{"title":"Lock-in amplifiers as a platform for weak signal measurements: Development and applications","authors":"Qianwen Zhang, Wonje Jeong, Dae Joon Kang","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2024.07.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cap.2024.07.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The accuracy of modern scientific research and technological advancement is highly reliant on the ability to accurately measure weak signals. The lock-in amplifier (LIA) represents an indispensable instrument, skillfully extracting these faint signals from a backdrop of noise. As the pursuit of accuracy intensifies, LIA technology has been continuously adapted and optimized. This review offers a comprehensive analysis of the evolution and applications of LIAs in weak signal measurements. It presents a structured introduction to the historical development of LIAs and evaluates their diverse applications across various domains, including impedance, optical, electrochemical, thermal, and biosensing methods. By examining specific examples in each field, it showcases the significant impact of LIAs on enhancing measurement precision. The review concludes by highlighting persistent challenges encountered by LIAs in practical settings and explores potential avenues for their future advancement. Future research aims to address practical challenges, including further noise reduction, improved system stability, and ease of use, ensuring LIAs continue to play a pivotal role in scientific and technological progress.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"66 ","pages":"Pages 95-109"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141606482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tomoyuki Tachibana, Yuri Osaki, Ji Ha Lee, Akihiro Yabuki
{"title":"Simple and facile synthesis of a CuS film using a copper formate–thioacetamide complex ink","authors":"Tomoyuki Tachibana, Yuri Osaki, Ji Ha Lee, Akihiro Yabuki","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2024.06.017","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cap.2024.06.017","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this study, we developed a simple and facile synthesis method for producing CuS films at low temperatures. The method uses self-reducible complex inks comprising copper formate (Cuf) as the copper source and thioacetamide (TA) as both the sulfur source and complexing agent. The thermal properties of complex inks with different TA/Cuf ratios (0.5–2.0) were analyzed. The ink with a TA/Cuf ratio of 1 exhibited a significant decrease in the reduction temperature. The synthesis of a CuS film involved calcination of the ink at 140 °C; however, some residual Cuf was observed. Introducing hexanol to the ink, aimed at prolonging the liquid-phase reaction, yielded a pure CuS film that contained agglomerated particles. The thermal reduction pathway of Cuf to CuS was analyzed through thermogravimetric–mass spectrometric analysis, and the results revealed that the low-temperature synthesis was attributed to the formation of acetonitrile and formic acid during thermal decomposition of the ink.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"66 ","pages":"Pages 81-87"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141571798","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Machine learning force field based phonon dispersion prediction","authors":"Jaejin Hwang , Yeongrok Jin , Jaekwang Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2024.07.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cap.2024.07.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>First-principles calculations on phonon dynamics using density functional theory (DFT) have proven powerful in estimating the phonon dispersion of crystalline structures. However, it remains a challenging task for defective structures due to the computational cost. The main computational bottleneck of the phonon calculation is obtaining the interatomic force constants in many supercells with different configurations of displacements. Here, we employed a machine learning-based force fields (MLFFs) to accelerate DFT calculations of interatomic force constants of Si-doped HfO<sub>2</sub>. We find that the specific phonon band originated from ferroelectric phase disappears, and imaginary modes are enhanced upon the introduction of a 10 % concentration of Si dopants, which is in good agreement with experimental results. This work demonstrates that MLFFs can be a promising application for predicting the phonon dispersion of both crystalline and defective structures.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"66 ","pages":"Pages 76-80"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141543573","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Shahriyari , Z. GolshanBafghi , M. Yousefizad , N. Manavizadeh , H. Pourfarzad , F. Ahaninpajooh , S. Samoodi
