The present invention relates to a heterostructure, in particular, a piezoelectric structure, comprising a cover layer, in particular, a layer of piezoelectric material, the material of the cover layer having a first coefficient of thermal expansion, assembled to a support substrate, the support substrate having a second coefficient of thermal expansion substantially different from the first coefficient of thermal expansion, at an interface wherein the cover layer comprises at least a recess extending from the interface into the cover layer, and its method of fabrication.

A power generation element uses an inverse magnetostrictive effect and includes: a frame yoke made of a magnetic material and having a bent part for forming a closed magnetic circuit, a magnetic part formed in a part of the frame yoke, a magnetostrictive plate made of a magnetostrictive material, a coil, and magnets. The magnetic part has rigidity and geometry for applying a uniform compressive force or tensile force to the magnetostrictive plate and is magnetically saturated by magnetic biases of the magnets. The magnetostrictive plate is attached to the frame yoke so as to be parallel to the magnetic part. The coil is wound around a parallel beam part including the magnetostrictive plate and the magnetic part and/or around the frame yoke. An application of an external force causes the magnetostrictive plate to be extended and compressed and causes the generation of electricity.

A method for fabricating semiconductor device includes the steps of: forming a substrate having a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) region and a logic region; forming a MTJ on the MTJ region; forming a top electrode on the MTJ; forming an inter-metal dielectric (IMD) layer around the MTJ; removing the IMD layer directly on the top electrode to form a recess; forming a first hard mask on the IMD layer and into the recess; removing the first hard mask and the IMD layer on the logic region to form a contact hole; and forming a metal layer in the recess and the contact hole to form a connecting structure on the top electrode and a metal interconnection on the logic region.

A method for fabricating semiconductor device includes the steps of: forming a first magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) on a substrate; forming a first ultra low-k (ULK) dielectric layer on the first MTJ; performing a first etching process to remove part of the first ULK dielectric layer and forming a damaged layer on the first ULK dielectric layer; and forming a second ULK dielectric layer on the damaged layer.

A sub-micrometer pressure sensor including a multilayered magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) pillar containing a magnetostrictive material layer above or below a magnetic free layer of the multilayered MTJ pillar is provided. Advanced patterning allows for scaling of the multilayered MTJ pillar down to 25 nm or below which enables the formation of a large array of extremely high resolution pressure sensors. By varying the thickness of the magnetostrictive material layer, the sensitivity of the pressure sensor can be fine tuned. Unique magnetostrictive materials in the multilayered MTJ pillar will alter the device current with the input of external pressure. Furthermore, unique arrays with much smaller critical elements can be organized in differential sensing arrangements of the multilayered MTJ pillar with pressure sensing capability that can outperform current piezoelectric based pressure sensing arrays.

A dielectric material structure is formed laterally adjacent to a bottom portion of a bottom electrode metal-containing portion that extends upward from an electrically conductive structure that is embedded in an interconnect dielectric material layer. The physically exposed top portion of the bottom electrode metal-containing portion is then trimmed to provide a bottom electrode of unitary construction (i.e., a single piece) that has a lower portion having a first diameter and an upper portion that has a second diameter that is greater than the first diameter. The presence of the dielectric material structure prevents tilting and/or bowing of the resultant bottom electrode. Thus, a stable bottom electrode is provided.

A method for fabricating semiconductor device includes the steps of: forming a substrate having a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) region and a logic region; forming a MTJ on the MTJ region; forming a top electrode on the MTJ; forming an inter-metal dielectric (IMD) layer around the MTJ; removing the IMD layer directly on the top electrode to form a recess; forming a first hard mask on the IMD layer and into the recess; removing the first hard mask and the IMD layer on the logic region to form a contact hole; and forming a metal layer in the recess and the contact hole to form a connecting structure on the top electrode and a metal interconnection on the logic region.

Embodiments of a magnetic field sensor of the present disclosure includes magnetoelectric nanowires suspended above a substrate across electrodes without substrate clamping. This results in enhanced magnetoelectric coupling by reducing substrate clamping when compared to layered thin-film architectures. Accordingly, the magnetoelectric nanowires of the magnetic field sensor generate a voltage response in the presence of a magnetic field.

The present application relates to copper-doped double perovskites, for example, copper-doped double perovskites of the formula (I) and to uses thereof, for example as low-bandgap materials such as a semiconducting material in a device. The present application also relates to methods of tuning the bandgap of a Cs.sub.2SbAgZ.sub.6 double perovskite (for example, wherein Z is Cl) comprising doping the double perovskite with copper.

Cs.sub.2Sb.sub.1-aAg.sub.1-bCu.sub.2xZ.sub.6(I)

A high-sensitivity and ultra-low power consumption magnetic sensor using a magnetoelectric (ME) composite comprising of magnetostrictive and piezoelectric layers. This sensor exploits the magnetically driven resonance shift of a free-standing magnetoelectric micro-beam resonator. Also disclosed is the related method for making the magnetic sensor.