Harnessing the metal-insulator transition for tunable metamaterials

Science.gov (United States)

Charipar, Nicholas A.; Charipar, Kristin M.; Kim, Heungsoo; Bingham, Nicholas S.; Suess, Ryan J.; Mathews, Scott A.; Auyeung, Raymond C. Y.; Piqué, Alberto

2017-08-01

The control of light-matter interaction through the use of subwavelength structures known as metamaterials has facilitated the ability to control electromagnetic radiation in ways not previously achievable. A plethora of passive metamaterials as well as examples of active or tunable metamaterials have been realized in recent years. However, the development of tunable metamaterials is still met with challenges due to lack of materials choices. To this end, materials that exhibit a metal-insulator transition are being explored as the active element for future metamaterials because of their characteristic abrupt change in electrical conductivity across their phase transition. The fast switching times (▵t < 100 fs) and a change in resistivity of four orders or more make vanadium dioxide (VO2) an ideal candidate for active metamaterials. It is known that the properties associated with thin film metal-insulator transition materials are strongly dependent on the growth conditions. For this work, we have studied how growth conditions (such as gas partial pressure) influence the metalinsulator transition in VO2 thin films made by pulsed laser deposition. In addition, strain engineering during the growth process has been investigated as a method to tune the metal-insulator transition temperature. Examples of both the optical and electrical transient dynamics facilitating the metal-insulator transition will be presented together with specific examples of thin film metamaterial devices.

Disorder-induced transitions in resonantly driven Floquet topological insulators

Science.gov (United States)

Titum, Paraj; Lindner, Netanel H.; Refael, Gil

2017-08-01

We investigate the effects of disorder in Floquet topological insulators (FTIs) occurring in semiconductor quantum wells. Such FTIs are induced by resonantly driving a transition between the valence and conduction bands. We show that when disorder is added, the topological nature of such FTIs persists as long as there is a mobility gap at the resonant quasienergy. For strong enough disorder, this gap closes and all the states become localized as the system undergoes a transition to a trivial insulator. Interestingly, the effects of disorder are not necessarily adverse: we show that in the same quantum well, disorder can also induce a transition from a trivial to a topological system, thereby establishing a Floquet topological Anderson insulator (FTAI). We identify the conditions on the driving field necessary for observing such a transition.

The electronic structure and metal-insulator transitions in vanadium oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mossanek, Rodrigo Jose Ochekoski

2010-01-01

The electronic structure and metal-insulator transitions in vanadium oxides (SrVO_3, CaVO_3, LaVO_3 and YVO_3) are studied here. The purpose is to show a new interpretation to the spectra which is coherent with the changes across the metal-insulator transition. The main experimental techniques are the X-ray photoemission (PES) and X-ray absorption (XAS) spectroscopies. The spectra are interpreted with cluster model, band structure and atomic multiplet calculations. The presence of charge-transfer satellites in the core-level PES spectra showed that these vanadium oxides cannot be classified in the Mott-Hubbard regime. Further, the valence band and core-level spectra presented a similar behavior across the metal insulator transition. In fact, the structures in the spectra and their changes are determined by the different screening channels present in the metallic or insulating phases. The calculated spectral weight showed that the coherent fluctuations dominate the spectra at the Fermi level and give the metallic character to the SrVO_3 and CaVO_3 compounds. The vanishing of this charge fluctuation and the replacement by the Mott-Hubbard screening in the LaVO_3 and YVO_3 systems is ultimately responsible for the opening of a band gap and the insulating character. Further, the correlation effects are, indeed, important to the occupied electronic structure (coherent and incoherent peaks). On the other hand, the unoccupied electronic structure is dominated by exchange and crystal field effects (t2g and eg sub-bands of majority and minority spins). The optical conductivity spectrum was obtained by convoluting the removal and addition states. It showed that the oxygen states, as well as the crystal field and exchange effects are necessary to correctly compare and interpret the experimental results. Further, a correlation at the charge-transfer region of the core-level and valence band optical spectra was observed, which could be extended to other transition metal oxides

Dynamic Test Method Based on Strong Electromagnetic Pulse for Electromagnetic Shielding Materials with Field-Induced Insulator-Conductor Phase Transition

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yun; Zhao, Min; Wang, Qingguo

2018-01-01

In order to measure the pulse shielding performance of materials with the characteristic of field-induced insulator-conductor phase transition when materials are used for electromagnetic shielding, a dynamic test method was proposed based on a coaxial fixture. Experiment system was built by square pulse source, coaxial cable, coaxial fixture, attenuator, and oscilloscope and insulating components. S11 parameter of the test system was obtained, which suggested that the working frequency ranges from 300 KHz to 7.36 GHz. Insulating performance is good enough to avoid discharge between conductors when material samples is exposed in the strong electromagnetic pulse field up to 831 kV/m. This method is suitable for materials with annular shape, certain thickness and the characteristic of field-induced insulator-conductor phase transition to get their shielding performances of strong electromagnetic pulse.

Ca-site substitution induced a metal-insulator transition in manganite CaMnO3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sousa, D.; Nunes, M.R.; Silveira, C.; Matos, I.; Lopes, A.B.; Melo Jorge, M.E.

2008-01-01

A systematic study of the A-site doping in Mn(IV)-rich perovskite manganites Ca 1-x Ho x MnO 3 , over a large homogeneity range (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.4), has been performed. A significant increase in the lattice parameters indicated the presence of mixed valence state of Mn: Mn 3+ and Mn 4+ . The substitution of calcium by holmium also induces strong changes in the electrical properties. We found that small Ho concentration produces an important decrease in the electrical resistivity and induces an electrical transition, the temperature corresponding to the metal-insulator transition (T MI ) shifts with the holmium content. This electrical behavior is attributed to the Mn 3+ ions content and a charge order effect

Structurally triggered metal-insulator transition in rare-earth nickelates.

Science.gov (United States)

Mercy, Alain; Bieder, Jordan; Íñiguez, Jorge; Ghosez, Philippe

2017-11-22

Rare-earth nickelates form an intriguing series of correlated perovskite oxides. Apart from LaNiO 3 , they exhibit on cooling a sharp metal-insulator electronic phase transition, a concurrent structural phase transition, and a magnetic phase transition toward an unusual antiferromagnetic spin order. Appealing for various applications, full exploitation of these compounds is still hampered by the lack of global understanding of the interplay between their electronic, structural, and magnetic properties. Here we show from first-principles calculations that the metal-insulator transition of nickelates arises from the softening of an oxygen-breathing distortion, structurally triggered by oxygen-octahedra rotation motions. The origin of such a rare triggered mechanism is traced back in their electronic and magnetic properties, providing a united picture. We further develop a Landau model accounting for the metal-insulator transition evolution in terms of the rare-earth cations and rationalizing how to tune this transition by acting on oxygen rotation motions.

Electroforming and Switching in Oxides of Transition Metals: The Role of Metal Insulator Transition in the Switching Mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Chudnovskii, F. A.; Odynets, L. L.; Pergament, A. L.; Stefanovich, G. B.

1996-02-01

Electroforming and switching effects in sandwich structures based on anodic films of transition metal oxides (V, Nb, Ti, Fe, Ta, W, Zr, Hf, Mo) have been studied. After being electroformed, some materials exhibited current-controlled negative resistance with S-shapedV-Icharacteristics. For V, Fe, Ti, and Nb oxides, the temperature dependences of the threshold voltage have been measured. As the temperature increased,Vthdecreased to zero at a critical temperatureT0, which depended on the film material. Comparison of theT0values with the temperatures of metal-insulator phase transition for some compounds (Tt= 120 K for Fe3O4, 340 K for VO2, ∼500 K for Ti2O3, and 1070 K for NbO2) showed that switching was related to the transition in the applied electric field. Channels consisting of the above-mentioned lower oxides were formed in the initial anodic films during the electroforming. The possibility of formation of these oxides with a metal-insulator transition was confirmed by thermodynamic calculations.

Quantum Critical “Opalescence” around Metal-Insulator Transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Misawa, Takahiro; Yamaji, Youhei; Imada, Masatoshi

2006-08-01

Divergent carrier-density fluctuations equivalent to the critical opalescence of gas-liquid transition emerge around a metal-insulator critical point at a finite temperature. In contrast to the gas-liquid transitions, however, the critical temperatures can be lowered to zero, which offers a challenging quantum phase transition. We present a microscopic description of such quantum critical phenomena in two dimensions. The conventional scheme of phase transitions by Ginzburg, Landau, and Wilson is violated because of its topological nature. It offers a clear insight into the criticalities of metal-insulator transitions (MIT) associated with Mott or charge-order transitions. Fermi degeneracy involving the diverging density fluctuations generates emergent phenomena near the endpoint of the first-order MIT and must shed new light on remarkable phenomena found in correlated metals such as unconventional cuprate superconductors. It indeed accounts for the otherwise puzzling criticality of the Mott transition recently discovered in an organic conductor. We propose to accurately measure enhanced dielectric fluctuations at small wave numbers.

Electronic Structure Evolution across the Peierls Metal-Insulator Transition in a Correlated Ferromagnet

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. A. Bhobe

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Transition metal compounds often undergo spin-charge-orbital ordering due to strong electron-electron correlations. In contrast, low-dimensional materials can exhibit a Peierls transition arising from low-energy electron-phonon-coupling-induced structural instabilities. We study the electronic structure of the tunnel framework compound K_{2}Cr_{8}O_{16}, which exhibits a temperature-dependent (T-dependent paramagnetic-to-ferromagnetic-metal transition at T_{C}=180  K and transforms into a ferromagnetic insulator below T_{MI}=95  K. We observe clear T-dependent dynamic valence (charge fluctuations from above T_{C} to T_{MI}, which effectively get pinned to an average nominal valence of Cr^{+3.75} (Cr^{4+}∶Cr^{3+} states in a 3∶1 ratio in the ferromagnetic-insulating phase. High-resolution laser photoemission shows a T-dependent BCS-type energy gap, with 2G(0∼3.5(k_{B}T_{MI}∼35  meV. First-principles band-structure calculations, using the experimentally estimated on-site Coulomb energy of U∼4  eV, establish the necessity of strong correlations and finite structural distortions for driving the metal-insulator transition. In spite of the strong correlations, the nonintegral occupancy (2.25 d-electrons/Cr and the half-metallic ferromagnetism in the t_{2g} up-spin band favor a low-energy Peierls metal-insulator transition.

Magnetic states, correlation effects and metal-insulator transition in FCC lattice

Science.gov (United States)

Timirgazin, M. A.; Igoshev, P. A.; Arzhnikov, A. K.; Irkhin, V. Yu

2016-12-01

The ground-state magnetic phase diagram (including collinear and spiral states) of the single-band Hubbard model for the face-centered cubic lattice and related metal-insulator transition (MIT) are investigated within the slave-boson approach by Kotliar and Ruckenstein. The correlation-induced electron spectrum narrowing and a comparison with a generalized Hartree-Fock approximation allow one to estimate the strength of correlation effects. This, as well as the MIT scenario, depends dramatically on the ratio of the next-nearest and nearest electron hopping integrals {{t}\\prime}/t . In contrast with metallic state, possessing substantial band narrowing, insulator one is only weakly correlated. The magnetic (Slater) scenario of MIT is found to be superior over the Mott one. Unlike simple and body-centered cubic lattices, MIT is the first order transition (discontinuous) for most {{t}\\prime}/t . The insulator state is type-II or type-III antiferromagnet, and the metallic state is spin-spiral, collinear antiferromagnet or paramagnet depending on {{t}\\prime}/t . The picture of magnetic ordering is compared with that in the standard localized-electron (Heisenberg) model.

La interstitial defect-induced insulator-metal transition in the oxide heterostructures LaAl O3 /SrTi O3

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jun; Yang, Ming; Feng, Yuan Ping; Rusydi, Andrivo

2017-11-01

Perovskite oxide interfaces have attracted tremendous research interest for their fundamental physics and promising all-oxide electronic applications. Here, based on first-principles calculations, we propose a surface La interstitial promoted interface insulator-metal transition in LaAl O3 /SrTi O3 (110). Compared with surface oxygen vacancies, which play a determining role on the insulator-metal transition of LaAl O3 /SrTi O3 (001) interfaces, we find that surface La interstitials can be more experimentally realistic and accessible for manipulation and more stable in an ambient atmospheric environment. Interestingly, these surface La interstitials also induce significant spin-splitting states with a Ti dy z/dx z character at a conducting LaAl O3 /SrTi O3 (110) interface. On the other hand, for insulating LaAl O3 /SrTi O3 (110) (<4 unit cells LaAl O3 thickness), a distortion between La (Al) and O atoms is found at the LaAl O3 side, partially compensating the polarization divergence. Our results reveal the origin of the metal-insulator transition in LaAl O3 /SrTi O3 (110) heterostructures, and also shed light on the manipulation of the superior properties of LaAl O3 /SrTi O3 (110) for different possibilities in electronic and magnetic applications.

Metal-insulator transition in Pt-C nanowires grown by focused-ion-beam-induced deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandez-Pacheco, A.; Ibarra, M. R.; De Teresa, J. M.; Cordoba, R.

2009-01-01

We present a study of the transport properties of Pt-C nanowires created by focused-ion-beam (FIB)-induced deposition. By means of the measurement of the resistance while the deposit is being performed, we observe a progressive decrease in the nanowire resistivity with thickness, changing from 10 8 μΩ cm for thickness ∼20 nm to a lowest saturated value of 700 μΩ cm for thickness >150 nm. Spectroscopy analysis indicates that this dependence on thickness is caused by a gradient in the metal-carbon ratio as the deposit is grown. We have fabricated nanowires in different ranges of resistivity and studied their conduction mechanism as a function of temperature. A metal-insulator transition as a function of the nanowire thickness is observed. The results will be discussed in terms of the Mott-Anderson theory for noncrystalline materials. An exponential decrease in the conductance with the electric field is found for the most resistive samples, a phenomenon understood by the theory of hopping in lightly doped semiconductors under strong electric fields. This work explains the important discrepancies found in the literature for Pt-C nanostructures grown by FIB and opens the possibility to tune the transport properties of this material by an appropriate selection of the growth parameters.

Metal-Insulator Transition in Copper Oxides Induced by Apex Displacements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Swagata Acharya

2018-05-01

Full Text Available High temperature superconductivity has been found in many kinds of compounds built from planes of Cu and O, separated by spacer layers. Understanding why critical temperatures are so high has been the subject of numerous investigations and extensive controversy. To realize high temperature superconductivity, parent compounds are either hole doped, such as La_{2}CuO_{4} (LCO with Sr (LSCO, or electron doped, such as Nd_{2}CuO_{4} (NCO with Ce (NCCO. In the electron-doped cuprates, the antiferromagnetic phase is much more robust than the superconducting phase. However, it was recently found that the reduction of residual out-of-plane apical oxygen dramatically affects the phase diagram, driving those compounds to a superconducting phase. Here we use a recently developed first-principles method to explore how displacement of the apical oxygen (AO in LCO affects the optical gap, spin and charge susceptibilities, and superconducting order parameter. By combining quasiparticle self-consistent GW (QS GW and dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT, we show that LCO is a Mott insulator, but small displacements of the apical oxygen drive the compound to a metallic state through a localization-delocalization transition, with a concomitant maximum in d-wave order parameter at the transition. We address the question of whether NCO can be seen as the limit of LCO with large apical displacements, and we elucidate the deep physical reasons why the behavior of NCO is so different from the hole-doped materials. We shed new light on the recent correlation observed between T_{c} and the charge transfer gap, while also providing a guide towards the design of optimized high-T_{c} superconductors. Further, our results suggest that strong correlation, enough to induce a Mott gap, may not be a prerequisite for high-T_{c} superconductivity.

Phase coexistence in the metal-insulator transition of a VO2 thin film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Y.J.; Koo, C.H.; Yang, J.S.; Kim, Y.S.; Kim, D.H.; Lee, J.S.; Noh, T.W.; Kim, Hyun-Tak; Chae, B.G.

2005-01-01

Vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ) shows a metal-insulator transition (MIT) near room temperature, accompanied by an abrupt resistivity change. Since the MIT of VO 2 is known to be a first order phase transition, it is valuable to check metallic and insulating phase segregation during the MIT process. We deposited (100)-oriented epitaxial VO 2 thin films on R-cut sapphire substrates. From the scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) spectra, we could distinguish metallic and insulating regions by probing the band gap. Optical spectroscopic analysis also supported the view that the MIT in VO 2 occurs through metal and insulator phase coexistence

Quantum criticality around metal-insulator transitions of strongly correlated electron systems

Science.gov (United States)

Misawa, Takahiro; Imada, Masatoshi

2007-03-01

Quantum criticality of metal-insulator transitions in correlated electron systems is shown to belong to an unconventional universality class with violation of the Ginzburg-Landau-Wilson (GLW) scheme formulated for symmetry breaking transitions. This unconventionality arises from an emergent character of the quantum critical point, which appears at the marginal point between the Ising-type symmetry breaking at nonzero temperatures and the topological transition of the Fermi surface at zero temperature. We show that Hartree-Fock approximations of an extended Hubbard model on square lattices are capable of such metal-insulator transitions with unusual criticality under a preexisting symmetry breaking. The obtained universality is consistent with the scaling theory formulated for Mott transitions and with a number of numerical results beyond the mean-field level, implying that preexisting symmetry breaking is not necessarily required for the emergence of this unconventional universality. Examinations of fluctuation effects indicate that the obtained critical exponents remain essentially exact beyond the mean-field level. It further clarifies the whole structure of singularities by a unified treatment of the bandwidth-control and filling-control transitions. Detailed analyses of the criticality, containing diverging carrier density fluctuations around the marginal quantum critical point, are presented from microscopic calculations and reveal the nature as quantum critical “opalescence.” The mechanism of emerging marginal quantum critical point is ascribed to a positive feedback and interplay between the preexisting gap formation present even in metals and kinetic energy gain (loss) of the metallic carrier. Analyses of crossovers between GLW type at nonzero temperature and topological type at zero temperature show that the critical exponents observed in (V,Cr)2O3 and κ-ET -type organic conductors provide us with evidence for the existence of the present marginal

Probable metal-insulator transition in Ag{sub 4}SSe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drebushchak, V.A., E-mail: dva@igm.nsc.ru [V.S. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, SB RAS, Pr. Ac. Koptyuga 3, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State University, Ul. Pirogova 2, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Pal’yanova, G.A.; Seryotkin, Yu.V. [V.S. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, SB RAS, Pr. Ac. Koptyuga 3, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State University, Ul. Pirogova 2, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Drebushchak, T.N. [Novosibirsk State University, Ul. Pirogova 2, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Institute of Solid State Chemistry and Mechanochemistry, SB RAS, Ul. Kutateladze 18, Novosibirsk 630128 (Russian Federation)

2015-02-15

Highlights: • New phase transition in Ag{sub 4}SSe was discovered with scanning calorimetry and supported with X-ray powder diffraction. • The thermal effect relates to the anomaly in electrical and thermal conductivity of Ag{sub 4}SSe. • Similar thermal and electrical effects in K{sub 3}Cu{sub 8}S{sub 6} are explained with the metal-insulator transition. - Abstract: New phase transition (285 K) in low-temperature monoclinic Ag{sub 4}SSe was found out below the α-β transition (358 K) after the measurements with differential scanning calorimetry. The transition reveals significant hysteresis (over 30 K). X-ray powder diffraction shows that the superlattice with doubled a and b parameters of the unit cell exists below the new transition point. The signs of this new phase transition can be found in thermal and electrical conductivity of Ag{sub 4}SSe published in literature. Elusive phase transition in Ag{sub 2}Se shows similar properties. The new transition is likely related to the metal-insulator type transition, like K{sub 3}Cu{sub 8}S{sub 6}.

On holographic disorder-driven metal-insulator transitions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baggioli, Matteo; Pujolàs, Oriol [Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona,The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology,Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) (Spain)

2017-01-10

We give a minimal holographic model of a disorder-driven metal-insulator transition. It consists in a CFT with a charge sector and a translation-breaking sector that interact in the most generic way allowed by the symmetries and by dynamical consistency. In the gravity dual, it reduces to a Massive Gravity-Maxwell model with a new direct coupling between the gauge field and the metric that is allowed when gravity is massive. We show that the effect of this coupling is to decrease the DC electrical conductivity generically. This gives a nontrivial check that holographic massive gravity can be consistently interpreted as disorder from the CFT perspective. The suppression of the conductivity happens to such an extent that it does not obey any lower bound and it can be very small in the insulating phase. In some cases, the large disorder limit produces gradient instabilities that hint at the formation of modulated phases.

On holographic disorder-driven metal-insulator transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baggioli, Matteo; Pujolàs, Oriol

2017-01-01

We give a minimal holographic model of a disorder-driven metal-insulator transition. It consists in a CFT with a charge sector and a translation-breaking sector that interact in the most generic way allowed by the symmetries and by dynamical consistency. In the gravity dual, it reduces to a Massive Gravity-Maxwell model with a new direct coupling between the gauge field and the metric that is allowed when gravity is massive. We show that the effect of this coupling is to decrease the DC electrical conductivity generically. This gives a nontrivial check that holographic massive gravity can be consistently interpreted as disorder from the CFT perspective. The suppression of the conductivity happens to such an extent that it does not obey any lower bound and it can be very small in the insulating phase. In some cases, the large disorder limit produces gradient instabilities that hint at the formation of modulated phases.

Magnetic-field induced semimetal in topological crystalline insulator thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ezawa, Motohiko

2015-01-01

We investigate electromagnetic properties of a topological crystalline insulator (TCI) thin film under external electromagnetic fields. The TCI thin film is a topological insulator indexed by the mirror-Chern number. It is demonstrated that the gap closes together with the emergence of a pair of gapless cones carrying opposite chirarities by applying in-plane magnetic field. A pair of gapless points have opposite vortex numbers. This is a reminiscence of a pair of Weyl cones in 3D Weyl semimetal. We thus present an a magnetic-field induced semimetal–semiconductor transition in 2D material. This is a giant-magnetoresistance, where resistivity is controlled by magnetic field. Perpendicular electric field is found to shift the gapless points and also renormalize the Fermi velocity in the direction of the in-plane magnetic field. - Highlights: • The band structure of topological crystalline insulator thin films can be controlled by applying in-plane magnetic field. • At the gap closing magnetic field, a pair of gapless cones carrying opposite chirarities emerge. • A pair of gapless points have opposite vortex numbers. • This is a reminiscence of a pair of Weyl cones in 3D Weyl semimetal. • A magnetic-field induced semimetal–semiconductor transition occurs in 2D material

Magnetic-field induced semimetal in topological crystalline insulator thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ezawa, Motohiko, E-mail: ezawa@ap.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp

2015-06-19

We investigate electromagnetic properties of a topological crystalline insulator (TCI) thin film under external electromagnetic fields. The TCI thin film is a topological insulator indexed by the mirror-Chern number. It is demonstrated that the gap closes together with the emergence of a pair of gapless cones carrying opposite chirarities by applying in-plane magnetic field. A pair of gapless points have opposite vortex numbers. This is a reminiscence of a pair of Weyl cones in 3D Weyl semimetal. We thus present an a magnetic-field induced semimetal–semiconductor transition in 2D material. This is a giant-magnetoresistance, where resistivity is controlled by magnetic field. Perpendicular electric field is found to shift the gapless points and also renormalize the Fermi velocity in the direction of the in-plane magnetic field. - Highlights: • The band structure of topological crystalline insulator thin films can be controlled by applying in-plane magnetic field. • At the gap closing magnetic field, a pair of gapless cones carrying opposite chirarities emerge. • A pair of gapless points have opposite vortex numbers. • This is a reminiscence of a pair of Weyl cones in 3D Weyl semimetal. • A magnetic-field induced semimetal–semiconductor transition occurs in 2D material.

Local Peltier-effect-induced reversible metal–insulator transition in VO2 nanowires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takami, Hidefumi; Kanki, Teruo; Tanaka, Hidekazu

2016-01-01

We report anomalous resistance leaps and drops in VO 2 nanowires with operating current density and direction, showing reversible and nonvolatile switching. This event is associated with the metal–insulator phase transition (MIT) of local nanodomains with coexistence states of metallic and insulating phases induced by thermoelectric cooling and heating effects. Because the interface of metal and insulator domains has much different Peltier coefficient, it is possible that a significant Peltier effect would be a source of the local MIT. This operation can be realized by one-dimensional domain configuration in VO 2 nanowires because one straight current path through the electronic domain-interface enables theoretical control of thermoelectric effects. This result will open a new method of reversible control of electronic states in correlated electron materials.

Current-induced metal-insulator transition in VO x thin film prepared by rapid-thermal-annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Choong-Rae; Cho, SungIl; Vadim, Sidorkin; Jung, Ranju; Yoo, Inkyeong

2006-01-01

The phenomenon of metal-insulator transition (MIT) in polycrystalline VO x thin films and their preparations have been studied. The films were prepared by sputtering of vanadium thin films succeeded by Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA) in oxygen ambient at 500 deg. C. Crystalline, compositional, and morphological characterizations reveal a continuous change of phase from vanadium metal to the highest oxide phase, V 2 O 5 , with the time of annealing. Electrical MIT switching has been observed in these films. Sweeping mode, electrode area, and temperature dependent MIT has been studied in Pt/VO x /Pt vertical structure. The important parameters for MIT in VO x have been found to be the current density and the electric field, which depend on carrier density in the films

First principles description of the insulator-metal transition in europium monoxide

KAUST Repository

Wang, Hao

2012-02-01

Europium monoxide, EuO, is a ferromagnetic insulator. Its electronic structure under pressure and doping is investigated by means of density functional theory. We employ spin polarized electronic structure calculations including onsite electron-electron interaction for the localized Eu 4f and 5d electrons. Our results show that under pressure the ferromagnetism is stable, both for hydrostatic and uniaxial pressure, while the compound undergoes an insulator-metal transition. The insulator-metal transition in O deficient and Gd doped EuO is reproduced for an impurity concentration of 6.25%. A 10 monolayer thick EuO(1 0 0) thin film is predicted to be an insulator with a narrow band gap of 0.08 eV. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Correlated effective field theory in transition metal compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mukhopadhyay, Subhasis; Chatterjee, Ibha

2004-01-01

Mean field theory is good enough to study the physical properties at higher temperatures and in higher dimensions. It explains the critical phenomena in a restricted sense. Near the critical temperatures, when fluctuations become important, it may not give the correct results. Similarly in low dimensions, the correlations become important and the mean field theory seems to be inadequate to explain the physical phenomena. At low-temperatures too, the quantum correlations become important and these effects are to be treated in an appropriate way. In 1974, Prof. M.E. Lines of Bell Laboratories, developed a theory which goes beyond the mean field theory and is known as the correlated effective field (CEF) theory. It takes into account the fluctuations in a semiempirical way. Lines and his collaborators used this theory to explain the short-range correlations and their anisotropy in the paramagnetic phase. Later Suzuki et al., Chatterjee and Desai, Mukhopadhyay and Chatterjee applied this theory to the magnetically ordered phase and a tremendous success of the theory has been found in real systems. The success of the CEF theory is discussed in this review. In order to highlight the success of this theory, earlier effective field theories and their improvements over mean field theories e.g., Bethe-Peierls-Weiss method, reaction field approximation, etc., are also discussed in this review for completeness. The beauty of the CEF theory is that it is mean field-like, but captures the essential physics of real systems to a great extent. However, this is a weak correlated theory and as a result is inappropriate for the metallic phase when strong correlations become important. In recent times, transition metal oxides become important due to the discovery of the high-temperature superconductivity and the colossal magnetoresistance phenomena. These oxides seem to be Mott insulators and undergo an insulator to metal transition by applying magnetic field, pressure and by changing

Metal-insulator transition and superconductivity in heavily boron-doped diamond and related materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Achatz, Philipp

2009-05-15

During this PhD project, the metal-insulator transition and superconductivity of highly boron-doped single crystal diamond and related materials have been investigated. The critical boron concentration n{sub c} for the metal-insulator transition was found to be the same as for the normal-superconductor transition. All metallic samples have been found to be superconducting and we were able to link the occurence of superconductivity to the proximity to the metal-insulator transition. For this purpose, a scaling law approach based on low temperature transport was proposed. Furthermore, we tried to study the nature of the superconductivity in highly boron doped single crystal diamond. Raman spectroscopy measurements on the isotopically substituted series suggest that the feature occuring at low wavenumbers ({approx} 500 cm{sup -1}) is the A1g vibrational mode associated with boron dimers. Usual Hall effect measurements yielded a puzzling situation in metallic boron-doped diamond samples, leading to carrier concentrations up to a factor 10 higher than the boron concentration determined by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). The low temperature transport follows the one expected for a granular metal or insulator, depending on the interplay of intergranular and intragranular (tunneling) conductance. The metal-insulator transition takes place at a critical conductance g{sub c}. The granularity also influences significantly the superconducting properties by introducing the superconducting gap {delta} in the grain and Josephson coupling J between superconducting grains. A peak in magnetoresistance is observed which can be explained by superconducting fluctuations and the granularity of the system. Additionally we studied the low temperature transport of boron-doped Si samples grown by gas immersion laser doping, some of which yielded a superconducting transition at very low temperatures. Furthermore, preliminary results on the LO-phonon-plasmon coupling are shown for the

Metal-insulator transition and superconductivity in heavily boron-doped diamond and related materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Achatz, Philipp

2009-01-01

During this PhD project, the metal-insulator transition and superconductivity of highly boron-doped single crystal diamond and related materials have been investigated. The critical boron concentration n c for the metal-insulator transition was found to be the same as for the normal-superconductor transition. All metallic samples have been found to be superconducting and we were able to link the occurence of superconductivity to the proximity to the metal-insulator transition. For this purpose, a scaling law approach based on low temperature transport was proposed. Furthermore, we tried to study the nature of the superconductivity in highly boron doped single crystal diamond. Raman spectroscopy measurements on the isotopically substituted series suggest that the feature occuring at low wavenumbers (∼ 500 cm -1 ) is the A1g vibrational mode associated with boron dimers. Usual Hall effect measurements yielded a puzzling situation in metallic boron-doped diamond samples, leading to carrier concentrations up to a factor 10 higher than the boron concentration determined by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). The low temperature transport follows the one expected for a granular metal or insulator, depending on the interplay of intergranular and intragranular (tunneling) conductance. The metal-insulator transition takes place at a critical conductance g c . The granularity also influences significantly the superconducting properties by introducing the superconducting gap Δ in the grain and Josephson coupling J between superconducting grains. A peak in magnetoresistance is observed which can be explained by superconducting fluctuations and the granularity of the system. Additionally we studied the low temperature transport of boron-doped Si samples grown by gas immersion laser doping, some of which yielded a superconducting transition at very low temperatures. Furthermore, preliminary results on the LO-phonon-plasmon coupling are shown for the first time in aluminum

Magnetoconductance of amorphous Yx-Si1-x alloys near the metal-insulator transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanquer, M.; Tourbot, R.; Boucher, B.

1989-01-01

We have performed magnetoresistance experiments across the Metal-Insulator transition in amorphous Y x -Si 1-x alloys using very high fields (H = 40T) and very low temperatures (T = 0.05K). Different and unusual behaviours are observed and can be explained assuming that the electron-electron interaction contribution dominates at low fields and localization corrections appears at very high fields. This is the opposite situation compared to usual weak localization regime

UV light induced insulator-metal transition in ultra-thin ZnO/TiO{sub x} stacked layer grown by atomic layer deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saha, D., E-mail: sahaphys@gmail.com, E-mail: pmisra@rrcat.gov.in; Misra, P., E-mail: sahaphys@gmail.com, E-mail: pmisra@rrcat.gov.in; Joshi, M. P.; Kukreja, L. M. [Laser Materials Processing Division, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore 452 013 (India)

2016-08-28

In the present study, atomic layer deposition has been used to grow a series of Ti incorporated ZnO thin films by vertically stacking different numbers (n = 1–7) of ZnO/TiO{sub x} layers on (0001) sapphire substrates. The effects of defect states mediated chemisorption of O{sub 2} and/OH groups on the electrical properties of these films have been investigated by illuminating the samples under UV light inside a high vacuum optical cryostat. The ultra-thin film having one stacked layer (n = 1) did not show any change in its electrical resistance upon UV light exposure. On the contrary, marginal drop in the electrical resistivity was measured for the samples with n ≥ 3. Most surprisingly, the sample with n = 2 (thickness ∼ 12 nm) showed an insulator to metal transition upon UV light exposure. The temperature dependent electrical resistivity measurement on the as grown film (n = 2) showed insulating behaviour, i.e., diverging resistivity on extrapolation to T→ 0 K. However, upon UV light exposure, it transformed to a metallic state, i.e., finite resistivity at T → 0 K. Such an insulator-metal transition plausibly arises due to the de-trapping of conduction electrons from the surface defect sites which resulted in an upward shift of the Fermi level above the mobility edge. The low-temperature electron transport properties on the insulating film (n = 2) were investigated by a combined study of zero field electrical resistivity ρ(T) and magnetoresistance (MR) measurements. The observed negative MR was found to be in good agreement with the magnetic field induced suppression of quantum interference between forward-going paths of tunnelling electrons. Both ρ(T) and MR measurements provided strong evidence for the Efros-Shklovskii type variable range hopping conduction in the low-temperature (≤40 K) regime. Such studies on electron transport in ultra-thin n-type doped ZnO films are crucial to achieve optimum functionality

Local Peltier-effect-induced reversible metal–insulator transition in VO{sub 2} nanowires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takami, Hidefumi; Kanki, Teruo, E-mail: kanki@sanken.osaka-u.ac.jp, E-mail: h-tanaka@sanken.osaka-u.ac.jp; Tanaka, Hidekazu, E-mail: kanki@sanken.osaka-u.ac.jp, E-mail: h-tanaka@sanken.osaka-u.ac.jp [Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047 (Japan)

2016-06-15

We report anomalous resistance leaps and drops in VO{sub 2} nanowires with operating current density and direction, showing reversible and nonvolatile switching. This event is associated with the metal–insulator phase transition (MIT) of local nanodomains with coexistence states of metallic and insulating phases induced by thermoelectric cooling and heating effects. Because the interface of metal and insulator domains has much different Peltier coefficient, it is possible that a significant Peltier effect would be a source of the local MIT. This operation can be realized by one-dimensional domain configuration in VO{sub 2} nanowires because one straight current path through the electronic domain-interface enables theoretical control of thermoelectric effects. This result will open a new method of reversible control of electronic states in correlated electron materials.

Photo-induced insulator-metal transition in Pr0.6Ca0.4MnO3 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition: Effect of thickness dependent structural and transport properties

Science.gov (United States)

Elovaara, Tomi; Huhtinen, Hannu; Majumdar, Sayani; Paturi, Petriina

2016-09-01

We report photo-induced colossal magnetoresistive insulator-metal transition (IMT) in Pr0.6Ca0.4MnO3 thin films under much reduced applied magnetic field. The colossal effect was studied as a function of film thickness and thus with variable structural properties. Thorough structural, magnetic and magnetotransport characterization under light shows that the highest effect on the transition field can be obtained in the thinnest film (38 nm). However, due to the substrate induced strain of this film the required magnetic field for IMT is quite high. The best crystalline properties of the 110 nm film lead to the lowest IMT field under light and 109% change in resistance at 10 K. With increasing thickness, the film properties start to move more toward the bulk material and, hence, IMT is no more observed under the applied field of 9 T. Our results indicate that for obtaining large photo-induced CMR, the best epitaxial quality of thin films is essential.

Metal-insulator transition in SrTi1−xVxO3 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gu, Man; Wolf, Stuart A.; Lu, Jiwei

2013-01-01

Epitaxial SrTi 1−x V x O 3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) thin films were grown on (001)-oriented (LaAlO 3 ) 0.3 (Sr 2 AlTaO 6 ) 0.7 (LSAT) substrates using the pulsed electron-beam deposition technique. The transport study revealed a temperature driven metal-insulator transition (MIT) at 95 K for x = 0.67. The films with higher vanadium concentration (x > 0.67) were metallic corresponding to a Fermi liquid system. In the insulating phase (x < 0.67), the resistivity behavior was governed by Mott's variable range hopping mechanism. The possible mechanisms for the induced MIT are discussed, including the effects of electron correlation, lattice distortion, and Anderson localization

Local distortion induced metal-to-insulator phase transition in PrRu4P12

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao, D.; Heffner, R.H.; Jeong, I.-K.; Bauer, E.D.; Bridges, F.; Yuhasz, W.M.; Maple, M.B.

2005-01-01

Extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) experiments have been carried out on PrRu 4 P 12 and PrOs 4 P 12 to study the metal-to-insulator (MI) phase transition in PrRu 4 P 12 . No Pr displacement was observed across the MI transition temperature from the EXAFS data. Instead, our EXAFS data clearly show that a Ru displacement is associated with this MI transition. The very high Debye temperature for the Ru-P bond (Θ D =690 K) suggests that a slight rotation/displacement of relatively rigid RuP 6 octahedra leads to this small Ru displacement, which accompanies the MI transition at 62 K in PrRu 4 P 12

Interaction between extended and localized electronic states in the region of the metal to insulator transition in semiconductor alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teubert, Joerg

2008-07-01

The first part of this work addresses the influence of those isovalent localized states on the electronic properties of (B,Ga,In)As. Most valuable were the measurements under hydrostatic pressure that revealed a pressure induced metal-insulator transition. One of the main ideas in this context is the trapping of carriers in localized B-related cluster states that appear in the bandgap at high pressure. The key conclusion that can be drawn from the experimental results is that boron atoms seem to have the character of isovalent electron traps, rendering boron as the first known isovalent trap induced by cationic substitution. In the second part, thermoelectric properties of (B,Ga,In)As and (Ga,In)(N,As) are studied. It was found that although the electric-field driven electronic transport in n-type (Ga,In)(N,As) and (B,Ga,In)As differs considerably from that of n-type GaAs, the temperature-gradient driven electronic transport is very similar for the three semiconductors, despite distinct differences in the conduction band structure of (Ga,In)(N,As) and (B,Ga,In)As compared to GaAs. The third part addresses the influence of magnetic interactions on the transport properties near the metal-insulator transition (MIT). Here, two scenarios are considered: Firstly the focus is set on ZnMnSe:Cl, a representative of so called dilute magnetic semiconductors (DMS). In this material Mn(2+) ions provide a large magnetic moment due to their half filled inner 3d-shell. It is shown that magnetic interactions in conjunction with disorder effects are responsible for the unusual magnetotransport behavior found in this and other II-Mn-VI semiconductor alloys. In the second scenario, a different magnetic compound, namely InSb:Mn, is of interest. It is a representative of the III-Mn-V DMS, where the magnetic impurity Mn serves both as the source of a large localized magnetic moment and as the source of a loosely bound hole due to its acceptor character. Up to now, little is known about

Interaction between extended and localized electronic states in the region of the metal to insulator transition in semiconductor alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teubert, Joerg

2008-01-01

The first part of this work addresses the influence of those isovalent localized states on the electronic properties of (B,Ga,In)As. Most valuable were the measurements under hydrostatic pressure that revealed a pressure induced metal-insulator transition. One of the main ideas in this context is the trapping of carriers in localized B-related cluster states that appear in the bandgap at high pressure. The key conclusion that can be drawn from the experimental results is that boron atoms seem to have the character of isovalent electron traps, rendering boron as the first known isovalent trap induced by cationic substitution. In the second part, thermoelectric properties of (B,Ga,In)As and (Ga,In)(N,As) are studied. It was found that although the electric-field driven electronic transport in n-type (Ga,In)(N,As) and (B,Ga,In)As differs considerably from that of n-type GaAs, the temperature-gradient driven electronic transport is very similar for the three semiconductors, despite distinct differences in the conduction band structure of (Ga,In)(N,As) and (B,Ga,In)As compared to GaAs. The third part addresses the influence of magnetic interactions on the transport properties near the metal-insulator transition (MIT). Here, two scenarios are considered: Firstly the focus is set on ZnMnSe:Cl, a representative of so called dilute magnetic semiconductors (DMS). In this material Mn(2+) ions provide a large magnetic moment due to their half filled inner 3d-shell. It is shown that magnetic interactions in conjunction with disorder effects are responsible for the unusual magnetotransport behavior found in this and other II-Mn-VI semiconductor alloys. In the second scenario, a different magnetic compound, namely InSb:Mn, is of interest. It is a representative of the III-Mn-V DMS, where the magnetic impurity Mn serves both as the source of a large localized magnetic moment and as the source of a loosely bound hole due to its acceptor character. Up to now, little is known about

Metal-insulator transition in NiS.sub.2-x./sub.Se.sub.x./sub

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kuneš, Jan; Baldassarre, L.; Schachner, B.; Rabia, K.; Kuntscher, C.A.; Korotin, D. M.; Anisimov, V.I.; McLeod, J.A.; Kurmaev, E.Z.; Moewes, A.

2010-01-01

Roč. 81, č. 3 (2010), 035112/1-035112/6 ISSN 1098-0121 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100521 Keywords : metal-insulator transition * dynamical mean-field theory Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 3.772, year: 2010 http://prb.aps.org/abstract/PRB/v81/i3/e035122

Excitonic metal-insulator phase transition of the Mott type in compressed calcium

Science.gov (United States)

Voronkova, T. O.; Sarry, A. M.; Sarry, M. F.; Skidan, S. G.

2017-05-01

It has been experimentally found that, under the static compression of a calcium crystal at room temperature, it undergoes a series of structural phase transitions: face-centered cubic lattice → body-centered cubic lattice → simple cubic lattice. It has been decided to investigate precisely the simple cubic lattice (because it is an alternative lattice) with the aim of elucidating the possibility of the existence of other (nonstructural) phase transitions in it by using for this purpose the Hubbard model for electrons with half-filled ns-bands and preliminarily transforming the initial electronic system into an electron-hole system by means of the known Shiba operators (applicable only to alternative lattices). This transformation leads to the fact that, in the new system of fermions, instead of the former repulsion, there is an attraction between electrons and holes. Elementary excitations of this new system are bound boson pairs—excitons. This system of fermions has been quantitatively analyzed by jointly using the equation-of-motion method and the direct algebraic method. The numerical integration of the analytically exact transcendental equations derived from the first principles for alternative (one-, two-, and three-dimensional) lattices has demonstrated that, in systems of two-species (electrons + hole) fermions, temperature-induced metal-insulator phase transitions of the Mott type are actually possible. Moreover, all these crystals are in fact excitonic insulators. This conclusion is in complete agreement with the analytically exact calculations of the ground state of a one-dimensional crystal (with half-filled bands), which were performed by Lieb and Wu with the aim to find out the Mott insulator-metal transition of another type.

Charge disproportionation in RNiO3 at the metal-insulator transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alonso, J.A.; Martinez-Lope, M.J.; Casais, M.T.; Garcia-Munoz, J.L.; Fernandez-Diaz, M.T.; Aranda, M.A.G.

1999-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. Neutron and synchrotron diffraction data provide the first observation of changes in the crystal symmetry at the metal-insulator (MI) transition in RNiO 3 perovskites [1]. At high temperatures, YNiO 3 is orthorhombic and metallic but below T MI = 582 K it changes to a monoclinic insulator. The monoclinic symmetry is due to a partial 2 Ni 3+ → Ni 3+δ + Ni 3-δ charge disproportionation associated to the MI transition. In the insulating state the presence of two NiO 6 octahedra is reported with, respectively, expanded (Ni1) and contracted (Ni2) Ni-O bonds, that alternated along the three directions of the crystal. Corroborating the charge disproportion, unequal moments are found at Ni1 and Ni2 octahedra in the low temperature monoclinic phase. (author) J.A. Alonso et al, Phys. Rev. Lett. in press

Absence of Mass Renormalization upon the Metal-Insulator Transition in La_1-xSr_xMnO_3

Science.gov (United States)

Okuda, T.; Asamitsu, A.; Tokura, Y.

1998-03-01

The low-temperature specific heat as well as the resistivity of La_1-xSr_xMnO3 crystals has been measured under magnetic fields to investigate the critical behavior of the metal-insulator (MI) transition, which is induced by carrier doping around a critical composition of x_c=0.17. We observed the reduction of specific heat by application of magnetic fields, which is due to the suppression of the contribution of spin wave. Thus, the magnetic contribution to the specific heat was carefully removed to extract the electronic contribution. The effective mass, derived from obtained electronic specific heat coefficient γ, is a few times as large as a bare mass in the ferromagnetic metallic state, e.g. γ = 3.5 (mJ/K^2 mole) at x=0.3, and does not critically increase around the critical point while showing the maximum value γ = 5.1 (mJ/K^2 mole) at x=0.18. This is in contrast with the conspicuous mass renormalization effect as observed for other transition metal oxide, eg. V_2O3 and LaTiO_3. The γ value rather decreases with the decrease of x from 0.18 to 0.15, namely in the immediate vicinity of the MI boundary. This suggests that the Fermi surface gradually shrinks towards the insulating phase and finally disappears at the MI phase boundary. This work was supported by New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) of Japan.

Practical Improvements to the Lee-More Conductivity Near the Metal-Insulator Transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desjarlais, Michael P.

2000-01-01

The wide-range conductivity model of Lee and More is modified to allow better agreement with recent experimental data and theories for dense plasmas in the metal-insulator transition regime. Modifications primarily include a new ionization equilibrium model, consisting of a smooth blend between single ionization Saha (with a pressure ionization correction) and the generic Thomas-Fermi ionization equilibrium, a more accurate treatment of electron-neutral collisions using a polarization potential, and an empirical modification to the minimum allowed collision time. These simple modifications to the Lee-More algorithm permit a more accurate modeling of the physics near the metal-insulator transition, while preserving the generic Lee-More results elsewhere

Practical improvements to the Lee-More conductivity near the metal-insulator transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desjarlais, M.P.

2001-01-01

The wide-range conductivity model of Lee and More is modified to allow better agreement with recent experimental data and theories for dense plasmas in the metal-insulator transition regime. Modifications primarily include a new ionization equilibrium model, consisting of a smooth blend between single ionization Saha (with a pressure ionization correction) and the generic Thomas-Fermi ionization equilibrium, a more accurate treatment of electron-neutral collisions using a polarization potential, and an empirical modification to the minimum allowed collision time. These simple modifications to the Lee-More algorithm permit a more accurate modeling of the physics near the metal-insulator transition, while preserving the generic Lee-More results elsewhere. (orig.)

Metal-Insulator Transition Revisited for Cold Atoms in Non-Abelian Gauge Potentials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satija, Indubala I.; Dakin, Daniel C.; Clark, Charles W.

2006-01-01

We discuss the possibility of realizing metal-insulator transitions with ultracold atoms in two-dimensional optical lattices in the presence of artificial gauge potentials. For Abelian gauges, such transitions occur when the magnetic flux penetrating the lattice plaquette is an irrational multiple of the magnetic flux quantum. Here we present the first study of these transitions for non-Abelian U(2) gauge fields. In contrast to the Abelian case, the spectrum and localization transition in the non-Abelian case is strongly influenced by atomic momenta. In addition to determining the localization boundary, the momentum fragments the spectrum. Other key characteristics of the non-Abelian case include the absence of localization for certain states and satellite fringes around the Bragg peaks in the momentum distribution and an interesting possibility that the transition can be tuned by the atomic momenta

Insulator-metal transition in substrate-independent VO2 thin film for phase-change devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Taha, Mohammad; Walia, Sumeet; Ahmed, Taimur; Headland, Daniel; Withayachumnankul, Withawat; Sriram, Sharath; Bhaskaran, Madhu

2017-12-20

Vanadium has 11 oxide phases, with the binary VO 2 presenting stimuli-dependent phase transitions that manifest as switchable electronic and optical features. An elevated temperature induces an insulator-to-metal transition (IMT) as the crystal reorients from a monoclinic state (insulator) to a tetragonal arrangement (metallic). This transition is accompanied by a simultaneous change in optical properties making VO 2 a versatile optoelectronic material. However, its deployment in scalable devices suffers because of the requirement of specialised substrates to retain the functionality of the material. Sensitivity to oxygen concentration and larger-scale VO 2 synthesis have also been standing issues in VO 2 fabrication. Here, we address these major challenges in harnessing the functionality in VO 2 by demonstrating an approach that enables crystalline, switchable VO 2 on any substrate. Glass, silicon, and quartz are used as model platforms to show the effectiveness of the process. Temperature-dependent electrical and optical characterisation is used demonstrating three to four orders of magnitude in resistive switching, >60% chromic discrimination at infrared wavelengths, and terahertz property extraction. This capability will significantly broaden the horizon of applications that have been envisioned but remained unrealised due to the lack of ability to realise VO 2 on any substrate, thereby exploiting its untapped potential.

Critical metal-insulator transition and divergence in a two-particle irreducible vertex in disordered and interacting electron systems

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Janiš, Václav; Pokorný, Vladislav

2014-01-01

Roč. 90, č. 4 (2014), "045143-1"-"045143-11" ISSN 1098-0121 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : metal-insulator transition * disordered and interacting electron systems * dynamical mean-field theory * critical behavior Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 3.736, year: 2014

Local structural distortion and electronic modifications in PrNiO3 across the metal-insulator transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piamonteze, C.; Tolentino, H.C.N.; Ramos, A.Y.; Massa, N. E.; Alonso, J.A.; Martinez-Lope, M.J.; Casais, M.T.

2003-01-01

Local electronic and structural properties of PrNiO3 perovskite were studied by means of X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy at Ni K and L edges. The EXAFS results at Ni K edge show a structural transition from three different Ni-O bond-lengths at the insulating phase to two Ni-O bond-lengths above TMI. These results were interpreted as being due to a transition from a structure with two different Ni sites at the insulating phase to one distorted Ni site at the metallic phase. The Ni L edge spectra show a remarkable difference between the spectra measured at the insulating and metallic phases that indicates a decreasing degree of hybridization between Ni3d and O2p bands from the metallic to the insulating phase

Electric controlling of surface metal-insulator transition in the doped BaTiO3 film

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Xun

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Based on first-principles calculations, the BaTiO3(BTO film with local La-doping is studied. For a selected concentration and position of doping, the surface metal-insulator transition occurs under the applied electric field, and the domain appears near the surface for both bipolar states. Furthermore, for the insulated surface state, i.e., the downward polarization state in the doped film, the gradient bandgap structure is achieved, which favors the absorption of solar energy. Our investigation can provide an alternative avenue in modification of surface property and surface screening effect in polar materials.

