributed to the emission from zero-phonon electron-hole recombination. At higher photon energies the significantly increased saturation factor suggests a different emission mechanism, most likely the defect states from silicon, silicon oxide or silicon rich oxide

  14. Generation and manipulation of entangled photons on silicon chips

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matsuda Nobuyuki

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Integrated quantum photonics is now seen as one of the promising approaches to realize scalable quantum information systems. With optical waveguides based on silicon photonics technologies, we can realize quantum optical circuits with a higher degree of integration than with silica waveguides. In addition, thanks to the large nonlinearity observed in silicon nanophotonic waveguides, we can implement active components such as entangled photon sources on a chip. In this paper, we report recent progress in integrated quantum photonic circuits based on silicon photonics. We review our work on correlated and entangled photon-pair sources on silicon chips, using nanoscale silicon waveguides and silicon photonic crystal waveguides. We also describe an on-chip quantum buffer realized using the slow-light effect in a silicon photonic crystal waveguide. As an approach to combine the merits of different waveguide platforms, a hybrid quantum circuit that integrates a silicon-based photon-pair source and a silica-based arrayed waveguide grating is also presented.

  15. Mass and charge identification of fragments detected with the Chimera Silicon-CsI(Tl) telescopes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Le Neindre, N.; Alderighi, M.; Anzalone, A.; Barna, R.; Bartolucci, M.; Berceanu, I.; Borderie, B.; Bougault, R.; Bruno, M.; Cardella, G.; Cavallaro, S.; D' Agostino, M. E-mail: dagostino@bo.infn.it; Dayras, R.; De Filippo, E.; De Pasquale, D.; Geraci, E.; Giustolisi, F.; Grzeszczuk, A.; Guazzoni, P.; Guinet, D.; Iacono-Manno, M.; Italiano, A.; Kowalski, S.; Lanchais, A.; Lanzano, G.; Lanzalone, G.; Li, S.; Lo Nigro, S.; Maiolino, C.; Manfredi, G.; Moisa, D.; Pagano, A.; Papa, M.; Paduszynski, T.; Petrovici, M.; Piasecki, E.; Pirrone, S.; Politi, G.; Pop, A.; Porto, F.; Rivet, M.F.; Rosato, E.; Russo, S.; Sambataro, S.; Sechi, G.; Simion, V.; Sperduto, M.L.; Steckmeyer, J.C.; Sutera, C.; Trifiro, A.; Tassan-Got, L.; Trimarchi, M.; Vannini, G.; Vigilante, M.; Wilczynski, J.; Wu, H.; Xiao, Z.; Zetta, L.; Zipper, W

    2002-09-01

    Mass and charge identification of charged products detected with Silicon-CsI(Tl) telescopes of the Chimera apparatus are presented. An identification function, based on the Bethe-Bloch formula, is used to fit empirical correlations between {delta}E and E ADC readings, in order to determine, event by event, the atomic and mass numbers of the detected charged reaction products prior to energy calibration.

  16. Frequency up-conversion in nonpolar a-plane GaN/AlGaN based multiple quantum wells optimized for applications with silicon solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Radosavljević, S.; Radovanović, J., E-mail: radovanovic@etf.bg.ac.rs; Milanović, V. [School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, Bulevar kralja Aleksandra 73, 11200 Belgrade (Serbia); Tomić, S. [Joule Physics Laboratory, School of Computing, Science and Engineering, University of Salford, Manchester M5 4WT (United Kingdom)

    2014-07-21

    We have described a method for structural parameters optimization of GaN/AlGaN multiple quantum well based up-converter for silicon solar cells. It involves a systematic tuning of individual step quantum wells by use of the genetic algorithm for global optimization. In quantum well structures, the up-conversion process can be achieved by utilizing nonlinear optical effects based on intersubband transitions. Both single and double step quantum wells have been tested in order to maximize the second order susceptibility derived from the density matrix formalism. The results obtained for single step wells proved slightly better and have been further pursued to obtain a more complex design, optimized for conversion of an entire range of incident photon energies.

  17. Silicon avalanche photodiodes on the base of metal-resistor-semiconductor (MRS) structures

    CERN Document Server

    Saveliev, V

    2000-01-01

    The development of a high quantum efficiency, fast photodetector, with internal gain amplification for the wavelength range 450-600 nm is one of the critical issues for experimental physics - registration of low-intensity light photons flux. The new structure of Silicon Avalanche Detectors with high internal amplification (10 sup 5 -10 sup 6) has been designed, manufactured and tested for registration of visible light photons and charge particles. The main features of Metal-Resistor-Semiconductor (MRS) structures are the high charge multiplication in nonuniform electric field near the 'needle' pn-junction and negative feedback for stabilization of avalanche process due to resistive layer.

  18. Investigation on photoluminescence quenching of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots by organic charge transporting materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuqiu Qu

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The effect of different organic charge transporting materials on the photoluminescence of CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots has been studied by means of steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. With an increase in concentration of the organic charge transporting material in the quantum dots solutions, the photoluminescence intensity of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots was quenched greatly and the fluorescence lifetime was shortened gradually. The quenching efficiency of CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots decreased with increasing the oxidation potential of organic charge transporting materials. Based on the analysis, two pathways in the photoluminescence quenching process have been defined: static quenching and dynamic quenching. The dynamic quenching is correlated with hole transporting from quantum dots to the charge transporting materials.

  19. Silicon Quantum Electronics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zwanenburg, Floris Arnoud; Dzurak, Andrew S.; Morello, Andrea; Simmons, Michelle Y.; Hollenberg, Lloyd C.L.; Klimeck, Gerhard; Rogge, Sven; Coppersmith, Susan N.; Eriksson, Mark A.

    2013-01-01

    This review describes recent groundbreaking results in Si, Si=SiGe, and dopant-based quantum dots, and it highlights the remarkable advances in Si-based quantum physics that have occurred in the past few years. This progress has been possible thanks to materials development of Si quantum devices,

  20. Quantum spin and charge pumping through double quantum dots with ferromagnetic leads

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pan, Hui, E-mail: hpan@buaa.edu.cn [Department of Physics, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing 100191 (China); Key Laboratory of Micro-Nano Measurement-Manipulation and Physics (Ministry of Education), Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); Chen, Ziyu; Zhao, Sufen [Department of Physics, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing 100191 (China); Lue, Rong [Department of Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

    2011-06-06

    The pumping of electrons through double quantum dots (DQDs) attached to ferromagnetic leads have been theoretically investigated by using the nonequilibrium Green's function method. It is found that an oscillating electric field applied to the quantum dot may give rise to the pumped charge and spin currents. In the case that both leads are ferromagnet, a pure spin current can be generated in the antiparallel magnetization configuration, where no net charge current exists. The possibility of manipulating the pumped spin current is explored by tuning the dot level and the ac field. By making use of various tunings, the magnitude and direction of the pumped spin current can be well controlled. For the case that only one lead is ferromagnetic, both of the charge and spin currents can be pumped and flow in opposite directions on the average. The control of the magnitude and direction of the pumped charge and spin currents is also discussed by means of the magnetic flux threading through the DQD ring. -- Highlights: → We theoretically investigate the pumping of electrons through double quantum dots attached to ferromagnetic leads. → An oscillating electric field applied to the quantum dot may give rise to the pumped charge and spin currents. → When both leads are ferromagnet, a pure spin current can be generated in the antiparallel magnetization configuration. → By making use of various tunings, the magnitude and direction of the pumped spin current can be well controlled. → When only one lead is ferromagnetic, both of the charge and spin currents can be pumped and flow in opposite directions.

  1. Distribution of electric field and charge collection in silicon strip detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anokhin, I.E.; Zinets, O.S.

    1995-01-01

    The distribution of electric field in silicon strip detectors is analyzed in the case of dull depletion as well as for partial depletion. Influence of inhomogeneous electric fields on the charge collection and performances of silicon strip detectors is discussed

  2. Mode locking of electron spin coherences in singly charged quantum dots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greilich, A; Yakovlev, D R; Shabaev, A; Efros, Al L; Yugova, I A; Oulton, R; Stavarache, V; Reuter, D; Wieck, A; Bayer, M

    2006-07-21

    The fast dephasing of electron spins in an ensemble of quantum dots is detrimental for applications in quantum information processing. We show here that dephasing can be overcome by using a periodic train of light pulses to synchronize the phases of the precessing spins, and we demonstrate this effect in an ensemble of singly charged (In,Ga)As/GaAs quantum dots. This mode locking leads to constructive interference of contributions to Faraday rotation and presents potential applications based on robust quantum coherence within an ensemble of dots.

  3. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF QUANTUM EFFECTS IN NANOSCALE MULTIGATE MOSFETS USING VARIATIONAL APPROACH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. PALANICHAMY

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available In this work, the performance of multiple-gate SOI MOSFETs is analysed using variational approach including quantum effects. An analytical model is derived to accounting the quantum effects at the silicon (Si/silicon dioxide (SiO2 interface. A general procedure is used for calculating the quantum inversion charge density. Using this inversion charge density, the drain current is obtained. Our model results are compared with the simulation results and its shows very good agreement. Our results highlighted that cylindrical surrounding gate MOSFET is a good candidate to obtain the high drain current compared with other two devices.

  4. Silicon charge detector for the CREAM experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, I.H.; Park, N.H.; Nam, S.W.

    2007-01-01

    The Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass (CREAM) payload had its first successful flight in December 2004 from McMurdo Station, Antarctica as a Long Duration Balloon mission. Its aim is to explore the supernova acceleration limit of cosmic rays, the relativistic gas of protons, electrons and heavy nuclei arriving at Earth from outside of the solar system. The instrument is equipped with several systems to measure charge and energy spectra for Z=1-26 nuclei over the energy range 10 11 -10 15 eV. The Silicon Charge Detector (SCD) is a precision device to measure the charge of incident cosmic rays. The design, construction, integration and preliminary performance of the SCD are detailed in this paper

  5. Charge-extraction strategies for colloidal quantum dot photovoltaics

    KAUST Repository

    Lan, Xinzheng

    2014-02-20

    The solar-power conversion efficiencies of colloidal quantum dot solar cells have advanced from sub-1% reported in 2005 to a record value of 8.5% in 2013. Much focus has deservedly been placed on densifying, passivating and crosslinking the colloidal quantum dot solid. Here we review progress in improving charge extraction, achieved by engineering the composition and structure of the electrode materials that contact the colloidal quantum dot film. New classes of structured electrodes have been developed and integrated to form bulk heterojunction devices that enhance photocharge extraction. Control over band offsets, doping and interfacial trap state densities have been essential for achieving improved electrical communication with colloidal quantum dot solids. Quantum junction devices that not only tune the optical absorption spectrum, but also provide inherently matched bands across the interface between p-and n-materials, have proven that charge separation can occur efficiently across an all-quantum-tuned rectifying junction. © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited.

  6. Analysis of quantum ballistic electron transport in ultrasmall silicon devices including space-charge and geometric effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laux, S. E.; Kumar, A.; Fischetti, M. V.

    2004-05-01

    A two-dimensional device simulation program which self consistently solves the Schrödinger and Poisson equations with current flow is described in detail. Significant approximations adopted in this work are the absence of scattering and a simple six-valley, parabolic band structure for silicon. A modified version of the quantum transmitting boundary method is used to describe open boundary conditions permitting current flow in device solutions far from equilibrium. The continuous energy spectrum of the system is discretized by temporarily imposing two different forms of closed boundary conditions, resulting in energies which sample the density-of-states and establish the wave function normalization conditions. These standing wave solutions ("normal modes") are decomposed into their traveling wave constituents, each of which represents injection from only one of the open boundary contacts ("traveling eigencomponents"). These current-carrying states are occupied by a drifted Fermi distribution associated with their injecting contact and summed to form the electron density in the device. Holes are neglected in this calculation. The Poisson equation is solved on the same finite element computational mesh as the Schrödinger equation; devices of arbitrary geometry can be modeled. Computational performance of the program including characterization of a "Broyden+Newton" algorithm employed in the iteration for self consistency is described. Device results are presented for a narrow silicon resonant tunneling diode (RTD) and many variants of idealized silicon double-gate field effect transistors (DGFETs). The RTD results show two resonant conduction peaks, each of which demonstrates hysteresis. Three 7.5 nm channel length DGFET structures with identical intrinsic device configurations but differing access geometries (straight, taper and "dog bone") are studied and found to have differing current flows owing to quantum-mechanical reflection in their access regions

  7. The Silicon:Colloidal Quantum Dot Heterojunction

    KAUST Repository

    Masala, Silvia; Adinolfi, Valerio; Sun, Jon Paul; Del Gobbo, Silvano; Voznyy, Oleksandr; Kramer, Illan J.; Hill, Ian G.; Sargent, Edward H.

    2015-01-01

    A heterojunction between crystalline silicon and colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) is realized. A special interface modification is developed to overcome an inherent energetic band mismatch between the two semiconductors, and realize the efficient collection of infrared photocarriers generated in the CQD film. This junction is used to produce a sensitive near infrared photodetector. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. The Silicon:Colloidal Quantum Dot Heterojunction

    KAUST Repository

    Masala, Silvia

    2015-10-13

    A heterojunction between crystalline silicon and colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) is realized. A special interface modification is developed to overcome an inherent energetic band mismatch between the two semiconductors, and realize the efficient collection of infrared photocarriers generated in the CQD film. This junction is used to produce a sensitive near infrared photodetector. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. Self-screening of the quantum confined Stark effect by the polarization induced bulk charges in the quantum barriers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Zi-Hui; Liu, Wei; Ju, Zhengang; Tiam Tan, Swee; Ji, Yun; Kyaw, Zabu; Zhang, Xueliang; Wang, Liancheng; Wei Sun, Xiao; Volkan Demir, Hilmi

    2014-01-01

    InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) grown along the polar orientations significantly suffer from the quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE) caused by the strong polarization induced electric field in the quantum wells, which is a fundamental problem intrinsic to the III-nitrides. Here, we show that the QCSE is self-screened by the polarization induced bulk charges enabled by designing quantum barriers. The InN composition of the InGaN quantum barrier graded along the growth orientation opportunely generates the polarization induced bulk charges in the quantum barrier, which well compensate the polarization induced interface charges, thus avoiding the electric field in the quantum wells. Consequently, the optical output power and the external quantum efficiency are substantially improved for the LEDs. The ability to self-screen the QCSE using polarization induced bulk charges opens up new possibilities for device engineering of III-nitrides not only in LEDs but also in other optoelectronic devices.

  10. Self-screening of the quantum confined Stark effect by the polarization induced bulk charges in the quantum barriers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Zi-Hui; Liu, Wei; Ju, Zhengang; Tiam Tan, Swee; Ji, Yun; Kyaw, Zabu; Zhang, Xueliang; Wang, Liancheng; Wei Sun, Xiao, E-mail: exwsun@ntu.edu.sg, E-mail: volkan@stanfordalumni.org [LUMINOUS Centre of Excellence for Semiconductor Lighting and Displays, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); Volkan Demir, Hilmi, E-mail: exwsun@ntu.edu.sg, E-mail: volkan@stanfordalumni.org [LUMINOUS Centre of Excellence for Semiconductor Lighting and Displays, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); Department of Electrical and Electronics, Department of Physics, and UNAM-Institute of Material Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, TR-06800 Ankara (Turkey)

    2014-06-16

    InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) grown along the polar orientations significantly suffer from the quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE) caused by the strong polarization induced electric field in the quantum wells, which is a fundamental problem intrinsic to the III-nitrides. Here, we show that the QCSE is self-screened by the polarization induced bulk charges enabled by designing quantum barriers. The InN composition of the InGaN quantum barrier graded along the growth orientation opportunely generates the polarization induced bulk charges in the quantum barrier, which well compensate the polarization induced interface charges, thus avoiding the electric field in the quantum wells. Consequently, the optical output power and the external quantum efficiency are substantially improved for the LEDs. The ability to self-screen the QCSE using polarization induced bulk charges opens up new possibilities for device engineering of III-nitrides not only in LEDs but also in other optoelectronic devices.

  11. Challenging the weak cosmic censorship conjecture with charged quantum particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Richartz, Mauricio; Saa, Alberto

    2011-01-01

    Motivated by the recent attempts to violate the weak cosmic censorship conjecture for near-extreme black holes, we consider the possibility of overcharging a near-extreme Reissner-Nordstroem black hole by the quantum tunneling of charged particles. We consider the scattering of spin-0 and spin-(1/2) particles by the black hole in a unified framework and obtain analytically, for the first time, the pertinent reflection and transmission coefficients without any small charge approximation. Based on these results, we propose some gedanken experiments that could lead to the violation of the weak cosmic censorship conjecture due to the (classically forbidden) absorption of small energy charged particles by the black hole. As for the case of scattering in Kerr spacetimes, our results demonstrate explicitly that scalar fields are subject to (electrical) superradiance phenomenon, while spin-(1/2) fields are not. Superradiance impose some limitations on the gedanken experiments involving spin-0 fields, favoring, in this way, the mechanisms for creation of a naked singularity by the quantum tunneling of spin-(1/2) charged fermions. We also discuss the implications that vacuum polarization effects and quantum statistics might have on these gedanken experiments. In particular, we show that they are not enough to prevent the absorption of incident small energy particles and, consequently, the formation of a naked singularity.

  12. Oil Contact Angles in a Water-Decane-Silicon Dioxide System: Effects of Surface Charge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Shijing; Wang, Jingyao; Wu, Jiazhong; Liu, Qingjie; Sun, Chengzhen; Bai, Bofeng

    2018-04-19

    Oil wettability in the water-oil-rock systems is very sensitive to the evolution of surface charges on the rock surfaces induced by the adsorption of ions and other chemical agents in water flooding. Through a set of large-scale molecular dynamics simulations, we reveal the effects of surface charge on the oil contact angles in an ideal water-decane-silicon dioxide system. The results show that the contact angles of oil nano-droplets have a great dependence on the surface charges. As the surface charge density exceeds a critical value of 0.992 e/nm 2 , the contact angle reaches up to 78.8° and the water-wet state is very apparent. The variation of contact angles can be confirmed from the number density distributions of oil molecules. With increasing the surface charge density, the adsorption of oil molecules weakens and the contact areas between nano-droplets and silicon dioxide surface are reduced. In addition, the number density distributions, RDF distributions, and molecular orientations indicate that the oil molecules are adsorbed on the silicon dioxide surface layer-by-layer with an orientation parallel to the surface. However, the layered structure of oil molecules near the silicon dioxide surface becomes more and more obscure at higher surface charge densities.

  13. Charge collection in the Silicon Drift Detectors of the ALICE experiment

    CERN Document Server

    Alessandro, B; Batigne, G; Beolé, S; Biolcati, E; Cerello, P; Coli, S; Corrales Morales, Y; Crescio, E; De Remigis, P; Falchieri, D; Giraudo, G; Giubellino, P; Lea, R; Marzari Chiesa, A; Masera, M; Mazza, G; Ortona, G; Prino, F; Ramello, L; Rashevsky, A; Riccati, L; Rivetti, A; Senyukov, S; Siciliano, M; Sitta, M; Subieta, M; Toscano, L; Tosello, F

    2010-01-01

    A detailed study of charge collection efficiency has been performed on the Silicon Drift Detectors (SDD) of the ALICE experiment. Three different methods to study the collected charge as a function of the drift time have been implemented. The first approach consists in measuring the charge at different injection distances moving an infrared laser by means of micrometric step motors. The second method is based on the measurement of the charge injected by the laser at fixed drift distance and varying the drift field, thus changing the drift time. In the last method, the measurement of the charge deposited by atmospheric muons is used to study the charge collection efficiency as a function of the drift time. The three methods gave consistent results and indicated that no charge loss during the drift is observed for the sensor types used in 99% of the SDD modules mounted on the ALICE Inner Tracking System. The atmospheric muons have also been used to test the effect of the zero-suppression applied to reduce the d...

  14. Quantum mechanical theory of epitaxial transformation of silicon to silicon carbide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kukushkin, S A; Osipov, A V

    2017-01-01

    The paper focuses on the study of transformation of silicon crystal into silicon carbide crystal via substitution reaction with carbon monoxide gas. As an example, the Si(1 0 0) surface is considered. The cross section of the potential energy surface of the first stage of transformation along the reaction pathway is calculated by the method of nudged elastic bands. It is found that in addition to intermediate states associated with adsorption of CO and SiO molecules on the surface, there is also an intermediate state in which all the atoms are strongly bonded to each other. This intermediate state significantly reduces the activation barrier of transformation down to 2.6 eV. The single imaginary frequencies corresponding to the two transition states of this transformation are calculated, one of which is reactant-like, whereas the other is product-like. By methods of quantum chemistry of solids, the second stage of this transformation is described, namely, the transformation of precarbide silicon into silicon carbide. Energy reduction per one cell is calculated for this ‘collapse’ process, and bond breaking energy is also found. Hence, it is concluded that the smallest size of the collapsing islet is 30 nm. It is shown that the chemical bonds of the initial silicon crystal are coordinately replaced by the bonds between Si and C in silicon carbide, which leads to a high quality of epitaxy and a low concentration of misfit dislocations. (paper)

  15. Quantum nano ring composed of quantum dots as a source of pure persistent spin or charge current

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eslami, L.; Faizabadi, E.; Ahmadi, S.

    2016-01-01

    Spin-dependent persistent current in a quantum ring constituted by two normal and one magnetic quantum dots, in the presence of Rashba spin–orbit interaction is studied by using Green function technique. It is shown that the presence of the magnetic quantum dot breaks the degeneracy of the density of states of electrons with different spin states. Besides, the Rashba spin–orbit interaction along with the magnetic quantum dot develops tunable persistent spin and charge currents. Moreover, the persistent charge current induces a fully adjustable magnetic flux whose direction and magnitude can be tuned by altering the strength of the Rashba spin–orbit interaction. - Highlights: • An array of normal and magnetic quantum dots with Rashba effect is studied. • Spin-dependent persistent current and DOS are studied using Green function method. • The magnetic quantum dot breaks degeneracy of DOS of up and down spin electrons. • The persistent spin and charge currents are tuned by adjusting the Rashba constant. • The persistent charge current induces tunable magnetic field at the center of ring.

  16. Computer assisted design of poly-silicon gated enhancement-mode, lateral double quantum dot devices for quantum computing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bishop, Nathaniel; Young, Ralph; Borras Pinilla, Carlos; Stalford, Harold; Nielsen, Erik; Muller, Richard; Rahman, Rajib; Tracy, Lisa; Wendt, Joel; Lilly, Michael; Carroll, Malcolm

    2012-02-01

    We discuss trade-offs of different double quantum dot and charge sensor lay-outs using computer assisted design (CAD). We use primarily a semi-classical model, augmented with a self-consistent configuration interaction method. Although CAD for quantum dots is difficult due to uncontrolled factors (e.g., disorder), different ideal designs can still be compared. Comparisons of simulation and measured dot characteristics, such as capacitance, show that CAD can agree well with experiment for relevant cases. CAD results comparing several different designs will be discussed including a comparison to measurement results from the same designs. Trade-offs between poly-silicon and metal gate lay-outs will also be discussed. This work was performed, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, a U.S. DOE, Office of Basic Energy Sciences user facility. The work was supported by the Sandia National Laboratories Directed Research and Development Program. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

  17. Etched ion tracks in silicon oxide and silicon oxynitride as charge injection or extraction channels for novel electronic structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fink, D.; Petrov, A.V.; Hoppe, K.; Fahrner, W.R.; Papaleo, R.M.; Berdinsky, A.S.; Chandra, A.; Chemseddine, A.; Zrineh, A.; Biswas, A.; Faupel, F.; Chadderton, L.T.

    2004-01-01

    The impact of swift heavy ions onto silicon oxide and silicon oxynitride on silicon creates etchable tracks in these insulators. After their etching and filling-up with highly resistive matter, these nanometric pores can be used as charge extraction or injection paths towards the conducting channel in the underlying silicon. In this way, a novel family of electronic structures has been realized. The basic characteristics of these 'TEMPOS' (=tunable electronic material with pores in oxide on silicon) structures are summarized. Their functionality is determined by the type of insulator, the etch track diameters and lengths, their areal densities, the type of conducting matter embedded therein, and of course by the underlying semiconductor and the contact geometry. Depending on the TEMPOS preparation recipe and working point, the structures may resemble gatable resistors, condensors, diodes, transistors, photocells, or sensors, and they are therefore rather universally applicable in electronics. TEMPOS structures are often sensitive to temperature, light, humidity and organic gases. Also light-emitting TEMPOS structures have been produced. About 37 TEMPOS-based circuits such as thermosensors, photosensors, humidity and alcohol sensors, amplifiers, frequency multipliers, amplitude modulators, oscillators, flip-flops and many others have already been designed and successfully tested. Sometimes TEMPOS-based circuits are more compact than conventional electronics

  18. Full quantum treatment of charge dynamics in amorphous molecular semiconductors

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Vries, Xander; Friederich, Pascal; Wenzel, Wolfgang; Coehoorn, Reinder; Bobbert, Peter A.

    2018-02-01

    We present a treatment of charge dynamics in amorphous molecular semiconductors that accounts for the coupling of charges to all intramolecular phonon modes in a fully quantum mechanical way. Based on ab initio calculations, we derive charge transfer rates that improve on the widely used semiclassical Marcus rate and obtain benchmark results for the mobility and energetic relaxation of electrons and holes in three semiconductors commonly applied in organic light-emitting diodes. Surprisingly, we find very similar results when using the simple Miller-Abrahams rate. We conclude that extracting the disorder strength from temperature-dependent charge transport studies is very possible but extracting the reorganization energy is not.

  19. Study Trapped Charge Distribution in P-Channel Silicon-Oxide-Nitride-Oxide-Silicon Memory Device Using Dynamic Programming Scheme

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Fu-Hai; Chiu, Yung-Yueh; Lee, Yen-Hui; Chang, Ru-Wei; Yang, Bo-Jun; Sun, Wein-Town; Lee, Eric; Kuo, Chao-Wei; Shirota, Riichiro

    2013-04-01

    In this study, we precisely investigate the charge distribution in SiN layer by dynamic programming of channel hot hole induced hot electron injection (CHHIHE) in p-channel silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) memory device. In the dynamic programming scheme, gate voltage is increased as a staircase with fixed step amplitude, which can prohibits the injection of holes in SiN layer. Three-dimensional device simulation is calibrated and is compared with the measured programming characteristics. It is found, for the first time, that the hot electron injection point quickly traverses from drain to source side synchronizing to the expansion of charged area in SiN layer. As a result, the injected charges quickly spread over on the almost whole channel area uniformly during a short programming period, which will afford large tolerance against lateral trapped charge diffusion by baking.

  20. Enhancing the Efficiency of Silicon-Based Solar Cells by the Piezo-Phototronic Effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Laipan; Wang, Longfei; Pan, Caofeng; Chen, Libo; Xue, Fei; Chen, Baodong; Yang, Leijing; Su, Li; Wang, Zhong Lin

    2017-02-28

    Although there are numerous approaches for fabricating solar cells, the silicon-based photovoltaics are still the most widely used in industry and around the world. A small increase in the efficiency of silicon-based solar cells has a huge economic impact and practical importance. We fabricate a silicon-based nanoheterostructure (p + -Si/p-Si/n + -Si (and n-Si)/n-ZnO nanowire (NW) array) photovoltaic device and demonstrate the enhanced device performance through significantly enhanced light absorption by NW array and effective charge carrier separation by the piezo-phototronic effect. The strain-induced piezoelectric polarization charges created at n-doped Si-ZnO interfaces can effectively modulate the corresponding band structure and electron gas trapped in the n + -Si/n-ZnO NW nanoheterostructure and thus enhance the transport process of local charge carriers. The efficiency of the solar cell was improved from 8.97% to 9.51% by simply applying a static compress strain. This study indicates that the piezo-phototronic effect can enhance the performance of a large-scale silicon-based solar cell, with great potential for industrial applications.

  1. Consistent interpretation of neutron-induced charged-particle emission in silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hermsdorf, D.

    1982-06-01

    Users requesting gas production cross sections for Silicon will be confronted with serious discrepancies taking evaluated data as well as experimental ones. To clarify the accuracies achieved at present in experiments and evaluations in this paper an intercomparison of different evaluated nuclear data files has been carried out resulting in recommendations for improvements of these files. The analysis of the experimental data base also shows contradictory measurements or in most cases a lack of data. So an interpretation of reliable measured data in terms of nuclear reaction theories has been done using statistical and direct reaction mechanism models. This study results in a consistent and comprehensive evaluated data set for neutron-induced charged-particle production in Silicon which will be incorporated in file 2015 of the SOKRATOR library. (author)

  2. Design of a charge sensitive preamplifier on high resistivity silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Radeka, V.; Rehak, P.; Rescia, S.; Gatti, E.; Longoni, A.; Sampietro, M.; Holl, P.; Strueder, L.; Kemmer, J.

    1987-01-01

    A low noise, fast charge sensitive preamplifier was designed on high resistivity, detector grade silicon. It is built at the surface of a fully depleted region of n-type silicon. This allows the preamplifier to be placed very close to a detector anode. The preamplifier uses the classical input cascode configuration with a capacitor and a high value resistor in the feedback loop. The output stage of the preamplifier can drive a load up to 20pF. The power dissipation of the preamplifier is 13mW. The amplifying elements are ''Single Sided Gate JFETs'' developed especially for this application. Preamplifiers connected to a low capacitance anode of a drift type detector should achieve a rise time of 20ns and have an equivalent noise charge (ENC), after a suitable shaping, of less than 50 electrons. This performance translates to a position resolution better than 3μm for silicon drift detectors. 6 refs., 9 figs

  3. Quantum theory of space charge limited current in solids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    González, Gabriel, E-mail: gabriel.gonzalez@uaslp.mx [Cátedras Conacyt, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí 78000, Mexico and Coordinación para la Innovación y la Aplicación de la Ciencia y la Tecnología, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí 78000 (Mexico)

    2015-02-28

    We present a quantum model of space charge limited current transport inside trap-free solids with planar geometry in the mean field approximation. We use a simple transformation which allows us to find the exact analytical solution for the steady state current case. We use our approach to find a Mott-Gurney like behavior and the mobility for single charge carriers in the quantum regime in solids.

  4. Charge determination of nuclei with the AMS-02 silicon tracker

    OpenAIRE

    Alpat, B.; G. Ambrosi; Azzarello, P.; Battiston, R.; Bene, P.; Bertucci, B.; Bizzaglia, S.; Bizzarri, M.; Blasko, S.; Bourquin, M.; Cortina Gil, Eduardo

    2005-01-01

    The silicon tracker of the AMS-02 detector measures the trajectory in three dimensions of electrons, protons and nuclei to high precision in a dipole magnetic field and thus measures their rigidity (momentum over charge) and the sign of their charge. In addition, it measures the specific energy loss of charged particles to determine the charge magnitude. Ladders from the AMS-02 tracker have been exposed to ion beams at CERN and GSI to study their response to nuclei from helium up to the iron ...

  5. Learning nitrogen-vacancy electron spin dynamics on a silicon quantum photonic simulator

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wang, J.; Paesani, S.; Santagati, R.; Knauer, S.; Gentile, A. A.; Wiebe, N.; Petruzzella, M.; Laing, A.; Rarity, J. G.; O'Brien, J. L.; Thompson, M. G.

    2017-01-01

    We present the experimental demonstration of quantum Hamiltonian learning. Using an integrated silicon-photonics quantum simulator with the classical machine learning technique, we successfully learn the Hamiltonian dynamics of a diamond nitrogen-vacancy center's electron ground-state spin.

  6. Silicon photonics for multicore fiber communication

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ding, Yunhong; Kamchevska, Valerija; Dalgaard, Kjeld

    2016-01-01

    We review our recent work on silicon photonics for multicore fiber communication, including multicore fiber fan-in/fan-out, multicore fiber switches towards reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers. We also present multicore fiber based quantum communication using silicon devices.......We review our recent work on silicon photonics for multicore fiber communication, including multicore fiber fan-in/fan-out, multicore fiber switches towards reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers. We also present multicore fiber based quantum communication using silicon devices....

  7. Charge sharing in silicon pixel detectors

    CERN Document Server

    Mathieson, K; Seller, P; Prydderch, M L; O'Shea, V; Bates, R L; Smith, K M; Rahman, M

    2002-01-01

    We used a pixellated hybrid silicon X-ray detector to study the effect of the sharing of generated charge between neighbouring pixels over a range of incident X-ray energies, 13-36 keV. The system is a room temperature, energy resolving detector with a Gaussian FWHM of 265 eV at 5.9 keV. Each pixel is 300 mu m square, 300 mu m deep and is bump bonded to matching read out electronics. The modelling packages MEDICI and MCNP were used to model the complete X-ray interaction and the subsequent charge transport. Using this software a model is developed which reproduces well the experimental results. The simulations are then altered to explore smaller pixel sizes and different X-ray energies. Charge sharing was observed experimentally to be 2% at 13 keV rising to 4.5% at 36 keV, for an energy threshold of 4 keV. The models predict that up to 50% of charge may be lost to the neighbouring pixels, for an X-ray energy of 36 keV, when the pixel size is reduced to 55 mu m.

  8. Freestanding silicon quantum dots: origin of red and blue luminescence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Anoop; Wiggers, Hartmut

    2011-02-04

    In this paper, we studied the behavior of silicon quantum dots (Si-QDs) after etching and surface oxidation by means of photoluminescence (PL) measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR). We observed that etching of red luminescing Si-QDs with HF acid drastically reduces the concentration of defects and significantly enhances their PL intensity together with a small shift in the emission spectrum. Additionally, we observed the emergence of blue luminescence from Si-QDs during the re-oxidation of freshly etched particles. Our results indicate that the red emission is related to the quantum confinement effect, while the blue emission from Si-QDs is related to defect states at the newly formed silicon oxide surface.

  9. Charged spin textures over the Moore-Read quantum Hall state

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Romers, J.C.; Huijse, L.; Schoutens, K.

    2011-01-01

    We study the composite Charged Spin Texture (CST) over the Moore-Read quantum Hall state that arises when a collection of elementary CSTs are moved to the same location. Following an algebraic approach based on the characteristic pair correlations of the Moore- Read state, we and that the resulting

  10. A Colloidal-Quantum-Dot-Based Self-Charging System via the Near-Infrared Band.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baek, Se-Woong; Cho, Jungmin; Kim, Joo-Seong; Kim, Changjo; Na, Kwangmin; Lee, Sang-Hoon; Jun, Sunhong; Song, Jung Hoon; Jeong, Sohee; Choi, Jang Wook; Lee, Jung-Yong

    2018-05-11

    A novel self-charging platform is proposed using colloidal-quantum-dot (CQD) photovoltaics (PVs) via the near-infrared (NIR) band for low-power electronics. Low-bandgap CQDs can convert invisible NIR light sources to electrical energy more efficiently than wider spectra because of reduced thermalization loss. This energy-conversion strategy via NIR photons ensures an enhanced photostability of the CQD devices. Furthermore, the NIR wireless charging system can be concealed using various colored and NIR-transparent fabric or films, providing aesthetic freedom. Finally, an NIR-driven wireless charging system is demonstrated for a wearable healthcare bracelet by integrating a CQD PVs receiver with a flexible lithium-ion battery and entirely embedding them into a flexible strap, enabling permanent self-charging without detachment. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. Characterization of electrical and optical properties of silicon based materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jia, Guobin

    2009-12-04

    characteristic DRL lines D1 to D4 has been detected, indicating the dislocations in the Alile sample are relatively clean. Test p-n junction diodes with dislocation networks (DNs) produced by silicon wafer direct bonding have been investigated by EBIC technique. Charge carriers collection and electrical conduction phenomena by the DNs were observed. Inhomogeneities in the charge collection were detected in n- and p-type samples under appropriate beam energy. The diffusion lengths in the thin top layer of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) have been measured by EBIC with full suppression of the surface recombination at the buried oxide (BOX) layer and at surface of the top layer by biasing method. The measured diffusion length is several times larger than the layer thickness. Silicon nanostructures are another important subject of this work. Electrical and optical properties of various silicon based materials like silicon nanowires, silicon nano rods, porous silicon, and Si/SiO{sub 2} multi quantum wells (MQWs) samples were investigated in this work. Silicon sub-bandgap infrared (IR) luminescence around 1570 nm was found in silicon nanowires, nano rods and porous silicon. PL measurements with samples immersed in different liquid media, for example, in aqueous HF (50%), concentrated H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} (98%) and H{sub 2}O{sub 2} established that the subbandgap IR luminescence originated from the Si/SiO{sub x} interface. EL in the sub-bandgap IR range has been observed in simple devices prepared on porous silicon and MQWs at room temperature. (orig.)

  12. A charged particle interacting with a stationary magnetic monopole: quantum mechanics based on the kinetic momentum operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raković, Milun J

    2011-01-01

    The standard quantum mechanical description of the motion of a charged particle in the field of a stationary magnetic monopole is notorious for the presence of unnatural singularities in the Hamiltonian operator originating in the vector potential A(r) used to describe the magnetic field of the monopole. In this paper, an elementary quantum mechanical formulation of the problem which involves only the physically observable field B(r) is presented. This is achieved by treating as a fundamental observable of the charged particle its kinetic momentum instead of the linear momentum p. An irreducible representation of the fundamental commutation relations involving the operators r-hat. It is shown that the existence of an irreducible representation requires that Dirac’s charge quantization condition is satisfied. Also, it is demonstrated that, from the quantum mechanical perspective, the singularities (appearing when the vector potential is introduced) are in fact properties of coordinate representations of the fundamental commutation relations. (paper)

  13. Quantum RLC circuits: Charge discreteness and resonance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Utreras-Diaz, Constantino A. [Instituto de Fisica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Campus Isla Teja s/n, Casilla 567, Valdivia (Chile)], E-mail: cutreras@uach.cl

    2008-10-20

    In a recent article [C.A. Utreras-Diaz, Phys. Lett. A 372 (2008) 5059], we have advanced a semiclassical theory of quantum circuits with discrete charge and electrical resistance. In this work, we present a few elementary applications of this theory. For the zero resistance inductive circuit, we obtain the Stark ladder energies in yet another way; for the circuit driven by a combination d.c. plus a.c. electromotive force (emf) we generalize earlier results by Chandia et al. [K. Chandia, J.C. Flores, E. Lazo, Phys. Lett. A 359 (2006) 693]. As a second application, we investigate the effect of electrical resistance and charge discreteness, in the resonance conditions of a series RLC quantum circuit.

  14. Quantum RLC circuits: Charge discreteness and resonance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Utreras-Diaz, Constantino A.

    2008-01-01

    In a recent article [C.A. Utreras-Diaz, Phys. Lett. A 372 (2008) 5059], we have advanced a semiclassical theory of quantum circuits with discrete charge and electrical resistance. In this work, we present a few elementary applications of this theory. For the zero resistance inductive circuit, we obtain the Stark ladder energies in yet another way; for the circuit driven by a combination d.c. plus a.c. electromotive force (emf) we generalize earlier results by Chandia et al. [K. Chandia, J.C. Flores, E. Lazo, Phys. Lett. A 359 (2006) 693]. As a second application, we investigate the effect of electrical resistance and charge discreteness, in the resonance conditions of a series RLC quantum circuit

  15. Charge determination of nuclei with the AMS-02 silicon tracker

    CERN Document Server

    Alpat, B; Azzarello, P; Battiston, R; Bene, P; Bertucci, B; Bizzaglia, S; Bizzarri, M; Blasko, S; Bourquin, M; Bouvier, P; Burger, W J; Capell, M; Cecchi, C; Chang, Y H; Cortina, E; Dinu, N; Esposito, G; Fiandrini, E; Haas, D; Hakobyan, H; Ionica, M; Ionica, R; Kounine, A; Koutsenko, V F; Lebedev, A; Lechanoine-Leluc, C; Lin, C H; Masciocchi, F; Menichelli, M; Natale, S; Paniccia, M; Papi, A; Pauluzzi, M; Perrin, E; Pohl, M; Rapin, D; Richeux, J P; Wallraff, W; Willenbrock, M; Zuccon, P

    2005-01-01

    The silicon tracker of the AMS-02 detector measures the trajectory in three dimensions of electrons, protons and nuclei to high precision in a dipole magnetic field and thus measures their rigidity (momentum over charge) and the sign of their charge. In addition, it measures the specific energy loss of charged particles to determine the charge magnitude. Ladders from the AMS-02 tracker have been exposed to ion beams at CERN and GSI to study their response to nuclei from helium up to the iron group. The longest ladder, 72 multiplied by 496mm2, verified in the tests contains 12 sensors. Good charge resolution is observed up to iron.

  16. Quantum mechanical calculations related to ionization and charge transfer in DNA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cauët, E; Liévin, J; Valiev, M; Weare, J H

    2012-01-01

    Ionization and charge migration in DNA play crucial roles in mechanisms of DNA damage caused by ionizing radiation, oxidizing agents and photo-irradiation. Therefore, an evaluation of the ionization properties of the DNA bases is central to the full interpretation and understanding of the elementary reactive processes that occur at the molecular level during the initial exposure and afterwards. Ab initio quantum mechanical (QM) methods have been successful in providing highly accurate evaluations of key parameters, such as ionization energies (IE) of DNA bases. Hence, in this study, we performed high-level QM calculations to characterize the molecular energy levels and potential energy surfaces, which shed light on ionization and charge migration between DNA bases. In particular, we examined the IEs of guanine, the most easily oxidized base, isolated and embedded in base clusters, and investigated the mechanism of charge migration over two and three stacked guanines. The IE of guanine in the human telomere sequence has also been evaluated. We report a simple molecular orbital analysis to explain how modifications in the base sequence are expected to change the efficiency of the sequence as a hole trap. Finally, the application of a hybrid approach combining quantum mechanics with molecular mechanics brings an interesting discussion as to how the native aqueous DNA environment affects the IE threshold of nucleobases.

  17. First-principles engineering of charged defects for two-dimensional quantum technologies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Feng; Galatas, Andrew; Sundararaman, Ravishankar; Rocca, Dario; Ping, Yuan

    2017-12-01

    Charged defects in two-dimensional (2D) materials have emerging applications in quantum technologies such as quantum emitters and quantum computation. The advancement of these technologies requires a rational design of ideal defect centers, demanding reliable computation methods for the quantitatively accurate prediction of defect properties. We present an accurate, parameter-free, and efficient procedure to evaluate the quasiparticle defect states and thermodynamic charge transition levels of defects in 2D materials. Importantly, we solve critical issues that stem from the strongly anisotropic screening in 2D materials, that have so far precluded the accurate prediction of charge transition levels in these materials. Using this procedure, we investigate various defects in monolayer hexagonal boron nitride (h -BN ) for their charge transition levels, stable spin states, and optical excitations. We identify CBVN (nitrogen vacancy adjacent to carbon substitution of boron) to be the most promising defect candidate for scalable quantum bit and emitter applications.

  18. Relationship between defect density and charge carrier transport in amorphous and microcrystalline silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Astakhov, Oleksandr; Carius, Reinhard; Finger, Friedhelm; Petrusenko, Yuri; Borysenko, Valery; Barankov, Dmytro

    2009-01-01

    The influence of dangling-bond defects and the position of the Fermi level on the charge carrier transport properties in undoped and phosphorous doped thin-film silicon with structure compositions all the way from highly crystalline to amorphous is investigated. The dangling-bond density is varied reproducibly over several orders of magnitude by electron bombardment and subsequent annealing. The defects are investigated by electron-spin-resonance and photoconductivity spectroscopies. Comparing intrinsic amorphous and microcrystalline silicon, it is found that the relationship between defect density and photoconductivity is different in both undoped materials, while a similar strong influence of the position of the Fermi level on photoconductivity via the charge carrier lifetime is found in the doped materials. The latter allows a quantitative determination of the value of the transport gap energy in microcrystalline silicon. The photoconductivity in intrinsic microcrystalline silicon is, on one hand, considerably less affected by the bombardment but, on the other hand, does not generally recover with annealing of the defects and is independent from the spin density which itself can be annealed back to the as-deposited level. For amorphous silicon and material prepared close to the crystalline growth regime, the results for nonequilibrium transport fit perfectly to a recombination model based on direct capture into neutral dangling bonds over a wide range of defect densities. For the heterogeneous microcrystalline silicon, this model fails completely. The application of photoconductivity spectroscopy in the constant photocurrent mode (CPM) is explored for the entire structure composition range over a wide variation in defect densities. For amorphous silicon previously reported linear correlation between the spin density and the subgap absorption is confirmed for defect densities below 10 18 cm -3 . Beyond this defect level, a sublinear relation is found i.e., not

  19. Practical Quantum Realization of the Ampere from the Elementary Charge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brun-Picard, J.; Djordjevic, S.; Leprat, D.; Schopfer, F.; Poirier, W.

    2016-10-01

    One major change of the future revision of the International System of Units is a new definition of the ampere based on the elementary charge e . Replacing the former definition based on Ampère's force law will allow one to fully benefit from quantum physics to realize the ampere. However, a quantum realization of the ampere from e , accurate to within 10-8 in relative value and fulfilling traceability needs, is still missing despite the many efforts made for the development of single-electron tunneling devices. Starting again with Ohm's law, applied here in a quantum circuit combining the quantum Hall resistance and Josephson voltage standards with a superconducting cryogenic amplifier, we report on a practical and universal programmable quantum current generator. We demonstrate that currents generated in the milliampere range are accurately quantized in terms of e fJ (fJ is the Josephson frequency) with measurement uncertainty of 10-8. This new quantum current source, which is able to deliver such accurate currents down to the microampere range, can greatly improve the current measurement traceability, as demonstrated with the calibrations of digital ammeters. In addition, it opens the way to further developments in metrology and in fundamental physics, such as a quantum multimeter or new accurate comparisons to single-electron pumps.

  20. Tuned and Balanced Redistributed Charge Scheme for Combined Quantum Mechanical and Molecular Mechanical (QM/MM) Methods and Fragment Methods: Tuning Based on the CM5 Charge Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Bo; Truhlar, Donald G

    2013-02-12

    Tuned and balanced redistributed charge schemes have been developed for modeling the electrostatic fields of bonds that are cut by a quantum mechanical-molecular mechanical boundary in combined quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical (QM/MM) methods. First, the charge is balanced by adjusting the charge on the MM boundary atom to conserve the total charge of the entire QM/MM system. In the balanced smeared redistributed charge (BSRC) scheme, the adjusted MM boundary charge is smeared with a smearing width of 1.0 Å and is distributed in equal portions to the midpoints of the bonds between the MM boundary atom and the MM atoms bonded to it; in the balanced redistributed charge-2 (BRC2) scheme, the adjusted MM boundary charge is distributed as point charges in equal portions to the MM atoms that are bonded to the MM boundary atom. The QM subsystem is capped by a fluorine atom that is tuned to reproduce the sum of partial atomic charges of the uncapped portion of the QM subsystem. The new aspect of the present study is a new way to carry out the tuning process; in particular, the CM5 charge model, rather than the Mulliken population analysis applied in previous studies, is used for tuning the capping atom that terminates the dangling bond of the QM region. The mean unsigned error (MUE) of the QM/MM deprotonation energy for a 15-system test suite of deprotonation reactions is 2.3 kcal/mol for the tuned BSRC scheme (TBSRC) and 2.4 kcal/mol for the tuned BRC2 scheme (TBRC2). As was the case for the original tuning method based on Mulliken charges, the new tuning method performs much better than using conventional hydrogen link atoms, which have an MUE on this test set of about 7 kcal/mol. However, the new scheme eliminates the need to use small basis sets, which can be problematic, and it allows one to be more consistent by tuning the parameters with whatever basis set is appropriate for applications. (Alternatively, since the tuning parameters and partial charges

  1. Laser-beam-induced current mapping evaluation of porous silicon-based passivation in polycrystalline silicon solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rabha, M. Ben; Bessais, B. [Laboratoire de Nanomateriaux et des Systemes pour l' Energie, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l' Energie - Technopole de Borj-Cedria BP 95, 2050 Hammam-Lif (Tunisia); Dimassi, W.; Bouaicha, M.; Ezzaouia, H. [Laboratoire de photovoltaique, des semiconducteurs et des nanostructures, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l' Energie - Technopole de Borj-Cedria BP 95, 2050 Hammam-Lif (Tunisia)

    2009-05-15

    In the present work, we report on the effect of introducing a superficial porous silicon (PS) layer on the performance of polycrystalline silicon (pc-Si) solar cells. Laser-beam-induced current (LBIC) mapping shows that the PS treatment on the emitter of pc-Si solar cells improves their quantum response and reduce the grain boundaries (GBs) activity. After the porous silicon treatment, mapping investigation shows an enhancement of the LBIC and the internal quantum efficiency (IQE), due to an improvement of the minority carrier diffusion length and the passivation of recombination centers at the GBs as compared to the reference substrate. It was quantitatively shown that porous silicon treatment can passivate both the grains and GBs. (author)

  2. Spin-charge separation in quantum wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yacoby, A.

    2004-01-01

    Full Text:Using momentum resolved tunneling between two clean parallel quantum wires in a AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructure we directly measure the dispersion of the quantum many-body modes in ballistic wires and follow their dependence on Coulomb interactions by varying the electron density. We find clear signatures of three excitation modes in the data: The anti-symmetric charge mode of the coupled wire system and two spin modes. The density dependence of the anti-symmetric charge mode agrees well with Luttinger-liquid theory. As the density of electrons is lowered, the Coulomb interaction is seen to become increasingly dominant leading to excitation velocities that are up to 2.5 times faster than the bare Fermi velocity, determined experimentally from the carrier density. The symmetric charge excitation, also expected from theory, is, however, not visible in the data. The observed spin velocities are found to be 25% slower than the bare Fermi velocities and depend linearly on carrier density. The dispersions are mapped down to a critical density at which spontaneous localization is observed. Some of the experimental findings concerning this phase will be discussed

  3. The impact of doped silicon quantum dots on human osteoblasts

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Ostrovská, L.; Brož, Antonín; Fučíková, A.; Bělinová, T.; Sugimoto, H.; Kanno, T.; Fujii, M.; Valenta, J.; Kalbáčová, M.H.

