Buffer-eliminated, charge-neutral epitaxial graphene on oxidized 4H-SiC (0001) surface

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sirikumara, Hansika I., E-mail: hansi.sirikumara@siu.edu; Jayasekera, Thushari, E-mail: thushari@siu.edu

Buffer-eliminated, charge-neutral epitaxial graphene (EG) is important to enhance its potential in device applications. Using the first principles Density Functional Theory calculations, we investigated the effect of oxidation on the electronic and structural properties of EG on 4H-SiC (0001) surface. Our investigation reveals that the buffer layer decouples from the substrate in the presence of both silicate and silicon oxy-nitride at the interface, and the resultant monolayer EG is charge-neutral in both cases. The interface at 4H-SiC/silicate/EG is characterized by surface dangling electrons, which opens up another route for further engineering EG on 4H-SiC. Dangling electron-free 4H-SiC/silicon oxy-nitride/EG is idealmore » for achieving charge-neutral EG.« less

Improved growth of GaN layers on ultra thin silicon nitride/Si (1 1 1) by RF-MBE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kumar, Mahesh; Roul, Basanta; Central Research Laboratory, Bharat Electronics, Bangalore 560013

High-quality GaN epilayers were grown on Si (1 1 1) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy using a new growth process sequence which involved a substrate nitridation at low temperatures, annealing at high temperatures, followed by nitridation at high temperatures, deposition of a low-temperature buffer layer, and a high-temperature overgrowth. The material quality of the GaN films was also investigated as a function of nitridation time and temperature. Crystallinity and surface roughness of GaN was found to improve when the Si substrate was treated under the new growth process sequence. Micro-Raman and photoluminescence (PL) measurement results indicate that the GaN filmmore » grown by the new process sequence has less tensile stress and optically good. The surface and interface structures of an ultra thin silicon nitride film grown on the Si surface are investigated by core-level photoelectron spectroscopy and it clearly indicates that the quality of silicon nitride notably affects the properties of GaN growth.« less

Titanium nitride as a seed layer for Heusler compounds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Niesen, Alessia, E-mail: aniesen@physik.uni-bielefeld.de; Glas, Manuel; Ludwig, Jana

Titanium nitride (TiN) shows low resistivity at room temperature (27 μΩ cm), high thermal stability and thus has the potential to serve as seed layer in magnetic tunnel junctions. High quality TiN thin films with regard to the crystallographic and electrical properties were grown and characterized by x-ray diffraction and 4-terminal transport measurements. Element specific x-ray absorption spectroscopy revealed pure TiN inside the thin films. To investigate the influence of a TiN seed layer on a ferro(i)magnetic bottom electrode in magnetic tunnel junctions, an out-of-plane magnetized Mn{sub 2.45}Ga as well as in- and out-of-plane magnetized Co{sub 2}FeAl thin films were depositedmore » on a TiN buffer, respectively. The magnetic properties were investigated using a superconducting quantum interference device and anomalous Hall effect for Mn{sub 2.45}Ga. Magneto optical Kerr effect measurements were carried out to investigate the magnetic properties of Co{sub 2}FeAl. TiN buffered Mn{sub 2.45}Ga thin films showed higher coercivity and squareness ratio compared to unbuffered samples. The Heusler compound Co{sub 2}FeAl showed already good crystallinity when grown at room temperature on a TiN seed-layer.« less

Anisotropic structural and optical properties of semi-polar (11-22) GaN grown on m-plane sapphire using double AlN buffer layers.

PubMed

Zhao, Guijuan; Wang, Lianshan; Yang, Shaoyan; Li, Huijie; Wei, Hongyuan; Han, Dongyue; Wang, Zhanguo

2016-02-10

We report the anisotropic structural and optical properties of semi-polar (11-22) GaN grown on m-plane sapphire using a three-step growth method which consisted of a low temperature AlN buffer layer, followed by a high temperature AlN buffer layer and GaN growth. By introducing double AlN buffer layers, we substantially improve the crystal and optical qualities of semi-polar (11-22) GaN, and significantly reduce the density of stacking faults and dislocations. The high resolution x-ray diffraction measurement revealed that the in-plane anisotropic structural characteristics of GaN layer are azimuthal dependent. Transmission electron microscopy analysis showed that the majority of dislocations in the GaN epitaxial layer grown on m-sapphire are the mixed-type and the orientation of GaN layer was rotated 58.4° against the substrate. The room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra showed the PL intensity and wavelength have polarization dependence along parallel and perpendicular to the [1-100] axis (polarization degrees ~ 0.63). The realization of a high polarization semi-polar GaN would be useful to achieve III-nitride based lighting emission device for displays and backlighting.

Nitride Semiconductors for Ultraviolet Detection

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-12-01

intrinsic n- and p-type doped GaN, (4) deposition of monocrystalline GaN via atomic layer epitaxy, (5) the initial conduct of studies regarding the ion...crystalline quality of the films; it indicated that all the films for x ranging from I to 0 to be monocrystalline . The Al/Ga composition ratios in the...shown in Figure 1. An analysis of these RHEED patterns indicated that both the AIN buffer layer and the GaN film are monocrystalline films. The RHEED

In vitro corrosion resistance of plasma source ion nitrided austenitic stainless steels.

PubMed

Le, M K; Zhu, X M

2001-04-01

Plasma source ion nitriding has emerged as a low-temperature, low-pressure nitriding approach for low-energy implanting nitrogen ions and then diffusing them into steel and alloy. In this work, a single high nitrogen face-centered-cubic (f.c.c.) phase (gammaN) formed on the 1Cr18Ni9Ti and AISI 316L austenitic stainless steels with a high nitrogen concentration of about 32 at % was characterized using Auger electron spectroscopy, electron probe microanalysis, glancing angle X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The corrosion resistance of the gammaN-phase layer was studied by the electrochemical cyclic polarization measurement in Ringer's solutions buffered to pH from 3.5 to 7.2 at a temperature of 37 degrees C. No pitting corrosion in the Ringer's solutions with pH = 7.2 and 5.5 was detected for the gammaN-phase layers on the two stainless steels. The high pitting potential for the gammaN-phase layers is higher, about 500 and 600 mV, above that of the two original stainless steels, respectively, in the Ringer's solution with pH = 3.5. The corroded surface morphologies of the gammaN-phase layers observed by scanning electron microscopy are consistent with the results of the electrochemical polarization measurement.

GaN Micromechanical Resonators with Meshed Metal Bottom Electrode.