Metal-insulator transition upon heating and negative-differential-resistive-switching induced by self-heating in BaCo{sub 0.9}Ni{sub 0.1}S{sub 1.8}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fisher, B.; Genossar, J.; Chashka, K. B.; Patlagan, L.; Reisner, G. M. [Physics Department, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000 (Israel)

2014-04-14

The layered compound BaCo{sub 1−x}Ni{sub x}S{sub 2−y} (0.05 < x < 0.2 and 0.05 < y < 0.2) exhibits an unusual first-order structural and electronic phase transition from a low-T monoclinic paramagnetic metal to a high-T tetragonal antiferromagnetic insulator around 200 K with huge hysteresis (∼40 K) and large volume change (∼0.01). Here, we report on unusual voltage-controlled resistive switching followed by current-controlled resistive switching induced by self-heating in polycrystalline BaCo{sub 1−x}Ni{sub x}S{sub 2−y} (nominal x = 0.1 and y = 0.2). These were due to the steep metal to insulator transition upon heating followed by the activated behavior of the resistivity above the transition. The major role of Joule heating in switching is supported by the absence of nonlinearity in the current as function of voltage, I(V), obtained in pulsed measurements, in the range of electric fields relevant to d.c. measurements. The voltage-controlled negative differential resistance around the threshold for switching was explained by a simple model of self-heating. The main difficulty in modeling I(V) from the samples resistance as function of temperature R(T) was the progressive increase of R(T), and to a lesser extend the decrease of the resistance jumps at the transitions, caused by the damage induced by cycling through the transitions by heating or self-heating. This was dealt with by following systematically R(T) over many cycles and by using the data of R(T) in the heating cycle closest to that of the self-heating one.

Analysis of Lightning-induced Impulse Magnetic Fields in the Building with an Insulated Down Conductor

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Patrick Y.; Zhou, Qi-Bin

This paper presents an analysis of lightning-induced magnetic fields in a building. The building of concern is protected by the lightning protection system with an insulated down conductor. In this paper a system model for metallic structure of the building is constructed first using the circuit approach. The circuit model of the insulated down conductor is discussed extensively, and explicit expressions of the circuit parameters are presented. The system model was verified experimentally in the laboratory. The modeling approach is applied to analyze the impulse magnetic fields in a full-scale building during a direct lightning strike. It is found that the impulse magnetic field is significantly high near the down conductor. The field is attenuated if the down conductor is moved to a column in the building. The field can be reduced further if the down conductor is housed in an earthed metal pipe. Recommendations for protecting critical equipment against lightning-induced magnetic fields are also provided in the paper.

First-order metal-insulator transitions in the extended Hubbard model due to self-consistent screening of the effective interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Schüler, M.; van Loon, E. G. C. P.; Katsnelson, M. I.; Wehling, T. O.

2018-04-01

While the Hubbard model is the standard model to study Mott metal-insulator transitions, it is still unclear to what extent it can describe metal-insulator transitions in real solids, where nonlocal Coulomb interactions are always present. By using a variational principle, we clarify this issue for short- and long-range nonlocal Coulomb interactions for half-filled systems on bipartite lattices. We find that repulsive nonlocal interactions generally stabilize the Fermi-liquid regime. The metal-insulator phase boundary is shifted to larger interaction strengths to leading order linearly with nonlocal interactions. Importantly, nonlocal interactions can raise the order of the metal-insulator transition. We present a detailed analysis of how the dimension and geometry of the lattice as well as the temperature determine the critical nonlocal interaction leading to a first-order transition: for systems in more than two dimensions with nonzero density of states at the Fermi energy the critical nonlocal interaction is arbitrarily small; otherwise, it is finite.

Field-induced resistance switching at metal/perovskite manganese oxide interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohkubo, I.; Tsubouchi, K.; Harada, T.; Kumigashira, H.; Itaka, K.; Matsumoto, Y.; Ohnishi, T.; Lippmaa, M.; Koinuma, H.; Oshima, M.

2008-01-01

Planar type metal/insulator/metal structures composed of an epitaxial perovskite manganese oxide layer and various metal electrodes were prepared for electric-field-induced resistance switching. Only the electrode pairs including Al show good resistance switching and the switching ratio reaches its maximum of 1000. This resistance switching occurs around the interface between Al electrodes and epitaxial perovskite manganese oxide thin films

Mott-Hubbard transition and Anderson localization: A generalized dynamical mean-field theory approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuchinskii, E. Z.; Nekrasov, I. A.; Sadovskii, M. V.

2008-01-01

The DOS, the dynamic (optical) conductivity, and the phase diagram of a strongly correlated and strongly disordered paramagnetic Anderson-Hubbard model are analyzed within the generalized dynamical mean field theory (DMFT + Σ approximation). Strong correlations are taken into account by the DMFT, and disorder is taken into account via an appropriate generalization of the self-consistent theory of localization. The DMFT effective single-impurity problem is solved by a numerical renormalization group (NRG); we consider the three-dimensional system with a semielliptic DOS. The correlated metal, Mott insulator, and correlated Anderson insulator phases are identified via the evolution of the DOS and dynamic conductivity, demonstrating both the Mott-Hubbard and Anderson metal-insulator transition and allowing the construction of the complete zero-temperature phase diagram of the Anderson-Hubbard model. Rather unusual is the possibility of a disorder-induced Mott insulator-to-metal transition

Holographic metal-insulator transition in higher derivative gravity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ling, Yi, E-mail: lingy@ihep.ac.cn [Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Shanghai Key Laboratory of High Temperature Superconductors, Shanghai, 200444 (China); Liu, Peng, E-mail: liup51@ihep.ac.cn [Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Wu, Jian-Pin, E-mail: jianpinwu@mail.bnu.edu.cn [Institute of Gravitation and Cosmology, Department of Physics, School of Mathematics and Physics, Bohai University, Jinzhou 121013 (China); Shanghai Key Laboratory of High Temperature Superconductors, Shanghai, 200444 (China); Zhou, Zhenhua, E-mail: zhouzh@ihep.ac.cn [Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China)

2017-03-10

We introduce a Weyl term into the Einstein–Maxwell-Axion theory in four dimensional spacetime. Up to the first order of the Weyl coupling parameter γ, we construct charged black brane solutions without translational invariance in a perturbative manner. Among all the holographic frameworks involving higher derivative gravity, we are the first to obtain metal-insulator transitions (MIT) when varying the system parameters at zero temperature. Furthermore, we study the holographic entanglement entropy (HEE) of strip geometry in this model and find that the second order derivative of HEE with respect to the axion parameter exhibits maximization behavior near quantum critical points (QCPs) of MIT. It testifies the conjecture in that HEE itself or its derivatives can be used to diagnose quantum phase transition (QPT).

Pressure-induced structural changes and insulator-metal transition in layered bismuth triiodide, BiI3: a combined experimental and theoretical study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devidas, T R; Chandra Shekar, N V; Sundar, C S; Chithaiah, P; Rao, C N R; Sorb, Y A; Bhadram, V S; Chandrabhas, N; Pal, K; Waghmare, U V

2014-01-01

Noting that BiI 3 and the well-known topological insulator (TI) Bi 2 Se 3 have the same high symmetry parent structures, and that it is desirable to find a wide-band gap TI, we determine here the effects of pressure on the structure, phonons and electronic properties of rhombohedral BiI 3 . We report a pressure-induced insulator-metal transition near 1.5 GPa, using high pressure electrical resistivity and Raman measurements. X-ray diffraction studies, as a function of pressure, reveal a structural peculiarity of the BiI 3 crystal, with a drastic drop in c/a ratio at 1.5 GPa, and a structural phase transition from rhombohedral to monoclinic structure at 8.8 GPa. Interestingly, the metallic phase, at relatively low pressures, exhibits minimal resistivity at low temperatures, similar to that in Bi 2 Se 3 . We corroborate these findings with first-principles calculations and suggest that the drop in the resistivity of BiI 3 in the 1–3 GPa range of pressure arises possibly from the appearance of an intermediate crystal phase with a lower band-gap and hexagonal crystal structure. Calculated Born effective charges reveal the presence of metallic states in the structural vicinity of rhombohedral BiI 3 . Changes in the topology of the electronic bands of BiI 3 with pressure, and a sharp decrease in the c/a ratio below 2 GPa, are shown to give rise to changes in the slope of phonon frequencies near that pressure. (paper)

Tuning the metal-insulator transition in manganite films through surface exchange coupling with magnetic nanodots.

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, T Z; Gai, Z; Xu, X Y; Guo, H W; Yin, L F; Shen, J

2011-04-15

In strongly correlated electronic systems, the global transport behavior depends sensitively on spin ordering. We show that spin ordering in manganites can be controlled by depositing isolated ferromagnetic nanodots at the surface. The exchange field at the interface is tunable with nanodot density and makes it possible to overcome dimensionality and strain effects in frustrated systems to greatly increasing the metal-insulator transition and magnetoresistance. These findings indicate that electronic phase separation can be controlled by the presence of magnetic nanodots.

Metal-insulator transition and Frohlich conductivity in the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Michielsen, K.F L; de Raedt, H.A.

1996-01-01

A quantum molecular dynamics technique is used to study the single-particle density of states, Drude weight, optical conductivity and flux quantization in the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model. Our simulation data show that the SSH model has a metal-insulator transition away from half-filling. In the

Metal-insulator transition in SrTi{sub 1−x}V{sub x}O{sub 3} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gu, Man [Department of Physics, University of Virginia, 382 McCormick Rd., Charlottesville, Virginia 22904 (United States); Wolf, Stuart A. [Department of Physics, University of Virginia, 382 McCormick Rd., Charlottesville, Virginia 22904 (United States); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, 395 McCormick Rd., Charlottesville, Virginia 22904 (United States); Lu, Jiwei [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, 395 McCormick Rd., Charlottesville, Virginia 22904 (United States)

2013-11-25

Epitaxial SrTi{sub 1−x}V{sub x}O{sub 3} (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) thin films were grown on (001)-oriented (LaAlO{sub 3}){sub 0.3}(Sr{sub 2}AlTaO{sub 6}){sub 0.7} (LSAT) substrates using the pulsed electron-beam deposition technique. The transport study revealed a temperature driven metal-insulator transition (MIT) at 95 K for x = 0.67. The films with higher vanadium concentration (x > 0.67) were metallic corresponding to a Fermi liquid system. In the insulating phase (x < 0.67), the resistivity behavior was governed by Mott's variable range hopping mechanism. The possible mechanisms for the induced MIT are discussed, including the effects of electron correlation, lattice distortion, and Anderson localization.

First- and second-order metal-insulator phase transitions and topological aspects of a Hubbard-Rashba system

Science.gov (United States)

Marcelino, Edgar

2017-05-01

This paper considers a model consisting of a kinetic term, Rashba spin-orbit coupling and short-range Coulomb interaction at zero temperature. The Coulomb interaction is decoupled by a mean-field approximation in the spin channel using field theory methods. The results feature a first-order phase transition for any finite value of the chemical potential and quantum criticality for vanishing chemical potential. The Hall conductivity is also computed using the Kubo formula in a mean-field effective Hamiltonian. In the limit of infinite mass the kinetic term vanishes and all the phase transitions are of second order; in this case the spontaneous symmetry-breaking mechanism adds a ferromagnetic metallic phase to the system and features a zero-temperature quantization of the Hall conductivity in the insulating one.

Spin-filter effect in normal metal/ferromagnetic insulator/normal metal/superconductor structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Hong; Yang, Wei; Yang, Xinjian; Qin, Minghui; Guo, Jianqin

2007-01-01

Taking into account the thickness of the ferromagnetic insulator, the spin-filter effect in normal metal/ferromagnetic insulator/normal metal/superconductor (NM/FI/NM/SC) junctions is studied based on the Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk (BTK) theory. It is shown that a spin-dependent energy shift during the tunneling process induces splitting of the subgap resonance peaks. The spin polarization due to the spin-filter effect of the FI causes an imbalance of the peaks heights and can enhance the Zeeman splitting of the gap peaks caused by an applied magnetic field. The spin-filter effect has no contribution to the proximity-effect-induced superconductivity in NM interlayer

Numerical simulations of quantum many-body systems with applications to superfluid-insulator and metal-insulator transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niyaz, P.

1993-01-01

Quantum Monte Carlo techniques were used to study two quantum many-body systems, the one-dimensional extended boson-Hubbard Hamiltonian, a model of superfluid-insulator quantum phase transitions, and the two-dimensional Holstein Model, a model for electron-phonon interactions. For the extended boson-Hubbard model, the authors studied the ground state properties at commensurate filling (density = 1) and half-integer filling (density = 1/2). At commensurate filling, the system has two possible insulating phases for strong coupling. If the on-site repulsion dominates, the system freezes into an insulating phase where each site is singly occupied. If the intersite repulsion dominates, doubly occupied and empty sites alternate. At weak coupling, the system becomes a superfluid. The authors investigated the order of phase transitions between these different phases. At half-integer filling, the authors found one strong coupling insulating phase, where singly occupied and empty sites alternate, and a weak coupling superfluid phase. The authors also investigated the possibility of a supersolid phase and found no clear evidence of such a new phase. For the electron-phonon (Holstein) model, the authors focused on the finite temperature phase transition from a metallic state to an insulating charge density wave (CDW) state as the temperature is lowered. The authors present the first calculation of the spectral density from Monte Carlo data for this system. The authors also investigated the formation of a CDW state as a function of various parameters characterizing the electron-phonon interactions. Using these numerical results as benchmarks, the authors then investigated different levels of Migdal approximations. The authors found the solutions of a set of gapped Migdal-Eliashberg equations agreed qualitatively with the Monte Carlo results

Boson localization and the superfluid-insulator transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fisher, M.P.A.; Weichman, P.B.; Grinstein, G.; Fisher, D.S.; Condensed Matter Physics 114-36, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125; IBM Research Division, Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598; Joseph Henry Laboratory of Physics, Jadwin Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544)

1989-01-01

The phase diagrams and phase transitions of bosons with short-ranged repulsive interactions moving in periodic and/or random external potentials at zero temperature are investigated with emphasis on the superfluid-insulator transition induced by varying a parameter such as the density. Bosons in periodic potentials (e.g., on a lattice) at T=0 exhibit two types of phases: a superfluid phase and Mott insulating phases characterized by integer (or commensurate) boson densities, by the existence of a gap for particle-hole excitations, and by zero compressibility. Generically, the superfluid onset transition in d dimensions from a Mott insulator to superfluidity is ''ideal,'' or mean field in character, but at special multicritical points with particle-hole symmetry it is in the universality class of the (d+1)-dimensional XY model. In the presence of disorder, a third, ''Bose glass'' phase exists. This phase is insulating because of the localization effects of the randomness and analogous to the Fermi glass phase of interacting fermions in a strongly disordered potential

Metal-insulator transition upon heating and negative-differential-resistive-switching induced by self-heating in BaCo0.9Ni0.1S1.8

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fisher, B.; Genossar, J.; Chashka, K. B.; Patlagan, L.; Reisner, G. M.

2014-01-01

The layered compound BaCo 1−x Ni x S 2−y (0.05  1−x Ni x S 2−y (nominal x = 0.1 and y = 0.2). These were due to the steep metal to insulator transition upon heating followed by the activated behavior of the resistivity above the transition. The major role of Joule heating in switching is supported by the absence of nonlinearity in the current as function of voltage, I(V), obtained in pulsed measurements, in the range of electric fields relevant to d.c. measurements. The voltage-controlled negative differential resistance around the threshold for switching was explained by a simple model of self-heating. The main difficulty in modeling I(V) from the samples resistance as function of temperature R(T) was the progressive increase of R(T), and to a lesser extend the decrease of the resistance jumps at the transitions, caused by the damage induced by cycling through the transitions by heating or self-heating. This was dealt with by following systematically R(T) over many cycles and by using the data of R(T) in the heating cycle closest to that of the self-heating one

Metal-insulator transition and superconductivity induced by Rh doping in the binary pnictides RuPn (Pn=P, As, Sb)

Science.gov (United States)

Hirai, Daigorou; Takayama, Tomohiro; Hashizume, Daisuke; Takagi, Hidenori

2012-04-01

Binary ruthenium pnictides, RuP and RuAs, with an orthorhombic MnP structure, were found to show a metal to a nonmagnetic insulator transition at TMI = 270 and 200 K, respectively. In the metallic region above TMI, a structural phase transition, accompanied with a weak anomaly in the resistivity and the magnetic susceptibility, indicative of a pseudogap formation, was identified at Ts = 330 and 280 K, respectively. These two transitions were suppressed by substituting Ru with Rh. We found superconductivity with a maximum Tc = 3.7 and 1.8 K in a narrow composition range around the critical point for the pseudogap phase, Rh content xc = 0.45 and 0.25 for Ru1-xRhxP and Ru1-xRhxAs, respectively, which may provide us with a nonmagnetic route to superconductivity at a quantum critical point.

Two dimensional topological insulator in quantizing magnetic fields

Science.gov (United States)

Olshanetsky, E. B.; Kvon, Z. D.; Gusev, G. M.; Mikhailov, N. N.; Dvoretsky, S. A.

2018-05-01

The effect of quantizing magnetic field on the electron transport is investigated in a two dimensional topological insulator (2D TI) based on a 8 nm (013) HgTe quantum well (QW). The local resistance behavior is indicative of a metal-insulator transition at B ≈ 6 T. On the whole the experimental data agrees with the theory according to which the helical edge states transport in a 2D TI persists from zero up to a critical magnetic field Bc after which a gap opens up in the 2D TI spectrum.

Reflectance study on the metal-insulator transition driven by crystallinity change in poly(3,4-ethylenedioxy thiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate) films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Shinuk; Park, Sungheum; Lee, Kwanghee

2005-01-01

We report optical reflectance, R(ω), studies on free-standing films of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxy thiophene)/poly(style ne sulfonate) (PEDOT-PSS) measured over a range from 0.02 - 5.0 eV. When the PEDOT-PSS films were prepared at an elevated temperature of 60 .deg. C, the films exhibit an increased dc-conductivity (σ dc ∼ 104 S/cm) and an optical conductivity, σ(ω), in the intraband transitions below 1.0 eV as compared with the films prepared at room temperature (σ dc ∼ 47 S/cm). Detailed analysis of σ(ω) in terms of the 'localization-modified Drude (LMD) model' demonstrated that the heat-treated PEDOT-PSS was a disordered metal near the metal-insulator transition (MIT) while the as-grown films could be better described as a Fermi glass on the insulating side of MIT. The heat-annealing process increased the degree of crystallinity of the films, thereby inducing a MIT near the critical limit.

The control of magnetism near metal-to-insulator transitions of VO2 nano-belts

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Nkosi, SS

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The magnetic properties of paramagnetic/weakly ferromagnetic films are strongly affected by the proximity to materials that undergo a metal to insulator phase transition. Here, we show that under the deposition conditions associated with structural...

Metal-insulator transition in n-InSb under high hydrostatic pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaller, U.; Kraak, W.; Herrmann, R.

1984-01-01

The effect of applying hydrostatic compression (up to 12 kbar) to the galvanomagnetic properties of pure n-InSb crystals is investigated in order to get information about the influence of hydrostatic pressure on the localization of carriers and about the metal-insulator transition. Electrical resistivity and Hall coefficient are measured as a function of pressure for various excess donor concentrations as well as a function of temperature for various pressures

Metal-insulator transition in one-dimensional lattices with chaotic energy sequences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinto, R.A.; Rodriguez, M.; Gonzalez, J.A.; Medina, E.

2005-01-01

We study electronic transport through a one-dimensional array of sites by using a tight binding Hamiltonian, whose site-energies are drawn from a chaotic sequence. The correlation degree between these energies is controlled by a parameter regulating the dynamic Lyapunov exponent measuring the degree of chaos. We observe the effect of chaotic sequences on the localization length, conductance, conductance distribution and wave function, finding evidence of a metal-insulator transition (MIT) at a critical degree of chaos. The one-dimensional metallic phase is characterized by a Gaussian conductance distribution and exhibits a peculiar non-selfaveraging

Metal-insulator transition in one-dimensional lattices with chaotic energy sequences

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pinto, R.A. [Laboratorio de Fisica Estadistica, Centro de Fisica, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas, Apartado 21827, Caracas 1020-A (Venezuela)]. E-mail: ripinto@ivic.ve; Rodriguez, M. [Laboratorio de Fisica Estadistica, Centro de Fisica, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas, Apartado 21827, Caracas 1020-A (Venezuela); Gonzalez, J.A. [Laboratorio de Fisica Computacional, Centro de Fisica, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas, Apartado 21827, Caracas 1020-A (Venezuela); Medina, E. [Laboratorio de Fisica Estadistica, Centro de Fisica, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas, Apartado 21827, Caracas 1020-A (Venezuela)

2005-06-20

We study electronic transport through a one-dimensional array of sites by using a tight binding Hamiltonian, whose site-energies are drawn from a chaotic sequence. The correlation degree between these energies is controlled by a parameter regulating the dynamic Lyapunov exponent measuring the degree of chaos. We observe the effect of chaotic sequences on the localization length, conductance, conductance distribution and wave function, finding evidence of a metal-insulator transition (MIT) at a critical degree of chaos. The one-dimensional metallic phase is characterized by a Gaussian conductance distribution and exhibits a peculiar non-selfaveraging.

Superconductor-insulator transitions in 2D: the experimental situation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markovic, N.; Christiansen, C.; Mack, A.; Goldman, A.M.

2000-01-01

Superconductor-insulator (SI) transitions in ultrathin films have attracted significant attention over the last decade because of the possibility that they are quantum phase transitions. Magnetic field, film thickness, or carrier concentration can be used as control parameters. The bosonic pictures of these transitions proposed some years ago are only in qualitative agreement with experiment. In particular, the critical resistance appears not to be universal, and there are variations in the values of critical exponents. It has been concluded that in real films fermionic degrees of freedom must be taken into account. There are also indications that the phase diagram may include a significant metallic phase separating the superconducting and insulating phases, and that the transition may have a significant percolative aspect. The experimental situation will be broadly reviewed with attention paid to issues relating to materials and measurements. (orig.)

Ginsburg-Landau equation around the superconductor-insulator transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ng, T.K.

1991-01-01

Based on the scaling theory of localization, we construct a Ginsburg-Landau (GL) equation for superconductors in an arbitrary strength of disordered potential. Using this GL equation, we reexamine the criteria for the superconductor-insulator transition and find that the transition to a localized superconductor can happen on both sides of the (normal) metal-insulator transition, in contrast to a previous prediction by Ma and Lee [Phys. Rev. B 32, 5658 (1985)] that the transition can only be on the insulator side. Furthermore, by comparing our theory with a recent scaling theory of dirty bosons by Fisher et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 64, 587 (1990)], we conclude that nontrivial crossover behavior in transport properties may occur in the vicinity of the superconductor-insulator transition

Nanosize effects on the magnetic field induced transitions in La0.67−xEuxCa0.33MnO3 perovskite manganite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raju, N.; Roja Sree, D.; Reddy, S. Shravan Kumar; Reddy, Ch. Gopal; Reddy, P. Yadagiri; Reddy, K. Rama; Reddy, V. Raghavendra; Reddy Turpu, Goverdhan

2014-01-01

The nanosize effects on magnetic field induced transitions in La 0.67−x Eu x Ca 0.33 MnO 3 (x=0.25 and 0.27) system are presented in this paper. The reduction in the particle size of the system shows drastic effects on the electrical transport properties leading to robustness of the charge ordering phenomenon. The metal–insulator transition found in bulk materials at low magnetic fields disappeared in nanoparticles of the same material and a high field induced metal–insulator transition emerged at lower temperatures. These results manifest a strong correlation between the chemical pressures induced by doping of various ions at A-site and nanosize related phenomenon. - Highlights: • Chemical pressure and nanosize effects on electrical transport studies of Eu doped LCMO system are reported. • Decrease in particle size resulted in drastic changes on electrical transport studies. • Metal–insulator transition found in bulk at low magnetic fields disappeared in nanoparticles

Dynamically Babinet-invertible metasurface: a capacitive-inductive reconfigurable filter for terahertz waves using vanadium-dioxide metal-insulator transition

Science.gov (United States)

Urade, Yoshiro; Nakata, Yosuke; Okimura, Kunio; Nakanishi, Toshihiro; Miyamaru, Fumiaki; Takeda, Mitsuo W.; Kitano, Masao

2016-03-01

This paper proposes a reconfigurable planar metamaterial that can be switched between capacitive and inductive responses using local changes in the electrical conductivity of its constituent material. The proposed device is based on Babinet's principle and exploits the singular electromagnetic responses of metallic checkerboard structures, which are dependent on the local electrical conductivity. Utilizing the heating-induced metal-insulator transition of vanadium dioxide ($\\mathrm{VO}_2$), the proposed metamaterial is designed to compensate for the effect of the substrate and is experimentally characterized in the terahertz regime. This reconfigurable metamaterial can be utilized as a switchable filter and as a switchable phase shifter for terahertz waves.

Superlattice formation lifting degeneracy protected by nonsymmorphic symmetry through a metal-insulator transition in RuAs

Science.gov (United States)

Kotegawa, Hisashi; Takeda, Keiki; Kuwata, Yoshiki; Hayashi, Junichi; Tou, Hideki; Sugawara, Hitoshi; Sakurai, Takahiro; Ohta, Hitoshi; Harima, Hisatomo

2018-05-01

A single crystal of RuAs obtained with the Bi-flux method shows obvious successive metal-insulator transitions at TMI 1˜255 K and TMI 2˜195 K. The x-ray diffraction measurement reveals the formation of a superlattice of 3 ×3 ×3 of the original unit cell below TMI 2, accompanied by a change of the crystal system from the orthorhombic structure to the monoclinic one. Simple dimerization of the Ru ions is not seen in the ground state. The multiple As sites observed in the nuclear quadrupole resonance spectrum also demonstrate the formation of the superlattice in the ground state, which is clarified to be nonmagnetic. The divergence in 1 /T1 at TMI 1 shows that a symmetry lowering by the metal-insulator transition is accompanied by strong critical fluctuations of some degrees of freedom. Using the structural parameters in the insulating state, the first-principles calculation reproduces successfully the reasonable size of nuclear quadrupole frequencies νQ for the multiple As sites, ensuring the high validity of the structural parameters. The calculation also gives a remarkable suppression in the density of states near the Fermi level, although the gap opening is insufficient. A coupled modulation of the calculated Ru d -electron numbers and the crystal structure proposes the formation of a charge density wave in RuAs. Some lacking factors remain, but it is shown that a lifting of degeneracy protected by the nonsymmorphic symmetry through the superlattice formation is a key ingredient for the metal-insulator transition in RuAs.

On the Mott transition and the new metal-insulator transitions in doped covalent and polar crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dzhumanov, S.; Begimkulov, U.; Kurbanov, U.T.; Yavidov, B.Y.

2001-10-01

The Mott transition and new metal-insulator transitions (MIT's) and their distinctive features in doped covalent semiconductors and polar compounds are studied within the continuum model of extrinsic carrier self-trapping, the Hubbard impurity band model (with on-site Coulomb repulsion and screening effects) and the extrinsic (bi)polaronic band model (with short- and long-range carrier-impurity, impurity-phonon and carrier-phonon interactions and intercarrier correlation) using the appropriate tight-binding approximations and variational methods. We have shown the formation possibility of large-radius localized one- and two-carrier impurity (or defect) states and narrow impurity bands in the band gap and charge transfer gap of these carrier-doped systems. The extrinsic Mott-Hubbard and (bi)polaronic insulating gaps are calculated exactly. The proper criterions for Mott transition, extrinsic excitonic and (bi)polaronic MIT's are obtained. We have demonstrated that the Mott transition occurs in doped covalent semiconductors (i.e. Si and Ge) and some insulators with weak carrier-phonon coupling near the large-radius dopants. While, in doped polar compounds (e.g. oxide high-T c superconductors (HTSC) and related materials) the MIT's are new extrinsic (or intrinsic) (bi)polaronic MIT's. We have found that the anisotropy of the dielectric (or (bi)polaronic) properties of doped cuprate HTSC is responsible for smooth (or continuous) MIT's, stripe formation and suppression of high-T c superconductivity. Various experimental results on in-gap states, bands and MIT's in doped covalent semiconductors, oxide HTSC and related materials are in good agreement with the developed theory of Mott transition and new (bi)polaronic MIT's. (author)

Electric-field-induced modification of the magnon energy, exchange interaction, and curie temperature of transition-metal thin films.

Science.gov (United States)

Oba, M; Nakamura, K; Akiyama, T; Ito, T; Weinert, M; Freeman, A J

2015-03-13

The electric-field-induced modification in the Curie temperature of prototypical transition-metal thin films with the perpendicular magnetic easy axis, a freestanding Fe(001) monolayer and a Co monolayer on Pt(111), is investigated by first-principles calculations of spin-spiral structures in an external electric field (E field). An applied E field is found to modify the magnon (spin-spiral formation) energy; the change arises from the E-field-induced screening charge density in the spin-spiral states due to p-d hybridizations. The Heisenberg exchange parameters obtained from the magnon energy suggest an E-field-induced modification of the Curie temperature, which is demonstrated via Monte Carlo simulations that take the magnetocrystalline anisotropy into account.

Dynamic conductivity from audio to optical frequencies of semiconducting manganites approaching the metal-insulator transition

Science.gov (United States)

Lunkenheimer, P.; Mayr, F.; Loidl, A.

2006-07-01

We report the frequency-dependent conductivity of the manganite system La1-xSrxMnO3 (x0.2) when approaching the metal-insulator transition from the insulating side. Results from low-frequency dielectric measurements are combined with spectra in the infrared region. For low doping levels the behavior is dominated by hopping transport of localized charge carriers at low frequencies and by phononic and electronic excitations in the infrared region. For the higher Sr contents the approach of the metallic state is accompanied by the successive suppression of the hopping contribution at low frequencies and by the development of polaronic excitations in the infrared region, which finally become superimposed by a strong Drude contribution in the fully metallic state.

Metal - Insulator Transition Driven by Vacancy Ordering in GeSbTe Phase Change Materials

OpenAIRE

Bragaglia, Valeria; Arciprete, Fabrizio; Privitera, Stefania; Rimini, Emanuele; Mazzarello, Riccardo; Calarco, Raffaella; Zhang, Wei; Mio, Antonio Massimiliano; Zallo, Eugenio; Perumal, Karthick; Giussani, Alessandro; Cecchi, Stefano; Boschker, Jos Emiel; Riechert, Henning

2016-01-01

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are unique compounds employed in non-volatile random access memory thanks to the rapid and reversible transformation between the amorphous and crystalline state that display large differences in electrical and optical properties. In addition to the amorphous-to-crystalline transition, experimental results on polycrystalline GeSbTe alloys (GST) films evidenced a Metal-Insulator Transition (MIT) attributed to disorder in the crystalline phase. Here we report on a f...

Transient transition from free carrier metallic state to exciton insulating state in GaAs by ultrafast photoexcitation

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, X. C.; Song, Hai-Ying; Zhang, Xiu; Gu, Peng; Liu, Shi-Bing; Li, Fan; Meng, Jian-Qiao; Duan, Yu-Xia; Liu, H. Y.

2018-03-01

We present systematic studies of the transient dynamics of GaAs by ultrafast time-resolved reflectivity. In photoexcited non-equilibrium states, we found a sign reverse in reflectivity change ΔR/R, from positive around room temperature to negative at cryogenic temperatures. The former corresponds to a free carrier metallic state, while the latter is attributed to an exciton insulating state, in which the transient electronic properties is mostly dominated by excitons, resulting in a transient metal–insulator transition (MIT). Two transition temperatures (T 1 and T 2) are well identified by analyzing the intensity change of the transient reflectivity. We found that photoexcited MIT starts emerging at T 1 as high as ∼ 230 K, in terms of a dip feature at 0.4 ps, and becomes stabilized below T 2 that is up to ∼ 180 K, associated with a negative constant after 40 ps. Our results address a phase diagram that provides a framework for the inducing of MIT through temperature and photoexcitation, and may shed light on the understanding of light-semiconductor interaction and exciton physics.

Plasma damage in floating metal-insulator-metal capacitors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ackaert, Jan; Wang, Zhichun; De Backer, E.; Coppens, P.

2002-01-01

In this paper, charging induced damage (CID) to metal-insulator-metal capacitors (MIMCs), is reported. CID does not necessarily lead to direct yield loss, but may also induce latent damage leading to reliability losses. The damage is caused by the build up of a voltage potential difference between

Plasma Damage in Floating Metal-Insulator-Metal Capacitors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ackaert, Jan; Wang, Zhichun; Backer, E.; Coppens, P.

2001-01-01

In this paper, charging induced damage (CID) to metal-insulator-metal capacitors (MIMCs), is reported. CID does not necessarily lead to direct yield loss, but may also induce latent damage leading to reliability losses. The damage is caused by the build up of a voltage potential difference between

New Light on the Metal-Insulator Transition in VO₂: A Terahertz Perspective

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jepsen, Peter Uhd; Fischer, Bernd M.; Thoman, Andreas

2005-01-01

We investigate the metal-insulator (MI) transition in vanadium dioxide (VO2), thin films with Terahertz Time-Domains Spectroscopy (THz-TDS). The capability of detecting both amplitude and phase of the transmission characteristics as the phase of the transmitted THz signal switches at a markedly...

Voltage control of metal-insulator transition and non-volatile ferroelastic switching of resistance in VOx/PMN-PT heterostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Nan, Tianxiang; Liu, Ming; Ren, Wei; Ye, Zuo-Guang; Sun, Nian X

2014-08-04

The central challenge in realizing electronics based on strongly correlated electronic states, or 'Mottronics', lies in finding an energy efficient way to switch between the distinct collective phases with a control voltage in a reversible and reproducible manner. In this work, we demonstrate that a voltage-impulse-induced ferroelastic domain switching in the (011)-oriented 0.71Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.29PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) substrates allows a robust non-volatile tuning of the metal-insulator transition in the VOx films deposited onto them. In such a VOx/PMN-PT heterostructure, the unique two-step electric polarization switching covers up to 90% of the entire poled area and contributes to a homogeneous in-plane anisotropic biaxial strain, which, in turn, enables the lattice changes and results in the suppression of metal-insulator transition in the mechanically coupled VOx films by 6 K with a resistance change up to 40% over a broad range of temperature. These findings provide a framework for realizing in situ and non-volatile tuning of strain-sensitive order parameters in strongly correlated materials, and demonstrate great potentials in delivering reconfigurable, compactable, and energy-efficient electronic devices.

Dynamic conductivity from audio to optical frequencies of semiconducting manganites approaching the metal-insulator transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lunkenheimer, P.; Mayr, F.; Loidl, A.

2006-01-01

We report the frequency-dependent conductivity of the manganite system La 1-x Sr x MnO 3 (x≤0.2) when approaching the metal-insulator transition from the insulating side. Results from low-frequency dielectric measurements are combined with spectra in the infrared region. For low doping levels the behavior is dominated by hopping transport of localized charge carriers at low frequencies and by phononic and electronic excitations in the infrared region. For the higher Sr contents the approach of the metallic state is accompanied by the successive suppression of the hopping contribution at low frequencies and by the development of polaronic excitations in the infrared region, which finally become superimposed by a strong Drude contribution in the fully metallic state. (Abstract Copyright [2006], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Metal-insulator transition in 2D: the role of interactions and disorder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kastrinakis, George

2007-01-01

We present a model for the metal-insulator transition in 2D, observed in the recent years. Our starting point consists of two ingredients only, which are ubiquitous in the experiments: Coulomb interactions and weak disorder spin scattering (coming from the interfaces of the heterostructures in question). In a diagramatic approach, we predict the existence of a characteristic temperature T 0 =T 0 (n,ω H ), n being the density of carriers, and ω H the Zeeman energy, below which these systems become metallic, due to the onset of strong spin-density correlations. This is in very good agreement with experiments, and corroborates the fact that varying n and ω H are equivalent ways into/out of the metallic regime. The conductivity, calculated as a function of temperature and ω H in the metallic state, compares favorably to experiment. Moreover, we give an explicit expression for the conventional weak disorder contributions to the conductivity in the frame of our model. We comment on the nature of the transition, we calculate the specific heat of the system and we discuss the fate of the metallic state in the limit of zero temperature

Photoinduced Coherent Spin Fluctuation in Primary Dynamics of Insulator to Metal Transition in Perovskite Cobalt Oxide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arima T.

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Coherent spin fluctuation was detected in the photoinduced Mott insulator-metal transition in perovskite cobalt oxide by using 3 optical-cycle infrared pulse. Such coherent spin fluctuation is driven by the perovskite distortion changing orbital gap.

High pressure metallization of Mott Insulators: Magnetic, structural and electronic properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pasternak, M.P.; Hearne, G.; Sterer, E.; Taylor, R.D.; Jeanloz, R.

1993-01-01

High pressure studies of the insulator-metal transition in the (TM)I 2 (TM = V, Fe, Co and Ni) compounds are described. Those divalent transition-metal iodides are structurally isomorphous and classified as Mott Insulators. Resistivity, X-ray diffraction and Moessbauer Spectroscopy were employed to investigate the electronic, structural, and magnetic properties as a function of pressure both on the highly correlated and on the metallic regimes

Metal-insulator transition in disordered systems from the one-body density matrix

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Thomas; Resta, Raffaele; Souza, Ivo

2017-01-01

The insulating state of matter can be probed by means of a ground state geometrical marker, which is closely related to the modern theory of polarization (based on a Berry phase). In the present work we show that this marker can be applied to determine the metal-insulator transition in disordered...... the one-body density matrix. The approach has a general ab initio formulation and could in principle be applied to realistic disordered materials by standard electronic structure methods....... systems. In particular, for noninteracting systems the geometrical marker can be obtained from the configurational average of the norm-squared one-body density matrix, which can be calculated within open as well as periodic boundary conditions. This is in sharp contrast to a classification based...

Tailored plasmon-induced transparency in attenuated total reflection response in a metal-insulator-metal structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsunaga, Kouki; Hirai, Yusuke; Neo, Yoichiro; Matsumoto, Takahiro; Tomita, Makoto

2017-12-19

We demonstrated tailored plasmon-induced transparency (PIT) in a metal (Au)-insulator (SiO 2 )-metal (Ag) (MIM) structure, where the Fano interference between the MIM waveguide mode and the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) resonance mode induced a transparency window in an otherwise opaque wavenumber (k) region. A series of structures with different thicknesses of the Ag layer were prepared and the attenuated total reflection (ATR) response was examined. The height and width of the transparency window, as well as the relevant k-domain dispersion, were controlled by adjusting the Ag layer thickness. To confirm the dependency of PIT on Ag layer thickness, we performed numerical calculations to determine the electric field amplitude inside the layers. The steep k-domain dispersion in the transparency window is capable of creating a lateral beam shift known as the Goos-Hänchen shift, for optical device and sensor applications. We also discuss the Fano interference profiles in a ω - k two-dimensional domain on the basis of Akaike information criteria.

Direct detection of metal-insulator phase transitions using the modified Backus-Gilbert method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ulybyshev Maksim

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The detection of the (semimetal-insulator phase transition can be extremely difficult if the local order parameter which characterizes the ordered phase is unknown. In some cases, it is even impossible to define a local order parameter: the most prominent example of such system is the spin liquid state. This state was proposed to exist in the Hubbard model on the hexagonal lattice in a region between the semimetal phase and the antiferromagnetic insulator phase. The existence of this phase has been the subject of a long debate. In order to detect these exotic phases we must use alternative methods to those used for more familiar examples of spontaneous symmetry breaking. We have modified the Backus-Gilbert method of analytic continuation which was previously used in the calculation of the pion quasiparticle mass in lattice QCD. The modification of the method consists of the introduction of the Tikhonov regularization scheme which was used to treat the ill-conditioned kernel. This modified Backus-Gilbert method is applied to the Euclidean propagators in momentum space calculated using the hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm. In this way, it is possible to reconstruct the full dispersion relation and to estimate the mass gap, which is a direct signal of the transition to the insulating state. We demonstrate the utility of this method in our calculations for the Hubbard model on the hexagonal lattice. We also apply the method to the metal-insulator phase transition in the Hubbard-Coulomb model on the square lattice.

Studies of hyperfine magnetic fields in transition metals by radioactive ion implantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawase, Yoichi; Uehara, Shin-ichi; Nasu, Saburo; Ni Xinbo.

1994-01-01

In order to investigate hyperfine magnetic fields in transition metals by a time-differential perturbed angular correlation (TDPAC) technique, radioactive probes of 140 Cs obtained by KUR-ISOL have been implanted on transition metals of Fe, Ni and Co. Lamor precessions of 140 Ce used as a probe nucleus have been observed clearly and the hyperfine fields have been determined precisely corresponding to implanted sites in host metal. The irradiation effects caused by implantation have been examined by annealing the irradiated specimen at about 723 K. Some of the Lamor precessions have disappeared by the annealing. Discussions have been made on the occupied sites after implantation and the recovery process of induced damages by annealing. (author)

Enhanced ferromagnetism, metal-insulator transition, and large magnetoresistance in La1-xCaxMn1-xRuxO3 free of eg-orbital double-exchange

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, M. F.; Du, Z. Z.; Liu, H. M.; Li, X.; Yan, Z. B.; Dong, S.; Liu, J.-M.

2014-03-01

The structure, ionic valences, magnetism, and magneto-transport behaviors of mixed valence oxides La1-xCaxMn1-xRuxO3 are systematically investigated. The simultaneous substitutions of La3+ and Mn3+ ions by Ca2+ and Ru4+, respectively, are confirmed by the structural and ionic valence characterizations, excluding the presence of Mn4+ and Ru3+ ions. The enhanced ferromagnetism, induced metal-insulator transition, and remarkable magnetoresistance effect are demonstrated when the substitution level x is lower than ˜0.6, in spite of the absence of the Mn3+-Ru4+ eg-orbital double-exchange. These anomalous magnetotransport effects are discussed based on the competing multifold interactions associated with the Mn3+-Ru4+ super-exchange and strong Ru4+-Ru4+ hopping, while the origins for the metal-insulator transition and magnetoresistance effect remain to be clarified.

Optical Response of Cu1-xZnxIr2S4 Due to Metal--Insulator Transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, L.; Matsunami, M.; Nanba, T.; Cao, G.; Suzuki, H.; Isobe, M.; Matsumoto, T.

2003-01-01

The mother material CuIr 2 S 4 of the thiospinel system Cu 1-x Zn x Ir 2 S 4 undergoes a temperature-induced metal--insulator (Mi) transition. We report the temperature dependence of the optical reflection spectra of Cu 1-x Zn x Ir 2 S 4 (x ≤ 0.5) at the temperatures of 8-300 K in the energy regions of 0.005--30 eV in order to study the change in the electronic structure due to the Zn substitution for Cu. Zn substitution induced mainly the splitting of the hybridization band between the Ir-5d(t 2g ) and S-3 p states crossing the E F . Obtained optical conductivity (σ ) spectrum is discussed in relation to the change in the electronic structure close to the E F . (author)

Probing charge transfer during metal-insulator transitions in graphene-LaAlO3/SrTiO3 systems

Science.gov (United States)

Aliaj, I.; Sambri, A.; Miseikis, V.; Stornaiuolo, D.; di Gennaro, E.; Coletti, C.; Pellegrini, V.; Miletto Granozio, F.; Roddaro, S.

2018-06-01

Two-dimensional electron systems (2DESs) at the interface between LaAlO3 (LAO) and SrTiO3 (STO) perovskite oxides display a wide class of tunable phenomena ranging from superconductivity to metal-insulator transitions. Most of these effects are strongly sensitive to surface physics and often involve charge transfer mechanisms, which are, however, hard to detect. In this work, we realize hybrid field-effect devices where graphene is used to modulate the transport properties of the LAO/STO 2DES. Different from a conventional gate, graphene is semimetallic and allows us to probe charge transfer with the oxide structure underneath the field-effect electrode. In LAO/STO samples with a low initial carrier density, graphene-covered regions turn insulating when the temperature is lowered to 3 K, but conduction can be restored in the oxide structure by increasing the temperature or by field effect. The evolution of graphene's electron density is found to be inconsistent with a depletion of LAO/STO, but it rather points to a localization of interfacial carriers in the oxide structure.

Measurement of full-field deformation induced by a dc electrical field in organic insulator films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boudou L.

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Digital image correlation method (DIC using the correlation coefficient curve-fitting for full-field surface deformation measurements of organic insulator films is investigated in this work. First the validation of the technique was undertaken. The computer-generated speckle images and the measurement of coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE of aluminium are used to evaluate the measurement accuracy of the technique. In a second part the technique is applied to measure the mechanical deformation induced by electrical field application to organic insulators. For that Poly(ethylene naphthalene 2,6-dicarboxylate (PEN thin films were subjected to DC voltage stress and DIC provides the full-field induced deformations of the test films. The obtained results show that the DIC is a practical and robust tool for better comprehension of mechanical behaviour of the organic insulator films under electrical stress.

Charging damage in floating metal-insulator-metal capacitors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ackaert, Jan; Wang, Zhichun; De Backer, E.; Coppens, P.

2002-01-01

In this paper, charging induced damage (CID) to metal-insulator-metal capacitors (MIMC) is reported. The damage is caused by the build up of a voltage potential difference between the two plates of the capacitor. A simple logarithmic relation is discovered between the damage by this voltage

Metal-insulator transitions in IZO, IGZO, and ITZO films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Makise, Kazumasa, E-mail: makise@nict.go.jp [National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe 651-2492 (Japan); Hidaka, Kazuya; Ezaki, Syohei; Asano, Takayuki; Shinozaki, Bunju [Department of Physics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 810-8560 (Japan); Tomai, Shigekazu; Yano, Koki; Nakamura, Hiroaki [Central Research Laboratories, Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd, Chiba 299-0293 (Japan)

2014-10-21

In this study, we measured the low-temperature resistivity of amorphous two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) indium-zinc oxide, indium-gallium-zinc oxide, and indium-tin-zinc oxide films with a wide range of carrier densities. To determine their critical characteristics at the metal-insulator transition (MIT), we used the Ioffe–Regel criterion. We found that the MIT occurs in a narrow range between k{sub F}ℓ =0.13 and k{sub F}ℓ =0.25, where k{sub F} and ℓ are the Fermi wave number and electron mean free path, respectively. For films in the insulating region, we analyzed ρ(T) using a procedure proposed by Zabrodskii and Zinov'eva. This analysis confirmed the occurrence of Mott and Efros–Shklovskii (ES) variable-range hopping. The materials studied show crossover behavior from exp(T{sub Mott}/T){sup 1/4} or exp(T{sub Mott}/T){sup 1/3} for Mott hopping conduction to exp(T{sub ES}/T){sup 1/2} for ES hopping conduction with decreasing temperature. For both 2D and 3D materials, we found that the relationship between T{sub Mott} and T{sub ES} satisfies T{sub ES}∝T{sub Mott}{sup 2/3}.

Propagation Characteristics of Multilayer Hybrid Insulator-Metal-Insulator and Metal-Insulator-Metal Plasmonic Waveguides

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Talafi Noghani

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Propagation characteristics of symmetrical and asymmetrical multilayer hybrid insulator-metal-insulator (HIMI and metal-insulator-metal (HMIM plasmonic slab waveguides are investigated using the transfer matrix method. Propagation length (Lp and spatial length (Ls are used as two figures of merit to qualitate the plasmonic waveguides. Symmetrical structures are shown to be more performant (having higher Lp and lower Ls, nevertheless it is shown that usage of asymmetrical geometry could compensate for the performance degradation in practically realized HIMI waveguides with different substrate materials. It is found that HMIM slab waveguide could support almost long-range subdiffraction plasmonic modes at dimensions lower than the spatial length of the HIMI slab waveguide.

P-wave holographic superconductor/insulator phase transitions affected by dark matter sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogatko, Marek; Wysokinski, Karol I.

2016-01-01

The holographic approach to building the p-wave superconductors results in three different models: the Maxwell-vector, the SU(2) Yang-Mills and the helical. In the probe limit approximation, we analytically examine the properties of the first two models in the theory with dark matter sector. It turns out that the effect of dark matter on the Maxwell-vector p-wave model is the same as on the s-wave superconductor studied earlier. For the non-Abelian model we study the phase transitions between p-wave holographic insulator/superconductor and metal/superconductor. Studies of marginally stable modes in the theory under consideration allow us to determine features of p-wave holographic droplet in a constant magnetic field. The dependence of the superconducting transition temperature on the coupling constant α to the dark matter sector is affected by the dark matter density ρ_D. For ρ_D>ρ the transition temperature is a decreasing function of α. The critical chemical potential μ_c for the quantum phase transition between insulator and metal depends on the chemical potential of dark matter μ_D and for μ_D=0 is a decreasing function of α.

Metal-insulator transition in AlxGa1-xAs/GaAs heterostructures with large spacer width

Science.gov (United States)

Gold, A.

1991-10-01

Analytical results are presented for the mobility of a two-dimensional electron gas in a heterostructure with a thick spacer layer α. Due to multiple-scattering effects a metal-insulator transition occurs at a critical electron density Nc=N1/2i/(4π1/2α) (Ni is the impurity density). The transport mean free path l(t) (calculated in Born approximation) at the metal-insulator transition is l(t)c=2α. A localization criterion in terms of the renormalized single-particle mean free path l(sr) is presented: kFcl(sr)c=(1/2)1/2 (kFc is the Fermi wave number at the critical density). I compare the theoretical results with recent experimental results found in AlxGa1-xAs/GaAs heterostructures with large spacer width: 1200<α<2800 Å. Remote impurity doping and homogeneous background doping are considered. The only fitting parameter used for the theoretical results is the background doping density NB=6×1013 cm-3. My theory is in fair agreement with the experimental results.

