Al Oxide (al + oxide)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Influence of insulating barrier thickness on the magnetoresistance properties of a magnetic tunnel junction with Zr-alloyed Al oxide barrier

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 8 2004
Chul-Min Choi
Abstract We have investigated the magnetoresistive properties and thermal and electrical stability of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) with a high-quality, ultra-thin Zr-alloyed Al oxide (ZrAl oxide) barrier of below 1.0 nm. We obtained the highest bias voltage and breakdown voltage of 711 mV and 1.75 V for a 1.6-nm-thick barrier. The resistance drops from 1850 , to 72 , as the ZrAl thickness decreases from 1.6 to 0.6 nm, respectively. A significant TMR (Tunneling Magneto-resistance) value of 17% and a junction resistance of 98 , were obtained for a MTJ with a ZrAl oxide barrier thickness of 0.8 nm. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Normally-on/off AlN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 10 2010
C. Y. Chang
Abstract We report on the novel normally-on/off AlN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. With simple oxygen exposure, the threshold voltage can be tuned from -2.76 V to +1.13 V depending on the treatment time. The gate current was reduced and current-voltage curves show metal-oxide semiconductor diode-like characteristics after oxygen plasma exposure. The extrinsic transconductance of HEMTs decrease with increasing oxygen plasma exposure time due to the thicker Al oxide formed on the gate area. The unity current gain cut-off frequency, fT, and maximum frequency of oscillation, fmax, were 20.4 GHz and 36.5 GHz, respectively for an enhancement-mode HEMT with the gate dimension of 0.4 × 100 ,m2. (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


ALD growth of Al2O3 on GaAs: Oxide reduction, interface structure and CV performance

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 2 2010
H. D. Lee
Abstract We have studied the effect of the trimethylaluminum (TMA) precursor on the reduction of surface "native" oxides from GaAs substrates using medium energy ion scattering spectroscopy (MEIS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrical measurements. Our data show that after one single TMA pulse a substantial part of the native oxide is reduced and an oxygen-rich aluminum oxide layer is formed. Al2O3 films grown with the normal atomic layer deposition cycles of TMA and water show that the growth rate of the Al oxide during this initial reduction of the native oxides is faster than the rate once this reduction is completed. Furthermore, the results of C-V measurements of Al2O3/GaAs grown under the same conditions along with post deposition annealing indicate a good quality interface. (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Evaluating the contribution of soil properties to modifying lead phytoavailability and phytotoxicity,

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 3 2006
Elizabeth A. Dayton
Abstract Soil properties affect Pb bioavailability to human and ecological receptors and should be considered during ecological risk assessment of contaminated soil. We used path analysis (PA) to determine the relative contribution of soil properties (pH, organic C [OC], amorphous Fe and Al oxides [FEAL], and cation-exchange capacity [CEC]) in modifying Pb bioavailability. The response of biological endpoints (bioaccumulation and dry matter growth [DMG]) of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) grown on 21 Pb-spiked (2,000 mg/kg) soils were determined. Lettuce tissue Pb ranged from 3.22 to 233 mg/kg, and relative DMG ranged from 2.5 to 88.5% of their respective controls. Simple correlation showed strong relationships between CEC and OC (p < 0.01) and weaker relationships between pH and FEAL (p < 0.05) and Pb bioaccumulation. Results of PA suggest that soil pH increased the negative surface charge of organic matter and clay, thereby increasing CEC and decreasing Pb bioaccumulation. Also, the direct effect of OC on tissue Pb can be attributed to formation of surface Pb complexes by organic matter functional group ligands. Increased OC and/or CEC reduced Pb solubility and bioavailability in the 21 soils in the present study. The relative importance of soil properties likely will vary between studies employing different soils. Soil properties should be considered during the ecological risk assessment of metal in contaminated soils. Path analysis is useful for ecological studies involving soils with a wide range of physicochemical properties and can assist in site risk assessment of metals and remediation decisions on contaminated sites. [source]


Total and soluble fluorine concentrations in relation to properties of soils in New Zealand

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 3 2006
P. Loganathan
Summary Soil fluorine (F) concentrations continue to increase in agricultural soils receiving regular applications of phosphatic fertilizer. Continued accumulation of soil F poses a risk to grazing ruminants and may pose a future risk to groundwater quality. This paper examines the range of total F (Ft) concentrations and forms of soluble F species and their relationship to selected soil properties in New Zealand agricultural soils. The Ft and soluble F (soil F extracted with water (Fwater) and 0.01 m KCl (FKCl)) concentrations in 27 soil samples (0,75 mm depth) taken from predominantly pasture sites in the North and South Islands of New Zealand were much less than those reported in the literature for sites contaminated with F from industry. The Ft concentrations ranged from 212 to 617 µg F g,1 soil. The F-toxicity risk to grazing animals in farms at these sites through soil ingestion is small at present, but farms with very large Ft concentrations (i.e. > 500 µg F g,1) need to adopt suitable grazing and fertilizer management practices to avoid future F-toxicity risk. The Ft concentration had very strong positive correlations with both total soil P and total soil Cd concentrations, reflecting the link between P fertilizer use and F accumulation in the soils. It also had significant positive correlations with organic matter and amorphous Al oxides contents, indicating that F is strongly bound to Al polymers adsorbed to organic matter and amorphous Al oxides. The Fwater and FKCl concentrations and free F, ion concentrations in water (F,water) and 0.01 m KCl (F,KCl) extracts were generally two and three orders of magnitude, respectively, less than the Ft concentrations and were much less than the concentrations considered phytotoxic. The Fwater and FKCl concentrations were positively related to soil organic matter content and negatively related to soil pH. Regression models relating Fwater and FKCl concentrations to soil organic matter content and soil pH suggest that F can be very soluble in extremely acidic soils (pH(water) < 4.9) with large organic matter contents and therefore F potentially may contaminate groundwater if these soils are also coarse-textured and the water table is shallow. [source]


Extraction of water-soluble organic matter from mineral horizons of forest soils

JOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION AND SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 4 2007
Thilo Rennert
Abstract Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is involved in many important biogeochemical processes in soil. As its collection is laborious, very often water-soluble organic matter (WSOM) obtained by extracting organic or mineral soil horizons with a dilute salt solution has been used as a substitute of DOM. We extracted WSOM (measured as water-soluble organic C, WSOC) from seven mineral horizons of three forest soils from North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany, with demineralized H2O, 0.01 M CaCl2, and 0.5 M K2SO4. We investigated the quantitative and qualitative effects of the extractants on WSOM and compared it with DOM collected with ceramic suction cups from the same horizons. The amounts of WSOC extracted differed significantly between both the extractants and the horizons. With two exceptions, K2SO4 extracted the largest amounts of WSOC (up to 126 mg C,kg,1) followed by H2O followed by CaCl2. The H2O extracts revealed by far the highest molar UV absorptivities at 254 nm (up to 5834 L mol,1,cm,1) compared to the salt solutions which is attributed to solubilization of highly aromatic compounds. The amounts of WSOC extracted did not depend on the amounts of Fe and Al oxides as well as on soil organic C and pH. Water-soluble organic matter extracted by K2SO4 bore the largest similarity to DOM due to relatively analogue molar absorptivities. Therefore, we recommend to use this extractant when trying to obtain a substitute for DOM, but as WSOM extraction is a rate-limited process, the suitability of extraction procedures to obtain a surrogate of DOM remains ambiguous. [source]