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24 featured work(s)

preprint2011arXiv

The True-Twin microcalorimeter: a proof-of-concept experiment

We present a proof-of-concept experiment to realize microwave primary power standard with a true-twin microcalorimeter. Double feeding line microcalorimeters are widely used by National Metrology Institutes. A drawback concerns the system calibration: traditional processes changes measurement conditions between system characterization and the measurement stage. Nevertheless, if the feeding lines are made twin, a measurement scheme that avoids separate characterization can be applied, equations simplify and time consumption is halved. Here we demonstrates the feasibility of the idea. The result of an effective efficiency spectroscopy of a thermoelectric power sensor is compared with figures obtained with well established methods.

preprint2010arXiv

Realization and preliminary measurements on a 94 GHz SIS mixer

In this paper we present the realization and a preliminary characterization of a SIS based receiver. It has been developed for the MASTER experiment that consists in a three-band SIS receiver (94, 225 and 345 GHz) for astrophysical observations through the atmospheric windows available at high altitude dry sites. The measurements performed establish an upper limit to the overall receiver noise temperature. A comparison has been tried with the MASTER requirements and with state of the art results. A noise figure of 110 K has been obtained at 94 GHz, about 22 times the quantum limit.

preprint2017arXiv

An efficient tight-binding mode-space NEGF model enabling up to million atoms III-V nanowire MOSFETs and TFETs simulations

We report the capability to simulate in a quantum mechanical tight-binding (TB) atomistic fashion NW devices featuring several hundred to millions of atoms and diameter up to 18 nm. Such simulations go far beyond what is typically affordable with today's supercomputers using a traditional real space (RS) TB Hamiltonian technique. We have employed an innovative TB mode space (MS) technique instead and demonstrate large speedup (up to 10,000x) while keeping good accuracy (error smaller than 1 percent) compared to the RS NEGF method. Such technique and capability open new avenues to explore and understand the physics of nanoscale and mesoscopic devices dominated by quantum effects. In particular, our method addresses in an unprecedented way the technological relevant case of band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) in III-V nanowire MOSFETs and broken gap heterojunction tunnel-FETs (TFETs). We demonstrate an accurate match of simulated BTBT currents to experimental measurements in a [111] InAs NW having a 12 nm diameter and a 300 nm long channel. We apply the predictivity of our TB MS simulations and report an in-depth atomistic study of the scaling potential of III-V GAA nanowire heterojunction n and pTFETs quantifying the benefits of this technology for low-power, low-voltage CMOS application. At VDD = 0.3 V and IOFF = 50 pA/um, the on-current (Ion) and energy-delay product (ETP) gain over a Si NW GAA MOSFET are 58x and 56x respectively.

preprint2018arXiv

XCALIB: a focal spot calibrator for intense X-ray free-electron laser pulses based on the charge state distributions of light atoms

We develop the XCALIB toolkit to calibrate the beam profile of an X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) at the focal spot based on the experimental charge state distributions (CSDs) of light atoms. Accurate characterization of the fluence distribution at the focal spot is essential to perform the volume integrations of physical quantities for a quantitative comparison between theoretical and experimental results, especially for fluence dependent quantities. The use of the CSDs of light atoms is advantageous because CSDs directly reflect experimental conditions at the focal spot, and the properties of light atoms have been well established in both theory and experiment. To obtain theoretical CSDs, we use XATOM, a toolkit to calculate atomic electronic structure and to simulate ionization dynamics of atoms exposed to intense XFEL pulses, which involves highly excited multiple core hole states. Employing a simple function with a few parameters, the spatial profile of an XFEL beam is determined by minimizing the difference between theoretical and experimental results. We have implemented an optimization procedure employing the reinforcement learning technique. The technique can automatize and organize calibration procedures which, before, had been performed manually. XCALIB has high flexibility, simultaneously combining different optimization methods, sets of charge states, and a wide range of parameter space. Hence, in combination with XATOM, XCALIB serves as a comprehensive tool to calibrate the fluence profile of a tightly focused XFEL beam in the interaction region.