Metal-insulator crossover in superconducting cuprates in strong magnetic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marchetti, P.A.; Su Zhaobin; Yu Lu

2001-02-01

The metal-insulator crossover of the in-plane resistivity upon temperature decrease, recently observed in several classes of cuprate superconductors, when a strong magnetic field suppresses the superconductivity, is explained using the U(1)xSU(2) Chern-Simons gauge field theory. The origin of this crossover is the same as that for a similar phenomenon observed in heavily underdoped cuprates without magnetic field. It is due to the interplay between the diffusive motion of the charge carriers and the 'peculiar' localization effect due to short-range antiferromagnetic order. We also calculate the in-plane transverse magnetoresistance which is in a fairly good agreement with available experimental data. (author)

Metal-as-insulation variant of no-insulation HTS winding technique: pancake tests under high background magnetic field and high current at 4.2 K

Science.gov (United States)

Lécrevisse, T.; Badel, A.; Benkel, T.; Chaud, X.; Fazilleau, P.; Tixador, P.

2018-05-01

In the framework of a project aiming at fabricating a 10 T high temperature superconducting (HTS) insert to operate in a 20 T background field, we are investigating the behavior of pancakes consisting of a REBCO HTS tape co-wound with a stainless steel tape (metal-as-insulation (MI) coil). The MI winding is inducing a significant turn-to-turn electrical resistance which helps to reduce the charging time delay. Despite this resistance, the self-protection feature of no-insulation coils is still enabled, thanks to the voltage limit of the power supply. We have built a single pancake coil representative of the pancake that will be used in the insert and performed tests under very high background magnetic field. Our coil experienced over 100 heater induced quenches without a measureable increase of its internal resistance. We have gathered stability and quench behavior data for magnetic fields and engineering current densities (je ) in the range of 0–17 T and 0–635 A mm‑2 respectively. We also present our very first experiments on the insert/outsert interaction in the case of a resistive magnet fault. We show that if self-protection of the MI winding is really effective in the case of a MI coil quench, a major issue comes from the outsert fault which induces a huge current inside the MI coil.

A Review on Disorder-Driven Metal-Insulator Transition in Crystalline Vacancy-Rich GeSbTe Phase-Change Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jiang-Jing; Xu, Ya-Zhi; Mazzarello, Riccardo; Wuttig, Matthias; Zhang, Wei

2017-07-27

Metal-insulator transition (MIT) is one of the most essential topics in condensed matter physics and materials science. The accompanied drastic change in electrical resistance can be exploited in electronic devices, such as data storage and memory technology. It is generally accepted that the underlying mechanism of most MITs is an interplay of electron correlation effects (Mott type) and disorder effects (Anderson type), and to disentangle the two effects is difficult. Recent progress on the crystalline Ge₁Sb₂Te₄ (GST) compound provides compelling evidence for a disorder-driven MIT. In this work, we discuss the presence of strong disorder in GST, and elucidate its effects on electron localization and transport properties. We also show how the degree of disorder in GST can be reduced via thermal annealing, triggering a disorder-driven metal-insulator transition. The resistance switching by disorder tuning in crystalline GST may enable novel multilevel data storage devices.

Light scattering by epitaxial VO{sub 2} films near the metal-insulator transition point

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lysenko, Sergiy, E-mail: sergiy.lysenko@upr.edu; Fernández, Felix; Rúa, Armando; Figueroa, Jose; Vargas, Kevin; Cordero, Joseph [Department of Physics, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico 00681 (United States); Aparicio, Joaquin [Department of Physics, University of Puerto Rico-Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico 00732 (United States); Sepúlveda, Nelson [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824 (United States)

2015-05-14

Experimental observation of metal-insulator transition in epitaxial films of vanadium dioxide is reported. Hemispherical angle-resolved light scattering technique is applied for statistical analysis of the phase transition processes on mesoscale. It is shown that the thermal hysteresis strongly depends on spatial frequency of surface irregularities. The transformation of scattering indicatrix depends on sample morphology and is principally different for the thin films with higher internal elastic strain and for the thicker films where this strain is suppressed by introduction of misfit dislocations. The evolution of scattering indicatrix, fractal dimension, surface power spectral density, and surface autocorrelation function demonstrates distinctive behavior which elucidates the influence of structural defects and strain on thermal hysteresis, twinning of microcrystallites, and domain formation during the phase transition.

Size-dependent single electron transfer and semi-metal-to-insulator transitions in molecular metal oxide electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Balliou, Angelika; Bouroushian, Mirtat; Douvas, Antonios M.; Skoulatakis, George; Kennou, Stella; Glezos, Nikos

2018-07-01

All-inorganic self-arranged molecular transition metal oxide hyperstructures based on polyoxometalate molecules (POMs) are fabricated and tested as electronically tunable components in emerging electronic devices. POM hyperstructures reveal great potential as charging nodes of tunable charging level for molecular memories and as enhancers of interfacial electron/hole injection for photovoltaic stacks. STM, UPS, UV–vis spectroscopy and AFM measurements show that this functionality stems from the films’ ability to structurally tune their HOMO–LUMO levels and electron localization length at room temperature. By adapting POM nanocluster size in solution, self-doping and current modulation of four orders of magnitude is monitored on a single nanocluster on SiO2 at voltages as low as 3 Volt. Structurally driven insulator-to-semi-metal transitions and size-dependent current regulation through single electron tunneling are demonstrated and examined with respect to the stereochemical and electronic structure of the molecular entities. This extends the value of self-assembly as a tool for correlation length and electronic properties tuning and demonstrate POM hyperstructures’ plausibility for on-chip molecular electronics operative at room temperature.

Size-dependent single electron transfer and semi-metal-to-insulator transitions in molecular metal oxide electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Balliou, Angelika; Bouroushian, Mirtat; Douvas, Antonios M; Skoulatakis, George; Kennou, Stella; Glezos, Nikos

2018-07-06

All-inorganic self-arranged molecular transition metal oxide hyperstructures based on polyoxometalate molecules (POMs) are fabricated and tested as electronically tunable components in emerging electronic devices. POM hyperstructures reveal great potential as charging nodes of tunable charging level for molecular memories and as enhancers of interfacial electron/hole injection for photovoltaic stacks. STM, UPS, UV-vis spectroscopy and AFM measurements show that this functionality stems from the films' ability to structurally tune their HOMO-LUMO levels and electron localization length at room temperature. By adapting POM nanocluster size in solution, self-doping and current modulation of four orders of magnitude is monitored on a single nanocluster on SiO 2 at voltages as low as 3 Volt. Structurally driven insulator-to-semi-metal transitions and size-dependent current regulation through single electron tunneling are demonstrated and examined with respect to the stereochemical and electronic structure of the molecular entities. This extends the value of self-assembly as a tool for correlation length and electronic properties tuning and demonstrate POM hyperstructures' plausibility for on-chip molecular electronics operative at room temperature.

Non-volatile resistive switching in the Mott insulator (V1-xCrx)2O3

Science.gov (United States)

Querré, M.; Tranchant, J.; Corraze, B.; Cordier, S.; Bouquet, V.; Députier, S.; Guilloux-Viry, M.; Besland, M.-P.; Janod, E.; Cario, L.

2018-05-01

The discovery of non-volatile resistive switching in Mott insulators related to an electric-field-induced insulator to metal transition (IMT) has paved the way for their use in a new type of non-volatile memories, the Mott memories. While most of the previous studies were dedicated to uncover the resistive switching mechanism and explore the memory potential of chalcogenide Mott insulators, we present here a comprehensive study of resistive switching in the canonical oxide Mott insulator (V1-xCrx)2O3. Our work demonstrates that this compound undergoes a non-volatile resistive switching under electric field. This resistive switching is induced by a Mott transition at the local scale which creates metallic domains closely related to existing phases of the temperature-pressure phase diagram of (V1-xCrx)2O3. Our work demonstrates also reversible resistive switching in (V1-xCrx)2O3 crystals and thin film devices. Preliminary performances obtained on 880 nm thick layers with 500 nm electrodes show the strong potential of Mott memories based on the Mott insulator (V1-xCrx)2O3.

Metal-Insulator Phase Transition in thin VO2 films: A Look from the Far Infrared Side

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jepsen, Peter Uhd; Fischer, B. M.; Thoman, A.

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) displays a well-known metal-insulator (MI) transition at atemperature of 68oC. The MI transition in VO2 has been studied extensively by a widerange of optical, electrical, structural, and magnetic measurements. In spite of this there isstill some controversy about the nature...... temperature hysteresis of the far-infrared transmission through thethin film with temperature. Interestingly the temperature-dependent transmissionamplitude shows a markedly different switching temperature than the transmission phase.This effect has not been observed before, and is very important...

Metal-insulator transition in nanocomposite VO{sub x} films formed by anodic electrodeposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsui, Lok-kun; Lu, Jiwei; Zangari, Giovanni, E-mail: gz3e@virginia.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, 395 McCormick Rd., Charlottesville, Virginia 22904 (United States); Hildebrand, Helga; Schmuki, Patrik [Department for Materials Science LKO, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Martensstr. 7, D-91058 Erlangen (Germany)

2013-11-11

The ability to grow VO{sub 2} films by electrochemical methods would open a low-cost, easily scalable production route to a number of electronic devices. We have synthesized VO{sub x} films by anodic electrodeposition of V{sub 2}O{sub 5}, followed by partial reduction by annealing in Ar. The resulting films are heterogeneous, consisting of various metallic/oxide phases and including regions with VO{sub 2} stoichiometry. A gradual metal insulator transition with a nearly two order of magnitude change in film resistance is observed between room temperature and 140 °C. In addition, the films exhibit a temperature coefficient of resistance of ∼ −2.4%/ °C from 20 to 140 °C.

Theoretical formulation of optical conductivity of La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 exhibiting paramagnetic insulator - ferromagnetic metal transition

Science.gov (United States)

Satiawati, L.; Majidi, M. A.

2017-07-01

A theory of high-energy optical conductivity of La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 has been proposed previously. The proposed theory works to explain the temperature-dependence of the optical conductivity for the photon energy region above ˜0.5 eV for up to ˜22 eV, but fails to capture the correct physics close to the dc limit in which metal-insulator transition occurs. The missing physics at the low energy has been acknowledged as mainly due to not incorporating phonon degree of freedom and electron-phonon interactions. In this study, we aim to complete the above theory by proposing a more complete Hamiltonian incorporating additional terms such as crystal field, two modes of Jahn-Teller vibrations, and coupling between electrons and the two Jahn-Teller vibrational modes. We solve the model by means of dynamical mean-field theory. At this stage, we aim to derive the analytical formulae involved in the calculation, and formulate the algorithmic implementation for the self-consistent calculation process. Our final goal is to compute the density of states and the optical conductivity for the complete photon energy range from 0 to 22 eV at various temperatures, and compare them with the experimental data. We expect that the improved model preserves the correct temperature-dependent physics at high photon energies, as already captured by the previous model, while it would also reveal ferromagnetic metal - paramagnetic insulator transition at the dc limit.

Uniaxial pressure-induced half-metallic ferromagnetic phase transition in LaMnO3

Science.gov (United States)

Rivero, Pablo; Meunier, Vincent; Shelton, William

2016-03-01

We use first-principles theory to predict that the application of uniaxial compressive strain leads to a transition from an antiferromagnetic insulator to a ferromagnetic half-metal phase in LaMnO3. We identify the Q2 Jahn-Teller mode as the primary mechanism that drives the transition, indicating that this mode can be used to tune the lattice, charge, and spin coupling. Applying ≃6 GPa of uniaxial pressure along the [010] direction activates the transition to a half-metallic pseudocubic state. The half-metallicity opens the possibility of producing colossal magnetoresistance in the stoichiometric LaMnO3 compound at significantly lower pressure compared to recently observed investigations using hydrostatic pressure.

Evidence for photo-induced monoclinic metallic VO2 under high pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsieh, Wen-Pin; Mao, Wendy L.; Trigo, Mariano; Reis, David A.; Andrea Artioli, Gianluca; Malavasi, Lorenzo

2014-01-01

We combine ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy with a diamond-anvil cell to decouple the insulator-metal electronic transition from the lattice symmetry changing structural transition in the archetypal strongly correlated material vanadium dioxide. Coherent phonon spectroscopy enables tracking of the photo-excited phonon vibrational frequencies of the low temperature, monoclinic (M 1 )-insulating phase that transforms into the metallic, tetragonal rutile structured phase at high temperature or via non-thermal photo-excitations. We find that in contrast with ambient pressure experiments where strong photo-excitation promptly induces the electronic transition along with changes in the lattice symmetry, at high pressure, the coherent phonons of the monoclinic (M 1 ) phase are still clearly observed upon the photo-driven phase transition to a metallic state. These results demonstrate the possibility of synthesizing and studying transient phases under extreme conditions

Electron lone pair distortion facilitated metal-insulator transition in β-Pb{sub 0.33}V{sub 2}O{sub 5} nanowires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wangoh, L.; Quackenbush, N. F. [Department of Physics, Applied Physics and Astronomy, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902 (United States); Marley, P. M.; Banerjee, S. [Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260 (United States); Sallis, S. [Materials Science and Engineering, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902 (United States); Fischer, D. A.; Woicik, J. C. [Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899 (United States); Piper, L. F. J., E-mail: lpiper@binghamton.edu [Department of Physics, Applied Physics and Astronomy, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902 (United States); Materials Science and Engineering, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902 (United States)

2014-05-05

The electronic structure of β-Pb{sub 0.33}V{sub 2}O{sub 5} nanowires has been studied with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques. The recent synthesis of defect-free β-Pb{sub 0.33}V{sub 2}O{sub 5} nanowires resulted in the discovery of an abrupt voltage-induced metal insulator transition. First principle calculations predicted an additional V-O-Pb hybridized “in-gap” state unique to this vanadium bronze playing a significant role in facilitating the transition. We confirm the existence, energetic position, and orbital character of the “in-gap” state. Moreover, we reveal that this state is a hybridized Pb 6s–O 2p antibonding lone pair state resulting from the asymmetric coordination of the Pb{sup 2+} ions.

Conductance fluctuations and distribution at metal-insulator transition induced by electric field in disordered chain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Senouci, Khaled

2000-08-01

A simple Kronig-Penney model for 1D mesoscopic systems with δ peak potentials is used to study numerically the influence of a constant electric field on the conductance fluctuations and distribution at the transition. We found that the conductance probability distribution has a system-size independent form with large fluctuations in good agreement with the previous works in 2D and 3D systems. (author)

Coupling of an applied field magnetically insulated ion diode to a high power magnetically insulated transmission line system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maenchen, J.E.

1983-01-01

The coupling of energy from a high power pulsed accelerator through a long triplate magnetically insulated transmission line (MITL) in vacuum to an annular applied magnetic field insulated extraction ion diode is examined. The narrow power transport window and the wave front erosion of the MITL set stringent impedance history conditions on the diode load. A new ion diode design developed to satisfy these criteria with marginal electron insulation is presented. The LION accelerator is used to provide a positive polarity 1.5 MV, 350 kA, 40 ns FWHM pulse with a 30 kA/ns current rate from a triplate MITL source. A transition converts the triplate into a cylindrical cross section which flares into the ion diode load. Extensive current and voltage measurements performed along this structure and on the extracted ion beam provide conclusive evidence that the self insulation condition of the MITL is maintained in the transition by current loss alone. The ion diode utilizes a radial magnetic field between a grounded cathode annular emission tip and a disk anode. A 50 cm 2 dielectric/metal anode area serves as the ion plasma source subject to direct electron bombardment from the opposing cathode tip under marginal magnetic insulation conditions. The ions extracted cross the radial magnetic field and exit the diode volume as an annular cross section beam of peak current about 100 kA. The diode current gradually converts from the initial electron flow to nearly 100% ion current after 30 ns, coupling 60% of the diode energy into ions

Multicharged ion-induced emission from metal- and insulator surfaces related to magnetic fusion research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Winter, H.P. [Technische Univ., Vienna (Austria). Inst. fuer Allgemeine Physik

1997-01-01

The edge region of magnetically confined plasmas in thermonuclear fusion experiments couples the hot plasma core with the cold first wall. We consider the dependence of plasma-wall interaction processes on edge plasma properties, with particular emphasis on the role of slow multicharged ions (MCI). After a short survey on the physics of slow MCI-surface interaction we discuss recent extensive studies on MCI-induced electron emission from clean metal surfaces conducted at impact velocities << 1 a.u., from which generally reliable total electron yields can be obtained. We then demonstrate the essentially different role of the MCI charge for electron emission from metallic and insulator surfaces, respectively. Furthermore, we present recent results on slow MCI-induced `potential sputtering` of insulators which, in contrast to the well established kinetic sputtering, already occurs at very low ion impact energy and strongly increases with the MCI charge state. (J.P.N.). 55 refs.

Strain engineering and one-dimensional organization of metal-insulator domains in single-crystal vanadium dioxide beams.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, J; Ertekin, E; Srinivasan, V; Fan, W; Huang, S; Zheng, H; Yim, J W L; Khanal, D R; Ogletree, D F; Grossman, J C; Wu, J

2009-11-01

Correlated electron materials can undergo a variety of phase transitions, including superconductivity, the metal-insulator transition and colossal magnetoresistance. Moreover, multiple physical phases or domains with dimensions of nanometres to micrometres can coexist in these materials at temperatures where a pure phase is expected. Making use of the properties of correlated electron materials in device applications will require the ability to control domain structures and phase transitions in these materials. Lattice strain has been shown to cause the coexistence of metallic and insulating phases in the Mott insulator VO(2). Here, we show that we can nucleate and manipulate ordered arrays of metallic and insulating domains along single-crystal beams of VO(2) by continuously tuning the strain over a wide range of values. The Mott transition between a low-temperature insulating phase and a high-temperature metallic phase usually occurs at 341 K in VO(2), but the active control of strain allows us to reduce this transition temperature to room temperature. In addition to device applications, the ability to control the phase structure of VO(2) with strain could lead to a deeper understanding of the correlated electron materials in general.

Electron dynamics in films made of transition metal nanograins embedded in SiO[sub 2]: Infrared reflectivity and nanoplasma infrared resonance

KAUST Repository

Massa, Néstor E.

2009-06-04

We report on near normal infrared reflectivityspectra of ∼550 nm thick films made of cosputtered transition metal nanograins and SiO2 in a wide range of metal fractions. Co0.85(SiO2)0.15,with conductivity well above the percolation threshold has a frequency and temperature behavior according to what it is find in conductingmetal oxides. The electron scattering rate displays a unique relaxation time characteristic of single type of carriers experiencing strong electron-phonon interactions. Using small polaron fits we identify those phonons as glass vibrational modes. Ni0.61(SiO2)0.39, with a metal fraction closer to the percolation threshold, undergoes a metal-nonmetal transition at ∼77 K. Here, as it is suggested by the scattering rate nearly quadratic dependence, we broadly identify two relaxation times (two carrier contributions) associated to a Drude mode and a midinfrared overdamped band, respectively. Disorder induced, the midinfrared contribution drives the phase transition by thermal electron localization. Co0.51(SiO2)0.49 has the reflectivity of an insulator with a distinctive band at ∼1450 cm−1 originating in electron promotion, localization, and defect induced polaron formation. Angle dependent oblique reflectivity of globally insulating Co0.38(SiO2)0.62, Fe0.34(SiO2)0.66, and Ni0.28(SiO2)0.72, reveals a remarkable resonance at that band threshold. We understand this as due to the excitation by normal to the film electric fields of defect localized electrons in the metallic nanoparticles. At higher oblique angles, this localized nanoplasma couples to SiO2 longitudinal optical Berreman phonons resulting in band peak softening reminiscent to the phonon behavior undergoing strong electron-phonon interactions. Singular to a globally insulating phase, we believe that this resonance might be a useful tool for tracking metal-insulator phase transitions in inhomogeneous materials.

First-principles calculation of electric field gradients in metals, semiconductors, and insulators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zwanziger, J.W. [Dalhousie Univ, Dept Chem, Halifax, NS (Canada); Dalhousie Univ, Inst Res Mat, Halifax, NS (Canada); Torrent, M. [CEA Bruyeres-le-Chatel, Dept Phys Theor and Appl, Bruyeres 91 (France)

2008-07-01

A scheme for computing electric field gradients within the projector augmented wave (PAW) formalism of density functional theory is presented. On the basis of earlier work (M. Profeta, F. Mauri, C.J. Pickard, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 125, 541, 2003) the present implementation handles metallic cases as well as insulators and semiconductors with equal efficiency. Details of the implementation, as well as applications and the discussion of the limitations of the PAW method for computing electric field gradients are presented. (authors)

Thouless energy as a unifying concept for Josephson junctions tuned through the Mott metal-insulator transition

Science.gov (United States)

Tahvildar-Zadeh, A. N.; Freericks, J. K.; Nikolić, B. K.

2006-05-01

The Thouless energy was introduced in the 1970s as a semiclassical energy for electrons diffusing through a finite-sized conductor. It turns out to be an important quantum-mechanical energy scale for many systems ranging from disordered metals to quantum chaos to quantum chromodynamics. In particular, it has been quite successful in describing the properties of Josephson junctions when the barrier is a diffusive normal-state metal. The Thouless energy concept can be generalized to insulating barriers by extracting an energy scale from the two-probe Kubo conductance of a strongly correlated electron system (metallic or insulating) via a generalized definition of the quantum-mechanical level spacing to many-body systems. This energy scale is known to determine the crossover from tunneling to Ohmic (thermally activated) transport in normal tunnel junctions. Here we use it to illustrate how the quasiclassical picture of transport in Josephson junctions is modified as the strongly correlated barrier passes through the Mott transition. Surprisingly, we find the quasiclassical form holds well beyond its putative realm of validity.

Determination of Insulator-to-Semiconductor Transition in Sol-Gel Oxide Semiconductors Using Derivative Spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Woobin; Choi, Seungbeom; Kim, Kyung Tae; Kang, Jingu; Park, Sung Kyu; Kim, Yong-Hoon

2015-12-23

We report a derivative spectroscopic method for determining insulator-to-semiconductor transition during sol-gel metal-oxide semiconductor formation. When an as-spun sol-gel precursor film is photochemically activated and changes to semiconducting state, the light absorption characteristics of the metal-oxide film is considerable changed particularly in the ultraviolet region. As a result, a peak is generated in the first-order derivatives of light absorption ( A' ) vs. wavelength (λ) plots, and by tracing the peak center shift and peak intensity, transition from insulating-to-semiconducting state of the film can be monitored. The peak generation and peak center shift are described based on photon-energy-dependent absorption coefficient of metal-oxide films. We discuss detailed analysis method for metal-oxide semiconductor films and its application in thin-film transistor fabrication. We believe this derivative spectroscopy based determination can be beneficial for a non-destructive and a rapid monitoring of the insulator-to-semiconductor transition in sol-gel oxide semiconductor formation.

Strain-induced metal-insulator phase coexistence in perovskite manganites.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahn, K H; Lookman, T; Bishop, A R

2004-03-25

The coexistence of distinct metallic and insulating electronic phases within the same sample of a perovskite manganite, such as La(1-x-y)Pr(y)Ca(x)MnO3, presents researchers with a tool for tuning the electronic properties in materials. In particular, colossal magnetoresistance in these materials--the dramatic reduction of resistivity in a magnetic field--is closely related to the observed texture owing to nanometre- and micrometre-scale inhomogeneities. Despite accumulated data from various high-resolution probes, a theoretical understanding for the existence of such inhomogeneities has been lacking. Mechanisms invoked so far, usually based on electronic mechanisms and chemical disorder, have been inadequate to describe the multiscale, multiphase coexistence within a unified picture. Moreover, lattice distortions and long-range strains are known to be important in the manganites. Here we show that the texturing can be due to the intrinsic complexity of a system with strong coupling between the electronic and elastic degrees of freedom. This leads to local energetically favourable configurations and provides a natural mechanism for the self-organized inhomogeneities over both nanometre and micrometre scales. The framework provides a physical understanding of various experimental results and a basis for engineering nanoscale patterns of metallic and insulating phases.

Evidence for photo-induced monoclinic metallic VO{sub 2} under high pressure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hsieh, Wen-Pin, E-mail: wphsieh@stanford.edu; Mao, Wendy L. [Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025 (United States); Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 (United States); Trigo, Mariano [Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025 (United States); Stanford PULSE Institute, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025 (United States); Reis, David A. [Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025 (United States); Stanford PULSE Institute, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025 (United States); Department of Photon Science and Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 (United States); Andrea Artioli, Gianluca; Malavasi, Lorenzo [Dipartimento di Chimica, Sezione di Chimica Fisica, INSTM (UdR Pavia), Università di Pavia, Viale Taramelli 16, 27100 Pavia (Italy)

2014-01-13

We combine ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy with a diamond-anvil cell to decouple the insulator-metal electronic transition from the lattice symmetry changing structural transition in the archetypal strongly correlated material vanadium dioxide. Coherent phonon spectroscopy enables tracking of the photo-excited phonon vibrational frequencies of the low temperature, monoclinic (M{sub 1})-insulating phase that transforms into the metallic, tetragonal rutile structured phase at high temperature or via non-thermal photo-excitations. We find that in contrast with ambient pressure experiments where strong photo-excitation promptly induces the electronic transition along with changes in the lattice symmetry, at high pressure, the coherent phonons of the monoclinic (M{sub 1}) phase are still clearly observed upon the photo-driven phase transition to a metallic state. These results demonstrate the possibility of synthesizing and studying transient phases under extreme conditions.

Quantum phase transitions of a disordered antiferromagnetic topological insulator

Science.gov (United States)

Baireuther, P.; Edge, J. M.; Fulga, I. C.; Beenakker, C. W. J.; Tworzydło, J.

2014-01-01

We study the effect of electrostatic disorder on the conductivity of a three-dimensional antiferromagnetic insulator (a stack of quantum anomalous Hall layers with staggered magnetization). The phase diagram contains regions where the increase of disorder first causes the appearance of surface conduction (via a topological phase transition), followed by the appearance of bulk conduction (via a metal-insulator transition). The conducting surface states are stabilized by an effective time-reversal symmetry that is broken locally by the disorder but restored on long length scales. A simple self-consistent Born approximation reliably locates the boundaries of this so-called "statistical" topological phase.

Direct observation of the lattice precursor of the metal-to-insulator transition in V2O3 thin films by surface acoustic waves

Science.gov (United States)

Kündel, J.; Pontiller, P.; Müller, C.; Obermeier, G.; Liu, Z.; Nateprov, A. A.; Hörner, A.; Wixforth, A.; Horn, S.; Tidecks, R.

2013-03-01

A surface acoustic wave (SAW) delay line is used to study the metal-to-insulator (MI) transition of V2O3 thin films deposited on a piezoelectric LiNbO3 substrate. Effects contributing to the sound velocity shift of the SAW which are caused by elastic properties of the lattice of the V2O3 films when changing the temperature are separated from those originating from the electrical conductivity. For this purpose the electric field accompanying the elastic wave of the SAW has been shielded by growing the V2O3 film on a thin metallic Cr interlayer (coated with Cr2O3), covering the piezoelectric substrate. Thus, the recently discovered lattice precursor of the MI transition can be directly observed in the experiments, and its fine structure can be investigated.

Surface antiferromagnetism and incipient metal-insulator transition in strained manganite films

KAUST Repository

Cossu, Fabrizio; Colizzi, G.; Filippetti, A.; Fiorentini, Vincenzo; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

2013-01-01

Using first-principles calculations, we show that the (001) surface of the ferromagnet La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 under an epitaxial compressive strain favors antiferromagnetic (AF) order in the surface layers, coexisting with ferromagnetic (FM) bulk order. Surface antiferromagnetism is accompanied by a very marked surface-related spectral pseudogap, signaling an incomplete metal-insulator transition at the surface. The different relaxation and rumpling of the MnO2 and LaO surface planes in the two competing magnetic phases cause distinct work-function changes, which are of potential diagnostic use. The AF phase is recognized as an extreme surface-assisted case of the combination of in-plane AF super-exchange and vertical FM double-exchange couplings that rules magnetism in manganites under in-plane compression.

Surface antiferromagnetism and incipient metal-insulator transition in strained manganite films

KAUST Repository

Cossu, Fabrizio

2013-06-21

Using first-principles calculations, we show that the (001) surface of the ferromagnet La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 under an epitaxial compressive strain favors antiferromagnetic (AF) order in the surface layers, coexisting with ferromagnetic (FM) bulk order. Surface antiferromagnetism is accompanied by a very marked surface-related spectral pseudogap, signaling an incomplete metal-insulator transition at the surface. The different relaxation and rumpling of the MnO2 and LaO surface planes in the two competing magnetic phases cause distinct work-function changes, which are of potential diagnostic use. The AF phase is recognized as an extreme surface-assisted case of the combination of in-plane AF super-exchange and vertical FM double-exchange couplings that rules magnetism in manganites under in-plane compression.

Solid-gate control of insulator to 2D metal transition at SrTiO3 surface

Science.gov (United States)

Schulman, Alejandro; Stoliar, Pablo; Kitoh, Ai; Rozenberg, Marcelo; Inoue, Isao H.

As miniaturization of the semiconductor transistor approaches its limit, semiconductor industries are facing a major challenge to extend information processing beyond what can be attainable by conventional Si-based transistors. Innovative combinations of new materials and new processing platforms are desired. Recent discovery of the 2D electron gas (2DEG) at the surface of SrTiO3 (STO) and its electrostatic control, have carried it to the top of promising materials to be utilized in innovative devices. We report an electrostatic control of the carrier density of the 2DEG formed at the channel of bilayer-gated STO field-effect devices. By applying a gate electric field at room temperature, its highly insulating channel exhibits a transition to metallic one. This transition is accompanied by non-monotonic voltage-gain transfer characteristic with both negative and positive slope regions and unexpected enhancement of the sheet carrier density. We will introduce a numerical model to rationalize the observed features in terms of the established physics of field-effect transistors and the physics of percolation. Furthermore, we have found a clear signature of a Kondo effect that arises due to the interaction between the dilute 2DEG and localized Ti 3d orbitals originated by oxygen vacancies near the channel. On leave from CIC nanoGUNE, Spain.

Insulating Behavior in Graphene with Irradiation-induced Lattice Defects

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jian-Hao; Williams, Ellen; Fuhrer, Michael

2010-03-01

We irradiated cleaned graphene on silicon dioxide in ultra-high vacuum with low energy inert gas ions to produce lattice defects [1], and investigated in detail the transition from metallic to insulating temperature dependence of the conductivity as a function of defect density. We measured the low field magnetoresistance and temperature-dependent resistivity in situ and find that weak localization can only account for a small correction of the resistivity increase with decreasing temperature. We will discuss possible origins of the insulating temperature dependent resistivity in defected graphene in light of our recent experiments. [4pt] [1] Jian-Hao Chen, W. G. Cullen, C. Jang, M. S. Fuhrer, E. D. Williams, PRL 102, 236805 (2009)

Metal-Insulator Phase Transition in Quasi-One-Dimensional VO2 Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Woong-Ki Hong

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The metal-insulator transition (MIT in strongly correlated oxides has attracted considerable attention from both theoretical and experimental researchers. Among the strongly correlated oxides, vanadium dioxide (VO2 has been extensively studied in the last decade because of a sharp, reversible change in its optical, electrical, and magnetic properties at approximately 341 K, which would be possible and promising to develop functional devices with advanced technology by utilizing MITs. However, taking the step towards successful commercialization requires the comprehensive understanding of MIT mechanisms, enabling us to manipulate the nature of transitions. In this regard, recently, quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D VO2 structures have been intensively investigated due to their attractive geometry and unique physical properties to observe new aspects of transitions compared with their bulk counterparts. Thus, in this review, we will address recent research progress in the development of various approaches for the modification of MITs in quasi-1D VO2 structures. Furthermore, we will review recent studies on realizing novel functional devices based on quasi-1D VO2 structures for a wide range of applications, such as a gas sensor, a flexible strain sensor, an electrical switch, a thermal memory, and a nonvolatile electrical memory with multiple resistance.

Metal–insulator transition in Ni-doped Na0.75CoO2: Insights from ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

resistivity on lowering the temperature, with the metal-to-insulator transition temperature. (TMIT) increasing with the Ni ... The Ni-doped sample is seen to change over from a metallic to insulating behaviour at ~175 K. The ..... neutron diffraction to look for structural changes, viz., changes in bond lengths and site occupancies ...

c -Axis Dimer and Its Electronic Breakup: The Insulator-to-Metal Transition in Ti2 O3

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, C. F.; Koethe, T. C.; Hu, Z.; Weinen, J.; Agrestini, S.; Zhao, L.; Gegner, J.; Ott, H.; Panaccione, G.; Wu, Hua; Haverkort, M. W.; Roth, H.; Komarek, A. C.; Offi, F.; Monaco, G.; Liao, Y.-F.; Tsuei, K.-D.; Lin, H.-J.; Chen, C. T.; Tanaka, A.; Tjeng, L. H.

2018-04-01

We report on our investigation of the electronic structure of Ti2 O3 using (hard) x-ray photoelectron and soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy. From the distinct satellite structures in the spectra, we have been able to establish unambiguously that the Ti-Ti c -axis dimer in the corundum crystal structure is electronically present and forms an a1 ga1 g molecular singlet in the low-temperature insulating phase. Upon heating, we observe a considerable spectral weight transfer to lower energies with orbital reconstruction. The insulator-metal transition may be viewed as a transition from a solid of isolated Ti-Ti molecules into a solid of electronically partially broken dimers, where the Ti ions acquire additional hopping in the a -b plane via the egπ channel, the opening of which requires consideration of the multiplet structure of the on-site Coulomb interaction.

Enhanced superconductivity and superconductor to insulator transition in nano-crystalline molybdenum thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharma, Shilpam; Amaladass, E.P. [Condensed Matter Physics Division, Materials Science Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603102 (India); Sharma, Neha [Surface & Nanoscience Division, Materials Science Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603102 (India); Harimohan, V. [Condensed Matter Physics Division, Materials Science Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603102 (India); Amirthapandian, S. [Materials Physics Division, Materials Science Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603102 (India); Mani, Awadhesh, E-mail: mani@igcar.gov.in [Condensed Matter Physics Division, Materials Science Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603102 (India)

2017-06-01

Disorder driven superconductor to insulator transition via intermediate metallic regime is reported in nano-crystalline thin films of molybdenum. The nano-structured thin films have been deposited at room temperature using DC magnetron sputtering at different argon pressures. The grain size has been tuned using deposition pressure as the sole control parameter. A variation of particle sizes, room temperature resistivity and superconducting transition has been studied as a function of deposition pressure. The nano-crystalline molybdenum thin films are found to have large carrier concentration but very low mobility and electronic mean free path. Hall and conductivity measurements have been used to understand the effect of disorder on the carrier density and mobilities. Ioffe-Regel parameter is shown to correlate with the continuous metal-insulator transition in our samples. - Highlights: • Thin films of molybdenum using DC sputtering have been deposited on glass. • Argon background pressure during sputtering was used to tune the crystallite sizes of films. • Correlation in deposition pressure, disorder and particle sizes has been observed. • Disorder tuned superconductor to insulator transition along with an intermediate metallic phase has been observed. • Enhancement of superconducting transition temperature and a dome shaped T{sub C} vs. deposition pressure phase diagram has been observed.

Metal-insulator-semiconductor photodetectors.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Chu-Hsuan; Liu, Chee Wee

2010-01-01

The major radiation of the sun can be roughly divided into three regions: ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light. Detection in these three regions is important to human beings. The metal-insulator-semiconductor photodetector, with a simpler process than the pn-junction photodetector and a lower dark current than the MSM photodetector, has been developed for light detection in these three regions. Ideal UV photodetectors with high UV-to-visible rejection ratio could be demonstrated with III-V metal-insulator-semiconductor UV photodetectors. The visible-light detection and near-infrared optical communications have been implemented with Si and Ge metal-insulator-semiconductor photodetectors. For mid- and long-wavelength infrared detection, metal-insulator-semiconductor SiGe/Si quantum dot infrared photodetectors have been developed, and the detection spectrum covers atmospheric transmission windows.

Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Photodetectors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chu-Hsuan Lin

2010-09-01

Full Text Available The major radiation of the Sun can be roughly divided into three regions: ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light. Detection in these three regions is important to human beings. The metal-insulator-semiconductor photodetector, with a simpler process than the pn-junction photodetector and a lower dark current than the MSM photodetector, has been developed for light detection in these three regions. Ideal UV photodetectors with high UV-to-visible rejection ratio could be demonstrated with III-V metal-insulator-semiconductor UV photodetectors. The visible-light detection and near-infrared optical communications have been implemented with Si and Ge metal-insulator-semiconductor photodetectors. For mid- and long-wavelength infrared detection, metal-insulator-semiconductor SiGe/Si quantum dot infrared photodetectors have been developed, and the detection spectrum covers atmospheric transmission windows.

Multilevel radiative thermal memory realized by the hysteretic metal-insulator transition of vanadium dioxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Kota; Nishikawa, Kazutaka; Iizuka, Hideo

2016-01-01

Thermal information processing is attracting much interest as an analog of electronic computing. We experimentally demonstrated a radiative thermal memory utilizing a phase change material. The hysteretic metal-insulator transition of vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ) allows us to obtain a multilevel memory. We developed a Preisach model to explain the hysteretic radiative heat transfer between a VO 2 film and a fused quartz substrate. The transient response of our memory predicted by the Preisach model agrees well with the measured response. Our multilevel thermal memory paves the way for thermal information processing as well as contactless thermal management

Multilevel radiative thermal memory realized by the hysteretic metal-insulator transition of vanadium dioxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ito, Kota, E-mail: kotaito@mosk.tytlabs.co.jp; Nishikawa, Kazutaka; Iizuka, Hideo [Toyota Central Research and Development Labs, Nagakute, Aichi 480-1192 (Japan)

2016-02-01

Thermal information processing is attracting much interest as an analog of electronic computing. We experimentally demonstrated a radiative thermal memory utilizing a phase change material. The hysteretic metal-insulator transition of vanadium dioxide (VO{sub 2}) allows us to obtain a multilevel memory. We developed a Preisach model to explain the hysteretic radiative heat transfer between a VO{sub 2} film and a fused quartz substrate. The transient response of our memory predicted by the Preisach model agrees well with the measured response. Our multilevel thermal memory paves the way for thermal information processing as well as contactless thermal management.

Field-induced transitions in DySb

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brun, T.O.; Lander, G.H.; Korty, F.W.; Kouvel, J.S.

1974-01-01

The NaCl-structured compound DySb, which in zero field transforms abruptly at T/sub N/ approximately 9.5 0 K to a Type-II antiferromagnetic (A) state with a nearly tetragonal lattice distortion, was previously found to exhibit rapid field-induced changes in magnetization at 1.5 0 K. The field-induced transitions in a DySb crystal have been studied by neutron diffraction and magnetization measurements in fields up to approximately 60 kOe applied parallel to each of the principal axes. In the broken bracket 100 broken bracket case, the transition from the A to an intermediate ferrimagnetic (Q) state is first-order at 4.2 0 K (critical field H/sub c/ approximately 21 kOe) but is continuous from approximately 6 0 K up to T/sub N/: as H/sub c/ → 0. The Q-to-paramagnetic (P) transition is rapid but continuous at 4.2 0 K (H/sub c/ approximately 40 kOe) and becomes broad as T/sub N/ is approached. In the broken bracket 110 broken bracket case the A-to-Q transition remains essentially first-order from 4.2 0 K (H/sub c/ approximately 15 kOe) up to T/sub N/; above T/sub N/ rapid P-to-Q transitions occur at very high fields. The magnetic structure of the Q state is found to be that of HoP. (U.S.)

Nonmonotonic anisotropy in charge conduction induced by antiferrodistortive transition in metallic SrTiO3

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Qian; Loret, Bastien; Xu, Bin; Yang, Xiaojun; Rischau, Carl Willem; Lin, Xiao; Fauqué, Benoît; Verstraete, Matthieu J.; Behnia, Kamran

2016-07-01

Cubic SrTiO3 becomes tetragonal below 105 K. The antiferrodistortive (AFD) distortion leads to clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of adjacent TiO6 octahedra. This insulator becomes a metal upon the introduction of extremely low concentration of n -type dopants. However, signatures of the structural phase transition in charge conduction have remained elusive. Employing the Montgomery technique, we succeed in resolving the anisotropy of charge conductivity induced by the AFD transition, in the presence of different types of dopants. We find that the slight lattice distortion (liquids, the anisotropy has opposite signs for elastic and inelastic scattering. Increasing the concentration of dopants leads to a drastic shift in the temperature of the AFD transition either upward or downward. The latter result puts strong constraints on any hypothetical role played by the AFD soft mode in the formation of Cooper pairs and the emergence of superconductivity in SrTiO3.

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).

Charge driven metal-insulator transitions in LaMnO3|SrTiO3 (111) superlattices

KAUST Repository

Cossu, Fabrizio; Tahini, Hassan Ali; Singh, Nirpendra; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

2017-01-01

Interfaces of perovskite oxides, due to the strong interplay between the lattice, charge and spin degrees of freedom, can host various phase transitions, which is particularly interesting if these transitions can be tuned by external fields. Recently, ferromagnetism was found together with a seemingly insulating state in superlattices of manganites and titanates. We therefore study the (111) oriented $(\\text{LaMnO}_3)_{6-x}\\vert(\\text{SrTiO}_3)_{6+x}~(x = -0.5, 0, 0.5)$ superlattices by means of ab initio calculations, predicting a ferromagnetic ground state due to double exchange in all cases. We shed light on the ferromagnetic coupling in the LaMnO3 region and at the interfaces. The insulating states of specific superlattices can be understood on the basis of Jahn-Teller modes and electron/hole doping.

Charge driven metal-insulator transitions in LaMnO3|SrTiO3 (111) superlattices

KAUST Repository

Cossu, Fabrizio

2017-08-01

Interfaces of perovskite oxides, due to the strong interplay between the lattice, charge and spin degrees of freedom, can host various phase transitions, which is particularly interesting if these transitions can be tuned by external fields. Recently, ferromagnetism was found together with a seemingly insulating state in superlattices of manganites and titanates. We therefore study the (111) oriented $(\\\\text{LaMnO}_3)_{6-x}\\\\vert(\\\\text{SrTiO}_3)_{6+x}~(x = -0.5, 0, 0.5)$ superlattices by means of ab initio calculations, predicting a ferromagnetic ground state due to double exchange in all cases. We shed light on the ferromagnetic coupling in the LaMnO3 region and at the interfaces. The insulating states of specific superlattices can be understood on the basis of Jahn-Teller modes and electron/hole doping.

Field-tuned superconductor-insulator transitions and Hall resistance in thin polycrystalline MoN films

Science.gov (United States)

Makise, Kazumasa; Ichikawa, Fusao; Asano, Takayuki; Shinozaki, Bunju

2018-02-01

We report on the superconductor-insulator transitions (SITs) of disordered molybdenum nitride (MoN) thin films on (1 0 0) MgO substrates as a function of the film thickness and magnetic fields. The T c of the superconducting MoN films, which exhibit a sharp superconducting transition, monotonically decreases as the normal state R sq increases with a decreasing film thickness. For several films with different thicknesses, we estimate the critical field H c and the product zν  ≃  0.6 of the dynamical exponent z and the correlation length exponent ν using a finite scaling analysis. The value of this product can be explained by the (2  +  1) XY model. We found that the Hall resistance ΔR xy (H) is maximized when the magnetic field satisfies H HP(T) \\propto |1  -  T/T C0| in the superconducting state and also in the normal states owning to the superconducting fluctuation corresponding to the ghost critical magnetic field. We measured the Hall conductivity δσ xy (H)  =  σ xy (H)  -  σ xyn and fit the Gaussian approximation theory for δσ xy (H) to the experimental data. Agreement between the data and the theory beyond H c suggests the survival of the Cooper pair in the insulating region of the SIT.

Substitution effect on metal-insulator transition of K2V8O16

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isobe, Masahiko; Koishi, Shigenori; Yamazaki, Satoshi; Yamaura, Jun-ichi; Gotou, Hirotada; Yagi, Takehiko; Ueda, Yutaka

2009-01-01

The effect of the substitution of various ions on the metal-insulator (MI) transition at 170 K in K 2 V 8 O 16 has been investigated. Both Rb and Ti form complete solid solution systems: K 2-x Rb x V 8 O 16 and K 2 V 8-y Ti y O 16 , respectively. The substitution of Rb for K or of Ti for V splits the transition into two transitions: the high-temperature transition is a first-order MI transition from a tetragonal structure to a tetragonal structure, and the low-temperature transition is a second-order transition to a monoclinic structure. In K 2-x Rb x V 8 O 16 , the former terminates to an MI transition at around 220 K in Rb 2 V 8 O 16 , while the latter disappears at x > 0.6. In K 2 V 8-y Ti y O 16 , both transitions disappear at y > 0.5. The substitution of Cr for V also results in a similar splitting of the transition and the rapid disappearance of both transitions. The substitution of Na or Ba for K suppresses the MI transition without any splitting of the transition, although the solubility of both ions is limited. These substitution effects reveal that the MI transition of K 2 V 8 O 16 consists of two parts: a first-order MI transition and a parasitic second-order structural transition; the substitution of some ions causes a clear splitting of these transitions, probably due to the difference between the chemical pressure effects on the two transitions. The first-order MI transition is very sensitive to charge randomness, suggesting the charge ordering nature of the MI transition, while the second-order structural transition is very sensitive to both charge and structural randomnesses. (author)

Nanoscale electron manipulation in metals with intense THz electric fields

Science.gov (United States)

Takeda, Jun; Yoshioka, Katsumasa; Minami, Yasuo; Katayama, Ikufumi

2018-03-01

Improved control over the electromagnetic properties of metals on a nanoscale is crucial for the development of next-generation nanoelectronics and plasmonic devices. Harnessing the terahertz (THz)-electric-field-induced nonlinearity for the motion of electrons is a promising method of manipulating the local electromagnetic properties of metals, while avoiding undesirable thermal effects and electronic transitions. In this review, we demonstrate the manipulation of electron delocalization in ultrathin gold (Au) films with nanostructures, by intense THz electric-field transients. On increasing the electric-field strength of the THz pulses, the transmittance in the THz-frequency region abruptly decreases around the percolation threshold. The observed THz-electric-field-induced nonlinearity is analysed, based on the Drude-Smith model. The results suggest that ultrafast electron delocalization occurs by electron tunnelling across the narrow insulating bridge between the Au nanostructures, without material breakdown. In order to quantitatively discuss the tunnelling process, we perform scanning tunnelling microscopy with carrier-envelope phase (CEP)-controlled single-cycle THz electric fields. By applying CEP-controlled THz electric fields to the 1 nm nanogap between a metal nanotip and graphite sample, many electrons could be coherently driven through the quantum tunnelling process, either from the nanotip to the sample or vice versa. The presented concept, namely, electron tunnelling mediated by CEP-controlled single-cycle THz electric fields, can facilitate the development of nanoscale electron manipulation, applicable to next-generation ultrafast nanoelectronics and plasmonic devices.

Luminescence from metals and insulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crawford, O.H.

1985-01-01

The term luminescence is normally applied to light emission that is not explainable by the mechanisms discussed by the other speakers in this meeting. Specifically, it is not transition radiation, surface plasmon radiation, or bremsstrahlung. One normally thinks of luminescence as arising from one-electron transitions within a medium. This talk consists of an overview of luminescence from condensed matter under irradiation by either energetic particles or photons. The author begins with organic molecules, where luminescence is best understood, and then discusses inorganic insulators and metals. Finally, the dependence of yield upon projectile species and velocity is discussed, and predictions are made concerning the relative effectiveness of electrons, protons, and hydrogen atoms in exciting luminescence

Reentrant metal-insulator transition in the Cu-doped manganites La1-x Pbx MnO3 (x˜0.14) single crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, B. C.; Song, W. H.; Ma, Y. Q.; Ang, R.; Zhang, S. B.; Sun, Y. P.

2005-10-01

Single crystals of La1-x Pbx Mn1-y-z Cuy O3 ( x˜0.14 ; y=0 ,0.01,0.02,0.04,0.06; z=0.02 ,0.08,0.11,0.17,0.20) are grown by the flux growth technique. The effect of Cu doping at the Mn-site on magnetic and transport properties is studied. All studied samples undergo a paramagnetic-ferromagnetic transition. The Curie temperature TC decreases and the transition becomes broader with increasing Cu-doping level. The high-temperature insulator-metal (I-M) transition moves to lower temperature with increasing Cu-doping level. A reentrant M-I transition at the low temperature T* is observed for samples with y⩾0.02 . In addition, T* increases with increasing Cu-doping level and is not affected by applied magnetic fields. Accompanying the appearance of T* , there exists a large, almost constant magnetoresistance (MR) below T* except for a large MR peak near TC . This reentrant M-I transition is ascribed to charge carrier localization due to lattice distortion caused by the Cu doping at Mn sites.

Plasma Deposited SiO2 for Planar Self-Aligned Gate Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors on Semi-Insulating InP

Science.gov (United States)

Tabory, Charles N.; Young, Paul G.; Smith, Edwyn D.; Alterovitz, Samuel A.

1994-01-01

Metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) field effect transistors were fabricated on InP substrates using a planar self-aligned gate process. A 700-1000 A gate insulator of Si02 doped with phosphorus was deposited by a direct plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition at 400 mTorr, 275 C, 5 W, and power density of 8.5 MW/sq cm. High frequency capacitance-voltage measurements were taken on MIS capacitors which have been subjected to a 700 C anneal and an interface state density of lxl0(exp 11)/eV/cq cm was found. Current-voltage measurements of the capacitors show a breakdown voltage of 107 V/cm and a insulator resistivity of 10(exp 14) omega cm. Transistors were fabricated on semi-insulating InP using a standard planar self-aligned gate process in which the gate insulator was subjected to an ion implantation activation anneal of 700 C. MIS field effect transistors gave a maximum extrinsic transconductance of 23 mS/mm for a gate length of 3 microns. The drain current drift saturated at 87.5% of the initial current, while reaching to within 1% of the saturated value after only 1x10(exp 3). This is the first reported viable planar InP self-aligned gate transistor process reported to date.

