electronic properties and materials

Direct evidence for grain boundary passivation in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells through alkali-fluoride post-deposition treatments

by NANOSENSORS
10 September 201915 March 2023
Science & Technology

The properties and performance of polycrystalline materials depend critically on the properties of their grain boundaries.* In the article “Direct evidence for grain boundary passivation… Read More »Direct evidence for grain boundary passivation in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells through alkali-fluoride post-deposition treatments

Converse flexoelectricity yields large piezoresponse force microscopy signals in non-piezoelectric materials

by NANOSENSORS
7 April 201915 March 2023
Science & Technology

Figure 4 from “Converse flexoelectricity yields large piezoresponse force microscopy signals in non-piezoelectric materials” by Amir Abdollahi et al.: Study of converse flexoelectricity induced at the tip apex of an atomic force microscope cantilever as a function of the applied force. a Effective piezoelectric coefficient as a function of applied force for the SrTiO3 crystal. Filled squares correspond to the values obtained after the simulation. Empty circles correspond to the experimental values obtained with a NANOSENSORS CDT-FM AFM tip with a cantilever of medium stiffness (k ≈ 2.8 Nm−1) coated with doped diamond. The error bars correspond to the error of the linear fitting of the experimental data, which correlates the measured electromechanical amplitude of oscillation Δh with the Vac applied voltage. b The effective contact radius a scales with the force, and is determined by the tip radius. The experimental tip radius is obtained after the measurement of the nanoscale electromechanical response from the scanning electron microscopy image of the used tip. In this case, the tip radius of the diamond coated tip is 105 nm, and is observed to keep a spherical shape after the measurements

NANOSENSORS™ conductive diamond coated CDT-NCLR AFM probes were used for the piezoresponse force microscopy ( PFM ) on non-piezoelectric dielectrics described in this brand new… Read More »Converse flexoelectricity yields large piezoresponse force microscopy signals in non-piezoelectric materials

Optical control of polarization in ferroelectric heterostructures

by NANOSENSORS
17 December 201815 March 2023
Science & Technology

Figure 1 from “Optical control of polarization in ferroelectric heterostructures”: Electrically induced polarization switching in the MoS2/BaTiO3/SrRuO3 junction. a, b PFM phase (a) and amplitude (b) images after application of a negative voltage pulse (−5 V, 0.5 s) to the MoS2 flake. The 12-u.c.-thick BTO film underneath the MoS2 flake is fully switched to the upward polarization, Pup. c, d PFM phase (c) and amplitude (d) images after application of several positive voltage pulses (+5 V, 0.5 s) to the MoS2 flake. BTO underneath the MoS2 flake is fully switched to downward polarization, Pdown. The polarization state of the bare BTO film (at the lower right corner) is not affected by the electrical bias. e, f The I–V characteristics of the same junction measured in the dark and during illumination. The tunneling current for the OFF state (Pup) is largely increased under illumination. Silicon AFM probes with Pt/Ir conductive coating and nominal stiffness of 3 N m−1 (PPP-EFM, NANOSENSORS) were used to perform the KPFM and PFM measurements.

“In the ferroelectric devices, polarization control is usually accomplished by application of an electric field.”* In the article “Optical control of polarization in ferroelectric heterostructures”… Read More »Optical control of polarization in ferroelectric heterostructures

Injection and controlled motion of conducting domain walls in improper ferroelectric Cu-Cl boracite

by NANOSENSORS
24 August 201715 March 2023
Science & Technology

Figure 1: Crystal structure and domains in boracites. From: Injection and controlled motion of conducting domain walls in improper ferroelectric Cu-Cl boracite

NANOSENSORS PPP-EFM AFM tips were used in the research for this article. Have a look at the abstract or follow the external link to the… Read More »Injection and controlled motion of conducting domain walls in improper ferroelectric Cu-Cl boracite

Hall effect in charged conducting ferroelectric domain walls

by NANOSENSORS
2 July 201715 March 2023
Science & Technology

from: Campbell M. P. et al., Hall effect in charged conducting ferroelectric domain walls, Figure 1: Piezoresponse and conductive analysis of domain structure in YbMnO3.

In this article the authors demonstrate that intermittent-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) can detect the Hall effect in conducting domain walls. NANOSENSORS PPP-EFM AFM tips… Read More »Hall effect in charged conducting ferroelectric domain walls

Direct imaging of defect formation in strained organic flexible electronics by Scanning Kelvin Probe Microscopy

by NANOSENSORS
19 June 201715 March 2023
Science & Technology

Figure 1: OTFT structure and setup for force microscopy on bent substrates. From: T. Cramer et. al.Direct imaging of defect formation in strained organic flexible electronics by Scanning Kelvin Probe Microscopy

NANOSENSORS PPP-NCSTAu probes were used for scanning probe characterizations for this publication. Cramer, T. et al. Direct imaging of Defect Formation in Strained Organic Flexible… Read More »Direct imaging of defect formation in strained organic flexible electronics by Scanning Kelvin Probe Microscopy