Influence of Exposure to a Wet Atmosphere on the UV-Sensing Characteristics of ZnO Nanorod Arrays.

Zinc oxide is a promising material for the creation of various types of sensors, in particular UV detectors. In this work, arrays of ordered nanorods were grown by chemical vapor deposition. The effect of environmental humidity on the sensing properties of zinc oxide nanorod arrays was investigated, and a prototype UV sensor using indium as an ohmic contact was developed. UV photoresponses were measured for the samples stored in dry and wet atmospheres. The increase in sensitivity and response of the ZnO nanorod arrays was observed after prolonged exposure to a wet atmosphere. A model was proposed to explain this effect. This is due to the formation of hydroxyl groups on the surface of zinc oxide nanorods, which is confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy data. For the first time, it has been shown that after storage in a wet atmosphere, the sensory properties of the structure remain stable regardless of the ambient humidity.

Coefficients of Thermal Expansion in La3Ga5SiO14 and Ca3TaGa3Si2O14 Crystals.

The ordered Ca3TaGa3Si2O14 and disordered La3Ga5SiO14 crystals of the lantangallium silicate family were grown via the Czochralski method. The independent coefficients of thermal expansion of crystals αc and αa were determined using X-ray powder diffraction based on the analysis of X-ray diffraction spectra measured in the temperature range of 25~1000 °C. It is shown that, in the temperature range of 25~800 °C, the thermal expansion coefficients are linear. At temperatures above 800 °C, there is a nonlinear character of the thermal expansion coefficients, associated with a decrease in the Ga content in the crystal lattice.

Changes in the Raman Spectrum of Monolayer Graphene under Compression/Stretching Strain in Graphene/Piezoelectric Crystal Structures.

Results from studying the effect of an applied electric voltage on the Raman spectrum of graphene deposited on a lithium niobate crystal substrate with a ferroelectric domain structure are presented. The use of the principal component method for data processing in combination with correlation analysis made it possible to reveal the contribution to the change in the spectra associated with the linear deformation of the substrate due to the inverse piezoelectric effect. An effect of the graphene coating peeling was found. Furthermore, bending deformations of the graphene coating associated with the presence of a relief on the substrate were found. An analysis of the change in the spectra of graphene under the application of an electric voltage made it possible to determine the height of this relief.

Acoustically Stimulated Charge Transport in Graphene Film.

The process of acoustically stimulated charge transport in the graphene film on the surface of the YZ-cut of a LiNbO3 crystal was investigated. It was found that the dependence of the current in the graphene film on the frequency of the surface acoustic wave (SAW) excitation repeats the amplitude-frequency response of the SAW delay time line. It is shown that increasing the SAW amplitude leads to an increase in the current in the graphene film, and the current in the graphene film depends linearly on the amplitude of the high-frequency input signal supplied to the interdigital transducer (IDT, in dB). It is demonstrated that at a positive bias potential on the graphene film, the SAW propagation allows to change the direction of the current in the graphene film by changing the amplitude of the SAW. It is also shown that in the frequency range of the amplitude-frequency response of the SAW delay time line, the current in the graphene film can vary from positive to negative values depending on the frequency. The capability to control the SAW excitation frequency or the SAW amplitude makes it possible to control the value and direction of the current in the graphene film. The SAW propagation lets to collect and transport the photo-stimulated charges in the graphene film on the crystal surface.

X-ray Diffuse Scattering from Ca3NbGa3Si2O14 Single Crystal under External Electric Field Application.

X-ray diffuse scattering from the Ca3NbGa3Si2O14 (CNGS) crystal was measured with a triple axis X-ray diffractometer under the conditions of an external electric field. It is found that the nature of the intensity distribution of the asymmetrical part of diffuse scattering depends on the value of the applied electric field. This phenomenon is apparently associated with different piezoelectric characteristics of defect regions and the rest of the single crystal.

Engineering of Numerous Moiré Superlattices in Twisted Multilayer Graphene for Twistronics and Straintronics Applications.

