19 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 19
- ItemImpact of the precursor chemistry and process conditions on the cell-to-cell variability in 1T-1R based HfO2 RRAM devices(London : Nature Publishing Group, 2018) Grossi, A.; Perez, E.; Zambelli, C.; Olivo, P.; Miranda, E.; Roelofs, R.; Woodruff, J.; Raisanen, P.; Li, W.; Givens, M.; Costina, I.; Schubert, M.A.; Wenger, C.The Resistive RAM (RRAM) technology is currently in a level of maturity that calls for its integration into CMOS compatible memory arrays. This CMOS integration requires a perfect understanding of the cells performance and reliability in relation to the deposition processes used for their manufacturing. In this paper, the impact of the precursor chemistries and process conditions on the performance of HfO2 based memristive cells is studied. An extensive characterization of HfO2 based 1T1R cells, a comparison of the cell-to-cell variability, and reliability study is performed. The cells’ behaviors during forming, set, and reset operations are monitored in order to relate their features to conductive filament properties and process-induced variability of the switching parameters. The modeling of the high resistance state (HRS) is performed by applying the Quantum-Point Contact model to assess the link between the deposition condition and the precursor chemistry with the resulting physical cells characteristics.
- ItemIn vitro studies on space-conforming self-assembling silk hydrogels as a mesenchymal stem cell-support matrix suitable for minimally invasive brain application(London : Nature Publishing Group, 2018) Osama, I.; Gorenkova, N.; McKittrick, C.M.; Wongpinyochit, T.; Goudie, A.; Seib, F.P.; Carswell, H.V.O.Advanced cell therapies require robust delivery materials and silk is a promising contender with a long clinical track record. Our aim was to optimise self-assembling silk hydrogels as a mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-support matrix that would allow future minimally invasive brain application. We used sonication energy to programme the transition of silk (1–5% w/v) secondary structure from a random coil to a stable β-sheet configuration. This allowed fine tuning of self-assembling silk hydrogels to achieve space conformity in the absence of any silk hydrogel swelling and to support uniform cell distribution as well as cell viability. Embedded cells underwent significant proliferation over 14 days in vitro, with the best proliferation achieved with 2% w/v hydrogels. Embedded MSCs showed significantly better viability in vitro after injection through a 30G needle when the gels were in the pre-gelled versus post-gelled state. Silk hydrogels (4% w/v) with physical characteristics matching brain tissue were visualised in preliminary in vivo experiments to exhibit good space conformity in an ischemic cavity (intraluminal thread middle cerebral artery occlusion model) in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 3). This study informs on optimal MSC-hydrogel matrix conditions for minimally invasive application as a platform for future experiments targeting brain repair.
- ItemRecurrence Quantification Analysis at work: Quasi-periodicity based interpretation of gait force profiles for patients with Parkinson disease(London : Nature Publishing Group, 2018) Afsar, O.; Tirnakli, U.; Marwan, N.In this letter, making use of real gait force profiles of healthy and patient groups with Parkinson disease which have different disease severity in terms of Hoehn-Yahr stage, we calculate various heuristic complexity measures of the recurrence quantification analysis (RQA). Using this technique, we are able to evince that entropy, determinism and average diagonal line length (divergence) measures decrease (increases) with increasing disease severity. We also explain these tendencies using a theoretical model (based on the sine-circle map), so that we clearly relate them to decreasing degree of irrationality of the system as a course of gait's nature. This enables us to interpret the dynamics of normal/pathological gait and is expected to increase further applications of this technique on gait timings, gait force profiles and combinations of them with various physiological signals.
