arXiv subjects

Satyendra Kumar

Publications and source records attributed to Satyendra Kumar.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2015

Orientational Order in the Nematic and Heliconical Nematic Liquid Crystals

X-ray scattering and polarized microscopic studies of the structure and order parameters in the nematic (N) and heliconical, or the twist-bend nematic (Ntb), phase have been performed as a function of temperature. The nematic orientational order parameters and in the nematic phases of CB7CB and its mixtures with less than 20 wt% CB6CB reveal that they both increase with decreasing temperature in the N phase. Both order parameters decrease upon entering the Ntb phase and becomes negative providing a direct confirmation of the conical molecular orientational distribution. The heliconical tilt angle, estimated from the orientational distribution functions (ODFs), in all cases increases from zero at the N - Ntb transition to approximately 27{\deg} at about 40 K below the transition, in excellent agreement with freeze fracture transmission electron microscopy results of Chen and the birefringence results of Meyer. The growth of the tilt angle in the Ntb phase follows a single power law with exponents between ~0.09 +/- 0.01 to -0.12 +/- 0.01, which is far from the expected tricritical or mean field exponents of 0.25 or 0.5. The temperature dependence of the tilt angle calculated from the ODFs also is in good qualitative agreement with the values estimated from optical studies of their ropelike textures within adjacent blocks of left- and right-handed twist in homogeneously aligned cells.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2013

A highly-ordered, high mobility organic semiconductor grown from a mesophase: A test of polaron band theory

We find that the hole mobility of the crystal smectic phases of the liquid crystal 1,4-di-(5-n-tridecylthien-2-yl)-benzene increases exponentially with decreasing temperature. While qualitatively consistent with transport via polaron bands, we find that it is quantitatively difficult to explain the behaviour with physically realistic parameters. In particular, the data demand either quite large typical optical phonon frequencies and/or phonon bandwidths. We also find evidence that an unusually highly ordered smectic-F phase templates the formation of lower temperature highly crystalline smectic phases, which may have implications for device development.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2011

Condensation of Self-assembled Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystal Sunset Yellow in Aqueous Solutions Crowded with Polyethylene glycol and Doped with Salt

We use optical and fluorescence microscopy, densitometry, cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), spectroscopy, and synchrotron X-ray scattering, to study the phase behavior of the reversible self-assembled chromonic aggregates of an anionic dye Sunset Yellow (SSY) in aqueous solutions crowded with an electrically neutral polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG) and doped with the salt NaCl. PEG causes the isotropic SSY solutions to condense into a liquid-crystalline region with a high concentration of SSY aggregates, coexisting with a PEG-rich isotropic (I) region. PEG added to the homogeneous nematic (N) phase causes separation into the coexisting N and I domains; the SSY concentration in the N domains is higher than the original concentration of PEG-free N phase. Finally, addition of PEG to the highly concentrated homogeneous N phase causes separation into the coexisting columnar hexagonal (C) phase and I phase. This behavior can be qualitatively explained by the depletion (excluded volume) effects that act at two different levels: at the level of aggregate assembly from monomers and short aggregates and at the level of inter-aggregate packing. We also show a strong effect of a monovalent salt NaCl on phase diagrams that is different for high and low concentrations of SSY. Upon the addition of salt, dilute I solutions of SSY show appearance of the condensed N domains, but the highly concentrated C phase transforms into a coexisting I and N domains. We suggest that the salt-induced screening of electric charges at the surface of chromonic aggregates leads to two different effects: (a) increase of the scission energy and the contour length of aggregates, and (b) decrease of the persistence length of SSY aggregates.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2007

Band edge discontinuities and carrier transport in c-Si/porous silicon heterojunctions