Because of their unique atomic structure, 2D materials are able to create an up-to-date paradigm in fundamental science and technology on the way to engineering the band structure and electronic properties of materials on the nanoscale. One of the simplest methods along this path is the superposition of several 2D nanomaterials while simultaneously specifying the twist angle between adjacent layers (θ), which leads to the emergence of Moiré superlattices. The key challenge in 2D nanoelectronics is to obtain a nanomaterial with numerous Moiré superlattices in addition to a high carrier mobility in a stable and easy-to-fabricate material. Here, we demonstrate the possibility of synthesizing twisted multilayer graphene (tMLG) with a number of monolayers NL = 40-250 and predefined narrow ranges of θ = 3-8°, θ = 11-15°, and θ = 26-30°. A 2D nature of the electron transport is observed in the tMLG, and its carrier mobilities are close to those of twisted bilayer graphene (tBLG) (with θ = 30°) between h-BN layers. We demonstrate an undoubtful presence of numerous Moiré superlattices simultaneously throughout the entire tMLG thickness, while the periods of these superlattices are rather close to each other. This offers a challenge of producing a next generation of devices for nanoelectronics, twistronics, and neuromorphic computing for large data applications.

Ultraviolet Radiation Sensor Based on ZnO Nanorods/La3Ga5SiO14 Microbalance.

The possibility of creating resonant ultraviolet (UV) sensors based on the structure of ZnO nanorods/La3Ga5SiO14 microbalance (LCM) has been investigated. The principle of sensor operation is based on the desorption of oxygen from the surface of ZnO nanorods upon irradiation with UV light and an increase in the concentration of charge carriers that leads to an increase in the capacitance of the structure of ZnO nanorods/LCM. It has been shown that UV radiation intensity affects the resonance oscillation frequency of the LCM sensor. After the end of irradiation, the reverse process of oxygen adsorption on the surface of ZnO nanorods occurs, and the resonance frequency of the sensor oscillations returns to the initial value.

The Peculiarities of the Acoustic Waves of Zero-Order Focusing in Lithium Niobate Plate.

In this research, beam focusing in lithium niobate plate was studied for fundamental anti-symmetric (A0) and symmetric (S0) Lamb waves, and the shear-horizontal (SH0) wave of zero-order. Using the finite element method, appropriate configuration of the interdigital transducer with arc-like electrodes was modeled accounting for the anisotropy of the slowness curves and dispersion of the modes in the plate. Profiles of the focalized acoustic beams generated by the proposed transducer were theoretically analyzed. Based on the result of the analysis, relevant delay lines were fabricated and transfer functions (insertion loss) of the line were measured for SH0 wave in YX-lithium niobate plate. Using an electron scanning microscope, distribution of the electric fields of the same wave were visualized. The results of this study may be useful for hybrid devices and sensors combining nano and acoustoelectronic principles.

Single crystals of ferroelectric lithium niobate-tantalate LiNb1-xTaxO3 solid solutions for high-temperature sensor and actuator applications.

Ferroelectric LiNb1-xTaxO3 solid solutions with various Nb/Ta ratio were grown from the melt by the Czochralski method. The exact composition of the grown crystals was determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic mass spectrometry. The dependence of the crystal composition on the composition of the initial melt was obtained and explained by a wide separation between the phase boundaries of the liquid and solid phases on the LiNbO3-LiTaO3 phase diagram. Using high-resolution X-ray diffraction, the parameters a and c of a crystal unit cell were determined (LiNb0.88Ta0.12O3: a = 5.1574 Šand c = 13.8498 Å). Further, the Curie temperature TC of the crystals was measured using the differential scanning calorimetry technique. TC was found to depend on the composition of the crystals that allowed conditions for the monodomainization of the grown crystals to be defined (LiNb0.88Ta0.12O3: TC = 1102°C; LiNb0.33Ta0.67O3: TC = 794°C). Finally, the velocity of surface acoustic waves was determined by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques (YZ-cut of a LiNb0.88Ta0.12O3 crystal: V = 3440 m s-1).

Pulse picker for synchrotron radiation driven by a surface acoustic wave: erratum.

An erratum is presented to correct the typographical errors concerning the composition of the multilayer used in the experiment in Opt. Lett. 42, 1915.