- ItemCoupling a single solid-state quantum emitter to an array of resonant plasmonic antennas(London : Nature Publishing Group, 2018) Pfeiffer, M.; Atkinson, P.; Rastelli, A.; Schmidt, O.G.; Giessen, H.; Lippitz, M.; Lindfors, K.Plasmon resonant arrays or meta-surfaces shape both the incoming optical field and the local density of states for emission processes. They provide large regions of enhanced emission from emitters and greater design flexibility than single nanoantennas. This makes them of great interest for engineering optical absorption and emission. Here we study the coupling of a single quantum emitter, a self-assembled semiconductor quantum dot, to a plasmonic meta-surface. We investigate the influence of the spectral properties of the nanoantennas and the position of the emitter in the unit cell of the structure. We observe a resonant enhancement due to emitter-array coupling in the far-field regime and find a clear difference from the interaction of an emitter with a single antenna.
- ItemCationic clustering influences the phase behaviour of ionic liquids(London : Nature Publishing Group, 2018) Niemann, Thomas; Zaitsau, Dimitri; Strate, Anne; Villinger, Alexander; Ludwig, Ralf“Unlike charges attract, but like charges repel”. This conventional wisdom has been recently challenged for ionic liquids. It could be shown that like-charged ions attract each other despite the powerful opposing electrostatic forces. In principle, cooperative hydrogen bonding between ions of like-charge can overcome the repulsive Coulomb interaction while pushing the limits of chemical bonding. The key challenge of this solvation phenomenon is to establish design principles for the efficient formation of clusters of like-charged ions in ionic liquids. This is realised here for a set of well-suited ionic liquids including the same hydrophobic anion but different cations all equipped with hydroxyethyl groups for possible H-bonding. The formation of H-bonded cationic clusters can be controlled by the delocalization of the positive charge on the cations. Strongly localized charge results in cation-anion interaction, delocalized charge leads to the formation of cationic clusters. For the first time we can show, that the cationic clusters influence the properties of ILs. ILs comprising these clusters can be supercooled and form glasses. Crystalline structures are obtained only, if the ILs are dominantly characterized by the attraction between opposite-charged ions resulting in conventional ion pairs. That may open a new path for controlling glass formation and crystallization. The glass temperatures and the phase transitions of the ILs are observed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy.
- ItemIntentional polarity conversion of AlN epitaxial layers by oxygen([London] : Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2018) Stolyarchuk, N.; Markurt, T.; Courville, A.; March, K.; Zúñiga-Pérez, J.; Vennéguès, P.; Albrecht, M.Nitride materials (AlN, GaN, InN and their alloys) are commonly used in optoelectronics, high-power and high-frequency electronics. Polarity is the essential characteristic of these materials: when grown along c-direction, the films may exhibit either N- or metal-polar surface, which strongly influences their physical properties. The possibility to manipulate the polarity during growth allows to establish unique polarity in nitride thin films and nanowires for existing applications but also opens up new opportunities for device applications, e.g., in non-linear optics. In this work, we show that the polarity of an AlN film can intentionally be inverted by applying an oxygen plasma. We anneal an initially mixed-polar AlN film, grown on sapphire substrate by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE), with an oxygen plasma in a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) chamber; then, back in MOVPE, we deposit a 200 nm thick AlN film on top of the oxygen-treated surface. Analysis by high-resolution probe-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) evidences a switch of the N-polar domains to metal polarity. The polarity inversion is mediated through the formation of a thin AlxOyNz layer on the surface of the initial mixed polar film, induced by the oxygen annealing.
- ItemDetection of small bunches of ions using image charges(London : Nature Publishing Group, 2018) Räcke, Paul; Spemann, Daniel; Gerlach, Jürgen W.; Rauschenbach, Bernd; Meijer, JanA concept for detection of charged particles in a single fly-by, e.g. within an ion optical system for deterministic implantation, is presented. It is based on recording the image charge signal of ions moving through a detector, comprising a set of cylindrical electrodes. This work describes theoretical and practical aspects of image charge detection (ICD) and detector design and its application in the context of real time ion detection. It is shown how false positive detections are excluded reliably, although the signal-to-noise ratio is far too low for time-domain analysis. This is achieved by applying a signal threshold detection scheme in the frequency domain, which - complemented by the development of specialised low-noise preamplifier electronics - will be the key to developing single ion image charge detection for deterministic implantation.