PubMed

Ansari, Azadeh; Liu, Che-Yu; Lin, Chien-Chung; Kuo, Hao-Chung; Ku, Pei-Cheng; Rais-Zadeh, Mina

2015-03-17

This work describes a novel architecture to realize high-performance gallium nitride (GaN) bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonators. The method is based on the growth of a thick GaN layer on a metal electrode grid. The fabrication process starts with the growth of a thin GaN buffer layer on a Si (111) substrate. The GaN buffer layer is patterned and trenches are made and refilled with sputtered tungsten (W)/silicon dioxide (SiO₂) forming passivated metal electrode grids. GaN is then regrown, nucleating from the exposed GaN seed layer and coalescing to form a thick GaN device layer. A metal electrode can be deposited and patterned on top of the GaN layer. This method enables vertical piezoelectric actuation of the GaN layer using its largest piezoelectric coefficient ( d 33 ) for thickness-mode resonance. Having a bottom electrode also results in a higher coupling coefficient, useful for the implementation of acoustic filters. Growth of GaN on Si enables releasing the device from the frontside using isotropic xenon difluoride (XeF₂) etch and therefore eliminating the need for backside lithography and etching.

Synthesis of Hexagonal Boron Nitride Mono layer: Control of Nucleation and Crystal Morphology

DOE PAGES

Stehle, Yijing Y.; Meyer, III, Harry M.; Unocic, Raymond R.; ...

2015-11-10

Mono layer hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) attracts significant attention due to the potential to be used as a complementary two-dimensional dielectric in fabrication of functional 2D heterostructures. Here we investigate the growth stages of the hBN single crystals and show that hBN crystals change their shape from triangular to truncated triangular and further to hexagonal depending on copper substrate distance from the precursor. We suggest that the observed hBN crystal shape variation is affected by the ratio of boron to nitrogen active species concentrations on the copper surface inside the CVD reactor. Strong temperature dependence reveals the activation energies formore » the hBN nucleation process of similar to 5 eV and crystal growth of similar to 3.5 eV. We also show that the resulting h-BN film morphology is strongly affected by the heating method of borazane precursor and the buffer gas. Elucidation of these details facilitated synthesis of high quality large area monolayer hexagonal boron nitride by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition on copper using borazane as a precursor.« less

EUVL mask patterning with blanks from commercial suppliers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Pei-Yang; Zhang, Guojing; Nagpal, Rajesh; Shu, Emily Y.; Li, Chaoyang; Qu, Ping; Chen, Frederick T.

2004-12-01

Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) reflective mask blank development includes low thermal expansion material fabrication, mask substrate finishing, reflective multi-layer (ML) and capping layer deposition, buffer (optional)/absorber stack deposition, EUV specific metrology, and ML defect inspection. In the past, we have obtained blanks deposited with various layer stacks from several vendors. Some of them are not commercial suppliers. As a result, the blank and patterned mask qualities are difficult to maintain and improve. In this paper we will present the evaluation results of the EUVL mask pattering processes with the complete EUVL mask blanks supplied by the commercial blank supplier. The EUVL mask blanks used in this study consist of either quartz or ULE substrates which is a type of low thermal expansion material (LTEM), 40 pairs of molybdenum/silicon (Mo/Si) ML layer, thin ruthenium (Ru) capping layer, tantalum boron nitride (TaBN) absorber, and chrome (Cr) backside coating. No buffer layer is used. Our study includes the EUVL mask blank characterization, patterned EUVL mask characterization, and the final patterned EUVL mask flatness evaluation.

Epitaxial Growth of GaN Films by Pulse-Mode Hot-Mesh Chemical Vapor Deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komae, Yasuaki; Yasui, Kanji; Suemitsu, Maki; Endoh, Tetsuo; Ito, Takashi; Nakazawa, Hideki; Narita, Yuzuru; Takata, Masasuke; Akahane, Tadashi

2009-07-01

Intermittent gas supplies for hot-mesh chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for the epitaxial growth of gallium nitride (GaN) films were investigated to improve film crystallinity and optical properties. The GaN films were deposited on SiC/Si(111) substrates using an alternating-source gas supply or an intermittent supply of source gases such as ammonia (NH3) and trimethylgallium (TMG) in hot-mesh CVD after deposition of an aluminum nitride (AlN) buffer layer. The AlN layer was deposited using NH3 and trimethylaluminum (TMA) on a SiC layer grown by carbonization of a Si substrate using propane (C3H8). GaN films were grown on the AlN layer by a reaction between NHx radicals generated on a ruthenium (Ru)-coated tungsten (W) mesh and TMG molecules. After testing various gas supply modes, GaN films with good crystallinity and surface morphology were obtained using an intermittent supply of TMG and a continuous supply of NH3 gas. An optimal interval for the TMG gas supply was also obtained for the apparatus employed.

Improved breakdown characteristics of monolithically integrated III-nitride HEMT-LED devices using carbon doping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chao; Liu, Zhaojun; Huang, Tongde; Ma, Jun; May Lau, Kei

2015-03-01

We report selective growth of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) on InGaN/GaN light emitting diodes (LEDs) for monolithic integration of III-nitride HEMT and LED devices (HEMT-LED). To improve the breakdown characteristics of the integrated HEMT-LED devices, carbon doping was introduced in the HEMT buffer by controlling the growth pressure and V/III ratio. The breakdown voltage of the fabricated HEMTs grown on LEDs was enhanced, without degradation of the HEMT DC performance. The improved breakdown characteristics can be attributed to better isolation of the HEMT from the underlying conductive p-GaN layer of the LED structure.

Near-infrared emitting In-rich InGaN layers grown directly on Si: Towards the whole composition range

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aseev, Pavel, E-mail: pavel.aseev@upm.es; Rodriguez, Paul E. D. Soto; Gómez, Víctor J.

The authors report compact and chemically homogeneous In-rich InGaN layers directly grown on Si (111) by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. High structural and optical quality is evidenced by transmission electron microscopy, near-field scanning optical microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Photoluminescence emission in the near-infrared is observed up to room temperature covering the important 1.3 and 1.55 μm telecom wavelength bands. The n-InGaN/p-Si interface is ohmic due to the absence of any insulating buffer layers. This qualitatively extends the application fields of III-nitrides and allows their integration with established Si technology.

An AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor with an AlN sub-buffer layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shealy, J. R.; Kaper, V.; Tilak, V.; Prunty, T.; Smart, J. A.; Green, B.; Eastman, L. F.

2002-04-01

The AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor requires a thermally conducting, semi-insulating substrate to achieve the best possible microwave performance. The semi-insulating SiC substrate is currently the best choice for this device technology; however, fringing fields which penetrate the GaN buffer layer at pinch-off introduce significant substrate conduction at modest drain bias if channel electrons are not well confined to the nitride structure. The addition of an insulating AlN sub-buffer on the semi-insulating SiC substrate suppresses this parasitic conduction, which results in dramatic improvements in the AlGaN/GaN transistor performance. A pronounced reduction in both the gate-lag and the gate-leakage current are observed for structures with the AlN sub-buffer layer. These structures operate up to 50 V drain bias under drive, corresponding to a peak voltage of 80 V, for a 0.30 µm gate length device. The devices have achieved high-efficiency operation at 10 GHz (>70% power-added efficiency in class AB mode at 15 V drain bias) and the highest output power density observed thus far (11.2 W mm-1). Large-periphery devices (1.5 mm gate width) deliver 10 W (continuous wave) of maximum saturated output power at 10 GHz. The growth, processing, and performance of these devices are briefly reviewed.

