Enhanced electroluminescence from SnO nanocrystals/Er co-doped silica thin film via Yb doping.

We prepared Yb doped SiO-SnO:Er films by sol-gel method in order to develop the high-efficient rare-earth light emitting devices. The enhanced characteristic near-infrared photoluminescence related to Er ions was achieved as usual since the introduction of Yb ions is equivalent to adding a new energy transfer channel. We further designed and fabricated the electroluminescent device based on SiO-SnO:Er/Yb films.

Flexible Artificial Ag NPs:a-SiC:H Synapse on Al Foil with High Uniformity and On/Off Ratio for Neuromorphic Computing.

A neuromorphic computing network based on SiC memristor paves the way for a next-generation brain-like chip in the AI era. Up to date, the SiC-based memristor devices are faced with the challenge of obtaining flexibility and uniformity, which can push forward the application of memristors in flexible electronics. For the first time, we report that a flexible artificial synaptic device based on a Ag NPs:a-SiC:H memristor can be constructed by utilizing aluminum foil as the substrate.

Audio Signal-Stimulated Multilayered HfO/TiO Spiking Neuron Network for Neuromorphic Computing.

As the key hardware of a brain-like chip based on a spiking neuron network (SNN), memristor has attracted more attention due to its similarity with biological neurons and synapses to deal with the audio signal. However, designing stable artificial neurons and synapse devices with a controllable switching pathway to form a hardware network is a challenge. For the first time, we report that artificial neurons and synapses based on multilayered HfO/TiO memristor crossbar arrays can be used for the SNN training of audio signals, which display the tunable threshold switching and memory switching characteristics.

Editorial for the Special Issue "Amorphous and Nanocrystalline Semiconductors: Selected Papers from ICANS 29".

The 29th International Conference on Amorphous and Nanocrystalline Semiconductors served as a continuation of the biennial conference that has been held since 1965 [...

Artificial SiN:H Synapse Crossbar Arrays with Gradual Conductive Pathway for High-Accuracy Neuromorphic Computing.

Inspired by its highly efficient capability to deal with big data, the brain-like computational system has attracted a great amount of attention for its ability to outperform the von Neumann computation paradigm. As the core of the neuromorphic computing chip, an artificial synapse based on the memristor, with a high accuracy in processing images, is highly desired. We report, for the first time, that artificial synapse arrays with a high accuracy in image recognition can be obtained through the fabrication of a SiN:H memristor with a gradient Si/N ratio.

Alkaline earth metal ion doping to enhance the light emission from Er:SnO nanocrystal Co-doped silica films.

Alkaline earth metal ions (Mg, Ca, Sr) have been introduced into Er:SnO nanocrystal co-doped silica thin films fabricated by a sol-gel method combined with a spin-coating technique. It is found that the incorporation of alkaline earth metal ions can enhance the light emission from Er at the wavelength around 1540 nm and the strongest enhancement is observed in samples doped with 5 mol% Sr ions. Based on X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and other spectroscopic measurements, the improved light emission can be attributed to more oxygen vacancies, better crystallinity and a stronger cross-relaxation process with the introduction of alkaline earth metal ions.

High-Performance Li-CO Battery Based on Carbon-Free Porous Ru@QNFs Cathode.

Lithium-carbon dioxide (Li-CO ) batteries have attracted much attention due to their high theoretical energy density. However, due to the existance of lithium carbonate and amorphous carbon in the discharge products that are difficult to decompose, the battery shows low coulombic efficiency and poor cycle performance. Here, by adjusting the adsorption of carbon dioxide (CO ) on ruthenium (Ru) catalysts surface, this work reports an ultralow charge overpotential and long cycle life Li-CO battery that consists of typical lithium metal, ternary molten salt electrolyte (TMSE), and Ru-based cathode.

Enhanced Electroluminescence from a Silicon Nanocrystal/Silicon Carbide Multilayer Light-Emitting Diode.

Developing high-performance Si-based light-emitting devices is the key step to realizing all-Si-based optical telecommunication. Usually, silica (SiO) as the host matrix is used to passivate silicon nanocrystals, and a strong quantum confinement effect can be observed due to the large band offset between Si and SiO (~8.9 eV).

Controlling the Carrier Injection Efficiency in 3D Nanocrystalline Silicon Floating Gate Memory by Novel Design of Control Layer.

Three-dimensional NAND flash memory with high carrier injection efficiency has been of great interest to computing in memory for its stronger capability to deal with big data than that of conventional von Neumann architecture. Here, we first report the carrier injection efficiency of 3D NAND flash memory based on a nanocrystalline silicon floating gate, which can be controlled by a novel design of the control layer. The carrier injection efficiency in nanocrystalline Si can be monitored by the capacitance-voltage (C-V) hysteresis direction of an nc-Si floating-gate MOS structure.

Artificial HfO/TiO Synapses with Controllable Memory Window and High Uniformity for Brain-Inspired Computing.

Artificial neural networks, as a game-changer to break up the bottleneck of classical von Neumann architectures, have attracted great interest recently. As a unit of artificial neural networks, memristive devices play a key role due to their similarity to biological synapses in structure, dynamics, and electrical behaviors. To achieve highly accurate neuromorphic computing, memristive devices with a controllable memory window and high uniformity are vitally important.

Interface-Enhanced SiO/Ru Heterocatalysts for Efficient Electrochemical Water Splitting.

Developing a bifunctional electrocatalyst with remarkable performance viable for overall water splitting is increasingly essential for industrial-scale renewable energy conversion. However, the current electrocatalyst still requires a large cell voltage to drive water splitting due to the unsuitable adsorption/desorption capacity of reaction intermediates, which seriously hinders the practical application of water splitting. Herein, a unique SiO/Ru nanosheet (NS) material was proposed as a high-performance electrocatalyst for overall water splitting.