- ItemSwitchable plasmonic routers controlled by external magnetic fields by using magneto-plasmonic waveguides(London : Nature Publishing Group, 2018) Ho, Kum-Song; Im, Song-Jin; Pae, Ji-Song; Ri, Chol-Song; Han, Yong-Ha; Herrmann, JoachimWe analytically and numerically investigate magneto-plasmons in metal films surrounded by a ferromagnetic dielectric. In such waveguide using a metal film with a thickness exceeding the Skin depth, an external magnetic field in the transverse direction can induce a significant spatial asymmetry of mode distribution. Superposition of the odd and the even asymmetric modes over a distance leads to a concentration of the energy on one interface which is switched to the other interface by the magnetic field reversal. The requested magnitude of magnetization is exponentially reduced with the increase of the metal film thickness. Based on this phenomenon, we propose a waveguide-integrated magnetically controlled switchable plasmonic routers with 99-%-high contrast within the optical bandwidth of tens of THz. This configuration can also operate as a magneto-plasmonic modulator.
- ItemRealizing Mitigation Efficiency of European Commercial Forests by Climate Smart Forestry(London : Nature Publishing Group, 2018) Yousefpour, R.; Augustynczik, A.L.D.; Reyer, C.P.O.; Lasch-Born, P.; Suckow, F.; Hanewinkel, M.European temperate and boreal forests sequester up to 12% of Europe's annual carbon emissions. Forest carbon density can be manipulated through management to maximize its climate mitigation potential, and fast-growing tree species may contribute the most to Climate Smart Forestry (CSF) compared to slow-growing hardwoods. This type of CSF takes into account not only forest resource potentials in sequestering carbon, but also the economic impact of regional forest products and discounts both variables over time. We used the process-based forest model 4 C to simulate European commercial forests' growth conditions and coupled it with an optimization algorithm to simulate the implementation of CSF for 18 European countries encompassing 68.3 million ha of forest (42.4% of total EU-28 forest area). We found a European CSF policy that could sequester 7.3-11.1 billion tons of carbon, projected to be worth 103 to 141 billion euros in the 21st century. An efficient CSF policy would allocate carbon sequestration to European countries with a lower wood price, lower labor costs, high harvest costs, or a mixture thereof to increase its economic efficiency. This policy prioritized the allocation of mitigation efforts to northern, eastern and central European countries and favored fast growing conifers Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris to broadleaves Fagus sylvatica and Quercus species.
- ItemIn-situ tensile testing of ZrCu-based metallic glass composites(London : Nature Publishing Group, 2018) Sun, H.C.; Ning, Z.L.; Wang, G.; Liang, W.Z.; Pauly, S.; Huang, Y.J.; Guo, S.; Xue, X.; Sun, J.F.ZrCu-based bulk metallic glass composites (BMGCs) are well known for their plastic deformability, superior to traditional metallic glasses (MGs), which is attributed to a unique dual-phases structure, namely, the glassy matrix and unstable B2 phase. In the present study, in-situ tensile testing is used to trace the deformation process of a ZrCu-based BMGC. Three deformation stages of the BMGC, i.e., the elastic-elastic stage, the elastic-plastic stage, and the plastic-plastic stage are identified. In the elastic-elastic and elastic-plastic stages, the yield strength and elastic limit are major influenced by the volume fraction of the B2 crystals. In the plastic-plastic stage, the B2 phase stimulates the formation of multiple shear bands and deflects the direction of shear bands by disturbing the stress field in front of the crack tip. The deformation-induced martensitic transformation of the metastable B2 phase contributes to the plasticity and work hardening of the composite. This study highlights the formation and propagation of multiple shear bands and reveals the interactions of shear bands with structural heterogeneities in situ. Especially, the blocking of shear bands by crystals and the martensitic transformation of the B2 phase are critical for the mechanistic deformation process and illustrate the function of the B2 phase in the present BMGCs.