preprint2018arXiv

Unusually low thermal conductivity of atomically thin 2D tellurium

Tellurium is a high-performance thermoelectric material due to its superior electronic transport and low lattice thermal conductivity ($κ_L$). Here, we report the ultralow $κ_L$ in the monolayer tellurium, i.e., tellurene, which has been successfully synthesized in recent experiments. We find tellurene has a compellingly low room temperature $κ_L$ of 2.16 and 4.08 W m$^{-1}$ K$^{-1}$ along the armchair and zigzag directions, respectively, which is lower than any reported values for other 2D materials. We attribute this unusually low $κ_L$ to the soft acoustic modes, extremely low-energy optical modes and the strong scattering among optical-acoustic phonons, which place tellurene as a potential novel thermoelectric material. Finally, we disclose that $κ_L$ is proportional to the largest acoustic phonon frequency ($ω_{D}^{a}$) and the lowest optical phonon frequency at $Γ$ point ($ω_Γ^{o}$) in 2D materials, which reflect both harmonic and anharmonic thermal properties respectively.

preprint2018arXiv

Temperature coefficient of Silicon based carrier selective solar cells

Carrier Selective (CS) Silicon solar cells are increasingly explored as a low cost alternative to PN junction Silicon solar cells. While the recent trends on power conversion efficiency are encouraging, the temperature coefficient and hence the power output under elevated temperatures are not well explored for such solar cells. Here, we address this issue through detailed numerical simulations to explore the influence of interface and material parameters on the temperature coefficient. Our results indicate that irrespective of the interface quality, the temperature coefficient of CS solar cells improves with an increase in band discontinuities. Interestingly, contrary to the trends related to efficiency, our results indicate that the temperature coefficient of CS solar cells is more critically affected by the interface quality of the minority carrier extraction layer than the majority carrier extraction layer. These insights have important implications towards the choice of optimal material and processing conditions for Si based CS solar cells.

preprint2019arXiv

Hybrid 1D Plasmonic/Photonic Crystals are Responsive to Escherichia Coli

Photonic crystal-based biosensors hold great promise as valid and low-cost devices for real-time monitoring of a variety of biotargets. Given the high processability and easiness of read-out even for unskilled operators, these systems can be highly appealing for the detection of bacterial contaminants in food and water. Here, we propose a novel hybrid plasmonic/photonic device that is responsive to Escherichia coli, which is one of the most hazardous pathogenic bacterium. Our system consists of a thin layer of silver, a metal that exhibits both a plasmonic behavior and a well-known biocidal activity, on top of a solution processed 1D photonic crystal. We attribute the bio-responsivity to the modification of the dielectric properties of the silver film upon bacterial contamination, an effect that likely stems from the formation of polarization charges at the Ag/bacterium interface within a sort of bio-doping mechanism. Interestingly, this triggers a blue-shift in the photonic response. This work demonstrates that our hybrid plasmonic/photonic device can be a low-cost and portable platform for the detection of common contaminants in food and water.

preprint2018arXiv

Definition of design guidelines, construction and performance of an ultra-stable scanning tunneling microscope for spectroscopic imaging

Spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy is a powerful technique to study quantum materials, with the ability to provide information about the local electronic structure with subatomic resolution. However, as most spectroscopic measurements are conducted without feedback to the tip, it is extremely sensitive to vibrations coming from the environment. This requires the use of laboratories with low-vibration facilities combined with a very rigid microscope construction. In this article, we report on the design and fabrication of an ultra-stable STM for spectroscopic-imaging measurements that operates in ultra high vacuum and at low temperatures (4 K). We perform finite element analysis calculations for the main components of the microscope in order to guide design choices towards higher stiffness and we choose sapphire as the main material of the STM head. By combining these two strategies, we construct a STM head with measured lowest resonant frequencies above f0=13 kHz for the coarse approach mechanism, a value three times higher than previously reported, and in good agreement with the calculations. With this, we achieve an average vibration level of $\sim$ 6 fm/sqrt(Hz), without a dedicated low-vibration lab. We demonstrate the microscope's performance with topographic and spectroscopic measurements on the correlated metal Sr2RhO4, showing the quasiparticle interference pattern in real and reciprocal space with high signal-to-noise ratio.