Metal-Insulator Transition Driven by Vacancy Ordering in GeSbTe Phase Change Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Bragaglia, Valeria; Arciprete, Fabrizio; Zhang, Wei; Mio, Antonio Massimiliano; Zallo, Eugenio; Perumal, Karthick; Giussani, Alessandro; Cecchi, Stefano; Boschker, Jos Emiel; Riechert, Henning; Privitera, Stefania; Rimini, Emanuele; Mazzarello, Riccardo; Calarco, Raffaella

2016-04-01

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are unique compounds employed in non-volatile random access memory thanks to the rapid and reversible transformation between the amorphous and crystalline state that display large differences in electrical and optical properties. In addition to the amorphous-to-crystalline transition, experimental results on polycrystalline GeSbTe alloys (GST) films evidenced a Metal-Insulator Transition (MIT) attributed to disorder in the crystalline phase. Here we report on a fundamental advance in the fabrication of GST with out-of-plane stacking of ordered vacancy layers by means of three distinct methods: Molecular Beam Epitaxy, thermal annealing and application of femtosecond laser pulses. We assess the degree of vacancy ordering and explicitly correlate it with the MIT. We further tune the ordering in a controlled fashion attaining a large range of resistivity. Employing ordered GST might allow the realization of cells with larger programming windows.

Metal - Insulator Transition Driven by Vacancy Ordering in GeSbTe Phase Change Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Bragaglia, Valeria; Arciprete, Fabrizio; Zhang, Wei; Mio, Antonio Massimiliano; Zallo, Eugenio; Perumal, Karthick; Giussani, Alessandro; Cecchi, Stefano; Boschker, Jos Emiel; Riechert, Henning; Privitera, Stefania; Rimini, Emanuele; Mazzarello, Riccardo; Calarco, Raffaella

2016-04-01

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are unique compounds employed in non-volatile random access memory thanks to the rapid and reversible transformation between the amorphous and crystalline state that display large differences in electrical and optical properties. In addition to the amorphous-to-crystalline transition, experimental results on polycrystalline GeSbTe alloys (GST) films evidenced a Metal-Insulator Transition (MIT) attributed to disorder in the crystalline phase. Here we report on a fundamental advance in the fabrication of GST with out-of-plane stacking of ordered vacancy layers by means of three distinct methods: Molecular Beam Epitaxy, thermal annealing and application of femtosecond laser pulses. We assess the degree of vacancy ordering and explicitly correlate it with the MIT. We further tune the ordering in a controlled fashion attaining a large range of resistivity. Employing ordered GST might allow the realization of cells with larger programming windows.

Electric-field-induced extremely large change in resistance in graphene ferromagnets

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Yu

2018-01-01

A colossal magnetoresistance (˜100×10^3% ) and an extremely large magnetoresistance (˜1×10^6% ) have been previously explored in manganite perovskites and Dirac materials, respectively. However, the requirement of an extremely strong magnetic field (and an extremely low temperature) makes them not applicable for realistic devices. In this work, we propose a device that can generate even larger changes in resistance in a zero-magnetic field and at a high temperature. The device is composed of graphene under two strips of yttrium iron garnet (YIG), where two gate voltages are applied to cancel the heavy charge doping in the YIG-induced half-metallic ferromagnets. By calculations using the Landauer-Büttiker formalism, we demonstrate that, when a proper gate voltage is applied on the free ferromagnet, changes in resistance up to 305×10^6% (16×10^3% ) can be achieved at the liquid helium (nitrogen) temperature and in a zero magnetic field. We attribute such a remarkable effect to a gate-induced full-polarization reversal in the free ferromagnet, which results in a metal-state to insulator-state transition in the device. We also find that the proposed effect can be realized in devices using other magnetic insulators, such as EuO and EuS. Our work should be helpful for developing a realistic switching device that is energy saving and CMOS-technology compatible.

Strong nonreciprocity of phonon polaritons of an insulator at its boundary with an ideal metal or superconductor in a magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chupis, I.E.; Mamaluy, D.A.

2000-01-01

Surface phonon polaritons in a semi-infinite insulator in a constant magnetic field at the boundary with an ideal metal or a superconductor have been considered. These phonon polaritons are induced by dynamic magnetoelectric interaction, which exists in the presence of a magnetic field. The modes of these surface polaritons appreciably differ in opposite directions of the magnetic field or the propagation of the wave. As a result, polaritons of a given optical or infrared frequency propagate only in one direction with respect to the magnetic field, which is the effect of rectification of surface electromagnetic waves. The inversion of the magnetic field results in 'switching on' or 'switching off' of surface polaritons. The existence of radiant surface polariton modes is predicted. (author)

Critical Phenomena of the Disorder Driven Localization-Delocalization Transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marc Ruehlaender

2001-01-01

Metal-to-insulator transitions are generally linked to two phenomena: electron-electron correlations and disorder. Although real systems are usually responding to a mixture of both, they can be classified as undergoing a Mott-transition, if the former process dominates, or an Anderson-transition, if the latter dominates. High-T c superconductors, e.g., are a candidate for the first class. Materials in which disorder drives the metal-to-insulator transition include doped semiconductors and amorphous materials. After briefly reviewing the previous research on transport in disordered materials and the disorder-induced metal-to-insulator transition, a summary of the model and the methods used in subsequent chapters is given

Spin-filtering effect and proximity effect in normal metal/ferromagnetic insulator/normal metal/superconductor junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Hong; Yang Wei; Yang Xinjian; Qin Minghui; Xu Yihong

2007-01-01

Taking into account the thickness of the ferromagnetic insulator (FI), the spin-filtering effect and proximity effect in normal metal/ferromagnetic insulator/normal metal/superconductor (NM/FI/NM/SC) junctions are studied based on an extended Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk (BTK) theory. It is shown that a spin-dependent energy shift during the tunneling process induces splitting of the sub-energy gap conductance peaks and the spin polarization in the ferromagnetic insulator causes an imbalance of the peak heights. Different from the ferromagnet the spin-filtering effect of the FI cannot cause the reversion of the normalized conductance in NM/FI/NM/SC junctions

Metallic and insulating 3d transition-element monoxides and their stability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johansson, H.B.

1977-01-01

The binding properties of the 3d monoxides are studied in detail, and it is shown that the metallic character of TiO and VO is directly reflected in their heat of formation. The same holds true for NbO. From a stability analysis of the 3d monoxides versus decomposition, it is found that TiO, VO, and FeO are close to an instability. Further, it can be concluded that both ScO and CrO must be very near existence. The general occurrence of transition-metal monoxides is shown to be directly correlated with ionic properties of the transition elements. An investigation of the absorption edge in the 3d monoxides is also undertaken. The importance of the crystal-field splitting is noticed, and it is shown that the heat of formation of the monoxides can be used to derive the crystal-field parameter Δ. The change from a delocalized to a localized behavior of the d electrons in the 3d monoxides is compared with a similar change of the f electrons in the actinides. Some similarities between these two series of materials are pointed out

The excitonic insulator route through a dynamical phase transition induced by an optical pulse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brazovskii, S., E-mail: brazov@lptms.u-psud.fr [Université Paris-Saclay, LPTMS, CNRS, Univ. Paris-sud (France); Kirova, N. [Université Paris-Saclay, LPS, CNRS, Univ. Paris-sud (France)

2016-03-15

We consider a dynamical phase transition induced by a short optical pulse in a system prone to thermodynamical instability. We address the case of pumping to excitons whose density contributes directly to the order parameter. To describe both thermodynamic and dynamic effects on equal footing, we adopt a view of the excitonic insulator for the phase transition and suggest a formation of the Bose condensate for the pumped excitons. The work is motivated by experiments in donor–acceptor organic compounds with a neutral- ionic phase transition coupled to the spontaneous lattice dimerization and to charge transfer excitons. The double nature of the ensemble of excitons leads to an intricate time evolution, in particular, to macroscopic quantum oscillations from the interference between the Bose condensate of excitons and the ground state of the excitonic insulator. The coupling of excitons and the order parameter also leads to self-trapping of their wave function, akin to self-focusing in optics. The locally enhanced density of excitons can surpass a critical value to trigger the phase transformation, even if the mean density is below the required threshold. The system is stratified in domains that evolve through dynamical phase transitions and sequences of merging. The new circumstances in experiments and theory bring to life, once again, some remarkable inventions made by L.V. Keldysh.

Semiconductor-metal transition induced by giant Stark effect in blue phosphorene nanoribbons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiong, Peng-Yu; Chen, Shi-Zhang; Zhou, Wu-Xing; Chen, Ke-Qiu, E-mail: keqiuchen@hnu.edu.cn

2017-06-28

The electronic structures and transport properties in monolayer blue phosphorene nanoribbons (BPNRs) with transverse electric field have been studied by using density functional theory and nonequilibrium Green's functions method. The results show that the band gaps of BPNRs with both armchair and zigzag edges are linearly decreased with the increasing of the strength of transverse electric field. A semiconductor-metal transition occurs when the electric field strength reaches to 5 V/nm. The Stark coefficient presents a linear dependency on BPNRs widths, and the slopes of both zBPNRs and aBPNRs are 0.41 and 0.54, respectively, which shows a giant Stark effect occurs. Our studies show that the semiconductor-metal transition originates from the giant Stark effect. - Highlights: • The electronic transport in blue phosphorene nanoribbons. • Semiconductor-metal transition can be observed. • The semiconductor-metal transition originates from the giant Stark effect.

arXiv Gauge Topological Nature of the Superconductor-Insulator Transition

CERN Document Server

Diamantini, M.C.; Lukyanchuk, I.; Vinokur, V.M.

It has long been believed that, at absolute zero, electrons can form only one quantum coherent state, a superconductor. Yet, several two dimensional superconducting systems were found to harbor the superinsulating state with infinite resistance, a mirror image of superconductivity, and a metallic state often referred to as Bose metal, characterized by finite longitudinal and vanishing Hall resistances. The nature of these novel and mysterious quantum coherent states is the subject of intense study.Here, we propose a topological gauge description of the superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) that enables us to identify the underlying mechanism of superinsulation as Polyakov's linear confinement of Cooper pairs via instantons. We find a criterion defining conditions for either a direct SIT or for the SIT via the intermediate Bose metal and demonstrate that this Bose metal phase is a Mott topological insulator in which the Cooper pair-vortex liquid is frozen by Aharonov-Bohm interactions.

Metal-insulator transition in Si(111)-(4 x 1)/(8 x 2)-In studied by optical spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Speiser, E.; Hinrichs, K.; Cobet, C.; Esser, N. [Leibniz-Institut fuer Analytische Wissenschaften - ISAS - e.V., Albert-Einstein-Str. 9, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Chandola, S. [Leibniz-Institut fuer Analytische Wissenschaften - ISAS - e.V., Albert-Einstein-Str. 9, 12489 Berlin (Germany); School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin 2 (Ireland); Gensch, M. [Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (Germany); Wippermann, S.; Schmidt, W.G. [Theoretische Physik, Universitaet Paderborn (Germany); Bechstedt, F. [Institut fuer Festkoerpertheorie und -Optik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet, Jena (Germany); Richter, W. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Roma Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Roma (Italy); Fleischer, K.; McGilp, J.F. [School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin 2 (Ireland)

2010-08-15

Measurements of the surface vibrational modes and optical response of Si(111)-(4 x 1)/(8 x 2)-In are compiled and a comparison to ab initio calculations performed within DFT-LDA formalism is given. Surface resonant Raman spectroscopy allows identifying a number of surface phonons with high spectral precision. The phase transition of the (4 x 1)-(8 x 2) surface structure is found to be accompanied by characteristic changes of the surface phonons, which are discussed with respect to various structural models suggested. The optical anisotropy of the (8 x 2) phase shows that the anisotropic Drude tail of the (4 x 1) phase is replaced by two peaks at 0.50 and 0.72 eV. The spectroscopic signatures of the (4 x 1) and (8 x 2) phases agree with a metal-insulator transition. The mid-IR-anisotropic optical response of the insulating (8 x 2) phase is interpreted in terms of electronic single particle excitations between surface electronic bands related to the In-nanowire surface. Comparison of the measured optical transitions with DFT ab initio calculations for the hexagon model and the trimer model of the (8 x 2) structure shows evidence for the existence of the hexagon structure. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Electronic Structure of the Pyrochlore-Type Ru Oxides through the Metal--Insulator Transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okamoto, J.; Fujimori, S.I.; Okane, T.; Fujimori, A.; Abbate, M.; Yoshii, S.; Sato, M.

2003-01-01

The electronic structures of the pyrochlore-type Ru oxides Sm 2-x Ca x Ru 2 O 7 and Sm 2-x Bi x Ru 2 O 7 , which show metal-insulator transition with increasing Ca or Bi concentration, have been studied by ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy. Spectral changes near the Fermi level are different but reflect the tendency of their transport properties in both systems. The Sm 2-x Ca x Ru 2 O 7 system shows an energy shift, which is expected from the increase of hole in the Ru 4d t 2g band and the Sm 2 - x Bi x Ru 2 O 7 system shows spectral weight transfer within the Ru 4d t 2g band, which is expected to be observed in bandwidth-control Mott-Hubbard system. (author)

Electric fields and electrical insulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McAllister, Iain Wilson

2002-01-01

The adoption of a field-theoretical approach to problems arising in the framework of electrical insulation is discussed with reference to six main topics, which have been addressed over the last 30 years. These include uniform field electrodes, Green's differential equation, electrode surface...... roughness, induced charge, electrostatic probes, and partial discharge transients, together with several follow-on aspects. Each topic is introduced and thereafter the progress achieved through the use of a field-theoretical approach is reviewed. Because the topics cover a wide spectrum of conditions......, it is amply demonstrated that such an approach can lead to significant progress in many areas of electrical insulation....

Influence of oxygen flow rate on metal-insulator transition of vanadium oxide thin films grown by RF magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ma, Xu; Liu, Xinkun; Li, Haizhu; Huang, Mingju [Henan University, Key Lab of Informational Opto-Electronical Materials and Apparatus, School of Physics and Electronics, Kaifeng (China); Zhang, Angran [South China Normal University, Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, Guangzhou (China)

2017-03-15

High-quality vanadium oxide (VO{sub 2}) films have been fabricated on Si (111) substrates by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering deposition method. The sheet resistance of VO{sub 2} has a significant change (close to 5 orders of magnitude) in the process of the metal-insulator phase transition (MIT). The field emission-scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) results show the grain size of VO{sub 2} thin films is larger with the increase of oxygen flow. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicate the thin films fabricated at different oxygen flow rates grow along the (011) crystalline orientation. As the oxygen flow rate increases from 3 sccm to 6 sccm, the phase transition temperature of the films reduces from 341 to 320 K, the width of the thermal hysteresis loop decreases from 32 to 9 K. The thin films fabricated in the condition of 5 sccm have a high temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) -3.455%/K with a small resistivity of 2.795 ρ/Ω cm. (orig.)

New perspectives in vacuum high voltage insulation. I. The transition to field emission

CERN Document Server

Diamond, W T

1998-01-01

Vacuum high-voltage insulation has been investigated for many years. Typically, electrical breakdown occurs between two broad-area electrodes at electric fields 100-1000 times lower than the breakdown field (about 5000 MV/m) between a well-prepared point cathode and a broad-area anode. Explanations of the large differences remain unsatisfactory, usually evoking field emission from small projections on the cathode that are subject to higher peak fields. The field emission then produces secondary effects that lead to breakdown. This article provides a significant resolution to this long standing problem. Field emission is not present at all fields, but typically starts after some process occurs at the cathode surface. Three effects have been identified that produce the transition to field emission: work function changes; mechanical changes produced by the strong electrical forces on the electrode surfaces; and gas desorption from the anode with sufficient density to support an avalanche discharge. Material adso...

Coexistence of metallic and insulating channels in compressed YbB6

Science.gov (United States)

Ying, Jianjun; Tang, Lingyun; Chen, Fei; Chen, Xianhui; Struzhkin, Viktor V.

2018-03-01

It remains controversial whether compressed YbB6 material is a topological insulator or a Kondo topological insulator. We performed high-pressure transport, x-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray absorption spectroscopy, and Raman-scattering measurements on YbB6 samples in search for its topological Kondo phase. Both high-pressure powder XRD and Raman measurements show no trace of structural phase transitions in YbB6 up to 50 GPa. The nonmagnetic Yb2 + gradually change to magnetic Yb3 + above 18 GPa concomitantly with the increase in resistivity. However, the transition to the insulating state occurs only around 30 GPa, accompanied by the increase in the shear stress, and anomalies in the pressure dependence of the Raman T2 g mode and in the B atomic position. The resistivity at high pressures can be described by a model taking into account coexisting insulating and metallic channels with the activation energy for the insulating channel about 30 meV. We argue that YbB6 may become a topological Kondo insulator at high pressures above 35 GPa.

Cryogenic microwave imaging of metal–insulator transition in doped silicon

KAUST Repository

Kundhikanjana, Worasom; Lai, Keji; Kelly, Michael A.; Shen, Zhi-Xun

2011-01-01

We report the instrumentation and experimental results of a cryogenic scanning microwave impedance microscope. The microwave probe and the scanning stage are located inside the variable temperature insert of a helium cryostat. Microwave signals in the distance modulation mode are used for monitoring the tip-sample distance and adjusting the phase of the two output channels. The ability to spatially resolve the metal-insulator transition in a doped silicon sample is demonstrated. The data agree with a semiquantitative finite element simulation. Effects of the thermal energy and electric fields on local charge carriers can be seen in the images taken at different temperatures and dc biases. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.

First-principles simulations of Graphene/Transition-metal-Dichalcogenides/Graphene Field-Effect Transistor

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiangguo; Wang, Yun-Peng; Zhang, X.-G.; Cheng, Hai-Ping

A prototype field-effect transistor (FET) with fascinating properties can be made by assembling graphene and two-dimensional insulating crystals into three-dimensional stacks with atomic layer precision. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) such as WS2, MoS2 are good candidates for the atomically thin barrier between two layers of graphene in the vertical FET due to their sizable bandgaps. We investigate the electronic properties of the Graphene/TMDCs/Graphene sandwich structure using first-principles method. We find that the effective tunnel barrier height of the TMDC layers in contact with the graphene electrodes has a layer dependence and can be modulated by a gate voltage. Consequently a very high ON/OFF ratio can be achieved with appropriate number of TMDC layers and a suitable range of the gate voltage. The spin-orbit coupling in TMDC layers is also layer dependent but unaffected by the gate voltage. These properties can be important in future nanoelectronic device designs. DOE/BES-DE-FG02-02ER45995; NERSC.

Atomic scale 0-π transition and pairing symmetry in a Josephson junction with a ferromagnetic insulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawabata, S.; Kashiwaya, S.; Tanaka, Y.; Golubov, A. A.; Asano, Y.

2011-01-01

Full text: A superconducting ring with a π-junction made from superconductor (S) / ferromagnetic- metal (FM) / superconductor (S) exhibits a spontaneous current without an external magnetic field and the corresponding magnetic flux is half a flux quantum in the ground state. Such a π-ring provides so-called 'quiet qubit' that can be efficiently decoupled from the fluctuation of the external field. However, the usage of FM gives rise to strong Ohmic dissipation. Therefore, the realization of π-junctions without FM is highly desired for qubit applications. We theoretically consider the possibility of the π-junction formation in the mesoscopic Josephson junctions with ferromagnetic insulators (FI) by taking into account the band structure of such materials explicitly. In the case of the fully polarized FIs, e.g., La 2 BaCuO 5 (LBCO) and K 2 CuF 4 , we found the formation of a π-junction and a novel atomic-scale 0-π transition induced by increasing the FI thickness LF. In this talk, I will discuss a thermal stability and material-parameter dependences of the atomic-scale 0-π transition as well as possibility of the odd-frequency pairing in such systems. (author)

Inverse participation ratio and localization in topological insulator phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calixto, M; Romera, E

2015-01-01

Fluctuations of Hamiltonian eigenfunctions, measured by the inverse participation ratio (IPR), turn out to characterize topological-band insulator transitions occurring in 2D Dirac materials like silicene, which is isostructural with graphene but with a strong spin–orbit interaction. Using monotonic properties of the IPR, as a function of a perpendicular electric field (which provides a tunable band gap), we define topological-like quantum numbers that take different values in the topological-insulator and band-insulator phases. (paper)

Fringing field effects in negative capacitance field-effect transistors with a ferroelectric gate insulator

Science.gov (United States)

Hattori, Junichi; Fukuda, Koichi; Ikegami, Tsutomu; Ota, Hiroyuki; Migita, Shinji; Asai, Hidehiro; Toriumi, Akira

2018-04-01

We study the effects of fringing electric fields on the behavior of negative-capacitance (NC) field-effect transistors (FETs) with a silicon-on-insulator body and a gate stack consisting of an oxide film, an internal metal film, a ferroelectric film, and a gate electrode using our own device simulator that can properly handle the complicated relationship between the polarization and the electric field in ferroelectric materials. The behaviors of such NC FETs and the corresponding metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) FETs are simulated and compared with each other to evaluate the effects of the NC of the ferroelectric film. Then, the fringing field effects are evaluated by comparing the NC effects in NC FETs with and without gate spacers. The fringing field between the gate stack, especially the internal metal film, and the source/drain region induces more charges at the interface of the film with the ferroelectric film. Accordingly, the function of the NC to modulate the gate voltage and the resulting function to improve the subthreshold swing are enhanced. We also investigate the relationships of these fringing field effects to the drain voltage and four design parameters of NC FETs, i.e., gate length, gate spacer permittivity, internal metal film thickness, and oxide film thickness.

High-field Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization in silicon below the metal-insulator transition.

Science.gov (United States)

Dementyev, Anatoly E; Cory, David G; Ramanathan, Chandrasekhar

2011-04-21

Single crystal silicon is an excellent system to explore dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), as it exhibits a continuum of properties from metallic to insulating as a function of doping concentration and temperature. At low doping concentrations DNP has been observed to occur via the solid effect, while at very high-doping concentrations an Overhauser mechanism is responsible. Here we report the hyperpolarization of (29)Si in n-doped silicon crystals, with doping concentrations in the range of (1-3) × 10(17) cm(-3). In this regime exchange interactions between donors become extremely important. The sign of the enhancement in our experiments and its frequency dependence suggest that the (29)Si spins are directly polarized by donor electrons via an Overhauser mechanism within exchange-coupled donor clusters. The exchange interaction between donors only needs to be larger than the silicon hyperfine interaction (typically much smaller than the donor hyperfine coupling) to enable this Overhauser mechanism. Nuclear polarization enhancement is observed for a range of donor clusters in which the exchange energy is comparable to the donor hyperfine interaction. The DNP dynamics are characterized by a single exponential time constant that depends on the microwave power, indicating that the Overhauser mechanism is a rate-limiting step. Since only about 2% of the silicon nuclei are located within 1 Bohr radius of the donor electron, nuclear spin diffusion is important in transferring the polarization to all the spins. However, the spin-diffusion time is much shorter than the Overhauser time due to the relatively weak silicon hyperfine coupling strength. In a 2.35 T magnetic field at 1.1 K, we observed a DNP enhancement of 244 ± 84 resulting in a silicon polarization of 10.4 ± 3.4% following 2 h of microwave irradiation.

A Systematic Transport and Thermodynamic Study of Heavy Transition Metal Oxides with Hexagonal Structure

Science.gov (United States)

Butrouna, Kamal

There is no apparent, dominant interaction in heavy transition metal oxides (TMO), especially in 5d-TMO, where all relevant interactions are of comparable energy scales, and therefore strongly compete. In particular, the spin-orbit interaction (SOI) strongly competes with the electron-lattice and on-site Coulomb interaction (U). Therefore, any tool that allows one to tune the relative strengths of SOI and U is expected to offer an opportunity for the discovery and study of novel materials. BaIrO3 is a magnetic insulator driven by SOI, whereas the isostructural BaRuO3 is a paramagnetic metal. The contrasting ground states have been shown to result from the critical role of SOI in the iridate. This dissertation thoroughly examines a wide array of newly observed novel phenomena induced by adjusting the relative strengths of SOI and U via a systematic chemical substitution of the Ru4+(4d 4) ions for Ir4+(5d5) ions in BaIrO3, i.e., in high quality single crystals of BaIr1--x RuxO3(0.0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0). Our investigation of structural, magnetic, transport and thermal properties reveals that Ru substitution directly rebalances the competing energies so profoundly that it generates a rich phase diagram for BaIr 1--xRuxO 3 featuring two major effects: (1) Light Ru doping (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.15) prompts a simultaneous and precipitous drop in both the magnetic ordering temperature TC and the electrical resistivity, which exhibits metal-insulator transition at around TC. (2) Heavier Ru doping (0.41 ≤ x ≤ 0.82) induces a robust metallic and spin frustration state. For comparison and contrast, we also substituted Rh4+(4d 5) ions for Ir4+(5d5) ions in BaIrO3, i.e. in BaIr1--xRhxO 3(0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1), where Rh only reduces the SOI, but without altering the band filling. Hence, this system remains tuned at the Mott instability and is very susceptible to disorder scattering which gives rise to Anderson localization. KEYWORDS: spin-orbit interaction, heavy transition metal oxides

Spin-Driven Emergent Antiferromagnetism and Metal-Insulator Transition in Nanoscale p-Si

Science.gov (United States)

Lou, Paul C.; Kumar, Sandeep

2018-04-01

The entanglement of the charge, spin and orbital degrees of freedom can give rise to emergent behavior especially in thin films, surfaces and interfaces. Often, materials that exhibit those properties require large spin orbit coupling. We hypothesize that the emergent behavior can also occur due to spin, electron and phonon interactions in widely studied simple materials such as Si. That is, large intrinsic spin-orbit coupling is not an essential requirement for emergent behavior. The central hypothesis is that when one of the specimen dimensions is of the same order (or smaller) as the spin diffusion length, then non-equilibrium spin accumulation due to spin injection or spin-Hall effect (SHE) will lead to emergent phase transformations in the non-ferromagnetic semiconductors. In this experimental work, we report spin mediated emergent antiferromagnetism and metal insulator transition in a Pd (1 nm)/Ni81Fe19 (25 nm)/MgO (1 nm)/p-Si (~400 nm) thin film specimen. The spin-Hall effect in p-Si, observed through Rashba spin-orbit coupling mediated spin-Hall magnetoresistance behavior, is proposed to cause the spin accumulation and resulting emergent behavior. The phase transition is discovered from the diverging behavior in longitudinal third harmonic voltage, which is related to the thermal conductivity and heat capacity.

Ultra thin metallic coatings to control near field radiative heat transfer

Science.gov (United States)

Esquivel-Sirvent, R.

2016-09-01

We present a theoretical calculation of the changes in the near field radiative heat transfer between two surfaces due to the presence of ultra thin metallic coatings on semiconductors. Depending on the substrates, the radiative heat transfer is modulated by the thickness of the ultra thin film. In particular we consider gold thin films with thicknesses varying from 4 to 20 nm. The ultra-thin film has an insulator-conductor transition close to a critical thickness of dc = 6.4 nm and there is an increase in the near field spectral heat transfer just before the percolation transition. Depending on the substrates (Si or SiC) and the thickness of the metallic coatings we show how the near field heat transfer can be increased or decreased as a function of the metallic coating thickness. The calculations are based on available experimental data for the optical properties of ultrathin coatings.

Electron beam assisted field evaporation of insulating nanowires/tubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blanchard, N. P., E-mail: nicholas.blanchard@univ-lyon1.fr; Niguès, A.; Choueib, M.; Perisanu, S.; Ayari, A.; Poncharal, P.; Purcell, S. T.; Siria, A.; Vincent, P. [Institut Lumière Matière, UMR5306 Université Lyon 1-CNRS, Université de Lyon, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex (France)

2015-05-11

We demonstrate field evaporation of insulating materials, specifically BN nanotubes and undoped Si nanowires, assisted by a convergent electron beam. Electron irradiation leads to positive charging at the nano-object's apex and to an important increase of the local electric field thus inducing field evaporation. Experiments performed both in a transmission electron microscope and in a scanning electron microscope are presented. This technique permits the selective evaporation of individual nanowires in complex materials. Electron assisted field evaporation could be an interesting alternative or complementary to laser induced field desorption used in atom probe tomography of insulating materials.

Quantum spin/valley Hall effect and topological insulator phase transitions in silicene

KAUST Repository

Tahir, M.

2013-04-26

We present a theoretical realization of quantum spin and quantum valley Hall effects in silicene. We show that combination of an electric field and intrinsic spin-orbit interaction leads to quantum phase transitions at the charge neutrality point. This phase transition from a two dimensional topological insulator to a trivial insulating state is accompanied by a quenching of the quantum spin Hall effect and the onset of a quantum valley Hall effect, providing a tool to experimentally tune the topological state of silicene. In contrast to graphene and other conventional topological insulators, the proposed effects in silicene are accessible to experiments.

Quantum spin/valley Hall effect and topological insulator phase transitions in silicene

KAUST Repository

Tahir, M.; Manchon, Aurelien; Sabeeh, K.; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

2013-01-01

We present a theoretical realization of quantum spin and quantum valley Hall effects in silicene. We show that combination of an electric field and intrinsic spin-orbit interaction leads to quantum phase transitions at the charge neutrality point. This phase transition from a two dimensional topological insulator to a trivial insulating state is accompanied by a quenching of the quantum spin Hall effect and the onset of a quantum valley Hall effect, providing a tool to experimentally tune the topological state of silicene. In contrast to graphene and other conventional topological insulators, the proposed effects in silicene are accessible to experiments.

Ground state oxygen holes and the metal-insulator transition in rare earth nickelates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmitt, Thorsten; Bisogni, Valentina; Huang, Yaobo; Strocov, Vladimir [Research Department Synchrotron Radiation and Nanotechnology, Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Catalano, Sara; Gibert, Marta; Scherwitzl, Raoul; Zubko, Pavlo; Triscone, Jean-Marc [Departement de Physique de la Matiere Condensee, University of Geneva (Switzerland); Green, Robert J.; Balandeh, Shadi; Sawatzky, George [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver (Canada)

2015-07-01

Perovskite rare-earth (Re) nickelates ReNiO{sub 3} continue to attract a lot of interest owing to their intriguing properties like a sharp metal to insulator transition (MIT), unusual magnetic order and expected superconductivity in specifically tuned super-lattices. Full understanding of these materials, however, is hampered by the difficulties in describing their electronic ground state (GS). From X-ray absorption (XAS) at the Ni 2p{sub 3/2} edge of thin films of NdNiO{sub 3} and corresponding RIXS maps vs. incident and transferred photon energies we reveal that the electronic GS configuration of NdNiO{sub 3} is composed of delocalized and localized components. Our study conveys that a Ni 3d{sup 8}-like configuration with holes at oxygen takes on the leading role in the GS and the MIT of ReNiO{sub 3} as proposed by recent model theories.

Voltage Control of Rare-Earth Magnetic Moments at the Magnetic-Insulator-Metal Interface

Science.gov (United States)

Leon, Alejandro O.; Cahaya, Adam B.; Bauer, Gerrit E. W.

2018-01-01

The large spin-orbit interaction in the lanthanides implies a strong coupling between their internal charge and spin degrees of freedom. We formulate the coupling between the voltage and the local magnetic moments of rare-earth atoms with a partially filled 4 f shell at the interface between an insulator and a metal. The rare-earth-mediated torques allow the power-efficient control of spintronic devices by electric-field-induced ferromagnetic resonance and magnetization switching.

Quantum anomalous Hall effect and topological phase transition in two-dimensional antiferromagnetic Chern insulator NiOsCl6

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Wei-Wei; Li, Lei; Zhao, Jing-Sheng; Liu, Xiao-Xiong; Deng, Jian-Bo; Tao, Xiao-Ma; Hu, Xian-Ru

2018-05-01

By doing calculations based on density functional theory, we predict that the two-dimensional anti-ferromagnetic (AFM) NiOsCl6 as a Chern insulator can realize the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect. We investigate the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energies in different magnetic configurations and the Néel AFM configuration is proved to be ground state. When considering spin–orbit coupling (SOC), this layered material with spins perpendicular to the plane shows properties as a Chern insulator characterized by an inversion band structure and a nonzero Chern number. The nontrivial band gap is 37 meV and the Chern number C  =  ‑1, which are induced by a strong SOC and AFM order. With strong SOC, the NiOsCl6 system performs a continuous topological phase transition from the Chern insulator to the trivial insulator upon the increasing Coulomb repulsion U. The critical U c is indicated as 0.23 eV, at which the system is in a metallic phase with . Upon increasing U, the E g reduces linearly with C  =  ‑1 for 0    U c . At last we analysis the QAH properties and this continuous topological phase transition theoretically in a two-band model. This AFM Chern insulator NiOsCl6 proposes not only a promising way to realize the QAH effect, but also a new material to study the continuous topological phase transition.

Field-induced valence transition in rare-earth system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chattopadhaya, A.; Ghatak, S.K.

2000-01-01

The magnetic field-induced valence transition in rare-earth compound has been examined based on a pseudospin S=1 Ising model proposed earlier for valence transition. The model includes finite mixing between two pertinent ionic configurations (magnetic and non-magnetic) separated by an energy gap and with intersite interaction between rare-earth ions. Using the mean field approximation the magnetic behaviour and the critical field (H c ) for transition are obtained as a function of energy gap and temperature. The phase boundary defined in terms of reduced field H c /H co and reduced temperature T/T v (T v being valence transition temperature in absence of field) is nearly independent of energy gap. These results are in qualitative agreement with experimental observation in Yb- and Eu-compounds

Diamond logic inverter with enhancement-mode metal-insulator-semiconductor field effect transistor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, J. W., E-mail: liu.jiangwei@nims.go.jp [International Center for Young Scientists (ICYS), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 (Japan); Liao, M. Y.; Imura, M. [Optical and Electronic Materials Unit, NIMS, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 (Japan); Watanabe, E.; Oosato, H. [Nanofabrication Platform, NIMS, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047 (Japan); Koide, Y., E-mail: koide.yasuo@nims.go.jp [Optical and Electronic Materials Unit, NIMS, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 (Japan); Nanofabrication Platform, NIMS, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047 (Japan); Center of Materials Research for Low Carbon Emission, NIMS, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 (Japan)

2014-08-25

A diamond logic inverter is demonstrated using an enhancement-mode hydrogenated-diamond metal-insulator-semiconductor field effect transistor (MISFET) coupled with a load resistor. The gate insulator has a bilayer structure of a sputtering-deposited LaAlO{sub 3} layer and a thin atomic-layer-deposited Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} buffer layer. The source-drain current maximum, extrinsic transconductance, and threshold voltage of the MISFET are measured to be −40.7 mA·mm{sup −1}, 13.2 ± 0.1 mS·mm{sup −1}, and −3.1 ± 0.1 V, respectively. The logic inverters show distinct inversion (NOT-gate) characteristics for input voltages ranging from 4.0 to −10.0 V. With increasing the load resistance, the gain of the logic inverter increases from 5.6 to as large as 19.4. The pulse response against the high and low input voltages shows the inversion response with the low and high output voltages.

Insulator-metal transition of fluid molecular hydrogen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ross, M.

1996-01-01

Dynamically compressed fluid hydrogen shows evidence for metallization at the relatively low pressure of 140 GPa (1.4 Mbar) while experiments on solid hydrogen made in a diamond-anvil cell have failed to detect any evidence for gap closure up to a pressure of 230 GPa (2.3 Mbar). Two possible mechanisms for metal- liclike resistivity are put forward. The first is that as a consequence of the large thermal disorder in the fluid (kT∼0.2 endash 0.3 eV) short-range molecular interactions lead to band tailing that extends the band edge into the gap, resulting in closure at a lower pressure than in the solid. The second mechanism argues that molecular dissociation creates H atoms that behave similar to n-type donors in a heavily doped semiconductor and undergo a nonmetal-metal Mott-type transition. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

Pressure induced insulator–metal transition and giant negative piezoresistance in Pr{sub 0.6}Ca{sub 0.4}Mn{sub 0.96}Al{sub 0.04}O{sub 3} polycrystal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arumugam, S., E-mail: sarumugam1963@yahoo.com [Centre for High Pressure Research, School of Physics, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli 620024, Tamil Nadu (India); Thiyagarajan, R. [Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research (HPSTAR), Shanghai 201203 (China); Kalaiselvan, G.; Sivaprakash, P. [Centre for High Pressure Research, School of Physics, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli 620024, Tamil Nadu (India)

2016-11-01

The effect of external hydrostatic pressure (P) on the magnetization (M) and resistivity (ρ) properties of charge-orbital (CO) ordered-insulating phase-separated manganite Pr{sub 0.6}Ca{sub 0.4}Mn{sub 0.96}Al{sub 0.04}O{sub 3} system is reported here. At ambient P, CO ordering transition and spin-canting in the AFM are observed at 223 K and 55 K respectively in M(T) and ρ(T) measurements. Application of P increases simultaneously the magnitude of magnetization (M) and transition temperature, and weakens the CO ordering in M(T) measurements up to 0.98 GPa. During ρ(T) measurements, P induces an insulator–metallic transition (T{sub IM}) at 1.02 GPa, and further increase of P up to 2.84 GPa leads to increase of T{sub IM} (dT{sub IM}/dP =21.6 K/GPa). ρ at T{sub IM} is reduced about three orders of magnitude at 2.84 GPa, and leads to the giant negative piezoresistance (~98%). These results are analyzed separately in two temperature regions i.e., below and above T{sub IM} by power function equation and small polaronic hopping model respectively. It is understood from these analyses that the application of P suppresses the Jahn–Teller distortions, electron–electron and electron–magnon scattering factors, and induces the insulator–metal transition in Pr{sub 0.6}Ca{sub 0.4}Mn{sub 0.96}Al{sub 0.04}O{sub 3} system. - Highlights: • Application of P on Pr{sub 0.6}Ca{sub 0.4}Mn{sub 0.96}Al{sub 0.04}O{sub 3} reduces resistivity (ρ) remarkably at low-temperatures, and exhibits an insulator to metallic transition at 1.02 GPa. • The reduction in ρ by P is about three orders of magnitude at 2.84 GPa, leads to the giant negative piezoresistance about 98%. • The effect of the suppression of Jahn–Teller distortions, electron–electron and electron–magnon scattering under an applied P exhibits to the metal-Insulator transition. • The phase-separation in this system has been tuned by both internal and external perturbations.

Pressure-driven phase transitions in TiOCl and the family (Ca, Sr, Ba)Fe2As2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang YuZhong; Opahle, Ingo; Jeschke, Harald O; ValentI, Roser

2010-01-01

Motivated by recent experimental measurements on pressure-driven phase transitions in Mott insulators as well as the new iron pnictide superconductors, we show that first principles Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics calculations are a powerful method to describe the microscopic origin of such transitions. We present results for (i) the pressure-induced insulator to metal phase transition in the prototypical Mott insulator TiOCl as well as (ii) the pressure-induced structural and magnetic phase transitions in the family of correlated metals AFe 2 As 2 (A = Ca, Sr, Ba). Comparison of our predictions with existing experimental results yields very good agreement.

Magnetic Excitations across the Metal-Insulator Transition in the Pyrochlore Iridate Eu2Ir2O7

Science.gov (United States)

Chun, Sae Hwan; Yuan, Bo; Casa, Diego; Kim, Jungho; Kim, Chang-Yong; Tian, Zhaoming; Qiu, Yang; Nakatsuji, Satoru; Kim, Young-June

2018-04-01

We report a resonant inelastic x-ray scattering study of the magnetic excitation spectrum in a highly insulating Eu2 Ir2 O7 single crystal that exhibits a metal-insulator transition at TMI=111 (7 ) K . A propagating magnon mode with a 20 meV bandwidth and a 28 meV magnon gap is found in the excitation spectrum at 7 K, which is expected in the all-in-all-out magnetically ordered state. This magnetic excitation exhibits substantial softening as the temperature is raised towards TMI and turns into a highly damped excitation in the paramagnetic phase. Remarkably, the softening occurs throughout the whole Brillouin zone including the zone boundary. This observation is inconsistent with the magnon renormalization expected in a local moment system and indicates that the strength of the electron correlation in Eu2 Ir2 O7 is only moderate, so that electron itinerancy should be taken into account in describing its magnetism.

A highly efficient surface plasmon polaritons excitation achieved with a metal-coupled metal-insulator-metal waveguide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongyan Yang

2014-12-01

Full Text Available We propose a novel metal-coupled metal-insulator-metal (MC-MIM waveguide which can achieve a highly efficient surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs excitation. The MC-MIM waveguide is formed by inserting a thin metal film in the insulator of an MIM. The introduction of the metal film, functioning as an SPPs coupler, provides a space for the interaction between SPPs and a confined electromagnetic field of the intermediate metal surface, which makes energy change and phase transfer in the metal-dielectric interface, due to the joint action of incomplete electrostatic shielding effect and SPPs coupling. Impacts of the metal film with different materials and various thickness on SPPs excitation are investigated. It is shown that the highest efficient SPPs excitation is obtained when the gold film thickness is 60 nm. The effect of refractive index of upper and lower symmetric dielectric layer on SPPs excitation is also discussed. The result shows that the decay value of refractive index is 0.3. Our results indicate that this proposed MC-MIM waveguide may offer great potential in designing a new SPPs source.

Oxygen pressure manipulations on the metal-insulator transition characteristics of highly (011)-oriented vanadium dioxide films grown by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Qian; Li Wenwu; Duan Zhihua; Hu Zhigao; Chu Junhao; Liang Jiran; Chen Hongda; Liu Jian

2013-01-01

The metal-insulator transition behaviour of vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ) films grown at different oxygen pressures is investigated. With the aid of temperature-dependent electrical and infrared transmittance experiments, it is found that the transition temperature in the heating process goes up with increasing argon-oxygen ratio, whereas the one in the cooling process shows an inverse variation trend. It is found that the hysteresis width of the phase transition is narrowed at a lower argon-oxygen ratio because the defects introduced by excess oxygen lower the energy requirement of transformation. Furthermore, the defects reduce the forbidden gap of the VO 2 system due to the generation of a V 5+ ion. The present results are valuable for the achievement of VO 2 -based optoelectronic devices.

Role of temperature-dependent O-p-Fe-d hybridization parameter in the metal-insulator transition of Fe3O4: a theoretical study

Science.gov (United States)

Fauzi, A. D.; Majidi, M. A.; Rusydi, A.

2017-04-01

We propose a simple tight-binding based model for Fe3O4 that captures the preference of ferrimagnetic over ferromagnetic spin configuration of the system. Our model is consistent with previous theoretical and experimental studies suggesting that the system is half metallic, in which spin polarized electrons hop only among the Fe B sites. To address the metal-insulator transition (MIT) we propose that the strong correlation among electrons, which may also be influenced by the electron-phonon interactions, manifest as the temperature-dependence of the O-p-Fe-d hybridization parameter, particularly Fe-d belonging to one of the Fe B sites (denoted as {t}{{FeB}-{{O}}}(2)). By proposing that this parameter increases as the temperature decreases, our density-of-states calculation successfully captures a gap opening at the Fermi level, transforming the system from half metal to insulator. Within this model along with the corresponding choice of parameters and a certain profile of the temperature dependence of {t}{{FeB}-{{O}}}(2), we calculate the resistivity of the system as a function of temperature. Our calculation result reveals the drastic uprising trend of the resistivity profile as the temperature decreases, with the MIT transition temperature located around 100 K, which is in agreement with experimental data.

Reduction of the Jahn-Teller distortion at the insulator-to-metal transition in mixed valence manganites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia-Munoz, J.L.; Suaaidi, M.; Fontcuberta, J.; Rodriguez-Carvajal, J.

1997-01-01

The insulator-to-metal transition in the manganite La 0.52 Y 0.15 Ca 0.33 MnO 3 (T IM ∼115 K) has been studied by high-resolution neutron powder diffraction. The cell volume contraction at the Curie point is accompanied by a remarkable decrease of the Jahn-Teller distortion in MnO 6 octahedra. The change of the Mn-O bond lengths at T IM is anisotropic and brings about a drop out of the basal-plane collective distortion mode Q 2 , proposed to be the deformation responsible for the band split of e g↑ orbitals. This is consistent with the double-exchange picture, and precludes simple ferromagnetic exchange. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society

Band gap tuning in transition metal oxides by site-specific substitution

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ho Nyung; Chisholm, Jr., Matthew F; Jellison, Jr., Gerald Earle; Singh, David J; Choi, Woo Seok

2013-12-24

A transition metal oxide insulator composition having a tuned band gap includes a transition metal oxide having a perovskite or a perovskite-like crystalline structure. The transition metal oxide includes at least one first element selected form the group of Bi, Ca, Ba, Sr, Li, Na, Mg, K, Pb, and Pr; and at least one second element selected from the group of Ti, Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ru, Rh, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, and Pt. At least one correlated insulator is integrated into the crystalline structure, including REMO.sub.3, wherein RE is at least one Rare Earth element, and wherein M is at least one element selected from the group of Co, V, Cr, Ni, Mn, and Fe. The composition is characterized by a band gap of less of 4.5 eV.

Optical transitions in two-dimensional topological insulators with point defects

Science.gov (United States)

Sablikov, Vladimir A.; Sukhanov, Aleksei A.

2016-12-01

Nontrivial properties of electronic states in topological insulators are inherent not only to the surface and boundary states, but to bound states localized at structure defects as well. We clarify how the unusual properties of the defect-induced bound states are manifested in optical absorption spectra in two-dimensional topological insulators. The calculations are carried out for defects with short-range potential. We find that the defects give rise to the appearance of specific features in the absorption spectrum, which are an inherent property of topological insulators. They have the form of two or three absorption peaks that are due to intracenter transitions between electron-like and hole-like bound states.

Site-disorder driven superconductor–insulator transition: a dynamical mean field study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamar, Naushad Ahmad; Vidhyadhiraja, N S

2014-01-01

We investigate the effect of site disorder on the superconducting state in the attractive Hubbard model within the framework of dynamical mean field theory. For a fixed interaction strength (U), the superconducting order parameter decreases monotonically with increasing disorder (x), while the single-particle spectral gap decreases for small x, reaches a minimum and keeps increasing for larger x. Thus, the system remains gapped beyond the destruction of the superconducting state, indicating a disorder-driven superconductor–insulator transition. We investigate this transition in depth considering the effects of weak and strong disorder for a range of interaction strengths. In the clean case, the order parameter is known to increase monotonically with increasing interaction, saturating at a finite value asymptotically for U→∞. The presence of disorder results in destruction of superconductivity at large U, thus drastically modifying the clean case behaviour. A physical understanding of our findings is obtained by invoking particle–hole asymmetry and the probability distributions of the order parameter and spectral gap. (paper)

Sharpness and intensity modulation of the metal-insulator transition in ultrathin VO2 films by interfacial structure manipulation

Science.gov (United States)

McGee, Ryan; Goswami, Ankur; Pal, Soupitak; Schofield, Kalvin; Bukhari, Syed Asad Manzoor; Thundat, Thomas

2018-03-01

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) undergoes a structural transformation from monoclinic (insulator) to tetragonal (metallic) upon heating above 340 K, accompanied by abrupt changes to its electronic, optical, and mechanical properties. Not only is this transition scientifically intriguing, but there are also numerous applications in sensing, memory, and optoelectronics. Here we investigate the effect different substrates and the processing conditions have on the characteristics metal-insulator transition (MIT), and how the properties can be tuned for specific applications. VO2 thin films were grown on c -plane sapphire (0001) and p-type silicon by pulsed laser deposition. High-resolution x-ray diffraction along with transmission electron microscopy reveals textured epitaxial growth on sapphire by domain-matching epitaxy, while the presence of a native oxide layer on silicon prevented any preferential growth resulting in a polycrystalline film. An orientation relationship of (010)VO2|| (0001)Al 2O3 was established for VO2 grown on sapphire, while no such relationship was found for VO2 grown on silicon. Surface-energy minimization is the driving force behind grain growth, as the lowest energy VO2 plane grew on silicon, while on sapphire the desire for epitaxial growth was dominant. Polycrystallinity of films grown on silicon caused a weaker and less prominent MIT than observed on sapphire, whose MIT was higher in magnitude and steeper in slope. The position of the MIT was shown to depend on the competing effects of misfit strain and grain growth. Higher deposition temperatures caused an increase in the MIT, while compressive strain resulted in a decreased MIT.

Mg-doped VO2 nanoparticles: hydrothermal synthesis, enhanced visible transmittance and decreased metal-insulator transition temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jiadong; Gao, Yanfeng; Liu, Xinling; Chen, Zhang; Dai, Lei; Cao, Chuanxiang; Luo, Hongjie; Kanahira, Minoru; Sun, Chao; Yan, Liuming

2013-05-28

This paper reports the successful preparation of Mg-doped VO2 nanoparticles via hydrothermal synthesis. The metal-insulator transition temperature (T(c)) decreased by approximately 2 K per at% Mg. The Tc decreased to 54 °C with 7.0 at% dopant. The composite foils made from Mg-doped VO2 particles displayed excellent visible transmittance (up to 54.2%) and solar modulation ability (up to 10.6%). In addition, the absorption edge blue-shifted from 490 nm to 440 nm at a Mg content of 3.8 at%, representing a widened optical band gap from 2.0 eV for pure VO2 to 2.4 eV at 3.8 at% doping. As a result, the colour of the Mg-doped films was modified to increase their brightness and lighten the yellow colour over that of the undoped-VO2 film. A first principle calculation was conducted to understand how dopants affect the optical, Mott phase transition and structural properties of VO2.

Universal scheme to generate metal–insulator transition in disordered systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Ai-Min; Xiong, Shi-Jie; Xie, X C; Sun, Qing-feng

2013-01-01

We propose a scheme to generate metal–insulator transition in the random binary layer (RBL) model, which is constructed by randomly assigning two types of layers along the longitudinal direction. Based on a tight-binding Hamiltonian, the localization length is calculated for a variety of RBLs with different cross section geometries by using the transfer-matrix method. Both analytical and numerical results show that a band of extended states could appear in the quasi-one-dimensional RBLs and the systems behave as metals by properly tuning the model parameters, due to the existence of a completely ordered subband, leading to a metal–insulator transition in parameter space. Furthermore, the extended states are irrespective of the diagonal and off-diagonal disorder strengths. Our results can be generalized to two- and three-dimensional disordered systems with arbitrary layer structures, and may be realized in Bose–Einstein condensates. (paper)

Quantum magnetotransport properties of ultrathin topological insulator films

KAUST Repository

Tahir, M.

2013-01-30

We study the quantum magnetotransport in ultrathin topological insulator films in an external magnetic field considering hybridization between the upper and lower surfaces of the film. We investigate the two possible mechanisms for splitting of Landau levels, Zeeman and hybridization effects, and show that their interplay leads to minima in the collisional and Hall conductivities with a metal-to-insulator phase transition at the charge neutrality point. Hall plateaus arise at unusual multiples of e2/h . Evidence of a quantum phase transition for the zeroth and splitting of the higher Landau levels is found from the temperature and magnetic field dependences of the transport.