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 6, č. 68 (2016), s. 63403-63413 ISSN 2046-2069 Institutional support: RVO:67985823 Keywords : silicon quantum dots * osteoblasts * cytotoxicity * photoluminiscence bioimaging Subject RIV: EI - Biotechnology ; Bionics Impact factor: 3.108, year: 2016

  4. High performance SONOS flash memory with in-situ silicon nanocrystals embedded in silicon nitride charge trapping layer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Jae-Gab; Yang, Seung-Dong; Yun, Ho-Jin; Jung, Jun-Kyo; Park, Jung-Hyun; Lim, Chan; Cho, Gyu-seok; Park, Seong-gye; Huh, Chul; Lee, Hi-Deok; Lee, Ga-Won

    2018-02-01

    In this paper, SONOS-type flash memory device with highly improved charge-trapping efficiency is suggested by using silicon nanocrystals (Si-NCs) embedded in silicon nitride (SiNX) charge trapping layer. The Si-NCs were in-situ grown by PECVD without additional post annealing process. The fabricated device shows high program/erase speed and retention property which is suitable for multi-level cell (MLC) application. Excellent performance and reliability for MLC are demonstrated with large memory window of ∼8.5 V and superior retention characteristics of 7% charge loss for 10 years. High resolution transmission electron microscopy image confirms the Si-NC formation and the size is around 1-2 nm which can be verified again in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) where pure Si bonds increase. Besides, XPS analysis implies that more nitrogen atoms make stable bonds at the regular lattice point. Photoluminescence spectra results also illustrate that Si-NCs formation in SiNx is an effective method to form deep trap states.

  5. Single-electron-occupation metal-oxide-semiconductor quantum dots formed from efficient poly-silicon gate layout

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carroll, Malcolm S.; rochette, sophie; Rudolph, Martin; Roy, A. -M.; Curry, Matthew Jon; Ten Eyck, Gregory A.; Manginell, Ronald P.; Wendt, Joel R.; Pluym, Tammy; Carr, Stephen M; Ward, Daniel Robert; Lilly, Michael; pioro-ladriere, michel

    2017-07-01

    We introduce a silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor quantum dot structure that achieves dot-reservoir tunnel coupling control without a dedicated barrier gate. The elementary structure consists of two accumulation gates separated spatially by a gap, one gate accumulating a reservoir and the other a quantum dot. Control of the tunnel rate between the dot and the reservoir across the gap is demonstrated in the single electron regime by varying the reservoir accumulation gate voltage while compensating with the dot accumulation gate voltage. The method is then applied to a quantum dot connected in series to source and drain reservoirs, enabling transport down to the single electron regime. Finally, tuning of the valley splitting with the dot accumulation gate voltage is observed. This split accumulation gate structure creates silicon quantum dots of similar characteristics to other realizations but with less electrodes, in a single gate stack subtractive fabrication process that is fully compatible with silicon foundry manufacturing.

  6. On the Control of the Fixed Charge Densities in Al2O3-Based Silicon Surface Passivation Schemes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simon, Daniel K; Jordan, Paul M; Mikolajick, Thomas; Dirnstorfer, Ingo

    2015-12-30

    A controlled field-effect passivation by a well-defined density of fixed charges is crucial for modern solar cell surface passivation schemes. Al2O3 nanolayers grown by atomic layer deposition contain negative fixed charges. Electrical measurements on slant-etched layers reveal that these charges are located within a 1 nm distance to the interface with the Si substrate. When inserting additional interface layers, the fixed charge density can be continuously adjusted from 3.5 × 10(12) cm(-2) (negative polarity) to 0.0 and up to 4.0 × 10(12) cm(-2) (positive polarity). A HfO2 interface layer of one or more monolayers reduces the negative fixed charges in Al2O3 to zero. The role of HfO2 is described as an inert spacer controlling the distance between Al2O3 and the Si substrate. It is suggested that this spacer alters the nonstoichiometric initial Al2O3 growth regime, which is responsible for the charge formation. On the basis of this charge-free HfO2/Al2O3 stack, negative or positive fixed charges can be formed by introducing additional thin Al2O3 or SiO2 layers between the Si substrate and this HfO2/Al2O3 capping layer. All stacks provide very good passivation of the silicon surface. The measured effective carrier lifetimes are between 1 and 30 ms. This charge control in Al2O3 nanolayers allows the construction of zero-fixed-charge passivation layers as well as layers with tailored fixed charge densities for future solar cell concepts and other field-effect based devices.

  7. Quantum effects in ion implanted devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jamieson, D.N.; Chan, V.; Hudson, F.E.; Andresen, S.E.; Yang, C.; Hopf, T.; Hearne, S.M.; Pakes, C.I.; Prawer, S.; Gauja, E.; Yang, C.; Dzurak, A.S.; Yang, C.; Clark, R.G.; Yang, C.

    2005-01-01

    Fabrication of nanoscale devices that exploit the rules of quantum mechanics to process information presents formidable technical challenges because it will be necessary to control quantum states at the level of individual atoms, electrons or photons. We have developed a pathway to the construction of quantum devices using ion implantation and demonstrate, using charge transport analysis, that the devices exhibit single electron effects. We construct devices that employ two P donors in Si by employing the technique of ion beam induced charge (IBIC) in which single 14 keV P ions can be implanted into ultra-pure silicon by monitoring on-substrate detector electrodes. We have used IBIC with a MeV nuclear microprobe to map and measure the charge collection efficiency in the development of the electrode structure and show that 100% charge collection efficiency can be achieved leading to the fabrication of prototype devices that display quantum effects in the transport of single charge quanta between the islands of implanted donors. (author). 9 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

  8. Study of temperature-dependent charge conduction in silicon-nanocrystal/SiO{sub 2} multilayers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mavilla, Narasimha Rao; Chavan, Vinayak [National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE), Powai, Mumbai 400 076 (India); Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400 076 (India); Solanki, Chetan Singh [National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE), Powai, Mumbai 400 076 (India); Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400 076 (India); Vasi, Juzer [National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE), Powai, Mumbai 400 076 (India); Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400 076 (India)

    2016-08-01

    Silicon-nanocrystals (Si-NCs) realized by SiO{sub x} {sub <} {sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} multilayer (ML) approach have shown promise for realizing tightly-controlled dimensions, thus efficiently exploiting the size-dependent quantum effects for device applications. Unfortunately, the confining insulating barriers (SiO{sub 2} sublayers), instrumental for realizing quantum size effects in Si-NC MLs, can also hinder the charge conduction which is crucial for device applications including Si-NC based tandem solar cells and multi-exciton solar cells. Owing to this, a comprehensive study of conduction mechanisms has been carried out using a thorough analysis of temperature-dependent dark I-V measurements of SiO{sub 2} thin film and Si-NC multilayer samples fabricated by Inductively Coupled Plasma CVD (ICPCVD). As the ML samples consisted of interleaved SiO{sub 2} sublayers, current in SiO{sub 2} thin film has initially been studied to understand the conduction properties of bulk ICPCVD SiO{sub 2}. For 21 nm thick SiO{sub 2} film, conduction is observed to be dominated by Fowler–Nordheim (FN) tunneling for higher electric fields (> 8 MV/cm; independent of temperature), while for lower electric fields (5–8 MV/cm) at higher temperatures, the trap-related Generalized Poole–Frenkel (GPF) is dominant. This signified the role of traps in modifying the conduction in bulk ICPCVD SiO{sub 2} films. We then present the conduction in ML samples. For multilayer samples with SiO{sub 2} sublayer thickness of 1.5 nm and 2.5 nm, Direct Tunneling (DT) is observed to be dominant, while for SiO{sub 2} sublayer thickness of 3.5 nm, Space Charge Limited Conduction (SCLC) with exponential trap distribution is found to be the dominant conduction mechanism. This signifies the role of traps in modifying the conduction in Si-NC multilayer samples and SiO{sub 2} sublayer thickness dependence. - Highlights: • Electrical conduction in SiO{sub 2} film & Si-nanocrystal layers (Si-NCs) is reported. • Si

  9. Atomically manufactured nickel-silicon quantum dots displaying robust resonant tunneling and negative differential resistance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Jian-Yih; Fisher, Brandon L.; Guisinger, Nathan P.; Lilley, Carmen M.

    2017-12-01

    Providing a spin-free host material in the development of quantum information technology has made silicon a very interesting and desirable material for qubit design. Much of the work and experimental progress has focused on isolated phosphorous atoms. In this article, we report on the exploration of Ni-Si clusters that are atomically manufactured via self-assembly from the bottom-up and behave as isolated quantum dots. These small quantum dot structures are probed at the atomic-scale with scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, revealing robust resonance through discrete quantized energy levels within the Ni-Si clusters. The resonance energy is reproducible and the peak spacing of the quantum dot structures increases as the number of atoms in the cluster decrease. Probing these quantum dot structures on degenerately doped silicon results in the observation of negative differential resistance in both I-V and dI/dV spectra. At higher surface coverage of nickel, a well-known √19 surface modification is observed and is essentially a tightly packed array of the clusters. Spatial conductance maps reveal variations in the local density of states that suggest the clusters are influencing the electronic properties of their neighbors. All of these results are extremely encouraging towards the utilization of metal modified silicon surfaces to advance or complement existing quantum information technology.

  10. Electronic and Optical Properties of Small Hydrogenated Silicon Quantum Dots Using Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Mus-’ab Anas

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a systematic study of the absorption spectrum of various sizes of small hydrogenated silicon quantum dots of quasi-spherical symmetry using the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT. In this study, real-time and real-space implementation of TDDFT involving full propagation of the time-dependent Kohn-Sham equations were used. The experimental results for SiH4 and Si5H12 showed good agreement with other earlier calculations and experimental data. Then these calculations were extended to study larger hydrogenated silicon quantum dots with diameter up to 1.6 nm. It was found that, for small quantum dots, the absorption spectrum is atomic-like while, for relatively larger (1.6 nm structure, it shows bulk-like behavior with continuous plateau with noticeable peak. This paper also studied the absorption coefficient of silicon quantum dots as a function of their size. Precisely, the dependence of dot size on the absorption threshold is elucidated. It was found that the silicon quantum dots exhibit direct transition of electron from HOMO to LUMO states; hence this theoretical contribution can be very valuable in discerning the microscopic processes for the future realization of optoelectronic devices.

  11. Validity of spherical approximations of initial charge cloud shape in silicon detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Cheng; Danielsson, Mats; Bornefalk, Hans

    2011-01-01

    Spherical approximation has been used extensively in low-energy X-ray imaging to represent the initial charge cloud produced by photon interactions in silicon detectors, mainly because of its simplicity. However, for high-energy X-rays, where the initial charge distribution is as important as the diffusion process, the spherical approximation will not result in a realistic detector response. In this paper, we present a bubble-line model that simulates the initial charge cloud in silicon detectors for photons in the energy range of medical imaging. An initial charge cloud can be generated by sampling the center of gravity and the track size from statistical distributions derived from Monte Carlo generated tracks and by distributing a certain proportion of photon energy into a bubble (68%) and a line portion uniformly. The simulations of detector response demonstrate that the new model simulates the detector response accurately and corresponds well to Monte Carlo simulation.

  12. Nonclassical light sources for silicon photonics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bajoni, Daniele; Galli, Matteo

    2017-09-01

    Quantum photonics has recently attracted a lot of attention for its disruptive potential in emerging technologies like quantum cryptography, quantum communication and quantum computing. Driven by the impressive development in nanofabrication technologies and nanoscale engineering, silicon photonics has rapidly become the platform of choice for on-chip integration of high performing photonic devices, now extending their functionalities towards quantum-based applications. Focusing on quantum Information Technology (qIT) as a key application area, we review recent progress in integrated silicon-based sources of nonclassical states of light. We assess the state of the art in this growing field and highlight the challenges that need to be overcome to make quantum photonics a reliable and widespread technology.

  13. Charge collection and space charge distribution in neutron-irradiated epitaxial silicon detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poehlsen, Thomas

    2010-04-01

    In this work epitaxial n-type silicon diodes with a thickness of 100 μm and 150 μm are investigated. After neutron irradiation with fluences between 10 14 cm -2 and 4 x 10 15 cm -2 annealing studies were performed. CV-IV curves were taken and the depletion voltage was determined for different annealing times. All investigated diodes with neutron fluences greater than 2 x 10 14 cm -2 showed type inversion due to irradiation. Measurements with the transient current technique (TCT) using a pulsed laser were performed to investigate charge collection effects for temperatures of -40 C, -10 C and 20 C. The charge correction method was used to determine the effective trapping time τ eff . Inconsistencies of the results could be explained by assuming field dependent trapping times. A simulation of charge collection could be used to determine the field dependent trapping time τ eff (E) and the space charge distribution in the detector bulk. Assuming a linear field dependence of the trapping times and a linear space charge distribution the data could be described. Indications of charge multiplication were seen in the irradiated 100 μm thick diodes for all investigated fluences at voltages above 800 V. The space charge distribution extracted from TCT measurements was compared to the results of the CV measurements and showed good agreement. (orig.)

  14. Solid-State Quantum Computer Based on Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Berman, G. P.; Brown, G. W.; Hawley, M. E.; Tsifrinovich, V. I.

    2001-08-27

    We propose a solid-state nuclear-spin quantum computer based on application of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and well-developed silicon technology. It requires the measurement of tunneling-current modulation caused by the Larmor precession of a single electron spin. Our envisioned STM quantum computer would operate at the high magnetic field ({approx}10 T) and at low temperature {approx}1 K .

  15. Solid-State Quantum Computer Based on Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berman, G. P.; Brown, G. W.; Hawley, M. E.; Tsifrinovich, V. I.

    2001-01-01

    We propose a solid-state nuclear-spin quantum computer based on application of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and well-developed silicon technology. It requires the measurement of tunneling-current modulation caused by the Larmor precession of a single electron spin. Our envisioned STM quantum computer would operate at the high magnetic field (∼10 T) and at low temperature ∼1 K

  16. High-Power Collective Charging of a Solid-State Quantum Battery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferraro, Dario; Campisi, Michele; Andolina, Gian Marcello; Pellegrini, Vittorio; Polini, Marco

    2018-03-01

    Quantum information theorems state that it is possible to exploit collective quantum resources to greatly enhance the charging power of quantum batteries (QBs) made of many identical elementary units. We here present and solve a model of a QB that can be engineered in solid-state architectures. It consists of N two-level systems coupled to a single photonic mode in a cavity. We contrast this collective model ("Dicke QB"), whereby entanglement is genuinely created by the common photonic mode, to the one in which each two-level system is coupled to its own separate cavity mode ("Rabi QB"). By employing exact diagonalization, we demonstrate the emergence of a quantum advantage in the charging power of Dicke QBs, which scales like √{N } for N ≫1 .

  17. Melting of Grey Cast Iron Based on Steel Scrap Using Silicon Carbide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stojczew A.

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the issue of synthetic cast iron production in the electric induction furnace exclusively on the steel scrap base. Silicon carbide and synthetic graphite were used as carburizers. The carburizers were introduced with solid charge or added on the liquid metal surface. The chemical analysis of the produced cast iron, the carburization efficiency and microstructure features were presented in the paper. It was stated that ferrosilicon can be replaced by silicon carbide during the synthetic cast iron melting process. However, due to its chemical composition (30% C and 70% Si which causes significant silicon content in iron increase, the carbon deficit can be partly compensated by the carburizer introduction. Moreover it was shown that the best carbon and silicon assimilation rate is obtained where the silicon carbide is being introduced together with solid charge. When it is thrown onto liquid alloy surface the efficiency of the process is almost two times less and the melting process lasts dozen minutes long. The microstructure of the cast iron produced with the silicon carbide shows more bulky graphite flakes than inside the microstructure of cast iron produced on the pig iron base.

  18. Synthesis of silicon nanocrystals in silane plasmas for nanoelectronics and large area electronic devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roca i Cabarrocas, P; Nguyen-Tran, Th; Djeridane, Y; Abramov, A; Johnson, E; Patriarche, G

    2007-01-01

    The synthesis of silicon nanocrystals in standard radio-frequency glow discharge systems is studied with respect to two main objectives: (i) the production of devices based on quantum size effects associated with the small dimensions of silicon nanocrystals and (ii) the synthesis of polymorphous and polycrystalline silicon films in which silicon nanocrystals are the elementary building blocks. In particular we discuss results on the mechanisms of nanocrystal formation and their transport towards the substrate. We found that silicon nanocrystals can contribute to a significant fraction of deposition (50-70%) and that they can be positively charged. This has a strong influence on their deposition because positively charged nanocrystals will be accelerated towards the substrate with energy of the order of the plasma potential. However, the important parameter with respect to the deposition of charged nanocrystals is not the accelerating voltage but the energy per atom and thus a doubling of the diameter will result in a decrease in the energy per atom by a factor of 8. To leverage this geometrical advantage we propose the use of more electronegative gases, which may have a strong effect on the size and charge distribution of the nanocrystals. This is illustrated in the case of deposition from silicon tetrafluoride plasmas in which we observe low-frequency plasma fluctuations, associated with successive generations of nanocrystals. The contribution of larger nanocrystals to deposition results in a lower energy per deposited atom and thus polycrystalline films

  19. Nonlinear silicon photonics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borghi, M.; Castellan, C.; Signorini, S.; Trenti, A.; Pavesi, L.

    2017-09-01

    Silicon photonics is a technology based on fabricating integrated optical circuits by using the same paradigms as the dominant electronics industry. After twenty years of fervid development, silicon photonics is entering the market with low cost, high performance and mass-manufacturable optical devices. Until now, most silicon photonic devices have been based on linear optical effects, despite the many phenomenologies associated with nonlinear optics in both bulk materials and integrated waveguides. Silicon and silicon-based materials have strong optical nonlinearities which are enhanced in integrated devices by the small cross-section of the high-index contrast silicon waveguides or photonic crystals. Here the photons are made to strongly interact with the medium where they propagate. This is the central argument of nonlinear silicon photonics. It is the aim of this review to describe the state-of-the-art in the field. Starting from the basic nonlinearities in a silicon waveguide or in optical resonator geometries, many phenomena and applications are described—including frequency generation, frequency conversion, frequency-comb generation, supercontinuum generation, soliton formation, temporal imaging and time lensing, Raman lasing, and comb spectroscopy. Emerging quantum photonics applications, such as entangled photon sources, heralded single-photon sources and integrated quantum photonic circuits are also addressed at the end of this review.

  20. Quantum key distribution over multicore fiber based on silicon photonics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ding, Yunhong; Bacco, Davide; Dalgaard, Kjeld

    on quantum physics. In order to exchange secure information between users, quantum key distribution (QKD), a branch of Quantum Communications (QCs), provides good prospects for ultimate security based on the laws of quantum mechanics [2–7]. Most of QKD systems are implemented in a point-to-point link using...... generations, to HD-entanglement distribution. Furthermore, MCFs are expected as a good candidate for overcoming the capacity limit of a current optical communication system, as example the record capacity of 661 Tbits/s was obtained last year with a 30-cores fiber [8]. Proof of concept experiment has already...... requirements in terms of key generation are needed. A solution may be represented by new technologies applied to quantum world. In particular multicore fiber (MCF) open a new scenario for quantum communications, from high-dimensional (HD) spatial entanglement generation, to HD QKD and multi-user key...

  1. Investigation of charges carrier density in phosphorus and boron doped SiNx:H layers for crystalline silicon solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paviet-Salomon, B.; Gall, S.; Slaoui, A.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► We investigate the properties of phosphorus and boron-doped silicon nitride films. ► Phosphorus-doped layers yield higher lifetimes than undoped ones. ► The fixed charges density decreases when increasing the films phosphorus content. ► Boron-doped films feature very low lifetimes. ► These doped layers are of particular interest for crystalline silicon solar cells. -- Abstract: Dielectric layers are of major importance in crystalline silicon solar cells processing, especially as anti-reflection coatings and for surface passivation purposes. In this paper we investigate the fixed charge densities (Q fix ) and the effective lifetimes (τ eff ) of phosphorus (P) and boron (B) doped silicon nitride layers deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition. P-doped layers exhibit a higher τ eff than standard undoped layers. In contrast, B-doped layers exhibit lower τ eff . A strong Q fix decrease is to be seen when increasing the P content within the film. Based on numerical simulations we also demonstrate that the passivation obtained with P- and B-doped layers are limited by the interface states rather than by the fixed charges

  2. Electroluminescence efficiencies of erbium in silicon-based hosts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cueff, Sébastien, E-mail: sebastien-cueff@brown.edu, E-mail: christophe.labbe@ensicaen.fr [Centre de Recherche sur les Ions, les Matériaux et la Photonique (CIMAP), UMR 6252 CNRS/CEA/Ensicaen/UCBN, Caen 14050 (France); School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912 (United States); Manel Ramírez, Joan; Berencén, Yonder; Garrido, Blas [MIND-IN2UB, Department Electrònica, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, Barcelona 08028 (Spain); Kurvits, Jonathan A.; Zia, Rashid [School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912 (United States); Department of Physics, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912 (United States); Rizk, Richard; Labbé, Christophe, E-mail: sebastien-cueff@brown.edu, E-mail: christophe.labbe@ensicaen.fr [Centre de Recherche sur les Ions, les Matériaux et la Photonique (CIMAP), UMR 6252 CNRS/CEA/Ensicaen/UCBN, Caen 14050 (France)

    2013-11-04

    We report on room-temperature 1.5 μm electroluminescence from trivalent erbium (Er{sup 3+}) ions embedded in three different CMOS-compatible silicon-based hosts: SiO{sub 2}, Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}, and SiN{sub x}. We show that although the insertion of either nitrogen or excess silicon helps enhance electrical conduction and reduce the onset voltage for electroluminescence, it drastically decreases the external quantum efficiency of Er{sup 3+} ions from 2% in SiO{sub 2} to 0.001% and 0.0004% in SiN{sub x} and Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}, respectively. Furthermore, we present strong evidence that hot carrier injection is significantly more efficient than defect-assisted conduction for the electrical excitation of Er{sup 3+} ions. These results suggest strategies to optimize the engineering of on-chip electrically excited silicon-based nanophotonic light sources.

  3. Practical Quantum Realization of the Ampere from the Elementary Charge

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Brun-Picard

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available One major change of the future revision of the International System of Units is a new definition of the ampere based on the elementary charge e. Replacing the former definition based on Ampère’s force law will allow one to fully benefit from quantum physics to realize the ampere. However, a quantum realization of the ampere from e, accurate to within 10^{-8} in relative value and fulfilling traceability needs, is still missing despite the many efforts made for the development of single-electron tunneling devices. Starting again with Ohm’s law, applied here in a quantum circuit combining the quantum Hall resistance and Josephson voltage standards with a superconducting cryogenic amplifier, we report on a practical and universal programmable quantum current generator. We demonstrate that currents generated in the milliampere range are accurately quantized in terms of ef_{J} (f_{J} is the Josephson frequency with measurement uncertainty of 10^{-8}. This new quantum current source, which is able to deliver such accurate currents down to the microampere range, can greatly improve the current measurement traceability, as demonstrated with the calibrations of digital ammeters. In addition, it opens the way to further developments in metrology and in fundamental physics, such as a quantum multimeter or new accurate comparisons to single-electron pumps.

  4. Charge collection properties of heavily irradiated epitaxial silicon detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kramberger, G.; Cindro, V.; Dolenc, I.; Fretwurst, E.; Lindstroem, G.; Mandic, I.; Mikuz, M.; Zavrtanik, M.

    2005-01-01

    Detectors processed on epitaxial silicon seem to be a viable solution for the extreme radiation levels in the innermost layers of tracking detectors at upgraded LHC (SLHC). A set of epitaxial pad detectors of 50 and 75μm thicknesses (ρ=50Ωcm) was irradiated with 24GeV/c protons and reactor neutrons up to equivalent fluences of 10 16 cm -2 . Charge collection for minimum ionizing electrons from a 90 Sr source was measured using a charge sensitive preamplifier and a 25ns shaping circuit. The dependence of collected charge on annealing time and operation temperature was studied. Results were used to predict the performance of fine pitch pixel detectors proposed for SLHC

  5. Charge collection properties of heavily irradiated epitaxial silicon detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kramberger, G. [Institute Jozef Stefan, Jamova 39, SI-1111 Ljubljana (Slovenia)]. E-mail: Gregor.Kramberger@ijs.si; Cindro, V. [Institute Jozef Stefan, Jamova 39, SI-1111 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Dolenc, I. [Institute Jozef Stefan, Jamova 39, SI-1111 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Fretwurst, E. [University of Hamburg, Institut fuer Experimentalphysik, Luruper Chaussee 149, D-22761 Hamburg (Germany); Lindstroem, G. [University of Hamburg, Institut fuer Experimentalphysik, Luruper Chaussee 149, D-22761 Hamburg (Germany); Mandic, I. [Institute Jozef Stefan, Jamova 39, SI-1111 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Mikuz, M. [Institute Jozef Stefan, Jamova 39, SI-1111 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Zavrtanik, M. [Institute Jozef Stefan, Jamova 39, SI-1111 Ljubljana (Slovenia)

    2005-12-01

    Detectors processed on epitaxial silicon seem to be a viable solution for the extreme radiation levels in the innermost layers of tracking detectors at upgraded LHC (SLHC). A set of epitaxial pad detectors of 50 and 75{mu}m thicknesses ({rho}=50{omega}cm) was irradiated with 24GeV/c protons and reactor neutrons up to equivalent fluences of 10{sup 16}cm{sup -2}. Charge collection for minimum ionizing electrons from a {sup 90}Sr source was measured using a charge sensitive preamplifier and a 25ns shaping circuit. The dependence of collected charge on annealing time and operation temperature was studied. Results were used to predict the performance of fine pitch pixel detectors proposed for SLHC.

  6. Photoluminescence and electrical properties of silicon oxide and silicon nitride superlattices containing silicon nanocrystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shuleiko, D V; Ilin, A S

    2016-01-01

    Photoluminescence and electrical properties of superlattices with thin (1 to 5 nm) alternating silicon-rich silicon oxide or silicon-rich silicon nitride, and silicon oxide or silicon nitride layers containing silicon nanocrystals prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition with subsequent annealing were investigated. The entirely silicon oxide based superlattices demonstrated photoluminescence peak shift due to quantum confinement effect. Electrical measurements showed the hysteresis effect in the vicinity of zero voltage due to structural features of the superlattices from SiOa 93 /Si 3 N 4 and SiN 0 . 8 /Si 3 N 4 layers. The entirely silicon nitride based samples demonstrated resistive switching effect, comprising an abrupt conductivity change at about 5 to 6 V with current-voltage characteristic hysteresis. The samples also demonstrated efficient photoluminescence with maximum at ∼1.4 eV, due to exiton recombination in silicon nanocrystals. (paper)

  7. Amorphous silicon-based microchannel plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Franco, Andrea; Riesen, Yannick; Wyrsch, Nicolas; Dunand, Sylvain; Powolny, François; Jarron, Pierre; Ballif, Christophe

    2012-01-01

    Microchannel plates (MCP) based on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) were recently introduced to overcome some of the limitations of crystalline silicon and glass MCP. The typical thickness of a-Si:H based MCPs (AMCP) ranges between 80 and 100 μm and the micromachining of the channels is realized by deep reactive ion etching (DRIE). Advantages and issues regarding the fabrication process are presented and discussed. Electron amplification is demonstrated and analyzed using Electron Beam Induced Current (EBIC) technique. The gain increases as a function of the bias voltage, limited to −340 V on account of high leakage currents across the structure. EBIC maps on 10° tilted samples confirm that the device active area extend to the entire channel opening. AMCP characterization with the electron beam shows gain saturation and signal quenching which depends on the effectiveness of the charge replenishment in the channel walls.

  8. Design Approaches for Enhancing Photovoltaic Performance of Silicon Solar Cells Sensitized by Proximal Nanocrystalline Quantum Dots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shafiq, Natis

    Energy transfer (ET) based sensitization of silicon (Si) using proximal nanocrystal quantum dots (NQDs) has been studied extensively in recent years as a means to develop thin and flexible Si based solar cells. The driving force for this research activity is a reduction in materials cost. To date, the main method for determining the role of ET in sensitizing Si has been optical spectroscopic studies. The quantitative contribution from two modes of ET (namely, nonradiative and radiative) has been reported using time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) spectroscopy coupled with extensive theoretical modelling. Thus, optical techniques have established the potential for utilizing ET based sensitization of Si as a feasible way to develop novel NQD-Si hybrid solar cells. However, the ultimate measure of the efficiency of ET-based mechanisms is the generation of electron-hole pairs by the impinging photons. It is therefore important to perform electrical measurements. However, only a couple of studies have attempted electrical quantification of ET modes. A few studies have focused on photocurrent measurements, without considering industrially relevant photovoltaic (PV) systems. Therefore, there is a need to develop a systematic approach for the electrical quantification of ET-generated charges and to help engineer new PV architectures optimized for harnessing the full advantages of ET mechanisms. Within this context, the work presented in this dissertation aims to develop an experimental testing protocol that can be applied to different PV structures for quantifying ET contributions from electrical measurements. We fabricated bulk Si solar cells (SCs) as a test structure and utilized CdSe/ZnS NQDs for ET based sensitization. The NQD-bulk Si hybrid devices showed ˜30% PV enhancement after NQD deposition. We measured external quantum efficiency (EQE) of these devices to quantify ET-generated charges. Reflectance measurements were also performed to decouple contributions of

  9. Charge collection measurements with p-type Magnetic Czochralski silicon single pad detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tosi, C.; Bruzzi, M.; Macchiolo, A.; Scaringella, M.; Petterson, M.K.; Sadrozinski, H.F.-W.; Betancourt, C.; Manna, N.; Creanza, D.; Boscardin, M.; Piemonte, C.; Zorzi, N.; Borrello, L.; Messineo, A.

    2007-01-01

    The charge collected from beta source particles in single pad detectors produced on p-type Magnetic Czochralski (MCz) silicon wafers has been measured before and after irradiation with 26 MeV protons. After a 1 MeV neutron equivalent fluence of 1x10 15 cm -2 the collected charge is reduced to 77% at bias voltages below 900 V. This result is compared with previous results from charge collection measurements

  10. Central charge for AdS2 quantum gravity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hartman, Thomas; Strominger, Andrew

    2009-01-01

    Two-dimensional Maxwell-dilaton quantum gravity on AdS 2 with radius l and a constant electric field E is studied. In conformal gauge, this is equivalent to a CFT on a strip. In order to maintain consistent boundary conditions, the usual conformal diffeomorphisms must be accompanied by a certain U(1) gauge transformation. The resulting conformal transformations are generated by a twisted stress tensor, which has a central charge c = 3kE 2 l 4 /4 where k is the level of the U(1) current. This is an AdS 2 analog of the Brown-Henneaux formula c = 3l/2G for the central charge of quantum gravity on AdS 3 .

  11. Effects of low charge carrier wave function overlap on internal quantum efficiency in GaInN quantum wells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Netzel, Carsten; Hoffmann, Veit; Wernicke, Tim; Knauer, Arne; Weyers, Markus [Ferdinand-Braun-Institut fuer Hoechstfrequenztechnik, Gustav-Kirchhoff-Strasse 4, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Kneissl, Michael [Ferdinand-Braun-Institut fuer Hoechstfrequenztechnik, Gustav-Kirchhoff-Strasse 4, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Institut fuer Festkoerperphysik, Technische Universitaet Berlin, Hardenbergstrasse 36, 10623 Berlin (Germany)

    2010-07-15

    To determine relevant processes affecting the internal quantum efficiency in GaInN quantum well structures, we have studied the temperature and excitation power dependent photoluminescence intensity for quantum wells with different well widths on (0001) c-plane GaN and for quantum wells on nonpolar (11-20) a-plane GaN. In thick polar quantum wells, the quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE) causes a stronger intensity decrease with increasing temperature as long as the radiative recombination dominates. At higher temperatures, when the nonradiative recombination becomes more important, thick polar quantum wells feature a lower relative intensity decrease than thinner polar or nonpolar quantum wells. Excitation power dependent photoluminescence points to a transition from a recombination of excitons to a bimolecular recombination of uncorrelated charge carriers for thick polar quantum wells in the same temperature range. This transition might contribute to the limitation of nonradiative recombination by a reduced diffusivity of charge carriers. (copyright 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  12. Charge collection and space charge distribution in neutron-irradiated epitaxial silicon detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Poehlsen, Thomas

    2010-04-15

    In this work epitaxial n-type silicon diodes with a thickness of 100 {mu}m and 150 {mu}m are investigated. After neutron irradiation with fluences between 10{sup 14} cm{sup -2} and 4 x 10{sup 15} cm{sup -2} annealing studies were performed. CV-IV curves were taken and the depletion voltage was determined for different annealing times. All investigated diodes with neutron fluences greater than 2 x 10{sup 14} cm{sup -2} showed type inversion due to irradiation. Measurements with the transient current technique (TCT) using a pulsed laser were performed to investigate charge collection effects for temperatures of -40 C, -10 C and 20 C. The charge correction method was used to determine the effective trapping time {tau}{sub eff}. Inconsistencies of the results could be explained by assuming field dependent trapping times. A simulation of charge collection could be used to determine the field dependent trapping time {tau}{sub eff}(E) and the space charge distribution in the detector bulk. Assuming a linear field dependence of the trapping times and a linear space charge distribution the data could be described. Indications of charge multiplication were seen in the irradiated 100 {mu}m thick diodes for all investigated fluences at voltages above 800 V. The space charge distribution extracted from TCT measurements was compared to the results of the CV measurements and showed good agreement. (orig.)

  13. High Sensitivity Detection of CdSe/ZnS Quantum Dot-Labeled DNA Based on N-type Porous Silicon Microcavities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lv, Changwu; Jia, Zhenhong; Lv, Jie; Zhang, Hongyan; Li, Yanyu

    2017-01-01

    N-type macroporous silicon microcavity structures were prepared using electrochemical etching in an HF solution in the absence of light and oxidants. The CdSe/ZnS water-soluble quantum dot-labeled DNA target molecules were detected by monitoring the microcavity reflectance spectrum, which was characterized by the reflectance spectrum defect state position shift resulting from changes to the structures' refractive index. Quantum dots with a high refractive index and DNA coupling can improve the detection sensitivity by amplifying the optical response signals of the target DNA. The experimental results show that DNA combined with a quantum dot can improve the sensitivity of DNA detection by more than five times.

  14. Using metal complex-labeled peptides for charge transfer-based biosensing with semiconductor quantum dots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Medintz, Igor L.; Pons, Thomas; Trammell, Scott A.; Blanco-Canosa, Juan B.; Dawson, Philip E.; Mattoussi, Hedi

    2009-02-01

    Luminescent colloidal semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have unique optical and photonic properties and are highly sensitive to charge transfer in their surrounding environment. In this study we used synthetic peptides as physical bridges between CdSe-ZnS core-shell QDs and some of the most common redox-active metal complexes to understand the charge transfer interactions between the metal complexes and QDs. We found that QD emission underwent quenching that was highly dependent on the choice of metal complex used. We also found that quenching traces the valence or number of metal complexes brought into close proximity of the nanocrystal surface. Monitoring of the QD absorption bleaching in the presence of the metal complex provided insight into the charge transfer mechanism. The data suggest that two distinct charge transfer mechanisms can take place. One directly to the QD core states for neutral capping ligands and a second to surface states for negatively charged capping ligands. A basic understanding of the proximity driven charge-transfer and quenching interactions allowed us to construct proteolytic enzyme sensing assemblies with the QD-peptide-metal complex conjugates.

  15. Coordinate determination of high energy charged particles by silicon strip detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anokhin, I.E.; Zinets, O.S.

    2002-01-01

    The coordinate determination accuracy of minimum ionizing and short-range particles by silicon strip detectors has been considered. The charge collection on neighboring strips of the detector is studied and the influence of diffusion and the electric field distribution on the accuracy of the coordinate determination is analyzed. It has been shown that coordinates of both minimum ionizing and short-range particles can be determined with accuracy to a few microns using silicon strip detectors. 11 refs.; 8 figs

  16. Quantum loop corrections of a charged de Sitter black hole

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naji, J.

    2018-03-01

    A charged black hole in de Sitter (dS) space is considered and logarithmic corrected entropy used to study its thermodynamics. Logarithmic corrections of entropy come from thermal fluctuations, which play a role of quantum loop correction. In that case we are able to study the effect of quantum loop on black hole thermodynamics and statistics. As a black hole is a gravitational object, it helps to obtain some information about the quantum gravity. The first and second laws of thermodynamics are investigated for the logarithmic corrected case and we find that it is only valid for the charged dS black hole. We show that the black hole phase transition disappears in the presence of logarithmic correction.

  17. Multiplexed charge-locking device for large arrays of quantum devices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Puddy, R. K., E-mail: rkp27@cam.ac.uk; Smith, L. W; Chong, C. H.; Farrer, I.; Griffiths, J. P.; Ritchie, D. A.; Smith, C. G. [Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE (United Kingdom); Al-Taie, H.; Kelly, M. J. [Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE (United Kingdom); Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics, Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, 9 J. J. Thomson Avenue, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0FA (United Kingdom); Pepper, M. [Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London, WC1E 7JE (United Kingdom)

    2015-10-05

    We present a method of forming and controlling large arrays of gate-defined quantum devices. The method uses an on-chip, multiplexed charge-locking system and helps to overcome the restraints imposed by the number of wires available in cryostat measurement systems. The device architecture that we describe here utilises a multiplexer-type scheme to lock charge onto gate electrodes. The design allows access to and control of gates whose total number exceeds that of the available electrical contacts and enables the formation, modulation and measurement of large arrays of quantum devices. We fabricate such devices on n-type GaAs/AlGaAs substrates and investigate the stability of the charge locked on to the gates. Proof-of-concept is shown by measurement of the Coulomb blockade peaks of a single quantum dot formed by a floating gate in the device. The floating gate is seen to drift by approximately one Coulomb oscillation per hour.

  18. Quantum electrodynamics with arbitrary charge on a noncommutative space

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou Wanping; Long Zhengwen; Cai Shaohong

    2009-01-01

    Using the Seiberg-Witten map, we obtain a quantum electrodynamics on a noncommutative space, which has arbitrary charge and keep the gauge invariance to at the leading order in theta. The one-loop divergence and Compton scattering are reinvestigated. The noncommutative effects are larger than those in ordinary noncommutative quantum electrodynamics. (authors)

  19. Regularization of the quantum field theory of charges and monopoles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Panagiotakopoulos, C.

    1981-09-01

    A gauge invariant regularization procedure for quantum field theories of electric and magnetic charges based on Zwanziger's local formulation is proposed. The bare regularized full Green's functions of gauge invariant operators are shown to be Lorentz invariant. This would have as a consequence the Lorentz invariance of the finite Green's functions that might result after any reasonable subtraction if such a subtraction can be found. (author)

  20. Charge transport in silicon nanocrystal superlattices in the terahertz regime

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Němec, Hynek; Zajac, Vít; Kužel, Petr; Malý, P.; Gutsch, S.; Hiller, D.; Zacharias, M.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 91, č. 19 (2015), "195443-1"-"195443-10" ISSN 1098-0121 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA13-12386S Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : silicon nanocrystals * charge transport * terahertz spectroscopy Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 3.736, year: 2014

  1. Silicon Oxysulfide, OSiS: Rotational Spectrum, Quantum-Chemical Calculations, and Equilibrium Structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thorwirth, Sven; Mück, Leonie Anna; Gauss, Jürgen; Tamassia, Filippo; Lattanzi, Valerio; McCarthy, Michael C

    2011-06-02

    Silicon oxysulfide, OSiS, and seven of its minor isotopic species have been characterized for the first time in the gas phase at high spectral resolution by means of Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. The equilibrium structure of OSiS has been determined from the experimental data using calculated vibration-rotation interaction constants. The structural parameters (rO-Si = 1.5064 Å and rSi-S = 1.9133 Å) are in very good agreement with values from high-level quantum chemical calculations using coupled-cluster techniques together with sophisticated additivity and extrapolation schemes. The bond distances in OSiS are very short in comparison with those in SiO and SiS. This unexpected finding is explained by the partial charges calculated for OSiS via a natural population analysis. The results suggest that electrostatic effects rather than multiple bonding are the key factors in determining bonding in this triatomic molecule. The data presented provide the spectroscopic information needed for radio astronomical searches for OSiS.

  2. The charge collection in single side silicon microstrip detectors

    CERN Document Server

    Eremin, V V; Roe, S; Ruggiero, G; Weilhammer, Peter

    2003-01-01

    The transient current technique has been used to investigate signal formation in unirradiated silicon microstrip detectors, which are similar in geometry to those developed for the ATLAS experiment at LHC. Nanosecond pulsed infrared and red lasers were used to induce the signals under study. Two peculiarities in the detector performance were observed: an unexpectedly slow rise to the signal induced in a given strip when signals are injected opposite to the strip, and a long duration of the induced signal in comparison with the calculated drift time of charge carriers through the detector thickness - with a significant fraction of the charge being induced after charge carrier arrival. These major effects and details of the detector response for different positions of charge injection are discussed in the context of Ramo's theorem and compared with predictions arising from the more commonly studied phenomenon of signal formation in planar pad detectors.

  3. A quantum criticality perspective on the charging of narrow quantum-dot levels

    OpenAIRE

    Kashcheyevs, V.; Karrasch, C.; Hecht, T.; Weichselbaum, A.; Meden, V.; Schiller, A.

    2008-01-01

    Understanding the charging of exceptionally narrow levels in quantum dots in the presence of interactions remains a challenge within mesoscopic physics. We address this fundamental question in the generic model of a narrow level capacitively coupled to a broad one. Using bosonization we show that for arbitrary capacitive coupling charging can be described by an analogy to the magnetization in the anisotropic Kondo model, featuring a low-energy crossover scale that depends in a power-law fashi...

  4. Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Colloidal Silicon Quantum Dots with Octyl and Phenylpropyl Ligands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiangkai; Zhao, Shuangyi; Gu, Wei; Zhang, Yuting; Qiao, Xvsheng; Ni, Zhenyi; Pi, Xiaodong; Yang, Deren

    2018-02-14

    Colloidal silicon quantum dots (Si QDs) hold ever-growing promise for the development of novel optoelectronic devices such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Although it has been proposed that ligands at the surface of colloidal Si QDs may significantly impact the performance of LEDs based on colloidal Si QDs, little systematic work has been carried out to compare the performance of LEDs that are fabricated using colloidal Si QDs with different ligands. Here, colloidal Si QDs with rather short octyl ligands (Octyl-Si QDs) and phenylpropyl ligands (PhPr-Si QDs) are employed for the fabrication of LEDs. It is found that the optical power density of PhPr-Si QD LEDs is larger than that of Octyl-Si QD LEDs. This is due to the fact that the surface of PhPr-Si QDs is more oxidized and less defective than that of Octyl-Si QDs. Moreover, the benzene rings of phenylpropyl ligands significantly enhance the electron transport of QD LEDs. It is interesting that the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of PhPr-Si QD LEDs is lower than that of Octyl-Si QD LEDs because the benzene rings of phenylpropyl ligands suppress the hole transport of QD LEDs. The unbalance between the electron and hole injection in PhPr-Si QD LEDs is more serious than that in Octyl-Si QD LEDs. The currently obtained highest optical power density of ∼0.64 mW/cm 2 from PhPr-Si QD LEDs and highest EQE of ∼6.2% from Octyl-Si QD LEDs should encourage efforts to further advance the development of high-performance optoelectronic devices based on colloidal Si QDs.

  5. Classical molecular dynamics and quantum abs-initio studies on lithium-intercalation in interconnected hollow spherical nano-spheres of amorphous Silicon

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bhowmik, Arghya; Malik, R.; Prakash, S.

    2016-01-01

    A high concentration of lithium, corresponding to charge capacity of ~4200 mAh/g, can be intercalated in silicon. Unfortunately, due to high intercalation strain leading to fracture and consequent poor cyclability, silicon cannot be used as anode in lithium ion batteries. But recently interconnec......A high concentration of lithium, corresponding to charge capacity of ~4200 mAh/g, can be intercalated in silicon. Unfortunately, due to high intercalation strain leading to fracture and consequent poor cyclability, silicon cannot be used as anode in lithium ion batteries. But recently...... interconnected hollow nano-spheres of amorphous silicon have been found to exhibit high cyclability. The absence of fracture upon lithiation and the high cyclability has been attributed to reduction in intercalation stress due to hollow spherical geometry of the silicon nano-particles. The present work argues...... that the hollow spherical geometry alone cannot ensure the absence of fracture. Using classical molecular dynamics and density functional theory based simulations; satisfactory explanation to the absence of fracture has been explored at the atomic scale....

  6. Silicon nanocrystals embedded in silicon carbide for tandem solar cell applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schnabel, Manuel

    2015-01-01

    Tandem solar cells consist of multiple individual solar cells stacked in order of increasing bandgap, with the cell with highest bandgap towards the incident light. This allows photons to be absorbed in the cell that will convert them to electricity with the greatest efficiency, and is the only solar cell concept to surpass the theoretical efficiency limit of a conventional solar cell so far. This work is concerned with the development of silicon nanocrystals (Si NCs) embedded in silicon carbide, which are expected to have a higher bandgap than bulk Si due to quantum confinement, for use in the top cell of a two-junction tandem cell. Charge carrier transport and recombination were investigated as a function of various parameters. Distortion of luminescence spectra by optical interference was highlighted and a robust model to describe transport of majority carriers was developed. Furthermore, a range of processing steps required to produce a Si NC-based tandem cell were studied, culminating in the preparation of the first Si NC-based tandem cells. The resulting cells exhibited open-circuit voltages of 900 mV, demonstrating tandem cell functionality.

  7. Quantum confinement effects and source-to-drain tunneling in ultra-scaled double-gate silicon n-MOSFETs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang Xiang-Wei; Li Shu-Shen

    2012-01-01

    By using the linear combination of bulk band (LCBB) method incorporated with the top of the barrier splitting (TBS) model, we present a comprehensive study on the quantum confinement effects and the source-to-drain tunneling in the ultra-scaled double-gate (DG) metal—oxide—semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). A critical body thickness value of 5 nm is found, below which severe valley splittings among different X valleys for the occupied charge density and the current contributions occur in ultra-thin silicon body structures. It is also found that the tunneling current could be nearly 100% with an ultra-scaled channel length. Different from the previous simulation results, it is found that the source-to-drain tunneling could be effectively suppressed in the ultra-thin body thickness (2.0 nm and below) by the quantum confinement and the tunneling could be suppressed down to below 5% when the channel length approaches 16 nm regardless of the body thickness. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

  8. Exciton shelves for charge and energy transport in third-generation quantum-dot devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodman, Samuel; Singh, Vivek; Noh, Hyunwoo; Casamada, Josep; Chatterjee, Anushree; Cha, Jennifer; Nagpal, Prashant

    2014-03-01

    Quantum dots are semiconductor nanocrystallites with size-dependent quantum-confined energy levels. While they have been intensively investigated to utilize hot-carriers for photovoltaic applications, to bridge the mismatch between incident solar photons and finite bandgap of semiconductor photocells, efficient charge or exciton transport in quantum-dot films has proven challenging. Here we show development of new coupled conjugated molecular wires with ``exciton shelves'', or different energy levels, matched with the multiple energy levels of quantum dots. Using single nanoparticle and ensemble device measurements we show successful extraction and transport of both bandedge and high-energy charge carriers, and energy transport of excitons. We demonstrate using measurements of electronic density of states, that careful matching of energy states of quantum-dot with molecular wires is important, and any mismatch can generate midgap states leading to charge recombination and reduced efficiency. Therefore, these exciton-shelves and quantum dots can lead to development of next-generation photovoltaic and photodetection devices using simultaneous transport of bandedge and hot-carriers or energy transport of excitons in these nanostructured solution-processed films.

