Cheng-Lun Hsin

Dynamic evolution of conducting nanofilament in resistive switching memories.

Resistive random access memory (ReRAM) has been considered the most promising next-generation nonvolatile memory. In recent years, the switching behavior has been widely reported, and understanding the switching mechanism can improve the stability and scalability of devices. We designed an innovative sample structure for in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to observe the formation of conductive filaments in the Pt/ZnO/Pt structure in real time. The corresponding current-voltage measurements help us to understand the switching mechanism of ZnO film. In addition, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) have been used to identify the atomic structure and components of the filament/disrupted region, determining that the conducting paths are caused by the conglomeration of zinc atoms. The behavior of resistive switching is due to the migration of oxygen ions, leading to transformation between Zn-dominated ZnO(1-x) and ZnO.

Phase transformation and thermoelectric properties of bismuth-telluride nanowires

Thermoelectric materials have attracted much attention due to the current interest in energy conversion and recent advancements in nano-engineering. A simple approach to synthesize BiTe and Bi2Te3 micro/nanowires was developed by combining solution chemistry reactions and catalyst-free vapor-solid growth. A pathway to transform the as-grown BiTe nanostructures into Bi2Te3 can be identified through the Bi-Te phase diagram. Structural characterization of these products was identified using standard microscopy practices. Meanwhile, thermoelectric properties of individual Bi-Te compound micro/nanowires were determined by the suspended microdevice technique. This approach provides an applicable route to synthesize advanced high performance thermoelectric materials in quantities and can be used for a wide range of low-dimensional structures.

Growth of CuInSe2 and In2Se3/CuInSe2 nano-heterostructures through solid state reactions.

In(2)Se(3) is an essential phase change material and CuInSe(2) is the fundamental basis of the copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS) solar energy material. In this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility to transform the phase change material to the solar energy material via the solid state reaction. The In(2)Se(3) nanobelts (NBs) were synthesized via the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism. The chemical composition and the optical properties were investigated by energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and reflectance and photoluminescence spectra. In the in situ observation of the solid state reaction with Cu to form the CuInSe(2) NBs with ultrahigh vacuum transmission electron microscopy, we observed the In(2)Se(3)/CuInSe(2) transformation at atomic scale in real time. The progression of the atomic layer at the interface provided the pertinent information on the kinetic mechanism. In(2)Se(3)/CuInSe(2) nano-heterostructures were also obtained in the present investigation. The approach to the CIGS nanosolar cell was also proposed. This study shall be beneficial in the development of high-performance nanowire solar cells and nanodevices with In(2)Se(3)/CuInSe(2) nano-heterostructures.

Directed assembly of nano-scale phase variants in highly strained BiFeO3 thin films

The delicate balance between elastic energy and electrostatic energy in highly strained BiFeO3 (BFO) thin films results in complex mixed-phase patterns, which poses significant challenges for theoretical understanding and complicates the realization of its full potential in magnetoelectric, electromechanical, and photovoltaic devices. In this letter, we explore in-plane electric field induced phase transition in strain engineered BFO thin films and elucidate the mechanism behind the assembly behavior of complex nano-scale phase domains. Our approach enables deterministic control of phase variants with well-defined structures and orientation, paving the way for designing novel data storage devices based on mixed phase BFO.

In Situ TEM and Energy Dispersion Spectrometer Analysis of Chemical Composition Change in ZnO Nanowire Resistive Memories

Resistive random-access memory (ReRAM) has been of wide interest for its potential to replace flash memory in the next-generation nonvolatile memory roadmap. In this study, we have fabricated the Au/ZnO-nanowire/Au nanomemory device by electron beam lithography and, subsequently, utilized in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to observe the atomic structure evolution from the initial state to the low-resistance state (LRS) in the ZnO nanowire. The element mapping of LRS showing that the nanowire was zinc dominant indicating that the oxygen vacancies were introduced after resistance switching. The results provided direct evidence, suggesting that the resistance change resulted from oxygen migration.

