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Wavelength-selective thermal emitters (WS-EMs) hold considerable appeal due to the scarcity of cost-effective, narrow-band sources in the mid-to-long-wave infrared spectrum. WS-EMs achieved via dielectric materials typically exhibit thermal emission peaks with high quality factors (Qfactors), but their optical responses are prone to temperature fluctuations. Metallic EMs, on the other hand, show negligible drifts with temperature changes, but theirQfactors usually hover around 10. In this study, we introduce and experimentally verify an EM grounded in plasmonic quasi-bound states in the continuum (BICs) within a mirror-coupled system. Our design numerically delivers an ultra-narrowband single peak with aQfactor of approximately 64 and near-unity absorptance that can be freely tuned within an expansive band of more than 10 µm. By introducing air slots symmetrically, theQfactor can be further augmented to around 100. Multipolar analysis and phase diagrams are presented to elucidate the operational principle. Importantly, our infrared spectral measurements affirm the remarkable resilience of our designs’ resonance frequency in the face of temperature fluctuations over 300°C. Additionally, we develop an effective impedance model based on the optical nanoantenna theory to understand how further tuning of the emission properties is achieved through precise engineering of the slot. This research thus heralds the potential of applying plasmonic quasi-BICs in designing ultra-narrowband, temperature-stable thermal emitters in the mid-infrared. Moreover, such a concept may be adaptable to other frequency ranges, such as near-infrared, terahertz, and gigahertz.

 

Anomalously abrupt nucleation and growth kinetics in polarization switching of wurtzite ferroelectrics are demonstrated. The anomaly inspires an extension of the traditional model to a regime that simultaneous non-linear nucleation and growth occur.

 

Gallium nitride (GaN) high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) are key components enabling today’s wireless communication systems. However, overheating concerns hinder today’s commercial GaN HEMTs from reaching their full potential. Therefore, it is necessary to characterize the respective thermally resistive components that comprise the device’s thermal resistance and determine their contributions to the channel temperature rise. In this work, the thermal conductivity of the GaN channel/buffer layer and the effective thermal boundary resistance (TBR) of the GaN/substrate interface of a GaN-on-SiC wafer were measured using a frequency-domain thermoreflectance technique. The results were validated by both experiments and modeling of a transmission line measurement (TLM) structure fabricated on the GaN-on-SiC wafer. The limiting GaN/substrate thermal boundary conductance (TBC) beyond which there is no influence on the device temperature rise was then quantified for different device configurations. It was determined that this limiting TBC is a function of the substrate material, the direction in which heat primarily flows, and the channel temperature. The outcomes of this work provide device engineers with guidance in the design of epitaxial GaN wafers that will help minimize the device’s thermal resistance. 

The present work details experimental phase stabilization studies for the disordered, multi-cation A6B2O17 (A = Zr, Hf; B = Nb, Ta) system. We leverage both high-temperature in situ and ex situ X-ray diffraction to assess phase equilibrium and metastability in A6B2O17 ceramics produced via reactive sintering of stoichiometric as-received powders. We observe that the A6B2O17 phase can be stabilized for any stoichiometric combination of Group 4B and 5B transition metal cations (Zr, Nb, Hf, Ta), including ternary and quinary systems. The observed minimum stabilization temperatures for these phases are generally in agreement with prior calculations for each disordered A6B2O17 ternary permutation, offering further support for the inferred cation-disordered structure and suggesting that chemical disorder in this system is thermodynamically preferable. We also note that the quinary (Zr3Hf3)(NbTa)O17 phase exhibits enhanced solubility of refractory cations which is characteristic of other high-entropy oxides. Furthermore, A6B2O17 phases experience kinetic metastability, with the orthorhombic structure remaining stable following anneals at intermediate temperatures. 

CdO has drawn much recent interest as a high-room-temperature-mobility oxide semiconductor with exciting potential for mid-infrared photonics and plasmonics. Wide-range modulation of carrier density in CdO is of interest both for fundamental reasons (to explore transport mechanisms in single samples) and for applications (in tunable photonic devices). Here, we thus apply ion-gel-based electrolyte gating to ultrathin epitaxial CdO(001) films, using transport, x-ray diffraction, and atomic force microscopy to deduce a reversible electrostatic gate response from −4 to +2 V, followed by rapid film degradation at higher gate voltage. Further advancing the mechanistic understanding of electrolyte gating, these observations are explained in terms of low oxygen vacancy diffusivity and high acid etchability in CdO. Most importantly, the 6-V-wide reversible electrostatic gating window is shown to enable ten-fold modulation of the Hall electron density, a striking voltage-induced metal–insulator transition, and 15-fold variation of the electron mobility. Such modulations, which are limited only by unintentional doping levels in ultrathin films, are of exceptional interest for voltage-tunable devices. 

As various property studies continue to emerge on high entropy and entropy-stabilized ceramics, we seek a further understanding of the property changes across the phase boundary between “high-entropy” and “entropy-stabilized” phases. The thermal and mechanical properties of bulk ceramic entropy stabilized oxide composition Mg 0.2 Co 0.2 Ni 0.2 Cu 0.2 Zn 0.2 O are investigated across this critical transition temperature via the transient plane-source method, temperature-dependent x-ray diffraction, and nano-indentation. The thermal conductivity remains constant within uncertainty across the multi-to-single phase transition at a value of ≈2.5 W/mK, while the linear coefficient of thermal expansion increases nearly 24% from 10.8 to 14.1 × 10 −6 K −1 . Mechanical softening is also observed across the transition. 

The cold sintering process (CSP) is a low temperature processing technique that utilizes a transient phase to synthesize dense ceramics. However, some CSP parts contain microflaws that arise due to inhomogeneities in pressure, temperature, and transient phase. This work uses 20 MHz ultrasound to verify the presence of defects in CSP ZnO samples of varying densities (84%–97%). Acoustic metrics used in this work include wave speed, which is affected by differences in the effective elastic properties of the medium, and attenuation, which quantifies wave energy loss due to scattering from defects. Wave speed maps were inhomogeneous, suggesting density gradients which were verified with scanning electron microscopy. In addition, it was demonstrated that the pores produced by cold sintering are anisometric, which increases the anisotropy in the elastic properties. High attenuation regions (>300 Np/m) are present in all samples independent of relative density and correspond to defects identified in X‐ray computed tomography (XCT) which were as small as 38 µm in effective diameter. However, some high attenuation spots do not correspond to visible defects in XCT, which suggests the presence of features undetectable with XCT such as residual secondary phases at the grain boundaries.