  9. Polarized electrons, trions, and nuclei in charged quantum dots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bracker, A. S.; Tischler, J. G.; Korenev, V. L.; Gammon, D.

    2003-07-01

    We have investigated spin polarization in GaAs quantum dots. Excitons and trions are polarized directly by optical excitation and studied through polarization of photoluminescence. Electrons and nuclei are polarized indirectly through subsequent relaxation processes. Polarized electrons are identified by the Hanle effect for exciton and trion photoluminescence, while polarized nuclei are identified through the Overhauser effect in individual charged quantum dots.

  10. Optical Pumping of the Electronic and Nuclear Spin of Single Charge-Tunable Quantum Dots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bracker, A. S.; Stinaff, E. A.; Gammon, D.; Ware, M. E.; Tischler, J. G.; Shabaev, A.; Efros, Al. L.; Park, D.; Gershoni, D.; Korenev, V. L.; Merkulov, I. A.

    2005-02-01

    We present a comprehensive examination of optical pumping of spins in individual GaAs quantum dots as we change the net charge from positive to neutral to negative with a charge-tunable heterostructure. Negative photoluminescence polarization memory is enhanced by optical pumping of ground state electron spins, which we prove with the first measurements of the Hanle effect on an individual quantum dot. We use the Overhauser effect in a high longitudinal magnetic field to demonstrate efficient optical pumping of nuclear spins for all three charge states of the quantum dot.

  11. Quantum efficiency of InAs/InP nanowire heterostructures grown on silicon substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anufriev, Roman; Chauvin, Nicolas; Bru-Chevallier, Catherine; Khmissi, Hammadi; Naji, Khalid; Gendry, Michel; Patriarche, Gilles

    2013-01-01

    Photoluminescence (PL) quantum efficiency (QE) is experimentally investigated, using an integrating sphere, as a function of excitation power on both InAs/InP quantum rod nanowires (QRod-NWs) and radial quantum well nanowires (QWell-NWs) grown on silicon substrates. The measured values of the QE are compared with those of the planar analogues such as quantum dash and quantum well samples, and found to be comparable for the quantum well structures at relatively low power density. Further studies reveal that the values of QE of the QRod-NWs and QWell-NWs are limited by the low quality of the InP NW structure and the quality of radial quantum well, respectively. (copyright 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  12. Multiple exciton generation in quantum dot-based solar cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodwin, Heather; Jellicoe, Tom C.; Davis, Nathaniel J. L. K.; Böhm, Marcus L.

    2018-01-01

    Multiple exciton generation (MEG) in quantum-confined semiconductors is the process by which multiple bound charge-carrier pairs are generated after absorption of a single high-energy photon. Such charge-carrier multiplication effects have been highlighted as particularly beneficial for solar cells where they have the potential to increase the photocurrent significantly. Indeed, recent research efforts have proved that more than one charge-carrier pair per incident solar photon can be extracted in photovoltaic devices incorporating quantum-confined semiconductors. While these proof-of-concept applications underline the potential of MEG in solar cells, the impact of the carrier multiplication effect on the device performance remains rather low. This review covers recent advancements in the understanding and application of MEG as a photocurrent-enhancing mechanism in quantum dot-based photovoltaics.

  13. Charge injection and transport in quantum confined and disordered systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Houtepen, A.J.

    2007-01-01

    Quantum dots and conducting polymers are modern semiconductors with a high potential for applications such as lasers, LEDs, displays, solar cells etc. These applications require the controlled addition of charge carriers into the material and knowledge of the details of charge transport. This thesis

  14. Quantum effects in ion implanted devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jamieson, D.N.; Chan, V.; Hudson, F.E.; Andresen, S.E.; Yang, C.; Hopf, T.; Hearne, S.M.; Pakes, C.I.; Prawer, S.; Gauja, E.; Dzurak, A.S.; Clark, R.G.

    2006-01-01

    Fabrication of nanoscale devices that exploit the rules of quantum mechanics to process information presents formidable technical challenges because of the need to control quantum states at the level of individual atoms, electrons or photons. We have used ion implantation to fabricate devices on the scale of 10 nm that have allowed the development and test of nanocircuitry for the control of charge transport at the level of single electrons. This fabrication method is compatible with the construction of devices that employ counted P dopants in Si by employing the technique of ion beam induced charge (IBIC) in which single 14 keV P ions can be implanted into ultra-pure silicon substrates by monitoring on-substrate detector electrodes. We have used IBIC with a MeV nuclear microprobe to map and measure the charge collection efficiency in the development of the electrode structure and show that 100% charge collection efficiency can be achieved. Prototype devices fabricated by this method have been used to investigate quantum effects in the control and transport of single electrons with potential applications to solid state quantum information processing devices

  15. The effect of various quantum mechanically derived partial atomic charges on the bulk properties of chloride-based ionic liquids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zolghadr, Amin Reza, E-mail: arzolghadr@shirazu.ac.ir [Department of Chemistry, Shiraz University, Shiraz 71946-84795 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ghatee, Mohammad Hadi [Department of Chemistry, Shiraz University, Shiraz 71946-84795 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Moosavi, Fatemeh [Department of Chemistry, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad 91779 (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2016-08-22

    Partial atomic charges using various quantum mechanical calculations for [C{sub n}mim]Cl (n = 1, 4) ionic liquids (ILs) are obtained and used for development of molecular dynamics simulation (MD) force fields. The isolated ion pairs are optimized using HF, B3LYP, and MP2 methods for electronic structure with 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. Partial atomic charges are assigned to the atomic center with CHELPG and NBO methods. The effect of these sets of partial charges on the static and dynamic properties of ILs is evaluated by performing a series of MD simulations and comparing the essential thermodynamic properties with the available experimental data and available molecular dynamics simulation results. In contrast to the general trends reported for ionic liquids with BF{sub 4}, PF{sub 6}, and iodide anions (in which restrained electrostatic potential (RESP) charges are preferred), partial charges derived by B3LYP-NBO method are relatively good in prediction of the structural, dynamical, and thermodynamic energetic properties of the chloride based ILs.

  16. The electronic structure of radial p-n junction silicon nanowires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiou, Shan-Haw; Grossman, Jeffrey

    2007-03-01

    Silicon nanowires with radial p-n junctions have recently been suggested for photovoltaic applications because incident light can be absorbed along the entire length of the wire, while photogenerated carriers only need to diffuse a maximum of one radius to reach the p-n junction. If the differential of the potential is larger than the binding energy of the electron-hole pair and has a range larger than the Bohr radius of electron-hole pair, then the charge separation mechanism will be similar to traditional silicon solar cells. However, in the small-diameter limit, where quantum confinement effects are prominent, both the exciton binding energy and the potential drop will increase, and the p-n junction itself may have a dramatically different character. We present ab initio calculations based on the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) of silicon nanowires with 2-3 nm diameter in the [111] growth direction. A radial p-n junction was formed by symmetrically doping boron and phosphorous at the same vertical level along the axis of the nanowire. The competition between the slope and character of the radial electronic potential and the exciton binding energy will presented in the context of a charge separation mechanism.

  17. Hybrid single quantum well InP/Si nanobeam lasers for silicon photonics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fegadolli, William S; Kim, Se-Heon; Postigo, Pablo Aitor; Scherer, Axel

    2013-11-15

    We report on a hybrid InP/Si photonic crystal nanobeam laser emitting at 1578 nm with a low threshold power of ~14.7 μW. Laser gain is provided from a single InAsP quantum well embedded in a 155 nm InP layer bonded on a standard silicon-on-insulator wafer. This miniaturized nanolaser, with an extremely small modal volume of 0.375(λ/n)(3), is a promising and efficient light source for silicon photonics.

  18. Higher-order spin and charge dynamics in a quantum dot-lead hybrid system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Otsuka, Tomohiro; Nakajima, Takashi; Delbecq, Matthieu R; Amaha, Shinichi; Yoneda, Jun; Takeda, Kenta; Allison, Giles; Stano, Peter; Noiri, Akito; Ito, Takumi; Loss, Daniel; Ludwig, Arne; Wieck, Andreas D; Tarucha, Seigo

    2017-09-22

    Understanding the dynamics of open quantum systems is important and challenging in basic physics and applications for quantum devices and quantum computing. Semiconductor quantum dots offer a good platform to explore the physics of open quantum systems because we can tune parameters including the coupling to the environment or leads. Here, we apply the fast single-shot measurement techniques from spin qubit experiments to explore the spin and charge dynamics due to tunnel coupling to a lead in a quantum dot-lead hybrid system. We experimentally observe both spin and charge time evolution via first- and second-order tunneling processes, and reveal the dynamics of the spin-flip through the intermediate state. These results enable and stimulate the exploration of spin dynamics in dot-lead hybrid systems, and may offer useful resources for spin manipulation and simulation of open quantum systems.

  19. Effect of porous silicon on the performances of silicon solar cells during the porous silicon-based gettering procedure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nouri, H.; Bessais, B. [Laboratoire de Nanomateriaux et des Systemes pour l' Energie, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l' Energie, Technopole de Borj-Cedria, BP 95, 2050 Hammam-Lif (Tunisia); Bouaicha, M. [Laboratoire de Photovoltaique, des Semi-conducteurs et des Nanostructures, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l' Energie, Technopole de Borj-Cedria, BP 95, 2050 Hammam-Lif (Tunisia)

    2009-10-15

    In this work we analyse the effect of porous silicon on the performances of multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) solar cells during the porous silicon-based gettering procedure. This procedure consists of forming PS layers on both front and back sides of the mc-Si wafers followed by an annealing in an infrared furnace under a controlled atmosphere at different temperatures. Three sets of samples (A, B and C) have been prepared; for samples A and B, the PS films were removed before and after annealing, respectively. In order to optimize the annealing temperature, we measure the defect density at a selected grain boundary (GB) using the dark current-voltage (I-V) characteristics across the GB itself. The annealing temperature was optimized to 1000 C. The effect of these treatments on the performances of mc-Si solar cells was studied by means of the current-voltage characteristic (at AM 1.5) and the internal quantum efficiency (IQE). The results obtained for cell A and cell B were compared to those obtained on a reference cell (C). (author)

  20. Photon induced non-linear quantized double layer charging in quaternary semiconducting quantum dots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nair, Vishnu; Ananthoju, Balakrishna; Mohapatra, Jeotikanta; Aslam, M

    2018-03-15

    Room temperature quantized double layer charging was observed in 2 nm Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) quantum dots. In addition to this we observed a distinct non-linearity in the quantized double layer charging arising from UV light modulation of double layer. UV light irradiation resulted in a 26% increase in the integral capacitance at the semiconductor-dielectric (CZTS-oleylamine) interface of the quantum dot without any change in its core size suggesting that the cause be photocapacitive. The increasing charge separation at the semiconductor-dielectric interface due to highly stable and mobile photogenerated carriers cause larger electrostatic forces between the quantum dot and electrolyte leading to an enhanced double layer. This idea was supported by a decrease in the differential capacitance possible due to an enhanced double layer. Furthermore the UV illumination enhanced double layer gives us an AC excitation dependent differential double layer capacitance which confirms that the charging process is non-linear. This ultimately illustrates the utility of a colloidal quantum dot-electrolyte interface as a non-linear photocapacitor. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Investigation of silicon/silicon germanium multiple quantum well layers in silicon avalanche photodiodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loudon, A.Y.

    2002-01-01

    Silicon single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) are currently utilised in many single photon counting systems due to their high efficiency, fast response times, low voltage operation and potentially low cost. For fibre based applications however (at wavelengths 1.3 and 1.55μm) and eye-safe wavelength applications (>1.4μm), Si devices are not suitable due to their 1.1μm absorption edge and hence greatly reduced absorption above this wavelength. InGaAs/InP or Ge SPADs absorb at these longer wavelengths, but both require cryogenic cooling for low noise operation and III-V integration with conventional Si circuitry is difficult. Si/SiGe is currently attracting great interest for optoelectronic applications and attempts to combine Si avalanche photodiodes with Si/SiGe multiple quantum well absorbing layers have been successful. Here, an effort to utilise this material system has shown an improvement in photon counting efficiency above 1.1μm of more than 30 times compared to an all-Si control device. In addition to its longer wavelength response, this Si/SiGe device has room temperature operation, low cost fabrication and is compatible with conventional Si circuitry. (author)

  2. GaAs metal-oxide-semiconductor based non-volatile flash memory devices with InAs quantum dots as charge storage nodes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Islam, Sk Masiul, E-mail: masiulelt@gmail.com; Chowdhury, Sisir; Sarkar, Krishnendu; Nagabhushan, B.; Banerji, P. [Materials Science Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721 302 (India); Chakraborty, S. [Applied Materials Science Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF Bidhannagar, Sector-I, Kolkata 700 064 (India); Mukherjee, Rabibrata [Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721302 (India)

    2015-06-24

    Ultra-thin InP passivated GaAs metal-oxide-semiconductor based non-volatile flash memory devices were fabricated using InAs quantum dots (QDs) as charge storing elements by metal organic chemical vapor deposition technique to study the efficacy of the QDs as charge storage elements. The grown QDs were embedded between two high-k dielectric such as HfO{sub 2} and ZrO{sub 2}, which were used for tunneling and control oxide layers, respectively. The size and density of the QDs were found to be 5 nm and 1.8×10{sup 11} cm{sup −2}, respectively. The device with a structure Metal/ZrO{sub 2}/InAs QDs/HfO{sub 2}/GaAs/Metal shows maximum memory window equivalent to 6.87 V. The device also exhibits low leakage current density of the order of 10{sup −6} A/cm{sup 2} and reasonably good charge retention characteristics. The low value of leakage current in the fabricated memory device is attributed to the Coulomb blockade effect influenced by quantum confinement as well as reduction of interface trap states by ultra-thin InP passivation on GaAs prior to HfO{sub 2} deposition.

  3. Comparative analysis of germanium-silicon quantum dots formation on Si(100), Si(111) and Sn/Si(100) surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lozovoy, Kirill; Kokhanenko, Andrey; Voitsekhovskii, Alexander

    2018-02-01

    In this paper theoretical modeling of formation and growth of germanium-silicon quantum dots in the method of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on different surfaces is carried out. Silicon substrates with crystallographic orientations (100) and (111) are considered. Special attention is paid to the question of growth of quantum dots on the silicon surface covered by tin, since germanium-silicon-tin system is extremely important for contemporary nano- and optoelectronics: for creation of photodetectors, solar cells, light-emitting diodes, and fast-speed transistors. A theoretical approach for modeling growth processes of such semiconductor compounds during the MBE is presented. Both layer-by-layer and island nucleation stages in the Stranski-Krastanow growth mode are described. A change in free energy during transition of atoms from the wetting layer to an island, activation barrier of the nucleation, critical thickness of 2D to 3D transition, as well as surface density and size distribution function of quantum dots in these systems are calculated with the help of the established model. All the theoretical speculations are carried out keeping in mind possible device applications of these materials. In particular, it is theoretically shown that using of the Si(100) surface covered by tin as a substrate for Ge deposition may be very promising for increasing size homogeneity of quantum dot array for possible applications in low-noise selective quantum dot infrared photodetectors.

  4. Scanning tunnelling microscope fabrication of phosphorus array in silicon for a nuclear spin quantum computer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O'Brien, J.L.; Schofield, S.R.; Simmons, M.Y.; Clark, R.G.; Dzurak, A.S.; Prawer, S.; Adrienko, I.; Cimino, A.

    2000-01-01

    Full text: In the vigorous worldwide effort to experimentally build a quantum computer, recent intense interest has focussed on solid state approaches for their promise of scalability. Particular attention has been given to silicon-based proposals that can readily be integrated into conventional computing technology. For example the Kane design uses the well isolated nuclear spin of phosphorous donor nuclei (I=1/2) as the qubits embedded in isotopically pure 28 Si (I=0). We demonstrate the ability to fabricate a precise array of P atoms on a clean Si surface with atomic-scale resolution compatible with the fabrication of the Kane quantum computer

  5. Amorphous silicon based radiation detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perez-Mendez, V.; Cho, G.; Drewery, J.; Jing, T.; Kaplan, S.N.; Qureshi, S.; Wildermuth, D.; Fujieda, I.; Street, R.A.

    1991-07-01

    We describe the characteristics of thin(1 μm) and thick (>30μm) hydrogenated amorphous silicon p-i-n diodes which are optimized for detecting and recording the spatial distribution of charged particles, x-rays and γ rays. For x-ray, γ ray, and charged particle detection we can use thin p-i-n photosensitive diode arrays coupled to evaporated layers of suitable scintillators. For direct detection of charged particles with high resistance to radiation damage, we use the thick p-i-n diode arrays. 13 refs., 7 figs

  6. Local sensor based on nanowire field effect transistor from inhomogeneously doped silicon on insulator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Presnov, Denis E.; Bozhev, Ivan V.; Miakonkikh, Andrew V.; Simakin, Sergey G.; Trifonov, Artem S.; Krupenin, Vladimir A.

    2018-02-01

    We present the original method for fabricating a sensitive field/charge sensor based on field effect transistor (FET) with a nanowire channel that uses CMOS-compatible processes only. A FET with a kink-like silicon nanowire channel was fabricated from the inhomogeneously doped silicon on insulator wafer very close (˜100 nm) to the extremely sharp corner of a silicon chip forming local probe. The single e-beam lithographic process with a shadow deposition technique, followed by separate two reactive ion etching processes, was used to define the narrow semiconductor nanowire channel. The sensors charge sensitivity was evaluated to be in the range of 0.1-0.2 e /√{Hz } from the analysis of their transport and noise characteristics. The proposed method provides a good opportunity for the relatively simple manufacture of a local field sensor for measuring the electrical field distribution, potential profiles, and charge dynamics for a wide range of mesoscopic objects. Diagnostic systems and devices based on such sensors can be used in various fields of physics, chemistry, material science, biology, electronics, medicine, etc.

  7. Electrical transport in transverse direction through silicon carbon alloy multilayers containing regular size silicon quantum dots

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mandal, Aparajita [Energy Research Unit, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032 (India); Kole, Arindam, E-mail: erak@iacs.res.in [Energy Research Unit, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032 (India); Dasgupta, Arup [Microscopy and Thermophysical Property Division, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603102 (India); Chaudhuri, Partha [Energy Research Unit, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032 (India)

    2016-11-30

    Highlights: • Low temperature columnar growth of regular sized Si-quantum dots (Si-QDs) within a-SiC:H/μc-SiC:H multilayer structure by tuning the a-SiC:H layer thickness. • Thickness optimization of the a-SiC:H layers resulted in a sharp increase of the transverse current and a decrease of the trap concentrations. • The arrangements of the Si-QDs favor percolation paths for the transverse current. - Abstract: Electrical transport in the transverse direction has been studied through a series of hydrogenated silicon carbon alloy multilayers (SiC-MLs) deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition method. Each SiC-ML consists of 30 cycles of the alternating layers of a nearly amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) and a microcrystalline silicon carbide (μc-SiC:H) that contains high density of silicon quantum dots (Si-QDs). A detailed investigation by cross sectional TEM reveals preferential growth of densely packed Si-QDs of regular sizes ∼4.8 nm in diameter in a vertically aligned columnar structure within the SiC-ML. More than six orders of magnitude increase in transverse current through the SiC-ML structure were observed for decrease in the a-SiC:H layer thickness from 13 nm to 2 nm. The electrical transport mechanism was established to be a combination of grain boundary or band tail hopping and Frenkel–Poole (F-P) type conduction depending on the temperature and externally applied voltage ranges. Evaluation of trap concentration within the multilayer structures from the fitted room temperature current voltage characteristics by F-P function shows reduction up-to two orders of magnitude indicating an improvement in the short range order in the a-SiC:H matrix for decrease in the thickness of a-SiC:H layer.

  8. Charge transport in non-irradiated and irradiated silicon detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leroy, C.; Roy, P.; Casse, G.L.; Glaser, M.; Grigoriev, E.; Lemeilleur, F.

    1999-01-01

    A model describing the transport of the charge carriers generated in n-type silicon detectors by ionizing particles is presented. In order to reproduce the experimental current pulse responses induced by α and β particles in non-irradiated and irradiated detectors up to fluences (PHI) much beyond the n to p-type inversion, an n-type region 15 μm deep is introduced on the p + side of the diode. This model also gives mobilities which decrease linearly up to fluences of around 5x10 13 particles/cm 2 and beyond, converging to saturation values of about 1000 and 450 cm 2 /V s for electrons and holes, respectively. The charge carrier lifetime degradation with increased fluence, due to trapping, is responsible for a predicted charge collection deficit for β particles and for α particles which is found to agree with direct CCE measurements. (author)

  9. First-principle study of quantum confinement effect on small sized silicon quantum dots using density-functional theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anas, M. M.; Othman, A. P.; Gopir, G.

    2014-01-01

    Density functional theory (DFT), as a first-principle approach has successfully been implemented to study nanoscale material. Here, DFT by numerical basis-set was used to study the quantum confinement effect as well as electronic properties of silicon quantum dots (Si-QDs) in ground state condition. Selection of quantum dot models were studied intensively before choosing the right structure for simulation. Next, the computational result were used to examine and deduce the electronic properties and its density of state (DOS) for 14 spherical Si-QDs ranging in size up to ∼ 2 nm in diameter. The energy gap was also deduced from the HOMO-LUMO results. The atomistic model of each silicon QDs was constructed by repeating its crystal unit cell of face-centered cubic (FCC) structure, and reconstructed until the spherical shape obtained. The core structure shows tetrahedral (T d ) symmetry structure. It was found that the model need to be passivated, and hence it was noticed that the confinement effect was more pronounced. The model was optimized using Quasi-Newton method for each size of Si-QDs to get relaxed structure before it was simulated. In this model the exchange-correlation potential (V xc ) of the electrons was treated by Local Density Approximation (LDA) functional and Perdew-Zunger (PZ) functional

  10. Silicon-Vacancy Spin Qubit in Diamond: A Quantum Memory Exceeding 10 ms with Single-Shot State Readout

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sukachev, D. D.; Sipahigil, A.; Nguyen, C. T.; Bhaskar, M. K.; Evans, R. E.; Jelezko, F.; Lukin, M. D.

    2017-12-01

    The negatively charged silicon-vacancy (SiV- ) color center in diamond has recently emerged as a promising system for quantum photonics. Its symmetry-protected optical transitions enable the creation of indistinguishable emitter arrays and deterministic coupling to nanophotonic devices. Despite this, the longest coherence time associated with its electronic spin achieved to date (˜250 ns ) has been limited by coupling to acoustic phonons. We demonstrate coherent control and suppression of phonon-induced dephasing of the SiV- electronic spin coherence by 5 orders of magnitude by operating at temperatures below 500 mK. By aligning the magnetic field along the SiV- symmetry axis, we demonstrate spin-conserving optical transitions and single-shot readout of the SiV- spin with 89% fidelity. Coherent control of the SiV- spin with microwave fields is used to demonstrate a spin coherence time T2 of 13 ms and a spin relaxation time T1 exceeding 1 s at 100 mK. These results establish the SiV- as a promising solid-state candidate for the realization of quantum networks.

  11. Charge collection in silicon strip detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kraner, H.W.; Beuttenmuller, R.; Ludlam, T.; Hanson, A.L.; Jones, K.W.; Radeka, V.; Heijne, E.H.M.

    1982-11-01

    The use of position sensitive silicon detectors as very high resolution tracking devices in high energy physics experiments has been a subject of intense development over the past few years. Typical applications call for the detection of minimum ionizing particles with position measurement accuracy of 10 μm in each detector plane. The most straightforward detector geometry is that in which one of the collecting electrodes is subdivided into closely spaced strips, giving a high degree of segmentation in one coordinate. Each strip may be read out as a separate detection element, or, alternatively, resistive and/or capacitive coupling between adjacent strips may be exploited to interpolate the position via charge division measrurements. With readout techniques that couple several strips, the numer of readout channels can, in principle, be reduced by large factors without sacrificing the intrinsic position accuracy. The testing of individual strip properties and charge division between strips has been carried out with minimum ionizing particles or beams for the most part except in one case which used alphs particless scans. This paper describes the use of a highly collimated MeV proton beam for studies of the position sensing properties of representative one dimensional strip detectors

  12. Through space and through bridge channels of charge transfer at p-n nano-junctions: A DFT study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dandu, Naveen [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, NDSU, Fargo, ND 58108 (United States); Tretiak, Sergei [Theoretical Division, Center for Nonlinear Studies (CNLS) and Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, 57069, NM 87454 (United States); Kilina, Svetlana [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, NDSU, Fargo, ND 58108 (United States); Kilin, Dmitri, E-mail: Dmitri.Kilin@ndsu.edu [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, NDSU, Fargo, ND 58108 (United States)

    2016-12-20

    Highlights: • Properties of interacting QDs depend on the fashion of interaction: through-bond or through-space. • The disconnected and undoped dimer models shows FÓ§rster band formation. • Dimer models with some doping exhibit degenerate charge-transfer excitons. • p- and n-doped qds shows polarization at the interface. • A photoexcitation polarizes p-n interface, in relation to phototovoltaic effect. - Abstract: Details of charge density distribution at p-n nano interface are analyzed with density functional theory techniques using model system of dimers of doped silicon quantum dots interacting through bond and through space. Spatial distributions of transition densities between the ground and excited states suggest the character of essential electronic excitations, which have a FÓ§rster, bound, unbound, or charge transfer character. A redistribution of electronic density from n-impurities to p-impurities results in a ground state polarization and creates an offset of energies of the bands localized on p-doped quantum dot and the bands localized on n-doped quantum dot. Although impurities contribute very few orbitals to the total density, a ground state charge redistribution and polarization are both responsible for the presence of a large number of charge transfer excitations involving solely silicon orbitals.

  13. Quantum confinement effect in cheese like silicon nano structure fabricated by metal induced etching

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saxena, Shailendra K., E-mail: phd1211512@iiti.ac.in; Sahu, Gayatri; Sagdeo, Pankaj R.; Kumar, Rajesh [Material Research Laboratory, Discipline of Physics & MSEG, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Madhya Pradesh-452017 (India)

    2015-08-28

    Quantum confinement effect has been studied in cheese like silicon nano-structures (Ch-SiNS) fabricated by metal induced chemical etching using different etching times. Scanning electron microscopy is used for the morphological study of these Ch-SiNS. A visible photoluminescence (PL) emission is observed from the samples under UV excitation at room temperature due to quantum confinement effect. The average size of Silicon Nanostructures (SiNS) present in the samples has been estimated by bond polarizability model using Raman Spectroscopy from the red-shift observed from SiNSs as compared to its bulk counterpart. The sizes of SiNS present in the samples decreases as etching time increase from 45 to 75 mintunes.

  14. Scaling of the Coulomb Energy Due to Quantum Fluctuations in the Charge on a Quantum Dot

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Molenkamp, L. W; Flensberg, Karsten; Kemerink, M.

    1995-01-01

    The charging energy of a quantum dot is measured through the effect of its potential on the conductance of a second dot. This technique allows a measurement of the scaling of the dot's charging energy with the conductance of the tunnel barriers leading to the dot. We find that the charging energy...... scales quadratically with the reflection probability of the barriers. The observed power law agrees with a recent theory....

  15. Color-selective photodetection from intermediate colloidal quantum dots buried in amorphous-oxide semiconductors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Kyung-Sang; Heo, Keun; Baik, Chan-Wook; Choi, Jun Young; Jeong, Heejeong; Hwang, Sungwoo; Lee, Sang Yeol

    2017-10-10

    We report color-selective photodetection from intermediate, monolayered, quantum dots buried in between amorphous-oxide semiconductors. The proposed active channel in phototransistors is a hybrid configuration of oxide-quantum dot-oxide layers, where the gate-tunable electrical property of silicon-doped, indium-zinc-oxide layers is incorporated with the color-selective properties of quantum dots. A remarkably high detectivity (8.1 × 10 13 Jones) is obtained, along with three major findings: fast charge separation in monolayered quantum dots; efficient charge transport through high-mobility oxide layers (20 cm 2  V -1  s -1 ); and gate-tunable drain-current modulation. Particularly, the fast charge separation rate of 3.3 ns -1 measured with time-resolved photoluminescence is attributed to the intermediate quantum dots buried in oxide layers. These results facilitate the realization of efficient color-selective detection exhibiting a photoconductive gain of 10 7 , obtained using a room-temperature deposition of oxide layers and a solution process of quantum dots. This work offers promising opportunities in emerging applications for color detection with sensitivity, transparency, and flexibility.The development of highly sensitive photodetectors is important for image sensing and optical communication applications. Cho et al., report ultra-sensitive photodetectors based on monolayered quantum dots buried in between amorphous-oxide semiconductors and demonstrate color-detecting logic gates.

  16. Quantum State Transmission in a Superconducting Charge Qubit-Atom Hybrid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Deshui; Valado, María Martínez; Hufnagel, Christoph; Kwek, Leong Chuan; Amico, Luigi; Dumke, Rainer

    2016-01-01

    Hybrids consisting of macroscopic superconducting circuits and microscopic components, such as atoms and spins, have the potential of transmitting an arbitrary state between different quantum species, leading to the prospective of high-speed operation and long-time storage of quantum information. Here we propose a novel hybrid structure, where a neutral-atom qubit directly interfaces with a superconducting charge qubit, to implement the qubit-state transmission. The highly-excited Rydberg atom located inside the gate capacitor strongly affects the behavior of Cooper pairs in the box while the atom in the ground state hardly interferes with the superconducting device. In addition, the DC Stark shift of the atomic states significantly depends on the charge-qubit states. By means of the standard spectroscopic techniques and sweeping the gate voltage bias, we show how to transfer an arbitrary quantum state from the superconducting device to the atom and vice versa. PMID:27922087

  17. Two-dimensional position sensitive silicon photodiode as a charged particle detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kovacevic, K.; Zadro, M.

    1999-01-01

    A two-dimensional position sensitive silicon photodiode has been tested for measurement of position and energy of charged particles. Position nonlinearity and resolution, as well as energy resolution and ballistic deficit were measured for 5.486 MeV α-particles. The results obtained for different pulse shaping time constants are presented

  18. Degradation of charge sharing after neutron irradiation in strip silicon detectors with different geometries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Casse, G.; Dervan, P.; Forshaw, D.; Greenall, A.; Huse, T.; Tsurin, I.; Wormald, M.

    2013-01-01

    The aim of the CERN/RD50 collaboration is the improvement of the radiation tolerance of semiconductor detectors for future experiments at high-luminosity colliders. In the RD50 framework, evidence of enhanced signal charge in severely irradiated silicon detectors (diodes, segmented planar and 3D devices) was found. The underlying mechanism was labelled charge multiplication. This has been one of the most exciting results from the research activity of RD50 because it could allow for a greatly extended radiation tolerance, if the mechanism is to be found controllable and tuneable. The charge multiplication mechanism is governed by impact ionisation from electrons drifting in high electric field. The electric field profile is influenced by the geometry of the implanted electrodes. In order to investigate the influence of the diode implantation geometry on charge multiplication, the RD50 collaboration has commissioned the production of miniature microstrip silicon sensors with various choices of strip pitch and strip width over pitch (w/p) ratios. Moreover, some of the sensors were produced interleaving readout strips with dummy intermediate ones in order to modify the electric field profile. These geometrical solutions can influence both charge multiplication and charge sharing between adjacent strips. The initial results of this study are here presented

  19. Geometric quantum discord and Berry phase between two charge qubits coupled by a quantum transmission line

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Han-Jie; Zhang Guo-Feng

    2014-01-01

    Geometric quantum discord (GQD) and Berry phase between two charge qubits coupled by a quantum transmission line are investigated. We show how GQDs evolve and investigate their dependencies on the parameters of the system. We also calculate the energy and the Berry phase and compare them with GQD, finding that there are close connections between them. (general)

  20. Deflection of high energy channeled charged particles by elastically bent silicon single crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gibson, W.M.; Kim, I.J.; Pisharodoy, M.; Salman, S.M.; Sun, C.R.; Wang, G.H.; Wijayawardana, R.; Forster, J.S.; Mitchell, I.V.; Baker, S.I.; Carrigan, R.A. Jr.; Toohig, T.E.; Avdeichikov, V.V.; Ellison, J.A.; Siffert, P.

    1984-01-01

    An experiment has been carried out to observe the deflection of charged particles by planar channeling in bent single crystals of silicon for protons with energy up to 180 GeV. Anomolous loss of particles from the center point of a three point bending apparatus was observed at high incident particle energy. This effect has been exploited to fashion a 'dechanneling spectrometer' to study dechanneling effects due to centripital displacement of channeled particle trajectories in a bent crystal. The bending losses generally conform to the predictions of calculations based on a classical model. (orig.)

  1. Charged particle detectors made from thin layers of amorphous silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morel, J.R.

    1986-05-01

    A series of experiments was conducted to determine the feasibility of using hydrogenated amorphous silicon (α-Si:H) as solid state thin film charged particle detectors. 241 Am alphas were successfully detected with α-Si:H devices. The measurements and results of these experiments are presented. The problems encountered and changes in the fabrication of the detectors that may improve the performance are discussed

  2. Liquid-phase plasma synthesis of silicon quantum dots embedded in carbon matrix for lithium battery anodes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wei, Ying [Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou (China); College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Bohai University, Jinzhou 121000 (China); Yu, Hang; Li, Haitao; Ming, Hai; Pan, Keming; Huang, Hui [Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou (China); Liu, Yang, E-mail: yangl@suda.edu.cn [Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou (China); Kang, Zhenhui, E-mail: zhkang@suda.edu.cn [Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou (China)

    2013-10-15

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Silicon quantum dots embedded in carbon matrix (SiQDs/C) were fabricated. • SiQDs/C exhibits excellent battery performance as anode materials with high specific capacity. • The good performance was attributed to the marriage of small sized SiQDs and carbon. - Abstract: Silicon quantum dots embedded in carbon matrix (SiQDs/C) nanocomposites were prepared by a novel liquid-phase plasma assisted synthetic process. The SiQDs/C nanocomposites were demonstrated to show high specific capacity, good cycling life and high coulmbic efficiency as anode materials for lithium-ion battery.

  3. Liquid-phase plasma synthesis of silicon quantum dots embedded in carbon matrix for lithium battery anodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wei, Ying; Yu, Hang; Li, Haitao; Ming, Hai; Pan, Keming; Huang, Hui; Liu, Yang; Kang, Zhenhui

    2013-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Silicon quantum dots embedded in carbon matrix (SiQDs/C) were fabricated. • SiQDs/C exhibits excellent battery performance as anode materials with high specific capacity. • The good performance was attributed to the marriage of small sized SiQDs and carbon. - Abstract: Silicon quantum dots embedded in carbon matrix (SiQDs/C) nanocomposites were prepared by a novel liquid-phase plasma assisted synthetic process. The SiQDs/C nanocomposites were demonstrated to show high specific capacity, good cycling life and high coulmbic efficiency as anode materials for lithium-ion battery

  4. Formation of strain-induced quantum dots in gated semiconductor nanostructures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ted Thorbeck

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available A long-standing mystery in the field of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs is: Why are there so many unintentional dots (also known as disorder dots which are neither expected nor controllable. It is typically assumed that these unintentional dots are due to charged defects, however the frequency and predictability of the location of the unintentional QDs suggests there might be additional mechanisms causing the unintentional QDs besides charged defects. We show that the typical strains in a semiconductor nanostructure from metal gates are large enough to create strain-induced quantum dots. We simulate a commonly used QD device architecture, metal gates on bulk silicon, and show the formation of strain-induced QDs. The strain-induced QD can be eliminated by replacing the metal gates with poly-silicon gates. Thus strain can be as important as electrostatics to QD device operation operation.

  5. Space-charge waves in magnetized and collisional quantum plasma columns confined in carbon nanotubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bagheri, Mehran; Abdikian, Alireza

    2014-01-01

    We study the dispersion relation of electrostatic waves propagating in a column of quantum magnetized collisional plasma embraced completely by a metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes. The analysis is based on the quantum linearized hydrodynamic formalism of collective excitations within the quasi-static approximation. It is shown when the electronic de Broglie's wavelength of the plasma is comparable in the order of magnitude to the radius of the nanotube, the quantum effects are quite meaningful and our model anticipates one acoustical and two optical space-charge waves which are positioned into three propagating bands. With increasing the nanotube radius, the features of the acoustical branch remain unchanged, yet two distinct optical branches are degenerated and the classical behavior is recovered. This study might provide a platform to create new finite transverse cross section quantum magnetized plasmas and to devise nanometer dusty plasmas based on the metallic carbon nanotubes in the absence of either a drift or a thermal electronic velocity and their existence could be experimentally examined

  6. Quantum chemical simulation of hydrogen like states in silicon and diamond

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gel'fand, R.B.; Gordeev, V.A.; Gorelkinskij, Yu.V.

    1989-01-01

    The quantum-chemical methods of the complete neglect of differential overlap (CNDO) and intermediate neglect of differential overlap (INDO) are used to calculate the electronic structure of atomic hydrogen (muonium) located at different interstital sites of the silicon and diamond crystal lattices. The electronic g- and hyperfine interaction tensors of the impure atom are determined.The results obtained are compared with the experimental data on the 'normal' (Mu') and 'anomalous' (Mu * ) muonium centers as well as on the hydrogen-bearing Si-AA9 EPR center which is a hydrogen-bearing analogue of (Mu * ). The most likely localization sites for hydrogen (muonium) atoms in silicon and diamond crystals are established. 22 refs

  7. Control of spontaneous emission of quantum dots using correlated effects of metal oxides and dielectric materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadeghi, S M; Wing, W J; Gutha, R R; Capps, L

    2017-03-03

    We study the emission dynamics of semiconductor quantum dots in the presence of the correlated impact of metal oxides and dielectric materials. For this we used layered material structures consisting of a base substrate, a dielectric layer, and an ultrathin layer of a metal oxide. After depositing colloidal CdSe/ZnS quantum dots on the top of the metal oxide, we used spectral and time-resolved techniques to show that, depending on the type and thickness of the dielectric material, the metal oxide can characteristically change the interplay between intrinsic excitons, defect states, and the environment, offering new material properties. Our results show that aluminum oxide, in particular, can strongly change the impact of amorphous silicon on the emission dynamics of quantum dots by balancing the intrinsic near band emission and fast trapping of carriers. In such a system the silicon/aluminum oxide charge barrier can lead to large variation of the radiative lifetime of quantum dots and control of the photo-ejection rate of electrons in quantum dots. The results provide unique techniques to investigate and modify physical properties of dielectrics and manage optical and electrical properties of quantum dots.

  8. Highly Sensitive Bulk Silicon Chemical Sensors with Sub-5 nm Thin Charge Inversion Layers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fahad, Hossain M; Gupta, Niharika; Han, Rui; Desai, Sujay B; Javey, Ali

    2018-03-27

    There is an increasing demand for mass-producible, low-power gas sensors in a wide variety of industrial and consumer applications. Here, we report chemical-sensitive field-effect-transistors (CS-FETs) based on bulk silicon wafers, wherein an electrostatically confined sub-5 nm thin charge inversion layer is modulated by chemical exposure to achieve a high-sensitivity gas-sensing platform. Using hydrogen sensing as a "litmus" test, we demonstrate large sensor responses (>1000%) to 0.5% H 2 gas, with fast response (<60 s) and recovery times (<120 s) at room temperature and low power (<50 μW). On the basis of these performance metrics as well as standardized benchmarking, we show that bulk silicon CS-FETs offer similar or better sensing performance compared to emerging nanostructures semiconductors while providing a highly scalable and manufacturable platform.

  9. Giant piezoresistance of p-type nano-thick silicon induced by interface electron trapping instead of 2D quantum confinement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Yongliang; Li Xinxin

    2011-01-01

    The p-type silicon giant piezoresistive coefficient is measured in top-down fabricated nano-thickness single-crystalline-silicon strain-gauge resistors with a macro-cantilever bending experiment. For relatively thicker samples, the variation of piezoresistive coefficient in terms of silicon thickness obeys the reported 2D quantum confinement effect. For ultra-thin samples, however, the variation deviates from the quantum-effect prediction but increases the value by at least one order of magnitude (compared to the conventional piezoresistance of bulk silicon) and the value can change its sign (e.g. from positive to negative). A stress-enhanced Si/SiO 2 interface electron-trapping effect model is proposed to explain the 'abnormal' giant piezoresistance that should be originated from the carrier-concentration change effect instead of the conventional equivalent mobility change effect for bulk silicon piezoresistors. An interface state modification experiment gives preliminary proof of our analysis.

  10. Fabrication and evaluation of series-triple quantum dots by thermal oxidation of silicon nanowire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uchida, Takafumi; Jo, Mingyu; Tsurumaki-Fukuchi, Atsushi; Arita, Masashi; Takahashi, Yasuo; Fujiwara, Akira

    2015-01-01

    Series-connected triple quantum dots were fabricated by a simple two-step oxidation technique using the pattern-dependent oxidation of a silicon nanowire and an additional oxidation of the nanowire through the gap of the fine gates attached to the nanowire. The characteristics of multi-dot single-electron devices are obtained. The formation of each quantum dot beneath an attached gate is confirmed by analyzing the electrical characteristics and by evaluating the gate capacitances between all pairings of gates and quantum dots. Because the gate electrode is automatically attached to each dot, the device structure benefits from scalability. This technique promises integrability of multiple quantum dots with individual control gates

  11. Quantum Coherent States and Path Integral Method to Stochastically Determine the Anisotropic Volume Expansion in Lithiated Silicon Nanowires

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Donald C. Boone

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This computational research study will analyze the multi-physics of lithium ion insertion into a silicon nanowire in an attempt to explain the electrochemical kinetics at the nanoscale and quantum level. The electron coherent states and a quantum field version of photon density waves will be the joining theories that will explain the electron-photon interaction within the lithium-silicon lattice structure. These two quantum particles will be responsible for the photon absorption rate of silicon atoms that are hypothesized to be the leading cause of breaking diatomic silicon covalent bonds that ultimately leads to volume expansion. It will be demonstrated through the combination of Maxwell stress tensor, optical amplification and path integrals that a stochastic analyze using a variety of Poisson distributions that the anisotropic expansion rates in the <110>, <111> and <112> orthogonal directions confirms the findings ascertained in previous works made by other research groups. The computational findings presented in this work are similar to those which were discovered experimentally using transmission electron microscopy (TEM and simulation models that used density functional theory (DFT and molecular dynamics (MD. The refractive index and electric susceptibility parameters of lithiated silicon are interwoven in the first principle theoretical equations and appears frequently throughout this research presentation, which should serve to demonstrate the importance of these parameters in the understanding of this component in lithium ion batteries.

  12. Beam test of a dual layer silicon charge detector (SCD) for the CREAM experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, N.H.; Ahn, H.S.; Ganel, O.; Han, J.H.; Jeon, J.A.; Kim, C.H.; Kim, K.C.; Lutz, L.; Lee, M.H.; Malinin, A.; Nam, S.; Park, I.H.; Park, J.H.; Seo, E.S.; Walpole, P.; Wu, J.; Yang, J.; Yoo, J.H.; Yoon, Y.S.; Zinn, S.Y.

    2007-01-01

    The Cosmic Ray Energetics and Mass (CREAM) balloon-borne experiment is designed for direct measurement of high-energy cosmic rays. The experimental goal is to measure single-element fluxes of all cosmic-ray nuclei from hydrogen to iron with energies up to the 'knee', or spectral index change near 10 15 eV, observed in the all-particle spectrum. The dual layer Silicon Charge Detector (SCD) was designed to provide precise charge measurements. Each SCD layer has an active area of 77.9cmx79.5cm and consists of 156 silicon sensors mounted on 24 ladders. Each sensor contains a 4 x 4 array of single-sided DC type silicon pixels with an active area of 2.1cm 2 . The detector was flown on the second CREAM flight (December 2005-January 2006) and recovered successfully. The SCD was refurbished for the third CREAM flight and tested with high-energy electron and hadron beams at CERN. This paper reports on the performance of the SCD during the beam test

  13. Damage induced by high energy multiply charged oxygen ions in oxide coated silicon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dhole, S.D. [Department of Physics, University of Pune, Pune 411 007 (India)]. E-mail: sanjay@physics.unipune.ernet.in; Dahiwale, S.S. [Department of Physics, University of Pune, Pune 411 007 (India); Kulkarni, V.R. [Department of Physics, University of Pune, Pune 411 007 (India); Bogle, K.A. [Department of Physics, University of Pune, Pune 411 007 (India); Shinde, N.S. [Ecotopia Science Institute, Division of Energy Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya (Japan); Bhoraskar, V.N. [Department of Physics, University of Pune, Pune 411 007 (India)

    2006-03-15

    P-type oxide coated silicon samples of resistivity 120 {omega} cm were irradiated with 60 MeV oxygen ions of fixed charge states 4{sup +}, 5{sup +}, 6{sup +} and 7{sup +} at an equal fluence of, {phi}, {approx}10{sup 13} ions/cm{sup 2}. The induced damage was estimated by Hall voltage, Hall coefficient, carrier concentration and lifetime of minority carriers. The results indicate that Hall voltage (V {sub H}) and Hall coefficient (R {sub H}) increases, while carrier concentration (n) decreases with the charge state of impinging oxygen ions. The V {sub H} increases from 22 mV to 76.5 mV at typical current of 0.5 mA, R {sub H} from 0.42 x 10{sup 5} cm{sup 3}/C to 2.16 x 10{sup 5} cm{sup 3}/C and n decreases from 9 x 10{sup 13} cm{sup -3} to 2.88 x 10{sup 13} cm{sup -3} for the different charge states. This fact is an evidence that the oxygen ions with an individual fixed charge state passing through very thin 40 A layer of silicon dioxide, induces significant damage at the SiO{sub 2}-Si interface through the mechanism of electronic stopping power. The lifetime of minority charge carriers, {tau} (bulk property), remains constant at around 6 {mu}s for all the charge states of the 60 MeV energy oxygen ion irradiated samples at a constant fluence of, {phi}, 10{sup 13} ions/cm{sup 2}.

  14. Manipulating quantum coherence of charge states in interacting double-dot Aharonov–Bohm interferometers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Jinshuang; Wang, Shikuan; Zhou, Jiahuan; Zhang, Wei-Min; Yan, YiJing

    2018-04-01

    We investigate the dynamics of charge-state coherence in a degenerate double-dot Aharonov–Bohm interferometer with finite inter-dot Coulomb interactions. The quantum coherence of the charge states is found to be sensitive to the transport setup configurations, involving both the single-electron impurity channels and the Coulomb-assisted ones. We numerically demonstrate the emergence of a complete coherence between the two charge states, with the relative phase being continuously controllable through the magnetic flux. Interestingly, a fully coherent charge qubit arises at the double-dots electron pair tunneling resonance condition, where the chemical potential of one electrode is tuned at the center between a single-electron impurity channel and the related Coulomb-assisted channel. This pure quantum state of charge qubit could be experimentally realized at the current–voltage characteristic turnover position, where differential conductance sign changes. We further elaborate the underlying mechanism for both the real-time and the stationary charge-states coherence in the double-dot systems of study.

  15. Investigation of multi-state charge-storage properties of redox-active organic molecules in silicon-molecular hybrid devices for DRAM and Flash applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gowda, Srivardhan Shivappa

    Molecular electronics has recently spawned a considerable amount of interest with several molecules possessing charge-conduction and charge-storage properties proposed for use in electronic devices. Hybrid silicon-molecular technology has the promise of augmenting the current silicon technology and provide for a transitional path to future molecule-only technology. The focus of this dissertation work has been on developing a class of hybrid silicon-molecular electronic devices for DRAM and Flash memory applications utilizing redox-active molecules. This work exploits the ability of molecules to store charges with single-electron precision at room temperature. The hybrid devices are fabricated by forming self-assembled monolayers of redox-active molecules on Si and oxide (SiO2 and HfO2) surfaces via formation of covalent linkages. The molecules possess discrete quantum states from which electrons can tunnel to the Si substrate at discrete applied voltages (oxidation process, cell write), leaving behind a positively charged layer of molecules. The reduction (erase) process, which is the process of electrons tunneling back from Si to the molecules, neutralizes the positively charged molecular monolayer. Hybrid silicon-molecular capacitor test structures were electrically characterized with an electrolyte gate using cyclic voltammetry (CyV) and impedance spectroscopy (CV) techniques. The redox voltages, kinetics (write/erase speeds) and charge-retention characteristics were found to be strongly dependent on the Si doping type and densities, and ambient light. It was also determined that the redox energy states in the molecules communicate with the valence band of the Si substrate. This allows tuning of write and read states by modulating minority carriers in n- and p-Si substrates. Ultra-thin dielectric tunnel barriers (SiO2, HfO2) were placed between the molecules and the Si substrate to augment charge-retention for Flash memory applications. The redox response was

  16. Response of GaAs charge storage devices to transient ionizing radiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hetherington, D. L.; Klem, J. F.; Hughes, R. C.; Weaver, H. T.

