Sub-volt high-speed silicon MOSCAP microring modulator driven by high-mobility conductive oxide.

Silicon microring modulator plays a critical role in energy-efficient optical interconnect and optical computing owing to its ultra-compact footprint and capability for on-chip wavelength-division multiplexing. However, existing silicon microring modulators usually require more than 2 V of driving voltage (V), which is limited by both material properties and device structures. Here, we present a metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitor microring modulator through heterogeneous integration between silicon photonics and titanium-doped indium oxide, which is a high-mobility transparent conductive oxide (TCO) with a strong plasma dispersion effect.

On-chip wavelength division multiplexing filters using extremely efficient gate-driven silicon microring resonator array.

Silicon microring resonators (Si-MRRs) play essential roles in on-chip wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) systems due to their ultra-compact size and low energy consumption. However, the resonant wavelength of Si-MRRs is very sensitive to temperature fluctuations and fabrication process variation. Typically, each Si-MRR in the WDM system requires precise wavelength control by free carrier injection using PIN diodes or thermal heaters that consume high power.

Determination of Hafnium Zirconium Oxide Interfacial Band Alignments Using Internal Photoemission Spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy.

Doped ferroelectric HfO is highly promising for integration into complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology for devices such as ferroelectric nonvolatile memory and low-power field-effect transistors (FETs). We report the direct measurement of the energy barriers between various metal electrodes (Pt, Au, Ta, TaN, Ti/Pt, Ni, Al) and hafnium zirconium oxide (HfZrO, HZO) using internal photoemission (IPE) spectroscopy. Results are compared with valence band offsets determined using the three-sample X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) as well as the two-sample hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) techniques.

Atomic Layer Deposition of Transparent p-Type Semiconducting Nickel Oxide Using Ni(DAD) and Ozone.

A novel atomic layer deposition (ALD) process for nickel oxide (NiO) is developed using a recently reported diazadienyl complex, Ni(DAD), and ozone. A window of constant growth per cycle is found between 185 and 200 °C at 0.12 nm/cycle, among the highest reported for ALD NiO.

Atomic Layer Deposition of Metal Oxide on Nanocellulose for Enabling Microscopic Characterization of Polymer Nanocomposites.

Analysis of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) at low volume fractions in polymer nanocomposites through conventional electron microscopy still remains a challenge due to insufficient contrast between CNCs and organic polymer matrices. Herein, a methodology for enhancing the contrast of CNC, through atomic layer deposition (ALD) of alumina (Al O ) on CNCs is demonstrated. The metal oxide coated CNC allows clear visualization by transmission electron microscopy, when they are dispersed in water and polyol.

Demonstration of Fowler-Nordheim Tunneling in Simple Solution-Processed Thin Films.

The production of high-quality thin-film insulators is essential to develop advanced technologies based on electron tunneling. Current insulator deposition methods, however, suffer from a variety of limitations, including constrained substrate sizes, limited materials options, and complexity of patterning. Here, we report the deposition of large-area AlO films by a solution process and its integration in metal-insulator-metal devices that exhibit I- V signatures of Fowler-Nordheim electron tunneling.

Enhanced NMR with Optical Pumping Yields As Signals Selectively from a Buried GaAs Interface.

We have measured the As signals arising from the interface region of single-crystal semi-insulating GaAs that has been coated and passivated with an aluminum oxide film deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) with optically pumped NMR (OPNMR). Using wavelength-selective optical pumping, the laser restricts the volume from which OPNMR signals are collected. Here, OPNMR signals were obtained from the interface region and distinguished from signals arising from the bulk.

The Microstructure of Cellulose Nanocrystal Aerogels as Revealed by Transmission Electron Microscope Tomography.

The microstructure of highly porous cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) aerogels is investigated via transmission electron microscope (TEM) tomography. The aerogels were fabricated by first supercritically drying a carboxylated CNC organogel and then coating via atomic layer deposition with a thin conformal layer of Al2O3 to protect the CNCs against prolonged electron beam exposure. A series of images was then acquired, reconstructed, and segmented in order to generate a three-dimensional (3D) model of the aerogel.

Fabrication of a Flexible Amperometric Glucose Sensor Using Additive Processes.

This study details the use of printing and other additive processes to fabricate a novel amperometric glucose sensor. The sensor was fabricated using a Au coated 12.7 μm thick polyimide substrate as a starting material, where micro-contact printing, electrochemical plating, chloridization, electrohydrodynamic jet (e-jet) printing, and spin coating were used to pattern, deposit, chloridize, print, and coat functional materials, respectively.

Amorphous alumina nanowire array efficiently delivers Ac-DEVD-CHO to inhibit apoptosis of dendritic cells.

To create an effective well-ordered delivery platform still remains a challenge. Herein we fabricate vertically aligned alumina nanowire arrays via atomic layer deposition templated by carbon nanotubes. Using these arrays, a caspase-3/7 inhibitor was delivered into DC 2.

Directed integration of ZnO nanobridge sensors using photolithographically patterned carbonized photoresist.

A method for achieving large area integration of nanowires into electrically accessible device structures remains a major challenge. We have achieved directed growth and integration of ZnO nanobridge devices using photolithographically patterned carbonized photoresist and vapor transport. This carbonized photoresist method avoids the use of metal catalysts, seed layers, and pick and place processes.

Floating-potential dielectrophoresis-controlled fabrication of single-carbon-nanotube transistors and their electrical properties.

We present a floating-potential dielectrophoresis method used for the first time to achieve controlled alignment of an individual semiconducting or metallic single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) between two electrical contacts with high repeatability. This result is significantly different from previous reports, in which bundles of SWCNTs were aligned between electrode arrays by a conventional dielectrophoresis process where the results were only collected from the control electrode regions. In this study, our alignment focus is not only on the regions of the control electrodes but also on those of the floating electrodes.

Dielectrophoretically controlled fabrication of single-crystal nickel silicide nanowire interconnects.

We report here on applying electric fields and dielectric media to achieve controlled alignment of single-crystal nickel silicide nanowires between two electrodes. Depending on the concentration of nanowire suspension and the distribution of electrical field, various configurations of nanowire interconnects, such as single, chained, and branched nanowires were aligned between the electrodes. Several alignment mechanisms, including the induced charge layer on the electrode surface, nanowire dipole-dipole interactions, and an enhanced local electrical field surrounding the aligned nanowires are proposed to explain these novel dielectrophoretic phenomena of one-dimensional nanostructures.