We have prepared light emitting nanocrystalline porous silicon (PS) layers by electrochemical anodization of crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafer and characterized the c-Si/PS heterojunctions using temperature dependence of dark current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. The reverse bias I-V characteristics of c-Si/PS heterojunctions are found to behave like Schottky junctions where carrier transport is mainly governed by the carrier generation-recombination in the depletion region formed on the PS side. Fermi level of c-Si gets pinned to the defect levels at the interface resulting in ln(I) proportional to V^0.5. The barrier height in the reverse bias condition is shown to be equal to the band offset at the conduction band edges. An energy band diagram for the c-Si/PS heterojunction is proposed.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Determination of localized conduction band-tail states distribution in single phase undoped microcrystalline silicon

We report on the phototransport properties of microstructurally well characterized plasma deposited highly crystallized microcrystalline silicon films. The steady state photoconductivity was measured on a wide microstructural variety of single-phase undoped microcrystalline silicon films as a function of temperature and light intensity. The band-tail parameter (kTc) was calculated from the photoconductivity light intensity exponent values at different temperatures for a range of quasi-Fermi energies. The localized tail states distribution in the vicinity of conduction band edge of microcrystalline silicon was estimated using the values of kTc. Our study shows that microcrystalline silicon films possessing dissimilar microstructural attributes exhibit different phototransport behaviors, which are linked to different features of the density of states maps of the material.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Fractional composition of large crystallite grains: a unique microstructural parameter to explain conduction behavior in single phase undoped microcrystalline silicon

We have studied the dark conductivity of a broad microstructural range of plasma deposited single phase undoped microcrystalline silicon films in a wide temperature range (15 - 450K) to identify the possible transport mechanisms and the interrelationship between film microstructure and electrical transport behavior. Different conduction behaviors seen in films with different microstructures are explained in the context of underlying transport mechanisms and microstructural features, for above and below room temperature measurements. Our microstructural studies have shown that different ranges of the percentage volume fraction of the constituent large crystallite grains (Fcl) of the microcrystalline silicon films correspond to characteristically different and specific microstructures, irrespective of deposition conditions and thicknesses. Our electrical transport studies demonstrate that each type of microcrystalline silicon material having a different range of Fcl shows different electrical transport behaviors.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Normal and anti Meyer-Neldel rule in conductivity of highly crystallized undoped microcrystalline silicon films

We have studied the electrical conductivity behavior of highly crystallized undoped hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon films having different microstructures. The dark conductivity is seen to follow Meyer Neldel rule (MNR) in some films and anti MNR in others, which has been explained on the basis of variation in the film microstructure and the corresponding changes in the effective density of states distributions. A band tail transport and statistical shift of Fermi level are used to explain the origin of MNR as well as anti-MNR in our samples. The observation of MNR and anti MNR in electrical transport behavior of microcrystalline silicon is discussed in terms of the basic underlying physics of their origin and the significance of these relationships.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Influence of the statistical shift of Fermi level on the conductivity behavior in microcrystalline silicon

The electrical conductivity behavior of highly crystallized undoped hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon films having different microstructures was studied. The dark conductivity is seen to follow Meyer Neldel rule (MNR) in some films and anti MNR in others, depending on the details of microstructural attributes and corresponding changes in the effective density of states distributions. A band tail transport and statistical shift of Fermi level are used to explain the origin of MNR as well as anti-MNR in our samples. We present the evidence of anti-MNR in the various experimental transport data of microcrystalline silicon materials reported in literature and analyze these data together with ours to show the consistency and physical plausibility of statistical shift model. The calculated MNR parameters and other significant material parameters derived therefrom are tenable for a wide microstructural range of the microcrystalline silicon system.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Effective density of states map of undoped microcrystalline Si films: a combined experimental and numerical simulation approach

The phototransport properties of plasma deposited highly crystalline undoped hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon films were studied by measuring the steady state photoconductivity (SSPC) as a function of temperature and light intensity. The films possessing different thicknesses and microstructures had been well characterized by various microstructural probes. Microcrystalline Si films possessing dissimilar microstructural attributes were found to exhibit different phototransport behaviors. We have employed numerical modeling of SSPC to corroborate and further elucidate the experimental results. Our study indicates that the different phototransport behaviors are linked to different features of the proposed density of states maps of the material which are different for microcrystalline Si films having different types of microstructure.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Low temperature conduction behavior in highly crystallized undoped microcrystalline silicon thin films