Stress evolution of Ge nanocrystals in dielectric matrices.

PubMed

Bahariqushchi, Rahim; Raciti, Rosario; Kasapoğlu, Ahmet Emre; Gür, Emre; Sezen, Meltem; Kalay, Eren; Mirabella, Salvatore; Aydinli, A

2018-05-04

Germanium nanocrystals (Ge NCs) embedded in single and multilayer silicon oxide and silicon nitride matrices have been synthesized using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition followed by conventional furnace annealing or rapid thermal processing in N 2 ambient. Compositions of the films were determined by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The formation of NCs under suitable process conditions was observed with high resolution transmission electron microscope micrographs and Raman spectroscopy. Stress measurements were done using Raman shifts of the Ge optical phonon line at 300.7 cm -1 . The effect of the embedding matrix and annealing methods on Ge NC formation were investigated. In addition to Ge NCs in single layer samples, the stress on Ge NCs in multilayer samples was also analyzed. Multilayers of Ge NCs in a silicon nitride matrix separated by dielectric buffer layers to control the size and density of NCs were fabricated. Multilayers consisted of SiN y :Ge ultrathin films sandwiched between either SiO 2 or Si 3 N 4 by the proper choice of buffer material. We demonstrated that it is possible to tune the stress state of Ge NCs from compressive to tensile, a desirable property for optoelectronic applications. We also observed that there is a correlation between the stress and the crystallization threshold in which the compressive stress enhances the crystallization, while the tensile stress suppresses the process.

Stress evolution of Ge nanocrystals in dielectric matrices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahariqushchi, Rahim; Raciti, Rosario; Emre Kasapoğlu, Ahmet; Gür, Emre; Sezen, Meltem; Kalay, Eren; Mirabella, Salvatore; Aydinli, A.

2018-05-01

Germanium nanocrystals (Ge NCs) embedded in single and multilayer silicon oxide and silicon nitride matrices have been synthesized using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition followed by conventional furnace annealing or rapid thermal processing in N2 ambient. Compositions of the films were determined by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The formation of NCs under suitable process conditions was observed with high resolution transmission electron microscope micrographs and Raman spectroscopy. Stress measurements were done using Raman shifts of the Ge optical phonon line at 300.7 cm-1. The effect of the embedding matrix and annealing methods on Ge NC formation were investigated. In addition to Ge NCs in single layer samples, the stress on Ge NCs in multilayer samples was also analyzed. Multilayers of Ge NCs in a silicon nitride matrix separated by dielectric buffer layers to control the size and density of NCs were fabricated. Multilayers consisted of SiN y :Ge ultrathin films sandwiched between either SiO2 or Si3N4 by the proper choice of buffer material. We demonstrated that it is possible to tune the stress state of Ge NCs from compressive to tensile, a desirable property for optoelectronic applications. We also observed that there is a correlation between the stress and the crystallization threshold in which the compressive stress enhances the crystallization, while the tensile stress suppresses the process.

Engineering of III-Nitride Semiconductors on Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics.

PubMed

Mánuel, J M; Jiménez, J J; Morales, F M; Lacroix, B; Santos, A J; García, R; Blanco, E; Domínguez, M; Ramírez, M; Beltrán, A M; Alexandrov, D; Tot, J; Dubreuil, R; Videkov, V; Andreev, S; Tzaneva, B; Bartsch, H; Breiling, J; Pezoldt, J; Fischer, M; Müller, J

2018-05-02

This work presents results in the field of advanced substrate solutions in order to achieve high crystalline quality group-III nitrides based heterostructures for high frequency and power devices or for sensor applications. With that objective, Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics has been used, as a non-crystalline substrate. Structures like these have never been developed before, and for economic reasons will represent a groundbreaking material in these fields of Electronic. In this sense, the report presents the characterization through various techniques of three series of specimens where GaN was deposited on this ceramic composite, using different buffer layers, and a singular metal-organic chemical vapor deposition related technique for low temperature deposition. Other single crystalline ceramic-based templates were also utilized as substrate materials, for comparison purposes.

Superconducting structure with layers of niobium nitride and aluminum nitride

DOEpatents

Murduck, James M.; Lepetre, Yves J.; Schuller, Ivan K.; Ketterson, John B.

1989-01-01

A superconducting structure is formed by depositing alternate layers of aluminum nitride and niobium nitride on a substrate. Deposition methods include dc magnetron reactive sputtering, rf magnetron reactive sputtering, thin-film diffusion, chemical vapor deposition, and ion-beam deposition. Structures have been built with layers of niobium nitride and aluminum nitride having thicknesses in a range of 20 to 350 Angstroms. Best results have been achieved with films of niobium nitride deposited to a thickness of approximately 70 Angstroms and aluminum nitride deposited to a thickness of approximately 20 Angstroms. Such films of niobium nitride separated by a single layer of aluminum nitride are useful in forming Josephson junctions. Structures of 30 or more alternating layers of niobium nitride and aluminum nitride are useful when deposited on fixed substrates or flexible strips to form bulk superconductors for carrying electric current. They are also adaptable as voltage-controlled microwave energy sources.

Superconducting structure with layers of niobium nitride and aluminum nitride

DOEpatents

Murduck, J.M.; Lepetre, Y.J.; Schuller, I.K.; Ketterson, J.B.

1989-07-04

A superconducting structure is formed by depositing alternate layers of aluminum nitride and niobium nitride on a substrate. Deposition methods include dc magnetron reactive sputtering, rf magnetron reactive sputtering, thin-film diffusion, chemical vapor deposition, and ion-beam deposition. Structures have been built with layers of niobium nitride and aluminum nitride having thicknesses in a range of 20 to 350 Angstroms. Best results have been achieved with films of niobium nitride deposited to a thickness of approximately 70 Angstroms and aluminum nitride deposited to a thickness of approximately 20 Angstroms. Such films of niobium nitride separated by a single layer of aluminum nitride are useful in forming Josephson junctions. Structures of 30 or more alternating layers of niobium nitride and aluminum nitride are useful when deposited on fixed substrates or flexible strips to form bulk superconductors for carrying electric current. They are also adaptable as voltage-controlled microwave energy sources. 8 figs.

Liquid flow cells having graphene on nitride for microscopy

DOEpatents

Adiga, Vivekananda P.; Dunn, Gabriel; Zettl, Alexander K.; Alivisatos, A. Paul

2016-09-20

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus related to liquid flow cells for microscopy. In one aspect, a device includes a substrate having a first and a second oxide layer disposed on surfaces of the substrate. A first and a second nitride layer are disposed on the first and second oxide layers, respectively. A cavity is defined in the first oxide layer, the first nitride layer, and the substrate, with the cavity including a third nitride layer disposed on walls of the substrate and the second oxide layer that define the cavity. A channel is defined in the second oxide layer. An inlet port and an outlet port are defined in the second nitride layer and in fluid communication with the channel. A plurality of viewports is defined in the second nitride layer. A first graphene sheet is disposed on the second nitride layer covering the plurality of viewports.

