Oliver Ambacher

Bio: Oliver Ambacher is an academic researcher from Fraunhofer Society. The author has contributed to research in topics: Amplifier & High-electron-mobility transistor. The author has an hindex of 64, co-authored 848 publications receiving 26256 citations. Previous affiliations of Oliver Ambacher include Osram & Siemens.

First-principles calculation of electroacoustic properties of wurtzite (Al,Sc)N

Abstract: We study the electroacoustic properties of aluminum scandium nitride crystals ${\mathrm{Al}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Sc}}_{x}\mathrm{N}$ with the metastable wurtzite structure by means of first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. We extract the material property data relevant for electroacoustic device design, namely, the full tensors of elastic and piezoelectric constants. Atomistic models were constructed and analyzed for a variety of Sc concentrations $0\ensuremath{\le}x\ensuremath{\le}50$%. The functional dependence of the material properties on the scandium concentration was extracted by fitting the data obtained from an averaging procedure for different disordered atomic configurations. We give an explanation of the observed elastic softening and the extraordinary increase in piezoelectric response as a function of Sc content in terms of an element-specific analysis of bond lengths and bond angles.

Low-Temperature OMCVD of InN Thin Films from the Novel Air-Stable Single-Molecule Precursor Azido{bis[(3-dimethylamino)propyl]}indium, (N3)In[(CH2)3NMe2]2

Abstract: Hexagonal InN and InGaN are interesting wide-bandgap semiconductors for optoelectronic applications. The first example of an air-stable, fairly volatile, and low melting precursor, (N3)In[(CH2)3NMe2]2 (1), to deposit crystalline InN at low temperatures (350−450 °C) is presented.

Optically detected magnetic resonance of the red and near-infrared luminescence in Mg-doped GaN

Abstract: We report photoluminescence (PL) and optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) measurements on magnesium-doped GaN samples grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, molecular beam epitaxy, and high-pressure--high-temperature synthesis. The samples exhibit at least three luminescence bands in the red-to-infrared spectral range with maxima at \ensuremath{\approx}1.75, \ensuremath{\approx}1.55, and below 1.4 eV. ODMR on these emission bands reveals two deep defects with isotropic g values of 2.001 and 2.006 and linewidths of 4--5 and 18--32 mT, respectively. Spectrally resolved ODMR experiments suggest that a donor-to-deep defect recombination is responsible for the transitions at 1.75 eV, while an acceptor-to-deep defect transition causes the PL bands with lower energy. The deep centers involved are attributed to defects with energy levels in the lower part of the band gap but close to the midgap region.

I and i

Abstract: There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality. Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

Principles of Neural Science

Abstract: I have developed "tennis elbow" from lugging this book around the past four weeks, but it is worth the pain, the effort, and the aspirin. It is also worth the (relatively speaking) bargain price. Including appendixes, this book contains 894 pages of text. The entire panorama of the neural sciences is surveyed and examined, and it is comprehensive in its scope, from genomes to social behaviors. The editors explicitly state that the book is designed as "an introductory text for students of biology, behavior, and medicine," but it is hard to imagine any audience, interested in any fragment of neuroscience at any level of sophistication, that would not enjoy this book. The editors have done a masterful job of weaving together the biologic, the behavioral, and the clinical sciences into a single tapestry in which everyone from the molecular biologist to the practicing psychiatrist can find and appreciate his or

Phonons and related crystal properties from density-functional perturbation theory

Abstract: This article reviews the current status of lattice-dynamical calculations in crystals, using density-functional perturbation theory, with emphasis on the plane-wave pseudopotential method. Several specialized topics are treated, including the implementation for metals, the calculation of the response to macroscopic electric fields and their relevance to long-wavelength vibrations in polar materials, the response to strain deformations, and higher-order responses. The success of this methodology is demonstrated with a number of applications existing in the literature.

Band parameters for III–V compound semiconductors and their alloys

Abstract: We present a comprehensive, up-to-date compilation of band parameters for the technologically important III–V zinc blende and wurtzite compound semiconductors: GaAs, GaSb, GaP, GaN, AlAs, AlSb, AlP, AlN, InAs, InSb, InP, and InN, along with their ternary and quaternary alloys. Based on a review of the existing literature, complete and consistent parameter sets are given for all materials. Emphasizing the quantities required for band structure calculations, we tabulate the direct and indirect energy gaps, spin-orbit, and crystal-field splittings, alloy bowing parameters, effective masses for electrons, heavy, light, and split-off holes, Luttinger parameters, interband momentum matrix elements, and deformation potentials, including temperature and alloy-composition dependences where available. Heterostructure band offsets are also given, on an absolute scale that allows any material to be aligned relative to any other.

Conjugated polymer-based organic solar cells

Abstract: The need to develop inexpensive renewable energy sources stimulates scientific research for efficient, low-cost photovoltaic devices.1 The organic, polymer-based photovoltaic elements have introduced at least the potential of obtaining cheap and easy methods to produce energy from light.2 The possibility of chemically manipulating the material properties of polymers (plastics) combined with a variety of easy and cheap processing techniques has made polymer-based materials present in almost every aspect of modern society.3 Organic semiconductors have several advantages: (a) lowcost synthesis, and (b) easy manufacture of thin film devices by vacuum evaporation/sublimation or solution cast or printing technologies. Furthermore, organic semiconductor thin films may show high absorption coefficients4 exceeding 105 cm-1, which makes them good chromophores for optoelectronic applications. The electronic band gap of organic semiconductors can be engineered by chemical synthesis for simple color changing of light emitting diodes (LEDs).5 Charge carrier mobilities as high as 10 cm2/V‚s6 made them competitive with amorphous silicon.7 This review is organized as follows. In the first part, we will give a general introduction to the materials, production techniques, working principles, critical parameters, and stability of the organic solar cells. In the second part, we will focus on conjugated polymer/fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells, mainly on polyphenylenevinylene (PPV) derivatives/(1-(3-methoxycarbonyl) propyl-1-phenyl[6,6]C61) (PCBM) fullerene derivatives and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)/PCBM systems. In the third part, we will discuss the alternative approaches such as polymer/polymer solar cells and organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells. In the fourth part, we will suggest possible routes for further improvements and finish with some conclusions. The different papers mentioned in the text have been chosen for didactical purposes and cannot reflect the chronology of the research field nor have a claim of completeness. The further interested reader is referred to the vast amount of quality papers published in this field during the past decade.