Mixed-valence manganites have attracted considerable attention since the late 19th century. The intriguing interplay of charge, spin and orbital ordering in the manganites systems superimposed by interface/surface effects provides a scientific platform beneficial for both fundamental and application-oriented research. The fundamental basis for understanding physical properties and designing new functionalities of manganites is the concept of the symmetry of order parameters which can be manipulated artificially by controlling the interplay of electronic degrees of freedom. This book explores the possibility of externally modifying the properties of manganite based thin films and heterojunctions by epitaxial strain or artificial boundaries, which could give us new insights to generating properties at the interface between film and heterointerface. The book describes some of the sophisticated concepts concerning manganite-based films and heterojunctions in clear detail, bringing us closer than ever to understanding the research progress and main trends. What we can learn from the book is highly thought-provoking: the explanation of the strain stabilisation and strain induced effects in manganite based films and heterointerfaces; the comparison between electrical transport in manganite based heterojunctions and semiconductor junctions; and, in particular, the interpretation of the photo-induced and photo-voltaic effect in manganite based films and heterojunctions. Furthermore, the magneto-tunability at the manganite based heterointerfaces leading to the design of new functionalities will be highlighted at last.

An introduction to the physics of the photovoltaic cell. It should appeal to undergraduate physicists, graduate students and researchers who want an introduction to the subject. The text covers the ground from the fundamental principles of semiconductor physics to the simple models used to describe solar cell operation. It presents theoretical approaches to efficient solar cell design as well as the features of the main practical types of solar cell. A set of exercises and worked solutions dealing with the text are included to aid in assimilation and teaching. It should enable the reader to understand how solar cells work, to be familiar with the terms and concepts of solar cell device physics, and to formulate and solve relevant physical problems.

Sensors are everywhere. Small, flexible, economical, and computationally powerful, they operate ubiquitously in environments. They compile massive amounts of data, including information about air, water, and climate. Never before has such a volume of environmental data been so broadly collected or so widely available. Grappling with the consequences of wiring our world, Program Earth examines how sensor technologies are programming our environments. As Jennifer Gabrys points out, sensors do not merely record information about an environment. Rather, they generate new environments and environmental relations. At the same time, they give a voice to the entities they monitor: to animals, plants, people, and inanimate objects. This book looks at the ways in which sensors converge with environments to map ecological processes, to track the migration of animals, to check pollutants, to facilitate citizen participation, and to program infrastructure. Through discussing particular instances where sensors are deployed for environmental study and citizen engagement across three areas of environmental sensing, from wild sensing to pollution sensing and urban sensing, Program Earth asks how sensor technologies specifically contribute to new environmental conditions. What are the implications for wiring up environments? How do sensor applications not only program environments, but also program the sorts of citizens and collectives we might become? Program Earth suggests that the sensor-based monitoring of Earth offers the prospect of making new environments not simply as an extension of the human but rather as new "technogeographies" that connect technology, nature, and people.

The study of superconductivity in solids was initiated in 1911 after the discovery of this phenomenon in ordinary metals by Kamerlingh-Onnes. This book presents the fundamentals of the modern microscopic theory of conventional and unconventional superconductivity in high-Tc cuprates and other systems.

This book compiles biographical sketches of top professionals in the fields of superconductivity and condensed matter, as well as research summaries from a number of different focuses in this important field.

Superconductivity is a phenomenon occurring in certain materials generally at very low temperatures, characterised by exactly zero electrical resistance and the exclusion of the interior magnetic field. Like ferromagnetism and atomic spectral lines, superconductivity is a quantum mechanical phenomenon. It cannot be understood simply as the idealisation of "perfect conductivity" in classical physics. Furthermore, superconductivity occurs in a wide variety of materials, including simple elements like tin and aluminium, various metallic alloys and some heavily-doped semiconductors. It does not occur in noble metals like gold and silver, nor in pure samples of ferromagnetic metals. This book gathers the latest research from around the globe in this dynamic field and highlights topics such as super-conducting miniundulators, super-conducting transitions in wire networks, the orbital physics of superconductors, the super-conducting circuits of Josephson junctions, and the types of stresses that affect super-conducting properties and behaviour.