    Charge storage devices in which non-equilibrium depletion regions represent stored charge are sensitive to ionizing radiation. This results since the radiation generates electron-hole pairs that neutralize excess ionized dopant charge. Silicon structures, such as dynamic RAM or CCD cells are particularly sensitive to radiation since carrier diffusion lengths in this material are often much longer than the depletion width, allowing collection of significant quantities of charge from quasi-neutral sections of the device. For GaAs the situation is somewhat different in that minority carrier diffusion lengths are shorter than in silicon, and although mobilities are higher, we expect a reduction of radiation sensitivity as suggested by observations of reduced quantum efficiency in GaAs solar cells. Dynamic memory cells in GaAs have potential increased retention times. In this paper, we report the response of a novel GaAs dynamic memory element to transient ionizing radiation. The charge readout technique is nondestructive over a reasonable applied voltage range and is more sensitive to stored charge than a simple capacitor.

  17. STM investigation of epitaxial Si growth for the fabrication of a Si-based quantum computer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oberbeck, Lars; Hallam, Toby; Curson, Neil J.; Simmons, Michelle Y.; Clark, Robert G

    2003-05-15

    We investigate the morphology of epitaxial Si layers grown on clean and on hydrogen terminated Si(0 0 1) to explore the growth strategy for the fabrication of a Si-based quantum computer. We use molecular beam epitaxy to deposit 5 monolayers of silicon at a temperature of 250 deg. C and scanning tunnelling microscopy to image the surface at room temperature after growth and after various rapid annealing steps in the temperature range of 350-600 deg. C. The epitaxial layer grown on the hydrogenated surface shows a significantly higher surface roughness due to a lower mobility of silicon surface atoms in the presence of hydrogen. Annealing at temperatures {>=}550 deg. C reduces the roughness of both epitaxial layers to the value of a clean silicon surface. However, the missing dimer defect density of the epitaxial layer grown on the hydrogenated surface remains higher by a factor of two compared to the layer grown on clean Si(0 0 1). Our results suggest a quantum computer growth strategy in which the hydrogen resist layer is desorbed before the epitaxial silicon layer is grown at low temperature to encapsulate phosphorus quantum bits.

  18. Controlled high-fidelity navigation in the charge stability diagram of a double quantum dot

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coden, Diego S Acosta; Romero, Rodolfo H; Räsänen, Esa

    2015-01-01

    We propose an efficient control protocol for charge transfer in a double quantum dot. We consider numerically a two-dimensional model system, where the quantum dots are subjected to time-dependent electric fields corresponding to experimental gate voltages. Our protocol enables navigation in the charge stability diagram from a state to another through controllable variation of the fields. We show that the well-known adiabatic Landau–Zener transition—when supplemented with a time-dependent field tailored with optimal control theory—can remarkably improve the transition speed. The results also lead to a simple control scheme obtained from the experimental charge stability diagram that requires only a single parameter. Eventually, we can achieve the ultrafast performance of the composite pulse protocol that allows the system to be driven at the quantum speed limit. (paper)

  19. Study of silicon microstrips detector quantum efficiency using mathematical simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leyva Pernia, Diana; Cabal Rodriguez, Ana Ester; Pinnera Hernandez, Ibrahin; Fabelo, Antonio Leyva; Abreu Alfonso, Yamiel; Cruz Inclan, Carlos M.

    2011-01-01

    The paper shows the results from the application of mathematical simulation to study the quantum efficiency of a microstrips crystalline silicon detector, intended for medical imaging and the development of other applications such as authentication and dating of cultural heritage. The effects on the quantum efficiency of some parameters of the system, such as the detector-source geometry, X rays energy and detector dead zone thickness, were evaluated. The simulation results were compared with the theoretical prediction and experimental available data, resulting in a proper correspondence. It was concluded that the use of frontal configuration for incident energies lower than 17 keV is more efficient, however the use of the edge-on configuration for applications requiring the detection of energy above this value is recommended. It was also found that the reduction of the detector dead zone led to a considerable increase in quantum efficiency for any energy value in the interval from 5 to 100 keV.(author)

  20. Helium ion beam induced electron emission from insulating silicon nitride films under charging conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrov, Yu. V.; Anikeva, A. E.; Vyvenko, O. F.

    2018-06-01

    Secondary electron emission from thin silicon nitride films of different thicknesses on silicon excited by helium ions with energies from 15 to 35 keV was investigated in the helium ion microscope. Secondary electron yield measured with Everhart-Thornley detector decreased with the irradiation time because of the charging of insulating films tending to zero or reaching a non-zero value for relatively thick or thin films, respectively. The finiteness of secondary electron yield value, which was found to be proportional to electronic energy losses of the helium ion in silicon substrate, can be explained by the electron emission excited from the substrate by the helium ions. The method of measurement of secondary electron energy distribution from insulators was suggested, and secondary electron energy distribution from silicon nitride was obtained.

  1. Harnessing Sun's Energy with Quantum Dots Based Next Generation Solar Cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halim, Mohammad A

    2012-12-27

    Our energy consumption relies heavily on the three components of fossil fuels (oil, natural gas and coal) and nearly 83% of our current energy is consumed from those sources. The use of fossil fuels, however, has been viewed as a major environmental threat because of their substantial contribution to greenhouse gases which are responsible for increasing the global average temperature. Last four decades, scientists have been searching for alternative sources of energy which need to be environmentally clean, efficient, cost-effective, renewable, and sustainable. One of the promising sustainable sources of energy can be achieved by harnessing sun energy through silicon wafer, organic polymer, inorganic dye, and quantum dots based solar cells. Among them, quantum dots have an exceptional property in that they can excite multiple electrons using only one photon. These dots can easily be synthesized, processed in solution, and incorporated into solar cell application. Interestingly, the quantum dots solar cells can exceed the Shockley - Queisser limit; however, it is a great challenge for other solar cell materials to exceed the limit. Theoretically, the quantum dots solar cell can boost the power conversion efficiency up to 66% and even higher to 80%. Moreover, in changing the size of the quantum dots one can utilize the Sun's broad spectrum of visible and infrared ranges. This review briefly overviews the present performance of different materials-based solar cells including silicon wafer, dye-sensitized, and organic solar cells. In addition, recent advances of the quantum dots based solar cells which utilize cadmium sulfide/selenide, lead sulfide/selenide, and new carbon dots as light harvesting materials has been reviewed. A future outlook is sketched as to how one could improve the efficiency up to 10% from the current highest efficiency of 6.6%.

  2. Ultra-fast photon counting with a passive quenching silicon photomultiplier in the charge integration regime

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Guoqing; Lina, Liu

    2018-02-01

    An ultra-fast photon counting method is proposed based on the charge integration of output electrical pulses of passive quenching silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). The results of the numerical analysis with actual parameters of SiPMs show that the maximum photon counting rate of a state-of-art passive quenching SiPM can reach ~THz levels which is much larger than that of the existing photon counting devices. The experimental procedure is proposed based on this method. This photon counting regime of SiPMs is promising in many fields such as large dynamic light power detection.

  3. Interdefect charge exchange in silicon particle detectors at cryogenic temperatures

    CERN Document Server

    MacEvoy, B; Hall, G; Moscatelli, F; Passeri, D; Santocchia, A

    2002-01-01

    Silicon particle detectors in the next generation of experiments at the CERN Large Hadron Collider will be exposed to a very challenging radiation environment. The principal obstacle to long-term operation arises from changes in detector doping concentration (N/sub eff/), which lead to an increase in the bias required to deplete the detector and hence achieve efficient charge collection. We have previously presented a model of interdefect charge exchange between closely spaced centers in the dense terminal clusters formed by hadron irradiation. This manifestly non-Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) mechanism leads to a marked increase in carrier generation rate and negative space charge over the SRH prediction. There is currently much interest in the subject of cryogenic detector operation as a means of improving radiation hardness. Our motivation, however, is primarily to investigate our model further by testing its predictions over a range of temperatures. We present measurements of spectra from /sup 241/Am alpha par...

  4. Why I am optimistic about the silicon-photonic route to quantum computing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Terry Rudolph

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available This is a short overview explaining how building a large-scale, silicon-photonic quantum computer has been reduced to the creation of good sources of 3-photon entangled states (and may simplify further. Given such sources, each photon needs to pass through a small, constant, number of components, interfering with at most 2 other spatially nearby photons, and current photonics engineering has already demonstrated the manufacture of thousands of components on two-dimensional semiconductor chips with performance that, once scaled up, allows the creation of tens of thousands of photons entangled in a state universal for quantum computation. At present the fully integrated, silicon-photonic architecture we envisage involves creating the required entangled states by starting with single-photons produced non-deterministically by pumping silicon waveguides (or cavities combined with on-chip filters and nanowire superconducting detectors to herald that a photon has been produced. These sources are multiplexed into being near-deterministic, and the single photons then passed through an interferometer to non-deterministically produce small entangled states—necessarily multiplexed to near-determinism again. This is followed by a “ballistic” scattering of the small-scale entangled photons through an interferometer such that some photons are detected, leaving the remainder in a large-scale entangled state which is provably universal for quantum computing implemented by single-photon measurements. There are a large number of questions regarding the optimum ways to make and use the final cluster state, dealing with static imperfections, constructing the initial entangled photon sources and so on, that need to be investigated before we can aim for millions of qubits capable of billions of computational time steps. The focus in this article is on the theoretical side of such questions.

  5. Form factors and charge radii in a quantum chromodynamics ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    tic form factors and charge radii of D, Ds,B,Bs and Bc mesons in a quantum chromodynamics. (QCD)-inspired ... as pointed out in [12,13], one can expect a similar success here too. .... 0 were large and the formalism failed to account for large ...

  6. Performance of the Charge Injectors of the ALICE Silicon Drift Detectors

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kushpil, Svetlana

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 37, č. 37 (2012), s. 970-975 ISSN 1875-3892. [TIPP 2011 - Technology and Instrumentation in Particle Physics 2011. Chicago, 09.06.2011-14.06.2011] R&D Projects: GA MŠk LA08015 Institutional support: RVO:61389005 Keywords : semiconductor detector * silicon drift detector * MOS charge injector Subject RIV: BG - Nuclear, Atomic and Molecular Physics, Colliders http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1875389212017920

  7. Properties of a radiation-induced charge multiplication region in epitaxial silicon diodes

    CERN Document Server

    Lange, Jörn; Fretwurst, Eckhart; Klanner, Robert; Lindström, Gunnar

    2010-01-01

    Charge multiplication (CM) in p$^+$n epitaxial silicon pad diodes of 75, 100 and 150 $\\upmu$m thickness at high voltages after proton irradiation with 1 MeV neutron equivalent fluences in the order of $10^{16}$ cm$^{-2}$ was studied as an option to overcome the strong trapping of charge carriers in the innermost tracking region of future Super-LHC detectors. Charge collection efficiency (CCE) measurements using the Transient Current Technique (TCT) with radiation of different penetration (670, 830, 1060 nm laser light and $\\alpha$-particles with optional absorbers) were used to locate the CM region close to the p$^+$-implantation. The dependence of CM on material, thickness of the epitaxial layer, annealing and temperature was studied. The collected charge in the CM regime was found to be proportional to the deposited charge, uniform over the diode area and stable over a period of several days. Randomly occurring micro discharges at high voltages turned out to be the largest challenge for operation of the dio...

  8. Spin and Optical Characterization of Defects in Group IV Semiconductors for Quantum Memory Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rose, Brendon Charles

    This thesis is focused on the characterization of highly coherent defects in both silicon and diamond, particularly in the context of quantum memory applications. The results are organized into three parts based on the spin system: phosphorus donor electron spins in silicon, negatively charged nitrogen vacancy color centers in diamond (NV-), and neutrally charged silicon vacancy color centers in diamond (SiV0). The first part on phosphorus donor electron spins presents the first realization of strong coupling with spins in silicon. To achieve this, the silicon crystal was made highly pure and highly isotopically enriched so that the ensemble dephasing time, T2*, was long (10 micros). Additionally, the use of a 3D resonator aided in realizing uniform coupling, allowing for high fidelity spin ensemble manipulation. These two properties have eluded past implementations of strongly coupled spin ensembles and have been the limiting factor in storing and retrieving quantum information. Second, we characterize the spin properties of the NV- color center in diamond in a large magnetic field. We observe that the electron spin echo envelope modulation originating from the central 14N nuclear spin is much stronger at large fields and that the optically induced spin polarization exhibits a strong orientation dependence that cannot be explained by the existing model for the NV- optical cycle, we develop a modification of the existing model that reproduces the data in a large magnetic field. In the third part we perform characterization and stabilization of a new color center in diamond, SiV0, and find that it has attractive, highly sought-after properties for use as a quantum memory in a quantum repeater scheme. We demonstrate a new approach to the rational design of new color centers by engineering the Fermi level of the host material. The spin properties were characterized in electron spin resonance, revealing long spin relaxation and spin coherence times at cryogenic

  9. Geodesic paths and topological charges in quantum systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grangeiro Souza Barbosa Lima, Tiago Aecio

    This dissertation focuses on one question: how should one drive an experimentally prepared state of a generic quantum system into a different target-state, simultaneously minimizing energy dissipation and maximizing the fidelity between the target and evolved-states? We develop optimal adiabatic driving protocols for general quantum systems, and show that these are geodesic paths. Geometric ideas have always played a fundamental role in the understanding and unification of physical phenomena, and the recent discovery of topological insulators has drawn great interest to topology from the field of condensed matter physics. Here, we discuss the quantum geometric tensor, a mathematical object that encodes geometrical and topological properties of a quantum system. It is related to the fidelity susceptibility (an important quantity regarding quantum phase transitions) and to the Berry curvature, which enables topological characterization through Berry phases. A refined understanding of the interplay between geometry and topology in quantum mechanics is of direct relevance to several emergent technologies, such as quantum computers, quantum cryptography, and quantum sensors. As a demonstration of how powerful geometric and topological ideas can become when combined, we present the results of an experiment that we recently proposed. This experimental work was done at the Google Quantum Lab, where researchers were able to visualize the topological nature of a two-qubit system in sharp detail, a startling contrast with earlier methods. To achieve this feat, the optimal protocols described in this dissertation were used, allowing for a great improvement on the experimental apparatus, without the need for technical engineering advances. Expanding the existing literature on the quantum geometric tensor using notions from differential geometry and topology, we build on the subject nowadays known as quantum geometry. We discuss how slowly changing a parameter of a quantum

  10. Predicting the valley physics of silicon quantum dots directly from a device layout

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gamble, John King; Harvey-Collard, Patrick; Jacobson, N. Tobias; Bacewski, Andrew D.; Nielsen, Erik; Montaño, Inès; Rudolph, Martin; Carroll, Malcolm S.; Muller, Richard P.

    Qubits made from electrostatically-defined quantum dots in Si-based systems are excellent candidates for quantum information processing applications. However, the multi-valley structure of silicon's band structure provides additional challenges for the few-electron physics critical to qubit manipulation. Here, we present a theory for valley physics that is predictive, in that we take as input the real physical device geometry and experimental voltage operation schedule, and with minimal approximation compute the resulting valley physics. We present both effective mass theory and atomistic tight-binding calculations for two distinct metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) quantum dot systems, directly comparing them to experimental measurements of the valley splitting. We conclude by assessing these detailed simulations' utility for engineering desired valley physics in future devices. Sandia is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the US Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000. The authors gratefully acknowledge support from the Sandia National Laboratories Truman Fellowship Program, which is funded by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program.

  11. Quantum behavior of terahertz photoconductivity in silicon nanocrystals networks

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Pushkarev, Vladimir; Ostatnický, T.; Němec, Hynek; Chlouba, T.; Trojánek, F.; Malý, P.; Zacharias, M.; Gutsch, S.; Hiller, D.; Kužel, Petr

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 95, č. 12 (2017), s. 1-9, č. článku 125424. ISSN 2469-9950 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA17-03662S EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 607521 - NOTEDEV Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : terahertz spectroscopy * charge transport * silicon nanocrystals * linear response theory Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism OBOR OECD: Condensed matter physics (including formerly solid state physics, supercond.) Impact factor: 3.836, year: 2016

  12. Spin-charge separation in ultra-cold quantum gases

    OpenAIRE

    Recati, A.; Fedichev, P. O.; Zwerger, W.; Zoller, P.

    2002-01-01

    We investigate the physical properties of quasi-1D quantum gases of fermion atoms confined in harmonic traps. Using the fact that for a homogeneous gas, the low energy properties are exactly described by a Luttinger model, we analyze the nature and manifestations of the spin-charge separation. Finally we discuss the necessary physical conditions and experimental limitations confronting possible experimental implementations.

  13. Graphene and the universality of the quantum Hall effect

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tzalenchuk, A.; Janssen, T. J.B.M.; Kazakova, O.

    2013-01-01

    The quantum Hall effect allows the standard for resistance to be defined in terms of the elementary charge and Planck's constant alone. The effect comprises the quantization of the Hall resistance in two-dimensional electron systems in rational fractions of RK=h/e2=25812.8074434(84) Ω (Mohr P. J....... the unconventional quantum Hall effect and then present in detail the route, which led to the most precise quantum Hall resistance universality test ever performed.......The quantum Hall effect allows the standard for resistance to be defined in terms of the elementary charge and Planck's constant alone. The effect comprises the quantization of the Hall resistance in two-dimensional electron systems in rational fractions of RK=h/e2=25812.8074434(84) Ω (Mohr P. J....... et al., Rev. Mod. Phys., 84 (2012) 1527), the resistance quantum. Despite 30 years of research into the quantum Hall effect, the level of precision necessary for metrology, a few parts per billion, has been achieved only in silicon and III-V heterostructure devices. In this lecture we show...

  14. Cobalt micro-magnet integration on silicon MOS quantum dots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camirand Lemyre, Julien; Rochette, Sophie; Anderson, John; Manginell, Ronald P.; Pluym, Tammy; Ward, Dan; Carroll, Malcom S.; Pioro-Ladrière, Michel

    Integration of cobalt micro-magnets on silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) quantum dot devices has been investigated. The micro-magnets are fabricated in a lift-off process with e-beam lithography and deposited directly on top of an etched poly-silicon gate stack. Among the five resist stacks tested, one is found to be compatible with our MOS specific materials (Si and SiO2) . Moreover, devices with and without additional Al2O3 insulating layer show no additional gate leakage after processing. Preliminary transport data indicates electrostatic stability of our devices with integrated magnets. This work was performed, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed-Martin Company, for the U. S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000.

  15. Evaluation of Anti-Inflammatory Drug-Conjugated Silicon Quantum Dots: Their Cytotoxicity and Biological Effect

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kenji Yamamoto

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Silicon quantum dots (Si-QDs have great potential for biomedical applications, including their use as biological fluorescent markers and carriers for drug delivery systems. Biologically inert Si-QDs are less toxic than conventional cadmium-based QDs, and can modify the surface of the Si-QD with covalent bond. We synthesized water-soluble alminoprofen-conjugated Si-QDs (Ap-Si. Alminoprofen is a non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID used as an analgesic for rheumatism. Our results showed that the “silicon drug” is less toxic than the control Si-QD and the original drug. These phenomena indicate that the condensed surface integration of ligand/receptor-type drugs might reduce the adverse interaction between the cells and drug molecules. In addition, the medicinal effect of the Si-QDs (i.e., the inhibition of COX-2 enzyme was maintained compared to that of the original drug. The same drug effect is related to the integration ratio of original drugs, which might control the binding interaction between COX-2 and the silicon drug. We conclude that drug conjugation with biocompatible Si-QDs is a potential method for functional pharmaceutical drug development.

  16. Quantum Control and Entanglement of Spins in Silicon Carbide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klimov, Paul

    Over the past several decades silicon carbide (SiC) has matured into a versatile material platform for high-power electronics and optoelectronic and micromechanical devices. Recent advances have also established SiC as a promising host for quantum technologies based on the spin of intrinsic defects, with the potential of leveraging existing device fabrication protocols alongside solid-state quantum control. Among these defects are the divacancies and related color centers, which have ground-state electron-spin triplets with coherence times as long as one millisecond and built-in optical interfaces operating near the telecommunication wavelengths. This rapidly developing field has prompted research into the SiC material host to understand how defect-bound electron spins interact with their surrounding nuclear spin bath. Although nuclear spins are a major source of decoherence in color-center spin systems, they are also a valuable resource since they can have coherence times that are orders of magnitude longer than electron spins. In this talk I will discuss our recent efforts to interface defect-bound electron spins in SiC with the nuclear spins of naturally occurring 29Si and 13C isotopic defects. I will discuss how the hyperfine interaction can be used to strongly initialize them, to coherently control them, to read them out, and to produce genuine electron-nuclear ensemble entanglement, all at ambient conditions. These demonstrations motivate further research into spins in SiC for prospective quantum technologies. In collaboration with A. Falk, D. Christle, K. Miao, H. Seo, V. Ivady, A. Gali, G. Galli, and D. D. Awschalom. This research was supported by the AFOSR, the NSF DMR-1306300, and the NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center.

  17. Graphene Quantum Dot Layers with Energy-Down-Shift Effect on Crystalline-Silicon Solar Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Kyung D; Park, Myung J; Kim, Do-Yeon; Kim, Soo M; Kang, Byungjun; Kim, Seongtak; Kim, Hyunho; Lee, Hae-Seok; Kang, Yoonmook; Yoon, Sam S; Hong, Byung H; Kim, Donghwan

    2015-09-02

    Graphene quantum dot (GQD) layers were deposited as an energy-down-shift layer on crystalline-silicon solar cell surfaces by kinetic spraying of GQD suspensions. A supersonic air jet was used to accelerate the GQDs onto the surfaces. Here, we report the coating results on a silicon substrate and the GQDs' application as an energy-down-shift layer in crystalline-silicon solar cells, which enhanced the power conversion efficiency (PCE). GQD layers deposited at nozzle scan speeds of 40, 30, 20, and 10 mm/s were evaluated after they were used to fabricate crystalline-silicon solar cells; the results indicate that GQDs play an important role in increasing the optical absorptivity of the cells. The short-circuit current density was enhanced by about 2.94% (0.9 mA/cm(2)) at 30 mm/s. Compared to a reference device without a GQD energy-down-shift layer, the PCE of p-type silicon solar cells was improved by 2.7% (0.4 percentage points).

  18. Planckian charged black holes in ultraviolet self-complete quantum gravity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicolini, Piero

    2018-03-01

    We present an analysis of the role of the charge within the self-complete quantum gravity paradigm. By studying the classicalization of generic ultraviolet improved charged black hole solutions around the Planck scale, we showed that the charge introduces important differences with respect to the neutral case. First, there exists a family of black hole parameters fulfilling the particle-black hole condition. Second, there is no extremal particle-black hole solution but quasi extremal charged particle-black holes at the best. We showed that the Hawking emission disrupts the condition of particle-black hole. By analyzing the Schwinger pair production mechanism, the charge is quickly shed and the particle-black hole condition can ultimately be restored in a cooling down phase towards a zero temperature configuration, provided non-classical effects are taken into account.

  19. Charge separation in branched TiO_2 nanorod array homojunction aroused by quantum effect for enhanced photocatalytic decomposition of gaseous benzene

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Xiaoxia; Ni, Qian; Zeng, Dawen; Liao, Guanglan; Xie, Changsheng

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Charge separation in homojunction based on the broadened band gap by quantum effect. • Absolute charge separation by the passivation effect of TiO_2 nanorod. • Long-distance electron transfer behavior in photocatalysis. • Roughed surface for enhanced light harvesting by light trapping effect. - Abstract: As known, the electron transfer behavior in photocatalysis is short-distance transportation, which leads the photo-induced electrons and holes to be localized. The temporarily separated electrons and holes will recombine with each other in the localized region. In this paper, we successfully achieved electron transfer in a homojunction of branched rutile TiO_2 nanorod @nanoparticle core-shell architecture by quantum confinement effect aroused by the nanoparticle, which is proved by the blue-shifting in UV–vis absorption spectrum of the homojunction. Meanwhile, an absolute charge separation is also achieved by the long-distance electron transfer along the single-crystalline rutile TiO_2 nanorod as uninterrupted high-speed electron transfer channel to FTO substrates. Based on the effective charge separation, the photocatalytic decomposition of gaseous benzene by the homojunction is significantly enhanced, yielding 10 times CO_2 than that of the nanorod array. This homojunction interfacial charge separation, aroused by quantum effect, through long-distance transfer along the single-crystalline nanorod gives us inspiration to achieve efficient charge separation with defect-less interfaces, which might can be utilized for real-time environmental abatement and energy generation simultaneously.

  20. Charge transport through DNA based electronic barriers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patil, Sunil R.; Chawda, Vivek; Qi, Jianqing; Anantram, M. P.; Sinha, Niraj

    2018-05-01

    We report charge transport in electronic 'barriers' constructed by sequence engineering in DNA. Considering the ionization potentials of Thymine-Adenine (AT) and Guanine-Cytosine (GC) base pairs, we treat AT as 'barriers'. The effect of DNA conformation (A and B form) on charge transport is also investigated. Particularly, the effect of width of 'barriers' on hole transport is investigated. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations are performed on energy minimized DNA structures to obtain the electronic Hamiltonian. The quantum transport calculations are performed using the Landauer-Buttiker framework. Our main findings are contrary to previous studies. We find that a longer A-DNA with more AT base pairs can conduct better than shorter A-DNA with a smaller number of AT base pairs. We also find that some sequences of A-DNA can conduct better than a corresponding B-DNA with the same sequence. The counterions mediated charge transport and long range interactions are speculated to be responsible for counter-intuitive length and AT content dependence of conductance of A-DNA.

  1. Contactless Spectral-dependent Charge Carrier Lifetime Measurements in Silicon Photovoltaic Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roller, John; Hamadani, Behrang; Dagenais, Mario

    Charge carrier lifetime measurements in bulk or unfinished photovoltaic (PV) materials allow for a more accurate estimate of power conversion efficiency in completed solar cells. In this work, carrier lifetimes in PV-grade silicon wafers are obtained by way of quasi-steady state photoconductance measurements. These measurements use a contactless RF system coupled with varying narrow spectrum input LEDs, ranging in wavelength from 460 nm to 1030 nm. Spectral dependent lifetime measurements allow for determination of bulk and surface properties of the material, including the intrinsic bulk lifetime and the surface recombination velocity. The effective lifetimes are fit to an analytical physics-based model to determine the desired parameters. Passivated and non-passivated samples are both studied and are shown to have good agreement with the theoretical model.

  2. Observation of quantum interference in molecular charge transport

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Guedon, Constant M.; Valkenier, Hennie; Markussen, Troels

    2012-01-01

    for such behaviour has been indirect. Here, we report the observation of destructive quantum interference in charge transport through two-terminal molecular junctions at room temperature. We studied five different rigid p-conjugated molecular wires, all of which form self-assembled monolayers on a gold surface......, and find that the degree of interference can be controlled by simple chemical modifications of the molecular wire....

  3. An Educational Kit Based On a Modular Silicon Photomultiplier System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caccia, Massimo; Chmill, Valery; Ebolese, Amedeo; Martemyanov, Alexander; Risigo, Fabio; Santoro, Romualdo; Locatelli, Marco; Pieracci, Maura; Tintori, Carlo

    2013-06-01

    Silicon Photo-Multipliers (SiPM) are state of the art light detectors with unprecedented single photon sensitivity and photon number resolving capability, representing a breakthrough in several fundamental and applied Science domains. An educational experiment based on a SiPM set-up is proposed in this article, guiding the student towards a comprehensive knowledge of this sensor technology while experiencing the quantum nature of light and exploring the statistical properties of the light pulses emitted by a LED. (authors)

  4. Harnessing Sun’s Energy with Quantum Dots Based Next Generation Solar Cell

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halim, Mohammad A.

    2012-01-01

    Our energy consumption relies heavily on the three components of fossil fuels (oil, natural gas and coal) and nearly 83% of our current energy is consumed from those sources. The use of fossil fuels, however, has been viewed as a major environmental threat because of their substantial contribution to greenhouse gases which are responsible for increasing the global average temperature. Last four decades, scientists have been searching for alternative sources of energy which need to be environmentally clean, efficient, cost-effective, renewable, and sustainable. One of the promising sustainable sources of energy can be achieved by harnessing sun energy through silicon wafer, organic polymer, inorganic dye, and quantum dots based solar cells. Among them, quantum dots have an exceptional property in that they can excite multiple electrons using only one photon. These dots can easily be synthesized, processed in solution, and incorporated into solar cell application. Interestingly, the quantum dots solar cells can exceed the Shockley-Queisser limit; however, it is a great challenge for other solar cell materials to exceed the limit. Theoretically, the quantum dots solar cell can boost the power conversion efficiency up to 66% and even higher to 80%. Moreover, in changing the size of the quantum dots one can utilize the Sun’s broad spectrum of visible and infrared ranges. This review briefly overviews the present performance of different materials-based solar cells including silicon wafer, dye-sensitized, and organic solar cells. In addition, recent advances of the quantum dots based solar cells which utilize cadmium sulfide/selenide, lead sulfide/selenide, and new carbon dots as light harvesting materials has been reviewed. A future outlook is sketched as to how one could improve the efficiency up to 10% from the current highest efficiency of 6.6%. PMID:28348320

  5. On the role of electron quantum tunneling in charging of dust grains in complex plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tyshetskiy, Yu.O.; Vladimirov, S.V.

    2011-01-01

    The aim of this work is calculate ion additional current associated with the quantum tunneling of plasma electrons, that are classically forbidden to overcome the repulsive potential barrier, onto the negatively charged grain. We compare this additional quantum tunneling current with the classical electron current from plasma onto the grain and analyze how this additional current affects the self-consistent equilibrium grain charge for different plasma parameters and grain sizes.

  6. Equilibrium charge fluctuations of a charge detector and its effect on a nearby quantum dot

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz-Tijerina, David; Vernek, Edson; Ulloa, Sergio

    2014-03-01

    We study the Kondo state of a spin-1/2 quantum dot (QD), in close proximity to a quantum point contact (QPC) charge detector near the conductance regime of the 0.7 anomaly. The electrostatic coupling between the QD and QPC introduces a remote gate on the QD level, which varies with the QPC gate voltage. Furthermore, models for the 0.7 anomaly [Y. Meir et al., PRL 89,196802(2002)] suggest that the QPC lodges a Kondo-screened level with charge-correlated hybridization, which may be also affected by capacitive coupling to the QD, giving rise to a competition between the two Kondo ground states. We model the QD-QPC system as two capacitively-coupled Kondo impurities, and explore the zero-bias transport of both the QD and the QPC for different local gate voltages and coupling strengths, using the numerical renormalization group and variational methods. We find that the capacitive coupling produces a remote gating effect, non-monotonic in the gate voltages, which reduces the gate voltage window for Kondo screening in either impurity, and which can also drive a quantum phase transition out of the Kondo regime. Our study is carried out for intermediate coupling strengths, and as such is highly relevant to experiments; particularly, to recent studies of decoherence effects on QDs. Supported by MWN/CIAM and NSF PIRE.

  7. Planckian charged black holes in ultraviolet self-complete quantum gravity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Piero Nicolini

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available We present an analysis of the role of the charge within the self-complete quantum gravity paradigm. By studying the classicalization of generic ultraviolet improved charged black hole solutions around the Planck scale, we showed that the charge introduces important differences with respect to the neutral case. First, there exists a family of black hole parameters fulfilling the particle-black hole condition. Second, there is no extremal particle-black hole solution but quasi extremal charged particle-black holes at the best. We showed that the Hawking emission disrupts the condition of particle-black hole. By analyzing the Schwinger pair production mechanism, the charge is quickly shed and the particle-black hole condition can ultimately be restored in a cooling down phase towards a zero temperature configuration, provided non-classical effects are taken into account.

  8. Optical pumping and negative luminescence polarization in charged GaAs quantum dots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shabaev, Andrew; Stinaff, Eric A.; Bracker, Allan S.; Gammon, Daniel; Efros, Alexander L.; Korenev, Vladimir L.; Merkulov, Igor

    2009-01-01

    Optical pumping of electron spins and negative photoluminescence polarization are observed when interface quantum dots in a GaAs quantum well are excited nonresonantly by circularly polarized light. Both observations can be explained by the formation of long-lived dark excitons through hole spin relaxation in the GaAs quantum well prior to exciton capture. In this model, optical pumping of resident electron spins is caused by capture of dark excitons and recombination in charged quantum dots. Negative polarization results from accumulation of dark excitons in the quantum well and is enhanced by optical pumping. The dark exciton model describes the experimental results very well, including intensity and bias dependence of the photoluminescence polarization and the Hanle effect.

  9. Lorentz invariance from classical particle paths in quantum field theory of electric and magnetic charge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brandt, R.A.; Neri, F.; Zwanziger, D.

    1979-01-01

    We establish the Lorentz invariance of the quantum field theory of electric and magnetic charge. This is a priori implausible because the theory is the second-quantized version of a classical field theory which is inconsistent if the minimally coupled charged fields are smooth functions. For our proof we express the generating functional for the gauge-invariant Green's functions of quantum electrodynamics: with or without magnetic charge: as a path integral over the trajectories of classical charged point particles. The electric-electric and electric-magnetic interactions contribute factors exp(JDJ) and exp(JD'K), where J and K are the electric and magnetic currents of classical point particles and D is the usual photon propagator. The propagator D' involves the Dirac string but exp(JD'K) depends on it only through a topological integer linking string and classical particle trajectories. The charge quantization condition e/sub i/g/sub j/ - g/sub i/e/sub j/ = integer then suffices to make the gauge-invariant Green's functions string independent. By implication our formulation shows that if the Green's functions of quantum electrodynamics are expressed as usual as functional integrals over classical charged fields, the smooth field configurations have measure zero and all the support of the Feynman measure lies on the trajectories of classical point particles

  10. Optical absorption in silicon layers in the presence of charge inversion/accumulation or ion implantation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alloatti, L.; Lauermann, M.; Koos, C.; Freude, W.; Sürgers, C.; Leuthold, J.

    2013-01-01

    We determine the optical losses in gate-induced charge accumulation/inversion layers at a Si/SiO 2 interface. Comparison between gate-induced charge layers and ion-implanted thin silicon films having an identical sheet resistance shows that optical losses can be significantly lower for gate-induced layers. For a given sheet resistance, holes produce higher optical loss than electrons. Measurements have been performed at λ = 1550 nm

  11. Quantum computing with acceptor spins in silicon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salfi, Joe; Tong, Mengyang; Rogge, Sven; Culcer, Dimitrie

    2016-06-17

    The states of a boron acceptor near a Si/SiO2 interface, which bind two low-energy Kramers pairs, have exceptional properties for encoding quantum information and, with the aid of strain, both heavy hole and light hole-based spin qubits can be designed. Whereas a light-hole spin qubit was introduced recently (arXiv:1508.04259), here we present analytical and numerical results proving that a heavy-hole spin qubit can be reliably initialised, rotated and entangled by electrical means alone. This is due to strong Rashba-like spin-orbit interaction terms enabled by the interface inversion asymmetry. Single qubit rotations rely on electric-dipole spin resonance (EDSR), which is strongly enhanced by interface-induced spin-orbit terms. Entanglement can be accomplished by Coulomb exchange, coupling to a resonator, or spin-orbit induced dipole-dipole interactions. By analysing the qubit sensitivity to charge noise, we demonstrate that interface-induced spin-orbit terms are responsible for sweet spots in the dephasing time [Formula: see text] as a function of the top gate electric field, which are close to maxima in the EDSR strength, where the EDSR gate has high fidelity. We show that both qubits can be described using the same starting Hamiltonian, and by comparing their properties we show that the complex interplay of bulk and interface-induced spin-orbit terms allows a high degree of electrical control and makes acceptors potential candidates for scalable quantum computation in Si.

  12. Single molecule localization imaging of exosomes using blinking silicon quantum dots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zong, Shenfei; Zong, Junzhu; Chen, Chen; Jiang, Xiaoyue; Zhang, Yizhi; Wang, Zhuyuan; Cui, Yiping

    2018-02-01

    Discovering new fluorophores, which are suitable for single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) is important for promoting the applications of SMLM in biological or material sciences. Here, we found that silicon quantum dots (Si QDs) possess a fluorescence blinking behavior, making them an excellent candidate for SMLM. The Si QDs are fabricated using a facile microwave-assisted method. Blinking of Si QDs is confirmed by single particle fluorescence measurement and the spatial resolution achieved is about 30 nm. To explore the potential application of Si QDs as the nanoprobes for SMLM imaging, cell derived exosomes are chosen as the object owing to their small size (50-100 nm in diameter). Since CD63 is commonly presented on the membrane of exosomes, CD63 aptamers are attached to the surface of Si QDs to form nanoprobes which can specifically recognize exosomes. SMLM imaging shows that Si QDs based nanoprobes can indeed realize super resolved optical imaging of exosomes. More importantly, blinking of Si QDs is observed in water or PBS buffer with no need for special imaging buffers. Besides, considering that silicon is highly biocompatible, Si QDs should have minimal cytotoxicity. These features make Si QDs quite suitable for SMLM applications especially for live cell imaging.

  13. Quantum phases for a charged particle and electric/magnetic dipole in an electromagnetic field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kholmetskii, Alexander; Yarman, Tolga

    2017-11-01

    We point out that the known quantum phases for an electric/magnetic dipole moving in an electromagnetic field must be composed from more fundamental quantum phases emerging for moving elementary charges. Using this idea, we have found two new fundamental quantum phases, next to the known magnetic and electric Aharonov-Bohm phases, and discuss their general properties and physical meaning.

  14. Charge separation in branched TiO{sub 2} nanorod array homojunction aroused by quantum effect for enhanced photocatalytic decomposition of gaseous benzene

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Xiaoxia [State Key Laboratory of Materials and Processing Die & Mould Technology, Nanomaterials and Smart Sensors Research Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1037, Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074 (China); Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Organic Chemical Materials, Wuhan 430062 (China); Ni, Qian [State Key Laboratory of Materials and Processing Die & Mould Technology, Nanomaterials and Smart Sensors Research Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1037, Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074 (China); Zeng, Dawen, E-mail: dwzeng@mail.hust.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Materials and Processing Die & Mould Technology, Nanomaterials and Smart Sensors Research Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1037, Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074 (China); Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Organic Chemical Materials, Wuhan 430062 (China); Liao, Guanglan [State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1037, Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074 (China); Xie, Changsheng [State Key Laboratory of Materials and Processing Die & Mould Technology, Nanomaterials and Smart Sensors Research Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1037, Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074 (China)

    2016-12-15

    Highlights: • Charge separation in homojunction based on the broadened band gap by quantum effect. • Absolute charge separation by the passivation effect of TiO{sub 2} nanorod. • Long-distance electron transfer behavior in photocatalysis. • Roughed surface for enhanced light harvesting by light trapping effect. - Abstract: As known, the electron transfer behavior in photocatalysis is short-distance transportation, which leads the photo-induced electrons and holes to be localized. The temporarily separated electrons and holes will recombine with each other in the localized region. In this paper, we successfully achieved electron transfer in a homojunction of branched rutile TiO{sub 2} nanorod @nanoparticle core-shell architecture by quantum confinement effect aroused by the nanoparticle, which is proved by the blue-shifting in UV–vis absorption spectrum of the homojunction. Meanwhile, an absolute charge separation is also achieved by the long-distance electron transfer along the single-crystalline rutile TiO{sub 2} nanorod as uninterrupted high-speed electron transfer channel to FTO substrates. Based on the effective charge separation, the photocatalytic decomposition of gaseous benzene by the homojunction is significantly enhanced, yielding 10 times CO{sub 2} than that of the nanorod array. This homojunction interfacial charge separation, aroused by quantum effect, through long-distance transfer along the single-crystalline nanorod gives us inspiration to achieve efficient charge separation with defect-less interfaces, which might can be utilized for real-time environmental abatement and energy generation simultaneously.

  15. The effect of silicon crystallographic orientation on the formation of silicon nanoclusters during anodic electrochemical etching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Timokhov, D. F.; Timokhov, F. P.

    2009-01-01

    Possible ways for increasing the photoluminescence quantum yield of porous silicon layers have been investigated. The effect of the anodization parameters on the photoluminescence properties for porous silicon layers formed on silicon substrates with different crystallographic orientations was studied. The average diameters for silicon nanoclusters are calculated from the photoluminescence spectra of porous silicon. The influence of the substrate crystallographic orientation on the photoluminescence quantum yield of porous silicon is revealed. A model explaining the effect of the substrate orientation on the photoluminescence properties for the porous silicon layers formed by anode electrochemical etching is proposed.

  16. Comparison of confinement characters between porous silicon and silicon nanowires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tit, Nacir; Yamani, Zain H.; Pizzi, Giovanni; Virgilio, Michele

    2011-01-01

    Confinement character and its effects on photoluminescence (PL) properties are theoretically investigated and compared between porous silicon (p-Si) and silicon nanowires (Si-NWs). The method is based on the application of the tight-binding technique using the minimal sp 3 -basis set, including the second-nearest-neighbor interactions. The results show that the quantum confinement (QC) is not entirely controlled by the porosity, rather it is mainly affected by the average distance between pores (d). The p-Si is found to exhibit weaker confinement character than Si-NWs. The confinement energy of charge carriers decays against d exponentially for p-Si and via a power-law for Si-NWs. This latter type of QC is much stronger and is somewhat similar to the case of a single particle in a quantum box. The excellent fit to the PL data demonstrates that the experimental samples of p-Si do exhibit strong QC character and thus reveals the possibility of silicon clustering into nano-crystals and/or nanowires. Furthermore, the results show that the passivation of the surface dangling bonds by the hydrogen atoms plays an essential role in preventing the appearance of gap states and consequently enhances the optical qualities of the produced structures. The oscillator strength (OS) is found to increase exponentially with energy in Si-NWs confirming the strong confinement character of carriers. Our theoretical findings suggest the existence of Si nanocrystals (Si-NCs) of sizes 1-3 nm and/or Si-NWs of cross-sectional sizes in the 1-3 nm range inside the experimental p-Si samples. The experimentally-observed strong photoluminescence from p-Si should be in favor of an exhibition of 3D-confinement character. The favorable comparison of our theoretical results with the experimental data consolidates our above claims. -- Highlights: → Tight-binding is used to study quantum-confinement (QC) effects in p-Si and Si-NWs. → QC is not entirely controlled by the porosity but also by the d

  17. Signal development in irradiated silicon detectors

    CERN Document Server

    Kramberger, Gregor; Mikuz, Marko

    2001-01-01

    This work provides a detailed study of signal formation in silicon detectors, with the emphasis on detectors with high concentration of irradiation induced defects in the lattice. These defects give rise to deep energy levels in the band gap. As a consequence, the current induced by charge motion in silicon detectors is signifcantly altered. Within the framework of the study a new experimental method, Charge correction method, based on transient current technique (TCT) was proposed for determination of effective electron and hole trapping times in irradiated silicon detectors. Effective carrier trapping times were determined in numerous silicon pad detectors irradiated with neutrons, pions and protons. Studied detectors were fabricated on oxygenated and non-oxygenated silicon wafers with different bulk resistivities. Measured effective carrier trapping times were found to be inversely proportional to fuence and increase with temperature. No dependence on silicon resistivity and oxygen concentration was observ...

  18. Ultra-fast silicon detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sadrozinski, H. F.-W., E-mail: hartmut@scipp.ucsc.edu [Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Ely, S.; Fadeyev, V.; Galloway, Z.; Ngo, J.; Parker, C.; Petersen, B.; Seiden, A.; Zatserklyaniy, A. [Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Cartiglia, N.; Marchetto, F. [INFN Torino, Torino (Italy); Bruzzi, M.; Mori, R.; Scaringella, M.; Vinattieri, A. [University of Florence, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze (Italy)

    2013-12-01

    We propose to develop a fast, thin silicon sensor with gain capable to concurrently measure with high precision the space (∼10 μm) and time (∼10 ps) coordinates of a particle. This will open up new application of silicon detector systems in many fields. Our analysis of detector properties indicates that it is possible to improve the timing characteristics of silicon-based tracking sensors, which already have sufficient position resolution, to achieve four-dimensional high-precision measurements. The basic sensor characteristics and the expected performance are listed, the wide field of applications are mentioned and the required R and D topics are discussed. -- Highlights: •We are proposing thin pixel silicon sensors with 10's of picoseconds time resolution. •Fast charge collection is coupled with internal charge multiplication. •The truly 4-D sensors will revolutionize imaging and particle counting in many applications.

  19. Charge reconstruction of the DAMPE Silicon-Tungsten Tracker: A preliminary study with ion beams

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiao, Rui; Peng, Wen-Xi; Guo, Dong-Ya; Zhao, Hao; Wang, Huan-Yu; Gong, Ke; Zhang, Fei; Wu, Xin; Azzarello, Phillip; Tykhonov, Andrii; Asfandiyarov, Ruslan; Gallo, Valentina; Ambrosi, Giovanni

    2018-04-01

    The DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is one of the four satellites within Strategic Pioneer Research Program in Space Science of the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS). DAMPE can detect electrons, photons in a wide energy range (5 GeV to 10 TeV) and ions up to iron (100 GeV to 100 TeV). The silicon-Tungsten Tracker (STK) is one of the four subdetectors in DAMPE, providing photon-electron conversion, track reconstruction and charge identification for ions. An ion beam test was carried out in CERN with 60 GeV/u Lead primary beams. Charge reconstruction and charge resolution of the STK detectors were investigated.

  20. arXiv Charge reconstruction study of the DAMPE Silicon-Tungsten Tracker with ion beams

    CERN Document Server

    Qiao, Rui; Guo, Dong-Ya; Zhao, Hao; Wang, Huan-Yu; Gong, Ke; Zhang, Fei; Wu, Xin; Azzarello, Phillip; Tykhonov, Andrii; Asfandiyarov, Ruslan; Gallo, Valentina; Ambrosi, Giovanni; Mazziotta, Nicola; De Mitri, Ivan

    The DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is one of the four satellites within Strategic Pioneer Research Program in Space Science of the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS). DAMPE can detect electrons, photons in a wide energy range (5 GeV to 10 TeV) and ions up to iron (100GeV to 100 TeV). Silicon-Tungsten Tracker (STK) is one of the four subdetectors in DAMPE, providing photon-electron conversion, track reconstruction and charge identification for ions. Ion beam test was carried out in CERN with 60GeV/u Lead primary beams. Charge reconstruction and charge resolution of STK detectors were investigated.

  1. Measuring Charge Carrier Diffusion in Coupled Colloidal Quantum Dot Solids

    KAUST Repository

    Zhitomirsky, David

    2013-06-25

    Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are attractive materials for inexpensive, room-temperature-, and solution-processed optoelectronic devices. A high carrier diffusion length is desirable for many CQD device applications. In this work we develop two new experimental methods to investigate charge carrier diffusion in coupled CQD solids under charge-neutral, i.e., undepleted, conditions. The methods take advantage of the quantum-size-effect tunability of our materials, utilizing a smaller-bandgap population of quantum dots as a reporter system. We develop analytical models of diffusion in 1D and 3D structures that allow direct extraction of diffusion length from convenient parametric plots and purely optical measurements. We measure several CQD solids fabricated using a number of distinct methods and having significantly different doping and surface ligand treatments. We find that CQD materials recently reported to achieve a certified power conversion efficiency of 7% with hybrid organic-inorganic passivation have a diffusion length of 80 ± 10 nm. The model further allows us to extract the lifetime, trap density, mobility, and diffusion coefficient independently in each material system. This work will facilitate further progress in extending the diffusion length, ultimately leading to high-quality CQD solid semiconducting materials and improved CQD optoelectronic devices, including CQD solar cells. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

  2. Photosynthesis Revisited: Optimization of Charge and Energy Transfer in Quantum Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gabor, Nathaniel

    2014-03-01

    The integration of new nano- and molecular-scale quantum materials into ultra-efficient energy harvesting devices presents significant scientific challenges. Of the many challenges, the most difficult is achieving high photon-to-electron conversion efficiency while maintaining broadband absorption. Due to exciton effects, devices composed of quantum materials may allow near-unity optical absorption efficiency yet require the choice of precisely one fundamental energy (HOMO-LUMO gap). To maximize absorption, the simplest device would absorb at the peak of the solar spectrum, which spans the visible wavelengths. If the peak of the solar spectrum spans the visible wavelengths, then why are terrestrial plants green? Here, I discuss a physical model of photosynthetic absorption and photoprotection in which the cell utilizes active feedback to optimize charge and energy transfer, thus maximizing stored energy rather than absorption. This model, which addresses the question of terrestrial greenness, is supported by several recent results that have begun to unravel the details of photoprotection in higher plants. More importantly, this model indicates a novel route for the design of next-generation energy harvesting systems based on nano- and molecular-scale quantum materials.

