arXiv subjects

Akira Yoshikawa

Publications and source records attributed to Akira Yoshikawa.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Synchrotron-radiation X-ray topography and reticulography of bulk $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ crystals grown by the cold crucible method

The structural properties of a $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ single crystal grown by the oxide crystal growth from cold crucible (OCCC) method were investigated using synchrotron radiation X-ray topography and X-ray reticulography. The region grown beneath the seed exhibits high crystalline quality with a rocking curve full width at half maximum of about 26 arcsec. During diameter enlargement, a twist-type lattice misorientation develops between the central and laterally expanded regions, originating near the shoulder and propagating along boundaries parallel to the $\langle010\rangle$ growth direction. Dislocation analysis reveals that $\langle010\rangle$-oriented screw dislocations dominate the defect structure with densities of ~$10^{5}$cm$^{-2}$, while higher densities (~$10^{6}$cm$^{-2}$) appear in the wing region. These results clarify defect formation in OCCC-grown $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ and provide insights for optimizing growth conditions.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Unveiling two-dimensional electron systems on ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor $\mathrmβ$-Ga$_2$O$_3$

Ultra-wide bandgap (UWBG) semiconductors promise to revolutionize power electronics, yet a fundamental understanding of their interfacial electronic structure has been hindered by the absence of direct experimental observation. Here, we report the first momentum-resolved observation of two-dimensional electron systems on a UWBG material, enabled by angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) on high-purity $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ single crystals. Alkaline-metal-induced electron doping forms an isotropic circular Fermi surface, achieving a sheet carrier density of up to $1.0\times10^{14}$ $\mathrm{cm}^{-2}$. Self-consistent Poisson-Schrödinger calculations show that the electrons are confined within 1.2 nm of the surface and reveal an internal electric field of $18$ MV cm$^{-1}$. Crucially, our measurements reveal a pronounced renormalization of the electronic band structure: a series of carrier-density-dependent ARPES measurements shows that as the carrier density increases from $2\times10^{13}$ to $1.0\times10^{14}$ $\mathrm{cm}^{-2}$, the effective mass anomalously increases, nearly doubling to a final value of 0.48 $\textit{m}_{\mathrm{e}}$. This trend is notably opposite to that reported for other oxide semiconductors, pointing towards a unique renormalization mechanism in $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$. Our findings establish the interfacial electronic structure of $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ and demonstrate that UWBG materials provide fertile ground for exploring carrier-density-driven electronic phenomena, opening new avenues for future quantum and power devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Development and performance evaluation of a thin GAGG:Ce scintillator plate for high resolution synchrotron radiation X-ray imaging

Scintillator-based X-ray imaging detectors are pivotal in numerous scientific and practical domains, including medical imaging, and security monitoring. Recent advancements have spurred interest in 4D X-ray imaging using synchrotron radiation, necessitating higher temporal resolutions. Consequently, this places stringent demands on X-ray detector technology, especially when X-ray energy exceeds 20 keV. The selection of a suitable scintillator material is crucial for achieving optimal timing resolution, yet it poses a significant challenge in dynamic X-ray imaging. This study delves into the optimization of scintillator properties and their impact on spatial resolution and light output, elucidating the performance of Ce-doped Gd3Ga3Al2O12 (GAGG:Ce) scintillators for X-ray imaging applications. We developed a micro X-ray imaging detector using a 100 $μ$m-thick GAGG:Ce scintillator plate and conducted X-ray imaging tests at the Aichi SR facility. The results demonstrated that the resolution, quantified as the chart slit width at a contrast transfer function (CTF) value of 10%, reached 2 - 3 $μ$m with a 4x lens, 0.52 $μ$m $\pm$ 0.03 $μ$m with a 20x lens, and 0.42 $μ$m $\pm$ 0.01 $μ$m with a 40x lens. Although the results of this study did not achieve a spatial resolution nearing the effective pixel size of the 40x lens, the text also elucidates the underlying reasons for this limitation. Furthermore, we compared the X-ray sensitivity of our GAGG:Ce scintillator plate with that of a commercial LuAG:Ce scintillator, revealing an approximately 1.5-fold increase in light output. As a demonstration, transmission images of dried small fish were captured using the GAGG:Ce scintillator plate and the developed X-ray imaging system. These findings highlight the potential of the X-ray imaging detector devised in this study for future generations of X-ray imaging applications.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