This book presents current areas of research in the field of superconductors and superconducting magnets. The ways in which these magnets produce stronger magnetic fields than ordinary iron-core electromagnets is explored. A review of the electronic structure of transition metal oxides and salts is also included in this book, specifically what concerns electron transfer, electron correlation, electron-nuclear coupling, and inter-metal interaction in cuprates. Combining a number of well-known theories of conventional superconductors, a general vortex theory for inhomogeneous superconductors is proposed. Ways to fabricate superconducting magnets in a faster, cheaper and more practical way is also presented.

Superconductivity is the ability of certain materials to conduct electrical current with no resistance and extremely low losses. High temperature superconductors, such as La2-xSrxCuOx (Tc=40K) and YBa2Cu3O7-x (Tc=90K), were discovered in 1987 and have been actively studied since. In spite of an intense, worldwide, research effort during this time, a complete understanding of the copper oxide (cuprate) materials is still lacking. Many fundamental questions are unanswered, particularly the mechanism by which high-Tc superconductivity occurs. More broadly, the cuprates are in a class of solids with strong electron-electron interactions. An understanding of such "strongly correlated" solids is perhaps the major unsolved problem of condensed matter physics with over ten thousand researchers working on this topic. High-Tc superconductors also have significant potential for applications in technologies ranging from electric power generation and transmission to digital electronics. This ability to carry large amounts of current can be applied to electric power devices such as motors and generators, and to electricity transmission in power lines. For example, superconductors can carry as much as 100 times the amount of electricity of ordinary copper or aluminium wires of the same size. Many universities, research institutes and companies are working to develop high-Tc superconductivity applications and considerable progress has been made. This book presents the latest research in this blossoming field.

Superconductivity is the ability of certain materials to conduct electrical current with no resistance and extremely low losses. High temperature superconductors, such as La2-xSrxCuOx (Tc=40K) and YBa2Cu3O7-x (Tc=90K), were discovered in 1987 and have been actively studied since. In spite of an intense, world-wide, research effort during this time, a complete understanding of the copper oxide (cuprate) materials is still lacking. Many fundamental questions are unanswered, particularly the mechanism by which high-Tc superconductivity occurs. More broadly, the cuprates are in a class of solids with strong electron-electron interactions. An understanding of such "strongly correlated" solids is perhaps the major unsolved problem of condensed matter physics with over ten thousand researchers working on this topic. High-Tc superconductors also have significant potential for applications in technologies ranging from electric power generation and transmission to digital electronics. This ability to carry large amounts of current can be applied to electric power devices such as motors and generators, and to electricity transmission in power lines. For example, superconductors can carry as much as 100 times the amount of electricity of ordinary copper or aluminium wires of the same size. Many universities, research institutes and companies are working to develop high-Tc superconductivity applications and considerable progress has been made. This volume brings together new leading-edge research in the field.

Superconductivity is a phenomenon occurring in certain materials at extremely low temperatures, characterized by exactly zero electrical resistance and the exclusion of the interior magnetic field (the Meissner effect). The electrical resistivity of a metallic conductor decreases gradually as the temperature is lowered. However, in ordinary conductors such as copper and silver, impurities and other defects impose a lower limit. Even near absolute zero a real sample of copper shows a non-zero resistance. The resistance of a superconductor, on the other hand, drops abruptly to zero when the material is cooled below its "critical temperature", typically 20 kelvin or less. An electrical current flowing in a loop of superconducting wire can persist indefinitely with no power source. Like ferromagnetism and atomic spectral lines, superconductivity is a quantum mechanical phenomenon. It cannot be understood simply as the idealisation of "perfect conductivity" in classical physics. Superconductivity occurs in a wide variety of materials, including simple elements like tin and aluminium, various metallic alloys and some heavily-doped semiconductors. Superconductivity does not occur in noble metals like gold and silver, nor in most ferromagnetic metals. In 1986 the discovery of a family of cuprate-perovskite ceramic materials known as high-temperature superconductors, with critical temperatures in excess of 90 kelvin, spurred renewed interest and research in superconductivity for several reasons. As a topic of pure research, these materials represented a new phenomenon not explained by the current theory. And, because the superconducting state persists up to more manageable temperatures, more commercial applications are feasible, especially if materials with even higher critical temperatures could be discovered. This new book presents leading research from around the world in this dynamic field.

