The present invention relates to a method and device capable to form a nanomaterial structure (13) on a receiver (14) by transfer of nanomaterial from a donor film. In some embodiment, the transfer can be provided by laser induced forward transfer, more preferably by blister based laser induced forward transfer. The method further comprises a simultaneous scanning of the donor film (12) or the receiver (14) so that, a computer driven means for moving the receiver (14) and the donor film (12) can form high precision nanomaterial structure (13). In a preferred embodiment, the simultaneous scanning can be provided by an imaging laser generating high harmonic waves which are detected by a detector. In yet another embodiment, the receiver (14) and/or donor film (12) can be further scanned by a broadband light source(s). In a preferred embodiment, imaging laser and/or light source(s) are emitting polarized light to determine orientation of the nanoparticle deposited on the receiver (14) and forming the nanomaterial structure (13).

A sputtering target and a method for fabricating an electronic device using the same are provided. A sputtering target may include a carbon-doped GeSbTe alloy, wherein, for the carbon-doped GeSbTe alloy, an average grain diameter of a GeSbTe alloy after sintering is in a range of 0.5 μm to 5 μm, and a first ratio of an average grain diameter of carbon after the sintering is Y (μm) to the average grain diameter of the GeSbTe alloy after the sintering may be in a range of greater than 0.5 and equal to or less than 1.5. Alternatively, for the carbon-doped GeSbTe alloy, a condition of Y=X×(Z/100) may be satisfied, where an average grain diameter of a GeSbTe alloy after sintering is X (μm), an average grain diameter of carbon after the sintering is Y (μm), and a content of carbon is Z (at %).

The present disclosure relates to a method for forming a reference electrode for use in electrochemical testing applications. The method may involve positioning a porous frit against one end of a hollow tube, and securing the frit and the hollow tube to one another to form an assembly. The method may further involve forming a silver sulfide coating on a silver wire to produce a silver sulfide coated silver wire. The method may further involve filling the hollow tube with a non-aqueous solution, and inserting at least a portion of the silver sulfide coated silver wire into the non-aqueous solution in the hollow tube.

This n-type SnS thin-film has n-type conductivity, an average thickness thereof is 0.100 μm to 10 μm, a ratio (α.sub.1.1/α.sub.1.6) of an absorption coefficient α.sub.1.1 at a photon energy of 1.1 eV to an absorption coefficient α.sub.1.6 at a photon energy of 1.6 eV is 0.200 or less, an atomic ratio of an S content to an Sn content is 0.85 to 1.10.

A sputtering target according to the present invention contains an intermetallic compound formed of Ge, Sb, and Te in an amount of 75 mol % or more, in which a crystallite size of the intermetallic compound is 400 Å or more and 800 Å or less. The sputtering target according to the present invention may further contain one or more additive elements selected from B, C, In, Ag, Si, Sn, and S, in which a total amount of the additive elements is 25 mol % or less.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to photovoltaic devices, CIGS containing films, and methods of manufacturing CIGS containing films and photovoltaic devices to improve quantum efficiency, reduce interface charges, electron losses, and electron re-combinations. The CIGS layers in the photovoltaic devices described herein may be deposited using physical vapor deposition, followed by in-situ oxygen annealing, and further followed by deposition of a cap layer over the CIGS layer without subjecting the CIGS layer to an air break.

The present disclosure relates to a preparing method of two-dimensional materials with a controlled number of layer including depositing a metal thin film on a surface of a bulk material; exfoliating a two-dimensional material from the surface of the bulk material together with the metal thin film; and transferring the two-dimensional material onto a substrate, in which the number of layers of the two-dimensional material to be exploited is controlled by controlling an internal stress of the metal thin film.

Methods of producing a self-aligned structure comprising a metal chalcogenide are described. Some methods comprise forming a metal-containing film in a substrate feature and exposing the metal-containing film to a chalogen precursor to form a self-aligned structure comprising a metal chalcogenide. Some methods comprise forming a metal-containing film in a substrate feature, expanding the metal-containing film to form a pillar and exposing the pillar to a chalogen precursor to form a self-aligned structure comprising a metal chalcogenide. Some methods comprise directly forming a metal chalcogenide pillar in a substrate feature to form a self-aligned structure comprising a metal chalcogenide. Methods of forming self-aligned vias are also described.

An alloy of Ge.sub.xSb.sub.ySe.sub.zTe.sub.m includes atoms of Ge, Sb, Se, and Te that form a crystalline structure having a plurality of vacancies randomly distributed in the crystalline structure. The alloy can be used to construct an optical device including a first waveguide to guide a light beam and a modulation layer disposed on the first waveguide. The modulation includes the alloy of Ge.sub.xSb.sub.ySe.sub.zTe.sub.m which has a first refractive index n.sub.1 in an amorphous state and a second refractive index n.sub.2, greater than the first refractive index by at least 1, in a crystalline state. The first waveguide and the modulation layer are configured to guide about 1% to about 50% of the light beam in the modulation layer when the alloy is in the amorphous state and guide no optical mode when the alloy is in the crystalline state.

There is provided a continuous thin film comprising a metal chalcogenide, wherein the metal is selected from the periodic groups 13 or 14 and the chalcogen is: sulphur (S), selenide (Se), or tellurium (Te), and wherein the thin film has a thickness of less than 20 nm. There is also provided a method of forming the continuous thin film. In a particular embodiment, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is used to grow indium selenide (In.sub.2Se.sub.3) thin film from two precursors (In.sub.2Se.sub.3 and Se) and said thin film is used to fabricate a ferroelectric resistive memory device.