Quantum magnetotransport properties of ultrathin topological insulator films

KAUST Repository

Tahir, M.; Sabeeh, K.; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

2013-01-01

We study the quantum magnetotransport in ultrathin topological insulator films in an external magnetic field considering hybridization between the upper and lower surfaces of the film. We investigate the two possible mechanisms for splitting of Landau levels, Zeeman and hybridization effects, and show that their interplay leads to minima in the collisional and Hall conductivities with a metal-to-insulator phase transition at the charge neutrality point. Hall plateaus arise at unusual multiples of e2/h . Evidence of a quantum phase transition for the zeroth and splitting of the higher Landau levels is found from the temperature and magnetic field dependences of the transport.

Nuclear spin-lattice relaxation in n -type insulating and metallic GaAs single crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, J.; Hoch, M. J. R.; Kuhns, P. L.; Moulton, W. G.; Gan, Z.; Reyes, A. P.

2006-09-01

The coupling of electron and nuclear spins in n-GaAs changes significantly as the donor concentration n increases through the insulator-metal critical concentration nC˜1.2×1016cm-3 . The present measurements of the Ga71 relaxation rates W made as a function of magnetic field (1-13T) and temperature (1.5-300K) for semi-insulating GaAs and for three doped n-GaAs samples with donor concentrations n=5.9×1015 , 7×1016 , and 2×1018cm-3 , show marked changes in the relaxation behavior with n . Korringa-like relaxation is found in both metallic samples for T30K phonon-induced nuclear quadrupolar relaxation is dominant. The relaxation rate measurements permit determination of the electron probability density at Ga71 sites. A small Knight shift of -3.3ppm was measured on the most metallic (2×1018cm-3) sample using magic-angle spinning at room temperature. For the n=5.9×1015cm-3 sample, a nuclear relaxation model involving the Fermi contact hyperfine interaction, rapid spin diffusion, and exchange coupled local moments is proposed. While the relaxation rate behavior with temperature for the weakly metallic sample, n=7×1016cm-3 , is similar to that found for the just-insulating sample, the magnetic field dependence is quite different. For the 5.9×1015cm-3 sample, increasing the magnetic field leads to a decrease in the relaxation rate, while for the 7×1016cm-3 sample this results in an increase in the relaxation rate ascribed to an increase in the density of states at the Fermi level as the Landau level degeneracy is increased.

In-field X-ray and neutron diffraction studies of re-entrant charge-ordering and field induced metastability in La0.175Pr0.45Ca0.375MnO3-δ

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Shivani; Shahee, Aga; Yadav, Poonam; da Silva, Ivan; Lalla, N. P.

2017-11-01

Low-temperature high-magnetic field (2 K, 8 T) (LTHM) powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and time of flight powder neutron diffraction (NPD), low-temperature transmission electron microscopic (TEM), and resistivity and magnetization measurements have been carried out to investigate the re-entrant charge ordering (CO), field induced structural phase transitions, and metastability in phase-separated La0.175Pr0.45Ca0.375MnO3-δ (LPCMO). Low-temperature TEM and XRD studies reveal that on cooling under zero-field, paramagnetic Pnma phase transforms to P21/m CO antiferromagnetic (AFM) insulating phase below ˜233 K. Unlike reported literature, no structural signature of CO AFM P21/m to ferromagnetic (FM) Pnma phase-transition during cooling down to 2 K under zero-field was observed. However, the CO phase was found to undergo a re-entrant transition at ˜40 K. Neutron diffraction studies revealed a pseudo CE type spin arrangement of the observed CO phase. The low-temperature resistance, while cooled under zero-field, shows insulator to metal like transition below ˜105 K with minima at ˜25 K. On application of field, the CO P21/m phase was found to undergo field-induced transition to FM Pnma phase, which shows irreversibility on field removal below ˜40 K. Zero-field warming XRD and NPD studies reveal that field-induced FM Pnma phase is a metastable phase, which arise due to the arrest of kinetics of the first-order phase transition of FM Pnma to CO-AFM P21/m phase, below 40 K. Thus, a strong magneto-structural coupling is observed for this system. A field-temperature (H-T) phase-diagram has been constructed based on the LTHM-XRD, which matches very nicely with the reported H-T phase-diagram constructed based on magnetic measurements. Due to the occurrence of gradual growth of the re-entrant CO phase and the absence of a clear structural signature of phase-separation of CO-AFM P21/m and FM Pnma phases, the H-T minima in the phase-diagram of the present LPCMO sample has been

New pathway for the formation of metallic cubic phase Ge-Sb-Te compounds induced by an electric current.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Yong-Jin; Cho, Ju-Young; Jeong, Min-Woo; Na, Sekwon; Joo, Young-Chang

2016-02-23

The novel discovery of a current-induced transition from insulator to metal in the crystalline phase of Ge2Sb2Te5 and GeSb4Te7 have been studied by means of a model using line-patterned samples. The resistivity of cubic phase Ge-Sb-Te compound was reduced by an electrical current (~1 MA/cm(2)), and the final resistivity was determined based on the stress current density, regardless of the initial resistivity and temperature, which indicates that the conductivity of Ge-Sb-Te compound can be modulated by an electrical current. The minimum resistivity of Ge-Sb-Te materials can be achieved at high kinetic rates by applying an electrical current, and the material properties change from insulating to metallic behavior without a phase transition. The current-induced metal transition is more effective in GeSb4Te7 than Ge2Sb2Te5, which depends on the intrinsic vacancy of materials. Electromigration, which is the migration of atoms induced by a momentum transfer from charge carriers, can easily promote the rearrangement of vacancies in the cubic phase of Ge-Sb-Te compound. This behavior differs significantly from thermal annealing, which accompanies a phase transition to the hexagonal phase. This result suggests a new pathway for modulating the electrical conductivity and material properties of chalcogenide materials by applying an electrical current.

Magnetic phase transition induced by electrostatic gating in two-dimensional square metal-organic frameworks

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yun-Peng; Li, Xiang-Guo; Liu, Shuang-Long; Fry, James N.; Cheng, Hai-Ping

2018-03-01

We investigate theoretically magnetism and magnetic phase transitions induced by electrostatic gating of two-dimensional square metal-organic framework compounds. We find that electrostatic gating can induce phase transitions between homogeneous ferromagnetic and various spin-textured antiferromagnetic states. Electronic structure and Wannier function analysis can reveal hybridizations between transition-metal d orbitals and conjugated π orbitals in the organic framework. Mn-containing compounds exhibit a strong d -π hybridization that leads to partially occupied spin-minority bands, in contrast to compounds containing transition-metal ions other than Mn, for which electronic structure around the Fermi energy is only slightly spin split due to weak d -π hybridization and the magnetic interaction is of the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida type. We use a ferromagnetic Kondo lattice model to understand the phase transition in Mn-containing compounds in terms of carrier density and illuminate the complexity and the potential to control two-dimensional magnetization.

Predicting a new phase (T'') of two-dimensional transition metal di-chalcogenides and strain-controlled topological phase transition

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Fengxian; Gao, Guoping; Jiao, Yalong; Gu, Yuantong; Bilic, Ante; Zhang, Haijun; Chen, Zhongfang; Du, Aijun

2016-02-01

Single layered transition metal dichalcogenides have attracted tremendous research interest due to their structural phase diversities. By using a global optimization approach, we have discovered a new phase of transition metal dichalcogenides (labelled as T''), which is confirmed to be energetically, dynamically and kinetically stable by our first-principles calculations. The new T'' MoS2 phase exhibits an intrinsic quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect with a nontrivial gap as large as 0.42 eV, suggesting that a two-dimensional (2D) topological insulator can be achieved at room temperature. Most interestingly, there is a topological phase transition simply driven by a small tensile strain of up to 2%. Furthermore, all the known MX2 (M = Mo or W; X = S, Se or Te) monolayers in the new T'' phase unambiguously display similar band topologies and strain controlled topological phase transitions. Our findings greatly enrich the 2D families of transition metal dichalcogenides and offer a feasible way to control the electronic states of 2D topological insulators for the fabrication of high-speed spintronics devices.Single layered transition metal dichalcogenides have attracted tremendous research interest due to their structural phase diversities. By using a global optimization approach, we have discovered a new phase of transition metal dichalcogenides (labelled as T''), which is confirmed to be energetically, dynamically and kinetically stable by our first-principles calculations. The new T'' MoS2 phase exhibits an intrinsic quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect with a nontrivial gap as large as 0.42 eV, suggesting that a two-dimensional (2D) topological insulator can be achieved at room temperature. Most interestingly, there is a topological phase transition simply driven by a small tensile strain of up to 2%. Furthermore, all the known MX2 (M = Mo or W; X = S, Se or Te) monolayers in the new T'' phase unambiguously display similar band topologies and strain controlled topological

Pressure induced Ag{sub 2}Te polymorphs in conjunction with topological non trivial to metal transition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, J.; Zhang, S. J., E-mail: sjzhang@iphy.ac.cn, E-mail: jin@iphy.ac.cn; Yu, X. H.; Yu, R. C.; Jin, C. Q., E-mail: sjzhang@iphy.ac.cn, E-mail: jin@iphy.ac.cn; Dai, X.; Fang, Z. [Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Oganov, A. R. [Department of Geosciences, University of New York at Stony Brook (United States); Feng, W. X.; Yao, Y. G. [Department of Physics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing (China); Zhu, J. L. [High Pressure Science and Engineering Center, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada 89154 (United States); Zhao, Y. S. [Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); South University of Science and Technology of China, Shenzhen, Guangdong (China)

2016-08-15

Silver telluride (Ag{sub 2}Te) is well known as superionic conductor and topological insulator with polymorphs. Pressure induced three phase transitions in Ag{sub 2}Te have been reported in previous. Here, we experimentally identified high pressure phase above 13 GPa of Ag{sub 2}Te by using high pressure synchrotron x ray diffraction method in combination with evolutionary crystal structure prediction, showing it crystallizes into a monoclinic structure of space group C2/m with lattice parameters a = 6.081Å, b = 5.744Å, c = 6.797 Å, β = 105.53°. The electronic properties measurements of Ag{sub 2}Te reveal that the topologically non-trivial semiconducting phase I and semimetallic phase II previously predicated by theory transformed into bulk metals for high pressure phases in consistent with the first principles calculations.

Anomalous Insulator-Metal Transition in Boron Nitride-Graphene Hybrid Atomic Layers

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-13

Juan de la Cierva” pro- gram (JCI-2010-08156), Spanish MICINN (FIS2010-21282- C02-01 and PIB2010US-00652), ACI-Promociona (ACI2009- 1036), “ Grupos ...percolation through metallic graphene networks and hopping conduction between edge states on randomly distributed insulating h-BN domains. REPORT...Tallahassee, Florida 32310, USA 3Nano-Bio Spectroscopy Group and ETSF Scientific Development Centre, Departamento de Fı́sica de Materiales, Centro de Fı́sica

Hartree-Fock study of the Anderson metal-insulator transition in the presence of Coulomb interaction: Two types of mobility edges and their multifractal scaling exponents

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hyun-Jung; Kim, Ki-Seok

2018-04-01

We investigate the role of Coulomb interaction in the multifractality of Anderson metal-insulator transition, where the Coulomb interaction is treated within the Hartree-Fock approximation, but disorder effects are taken into account exactly. An innovative technical aspect in our simulation is to utilize the Ewald-sum technique, which allows us to introduce the long-range nature of the Coulomb interaction into Hartree-Fock self-consistent equations of order parameters more accurately. This numerical simulation reproduces the Altshuler-Aronov correction in a metallic state and the Efros-Shklovskii pseudogap in an insulating phase, where the density of states ρ (ω ) is evaluated in three dimensions. Approaching the quantum critical point of a metal-insulator transition from either the metallic or insulting phase, we find that the density of states is given by ρ (ω ) ˜|ω| 1 /2 , which determines one critical exponent of the McMillan-Shklovskii scaling theory. Our main result is to evaluate the eigenfunction multifractal scaling exponent αq, given by the Legendre transformation of the fractal dimension τq, which characterizes the scaling behavior of the inverse participation ratio with respect to the system size L . Our multifractal analysis leads us to identify two kinds of mobility edges, one of which occurs near the Fermi energy and the other of which appears at a high energy, where the density of states at the Fermi energy shows the Coulomb-gap feature. We observe that the multifractal exponent at the high-energy mobility edge remains to be almost identical to that of the Anderson localization transition in the absence of Coulomb interactions. On the other hand, we find that the multifractal exponent near the Fermi energy is more enhanced than that at the high-energy mobility edge, suspected to result from interaction effects. However, both the multifractal exponents do not change even if the strength of the Coulomb interaction varies. We also show that the

A Difference in Using Atomic Layer Deposition or Physical Vapour Deposition TiN as Electrode Material in Metal-Insulator-Metal and Metal-Insulator-Silicon Capacitors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groenland, A.W.; Wolters, Robertus A.M.; Kovalgin, Alexeij Y.; Schmitz, Jurriaan

2011-01-01

In this work, metal-insulator-metal (MIM) and metal-insulator-silicon (MIS) capacitors are studied using titanium nitride (TiN) as the electrode material. The effect of structural defects on the electrical properties on MIS and MIM capacitors is studied for various electrode configurations. In the

Synthesis of one-dimensional metal-containing insulated molecular wire with versatile properties directed toward molecular electronics materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Masai, Hiroshi; Terao, Jun; Seki, Shu; Nakashima, Shigeto; Kiguchi, Manabu; Okoshi, Kento; Fujihara, Tetsuaki; Tsuji, Yasushi

2014-02-05

We report, herein, the design, synthesis, and properties of new materials directed toward molecular electronics. A transition metal-containing insulated molecular wire was synthesized through the coordination polymerization of a Ru(II) porphyrin with an insulated bridging ligand of well-defined structure. The wire displayed not only high linearity and rigidity, but also high intramolecular charge mobility. Owing to the unique properties of the coordination bond, the interconversion between the monomer and polymer states was realized under a carbon monoxide atmosphere or UV irradiation. The results demonstrated a high potential of the metal-containing insulated molecular wire for applications in molecular electronics.

Electronic reconstruction at the interface between the Mott insulator LaVO{sub 3} and the band insulator SrTiO{sub 3}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stuebinger, Martin; Gabel, Judith; Gagel, Philipp; Sing, Michael; Claessen, Ralph [Universitaet Wuerzburg, Physikalisches Institut and Roentgen Center for Complex Material Systems (RCCM), 97074 Wuerzburg (Germany)

2016-07-01

Akin to the well known oxide heterostructure LaAlO{sub 3}/SrTiO{sub 3} (LAO/STO) the formation of a conducting interface is found between the strongly correlated, polar Mott insulator LaV{sup 3+}O{sub 3} (LVO) and the non-polar band insulator STO. Since LaV{sup 3+}O{sub 3} tends to overoxidize to the thermodynamically more favourable LaV{sup 5+}O{sub 4} phase when exposed to air, a suitable passivation is required. Therefore, we have employed pulsed laser deposition thin film growth of LVO films with a crystalline LAO capping layer. In situ photoemission measurements of samples before and after being exposed to air show that the V oxidation state can indeed be stabilized by the LAO capping layer. By transport measurements, we identify an insulator-to-metal transition at a combined LAO/LVO overlayer thickness of 4 to 5 unit cells. With LVO being a Mott insulator, passivation by the LAO capping opens the opportunity to study a band-filling controlled Mott insulator to metal transition induced by a purely electrostatic mechanism without interfering overoxidation of the LVO film.

Spin-orbit-induced spin splittings in polar transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers

KAUST Repository

Cheng, Yingchun; Zhu, Zhiyong; Tahir, Muhammad; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

2013-01-01

. We present ab initio electronic structure, phonon, and molecular-dynamics calculations to study the structural stability and spin-orbit-induced spin splitting in the transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers MXY (M = Mo, W and X, Y = S, Se, Te

Field-induced Gap and Quantized Charge Pumping in Nano-helix

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qi, Xiao-Liang; /Stanford U., Phys. Dept. /Tsinghua U., Beijing; Zhang, Shou-Cheng; /Stanford U., Phys. Dept.

2010-02-15

We propose several novel physical phenomena based on nano-scale helical wires. Applying a static electric field transverse to the helical wire induces a metal to insulator transition, with the band gap determined by the applied voltage. Similar idea can be applied to 'geometrically' constructing one-dimensional systems with arbitrary external potential. With a quadrupolar electrode configuration, the electric field could rotate in the transverse plane, leading to a quantized dc charge current proportional to the frequency of the rotation. Such a device could be used as a new standard for the high precession measurement of the electric current. The inverse effect implies that passing an electric current through a helical wire in the presence of a transverse static electric field can lead to a mechanical rotation of the helix. This effect can be used to construct nano-scale electro-mechanical motors. Finally, our methodology also enables new ways of controlling and measuring the electronic properties of helical biological molecules such as the DNA.

Topotactic Metal-Insulator Transition in Epitaxial SrFeO x Thin Films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khare, Amit; Shin, Dongwon; Yoo, Tae Sup; Kim, Minu; Kang, Tae Dong

2017-01-01

Multivalent transition metal oxides provide fascinating and rich physics related to oxygen stoichiometry. In particular, the adoptability of various valence states of transition metals enables perovskite oxides to display mixed (oxygen) ionic and electronic conduction and catalytic activity useful in many practical applications, including solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), rechargeable batteries, gas sensors, and memristive devices. For proper realization of the ionic conduction and catalytic activity, it is essential to understand the reversible oxidation and reduction process, which is governed by oxygen storage/release steps in oxides. Topotactic phase transformation facilitates the redox process in perovskites with specific oxygen vacancy ordering by largely varying the oxygen concentration of a material without losing the lattice framework. The concentration and diffusion of oxide ions (O 2– ), the valence state of the transition metal cations, and the thermodynamic structural integrity together provide fundamental understanding and ways to explicitly control the redox reaction.[6] In addition, it offers an attractive route for tuning the emergent physical properties of transition metal oxides, via strong coupling between the crystal lattice and electronic structure.

Light-induced ultrafast phase transitions in VO2 thin film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lysenko, S.; Rua, A.J.; Vikhnin, V.; Jimenez, J.; Fernandez, F.; Liu, H.

2006-01-01

Vanadium dioxide shows a passive and reversible change from a monoclinic insulator phase to a metallic tetragonal rutile structure when the sample temperature is close to and over 68 deg. C. As a kind of functional material, VO 2 thin films deposited on fused quartz substrates were successfully prepared by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. With laser illumination at 400 nm on the obtained films, the phase transition (PT) occurred. The observed light-induced PT was as fast as the laser pulse duration of 100 fs. Using a femtosecond laser system, the relaxation processes in VO 2 were studied by optical pump-probe spectroscopy. Upon a laser excitation an instantaneous response in the transient reflectivity and transmission was observed followed by a relatively longer relaxation process. The alteration is dependent on pump power. The change in reflectance reached a maximum value at a pump pulse energy between 7 and 14 mJ/cm 2 . The observed PT is associated with the optical interband transition in VO 2 thin film. It suggests that with a pump laser illuminating on the film, excitation from the d θ,ε - state of valence band to the unoccupied excited mixed d θ,ε -π* - state of the conduction band in the insulator phase occurs, followed by a resonant transition to an unoccupied excited mixed d θ,ε -π* - state of the metallic phase band

The metal-insulator transition of RNiO3 perovskites. What can we learn from neutron diffraction?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Medarde, M.L.

1996-01-01

RNiO 3 perovskites (R = rare earth) provide a remarkable opportunity to study the relationship between structural and physical properties since by moving along the 4f rare earth series, the evolution of several transport and magnetic properties can be nicely correlated to the steric effects associated with the lanthanide contraction. The most appealing example is probably the metal-insulator transition discovered for the compounds with R≠La, whose critical temperature T M-I increases with decreasing size of the rare earth ion. In this lecture, a summary of the most relevant neutron diffraction results on this system is presented. Moreover, the nickelates are used as an example to illustrate the performance of the diffractometers HRPT and DMCG to be installed at the SINQ. (author) 12 figs., 2 tabs., 17 refs

Ultrafast photo-induced hidden phases in strained manganite thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jingdi; McLeod, A. S.; Zhang, Gu-Feng; Stoica, Vladimir; Jin, Feng; Gu, Mingqiang; Gopalan, Venkatraman; Freeland, John W.; Wu, Wenbin; Rondinelli, James; Wen, Haidan; Basov, D. N.; Averitt, R. D.

Correlated transition metal oxides (TMOs) are particularly sensitive to external control because of energy degeneracy in a complex energy landscape that promote a plethora of metastable states. However, it remains a grand challenge to actively control and fully explore the rich landscape of TMOs. Dynamic control with pulsed photons can overcome energetic barriers, enabling access to transient or metastable states that are not thermally accessible. In the past, we have demonstrated that mode-selective single-laser-pulse excitation of a strained manganite thin film La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 initiates a persistent phase transition from an emergent antiferromagnetic insulating ground state to a ferromagnetic metallic metastable state. Beyond the photo-induced insulator to metal transition, we recently discovered a new peculiar photo-induced hidden phase, identified by an experimental approach that combines ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy, THz spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, cryogenic near-field spectroscopy and SHG probe. This work is funded by the DOE, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Science under Award Numbers DE-SC0012375 and DE-SC0012592.

Quantum critical behaviour of the plateau-insulator transition in the quantum Hall regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Visser, A de; Ponomarenko, L A; Galistu, G; Lang, D T N de; Pruisken, A M M; Zeitler, U; Maude, D

2006-01-01

High-field magnetotransport experiments provide an excellent tool to investigate the plateau-insulator phase transition in the integral quantum Hall effect. Here we review recent low-temperature high-field magnetotransport studies carried out on several InGaAs/InP heterostructures and an InGaAs/GaAs quantum well. We find that the longitudinal resistivity ρ xx near the critical filling factor ν c ∼ 0.5 follows the universal scaling law ρ xx (ν, T) ∝ exp(-Δν/(T/T 0 ) κ ), where Δν = ν-ν c . The critical exponent κ equals 0.56 ± 0.02, which indicates that the plateau-insulator transition falls in a non-Fermi liquid universality class

On the energy scale involved in the metal to insulator transition of quadruple perovskite EuCu3Fe4O12: infrared spectroscopy and ab-initio calculations.

Science.gov (United States)

Brière, B; Kalinko, A; Yamada, I; Roy, P; Brubach, J B; Sopracase, R; Zaghrioui, M; Phuoc, V Ta

2016-06-27

Optical measurements were carried out by infrared spectroscopy on AA'3B4O12 A-site ordered quadruple perovskite EuCu3Fe4O12 (microscopic sample) as function of temperature. At 240 K (=TMI), EuCu3Fe4O12 undergoes a very abrupt metal to insulator transition, a paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition and an isostructural transformation with an abrupt large volume expansion. Above TMI, optical conductivity reveals a bad metal behavior and below TMI, an insulating phase with an optical gap of 125 meV is observed. As temperature is decreased, a large and abrupt spectral weight transfer toward an energy scale larger than 1 eV is detected. Concurrently, electronic structure calculations for both high and low temperature phases were compared to the optical conductivity results giving a precise pattern of the transition. Density of states and computed optical conductivity analysis identified Cu3dxy, Fe3d and O2p orbitals as principal actors of the spectral weight transfer. The present work constitutes a first step to shed light on EuCu3Fe4O12 electronic properties with optical measurements and ab-initio calculations.

A Brillouin scattering study of La0.77Ca0.23MnO3 across the metal-insulator transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seikh, Md Motin; Narayana, Chandrabhas; Sudheendra, L; Sood, A K; Rao, C N R

2004-01-01

Temperature-dependent Brillouin scattering studies have been carried out on La 0.77 Ca 0.23 MnO 3 across the paramagnetic insulator-ferromagnetic metal (I-M) transition (T C ∼ 230 K). The spectra show modes corresponding to a surface Rayleigh wave (SRW) and a high velocity pseudo-surface wave (HVPSAW) along with bulk acoustic waves (B1 and B2). The Brillouin shifts associated with the SRW and HVPSAW increase, whereas the B1 and B2 frequencies decrease, below T C . The temperature dependence of the SRW and HVPSAW modes is related to the increase in the elastic constant C 11 across the I-M transition. The decrease in frequency across the I-M transition of the bulk modes is understood to be due to enhanced self-energy corrections as a result of increased magnon-phonon interaction across the I-M transition. Correspondingly, these modes show a large increase in the full width at half maximum (FWHM) as the temperature decreases. We also observe a central peak whose width is maximum at T C

Mechanisms of spin-flipping and metal-insulator transition in nano-Fe3O4

Science.gov (United States)

Dito Fauzi, Angga; Aziz Majidi, Muhammad; Rusydi, Andrivo

2017-04-01

Fe3O4 is a half-metallic ferrimagnet with {{T}\\text{C}}˜ 860 K exhibiting metal-insulator transition (MIT) at  ˜120 K. In bulk form, the saturation magnetization is 0.6 Tesla (˜471 emu cm-3). A recent experimental study has shown that the saturation magnetization of nano-Fe3O4 thin films can achieve up to  ˜760 emu cm-3, attributed to spin-flipping of Fe ions at tetrahedral sites assisted by oxygen vacancies (V O). Such a system has shown to have higher MIT temperature (˜150 K). The spin-flipping is a new phenomenon in Fe3O4, while the MIT is a long-standing one. Here, we propose a model and calculations to investigate the mechanisms of both phenomena. Our results show that, for the system without V O, the ferrimagnetic configuration is energetically favorable. Remakably, upon inclusion of V O, the ground-state configuration switches into ferromagnetic. As for the MIT, by proposing temperature dependences of some hopping integrals in the model, we demonstrate that the system without and with V O undergo the MIT in slightly different ways, leading to higher MIT temperature for the system with V O, in agreement with the experimental data. Our results also show that the MIT in both systems occur concomitantly with the redistribution of electrons among the three Fe ions in each Fe3O4 formula unit. As such temperature dependences of hopping integrals may arise due to dynamic Jahn-Teller effects, our phenomenological theory may provide a way to reconcile existing theories relating the MIT to the structural transition and the charge ordering.

Spin-transport-phenomena in metals, semiconductors, and insulators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Althammer, Matthias Klaus

2012-07-19

Assuming that one could deterministically inject, transport, manipulate, store and detect spin information in solid state devices, the well-established concepts of charge-based electronics could be transferred to the spin realm. This thesis explores the injection, transport, manipulation and storage of spin information in metallic conductors, semiconductors, as well as electrical insulators. On the one hand, we explore the spin-dependent properties of semiconducting zinc oxide thin films deposited via laser-molecular beam epitaxy (laser-MBE). After demonstrating that the zinc oxide films fabricated during this thesis have excellent structural, electrical, and optical properties, we investigate the spin-related properties by optical pump/probe, electrical injection/optical detection, and all electrical spin valve-based experiments. The two key results from these experiments are: (i) Long-lived spin states with spin dephasing times of 10 ns at 10 K related to donor bound excitons can be optically addressed. (ii) The spin dephasing times relevant for electrical transport-based experiments are {<=} 2 ns at 10 K and are correlated with structural quality. On the other hand we focus on two topics of current scientific interest: the comparison of the magnetoresistance to the magnetothermopower of conducting ferromagnets, and the investigation of pure spin currents generated in ferromagnetic insulator/normal metal hybrid structures. We investigate the magnetoresistance and magnetothermopower of gallium manganese arsenide and Heusler thin films as a function of external magnetic field orientation. Using a series expansion of the resistivity and Seebeck tensors and the inherent symmetry of the sample's crystal structure, we show that a full quantitative extraction of the transport tensors from such experiments is possible. Regarding the spin currents in ferromagnetic insulator/normal metal hybrid structures we studied the spin mixing conductance in yttrium iron garnet

Effects of insulating vanadium oxide composite in concomitant mixed phases via interface barrier modulations on the performance improvements in metal-insulator-metal diodes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaleem Abbas

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The performance of metal-insulator-metal diodes is investigated for insulating vanadium oxide (VOx composite composed of concomitant mixed phases using the Pt metal as the top and the bottom electrodes. Insulating VOx composite in the Pt/VOx/Pt diode exhibits a high asymmetry of 10 and a very high sensitivity of 2,135V−1 at 0.6 V. The VOx composite provides Schottky-like barriers at the interface, which controls the current flow and the trap-assisted conduction mechanism. Such dramatic enhancement in asymmetry and rectification performance at low applied bias may be ascribed to the dynamic control of the insulating and metallic phases in VOx composites. We find that the nanostructure details of the insulating VOx layer can be critical in enhancing the performance of MIM diodes.

Magnetohydrodynamic flow in ducts with discontinuous electrical insulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mistrangelo, C.; Bühler, L.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Liquid metal MHD flows in ducts with flow channel inserts. • Study of the influence of local interruption of electrical insulation. • 3D numerical simulations. - Abstract: In liquid metal blankets the interaction of the moving breeder with the intense magnetic field that confines the fusion plasma results in significant modifications of the velocity distribution and increased pressure drop compared to hydrodynamic flows. Those changes are due to the occurrence of electromagnetic forces that slow down the core flow and which are balanced by large driving pressure heads. The resulting magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pressure losses are proportional to the electric current density induced in the fluid and they can be reduced by electrically decoupling the wall from the liquid metal. For applications to dual coolant blankets it is foreseen to loosely insert electrically insulating liners into the ducts. In long channels the insulation could consist of a number of shorter inserts, which implies a possible local interruption of the insulation. Three dimensional numerical simulations have been performed to investigate MHD flows in electrically well-conducting channels with internal discontinuous insulating inserts. The local jump in the electric conductivity of the duct wall results in induced 3D electric currents and related electromagnetic forces yielding additional pressure losses and increased velocity in boundary layers parallel to the magnetic field.

Induced magnetism in transition metal intercalated graphitic systems

KAUST Repository

Kaloni, Thaneshwor P.; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo; Upadhyay Kahaly, M.

2011-01-01

We investigate the structure, chemical bonding, electronic properties, and magnetic behavior of a three-dimensional graphitic network in aba and aaa stacking with intercalated transition metal atoms (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu). Using density functional theory, we find induced spin-polarization of the C atoms both when the graphene sheets are aba stacked (forming graphite) and aaa stacked (resembling bi-layer graphene). The magnetic moment induced by Mn, Fe, and Co turns out to vary from 1.38 μB to 4.10 μB, whereas intercalation of Ni and Cu does not lead to a magnetic state. The selective induction of spin-polarization can be utilized in spintronic and nanoelectronic applications.

Induced magnetism in transition metal intercalated graphitic systems

KAUST Repository

Kaloni, Thaneshwor P.

2011-10-26

We investigate the structure, chemical bonding, electronic properties, and magnetic behavior of a three-dimensional graphitic network in aba and aaa stacking with intercalated transition metal atoms (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu). Using density functional theory, we find induced spin-polarization of the C atoms both when the graphene sheets are aba stacked (forming graphite) and aaa stacked (resembling bi-layer graphene). The magnetic moment induced by Mn, Fe, and Co turns out to vary from 1.38 μB to 4.10 μB, whereas intercalation of Ni and Cu does not lead to a magnetic state. The selective induction of spin-polarization can be utilized in spintronic and nanoelectronic applications.

Ultrashort hybrid metal-insulator plasmonic directional coupler.

Science.gov (United States)

Noghani, Mahmoud Talafi; Samiei, Mohammad Hashem Vadjed

2013-11-01

An ultrashort plasmonic directional coupler based on the hybrid metal-insulator slab waveguide is proposed and analyzed at the telecommunication wavelength of 1550 nm. It is first analyzed using the supermode theory based on mode analysis via the transfer matrix method in the interaction region. Then the 2D model of the coupler, including transition arms, is analyzed using a commercial finite-element method simulator. The hybrid slab waveguide is composed of a metallic layer of silver and two dielectric layers of silica (SiO2) and silicon (Si). The coupler is optimized to have a minimum coupling length and to transfer maximum power considering the layer thicknesses as optimization variables. The resulting coupling length in the submicrometer region along with a noticeable power transfer efficiency are advantages of the proposed coupler compared to previously reported plasmonic couplers.

Influence of the disorder in doped germanium changed by compensation on the critical indices of the metal-insulator transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rentzsch, R.; Reich, Ch.; Ionov, A.N.; Ginodman, V.; Slimak, I.; Fozooni, P.; Lea, M.J.

1999-01-01

We present a critical review of the present status of the critical exponent puzzle of the metal-insulator transition of doped semiconductors with the emphasis on the role of meso- and macroscopy inhomogeneity caused by the disorder of acceptors and donors in the crystals. By using the isotopic and engineering and the neutron transmutation doping of germanium we found for low compensations (at K = 1.4 and 12%) that the critical exponents of the localization length and the dielectric constant are nearly ν = 1/2 and ξ = 1, which double for medium compensations (at K = 39 and 54%) to ν 1 and ξ = 2, respectively

Vortices and gate-tunable bound states in a topological insulator coupled to superconducting leads

Science.gov (United States)

Finck, Aaron; Kurter, C.; Hor, Y. S.; van Harlingen, D. J.

2014-03-01

It has been predicted that zero energy Majorana bound states can be found in the core of vortices within topological superconductors. Here, we report on Andreev spectroscopy measurements of the topological insulator Bi2Se3 with a normal metal lead and one or more niobium leads. The niobium induces superconductivity in the Bi2Se3 through the proximity effect, leading to both signatures of Andreev reflection and a prominent re-entrant resistance effect. When a large magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the surface of the Bi2Se3, we observe multiple abrupt changes in the subgap conductance that are accompanied by sharp peaks in the dynamical resistance. These peaks are very sensitive to changes in magnetic field and disappear at temperatures associated with the critical temperature of the induced superconductivity. The appearance of the transitions and peaks can be tuned by a top gate. At high magnetic fields, we also find evidence of gate-tunable states, which can lead to stable zero-bias conductance peaks. We interpret our results in terms of a transition occurring within the proximity effect region of the topological insulator, likely due to the formation of vortices. We acknowledge support from Microsoft Project Q.

Simulated electron affinity tuning in metal-insulator-metal (MIM) diodes

Science.gov (United States)

Mistry, Kissan; Yavuz, Mustafa; Musselman, Kevin P.

2017-05-01

Metal-insulator-metal diodes for rectification applications must exhibit high asymmetry, nonlinearity, and responsivity. Traditional methods of improving these figures of merit have consisted of increasing insulator thickness, adding multiple insulator layers, and utilizing a variety of metal contact combinations. However, these methods have come with the price of increasing the diode resistance and ultimately limiting the operating frequency to well below the terahertz regime. In this work, an Airy Function Transfer Matrix simulation method was used to observe the effect of tuning the electron affinity of the insulator as a technique to decrease the diode resistance. It was shown that a small increase in electron affinity can result in a resistance decrease in upwards of five orders of magnitude, corresponding to an increase in operating frequency on the same order. Electron affinity tuning has a minimal effect on the diode figures of merit, where asymmetry improves or remains unaffected and slight decreases in nonlinearity and responsivity are likely to be greatly outweighed by the improved operating frequency of the diode.

Pressure induced phase transition behaviour in -electron based ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The present review on the high pressure phase transition behaviour of ... For instance, closing of energy gaps lead to metal–insulator transitions [4], shift in energy ... systematic study of the pressure induced structural sequences has become ...

Infrared plasmonic nano-lasers based on Metal Insulator Metal waveguides

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hill, M.T.

2010-01-01

We will present our latest results on metal-insulator-metal waveguide devices, in particular reducing the dimensions of devices and distributed feedback lasers. Also we will examine potential useful applications for metal nano-lasers.

Pressure-induced structural, magnetic and transport transitions in Sr2FeO3 from first-principles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ting Jia

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The serial system Srn+1FenO2n+1(n=1,2,3… with the FeO4 square planar motif exhibits abundant phase transitions under pressure. In this work, we investigate the pressure-induced structural, magnetic and transport transitions in Sr2FeO3 from first-principles. Our results show that the system undergoes a structural transition from Immm to Ammm when the volume decreases by 30%, together with a spin-state transition (SST from high-spin (S = 2 to intermediate-spin (S = 1, an antiferromagnetic-to-ferromagnetic transition and an insulator-to-metal transition (IMT. Besides, the IMT here is a bandwidth controlled transition, but little influenced by the SST.

The metal-insulator transition of RNiO{sub 3} perovskites. What can we learn from neutron diffraction?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Medarde, M L [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)

1996-11-01

RNiO{sub 3} perovskites (R = rare earth) provide a remarkable opportunity to study the relationship between structural and physical properties since by moving along the 4f rare earth series, the evolution of several transport and magnetic properties can be nicely correlated to the steric effects associated with the lanthanide contraction. The most appealing example is probably the metal-insulator transition discovered for the compounds with R{ne}La, whose critical temperature T{sub M-I} increases with decreasing size of the rare earth ion. In this lecture, a summary of the most relevant neutron diffraction results on this system is presented. Moreover, the nickelates are used as an example to illustrate the performance of the diffractometers HRPT and DMCG to be installed at the SINQ. (author) 12 figs., 2 tabs., 17 refs.

Anisotropic phase separation through the metal-insulator transition in amorphous Mo-Ge and Fe-Ge alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Regan, M.J.

1993-12-01

Since an amorphous solid is often defined as that which lacks long-range order, the atomic structure is typically characterized in terms of the high-degree of short-range order. Most descriptions of vapor-deposited amorphous alloys focus on characterizing this order, while assuming that the material is chemically homogeneous beyond a few near neighbors. By coupling traditional small-angle x-ray scattering which probes spatial variations of the electron density with anomalous dispersion which creates a species-specific contrast, one can discern cracks and voids from chemical inhomogeneity. In particular, one finds that the chemical inhomogeneities which have been previously reported in amorphous Fe x Ge 1-x and Mo x Ge 1-x are quite anisotropic, depending significantly on the direction of film growth. With the addition of small amounts of metal atoms (x 2 or MoGe 3 . Finally, by manipulating the deposited power flux and rates of growth, Fe x Ge 1-x films which have the same Fe composition x can be grown to different states of phase separation. These results may help explain the difficulty workers have had in isolating the metal/insulator transition for these and other vapor-deposited amorphous alloys

Inducement of ferromagnetic-metallic phase in intermediate-doped charge-ordered Pr0.75Na0.25MnO3 manganite by K+ substitution

Science.gov (United States)

Rozilah, R.; Ibrahim, N.; Mohamed, Z.; Yahya, A. K.; Khan, Nawazish A.; Khan, M. Nasir

2017-09-01

Polycrystalline Pr0.75Na0.25-xKxMnO3 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20) ceramics were prepared using conventional solid-state method and their structural, magnetic and electrical transport properties were investigated. Magnetization versus temperature measurements showed un-substituted sample exhibited paramagnetic behavior with charge-ordered temperature, TCO around 218 K followed by antiferromagnetic behavior at transition temperature, TN ∼ 170 K. K+-substitution initially weakened CO state for x = 0.05-0.10 then successfully suppressed the CO state for x = 0.15-0.20 and inducing ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition with Curie temperature, TC increased with x. In addition, deviation of the temperature dependence of inverse magnetic susceptibility curves from the Curie-Weiss law suggests the existence of Griffiths phase-like increased with x. Magnetization versus magnetic field curves show existence of hysteresis loops at T critical field. Electrical resistivity measurements showed an insulating behavior for x = 0 sample while for x = 0.05-0.20 samples showed metal-insulator transition and transition temperature, TMI increased with x. The increased in TC and TMI are attributed to the increase in tolerance factor which indicates reduction in MnO6 octahedral distortion consequently enhanced double exchange interaction.

Metallic insulation transport and strainer clogging tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hyvaerinen, J.; Hongisto, O.

1994-06-01

Experiments to probe the transport and clogging properties of metallic (metal reflective) insulation have been carried out in order to provide data for evaluation of their influence on the emergency core cooling and containment spray systems of the Finnish boiling water reactors in the event of a design basis accident. The specific metallic insulation tested was DARMET, provided by Darchem Engineering Ltd. The inner foils of Darmet are dimped. Available literature on the metallic insulation performance under design basis accident conditions has been reviewed. On the basis of the review a parametric approach has been chosen for the transport and clogging experiments. This approach involves testing a wide size range of various shapes of foil pieces. Five sets of experiments have been carried out. The first three sets investigate transport properties of the foil pieces, starting from sedimentation in stagnant waste pool and proceeding to transport in horizontal and vertically circulating flows. The clogging experiments have been addressed the differential pressures obtained due to accumulation of both pure and metallic and a mixture of metallic and fibrous (mineral wool) depris. (4 refs., 24 figs., 2 tabs.)

Disorder and conductivity of organic metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouffard, Serge

1982-02-01

At high temperature, quasi-one-dimensional organic conductors are metallic; at low temperature, the electron gas instabilities drive either a metal to insulator transition or a metal to superconductor transition. Precursors of these 3-D ordering could be appear at higher temperature. A study of the effects of irradiation induced defects on a few organic complexes has shown that defects are produced by radiolitic process. Their concentration can be easily deduced from resistivity measurement at room temperature. In the metallic state, the defects act as strong potentials which break the conducting chains and force the electron to jump to the neighbourg stack. The defects produce a mixing between longitudinal and transverse conductivities. While, it is the 3-D effect of the defects which pins the charge density waves and thus the 3-D ordering can not be acheived: the metal to insulator transition is destroyed, the metallic state is stabilized. In the same time, the fluctuative conductivity is suppress. The superconducting regime has been found to be extremely sensitive to irradiation induced defects. Thus we can demonstrate that the 1-D superconducting fluctuations contribute to the conductivity and that the transition temperature is correlated to the 3-D superconducting fluctuations. [fr

Low-frequency noise in AlTiO/AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor heterojunction field-effect transistors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Le, Son Phuong; Ui, Toshimasa; Nguyen, Tuan Quy; Shih, Hong-An; Suzuki, Toshi-kazu, E-mail: tosikazu@jaist.ac.jp [Center for Nano Materials and Technology, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292 (Japan)

2016-05-28

Using aluminum titanium oxide (AlTiO, an alloy of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and TiO{sub 2}) as a high-k gate insulator, we fabricated and investigated AlTiO/AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor heterojunction field-effect transistors. From current low-frequency noise (LFN) characterization, we find Lorentzian spectra near the threshold voltage, in addition to 1/f spectra for the well-above-threshold regime. The Lorentzian spectra are attributed to electron trapping/detrapping with two specific time constants, ∼25 ms and ∼3 ms, which are independent of the gate length and the gate voltage, corresponding to two trap level depths of 0.5–0.7 eV with a 0.06 eV difference in the AlTiO insulator. In addition, gate leakage currents are analyzed and attributed to the Poole-Frenkel mechanism due to traps in the AlTiO insulator, where the extracted trap level depth is consistent with the Lorentzian LFN.

Field-induced stacking transition of biofunctionalized trilayer graphene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Masato Nakano, C. [Flintridge Preparatory School, La Canada, California 91011 (United States); Sajib, Md Symon Jahan; Samieegohar, Mohammadreza; Wei, Tao [Dan F. Smith Department of Chemical Engineering, Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas 77710 (United States)

2016-02-01

Trilayer graphene (TLG) is attracting a lot of attention as their stacking structures (i.e., rhombohedral vs. Bernal) drastically affect electronic and optical properties. Based on full-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we here predict electric field-induced rhombohedral-to-Bernal transition of TLG tethered with proteins. Furthermore, our simulations show that protein's electrophoretic mobility and diffusivity are enhanced on TLG surface. This phenomenon of controllable TLG stacking transition will contribute to various applications including biosensing.

Electronic phase separation in insulating (Ga, Mn) As with low compensation: super-paramagnetism and hopping conduction

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Ye; Wang, Mao; Xu, Chi; Hübner, René; Böttger, Roman; Jakiela, Rafal; Helm, Manfred; Sawicki, Maciej; Zhou, Shengqiang

2018-03-01

In the present work, low compensated insulating (Ga,Mn)As with 0.7% Mn is obtained by ion implantation combined with pulsed laser melting. The sample shows variable-range hopping transport behavior with a Coulomb gap in the vicinity of the Fermi energy, and the activation energy is reduced by an external magnetic field. A blocking super-paramagnetism is observed rather than ferromagnetism. Below the blocking temperature, the sample exhibits a colossal negative magnetoresistance. Our studies confirm that the disorder-induced electronic phase separation occurs in (Ga,Mn)As samples with a Mn concentration in the insulator-metal transition regime, and it can account for the observed superparamagnetism and the colossal magnetoresistance.

Metal-insulator transition in tin doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films: Quantum correction to the electrical conductivity

Science.gov (United States)

Kaushik, Deepak Kumar; Kumar, K. Uday; Subrahmanyam, A.

2017-01-01

Tin doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films are being used extensively as transparent conductors in several applications. In the present communication, we report the electrical transport in DC magnetron sputtered ITO thin films (prepared at 300 K and subsequently annealed at 673 K in vacuum for 60 minutes) in low temperatures (25-300 K). The low temperature Hall effect and resistivity measurements reveal that the ITO thin films are moderately dis-ordered (kFl˜1; kF is the Fermi wave vector and l is the electron mean free path) and degenerate semiconductors. The transport of charge carriers (electrons) in these disordered ITO thin films takes place via the de-localized states. The disorder effects lead to the well-known `metal-insulator transition' (MIT) which is observed at 110 K in these ITO thin films. The MIT in ITO thin films is explained by the quantum correction to the conductivity (QCC); this approach is based on the inclusion of quantum-mechanical interference effects in Boltzmann's expression of the conductivity of the disordered systems. The insulating behaviour observed in ITO thin films below the MIT temperature is attributed to the combined effect of the weak localization and the electron-electron interactions.

Silicon dioxide with a silicon interfacial layer as an insulating gate for highly stable indium phosphide metal-insulator-semiconductor field effect transistors

Science.gov (United States)

Kapoor, V. J.; Shokrani, M.

1991-01-01

A novel gate insulator consisting of silicon dioxide (SiO2) with a thin silicon (Si) interfacial layer has been investigated for high-power microwave indium phosphide (InP) metal-insulator-semiconductor field effect transistors (MISFETs). The role of the silicon interfacial layer on the chemical nature of the SiO2/Si/InP interface was studied by high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicated that the silicon interfacial layer reacted with the native oxide at the InP surface, thus producing silicon dioxide, while reducing the native oxide which has been shown to be responsible for the instabilities in InP MISFETs. While a 1.2-V hysteresis was present in the capacitance-voltage (C-V) curve of the MIS capacitors with silicon dioxide, less than 0.1 V hysteresis was observed in the C-V curve of the capacitors with the silicon interfacial layer incorporated in the insulator. InP MISFETs fabricated with the silicon dioxide in combination with the silicon interfacial layer exhibited excellent stability with drain current drift of less than 3 percent in 10,000 sec, as compared to 15-18 percent drift in 10,000 sec for devices without the silicon interfacial layer. High-power microwave InP MISFETs with Si/SiO2 gate insulators resulted in an output power density of 1.75 W/mm gate width at 9.7 GHz, with an associated power gain of 2.5 dB and 24 percent power added efficiency.

Dimensional crossover and cold-atom realization of gapless and semi-metallic Mott insulating phases

Science.gov (United States)

Orth, Peter P.; Scheurer, Mathias; Rachel, Stephan

2014-03-01

We propose a realistic cold-atom setup which allows for a dimensional crossover from a two-dimensional quantum spin Hall insulating phase to a three-dimensional strong topological insulator phase by simply tuning the hopping between the layers. We further employ cluster slave-rotor mean-field theory to study the effect of additional Hubbard onsite interactions that give rise to various spin liquid-like phases such as gapless and semi-metallic Mott insulating states.

Gate-controlled metal-insulator transition in the LaAlO{sub 3}/SrTiO{sub 3} system with sub-critical LaAlO{sub 3} thickness

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Joon Sung; Lee, Seung Ran; Chang, Jung-Won; Noh, Hyunho; Baasandorj, Lkhagvasuren; Shim, Seung-Bo; Kim, Jinhee [Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Daejeon 305-600 (Korea, Republic of); Seung, Sang Keun; Shin, Hyun Sup; Song, Jonghyun [Department of Physics, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764 (Korea, Republic of)

2012-12-15

We studied the electrical conduction in the LaAlO{sub 3}/SrTiO{sub 3} (LAO/STO) interface electron system with a sub-critical LAO layer thickness of {proportional_to}3.5 unit cells (uc). It was found that the true dividing point between metallic and insulating behaviour without gating lies near the LAO thickness of 3.5 uc. Our marginally metallic 3.5 uc sample showed a sharp transition to insulating state at temperatures which strongly depended on the applied negative back-gate voltage. The superior gate-controllability of the sample was attributed to its sheet carrier density which was an order of magnitude lower than those of conducting LAO/STO samples with 4 uc or more of LAO layers. (copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Effect of moisture on the electrical performance of transition-joints for medium voltage paper-insulated cables; Elektrische Beeintraechtigung durch Feuchtigkeit an oelgetraenkten Isolierpapieren. Mittelspannungsuebergangsmuffen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cardinaels, Jos [Nexans Network Solution, Erembodegem (Belgium). Produktentwicklung; Baesch, Manfred [Nexans Power Accessories Germany, Dortmund (Germany). Produkt- und Qualitaetsmanagement

2009-06-15

Paper-insulated cables are constructed with an impervious metallic outer jacket in order to protect them against ingress of moisture. On 'modern' transition-joints to XLPE-insulated cables, this metal barrier is interrupted, hence, a risk of moisture penetration exists. This text presents measurements of water-vapour permeability of used materials and discusses the results of ageing tests. (orig.)