{"title":"Enhancing energy harvesting for low-power electronics: A study on the impact of electrode number and freestanding layer in rotary triboelectric nanogenerator","authors":"A. Shahriyari , Z. GolshanBafghi , M. Yousefizad , N. Manavizadeh , H. Pourfarzad , F. Ahaninpajooh , S. Samoodi","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2024.06.015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cap.2024.06.015","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Herein, the rotary triboelectric nanogenerator (R-TENG) with a modified structure is simulated and fabricated to investigate the effect of changes on the geometric structure experimentally. The R-TENGs were fabricated using cost-effective and easily accessible dry-film lithography based on the PCB approach. This process which is explained step-by-step in detail in this paper, provides uniform electrode layers without using high-tech instruments, resulting in enhanced fabrication speed and electrical performance. R-TENGs with varying electrode and PTFE sector counts (32/16, 16/8, and 8/4) were fabricated and analyzed. At 1000 rpm, the output power of R-TENGs with 8, 16, and 32 electrodes demonstrated escalating output power with increasing electrode numbers: 6.82, 19.52, and 30.64 Wm<sup>-2</sup>, respectively. Simulation results corroborated the experimental findings, confirming that more electrodes and freestanding sectors yield superior power density and electrical generation. The 32-electrode, 16-sector R-TENG outperformed its counterparts, suggesting that strategic design alterations can significantly optimize energy harvesting in R-TENGs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"66 ","pages":"Pages 49-59"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141486116","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexey Yakubov , Petr Lazarenko , Elena Kirilenko , Irina Sagunova , Alexey Babich , Alexey Sherchenkov
{"title":"Influence of phase state, conducting sublayer material and deposition method on mechanical properties and adhesion of Ge2Sb2Te5 thin films","authors":"Alexey Yakubov , Petr Lazarenko , Elena Kirilenko , Irina Sagunova , Alexey Babich , Alexey Sherchenkov","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2024.06.014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cap.2024.06.014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Ge<sub>2</sub>Sb<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>5</sub> (GST225) thin films are used as a functional element in multilayer cells of phase change random access memory (PCRAM, PCM) and have good prospects in electrically driven tunable reflective metasurfaces and on-chip waveguide devices, including those implemented on a flexible substrate. Knowledge of the mechanical properties of GST225 thin films, their adhesion to conductive layers, and the correct choice of conductive material is critical to the reliable operation of these devices. The present work focuses on the effect of phase change on mechanical parameters such as hardness, Young's modulus and stiffness, as well as on the adhesion of GST225 thin films to various metal sublayers (Al, Ti, TiN, W, Ni). The formation of GST225 films was carried out by vacuum thermal evaporation and DC magnetron sputtering, which made it possible to study layers with different distributions of elements over the thickness.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"66 ","pages":"Pages 66-75"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141486112","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jung Ehy Hong , Yeong Uk Choi , Hyun Soo Ahn , Bhubnesh Lama , Jong Hun Kim , Tula R. Paudel , Jung-Woo Lee , Jong Hoon Jung
{"title":"Strain-insensitive ferromagnetic SrRuO3 thin films with ferrimagnetic CoFe2O4 buffer layer","authors":"Jung Ehy Hong , Yeong Uk Choi , Hyun Soo Ahn , Bhubnesh Lama , Jong Hun Kim , Tula R. Paudel , Jung-Woo Lee , Jong Hoon Jung","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2024.06.012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cap.2024.06.012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Flexible electronics, such as wearable devices and biosensors, require materials that maintain their properties under mechanical stress. A recent study addresses this by focusing on SrRuO<sub>3</sub> (SRO) thin films, which typically suffer reduced coercivity under strain. Herein, we introduce a novel approach by using CoFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> (CFO) as a buffer layer in SRO/CFO/F-mica heterostructures to address this issue. When subjected to a strain of up to ±0.553 %, these heterostructures displayed a mere 11 % variation in saturation magnetic moment and coercive field, significantly outperforming SRO/BaTiO<sub>3</sub> configurations, which showed a 95 % reduction in coercivity at only −0.3 % strain. This result demonstrates the effectiveness of the CFO layer in stabilizing the magnetic properties of SRO films against external mechanical deformations. These findings mark a significant advancement in the development of mechanically robust thin films for complex oxide heterostructures in flexible device applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"66 ","pages":"Pages 24-29"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141486111","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dzung T. Tran , Tien Le , Hong Gu Lee , Tuson Park , Nguyen The Nghia , Bui Thi Hoa , Duc H. Tran , Won Nam Kang , Jungseek Hwang