Growth of single-crystalline cobalt silicide nanowires with excellent physical properties

With the miniaturization of electron devices, the minuscule structures are important to state-of-the-art science and technology. Therefore, the growth methods and properties of nanomaterials have been extensively studied recently. Here, we use chemical vapor transport (CVT) methods to synthesize single-crystalline cobalt silicide nanowires (NWs) by using (CoCl2·6 H2O) as a single-source precursor. By changing reaction temperature and ambient pressure, we can obtain different morphology of cobalt silicide NWs under the appropriate concentration of silicon and cobalt. The field emission measurement of CoSi NWs shows low turn-on field (5.02 V/μm) and it is outstanding for magnetic properties that differ from the bulk CoSi. The CoSi nanowires with different diameters have diverse magnetic saturation (Ms) and coercive force (Hc).

Controlled growth of the silicide nanostructures on Si bicrystal nanotemplate at a precision of a few nanometres

A nanotemplate of Si bicrystal was fabricated by wafer bonding. The surface electronic energy arrangement on the surface of the Si bicrystal has been measured by scanning tunneling microscopy. The stress effect on the stepped growth of titanium silicide nanorods on Si bicrystal was observed in an ultrahigh vacuum transmission electron microscope in real time. The growth behavior of the nanorods was found to be affected by the underlying dislocation arrays significantly. For a dislocation interspacing of 3.1 nm, the dislocation arrays confined the shape of the nanoclusters and nanorods. Compared to the time of the nanorod remaining at the same length, the elongating time is more than two orders of magnitude shorter. The stepped growth behavior is attributed to the stress contour of the surface strain induced by the underlying dislocation network. This study is constructive to the basic understanding of the stress effect on the initial stage of the reaction of metals on Si and the observation may be applied to nanostructure growth for future applications and design.

Growth and properties of single-crystalline Ge nanowires and germanide/Ge nano-heterostructures

Single-crystalline Ge nanowires have been synthesized on Au-coated Si substrates through a thermal evaporation, condensation method and vapor–liquid–solid mechanism. The [111] growth direction of the Ge nanowires was analyzed using HRTEM and fast Fourier transform diffraction patterns. Global back-gated Ge nanowire field-effect transistors (FETs) on the Si3N4 dielectrics were fabricated and studied, showing p-type behavior and a field effect hole mobility of 44.3 cm2 V−1 s−1. The Ge channel length could be well controlled through the annealing process. After a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process, Ni2Ge/Ge/Ni2Ge nano-heterostructures were formed. The electrical transport properties were effectively improved by the heterojunction rather than the metal contact. The epitaxial relationship between Ge and orthorhombic Ni2Ge was Ge[110]//Ni2Ge[110] and Ge(-11-1)//Ni2Ge(1-1-2). From electrical transport properties, the measured resistivity of the Ge nanowires was much lower than intrinsic bulk Ge material. A room temperature photoluminescence spectrum of the Ge nanowires possessed a broad blue emission with a peak at 462 nm in wavelength, which was attributed to the oxide-related defect states. Due to the existence of the defects, a Ge nanowire FET was able to detect visible light and serve as a nanowire photodetector.

Direct Observation of Sublimation Behaviors in One-Dimensional In2Se3/In2O3 Nanoheterostructures.

Recently, in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has provided a route to analyze structural characterization and chemical evolution with its powerful and unique applications. In this paper, we disclose the detailed phenomenon of sublimation on the atomic scale. In2Se3/In2O3 nanowires were synthesized via the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism and studied in an ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) TEM at high temperature in real time. During in situ observation of the sublimation process of the nanowires, the evolution and reconstruction of the exposed In2Se3 surface progressed in different manners with time. The surface structure was decomposed by mass-desorption and stepwise-migration processes, which are also energetically favored processes in the ab initio calculation. This study developed a new concept and will be essential in the development of atomic kinetics.

Formation of In2O3 nanorings on Si substrates

A new approach to form the In2O3 nanorings (NRs) has been proven by tailoring the difference between property of metal and metal oxide. The formation process of the In2O3 NRs is proposed to be resulted form a subtle competition between the oxidation and evaporation of indium at the rim and center, respectively. Patterned In2O3 NRs have been grown on (001) Si substrates in combination with nanosphere lithography. The size and morphology of the NRs can be controlled by the size of polystyrene nanospheres and the thickness of indium layer. The optical property measurements showed that the In2O3 NRs are sensitive in absorption and emission of light between 600 and 622 nm in wavelength. The patterned In2O3 NRs on silicon are advantageous for fabricating optical-response photonic devices at the desired locations and direct integration to the silicon-based photonic devices with current processing technology.