Pressure-induced spin reorientation transition in layered ferromagnetic insulator Cr2Ge2Te6

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Zhisheng; Lohmann, Mark; Ali, Zulfikhar A.; Tang, Chi; Li, Junxue; Xing, Wenyu; Zhong, Jiangnan; Jia, Shuang; Han, Wei; Coh, Sinisa; Beyermann, Ward; Shi, Jing

2018-05-01

The anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) of Cr2Ge2Te6 (CGT), a layered ferromagnetic insulator, is investigated under an applied hydrostatic pressure up to 2 GPa. The easy-axis direction of the magnetization is inferred from the AMR saturation feature in the presence and absence of an applied pressure. At zero applied pressure, the easy axis is along the c direction or perpendicular to the layer. Upon application of a hydrostatic pressure > 1 GPa, the uniaxial anisotropy switches to easy-plane anisotropy which drives the equilibrium magnetization from the c axis to the a b plane at zero magnetic field, which amounts to a giant magnetic anisotropy energy change (> 100%). As the temperature is increased across the Curie temperature, the characteristic AMR effect gradually decreases and disappears. Our first-principles calculations confirm the giant magnetic anisotropy energy change with moderate pressure and assign its origin to the increased off-site spin-orbit interaction of Te atoms due to a shorter Cr-Te distance. Such a pressure-induced spin reorientation transition is very rare in three-dimensional ferromagnets, but it may be common to other layered ferromagnets with similar crystal structures to CGT, and therefore offers a unique way to control magnetic anisotropy.

Photoinduced Topological Phase Transitions in Topological Magnon Insulators.

Science.gov (United States)

Owerre, S A

2018-03-13

Topological magnon insulators are the bosonic analogs of electronic topological insulators. They are manifested in magnetic materials with topologically nontrivial magnon bands as realized experimentally in a quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) kagomé ferromagnet Cu(1-3, bdc), and they also possess protected magnon edge modes. These topological magnetic materials can transport heat as well as spin currents, hence they can be useful for spintronic applications. Moreover, as magnons are charge-neutral spin-1 bosonic quasiparticles with a magnetic dipole moment, topological magnon materials can also interact with electromagnetic fields through the Aharonov-Casher effect. In this report, we study photoinduced topological phase transitions in intrinsic topological magnon insulators in the kagomé ferromagnets. Using magnonic Floquet-Bloch theory, we show that by varying the light intensity, periodically driven intrinsic topological magnetic materials can be manipulated into different topological phases with different sign of the Berry curvatures and the thermal Hall conductivity. We further show that, under certain conditions, periodically driven gapped topological magnon insulators can also be tuned to synthetic gapless topological magnon semimetals with Dirac-Weyl magnon cones. We envision that this work will pave the way for interesting new potential practical applications in topological magnetic materials.

Development of insulating coatings for liquid metal blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malang, S.; Borgstedt, H.U.; Farnum, E.H.; Natesan, K.; Vitkovski, I.V.

1994-07-01

It is shown that self-cooled liquid metal blankets are feasible only with electrically insulating coatings at the duct walls. The requirements on the insulation properties are estimated by simple analytical models. Candidate insulator materials are selected based on insulating properties and thermodynamic consideration. Different fabrication technologies for insulating coatings are described. The status of the knowledge on the most crucial feasibility issue, the degradation of the resisivity under irradiation, is reviewed

Effects of Disorder on the Pressure-Induced Mott Transition in κ-(BEDT-TTF2Cu[N(CN2]Cl

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Gati

2018-01-01

Full Text Available We present a study of the influence of disorder on the Mott metal-insulator transition for the organic charge-transfer salt κ -(BEDT-TTF 2 Cu[N(CN 2 ]Cl. To this end, disorder was introduced into the system in a controlled way by exposing the single crystals to X-ray irradiation. The crystals were then fine-tuned across the Mott transition by the application of continuously controllable He-gas pressure at low temperatures. Measurements of the thermal expansion and resistance show that the first-order character of the Mott transition prevails for low irradiation doses achieved by irradiation times up to 100 h. For these crystals with a moderate degree of disorder, we find a first-order transition line which ends in a second-order critical endpoint, akin to the pristine crystals. Compared to the latter, however, we observe a significant reduction of both, the critical pressure p c and the critical temperature T c . This result is consistent with the theoretically-predicted formation of a soft Coulomb gap in the presence of strong correlations and small disorder. Furthermore, we demonstrate, similar to the observation for the pristine sample, that the Mott transition after 50 h of irradiation is accompanied by sizable lattice effects, the critical behavior of which can be well described by mean-field theory. Our results demonstrate that the character of the Mott transition remains essentially unchanged at a low disorder level. However, after an irradiation time of 150 h, no clear signatures of a discontinuous metal-insulator transition could be revealed anymore. These results suggest that, above a certain disorder level, the metal-insulator transition becomes a smeared first-order transition with some residual hysteresis.

On effective holographic Mott insulators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baggioli, Matteo; Pujolàs, Oriol [Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona,The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology,Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) (Spain)

2016-12-20

We present a class of holographic models that behave effectively as prototypes of Mott insulators — materials where electron-electron interactions dominate transport phenomena. The main ingredient in the gravity dual is that the gauge-field dynamics contains self-interactions by way of a particular type of non-linear electrodynamics. The electrical response in these models exhibits typical features of Mott-like states: i) the low-temperature DC conductivity is unboundedly low; ii) metal-insulator transitions appear by varying various parameters; iii) for large enough self-interaction strength, the conductivity can even decrease with increasing doping (density of carriers) — which appears as a sharp manifestation of ‘traffic-jam’-like behaviour; iv) the insulating state becomes very unstable towards superconductivity at large enough doping. We exhibit some of the properties of the resulting insulator-superconductor transition, which is sensitive to the momentum dissipation rate in a specific way. These models imply a clear and generic correlation between Mott behaviour and significant effects in the nonlinear electrical response. We compute the nonlinear current-voltage curve in our model and find that indeed at large voltage the conductivity is largely reduced.

On effective holographic Mott insulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baggioli, Matteo; Pujolàs, Oriol

2016-01-01

We present a class of holographic models that behave effectively as prototypes of Mott insulators — materials where electron-electron interactions dominate transport phenomena. The main ingredient in the gravity dual is that the gauge-field dynamics contains self-interactions by way of a particular type of non-linear electrodynamics. The electrical response in these models exhibits typical features of Mott-like states: i) the low-temperature DC conductivity is unboundedly low; ii) metal-insulator transitions appear by varying various parameters; iii) for large enough self-interaction strength, the conductivity can even decrease with increasing doping (density of carriers) — which appears as a sharp manifestation of ‘traffic-jam’-like behaviour; iv) the insulating state becomes very unstable towards superconductivity at large enough doping. We exhibit some of the properties of the resulting insulator-superconductor transition, which is sensitive to the momentum dissipation rate in a specific way. These models imply a clear and generic correlation between Mott behaviour and significant effects in the nonlinear electrical response. We compute the nonlinear current-voltage curve in our model and find that indeed at large voltage the conductivity is largely reduced.

Metal non-metal transitions in doped semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brezini, A.

1989-12-01

A disordered Hubbard model with diagonal disorder is used to examine the electron localization effects associated with both disorder and electron-electron interaction. Extensive results are reported on the ground state properties and compared with other theories. In particular two regimes are observed; when the electron-electron interaction U is greater than the disorder parameter and when is smaller. Furthermore the effect of including conduction-band minima into the calculation of metal-insulator transitions in doped Si and Ge is investigated with use of Berggren approach. Good agreement with experiments are found when both disorder and interactions are included. (author). 37 refs, 7 figs, 3 tabs

Magnetic engineering in 3d transition metals on phosphorene by strain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai, Xiaolin; Niu, Chunyao; Wang, Jianjun; Yu, Weiyang; Ren, XiaoYan; Zhu, Zhili

2017-01-01

Using first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we systematically investigate the strain effects on the adsorption energies, magnetic ordering and electronic properties of 3d transition metal (TM) atoms (from Sc to Co) adsorbed on phosphorene (P). We find that the adsorption energy of TM can be enhanced by compressive strain whereas weakened by tensile strain. Our results show that strain plays a decisive role in the magnetic moments as well as the magnetic coupling states of TM adatoms. Importantly, the transitions from antiferromagnetic (AFM) state to ferromagnetic (FM) state or to another different AFM ordering can be induced by strain effect. In addition, we observe the semiconductor to metal or half-metal transitions in some TM@P systems by applying strain. Our findings shed a new light on precisely engineering the magnetic properties and electronic properties of the TM@P systems, which will have great potential applications in spin electronics and other related fields. - Highlights: • The adsorption of TM atoms on phosphorene can be enhanced by compressive strain whereas weakened by tensile strain. • Strain plays a decisive role in the magnetic moments as well as the magnetic coupling states of TM adatoms. • Applying strain can induce the semiconductor to metal or half-metal transitions in some TM@P systems.

Magnetic engineering in 3d transition metals on phosphorene by strain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cai, Xiaolin [International Laboratory for Quantum Functional Materials of Henan and School of Physics and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001 (China); School of Physics and Electronic Information Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, 454000 (China); Niu, Chunyao, E-mail: niuchunyao@zzu.edu.cn [International Laboratory for Quantum Functional Materials of Henan and School of Physics and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001 (China); Wang, Jianjun [College of Science, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450007 (China); Yu, Weiyang [International Laboratory for Quantum Functional Materials of Henan and School of Physics and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001 (China); School of Physics and Electronic Information Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, 454000 (China); Ren, XiaoYan; Zhu, Zhili [International Laboratory for Quantum Functional Materials of Henan and School of Physics and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001 (China)

2017-04-11

Using first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we systematically investigate the strain effects on the adsorption energies, magnetic ordering and electronic properties of 3d transition metal (TM) atoms (from Sc to Co) adsorbed on phosphorene (P). We find that the adsorption energy of TM can be enhanced by compressive strain whereas weakened by tensile strain. Our results show that strain plays a decisive role in the magnetic moments as well as the magnetic coupling states of TM adatoms. Importantly, the transitions from antiferromagnetic (AFM) state to ferromagnetic (FM) state or to another different AFM ordering can be induced by strain effect. In addition, we observe the semiconductor to metal or half-metal transitions in some TM@P systems by applying strain. Our findings shed a new light on precisely engineering the magnetic properties and electronic properties of the TM@P systems, which will have great potential applications in spin electronics and other related fields. - Highlights: • The adsorption of TM atoms on phosphorene can be enhanced by compressive strain whereas weakened by tensile strain. • Strain plays a decisive role in the magnetic moments as well as the magnetic coupling states of TM adatoms. • Applying strain can induce the semiconductor to metal or half-metal transitions in some TM@P systems.

Metal-insulator phase transition in a VO2 thin film observed with terahertz spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jepsen, Peter Uhd; Fischer, Bernd M.; Thoman, Andreas

2006-01-01

We investigate the dielectric properties of a thin VO2 film in the terahertz frequency range in the vicinity of the semiconductor-metal phase transition. Phase-sensitive broadband spectroscopy in the frequency region below the phonon bands of VO2 gives insight into the conductive properties...... of the film during the phase transition. We compare our experimental data with models proposed for the evolution of the phase transition. The experimental data show that the phase transition occurs via the gradual growth of metallic domains in the film, and that the dielectric properties of the film...

Kondo-Anderson transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Kettemann, S.; Mucciolo, E. R.; Varga, I.; Slevin, K.

2012-03-01

Dilute magnetic impurities in a disordered Fermi liquid are considered close to the Anderson metal-insulator transition (AMIT). Critical power-law correlations between electron wave functions at different energies in the vicinity of the AMIT result in the formation of pseudogaps of the local density of states. Magnetic impurities can remain unscreened at such sites. We determine the density of the resulting free magnetic moments in the zero-temperature limit. While it is finite on the insulating side of the AMIT, it vanishes at the AMIT, and decays with a power law as function of the distance to the AMIT. Since the fluctuating spins of these free magnetic moments break the time-reversal symmetry of the conduction electrons, we find a shift of the AMIT, and the appearance of a semimetal phase. The distribution function of the Kondo temperature TK is derived at the AMIT, in the metallic phase, and in the insulator phase. This allows us to find the quantum phase diagram in an external magnetic field B and at finite temperature T. We calculate the resulting magnetic susceptibility, the specific heat, and the spin relaxation rate as a function of temperature. We find a phase diagram with finite-temperature transitions among insulator, critical semimetal, and metal phases. These new types of phase transitions are caused by the interplay between Kondo screening and Anderson localization, with the latter being shifted by the appearance of the temperature-dependent spin-flip scattering rate. Accordingly, we name them Kondo-Anderson transitions.

Imaging Nanometer Phase Coexistence at Defects During the Insulator-Metal Phase Transformation in VO2 Thin Films by Resonant Soft X-ray Holography.

Science.gov (United States)

Vidas, Luciana; Günther, Christian M; Miller, Timothy A; Pfau, Bastian; Perez-Salinas, Daniel; Martínez, Elías; Schneider, Michael; Gührs, Erik; Gargiani, Pierluigi; Valvidares, Manuel; Marvel, Robert E; Hallman, Kent A; Haglund, Richard F; Eisebitt, Stefan; Wall, Simon

2018-05-18

We use resonant soft X-ray holography to image the insulator-metal phase transition in vanadium dioxide with element and polarization specificity and nanometer spatial resolution. We observe that nanoscale inhomogeneity in the film results in spatial-dependent transition pathways between the insulating and metallic states. Additional nanoscale phases form in the vicinity of defects which are not apparent in the initial or final states of the system, which would be missed in area-integrated X-ray absorption measurements. These intermediate phases are vital to understand the phase transition in VO 2 , and our results demonstrate how resonant imaging can be used to understand the electronic properties of phase-separated correlated materials obtained by X-ray absorption.

Nanostructured Anodic Multilayer Dielectric Stacked Metal-Insulator-Metal Capacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Karthik, R; Kannadassan, D; Baghini, Maryam Shojaei; Mallick, P S

2015-12-01

This paper presents the fabrication of Al2O3/TiO2/Al2O3 metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor using anodization technique. High capacitance density of > 3.5 fF/μm2, low quadratic voltage coefficient of capacitance of dielectric stack required for high performance MIM capacitor.

Study of transition metal oxides by photoelectron spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao, C.N.R.; Sarma, D.D.; Vasudevan, S.; Hegde, M.S.

1979-01-01

Systematics in the X-ray photoelectron spectra (X.p.e.s.) of Ti, V, Cr, Mn and Nb oxides with the metal ion in different oxidation states as well as of related series of mono-, sesqui- and di-oxides of the first row of transition metals have been investigated in detail. Core level binding energies, spin-orbit splittings and exchange splittings are found to exhibit interesting variations with the oxidation state of the metal or the nuclear charge. The 3d binding energies of the monoxides show a proportionality to Goodenough's (R - RC). Other aspects of interest in the study are the satellite structure and final state effects in the X.p.e.s. of the oxides, and identification of different valence states in oxides of the general formulae Mn02n-1 and M304. The nature of changes in the 3d bands of oxides undergoing metal-insulator transitions is also indicated. (author)

Optical transmission theory for metal-insulator-metal periodic nanostructures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Blanchard-Dionne Andre-Pierre

2016-11-01

Full Text Available A semi-analytical formalism for the optical properties of a metal-insulator-metal periodic nanostructure using coupled-mode theory is presented. This structure consists in a dielectric layer in between two metallic layers with periodic one-dimensional nanoslit corrugation. The model is developed using multiple-scattering formalism, which defines transmission and reflection coefficients for each of the interface as a semi-infinite medium. Total transmission is then calculated using a summation of the multiple paths of light inside the structure. This method allows finding an exact solution for the transmission problem in every dimension regime, as long as a sufficient number of diffraction orders and guided modes are considered for the structure. The resonant modes of the structure are found to be related to the metallic slab only and to a combination of both the metallic slab and dielectric layer. This model also allows describing the resonant behavior of the system in the limit of a small dielectric layer, for which discontinuities in the dispersion curves are found. These discontinuities result from the out-of-phase interference of the different diffraction orders of the system, which account for field interaction for both inner interfaces of the structure.

Nanoscale Phase Separation and Lattice Complexity in VO2: The Metal–Insulator Transition Investigated by XANES via Auger Electron Yield at the Vanadium L23-Edge and Resonant Photoemission

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Augusto Marcelli

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Among transition metal oxides, VO2 is a particularly interesting and challenging correlated electron material where an insulator to metal transition (MIT occurs near room temperature. Here we investigate a 16 nm thick strained vanadium dioxide film, trying to clarify the dynamic behavior of the insulator/metal transition. We measured (resonant photoemission below and above the MIT transition temperature, focusing on heating and cooling effects at the vanadium L23-edge using X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Structure (XANES. The vanadium L23-edges probe the transitions from the 2p core level to final unoccupied states with 3d orbital symmetry above the Fermi level. The dynamics of the 3d unoccupied states both at the L3- and at the L2-edge are in agreement with the hysteretic behavior of this thin film. In the first stage of the cooling, the 3d unoccupied states do not change while the transition in the insulating phase appears below 60 °C. Finally, Resonant Photoemission Spectra (ResPES point out a shift of the Fermi level of ~0.75 eV, which can be correlated to the dynamics of the 3d// orbitals, the electron–electron correlation, and the stability of the metallic state.

Janus monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides

KAUST Repository

Lu, Ang-Yu

2017-05-15

Structural symmetry-breaking plays a crucial role in determining the electronic band structures of two-dimensional materials. Tremendous efforts have been devoted to breaking the in-plane symmetry of graphene with electric fields on AB-stacked bilayers or stacked van der Waals heterostructures. In contrast, transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers are semiconductors with intrinsic in-plane asymmetry, leading to direct electronic bandgaps, distinctive optical properties and great potential in optoelectronics. Apart from their in-plane inversion asymmetry, an additional degree of freedom allowing spin manipulation can be induced by breaking the out-of-plane mirror symmetry with external electric fields or, as theoretically proposed, with an asymmetric out-of-plane structural configuration. Here, we report a synthetic strategy to grow Janus monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides breaking the out-of-plane structural symmetry. In particular, based on a MoS2 monolayer, we fully replace the top-layer S with Se atoms. We confirm the Janus structure of MoSSe directly by means of scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy-dependent X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and prove the existence of vertical dipoles by second harmonic generation and piezoresponse force microscopy measurements.

Soft Coulomb gap and asymmetric scaling towards metal-insulator quantum criticality in multilayer MoS2.

Science.gov (United States)

Moon, Byoung Hee; Bae, Jung Jun; Joo, Min-Kyu; Choi, Homin; Han, Gang Hee; Lim, Hanjo; Lee, Young Hee

2018-05-24

Quantum localization-delocalization of carriers are well described by either carrier-carrier interaction or disorder. When both effects come into play, however, a comprehensive understanding is not well established mainly due to complexity and sparse experimental data. Recently developed two-dimensional layered materials are ideal in describing such mesoscopic critical phenomena as they have both strong interactions and disorder. The transport in the insulating phase is well described by the soft Coulomb gap picture, which demonstrates the contribution of both interactions and disorder. Using this picture, we demonstrate the critical power law behavior of the localization length, supporting quantum criticality. We observe asymmetric critical exponents around the metal-insulator transition through temperature scaling analysis, which originates from poor screening in insulating regime and conversely strong screening in metallic regime due to free carriers. The effect of asymmetric scaling behavior is weakened in monolayer MoS 2 due to a dominating disorder.

Effects of Ion Beam Irradiation on Nanoscale InOx Cooper-Pair Insulators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Srdjan Milosavljević

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the effects of irradiating indium oxide films of nanoscale thickness by ion beams, when these films are in the Cooper-pair insulator state. Radiation effects are predicted on the basis of Monte Carlo simulations of ion transport. Results of numerical experiments are interpreted within the theoretical model of a Cooper-pair insulator. The study suggests that radiation-induced changes in InOx films exposed to ion beams could significantly alter their current-voltage characteristics and that a transition to a metallic state is possible, due to radiation-induced perturbation of the fine-tuned granular structure. Furthermore, incident and displaced ions can break up enough Cooper pairs in InOx films to cause dissolution of this specific insulating state.

Step tunneling enhanced asymmetry in metal-insulator-insulator-metal (MIIM) diodes for rectenna applications

Science.gov (United States)

Alimardani, N.; Conley, J. F.

2013-09-01

We combine nanolaminate bilayer insulator tunnel barriers (Al2O3/HfO2, HfO2/Al2O3, Al2O3/ZrO2) deposited via atomic layer deposition (ALD) with asymmetric work function metal electrodes to produce MIIM diodes with enhanced I-V asymmetry and non-linearity. We show that the improvements in MIIM devices are due to step tunneling rather than resonant tunneling. We also investigate conduction processes as a function of temperature in MIM devices with Nb2O5 and Ta2O5 high electron affinity insulators. For both Nb2O5 and Ta2O5 insulators, the dominant conduction process is established as Schottky emission at small biases and Frenkel-Poole emission at large biases. The energy depth of the traps that dominate Frenkel-Poole emission in each material are estimated.

Low dielectric constant-based organic field-effect transistors and metal-insulator-semiconductor capacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Ukah, Ndubuisi Benjamin

This thesis describes a study of PFB and pentacene-based organic field-effect transistors (OFET) and metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) capacitors with low dielectric constant (k) poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(4-vinyl phenol) (PVP) and cross-linked PVP (c-PVP) gate dielectrics. A physical method -- matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) -- of fabricating all-polymer field-effect transistors and MIS capacitors that circumvents inherent polymer dissolution and solvent-selectivity problems, is demonstrated. Pentacene-based OFETs incorporating PMMA and PVP gate dielectrics usually have high operating voltages related to the thickness of the dielectric layer. Reduced PMMA layer thickness (≤ 70 nm) was obtained by dissolving the PMMA in propylene carbonate (PC). The resulting pentacene-based transistors exhibited very low operating voltage (below -3 V), minimal hysteresis in their transfer characteristics, and decent electrical performance. Also low voltage (within -2 V) operation using thin (≤ 80 nm) low-k and hydrophilic PVP and c-PVP dielectric layers obtained via dissolution in high dipole moment and high-k solvents -- PC and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), is demonstrated to be a robust means of achieving improved electrical characteristics and high operational stability in OFETs incorporating PVP and c-PVP dielectrics.

Mesoporous Transition Metal Oxides for Supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yan; Guo, Jin; Wang, Tingfeng; Shao, Junfeng; Wang, Dong; Yang, Ying-Wei

2015-10-14

Recently, transition metal oxides, such as ruthenium oxide (RuO₂), manganese dioxide (MnO₂), nickel oxides (NiO) and cobalt oxide (Co₃O₄), have been widely investigated as electrode materials for pseudo-capacitors. In particular, these metal oxides with mesoporous structures have become very hot nanomaterials in the field of supercapacitors owing to their large specific surface areas and suitable pore size distributions. The high specific capacities of these mesoporous metal oxides are resulted from the effective contacts between electrode materials and electrolytes as well as fast transportation of ions and electrons in the bulk of electrode and at the interface of electrode and electrolyte. During the past decade, many achievements on mesoporous transition metal oxides have been made. In this mini-review, we select several typical nanomaterials, such as RuO₂, MnO₂, NiO, Co₃O₄ and nickel cobaltite (NiCo₂O₄), and briefly summarize the recent research progress of these mesoporous transition metal oxides-based electrodes in the field of supercapacitors.

Local-field correction in the lattice dynamics of b.b.c. transition metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onwuagba, B.N.

1984-01-01

It is shown that the off-diagonal components of the inverse dielectric matrix which determine the local-field correction associated with s-d interactions, make contributions to the dynamical matrix for phonon dispersion in the body-centred cubic transition metals V, Nb and Ta which tend to cancel the Born-Mayer contribution, just as the diagonal components of the inverse dielectric matrix tend to cancel or screen the long-range (Coulombic) contribution. Numerical calculations show that the cancellation of the Born-Mayer contribution to the dynamical matrix by the local-field correction is such that the effective short-range interatomic potential turns out to be attractive rather than repulsive in these metals and accounts for some peculiar shapes of the major soft modes observed in these metals

Liquid metal flows in insulating elements of self-cooled blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molokov, S.

1995-01-01

Liquid metal flows in insulating rectangular ducts in strong magnetic fields are considered with reference to poloidal concepts of self-cooled blankets. Although the major part of the flow in poloidal blanket concepts is close to being fully developed, manifolds, expansions, contractions, elbows, etc., which are necessary elements in blanket designs, cause three-dimensional effects. The present investigation demonstrates the flow pattern in basic insulating geometries for actual and more advanced liquid metal blanket concepts and discusses the ways to avoid pressure losses caused by flow redistribution. Flows in several geometries, such as symmetric and non-symmetric 180 turns with and without manifolds, sharp and linear expansions with and without manifolds, etc., have been considered. They demonstrate the attractiveness of poloidal concepts of liquid metal blankets, since they guarantee uniform conditions for heat transfer. If changes in the duct cross-section occur in the plane perpendicular to the magnetic field (ideally a coolant should always flow in the radial-poloidal plane), the disturbances are local and the slug velocity profile is reached roughly at a distance equivalent to one duct width from the manifolds, expansions, etc. The effects of inertia in these flows are unimportant for the determination of the pressure drop and velocity profiles in the core of the flow but may favour heat transfer characteristics via instabilities and strongly anisotropic turbulence. (orig.)

Stochastic IMT (Insulator-Metal-Transition Neurons: An Interplay of Thermal and Threshold Noise at Bifurcation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abhinav Parihar

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Artificial neural networks can harness stochasticity in multiple ways to enable a vast class of computationally powerful models. Boltzmann machines and other stochastic neural networks have been shown to outperform their deterministic counterparts by allowing dynamical systems to escape local energy minima. Electronic implementation of such stochastic networks is currently limited to addition of algorithmic noise to digital machines which is inherently inefficient; albeit recent efforts to harness physical noise in devices for stochasticity have shown promise. To succeed in fabricating electronic neuromorphic networks we need experimental evidence of devices with measurable and controllable stochasticity which is complemented with the development of reliable statistical models of such observed stochasticity. Current research literature has sparse evidence of the former and a complete lack of the latter. This motivates the current article where we demonstrate a stochastic neuron using an insulator-metal-transition (IMT device, based on electrically induced phase-transition, in series with a tunable resistance. We show that an IMT neuron has dynamics similar to a piecewise linear FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN neuron and incorporates all characteristics of a spiking neuron in the device phenomena. We experimentally demonstrate spontaneous stochastic spiking along with electrically controllable firing probabilities using Vanadium Dioxide (VO2 based IMT neurons which show a sigmoid-like transfer function. The stochastic spiking is explained by two noise sources - thermal noise and threshold fluctuations, which act as precursors of bifurcation. As such, the IMT neuron is modeled as an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU process with a fluctuating boundary resulting in transfer curves that closely match experiments. The moments of interspike intervals are calculated analytically by extending the first-passage-time (FPT models for Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU process to include a

Systematic study of metal-insulator-metal diodes with a native oxide

KAUST Repository

Donchev, E.; Gammon, P. M.; Pang, J. S.; Petrov, P. K.; Alford, N. McN.

2014-01-01

© 2014 SPIE. In this paper, a systematic analysis of native oxides within a Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) diode is carried out, with the goal of determining their practicality for incorporation into a nanoscale Rectenna (Rectifying Antenna

Transition Metal Chelator Induces Progesterone Production in Mouse Cumulus-Oocyte Complexes and Corpora Lutea.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, X; Anthony, K; Diaz, Francisco J

2017-04-01

Progesterone production is upregulated in granulosa cells (cumulus and mural) after the LH surge, but the intra-follicular mechanisms regulating this transition are not completely known. Recent findings show that the transition metal chelator, N,N,N',N'-tetrakis-(2-pyridylmethyl)-ethylenediamine (TPEN), impairs ovarian function. In this study, we provide evidence that chelating transition metals, including zinc, enhances progesterone production. The findings show that TPEN (transition metal chelator) increases abundance of Cyp11a1 and Star messenger RNA (mRNA) between 8- and 20-fold and progesterone production more than 3-fold in cultured cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC). Feeding a zinc-deficient diet for 10 days, but not 3 days, increased Star, Hsd3b, and prostaglandin F2 alpha receptor (Ptgfr) mRNA ~2.5-fold, suggesting that the effect of TPEN is through modulation of zinc availability. Progesterone from cumulus cells promotes oocyte developmental potential. Blocking progesterone production with epostane during maturation reduced subsequent blastocyst formation from 89 % in control to 18 % in epostane-treated complexes, but supplementation with progesterone restored blastocyst developmental potential to 94 %. Feeding a zinc-deficient diet for 5 days before ovulation did not affect the number of CL, STAR protein, or serum progesterone. However, incubating luteal tissue with TPEN increased abundance of Star, Hsd3b, and Ptgfr mRNA 2-3-fold and increased progesterone production 3-fold. TPEN is known to abolish SMAD2/3 signaling in cumulus cells. However, treatment of COC with the SMAD2/3 phosphorylation inhibitor, SB421542, did not by itself induce steroidogenic transcripts but did potentiate EGF-induced Star mRNA expression. Collectively, the results show that depletion of transition metals with TPEN acutely enhances progesterone biosynthesis in COC and luteal tissue.

Inhomogeneous field induced magnetoelectric effect in Mott insulators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boulaevskii, Lev N [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Batista, Cristian D [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2008-01-01

We consider a Mott insulator like HoMnO{sub 3} whose magnetic lattice is geometrically frustrated and comprises a 3D array of triangular layers with magnetic moments ordered in a 120{sup o} structure. We show that the effect of a uniform magnetic field gradient, {gradient}H, is to redistribute the electronic charge of the magnetically ordered phase leading to a unfirom electric field gradient. The resulting voltage difference between the crystal edges is proportional to the square of the crystal thickness, or inter-edge distance, L. It can reach values of several volts for |{gradient}H| {approx} 0.01 T/cm and L {approx_equal} 1mm, as long as the crystal is free of antiferromagnetic domain walls.

Reliability of the one-crossing approximation in describing the Mott transition

Science.gov (United States)

Vildosola, V.; Pourovskii, L. V.; Manuel, L. O.; Roura-Bas, P.

2015-12-01

We assess the reliability of the one-crossing approximation (OCA) approach in a quantitative description of the Mott transition in the framework of the dynamical mean field theory (DMFT). The OCA approach has been applied in conjunction with DMFT to a number of heavy-fermion, actinide, transition metal compounds and nanoscale systems. However, several recent studies in the framework of impurity models pointed out serious deficiencies of OCA and raised questions regarding its reliability. Here we consider a single band Hubbard model on the Bethe lattice at finite temperatures and compare the results of OCA to those of a numerically exact quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) method. The temperature-local repulsion U phase diagram for the particle-hole symmetric case obtained by OCA is in good agreement with that of QMC, with the metal-insulator transition captured very well. We find, however, that the insulator to metal transition is shifted to higher values of U and, simultaneously, correlations in the metallic phase are significantly overestimated. This counter-intuitive behaviour is due to simultaneous underestimations of the Kondo scale in the metallic phase and the size of the insulating gap. We trace the underestimation of the insulating gap to that of the second moment of the high-frequency expansion of the impurity spectral density. Calculations of the system away from the particle-hole symmetric case are also presented and discussed.

Topological phase transitions in an inverted InAs/GaSb quantum well driven by tilted magnetic fields

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Hsiu-Chuan; Jhang, Min-Jyun; Chen, Tsung-Wei; Guo, Guang-Yu

2017-05-01

The helical edge states in a quantum spin Hall insulator are presumably protected by time-reversal symmetry. However, even in the presence of magnetic field which breaks time-reversal symmetry, the helical edge conduction can still exist, dubbed as pseudo quantum spin Hall effect. In this paper, the effects of the magnetic fields on the pseudo quantum spin Hall effect and the phase transitions are studied. We show that an in-plane magnetic field drives a pseudo quantum spin Hall state to a metallic state at a high field. Moreover, at a fixed in-plane magnetic field, an increasing out-of-plane magnetic field leads to a reentrance of pseudo quantum spin Hall state in an inverted InAs/GaSb quantum well. The edge state probability distribution and Chern numbers are calculated to verify that the reentrant states are topologically nontrivial. The origin of the reentrant behavior is attributed to the nonmonotonic bending of Landau levels and the Landau level mixing caused by the orbital effect induced by the in-plane magnetic field. The robustness to disorder is demonstrated by the numerically calculated quantized conductance for disordered nanowires within Landauer-Büttiker formalism.

Transition metal nuclear magnetic resonance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pregosin, P.S.

1991-01-01

Transition metal NMR spectroscopy has progressed enormously in recent years. New methods, and specifically solid-state methods and new pulse sequences, have allowed access to data from nuclei with relatively low receptivities with the result that chemists have begun to consider old and new problems, previously unapproachable. Moreover, theory, computational science in particular, now permits the calculation of not just 13 C, 15 N and other light nuclei chemical shifts, but heavy main-group element and transition metals as well. These two points, combined with increasing access to high field pulsed spectrometer has produced a wealth of new data on the NMR transition metals. A new series of articles concerned with measuring, understanding and using the nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of the metals of Group 3-12 is presented. (author)

Current-induced switching in a magnetic insulator

Science.gov (United States)

Avci, Can Onur; Quindeau, Andy; Pai, Chi-Feng; Mann, Maxwell; Caretta, Lucas; Tang, Astera S.; Onbasli, Mehmet C.; Ross, Caroline A.; Beach, Geoffrey S. D.

2017-03-01

The spin Hall effect in heavy metals converts charge current into pure spin current, which can be injected into an adjacent ferromagnet to exert a torque. This spin-orbit torque (SOT) has been widely used to manipulate the magnetization in metallic ferromagnets. In the case of magnetic insulators (MIs), although charge currents cannot flow, spin currents can propagate, but current-induced control of the magnetization in a MI has so far remained elusive. Here we demonstrate spin-current-induced switching of a perpendicularly magnetized thulium iron garnet film driven by charge current in a Pt overlayer. We estimate a relatively large spin-mixing conductance and damping-like SOT through spin Hall magnetoresistance and harmonic Hall measurements, respectively, indicating considerable spin transparency at the Pt/MI interface. We show that spin currents injected across this interface lead to deterministic magnetization reversal at low current densities, paving the road towards ultralow-dissipation spintronic devices based on MIs.

Electric-Field-Driven Dual Vacancies Evolution in Ultrathin Nanosheets Realizing Reversible Semiconductor to Half-Metal Transition.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyu, Mengjie; Liu, Youwen; Zhi, Yuduo; Xiao, Chong; Gu, Bingchuan; Hua, Xuemin; Fan, Shaojuan; Lin, Yue; Bai, Wei; Tong, Wei; Zou, Youming; Pan, Bicai; Ye, Bangjiao; Xie, Yi

2015-12-02

Fabricating a flexible room-temperature ferromagnetic resistive-switching random access memory (RRAM) device is of fundamental importance to integrate nonvolatile memory and spintronics both in theory and practice for modern information technology and has the potential to bring about revolutionary new foldable information-storage devices. Here, we show that a relatively low operating voltage (+1.4 V/-1.5 V, the corresponding electric field is around 20,000 V/cm) drives the dual vacancies evolution in ultrathin SnO2 nanosheets at room temperature, which causes the reversible transition between semiconductor and half-metal, accompanyied by an abrupt conductivity change up to 10(3) times, exhibiting room-temperature ferromagnetism in two resistance states. Positron annihilation spectroscopy and electron spin resonance results show that the Sn/O dual vacancies in the ultrathin SnO2 nanosheets evolve to isolated Sn vacancy under electric field, accounting for the switching behavior of SnO2 ultrathin nanosheets; on the other hand, the different defect types correspond to different conduction natures, realizing the transition between semiconductor and half-metal. Our result represents a crucial step to create new a information-storage device realizing the reversible transition between semiconductor and half-metal with flexibility and room-temperature ferromagnetism at low energy consumption. The as-obtained half-metal in the low-resistance state broadens the application of the device in spintronics and the semiconductor to half-metal transition on the basis of defects evolution and also opens up a new avenue for exploring random access memory mechanisms and finding new half-metals for spintronics.

Nanoantenna couplers for metal-insulator-metal waveguide interconnects

Science.gov (United States)

Onbasli, M. Cengiz; Okyay, Ali K.

2010-08-01

State-of-the-art copper interconnects suffer from increasing spatial power dissipation due to chip downscaling and RC delays reducing operation bandwidth. Wide bandwidth, minimized Ohmic loss, deep sub-wavelength confinement and high integration density are key features that make metal-insulator-metal waveguides (MIM) utilizing plasmonic modes attractive for applications in on-chip optical signal processing. Size-mismatch between two fundamental components (micron-size fibers and a few hundred nanometers wide waveguides) demands compact coupling methods for implementation of large scale on-chip optoelectronic device integration. Existing solutions use waveguide tapering, which requires more than 4λ-long taper distances. We demonstrate that nanoantennas can be integrated with MIM for enhancing coupling into MIM plasmonic modes. Two-dimensional finite-difference time domain simulations of antennawaveguide structures for TE and TM incident plane waves ranging from λ = 1300 to 1600 nm were done. The same MIM (100-nm-wide Ag/100-nm-wide SiO2/100-nm-wide Ag) was used for each case, while antenna dimensions were systematically varied. For nanoantennas disconnected from the MIM; field is strongly confined inside MIM-antenna gap region due to Fabry-Perot resonances. Major fraction of incident energy was not transferred into plasmonic modes. When the nanoantennas are connected to the MIM, stronger coupling is observed and E-field intensity at outer end of core is enhanced more than 70 times.

Some characteristics of metal migration in or on the surface of insulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shields, R.B.

1978-03-01

This report reviews the migration of metals, principally silver, in or on the surface of insulating materials, by electrolytic processes. These processes are described for various metals, insulating materials and physical conditions, with numerous examples from the literature. While it is concluded that the only sure way to prevent degradation of insulation due to metal migration is to avoid the use of migration-prone metals, some other measures are mentioned which have been reported to reduce the extent of the growth. (author)

Nanostructure sensitization of transition metal oxides for visible-light photocatalysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongjun Chen

2014-05-01

Full Text Available To better utilize the sunlight for efficient solar energy conversion, the research on visible-light active photocatalysts has recently attracted a lot of interest. The photosensitization of transition metal oxides is a promising approach for achieving effective visible-light photocatalysis. This review article primarily discusses the recent progress in the realm of a variety of nanostructured photosensitizers such as quantum dots, plasmonic metal nanostructures, and carbon nanostructures for coupling with wide-bandgap transition metal oxides to design better visible-light active photocatalysts. The underlying mechanisms of the composite photocatalysts, e.g., the light-induced charge separation and the subsequent visible-light photocatalytic reaction processes in environmental remediation and solar fuel generation fields, are also introduced. A brief outlook on the nanostructure photosensitization is also given.

Mesoporous Transition Metal Oxides for Supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yan; Guo, Jin; Wang, Tingfeng; Shao, Junfeng; Wang, Dong; Yang, Ying-Wei

2015-01-01

Recently, transition metal oxides, such as ruthenium oxide (RuO2), manganese dioxide (MnO2), nickel oxides (NiO) and cobalt oxide (Co3O4), have been widely investigated as electrode materials for pseudo-capacitors. In particular, these metal oxides with mesoporous structures have become very hot nanomaterials in the field of supercapacitors owing to their large specific surface areas and suitable pore size distributions. The high specific capacities of these mesoporous metal oxides are resulted from the effective contacts between electrode materials and electrolytes as well as fast transportation of ions and electrons in the bulk of electrode and at the interface of electrode and electrolyte. During the past decade, many achievements on mesoporous transition metal oxides have been made. In this mini-review, we select several typical nanomaterials, such as RuO2, MnO2, NiO, Co3O4 and nickel cobaltite (NiCo2O4), and briefly summarize the recent research progress of these mesoporous transition metal oxides-based electrodes in the field of supercapacitors. PMID:28347088

Mesoporous Transition Metal Oxides for Supercapacitors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Wang

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Recently, transition metal oxides, such as ruthenium oxide (RuO2, manganese dioxide (MnO2, nickel oxides (NiO and cobalt oxide (Co3O4, have been widely investigated as electrode materials for pseudo-capacitors. In particular, these metal oxides with mesoporous structures have become very hot nanomaterials in the field of supercapacitors owing to their large specific surface areas and suitable pore size distributions. The high specific capacities of these mesoporous metal oxides are resulted from the effective contacts between electrode materials and electrolytes as well as fast transportation of ions and electrons in the bulk of electrode and at the interface of electrode and electrolyte. During the past decade, many achievements on mesoporous transition metal oxides have been made. In this mini-review, we select several typical nanomaterials, such as RuO2, MnO2, NiO, Co3O4 and nickel cobaltite (NiCo2O4, and briefly summarize the recent research progress of these mesoporous transition metal oxides-based electrodes in the field of supercapacitors.

Tuning metal-insulator behavior in LaTiO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures integrated directly on Si(100) through control of atomic layer thickness

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmadi-Majlan, Kamyar; Chen, Tongjie; Lim, Zheng Hui; Conlin, Patrick; Hensley, Ricky; Chrysler, Matthew; Su, Dong; Chen, Hanghui; Kumah, Divine P.; Ngai, Joseph H.

2018-05-01

We present electrical and structural characterization of epitaxial LaTiO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures integrated directly on Si(100). By reducing the thicknesses of the heterostructures, an enhancement in carrier-carrier scattering is observed in the Fermi liquid behavior, followed by a metal to insulator transition in the electrical transport. The insulating behavior is described by activated transport, and its onset occurs near an occupation of 1 electron per Ti site within the SrTiO3, providing evidence for a Mott driven transition. We also discuss the role that structure and gradients in strain could play in enhancing the carrier density. The manipulation of Mott metal-insulator behavior in oxides grown directly on Si opens the pathway to harnessing strongly correlated phenomena in device technologies.

Criticality and novel quantum liquid phases in Ginzburg-Landau theories with compact and non-compact gauge fields

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smiseth, Jo

2005-07-01

The critical properties of three-dimensional U(1)-symmetric lattice gauge theories have been studied. The models apply to various physical systems such as insulating phases of strongly correlated electron systems as well as superconducting and superfluid states of liquid metallic hydrogen under extreme pressures. The thesis contains an introductory part and a collection of research papers of which seven are published works and one is submitted for publication. The outline of this thesis is as follows. In Chapter 2 the theory of phase transitions is discussed with emphasis on continuous phase transitions, critical phenomena and phase transitions in gauge theories. In the next chapter the phases of the abelian Higgs model are presented, and the critical phenomena are discussed. Furthermore, the multicomponent Ginzburg-Landau theory and the applications to liquid metallic hydrogen are presented. Chapter 4 contains an overview of the Monte Carlo integration scheme, including the Metropolis algorithm, error estimates, and re weighting techniques. This chapter is followed by the papers I-VIII. Paper I: Criticality in the (2+1)-Dimensional Compact Higgs Model and Fractionalized Insulators. Paper II: Phase structure of (2+1)-dimensional compact lattice gauge theories and the transition from Mott insulator to fractionalized insulator. Paper III: Compact U(1) gauge theories in 2+1 dimensions and the physics of low dimensional insulating materials. Paper IV: Phase structure of Abelian Chern-Simons gauge theories. Paper V: Critical Properties of the N-Color London Model. Paper VI: Field- and temperature induced topological phase transitions in the three-dimensional N-component London superconductor. Paper VII: Vortex Sublattice Melting in a Two-Component Superconductor. Paper VIII: Observation of a metallic superfluid in a numerical experiment (ml)

Pressure-induced irreversible metallization accompanying the phase transitions in S b2S3

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Lidong; Liu, Kaixiang; Li, Heping; Wu, Lei; Hu, Haiying; Zhuang, Yukai; Yang, Linfei; Pu, Chang; Liu, Pengfei

2018-01-01

We have revealed S b2S3 to have two phase transitions and to undergo metallization using a diamond anvil cell at around 5.0, 15.0, and 34.0 GPa, respectively. These results were obtained on the basis of high-pressure Raman spectroscopy, temperature-dependent conductivity measurements, atomic force microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and first-principles calculations. The first phase transition at ˜5.0 GPa is an isostructural phase transition, which is manifested in noticeable changes in five Raman-active modes and the slope of the conductivity because of a change in the electronic structure. The second pressure-induced phase transition was characterized by a discontinuous change in the slope of conductivity and a new low-intensity Raman mode at ˜15.0 GPa . Furthermore, a semiconductor-to-metal transition was found at ˜34.0 GPa , which was accompanied by irreversible metallization, and it could be attributed to the permanently plastic deformation of the interlayer spacing. This high-pressure behavior of S b2S3 will help us to understand the universal crystal structure evolution and electrical characteristics for A2B3 -type compounds, and to facilitate their application in electronic devices.

Reliability of the one-crossing approximation in describing the Mott transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vildosola, V; Roura-Bas, P; Pourovskii, L V; Manuel, L O

2015-01-01

We assess the reliability of the one-crossing approximation (OCA) approach in a quantitative description of the Mott transition in the framework of the dynamical mean field theory (DMFT). The OCA approach has been applied in conjunction with DMFT to a number of heavy-fermion, actinide, transition metal compounds and nanoscale systems. However, several recent studies in the framework of impurity models pointed out serious deficiencies of OCA and raised questions regarding its reliability. Here we consider a single band Hubbard model on the Bethe lattice at finite temperatures and compare the results of OCA to those of a numerically exact quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) method. The temperature-local repulsion U phase diagram for the particle-hole symmetric case obtained by OCA is in good agreement with that of QMC, with the metal–insulator transition captured very well. We find, however, that the insulator to metal transition is shifted to higher values of U and, simultaneously, correlations in the metallic phase are significantly overestimated. This counter-intuitive behaviour is due to simultaneous underestimations of the Kondo scale in the metallic phase and the size of the insulating gap. We trace the underestimation of the insulating gap to that of the second moment of the high-frequency expansion of the impurity spectral density. Calculations of the system away from the particle-hole symmetric case are also presented and discussed. (paper)

Pressure effect on magnetic and insulator-metal transition of La.sub.0.67./sub.Pb.sub.0.33./sub.Mn.sub.0.9./sub.Co.sub.0.1./sub.O.sub.2.97./sub. ceramic

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Mihalik, M.; Zentková, M.; Antoňák, M.; Arnold, Zdeněk; Kamarád, Jiří; Skorokhod, Yuriy; Gritzner, G.; Kiss, L. F.

2012-01-01

Roč. 32, č. 1 (2012), s. 145-149 ISSN 0895-7959. [Conference of the European High Pressure Research Group (EHPRG) /49./. Budapest, 28.08.2011-02.09.2011] Grant - others:VEGA(SK) 2/0057/27 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100521 Keywords : magnetic transition: insulator-metal transition * hydrostatic pressure * manganite Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 0.901, year: 2012 www.tandfonline.com

Magnetic and transport properties of Ni2MnGa-BaTiO3 metal-insulator particulate composite with percolation threshold

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Won, C.J.; Kambale, R.C.; Hur, N.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → The Ni 2 MnGa-BaTiO 3 type composites were first time prepared by solid state reaction. → Temperature dependent magnetic properties reveal two kinds of transitions in these composite. → The present materials show negative magnetoresistance effect. → The present studies on magnetic and electrical transport of metal/insulator (NMG/BTO) composites shows the resistivity change associated to filamentary conducting path at percolation threshold. - Abstract: Here we report the magnetic and transport properties of the metal/insulator (f NMG )Ni 2 MnGa/(1 - f NMG )BaTiO 3 composites. The X-ray diffraction study confirms the formation of both the phases in composite. The microstructure reveals that the conducting Ni 2 MnGa particles are well dispersed in an insulating BaTiO 3 matrix. Temperature dependent magnetization shows two transitions one above 300 K and other below 150 K. The temperature dependence resistivity near the percolation threshold f NMG = 0.4 had drastic changes which is higher than the f NMG = 0.5. Also the negative magnetoresistance effect was observed for the studied materials. We suggest that magnetic and transport properties at the percolation threshold can be adjusted by the strain from the surrounding insulator particle.

Topological Field Theory of Time-Reversal Invariant Insulators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qi, Xiao-Liang; Hughes, Taylor; Zhang, Shou-Cheng; /Stanford U., Phys. Dept.

2010-03-19

We show that the fundamental time reversal invariant (TRI) insulator exists in 4 + 1 dimensions, where the effective field theory is described by the 4 + 1 dimensional Chern-Simons theory and the topological properties of the electronic structure is classified by the second Chern number. These topological properties are the natural generalizations of the time reversal breaking (TRB) quantum Hall insulator in 2 + 1 dimensions. The TRI quantum spin Hall insulator in 2 + 1 dimensions and the topological insulator in 3 + 1 dimension can be obtained as descendants from the fundamental TRI insulator in 4 + 1 dimensions through a dimensional reduction procedure. The effective topological field theory, and the Z{sub 2} topological classification for the TRI insulators in 2+1 and 3+1 dimensions are naturally obtained from this procedure. All physically measurable topological response functions of the TRI insulators are completely described by the effective topological field theory. Our effective topological field theory predicts a number of novel and measurable phenomena, the most striking of which is the topological magneto-electric effect, where an electric field generates a magnetic field in the same direction, with an universal constant of proportionality quantized in odd multiples of the fine structure constant {alpha} = e{sup 2}/hc. Finally, we present a general classification of all topological insulators in various dimensions, and describe them in terms of a unified topological Chern-Simons field theory in phase space.

Beginning point of metal to insulator transition for Bi-2223 superconducting matrix doped with Eu nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yildirim, G.