High-quality III-nitride films on conductive, transparent (2̅01)-oriented β-Ga2O3 using a GaN buffer layer

PubMed Central

Muhammed, M. M.; Roldan, M. A.; Yamashita, Y.; Sahonta, S.-L.; Ajia, I. A.; Iizuka, K.; Kuramata, A.; Humphreys, C. J.; Roqan, I. S.

2016-01-01

We demonstrate the high structural and optical properties of InxGa1−xN epilayers (0 ≤ x ≤ 23) grown on conductive and transparent (01)-oriented β-Ga2O3 substrates using a low-temperature GaN buffer layer rather than AlN buffer layer, which enhances the quality and stability of the crystals compared to those grown on (100)-oriented β-Ga2O3. Raman maps show that the 2″ wafer is relaxed and uniform. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals that the dislocation density reduces considerably (~4.8 × 107 cm−2) at the grain centers. High-resolution TEM analysis demonstrates that most dislocations emerge at an angle with respect to the c-axis, whereas dislocations of the opposite phase form a loop and annihilate each other. The dislocation behavior is due to irregular (01) β-Ga2O3 surface at the interface and distorted buffer layer, followed by relaxed GaN epilayer. Photoluminescence results confirm high optical quality and time-resolved spectroscopy shows that the recombination is governed by bound excitons. We find that a low root-mean-square average (≤1.5 nm) of InxGa1−xN epilayers can be achieved with high optical quality of InxGa1−xN epilayers. We reveal that (01)-oriented β-Ga2O3 substrate has a strong potential for use in large-scale high-quality vertical light emitting device design. PMID:27412372

High-quality III-nitride films on conductive, transparent (2̅01)-oriented β-Ga2O3 using a GaN buffer layer.

PubMed

Muhammed, M M; Roldan, M A; Yamashita, Y; Sahonta, S-L; Ajia, I A; Iizuka, K; Kuramata, A; Humphreys, C J; Roqan, I S

2016-07-14

We demonstrate the high structural and optical properties of InxGa1-xN epilayers (0 ≤ x ≤ 23) grown on conductive and transparent (01)-oriented β-Ga2O3 substrates using a low-temperature GaN buffer layer rather than AlN buffer layer, which enhances the quality and stability of the crystals compared to those grown on (100)-oriented β-Ga2O3. Raman maps show that the 2″ wafer is relaxed and uniform. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals that the dislocation density reduces considerably (~4.8 × 10(7) cm(-2)) at the grain centers. High-resolution TEM analysis demonstrates that most dislocations emerge at an angle with respect to the c-axis, whereas dislocations of the opposite phase form a loop and annihilate each other. The dislocation behavior is due to irregular (01) β-Ga2O3 surface at the interface and distorted buffer layer, followed by relaxed GaN epilayer. Photoluminescence results confirm high optical quality and time-resolved spectroscopy shows that the recombination is governed by bound excitons. We find that a low root-mean-square average (≤1.5 nm) of InxGa1-xN epilayers can be achieved with high optical quality of InxGa1-xN epilayers. We reveal that (01)-oriented β-Ga2O3 substrate has a strong potential for use in large-scale high-quality vertical light emitting device design.

Effects of Thickness of a Low-Temperature Buffer and Impurity Incorporation on the Characteristics of Nitrogen-polar GaN.

PubMed

Yang, Fann-Wei; Chen, Yu-Yu; Feng, Shih-Wei; Sun, Qian; Han, Jung

2016-12-01

In this study, effects of the thickness of a low temperature (LT) buffer and impurity incorporation on the characteristics of Nitrogen (N)-polar GaN are investigated. By using either a nitridation or thermal annealing step before the deposition of a LT buffer, three N-polar GaN samples with different thicknesses of LT buffer and different impurity incorporations are prepared. It is found that the sample with the thinnest LT buffer and a nitridation step proves to be the best in terms of a fewer impurity incorporations, strong PL intensity, fast mobility, small biaxial strain, and smooth surface. As the temperature increases at ~10 K, the apparent donor-acceptor-pair band is responsible for the decreasing integral intensity of the band-to-band emission peak. In addition, the thermal annealing of the sapphire substrates may cause more impurity incorporation around the HT-GaN/LT-GaN/sapphire interfacial regions, which in turn may result in a lower carrier mobility, larger biaxial strain, larger bandgap shift, and stronger yellow luminescence. By using a nitridation step, both a thinner LT buffer and less impurity incorporation are beneficial to obtaining a high quality N-polar GaN.

Durable silver coating for mirrors

DOEpatents

Wolfe, Jesse D.; Thomas, Norman L.

2000-01-01

A durable multilayer mirror includes reflective layers of aluminum and silver and has high reflectance over a broad spectral range from ultraviolet to visible to infrared. An adhesion layer of a nickel and/or chromium alloy or nitride is deposited on an aluminum surface, and a thin layer of silver is then deposited on the adhesion layer. The silver layer is protected by a passivation layer of a nickel and/or chromium alloy or nitride and by one or more durability layers made of metal oxides and typically a first layer of metal nitride. The durability layers may include a composite silicon aluminum nitride and an oxinitride transition layer to improve bonding between nitride and oxide layers.

Modeling Proton Irradiation in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs: Understanding the Increase of Critical Voltage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patrick, Erin; Law, Mark E.; Liu, Lu; Cuervo, Camilo Velez; Xi, Yuyin; Ren, Fan; Pearton, Stephen J.

2013-12-01

A combination of TRIM and FLOODS models the effect of radiation damage on AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. While excellent fits are obtained for threshold voltage shift, the models do not fully explain the increased reliability observed experimentally. In short, the addition of negatively-charged traps in the GaN buffer layer does not significantly change the electric field at the gate edges at radiation fluence levels seen in this study. We propose that negative trapped charge at the nitride/AlGaN interface actually produces the virtual-gate effect that results in decreasing the magnitude of the electric field at the gate edges and thus the increase in critical voltage. Simulation results including nitride interface charge show significant changes in electric field profiles while the I-V device characteristics do not change.

Phase-separated, epitaxial composite cap layers for electronic device applications and method of making the same

DOEpatents

Aytug, Tolga [Knoxville, TN; Paranthaman, Mariappan Parans [Knoxville, TN; Polat, Ozgur [Knoxville, TN

2012-07-17

An electronic component that includes a substrate and a phase-separated layer supported on the substrate and a method of forming the same are disclosed. The phase-separated layer includes a first phase comprising lanthanum manganate (LMO) and a second phase selected from a metal oxide (MO), metal nitride (MN), a metal (Me), and combinations thereof. The phase-separated material can be an epitaxial layer and an upper surface of the phase-separated layer can include interfaces between the first phase and the second phase. The phase-separated layer can be supported on a buffer layer comprising a composition selected from the group consisting of IBAD MgO, LMO/IBAD-MgO, homoepi-IBAD MgO and LMO/homoepi-MgO. The electronic component can also include an electronically active layer supported on the phase-separated layer. The electronically active layer can be a superconducting material, a ferroelectric material, a multiferroic material, a magnetic material, a photovoltaic material, an electrical storage material, and a semiconductor material.

