Direct nanoscopic observation of plasma waves in the channel of a graphene field-effect transistor.

Plasma waves play an important role in many solid-state phenomena and devices. They also become significant in electronic device structures as the operation frequencies of these devices increase. A prominent example is field-effect transistors (FETs), that witness increased attention for application as rectifying detectors and mixers of electromagnetic waves at gigahertz and terahertz frequencies, where they exhibit very good sensitivity even high above the cut-off frequency defined by the carrier transit time. Transport theory predicts that the coupling of radiation at THz frequencies into the channel of an antenna-coupled FET leads to the development of a gated plasma wave, collectively involving the charge carriers of both the two-dimensional electron gas and the gate electrode. In this paper, we present the first direct visualization of these waves. Employing graphene FETs containing a buried gate electrode, we utilize near-field THz nanoscopy at room temperature to directly probe the envelope function of the electric field amplitude on the exposed graphene sheet and the neighboring antenna regions. Mapping of the field distribution documents that wave injection is unidirectional from the source side since the oscillating electrical potentials on the gate and drain are equalized by capacitive shunting. The plasma waves, excited at 2 THz, are overdamped, and their decay time lies in the range of 25-70 fs. Despite this short decay time, the decay length is rather long, i.e., 0.3-0.5 µm, because of the rather large propagation speed of the plasma waves, which is found to lie in the range of 3.5-7 × 106 m/s, in good agreement with theory. The propagation speed depends only weakly on the gate voltage swing and is consistent with the theoretically predicted 1 4 power law.

Does carrier velocity saturation help to enhance f max in graphene field-effect transistors?

It has been argued that current saturation in graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs) is needed to get optimal maximum oscillation frequency (f max). This paper investigates whether velocity saturation can help to get better current saturation and if that correlates with enhanced f max. We have fabricated 500 nm GFETs with high extrinsic f max (37 GHz), and later simulated with a drift-diffusion model augmented with the relevant factors that influence carrier velocity, namely: short-channel electrostatics, saturation velocity effect, graphene/dielectric interface traps, and self-heating effects. Crucially, the model provides microscopic details of channel parameters such as carrier concentration, drift and saturation velocities, allowing us to correlate the observed macroscopic behavior with the local magnitudes. When biasing the GFET so all carriers in the channel are of the same sign resulting in highly concentrated unipolar channel, we find that the larger the drain bias is, both closer the carrier velocity to its saturation value and the higher the f max are. However, the highest f max can be achieved at biases where there exists a depletion of carriers near source or drain. In such a situation, the highest f max is not found in the velocity saturation regime, but where carrier velocity is far below its saturated value and the contribution of the diffusion mechanism to the current is comparable to the drift mechanism. The position and magnitude of the highest f max depend on the carrier concentration and total velocity, which are interdependent and are also affected by the self-heating. Importantly, this effect was found to severely limit radio-frequency performance, reducing the highest f max from ∼60 to ∼40 GHz.

Composite ferroelectric FBARs that are switchable between the first and second harmonics: experimental demonstration.

Digital switching between the first and second harmonics, in a composite thin-film bulk acoustic wave resonator (FBAR), is demonstrated experimentally. The FBAR consists of two 180-nm-thick paraelectric-phase Ba0.25Sr0.75TiO3 films separated by a 50-nm-thick SrRuO3 conducting layer. The resonant frequency of this composite resonator (with Pt bottom and Al top electrodes) is switched from 3.6 GHz to 7.6 GHz, where the polarity of the 5 V dc bias is reversed on one of the ferroelectric films. The frequency switching ratio (f2/f1 ≥ 2) depends on the thickness of the electrodes. Some adjustment of f2/f1 is possible by changing the applied dc bias.

Impact of the electrode material and shape on performance of intrinsically tunable ferroelectric FBARs.

Experiment-based analysis of losses in tunable ferroelectric xBiFeO3-(1-x)BaTiO3 (BF-BT) film bulk acoustic wave resonators (FBARs) is reported. The Q-factors, effective coupling coefficients, and tunabilities are considered as functions of surface roughness of the ferroelectric film, the acoustic impedance and shape of the electrodes/interconnecting strips, leakage of acoustic waves into the substrate via Bragg reflector, and the relative thicknesses of the electrodes and ferroelectric film. Compared with Al, the high acoustic impedance of Pt electrodes provides higher Q-factor, coupling coefficient, and tunability. However, using Pt in the interconnecting strips results in reduction of the Q-factor.

Impedance of DC-bias-controlled composite FBARs.

A closed-form analytic formula is derived for composite resonators consisting of two layers of paraelectricphase ferroelectrics. It is used to analyze the properties of these resonators. Under an applied dc electric field, the layers exhibit an induced piezoelectric effect. The signs of the induced piezoelectric coefficients may be changed by changing the polarity of the dc voltages applied to the layers. In the case of a composite in which the layers have similar thicknesses, changing the sign of the piezoelectric coefficient causes a switching between the resonant frequencies of the first and second harmonics. In the case in which one of the layers is substantially thinner, changing the sign of the piezoelectric coefficient causes switching of the resonant frequency of the first harmonic between two values. In both cases, a continuous change in the dc bias voltage causes continuous changes in the resonant frequencies.

Micellar peroxidase-catalyzed synthesis of chiral polyaniline.

Micellar peroxidase-catalyzed synthesis of chiral polyaniline (PANI) in the presence of dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA) was developed. The effect of DBSA concentration on the catalytic efficiency of horseradish and palm tree peroxidases was examined. Favorable conditions for the enzymatic synthesis of chiral PANI, determined by a multiple factors design, demonstrated that the PANIs with the highest chirality were produced in the presence of low concentrations of optically active camphorsulphonic acid (CSA). Unexpectedly, the chiral PANI was also synthesized in the absence of CSA in feed. The favorable conditions for the enzymatic production of chiral and conducting PANIs were shown to be different. The morphology of the chiral PANI particles was examined by transmission and scanning electron microscopies.

Computerized case history--an effective tool for management of patients and clinical trials.

UNLABELLED: Monitoring diagnostic procedures, treatment protocols and clinical outcome are key issues in maintaining quality medical care and in evaluating clinical trials. For these purposes, a user-friendly computerized method for monitoring all available information about a patient is needed. OBJECTIVE: To develop a real-time computerized data collection system for verification, analysis and storage of clinical information on an individual patient. METHODS: Data was integrated on a single time axis with normalized graphics. Laboratory data was set according to standard protocols selected by the user and diagnostic images were integrated as needed. The system automatically detects variables that fall outside established limits and violations of protocols, and generates alarm signals.Results. The system provided an effective tool for detection of medical errors, identification of discrepancies between therapeutic and diagnostic procedures, and protocol requirements. CONCLUSIONS: The computerized case history system allows collection of medical information from multiple sources and builds an integrated presentation of clinical data for analysis of clinical trials and for patient follow-up.