The temperature dependence of dark conductivity at low temperatures (300-15 K) was studied on a wide microstructural range of well-characterized highly crystallized single phase undoped microcrystalline silicon samples. Our study reveals two different temperature dependences in films having different microstructures. A T^(-0.5) dependence of dark conductivity supporting tunneling of carriers between neighboring conducting crystals, similar to percolation-hopping model proposed for metal-insulator composite systems, is seen in microcrystalline silicon films that are fully crystallized with tightly packed large columnar grains and negligible density deficit. A T^(-0.25)dependence of dark conductivity supporting variable range hopping model with an exponential tail state distribution in the gap is seen in microcrystalline silicon films having mostly small crystalline grains, low degree of conglomeration and relatively higher density deficit. The correlation between the microstructural attributes and conductivity behavior is discussed by analyzing the physical plausibility of the hopping parameters and material properties derived by applying different transport models.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Elucidation of microstructure of single-phase microcrystalline silicon based on crystallite size distributions

Highly crystallized undoped hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon films prepared using SiF4-H2 mixture plasma were investigated at various stages of growth employing different microstructural probes. Our self-consistent results elucidate various aspects of the evolution of film microstructure, compositional changes and variations in crystallite size distributions with film growth. Inclusion of a bimodal crystallite size distribution in microstructural data analysis leads to results that are corroborative with those obtained from other microstructural tools, and yields a more physically accurate and coherent description of microcrystalline silicon film microstructure.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Structural Determination of Nanocrystalline Si Films Using Ellipsometry and Raman Spectroscopy

Single phase nano and micro crystalline silicon films deposited using SiF4/H2 plasma at different H2 dilution levels were studied at initial and terminal stages of film growth with spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), Raman scattering (RS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The analysis of data obtained from SE elucidates the microstructural evolution with film growth in terms of the changes in crystallite sizes and their volume fractions, crystallite conglomeration and film morphology. The effect of H2 dilution on film microstructure and morphology, and the corroborative findings from AFM studies are discussed. Our SE results evince two distinct mean sizes of crystallites in the material after a certain stage of film growth. The analysis of Raman scattering data for such films has been done using a bimodal size distribution of crystallite grains, which yields more accurate and physically rational microstructural picture of the material.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Effective density of states profiles of heterogeneous microcrystalline silicon

The steady state photoconductivity as a function of temperature and light intensity was measured on plasma deposited highly crystalline undoped hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon films possessing different thicknesses and microstructures. Different phototransport behaviors were observed experimentally in films having dissimilar microstructural attributes. This has been explained by numerical modeling to link these behaviors to different features of the proposed density of states maps of the material.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Influence of fractional composition of crystallite grains on the dark conductivity in fully crystallized undoped microcrystalline silicon

Improvement in film growth technology requires a knowledge of the correlation between microstructural and deposition parameters with electrical properties in hydrogenated microcrystalline Si films. Our study indicates that fractional compositions of the constituent crystallite grains in fully crystallized undoped microcrystalline Si films is a unique microstructural feature that defines the film microstructure and can be well correlated to the electrical transport properties as well.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2001

Electromagnetic induction and damping - quantitative experiments using PC interface

A bar magnet, attached to an oscillating system, passes through a coil periodically, generating a series of emf pulses. A novel method is described for the quantitative verification of Faraday's law which eliminates all errors associated with angular measurements, thereby revealing delicate features of the underlying mechanics. When electromagnetic damping is activated by short-circuiting the coil, a distinctly linear decay of oscillation amplitude is surprisingly observed. A quantitative analysis reveals an interesting interplay of the electromagnetic and mechanical time scales.

physics.ed-ph↗