preprint2019arXiv

Three-dimensional charge transport mapping by two-photon absorption edge transient-current technique in synthetic single-crystalline diamond

We demonstrate the application of two-photon absorption transient current technique to wide bandgap semiconductors. We utilize it to probe charge transport properties of single-crystal Chemical Vapor Deposition (scCVD) diamond. The charge carriers, inside the scCVD diamond sample, are excited by a femtosecond laser through simultaneous absorption of two photons. Due to the nature of two-photon absorption, the generation of charge carriers is confined in space (3-D) around the focal point of the laser. Such localized charge injection allows to probe the charge transport properties of the semiconductor bulk with a fine-grained 3-D resolution. Exploiting spatial confinement of the generated charge, the electrical field of the diamond bulk was mapped at different depths and compared to an X-ray diffraction topograph of the sample. Measurements utilizing this method provide a unique way of exploring spatial variations of charge transport properties in transparent wide-bandgap semiconductors.

preprint2019arXiv

Particle assembly with synchronized acoustical tweezers

The contactless selective manipulation of individual objects at the microscale is powerfully enabled by acoustical tweezers based on acoustical vortices [Baudoin et al., Sci. Adv., 5:eaav1967 (2019)]. Nevertheless, the ability to assemble multiple objects with these tweezers has not yet been demonstrated yet and is critical for many applications, such as tissue engineering or microrobotics. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to overcome a major difficulty: the ring of high intensity ensuring particles trapping at the core of the vortex beam is repulsive for particles located outside the trap. This prevents the assembly of multiple objects. In this paper, we show (in the Rayleigh limit and in 2D) that this problem can be overcome by trapping the target objects at the core of two synchronized vortices. Indeed, in this case, the destructive interference between neighboring vortices enables to create an attractive path between the captured objects. The present work may pioneer particles precise assembly and patterning with multi-tweezers.

preprint2019arXiv

Field effect and photoconduction in Au25 Nanoclusters Films

Quantum confined Au nanoclusters exhibit molecule-like properties, including atomic precision and discrete energy levels. The electrical conductivity of Au nanocluster films can vary by several orders of magnitude, and is determined by the strength of the electronic coupling between the individual nanoclusters in the film. Similar to quantum confined, semiconducting quantum dots, the electrical coupling in films is dependent on the size and structure of the Au core and the length and conjugation of the organic ligands surrounding it. Unlike quantum dots, however, semiconducting transport has not been reported in Au nanocluster films. We demonstrate that through a simple yet careful choice of cluster size and organic ligands, stable Au nanocluster films can electronically couple and become semiconducting, exhibiting electric field effect and photoconductivity. The molecule-like nature of the Au nanoclusters is evidenced by a hopping transport mechanism reminiscent of doped, disordered organic semiconductor films. These results demonstrate the potential of metal nanoclusters as a solution processed material for semiconducting devices.

preprint2019arXiv

A Geometric Perspective on Quantum Parameter Estimation

Quantum metrology holds the promise of an early practical application of quantum technologies, in which measurements of physical quantities can be made with much greater precision than what is achievable with classical technologies. In this review, we collect some of the key theoretical results in quantum parameter estimation by presenting the theory for the quantum estimation of a single parameter, multiple parameters, and optical estimation using Gaussian states. We give an overview of results in areas of current research interest, such as Bayesian quantum estimation, noisy quantum metrology, and distributed quantum sensing. We address the question how minimum measurement errors can be achieved using entanglement as well as more general quantum states. This review is presented from a geometric perspective. This has the advantage that it unifies a wide variety of estimation procedures and strategies, thus providing a more intuitive big picture of quantum parameter estimation.

preprint2019arXiv

Thermal Conductance Across Harmonic-matched Epitaxial Al-sapphire Heterointerfaces