Temperature dependence and quenching characteristics of (La, Gd)$_2$Si$_2$O$_7$ scintillators at various Ce concentrations

We investigated the thermal stability of scintillation and the luminescence performances of (La, Gd)${}_{2}$Si${}_{2}$O${}_{7}$ single crystals at various Ce concentrations. We prepared (La${}_{0.25-x}$, Ce${}_{x}$, Gd${}_{0.75}$)${}_{2}$Si${}_{2}$O${}_{7}$ (x = 0.0001, 0.001, 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, and 0.1; unit: molar concentration) single crystals by the Czochralski and micro-pulling-down methods. With increasing Ce concentration, the photoluminescence emission and photoluminescence excitation spectral bands shifted to low energies and the activation energy $\mathrm{Δ}E$ for thermal quenching decreased. For Ce $\mathrm{<}$ 0.5 at.% samples, the photoluminescence emission background value calculated in the exponential approximation started to increase at temperatures greater than 320 K, which is probably because of Ce${}^{3+}$ 5$\textit{d}$ excited-state ionization. However, the effect was weaker for the Ce $\ge $ 0.5% samples, which may indicate a comparatively larger contribution from other nonradiative relaxations. Thus the main reason for the thermal quenching of the Ce${}^{3+}$ emission in (La, Gd)${}_{2}$Si${}_{2}$O${}_{7}$ is the combination of the 5$\textit{d}$1 excited-state ionization and nonradiative relaxation via thermally excited crossover from the 5$\textit{d}$ excited state to the 4$\textit{f}$ ground state. The temperature dependence of the scintillation light yield was similar irrespective of the Ce concentration, with Ce 1.0% exhibiting the best performance within the temperature range 300 K to 450 K.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Shape-controlled crystal growth of Y$_3$Al$_5$O$_{12}$:Ce single crystals with application of micro-pulling-down method and Mo crucibles, and their scintillation properties

The technology to grow single crystals of the required shape directly from a melt has been researched extensively and developed in various industries and research fields. In this study, a micro-pulling-down method and a Mo crucible were applied to the shape-controlled crystal growth of Y$_3$Al$_5$O$_{12}$:Ce (YAG:Ce). Three types of Mo crucibles with different die shapes were developed. Stable crystal growth in the same shape as the die was achieved, and scintillation properties that are comparable with those of the previously reported YAG:Ce were obtained.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Crystal growth and optical properties of Ce-doped (La,Y)$_2$Si$_2$O$_7$ single crystal

We have grown Ce-doped (La,Y)$_2$Si$_2$O$_7$ single crystal by micro-pulling-down method and investigated its optical and scintillation properties. We have successfully prepared the single crystal with (Ce$_{0.015}$La$_{0.600}$Y$_{0.385}$)$_2$Si$_2$O$_7$ composition. The observed thermal quenching process could be characterized by the quenching temperature (T50%) of 526 K and its activation energy was determined to be 0.62 eV. Further considering the thermal quenching factors, it was found that the thermal quenching was caused by at least the thermal ionization and maybe also by classical thermal quenching. The light output and scintillation decay time were evaluated to be ~12,000 photons/MeV and ~42 ns, respectively. These results indicate that (Ce$_{0.015}$La$_{0.600}$Y$_{0.385}$)$_2$Si$_2$O$_7$ has a great potential for application in scintillation materials.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

High-light-yield calcium iodide (CaI2) scintillator for astroparticle physics

A high light yield calcium iodide (CaI2) scintillator is being developed for an astroparticle physics experiments. This paper reports scintillation performance of calcium iodide (CaI2) crystal. Large light emission of 2.7 times that of NaI(Tl) and an emission wavelength in good agreement with the sensitive wavelength of the photomultiplier were obtained. A study of pulse shape discrimination using alpha and gamma sources was also performed. We confirmed that CaI2 has excellent pulse shape discrimination potential with a quick analysis.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2019