  3. Single-electron regime and Pauli spin blockade in a silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor double quantum dot

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rochette, Sophie; Ten Eyck, Gregory A.; Pluym, Tammy; Lilly, Michael P.; Carroll, Malcolm S.; Pioro-Ladrière, Michel

    2015-03-01

    Silicon quantum dots are promising candidates for quantum information processing as spin qubits with long coherence time. We present electrical transport measurements on a silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) double quantum dot (DQD). First, Coulomb diamonds measurements demonstrate the one-electron regime at a relatively high temperature of 1.5 K. Then, the 8 mK stability diagram shows Pauli spin blockade with a large singlet-triplet separation of approximatively 0.40 meV, pointing towards a strong lifting of the valley degeneracy. Finally, numerical simulations indicate that by integrating a micro-magnet to those devices, we could achieve fast spin rotations of the order of 30 ns. Those results are part of the recent body of work demonstrating the potential of Si MOS DQD as reliable and long-lived spin qubits that could be ultimately integrated into modern electronic facilities. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

  4. Quantum charged rigid membrane

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cordero, Ruben [Departamento de Fisica, Escuela Superior de Fisica y Matematicas del I.P.N., Unidad Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Edificio 9, 07738 Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Molgado, Alberto [Unidad Academica de Fisica, Universidad Autonoma de Zacatecas, Zacatecas Zac. (Mexico); Rojas, Efrain, E-mail: cordero@esfm.ipn.mx, E-mail: amolgado@fisica.uaz.edu.mx, E-mail: efrojas@uv.mx [Departamento de Fisica, Facultad de Fisica e Inteligencia Artificial, Universidad Veracruzana, 91000 Xalapa, Veracruz (Mexico)

    2011-03-21

    The early Dirac proposal to model the electron as a charged membrane is reviewed. A rigidity term, instead of the natural membrane tension, involving linearly the extrinsic curvature of the worldvolume swept out by the membrane is considered in the action modeling the bubble in the presence of an electromagnetic field. We set up this model as a genuine second-order derivative theory by considering a non-trivial boundary term which plays a relevant part in our formulation. The Lagrangian in question is linear in the bubble acceleration and by means of the Ostrogradski-Hamiltonian approach, we observed that the theory comprises the management of both first- and second-class constraints. We thus show that our second-order approach is robust allowing for a proper quantization. We found an effective quantum potential which permits us to compute bounded states for the system. We comment on the possibility of describing brane world universes by invoking this kind of second-order correction terms.

  5. Quantum charged rigid membrane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cordero, Ruben; Molgado, Alberto; Rojas, Efrain

    2011-01-01

    The early Dirac proposal to model the electron as a charged membrane is reviewed. A rigidity term, instead of the natural membrane tension, involving linearly the extrinsic curvature of the worldvolume swept out by the membrane is considered in the action modeling the bubble in the presence of an electromagnetic field. We set up this model as a genuine second-order derivative theory by considering a non-trivial boundary term which plays a relevant part in our formulation. The Lagrangian in question is linear in the bubble acceleration and by means of the Ostrogradski-Hamiltonian approach, we observed that the theory comprises the management of both first- and second-class constraints. We thus show that our second-order approach is robust allowing for a proper quantization. We found an effective quantum potential which permits us to compute bounded states for the system. We comment on the possibility of describing brane world universes by invoking this kind of second-order correction terms.

  6. Superposition Principle in Auger Recombination of Charged and Neutral Multicarrier States in Semiconductor Quantum Dots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Kaifeng; Lim, Jaehoon; Klimov, Victor I

    2017-08-22

    Application of colloidal semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) in optical and optoelectronic devices is often complicated by unintentional generation of extra charges, which opens fast nonradiative Auger recombination pathways whereby the recombination energy of an exciton is quickly transferred to the extra carrier(s) and ultimately dissipated as heat. Previous studies of Auger recombination have primarily focused on neutral and, more recently, negatively charged multicarrier states. Auger dynamics of positively charged species remains more poorly explored due to difficulties in creating, stabilizing, and detecting excess holes in the QDs. Here we apply photochemical doping to prepare both negatively and positively charged CdSe/CdS QDs with two distinct core/shell interfacial profiles ("sharp" versus "smooth"). Using neutral and charged QD samples we evaluate Auger lifetimes of biexcitons, negative and positive trions (an exciton with an extra electron or a hole, respectively), and multiply negatively charged excitons. Using these measurements, we demonstrate that Auger decay of both neutral and charged multicarrier states can be presented as a superposition of independent elementary three-particle Auger events. As one of the manifestations of the superposition principle, we observe that the biexciton Auger decay rate can be presented as a sum of the Auger rates for independent negative and positive trion pathways. By comparing the measurements on the QDs with the "sharp" versus "smooth" interfaces, we also find that while affecting the absolute values of Auger lifetimes, manipulation of the shape of the confinement potential does not lead to violation of the superposition principle, which still allows us to accurately predict the biexciton Auger lifetimes based on the measured negative and positive trion dynamics. These findings indicate considerable robustness of the superposition principle as applied to Auger decay of charged and neutral multicarrier states

  7. Determination of the elementary charge and the quantum metrological triangle experiment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Feltin, N.; Piquemal, F. [Laboratoire National de Metrologie et d' Essais (LNE), 78 - Trappes (France)

    2009-06-15

    The elementary charge e is of fundamental importance in physics. The determination of its value, which is closely linked to progress of the measurement techniques, started in the beginning of the twentieth century and is still on-going. Today, in the frame of the CODATA adjustment, the evaluation of the fundamental constant, e, is derived from a complex calculation and is no more related to a single experiment. But the development of single electron tunneling (SET) devices, started in the early nineties, has opened the path towards modern metrological systems as quantum current sources. Thus a new direct determination of e is possible by implementing an electron pump and the set-up of the quantum metrological triangle (QMT) in combination with the experiments linking mechanical and electrical units. Furthermore, we show how the QMT experiment can contribute to the establishment of a new system of units based on fundamental constants of physics. (authors)

  8. Quantum information transfer between topological and conventional charge qubits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Jun; Zou Yan

    2016-01-01

    We propose a scheme to realize coherent quantum information transfer between topological and conventional charge qubits. We first consider a hybrid system where a quantum dot (QD) is tunnel-coupled to a semiconductor Majorana-hosted nanowire (MNW) via using gated control as a switch, the information encoded in the superposition state of electron empty and occupied state can be transferred to each other through choosing the proper interaction time to make measurements. Then we consider another system including a double QDs and a pair of parallel MNWs, it is shown that the entanglement information transfer can be realized between the two kinds of systems. We also realize long distance quantum information transfer between two quantum dots separated by an MNW, by making use of the nonlocal fermionic level formed with the pared Majorana feimions (MFs) emerging at the two ends of the MNW. Furthermore, we analyze the teleportationlike electron transfer phenomenon predicted by Tewari et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 027001 (2008)] in our considered system. Interestingly, we find that this phenomenon exactly corresponds to the case that the information encoded in one QD just returns back to its original place during the dynamical evolution of the combined system from the perspective of quantum state transfer. (paper)

  9. Tunable quantum criticality and super-ballistic transport in a "charge" Kondo circuit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iftikhar, Z; Anthore, A; Mitchell, A K; Parmentier, F D; Gennser, U; Ouerghi, A; Cavanna, A; Mora, C; Simon, P; Pierre, F

    2018-05-03

    Quantum phase transitions (QPTs) are ubiquitous in strongly-correlated materials. However the microscopic complexity of these systems impedes the quantitative understanding of QPTs. Here, we observe and thoroughly analyze the rich strongly-correlated physics in two profoundly dissimilar regimes of quantum criticality. With a circuit implementing a quantum simulator for the three-channel Kondo model, we reveal the universal scalings toward different low-temperature fixed points and along the multiple crossovers from quantum criticality. Notably, an unanticipated violation of the maximum conductance for ballistic free electrons is uncovered. The present charge pseudospin implementation of a Kondo impurity opens access to a broad variety of strongly-correlated phenomena. Copyright © 2018, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  10. InAs quantum dots as charge storing elements for applications in flash memory devices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Islam, Sk Masiul; Biswas, Pranab [Materials Science Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721 302 (India); Banerji, P., E-mail: pallab@matsc.iitkgp.ernet.in [Materials Science Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721 302 (India); Chakraborty, S. [Applied Materials Science Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF Bidhannagar, Sector-I, Kolkata 700 064 (India)

    2015-08-15

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Catalyst-free growth of InAs quantum dots was carried out on high-k ZrO{sub 2}. • Memory device with InAs quantum dots as charge storage nodes are fabricated. • Superior memory window, low leakage and reasonably good retention were observed. • Carrier transport phenomena are explained in both program and erase operations. - Abstract: InAs quantum dots (QDs) were grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition technique to use them as charge storage nodes. Uniform QDs were formed with average diameter 5 nm and height 5–10 nm with a density of 2 × 10{sup 11} cm{sup −2}. The QDs were grown on high-k dielectric layer (ZrO{sub 2}), which was deposited onto ultra-thin GaP passivated p-GaAs (1 0 0) substrate. A charge storage device with the structure Metal/ZrO{sub 2}/InAs QDs/ZrO{sub 2}/(GaP)GaAs/Metal was fabricated. The devices containing InAs QDs exhibit superior memory window, low leakage current density along with reasonably good charge retention. A suitable electronic band diagram corresponding to programming and erasing operations was proposed to explain the operation.

  11. Formation and photoluminescence of "Cauliflower" silicon nanoparticles

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tang, W.; Eilers, J.J.; Huis, van M.A.; Wang, D.; Schropp, R.E.I.; Vece, Di M.

    2015-01-01

    The technological advantages of silicon make silicon nanoparticles, which can be used as quantum dots in a tandem configuration, highly relevant for photovoltaics. However, producing a silicon quantum dot solar cell structure remains a challenge. Here we use a gas aggregation cluster source to

  12. Study of the detective quantum efficiency for the kinestatic charge detector as a megavoltage imaging device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samant, Sanjiv S.; Gopal, Arun; DiBianca, Frank A.

    2003-06-01

    Megavoltage x-ray imaging suffers from relatively poor contrast and spatial resolution compared to diagnostic kilovoltage x-ray imaging due to the dominant Compton scattering in the former. Recently available amorphous silicon/selenium based flat-panel imagers overcome many of the limitations of poor contrast and spatial resolution that affect conventional video based electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs). An alternative technology is presented here: kinestatic charge detection (KCD). The KCD uses a slot photon beam, high-pressure gas (xenon, 100 atm) and a multi-ion rectangular chamber in scanning mode. An electric field is used to regulate the cation drift velocity. By matching the scanning speed with that of the cation drift, the cations remain static in the object frame of reference, allowing temporal integration of the signal. KCD imaging is characterized by reduced scatter and a high signal-to-noise ratio. Measurements and Monte Carlo simulations of modulation transfer function (MTF), noise power spectrum (NPS) and the detective quantum efficiency (DQE) of a prototype small field of view KCD detector (384 channels, 0.5 mm spacing) were carried out. Measurements yield DQE[0]=0.19 and DQE[0.5cy/mm]=0.01. KCD imaging is compared to film and commercial EPID systems using phantoms, with the KCD requiring an extremely low dose (0.1 cGy) per image. A proposed cylindrical chamber design with a higher ion-collection depth is expected to further improve image quality (DQE[0]>0.25).

  13. Selective contacts drive charge extraction in quantum dot solids via asymmetry in carrier transfer kinetics

    KAUST Repository

    Mora-Sero, Ivan; Bertoluzzi, Luca; Gonzalez-Pedro, Victoria; Gimenez, Sixto; Fabregat-Santiago, Francisco; Kemp, Kyle W.; Sargent, Edward H.; Bisquert, Juan

    2013-01-01

    Colloidal quantum dot solar cells achieve spectrally selective optical absorption in a thin layer of solution-processed, size-effect tuned, nanoparticles. The best devices built to date have relied heavily on drift-based transport due to the action of an electric field in a depletion region that extends throughout the thickness of the quantum dot layer. Here we study for the first time the behaviour of the best-performing class of colloidal quantum dot films in the absence of an electric field, by screening using an electrolyte. We find that the action of selective contacts on photovoltage sign and amplitude can be retained, implying that the contacts operate by kinetic preferences of charge transfer for either electrons or holes. We develop a theoretical model to explain these experimental findings. The work is the first to present a switch in the photovoltage in colloidal quantum dot solar cells by purposefully formed selective contacts, opening the way to new strategies in the engineering of colloidal quantum dot solar cells. © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

  14. Selective contacts drive charge extraction in quantum dot solids via asymmetry in carrier transfer kinetics

    KAUST Repository

    Mora-Sero, Ivan

    2013-08-12

    Colloidal quantum dot solar cells achieve spectrally selective optical absorption in a thin layer of solution-processed, size-effect tuned, nanoparticles. The best devices built to date have relied heavily on drift-based transport due to the action of an electric field in a depletion region that extends throughout the thickness of the quantum dot layer. Here we study for the first time the behaviour of the best-performing class of colloidal quantum dot films in the absence of an electric field, by screening using an electrolyte. We find that the action of selective contacts on photovoltage sign and amplitude can be retained, implying that the contacts operate by kinetic preferences of charge transfer for either electrons or holes. We develop a theoretical model to explain these experimental findings. The work is the first to present a switch in the photovoltage in colloidal quantum dot solar cells by purposefully formed selective contacts, opening the way to new strategies in the engineering of colloidal quantum dot solar cells. © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

  15. Noether charges for self-interacting quantum field theories in curved spacetimes with a Killing-vector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hollands, S.

    2001-01-01

    We consider a self-interacting, perturbative Klein-Gordon quantum field in a curved spacetime admitting a Killing vector field. We show that the action of this spacetime symmetry on interacting field operators can be implemented by a Noether charge which arises, in a certain sense, as a surface integral over the time-component of some interacting Noether current-density associated with the Killing field. The proof of this involves the demonstration of a corresponding set of Ward identities. Our work is based on the perturbative construction by Brunetti and Fredenhagen (Commun. Math. Phys. 208 (2000) 623-661) of self-interacting quantum field theories in general globally hyperbolic spacetimes. (orig.)

  16. Droop-free AlxGa1-xN/AlyGa1-yN quantum-disks-in-nanowires ultraviolet LED emitting at 337 nm on metal/silicon substrates

    KAUST Repository

    Janjua, Bilal

    2017-01-18

    Currently the AlGaN-based ultraviolet (UV) solid-state lighting research suffers from numerous challenges. In particular, low internal quantum efficiency, low extraction efficiency, inefficient doping, large polarization fields, and high dislocation density epitaxy constitute bottlenecks in realizing high power devices. Despite the clear advantage of quantum-confinement nanostructure, it has not been widely utilized in AlGaN-based nanowires. Here we utilize the self-assembled nanowires (NWs) with embedding quantum-disks (Qdisks) to mitigate these issues, and achieve UV emission of 337 nm at 32 A/cm (80 mA in 0.5 × 0.5 mm device), a turn-on voltage of ∼5.5 V and droop-free behavior up to 120 A/cm of injection current. The device was grown on a titanium-coated n-type silicon substrate, to improve current injection and heat dissipation. A narrow linewidth of 11.7 nm in the electroluminescence spectrum and a strong wavefunctions overlap factor of 42% confirm strong quantum confinement within uniformly formed AlGaN/AlGaN Qdisks, verified using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The nitride-based UV nanowires light-emitting diodes (NWs-LEDs) grown on low cost and scalable metal/silicon template substrate, offers a scalable, environment friendly and low cost solution for numerous applications, such as solid-state lighting, spectroscopy, medical science and security.

  17. Droop-free AlxGa1-xN/AlyGa1-yN quantum-disks-in-nanowires ultraviolet LED emitting at 337 nm on metal/silicon substrates

    KAUST Repository

    Janjua, Bilal; Sun, Haiding; Zhao, Chao; Anjum, Dalaver H.; Priante, Davide; Alhamoud, Abdullah A.; Wu, Feng-Yu; Li, Xiaohang; Albadri, Abdulrahman M.; Alyamani, Ahmed Y.; El-Desouki, Munir M.; Ng, Tien Khee; Ooi, Boon S.

    2017-01-01

    Currently the AlGaN-based ultraviolet (UV) solid-state lighting research suffers from numerous challenges. In particular, low internal quantum efficiency, low extraction efficiency, inefficient doping, large polarization fields, and high dislocation density epitaxy constitute bottlenecks in realizing high power devices. Despite the clear advantage of quantum-confinement nanostructure, it has not been widely utilized in AlGaN-based nanowires. Here we utilize the self-assembled nanowires (NWs) with embedding quantum-disks (Qdisks) to mitigate these issues, and achieve UV emission of 337 nm at 32 A/cm (80 mA in 0.5 × 0.5 mm device), a turn-on voltage of ∼5.5 V and droop-free behavior up to 120 A/cm of injection current. The device was grown on a titanium-coated n-type silicon substrate, to improve current injection and heat dissipation. A narrow linewidth of 11.7 nm in the electroluminescence spectrum and a strong wavefunctions overlap factor of 42% confirm strong quantum confinement within uniformly formed AlGaN/AlGaN Qdisks, verified using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The nitride-based UV nanowires light-emitting diodes (NWs-LEDs) grown on low cost and scalable metal/silicon template substrate, offers a scalable, environment friendly and low cost solution for numerous applications, such as solid-state lighting, spectroscopy, medical science and security.

  18. Dynamics of charge and spin excitations in InGaAs/GaAs quantum dots

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Campbell-Ricketts, T.E.J.

    2011-01-01

    Semiconductor quantum dots are objects with dimensions of a few to a few tens of nanometers. Confinement on such a small scale, of the order of the electron de Broglie wavelength, confers upon the charge carriers inside quantum dots a discrete energy spectrum. These atomic-like energy levels give

  19. Performance of silicon pad detectors after mixed irradiations with neutrons and fast charged hadrons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kramberger, G. [Jozef Stefan Institute, Department of Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia)], E-mail: Gregor.Kramberger@ijs.si; Cindro, V.; Dolenc, I.; Mandic, I.; Mikuz, M.; Zavrtanik, M. [Jozef Stefan Institute, Department of Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia)

    2009-10-11

    A large set of silicon pad detectors produced on MCz and FZ wafer of p- and n-type was irradiated in two steps, first by fast charged hadrons followed by reactor neutrons. In this way the irradiations resemble the real irradiation fields at LHC. After irradiations controlled annealing started in steps during which the evolution of full depletion voltage, leakage current and charge collection efficiency was monitored. The damage introduced by different irradiation particles was found to be additive. The most striking consequence of that is a decrease of the full depletion voltage for n-type MCz detectors after additional neutron irradiation. This confirms that effective donors introduced by charged hadron irradiation are compensated by acceptors from neutron irradiation.

  20. Performance of silicon pad detectors after mixed irradiations with neutrons and fast charged hadrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kramberger, G.; Cindro, V.; Dolenc, I.; Mandic, I.; Mikuz, M.; Zavrtanik, M.

    2009-01-01

    A large set of silicon pad detectors produced on MCz and FZ wafer of p- and n-type was irradiated in two steps, first by fast charged hadrons followed by reactor neutrons. In this way the irradiations resemble the real irradiation fields at LHC. After irradiations controlled annealing started in steps during which the evolution of full depletion voltage, leakage current and charge collection efficiency was monitored. The damage introduced by different irradiation particles was found to be additive. The most striking consequence of that is a decrease of the full depletion voltage for n-type MCz detectors after additional neutron irradiation. This confirms that effective donors introduced by charged hadron irradiation are compensated by acceptors from neutron irradiation.

  1. Intermixing of InGaAs/GaAs quantum wells and quantum dots using sputter-deposited silicon oxynitride capping layers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKerracher, Ian; Fu Lan; Hoe Tan, Hark; Jagadish, Chennupati

    2012-01-01

    Various approaches can be used to selectively control the amount of intermixing in III-V quantum well and quantum dot structures. Impurity-free vacancy disordering is one technique that is favored for its simplicity, however this mechanism is sensitive to many experimental parameters. In this study, a series of silicon oxynitride capping layers have been used in the intermixing of InGaAs/GaAs quantum well and quantum dot structures. These thin films were deposited by sputter deposition in order to minimize the incorporation of hydrogen, which has been reported to influence impurity-free vacancy disordering. The degree of intermixing was probed by photoluminescence spectroscopy and this is discussed with respect to the properties of the SiO x N y films. This work was also designed to monitor any additional intermixing that might be attributed to the sputtering process. In addition, the high-temperature stress is known to affect the group-III vacancy concentration, which is central to the intermixing process. This stress was directly measured and the experimental values are compared with an elastic-deformation model.

  2. Charge losses in silicon sensors and electric-field studies at the Si-SiO2 interface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poehlsen, Thomas

    2013-07-01

    Electric fields and charge losses in silicon sensors before and after irradiation with x-rays, protons, neutrons or mixed irradiation are studied in charge-collection measurements. Electron-hole pairs (eh pairs) are generated at different positions in the sensor using sub-ns pulsed laser light of different wavelengths. Light of 1063 nm, 830 nm and 660 nm wavelength is used to generate eh pairs along the whole sensor depth, a few μm below the surface and very close to the surface, respectively. Segmented p + n silicon strip sensors are used to study the electric field below the SiO 2 separating the strip implants. The sensors are investigated before and after irradiation with 12 keV X-rays to a dose of 1 MGy. It is found that the electric field close to the Si-SiO 2 interface depends on both the irradiation dose and the biasing history. For the non-irradiated sensors the observed dependence of the electric field on biasing history and humidity is qualitatively as expected from simulations of the electrostatic potential for different boundary conditions at the surface. Depending on the biasing history incomplete collection of electrons, full charge collection or incomplete collection of holes is observed. After the bias voltage is changed, the amount of observed charge losses is time dependent with time constants being a function of humidity. For the irradiated sensors an increased effective oxide charge density and more electron losses are observed compared to the non-irradiated sensors. Due to positive oxide charges which are always present at the Si-SiO 2 interface an electronaccumulation layer forms, if the oxide charge is not compensated by charges on top of the passivation. If negative charges overcompensate the oxide charge, a hole-accumulation layer forms. In both cases the number of accumulated charges can be temporarily increased by incomplete charge collection of either electrons or holes. How many additional charge carriers can be added to the

  3. Decoherence dynamics of two charge qubits in vertically coupled quantum dots

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ben Chouikha, W.; Bennaceur, R.; Jaziri, S.

    2007-01-01

    The decoherence dynamics of two charge qubits in a double quantum dot is investigated theoretically. We consider the quantum dynamics of two interacting electrons in a vertically coupled quantum dot driven by an external electric field. We derive the equations of motion for the density matrix, in which the presence of an electron confined in the double dot represents one qubit. A Markovian approach to the dynamical evolution of the reduced density matrix is adopted. We evaluate the concurrence of two qubits in order to study the effect of acoustic phonons on the entanglement. We also show that the disentanglement effect depends on the double dot parameters and increases with the temperature

  4. On the use of a charged tunnel layer as a hole collector to improve the efficiency of amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ke, Cangming; Sahraei, Nasim; Aberle, Armin G. [Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117574 (Singapore); Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117583 (Singapore); Stangl, Rolf [Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117574 (Singapore); Peters, Ian Marius

    2015-06-28

    A new concept, using a negatively charged tunnel layer as a hole collector, is proposed and theoretically investigated for application in amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells. The concept features a glass/transparent conductive oxide/ultra-thin negatively charged tunnel layer/intrinsic a-Si:H/n-doped a-Si:H/metal structure. The key feature of this so called t{sup +}-i-n structure is the introduction of a negatively charged tunnel layer (attracting holes from the intrinsic absorber layer), which substitutes the highly recombination active p-doped a-Si:H layer in a conventional p-i-n configuration. Atomic layer deposited aluminum oxide (ALD AlO{sub x}) is suggested as a potential candidate for such a tunnel layer. Using typical ALD AlO{sub x} parameters, a 27% relative efficiency increase (i.e., from 9.7% to 12.3%) is predicted theoretically for a single-junction a-Si:H solar cell on a textured superstrate. This prediction is based on parameters that reproduce the experimentally obtained external quantum efficiency and current-voltage characteristics of a conventional processed p-i-n a-Si:H solar cell, reaching 9.7% efficiency and serving as a reference. Subsequently, the p-doped a-Si:H layer is replaced by the tunnel layer (studied by means of numerical device simulation). Using a t{sup +}-i-n configuration instead of a conventional p-i-n configuration will not only increase the short-circuit current density (from 14.4 to 14.9 mA/cm{sup 2}, according to our simulations), it also enhances the open-circuit voltage and the fill factor (from 917 mV to 1.0 V and from 74% to 83%, respectively). For this concept to work efficiently, a high work function front electrode material or a high interface charge is needed.

  5. On the use of a charged tunnel layer as a hole collector to improve the efficiency of amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ke, Cangming; Sahraei, Nasim; Aberle, Armin G.; Stangl, Rolf; Peters, Ian Marius

    2015-01-01

    A new concept, using a negatively charged tunnel layer as a hole collector, is proposed and theoretically investigated for application in amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells. The concept features a glass/transparent conductive oxide/ultra-thin negatively charged tunnel layer/intrinsic a-Si:H/n-doped a-Si:H/metal structure. The key feature of this so called t + -i-n structure is the introduction of a negatively charged tunnel layer (attracting holes from the intrinsic absorber layer), which substitutes the highly recombination active p-doped a-Si:H layer in a conventional p-i-n configuration. Atomic layer deposited aluminum oxide (ALD AlO x ) is suggested as a potential candidate for such a tunnel layer. Using typical ALD AlO x parameters, a 27% relative efficiency increase (i.e., from 9.7% to 12.3%) is predicted theoretically for a single-junction a-Si:H solar cell on a textured superstrate. This prediction is based on parameters that reproduce the experimentally obtained external quantum efficiency and current-voltage characteristics of a conventional processed p-i-n a-Si:H solar cell, reaching 9.7% efficiency and serving as a reference. Subsequently, the p-doped a-Si:H layer is replaced by the tunnel layer (studied by means of numerical device simulation). Using a t + -i-n configuration instead of a conventional p-i-n configuration will not only increase the short-circuit current density (from 14.4 to 14.9 mA/cm 2 , according to our simulations), it also enhances the open-circuit voltage and the fill factor (from 917 mV to 1.0 V and from 74% to 83%, respectively). For this concept to work efficiently, a high work function front electrode material or a high interface charge is needed

  6. Numerical simulation of electron-beam-induced current near a silicon grain boundary and impact of a p-n junction space charge region

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Corkish, R.; Altermatt, P.P.; Heiser, G. [Photovoltaics Special Research Centre, University of New South Wales, 2052 Sydney (Australia)

    2001-01-01

    Three-dimensional numerical simulations of electron-beam-induced current (EBIC) near a vertical silicon grain boundary are demonstrated. They are compared with an analytical model which excludes the effect of carrier generation other than in the bulk base region of a solar cell structure. We demonstrate that in a wide range of solar cell structures recombination in the space charge region (SCR) significantly affects the EBIC results and hence needs to be included in the data evaluation. Apart from these findings, simulations of a realistic silicon solar cell structure (thick emitter, field-dependent mobility, etc.) are demonstrated.

  7. CHARACTERIZATION OF THE ELECTROPHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF SILICON-SILICON DIOXIDE INTERFACE USING PROBE ELECTROMETRY METHODS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. А. Pilipenko

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction of submicron design standards into microelectronic industry and a decrease of the gate dielectric thickness raise the importance of the analysis of microinhomogeneities in the silicon-silicon dioxide system. However, there is very little to no information on practical implementation of probe electrometry methods, and particularly scanning Kelvin probe method, in the interoperational control of real semiconductor manufacturing process. The purpose of the study was the development of methods for nondestructive testing of semiconductor wafers based on the determination of electrophysical properties of the silicon-silicon dioxide interface and their spatial distribution over wafer’s surface using non-contact probe electrometry methods.Traditional C-V curve analysis and scanning Kelvin probe method were used to characterize silicon- silicon dioxide interface. The samples under testing were silicon wafers of KEF 4.5 and KDB 12 type (orientation <100>, diameter 100 mm.Probe electrometry results revealed uniform spatial distribution of wafer’s surface potential after its preliminary rapid thermal treatment. Silicon-silicon dioxide electric potential values were also higher after treatment than before it. This potential growth correlates with the drop in interface charge density. At the same time local changes in surface potential indicate changes in surface layer structure.Probe electrometry results qualitatively reflect changes of interface charge density in silicon-silicon dioxide structure during its technological treatment. Inhomogeneities of surface potential distribution reflect inhomogeneity of damaged layer thickness and can be used as a means for localization of interface treatment defects.

  8. Toward quantum FinFET

    CERN Document Server

    Wang, Zhiming

    2013-01-01

    This book reviews a range of quantum phenomena in novel nanoscale transistors called FinFETs, including quantized conductance of 1D transport, single electron effect, tunneling transport, etc. The goal is to create a fundamental bridge between quantum FinFET and nanotechnology to stimulate readers' interest in developing new types of semiconductor technology. Although the rapid development of micro-nano fabrication is driving the MOSFET downscaling trend that is evolving from planar channel to nonplanar FinFET, silicon-based CMOS technology is expected to face fundamental limits in the near future. Therefore, new types of nanoscale devices are being investigated aggressively to take advantage of the quantum effect in carrier transport. The quantum confinement effect of FinFET at room temperatures was reported following the breakthrough to sub-10nm scale technology in silicon nanowires. With chapters written by leading scientists throughout the world, Toward Quantum FinFET provides a comprehensive introductio...

  9. Quantum phases for point-like charged particles and for electrically neutral dipoles in an electromagnetic field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kholmetskii, A. L.; Missevitch, O. V.; Yarman, T.

    2018-05-01

    We point out that the known quantum phases for an electric/magnetic dipole moving in an electromagnetic (EM) field must be presented as the superposition of more fundamental quantum phases emerging for elementary charges. Using this idea, we find two new fundamental quantum phases for point-like charges, next to the known electric and magnetic Aharonov-Bohm (A-B) phases, named by us as the complementary electric and magnetic phases, correspondingly. We further demonstrate that these new phases can indeed be derived via the Schrödinger equation for a particle in an EM field, where however the operator of momentum is re-defined via the replacement of the canonical momentum of particle by the sum of its mechanical momentum and interactional field momentum for a system "charged particle and a macroscopic source of EM field". The implications of the obtained results are discussed.

  10. Quantum logic gates generated by SC-charge qubits coupled to a resonator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Obada, A-S F; Hessian, H A; Mohamed, A-B A; Homid, Ali H

    2012-01-01

    We propose some quantum logic gates by using SC-charge qubits coupled to a resonator to study two types of quantum operation. By applying a classical magnetic field with the flux, a simple rotation on the target qubit is generated. Single and two-qubit gates of quantum logic gates are realized. Two-qubit joint operations are firstly generated by applying a classical magnetic field with the flux, and secondly by applying a classical magnetic field with the flux when qubits are placed a quarter of the distance along the resonator. A short discussion of fidelity is given to prove the success of the operations in implementing these gates. (paper)

  11. Blueprint for a microwave trapped-ion quantum computer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lekitsch, B.; Weidt, S.; Fowler, A. G.

    2017-01-01

    , are constructed using silicon microfabrication techniques and they are within reach of current technology. To perform the required quantum computations, the modules make use of long-wavelength-radiation based quantum gate technology. To scale this microwave quantum computer architecture to an arbitrary size we...

  12. Current signal of silicon detectors facing charged particles and heavy ions; Reponse en courant des detecteurs silicium aux particules chargees et aux ions lourds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hamrita, H

    2005-07-01

    This work consisted in collecting and studying for the first time the shapes of current signals obtained from charged particles or heavy ions produced by silicon detectors. The document is divided into two main parts. The first consisted in reducing the experimental data obtained with charged particles as well as with heavy ions. These experiments were performed at the Orsay Tandem and at GANIL using LISE. These two experiments enabled us to create a data base formed of current signals with various shapes and various times of collection. The second part consisted in carrying out a simulation of the current signals obtained from the various ions. To obtain this simulation we propose a new model describing the formation of the signal. We used the data base of the signals obtained in experiments in order to constrain the three parameters of our model. In this model, the charge carriers created are regarded as dipoles and their density is related to the dielectric polarization in the silicon detector. This phenomenon induces an increase in permittivity throughout the range of the incident ion and consequently the electric field between the electrodes of the detector is decreased inside the trace. We coupled with this phenomenon a dissociation and extraction mode of the charge carriers so that they can be moved in the electric field. (author)

  13. Investigation of the charge collection for strongly irradiated silicon strip detectors of the CMS ECAL Preshower

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bloch, Ph.; Peisert, A.; Chang, Y.H.; Chen, A.E.; Hou, S.; Lin, W.T.; Cheremukhin, A.E.; Golutvin, I.A.; Urkinbaev, A.R.; Zamyatin, N.I.; Loukas, D.

    2001-01-01

    Strongly irradiated (2.3·10 14 n/cm 2 ) silicon strip detectors of different size, thickness and different design options were tested in a muon beam at CERN in 1999. A charge collection efficiency in excess of 85% and a signal-to-noise ratio of about 6 are obtained in all cases at high enough bias voltage. Details of the charge collection in the interstrip and the guard ring region and cross-talk between strips were also studied. We find that the charge collection efficiency and the cross-talk between strips depend on the interstrip distance

  14. Charge Resolution of the Silicon Matrix of the ATIC Experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zatsepin, V. I.; Adams, J. H., Jr.; Ahn, H. S.; Bashindzhagyan, G. L.; Batkov, K. E.; Case, G.; Christl, M.; Ganel, O.; Fazely, A. R.; Ganel, O.; hide

    2002-01-01

    ATIC (Advanced Thin Ionization Calorimeter) is a balloon borne experiment designed to measure the cosmic ray composition for elements from hydrogen to iron and their energy spectra from approx.50 GeV to near 100 TeV. It consists of a Si-matrix detector to determine the charge of a CRT particle, a scintillator hodoscope for tracking, carbon interaction targets and a fully active BGO calorimeter. ATIC had its first flight from McMurdo, Antarctica from 28/12/2000 to 13/01/2001. The ATIC flight collected approximately 25 million events. The silicon matrix of the ATIC spectrometer is designed to resolve individual elements from proton to iron. To provide this resolution careful calibration of each pixel of the silicon matrix is required. Firstly, for each electronic channel of the matrix the pedestal value was subtracted taking into account its drift during the flight. The muon calibration made before the flight was used then to convert electric signals (in ADC channel number) to energy deposits in each pixel. However, the preflight muon calibration was not accurate enough for the purpose, because of lack of statistics in each pixel. To improve charge resolution the correction was done for the position of Helium peak in each pixel during the flight . The other way to set electric signals in electronics channels of the Si-matrix to one scale was correction for electric channel gains accurately measured in laboratory. In these measurements it was found that small different nonlinearities for different channels are present in the region of charge Z > 20. The correction for these non-linearities was not done yet. In linear approximation the method provides practically the same resolution as muon calibration plus He-peak correction. For searching a pixel with the signal of primary particle an indication from the cascade in the calorimeter was used. For this purpose a trajectory was reconstructed using weight centers of energy deposits in BGO layers. The point of intersection

  15. Field collapse due to band-tail charge in amorphous silicon solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Qi; Crandall, R.S. [National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States); Schiff, E.A. [Syracuse Univ., NY (United States)

    1996-05-01

    It is common for the fill factor to decrease with increasing illumination intensity in hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells. This is especially critical for thicker solar cells, because the decrease is more severe than in thinner cells. Usually, the fill factor under uniformly absorbed red light changes much more than under strongly absorbed blue light. The cause of this is usually assumed to arise from space charge trapped in deep defect states. The authors model this behavior of solar cells using the Analysis of Microelectronic and Photonic Structures (AMPS) simulation program. The simulation shows that the decrease in fill factor is caused by photogenerated space charge trapped in the band-tail states rather than in defects. This charge screens the applied field, reducing the internal field. Owing to its lower drift mobility, the space charge due to holes exceeds that due to electrons and is the main cause of the field screening. The space charge in midgap states is small compared with that in the tails and can be ignored under normal solar-cell operating conditions. Experimentally, the authors measured the photocapacitance as a means to probe the collapsed field. They also explored the light intensity dependence of photocapacitance and explain the decrease of FF with the increasing light intensity.

  16. Space division multiplexing chip-to-chip quantum key distribution

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bacco, Davide; Ding, Yunhong; Dalgaard, Kjeld

    2017-01-01

    nodes of the quantum keys to their respective destinations. In this paper we present an experimental demonstration of a photonic integrated silicon chip quantum key distribution protocols based on space division multiplexing (SDM), through multicore fiber technology. Parallel and independent quantum...

  17. Communication: Nucleation of water on ice nanograins: Size, charge, and quantum effects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marciante, Mathieu [Institut Lumière Matière, UMR5306 Université Lyon 1 – CNRS, Université de Lyon, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex (France); Calvo, Florent, E-mail: florent.calvo@ujf-grenoble.fr [Institut Lumière Matière, UMR5306 Université Lyon 1 – CNRS, Université de Lyon, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex (France); Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Physique, Rue de La Piscine, Campus Saint Martin d’Hères, 38000 Grenoble (France)

    2015-05-07

    The sticking cross sections of water molecules on cold size-selected water clusters have been simulated using classical and quantum (path-integral) molecular dynamics trajectories under realistic conditions. The integrated cross sections for charged clusters show significant size effects with comparable trends as in experiments, as well as essentially no sign effect. Vibrational delocalization, although it contributes to enlarging the geometric cross sections, leads to a counter-intuitive decrease in the dynamical cross section obtained from the trajectories. These results are interpreted based on the apparent reduction in the effective interaction between the projectile and the target owing to zero-point effects.

  18. Communication: Nucleation of water on ice nanograins: Size, charge, and quantum effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marciante, Mathieu; Calvo, Florent

    2015-01-01

    The sticking cross sections of water molecules on cold size-selected water clusters have been simulated using classical and quantum (path-integral) molecular dynamics trajectories under realistic conditions. The integrated cross sections for charged clusters show significant size effects with comparable trends as in experiments, as well as essentially no sign effect. Vibrational delocalization, although it contributes to enlarging the geometric cross sections, leads to a counter-intuitive decrease in the dynamical cross section obtained from the trajectories. These results are interpreted based on the apparent reduction in the effective interaction between the projectile and the target owing to zero-point effects

  19. A quantum-dot spin qubit with coherence limited by charge noise and fidelity higher than 99.9%

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoneda, Jun; Takeda, Kenta; Otsuka, Tomohiro; Nakajima, Takashi; Delbecq, Matthieu R.; Allison, Giles; Honda, Takumu; Kodera, Tetsuo; Oda, Shunri; Hoshi, Yusuke; Usami, Noritaka; Itoh, Kohei M.; Tarucha, Seigo

    2018-02-01

    The isolation of qubits from noise sources, such as surrounding nuclear spins and spin-electric susceptibility1-4, has enabled extensions of quantum coherence times in recent pivotal advances towards the concrete implementation of spin-based quantum computation. In fact, the possibility of achieving enhanced quantum coherence has been substantially doubted for nanostructures due to the characteristic high degree of background charge fluctuations5-7. Still, a sizeable spin-electric coupling will be needed in realistic multiple-qubit systems to address single-spin and spin-spin manipulations8-10. Here, we realize a single-electron spin qubit with an isotopically enriched phase coherence time (20 μs)11,12 and fast electrical control speed (up to 30 MHz) mediated by extrinsic spin-electric coupling. Using rapid spin rotations, we reveal that the free-evolution dephasing is caused by charge noise—rather than conventional magnetic noise—as highlighted by a 1/f spectrum extended over seven decades of frequency. The qubit exhibits superior performance with single-qubit gate fidelities exceeding 99.9% on average, offering a promising route to large-scale spin-qubit systems with fault-tolerant controllability.

  20. Charge deep-level transient spectroscopy study of high-energy-electron-beam-irradiated hydrogenated amorphous silicon

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klaver, A.; Nádaždy, V.; Zeman, M.; Swaaiij, R.A.C.M.M.

    2006-01-01

    We present a study of changes in the defect density of states in hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) due to high-energy electron irradiation using charged deep-level transient spectroscopy. It was found that defect states near the conduction band were removed, while in other band gap regions the

  1. Quantum noise on a point charge from electromagnetic squeezed vacuum fluctuations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Tai-Hung; Hsiang, Jen-Tsung; Lee, Da-Shin

    2010-01-01

    The effect of quantum noises on a point charge from electromagnetic squeezed vacuum fluctuations is studied. Here a novel reduction phenomenon in velocity dispersion is found in the situation when the particle barely moves. It shows that the velocity dispersion of the charge can be reduced below the value solely given by the normal vacuum states of the electromagnetic fields by using an appropriate choice of the squeeze parameters. This may be viewed as a transient phenomenon. Optimally utilizing this reduction scheme for gravitational wave detection is possible, but challenging.

  2. Quantum noise on a point charge from electromagnetic squeezed vacuum fluctuations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Tai-Hung; Hsiang, Jen-Tsung; Lee, Da-Shin [National Dong-Hwa University, Hua-lien, Taiwan (China)

    2010-09-15

    The effect of quantum noises on a point charge from electromagnetic squeezed vacuum fluctuations is studied. Here a novel reduction phenomenon in velocity dispersion is found in the situation when the particle barely moves. It shows that the velocity dispersion of the charge can be reduced below the value solely given by the normal vacuum states of the electromagnetic fields by using an appropriate choice of the squeeze parameters. This may be viewed as a transient phenomenon. Optimally utilizing this reduction scheme for gravitational wave detection is possible, but challenging.

  3. Charge losses in silicon sensors and electric-field studies at the Si-SiO{sub 2} interface

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Poehlsen, Thomas

    2013-07-15

    Electric fields and charge losses in silicon sensors before and after irradiation with x-rays, protons, neutrons or mixed irradiation are studied in charge-collection measurements. Electron-hole pairs (eh pairs) are generated at different positions in the sensor using sub-ns pulsed laser light of different wavelengths. Light of 1063 nm, 830 nm and 660 nm wavelength is used to generate eh pairs along the whole sensor depth, a few {mu}m below the surface and very close to the surface, respectively. Segmented p{sup +}n silicon strip sensors are used to study the electric field below the SiO{sub 2} separating the strip implants. The sensors are investigated before and after irradiation with 12 keV X-rays to a dose of 1 MGy. It is found that the electric field close to the Si-SiO{sub 2} interface depends on both the irradiation dose and the biasing history. For the non-irradiated sensors the observed dependence of the electric field on biasing history and humidity is qualitatively as expected from simulations of the electrostatic potential for different boundary conditions at the surface. Depending on the biasing history incomplete collection of electrons, full charge collection or incomplete collection of holes is observed. After the bias voltage is changed, the amount of observed charge losses is time dependent with time constants being a function of humidity. For the irradiated sensors an increased effective oxide charge density and more electron losses are observed compared to the non-irradiated sensors. Due to positive oxide charges which are always present at the Si-SiO{sub 2} interface an electronaccumulation layer forms, if the oxide charge is not compensated by charges on top of the passivation. If negative charges overcompensate the oxide charge, a hole-accumulation layer forms. In both cases the number of accumulated charges can be temporarily increased by incomplete charge collection of either electrons or holes. How many additional charge carriers can be

  4. High-frequency conductivity of optically excited charge carriers in hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon investigated by spectroscopic femtosecond pump–probe reflectivity measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    He, Wei [University of Birmingham, School of Physics and Astronomy, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom); Yurkevich, Igor V. [Aston University, Nonlinearity and Complexity Research Group, Birmingham B4 7ET (United Kingdom); Zakar, Ammar [University of Birmingham, School of Physics and Astronomy, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom); Kaplan, Andrey, E-mail: a.kaplan.1@bham.ac.uk [University of Birmingham, School of Physics and Astronomy, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom)

    2015-10-01

    We report an investigation into the high-frequency conductivity of optically excited charge carriers far from equilibrium with the lattice. The investigated samples consist of hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon films grown on a thin film of silicon oxide on top of a silicon substrate. For the investigation, we used an optical femtosecond pump–probe setup to measure the reflectance change of a probe beam. The pump beam ranged between 580 and 820 nm, whereas the probe wavelength spanned 770 to 810 nm. The pump fluence was fixed at 0.6 mJ/cm{sup 2}. We show that at a fixed delay time of 300 fs, the conductivity of the excited electron–hole plasma is described well by a classical conductivity model of a hot charge carrier gas found at Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution, while Fermi–Dirac statics is not suitable. This is corroborated by values retrieved from pump–probe reflectance measurements of the conductivity and its dependence on the excitation wavelength and carrier temperature. The conductivity decreases monotonically as a function of the excitation wavelength, as expected for a nondegenerate charge carrier gas. - Highlights: • We study high‐frequency conductivity of excited hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon. • Reflectance change was measured as a function of pump and probe wavelength. • Maxwell–Boltzmann transport theory was used to retrieve the conductivity. • The conductivity decreases monotonically as a function of the pump wavelength.

  5. Application of quantum-dot multi-wavelength lasers and silicon photonic ring resonators to data-center optical interconnects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beckett, Douglas J. S.; Hickey, Ryan; Logan, Dylan F.; Knights, Andrew P.; Chen, Rong; Cao, Bin; Wheeldon, Jeffery F.

    2018-02-01

    Quantum dot comb sources integrated with silicon photonic ring-resonator filters and modulators enable the realization of optical sub-components and modules for both inter- and intra-data-center applications. Low-noise, multi-wavelength, single-chip, laser sources, PAM4 modulation and direct detection allow a practical, scalable, architecture for applications beyond 400 Gb/s. Multi-wavelength, single-chip light sources are essential for reducing power dissipation, space and cost, while silicon photonic ring resonators offer high-performance with space and power efficiency.

  6. On the nature of high field charge transport in reinforced silicone dielectrics: Experiment and simulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, Yanhui, E-mail: huangy12@rpi.edu; Schadler, Linda S. [Department of Material Science and Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th street, Troy, New York 12180 (United States)

    2016-08-07

    The high field charge injection and transport properties in reinforced silicone dielectrics were investigated by measuring the time-dependent space charge distribution and the current under dc conditions up to the breakdown field and were compared with the properties of other dielectric polymers. It is argued that the energy and spatial distribution of localized electronic states are crucial in determining these properties for polymer dielectrics. Tunneling to localized states likely dominates the charge injection process. A transient transport regime arises due to the relaxation of charge carriers into deep traps at the energy band tails and is successfully verified by a Monte Carlo simulation using the multiple-hopping model. The charge carrier mobility is found to be highly heterogeneous due to the non-uniform trapping. The slow moving electron packet exhibits a negative field dependent drift velocity possibly due to the spatial disorder of traps.

  7. Characterization of silicon- and carbon-based composite anodes for lithium-ion batteries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khomenko, Volodymyr G.; Barsukov, Viacheslav Z.

    2007-01-01

    In recent years development of active materials for negative electrodes has been of great interest. Special attention has been focused on the active materials possessing higher reversible capacity than that of conventional graphite. In the present work the electrochemical performance of some carbon/silicon-based materials has been analyzed. For this purpose various silicon-based composites were prepared using such carbon materials as graphite, hard carbon and graphitized carbon black. An analysis of charging-discharging processes at electrodes based on different carbon materials has shown that graphite modified with silicon is the most promising anode material. It has also been revealed that the irreversible capacity mainly depends on the content of Si. An optimum content of Si has been determined with taking into account that high irreversible capacity is not suitable for practical application in lithium-ion batteries. This content falls within the range of 8-10 wt%. The reversible capacity of graphite modified with 8 wt% carbon-coated Si was as high as 604 mAh g -1 . The irreversible capacity loss with this material was as low as 8.1%. The small irreversible capacity of the material allowed developing full lithium-ion rechargeable cells in the 2016 coin cell configuration. Lithium-ion batteries based on graphite modified with silicon show gravimetric and volumetric specific energy densities which are higher by approximately 20% than those for a lithium-ion battery based on natural graphite

  8. Electrical activation of phosphorus in silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goh, K.E.J.; Oberbeck, L.; Simmons, M.Y.; Clark, R.G.

    2003-01-01

    Full text: We present studies of phosphorus δ-doping in silicon with a view to determining the degree of electrical activation of the dopants. These results have a direct consequence for the use of phosphorus as a qubit in a silicon-based quantum computer such as that proposed by Kane. Room temperature and 4 K Hall effect measurements are presented for phosphorus δ-doped layers grown in n-type silicon using two different methods. In the first method, the δ-layer was deposited by a phosphorus effusion cell in an MBE chamber. In the second method, the Si surface was dosed with phosphine gas and then annealed to 550 deg C to incorporate P into the substrate. In both methods, the P δ-doped layer was subsequently encapsulated by ∼25 nm of Si grown epitaxially. We discuss the implications of our results on the fabrication of the Kane quantum computer

  9. Localization effects in the tunnel barriers of phosphorus-doped silicon quantum dots

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Ferrus

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available We have observed a negative differential conductance with singular gate and source-drain bias dependences in a phosphorus-doped silicon quantum dot. Its origin is discussed within the framework of weak localization. By measuring the current-voltage characteristics at different temperatures as well as simulating the tunneling rates dependences on energy, we demonstrate that the presence of shallow energy defects together with an enhancement of localization satisfactory explain our observations. Effects observed in magnetic fields are also discussed.