{"title":"Infrared spectroscopic study on Nb-ion-irradiated MgB2 thin films","authors":"Dzung T. Tran , Tien Le , Hong Gu Lee , Tuson Park , Nguyen The Nghia , Bui Thi Hoa , Duc H. Tran , Won Nam Kang , Jungseek Hwang","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2024.06.011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cap.2024.06.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Magnesium diboride (MgB<sub>2</sub>) is a two-band superconductor with a high superconducting critical temperature (<em>T</em><sub><em>c</em></sub>) of approximately 39 K. Owing to the lack of vortex pinning centers, MgB<sub>2</sub> exhibits an abrupt decline in the critical current density (<em>J</em><sub><em>c</em></sub>) in an applied magnetic field. Here, we prepared 1 MeV Nb ion-irradiated MgB<sub>2</sub> thin-film samples with doses of <span><math><mrow><mn>3</mn><mo>×</mo><msup><mn>10</mn><mn>13</mn></msup></mrow></math></span>, <span><math><mrow><mn>7</mn><mo>×</mo><msup><mn>10</mn><mn>13</mn></msup></mrow></math></span>, and <span><math><mrow><mn>9</mn><mo>×</mo><msup><mn>10</mn><mn>13</mn></msup></mrow></math></span> ions/cm<sup>2</sup>. Temperature-dependent magnetization and x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements were performed to determine the <em>T</em><sub><em>c</em></sub> and <em>c</em>-axis lattice constant of each sample. Furthermore, a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was performed to obtain the infrared properties of the Nb-ion-irradiated MgB<sub>2</sub> thin-film samples. The optical conductivity of each sample in the low-energy region was fitted with two (narrow and broad) Drude modes. We found that the spectral weight redistribution from the low-to high-frequency regions and the broadening of the narrow Drude mode caused by irradiation are closely related to the reduction in <em>T</em><sub>c</sub>.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"66 ","pages":"Pages 30-34"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141486113","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Piezoelectricity in 2D nanomaterials-crystal structure and polarization direction","authors":"Adila Rani , Sang Don Bu","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2024.06.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cap.2024.06.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Materials that produce electric charges in response to a mechanical load are known as piezoelectric materials. Materials with a lattice structure devoid of centosymmetry exhibit piezoelectric activity. These days, non-centrosymmetric 2D nanomaterials have been used in many possible applications and have attracted a lot of attention as piezoelectric materials. The crystal structure, crystal nonsymmetry, and nonzero electronic bandgap energy values of two-dimensional nanomaterials have a significant influence on their piezoelectric capabilities. For example, it was discovered that the symmetry of certain mono- or few-layered 2D nanomaterials differed from that of their bulk counterparts. Piezoelectricity is found at the atomic thickness level in many 2D monolayer materials with structurally broken symmetry, but it gradually vanishes with increasing thickness. Secondly, there is a strong correlation between this piezoelectric action and the polarization direction. In this sense, improving the piezoelectric capabilities in 2D mono, few, and multilayer nanomaterials requires a deeper comprehension of the crystal structure and direction of polarization. Based on theoretical and experimental findings, the crystal structure and direction of polarization of various 2D nanomaterials will be the main topics of this review. We will also discuss recent developments and applications of various 2D nanomaterials.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"66 ","pages":"Pages 1-23"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141408475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Do-Hoon Kim , Hyeon-Sik Jang , Changki Hong , Minky Seo , Hoonkyung Lee , Sang-Jin Lee , Nojoon Myoung , Donghun Lee , Seok-Kyun Son , Young Tea Chun
{"title":"Optimization of metal-insulated-semiconductor field-effect-transistor for the formation of two-dimensional electron gas in dopant-free systems","authors":"Do-Hoon Kim , Hyeon-Sik Jang , Changki Hong , Minky Seo , Hoonkyung Lee , Sang-Jin Lee , Nojoon Myoung , Donghun Lee , Seok-Kyun Son , Young Tea Chun","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2024.06.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cap.2024.06.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We developed a geometry of metal-insulated-semiconductor field-effect-transistor for the formation of two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in dopant-free GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures in which the conduction band can be modulated by external electric field. We showed two different kinds of device processes: for simple device fabrication and for the uniform 2DEG. We optimized the process of ohmic contacts and the gate geometry for the high quality 2DEG in a triangular quantum well formed at the GaAs/AlGaAs heterointerface. We use these two types of devices to perform a direct comparison of the magneto-transport properties at a low temperature (1.2 K) to get a relationship between the induced carrier density and external electric field. By using our developed fabrication process, the tunability of a high-quality 2DEG was obtained with a carrier density ranging from 0.8 to 2.3 × 10<sup>11</sup> cm<sup>−2</sup>, for which the corresponding mobility ranged 1.5 to 3.3 × 10<sup>6</sup> cm<sup>2</sup> V<sup>−1</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>. Also, we demonstrated that the 2DEG is well established with a suitable depth, 120 nm below the surface (near the GaAs/AlGaAs heterointerface) which is calculated by the capacitance model.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"66 ","pages":"Pages 42-48"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141390963","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}