A Josephson Junction is a type of electronic circuit capable of switching at very high speeds when operated at temperatures approaching absolute zero. The Josephson Junction exploits the phenomenon of superconductivity, the ability of certain materials to conduct electric current with practically zero resistance. This book presents new and important research in superconductivity. This book presents leading research from around the world in this exciting field. This includes fabrication techniques, unconventional superconductors, Josephson tunnel junctions, Josephson vortex behaviour, thermomagnetic shock waves and finite temperature effects.

Superconductivity is the ability of certain materials to conduct electrical current with no resistance and extremely low losses. High temperature superconductors, such as La2-xSrxCuOx (Tc=40K) and YBa2Cu3O7-x (Tc=90K), were discovered in 1987 and have been actively studied since. In spite of an intense, world-wide, research effort during this time, a complete understanding of the copper oxide (cuprate) materials is still lacking. Many fundamental questions are unanswered, particularly the mechanism by which high-Tc superconductivity occurs. More broadly, the cuprates are in a class of solids with strong electron-electron interactions. An understanding of such "strongly correlated" solids is perhaps the major unsolved problem of condensed matter physics with over ten thousand researchers working on this topic.

Graphene, the wonder material of the 21st century, is expected to play an important role in future nanoelectronic applications, but the only way to achieve this goal is to grow graphene directly on a semiconductor, integrating it in the chain for the production of electronic circuits and devices. This book summarizes the latest achievements in this field, with particular attention to the graphitization of SiC. Through high-temperature annealing in a controlled environment, it is possible to decompose the topmost SiC layers, obtaining quasi-ideal graphene by Si sublimation with record electronic mobilities, while selective growth on patterned structures makes possible the opening of a gap by quantum confinement. The book starts with a review chapter on the significance and challenges of graphene growth on semiconductors, followed by three chapters dedicated to an up-to-date analysis of the synthesis of graphene in ultrahigh vacuum, and concludes with two chapters discussing possible ways of tailoring the electronic band structure of epitaxial graphene by atomic intercalation and of creating a gap by the growth of templated graphene nanostructures.

Superconductivity is the ability of certain materials to conduct electrical current with no resistance and extremely low losses. High temperature superconductors, such as La2-xSrxCuOx (Tc=40K) and YBa2Cu3O7-x (Tc=90K), were discovered in 1987 and have been actively studied since. In spite of an intense, world-wide, research effort during this time, a complete understanding of the copper oxide (cuprate) materials is still lacking. Many fundamental questions are unanswered, particularly the mechanism by which high-Tc superconductivity occurs. More broadly, the cuprates are in a class of solids with strong electron-electron interactions. An understanding of such "strongly correlated" solids is perhaps the major unsolved problem of condensed matter physics with over ten thousand researchers working on this topic. High-Tc superconductors also have significant potential for applications in technologies ranging from electric power generation and transmission to digital electronics. This ability to carry large amounts of current can be applied to electric power devices such as motors and generators, and to electricity transmission in power lines. For example, superconductors can carry as much as 100 times the amount of electricity of ordinary copper or aluminium wires of the same size. Many universities, research institutes and companies are working to develop high-Tc superconductivity applications and considerable progress has been made. This new volume brings together new leading-edge research in the field.