  10. Hybrid heterojunction solar cell based on organic-inorganic silicon nanowire array architecture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Xiaojuan; Sun, Baoquan; Liu, Dong; Lee, Shuit-Tong

    2011-12-07

    Silicon nanowire arrays (SiNWs) on a planar silicon wafer can be fabricated by a simple metal-assisted wet chemical etching method. They can offer an excellent light harvesting capability through light scattering and trapping. In this work, we demonstrated that the organic-inorganic solar cell based on hybrid composites of conjugated molecules and SiNWs on a planar substrate yielded an excellent power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 9.70%. The high efficiency was ascribed to two aspects: one was the improvement of the light absorption by SiNWs structure on the planar components; the other was the enhancement of charge extraction efficiency, resulting from the novel top contact by forming a thin organic layer shell around the individual silicon nanowire. On the contrary, the sole planar junction solar cell only exhibited a PCE of 6.01%, due to the lower light trapping capability and the less hole extraction efficiency. It indicated that both the SiNWs structure and the thin organic layer top contact were critical to achieve a high performance organic/silicon solar cell. © 2011 American Chemical Society

  11. High-precision X-ray spectroscopy of highly-charged ions at the experimental storage ring using silicon microcalorimeters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scholz, Pascal A.; Andrianov, Victor; Echler, Artur; Egelhof, Peter; Kilbourne, Caroline; Kiselev, Oleg; Kraft-Bermuth, Saskia; McCammon, Dan

    2017-10-01

    X-ray spectroscopy on highly charged heavy ions provides a sensitive test of quantum electrodynamics in very strong Coulomb fields. One limitation of the current accuracy of such experiments is the energy resolution of available X-ray detectors for energies up to 100 keV. To improve this accuracy, a novel detector concept, namely the concept of microcalorimeters, is exploited for this kind of measurements. The microcalorimeters used in the present experiments consist of silicon thermometers, ensuring a high dynamic range, and of absorbers made of high-Z material to provide high X-ray absorption efficiency. Recently, besides an earlier used detector, a new compact detector design, housed in a new dry cryostat equipped with a pulse tube cooler, was applied at a test beamtime at the experimental storage ring (ESR) of the GSI facility in Darmstadt. A U89+ beam at 75 MeV/u and a 124Xe54+ beam at various beam energies, both interacting with an internal gas-jet target, were used in different cycles. This test was an important benchmark for designing a larger array with an improved lateral sensitivity and statistical accuracy.

  12. The spatial resolution of silicon-based electron detectors in beta-autoradiography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabello, Jorge; Wells, Kevin

    2010-03-21

    Thin tissue autoradiography is an imaging modality where ex-vivo tissue sections are placed in direct contact with autoradiographic film. These tissue sections contain a radiolabelled ligand bound to a specific biomolecule under study. This radioligand emits beta - or beta+ particles ionizing silver halide crystals in the film. High spatial resolution autoradiograms are obtained using low energy radioisotopes, such as (3)H where an intrinsic 0.1-1 microm spatial resolution can be achieved. Several digital alternatives have been presented over the past few years to replace conventional film but their spatial resolution has yet to equal film, although silicon-based imaging technologies have demonstrated higher sensitivity compared to conventional film. It will be shown in this work how pixel size is a critical parameter for achieving high spatial resolution for low energy uncollimated beta imaging. In this work we also examine the confounding factors impeding silicon-based technologies with respect to spatial resolution. The study considers charge diffusion in silicon and detector noise, and this is applied to a range of radioisotopes typically used in autoradiography. Finally an optimal detector geometry to obtain the best possible spatial resolution for a specific technology and a specific radioisotope is suggested.

  13. A label-free silicon quantum dots-based photoluminescence sensor for ultrasensitive detection of pesticides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yi, Yinhui; Zhu, Gangbing; Liu, Chang; Huang, Yan; Zhang, Youyu; Li, Haitao; Zhao, Jiangna; Yao, Shouzhuo

    2013-12-03

    Sensitive, rapid, and simple detection methods for the screening of extensively used organophosphorus pesticides and highly toxic nerve agents are in urgent demand. A novel label-free silicon quantum dots (SiQDs)-based sensor was designed for ultrasensitive detection of pesticides. This sensing strategy involves the reaction of acetylcholine chloride (ACh) with acetylcholinesterase (AChE) to form choline that is in turn catalytically oxidized by choline oxidase (ChOx) to produce betaine and H2O2 which can quench the photoluminescence (PL) of SiQDs. Upon the addition of pesticides, the activity of AChE is inhibited, leading to the decrease of the generated H2O2, and hence the PL of SiQDs increases. By measuring the increase in SiQDs PL, the inhibition efficiency of pesticide to AChE activity was evaluated. It was found that the inhibition efficiency was linearly dependent on the logarithm of the pesticides concentration. Consequently, pesticides, such as carbaryl, parathion, diazinon, and phorate, were determined with the SiQDs PL sensing method. The lowest detectable concentrations for carbaryl, parathion, diazinon, and phorate reached 7.25 × 10(-9), 3.25 × 10(-8), 6.76 × 10(-8), and 1.9 × 10(-7) g/L, respectively, which were much lower than those previously reported. The detecting results of pesticide residues in food samples via this method agree well with those from high-performance liquid chromatography. The simple strategy reported here should be suitable for on-site pesticides detection, especially in combination with other portable platforms.

  14. Progress in quantum electrodynamics theory of highly charged ions

    OpenAIRE

    Volotka, A. V.; Glazov, D. A.; Plunien, G.; Shabaev, V. M.

    2013-01-01

    Recent progress in quantum electrodynamics (QED) calculations of highly charged ions is reviewed. The theoretical predictions for the binding energies, the hyperfine splittings, and the g factors are presented and compared with available experimental data. Special attention is paid to tests of bound-state QED at strong field regime. Future prospects for tests of QED at the strongest electric and magnetic fields as well as for determination of the fine structure constant and the nuclear magnet...

  15. Silicon based ultrafast optical waveform sampling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ji, Hua; Galili, Michael; Pu, Minhao

    2010-01-01

    A 300 nmx450 nmx5 mm silicon nanowire is designed and fabricated for a four wave mixing based non-linear optical gate. Based on this silicon nanowire, an ultra-fast optical sampling system is successfully demonstrated using a free-running fiber laser with a carbon nanotube-based mode-locker as th......A 300 nmx450 nmx5 mm silicon nanowire is designed and fabricated for a four wave mixing based non-linear optical gate. Based on this silicon nanowire, an ultra-fast optical sampling system is successfully demonstrated using a free-running fiber laser with a carbon nanotube-based mode......-locker as the sampling source. A clear eye-diagram of a 320 Gbit/s data signal is obtained. The temporal resolution of the sampling system is estimated to 360 fs....

  16. Milestones Toward Majorana-Based Quantum Computing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Aasen

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available We introduce a scheme for preparation, manipulation, and read out of Majorana zero modes in semiconducting wires with mesoscopic superconducting islands. Our approach synthesizes recent advances in materials growth with tools commonly used in quantum-dot experiments, including gate control of tunnel barriers and Coulomb effects, charge sensing, and charge pumping. We outline a sequence of milestones interpolating between zero-mode detection and quantum computing that includes (1 detection of fusion rules for non-Abelian anyons using either proximal charge sensors or pumped current, (2 validation of a prototype topological qubit, and (3 demonstration of non-Abelian statistics by braiding in a branched geometry. The first two milestones require only a single wire with two islands, and additionally enable sensitive measurements of the system’s excitation gap, quasiparticle poisoning rates, residual Majorana zero-mode splittings, and topological-qubit coherence times. These pre-braiding experiments can be adapted to other manipulation and read out schemes as well.

  17. Ultra-fast charge carrier dynamics across the spectrum of an optical gain media based on InAs/AlGaInAs/InP quantum dots

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. Khanonkin

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The charge carrier dynamics of improved InP-based InAs/AlGaInAs quantum dot (QD semiconductor optical amplifiers are examined employing the multi-wavelength ultrafast pump-probe measurement technique. The transient transmission response of the continuous wave probe shows interesting dynamical processes during the initial 2-3 ps after the pump pulse, when carriers originating from two photon absorption contribute the least to the recovery. The effects of optical excitations and electrical bias levels on the recovery dynamics of the gain in energetically different QDs are quantified and discussed. The experimental observations are validated qualitatively using a comprehensive finite-difference time-domain model by recording the time evolution of the charge carriers in the QDs ensemble following the pulse.

  18. The role of defects in fluorescent silicon carbide layers grown by sublimation epitaxy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schimmel, Saskia; Kaiser, Michl; Jokubavicius, Valdas

    Donor-acceptor co-doped silicon carbide layers are promising light converters for novel monolithic all-semiconductor LEDs due to their broad-band donor-acceptor pair luminescence and potentially high internal quantum efficiency. Besides appropriate doping concentrations yielding low radiative...... lifetimes, high nonradiative lifetimes are crucial for efficient light conversion. Despite the excellent crystalline quality that can generally be obtained by sublimation epitaxy according to XRD measurements, the role of defects in f-SiC is not yet well understood. Recent results from room temperature...... photoluminescence, charge carrier lifetime measurements by microwave detected photoconductivity and internal quantum efficiency measurements suggest that the internal quantum efficiency of f-SiC layers is significantly affected by the incorporation of defects during epitaxy. Defect formation seems to be related...

  19. Fast broad-band photon detector based on quantum well devices and charge-integrating electronics for non-invasive FEL monitoring

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Antonelli, M., E-mail: matias.antonelli@elettra.eu; Cautero, G.; Sergo, R.; Castellaro, C.; Menk, R. H. [Elettra – Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., Trieste (Italy); Ganbold, T. [School in Nanotechnology, University of Trieste, Trieste (Italy); IOM CNR, Laboratorio TASC, Trieste (Italy); Biasiol, G. [IOM CNR, Laboratorio TASC, Trieste (Italy)

    2016-07-27

    The recent evolution of free-electron lasers has not been matched by the development of adequate beam-monitoring instrumentation. However, for both experimental and diagnostics purposes, it is crucial to keep such photon beams under control, avoiding at the same time the absorption of the beam and the possible destruction of the detector. These requirements can be fulfilled by utilizing fast and non-invasive photon detectors operated in situ, upstream from the experimental station. From this perspective, sensors based on Quantum Well (QW) devices can be the key to detecting ultra-short light pulses. In fact, owing to their high electron mobility, InGaAs/InAlAs QW devices operated at room temperature exhibit sub-nanosecond response times. Their direct, low-energy band gap renders them capable of detecting photons ranging from visible to X-ray. Furthermore, the 2D electron gas forming inside the QW is responsible for a charge amplification mechanism, which increases the charge collection efficiency of these devices. In order to acquire the signals produced by these QW sensors, a novel readout electronics has been developed. It is based on a high-speed charge integrator, which allows short, low-intensity current pulses to be read within a 50-ns window. The integrated signal is acquired through an ADC and the entire process can be performed at a 10-MHz repetition rate. This work provides a detailed description of the development of the QW detectors and the acquisition electronics, as well as reporting the main experimental results, which show how these tools are well suited for the realization of fast, broad-band beam monitors.

  20. Charge separation technique for metal-oxide-silicon capacitors in the presence of hydrogen deactivated dopants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Witczak, Steven C.; Winokur, Peter S.; Lacoe, Ronald C.; Mayer, Donald C.

    2000-01-01

    An improved charge separation technique for metal-oxide-silicon (MOS) capacitors is presented which accounts for the deactivation of substrate dopants by hydrogen at elevated irradiation temperatures or small irradiation biases. Using high-frequency capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements, radiation-induced inversion voltage shifts are separated into components due to oxide trapped charge, interface traps and deactivated dopants, where the latter is computed from a reduction in Si capacitance. In the limit of no radiation-induced dopant deactivation, this approach reduces to the standard midgap charge separation technique used widely for the analysis of room-temperature irradiations. The technique is demonstrated on a p-type MOS capacitor irradiated with 60 Co γ-rays at 100 C and zero bias, where the dopant deactivation is significant

  1. Silicon nano crystal-based non-volatile memory devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ng, C.Y.; Chen, T.P.; Sreeduth, D.; Chen, Q.; Ding, L.; Du, A.

    2006-01-01

    In this work, we have investigated the performance and reliability of a Flash memory based on silicon nanocrystal synthesized with very-low energy ion beams. The devices are fabricated with a conventional CMOS process and the size of the nanocrystal is ∼ 4 nm as determined from TEM measurement. Electrical properties of the devices with a tunnel oxide of either 3 nm or 7 nm are evaluated. The devices exhibit good endurance up to 10 5 W/E cycles even at the high operation temperature of 85 deg. C for both the tunnel oxide thicknesses. For the thicker tunnel oxide (i.e., the 7-nm tunnel oxide), a good retention performance with an extrapolated 10-year memory window of ∼ 0.3 V (or ∼ 20% of charge lose after 10 years) is achieved. However, ∼ 70% of charge loss after 10 years is expected for the thinner tunnel oxide (i.e., the 3-nm tunnel oxide)

  2. Coupled quantum-classical method for long range charge transfer: relevance of the nuclear motion to the quantum electron dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Da Silva, Robson; Hoff, Diego A; Rego, Luis G C

    2015-01-01

    Charge and excitonic-energy transfer phenomena are fundamental for energy conversion in solar cells as well as artificial photosynthesis. Currently, much interest is being paid to light-harvesting and energy transduction processes in supramolecular structures, where nuclear dynamics has a major influence on electronic quantum dynamics. For this reason, the simulation of long range electron transfer in supramolecular structures, under environmental conditions described within an atomistic framework, has been a difficult problem to study. This work describes a coupled quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics method that aims at describing long range charge transfer processes in supramolecular systems, taking into account the atomistic details of large molecular structures, the underlying nuclear motion, and environmental effects. The method is applied to investigate the relevance of electron–nuclei interaction on the mechanisms for photo-induced electron–hole pair separation in dye-sensitized interfaces as well as electronic dynamics in molecular structures. (paper)

  3. Mechanochemical approaches to employ silicon as a lithium-ion battery anode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimoi, Norihiro; Bahena-Garrido, Sharon; Tanaka, Yasumitsu; Qiwu, Zhang

    2015-01-01

    Silicon is essential as an active material in lithium-ion batteries because it provides both high-charge and optimal cycle characteristics. The authors attempted to realize a composite by a simple mechanochemical grinding approach of individual silicon (Si) particles and copper monoxide (CuO) particles to serve as an active material in the anode and optimize the charge-discharge characteristics of a lithium-ion battery. The composite with Si and CuO allowed for a homogenous dispersion with nano-scale Si grains, nano-scale copper-silicon alloy grains and silicon monoxide oxidized the oxide from CuO. The authors successfully achieved the synthesis of an active composite unites the structural features of an active material based on silicon composite as an anode in Li-ion battery with high capacity and cyclic reversible charge properties of 3256 mAh g −1 after 200 cycles

  4. Improving radiation hardness in space-based Charge-Coupled Devices through the narrowing of the charge transfer channel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, D. J.; Skottfelt, J.; Soman, M. R.; Bush, N.; Holland, A.

    2017-12-01

    Charge-Coupled Devices (CCDs) have been the detector of choice for imaging and spectroscopy in space missions for several decades, such as those being used for the Euclid VIS instrument and baselined for the SMILE SXI. Despite the many positive properties of CCDs, such as the high quantum efficiency and low noise, when used in a space environment the detectors suffer damage from the often-harsh radiation environment. High energy particles can create defects in the silicon lattice which act to trap the signal electrons being transferred through the device, reducing the signal measured and effectively increasing the noise. We can reduce the impact of radiation on the devices through four key methods: increased radiation shielding, device design considerations, optimisation of operating conditions, and image correction. Here, we concentrate on device design operations, investigating the impact of narrowing the charge-transfer channel in the device with the aim of minimising the impact of traps during readout. Previous studies for the Euclid VIS instrument considered two devices, the e2v CCD204 and CCD273, the serial register of the former having a 50 μm channel and the latter having a 20 μm channel. The reduction in channel width was previously modelled to give an approximate 1.6× reduction in charge storage volume, verified experimentally to have a reduction in charge transfer inefficiency of 1.7×. The methods used to simulate the reduction approximated the charge cloud to a sharp-edged volume within which the probability of capture by traps was 100%. For high signals and slow readout speeds, this is a reasonable approximation. However, for low signals and higher readout speeds, the approximation falls short. Here we discuss a new method of simulating and calculating charge storage variations with device design changes, considering the absolute probability of capture across the pixel, bringing validity to all signal sizes and readout speeds. Using this method, we

  5. Charge Carrier Conduction Mechanism in PbS Quantum Dot Solar Cells: Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Haowei; Wang, Yishan; He, Bo; Li, Weile; Sulaman, Muhammad; Xu, Junfeng; Yang, Shengyi; Tang, Yi; Zou, Bingsuo

    2016-07-20

    With its properties of bandgap tunability, low cost, and substrate compatibility, colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are becoming promising materials for optoelectronic applications. Additionally, solution-processed organic, inorganic, and hybrid ligand-exchange technologies have been widely used in PbS CQDs solar cells, and currently the maximum certified power conversion efficiency of 9.9% has been reported by passivation treatment of molecular iodine. Presently, there are still some challenges, and the basic physical mechanism of charge carriers in CQDs-based solar cells is not clear. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is a monitoring technology for current by changing the frequency of applied alternating current voltage, and it provides an insight into its electrical properties that cannot be measured by direct current testing facilities. In this work, we used EIS to analyze the recombination resistance, carrier lifetime, capacitance, and conductivity of two typical PbS CQD solar cells Au/PbS-TBAl/ZnO/ITO and Au/PbS-EDT/PbS-TBAl/ZnO/ITO, in this way, to better understand the charge carriers conduction mechanism behind in PbS CQD solar cells, and it provides a guide to design high-performance quantum-dots solar cells.

  6. Photon-phonon laser on crystalline silicon: a feasibility study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zadernovsky, A A

    2015-01-01

    We discuss a feasibility of photon-phonon laser action in bulk silicon with electron population inversion. It is well known, that only direct gap semiconductors are used as an active medium in optical lasers. In indirect gap semiconductors, such as crystalline silicon, the near-to-gap radiative electron transitions must be assisted by emission or absorption of phonons to conserve the momentum. The rate of such two-quantum transitions is much less than in direct gap semiconductors, where the similar radiative transitions are single-quantum. As a result, the quantum efficiency of luminescence in silicon is too small to get it as a laser material. Numerous proposals to overcome this problem are aimed at increasing the rate of radiative recombination. We suggest enhancing the quantum efficiency of luminescence in silicon by stimulating the photon part of the two-quantum transitions by light from an appropriate external laser source. This allows us to obtain initially an external-source-assisted lasing in silicon and then a true photon-phonon lasing without any external source of radiation. Performed analysis revealed a number of requirements to the silicon laser medium (temperature, purity and perfection of crystals) and to the intensity of stimulating radiation. We discuss different mechanisms that may hinder the implementation of photon-phonon lasing in silicon

  7. Silicon Nanowire/Polymer Hybrid Solar Cell-Supercapacitor: A Self-Charging Power Unit with a Total Efficiency of 10.5.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ruiyuan; Wang, Jie; Sun, Teng; Wang, Mingjun; Wu, Changsheng; Zou, Haiyang; Song, Tao; Zhang, Xiaohong; Lee, Shuit-Tong; Wang, Zhong Lin; Sun, Baoquan

    2017-07-12

    An integrated self-charging power unit, combining a hybrid silicon nanowire/polymer heterojunction solar cell with a polypyrrole-based supercapacitor, has been demonstrated to simultaneously harvest solar energy and store it. By efficiency enhancement of the hybrid nanowire solar cells and a dual-functional titanium film serving as conjunct electrode of the solar cell and supercapacitor, the integrated system is able to yield a total photoelectric conversion to storage efficiency of 10.5%, which is the record value in all the integrated solar energy conversion and storage system. This system may not only serve as a buffer that diminishes the solar power fluctuations from light intensity, but also pave its way toward cost-effective high efficiency self-charging power unit. Finally, an integrated device based on ultrathin Si substrate is demonstrated to expand its feasibility and potential application in flexible energy conversion and storage devices.

  8. Highly uniform ultraviolet-A quantum-confined AlGaN nanowire LEDs on metal/silicon with a TaN interlayer

    KAUST Repository

    Priante, Davide; Janjua, Bilal; Prabaswara, Aditya; Subedi, Ram Chandra; Elafandy, Rami T.; Lopatin, Sergei; Anjum, Dalaver H.; Zhao, Chao; Ng, Tien Khee; Ooi, Boon S.

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, we describe ultraviolet-A (UV-A) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) emitting at 325 nm based on a highly uniform structure of quantum-confined AlGaN quantum-disk nanowires (NWs). By incorporating a 20 nm TaN interlayer between a Ti pre-orienting layer and the silicon substrate, we eliminated the potential barrier for carrier injection and phonon transport, and inhibited the formation of interfacial silicide that led to device failure. Compared to previous reports on metal substrate, we achieved a 16 × reduction in root-mean-square (RMS) roughness, from 24 nm to 1.6 nm, for the samples with the Ti/TaN metal-bilayer, owing to the effective diffusion barrier characteristic of TaN. This was confirmed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). We achieved a considerable increase in the injection current density (up to 90 A/cm2) compared to our previous studies, and an optical power of 1.9 μW for the 0.5 × 0.5 mm2 NWs-LED. This work provides a feasible pathway for both a reliable and stable UV-A device operation at elevated current injection, and eventually towards low-cost production of UV devices, leveraging on the scalability of silicon substrates.

  9. Highly uniform ultraviolet-A quantum-confined AlGaN nanowire LEDs on metal/silicon with a TaN interlayer

    KAUST Repository

    Priante, Davide

    2017-11-02

    In this paper, we describe ultraviolet-A (UV-A) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) emitting at 325 nm based on a highly uniform structure of quantum-confined AlGaN quantum-disk nanowires (NWs). By incorporating a 20 nm TaN interlayer between a Ti pre-orienting layer and the silicon substrate, we eliminated the potential barrier for carrier injection and phonon transport, and inhibited the formation of interfacial silicide that led to device failure. Compared to previous reports on metal substrate, we achieved a 16 × reduction in root-mean-square (RMS) roughness, from 24 nm to 1.6 nm, for the samples with the Ti/TaN metal-bilayer, owing to the effective diffusion barrier characteristic of TaN. This was confirmed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). We achieved a considerable increase in the injection current density (up to 90 A/cm2) compared to our previous studies, and an optical power of 1.9 μW for the 0.5 × 0.5 mm2 NWs-LED. This work provides a feasible pathway for both a reliable and stable UV-A device operation at elevated current injection, and eventually towards low-cost production of UV devices, leveraging on the scalability of silicon substrates.

  10. Fabrication and characterization of the charge-plasma diode

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rajasekharan, B.; Hueting, Raymond Josephus Engelbart; Salm, Cora; van Hemert, T.; Wolters, Robertus A.M.; Schmitz, Jurriaan

    2010-01-01

    We present a new lateral Schottky-based rectifier called the charge-plasma diode realized on ultrathin silicon-oninsulator. The device utilizes the workfunction difference between two metal contacts, palladium and erbium, and the silicon body. We demonstrate that the proposed device provides a low

  11. Efficient charge generation by relaxed charge-transfer states at organic interfaces

    KAUST Repository

    Vandewal, Koen

    2013-11-17

    Interfaces between organic electron-donating (D) and electron-accepting (A) materials have the ability to generate charge carriers on illumination. Efficient organic solar cells require a high yield for this process, combined with a minimum of energy losses. Here, we investigate the role of the lowest energy emissive interfacial charge-transfer state (CT1) in the charge generation process. We measure the quantum yield and the electric field dependence of charge generation on excitation of the charge-transfer (CT) state manifold via weakly allowed, low-energy optical transitions. For a wide range of photovoltaic devices based on polymer:fullerene, small-molecule:C60 and polymer:polymer blends, our study reveals that the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) is essentially independent of whether or not D, A or CT states with an energy higher than that of CT1 are excited. The best materials systems show an IQE higher than 90% without the need for excess electronic or vibrational energy. © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited.

  12. Efficient charge generation by relaxed charge-transfer states at organic interfaces

    KAUST Repository

    Vandewal, Koen; Albrecht, Steve N.; Hoke, Eric T.; Graham, Kenneth; Widmer, Johannes; Douglas, Jessica D.; Schubert, Marcel; Mateker, William R.; Bloking, Jason T.; Burkhard, George F.; Sellinger, Alan; Frechet, Jean; Amassian, Aram; Riede, Moritz Kilian; McGehee, Michael D.; Neher, Dieter; Salleo, Alberto

    2013-01-01

    Interfaces between organic electron-donating (D) and electron-accepting (A) materials have the ability to generate charge carriers on illumination. Efficient organic solar cells require a high yield for this process, combined with a minimum of energy losses. Here, we investigate the role of the lowest energy emissive interfacial charge-transfer state (CT1) in the charge generation process. We measure the quantum yield and the electric field dependence of charge generation on excitation of the charge-transfer (CT) state manifold via weakly allowed, low-energy optical transitions. For a wide range of photovoltaic devices based on polymer:fullerene, small-molecule:C60 and polymer:polymer blends, our study reveals that the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) is essentially independent of whether or not D, A or CT states with an energy higher than that of CT1 are excited. The best materials systems show an IQE higher than 90% without the need for excess electronic or vibrational energy. © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited.

  13. From quantum dots to quantum circuits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ensslin, K.

    2008-01-01

    Full text: Quantum dots, or artificial atoms, confine charge carriers in three-dimensional islands in a semiconductor environment. Detailed understanding and exquisite control of the charge and spin state of the electrically tunable charge occupancy have been demonstrated over the years. Quantum dots with best quality for transport experiments are usually realized in n-type AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures. Novel material systems, such as graphene, nanowires and p-type heterostructures offer unexplored parameter regimes in view of spin-orbit interactions, carrier-carrier interactions and hyperfine coupling between electron and nuclear spins, which might be relevant for future spin qubits realized in quantum dots. With more sophisticated nanotechnology it has become possible to fabricate coupled quantum systems where classical and quantum mechanical coupling and back action is experimentally investigated. A narrow constriction, or quantum point contact, in vicinity to a quantum dot has been shown to serve as a minimally invasive sensor of the charge state of the dot. If charge transport through the quantum dot is slow enough (kHz), the charge sensor allows the detection of time-resolved transport through quantum-confined structures. This has allowed us to measure extremely small currents not detectable with conventional electronics. In addition the full statistics of current fluctuations becomes experimentally accessible. This way correlations between electrons which influence the current flow can be analyzed by measuring the noise and higher moments of the distribution of current fluctuations. Mesoscopic conductors driven out of equilibrium can emit photons which may be detected by another nearby quantum system with suitably tuned energy levels. This way an on-chip microwave single photon detector has been realized. In a ring geometry containing a tunable double quantum dot it has been possible to measure the self-interference of individual electrons as they traverse

  14. Quantum Measurements: From Bayes Rule to Neural Networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Greplova, Eliska

    2017-01-01

    Quantum technologies are becoming more and more introduced into the devices that we use in the daily life, such as quantum dot based television screens or quantum cryptographic channels for encoding financial transactions. Given the limits of the silicon computer chips, it will in the near future...... learning techniques such as artificial neural networks....

  15. Charged particle traps II applications

    CERN Document Server

    Werth, Günther; Major, Fouad G

    2009-01-01

    This, the second volume of Charged Particle Traps, is devoted to applications, complementing the first volume’s comprehensive treatment of the theory and practice of charged particle traps, their many variants and refinements. In recent years, applications of far reaching importance have emerged ranging from the ultra-precise mass determinations of elementary particles and their antiparticles and short-lived isotopes, to high-resolution Zeeman spectroscopy on multiply-charged ions, to microwave and optical spectroscopy, some involving "forbidden" transitions from metastable states of such high resolution that optical frequency standards are realized by locking lasers to them. Further the potential application of trapped ions to quantum computing is explored, based on the extraordinary quantum state coherence made possible by the particle isolation. Consideration is given to the Paul and Penning traps as potential quantum information processors.

  16. Enhanced quantum yield of photoluminescent porous silicon prepared by supercritical drying

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Joo, Jinmyoung [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 (United States); Biomedical Engineering Research Center, Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul 05505 (Korea, Republic of); Defforge, Thomas; Gautier, Gael, E-mail: msailor@ucsd.edu, E-mail: gael.gautier@univ-tours.fr, E-mail: lcanham@psivida.com [Universite Francois Rabelais de Tours, CNRS CEA, INSA-CVL, GREMAN UMR 7347, 37071 Tours Cedex 2 (France); Loni, Armando [pSiMedica Ltd., Malvern Hills Science Park, Geraldine Road, Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 3SZ (United Kingdom); Kim, Dokyoung; Sailor, Michael J., E-mail: msailor@ucsd.edu, E-mail: gael.gautier@univ-tours.fr, E-mail: lcanham@psivida.com [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 (United States); Li, Z. Y. [Nanoscale Physics Research Laboratory, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom); Canham, Leigh T., E-mail: msailor@ucsd.edu, E-mail: gael.gautier@univ-tours.fr, E-mail: lcanham@psivida.com [pSiMedica Ltd., Malvern Hills Science Park, Geraldine Road, Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 3SZ (United Kingdom); Nanoscale Physics Research Laboratory, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom)

    2016-04-11

    The effect of supercritical drying (SCD) on the preparation of porous silicon (pSi) powders has been investigated in terms of photoluminescence (PL) efficiency. Since the pSi contains closely spaced and possibly interconnected Si nanocrystals (<5 nm), pore collapse and morphological changes within the nanocrystalline structure after common drying processes can affect PL efficiency. We report the highly beneficial effects of using SCD for preparation of photoluminescent pSi powders. Significantly higher surface areas and pore volumes have been realized by utilizing SCD (with CO{sub 2} solvent) instead of air-drying. Correspondingly, the pSi powders better retain the porous structure and the nano-sized silicon grains, thus minimizing the formation of non-radiative defects during liquid evaporation (air drying). The SCD process also minimizes capillary-stress induced contact of neighboring nanocrystals, resulting in lower exciton migration levels within the network. A significant enhancement of the PL quantum yield (>32% at room temperature) has been achieved, prompting the need for further detailed studies to establish the dominant causes of such an improvement.

  17. Quantum computation: algorithms and implementation in quantum dot devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gamble, John King

    In this thesis, we explore several aspects of both the software and hardware of quantum computation. First, we examine the computational power of multi-particle quantum random walks in terms of distinguishing mathematical graphs. We study both interacting and non-interacting multi-particle walks on strongly regular graphs, proving some limitations on distinguishing powers and presenting extensive numerical evidence indicative of interactions providing more distinguishing power. We then study the recently proposed adiabatic quantum algorithm for Google PageRank, and show that it exhibits power-law scaling for realistic WWW-like graphs. Turning to hardware, we next analyze the thermal physics of two nearby 2D electron gas (2DEG), and show that an analogue of the Coulomb drag effect exists for heat transfer. In some distance and temperature, this heat transfer is more significant than phonon dissipation channels. After that, we study the dephasing of two-electron states in a single silicon quantum dot. Specifically, we consider dephasing due to the electron-phonon coupling and charge noise, separately treating orbital and valley excitations. In an ideal system, dephasing due to charge noise is strongly suppressed due to a vanishing dipole moment. However, introduction of disorder or anharmonicity leads to large effective dipole moments, and hence possibly strong dephasing. Building on this work, we next consider more realistic systems, including structural disorder systems. We present experiment and theory, which demonstrate energy levels that vary with quantum dot translation, implying a structurally disordered system. Finally, we turn to the issues of valley mixing and valley-orbit hybridization, which occurs due to atomic-scale disorder at quantum well interfaces. We develop a new theoretical approach to study these effects, which we name the disorder-expansion technique. We demonstrate that this method successfully reproduces atomistic tight-binding techniques

  18. Charge-transfer channel in quantum dot-graphene hybrid materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Shuo; Wang, Jingang; Ma, Fengcai; Sun, Mengtao

    2018-04-01

    The energy band theory of a classical semiconductor can qualitatively explain the charge-transfer process in low-dimensional hybrid colloidal quantum dot (QD)-graphene (GR) materials; however, the definite charge-transfer channels are not clear. Using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT, we simulate the hybrid QD-GR nanostructure, and by constructing its orbital interaction diagram, we show the quantitative coupling characteristics of the molecular orbitals (MOs) of the hybrid structure. The main MOs are derived from the fragment MOs (FOs) of GR, and the Cd13Se13 QD FOs merge with the GR FOs in a certain proportion to afford the hybrid system. Upon photoexcitation, electrons in the GR FOs jump to the QD FOs, leaving holes in the GR FOs, and the definite charge-transfer channels can be found by analyzing the complex MOs coupling. The excited electrons and remaining holes can also be localized in the GR or the QD or transfer between the QD and GR with different absorption energies. The charge-transfer process for the selected excited states of the hybrid QD-GR structure are testified by the charge difference density isosurface. The natural transition orbitals, charge-transfer length analysis and 2D site representation of the transition density matrix also verify the electron-hole delocalization, localization, or coherence chacracteristics of the selected excited states. Therefore, our research enhances understanding of the coupling mechanism of low-dimensional hybrid materials and will aid in the design and manipulation of hybrid photoelectric devices for practical application in many fields.

  19. Observation, modeling, and temperature dependence of doubly peaked electric fields in irradiated silicon pixel sensors

    CERN Document Server

    Swartz, M.; Allkofer, Y.; Bortoletto, D.; Cremaldi, L.; Cucciarelli, S.; Dorokhov, A.; Hoermann, C.; Kim, D.; Konecki, M.; Kotlinski, D.; Prokofiev, Kirill; Regenfus, Christian; Rohe, T.; Sanders, D.A.; Son, S.; Speer, T.

    2006-01-01

    We show that doubly peaked electric fields are necessary to describe grazing-angle charge collection measurements of irradiated silicon pixel sensors. A model of irradiated silicon based upon two defect levels with opposite charge states and the trapping of charge carriers can be tuned to produce a good description of the measured charge collection profiles in the fluence range from 0.5x10^{14} Neq/cm^2 to 5.9x10^{14} Neq/cm^2. The model correctly predicts the variation in the profiles as the temperature is changed from -10C to -25C. The measured charge collection profiles are inconsistent with the linearly-varying electric fields predicted by the usual description based upon a uniform effective doping density. This observation calls into question the practice of using effective doping densities to characterize irradiated silicon.

  20. Recent Advances on Luminescent Enhancement-Based Porous Silicon Biosensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenie, S N Aisyiyah; Plush, Sally E; Voelcker, Nicolas H

    2016-10-01

    Luminescence-based detection paradigms have key advantages over other optical platforms such as absorbance, reflectance or interferometric based detection. However, autofluorescence, low quantum yield and lack of photostability of the fluorophore or emitting molecule are still performance-limiting factors. Recent research has shown the need for enhanced luminescence-based detection to overcome these drawbacks while at the same time improving the sensitivity, selectivity and reducing the detection limits of optical sensors and biosensors. Nanostructures have been reported to significantly improve the spectral properties of the emitting molecules. These structures offer unique electrical, optic and magnetic properties which may be used to tailor the surrounding electrical field of the emitter. Here, the main principles behind luminescence and luminescence enhancement-based detections are reviewed, with an emphasis on europium complexes as the emitting molecule. An overview of the optical porous silicon microcavity (pSiMC) as a biosensing platform and recent proof-of-concept examples on enhanced luminescence-based detection using pSiMCs are provided and discussed.

  1. Electrical Control of g-Factor in a Few-Hole Silicon Nanowire MOSFET.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Voisin, B; Maurand, R; Barraud, S; Vinet, M; Jehl, X; Sanquer, M; Renard, J; De Franceschi, S

    2016-01-13

    Hole spins in silicon represent a promising yet barely explored direction for solid-state quantum computation, possibly combining long spin coherence, resulting from a reduced hyperfine interaction, and fast electrically driven qubit manipulation. Here we show that a silicon-nanowire field-effect transistor based on state-of-the-art silicon-on-insulator technology can be operated as a few-hole quantum dot. A detailed magnetotransport study of the first accessible hole reveals a g-factor with unexpectedly strong anisotropy and gate dependence. We infer that these two characteristics could enable an electrically driven g-tensor-modulation spin resonance with Rabi frequencies exceeding several hundred mega-Hertz.

  2. NEW METHOD OF PRODUCTION OF ALUNINUM SILICON ALLOYS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. K. Afanasiev

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A new approach to the preparation of aluminum-silicon alloys, based on the concept of the leading role of hydrogen in determining the structure and properties of alloys consists in using as charge materials of silicon dioxide (silica and hydrogen instead of crystalline silicon was described. Practical ways to implement the new method were proposed on the example of industrial alloys prepared on charge synthetic alloy. It is shown that the application of the proposed method allows to improve the mechanical properties and reduce the coefficient of thermal expansion alloys, Al-Si. The effect of heat treatment on mechanical properties, density and thermal expansion of synthetic alloys was researched.

  3. Single Photon Counting UV Solar-Blind Detectors Using Silicon and III-Nitride Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikzad, Shouleh; Hoenk, Michael; Jewell, April D.; Hennessy, John J.; Carver, Alexander G.; Jones, Todd J.; Goodsall, Timothy M.; Hamden, Erika T.; Suvarna, Puneet; Bulmer, J.; Shahedipour-Sandvik, F.; Charbon, Edoardo; Padmanabhan, Preethi; Hancock, Bruce; Bell, L. Douglas

    2016-01-01

    Ultraviolet (UV) studies in astronomy, cosmology, planetary studies, biological and medical applications often require precision detection of faint objects and in many cases require photon-counting detection. We present an overview of two approaches for achieving photon counting in the UV. The first approach involves UV enhancement of photon-counting silicon detectors, including electron multiplying charge-coupled devices and avalanche photodiodes. The approach used here employs molecular beam epitaxy for delta doping and superlattice doping for surface passivation and high UV quantum efficiency. Additional UV enhancements include antireflection (AR) and solar-blind UV bandpass coatings prepared by atomic layer deposition. Quantum efficiency (QE) measurements show QE > 50% in the 100–300 nm range for detectors with simple AR coatings, and QE ≅ 80% at ~206 nm has been shown when more complex AR coatings are used. The second approach is based on avalanche photodiodes in III-nitride materials with high QE and intrinsic solar blindness. PMID:27338399

  4. Multiple-Quantum Transitions and Charge-Induced Decoherence of Donor Nuclear Spins in Silicon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franke, David P.; Pflüger, Moritz P. D.; Itoh, Kohei M.; Brandt, Martin S.

    2017-06-01

    We study single- and multiquantum transitions of the nuclear spins of an ensemble of ionized arsenic donors in silicon and find quadrupolar effects on the coherence times, which we link to fluctuating electrical field gradients present after the application of light and bias voltage pulses. To determine the coherence times of superpositions of all orders in the 4-dimensional Hilbert space, we use a phase-cycling technique and find that, when electrical effects were allowed to decay, these times scale as expected for a fieldlike decoherence mechanism such as the interaction with surrounding Si 29 nuclear spins.

  5. Infinity subtraction in a quantum field theory of charges and monopoles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Panagiotakopoulos, C.

    1982-03-01

    Subtraction of ultraviolet infinities in Zwanziger's local quantum field theory of charges and monopoles is described. It involves an infinite number of graphs. The whole programme rests on the assumption that the infinite summations involved do not give rise to pathological situations and the Ward identities are satisfied even after the string cancellations. The resulting finite theory is Lorentz invariant. (author)

  6. Photoinduced charge transfer within polyaniline-encapsulated quantum dots decorated on graphene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Kim Truc; Li, Dehui; Borah, Parijat; Ma, Xing; Liu, Zhaona; Zhu, Liangliang; Grüner, George; Xiong, Qihua; Zhao, Yanli

    2013-08-28

    A new method to enhance the stability of quantum dots (QDs) in aqueous solution by encapsulating them with conducting polymer polyaniline was reported. The polyaniline-encapsulated QDs were then decorated onto graphene through π-π interactions between graphene and conjugated polymer shell of QDs, forming stable polyaniline/QD/graphene hybrid. A testing electronic device was fabricated using the hybrid in order to investigate the photoinduced charge transfer between graphene and encapsulated QDs within the hybrid. The charge transfer mechanism was explored through cyclic voltammetry and spectroscopic studies. The hybrid shows a clear response to the laser irradiation, presenting a great advantage for further applications in optoelectronic devices.

  7. Heavy ion beam test results of the silicon charge detector for the CREAM cosmic ray balloon mission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, I.H.; Ahn, H.S.; Bok, J.B.; Ganel, O.; Hahn, J.H.; Han, W.; Hyun, H.J.; Kim, H.J.; Kim, M.Y.; Kim, Y.J.; Lee, J.K.; Lee, M.H.; Lutz, L.; Min, K.W.; Malinine, A.; Nam, S.W.; Nam, W.; Park, H.; Park, N.H.; Seo, E.S.; Seon, K.I.; Sone, J.H.; Yang, J.; Zinn, S.Y.

    2004-01-01

    The Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass (CREAM) experiment is designed to measure cosmic ray elemental spectra to help understand the source and acceleration mechanisms of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. The payload is planned to launch in December 2004 from McMurdo Station, Antarctica as a balloon mission. A Silicon Charge Detector (SCD) was designed and constructed for the CREAM experiment to provide precision charge measurements of incident cosmic rays with a resolution of 0.2 charge unit or better. The SCD was exposed to heavy ion beams at CERN's H2 beam line in November 2003. The results reported here show the SCD performs as designed

  8. Heavy ion beam test results of the silicon charge detector for the CREAM cosmic ray balloon mission

    CERN Document Server

    Park, I H; Bok, J B; Ganel, O; Hahn, J H; Han, W; Hyun, H J; Kim, H J; Kim, M Y; Kim, Y J; Lee, J K; Lutz, L; Malinine, A; Min, K W; Nam, S W; Nam, W; Park, H; Park, N H; Seo, E S; Seon, K I; Sone, J H; Yang, J; Zinn, S Y

    2004-01-01

    The Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass (CREAM) experiment is designed to measure cosmic ray elemental spectra to help understand the source and acceleration mechanisms of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. The payload is planned to launch in December 2004 from McMurdo Station, Antarctica as a balloon mission. A Silicon Charge Detector (SCD) was designed and constructed for the CREAM experiment to provide precision charge measurements of incident cosmic rays with a resolution of 0.2 charge unit or better. The SCD was exposed to heavy ion beams at CERN's H2 beam line in November 2003. The results reported here show the SCD performs as designed.

  9. Charge collection efficiency of irradiated silicon detector operated at cryogenic temperatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Borer, K.; Janos, S.; Palmieri, V.G.; Dezillie, B.; Li, Z.; Collins, P.; Niinikoski, T.O.; Lourenco, C.; Sonderegger, P.; Borchi, E.; Bruzzi, M.; Pirollo, S.; Granata, V.; Pagano, S.; Chapuy, S.; Dimcovski, Z.; Grigoriev, E.; Bell, W.; Devine, S.R.H.; O'Shea, V.; Smith, K.; Berglund, P.; Boer, W. de; Hauler, F.; Heising, S.; Jungermann, L.; Casagrande, L.; Cindro, V.; Mikuz, M.; Zavartanik, M.; Via, C. da; Esposito, A.; Konorov, I.; Paul, S.; Schmitt, L.; Buontempo, S.; D'Ambrosio, N.; Pagano, S.; Ruggiero, G.; Eremin, V.; Verbitskaya, E.

    2000-01-01

    The charge collection efficiency (CCE) of heavily irradiated silicon diode detectors was investigated at temperatures between 77 and 200 K. The CCE was found to depend on the radiation dose, bias voltage value and history, temperature, and bias current generated by light. The detector irradiated to the highest fluence 2x10 15 n/cm 2 yields a MIP signal of at least 15000 e - both at 250 V forward bias voltage, and at 250 V reverse bias voltage in the presence of a light-generated current. The 'Lazarus effect' was thus shown to extend to fluences at least ten times higher than was previously studied

  10. Quantum interference in laser spectroscopy of highly charged lithiumlike ions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amaro, Pedro; Loureiro, Ulisses; Safari, Laleh; Fratini, Filippo; Indelicato, Paul; Stöhlker, Thomas; Santos, José Paulo

    2018-02-01

    We investigate the quantum interference induced shifts between energetically close states in highly charged ions, with the energy structure being observed by laser spectroscopy. In this work, we focus on hyperfine states of lithiumlike heavy-Z isotopes and quantify how much quantum interference changes the observed transition frequencies. The process of photon excitation and subsequent photon decay for the transition 2 s →2 p →2 s is implemented with fully relativistic and full-multipole frameworks, which are relevant for such relativistic atomic systems. We consider the isotopes 79+207Pb and 80+209Bi due to experimental interest, as well as other examples of isotopes with lower Z , namely 56+141Pr and 64+165Ho. We conclude that quantum interference can induce shifts up to 11% of the linewidth in the measurable resonances of the considered isotopes, if interference between resonances is neglected. The inclusion of relativity decreases the cross section by 35%, mainly due to the complete retardation form of the electric dipole multipole. However, the contribution of the next higher multipoles (e.g., magnetic quadrupole) to the cross section is negligible. This makes the contribution of relativity and higher-order multipoles to the quantum interference induced shifts a minor effect, even for heavy-Z elements.

  11. A new computer-aided simulation model for polycrystalline silicon film resistors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ching-Yuan Wu; Weng-Dah Ken

    1983-07-01

    A general transport theory for the I-V characteristics of a polycrystalline film resistor has been derived by including the effects of carrier degeneracy, majority-carrier thermionic-diffusion across the space charge regions produced by carrier trapping in the grain boundaries, and quantum mechanical tunneling through the grain boundaries. Based on the derived transport theory, a new conduction model for the electrical resistivity of polycrystalline film resitors has been developed by incorporating the effects of carrier trapping and dopant segregation in the grain boundaries. Moreover, an empirical formula for the coefficient of the dopant-segregation effects has been proposed, which enables us to predict the dependence of the electrical resistivity of phosphorus-and arsenic-doped polycrystalline silicon films on thermal annealing temperature. Phosphorus-doped polycrystalline silicon resistors have been fabricated by using ion-implantation with doses ranged from 1.6 × 10 11 to 5 × 10 15/cm 2. The dependence of the electrical resistivity on doping concentration and temperature have been measured and shown to be in good agreement with the results of computer simulations. In addition, computer simulations for boron-and arsenic-doped polycrystalline silicon resistors have also been performed and shown to be consistent with the experimental results published by previous authors.

  12. Efficient Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer between Quantum Dots and Gold Nanoparticles Based on Porous Silicon Photonic Crystal for DNA Detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hongyan; Lv, Jie; Jia, Zhenhong

    2017-05-10

    A novel assembled biosensor was prepared for detecting 16S rRNA, a small-size persistent specific for Actinobacteria. The mechanism of the porous silicon (PS) photonic crystal biosensor is based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between quantum dots (QDs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) through DNA hybridization, where QDs act as an emission donor and AuNPs serve as a fluorescence quencher. Results showed that the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of PS photonic crystal was drastically increased when the QDs-conjugated probe DNA was adhered to the PS layer by surface modification using a standard cross-link chemistry method. The PL intensity of QDs was decreased when the addition of AuNPs-conjugated complementary 16S rRNA was dropped onto QDs-conjugated PS. Based on the analysis of different target DNA concentration, it was found that the decrease of the PL intensity showed a good linear relationship with complementary DNA concentration in a range from 0.25 to 10 μM, and the detection limit was 328.7 nM. Such an optical FRET biosensor functions on PS-based photonic crystal for DNA detection that differs from the traditional FRET, which is used only in liquid. This method will benefit the development of a new optical FRET label-free biosensor on Si substrate and has great potential in biochips based on integrated optical devices.

  13. Label Free Detection of Biomolecules Using Charge-Plasma-Based Gate Underlap Dielectric Modulated Junctionless TFET

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wadhwa, Girish; Raj, Balwinder

    2018-05-01

    Nanoscale devices are emerging as a platform for detecting biomolecules. Various issues were observed during the fabrication process such as random dopant fluctuation and thermal budget. To reduce these issues charge-plasma-based concept is introduced. This paper proposes the implementation of charge-plasma-based gate underlap dielectric modulated junctionless tunnel field effect transistor (DM-JLTFET) for the revelation of biomolecule immobilized in the open cavity gate channel region. In this p+ source and n+ drain regions are introduced by employing different work function over the intrinsic silicon. Also dual material gate architecture is implemented to reduce short channel effect without abandoning any other device characteristic. The sensitivity of biosensor is studied for both the neutral and charge-neutral biomolecules. The effect of device parameters such as channel thickness, cavity length and cavity thickness on drain current have been analyzed through simulations. This paper investigates the performance of charge-plasma-based gate underlap DM-JLTFET for biomolecule sensing applications while varying dielectric constant, charge density at different biasing conditions.