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Standard measurements such as bulk density, ρ-T, J ct , XRD, SEM and EDX examinations for characterization of the samples. •Role of Eu inclusions on the microstructural, electrical and superconducting properties of Bi-2223 phase. •Determination of metal to insulator transition due to Eu impurities in the Bi-2223 superconducting matrix. •From the Eu content level of x = 0.5 onwards, destruction of the superconducting phases. •Constant retrogression of the microstructural and superconducting properties with the Eu individuals. -- Abstract: This comprehensive study examines the change of the microstructural, electrical and superconducting properties of the Eu doped Bi 1.8 Pb 0.4 Eu x Sr 2 Ca 2.2 Cu 3.0 O y ceramic cuprates (with x ⩽ 0.7) produced by the conventional solid state reaction method at the constant annealing temperature of 840 °C for 24 h with the aid of the standard characterization measurements such as bulk density, dc resistivity (ρ-T), transport critical current density (J c ), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron dispersive X-ray (EDX) examinations. For the full characterization of the pure and Eu doped Bi-2223 samples, the degree of granularity (from the bulk density and porosity measurements); the room temperature resistivity, onset–offset critical transition temperature, variation of transition temperature, hole carrier concentration, spin-gap opening temperature and thermodynamic fluctuations (from the dc resistivity experiments); the texturing, crystal structure, crystallite size, phase purity and cell parameters (from the XRD investigations); the variation of the flux pinning centers and the boundary weak-links between the superconducting grains (from the critical current density values); the crystallinity, specimen surface morphology, grain connectivity between the superconducting grains and grain size distribution (from the SEM examinations), the elemental compositions and

Chern structure in the Bose-insulating phase of Sr2RuO4 nanofilms

Science.gov (United States)

Nobukane, Hiroyoshi; Matsuyama, Toyoki; Tanda, Satoshi

2017-01-01

The quantum anomaly that breaks the symmetry, for example the parity and the chirality, in the quantization leads to a physical quantity with a topological Chern invariant. We report the observation of a Chern structure in the Bose-insulating phase of Sr2RuO4 nanofilms by employing electric transport. We observed the superconductor-to-insulator transition by reducing the thickness of Sr2RuO4 single crystals. The appearance of a gap structure in the insulating phase implies local superconductivity. Fractional quantized conductance was observed without an external magnetic field. We found an anomalous induced voltage with temperature and thickness dependence, and the induced voltage exhibited switching behavior when we applied a magnetic field. We suggest that there was fractional magnetic-field-induced electric polarization in the interlayer. These anomalous results are related to topological invariance. The fractional axion angle Θ = π/6 was determined by observing the topological magneto-electric effect in the Bose-insulating phase of Sr2RuO4 nanofilms.

Infrared-transmittance tunable metal-insulator conversion device with thin-film-transistor-type structure on a glass substrate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takayoshi Katase

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Infrared (IR transmittance tunable metal-insulator conversion was demonstrated on a glass substrate by using thermochromic vanadium dioxide (VO2 as the active layer in a three-terminal thin-film-transistor-type device with water-infiltrated glass as the gate insulator. Alternative positive/negative gate-voltage applications induce the reversible protonation/deprotonation of a VO2 channel, and two-orders of magnitude modulation of sheet-resistance and 49% modulation of IR-transmittance were simultaneously demonstrated at room temperature by the metal-insulator phase conversion of VO2 in a non-volatile manner. The present device is operable by the room-temperature protonation in an all-solid-state structure, and thus it will provide a new gateway to future energy-saving technology as an advanced smart window.

Pulsed field losses in metal-filled superconducting multifilamentary braids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McInturff, A.D.; Dahl, P.F.; Sampson, W.B.

1972-01-01

Work on the application of metallic filters to insulate and bond individual multifilamentary wires into a fully transposed conductor is summarized. As has been reported in earlier papers, conductors of this type have performed excellently in low-frequency pulsed magnets, but become coupled at relatively low values of db/dt, leading to high potential losses. Data are presented on metallic and intermetallic insulated braids showing excellent performance and exhibiting losses comparable to those of organically insulated braid for rise times less than 10 kG/s. These conductors are also able to achieve 90 percent of short sample critical current at db/dt 200 kG/s, although their losses are significantly higher at these high rates of field change

Extracting and focusing of surface plasmon polaritons inside finite asymmetric metal/insulator/metal structure at apex of optical fiber by subwavelength holes

Science.gov (United States)

Oshikane, Yasushi; Murai, Kensuke; Nakano, Motohiro

2013-09-01

We have been studied a finite asymmetric metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure on glass plate for near-future visible light communication (VLC) system with white LED illuminations in the living space (DOI: 10.1117/12.929201). The metal layers are vacuum-evaporated thin silver (Ag) films (around 50 nm and 200 nm, respectively), and the insulator layer (around 150 nm) is composed of magnesium fluoride (MgF2). A characteristic narrow band filtering of the MIM structure at visible region might cause a confinement of intense surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) at specific monochromatic frequency inside a subwavelength insulator layer of the MIM structure. Central wavelength and depth of such absorption dip in flat spectral reflectance curve is controlled by changing thicknesses of both insulator and thinner metal layers. On the other hand, we have proposed a twin-hole pass-through wave guide for SPPs in thick Ag film (DOI: 10.1117/12.863587). At that time, the twin-hole converted a incoming plane light wave into a pair of channel plasmon polaritons (CPPs), and united them at rear surface of the Ag film. This research is having an eye to extract, guide, and focus the SPPs through a thicker metal layer of the MIM with FIBed subwavelength pass-through holes. The expected outcome is a creation of noble, monochromatic, and tunable fiber probe for scanning near-field optical microscopes (SNOMs) with intense white light sources. Basic experimental and FEM simulation results will be presented.

Upper critical fields and superconducting transition temperatures of some zirconium-base amorphous transition-metal alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karkut, M.G.; Hake, R.R.

1983-01-01

Superconducting upper critical fields H/sub c/2(T), transition temperatures T/sub c/, and normal-state electrical resistivities rho/sub n/ have been measured in the amorphous transition-metal alloy series Zr/sub 1-z/Co/sub x/, Zr/sub 1-x/Ni/sub x/, (Zr/sub 1-x/Ti/sub x/)/sub 0.78/Ni/sub 0.22/, and (Zr/sub 1-x/Nb/sub x/)/sub 0.78/Ni/sub 0.22/. Structural integrity of these melt-spun alloys is indicated by x-ray, density, bend-ductility, normal-state electrical resistivity, superconducting transition width, and mixed-state flux-pinning measurements. The specimens display T/sub c/ = 2.1--3.8 K, rho/sub n/ = 159--190 μΩ cm, and Vertical Bar(dH/sub c/2/dT)cVertical Bar = 28--36 kG/K. These imply electron mean free paths lroughly-equal2--6 A, zero-temperature Ginzburg-Landau coherence distances xi/sub G/0roughly-equal50--70 A, penetration depths lambda/sub G/0roughly-equal(7--10) x 10 3 A, and extremely high dirtiness parameters xi 0 /lroughly-equal300--1300. All alloys display H/sub c/2(T) curves with negative curvature and (with two exceptions) fair agreement with the standard dirty-limit theory of Werthamer, Helfand, Hohenberg, and Maki (WHHM) for physically reasonable values of spin-orbit-coupling induced, electron-spin-flip scattering time tau/sub so/. This is in contrast to the anomalously elevated H/sub c/2(T) behavior which is nearly linear in T that is observed by some, and the unphysically low-tau/sub so/ fits to WHHM theory obtained by others, for various amorphous alloys

Inducing magneto-electric response in topological insulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng, Lunwu; Song, Runxia; Zeng, Jing

2013-01-01

Utilizing electric potential and magnetic scalar potential formulas, which contain zero-order Bessel functions of the first kind and the constitutive relations of topological insulators, we obtained the induced magnetic scalar potentials and induced magnetic monopole charges which are induced by a point charge in topological insulators. The results show that infinite image magnetic monopole charges are generated by a point electric charge. The magnitude of the induced magnetic monopole charges are determined not only by the point electric charge, but also by the material parameters. - Highlights: ► Electric potential and magnetic scalar potential which contain zero-order Bessel function of the first kind were derived. ► Boundary conditions of topological insulator were built. ► Induced monopole charges were worked out.

Synthesis and characterization of nanostructured transition metal oxides for energy storage devices

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jong Woung

Finding a promising material and constructing a new method to have both high energy and power are key issues for future energy storage systems. This dissertation addresses three different materials systems to resolve those issues. Pseudocapacitive materials such as RuO2 and MnO2 display high capacitance but Nb2O5, displays a different charge storage mechanism, one highly dependent on its crystal phase rather than its surface area. Various sol-gel techniques were used to synthesize the different phases of Nb2O5 and electrochemical testing was used to study their charge storage with some phases displaying comparable charge storage to MnO2. To overcome the electrical limitations of using an insulating material, the core-shell structure (Nb2O 5/C) was also examined and the method could be generalized to improve other pseudocapacitors. Besides electronic conductivity, the diffusion of the electrolyte ions through the shell material is a critical factor for fast charging/discharging in the core-shell structure. This dissertation also involves another topic, a reconfigurable electrode, that displays both high energy and power density. By constructing a reconfigurable electrode which has different electrical properties (metallic or insulating state) depending on the amount of intercalated `guest' ions into `host' material, it can be used as a battery or electrochemical capacitor material in the insulating or metallic state respectively. Metal oxide bronzes having metal-insulator transition were investigated in this study.

Insulator-insulator and insulator-conductor transitions in the phase diagram of aluminium trichloride

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Romina Ruberto

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We report a classical computer-simulation study of the phase diagram of AlCl3 in the pressure-temperature (p, T plane, showing (i that melting from a layered crystal structure occurs into a molecular liquid at low (p, T and into a dissociated ionic liquid at high (p, T, and (ii that a broad transition from a molecular insulator to an ionic conductor takes place in the liquid state.

Dynamic behavior of correlated electrons in the insulating doped semiconductor Si:P

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ritz, Elvira

2009-06-04

At low energy scales charge transport in the insulating Si:P is dominated by activated hopping between the localized donor electron states. Theoretical models for a disordered electronic system with a long-range Coulomb interaction are appropriate to interpret the electric conductivity spectra. With a novel and advanced method we perform broadband phase sensitive measurements of the reflection coefficient from 45 MHz up to 5 GHz, employing a vector network analyzer with a 2.4 mm coaxial sensor, which is terminated by the sample under test. While the material parameters (conductivity and permittivity) can be easily extracted from the obtained impedance data if the sample is metallic, no direct solution is possible if the material under investigation is an insulator. Focusing on doped semiconductors with largely varying conductivity and dielectric function, we present a closed calibration and evaluation procedure with an optimized theoretical and experimental complexity, based on the rigorous solution for the electromagnetic field inside the insulating sample, combined with the variational principle. Basically no limiting assumptions are necessary in a strictly defined parameter range. As an application of our new method, we have measured the complex broadband microwave conductivity of Si:P in a broad range of phosphorus concentration n/n{sub c} from 0.56 to 0.9 relative to the critical value n{sub c}=3.5 x 10{sup 18} cm{sup -3} of the metal-insulator transition driven by doping at temperatures down to 1.1 K, and studied unresolved issues of fundamental research concerning the electronic correlations and the metal-insulator transition. (orig.)

Mean-Field Scaling of the Superfluid to Mott Insulator Transition in a 2D Optical Superlattice.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Claire K; Barter, Thomas H; Leung, Tsz-Him; Okano, Masayuki; Jo, Gyu-Boong; Guzman, Jennie; Kimchi, Itamar; Vishwanath, Ashvin; Stamper-Kurn, Dan M

2017-09-08

The mean-field treatment of the Bose-Hubbard model predicts properties of lattice-trapped gases to be insensitive to the specific lattice geometry once system energies are scaled by the lattice coordination number z. We test this scaling directly by comparing coherence properties of ^{87}Rb gases that are driven across the superfluid to Mott insulator transition within optical lattices of either the kagome (z=4) or the triangular (z=6) geometries. The coherent fraction measured for atoms in the kagome lattice is lower than for those in a triangular lattice with the same interaction and tunneling energies. A comparison of measurements from both lattices agrees quantitatively with the scaling prediction. We also study the response of the gas to a change in lattice geometry, and observe the dynamics as a strongly interacting kagome-lattice gas is suddenly "hole doped" by introducing the additional sites of the triangular lattice.

Metal-to-nonmetal transitions

CERN Document Server

Hensel, Friedrich; Holst, Bastian

2010-01-01

This book is devoted to nonmetal-to-metal transitions. The original ideas of Mott for such a transition in solids have been adapted to describe a broad variety of phenomena in condensed matter physics (solids, liquids, and fluids), in plasma and cluster physics, as well as in nuclear physics (nuclear matter and quark-gluon systems). The book gives a comprehensive overview of theoretical methods and experimental results of the current research on the Mott effect for this wide spectrum of topics. The fundamental problem is the transition from localized to delocalized states which describes the nonmetal-to-metal transition in these diverse systems. Based on the ideas of Mott, Hubbard, Anderson as well as Landau and Zeldovich, internationally respected scientists present the scientific challenges and highlight the enormous progress which has been achieved over the last years. The level of description is aimed to specialists in these fields as well as to young scientists who will get an overview for their own work...

A Seismic Analysis for Reflective Metal Insulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Kyuhyung; Kim, Taesoon [KHNP CRI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

U.S. NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) GSI- 191 (Generic Safety Issue-191) is concerned about the head-loss of emergency core cooling pumps caused by calcium silicate insulation debris accumulated on a sump screen when a loss of coolant accident (LOCA). In order to cope with the concern, many nuclear plants in U. S. have been replacing calcium silicate insulation in containment building with reflective metal insulation (RMI). In Korea, RMI has been used for only reactor vessels recently constructed, but the RMI was imported. Therefore, we have been developing the domestic design of RMI to supply to nuclear power plants under operation and construction in relation to the GSI-191. This paper covers that the structural integrity of the RMI assembly was evaluated under SSE (safety shutdown earthquake) load. An analysis model was built for the seismic test system of a reflective metal insulation assembly and pre-stress, modal, and spectrum analysis for the model were performed using a commercial structural analysis code, ANSYS. According to the results of the analyses, the buckles fastening the RMIs showed the structural integrity under the required response spectrum containing the safety shutdown earthquake loads applied to main components in containment building. Consequently, since the RMI isn't disassembled under the SSE load, the RMI is judged not to affect safety related components.

A Seismic Analysis for Reflective Metal Insulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Kyuhyung; Kim, Taesoon

2016-01-01

U.S. NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) GSI- 191 (Generic Safety Issue-191) is concerned about the head-loss of emergency core cooling pumps caused by calcium silicate insulation debris accumulated on a sump screen when a loss of coolant accident (LOCA). In order to cope with the concern, many nuclear plants in U. S. have been replacing calcium silicate insulation in containment building with reflective metal insulation (RMI). In Korea, RMI has been used for only reactor vessels recently constructed, but the RMI was imported. Therefore, we have been developing the domestic design of RMI to supply to nuclear power plants under operation and construction in relation to the GSI-191. This paper covers that the structural integrity of the RMI assembly was evaluated under SSE (safety shutdown earthquake) load. An analysis model was built for the seismic test system of a reflective metal insulation assembly and pre-stress, modal, and spectrum analysis for the model were performed using a commercial structural analysis code, ANSYS. According to the results of the analyses, the buckles fastening the RMIs showed the structural integrity under the required response spectrum containing the safety shutdown earthquake loads applied to main components in containment building. Consequently, since the RMI isn't disassembled under the SSE load, the RMI is judged not to affect safety related components

Inducing magneto-electric response in topological insulator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zeng, Lunwu, E-mail: 163.sin@163.com [Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Intelligent Agricultural Equipment, College of Engineering, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210031 (China); Song, Runxia [Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Intelligent Agricultural Equipment, College of Engineering, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210031 (China); Zeng, Jing [Faculty of Business and Economics, Macquarie University, NSW 2122 (Australia)

2013-02-15

Utilizing electric potential and magnetic scalar potential formulas, which contain zero-order Bessel functions of the first kind and the constitutive relations of topological insulators, we obtained the induced magnetic scalar potentials and induced magnetic monopole charges which are induced by a point charge in topological insulators. The results show that infinite image magnetic monopole charges are generated by a point electric charge. The magnitude of the induced magnetic monopole charges are determined not only by the point electric charge, but also by the material parameters. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Electric potential and magnetic scalar potential which contain zero-order Bessel function of the first kind were derived. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Boundary conditions of topological insulator were built. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Induced monopole charges were worked out.

Synchronous γ (Co60) photons and thermal processing induced insulator metal transition in amorphous chalcogenide As4Se3Te3 composition

Science.gov (United States)

El-Sayed, S. A.; Morsy, M. A.

2018-05-01

Amorphous chalcogenide composition AS4Se3Te3 is prepared by conventional quenching technique. The separate annealing or γ quanta irradiation not effect on the dc conductivity properties of the prepared composition. When the prepared samples are subjected to simultaneous annealing at temperature 413 K and γ quanta irradiation the dc conductivity increases. The dark dc conductivity increases by increasing the time of exposure to γ irradiation. At irradiation dose 1.47 × 104 Gy the dc conductivity starts to have metallic like conductivity character. These samples could be used as high temperature γ quanta dosimeter. By applying scaling theory on the samples irradiated with different dose of γ irradiation the critical exponents are determined and found to be temperature tends to zero. The steric value is low in the insulator side of conductivity, but high and almost saturated in the metallic side of conductivity.

Quantum phase transitions of strongly correlated electron systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imada, Masatoshi

1998-01-01

Interacting electrons in solids undergo various quantum phase transitions driven by quantum fluctuations. The quantum transitions take place at zero temperature by changing a parameter to control quantum fluctuations rather than thermal fluctuations. In contrast to classical phase transitions driven by thermal fluctuations, the quantum transitions have many different features where quantum dynamics introduces a source of intrinsic fluctuations tightly connected with spatial correlations and they have been a subject of recent intensive studies as we see below. Interacting electron systems cannot be fully understood without deep analyses of the quantum phase transitions themselves, because they are widely seen and play essential roles in many phenomena. Typical and important examples of the quantum phase transitions include metal-insulator transitions, (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) metal-superconductor transitions, superconductor-insulator transitions, magnetic transitions to antiferromagnetic or ferromagnetic phases in metals as well as in Mott insulators, and charge ordering transitions. Here, we focus on three different types of transitions

Nuclear beta decay induced by intense electromagnetic fields: Forbidden transition examples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reiss, H.R.

1983-01-01

A formalism developed earlier for the effect on nuclear beta decay of an intense plane-wave electromagnetic field is applied to three examples of forbidden beta transitions. The examples represent cases where the nuclear ''fragment'' contains one, two, and three nucleons; where the nuclear fragment is defined to be that smallest sub-unit of the nucleus containing the nucleon which undergoes beta decay plus any other nucleons directly angular-momentum coupled to it in initial or final states. The single-nucleon-fragment example is 113 Cd, which has a fourth-forbidden transition. The two-nucleon-fragment example is 90 Sr, which is first-forbidden. The three-nucleon-fragment example is 87 Rb, which is third-forbidden. An algebraic closed-form transition probability is found in each case. At low external-field intensity, the transition probability is proportional to z/sup L/, where z is the field intensity parameter and L is the degree of forbiddenness. At intermediate intensities, the transition probability behaves as z/sup L/-(1/2). At higher intensities, the transition probability contains the z/sup L/-(1/2) factor, a declining exponential factor, and an alternating polynomial in z. This high-intensity transition probability possesses a maximum value, which is found for each of the examples. A general rule, z = q 2 (2L-1), where q is the number of particles in the fragment, is found for giving an upper limit on the intensity at which the maximum transition probability occurs. Field-induced beta decay half-lives for all the examples are dramatically reduced from natural half-lives when evaluated at the optimum field intensity. Relative half-life reduction is greater the higher the degree of forbiddenness

Spin-orbit-induced spin splittings in polar transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers

KAUST Repository

Cheng, Yingchun

2013-06-01

The Rashba effect in quasi two-dimensional materials, such as noble metal surfaces and semiconductor heterostructures, has been investigated extensively, while interest in real two-dimensional systems has just emerged with the discovery of graphene. We present ab initio electronic structure, phonon, and molecular-dynamics calculations to study the structural stability and spin-orbit-induced spin splitting in the transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers MXY (M = Mo, W and X, Y = S, Se, Te). In contrast to the non-polar systems with X = Y, in the polar systems with X ≠ Y the Rashba splitting at the Γ-point for the uppermost valence band is caused by the broken mirror symmetry. An enhancement of the splitting can be achieved by increasing the spin-orbit coupling and/or the potential gradient. © Copyright EPLA, 2013.

Spin-glass polyamorphism induced by a magnetic field in LaMnO3 single crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Eremenko, V. V.; Sirenko, V. A.; Baran, A.; Čižmár, E.; Feher, A.

2018-05-01

We present experimental evidence of field-driven transition in spin-glass state, similar to pressure-induced transition between amorphous phases in structural and metallic glasses, attributed to the polyamorphism phenomena. Cusp in temperature dependences of ac magnetic susceptibility of weakly disordered LaMnO3 single crystal is registered below the temperature of magnetic ordering. Frequency dependence of the cusp temperature proves its spin-glass origin. The transition induced by a magnetic field in spin-glass state, is manifested by peculiarity in dependence of cusp temperature on applied magnetic field. Field dependent maximum of heat capacity is observed in the same magnetic field and temperature range.

A Novel Fully Depleted Air AlN Silicon-on-Insulator Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan, Yang; Yong, Gao; Peng-Liang, Gong

2008-01-01

A novel fully depleted air AlN silicon-on-insulator (SOI) metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOS-FET) is presented, which can eliminate the self-heating effect and solve the problem that the off-state current of SOI MOSFETs increases and the threshold voltage characteristics become worse when employing a high thermal conductivity material as a buried layer. The simulation results reveal that the lattice temperature in normal SOI devices is 75 K higher than the atmosphere temperature, while the lattice temperature is just 4K higher than the atmosphere temperature resulting in less severe self-heating effect in air AlN SOI MOSFETs and AlN SOI MOSFETs. The on-state current of air AlN SOI MOSFETs is similar to the AlN SOI structure, and improves 12.3% more than that of normal SOI MOSFETs. The off-state current of AlN SOI is 6.7 times of normal SOI MOSFETs, while the counterpart of air AlN SOI MOSFETs is lower than that of SOI MOSFETs by two orders of magnitude. The threshold voltage change of air AlN SOI MOSFETs with different drain voltage is much less than that of AlN SOI devices, when the drain voltage is biased at 0.8 V, this difference is 28mV, so the threshold voltage change induced by employing high thermal conductivity material is cured. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

Flow of liquid metals with a transversely applied magnetic field, (8)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arai, Shigeki; Tomita, Yukio; Sudou, Kouzou

1977-01-01

As one of the researches of liquid metal flow in transversely applied magnetic field concerning the flow in MHD pipes, the influences of the electrical property of channel side walls, aspect ratio, Reynolds number and Hartmann number on laminar and transition flows investigated experimentally are reported in this paper. Mercury flowed in the rectangular ducts, one of which was made with four insulated walls, and another with insulated top and bottom walls and two conductive side walls, with the aspect ratio varying from 8 to 1/8, in the region of relatively low Hartmann number and Reynolds number. The facility, procedure and results of the experiment are explained, and many experimental curves showing the relations among pipe friction coefficient, Hartmann number, Reynolds number, aspect ratio and the property of walls are given. The experimental results show that the Hartmann effect and the aspect ratio effect are evident as the magnetic field is intensified, but the influence by the electric property of walls is little, and three shapes of the curves representing the relation of friction coefficient and Reynolds number are confirmed by this experiment. (auth.)

Field induced magnetic phase transition as a magnon Bose Einstein condensation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teodora Radu et al

2007-01-01

Full Text Available We report specific heat, magnetocaloric effect and magnetization measurements on single crystals of the frustrated quasi-2D spin -½ antiferromagnet Cs2CuCl4 in the external magnetic field 0≤B≤12 T along a-axis and in the temperature range 0.03 K≤T≤6 K. Decreasing the applied magnetic field B from high fields leads to the closure of the field induced gap in the magnon spectrum at a critical field Bcsimeq8.44 T and a long-range incommensurate state below Bc. In the vicinity of Bc, the phase transition boundary is well described by the power law TN~(Bc-B1/phi with the measured critical exponent phisimeq1.5. These findings provide experimental evidence that the scaling law of the transition temperature TN can be described by the universality class of 3D Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC of magnons.

Quantum oscillations in insulators with neutral Fermi surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Sodemann, Inti; Chowdhury, Debanjan; Senthil, T.

2018-02-01

We develop a theory of quantum oscillations in insulators with an emergent Fermi sea of neutral fermions minimally coupled to an emergent U(1 ) gauge field. As pointed out by Motrunich [Phys. Rev. B 73, 155115 (2006), 10.1103/PhysRevB.73.155115], in the presence of a physical magnetic field the emergent magnetic field develops a nonzero value leading to Landau quantization for the neutral fermions. We focus on the magnetic field and temperature dependence of the analog of the de Haas-van Alphen effect in two and three dimensions. At temperatures above the effective cyclotron energy, the magnetization oscillations behave similarly to those of an ordinary metal, albeit in a field of a strength that differs from the physical magnetic field. At low temperatures, the oscillations evolve into a series of phase transitions. We provide analytical expressions for the amplitude and period of the oscillations in both of these regimes and simple extrapolations that capture well their crossover. We also describe oscillations in the electrical resistivity of these systems that are expected to be superimposed with the activated temperature behavior characteristic of their insulating nature and discuss suitable experimental conditions for the observation of these effects in mixed-valence insulators and triangular lattice organic materials.

Simulation studies of current transport in metal-insulator-semiconductor Schottky barrier diodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chand, Subhash; Bala, Saroj

2007-01-01

The current-voltage characteristics of Schottky diodes with an interfacial insulator layer are analysed by numerical simulation. The current-voltage data of the metal-insulator-semiconductor Schottky diode are simulated using thermionic emission diffusion (TED) equation taking into account an interfacial layer parameter. The calculated current-voltage data are fitted into ideal TED equation to see the apparent effect of interfacial layer parameters on current transport. Results obtained from the simulation studies shows that with mere presence of an interfacial layer at the metal-semiconductor interface the Schottky contact behave as an ideal diode of apparently high barrier height (BH), but with same ideality factor and series resistance as considered for a pure Schottky contact without an interfacial layer. This apparent BH decreases linearly with decreasing temperature. The effects giving rise to high ideality factor in metal-insulator-semiconductor diode are analysed. Reasons for observed temperature dependence of ideality factor in experimentally fabricated metal-insulator-semiconductor diodes are analysed and possible mechanisms are discussed

Hotspot related plasmon assisted multiphoton photocurrents in metal-insulator-metal junctions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Differt, Dominik; Pfeiffer, Walter [Universitaet Bielefeld, Universitaetsstr. 25, 33615 Bielefeld (Germany); Diesing, Detlef [Universitaet Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstr. 5, 45117 Essen (Germany)

2011-07-01

Scanning photocurrent microscopy of metal-insulator-metal junctions (MIM) is used to investigate the mechanisms of femtosecond multiphoton photocurrent injection at liquid nitrogen temperature. The locally induced multiphoton photocurrent in a Ag-TaO-Ta MIM junction is measured in a scanning microscope cryostat under focused illumination (5{mu}m focus diameter, 800 nm, 30 fs, 80 MHz repetition rate). The intensity dependence reveals a mixture of two-photon and three-photon processes that are responsible for the photocurrent. Its lateral variation shows hotspot-like behaviour with significant magnitude variations on a 100 to 200 nm length scale. Assuming an injection current duration of 40fs the peak injection current density of about 10{sup 4} A cm{sup -2} is estimated - 10{sup 6} times higher than that for 400 nm continuous wave illumination slightly below the damage threshold. The simultaneously measured extinction of the incident radiation reveals a 20 to 30% increased absorption at the hotspots. We attribute the local photocurrent enhancement to the defect-assisted excitation of surface plasmon polaritons at the silver electrode leading to an enhanced local excitation.

Methods for the improvement of electrical insulation in vacuum in the presence of transverse magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hara, Masanori; Suehiro, Junya; Shigematsu, Hidetaka; Yano, Shinsuke

1989-01-01

At present in electrical energy field, aiming at the development and operation of new energy sources for the future, the research on nuclear fusion reactors, MHD electricity generation, and electromagnetic energy storage is in progress, and in ordeer to form strong magnetic fields over wide space, large superconducting magnets are expected to be employed. In these magnets, when exciting current changes, voltage is induced internally, therefore, the operation sequence is deeply related to coil insulation, in pulse operation, coil insulation is one of the important factors determining the rating, and the withstand voltage design against the abnormal voltage at the time of quenching is related to the protection of coils. Therefore, the electrical insulation design of large superconducting magnets is an important subject of study. Their electrical insulation system is the compound system of liquid helium, gaseous helium, vacuum and solid insulators. When a cross magnetic field is applied, insulation breakdown characteristics are aggravated. The mechanism of vacuum insulation breakdown and characteristics, the method of improving withstand voltage using spacers or the electrodes for controlling electric field and so on are reported. (K.I.)

Multiphoton excitation and high-harmonics generation in topological insulator.

Science.gov (United States)

Avetissian, H K; Avetissian, A K; Avchyan, B R; Mkrtchian, G F

2018-05-10

Multiphoton interaction of coherent electromagnetic radiation with 2D metallic carriers confined on the surface of the 3D topological insulator is considered. A microscopic theory describing the nonlinear interaction of a strong wave and metallic carriers with many-body Coulomb interaction is developed. The set of integrodifferential equations for the interband polarization and carrier occupation distribution is solved numerically. Multiphoton excitation of Fermi-Dirac sea of 2D massless carriers is considered for a THz pump wave. It is shown that in the moderately strong pump wave field along with multiphoton interband/intraband transitions the intense radiation of high harmonics takes place.

Multiphoton excitation and high-harmonics generation in topological insulator

Science.gov (United States)

Avetissian, H. K.; Avetissian, A. K.; Avchyan, B. R.; Mkrtchian, G. F.

2018-05-01

Multiphoton interaction of coherent electromagnetic radiation with 2D metallic carriers confined on the surface of the 3D topological insulator is considered. A microscopic theory describing the nonlinear interaction of a strong wave and metallic carriers with many-body Coulomb interaction is developed. The set of integrodifferential equations for the interband polarization and carrier occupation distribution is solved numerically. Multiphoton excitation of Fermi–Dirac sea of 2D massless carriers is considered for a THz pump wave. It is shown that in the moderately strong pump wave field along with multiphoton interband/intraband transitions the intense radiation of high harmonics takes place.

Femtosecond Near Edge X-ray Absorption Measurement of the VO2 Phase Transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cavalleri, A.; Chong, H.H.W.; Fourmaux, S.; Glover, T.E.; Heimann, P.A; Kieffer, J.C.; Padmore, H.A.; Schoenlein, R.W.

2004-01-01

The authors measure the insulator-to-metal transition in VO 2 using femtosecond Near-Edge X-ray Absorption. Sliced pulses of synchrotron radiation are used to detect the photo-induced dynamics at the 516-eV Vanadium L 3 edge

Resolving the chicken-and-egg problem in VO2: a new paradigm for the Mott transition

Science.gov (United States)

Najera, Oscar; Civelli, Marcello; Dobrosavljevi, Vladimir; Rozenberg, Marcelo

We consider a minimal model to investigate the metal-insulator transition in VO2. We adopt a Hubbard model with two orbital per unit cell, which captures the competition between Mott and singlet-dimer localization. We solve the model within Dynamical Mean Field Theory, characterizing in detail the metal-insulator transition and finding new features in the electronic states. We compare our results with available experimental data obtaining good agreement in the relevant model parameter range. Crucially, we can account for puzzling optical conductivity data obtained within the hysteresis region, which we associate to a novel metallic state characterized by a split heavy quasiparticle band. Our results show that the thermal-driven insulator-to-metal transition in VO2 is entirely compatible with a Mott electronic mechanism, solving a long standing ''chicken-and-egg'' debate and calling for further research of ``Mottronics'' applications of this system. This work was partially supported by public Grants from the French National Research Agency (ANR), project LACUNES No ANR-13-BS04-0006-01, the NSF DMR-1005751 and DMR-1410132.

Spin crossover and Mott—Hubbard transition under high pressure and high temperature in the low mantle of the Earth

Science.gov (United States)

Ovchinnikov, S. G.; Ovchinnikova, T. M.; Plotkin, V. V.; Dyad'kov, P. G.

2015-11-01

Effect of high pressure induced spin crossover on the magnetic, electronic and structural properties of the minerals forming the Earth's low mantle is discussed. The low temperature P, T phase diagram of ferropericlase has the quantum phase transition point Pc = 56 GPa at T = 0 confirmed recently by the synchrotron Mössbauer spectroscopy. The LDA+GTB calculated phase diagram describes the experimental data. Its extension to the high temperature resulted earlier in prediction of the metallic properties of the Earth's mantle at the depth 1400 km insulator transition and compare them with the experimental seismic and geomagnetic field data.

Room temperature giant and linear magnetoresistance in topological insulator Bi2Te3 nanosheets.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaolin; Du, Yi; Dou, Shixue; Zhang, Chao

2012-06-29

Topological insulators, a new class of condensed matter having bulk insulating states and gapless metallic surface states, have demonstrated fascinating quantum effects. However, the potential practical applications of the topological insulators are still under exploration worldwide. We demonstrate that nanosheets of a Bi(2)Te(3) topological insulator several quintuple layers thick display giant and linear magnetoresistance. The giant and linear magnetoresistance achieved is as high as over 600% at room temperature, with a trend towards further increase at higher temperatures, as well as being weakly temperature-dependent and linear with the field, without any sign of saturation at measured fields up to 13 T. Furthermore, we observed a magnetic field induced gap below 10 K. The observation of giant and linear magnetoresistance paves the way for 3D topological insulators to be useful for practical applications in magnetoelectronic sensors such as disk reading heads, mechatronics, and other multifunctional electromagnetic applications.

Quantum percolation transition in Eu{sub 1-x}Ca{sub x}B{sub 6}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Glushkov, V.V. [A.M.Prokhorov General Physics Institute of RAS, 38, Vavilov str., Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 9, Institutskii per., Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region 141700 (Russian Federation); Anisimov, M.A. [Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 9, Institutskii per., Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region 141700 (Russian Federation); Bogach, A.V.; Demishev, S.V.; Sluchanko, N.E. [A.M.Prokhorov General Physics Institute of RAS, 38, Vavilov str., Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); Filipov, V.B.; Levchenko, A.V.; Shitsevalova, N.Yu. [Institute for Problems of Materials Science NAS, 3, Krzhyzhanovsky str., Kiev 03680 (Ukraine); Flachbart, K. [Centre of Low Temperature Physics, IEP SAS and IPS FS UPJS, Kosice SK-04001 (Slovakia); Kuznetsov, A.V. [Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, 31, Kashirskoe Shosse, Moscow 115409 (Russian Federation)

2010-03-15

The study of transport and magnetic properties performed on Eu{sub 1-x}Ca{sub x}B{sub 6} single crystals with nominal Ca content 0 {<=} x {<=} 0.4 at temperatures 1.8-300 K in magnetic fields up to 80 kOe provides the direct experimental evidence of metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) earlier proposed for the system by V. M. Pereira et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett., 93, 147202 (2004)]. A giant enhancement of magnetoresistance up to the values of ({rho}(0) - {rho}(H))/{rho}(H) {proportional_to} 7 x 10{sup 7}% was detected for x = 0.4 in the wide vicinity of the ferromagnetic insulating state. The field induced crossover from hole-like to electron-like regime of charge transport observed for the first time in the paramagnetic phase of Eu{sub 0.6}Ca{sub 0.4}B{sub 6} is discussed in terms of quantum percolation transition predicted for this low carrier density system within double exchange model. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Characteristics of the Current-Controlled Phase Transition of VO2 Microwires for Hybrid Optoelectronic Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arash Joushaghani

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The optical and electrical characteristics of the insulator-metal phase transition of vanadium dioxide (VO2 enable the realization of power-efficient, miniaturized hybrid optoelectronic devices. This work studies the current-controlled, two-step insulator-metal phase transition of VO2 in varying microwire geometries. Geometry-dependent scaling trends extracted from current-voltage measurements show that the first step induced by carrier injection is delocalized over the microwire, while the second, thermally-induced step is localized to a filament about 1 to 2 μm wide for 100 nm-thick sputtered VO2 films on SiO2. These effects are confirmed by direct infrared imaging, which also measures the change in optical absorption in the two steps. The difference between the threshold currents of the two steps increases as the microwires are narrowed. Micron- and sub-micron-wide VO2 structures can be used to separate the two phase transition steps in photonic and electronic devices.

Pressure-Induced Confined Metal from the Mott Insulator {\mathrm{Sr}}_3{\mathrm{Ir}}_2{{O}}_7

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ding, Yang; Yang, Liuxiang; Chen, Cheng-Chien; Kim, Heung-Sik; Han, Myung Joon; Luo, Wei; Feng, Zhenxing; Upton, Mary; Casa, Diego; Kim, Jungho; Gog, Thomas; Zeng, Zhidan; Cao, Gang; Mao, Ho-kwang; van Veenendaal, Michel

2016-05-24

The spin-orbit Mott insulator Sr₃Ir₂O₇ provides a fascinating playground to explore insulator-metal transition driven by intertwined charge, spin, and lattice degrees of freedom. Here, we report high-pressure electric resistance and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering measurements on single-crystal Sr₃Ir₂O₇ up to 63-65 GPa at 300 K. The material becomes a confined metal at 59.5 GPa, showing metallicity in the ab plane but an insulating behavior along the c axis. Such an unusual phenomenon resembles the strange metal phase in cuprate superconductors. Since there is no sign of the collapse of spin-orbit or Coulomb interactions in x-ray measurements, this novel insulator-metal transition is potentially driven by a first-order structural change at nearby pressures. Our discovery points to a new approach for synthesizing functional materials.

High-frequency EPR on high-spin transition-metal sites

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mathies, Guinevere

2012-01-01

The electronic structure of transition-metal sites can be probed by electron-paramagnetic-resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The study of high-spin transition-metal sites benefits from EPR spectroscopy at frequencies higher than the standard 9.5 GHz. However, high-frequency EPR is a developing field. In

Poole Frenkel current and Schottky emission in SiN gate dielectric in AlGaN/GaN metal insulator semiconductor heterostructure field effect transistors

Science.gov (United States)

Hanna, Mina J.; Zhao, Han; Lee, Jack C.

2012-10-01

We analyze the anomalous I-V behavior in SiN prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition for use as a gate insulator in AlGaN/GaN metal insulator semiconductor heterostructure filed effect transistors (HFETs). We observe leakage current across the dielectric with opposite polarity with respect to the applied electric field once the voltage sweep reaches a level below a determined threshold. This is observed as the absolute minimum of the leakage current does not occur at minimum voltage level (0 V) but occurs earlier in the sweep interval. Curve-fitting analysis suggests that the charge-transport mechanism in this region is Poole-Frenkel current, followed by Schottky emission due to band bending. Despite the current anomaly, the sample devices have shown a notable reduction of leakage current of over 2 to 6 order of magnitudes compared to the standard Schottky HFET. We show that higher pressures and higher silane concentrations produce better films manifesting less trapping. This conforms to our results that we reported in earlier publications. We found that higher chamber pressure achieves higher sheet carrier concentration that was found to be strongly dependent on the trapped space charge at the SiN/GaN interface. This would suggest that a lower chamber pressure induces more trap states into the SiN/GaN interface.

Dynamical Conductivity across the Disorder-Tuned Superconductor-Insulator Transition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mason Swanson

2014-04-01

Full Text Available We calculate the dynamical conductivity σ(ω and the bosonic (pair spectral function P(ω from quantum Monte Carlo simulations across clean and disorder-driven superconductor-insulator transitions (SITs. We identify characteristic energy scales in the superconducting and insulating phases that vanish at the transition due to enhanced quantum fluctuations, despite the persistence of a robust fermionic gap across the SIT. Disorder leads to enhanced absorption in σ(ω at low frequencies compared to the SIT in a clean system. Disorder also expands the quantum critical region, due to a change in the universality class, with an underlying T=0 critical point with a universal low-frequency conductivity σ^{*}≃0.5(4e^{2}/h.

Extrinsic and intrinsic properties in metal–insulator transition of hydrothermally prepared vanadium dioxide crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Myeongsoon; Kim, Don

2014-01-01

The clear insulator (monoclinic-VO 2 ) to metal (rutile-VO 2 ) transition (IMT) was observed in electrical conductivity and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) measurements at around 340 K, which is IMT temperature (T H ), in the hydrothermally prepared VO 2 crystals. The occurrence of metal to insulator transition (MIT) temperature (T C ) was observed below 333 K during the first resistance measurement cycle in the most of cases. The sudden jump of the electrical resistance at IMT and MIT points was amplified several times than that of the first cycle during the repeated successive thermal cycles (heating and cooling across the IMT and MIT temperatures). T C and T H shifted to higher temperature by the repeated successive thermal cycles. This shift and the amplified jump might be related to the mechanical stress between the VO 2 crystals, i.e. extrinsic properties. However, the starting point of MIT, T CS = ∼ 336 K, and the starting point of IMT, T HS = ∼ 338 K, kept almost constant during the repeated thermal cycles (< 10 times). These two temperatures may be related to the intrinsic properties of the VO 2 : the phase transitions initiated at these temperatures regardless of the number of the repeated thermal cycles. The neat surface of the VO 2 crystals was severely damaged and the average size of particles reduced from 110 nm to 70–90 nm after extensively repeated thermal cycles (> 70 times). The damaged surface and the smaller particles, which would be originated from the mechanical stress caused by crystal volume change during the first order transition of the VO 2 , would weaken the electrical conduction path (loosen grain boundaries) between the VO 2 single crystals and would result in the amplified jump at the following MIT. This report may boost the study for the improved stability and lifetime of the VO 2 based electronic devices. - Highlights: • The sharp phase transition in cluster of VO 2 crystals depends on repeated thermal cycles. �

Adlayer Core-Level Shifts of Random Metal Overlayers on Transition-Metal Substrates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ganduglia-Pirovano, M. V.; Kudrnovský, J.; Scheffler, M.

1997-01-01

and the screening effects induced by the core hole, and study the influence of the alloy composition for a number of noble metal-transition metal systems. Our analysis clearly indicates the importance of final-state screening effects for the interpretation of measured core-level shifts. Calculated deviations from...

The Role of Interfaces in Polyethylene/Metal-Oxide Nanocomposites for Ultrahigh-Voltage Insulating Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Pourrahimi, Amir Masoud; Olsson, Richard T; Hedenqvist, Mikael S

2018-01-01

Recent progress in the development of polyethylene/metal-oxide nanocomposites for extruded high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) cables with ultrahigh electric insulation properties is presented. This is a promising technology with the potential of raising the upper voltage limit in today's underground/submarine cables, based on pristine polyethylene, to levels where the loss of energy during electric power transmission becomes low enough to ensure intercontinental electric power transmission. The development of HVDC insulating materials together with the impact of the interface between the particles and the polymer on the nanocomposites electric properties are shown. Important parameters from the atomic to the microlevel, such as interfacial chemistry, interfacial area, and degree of particle dispersion/aggregation, are discussed. This work is placed in perspective with important work by others, and suggested mechanisms for improved insulation using nanoparticles, such as increased charge trap density, adsorption of impurities/ions, and induced particle dipole moments are considered. The effects of the nanoparticles and of their interfacial structures on the mechanical properties and the implications of cavitation on the electric properties are also discussed. Although the main interest in improving the properties of insulating polymers has been on the use of nanoparticles, leading to nanodielectrics, it is pointed out here that larger microscopic hierarchical metal-oxide particles with high surface porosity also impart good insulation properties. The impact of the type of particle and its inherent properties (purity and conductivity) on the nanocomposite dielectric and insulating properties are also discussed based on data obtained by a newly developed technique to directly observe the charge distribution on a nanometer scale in the nanocomposite. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Understanding metal–insulator transition in sodium tungsten bronze

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2015-05-20

May 20, 2015 ... We have carried out angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and spectromicroscopy studies to understand the metal–insulator transition (MIT) observed in sodium tungsten bronzes, NaWO3. The experimentally determined band structure is compared with the theoretical calculation based ...

Gate-tunable gigantic lattice deformation in VO{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Okuyama, D., E-mail: okuyama@riken.jp, E-mail: nakano@imr.tohoku.ac.jp, E-mail: iwasa@ap.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp; Hatano, T. [RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), Wako 351-0198 (Japan); Nakano, M., E-mail: okuyama@riken.jp, E-mail: nakano@imr.tohoku.ac.jp, E-mail: iwasa@ap.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp [RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), Wako 351-0198 (Japan); Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); Takeshita, S.; Ohsumi, H.; Tardif, S. [RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Hyogo 679-5148 (Japan); Shibuya, K. [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba 305-8562 (Japan); Yumoto, H.; Koyama, T.; Ohashi, H. [Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, SPring-8, Hyogo 679-5198 (Japan); Takata, M. [RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Hyogo 679-5148 (Japan); Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, SPring-8, Hyogo 679-5198 (Japan); Kawasaki, M.; Tokura, Y.; Iwasa, Y., E-mail: okuyama@riken.jp, E-mail: nakano@imr.tohoku.ac.jp, E-mail: iwasa@ap.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp [RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), Wako 351-0198 (Japan); Quantum-Phase Electronics Center and Department of Applied Physics, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Arima, T. [RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), Wako 351-0198 (Japan); RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Hyogo 679-5148 (Japan); Department of Advanced Materials Science, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8561 (Japan)

2014-01-13

We examined the impact of electric field on crystal lattice of vanadium dioxide (VO{sub 2}) in a field-effect transistor geometry by in-situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements. Whereas the c-axis lattice parameter of VO{sub 2} decreases through the thermally induced insulator-to-metal phase transition, the gate-induced metallization was found to result in a significant increase of the c-axis length by almost 1% from that of the thermally stabilized insulating state. We also found that this gate-induced gigantic lattice deformation occurs even at the thermally stabilized metallic state, enabling dynamic control of c-axis lattice parameter by more than 1% at room temperature.

Gate-tunable gigantic lattice deformation in VO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okuyama, D.; Hatano, T.; Nakano, M.; Takeshita, S.; Ohsumi, H.; Tardif, S.; Shibuya, K.; Yumoto, H.; Koyama, T.; Ohashi, H.; Takata, M.; Kawasaki, M.; Tokura, Y.; Iwasa, Y.; Arima, T.

2014-01-01

We examined the impact of electric field on crystal lattice of vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ) in a field-effect transistor geometry by in-situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements. Whereas the c-axis lattice parameter of VO 2 decreases through the thermally induced insulator-to-metal phase transition, the gate-induced metallization was found to result in a significant increase of the c-axis length by almost 1% from that of the thermally stabilized insulating state. We also found that this gate-induced gigantic lattice deformation occurs even at the thermally stabilized metallic state, enabling dynamic control of c-axis lattice parameter by more than 1% at room temperature

Optical probing of quantum Hall effect of composite fermions and of the liquid-insulator transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rossella, F; Bellani, V; Dionigi, F; Amado, M; Diez, E; Kowalik, K; Biasiol, G; Sorba, L

2011-01-01

In the photoluminescence spectra of a two-dimensional electron gas in the fractional quantum Hall regime we observe the states at filling factors ν = 4/5, 5/7, 4/11 and 3/8 as clear minima in the intensity or area emission peak. The first three states are described as interacting composite fermions in fractional quantum Hall regime. The minimum in the intensity at ν 3/8, which is not explained within this picture, can be an evidence of a suppression of the screening of the Coulomb interaction among the effective quasi-particles involved in this intriguing state. The magnetic field energy dispersion at very low temperatures is also discussed. At low field the emission follows a Landau dispersion with a screened magneto-Coulomb contribution. At intermediate fields the hidden symmetry manifests. At high field above ν = 1/3 the electrons correlate into an insulating phase, and the optical emission behaviour at the liquid-insulator transition is coherent with a charge ordering driven by Coulomb correlations.

Control of magnetic relaxation by electric-field-induced ferroelectric phase transition and inhomogeneous domain switching

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nan, Tianxiang; Emori, Satoru; Wang, Xinjun; Hu, Zhongqiang; Xie, Li; Gao, Yuan; Lin, Hwaider; Sun, Nian, E-mail: n.sun@neu.edu [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 (United States); Peng, Bin; Liu, Ming, E-mail: mingliu@mail.xjtu.edu.cn [Electronic Materials Research Laboratory, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China); Jiao, Jie; Luo, Haosu [Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800 (China); Budil, David [Department of Chemistry, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 (United States); Jones, John G.; Howe, Brandon M.; Brown, Gail J. [Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433 (United States)

2016-01-04

Electric-field modulation of magnetism in strain-mediated multiferroic heterostructures is considered a promising scheme for enabling memory and magnetic microwave devices with ultralow power consumption. However, it is not well understood how electric-field-induced strain influences magnetic relaxation, an important physical process for device applications. Here, we investigate resonant magnetization dynamics in ferromagnet/ferroelectric multiferroic heterostructures, FeGaB/PMN-PT and NiFe/PMN-PT, in two distinct strain states provided by electric-field-induced ferroelectric phase transition. The strain not only modifies magnetic anisotropy but also magnetic relaxation. In FeGaB/PMN-PT, we observe a nearly two-fold change in intrinsic Gilbert damping by electric field, which is attributed to strain-induced tuning of spin-orbit coupling. By contrast, a small but measurable change in extrinsic linewidth broadening is attributed to inhomogeneous ferroelastic domain switching during the phase transition of the PMN-PT substrate.

Interaction of slow highly-charged ions with metals and insulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamazaki, Y.

2007-01-01

Interaction of slow highly charged ions with insulator as well as metallic surfaces is discussed. In addition to the usual flat surface targets, studies with thin foils having a multitude of straight holes of ∼100 nm in diameter (micro-capillary foil) are introduced, which provide various unique information on the above surface interaction. In the case of an insulator micro-capillary foil, a so-called guiding effect was observed, where slow highly charged ions can transmit through the capillary tunnel keeping their initial charge state even when the capillary axis is tilted against the incident beam. A similar guiding effect has recently been found for slow highly-charged ions transmitted through a single tapered glass capillary. In both cases, the guiding effects are expected to be governed by a self-organized charging and discharging of the inner-wall of the insulator capillary. One of the prominent features of this guiding effect with the tapered capillary is the formation of a nano-size beam, which can be applied in various fields of science including surface nano-modification/analysis, nano-surgery of living cells, etc

Composition-induced structural, electrical, and magnetic phase transitions in AX-type mixed-valence cobalt oxynitride epitaxial thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takahashi, Jumpei; Oka, Daichi [Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), 3-2-1 Sakado, Takatsu, Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); Hirose, Yasushi, E-mail: hirose@chem.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp; Yang, Chang; Fukumura, Tomoteru; Hasegawa, Tetsuya [Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), 3-2-1 Sakado, Takatsu, Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Nakao, Shoichiro [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), 3-2-1 Sakado, Takatsu, Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Harayama, Isao; Sekiba, Daiichiro [University of Tsukuba Tandem Accelerator Complex (UTTAC), 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577 (Japan)

2015-12-07

Synthesis of mid- to late-transition metal oxynitrides is generally difficult by conventional thermal ammonolysis because of thermal instability. In this letter, we synthesized epitaxial thin films of AX-type phase-pure cobalt oxynitrides (CoO{sub x}N{sub y}) by using nitrogen-plasma-assisted pulsed laser deposition and investigated their structural, electrical, and magnetic properties. The CoO{sub x}N{sub y} thin films with 0 ≤ y/(x + y) ≤ 0.63 grown on MgO (100) substrates showed a structural phase transition from rock salt (RS) to zinc blend at the nitrogen content y/(x + y) ∼ 0.5. As the nitrogen content increased, the room-temperature electrical resistivity of the CoO{sub x}N{sub y} thin films monotonically decreased from the order of 10{sup 5} Ω cm to 10{sup −4} Ω cm. Furthermore, we observed an insulator-to-metal transition at y/(x + y) ∼ 0.34 in the RS-CoO{sub x}N{sub y} phase, which has not yet been reported in Co{sup 2+}/Co{sup 3+} mixed-valence cobalt oxides with octahedral coordination. The low resistivity in the RS-CoO{sub x}N{sub y} phase, on the 10{sup −3} Ω cm order, may have originated from the intermediate spin state of Co{sup 3+} stabilized by the lowered crystal field symmetry of the CoO{sub 6−n}N{sub n} octahedra (n = 1, 2,…5). Magnetization measurements suggested that a magnetic phase transition occurred in the RS-CoO{sub x}N{sub y} films during the insulator-to-metal transition. These results demonstrate that low-temperature epitaxial growth is a promising approach for exploring novel electronic functionalities in oxynitrides.