Superconductivity is the ability of certain materials to conduct electrical current with no resistance and extremely low losses. High temperature superconductors, such as La2-xSrxCuOx (Tc=40K) and YBa2Cu3O7-x (Tc=90K), were discovered in 1987 and have been actively studied since. In spite of an intense, world-wide, research effort during this time, a complete understanding of the copper oxide (cuprate) materials is still lacking. Many fundamental questions are unanswered, particularly the mechanism by which high-Tc superconductivity occurs. More broadly, the cuprates are in a class of solids with strong electron-electron interactions. An understanding of such "strongly correlated" solids is perhaps the major unsolved problem of condensed matter physics with over ten thousand researchers working on this topic. High-Tc superconductors also have significant potential for applications in technologies ranging from electric power generation and transmission to digital electronics. This ability to carry large amounts of current can be applied to electric power devices such as motors and generators, and to electricity transmission in power lines. For example, superconductors can carry as much as 100 times the amount of electricity of ordinary copper or aluminium wires of the same size. Many universities, research institutes and companies are working to develop high-Tc superconductivity applications and considerable progress has been made. This new volume brings together new leading-edge research in the field.

Superconductivity is the ability of certain materials to conduct electrical current with no resistance and extremely low losses. High temperature superconductors, such as La2-xSrxCuOx (Tc=40K) and YBa2Cu3O7-x (Tc=90K), were discovered in 1987 and have been actively studied since. In spite of an intense, worldwide, research effort during this time, a complete understanding of the copper oxide (cuprate) materials is still lacking. Many fundamental questions are unanswered, particularly the mechanism by which high-Tc superconductivity occurs. More broadly, the cuprates are in a class of solids with strong electron-electron interactions. An understanding of such 'strongly correlated' solids is perhaps the major unsolved problem of condensed matter physics with over ten thousand researchers working on this topic. High-Tc superconductors also have significant potential for applications in technologies ranging from electric power generation and transmission to digital electronics. This ability to carry large amounts of current can be applied to electric power devices such as motors and generators, and to electricity transmission in power lines. For example, superconductors can carry as much as 100 times the amount of electricity of ordinary copper or aluminum wires of the same size. Many universities, research institutes and companies are working to develop high-Tc superconductivity applications and considerable progress has been made. This volume brings together leading research in this growth field.

Studies of High Temperature Superconductors, Volume 26 - Quaternary Borocarbides, Superconductors & Hg-Based High Tc Superconductors

Organic Light-Emitting Materials and Devices provides a single source of information covering all aspects of OLEDs, including the systematic investigation of organic light-emitting materials, device physics and engineering, and manufacturing and performance measurement techniques. This Second Edition is a compilation of the advances made in recent years and of the challenges facing the future development of OLED technology. Featuring chapters authored by internationally recognized academic and industrial experts, this authoritative text: Introduces the history, fundamental physics, and potential applications of OLEDs Reviews the synthesis, properties, and device performance of electroluminescent materials used in OLEDs Reflects the current state of molecular design, exemplifying more than 600 light-emitting polymers and highlighting the most efficient materials and devices Explores small molecules-based OLEDs, detailing hole- and electron-injection and electron-transport materials, electron- and hole-blocking materials, sensitizers, and fluorescent and phosphorescent light-emitting materials Describes solution-processable phosphorescent polymer LEDs, energy transfer processes, polarized OLEDs, anode materials, and vapor deposition manufacturing techniques employed in OLED fabrication Discusses flexible display, the backplane circuit technology for organic light-emitting displays, and the latest microstructural characterization and performance measurement techniques Contains abundant diagrams, device configurations, and molecular structures clearly illutrating the presented ideas Organic Light-Emitting Materials and Devices, Second Edition offers a comprehensive overview of the OLED field and can serve as a primary reference for those needing additional information in any particular subarea of organic electroluminescence. This book should attract the attention of materials scientists, synthetic chemists, solid-state physicists, and electronic device engineers, as well as industrial managers and patent lawyers engaged in OLED-related business areas.