Experimental observations on metal-like carrier transport and Mott hopping conduction behaviours in boron-doped Si nanocrystal multilayers.

Studies on the carrier transport characteristics of semiconductor nanomaterials are the important and interesting issues which are helpful for developing the next generation of optoelectronic devices. In this work, we fabricate B-doped Si nanocrystals/SiOmultilayers by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition with subsequent high temperature annealing. The electronic transport behaviors are studied via Hall measurements within a wide temperature range (30-660 K).

A stable solid-state lithium-oxygen battery enabled by heterogeneous silicon-based interface.

Solid-state lithium-metal batteries using inorganic solid-state electrolyte (SSE) instead of liquid-electrolyte, especially lithium-oxygen (Li-O) battery, have attracted much more attention due to their high-energy density and safety. However, the poor interface contact between electrodes and SSEs makes these batteries lose most of their capacity and power during cycling. Here we report that by coating a heterogeneous silicon carbide on lithium metal anode and LiAlGePO(LAGP)-SSE, a good interface contact is created between the electrode and electrolyte that can effectively reduce the interface impedance and improve the cycle performance of the assembled battery.

Tracing the Si Dangling Bond Nanopathway Evolution ina-SiN:H Resistive Switching Memory by the Transient Current.

With the big data and artificial intelligence era coming, SiN-based resistive random-access memories (RRAM) with controllable conductive nanopathways have a significant application in neuromorphic computing, which is similar to the tunable weight of biological synapses. However, an effective way to detect the components of conductive tunable nanopathways in a-SiN:H RRAM has been a challenge with the thickness down-scaling to nanoscale during resistive switching. For the first time, we report the evolution of a Si dangling bond nanopathway in a-SiN:H resistive switching memory can be traced by the transient current at different resistance states.

A Stable Rechargeable Aqueous Zn-Air Battery Enabled by Heterogeneous MoS Cathode Catalysts.

Aqueous rechargeable zinc (Zn)−air batteries have recently attracted extensive research interest due to their low cost, environmental benignity, safety, and high energy density. However, the sluggish kinetics of oxygen (O2) evolution reaction (OER) and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of cathode catalysts in the batteries result in the high over-potential that impedes the practical application of Zn−air batteries. Here, we report a stable rechargeable aqueous Zn−air battery by use of a heterogeneous two-dimensional molybdenum sulfide (2D MoS2) cathode catalyst that consists of a heterogeneous interface and defects-embedded active edge sites.

3D NAND Flash Memory Based on Double-Layer NC-Si Floating Gate with High Density of Multilevel Storage.

As a strong candidate for computing in memory, 3D NAND flash memory has attracted great attention due to the high computing efficiency, which outperforms the conventional von-Neumann architecture. To ensure 3D NAND flash memory is truly integrated in the computing in a memory chip, a new candidate with high density and a large on/off current ratio is now urgently needed. Here, we first report that 3D NAND flash memory with a high density of multilevel storage can be realized in a double-layered Si quantum dot floating-gate MOS structure.

Silicon-based spectrally selective emitters with good high-temperature stability on stepped metasurfaces.

Solar thermophotovoltaic (STPV) systems have attracted increasing attention due to their great prospects for breaking the Shockley-Queisser limit. As a critical component of high-performance STPV systems, fabrication of a spectrally selective emitter with good stability at high temperature is one of the main research challenges. In this study, we developed a hybrid silicon-based metasurface emitter with spectral selectivity and high temperature stability using a simple fabrication process by introducing a controlled silicon nitride (SiN) layer on a silicon stepped nanopillar substrate coated with molybdenum (Mo).

Artificial Synapse Consisted of TiSbTe/SiC:H Memristor with Ultra-high Uniformity for Neuromorphic Computing.

To enable a-SiC:H-based memristors to be integrated into brain-inspired chips, and to efficiently deal with the massive and diverse data, high switching uniformity of the a-SiC:H memristor is urgently needed. In this study, we introduced a TiSbTe layer into an a-SiC:H memristor, and successfully observed the ultra-high uniformity of the TiSbTe/a-SiC:H memristor device. Compared with the a-SiC:H memristor, the cycle-to-cycle coefficient of variation in the high resistance state and the low resistance state of TiSbTe/a-SiC:H memristors was reduced by 92.

Enhanced subband light emission from Si quantum dots/SiO multilayers via phosphorus and boron co-doping.

Seeking light sources from Si-based materials with an emission wavelength meeting the requirements of optical telecommunication is a challenge nowadays. It was found that the subband emission centered near 1200 nm can be achieved in phosphorus-doped Si quantum dots/SiO multilayers. In this work, we propose the phosphorus/boron co-doping in Si quantum dots/SiO multilayers to enhance the subband light emission.

Artificial Neurons and Synapses Based on Al/a-SiNO:H/P-Si Device with Tunable Resistive Switching from Threshold to Memory.

As the building block of brain-inspired computing, resistive switching memory devices have recently attracted great interest due to their biological function to mimic synapses and neurons, which displays the memory switching or threshold switching characteristic. To make it possible for the Si-based artificial neurons and synapse to be integrated with the neuromorphic chip, the tunable threshold and memory switching characteristic is highly in demand for their perfect compatibility with the mature CMOS technology. We first report artificial neurons and synapses based on the Al/a-SiNO:H/P-Si device with the tunable switching from threshold to memory can be realized by controlling the compliance current.