Pulse-shape discrimination potential of new scintillator material: La-GPS:Ce

(Gd,La)$_2$Si$_2$O$_7$:Ce (La-GPS:Ce) is a new scintillator material with high light output, high energy resolution, and fast decay time. Moreover, the scintillator has a good light output even at high temperature (up to 150$^\circ$C) and is non-hygroscopic in nature; thus, it is especially suitable for underground resource exploration. Particle identification greatly expands the possible applications of scintillator. For resource exploration, the particle identification should be completed in a single pulse only. The pulse-shape discrimination of the scintillator was confirmed. We compared two methods; a double gate method and a digital filter method. Using digital filter method (shape indicator), F-measure to evaluate a separation between $α$ and $γ$ particles was obtained to be 0.92 at 0.66 MeVee.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2011

Electric field thermopower modulation analysis of an interfacial conducting layer formed between Y2O3 and rutile TiO2

Electric field modulation analysis of thermopower (S) - carrier concentration (n) relation of a bilayer laminate structure composed of a 1.5-nm thick conducting layer, probably TinO2n-1 (n=2, 3,...) Magnéli phase, and rutile TiO2 was performed. The results clearly showed that both the rutile TiO2 and the thin interfacial layer contribute to carrier transport: the rutile TiO2 bulk region (mobility mu~0.03 cm2V-1s-1) and the 1.5-nm thick interfacial layer (mu~0.3 cm2V-1s-1). The effective thickness of the interfacial layer, which was obtained from the S-n relation, was below ~ 3 nm, which agrees well with that of the TEM observation (~1.5 nm), clearly showing that electric field modulation measurement of S-n relation can effectively clarify the carrier transport properties of a bilayer laminate structure.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2010

Experimental characterization of the electronic structure of anatase TiO2: Thermopower modulation

Thermopower (S) for anatase TiO2 epitaxial films (n3D: 1E17-1E21 /cm3) and the gate voltage (Vg) dependence of S for thin film transistors (TFTs) based on TiO2 films were investigated to clarify the electronic density of states (DOS) around the conduction band bottom. The slope of the |S|-log n3D plots was -20 μV/K, which is an order magnitude smaller than that of semiconductors (-198 μV/K), and the |S| values for the TFTs increased with Vg in the low Vg region, suggesting that the extra tail states are hybridized with the original conduction band bottom.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2009

A Single-Crystalline, Epitaxial SrTiO3 Thin-Film Transistor

We report herein fabrication and characterization of a thin-film transistor (TFT) using single-crystalline, epitaxial SrTiO3 film, which was grown by a pulsed laser deposition technique followed by the thermal annealing treatment in an oxygen atmosphere. Although TFTs on the polycrystalline epitaxial SrTiO3 films (as-deposited) exhibited poor transistor characteristics, the annealed single-crystalline SrTiO3 TFT exhibits transistor characteristics comparable with those of bulk single-crystal SrTiO3 FET: an on/off current ratio >10^5, sub-threshold swing ~2.1 V/decade, and field-effect mobility ~0.8 cm^2/Vs. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the appropriate thermal annealing treatment of epitaxial SrTiO3 films.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2009

Electric-Field Modulation of Thermopower for the KTaO3 Field Effect Transistors

We show herein fabrication and field-modulated thermopower for KTaO3 single-crystal based field-effect transistors (FETs). The KTaO3 FET exhibits field effect mobility of ~8 cm2/Vs, which is ~4 times larger than that of SrTiO3 FETs. The thermopower of the KTaO3 FET decreased from 600 to 220 microV/K by the application of gate electric field up to 1.5 MV/cm, ~400 microV/K below that of an SrTiO3 FET, clearly reflecting the smaller carrier effective mass of KTaO3.

cond-mat.str-el↗