  14. Optimal and Local Connectivity Between Neuron and Synapse Array in the Quantum Dot/Silicon Brain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duong, Tuan A.; Assad, Christopher; Thakoor, Anikumar P.

    2010-01-01

    This innovation is used to connect between synapse and neuron arrays using nanowire in quantum dot and metal in CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) technology to enable the density of a brain-like connection in hardware. The hardware implementation combines three technologies: 1. Quantum dot and nanowire-based compact synaptic cell (50x50 sq nm) with inherently low parasitic capacitance (hence, low dynamic power approx.l0(exp -11) watts/synapse), 2. Neuron and learning circuits implemented in 50-nm CMOS technology, to be integrated with quantum dot and nanowire synapse, and 3. 3D stacking approach to achieve the overall numbers of high density O(10(exp 12)) synapses and O(10(exp 8)) neurons in the overall system. In a 1-sq cm of quantum dot layer sitting on a 50-nm CMOS layer, innovators were able to pack a 10(exp 6)-neuron and 10(exp 10)-synapse array; however, the constraint for the connection scheme is that each neuron will receive a non-identical 10(exp 4)-synapse set, including itself, via its efficacy of the connection. This is not a fully connected system where the 100x100 synapse array only has a 100-input data bus and 100-output data bus. Due to the data bus sharing, it poses a great challenge to have a complete connected system, and its constraint within the quantum dot and silicon wafer layer. For an effective connection scheme, there are three conditions to be met: 1. Local connection. 2. The nanowire should be connected locally, not globally from which it helps to maximize the data flow by sharing the same wire space location. 3. Each synapse can have an alternate summation line if needed (this option is doable based on the simple mask creation). The 10(exp 3)x10(exp 3)-neuron array was partitioned into a 10-block, 10(exp 2)x10(exp 3)-neuron array. This building block can be completely mapped within itself (10,000 synapses to a neuron).

  15. Charge Losses in Silicon Sensors and Electric-Field Studies at the Si-SiO$_2$ Interface

    CERN Document Server

    Poehlsen, Thomas

    Electric fields and charge losses in silicon sensors before and after irradiation with x-rays, protons, neutrons or mixed irradiation are studied in charge-collection measurements. Electron-hole pairs ($eh$ pairs) are generated at different positions in the sensor using sub-ns pulsed laser light of different wavelengths. Light of 1063 nm, 830 nm and 660 nm wavelength is used to generate $eh$ pairs along the whole sensor depth, a few $\\mu$m below the surface and very close to the surface, respectively. Segmented p$^+$n silicon strip sensors are used to study the electric field below the SiO$_2$ separating the strip implants. The sensors are investigated before and after irradiation with 12 keV x-rays to a dose of 1 MGy. It is found that the electric field close to the Si-SiO$_2$ interface depends on both the irradiation dose and the biasing history. For the non-irradiated sensors the observed dependence of the electric field on biasing history and humidity is qualitatively as expected from simulations of the...

  16. Silicon nanowire-based solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stelzner, Th; Pietsch, M; Andrae, G; Falk, F; Ose, E; Christiansen, S [Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 9, D-07745 Jena (Germany)], E-mail: thomas.stelzner@ipht-jena.de

    2008-07-23

    The fabrication of silicon nanowire-based solar cells on silicon wafers and on multicrystalline silicon thin films on glass is described. The nanowires show a strong broadband optical absorption, which makes them an interesting candidate to serve as an absorber in solar cells. The operation of a solar cell is demonstrated with n-doped nanowires grown on a p-doped silicon wafer. From a partially illuminated area of 0.6 cm{sup 2} open-circuit voltages in the range of 230-280 mV and a short-circuit current density of 2 mA cm{sup -2} were obtained.

  17. Silicon nanowire-based solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stelzner, Th; Pietsch, M; Andrae, G; Falk, F; Ose, E; Christiansen, S

    2008-01-01

    The fabrication of silicon nanowire-based solar cells on silicon wafers and on multicrystalline silicon thin films on glass is described. The nanowires show a strong broadband optical absorption, which makes them an interesting candidate to serve as an absorber in solar cells. The operation of a solar cell is demonstrated with n-doped nanowires grown on a p-doped silicon wafer. From a partially illuminated area of 0.6 cm 2 open-circuit voltages in the range of 230-280 mV and a short-circuit current density of 2 mA cm -2 were obtained

  18. Towards hybrid heterojunction silicon solar cells with organic charge carrier selective contacts

    OpenAIRE

    Jäckle, Sara Lisa

    2017-01-01

    Photovoltaic is an essential part of the needed global transition towards renewable energies. Even though many materials have good absorption and energy conversion properties, the market is dominated by technologies based on crystalline silicon. Silicon has the advantage of being neither toxic nor rare on earth and it is very well investigated due to its extensive use in microelectronics. The best power conversion efficiencies of silicon solar cells and modules are achieved by sophisticated d...

  19. The Large-Scale Synthesis of Vinyl-Functionalized Silicon Quantum Dot and Its Application in Miniemulsion Polymerization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xuan-Dung Mai

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Stable luminescence, size-tunability, and biocompatibility encourage the deployment of Cd-free NPs into diverse biological applications. Here we report one-pot synthesis of blue-emitting and polymerizable silicon quantum dots (Si QDs from which water-soluble Si QDs embedded polystyrene nanoparticles (SiQD@PS NPs were prepared using a miniemulsion polymerization approach. The hydrodynamic size of NPs was controlled by KOH to oleic acid molar ratio. Studies on the photoluminescence properties of SiQD@PS NPs in different conditions reveal that they exhibit two-photon luminescence property and high stability against pH and UV exposure. These NPs add new size regime to the Si QDs based luminescent makers for bioimaging and therapy applications.

  20. Influence of dislocation density on internal quantum efficiency of GaN-based semiconductors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiadong Yu

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available By considering the effects of stress fields coming from lattice distortion as well as charge fields coming from line charges at edge dislocation cores on radiative recombination of exciton, a model of carriers’ radiative and non-radiative recombination has been established in GaN-based semiconductors with certain dislocation density. Using vector average of the stress fields and the charge fields, the relationship between dislocation density and the internal quantum efficiency (IQE is deduced. Combined with related experimental results, this relationship is fitted well to the trend of IQEs of bulk GaN changing with screw and edge dislocation density, meanwhile its simplified form is fitted well to the IQEs of AlGaN multiple quantum well LEDs with varied threading dislocation densities but the same light emission wavelength. It is believed that this model, suitable for different epitaxy platforms such as MOCVD and MBE, can be used to predict to what extent the luminous efficiency of GaN-based semiconductors can still maintain when the dislocation density increases, so as to provide a reasonable rule of thumb for optimizing the epitaxial growth of GaN-based devices.

  1. Overcoming the Cut-Off Charge Transfer Bandgaps at the PbS Quantum Dot Interface

    KAUST Repository

    El-Ballouli, Ala'a O.

    2015-11-17

    Light harvesting from large size of semiconductor PbS quantum dots (QDs) with a bandgap of less than 1 eV is one of the greatest challenges precluding the development of PbS QD-based solar cells because the interfacial charge transfer (CT) from such QDs to the most commonly used electron acceptor materials is very inefficient, if it occurs at all. Thus, an alternative electron-accepting unit with a new driving force for CT is urgently needed to harvest the light from large-sized PbS QDs. Here, a cationic porphyrin is utilized as a new electron acceptor unit with unique features that bring the donor–acceptor components into close molecular proximity, allowing ultrafast and efficient electron transfer for QDs of all sizes, as inferred from the drastic photoluminescence quenching and the ultrafast formation of the porphyrin anionic species. The time-resolved results clearly demonstrate the possibility of modulating the electron transfer process between PbS QDs and porphyrin moieties not only by the size quantization effect but also by the interfacial electrostatic interaction between the positively charged porphyrin and the negatively charged QDs. This approach provides a new pathway for engineering QD-based solar cells that make the best use of the diverse photons making up the Sun\\'s broad irradiance spectrum.

  2. Overcoming the Cut-Off Charge Transfer Bandgaps at the PbS Quantum Dot Interface

    KAUST Repository

    El-Ballouli, Ala'a O.; Alarousu, Erkki; Kirmani, Ahmad R.; Amassian, Aram; Bakr, Osman; Mohammed, Omar F.

    2015-01-01

    Light harvesting from large size of semiconductor PbS quantum dots (QDs) with a bandgap of less than 1 eV is one of the greatest challenges precluding the development of PbS QD-based solar cells because the interfacial charge transfer (CT) from such QDs to the most commonly used electron acceptor materials is very inefficient, if it occurs at all. Thus, an alternative electron-accepting unit with a new driving force for CT is urgently needed to harvest the light from large-sized PbS QDs. Here, a cationic porphyrin is utilized as a new electron acceptor unit with unique features that bring the donor–acceptor components into close molecular proximity, allowing ultrafast and efficient electron transfer for QDs of all sizes, as inferred from the drastic photoluminescence quenching and the ultrafast formation of the porphyrin anionic species. The time-resolved results clearly demonstrate the possibility of modulating the electron transfer process between PbS QDs and porphyrin moieties not only by the size quantization effect but also by the interfacial electrostatic interaction between the positively charged porphyrin and the negatively charged QDs. This approach provides a new pathway for engineering QD-based solar cells that make the best use of the diverse photons making up the Sun's broad irradiance spectrum.

  3. Amorphous silicon based particle detectors

    OpenAIRE

    Wyrsch, N.; Franco, A.; Riesen, Y.; Despeisse, M.; Dunand, S.; Powolny, F.; Jarron, P.; Ballif, C.

    2012-01-01

    Radiation hard monolithic particle sensors can be fabricated by a vertical integration of amorphous silicon particle sensors on top of CMOS readout chip. Two types of such particle sensors are presented here using either thick diodes or microchannel plates. The first type based on amorphous silicon diodes exhibits high spatial resolution due to the short lateral carrier collection. Combination of an amorphous silicon thick diode with microstrip detector geometries permits to achieve micromete...

  4. Quantum features of a charged particle in ionized plasma controlled by a time-dependent magnetic field

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeong Ryeol eChoi

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Quantum characteristics of a charged particle traveling under the influence of an external time-dependent magnetic field in ionized plasma are investigated using the invariant operator method. The Hamiltonian that gives the radial part of the classical equation of motion for the charged particle is dependent on time. The corresponding invariant operator that satisfies Liouville-von Neumann equation is constructed using fundamental relations. The exact radial wave functions are derived by taking advantage of the eigenstates of the invariant operator. Quantum properties of the system is studied using these wave functions. Especially, the time behavior of the radial component of the quantized energy is addressed in detail.

  5. Formation and dielectric properties of polyelectrolyte multilayers studied by a silicon-on-insulator based thin film resistor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neff, Petra A; Wunderlich, Bernhard K; Klitzing, Regine V; Bausch, Andreas R

    2007-03-27

    The formation of polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) is investigated using a silicon-on-insulator based thin film resistor which is sensitive to variations of the surface potential. The buildup of the PEMs at the silicon oxide surface of the device can be observed in real time as defined potential shifts. The influence of polymer charge density is studied using the strong polyanion poly(styrene sulfonate), PSS, combined with the statistical copolymer poly(diallyl-dimethyl-ammoniumchloride-stat-N-methyl-N-vinylacetamide), P(DADMAC-stat-NMVA), at various degrees of charge (DC). The multilayer formation stops after a few deposition steps for a DC below 75%. We show that the threshold of surface charge compensation corresponds to the threshold of multilayer formation. However, no reversion of the preceding surface charge was observed. Screening of polyelectrolyte charges by mobile ions within the polymer film leads to a decrease of the potential shifts with the number of layers deposited. This decrease is much slower for PEMs consisting of P(DADMAC-stat-NMVA) and PSS as compared to PEMs consisting of poly(allylamine-hydrochloride), PAH, and PSS. From this, significant differences in the dielectric constants of the polyelectrolyte films and in the concentration of mobile ions within the films can be derived.

  6. Remote quantum entanglement between two micromechanical oscillators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riedinger, Ralf; Wallucks, Andreas; Marinković, Igor; Löschnauer, Clemens; Aspelmeyer, Markus; Hong, Sungkun; Gröblacher, Simon

    2018-04-01

    Entanglement, an essential feature of quantum theory that allows for inseparable quantum correlations to be shared between distant parties, is a crucial resource for quantum networks 1 . Of particular importance is the ability to distribute entanglement between remote objects that can also serve as quantum memories. This has been previously realized using systems such as warm 2,3 and cold atomic vapours 4,5 , individual atoms 6 and ions 7,8 , and defects in solid-state systems 9-11 . Practical communication applications require a combination of several advantageous features, such as a particular operating wavelength, high bandwidth and long memory lifetimes. Here we introduce a purely micromachined solid-state platform in the form of chip-based optomechanical resonators made of nanostructured silicon beams. We create and demonstrate entanglement between two micromechanical oscillators across two chips that are separated by 20 centimetres . The entangled quantum state is distributed by an optical field at a designed wavelength near 1,550 nanometres. Therefore, our system can be directly incorporated in a realistic fibre-optic quantum network operating in the conventional optical telecommunication band. Our results are an important step towards the development of large-area quantum networks based on silicon photonics.

  7. Oxygen-assisted charge transfer between ZnO quantum dots and graphene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Wenhao; Xu, Shuigang; Wu, Zefei; Wang, Ning; Loy, M M T; Du, Shengwang

    2013-09-23

    Efficient charge transfer between ZnO quantum dots (QDs) and graphene is demonstrated by decorating ZnO QDs on top of graphene, with the assistance of oxygen molecules from the air. The electrical response of the device to UV light is greatly enhanced, and a photoconductive gain of up to 10(7) can be obtained. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Quantum ballistic analysis of transition metal dichalcogenides based double gate junctionless field effect transistor and its application in nano-biosensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shadman, Abir; Rahman, Ehsanur; Khosru, Quazi D. M.

    2017-11-01

    To reduce the thermal budget and the short channel effects in state of the art CMOS technology, Junctionless field effect transistor (JLFET) has been proposed in the literature. Numerous experimental, modeling, and simulation based works have been done on this new FET with bulk materials for various geometries until now. On the other hand, the two-dimensional layered material is considered as an alternative to current Si technology because of its ultra-thin body and high mobility. Very recently few simulation based works have been done on monolayer molybdenum disulfide based JLFET mainly to show the advantage of JLFET over conventional FET. However, no comprehensive simulation-based work has been done for double gate JLFET keeping in mind the prominent transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDC) to the authors' best knowledge. In this work, we have studied quantum ballistic drain current-gate voltage characteristics of such FETs within non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) framework. Our simulation results reveal that all these TMDC materials are viable options for implementing state of the art Junctionless MOSFET with emphasis on their performance at short gate lengths. Besides evaluating the prospect of TMDC materials in the digital logic application, the performance of Junctionless Double Gate trilayer TMDC heterostructure FET for the label-free electrical detection of biomolecules in dry environment has been investigated for the first time to the authors' best knowledge. The impact of charge neutral biomolecules on the electrical characteristics of the biosensor has been analyzed under dry environment situation. Our study shows that these materials could provide high sensitivity in the sub-threshold region as a channel material in nano-biosensor, a trend demonstrated by silicon on insulator FET sensor in the literature. Thus, going by the trend of replacing silicon with these novel materials in device level, TMDC heterostructure could be a viable alternative to

  9. Optical pumping of electron and nuclear spin in a negatively-charged quantum dot

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bracker, Allan; Gershoni, David; Korenev, Vladimir

    2005-03-01

    We report optical pumping of electron and nuclear spins in an individual negatively-charged quantum dot. With a bias-controlled heterostructure, we inject one electron into the quantum dot. Intense laser excitation produces negative photoluminescence polarization, which is easily erased by the Hanle effect, demonstrating optical pumping of a long-lived resident electron. The electron spin lifetime is consistent with the influence of nuclear spin fluctuations. Measuring the Overhauser effect in high magnetic fields, we observe a high degree of nuclear spin polarization, which is closely correlated to electron spin pumping.

  10. One dimensional detector for X-ray diffraction with superior energy resolution based on silicon strip detector technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dąbrowski, W; Fiutowski, T; Wiącek, P; Fink, J; Krane, H-G

    2012-01-01

    1-D position sensitive X-ray detectors based on silicon strip detector technology have become standard instruments in X-ray diffraction and are available from several vendors. As these devices have been proven to be very useful and efficient further improvement of their performance is investigated. The silicon strip detectors in X-ray diffraction are primarily used as counting devices and the requirements concerning the spatial resolution, dynamic range and count rate capability are of primary importance. However, there are several experimental issues in which a good energy resolution is important. The energy resolution of silicon strip detectors is limited by the charge sharing effects in the sensor as well as by noise of the front-end electronics. The charge sharing effects in the sensor and various aspects of the electronics, including the baseline fluctuations, which affect the energy resolution, have been analyzed in detail and a new readout concept has been developed. A front-end ASIC with a novel scheme of baseline restoration and novel interstrip logic circuitry has been designed. The interstrip logic is used to reject the events resulting in significant charge sharing between neighboring strips. At the expense of rejecting small fraction of photons entering the detector one can obtain single strip energy spectra almost free of charge sharing effects. In the paper we present the design considerations and measured performance of the detector being developed. The electronic noise of the system at room temperature is typically of the order of 70 el rms for 17 mm long silicon strips and a peaking time of about 1 μs. The energy resolution of 600 eV FWHM has been achieved including the non-reducible charge sharing effects and the electronic noise. This energy resolution is sufficient to address a common problem in X-ray diffraction, i.e. electronic suppression of the fluorescence radiation from samples containing iron or cobalt while irradiated with 8.04 ke

  11. Thermoelectric properties of an interacting quantum dot based heat engine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erdman, Paolo Andrea; Mazza, Francesco; Bosisio, Riccardo; Benenti, Giuliano; Fazio, Rosario; Taddei, Fabio

    2017-06-01

    We study the thermoelectric properties and heat-to-work conversion performance of an interacting, multilevel quantum dot (QD) weakly coupled to electronic reservoirs. We focus on the sequential tunneling regime. The dynamics of the charge in the QD is studied by means of master equations for the probabilities of occupation. From here we compute the charge and heat currents in the linear response regime. Assuming a generic multiterminal setup, and for low temperatures (quantum limit), we obtain analytical expressions for the transport coefficients which account for the interplay between interactions (charging energy) and level quantization. In the case of systems with two and three terminals we derive formulas for the power factor Q and the figure of merit Z T for a QD-based heat engine, identifying optimal working conditions which maximize output power and efficiency of heat-to-work conversion. Beyond the linear response we concentrate on the two-terminal setup. We first study the thermoelectric nonlinear coefficients assessing the consequences of large temperature and voltage biases, focusing on the breakdown of the Onsager reciprocal relation between thermopower and Peltier coefficient. We then investigate the conditions which optimize the performance of a heat engine, finding that in the quantum limit output power and efficiency at maximum power can almost be simultaneously maximized by choosing appropriate values of electrochemical potential and bias voltage. At last we study how energy level degeneracy can increase the output power.

  12. Electronic properties of novel topological quantum materials studied by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Yun [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

    2016-12-17

    The discovery of quantum Hall e ect has motivated the use of topology instead of broken symmetry to classify the states of matter. Quantum spin Hall e ect has been proposed to have a separation of spin currents as an analogue of the charge currents separation in quantum Hall e ect, leading us to the era of topological insulators. Three-dimensional analogue of the Dirac state in graphene has brought us the three-dimensional Dirac states. Materials with three-dimensional Dirac states could potentially be the parent compounds for Weyl semimetals and topological insulators when time-reversal or space inversion symmetry is broken. In addition to the single Dirac point linking the two dispersion cones in the Dirac/Weyl semimetals, Dirac points can form a line in the momentum space, resulting in a topological node line semimetal. These fascinating novel topological quantum materials could provide us platforms for studying the relativistic physics in condensed matter systems and potentially lead to design of new electronic devices that run faster and consume less power than traditional, silicon based transistors. In this thesis, we present the electronic properties of novel topological quantum materials studied by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES).

  13. Size Control of Porous Silicon-Based Nanoparticles via Pore-Wall Thinning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Secret, Emilie; Leonard, Camille; Kelly, Stefan J; Uhl, Amanda; Cozzan, Clayton; Andrew, Jennifer S

    2016-02-02

    Photoluminescent silicon nanocrystals are very attractive for biomedical and electronic applications. Here a new process is presented to synthesize photoluminescent silicon nanocrystals with diameters smaller than 6 nm from a porous silicon template. These nanoparticles are formed using a pore-wall thinning approach, where the as-etched porous silicon layer is partially oxidized to silica, which is dissolved by a hydrofluoric acid solution, decreasing the pore-wall thickness. This decrease in pore-wall thickness leads to a corresponding decrease in the size of the nanocrystals that make up the pore walls, resulting in the formation of smaller nanoparticles during sonication of the porous silicon. Particle diameters were measured using dynamic light scattering, and these values were compared with the nanocrystallite size within the pore wall as determined from X-ray diffraction. Additionally, an increase in the quantum confinement effect is observed for these particles through an increase in the photoluminescence intensity of the nanoparticles compared with the as-etched nanoparticles, without the need for a further activation step by oxidation after synthesis.

  14. Silicon Based Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Jackie Vincent

    The purpose of this project has been to investigate and fabricate small scale Micro Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (μDMFC). They are investigated as a possible alternative for Zinc-air batteries in small size consumer devices such as hearing aids. In such devices the conventional rechargeable batteries...... such as lithium-ion batteries have insufficiently low energy density. Methanol is a promising fuel for such devices due to the high energy density and ease of refueling compared to charging batteries, making μDMFC a suitable replacement energy source. In this Ph.D. dissertation, silicon micro fabrication...... techniques where utilized to build μDMFCs with the purpose of engineering the structures, both on the micro and nano scales in order to realize a high level of control over the membrane and catalyst components. The work presents four different monolithic fuel cell designs. The primary design is based...

  15. Quantum engineering of transistors based on 2D materials heterostructures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iannaccone, Giuseppe; Bonaccorso, Francesco; Colombo, Luigi; Fiori, Gianluca

    2018-03-01

    Quantum engineering entails atom-by-atom design and fabrication of electronic devices. This innovative technology that unifies materials science and device engineering has been fostered by the recent progress in the fabrication of vertical and lateral heterostructures of two-dimensional materials and by the assessment of the technology potential via computational nanotechnology. But how close are we to the possibility of the practical realization of next-generation atomically thin transistors? In this Perspective, we analyse the outlook and the challenges of quantum-engineered transistors using heterostructures of two-dimensional materials against the benchmark of silicon technology and its foreseeable evolution in terms of potential performance and manufacturability. Transistors based on lateral heterostructures emerge as the most promising option from a performance point of view, even if heterostructure formation and control are in the initial technology development stage.

  16. Quantum engineering of transistors based on 2D materials heterostructures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iannaccone, Giuseppe; Bonaccorso, Francesco; Colombo, Luigi; Fiori, Gianluca

    2018-03-01

    Quantum engineering entails atom-by-atom design and fabrication of electronic devices. This innovative technology that unifies materials science and device engineering has been fostered by the recent progress in the fabrication of vertical and lateral heterostructures of two-dimensional materials and by the assessment of the technology potential via computational nanotechnology. But how close are we to the possibility of the practical realization of next-generation atomically thin transistors? In this Perspective, we analyse the outlook and the challenges of quantum-engineered transistors using heterostructures of two-dimensional materials against the benchmark of silicon technology and its foreseeable evolution in terms of potential performance and manufacturability. Transistors based on lateral heterostructures emerge as the most promising option from a performance point of view, even if heterostructure formation and control are in the initial technology development stage.

  17. Enhancement of photovoltaic properties of multicrystalline silicon solar cells by combination of buried metallic contacts and thin porous silicon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ben Rabha, M.; Bessais, B. [Laboratoire de Photovoltaique, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l' Energie, Technopole de Borj-Cedria, BP 95, 2050 Hammam-Lif (Tunisia)

    2010-03-15

    Photovoltaic properties of buried metallic contacts (BMCs) with and without application of a front porous silicon (PS) layer on multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) solar cells were investigated. A Chemical Vapor Etching (CVE) method was used to perform front PS layer and BMCs of mc-Si solar cells. Good electrical performance for the mc-Si solar cells was observed after combination of BMCs and thin PS films. As a result the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics and the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) were improved, and the effective minority carrier diffusion length (Ln) increases from 75 to 110 {mu}m after BMCs achievement. The reflectivity was reduced to 8% in the 450-950 nm wavelength range. This simple and low cost technology induces a 12% conversion efficiency (surface area = 3.2 cm{sup 2}). The obtained results indicate that the BMCs improve charge carrier collection while the PS layer passivates the front surface. (author)

  18. Technology of silicon charged-particle detectors developed at the Institute of Electron Technology (ITE)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wegrzecka, Iwona; Panas, Andrzej; Bar, Jan; Budzyński, Tadeusz; Grabiec, Piotr; Kozłowski, Roman; Sarnecki, Jerzy; Słysz, Wojciech; Szmigiel, Dariusz; Wegrzecki, Maciej; Zaborowski, Michał

    2013-07-01

    The paper discusses the technology of silicon charged-particle detectors developed at the Institute of Electron Technology (ITE). The developed technology enables the fabrication of both planar and epiplanar p+-ν-n+ detector structures with an active area of up to 50 cm2. The starting material for epiplanar structures are silicon wafers with a high-resistivity n-type epitaxial layer ( ν layer - ρ < 3 kΩcm) deposited on a highly doped n+-type substrate (ρ< 0,02Ωcm) developed and fabricated at the Institute of Electronic Materials Technology. Active layer thickness of the epiplanar detectors (νlayer) may range from 10 μm to 150 μm. Imported silicon with min. 5 kΩcm resistivity is used to fabricate planar detectors. Active layer thickness of the planar detectors (ν) layer) may range from 200 μm to 1 mm. This technology enables the fabrication of both discrete and multi-junction detectors (monolithic detector arrays), such as single-sided strip detectors (epiplanar and planar) and double-sided strip detectors (planar). Examples of process diagrams for fabrication of the epiplanar and planar detectors are presented in the paper, and selected technological processes are discussed.

  19. Quantum cosmology based on discrete Feynman paths

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chew, Geoffrey F.

    2002-01-01

    Although the rules for interpreting local quantum theory imply discretization of process, Lorentz covariance is usually regarded as precluding time quantization. Nevertheless a time-discretized quantum representation of redshifting spatially-homogeneous universe may be based on discrete-step Feynman paths carrying causal Lorentz-invariant action--paths that not only propagate the wave function but provide a phenomenologically-promising elementary-particle Hilbert-space basis. In a model under development, local path steps are at Planck scale while, at a much larger ''wave-function scale'', global steps separate successive wave-functions. Wave-function spacetime is but a tiny fraction of path spacetime. Electromagnetic and gravitational actions are ''at a distance'' in Wheeler-Feynman sense while strong (color) and weak (isospin) actions, as well as action of particle motion, are ''local'' in a sense paralleling the action of local field theory. ''Nonmaterial'' path segments and ''trivial events'' collaborate to define energy and gravity. Photons coupled to conserved electric charge enjoy privileged model status among elementary fermions and vector bosons. Although real path parameters provide no immediate meaning for ''measurement'', the phase of the complex wave function allows significance for ''information'' accumulated through ''gentle'' electromagnetic events involving charged matter and ''soft'' photons. Through its soft-photon content the wave function is an ''information reservoir''

  20. Surface chemistry and density distribution influence on visible luminescence of silicon quantum dots: an experimental and theoretical approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dutt, Ateet; Matsumoto, Yasuhiro; Santana-Rodríguez, G; Ramos, Estrella; Monroy, B Marel; Santoyo Salazar, J

    2017-01-04

    The impact of the surface reconstruction of the density distribution and photoluminescence of silicon quantum dots (QDs) embedded in a silicon oxide matrix (SiO x ) has been studied. Annealing treatments carried out on the as-deposited samples provoked the effusion of hydrogen species. Moreover, depending on the surrounding density and coalescence of QDs, they resulted in a change in the average size of the particles depending on the initial local environment. The shift in the luminescence spectra all over the visible region (blue, green and red) shows a strong dependence on the resultant change in the size and/or the passivation environment of QDs. Density functional theoretical (DFT) calculations support this fact and explain the possible electronic transitions (HOMO-LUMO gap) involved. Passivation in the presence of oxygen species lowers the band gap of Si 29 and Si 35 nanoclusters up to 1.7 eV, whereas, surface passivation in the environment of hydrogen species increases the band gap up to 4.4 eV. These results show a good agreement with the quantum confinement model described in this work and explain the shift in the luminescence all over the visible region. The results reported here offer vital insight into the mechanism of emission from silicon quantum dots which has been one of the most debated topics in the last two decades. QDs with multiple size distribution in different local environments (band gap) observed in this work could be used for the fabrication of light emission diodes (LEDs) or shift-conversion thin films in third generation efficient tandem solar cells for the maximum absorption of the solar spectrum in different wavelength regions.

  1. Recombination of charge carriers on radiation-induced defects in silicon doped by transition metals impurities

    CERN Document Server

    Kazakevich, L A

    2003-01-01

    It has been studied the peculiarities of recombination of nonequilibrium charge carriers on radiation-induced defects in received according to Czochralski method p-silicon (p approx 3 - 20 Ohm centre dot cm), doped by one of the impurities of transition metals of the IV-th group of periodic table (titanium, zirconium, hafnium). Experimental results are obtained out of the analysis of temperature and injection dependence of the life time of charge carriers. The results are explained taking into consideration the influences of elastic stress fields created by the aggregates of transition metals atoms on space distribution over the crystal of oxygen and carbon background impurities as well as on the migration of movable radiation-induced defects during irradiation. (authors).

  2. Study of Charge Diffusion in a Silicon Detector Using an Energy Sensitive Pixel Readout Chip

    CERN Document Server

    Schioppa, E. J.; van Beuzekom, M.; Visser, J.; Koffeman, E.; Heijne, E.; Engel, K. J.; Uher, J.

    2015-01-01

    A 300 μm thick thin p-on-n silicon sensor was connected to an energy sensitive pixel readout ASIC and exposed to a beam of highly energetic charged particles. By exploiting the spectral information and the fine segmentation of the detector, we were able to measure the evolution of the transverse profile of the charge carriers cloud in the sensor as a function of the drift distance from the point of generation. The result does not rely on model assumptions or electric field calculations. The data are also used to validate numerical simulations and to predict the detector spectral response to an X-ray fluorescence spectrum for applications in X-ray imaging.

  3. Spectral function sum rules in quantum chromodynamics. I. Charged currents sector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Floratos, E.G.; Narison, Stephan; Rafael, Eduardo de.

    1978-07-01

    The Weinberg sum rules of the algebra of currents are reconsidered in the light of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). The authors derive new finite energy sum rules which replace the old Weinberg sum rules. The new sum rules are convergent and the rate of convergence is explicitly calculated in perturbative QCD at the one loop approximation. Phenomenological applications of these sum rules in the charged current sector are also discussed

  4. Light-induced enhancement of the minority carrier lifetime in boron-doped Czochralski silicon passivated by doped silicon nitride

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Hongzhe; Chen, Chao; Pan, Miao; Sun, Yiling; Yang, Xi

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The phosphorus-doped SiN x with negative fixed charge was deposited by PECVD. • The increase of lifetime was observed on P-doped SiN x passivated Si under illumination. • The enhancement of lifetime was caused by the increase of negative fixed charges. - Abstract: This study reports a doubling of the effective minority carrier lifetime under light soaking conditions, observed in a boron-doped p-type Czochralski grown silicon wafer passivated by a phosphorus-doped silicon nitride thin film. The analysis of capacitance–voltage curves revealed that the fixed charge in this phosphorus-doped silicon nitride film was negative, which was unlike the well-known positive fixed charges observed in traditional undoped silicon nitride. The analysis results revealed that the enhancement phenomenon of minority carrier lifetime was caused by the abrupt increase in the density of negative fixed charge (from 7.2 × 10 11 to 1.2 × 10 12 cm −2 ) after light soaking.

  5. The role of extra-atomic relaxation in determining Si2p binding energy shifts at silicon/silicon oxide interfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, K.Z.; Greeley, J.N.; Banaszak Holl, M.M.; McFeely, F.R.

    1997-01-01

    The observed binding energy shift for silicon oxide films grown on crystalline silicon varies as a function of film thickness. The physical basis of this shift has previously been ascribed to a variety of initial state effects (Si endash O ring size, strain, stoichiometry, and crystallinity), final state effects (a variety of screening mechanisms), and extrinsic effects (charging). By constructing a structurally homogeneous silicon oxide film on silicon, initial state effects have been minimized and the magnitude of final state stabilization as a function of film thickness has been directly measured. In addition, questions regarding the charging of thin silicon oxide films on silicon have been addressed. From these studies, it is concluded that initial state effects play a negligible role in the thickness-dependent binding energy shift. For the first ∼30 Angstrom of oxide film, the thickness-dependent binding energy shift can be attributed to final state effects in the form of image charge induced stabilization. Beyond about 30 Angstrom, charging of the film occurs. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

  6. Mass Charge Interactions for Visualizing the Quantum Field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baer, Wolfgang

    Our goal is to integrate the objective and subjective aspects of our personal experience into a single complete theory of reality. To further this endeavor we replace elementary particles with elementary events as the building blocks of an event oriented description of that reality. The simplest event in such a conception is an adaptation of A. Wheeler's primitive explanatory--measurement cycle between internal observations experienced by an observer and their assumed physical causes. We will show how internal forces between charge and mass are required to complete the cyclic sequence of activity. This new formulation of internal material is easier to visualize and map to cognitive experiences than current formulations of sub-atomic physics. In our formulation, called Cognitive Action Theory, such internal forces balance the external forces of gravity-inertia and electricity-magnetism. They thereby accommodate outside influences by adjusting the internal structure of material from which all things are composed. Such accommodation is interpreted as the physical implementation of a model of the external physical world in the brain of a cognitive being or alternatively the response mechanism to external influences in the material of inanimate objects. We adopt the deBroglie-Bohm causal interpretation of QT to show that the nature of space in our model is mathematically equivalent to a field of clocks. Within this field small oscillations form deBroglie waves. This interpretation allows us to visualize the underlying structure of empty space with a charge-mass separation field in equilibrium, and objects appearing in space with quantum wave disturbances to that equilibrium occurring inside material. Space is thereby associated with the internal structure of material and quantum mechanics is shown to be, paraphrasing Heisenberg, the physics of the material that knows the world.

  7. Belle II silicon vertex detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Adamczyk, K. [H. Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics, Krakow 31-342 (Poland); Aihara, H. [Department of Physics, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Angelini, C. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Aziz, T.; Babu, V. [Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai 400005 (India); Bacher, S. [H. Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics, Krakow 31-342 (Poland); Bahinipati, S. [Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, Satya Nagar (India); Barberio, E.; Baroncelli, Ti.; Baroncelli, To. [School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010 (Australia); Basith, A.K. [Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036 (India); Batignani, G. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Bauer, A. [Institute of High Energy Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1050 Vienna (Austria); Behera, P.K. [Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036 (India); Bergauer, T. [Institute of High Energy Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1050 Vienna (Austria); Bettarini, S. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Bhuyan, B. [Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam 781039 (India); Bilka, T. [Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, 121 16 Prague (Czech Republic); Bosi, F. [INFN Sezione di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Bosisio, L. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Trieste, I-34127 Trieste (Italy); INFN Sezione di Trieste, I-34127 Trieste (Italy); and others

    2016-09-21

    The Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB collider in Japan is designed to indirectly probe new physics using approximately 50 times the data recorded by its predecessor. An accurate determination of the decay-point position of subatomic particles such as beauty and charm hadrons as well as a precise measurement of low-momentum charged particles will play a key role in this pursuit. These will be accomplished by an inner tracking device comprising two layers of pixelated silicon detector and four layers of silicon vertex detector based on double-sided microstrip sensors. We describe herein the design, prototyping and construction efforts of the Belle-II silicon vertex detector.

  8. Bright infrared quantum-dot light-emitting diodes through inter-dot spacing control

    KAUST Repository

    Sun, Liangfeng; Choi, Joshua J.; Stachnik, David; Bartnik, Adam C.; Hyun, Byung-Ryool; Malliaras, George G.; Hanrath, Tobias; Wise, Frank W.

    2012-01-01

    Infrared light-emitting diodes are currently fabricated from direct-gap semiconductors using epitaxy, which makes them expensive and difficult to integrate with other materials. Light-emitting diodes based on colloidal semiconductor quantum dots, on the other hand, can be solution-processed at low cost, and can be directly integrated with silicon. However, so far, exciton dissociation and recombination have not been well controlled in these devices, and this has limited their performance. Here, by tuning the distance between adjacent PbS quantum dots, we fabricate thin-film quantum-dot light-emitting diodes that operate at infrared wavelengths with radiances (6.4 W sr '1 m '2) eight times higher and external quantum efficiencies (2.0%) two times higher than the highest values previously reported. The distance between adjacent dots is tuned over a range of 1.3 nm by varying the lengths of the linker molecules from three to eight CH 2 groups, which allows us to achieve the optimum balance between charge injection and radiative exciton recombination. The electroluminescent powers of the best devices are comparable to those produced by commercial InGaAsP light-emitting diodes. By varying the size of the quantum dots, we can tune the emission wavelengths between 800 and 1,850 nm.© 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited.

  9. Bright infrared quantum-dot light-emitting diodes through inter-dot spacing control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Liangfeng; Choi, Joshua J; Stachnik, David; Bartnik, Adam C; Hyun, Byung-Ryool; Malliaras, George G; Hanrath, Tobias; Wise, Frank W

    2012-05-06

    Infrared light-emitting diodes are currently fabricated from direct-gap semiconductors using epitaxy, which makes them expensive and difficult to integrate with other materials. Light-emitting diodes based on colloidal semiconductor quantum dots, on the other hand, can be solution-processed at low cost, and can be directly integrated with silicon. However, so far, exciton dissociation and recombination have not been well controlled in these devices, and this has limited their performance. Here, by tuning the distance between adjacent PbS quantum dots, we fabricate thin-film quantum-dot light-emitting diodes that operate at infrared wavelengths with radiances (6.4 W sr(-1) m(-2)) eight times higher and external quantum efficiencies (2.0%) two times higher than the highest values previously reported. The distance between adjacent dots is tuned over a range of 1.3 nm by varying the lengths of the linker molecules from three to eight CH(2) groups, which allows us to achieve the optimum balance between charge injection and radiative exciton recombination. The electroluminescent powers of the best devices are comparable to those produced by commercial InGaAsP light-emitting diodes. By varying the size of the quantum dots, we can tune the emission wavelengths between 800 and 1,850 nm.

  10. Bright infrared quantum-dot light-emitting diodes through inter-dot spacing control

    KAUST Repository

    Sun, Liangfeng

    2012-05-06

    Infrared light-emitting diodes are currently fabricated from direct-gap semiconductors using epitaxy, which makes them expensive and difficult to integrate with other materials. Light-emitting diodes based on colloidal semiconductor quantum dots, on the other hand, can be solution-processed at low cost, and can be directly integrated with silicon. However, so far, exciton dissociation and recombination have not been well controlled in these devices, and this has limited their performance. Here, by tuning the distance between adjacent PbS quantum dots, we fabricate thin-film quantum-dot light-emitting diodes that operate at infrared wavelengths with radiances (6.4 W sr \\'1 m \\'2) eight times higher and external quantum efficiencies (2.0%) two times higher than the highest values previously reported. The distance between adjacent dots is tuned over a range of 1.3 nm by varying the lengths of the linker molecules from three to eight CH 2 groups, which allows us to achieve the optimum balance between charge injection and radiative exciton recombination. The electroluminescent powers of the best devices are comparable to those produced by commercial InGaAsP light-emitting diodes. By varying the size of the quantum dots, we can tune the emission wavelengths between 800 and 1,850 nm.© 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited.

  11. Study of temperature-dependent charge conduction in silicon-nanocrystal/SiO_2 multilayers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mavilla, Narasimha Rao; Chavan, Vinayak; Solanki, Chetan Singh; Vasi, Juzer

    2016-01-01

    Silicon-nanocrystals (Si-NCs) realized by SiO_x _ 8 MV/cm; independent of temperature), while for lower electric fields (5–8 MV/cm) at higher temperatures, the trap-related Generalized Poole–Frenkel (GPF) is dominant. This signified the role of traps in modifying the conduction in bulk ICPCVD SiO_2 films. We then present the conduction in ML samples. For multilayer samples with SiO_2 sublayer thickness of 1.5 nm and 2.5 nm, Direct Tunneling (DT) is observed to be dominant, while for SiO_2 sublayer thickness of 3.5 nm, Space Charge Limited Conduction (SCLC) with exponential trap distribution is found to be the dominant conduction mechanism. This signifies the role of traps in modifying the conduction in Si-NC multilayer samples and SiO_2 sublayer thickness dependence. - Highlights: • Electrical conduction in SiO_2 film & Si-nanocrystal layers (Si-NCs) is reported. • SiO_2/SiO_x multilayer based Si-NCs were realized by Inductively Coupled plasma CVD. • For SiO_2 film, Fowler–Nordheim tunneling & Generalized Poole–Frenkel are observed. • For Si-NCs with thin SiO_2 sublayers (< 2.5 nm) Direct Tunneling is dominant. • For Si-NCs with 3.5 nm SiO_2 sublayers Space Charge Limited Conduction is dominant.

  12. Effects of quantum statistics of phonons on the thermal conductivity of silicon and germanium nanoribbons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kosevich, Yuriy A.; Savin, Alexander V.; Cantarero, Andrés

    2013-01-01

    We present molecular dynamics simulation of phonon thermal conductivity of semiconductor nanoribbons with an account for phonon quantum statistics. In our semiquantum molecular dynamics simulation, dynamics of the system is described with the use of classical Newtonian equations of motion where the effect of phonon quantum statistics is introduced through random Langevin-like forces with a specific power spectral density (color noise). The color noise describes interaction of the molecular system with the thermostat. The thermal transport of silicon and germanium nanoribbons with atomically smooth (perfect) and rough (porous) edges are studied. We show that the existence of rough (porous) edges and the quantum statistics of phonon change drastically the low-temperature thermal conductivity of the nanoribbon in comparison with that of the perfect nanoribbon with atomically smooth edges and classical phonon dynamics and statistics. The rough-edge phonon scattering and weak anharmonicity of the considered lattice produce a weakly pronounced maximum of thermal conductivity of the nanoribbon at low temperature.

  13. Effect of substrate bias on deposition behaviour of charged silicon nanoparticles in ICP-CVD process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoo, Seung-Wan; Kim, Jung-Hyung; Seong, Dae-Jin; You, Shin-Jae; Seo, Byong-Hoon; Hwang, Nong-Moon

    2017-01-01

    The effect of a substrate bias on the deposition behaviour of crystalline silicon films during inductively coupled plasma chemical vapour deposition (ICP-CVD) was analysed by consideration of non-classical crystallization, in which the building block is a nanoparticle rather than an individual atom or molecule. The coexistence of positively and negatively charged nanoparticles in the plasma and their role in Si film deposition are confirmed by applying bias voltages to the substrate, which is sufficiently small as not to affect the plasma potential. The sizes of positively and negatively charged nanoparticles captured on a carbon membrane and imaged using TEM are, respectively, 2.7–5.5 nm and 6–13 nm. The film deposited by positively charged nanoparticles has a typical columnar structure. In contrast, the film deposited by negatively charged nanoparticles has a structure like a powdery compact with the deposition rate about three times higher than that for positively charged nanoparticles. All the films exhibit crystallinity even though the substrate is at room temperature, which is attributed to the deposition of crystalline nanoparticles formed in the plasma. The film deposited by negatively charged nanoparticles has the highest crystalline fraction of 0.84. (paper)

  14. Spectral response of a polycrystalline silicon solar cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ba, B.; Kane, M.

    1994-10-01

    A theoretical study of the spectral response of a polycrystalline silicon n-p junction solar cell is presented. The case of a fibrously oriented grain structure, involving grain boundary recombination velocity and grain size effects is discussed. The contribution of the base region on the internal quantum efficiency Q int is computed for different grain sizes and grain boundary recombination velocities in order to examine their influence. Suggestions are also made for the determination of base diffusion length in polycrystalline silicon solar cells using the spectral response method. (author). 15 refs, 4 figs

  15. Supercapacitor electrodes based on polyaniline-silicon nanoparticle composite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Qiang; Yau, Siu-Tung [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115 (United States); Nayfeh, Munir H. [Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States)

    2010-06-15

    A composite material formed by dispersing ultrasmall silicon nanoparticles in polyaniline has been used as the electrode material for supercapacitors. Electrochemical characterization of the composite indicates that the nanoparticles give rise to double-layer capacitance while polyaniline produces pseudocapacitance. The composite shows significantly improved capacitance compared to that of polyaniline. The enhanced capacitance results in high power (220 kW kg{sup -1}) and energy-storage (30 Wh kg{sup -1}) capabilities of the composite material. A prototype supercapacitor using the composite as the charge storage material has been constructed. The capacitor showed the enhanced capacitance and good device stability during 1000 charging/discharging cycles. (author)

  16. Characterization of silicon detectors through TCT at Delhi University

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jain, G., E-mail: geetikajain.hep@gmail.com; Lalwani, K.; Dalal, R.; Bhardwaj, A.; Ranjan, K.

    2016-07-11

    Transient Current Technique (TCT) is one of the important methods to characterize silicon detectors and is based on the time evolution of the charge carriers generated when a laser light is shone on it. For red laser, charge is injected only to a small distance from the surface of the detector. For such a system, one of the charge carriers is collected faster than the readout time of the electronics and therefore, the effective signal at the electrodes is decided by the charge carriers that traverse throughout the active volume of the detector, giving insight to the electric field profile, drift velocity, effective doping density, etc. of the detector. Delhi University is actively involved in the silicon detector R&D and has recently installed a TCT setup consisting of a red laser system, a Faraday cage, a SMU (Source Measuring Unit), a bias tee, and an amplifier. Measurements on a few silicon pad detectors have been performed using the developed system, and the results have been found in good agreement with the CERN setup.

  17. Characterization of silicon detectors through TCT at Delhi University

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jain, G.; Lalwani, K.; Dalal, R.; Bhardwaj, A.; Ranjan, K.

    2016-01-01

    Transient Current Technique (TCT) is one of the important methods to characterize silicon detectors and is based on the time evolution of the charge carriers generated when a laser light is shone on it. For red laser, charge is injected only to a small distance from the surface of the detector. For such a system, one of the charge carriers is collected faster than the readout time of the electronics and therefore, the effective signal at the electrodes is decided by the charge carriers that traverse throughout the active volume of the detector, giving insight to the electric field profile, drift velocity, effective doping density, etc. of the detector. Delhi University is actively involved in the silicon detector R&D and has recently installed a TCT setup consisting of a red laser system, a Faraday cage, a SMU (Source Measuring Unit), a bias tee, and an amplifier. Measurements on a few silicon pad detectors have been performed using the developed system, and the results have been found in good agreement with the CERN setup.

  18. Characterization of silicon detectors through TCT at Delhi University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jain, G.; Lalwani, K.; Dalal, R.; Bhardwaj, A.; Ranjan, K.

    2016-07-01

    Transient Current Technique (TCT) is one of the important methods to characterize silicon detectors and is based on the time evolution of the charge carriers generated when a laser light is shone on it. For red laser, charge is injected only to a small distance from the surface of the detector. For such a system, one of the charge carriers is collected faster than the readout time of the electronics and therefore, the effective signal at the electrodes is decided by the charge carriers that traverse throughout the active volume of the detector, giving insight to the electric field profile, drift velocity, effective doping density, etc. of the detector. Delhi University is actively involved in the silicon detector R&D and has recently installed a TCT setup consisting of a red laser system, a Faraday cage, a SMU (Source Measuring Unit), a bias tee, and an amplifier. Measurements on a few silicon pad detectors have been performed using the developed system, and the results have been found in good agreement with the CERN setup.

