Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Metal-Semiconductor Junctions

Metal-Semiconductor Junctions

The contact of metal and semiconductor can lead to the formation of a junction with either Schottky or Ohmic behavior.
Schottky Barriers
Schottky barriers arise when a metal with a work function (Φm) contacts a semiconductor with a different work function (Φs). Initially, electrons transfer until the Fermi levels of the metal and semiconductor align at equilibrium. For instance, if Φm > Φs, the semiconductor Fermi level is higher than the metal's before contact. The semiconductor's...

Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions

Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions

Biasing metal-semiconductor junctions involves applying a voltage across the junction. Specifically, the metal is connected to a voltage source, while the semiconductor is grounded. This technique is essential for controlling the direction and magnitude of current flow in electronic devices, including diodes, transistors, and photovoltaic cells.
In Schottky junctions, where the semiconductor is n-type, applying a positive voltage to the metal relative to the semiconductor reduces its Fermi...

Types of Semiconductors

Types of Semiconductors

Intrinsic semiconductors are highly pure materials with no impurities. At absolute zero, these semiconductors behave as perfect insulators because all the valence electrons are bound, and the conduction band is empty, disallowing electrical conduction. The Fermi level is a concept used to describe the probability of occupancy of energy levels by electrons at thermal equilibrium. In intrinsic semiconductors, the Fermi level is positioned at the midpoint of the energy gap at absolute zero. When...

Metallic Solids

Metallic Solids

Metallic solids such as crystals of copper, aluminum, and iron are formed by metal atoms. The structure of metallic crystals is often described as a uniform distribution of atomic nuclei within a “sea” of delocalized electrons. The atoms within such a metallic solid are held together by a unique force known as metallic bonding that gives rise to many useful and varied bulk properties.
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability. Many...

Semiconductors

Semiconductors

There is variation in the electrical conductivity of materials - metals, semiconductors, and insulators that are showcased with the help of the energy band diagrams.
Metals such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), or lead (Pb) have low resistivity and feature conduction bands that are either not fully occupied or overlap with the valence band, making a bandgap non-existent. This allows electrons in the highest energy levels of the valence band to easily transition to the conduction band upon gaining...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Anomaly detection of fermi surface morphology in Co2MnGaxGe1-x via interpretable machine learning.

Scientific reports·2026

Same author

Control of Covalent Bond Enables Efficient Magnetic Cooling.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2025

Same author

Evidence for single variant in altermagnetic RuO<sub>2</sub>(101) thin films.

Nature communications·2025

Same author

Electric-Field Control of Low Damping Constant in Epitaxial Co<sub>2</sub>FeSi/LiNbO<sub>3</sub> Multiferroic Heterostructures.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2025

Same author

Large Anomalous Hall Effect in a Nanocrystalline Room-Temperature Ferromagnetic CoCrFeNiGa High-Entropy Alloy.

ACS nano·2025

Same author

Machine learning for the development of new materials for a magnetic tunnel junction.

Npj spintronics·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 2026

Metal-silicate Partitioning at High Pressure and Temperature: Experimental Methods and a Protocol to Suppress Highly Siderophile Element Inclusions

Metal-silicate Partitioning at High Pressure and Temperature: Experimental Methods and a Protocol to Suppress Highly Siderophile Element Inclusions

Published on: June 13, 2015

Half-metallic interface between a Heusler alloy and Si.

Kazutaka Abe¹, Yoshio Miura, Yasunori Shiozawa

¹Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan.

Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter : an Institute of Physics Journal

|July 1, 2011

Summary

This study explores the CoFeSi/Si interface using first-principles calculations. Results show that the half-metallic properties of CoFeSi are preserved at the interface, suggesting potential for spintronic applications.

More Related Videos

Metal-Assisted Electrochemical Nanoimprinting of Porous and Solid Silicon Wafers

Metal-Assisted Electrochemical Nanoimprinting of Porous and Solid Silicon Wafers

Published on: February 8, 2022

Probing C84-embedded Si Substrate Using Scanning Probe Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics

Probing C₈₄-embedded Si Substrate Using Scanning Probe Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics

Published on: September 28, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 31, 2026

Metal-silicate Partitioning at High Pressure and Temperature: Experimental Methods and a Protocol to Suppress Highly Siderophile Element Inclusions

Metal-silicate Partitioning at High Pressure and Temperature: Experimental Methods and a Protocol to Suppress Highly Siderophile Element Inclusions

Published on: June 13, 2015

Metal-Assisted Electrochemical Nanoimprinting of Porous and Solid Silicon Wafers

Metal-Assisted Electrochemical Nanoimprinting of Porous and Solid Silicon Wafers

Published on: February 8, 2022

Probing C84-embedded Si Substrate Using Scanning Probe Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics

Probing C₈₄-embedded Si Substrate Using Scanning Probe Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics

Published on: September 28, 2016

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Condensed Matter Physics
Computational Materials Science

Background:

Half-Heusler alloys are promising materials for spintronic devices.
The CoFeSi alloy exhibits nearly half-metallic properties.
Understanding interfaces is crucial for device performance.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate the interface between the half-Heusler alloy CoFeSi and Silicon (Si).
Determine if half-metallic properties are maintained at the CoFeSi/Si interface.
Identify stable interfacial structures with high spin polarization.

Main Methods:

First-principles density-functional theory (DFT) calculations.
Generalized Gradient Approximation (GGA) for electronic structure.
Analysis of formation energy and electronic density of states.

Main Results:

CoFeSi has a negative formation energy, indicating thermodynamic stability.
The CoFeSi/Si (110) interface preserves the half-metallic properties of CoFeSi.
The most stable (110) interfacial structure exhibits the lowest energy and high spin polarization.
Half-metallicity is linked to delocalized sp states, suggesting relevance to transport properties.

Conclusions:

The CoFeSi/Si interface is a promising candidate for spintronic applications.
The specific (110) interface structure is crucial for maintaining high spin polarization.
Further research into transport properties is warranted based on these findings.