A unified understanding of interfacial thermal transport is missing due to the complicated nature of interfaces which involves complex factors such as interfacial bonding, interfacial mixing, surface chemistry, crystal orientation, roughness, contamination, and interfacial disorder. This is especially true for metal nonmetal interfaces which incorporate multiple fundamental heat transport mechanisms such as elastic and inelastic phonon scattering as well as electron phonon coupling in the metal and across the interface. All these factors jointly affect thermal boundary conductance (TBC). As a result, the experimentally measured interfaces may not be the same as the ideally modelled interfaces, thus obfuscating any conclusions drawn from experimental and modeling comparisons. This work provides a systematic study of interfacial thermal conductance across well controlled and ultraclean epitaxial (111) Al parallel (0001) sapphire interfaces, known as harmonic matched interface. A comparison with thermal models such as atomistic Green s function (AGF) and a nonequilibrium Landauer approach shows that elastic phonon scattering dominates the interfacial thermal transport of Al sapphire interface. By scaling the TBC with the Al heat capacity, a nearly constant transmission coefficient is observed, indicating that the phonons on the Al side limits the Al sapphire TBC. This nearly constant transmission coefficient validates the assumptions in AGF and nonequilibrium Landauer calculations. Our work not only provides a benchmark for interfacial thermal conductance across metal nonmetal interfaces and enables a quantitative study of TBC to validate theoretical thermal carrier transport mechanisms, but also acts as a reference when studying how other factors impact TBC.

preprint2019arXiv

Meta-neural-network for Realtime and Passive Deep-learning-based Object Recognition

Deep-learning recently show great success across disciplines yet conventionally require time-consuming computer processing or bulky-sized diffractive elements. Here we theoretically propose and experimentally demonstrate a purely-passive "meta-neural-network" with compactness and high-resolution for real-time recognizing complicated objects by analyzing acoustic scattering. We prove our meta-neural-network mimics standard neural network despite its small footprint, thanks to unique capability of its metamaterial unit cells, dubbed "meta-neurons", to produce deep-subwavelength-distribution of discrete phase shift as learnable parameters during training. The resulting device exhibits the "intelligence" to perform desired tasks with potential to address the current trade-off between reducing device's size, cost and energy consumption and increasing recognition speed and accuracy, showcased by an example of handwritten digit recognition. Our mechanism opens the route to new metamaterial-based deep-learning paradigms and enable conceptual devices such as smart transducers automatically analyzing signals, with far-reaching implications for acoustics, optics and related fields.

preprint2019arXiv

Free-space optical delay line using space-time wave packets

An optical buffer having a large delay-bandwidth-product -- a critical component for future all-optical communications networks -- remains elusive. Central to its realization is a controllable inline optical delay line, previously accomplished via engineered dispersion in optical materials or photonic structures constrained by a low delay-bandwidth product. Here we show that space-time wave packets whose group velocity in free space is continuously tunable provide a versatile platform for constructing inline optical delay lines. By spatio-temporal spectral-phase-modulation, wave packets in the same or in different spectral windows that initially overlap in space and time subsequently separate by multiple pulse widths upon free propagation by virtue of their different group velocities. Delay-bandwidth products of ~100 for pulses of width ~1 ps are observed, with no fundamental limit on the system bandwidth.

preprint2019arXiv

Fundamental bounds on transmission through periodically perforated metal screens with experimental validation

This paper presents a study of transmission through arrays of periodic sub-wavelength apertures. Fundamental limitations for this phenomenon are formulated as a sum rule, relating the transmission coefficient over a bandwidth to the static polarizability. The sum rule is rigorously derived for arbitrary periodic apertures in thin screens. By this sum rule we establish a physical bound on the transmission bandwidth which is verified numerically for a number of aperture array designs. We utilize the sum rule to design and optimize sub-wavelength frequency selective surfaces with a bandwidth close to the physically attainable. Finally, we verify the sum rule and simulations by measurements of an array of horseshoe-shaped slots milled in aluminum foil.

preprint2019arXiv

Time-Resolved Open-Circuit Conductive Atomic Force Microscopy for Quantitative Analysis of Nanowire Piezoelectricity and Triboelectricity