Microstructure and antibacterial properties of microwave plasma nitrided layers on biomedical stainless steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Li-Hsiang; Chen, Shih-Chung; Wu, Ching-Zong; Hung, Jing-Ming; Ou, Keng-Liang

2011-06-01

Nitriding of AISI 303 austenitic stainless steel using microwave plasma system at various temperatures was conducted in the present study. The nitrided layers were characterized via scanning electron microscopy, glancing angle X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and Vickers microhardness tester. The antibacterial properties of this nitrided layer were evaluated. During nitriding treatment between 350 °C and 550 °C, the phase transformation sequence on the nitrided layers of the alloys was found to be γ → (γ + γ N) → (γ + α + CrN). The analytical results revealed that the surface hardness of AISI 303 stainless steel could be enhanced with the formation of γ N phase in nitriding process. Antibacterial test also demonstrated the nitrided layer processed the excellent antibacterial properties. The enhanced surface hardness and antibacterial properties make the nitrided AISI 303 austenitic stainless steel to be one of the essential materials in the biomedical applications.

Surface improvement and biocompatibility of TiAl 24Nb 10 intermetallic alloy using rf plasma nitriding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abd El-Rahman, A. M.; Maitz, M. F.; Kassem, M. A.; El-Hossary, F. M.; Prokert, F.; Reuther, H.; Pham, M. T.; Richter, E.

2007-09-01

The present work describes the surface improvement and biocompatibility of TiAl 24Nb 10 intermetallic alloy using rf plasma nitriding. The nitriding process was carried out at different plasma power from 400 W to 650 W where the other plasma conditions were fixed. Grazing incidence X-ray diffractometry (GIXRD), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), tribometer and a nanohardness tester were employed to characterize the nitrided layer. Further potentiodynamic polarization method was used to describe the corrosion behavior of the un-nitrided and nitrided alloy. It has been found that the Vickers hardness (HV) and corrosion resistance values of the nitrided layers increase with increasing plasma power while the wear rates of the nitrided layers reduce by two orders of magnitude as compared to those of the un-nitrided layer. This improvement in surface properties of the intermetallic alloy is due to formation of a thin modified layer which is composed of titanium nitride in the alloy surface. Moreover, all modified layers were tested for their sustainability as a biocompatible material. Concerning the application area of biocompatibility, the present treated alloy show good surface properties especially for the nitrided alloy at low plasma power of 400 W.

Growth of GaN Layers on Sapphire by Low-Temperature-Deposited Buffer Layers and Realization of p-type GaN by Magesium Doping and Electron Beam Irradiation (Nobel Lecture).

PubMed

Amano, Hiroshi

2015-06-26

This Review is a personal reflection on the research that led to the development of a method for growing gallium nitride (GaN) on a sapphire substrate. The results paved the way for the development of smart display systems using blue LEDs. The most important work was done in the mid to late 80s. The background to the author's work and the process by which the technology that enables the growth of GaN and the realization of p-type GaN was established are reviewed. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Method of manufacture of atomically thin boron nitride

DOEpatents

Zettl, Alexander K

2013-08-06

The present invention provides a method of fabricating at least one single layer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes (1) suspending at least one multilayer boron nitride across a gap of a support structure and (2) performing a reactive ion etch upon the multilayer boron nitride to produce the single layer hexagonal boron nitride suspended across the gap of the support structure. The present invention also provides a method of fabricating single layer hexagonal boron nitride. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes (1) providing multilayer boron nitride suspended across a gap of a support structure and (2) performing a reactive ion etch upon the multilayer boron nitride to produce the single layer hexagonal boron nitride suspended across the gap of the support structure.

GaN growth via HVPE on SiC/Si substrates: growth mechanisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharofidinov, Sh Sh; Redkov, A. V.; Osipov, A. V.; Kukushkin, S. A.

2017-11-01

The article focuses on the study of GaN thin film growth via chloride epitaxy on SiC/Si hybrid substrate. SiC buffer layer was grown by a method of substitution of atoms, which allows one to reduce impact of mechanical stress therein on subsequent growth of III-nitride films. It is shown, that change in GaN growth conditions leads to change in its growth mechanism. Three mechanisms: epitaxial, spiral and stepwise growth are considered and mechanical stresses are estimated via Raman spectroscopy.

Wide-bandgap III-Nitride based Second Harmonic Generation

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-02

fabrication process for a GaN LPS. Fig. 1: 3-step Fabrication process of a GaN based lateral polar structure. ( a ) Growth of a 20 nm AlN buffer layer...etching of the LT-AlN stripes. This results are shown in Fig. 2 ( a ) and (b). Fig. 2: AFM images of KOH ( a ) and RIE (b) patterned templates for lateral ...was varied between 0.6 - 1.0. FIG. 3: Growth process of AlGaN based Lateral Polar Structures. ( a ) RIE patterning. (b) Growth of HT- AlN. (c

Proximity Effects of Beryllium-Doped GaN Buffer Layers on the Electronic Properties of Epitaxial AlGaN/GaN Heterostructures

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-05-17

arranged by Prof. A. Zaslavsky Keywords: Gallium nitride High electron mobility transistor Molecular beam epitaxy Homoepitaxy Doping a b s t r a c t AlGaN...GaN/Be:GaN heterostructures have been grown by rf-plasma molecular beam epitaxy on free- standing semi-insulating GaN substrates, employing...hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) grown GaN sub- strates has enabled the growth by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) of AlGaN/GaNHEMTswith significantly

Investigation of nitrogen transport in active screen plasma nitriding processes - Uphill diffusion effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jasinski, J. J.; Fraczek, T.; Kurpaska, L.; Lubas, M.; Sitarz, M.

2018-07-01

The paper presents a structure of a nitrided layer formed with active screen plasma nitriding (ASPN) technique, which is a modification of plasma nitriding. The model investigated material was Fe Armco. The nitriding processes were carried out at 773 K for 6 h and 150 Pa. The main objective of this study was to confirm nitrogen migration effect and its influence on the nitride layer formation in different area of the layer interfaces (ε/ε+γ‧/γ‧). The results of the tests were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM, SEM/EBSD), transmission electron microscopy - electron energy loss spectroscopy (TEM-EFTEM), secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and Wavelength Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry (WDS). The analysis of the results suggests that the structures of the nitrided layers and nitrides morphology differ for various parameters and are dependent on the surface layer saturation mechanism for each of the temperatures and process parameters. New approaches in diffusion of nitrogen and carbon atoms and optimizing process were also analyzed. Nitrogen and also carbon transport in the sublayer was observed by several effects i.e. uphill diffusion effect which confirmed migration of the atoms in diffusive layer towards top surface (ε/ε+γ‧ interface) and stress change effect in the nitrogen saturation area of the (Fe(C,N)+γ‧) layer. Results showed in the paper might be used both for optimization of ASPN processes, modeling of nitrided layers formation mechanism and for controlling the nitrided layers morphology when nitriding different Fe based materials.