Influence of the Quantum Well Structure and Growth Temperature on a Five-Layer InGaMnAs Quantum Well with an InGaAs Buffer Layer.

The influence of quantum well structure and growth temperature on a synthesized multilayer system composed of a five-layer InMnGaAs quantum well with an InGaAs buffer layer grown on semi-insulating (100)-oriented substrates prepared by low temperature molecular beam epitaxy was studied. The magnetization measurements using a superconducting quantum interference device indicated the existence of ferromagnetism with a Curie temperature above room temperature in the five-layer InGaMnAs quantum well structure with an InGaAs buffer layer in a GaAs matrix. X-ray diffraction and secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurements confirmed the second phase formation of ferromagnetic GaMn clusters. The ferromagnetism that exists in the five-layer of the InMnGaAs quantum well with the InGaAs buffer layer results from a superposition of the ferromagnetism of the low temperature region from the substitutional Mn ions into Ga sites or interstitial Mn ions as well as the presence of manganese ions dopant clusters such as GaMn clusters.

Study of middle infrared difference frequency generation using a femtosecond laser source in LGT.

We demonstrate phase-matched difference frequency generation in the emerging nonlinear crystal La3Ga5.5Ta0.5O14. Tunable wavelengths between 1.4 and 4.7 µm are generated by using femtosecond sources. We also report on the measurements of the optical damage threshold in the femtosecond regime and on the nonlinear refractive index n2.

Pulse picker for synchrotron radiation driven by a surface acoustic wave.

A functional test for a pulse picker for synchrotron radiation was performed at Diamond Light Source. The purpose of a pulse picker is to select which pulse from the synchrotron hybrid-mode bunch pattern reaches the experiment. In the present work, the Bragg reflection on a Si/B4C multilayer was modified using surface acoustic wave (SAW) trains. Diffraction on the SAW alters the direction of the x rays and it can be used to modulate the intensity of the x rays that reach the experimental chamber. Using electronic modulation of the SAW amplitude, it is possible to obtain different scattering conditions for different x-ray pulses. To isolate the single bunch, the state of the SAW must be changed in the short time gap between the pulses. To achieve the necessary time resolution, the measurements have been performed in conical diffraction geometry. The achieved time resolution was 120 ns.

Observation of sagittal X-ray diffraction by surface acoustic waves in Bragg geometry.

X-ray Bragg diffraction in sagittal geometry on a Y-cut langasite crystal (La3Ga5SiO14) modulated by Λ = 3 µm Rayleigh surface acoustic waves was studied at the BESSY II synchrotron radiation facility. Owing to the crystal lattice modulation by the surface acoustic wave diffraction, satellites appear. Their intensity and angular separation depend on the amplitude and wavelength of the ultrasonic superlattice. Experimental results are compared with the corresponding theoretical model that exploits the kinematical diffraction theory. This experiment shows that the propagation of the surface acoustic waves creates a dynamical diffraction grating on the crystal surface, and this can be used for space-time modulation of an X-ray beam.

Phase-matching directions, refined Sellmeier equations, and second-order nonlinear coefficient of the infrared Langatate crystal La3Ga(5.5)Ta(0.5)O14.

We directly measured phase-matching directions of second harmonic, sum, and difference frequency generations in the Langatate La3Ga(5.5)Ta(0.5)O14 (LGT) uniaxial crystal. The simultaneous fit of the data enabled us to refine the Sellmeier equations of the ordinary and extraordinary principal refractive indices over the entire transparency range of the crystal, and to calculate the phase-matching curves and efficiencies of LGT for infrared optical parametric generation.

X-ray topography analysis of acoustic wave fields in the SAW-resonator structures.

The formation of fields of standing surface acoustic waves (SAW) in LiNbO3 and La3Ga5SiO14 (LGS) crystals was studied by high-resolution topography method on a laboratory X-ray source. The fields of standing SAW were formed using SAW-resonator structures consisting of interdigital transducer (IDT) and reflecting gratings. The SAW amplitudes and power flow angles were measured by X-ray topography, diffraction in acoustic beam was visualized, and the SAW interaction with the crystal structure defects was studied.