Piezoelectric nanowires are promising materials for sensing, actuation and energy harvesting, due to their enhanced properties at the nanoscale. However, quantitative characterization of piezoelectricity in nanomaterials is challenging due to practical limitations and the onset of additional electromechanical phenomena, such as the triboelectric and piezotronic effects. Here, we present an open-circuit conductive atomic force microscopy (cAFM) methodology for quantitative extraction of the axial piezoelectric coefficients of nanowires. We show, both theoretically and experimentally, that the standard short-circuit cAFM mode is inadequate for piezoelectric characterization of nanowires, and that such measurements are governed by competing mechanisms. We introduce an alternative open-circuit configuration, and employ time-resolved electromechanical measurements, to extract the piezoelectric coefficients. This method was applied to GaAs, an important semiconductor, with relatively low piezoelectric coefficients. The results obtained for GaAs,~0.4-1 pm/V, are in good agreement with existing knowledge and theory. Our method represents a significant advance in understanding the coexistence of different electromechanical effects, and in quantitative piezoelectric nanoscale characterization. The easy implementation will enable better understanding of electromechanics at the nanoscale.

preprint2019arXiv

Changing the speed of optical coherence in free space

It is typically assumed that the fluctuations associated with a stationary broadband incoherent field propagate in free space at the speed of light in vacuum c. Here we introduce the concept of 'coherence group velocity', which -- in analogy to the group velocity of coherent pulses -- is the speed of the peak of the coherence function. We confirm experimentally that incorporating a judicious spatio-temporal spectral structure into a field allows tuning its coherence group velocity in free space. Utilizing light from a super-luminescent diode, we interferometrically measure the group delay encountered by the cross-correlation of a structured field synthesized from this source with the unstructured diode field. By tracking the propagation of this cross-correlation function, we measure coherence group velocities in the range from 12c to -6c.

preprint2019arXiv

Nanosecond Reversal of Three-Terminal Spin Hall Effect Memories Sustained at Cryogenic Temperatures

We characterize the nanosecond pulse switching performance of the three-terminal magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs), driven by the spin Hall effect (SHE) in the channel, at a cryogenic temperature of 3 K. The SHE-MTJ devices exhibit reasonable magnetic switching and reliable current switching by as short pulses as 1 ns of $<10^{12}$ A/m$^{2}$ magnitude, exceeding the expectation from conventional macrospin model. The pulse switching bit error rates reach below $10^{-6}$ for < 10 ns pulses. Similar performance is achieved with exponentially decaying pulses expected to be delivered to the SHE-MTJ device by a nanocryotron device in parallel configuration of a realistic memory cell structure. These results suggest the viability of the SHE-MTJ structure as a cryogenic memory element for exascale superconducting computing systems.

preprint2019arXiv

Magnetoresistance and spintronic anisotropy induced by spin excitations along molecular spin chains

Electrically manipulating the quantum properties of nano-objects, such as atoms or molecules, is typically done using scanning tunnelling microscopes and lateral junctions. The resulting nanotransport path is well established in these model devices. Societal applications require transposing this knowledge to nano-objects embedded within vertical solid-state junctions, which can advantageously harness spintronics to address these quantum properties thanks to ferromagnetic electrodes and high-quality interfaces. The challenge here is to ascertain the device&#39;s effective, buried nanotransport path, and to electrically involve these nano-objects in this path by shrinking the device area from the macro- to the nano-scale while maintaining high structural/chemical quality across the heterostructure. We&#39;ve developed a low-tech, resist- and solvent-free technological process that can craft nanopillar devices from entire in-situ grown heterostructures, and use it to study magnetotransport between two Fe and Co ferromagnetic electrodes across a functional magnetic CoPc molecular layer. We observe how spin-flip transport across CoPc molecular spin chains promotes a specific magnetoresistance effect, and alters the nanojunction&#39;s magnetism through spintronic anisotropy. In the process, we identify three magnetic units along the effective nanotransport path thanks to a macrospin model of magnetotransport. Our work elegantly connects the until now loosely associated concepts of spin-flip spectroscopy, magnetic exchange bias and magnetotransport due to molecular spin chains, within a solid-state device. We notably measure a 5.9meV energy threshold for magnetic decoupling between the Fe layer&#39;s buried atoms and those in contact with the CoPc layer forming the so-called &#39;spinterface&#39;. This provides a first insight into the experimental energetics of this promising low-power information encoding unit.