Self-organization of dislocation-free, high-density, vertically aligned GaN nanocolumns involving InGaN quantum wells on graphene/SiO2 covered with a thin AlN buffer layer.

PubMed

Hayashi, Hiroaki; Konno, Yuta; Kishino, Katsumi

2016-02-05

We demonstrated the self-organization of high-density GaN nanocolumns on multilayer graphene (MLG)/SiO2 covered with a thin AlN buffer layer by RF-plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. MLG/SiO2 substrates were prepared by the transfer of CVD graphene onto thermally oxidized SiO2/Si [100] substrates. Employing the MLG with an AlN buffer layer enabled the self-organization of high-density and vertically aligned nanocolumns. Transmission electron microscopy observation revealed that no threading dislocations, stacking faults, or twinning defects were included in the self-organized nanocolumns. The photoluminescence (PL) peak intensities of the self-organized GaN nanocolumns were 2.0-2.6 times higher than those of a GaN substrate grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy. Moreover, no yellow luminescence or ZB-phase GaN emission was observed from the nanocolumns. An InGaN/GaN MQW and p-type GaN were integrated into GaN nanocolumns grown on MLG, displaying a single-peak PL emission at a wavelength of 533 nm. Thus, high-density nitride p-i-n nanocolumns were fabricated on SiO2/Si using the transferred MLG interlayer, indicating the possibility of developing visible nanocolumn LEDs on graphene/SiO2.

Crystalline boron nitride aerogels

DOEpatents

Zettl, Alexander K.; Rousseas, Michael; Goldstein, Anna P.; Mickelson, William; Worsley, Marcus A.; Woo, Leta

2017-04-04

This disclosure provides methods and materials related to boron nitride aerogels. In one aspect, a material comprises an aerogel comprising boron nitride. The boron nitride has an ordered crystalline structure. The ordered crystalline structure may include atomic layers of hexagonal boron nitride lying on top of one another, with atoms contained in a first layer being superimposed on atoms contained in a second layer.

Mocvd Growth of Group-III Nitrides on Silicon Carbide: From Thin Films to Atomically Thin Layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al Balushi, Zakaria Y.

Group-III nitride semiconductors (AlN, GaN, InN and their alloys) are considered one of the most important class of materials for electronic and optoelectronic devices. This is not limited to the blue light-emitting diode (LED) used for efficient solid-state lighting, but other applications as well, such as solar cells, radar and a variety of high frequency power electronics, which are all prime examples of the technological importance of nitride based wide bandgap semiconductors in our daily lives. The goal of this dissertation work was to explore and establish new growth schemes to improve the structural and optical properties of thick to atomically thin films of group-III nitrides grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on SiC substrates for future novel devices. The first research focus of this dissertation was on the growth of indium gallium nitride (InGaN). This wide bandgap semiconductor has attracted much research attention as an active layer in LEDs and recently as an absorber material for solar cells. InGaN has superior material properties for solar cells due to its wavelength absorption tunability that nearly covers the entire solar spectrum. This can be achieved by controlling the indium content in thick grown material. Thick InGaN films are also of interest as strain reducing based layers for deep-green and red light emitters. The growth of thick films of InGaN is, however, hindered by several combined problems. This includes poor incorporation of indium in alloys, high density of structural and morphological defects, as well as challenges associated with the segregation of indium in thick films. Overcoming some of these material challenges is essential in order integrate thick InGaN films into future optoelectronics. Therefore, this dissertation research investigated the growth mechanism of InGaN layers grown in the N-polar direction by MOCVD as a route to improve the structural and optical properties of thick InGaN films. The growth of N-polar InGaN by MOCVD is challenging. These challenges arise from the lack of available native substrates suitable for N-polar film growth. As a result, InGaN layers are conventionally grown in the III-polar direction (i.e. III-polar InGaN) and typically grow under considerable amounts of stress on III-polar GaN base layers. While the structure-property relations of thin III-polar InGaN layers have been widely studied in quantum well structures, insight into the growth of thick films and N-polar InGaN layers have been limited. Therefore, this dissertation research compared the growth of both thick III-polar and N-polar InGaN films grown on optimized GaN base layers. III-polar InGaN films were rough and exhibited a high density of V-pits, while the growth of thick N-polar InGaN films showed improved structural quality and low surface roughness. The results of this dissertation work thereby provide an alternative route to the fabrication of thick InGaN films for potential use in solar cells as well as strain reducing schemes for deep-green and red light emitters. Moreover, this dissertation investigated stress relaxation in thick N-polar films using in situ reflectivity and curvature measurements. The results showed that stress relaxation in N-polar InGaN significantly differed from III-polar InGaN due to the absence of V-pits and it was hypothesized that plastic relaxation in N-polar InGaN could occur by dislocation glide, which typically is kinetically limited at such low growth temperatures required for InGaN. The second part of this dissertation research work focused on buffer free growth of GaN directly on SiC and on epitaxial graphene produced on SiC for potential vertical devices. The studies presented in this dissertation work on the growth of GaN directly on SiC compared the stress evolution of GaN films grown with and without an AlN buffer layer. Films grown directly on SiC showed reduced threading dislocation densities and improved surface roughness when compared to the growth of GaN on an AlN buffer layer. The dislocations in the GaN films grown di

Nitride alloy layer formation of duplex stainless steel using nitriding process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maleque, M. A.; Lailatul, P. H.; Fathaen, A. A.; Norinsan, K.; Haider, J.

2018-01-01

Duplex stainless steel (DSS) shows a good corrosion resistance as well as the mechanical properties. However, DSS performance decrease as it works under aggressive environment and at high temperature. At the mentioned environment, the DSS become susceptible to wear failure. Surface modification is the favourable technique to widen the application of duplex stainless steel and improve the wear resistance and its hardness properties. Therefore, the main aim of this work is to nitride alloy layer on the surface of duplex stainless steel by the nitriding process temperature of 400°C and 450°C at different time and ammonia composition using a horizontal tube furnace. The scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction analyzer are used to analyse the morphology, composition and the nitrided alloy layer for treated DSS. The micro hardnesss Vickers tester was used to measure hardness on cross-sectional area of nitrided DSS. After nitriding, it was observed that the hardness performance increased until 1100 Hv0.5kgf compared to substrate material of 250 Hv0.5kgf. The thickness layer of nitride alloy also increased from 5μm until 100μm due to diffusion of nitrogen on the surface of DSS. The x-ray diffraction results showed that the nitride layer consists of iron nitride, expanded austenite and chromium nitride. It can be concluded that nitride alloy layer can be produced via nitriding process using tube furnace with significant improvement of microstructural and hardness properties.

