Design of defect-chemical properties and device performance in memristive systems

Future development of the modern nanoelectronics and its flagships internet of things, artificial intelligence, and neuromorphic computing is largely associated with memristive elements, offering a spectrum of inevitable functionalities, atomic level scalability, and low-power operation. However, their development is limited by significant variability and still phenomenologically orientated materials’ design strategy. Here, we highlight the vital importance of materials’ purity, demonstrating that even parts-per-million foreign elements substantially change performance. Appropriate choice of chemistry and amount of doping element selectively enhances the desired functionality. Dopant/impurity-dependent structure and charge/potential distribution in the space-charge layers and cell capacitance determine the device kinetics and functions. The relation between chemical composition/purity and switching/neuromorphic performance is experimentally evidenced, providing directions for a rational design of future memristive devices.

Tunneling Transport in Quantum Dots Formed by Coupled Dopant Atoms

In silicon nanoscale transistors, dopant (impurity) atoms can significantly affect transport characteristics, in particular at low temperatures. Coupling of neighboring dopants in such devices is essential in defining the properties for transport. In this work, we briefly present a comparison of different regimes of inter-dopant coupling, controlled by doping concentration and, to some extent, by selective, local doping. Tunneling-transport spectroscopy can reveal the energy spectrum of isolated dopants and of strongly-coupled dopant atoms. Interactions of multiple-dopants quantum dots (QDs) and satellite individual dopant-traps, as observed in some devices, can provide further information to bridge such inter-dopant coupling regimes for more advanced applications.

Progress in ZnO Acceptor Doping: What Is the Best Strategy?

This paper reviews the recent progress in acceptor doping of ZnO that has been achieved with a focus toward the optimum strategy. There are three main approaches for generating p-type ZnO: substitutional group IA elements on a zinc site, codoping of donors and acceptors, and substitution of group VA elements on an oxygen site. The relevant issues are whether there is sufficient incorporation of the appropriate dopant impurity species, does it reside on the appropriate lattice site, and lastly whether the acceptor ionization energy is sufficiently small to enable significant p-type conduction at room temperature. The potential of nitrogen doping and formation of the appropriate acceptor complexes is highlighted although theoretical calculations predict that nitrogen on an oxygen site is a deep acceptor. We show that an understanding of the growth and annealing steps to achieve the relevant acceptor defect complexes is crucial to meet requirements.

Impurity Modulated Static Linear and First Nonlinear Polarizabilities of Doped Quantum Dots

We explore the pattern of linear and first nonlinear optical (NLO) response of repulsive impurity doped quantum dots harmonically confined in two dimensions. The dopant impurity potential chosen assumes Gaussian form. The quantum dot is subject to a static electric field. For some fixed values of transverse magnetic field strength (ωc), and harmonic confinement potential (ω0), the influence of impurity strength (V0), impurity stretch (ξ), and impurity location (r0) on the diagonal components of static linear (αxx and αyy), and the first NLO (βxxx and βyyy) responses of the dot are computed through linear variational route. The investigation reveals the crucial roles played by the various impurity parameters in modulating these optical responses. Interestingly, maximization in the first NLO responses has been observed for some particular dopant location and at some particular value of spatial stretch of the dopant.

Dopant Impurity Induced Nanofaceting on Silicon Nanowire Sidewalls

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2010 in Portland, Oregon, USA, August 1 – August 5, 2010.