Composition-induced structural, electrical, and magnetic phase transitions in AX-type mixed-valence cobalt oxynitride epitaxial thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Jumpei; Oka, Daichi; Hirose, Yasushi; Yang, Chang; Fukumura, Tomoteru; Hasegawa, Tetsuya; Nakao, Shoichiro; Harayama, Isao; Sekiba, Daiichiro

2015-01-01

Synthesis of mid- to late-transition metal oxynitrides is generally difficult by conventional thermal ammonolysis because of thermal instability. In this letter, we synthesized epitaxial thin films of AX-type phase-pure cobalt oxynitrides (CoO x N y ) by using nitrogen-plasma-assisted pulsed laser deposition and investigated their structural, electrical, and magnetic properties. The CoO x N y thin films with 0 ≤ y/(x + y) ≤ 0.63 grown on MgO (100) substrates showed a structural phase transition from rock salt (RS) to zinc blend at the nitrogen content y/(x + y) ∼ 0.5. As the nitrogen content increased, the room-temperature electrical resistivity of the CoO x N y thin films monotonically decreased from the order of 10 5  Ω cm to 10 −4  Ω cm. Furthermore, we observed an insulator-to-metal transition at y/(x + y) ∼ 0.34 in the RS-CoO x N y phase, which has not yet been reported in Co 2+ /Co 3+ mixed-valence cobalt oxides with octahedral coordination. The low resistivity in the RS-CoO x N y phase, on the 10 −3  Ω cm order, may have originated from the intermediate spin state of Co 3+ stabilized by the lowered crystal field symmetry of the CoO 6−n N n octahedra (n = 1, 2,…5). Magnetization measurements suggested that a magnetic phase transition occurred in the RS-CoO x N y films during the insulator-to-metal transition. These results demonstrate that low-temperature epitaxial growth is a promising approach for exploring novel electronic functionalities in oxynitrides

The dynamics of the laser-induced metal-semiconductor phase transition of samarium sulfide (SmS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaempfer, Tino

2009-01-01

The present thesis is dedicated to the experimental study of the metal-semiconductor phase transition of samarium sulfide (SmS): Temperature- and time-resolved experiments on the characterization of the phase transition of mixed-valence SmS samples (M-SmS) are presented. The measurement of the dynamics of the laser-induced phase transition pursues via time-resolved ultrashort-time microscopy and by X-ray diffraction with sub-picosecond time resolution. The electronic and structural processes, which follow an excitation of M-SmS with infrared femtosecond laser pulses, are physically interpreted on the base of the results obtained in this thesis and model imaginations. [de

Surface modification by metal ion implantation forming metallic nanoparticles in an insulating matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salvadori, M.C.; Teixeira, F.S.; Sgubin, L.G.; Cattani, M.; Brown, I.G.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Metal nanoparticles can be produced through metallic ion implantation in insulating substrate, where the implanted metal self-assembles into nanoparticles. • The nanoparticles nucleate near the maximum of the implantation depth profile, that can be estimated by computer simulation using the TRIDYN. • Nanocomposites, obtained by this way, can be produced in different insulator materials. More specifically we have studied Au/PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate), Pt/PMMA, Ti/alumina and Au/alumina systems. • The nanocomposites were characterized by measuring the resistivity of the composite layer as function of the dose implanted, reaching the percolation threshold. • Excellent agreement was found between the experimental results and the predictions of the theory. - Abstract: There is special interest in the incorporation of metallic nanoparticles in a surrounding dielectric matrix for obtaining composites with desirable characteristics such as for surface plasmon resonance, which can be used in photonics and sensing, and controlled surface electrical conductivity. We have investigated nanocomposites produced by metal ion implantation into insulating substrates, where the implanted metal self-assembles into nanoparticles. The nanoparticles nucleate near the maximum of the implantation depth profile (projected range), which can be estimated by computer simulation using the TRIDYN code. TRIDYN is a Monte Carlo simulation program based on the TRIM (Transport and Range of Ions in Matter) code that takes into account compositional changes in the substrate due to two factors: previously implanted dopant atoms, and sputtering of the substrate surface. Our study show that the nanoparticles form a bidimentional array buried a few nanometers below the substrate surface. We have studied Au/PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate), Pt/PMMA, Ti/alumina and Au/alumina systems. Transmission electron microscopy of the implanted samples show that metallic nanoparticles form in

Contact spectroscopy on S/TI/N devices: Induced pairing on the surface of a topological insulator

Science.gov (United States)

Stehno, Martin P.; Ngabonziza, Prosper; Snelder, Marieke; Myoren, Hiroaki; Pan, Yu; de Visser, Anne; Huang, Y.; Golden, Mark S.; Brinkman, Alexander

Translating concepts of topological quantum computation into applications requires fine-tuning of parameters in the model Hamiltonians of candidate systems. Such level of control has proven difficult to achieve in devices where superconductors are used to induce pairing in topological insulator (TI) materials. While local probe experiments have indicated features of p-wave superconducting correlations in TIs (as suggested by theory), results on extended devices often remain ambiguous. We present contact spectroscopy data on superconductor/topological insulator/normal metal devices with bulk-insulating TI material and compare these with bulk conducting samples. We discuss the magnitude of the induced gap and unusual features in the conductance traces of the bulk-insulating samples that may suggest the presence of p-wave type correlations in the TI. This work is financially supported by the Dutch Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM), the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), and by the European Research Council (ERC).

Topotactic Metal-Insulator Transition in Epitaxial SrFeOx Thin Films.

Science.gov (United States)

Khare, Amit; Shin, Dongwon; Yoo, Tae Sup; Kim, Minu; Kang, Tae Dong; Lee, Jaekwang; Roh, Seulki; Jung, In-Ho; Hwang, Jungseek; Kim, Sung Wng; Noh, Tae Won; Ohta, Hiromichi; Choi, Woo Seok

2017-10-01

Topotactic phase transformation enables structural transition without losing the crystalline symmetry of the parental phase and provides an effective platform for elucidating the redox reaction and oxygen diffusion within transition metal oxides. In addition, it enables tuning of the emergent physical properties of complex oxides, through strong interaction between the lattice and electronic degrees of freedom. In this communication, the electronic structure evolution of SrFeO x epitaxial thin films is identified in real-time, during the progress of reversible topotactic phase transformation. Using real-time optical spectroscopy, the phase transition between the two structurally distinct phases (i.e., brownmillerite and perovskite) is quantitatively monitored, and a pressure-temperature phase diagram of the topotactic transformation is constructed for the first time. The transformation at relatively low temperatures is attributed to a markedly small difference in Gibbs free energy compared to the known similar class of materials to date. This study highlights the phase stability and reversibility of SrFeO x thin films, which is highly relevant for energy and environmental applications exploiting the redox reactions. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Metal induced gap states at alkali halide/metal interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiguchi, Manabu; Yoshikawa, Genki; Ikeda, Susumu; Saiki, Koichiro

2004-01-01

The electronic state of a KCl/Cu(0 0 1) interface was investigated using the Cl K-edge near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS). A pre-peak observed on the bulk edge onset of thin KCl films has a similar feature to the peak at a LiCl/Cu(0 0 1) interface, which originates from the metal induced gap state (MIGS). The present result indicates that the MIGS is formed universally at alkali halide/metal interfaces. The decay length of MIGS to an insulator differs from each other, mainly due to the difference in the band gap energy of alkali halide

Accumulation capacitance frequency dispersion of III-V metal-insulator-semiconductor devices due to disorder induced gap states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galatage, R. V.; Zhernokletov, D. M.; Dong, H.; Brennan, B.; Hinkle, C. L.; Wallace, R. M.; Vogel, E. M.

2014-01-01

The origin of the anomalous frequency dispersion in accumulation capacitance of metal-insulator-semiconductor devices on InGaAs and InP substrates is investigated using modeling, electrical characterization, and chemical characterization. A comparison of the border trap model and the disorder induced gap state model for frequency dispersion is performed. The fitting of both models to experimental data indicate that the defects responsible for the measured dispersion are within approximately 0.8 nm of the surface of the crystalline semiconductor. The correlation between the spectroscopically detected bonding states at the dielectric/III-V interface, the interfacial defect density determined using capacitance-voltage, and modeled capacitance-voltage response strongly suggests that these defects are associated with the disruption of the III-V atomic bonding and not border traps associated with bonding defects within the high-k dielectric.

Designer Shape Anisotropy on Transition-Metal-Dichalcogenide Nanosheets.

Science.gov (United States)

Martella, Christian; Mennucci, Carlo; Lamperti, Alessio; Cappelluti, Emmanuele; de Mongeot, Francesco Buatier; Molle, Alessandro

2018-03-01

MoS 2 and generally speaking, the wide family of transition-metal dichalcogenides represents a solid nanotechnology platform on which to engineer a wealth of new and outperforming applications involving 2D materials. An even richer flexibility can be gained by extrinsically inducing an in-plane shape anisotropy of the nanosheets. Here, the synthesis of anisotropic MoS 2 nanosheets is proposed as a prototypical example in this respect starting from a highly conformal chemical vapor deposition on prepatterend substrates and aiming at the more general purpose of tailoring anisotropy of 2D nanosheets by design. This is envisioned to be a suitable configuration for strain engineering as far as strain can be spatially redistributed in morphologically different regions. With a similar approach, both the optical and electronic properties of the 2D transition-metal dichalcogenides can be tailored over macroscopic sample areas in a self-organized fashion, thus paving the way for new applications in the field of optical metasurfaces, light harvesting, and catalysis. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Redox Active Transition Metal ions Make Melanin Susceptible to Chemical Degradation Induced by Organic Peroxide.

Science.gov (United States)

Zadlo, Andrzej; Pilat, Anna; Sarna, Michal; Pawlak, Anna; Sarna, Tadeusz

2017-12-01

With aging, retinal pigment epithelium melanosomes, by fusion with the age pigment lipofuscin, form complex granules called melanolipofuscin. Lipofuscin granules may contain oxidized proteins and lipid hydroperoxides, which in melanolipofuscin could chemically modify melanin polymer, while transition metal ions present in melanin can accelerate such oxidative modifications. The aim of this research was to examine the effect of selected transition metal ions on melanin susceptibility to chemical modification induced by the water-soluble tert-butyl hydroperoxide used as an oxidizing agent. Synthetic melanin obtained by DOPA autooxidation and melanosomes isolated from bovine retinal pigment epithelium were analyzed. To monitor tert-butyl hydroperoxide-induced oxidative changes of DMa and BMs, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance oximetry were employed. These measurements revealed that both copper and iron ions accelerated chemical degradation induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide, while zinc ions had no effect. Strong prooxidant action was detected only in the case of melanosomes and melanin degraded in the presence of iron. It can be postulated that similar chemical processes, if they occur in situ in melanolipofuscin granules of the human retinal pigment epithelium, would modify antioxidant properties of melanin and its reactivity.

The metallicities of stars with and without transiting planets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buchhave, Lars A.; Latham, David W.

2015-01-01

Host star metallicities have been used to infer observational constraints on planet formation throughout the history of the exoplanet field. The giant planet metallicity correlation has now been widely accepted, but questions remain as to whether the metallicity correlation extends to the small...... terrestrial-sized planets. Here, we report metallicities for a sample of 518 stars in the Kepler field that have no detected transiting planets and compare their metallicity distribution to a sample of stars that hosts small planets (). Importantly, both samples have been analyzed in a homogeneous manner...... using the same set of tools (Stellar Parameters Classification tool). We find the average metallicity of the sample of stars without detected transiting planets to be and the sample of stars hosting small planets to be . The average metallicities of the two samples are indistinguishable within...

Dynamical mean-field theory and path integral renormalisation group calculations of strongly correlated electronic states

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heilmann, D.B.

2007-02-15

The two-plane HUBBARD model, which is a model for some electronic properties of undoped YBCO superconductors as well as displays a MOTT metal-to-insulator transition and a metal-to-band insulator transition, is studied within Dynamical Mean-Field Theory using HIRSCH-FYE Monte Carlo. In order to find the different transitions and distinguish the types of insulator, we calculate the single-particle spectral densities, the self-energies and the optical conductivities. We conclude that there is a continuous transition from MOTT to band insulator. In the second part, ground state properties of a diagonally disordered HUBBARD model is studied using a generalisation of Path Integral Renormalisation Group, a variational method which can also determine low-lying excitations. In particular, the distribution of antiferromagnetic properties is investigated. We conclude that antiferromagnetism breaks down in a percolation-type transition at a critical disorder, which is not changed appreciably by the inclusion of correlation effects, when compared to earlier studies. Electronic and excitation properties at the system sizes considered turn out to primarily depend on the geometry. (orig.)

Dynamical mean-field theory and path integral renormalisation group calculations of strongly correlated electronic states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heilmann, D.B.

2007-02-01

The two-plane HUBBARD model, which is a model for some electronic properties of undoped YBCO superconductors as well as displays a MOTT metal-to-insulator transition and a metal-to-band insulator transition, is studied within Dynamical Mean-Field Theory using HIRSCH-FYE Monte Carlo. In order to find the different transitions and distinguish the types of insulator, we calculate the single-particle spectral densities, the self-energies and the optical conductivities. We conclude that there is a continuous transition from MOTT to band insulator. In the second part, ground state properties of a diagonally disordered HUBBARD model is studied using a generalisation of Path Integral Renormalisation Group, a variational method which can also determine low-lying excitations. In particular, the distribution of antiferromagnetic properties is investigated. We conclude that antiferromagnetism breaks down in a percolation-type transition at a critical disorder, which is not changed appreciably by the inclusion of correlation effects, when compared to earlier studies. Electronic and excitation properties at the system sizes considered turn out to primarily depend on the geometry. (orig.)

Transport properties of metal-metal and metal-insulator heterostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fadlallah Elabd, Mohamed Mostafa

2010-06-09

In this study we present results of electronic structure and transport calculations for metallic and metal-insulator interfaces, based on density functional theory and the non-equilibrium Green's function method. Starting from the electronic structure of bulk Al, Cu, Ag, and Au interfaces, we study the effects of different kinds of interface roughness on the transmission coefficient (T(E)) and the I-V characteristic. In particular, we compare prototypical interface distortions, including vacancies, metallic impurities, non-metallic impurities, interlayer, and interface alloy. We find that vacancy sites have a huge effect on transmission coefficient. The transmission coefficient of non-metallic impurity systems has the same behaviour as the transmission coefficient of vacancy system, since these systems do not contribute to the electronic states at the Fermi energy. We have also studied the transport properties of Au-MgO-Au tunnel junctions. In particular, we have investigated the influence of the thickness of the MgO interlayer, the interface termination, the interface spacing, and O vacancies. Additional interface states appear in the O-terminated configuration due to the formation of Au-O bonds. An increasing interface spacing suppresses the Au-O bonding. Enhancement of T(E) depends on the position and density of the vacancies (the number of vacancies per unit cell). (orig.)

MIS field effect transistor with barium titanate thin film as a gate insulator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Firek, P., E-mail: pfirek@elka.pw.edu.p [Institute of Microelectronics and Optoelectronics, Warsaw University of Technology, Koszykowa 75, 00-662 Warsaw (Poland); Werbowy, A.; Szmidt, J. [Institute of Microelectronics and Optoelectronics, Warsaw University of Technology, Koszykowa 75, 00-662 Warsaw (Poland)

2009-11-25

The properties of barium titanate (BaTiO{sub 3}, BT) like, e.g. high dielectric constant and resistivity, allow it to find numerous applications in field of microelectronics. In this work silicon metal insulator semiconductor field effect transistor (MISFET) structures with BaTiO{sub 3} (containing La{sub 2}O{sub 3} admixture) thin films in a role of gate insulator were investigated. The films were produced by means of radio frequency plasma sputtering (RF PS) of sintered BaTiO{sub 3} + La{sub 2}O{sub 3} (2 wt.%) target. In the paper transfer and output current-voltage (I-V), transconductance and output conductance characteristics of obtained transistors are presented and discussed. Basic parameters of these devices like, e.g. threshold voltage (V{sub TH}), are determined and discussed.

Possible observation of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in boron-doped diamond films

Science.gov (United States)

Coleman, Christopher; Bhattacharyya, Somnath

2017-11-01

The occurrence of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition is investigated in heavily boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond films through a combination of current-voltage and resistance measurements. We observe transport features suggesting a robust BKT transition along with transport features related to vortex pinning in nanocrystalline diamond films with smaller grain size. The vortex core energy determined through analysis of the resistance temperature curves was found to be anti-correlated to the BKT transition temperatures. It is also observed that the higher BKT temperature is related to an increased vortex-antivortex binding energy derived from the activated transport regions. Further, the magnetic field induced superconductor insulator transition shows the possibility of the charge glass state. The consequences of granularity such as localization and vortex pinning can lead to tuneable BKT temperatures and strongly affects the field induced insulating state.

Strongly Coupled Magnetic and Electronic Transitions in Multivalent Strontium Cobaltites.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, J H; Choi, Woo Seok; Jeen, H; Lee, H-J; Seo, J H; Nam, J; Yeom, M S; Lee, H N

2017-11-22

The topotactic phase transition in SrCoO x (x = 2.5-3.0) makes it possible to reversibly transit between the two distinct phases, i.e. the brownmillerite SrCoO 2.5 that is a room-temperature antiferromagnetic insulator (AFM-I) and the perovskite SrCoO 3 that is a ferromagnetic metal (FM-M), owing to their multiple valence states. For the intermediate x values, the two distinct phases are expected to strongly compete with each other. With oxidation of SrCoO 2.5 , however, it has been conjectured that the magnetic transition is decoupled to the electronic phase transition, i.e., the AFM-to-FM transition occurs before the insulator-to-metal transition (IMT), which is still controversial. Here, we bridge the gap between the two-phase transitions by density-functional theory calculations combined with optical spectroscopy. We confirm that the IMT actually occurs concomitantly with the FM transition near the oxygen content x = 2.75. Strong charge-spin coupling drives the concurrent IMT and AFM-to-FM transition, which fosters the near room-T magnetic transition characteristic. Ultimately, our study demonstrates that SrCoO x is an intriguingly rare candidate for inducing coupled magnetic and electronic transition via fast and reversible redox reactions.

Design and fabrication of metal-insulator-metal diode for high frequency applications

Science.gov (United States)

Azad, Ibrahim; Ram, Manoj K.; Goswami, D. Yogi; Stefanakos, Elias

2017-02-01

Metal-insulator-metal (MIM) diodes play significant role in high speed electronics where high frequency rectification is needed. Quantum based tunneling mechanism helps MIM diodes to rectify at high frequency signals. Rectenna, antenna coupled MIM diodes are becoming popular due to their potential use as IR detectors and energy harvesters. Because of small active area, MIM diodes could easily be incorporated into integrated circuits (IC's). The objective of the work is to design and develop MIM diodes for high frequency rectification. In this work, thin insulating layer of ZnO was fabricated using Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique which facilitates ultrathin thin, uniform and pinhole free fabrication of insulating layer. The ZnO layer was synthesized from organic precursor of zinc acetate layer. The optimization in the LB technique of fabrication process led to fabricate MIM diodes with high non-linearity and sensitivity. Moreover, the top and bottom electrodes as well as active area of the diodes were patterned using UV-tunneling conduction mechanism. The highest sensitivity of the diode was measured around 37 (A/W), and the rectification ratio was found around 36 under low applied bias at +/-100 mV.

Efficient photocarrier injection in a transition metal oxide heterostructure

CERN Document Server

Muraoka, Y; Ueda, Y; Hiroi, Z

2002-01-01

An efficient method for doping a transition metal oxide (TMO) with hole carriers is presented: photocarrier injection (PCI) in an oxide heterostructure. It is shown that an insulating vanadium dioxide (VO sub 2) film is rendered metallic under light irradiation by PCI from an n-type titanium dioxide (TiO sub 2) substrate doped with Nb. Consequently, a large photoconductivity, which is exceptional for TMOs, is found in the VO sub 2 /TiO sub 2 :Nb heterostructure. We propose an electronic band structure where photoinduced holes created in TiO sub 2 :Nb can be transferred into the filled V 3d band via the low-lying O 2p band of VO sub 2. (letter to the editor)

Electric-field induced spin accumulation in the Landau level states of topological insulator thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Siu, Zhuo Bin; Chowdhury, Debashree; Basu, Banasri; Jalil, Mansoor B. A.

2017-08-01

A topological insulator (TI) thin film differs from the more typically studied thick TI system in that the former has both a top and a bottom surface where the states localized at both surfaces can couple to one other across the finite thickness. An out-of-plane magnetic field leads to the formation of discrete Landau level states in the system, whereas an in-plane magnetization breaks the angular momentum symmetry of the system. In this work, we study the spin accumulation induced by the application of an in-plane electric field to the TI thin film system where the Landau level states and inter-surface coupling are simultaneously present. We show, via Kubo formula calculations, that the in-plane spin accumulation perpendicular to the magnetization due to the electric field vanishes for a TI thin film with symmetric top and bottom surfaces. A finite in-plane spin accumulation perpendicular to both the electric field and magnetization emerges upon applying either a differential magnetization coupling or a potential difference between the two film surfaces. This spin accumulation results from the breaking of the antisymmetry of the spin accumulation around the k-space equal-energy contours.

Holographic entanglement entropy in two-order insulator/superconductor transitions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peng, Yan, E-mail: yanpengphy@163.com; Liu, Guohua

2017-04-10

We study holographic superconductor model with two orders in the five dimensional AdS soliton background away from the probe limit. We disclose properties of phase transitions mostly from the holographic topological entanglement entropy approach. Our results show that the entanglement entropy is useful in investigating transitions in this general model and in particular, there is a new type of first order phase transition in the insulator/superconductor system. We also give some qualitative understanding and obtain the analytical condition for this first order phase transition to occur. As a summary, we draw the complete phase diagram representing effects of the scalar charge on phase transitions.

Large modification in insulator-metal transition of VO{sub 2} films grown on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (001) by high energy ion irradiation in biased reactive sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Azhan, Nurul Hanis; Okimura, Kunio, E-mail: okifn@keyaki.cc.u-tokai.ac.jp [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Tokai University, Hiratsuka 259-1292 (Japan); Ohtsubo, Yoshiyuki; Kimura, Shin-ichi [Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871 (Japan); Zaghrioui, Mustapha; Sakai, Joe [GREMAN, UMR 7347 CNRS, Université François Rabelais de Tours, Parc de Grandmont, 37200 Tours (France)

2016-02-07

High energy ion irradiation in biased reactive sputtering enabled significant modification of insulator-metal transition (IMT) properties of VO{sub 2} films grown on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (001). Even at a high biasing voltage with mean ion energy of around 325 eV induced by the rf substrate biasing power of 40 W, VO{sub 2} film revealed low IMT temperature (T{sub IMT}) at 309 K (36 °C) together with nearly two orders magnitude of resistance change. Raman measurements from −193 °C evidenced that the monoclinic VO{sub 2} lattice begins to transform to rutile-tetragonal lattice near room temperature. Raman spectra showed the in-plane compressive stress in biased VO{sub 2} films, which results in shortening of V–V distance along a-axis of monoclinic structure, a{sub M}-axis (c{sub R}-axis) and thus lowering the T{sub IMT}. In respect to that matter, significant effects in shortening the in-plane axis were observed through transmission electron microscopy observations. V2p{sub 3/2} spectra from XPS measurements suggested that high energy ion irradiation also induced oxygen vacancies and resulted for an early transition onset and rather broader transition properties. Earlier band gap closing against the temperature in VO{sub 2} film with higher biasing power was also probed by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. Present results with significant modification of IMT behavior of films deposited at high-energy ion irradiation with T{sub IMT} near the room temperature could be a newly and effective approach to both exploring mechanisms of IMT and further applications of this material, due to the fixed deposition conditions and rather thicker VO{sub 2} films.

Electric Field-Dependent Photoluminescence in Multilayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

Science.gov (United States)

Stanev, T. K.; Henning, A.; Sangwan, V. K.; Speiser, N.; Stern, N. P.; Lauhon, L. J.; Hersam, M. C.; Wang, K.; Valencia, D.; Charles, J.; Kubis, T. C.

Owing to interlayer coupling, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) such as MoS2 exhibit strong layer dependence of optical and electronic phenomena such as the band gap and trion and neutral exciton population dynamics. Here, we systematically measure the effect of layer number on the optical response of multilayer MoS2 in an external electric field, observing field and layer number dependent emission energy and photoluminescence intensity. These effects are studied in few (2-6) and bulk (11 +) layered structures at low temperatures. In MoS2\\ the observed layer dependence arises from several mechanisms, including interlayer charge transfer, band structure, Stark Effect, Fermi level changes, screening, and surface effects, so it can be challenging to isolate how these mechanisms impact the observables. Because it behaves like a stack of weakly interacting monolayers rather than multilayer or bulk, ReS2 provides a comparison to traditional TMDCs to help isolate the underlying physical mechanisms dictating the response of multilayers. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation MRSEC program (DMR-1121262), and the 2-DARE Grant (EFRI-1433510). N.P.S. is an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow.

Impurities in Antiferromagnetic Transition-Metal Oxides - Symmetry and Optical Transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Petersen, John Emil, III

considered. For example, simple rock-salt transition-metal oxides are quite different from the high temperature superconducting cuprates. A range of materials is studied here, in order to gain a greater understanding of optical transitions in highly-correlated systems. In this work, O vacancies are introduced in NiO, along with Fe impurities, to understand better the band filling in the insulating behavior observed experimentally. These results are compared with those of La2NiO4, La2CuO4, La2-xSr xNiO4, and La2-xSrxCuO4. to elucidate the mechanisms behind the symmetry breaking phenomena in the Sr doped systems. As it turns out, indeed, the x2 - y2 orbital in these materials plays a critical role in spatial charge distribution, magnetic, and spin densities which are coupled to the dopant position in the lattice. The in-depth study of electronic and optical properties of transition-metal oxides presented here provides theoretical characterization of the infamous pseudogap in the cuprates - one of the greatest mysteries of modern solid state physics. In addition, via Density Functional Perturbation Theory, the phonon coupling with charge-density wave is explored in La2-xSr xNiO4 and found to be the dominant contributing factor to the colossal dielectric constant.

Nucleic acid-functionalized transition metal nanosheets for biosensing applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Mo, Liuting; Li, Juan; Liu, Qiaoling; Qiu, Liping; Tan, Weihong

2017-03-15

In clinical diagnostics, as well as food and environmental safety practices, biosensors are powerful tools for monitoring biological or biochemical processes. Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal nanomaterials, including transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) and transition metal oxides (TMOs), are receiving growing interest for their use in biosensing applications based on such unique properties as high surface area and fluorescence quenching abilities. Meanwhile, nucleic acid probes based on Watson-Crick base-pairing rules are also being widely applied in biosensing based on their excellent recognition capability. In particular, the emergence of functional nucleic acids in the 1980s, especially aptamers, has substantially extended the recognition capability of nucleic acids to various targets, ranging from small organic molecules and metal ions to proteins and cells. Based on π-π stacking interaction between transition metal nanosheets and nucleic acids, biosensing systems can be easily assembled. Therefore, the combination of 2D transition metal nanomaterials and nucleic acids brings intriguing opportunities in bioanalysis and biomedicine. In this review, we summarize recent advances of nucleic acid-functionalized transition metal nanosheets in biosensing applications. The structure and properties of 2D transition metal nanomaterials are first discussed, emphasizing the interaction between transition metal nanosheets and nucleic acids. Then, the applications of nucleic acid-functionalized transition metal nanosheet-based biosensors are discussed in the context of different signal transducing mechanisms, including optical and electrochemical approaches. Finally, we provide our perspectives on the current challenges and opportunities in this promising field. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transfer-free electrical insulation of epitaxial graphene from its metal substrate.

Science.gov (United States)

Lizzit, Silvano; Larciprete, Rosanna; Lacovig, Paolo; Dalmiglio, Matteo; Orlando, Fabrizio; Baraldi, Alessandro; Gammelgaard, Lauge; Barreto, Lucas; Bianchi, Marco; Perkins, Edward; Hofmann, Philip

2012-09-12

High-quality, large-area epitaxial graphene can be grown on metal surfaces, but its transport properties cannot be exploited because the electrical conduction is dominated by the substrate. Here we insulate epitaxial graphene on Ru(0001) by a stepwise intercalation of silicon and oxygen, and the eventual formation of a SiO(2) layer between the graphene and the metal. We follow the reaction steps by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and demonstrate the electrical insulation using a nanoscale multipoint probe technique.

Transfer-Free Electrical Insulation of Epitaxial Graphene from its Metal Substrate

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lizzit, Silvano; Larciprete, Rosanna; Lacovig, Paolo

2012-01-01

High-quality, large-area epitaxial graphene can be grown on metal surfaces, but its transport properties cannot be exploited because the electrical conduction is dominated by the substrate. Here we insulate epitaxial graphene on Ru(0001) by a stepwise intercalation of silicon and oxygen......, and the eventual formation of a SiO2 layer between the graphene and the metal. We follow the reaction steps by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and demonstrate the electrical insulation using a nanoscale multipoint probe technique....

Mesoporous Transition Metal Oxides for Supercapacitors

OpenAIRE

Wang, Yan; Guo, Jin; Wang, Tingfeng; Shao, Junfeng; Wang, Dong; Yang, Ying-Wei

2015-01-01

Recently, transition metal oxides, such as ruthenium oxide (RuO2), manganese dioxide (MnO2), nickel oxides (NiO) and cobalt oxide (Co3O4), have been widely investigated as electrode materials for pseudo-capacitors. In particular, these metal oxides with mesoporous structures have become very hot nanomaterials in the field of supercapacitors owing to their large specific surface areas and suitable pore size distributions. The high specific capacities of these mesoporous metal oxides are result...

Filling-driven Mott transition in SU(N ) Hubbard models

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Seung-Sup B.; von Delft, Jan; Weichselbaum, Andreas

2018-04-01

We study the filling-driven Mott transition involving the metallic and paramagnetic insulating phases in SU (N ) Fermi-Hubbard models, using the dynamical mean-field theory and the numerical renormalization group as its impurity solver. The compressibility shows a striking temperature dependence: near the critical end-point temperature, it is strongly enhanced in the metallic phase close to the insulating phase. We demonstrate that this compressibility enhancement is associated with the thermal suppression of the quasiparticle peak in the local spectral functions. We also explain that the asymmetric shape of the quasiparticle peak originates from the asymmetry in the dynamics of the generalized doublons and holons.

Transport and screen blockage characteristics of reflective metallic insulation materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brocard, D.N.

1984-01-01

In the event of a LOCA within a nuclear power plant, it is possible for insulation debris to be generated by the break jet. Such debris has the potential for PWR sump screen (or BWR RHR suction inlet) blockage and thus can affect the long-term recirculation capability. In addition to the variables of break jet location and orientation, the types and quantities of debris which could be generated are dependent on the insulation materials employed. This experimental investigation was limited to reflective metallic insulation and components thereof. The study was aimed at determining the flow velocities needed to transport the insulation debris to the sump screens and the resulting modes of screen blockage. The tests revealed that thin metallic foils (0.0025 in. and 0.004 in.) could transport at low flow velocities, 0.2 to 0.5 ft/sec. Thicker foils (0.008 in.) transported at higher velocities, 0.4 to 0.8 ft/sec, and as fabricated half cylinder insulation units required velocities in excess of 1.0 ft/sec for transport. The tests also provided information on screen blockage patterns that showed blockage could occur at the lower portion of the screen as foils readily flipped on the screen when reaching it

Topological Insulators Dirac Equation in Condensed Matters

CERN Document Server

Shen, Shun-Qing

2012-01-01

Topological insulators are insulating in the bulk, but process metallic states around its boundary owing to the topological origin of the band structure. The metallic edge or surface states are immune to weak disorder or impurities, and robust against the deformation of the system geometry. This book, Topological insulators, presents a unified description of topological insulators from one to three dimensions based on the modified Dirac equation. A series of solutions of the bound states near the boundary are derived, and the existing conditions of these solutions are described. Topological invariants and their applications to a variety of systems from one-dimensional polyacetalene, to two-dimensional quantum spin Hall effect and p-wave superconductors, and three-dimensional topological insulators and superconductors or superfluids are introduced, helping readers to better understand this fascinating new field. This book is intended for researchers and graduate students working in the field of topological in...

Magnetotransport investigations of the two-dimensional metallic state in silicon metal-oxid-semiconductor structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prinz, A.

2002-03-01

For more than two decades it was the predominant view among the physical community that the every two-dimensional (2D) disordered electron system becomes insulating as the temperature approaches the absolute zero temperature (0 Kelvin or -273.15 o C). Two-dimensional means that the movement of the charge carriers is confined in one direction by a potential so that the carriers can move freely only perpendicular to the confinement. The most famous physical realization of a 2D system is the silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (Si-MOSFET). It is one of the basic elements of most electronic devices in our daily life. The working principle is very simple. Charges are attracted to the semiconductor-oxide interface by an electric field applied between the metallic gate and the semiconductor, so that a 2D conductive channel is formed. The charge density can be adjusted by the voltage from zero up to 10 13 cm -2 . In 1994 Kravchenko and coworkers made a very important discovery. They studied high mobility Si-MOSFETs and found that for densities below a certain critical value, nc, the resistivity increases as the temperature is decreased below 2 K, whereas for densities above $n c $ the resistivity decreases unexpectedly. The transition from insulating to metallic behavior, known as metal-insulator transition (MIT), was obviously a contradiction to the commonly accepted theories which predict insulating behavior for any density. The insulating behavior is a consequence of the wave properties of electrons which leads to interference in disordered media and thus to enhanced backscattering. In the subsequent years, experimental studies were performed on a variety of 2D systems, which qualitatively showed a similar behavior. All the investigated samples had one thing in common. The interaction energy between the carriers was considerable higher than their mean kinetic energy due to their movement in the 2D plane. Since the electron-electron interaction was

Study of field induced hot-electron emission using the composite microemitters with varying dielectric layer thickness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mousa, M.S.

1987-07-01

The analysis of the measurements obtained from the of field emission of electrons from composite metal-insulator (M-I) micropoint cathodes, using the combination of a high resolution electron spectrometer and a field emission microscope, has been presented. Results obtained describe the reversible current-voltage characteristic, emission images and electron energy distribution measurements of both thin and the optimum thick coatings. The observed effects, e.g. the threshold switch-on phenomena and the field-dependence of the F.W.H.M. and energy shift of the electron spectra have been identified in terms of a field-induced hot-electron emission (FIHEE) mechanism resulting from field penetration in the insulating film where conducting channels are formed. The theoretical implications accounts for the channels field intensification mechanism and the conduction properties with applied field, and the F.W.H.M. dependence on electron temperature. The control of the emission process at low fields by the M-I contact junction and at high fields by the bulk properties of the insulator have also been accounted for. These experimental and theoretical findings have been shown to be consistent with recently published data on M-I microstructures on broad-area (BA) high-voltage electrodes. (author). 18 refs, 6 figs

Electron spectroscopic investigation of metal–insulator transition in ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Unknown

Electronic structure of transition metal (TM) oxides has been under detailed investi- ..... Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi for a fellowship. ... Maiti K 1998 Novel electronic structures in transition metal oxides, Ph D thesis, Solid.

Muon track induced current measurements in semi-insulating GaAs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eshchenko, D.G., E-mail: dimitry.eshchenko@psi.c [Physik-Institut der Universitaet Zuerich, CH-8057 Zuerich (Switzerland); Laboratory for Muon Spin Spectroscopy, Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen (Switzerland); Storchak, V.G. [Russian Research Centre ' Kurchatov Institute' , Kurchatov Sq. 1, Moscow 123182 (Russian Federation); Cottrell, S.P. [ISIS Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire OX11 OQX (United Kingdom)

2009-04-15

We report on preliminary muon-track-induced current measurements in semi-insulating (SI-) GaAs. At T=70K, after simultaneous treatment of the sample by muon irradiation and a strong electric field (a square wave with |E|>10kV/cm and the polarity changed every 1/(50) s) for approximately 2 h, the sample is transferred to a metastable-like state which is characterized by increased life-times for non-equilibrium electrons and holes. The sample can be returned to the original state by heating up to 250 K. Our results for SI-GaAs suggest a muon-track-induced electric-field-assisted neutralization process for the deep traps.

Dynamics of plasmonic field polarization induced by quantum coherence in quantum dot-metallic nanoshell structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadeghi, S M

2014-09-01

When a hybrid system consisting of a semiconductor quantum dot and a metallic nanoparticle interacts with a laser field, the plasmonic field of the metallic nanoparticle can be normalized by the quantum coherence generated in the quantum dot. In this Letter, we study the states of polarization of such a coherent-plasmonic field and demonstrate how these states can reveal unique aspects of the collective molecular properties of the hybrid system formed via coherent exciton-plasmon coupling. We show that transition between the molecular states of this system can lead to ultrafast polarization dynamics, including sudden reversal of the sense of variations of the plasmonic field and formation of circular and elliptical polarization.

Spontaneous and field-induced phase transitions in TbFe.sub.5./sub.Al.sub.7./sub..

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Gorbunov, Denis; Yasin, S.; Andreev, Alexander V.; Mushnikov, N. V.; Skourski, Y.; Zherlitsyn, S.; Wosnitza, J.

2014-01-01

Roč. 535, Sep (2014), 56-63 ISSN 0304-8853 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP204/12/0150 Grant - others:AVČR(CZ) M100101203 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : rare-earth intermetallics * ferrimagnetism * magnetic anisotropy * spin-reorientation transition * high magnetic fields * field-induced transition Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.970, year: 2014

Controlled modification of resonant tunneling in metal-insulator-insulator-metal structures

Science.gov (United States)

Mitrovic, I. Z.; Weerakkody, A. D.; Sedghi, N.; Ralph, J. F.; Hall, S.; Dhanak, V. R.; Luo, Z.; Beeby, S.

2018-01-01

We present comprehensive experimental and theoretical work on tunnel-barrier rectifiers comprising bilayer (Nb2O5/Al2O3) insulator configurations with similar (Nb/Nb) and dissimilar (Nb/Ag) metal electrodes. The electron affinity, valence band offset, and metal work function were ascertained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry, and electrical measurements on fabricated reference structures. The experimental band line-up parameters were fed into a theoretical model to predict available bound states in the Nb2O5/Al2O3 quantum well and generate tunneling probability and transmittance curves under applied bias. The onset of strong resonance in the sub-V regime was found to be controlled by a work function difference of Nb/Ag electrodes in agreement with the experimental band alignment and theoretical model. A superior low-bias asymmetry of 35 at 0.1 V and a responsivity of 5 A/W at 0.25 V were observed for the Nb/4 nm Nb2O5/1 nm Al2O3/Ag structure, sufficient to achieve a rectification of over 90% of the input alternate current terahertz signal in a rectenna device.

Electrical transport and capacitance characteristics of metal-insulator-metal structures using hexagonal and cubic boron nitride films as dielectrics

Science.gov (United States)

Teii, Kungen; Kawamoto, Shinsuke; Fukui, Shingo; Matsumoto, Seiichiro

2018-04-01

Metal-insulator-metal capacitor structures using thick hexagonal and cubic boron nitride (hBN and cBN) films as dielectrics are produced by plasma jet-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, and their electrical transport and capacitance characteristics are studied in a temperature range of 298 to 473 K. The resistivity of the cBN film is of the order of 107 Ω cm at 298 K, which is lower than that of the hBN film by two orders of magnitude, while it becomes the same order as the hBN film above ˜423 K. The dominant current transport mechanism at high fields (≥1 × 104 V cm-1) is described by the Frenkel-Poole emission and thermionic emission models for the hBN and cBN films, respectively. The capacitance of the hBN film remains stable for a change in alternating-current frequency and temperature, while that of the cBN film has variations of at most 18%. The dissipation factor as a measure of energy loss is satisfactorily low (≤5%) for both films. The origin of leakage current and capacitance variation is attributed to a high defect density in the film and a transition interlayer between the substrate and the film, respectively. This suggests that cBN films with higher crystallinity, stoichiometry, and phase purity are potentially applicable for dielectrics like hBN films.

Microscopic effects of Dy doping in the topological insulator Bi2Te3

Science.gov (United States)

Duffy, L. B.; Steinke, N.-J.; Krieger, J. A.; Figueroa, A. I.; Kummer, K.; Lancaster, T.; Giblin, S. R.; Pratt, F. L.; Blundell, S. J.; Prokscha, T.; Suter, A.; Langridge, S.; Strocov, V. N.; Salman, Z.; van der Laan, G.; Hesjedal, T.

2018-05-01

Magnetic doping with transition metal ions is the most widely used approach to break time-reversal symmetry in a topological insulator (TI)—a prerequisite for unlocking the TI's exotic potential. Recently, we reported the doping of Bi2Te3 thin films with rare-earth ions, which, owing to their large magnetic moments, promise commensurately large magnetic gap openings in the topological surface states. However, only when doping with Dy has a sizable gap been observed in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, which persists up to room temperature. Although disorder alone could be ruled out as a cause of the topological phase transition, a fundamental understanding of the magnetic and electronic properties of Dy-doped Bi2Te3 remained elusive. Here, we present an x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, polarized neutron reflectometry, muon-spin rotation, and resonant photoemission study of the microscopic magnetic and electronic properties. We find that the films are not simply paramagnetic but that instead the observed behavior can be well explained by the assumption of slowly fluctuating, inhomogeneous, magnetic patches with increasing volume fraction as the temperature decreases. At liquid helium temperatures, a large effective magnetization can be easily introduced by the application of moderate magnetic fields, implying that this material is very suitable for proximity coupling to an underlying ferromagnetic insulator or in a heterostructure with transition-metal-doped layers. However, the introduction of some charge carriers by the Dy dopants cannot be excluded at least in these highly doped samples. Nevertheless, we find that the magnetic order is not mediated via the conduction channel in these samples and therefore magnetic order and carrier concentration are expected to be independently controllable. This is not generally the case for transition-metal-doped topological insulators, and Dy doping should thus allow for improved TI quantum devices.

Recent advances in transition metal-catalyzed Csp2-monofluoro-, difluoro-, perfluoromethylation and trifluoromethylthiolation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grégory Landelle

2013-11-01

Full Text Available In the last few years, transition metal-mediated reactions have joined the toolbox of chemists working in the field of fluorination for Life-Science oriented research. The successful execution of transition metal-catalyzed carbon–fluorine bond formation has become a landmark achievement in fluorine chemistry. This rapidly growing research field has been the subject of some excellent reviews. Our approach focuses exclusively on transition metal-catalyzed reactions that allow the introduction of –CFH2, –CF2H, –CnF2n+1 and –SCF3 groups onto sp² carbon atoms. Transformations are discussed according to the reaction-type and the metal employed. The review will not extend to conventional non-transition metal methods to these fluorinated groups.

Magnetotransport and induced superconductivity in Bi based three-dimensional topological insulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veldhorst, M.; Snelder, M.; Hoek, M.; Molenaar, C.G.; Leusink, D.P.; Golubov, A.A.; Hilgenkamp, H.; Brinkman, A.

2013-01-01

The surface of a three-dimensional (3D) topological insulator is conducting and the topologically nontrivial nature of the surface states is observed in experiments. It is the aim of this paper to review and analyze experimental observations with respect to the magnetotransport in Bi-based 3D topological insulators, as well as the superconducting transport properties of hybrid structures consisting of superconductors and these topological insulators. The helical spin-momentum coupling of the surface state electrons becomes visible in quantum corrections to the conductivity and magnetoresistance oscillations. An analysis will be provided of the reported magnetoresistance, also in the presence of bulk conductivity shunts. Special attention is given to the large and linear magnetoresistance. Superconductivity can be induced in topological superconductors by means of the proximity effect. The induced supercurrents, Josephson effects and current-phase relations will be reviewed. These materials hold great potential in the field of spintronics and the route towards Majorana devices. (copyright 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Magnetotransport and induced superconductivity in Bi based three-dimensional topological insulators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Veldhorst, M.; Snelder, M.; Hoek, M.; Molenaar, C.G.; Leusink, D.P.; Golubov, A.A.; Hilgenkamp, H.; Brinkman, A. [MESA + Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede (Netherlands)

2013-02-15

The surface of a three-dimensional (3D) topological insulator is conducting and the topologically nontrivial nature of the surface states is observed in experiments. It is the aim of this paper to review and analyze experimental observations with respect to the magnetotransport in Bi-based 3D topological insulators, as well as the superconducting transport properties of hybrid structures consisting of superconductors and these topological insulators. The helical spin-momentum coupling of the surface state electrons becomes visible in quantum corrections to the conductivity and magnetoresistance oscillations. An analysis will be provided of the reported magnetoresistance, also in the presence of bulk conductivity shunts. Special attention is given to the large and linear magnetoresistance. Superconductivity can be induced in topological superconductors by means of the proximity effect. The induced supercurrents, Josephson effects and current-phase relations will be reviewed. These materials hold great potential in the field of spintronics and the route towards Majorana devices. (copyright 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Long-ranged interactions in thin TiN films at the superconductor-insulator transition?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kronfeldner, Klaus; Strunk, Christoph [Institute for Experimental and Applied Physics, University of Regensburg (Germany); Baturina, Tatyana [A.V. Rzhanov Institute of Semiconductor Physics SB RAS, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation)

2015-07-01

We measured IV-characteristics and magnetoresistance of square TiN-films in the vicinity of the disorder-tuned superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) for different sizes (5 μm to 240 μm). While the films are superconducting at zero magnetic field, at finite fields a SIT occurs. The resistance shows thermally activated behaviour on both sides of the SIT. Deep in the superconducting regime the activation energy grows linear with the sample size as expected for a size-independent critical current density. Closer to the SIT the activation energy becomes clearly size independent. On the insulating side the magnetoresistance maximum and the activation energy both grow logarithmically with sample size which is consistent with a size-limited charge BKT (Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless) scenario. In order to test for the presence of long-ranged interactions in our films, we investigate the influence of a topgate. It is expected to screen the possible long-ranged interactions as the distance of the film to the gate is much shorter than the electrostatic screening length deduced from the size-dependent activation energy.

Signatures of exciton condensation in a transition metal dichalcogenide

Science.gov (United States)

Kogar, Anshul; Rak, Melinda S.; Vig, Sean; Husain, Ali A.; Flicker, Felix; Joe, Young Il; Venema, Luc; MacDougall, Greg J.; Chiang, Tai C.; Fradkin, Eduardo; van Wezel, Jasper; Abbamonte, Peter

2017-12-01

Bose condensation has shaped our understanding of macroscopic quantum phenomena, having been realized in superconductors, atomic gases, and liquid helium. Excitons are bosons that have been predicted to condense into either a superfluid or an insulating electronic crystal. Using the recently developed technique of momentum-resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy (M-EELS), we studied electronic collective modes in the transition metal dichalcogenide semimetal 1T-TiSe2. Near the phase-transition temperature (190 kelvin), the energy of the electronic mode fell to zero at nonzero momentum, indicating dynamical slowing of plasma fluctuations and crystallization of the valence electrons into an exciton condensate. Our study provides compelling evidence for exciton condensation in a three-dimensional solid and establishes M-EELS as a versatile technique sensitive to valence band excitations in quantum materials.

Enhanced magnetoresistance induced by oxygen deficiency in La0.4Ca0.6MnO3-δ oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Triki, M.; Dhahri, E.; Hlil, E. K.; Garden, J. L.

2014-01-01

We report electrical features and magnetoresistance behavior of the oxygen deficient La 0.4 Ca 0.6 MnO 3-δ perovskites (δ = 0, 0.15, and 0.2). These samples will be referred to as S0, S15, and S20, respectively. The dependence of electrical transport on temperature and magnetic field is systematically investigated between 2 K and 400 K in magnetic field ranging up to 5 T. The parent compound shows a stable charge ordering/antiferromagnetic state with a semiconductor-like behavior in all considered temperature range. The variable range hopping and thermally activated hopping models are found to fit well with the electrical resistivity data at low and high temperatures, respectively. Oxygen deficiency tends to weaken the charge ordering and induce ferromagnetism and metallicity at low temperature. Metal insulator transition appears at higher fields for lower oxygen deficit (S15 sample) and without field for the S20 sample. The resistivity data for S15 sample are discussed in the framework of the variable-range hopping model. Abnormal transport properties were observed in the S20 sample, characterized by the double metal-insulator transitions and low minimum behavior. These results are discussed in terms of phenomenological percolation model, based on the phase segregation of ferromagnetic metallic clusters and paramagnetic insulating regions. While the parent compound shows no magnetoresistance, a large magnetoresistance is observed in the deficient samples at low temperature reaching 90% and 75% at 2 T for S15 and S20 samples, respectively. Noticeably, these values reached 98% and 91% at 5 T. The appearance of colossal magnetoresistance is attributed to the spin dependent hopping between spin clusters and/or ferromagnetic domains