III-nitride core–shell nanorod array on quartz substrates

PubMed Central

Bae, Si-Young; Min, Jung-Wook; Hwang, Hyeong-Yong; Lekhal, Kaddour; Lee, Ho-Jun; Jho, Young-Dahl; Lee, Dong-Seon; Lee, Yong-Tak; Ikarashi, Nobuyuki; Honda, Yoshio; Amano, Hiroshi

2017-01-01

We report the fabrication of near-vertically elongated GaN nanorods on quartz substrates. To control the preferred orientation and length of individual GaN nanorods, we combined molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) with pulsed-mode metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The MBE-grown buffer layer was composed of GaN nanograins exhibiting an ordered surface and preferred orientation along the surface normal direction. Position-controlled growth of the GaN nanorods was achieved by selective-area growth using MOCVD. Simultaneously, the GaN nanorods were elongated by the pulsed-mode growth. The microstructural and optical properties of both GaN nanorods and InGaN/GaN core–shell nanorods were then investigated. The nanorods were highly crystalline and the core–shell structures exhibited optical emission properties, indicating the feasibility of fabricating III-nitride nano-optoelectronic devices on amorphous substrates. PMID:28345641

Modification of Low-Alloy Steel Surface by High-Temperature Gas Nitriding Plus Tempering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiao, Dongling; Li, Minsong; Ding, Hongzhen; Qiu, Wanqi; Luo, Chengping

2018-02-01

The low-alloy steel was nitrided in a pure NH3 gas atmosphere at 640 660 °C for 2 h, i.e., high-temperature gas nitriding (HTGN), followed by tempering at 225 °C, which can produce a high property surface coating without brittle compound (white) layer. The steel was also plasma nitriding for comparison. The composition, microstructure and microhardness of the nitrided and tempered specimens were examined, and their tribological behavior investigated. The results showed that the as-gas-nitrided layer consisted of a white layer composed of FeN0.095 phase (nitrided austenite) and a diffusional zone underneath the white layer. After tempering, the white layer was decomposed to a nano-sized (α-Fe + γ'-Fe4N + retained austenite) bainitic microstructure with a high hardness of 1150HV/25 g. Wear test results showed that the wear resistance and wear coefficient yielded by the complex HTGN plus tempering were considerably higher and lower, respectively, than those produced by the conventional plasma nitriding.

Surface modified stainless steels for PEM fuel cell bipolar plates

DOEpatents

Brady, Michael P [Oak Ridge, TN; Wang, Heli [Littleton, CO; Turner, John A [Littleton, CO

2007-07-24

A nitridation treated stainless steel article (such as a bipolar plate for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell) having lower interfacial contact electrical resistance and better corrosion resistance than an untreated stainless steel article is disclosed. The treated stainless steel article has a surface layer including nitrogen-modified chromium-base oxide and precipitates of chromium nitride formed during nitridation wherein oxygen is present in the surface layer at a greater concentration than nitrogen. The surface layer may further include precipitates of titanium nitride and/or aluminum oxide. The surface layer in the treated article is chemically heterogeneous surface rather than a uniform or semi-uniform surface layer exclusively rich in chromium, titanium or aluminum. The precipitates of titanium nitride and/or aluminum oxide are formed by the nitriding treatment wherein titanium and/or aluminum in the stainless steel are segregated to the surface layer in forms that exhibit a low contact resistance and good corrosion resistance.

Structural tuning of residual conductivity in highly mismatched III-V layers

DOEpatents

Han, Jung; Figiel, Jeffrey J.

2002-01-01

A new process to control the electrical conductivity of gallium nitride layers grown on a sapphire substrate has been developed. This process is based on initially coating the sapphire substrate with a thin layer of aluminum nitride, then depositing the gallium nitride thereon. This process allows one to controllably produce gallium nitride layers with resistivity varying over as much as 10 orders of magnitude, without requiring the introduction and activation of suitable dopants.

Plasma-assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy of N-polar InAlN-barrier High-electron-mobility Transistors.

PubMed

Hardy, Matthew T; Storm, David F; Katzer, D Scott; Downey, Brian P; Nepal, Neeraj; Meyer, David J

2016-11-24

Plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy is well suited for the epitaxial growth of III-nitride thin films and heterostructures with smooth, abrupt interfaces required for high-quality high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs). A procedure is presented for the growth of N-polar InAlN HEMTs, including wafer preparation and growth of buffer layers, the InAlN barrier layer, AlN and GaN interlayers and the GaN channel. Critical issues at each step of the process are identified, such as avoiding Ga accumulation in the GaN buffer, the role of temperature on InAlN compositional homogeneity, and the use of Ga flux during the AlN interlayer and the interrupt prior to GaN channel growth. Compositionally homogeneous N-polar InAlN thin films are demonstrated with surface root-mean-squared roughness as low as 0.19 nm and InAlN-based HEMT structures are reported having mobility as high as 1,750 cm 2 /V∙sec for devices with a sheet charge density of 1.7 x 10 13 cm -2 .

Extended wavelength mid-infrared photoluminescence from type-I InAsN and InGaAsN dilute nitride quantum wells grown on InP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wheatley, R.; Kesaria, M.; Mawst, L. J.; Kirch, J. D.; Kuech, T. F.; Marshall, A.; Zhuang, Q. D.; Krier, A.

2015-06-01

Extended wavelength photoluminescence emission within the technologically important 2-5 μm spectral range has been demonstrated from InAs1-xNx and In1-yGayAs1-xNx type I quantum wells grown onto InP. Samples containing N ˜ 1% and 2% exhibited 4 K photoluminescence emission at 2.0 and 2.7 μm, respectively. The emission wavelength was extended out to 2.9 μm (3.3 μm at 300 K) using a metamorphic buffer layer to accommodate the lattice mismatch. The quantum wells were grown by molecular beam epitaxy and found to be of a high structural perfection as evidenced in the high resolution x-ray diffraction measurements. The photoluminescence was more intense from the quantum wells grown on the metamorphic buffer layer and persisted up to room temperature. The mid-infrared emission spectra were analysed, and the observed transitions were found to be in good agreement with the calculated emission energies.

Synthesis of lithium nitride for neutron production target of BNCT by in situ lithium deposition and ion implantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishiyama, S.; Baba, Y.; Fujii, R.; Nakamura, M.; Imahori, Y.

2012-12-01

To achieve high performance of BNCT (Boron Neutron Capture Therapy) device, Li3N/Li/Pd/Cu four layered Li target was designed and the structures of the synthesized four layered target were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. For the purpose of avoiding the radiation blistering and lithium evaporation, in situ vacuum deposition and nitridation techniques were established for in situ production and repairing maintenance of the lithium target. Following conclusions were derived: Uniform lithium layer of a few hundreds nanometer was formed on Pd/Cu multilayer surface by in situ vacuum deposition technique using metallic lithium as a source material. Lithium nitrides were formed by in situ nitridation reaction by the implantation of low-energy nitrogen ions on the deposited lithium layer surface. The chemical states of the nitridated zone were close to the stoichiometric lithium nitride, Li3N. This nitridated zone formed on surface of four layered lithium target is stable for a long time in air condition. The in situ nitridation is effective to protect lithium target from degradation by unfavorable reactions.