  19. Improved charge trapping properties by embedded graphene oxide quantum-dots for flash memory application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Xinlei; Yan, Xiaobing; Wang, Hong; Yang, Tao; Zhou, Zhenyu; Zhao, Jianhui

    2018-06-01

    In this work, we have investigated two kinds of charge trapping memory devices with Pd/Al2O3/ZnO/SiO2/p-Si and Pd/Al2O3/ZnO/graphene oxide quantum-dots (GOQDs)/ZnO/SiO2/p-Si structure. Compared with the single ZnO sample, the memory window of the ZnO-GOQDs-ZnO sample reaches a larger value (more than doubled) of 2.7 V under the sweeping gate voltage ± 7 V, indicating a better charge storage capability and the significant charge trapping effects by embedding the GOQDs trapping layer. The ZnO-GOQDs-ZnO devices have better date retention properties with the high and low capacitances loss of ˜ 1.1 and ˜ 6.9%, respectively, as well as planar density of the trapped charges of 1.48 × 1012 cm- 2. It is proposed that the GOQDs play an important role in the outstanding memory characteristics due to the deep quantum potential wells and the discrete distribution of the GOQDs. The long date retention time might have resulted from the high potential barrier which suppressed both the back tunneling and the leakage current. Intercalating GOQDs in the memory device is a promising method to realize large memory window, low-power consumption and excellent retention properties.

  20. Broadband down-conversion based near infrared quantum cutting in Eu{sup 2+}–Yb{sup 3+} co-doped SrAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} for crystalline silicon solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tai, Yuping, E-mail: yupingtai@126.com [Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule Chemistry (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry & Materials Science, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069 (China); Zheng, Guojun, E-mail: zhengguojun88@126.com [Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule Chemistry (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry & Materials Science, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069 (China); Wang, Hui, E-mail: huiwang@nwu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule Chemistry (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry & Materials Science, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069 (China); National Key Laboratory of Photoelectric Technology and Functional Materials Culture Base, National Photoelectric Technology and Functional Materials & Application of International Science and Technology Cooperation Base, Institute of Photonics & Photon-Technology, Northwest University, Xi' an 710069 (China); Bai, Jintao, E-mail: baijt@nwu.edu.cn [National Key Laboratory of Photoelectric Technology and Functional Materials Culture Base, National Photoelectric Technology and Functional Materials & Application of International Science and Technology Cooperation Base, Institute of Photonics & Photon-Technology, Northwest University, Xi' an 710069 (China)

    2015-03-15

    Near infrared (NIR) quantum cutting involving the down conversion of an absorbed visible photon to emission of two NIR photons was achieved in SrAl{sub 2}O{sub 4}:0.01Eu{sup 2+}, xYb{sup 3+} (x=0, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 30 mol%) samples. The photoluminescence properties of samples in visible and NIR regions were measured to verify the energy transfer (ET) from Eu{sup 2+} to Yb{sup 3+}. The results demonstrated that Eu{sup 2+} was an efficient sensitizer for Yb{sup 3+} in the SrAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} host lattice. According to Gaussian fitting analysis and temperature-dependent luminescence experiments, the conclusion was drawn that the cooperative energy transfer (CET) process dominated the ET process and the influence of charge transfer state (CTS) of Yb{sup 3+} could be negligible. As a result, the high energy transfer efficiency (ETE) and quantum yield (QY) have been acquired, the maximum value approached 73.68% and 147.36%, respectively. Therefore, this down-conversion material has potential application in crystalline silicon solar cells to improve conversion efficiency. - Graphical abstract: Near infrared quantum cutting was achieved in Eu{sup 2+}–Yb{sup 3+} co-doped SrAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} samples. The cooperative energy transfer process dominated energy transfer process and high energy transfer efficiency was acquired. - Highlights: • The absorption spectrum of Eu{sup 2+} ion is strong in intensity and broad in bandwidth. • The spectra of Eu{sup 2+} in SrAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} lies in the strongest region of solar spectrum. • The cooperative energy transfer (CET) dominated the energy transfer process. • The domination of CET is confirmed by experimental analysis. • SrAl{sub 2}O{sub 4}:Eu{sup 2+},Yb{sup 3+} show high energy transfer efficiency and long lifetime.

  1. Existence of charges and mass-spliting in relativistic quantum field theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gal-Ezer, E.; Horwitz, L.P.

    1976-01-01

    The existence of charge operators associated with integrals of local densities in the (Wightman) framework of quantum field theory, in the presence of explicit symmetry breaking, can be demonstrated in certain cases. Their construction, in terms of null-plane integrals, is rather delicate. The possibility that a finite number of null-plane charges, which includes the Poincare generators, close on an algebra whose irreducible representations contain particles with different masses is considered; domain problems are shown to invalidate the basic hypotheses of the O'Raifeartaigh theorem. Null-plane Fourier transforms, which enter into the discussion of current algebra at infinite momentum, are also studied. It is shown that slns behavior is the maximal growth of high energy off mass shell amplitudes consistent with the existence of null-plane charges and null-plane Fourier transforms. Under the assumption that asymptotic states exist, these results also hold in the case of spontaneously broken chiral symmetry, with massless pseudoscalar Goldstone bosons

  2. Multi-Excitonic Quantum Dot Molecules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scheibner, M.; Stinaff, E. A.; Doty, M. F.; Ware, M. E.; Bracker, A. S.; Gammon, D.; Ponomarev, I. V.; Reinecke, T. L.; Korenev, V. L.

    2006-03-01

    With the ability to create coupled pairs of quantum dots, the next step towards the realization of semiconductor based quantum information processing devices can be taken. However, so far little knowledge has been gained on these artificial molecules. Our photoluminescence experiments on single InAs/GaAs quantum dot molecules provide the systematics of coupled quantum dots by delineating the spectroscopic features of several key charge configurations in such quantum systems, including X, X^+,X^2+, XX, XX^+ (with X being the neutral exciton). We extract general rules which determine the formation of molecular states of coupled quantum dots. These include the fact that quantum dot molecules provide the possibility to realize various spin configurations and to switch the electron hole exchange interaction on and off by shifting charges inside the molecule. This knowledge will be valuable in developing implementations for quantum information processing.

  3. Optical Gaps in Pristine and Heavily Doped Silicon Nanocrystals: DFT versus Quantum Monte Carlo Benchmarks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Derian, R; Tokár, K; Somogyi, B; Gali, Á; Štich, I

    2017-12-12

    We present a time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) study of the optical gaps of light-emitting nanomaterials, namely, pristine and heavily B- and P-codoped silicon crystalline nanoparticles. Twenty DFT exchange-correlation functionals sampled from the best currently available inventory such as hybrids and range-separated hybrids are benchmarked against ultra-accurate quantum Monte Carlo results on small model Si nanocrystals. Overall, the range-separated hybrids are found to perform best. The quality of the DFT gaps is correlated with the deviation from Koopmans' theorem as a possible quality guide. In addition to providing a generic test of the ability of TDDFT to describe optical properties of silicon crystalline nanoparticles, the results also open up a route to benchmark-quality DFT studies of nanoparticle sizes approaching those studied experimentally.

  4. First results on the charge collection properties of segmented detectors made with p-type bulk silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Casse, G.; Allport, P.P.; Bowcock, T.J.V.; Greenall, A.; Hanlon, M.; Jackson, J.N.

    2002-01-01

    Radiation damage of n-type bulk detectors introduces stable defects acting as effective p-type doping and leads to the change of the conductivity type of the silicon substrate (type inversion) after a fluence of a few times 10 13 protons cm -2 . The diode junction after inversion migrates from the original side to the back plane of the detector. The migration of the junction can be prevented using silicon detectors with p-type substrates. Furthermore, the use of n-side readout gives higher charge collection efficiency for segmented devices operated below the full depletion voltage. Large area (∼6.4x6.4 cm 2 ) capacitively coupled 80 μm pitch detectors using polysilicon bias resistors have been fabricated on p-type substrates (n-in-p diode structure). These detectors have been irradiated with 24 GeV/c protons to an integrated fluence of 3x10 14 cm -2 and kept for 7 days at 25 deg. C to reach the broad minimum of the annealing curve. Results are presented on the comparison of their charge collection properties with detectors using p-strip read-out after corresponding dose and annealing

  5. Variation of minority charge carrier lifetime in high-resistance p-type silicon under irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Basheleishvili, Z.V.; Garnyk, V.S.; Gorin, S.N.; Pagava, T.A.

    1984-01-01

    The minority carrier lifetime (tau) variation was studied in the process of p-type silicon bombardment with fast 8 MeV electrons. The irradiation and all measurements were carried out at room temperature. The tau quantity was measured by the photoconductivity attenuation method at a low injection level 20% measurement error; the resistivity was measured by the four-probe method (10% error). The resistivity and minority charge carrier lifetime tau are shown to increase with the exposure dose. It is supposed that as radiation dose increases, the rearrangement of the centres responsible for reducing the lifetime occurs and results in a tau increase in the material being irradiated, however the tau value observed in the original samples is not attained. The restoration of the minority carrier lifetime in p-type high-resistance silicon with a growing exposure dose might proceed due to reduction in the free carrier concentration

  6. Silicon based light-emitting materials and devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Weide

    1999-01-01

    Silicon based light-emitting materials and devices are the key to optoelectronic integration. Recently, there has been significant progress in materials engineering methods. The author reviews the latest developments in this area including erbium doped silicon, porous silicon, nanocrystalline silicon and Si/SiO 2 superlattice structures. The incorporation of these different materials into devices is described and future device prospects are assessed

  7. All-solid-state supercapacitors on silicon using graphene from silicon carbide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Bei; Ahmed, Mohsin; Iacopi, Francesca, E-mail: f.iacopi@griffith.edu.au [Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan 4111 (Australia); Wood, Barry [Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia 4072 (Australia)

    2016-05-02

    Carbon-based supercapacitors are lightweight devices with high energy storage performance, allowing for faster charge-discharge rates than batteries. Here, we present an example of all-solid-state supercapacitors on silicon for on-chip applications, paving the way towards energy supply systems embedded in miniaturized electronics with fast access and high safety of operation. We present a nickel-assisted graphitization method from epitaxial silicon carbide on a silicon substrate to demonstrate graphene as a binder-free electrode material for all-solid-state supercapacitors. We obtain graphene electrodes with a strongly enhanced surface area, assisted by the irregular intrusion of nickel into the carbide layer, delivering a typical double-layer capacitance behavior with a specific area capacitance of up to 174 μF cm{sup −2} with about 88% capacitance retention over 10 000 cycles. The fabrication technique illustrated in this work provides a strategic approach to fabricate micro-scale energy storage devices compatible with silicon electronics and offering ultimate miniaturization capabilities.

  8. All-solid-state supercapacitors on silicon using graphene from silicon carbide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Bei; Ahmed, Mohsin; Iacopi, Francesca; Wood, Barry

    2016-01-01

    Carbon-based supercapacitors are lightweight devices with high energy storage performance, allowing for faster charge-discharge rates than batteries. Here, we present an example of all-solid-state supercapacitors on silicon for on-chip applications, paving the way towards energy supply systems embedded in miniaturized electronics with fast access and high safety of operation. We present a nickel-assisted graphitization method from epitaxial silicon carbide on a silicon substrate to demonstrate graphene as a binder-free electrode material for all-solid-state supercapacitors. We obtain graphene electrodes with a strongly enhanced surface area, assisted by the irregular intrusion of nickel into the carbide layer, delivering a typical double-layer capacitance behavior with a specific area capacitance of up to 174 μF cm"−"2 with about 88% capacitance retention over 10 000 cycles. The fabrication technique illustrated in this work provides a strategic approach to fabricate micro-scale energy storage devices compatible with silicon electronics and offering ultimate miniaturization capabilities.

  9. Thin film silicon on silicon nitride for radiation hardened dielectrically isolated MISFET's

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neamen, D.; Shedd, W.; Buchanan, B.

    1975-01-01

    The permanent ionizing radiation effects resulting from charge trapping in a silicon nitride isolation dielectric have been determined for a total ionizing dose up to 10 7 rads (Si). Junction FET's, whose active channel region is directly adjacent to the silicon-silicon nitride interface, were used to measure the effects of the radiation induced charge trapping in the Si 3 N 4 isolation dielectric. The JFET saturation current and channel conductance versus junction gate voltage and substrate voltage were characterized as a function of the total ionizing radiation dose. The experimental results on the Si 3 N 4 are compared to results on similar devices with SiO 2 dielectric isolation. The ramifications of using the silicon nitride for fabricating radiation hardened dielectrically isolated MIS devices are discussed

  10. Material properties that predict preservative uptake for silicone hydrogel contact lenses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, J Angelo; Phillips, K Scott; Hitchins, Victoria M; Lucas, Anne D; Shoff, Megan E; Hutter, Joseph C; Rorer, Eva M; Eydelman, Malvina B

    2012-11-01

    To assess material properties that affect preservative uptake by silicone hydrogel lenses. We evaluated the water content (using differential scanning calorimetry), effective pore size (using probe penetration), and preservative uptake (using high-performance liquid chromatography with spectrophotometric detection) of silicone and conventional hydrogel soft contact lenses. Lenses grouped similarly based on freezable water content as they did based on total water content. Evaluation of the effective pore size highlighted potential differences between the surface-treated and non-surface-treated materials. The water content of the lens materials and ionic charge are associated with the degree of preservative uptake. The current grouping system for testing contact lens-solution interactions separates all silicone hydrogels from conventional hydrogel contact lenses. However, not all silicone hydrogel lenses interact similarly with the same contact lens solution. Based upon the results of our research, we propose that the same material characteristics used to group conventional hydrogel lenses, water content and ionic charge, can also be used to predict uptake of hydrophilic preservatives for silicone hydrogel lenses. In addition, the hydrophobicity of silicone hydrogel contact lenses, although not investigated here, is a unique contact lens material property that should be evaluated for the uptake of relatively hydrophobic preservatives and tear components.

  11. Surface effects in segmented silicon sensors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kopsalis, Ioannis

    2017-05-15

    Silicon detectors in Photon Science and Particle Physics require silicon sensors with very demanding specifications. New accelerators like the European X-ray Free Electron Laser (EuXFEL) and the High Luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), pose new challenges for silicon sensors, especially with respect to radiation hardness. High radiation doses and fluences damage the silicon crystal and the SiO{sub 2} layers at the surface, thus changing the sensor properties and limiting their life time. Non-Ionizing Energy Loss (NIEL) of incident particles causes silicon crystal damage. Ionizing Energy Loss (IEL) of incident particles increases the densities of oxide charge and interface traps in the SiO{sub 2} and at the Si-SiO{sub 2} interface. In this thesis the surface radiation damage of the Si-SiO{sub 2} system on high-ohmic Si has been investigated using circular MOSFETs biased in accumulation and inversion at an electric field in the SiO{sub 2} of about 500 kV/cm. The MOSFETs have been irradiated by X-rays from an X-ray tube to a dose of about 17 kGy(SiO{sub 2}) in different irradiation steps. Before and after each irradiation step, the gate voltage has been cycled from inversion to accumulation conditions and back. From the dependence of the drain-source current on gate voltage the threshold voltage of the MOSFET and the hole and electron mobility at the Si-SiO{sub 2} interface were determined. In addition, from the measured drain-source current the change of the oxide charge density during irradiation has been determined. The interface trap density and the oxide charge has been determined separately using the subthreshold current technique based on the Brews charge sheet model which has been applied for first time on MOSFETs built on high-ohmic Si. The results show a significant field-direction dependence of the surface radiation parameters. The extracted parameters and the acquired knowledge can be used to improve simulations of the surface

  12. Surface effects in segmented silicon sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kopsalis, Ioannis

    2017-05-01

    Silicon detectors in Photon Science and Particle Physics require silicon sensors with very demanding specifications. New accelerators like the European X-ray Free Electron Laser (EuXFEL) and the High Luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), pose new challenges for silicon sensors, especially with respect to radiation hardness. High radiation doses and fluences damage the silicon crystal and the SiO 2 layers at the surface, thus changing the sensor properties and limiting their life time. Non-Ionizing Energy Loss (NIEL) of incident particles causes silicon crystal damage. Ionizing Energy Loss (IEL) of incident particles increases the densities of oxide charge and interface traps in the SiO 2 and at the Si-SiO 2 interface. In this thesis the surface radiation damage of the Si-SiO 2 system on high-ohmic Si has been investigated using circular MOSFETs biased in accumulation and inversion at an electric field in the SiO 2 of about 500 kV/cm. The MOSFETs have been irradiated by X-rays from an X-ray tube to a dose of about 17 kGy(SiO 2 ) in different irradiation steps. Before and after each irradiation step, the gate voltage has been cycled from inversion to accumulation conditions and back. From the dependence of the drain-source current on gate voltage the threshold voltage of the MOSFET and the hole and electron mobility at the Si-SiO 2 interface were determined. In addition, from the measured drain-source current the change of the oxide charge density during irradiation has been determined. The interface trap density and the oxide charge has been determined separately using the subthreshold current technique based on the Brews charge sheet model which has been applied for first time on MOSFETs built on high-ohmic Si. The results show a significant field-direction dependence of the surface radiation parameters. The extracted parameters and the acquired knowledge can be used to improve simulations of the surface radiation damage of silicon sensors.

  13. Superconducting quantum interference monitor of charged particle beam current

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gertsev, K.F.; Mikheev, M.S.

    1981-01-01

    Description and test results of the monitor of charged particle beam current on the base of the high-frequency superconducting quantum interference detector with lead slotted shield are presented. The toroidal superconducting coil, which covers the measured beam has 16 turns wound by the lead belt of 7 mm width with 0.5 mm gaps between the turns. A superconducting low-coupling monitor having two holes and point oxidated niobium contact has been used in the mode of quanta counting of magnetic flux. The lead point shield was 2 mm thick and it had 30 mm aperture. The coefficient of background shielding within 0-200 Hz frequency range constituted more than 10 8 . The threshold current resolution of the monitor had the value less than 01 μA √Hz. The suggested monitor requires helium cooling. The proposed design of the monitor is applicable for mounting on the vacuum chamber when it is surrounded by helium conductor. In other cases mounting of low-powerful autonomic system or cryostat of helium storage up to several weeks is possible [ru

  14. Intrinsic defects in silicon carbide for spin-based quantum applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vladimir Dyakonov

    2014-01-01

    We present a set of experiments demonstrating a high potential of atomic-scale defects in SiC for various spin-based applications, including quantum information processing and photonics. In particular, we show that defect spn qubits in SiC can be addressed, manipulated and selectively read out by means of the double radio-optical resonance. The situation reminds the one in the atomic spectroscopy, where the atoms have their individual extremely sharp optical and RF resonance fingerprints. We also generate inverse population in some intrinsic defects, resulting in stimulated microwave emission at RT. This is a crucial step towards implementation of highly-integrable solid-state masers and extraordinarily sensitive microwave detectors. As an application example, we incorporate intrinsic defects in LED structures and show that they can be electrically driven at room temperature. (author)

  15. Controlling charge current through a DNA based molecular transistor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Behnia, S., E-mail: s.behnia@sci.uut.ac.ir; Fathizadeh, S.; Ziaei, J.

    2017-01-05

    Molecular electronics is complementary to silicon-based electronics and may induce electronic functions which are difficult to obtain with conventional technology. We have considered a DNA based molecular transistor and study its transport properties. The appropriate DNA sequence as a central chain in molecular transistor and the functional interval for applied voltages is obtained. I–V characteristic diagram shows the rectifier behavior as well as the negative differential resistance phenomenon of DNA transistor. We have observed the nearly periodic behavior in the current flowing through DNA. It is reported that there is a critical gate voltage for each applied bias which above it, the electrical current is always positive. - Highlights: • Modeling a DNA based molecular transistor and studying its transport properties. • Choosing the appropriate DNA sequence using the quantum chaos tools. • Choosing the functional interval for voltages via the inverse participation ratio tool. • Detecting the rectifier and negative differential resistance behavior of DNA.

  16. ``New'' energy states lead to phonon-less optoelectronic properties in nanostructured silicon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Vivek; Yu, Yixuan; Korgel, Brian; Nagpal, Prashant

    2014-03-01

    Silicon is arguably one of the most important technological material for electronic applications. However, indirect bandgap of silicon semiconductor has prevented optoelectronic applications due to phonon assistance required for photon light absorption/emission. Here we show, that previously unexplored surface states in nanostructured silicon can couple with quantum-confined energy levels, leading to phonon-less exciton-recombination and photoluminescence. We demonstrate size dependence (2.4 - 8.3 nm) of this coupling observed in small uniform silicon nanocrystallites, or quantum-dots, by direct measurements of their electronic density of states and low temperature measurements. To enhance the optical absorption of the these silicon quantum-dots, we utilize generation of resonant surface plasmon polariton waves, which leads to several fold increase in observed spectrally-resolved photocurrent near the quantum-confined bandedge states. Therefore, these enhanced light emission and absorption enhancement can have important implications for applications of nanostructured silicon for optoelectronic applications in photovoltaics and LEDs.

  17. Experimental Realization of a Quantum Spin Pump

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Watson, Susan; Potok, R.; M. Marcus, C.

    2003-01-01

    We demonstrate the operation of a quantum spin pump based on cyclic radio-frequency excitation of a GaAs quantum dot, including the ability to pump pure spin without pumping charge. The device takes advantage of bidirectional mesoscopic fluctuations of pumped current, made spin-dependent by the a......We demonstrate the operation of a quantum spin pump based on cyclic radio-frequency excitation of a GaAs quantum dot, including the ability to pump pure spin without pumping charge. The device takes advantage of bidirectional mesoscopic fluctuations of pumped current, made spin......-dependent by the application of an in-plane Zeeman field. Spin currents are measured by placing the pump in a focusing geometry with a spin-selective collector....

  18. Evaluation of local radiation damage in silicon sensor via charge collection mapping with the Timepix read-out chip

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Platkevic, M; Jakubek, J; Jakubek, M; Pospisil, S; Zemlicka, J; Havranek, V; Semian, V

    2013-01-01

    Studies of radiation hardness of silicon sensors are standardly performed with single-pad detectors evaluating their global electrical properties. In this work we introduce a technique to visualize and determine the spatial distribution of radiation damage across the area of a semiconductor sensor. The sensor properties such as charge collection efficiency and charge diffusion were evaluated locally at many points of the sensor creating 2D maps. For this purpose we used a silicon sensor bump bonded to the pixelated Timepix read-out chip. This device, operated in Time-over-threshold (TOT) mode, allows for the direct energy measurement in each pixel. Selected regions of the sensor were intentionally damaged by defined doses (up to 10 12 particles/cm 2 ) of energetic protons (of 2.5 and 4 MeV). The extent of the damage was measured in terms of the detector response to the same ions. This procedure was performed either on-line during irradiation or off-line after it. The response of the detector to each single particle was analyzed determining the charge collection efficiency and lateral charge diffusion. We evaluated the changes of these parameters as a function of radiation dose. These features are related to the local properties such as the spatial homogeneity of the sensor. The effect of radiation damage was also independently investigated measuring local changes of signal response to γ, and X rays and alpha particles.

  19. Allpix$^{2}$: A Modular Simulation Framework for Silicon Detectors

    CERN Document Server

    Spannagel, Simon; Hynds, Daniel; Alipour Tehrani, Niloufar; Benoit, Mathieu; Dannheim, Dominik; Gauvin, Neal; Nurnberg, Andreas Matthias; Schutze, Paul Jean; Vicente Barreto Pinto, Mateus

    2018-01-01

    Allpix$^{2}$ is a generic, open-source software framework for the simulation of silicon pixel detectors. Its goal is to ease the implementation of detailed simulations for both single detectors and more complex setups such as beam telescopes from incident radiation to the digitised detector response. Predefined detector types can be automatically constructed from simple model files describing the detector parameters. The simulation chain is arranged with the help of intuitive configuration files and an extensible system of modules, which implement separate simulation steps such as realistic charge carrier deposition with the Geant4 toolkit or propagation of charge carriers in silicon using a drift-diffusion model. Detailed electric field maps imported from TCAD simulations can be used to precisely model the drift behaviour of charge carriers within the silicon, bringing a new level of realism to Monte Carlo based simulations of particle detectors. This paper provides an overview of the framework and a select...

  20. Strong coupling of a single electron in silicon to a microwave photon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mi, X.; Cady, J. V.; Zajac, D. M.; Deelman, P. W.; Petta, J. R.

    2017-01-01

    Silicon is vital to the computing industry because of the high quality of its native oxide and well-established doping technologies. Isotopic purification has enabled quantum coherence times on the order of seconds, thereby placing silicon at the forefront of efforts to create a solid-state quantum processor. We demonstrate strong coupling of a single electron in a silicon double quantum dot to the photonic field of a microwave cavity, as shown by the observation of vacuum Rabi splitting. Strong coupling of a quantum dot electron to a cavity photon would allow for long-range qubit coupling and the long-range entanglement of electrons in semiconductor quantum dots.

  1. Polarized Fine Structure in the Photoluminescence Excitation Spectrum of a Negatively Charged Quantum Dot

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ware, M. E.; Stinaff, E. A.; Gammon, D.; Doty, M. F.; Bracker, A. S.; Gershoni, D.; Korenev, V. L.; Bădescu, Ş. C.; Lyanda-Geller, Y.; Reinecke, T. L.

    2005-10-01

    We report polarized photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy of the negative trion in single charge-tunable InAs/GaAs quantum dots. The spectrum exhibits a p-shell resonance with polarized fine structure arising from the direct excitation of the electron spin triplet states. The energy splitting arises from the axially symmetric electron-hole exchange interaction. The magnitude and sign of the polarization are understood from the spin character of the triplet states and a small amount of quantum dot asymmetry, which mixes the wave functions through asymmetric e-e and e-h exchange interactions.

  2. Core-shell heterojunction of silicon nanowire arrays and carbon quantum dots for photovoltaic devices and self-driven photodetectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Chao; Nie, Biao; Zeng, Longhui; Liang, Feng-Xia; Wang, Ming-Zheng; Luo, Linbao; Feng, Mei; Yu, Yongqiang; Wu, Chun-Yan; Wu, Yucheng; Yu, Shu-Hong

    2014-04-22

    Silicon nanostructure-based solar cells have lately intrigued intensive interest because of their promising potential in next-generation solar energy conversion devices. Herein, we report a silicon nanowire (SiNW) array/carbon quantum dot (CQD) core-shell heterojunction photovoltaic device by directly coating Ag-assisted chemical-etched SiNW arrays with CQDs. The heterojunction with a barrier height of 0.75 eV exhibited excellent rectifying behavior with a rectification ratio of 10(3) at ±0.8 V in the dark and power conversion efficiency (PCE) as high as 9.10% under AM 1.5G irradiation. It is believed that such a high PCE comes from the improved optical absorption as well as the optimized carrier transfer and collection capability. Furthermore, the heterojunction could function as a high-performance self-driven visible light photodetector operating in a wide switching wavelength with good stability, high sensitivity, and fast response speed. It is expected that the present SiNW array/CQD core-shell heterojunction device could find potential applications in future high-performance optoelectronic devices.

  3. Annealing temperature dependence of photoluminescent characteristics of silicon nanocrystals embedded in silicon-rich silicon nitride films grown by PECVD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chao, D.S.; Liang, J.H.

    2013-01-01

    Recently, light emission from silicon nanostructures has gained great interest due to its promising potential of realizing silicon-based optoelectronic applications. In this study, luminescent silicon nanocrystals (Si–NCs) were in situ synthesized in silicon-rich silicon nitride (SRSN) films grown by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). SRSN films with various excess silicon contents were deposited by adjusting SiH 4 flow rate to 100 and 200 sccm and keeping NH 3 one at 40 sccm, and followed by furnace annealing (FA) treatments at 600, 850 and 1100 °C for 1 h. The effects of excess silicon content and post-annealing temperature on optical properties of Si–NCs were investigated by photoluminescence (PL) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The origins of two groups of PL peaks found in this study can be attributed to defect-related interface states and quantum confinement effects (QCE). Defect-related interface states lead to the photon energy levels almost kept constant at about 3.4 eV, while QCE results in visible and tunable PL emission in the spectral range of yellow and blue light which depends on excess silicon content and post-annealing temperature. In addition, PL intensity was also demonstrated to be highly correlative to the excess silicon content and post-annealing temperature due to its corresponding effects on size, density, crystallinity, and surface passivation of Si–NCs. Considering the trade-off between surface passivation and structural properties of Si–NCs, an optimal post-annealing temperature of 600 °C was suggested to maximize the PL intensity of the SRSN films

  4. Hybrid nanocomposites based on conducting polymer and silicon nanowires for photovoltaic application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chehata, Nadia; Ltaief, Adnen; Ilahi, Bouraoui; Salem, Bassem; Bouazizi, Abdelaziz; Maaref, Hassen; Baron, Thierry

    2014-01-01

    Hybrid nanocomposites based on a nanoscale combination of organic and inorganic semiconductors are a promising way to enhance the performance of solar cells through a higher aspect ratio of the interface and the good processability of polymers. Nanocomposites are based on a heterojunction network between poly (2-methoxy-5-(2-ethyhexyl-oxy)-p-phenylenevinylene) (MEH-PPV) as an organic electron donor and silicon nanowires (SiNWs) as an inorganic electron acceptor. Nanowires (NWs) seem to be a promising material for this purpose, as they provide a large surface area for contact with the polymer and a designated conducting pathway whilst their volume is low. In this paper, silicon nanowires are introduced by mixing them into the polymer matrix. Hybrid nanocomposites films were deposited onto ITO substrate by spin coating method. Optical properties and photocurrent response were investigated. Charge transfer between the polymer and SiNWs has been demonstrated through photoluminescence measurements. The photocurrent density of ITO/MEH-PPV:SiNWs/Al structures have been obtained by J–V characteristics. The J sc value is about 0.39 µA/cm 2 . - Highlights: • SiNWs synthesis by Vapor–Liquid–Solid (VLS) mechanism. • SiNWs contribution to absorption spectra enhancement of MEH-PPV:SiNWs nanocomposites. • Decrease of PL intensity of MEH-PPV by addition of SiNWs. • Charge transfer process was taken place. • ITO/MEH-PPV:SiNWs/Al structure shows a photovoltaic effect, with a FF of 0.32

  5. Barrier versus tilt exchange gate operations in spin-based quantum computing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shim, Yun-Pil; Tahan, Charles

    2018-04-01

    We present a theory for understanding the exchange interaction between electron spins in neighboring quantum dots, either by changing the detuning of the two quantum dots or independently tuning the tunneling barrier between quantum dots. The Hubbard model and a more realistic confining-potential model are used to investigate how the tilting and barrier control affect the effective exchange coupling and thus the gate fidelity in both the detuning and symmetric regimes. We show that the exchange coupling is less sensitive to the charge noise through tunnel barrier control (while allowing for exchange coupling operations on a sweet spot where the exchange interaction has zero derivative with respect to the detuning). Both GaAs and Si quantum dots are considered, and we compare our results with experimental data showing qualitative agreements. Our results answer the open question of why barrier gates are preferable to tilt gates for exchange-based gate operations.

  6. Narrow optical linewidths and spin pumping on charge-tunable close-to-surface self-assembled quantum dots in an ultrathin diode

    Science.gov (United States)

    Löbl, Matthias C.; Söllner, Immo; Javadi, Alisa; Pregnolato, Tommaso; Schott, Rüdiger; Midolo, Leonardo; Kuhlmann, Andreas V.; Stobbe, Søren; Wieck, Andreas D.; Lodahl, Peter; Ludwig, Arne; Warburton, Richard J.

    2017-10-01

    We demonstrate full charge control, narrow optical linewidths, and optical spin pumping on single self-assembled InGaAs quantum dots embedded in a 162.5 -nm -thin diode structure. The quantum dots are just 88 nm from the top GaAs surface. We design and realize a p -i -n -i -n diode that allows single-electron charging of the quantum dots at close-to-zero applied bias. In operation, the current flow through the device is extremely small resulting in low noise. In resonance fluorescence, we measure optical linewidths below 2 μ eV , just a factor of 2 above the transform limit. Clear optical spin pumping is observed in a magnetic field of 0.5 T in the Faraday geometry. We present this design as ideal for securing the advantages of self-assembled quantum dots—highly coherent single-photon generation, ultrafast optical spin manipulation—in the thin diodes required in quantum nanophotonics and nanophononics applications.

  7. A deep-level transient spectroscopy study of gamma-ray irradiation on the passivation properties of silicon nitride layer on silicon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Peng; Yu, Xuegong; Ma, Yao; Xie, Meng; Li, Yun; Huang, Chunlai; Li, Mo; Dai, Gang; Zhang, Jian

    2017-08-01

    Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited silicon nitride (SiNx) films are extensively used as passivation material in the solar cell industry. Such SiNx passivation layers are the most sensitive part to gamma-ray irradiation in solar cells. In this work, deep-level transient spectroscopy has been applied to analyse the influence of gamma-ray irradiation on the passivation properties of SiNx layer on silicon. It is shown that the effective carrier lifetime decreases with the irradiation dose. At the same time, the interface state density is significantly increased after irradiation, and its energy distribution is broadened and shifts deeper with respect to the conduction band edge, which makes the interface states becoming more efficient recombination centers for carriers. Besides, C-V characteristics show a progressive negative shift with increasing dose, indicating the generation of effective positive charges in SiNx films. Such positive charges are beneficial for shielding holes from the n-type silicon substrates, i. e. the field-effect passivation. However, based on the reduced carrier lifetime after irradiation, it can be inferred that the irradiation induced interface defects play a dominant role over the trapped positive charges, and therefore lead to the degradation of passivation properties of SiNx on silicon.

  8. A CMOS silicon spin qubit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maurand, R.; Jehl, X.; Kotekar-Patil, D.; Corna, A.; Bohuslavskyi, H.; Laviéville, R.; Hutin, L.; Barraud, S.; Vinet, M.; Sanquer, M.; de Franceschi, S.

    2016-11-01

    Silicon, the main constituent of microprocessor chips, is emerging as a promising material for the realization of future quantum processors. Leveraging its well-established complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology would be a clear asset to the development of scalable quantum computing architectures and to their co-integration with classical control hardware. Here we report a silicon quantum bit (qubit) device made with an industry-standard fabrication process. The device consists of a two-gate, p-type transistor with an undoped channel. At low temperature, the first gate defines a quantum dot encoding a hole spin qubit, the second one a quantum dot used for the qubit read-out. All electrical, two-axis control of the spin qubit is achieved by applying a phase-tunable microwave modulation to the first gate. The demonstrated qubit functionality in a basic transistor-like device constitutes a promising step towards the elaboration of scalable spin qubit geometries in a readily exploitable CMOS platform.

  9. Quantum aspects of accelerator optics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khan, Sameen Ahmed

    2003-01-01

    Full text : Charged-particle optics, or the theory of transport of charged-particle beams through electromagnetic systems, is traditionally dealt with using classical mechanics. Though the classical treatment has been very successful, in designing and working of numerous charged-particle optical devices, it is natural to look for a prescription based on the quantum theory, since any system is quantum mechanical at the fundamental level. With this motivation the quantum theory of charged-particle beam optics, is being developed by Jagannathan et al. This formalism is specifically adapted to treat the problems of beam optics. It is found that the quantum theory gives rise to interesting additional contributions to the classical paraxial and aberrating behaviour. These contributions are directly proportional to the powers of the de Broglie wavelength. In the classical limit the quantum formalism reproduces the well-known Lie algebraic formalism of charged-particle beam optics. For spin-half particles, a treatment based on the Dirac equation is presented taking fully into account the spinor character of the wavefunction. The underlying powerful algebraic machinery of the formalism makes it possible to do computations to any degree of accuracy. This formalism is further applied to the study of the spin-dynamics of a Dirac particle with anomalous magnetic moment being transported through magnetic optical element. This naturally leads to a unified treatment of both the orbital (the Lorentz and Stem-Gerlach forces) and the spin (Thomas-Bargmann-Michel-Telegdi equation). This is illustrated, by computing the transfer maps for the phase-space and spin components in the cases of the normal and skew magnetic quadrupole lenses. The quantum mechanics of the concept of the spin-splitter devices, proposed recently for achieving polarized beams, is also understood using our formalisms

  10. Silicon Qubits

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ladd, Thaddeus D. [HRL Laboratories, LLC, Malibu, CA (United States); Carroll, Malcolm S. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2018-02-28

    Silicon is a promising material candidate for qubits due to the combination of worldwide infrastructure in silicon microelectronics fabrication and the capability to drastically reduce decohering noise channels via chemical purification and isotopic enhancement. However, a variety of challenges in fabrication, control, and measurement leaves unclear the best strategy for fully realizing this material’s future potential. In this article, we survey three basic qubit types: those based on substitutional donors, on metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures, and on Si/SiGe heterostructures. We also discuss the multiple schema used to define and control Si qubits, which may exploit the manipulation and detection of a single electron charge, the state of a single electron spin, or the collective states of multiple spins. Far from being comprehensive, this article provides a brief orientation to the rapidly evolving field of silicon qubit technology and is intended as an approachable entry point for a researcher new to this field.

  11. Varying temperature and silicon content in nanodiamond growth: effects on silicon-vacancy centres.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Sumin; Leong, Victor; Davydov, Valery A; Agafonov, Viatcheslav N; Cheong, Marcus W O; Kalashnikov, Dmitry A; Krivitsky, Leonid A

    2018-02-28

    Nanodidamonds containing colour centres open up many applications in quantum information processing, metrology, and quantum sensing. However, controlling the synthesis of nanodiamonds containing silicon vacancy (SiV) centres is still not well understood. Here we study nanodiamonds produced by a high-pressure high-temperature method without catalyst metals, focusing on two samples with clear SiV signatures. Different growth temperatures and relative content of silicon in the initial compound between the samples altered their nanodiamond size distributions and abundance of SiV centres. Our results show that nanodiamond growth can be controlled and optimised for different applications.

  12. Classical molecular dynamics and quantum ab-initio studies on lithium-intercalation in interconnected hollow spherical nano-spheres of amorphous silicon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bhowmik, A. [Atomic Scale Modelling and Materials, Department of Energy Conversion and Storage, Technical University of Denmark, Rios Campus, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000 Roskilde (Denmark); Malik, R. [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, 721302 (India); Prakash, S. [Defense Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Hyderabad (India); Sarkar, T.; Bharadwaj, M.D. [Center for Study of Science Technology and Policy, Bangalore 560094 (India); Aich, S. [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, 721302 (India); Ghosh, S., E-mail: sudipto@metal.iitkgp.ernet.in [Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, 721302 (India)

    2016-04-25

    A high concentration of lithium, corresponding to charge capacity of ∼4200 mAh/g, can be intercalated in silicon. Unfortunately, due to high intercalation strain leading to fracture and consequent poor cyclability, silicon cannot be used as anode in lithium ion batteries. But recently interconnected hollow nano-spheres of amorphous silicon have been found to exhibit high cyclability. The absence of fracture upon lithiation and the high cyclability has been attributed to reduction in intercalation stress due to hollow spherical geometry of the silicon nano-particles. The present work argues that the hollow spherical geometry alone cannot ensure the absence of fracture. Using classical molecular dynamics and density functional theory based simulations; satisfactory explanation to the absence of fracture has been explored at the atomic scale. - Highlights: • Interconnected nanoshells of amorphous Si: best available lithium ion cell anode. • High cycle life not understood in the light of poor K{sub IC} of amorphous Si. • MD reveals: atomic density of interconnected structure is ∼16% less than bulk Si. • Leads to drastic reduction (DFT) in lithiation σ & metal like e{sup −} structure (high K{sub IC}). • Lowering of lithiation σ and increase in K{sub IC} result in high cycle life.

  13. Stressing effects on the charge trapping of silicon oxynitride prepared by thermal oxidation of LPCVD Si-rich silicon nitride

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, H.Y.; Wong, H.; Filip, V.; Sen, B.; Kok, C.W.; Chan, M.; Poon, M.C.

    2006-01-01

    It was recently found that the silicon oxynitride prepared by oxidation of silicon-rich silicon nitride (SRN) has several important features. The high nitrogen and extremely low hydrogen content of this material allows it to have a high dielectric constant and a low trap density. The present work investigates in further detail the electrical reliability of this kind of gate dielectric films by studying the charge trapping and interface state generation induced by constant current stressing. Capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements indicate that for oxidation temperatures of 850 and 950 deg. C, the interface trap generation is minimal because of the high nitrogen content at the interface. At a higher oxidation temperature of 1050 deg. C, a large flatband shift is found for constant current stressing. This observation can be explained by the significant reduction of the nitrogen content and the phase separation effect at this temperature as found by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study. In addition to the high nitrogen content, the Si atoms at the interface exist in the form of random bonding to oxygen and nitrogen atoms for samples oxidized at 850 and 950 deg. C. This structure reduces the interface bonding constraint and results in the low interface trap density. For heavily oxidized samples the trace amount of interface nitrogen atoms exist in the form of a highly constraint SiN 4 phase and the interface oxynitride layer is a random mixture of SiO 4 and SiN 4 phases, which consequently reduces the reliability against high energy electron stressing

  14. Suppressing segregation in highly phosphorus doped silicon monolayers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Keizer, Joris; Kölling, Sebastian; Koenraad, Paul; Simmons, Michelle Y.

    2015-01-01

    Sharply defined dopant profiles and low resistivity are highly desired qualities in the microelectronic industry, and more recently, in the development of an all epitaxial Si:P based quantum computer. In this work, we use thin (monolayers thick) room temperature grown silicon layers, so-called

  15. Si quantum dot structures and their applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shcherbyna, L.; Torchynska, T.

    2013-06-01

    This paper presents briefly the history of emission study in Si quantum dots (QDs) in the last two decades. Stable light emission of Si QDs and NCs was observed in the spectral ranges: blue, green, orange, red and infrared. These PL bands were attributed to the exciton recombination in Si QDs, to the carrier recombination through defects inside of Si NCs or via oxide related defects at the Si/SiOx interface. The analysis of recombination transitions and the different ways of the emission stimulation in Si QD structures, related to the element variation for the passivation of surface dangling bonds, as well as the plasmon induced emission and rare earth impurity activation, have been presented. The different applications of Si QD structures in quantum electronics, such as: Si QD light emitting diodes, Si QD single union and tandem solar cells, Si QD memory structures, Si QD based one electron devices and double QD structures for spintronics, have been discussed as well. Note the significant worldwide interest directed toward the silicon-based light emission for integrated optoelectronics is related to the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor compatibility and the possibility to be monolithically integrated with very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits. The different features of poly-, micro- and nanocrystalline silicon for solar cells, that is a mixture of both amorphous and crystalline phases, such as the silicon NCs or QDs embedded in a α-Si:H matrix, as well as the thin film 2-cell or 3-cell tandem solar cells based on Si QD structures have been discussed as well. Silicon NC based structures for non-volatile memory purposes, the recent studies of Si QD base single electron devices and the single electron occupation of QDs as an important component to the measurement and manipulation of spins in quantum information processing have been analyzed as well.

  16. Silicon spintronics: Progress and challenges

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sverdlov, Viktor; Selberherr, Siegfried, E-mail: Selberherr@TUWien.ac.at

    2015-07-14

    Electron spin attracts much attention as an alternative to the electron charge degree of freedom for low-power reprogrammable logic and non-volatile memory applications. Silicon appears to be the perfect material for spin-driven applications. Recent progress and challenges regarding spin-based devices are reviewed. An order of magnitude enhancement of the electron spin lifetime in silicon thin films by shear strain is predicted and its impact on spin transport in SpinFETs is discussed. A relatively weak coupling between spin and effective electric field in silicon allows magnetoresistance modulation at room temperature, however, for long channel lengths. Due to tunneling magnetoresistance and spin transfer torque effects, a much stronger coupling between the spin (magnetization) orientation and charge current is achieved in magnetic tunnel junctions. Magnetic random access memory (MRAM) built on magnetic tunnel junctions is CMOS compatible and possesses all properties needed for future universal memory. Designs of spin-based non-volatile MRAM cells are presented. By means of micromagnetic simulations it is demonstrated that a substantial reduction of the switching time can be achieved. Finally, it is shown that any two arbitrary memory cells from an MRAM array can be used to perform a logic operation. Thus, an intrinsic non-volatile logic-in-memory architecture can be realized.

  17. Silicon spintronics: Progress and challenges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sverdlov, Viktor; Selberherr, Siegfried

    2015-01-01

    Electron spin attracts much attention as an alternative to the electron charge degree of freedom for low-power reprogrammable logic and non-volatile memory applications. Silicon appears to be the perfect material for spin-driven applications. Recent progress and challenges regarding spin-based devices are reviewed. An order of magnitude enhancement of the electron spin lifetime in silicon thin films by shear strain is predicted and its impact on spin transport in SpinFETs is discussed. A relatively weak coupling between spin and effective electric field in silicon allows magnetoresistance modulation at room temperature, however, for long channel lengths. Due to tunneling magnetoresistance and spin transfer torque effects, a much stronger coupling between the spin (magnetization) orientation and charge current is achieved in magnetic tunnel junctions. Magnetic random access memory (MRAM) built on magnetic tunnel junctions is CMOS compatible and possesses all properties needed for future universal memory. Designs of spin-based non-volatile MRAM cells are presented. By means of micromagnetic simulations it is demonstrated that a substantial reduction of the switching time can be achieved. Finally, it is shown that any two arbitrary memory cells from an MRAM array can be used to perform a logic operation. Thus, an intrinsic non-volatile logic-in-memory architecture can be realized

  18. Resonant tunnelling features in a suspended silicon nanowire single-hole transistor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Llobet, Jordi; Pérez-Murano, Francesc, E-mail: francesc.perez@csic.es, E-mail: z.durrani@imperial.ac.uk [Institut de Microelectrònica de Barcelona (IMB-CNM CSIC), Campus UAB, E-08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia (Spain); Krali, Emiljana; Wang, Chen; Jones, Mervyn E.; Durrani, Zahid A. K., E-mail: francesc.perez@csic.es, E-mail: z.durrani@imperial.ac.uk [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Arbiol, Jordi [Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA) and Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2), Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia (Spain); CELLS-ALBA Synchrotron Light Facility, 08290 Cerdanyola, Catalonia (Spain)

    2015-11-30

    Suspended silicon nanowires have significant potential for a broad spectrum of device applications. A suspended p-type Si nanowire incorporating Si nanocrystal quantum dots has been used to form a single-hole transistor. Transistor fabrication uses a novel and rapid process, based on focused gallium ion beam exposure and anisotropic wet etching, generating <10 nm nanocrystals inside suspended Si nanowires. Electrical characteristics at 10 K show Coulomb diamonds with charging energy ∼27 meV, associated with a single dominant nanocrystal. Resonant tunnelling features with energy spacing ∼10 meV are observed, parallel to both diamond edges. These may be associated either with excited states or hole–acoustic phonon interactions, in the nanocrystal. In the latter case, the energy spacing corresponds well with reported Raman spectroscopy results and phonon spectra calculations.

  19. Resonant tunnelling features in a suspended silicon nanowire single-hole transistor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Llobet, Jordi; Pérez-Murano, Francesc; Krali, Emiljana; Wang, Chen; Jones, Mervyn E.; Durrani, Zahid A. K.; Arbiol, Jordi

    2015-01-01

    Suspended silicon nanowires have significant potential for a broad spectrum of device applications. A suspended p-type Si nanowire incorporating Si nanocrystal quantum dots has been used to form a single-hole transistor. Transistor fabrication uses a novel and rapid process, based on focused gallium ion beam exposure and anisotropic wet etching, generating <10 nm nanocrystals inside suspended Si nanowires. Electrical characteristics at 10 K show Coulomb diamonds with charging energy ∼27 meV, associated with a single dominant nanocrystal. Resonant tunnelling features with energy spacing ∼10 meV are observed, parallel to both diamond edges. These may be associated either with excited states or hole–acoustic phonon interactions, in the nanocrystal. In the latter case, the energy spacing corresponds well with reported Raman spectroscopy results and phonon spectra calculations

  20. Luminescent passive-oxidized silicon quantum dots as biological staining labels and their cytotoxicity effects at high concentration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujioka, Kouki; Manabe, Noriyoshi; Hanada, Sanshiro; Hoshino, Akiyoshi; Yamamoto, Kenji; Hiruoka, Masaki; Sato, Keisuke; Hirakuri, Kenji; Miyasaka, Ryosuke; Tilley, Richard D; Manome, Yoshinobu

    2008-01-01

    Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) hold some advantages over conventional organic fluorescent dyes. Due to these advantages, they are becoming increasingly popular in the field of bioimaging. However, recent work suggests that cadmium based QDs affect cellular activity. As a substitute for cadmium based QDs, we have developed photoluminescent stable silicon quantum dots (Si-QDs) with a passive-oxidation technique. Si-QDs (size: 6.5 ± 1.5 nm) emit green light, and they have been used as biological labels for living cell imaging. In order to determine the minimum concentration for cytotoxicity, we investigated the response of HeLa cells. We have shown that the toxicity of Si-QDs was not observed at 112 μg ml -1 and that Si-QDs were less toxic than CdSe-QDs at high concentration in mitochondrial assays and with lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays. Especially under UV exposure, Si-QDs were more than ten times safer than CdSe-QDs. We suggest that one mechanism for the cytotoxicity is that Si-QDs can generate oxygen radicals and these radicals are associated with membrane damages. This work has demonstrated the suitability of Si-QDs for bioimaging in lower concentration, and their cytotoxicity and one toxicity mechanism at high concentration