Japanese Journal of Applied Physics

Abstract As large-scale integration (LSI) devices have shrunk, plasma etching has encountered challenges such as microloading and critical dimension (CD) shift. To clarify the underlying mechanisms, we developed an etching-rate model based on precursor-mediated adsorption with surface diffusion. Applied to silicon (Si) etching, the model reproduced reactant-limited behavior at low pressure throug…

Abstract High mechanical quality factors (QₘB ≈ 1400), determined from the antiresonance frequency, together with a large piezoelectric coefficient (d₃₃ = 1450 pC/N) and voltage coefficient (g₃₃ = 48 mV·m/N), were obtained for Mn-doped Pb(In₁/₂Nb₁/₂)O₃–Pb(Mg₁/₃Nb₂/₃)O₃–PbTiO₃ (PIN–PMN–PT) single-crystal bar resonators (4 × 4 × 12 mm³) using a low-stress electrically shielded fixture. The [001]c-o…

Abstract We previously fabricated soft magnetic Ni films via gel-plating using a glycine-based electrolyte, but the bath often yielded poor surface smoothness, degrading magnetic performance. To resolve this, citric acid and ammonium chloride were investigated as alternative complexing agents. Their effects on current efficiency, surface morphology, and magnetic properties were evaluated. The amm…

Abstract Helicity-dependent all-optical magnetization switching in bismuth, gallium-substituted rare-earth iron garnet thin films is hypothesized to be achievable near the angular momentum compensation composition. In this study, highly crystalline,(100)-oriented Nd 0.5 Bi 2.5 Fe 5-x Ga x O 12 (Bi,Ga:NIG) thin films with x = 0 to 2 were successfully synthesized on Gd 3 Ga 5 O 12 (100) substrates …

Abstract Thermoradiative (TR) power generation in a diode optically coupled to a cold environment is a promising energy conversion mechanism. Here, we develop and validate a simple method to accurately evaluate the device-temperature dependence of TR diode operation using lock-in detection in combination with a reflective optical chopper. A formulation within the framework of detailed-balance the…

Abstract To facilitate the development of CuCl-based optical devices, this study investigated strategies for enhancing the crystalline quality of CuCl thin films, the fabrication of multilayer structures, and methods for improving their long-term durability. Samples were fabricated on CaF 2 (111) substrates using molecular beam epitaxy and vacuum deposition. Our primary finding is that the combin…

Abstract Atomically smooth surfaces with linearly aligned atomic steps in AlGaN layers were demonstrated by the sputtered AlN template with reduced compressive strain using sapphire substrates with 0.2° misorientation off angle. The hillock structures owing to spiral growth were absent on the surfaces of Al 0.72 Ga 0.28 N and Al 0.80 Ga 0.20 N. In both samples, atomic force microscopy (AFM) image…

Abstract This study demonstrates a compact, self-contained, glass-encapsulated prototype thermionic energy converter (TEC) operating at around 300 °C, a remarkably low temperature for thermionic power generation. The device employs an n-type AlGaN thermionic cathode and is hermetically sealed in a glass-sealed Kovar package with a 3‑cm‑diameter base. It consists of the AlGaN cathode, a perforated…

Abstract Surface structure of trehalose dihydrate crystals in liquid was investigated by using high-resolution frequency modulation atomic force microscopy (FM-AFM). While trehalose exhibits remarkable bioprotective properties, its molecular-scale surface structure under liquid conditions remains poorly understood. Crystals prepared from supersaturated aqueous solution were observed in hexanol, a…

Abstract Screen printing is considered a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method for fabricating oriented thick-film patterns. However, the universal factors governing thick-film formation have not been clarified yet. This study investigates preferential orientation by fabricating various Pb-based piezoelectric thick films, such as PZT and PMN–PT, on (100) pc -oriented BaTiO 3 (BT) tem…

Abstract Carbon nanowalls (CNWs) provide a high-surface-area platform for enzyme immobilization and are promising for bioelectrochemical devices. This study investigates the effect of CNW height on enzyme utilization and performance in CNW-based glucose biofuel cells. CNWs with controlled heights were synthesized by inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition, and glucose oxidase (GOD) w…

Abstract In this paper, the Ar/N 2 gas flow rates and annealing ambient dependence on ferroelectric HfN (Fe-HfN) formed by electron cyclotron resonance (ECR)-plasma sputtering were investigated. The remanent polarization (2P r ) of 1.3 µC/cm 2 and 1.2 µC/cm 2 were obtained with Ar/N 2 gas flow rates of 8/6 and 8/8 sccm, respectively. Fatigue endurance up to 10 10 cycles was achieved with Ar/N 2 g…

Abstract Controlled manipulation of the form of carbon nanotubes is useful for nano-electromechanical systems. In this study, a movable micromanipulator in a transmission electron microscope was used to apply an electric current to a kinked Ni-filled multiwalled carbon nanotube, causing electromigration of the Ni nanorod filler. The force of electromigration led to deformation of the kinked Ni-fi…

Abstract In this work, a SiC split-gate MOSFET integrating a superjunction (SJ) structure and a P-type shielding layer (SGSJCIMOSFET) is proposed and systematically investigated using TCAD simulations. The proposed device simultaneously improves the trade-off among breakdown voltage (BV), specific on-resistance (RON,sp), and switching performance. Compared with conventional VDMOSFET and split-gat…

Abstract We present a first-principles workflow to explore potential ferroelectric materials from non-centrosymmetric structures. For each DFT-optimized structure, higher-symmetry candidates were generated by pseudosymmetry analysis, and multiple switching pathways were examined by nudged elastic band calculations with three internal images. This treatment avoids selecting only one pseudosymmetry…

Abstract We investigated the growth rates and impurity concentrations from the Ga precursor in (001) β-Ga 2 O 3 homoepitaxial growth by cold-wall MOCVD. A growth rate above 0.8 μm/h was achieved with a triethylgallium (TEGa) flow rate of 9.9 μmol min⁻¹, corresponding to a Ga incorporation efficiency of 1.5×10 3 μm mol -1 . The carbon and hydrogen concentrations were below 2×10 17 cm -3 under an o…

Abstract Near-field scanning microwave microscopy (NSMM) has a significant application in the field of semiconductor electronics and two-dimensional materials characterization. Here, this study proposes a two-port vector network measurement method based on the tip-sample model, which is based on the tip-coupling effect, and acquires the microwave S12 parameters by point-by-point scanning to reali…

Abstract Atomic-scale control in plasma processing is becoming increasingly critical for fabricating of advanced semiconductor devices, particularly as the industry shifts toward three-dimensional (3D) architectures and high-aspect-ratio (HAR) structures. This review presents a comprehensive overview of recent developments in atomic-scale controlled plasma processes, organized along two key direc…

Abstract The high contact resistivity at metal/semiconductor interfaces in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), particularly MoS 2 , severely limits device performance and remains an urgent challenge. Recently, semimetal contacts have been reported to reduce contact resistivity, however, they suffer from poor thermal stability. Here, we propose metallic amorphous chalcogenide (MAC) as a solu…

Corrigendum: “Spring constant of an AFM cantilever with a thin-film plasmonic waveguide formed at its end” [Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 63, 04SP59 (2024)], Ito, Masanao, Lang, Lang, Zhang, Kaifeng, Kobayashi, Kei