The dimensions of modern semiconductor devices are reduced to the point where classical semiconductor theory, including the concepts of continuous particle concentration and continuous current, becomes questionable. Further questions relate to two-dimensional transport in the most important field-effect devices and one-dimensional transport in nanowires and carbon nanotubes. Designed for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses, Principles of Semiconductor Devices, Second Edition, presents the semiconductor-physics and device principles in a way that upgrades classical semiconductor theory and enables proper interpretations of numerous quantum effects in modern devices. The semiconductor theory is directly linked to practical applications, including the links to the SPICE models and parameters that are commonly used during circuit design. The text is divided into three parts: Part I explains semiconductor physics; Part II presents the principles of operation and modeling of the fundamental junctions and transistors; and Part III provides supplementary topics, including a dedicated chapter on the physics of nanoscale devices, description of the SPICE models and equivalent circuits that are needed for circuit design, introductions to the most important specific devices (photonic devices, JFETs and MESFETs, negative-resistance diodes, and power devices), and an overview of integrated-circuit technologies. The chapters and the sections in each chapter are organized so as to enable instructors to select more rigorous and design-related topics as they see fit. New to this Edition * A new chapter on the physics of nanoscale devices * A revised chapter on the energy-band model and fully reworked and updated material on crystals to include graphene and carbon nanotubes * A revised P-N junction chapter to emphasize the current mechanisms that are relevant to modern devices * JFETs and MESFETs in a stand-alone chapter * Fifty-seven new problems and eleven new examples

The discovery of high-temperature superconductivity 1986] by Bendnorz and Muller in the La-BA-Cu-O system resulted in very extensive research work about the discovery and synthesis of other high-temperature superconductors, such as Y-BA-Cu-O and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O. These new superconducting materials, possessing superconductivity above liquid nitrogen boiling point, are used in many engineering applications, from electronic sensors to rotating electrical generators and from nanometer-scale thin films to kilometer-long wires and coils. Therefore, design and net-shape manufacturing of superconducting components, starting from the initial synthesized powders, is now of utmost industrial importance.
This book is primarily focused on the bulk-fabrication techniques of high-temperature ceramic superconducting components, especially on the combination of dynamic powder-consolidation and subsequent deformation processing. The properties of these ceramics, which are difficult-to-form materials by applying conventional techniques, are combined for the net-shape manufacturing of such components for the construction of HTS devices. However, very important topics such as superconducting structures, chemical synthesis, film fabrication and characterization techniques are also reviewed to provide a complete, comprehensive view of superconductors engineering.

This book provides the reader with a detailed theoretical treatment of the key mechanisms of superconductivity, up to the current state of the art (phonons, magnons, plasmons). In addition, the book describes the properties of key superconducting compounds that are of most interest for science and its applications today. For many years there has been a search for new materials with higher values of the main parameters, such as the critical temperature and the critical current. At present, the possibility to observe superconductivity at room temperature has become perfectly realistic. The book is especially concerned with high Tc systems, such as the high Tc oxides, hydrides with record values of the critical temperature under high pressure, nanoclusters, etc. A number of interesting novel superconducting systems have been discovered recently. Among them: topological materials, interface systems, intercalated graphene. The book contains rigorous derivations, based on statistical mechanics and many-body theory. The book is also providing qualitative explanations of the main concepts and results, which makes it accessible and interesting for a broader readership.

This title contains the most up-to-date and comprehensive information on the development of the Charge-Coupled Device (CCD), which makes possible the widespread use of consumer camcorders and broadcasting color cameras. It is comprehensive enough to be of great value to researchers, industrialists and post-graduate students in image technology.

Organic semiconductors (OSCs), based on pi-conjugated molecules and macromolecules, are revolutionising the electronics industry. The most topical and potentially lucrative applications to date include organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays and lighting, organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and organic field effect transistors (OFETs). Applications for these technologies are varied and include sensing, medical diagnostics, artificial assemblies, computing and information and communication technologies. This discussion encompasses a range of topical subjects, centred on the theme of organic electronics and photonics, focussing on four specific topics: organic photovoltaics and energy, organic lasers, bioelectronics and sensors and molecular electronics, representing the most exciting developments in organic electronics research.