preprint2019arXiv

Thermal-null medium (TNM): a novel material to achieve feasible thermodynamics devices beyond conventional challenges

Recently, heat manipulation has gained the attention of scientific community due to its several applications. In this letter, based on transformation thermodynamic (TT) methodology, a novel material, which is called thermal-null medium (TNM), is proposed that enables us to design various thermal functionalities such as thermal bending devices, arbitrary shape heat concentrators and omnidirectional thermal cloaks. In contrary to the conventional TT-based conductivities, which are inhomogeneous and anisotropic, TNMs are homogeneous and easy to realize. In addition, the attained TNMs are independent of the device shape. That is if the geometry of the desired device is changed, there is no need to recalculate the necessitating conductivities. This feature of TNM will make it suitable for scenarios where re-configurability is of utmost importance. Several numerical simulations are carried out to demonstrate the TNM capability and its applications in directional bending devices, heat concentrators and thermal cloaks. The proposed TNM could open a new avenue for potential applications in solar thermal panels and thermal-electric devices.

preprint2019arXiv

Picosecond pulses from a mid-infrared interband cascade laser

The generation of mid-infrared pulses in monolithic and electrically pumped devices is of great interest for mobile spectroscopic instruments. The gain dynamics of interband cascade lasers (ICL) are promising for mode-locked operation at low threshold currents. Here, we present conclusive evidence for the generation of picosecond pulses in ICLs via active mode-locking. At small modulation power, the ICL operates in a linearly chirped frequency comb regime characterized by strong frequency modulation. Upon increasing the modulation amplitude, the chirp decreases until broad pulses are formed. Careful tuning of the modulation frequency minimizes the remaining chirp and leads to the generation of 3.2 ps pulses.

preprint2019arXiv

Field Dependent Conductivity and Threshold Switching in Amorphous Chalcogenides -- Modeling and Simulations of Ovonic Threshold Switches and Phase Change Memory Devices

We model electrical conductivity in metastable amorphous $Ge_{2}Sb_{2}Te_{5}$ using independent contributions from temperature and electric field to simulate phase change memory devices and Ovonic threshold switches. 3D, 2D-rotational, and 2D finite element simulations of pillar cells capture threshold switching and show filamentary conduction in the on-state. The model can be tuned to capture switching fields from ~5 to 40 MV/m at room temperature using the temperature dependent electrical conductivity measured for metastable amorphous GST; lower and higher fields are obtainable using different temperature dependent electrical conductivities. We use a 2D fixed out-of-plane-depth simulation to simulate an Ovonic threshold switch in series with a $Ge_{2}Sb_{2}Te_{5}$ phase change memory cell to emulate a crossbar memory element. The simulation reproduces the pre-switching current and voltage characteristics found experimentally for the switch + memory cell, isolated switch, and isolated memory cell.

preprint2019arXiv

Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces: Bridging the gap between scattering and reflection

In this work we address the distance dependence of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS). As differentiating factor to other works in the literature, we focus on the array near-field, what allows us to comprehend and expose the promising potential of RIS. The latter mostly implies an interplay between the physical size of the RIS and the size of the Fresnel zones at the RIS location, highlighting the major role of the phase. To be specific, the point-like (or zero-dimensional) conventional scattering characterization results in the well-known dependence with the fourth power of the distance. On the contrary, the characterization of its near-field region exposes a reflective behavior following a dependence with the second and third power of distance, respectively, for a two-dimensional (planar) and one-dimensional (linear) RIS. Furthermore, a smart RIS implementing an optimized phase control can result in a power exponent of four that, paradoxically, outperforms free-space propagation when operated in its near-field vicinity. All these features have a major impact on the practical applicability of the RIS concept. As one contribution of this work, the article concludes by presenting a complete signal characterization for a wireless link in the presence of RIS on all such regions of operation.

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