Microstructure and corrosion resistance of nitrogen-rich surface layers on AISI 304 stainless steel by rapid nitriding in a hollow cathode discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yang; He, Yongyong; Zhang, Shangzhou; Wang, Wei; Zhu, Yijie

2018-01-01

Nitriding treatments have been successfully applied to austenitic stainless steels to improve their hardness and tribological properties. However, at temperatures above 450 °C, conventional plasma nitriding processes decrease the corrosion resistance due to the formation of CrN phases within the modified layer. In this work, AISI 304 austenitic stainless steels were efficiently treated by rapid plasma nitriding at a high temperature of 530 °C in a hollow cathode discharge. The enhanced ionization obtained in the hollow cathode configuration provided a high current density and, consequently, a high temperature could be attained in a short time. The nitrided layers were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicated that the dual-layer structure of the nitrided layer consists of a high-N face-centered cubic structure with a free CrN precipitate outer (top) layer and a nitrogen-expanded austenite S-phase bottom layer. The rapid nitriding-assisted hollow cathode discharge technique permits the use of high temperatures, as high as 530 °C, without promoting degradation in the corrosion resistance of stainless steel.

Gallium nitride microcavities formed by photoenhanced wet oxidation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Peng, L.-H.; Lu, C.-Y.; Wu, W.-H.

We report the formation of gallium nitride (GaN) microcavities by manipulating a photoenhanced oxidation rate difference between the polar and nonpolar crystallographic planes of GaN. When immersed in a buffered acetic (CH{sub 3}COOH) electrolyte of pH{approx}6.2 at room temperature, it is shown that the photo-oxidation can proceed at a rate that is one order of magnitude slower on the nonpolar plane of {l_brace}1100{r_brace}{sub GaN} than on the polar plane of {l_brace}0001{r_brace}{sub GaN} due to the reduced surface field action. Gallium nitride microcavities bounded by optically smooth {l_brace}1100{r_brace} and {l_brace}1103{r_brace} facets can thus be preferentially formed on the c-plane sapphire substratemore » after dissolving the oxide layer. The optical properties of these GaN hexagonal cavities reveal characteristic peaks of whispering gallery modes in resonance with the GaN band edge emission spectrum. A typical cavity Q factor of 10{sup 3} is observed in these GaN microcavities due to a reduced optical scattering loss in the wet chemical reaction process.« less

Magnetoresistance measurements of superconducting molybdenum nitride thin films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baskaran, R., E-mail: baskaran@igcar.gov.in; Arasu, A. V. Thanikai; Amaladass, E. P.

2016-05-23

Molybdenum nitride thin films have been deposited on aluminum nitride buffered glass substrates by reactive DC sputtering. GIXRD measurements indicate formation of nano-crystalline molybdenum nitride thin films. The transition temperature of MoN thin film is 7.52 K. The transition width is less than 0.1 K. The upper critical field Bc{sub 2}(0), calculated using GLAG theory is 12.52 T. The transition width for 400 µA current increased initially upto 3 T and then decreased, while that for 100 µA current transition width did not decrease.

Synthesis of reduced carbon nitride at the reduction by hydroquinone of water-soluble carbon nitride oxide (g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4})O

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kharlamov, Alexey; Bondarenko, Marina, E-mail: mebondarenko@ukr.net; Kharlamova, Ganna

For the first time at the reduction by hydroquinone of water-soluble carbon nitride oxide (g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4})O reduced carbon nitride (or reduced multi-layer azagraphene) is obtained. It is differed from usually synthesized carbon nitride by a significantly large (on 0.09 nm) interplanar distance is. At the same time, the chemical bonds between atoms in a heteroatomic plane of reduced carbon nitride correspond to the bonds in a synthesized g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}. The samples of water-soluble carbon nitride oxide were synthesized under the special reactionary conditions of a pyrolysis of melamine and urea. We believe that reduced carbon nitride consists ofmore » weakly connected carbon-nitrogen monosheets (azagraphene sheets) as well as reduced (from graphene oxide) graphene contains weakly connected graphene sheets. - Graphical abstract: XRD pattern and schematic atomic model of one layer of reduced carbon nitride, carbon nitride oxide and synthesized carbon nitride. For the first time at the reduction by hydroquinone of the water-soluble carbon nitride oxide (g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4})O is obtained the reduced carbon nitride (or reduced multi-layer azagraphene). Display Omitted - Highlights: • First the reduced carbon nitride (RCN) at the reduction of the carbon nitride oxide was obtained. • Water-soluble carbon nitride oxide was reduced by hydroquinone. • The chemical bonds in a heteroatomic plane of RCN correspond to the bonds in a synthesized g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}. • Reduced carbon nitride consists of poorly connected heteroatomic azagraphene layers.« less

Vertical III-nitride thin-film power diode

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wierer, Jr., Jonathan; Fischer, Arthur J.; Allerman, Andrew A.

2017-03-14

A vertical III-nitride thin-film power diode can hold off high voltages (kV's) when operated under reverse bias. The III-nitride device layers can be grown on a wider bandgap template layer and growth substrate, which can be removed by laser lift-off of the epitaxial device layers grown thereon.

Structure and energetics of carbon, hexagonal boron nitride, and carbon/hexagonal boron nitride single-layer and bilayer nanoscrolls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siahlo, Andrei I.; Poklonski, Nikolai A.; Lebedev, Alexander V.; Lebedeva, Irina V.; Popov, Andrey M.; Vyrko, Sergey A.; Knizhnik, Andrey A.; Lozovik, Yurii E.

2018-03-01

Single-layer and bilayer carbon and hexagonal boron nitride nanoscrolls as well as nanoscrolls made of bilayer graphene/hexagonal boron nitride heterostructure are considered. Structures of stable states of the corresponding nanoscrolls prepared by rolling single-layer and bilayer rectangular nanoribbons are obtained based on the analytical model and numerical calculations. The lengths of nanoribbons for which stable and energetically favorable nanoscrolls are possible are determined. Barriers to rolling of single-layer and bilayer nanoribbons into nanoscrolls and barriers to nanoscroll unrolling are calculated. Based on the calculated barriers nanoscroll lifetimes in the stable state are estimated. Elastic constants for bending of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride layers used in the model are found by density functional theory calculations.

Simultaneous dual-functioning InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well diode for transferrable optoelectronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Zheng; Yuan, Jialei; Zhang, Shuai; Liu, Yuhuai; Wang, Yongjin

2017-10-01

We propose a wafer-level procedure for the fabrication of 1.5-mm-diameter dual functioning InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well (MQW) diodes on a GaN-on-silicon platform for transferrable optoelectronics. Nitride semiconductor materials are grown on (111) silicon substrates with intermediate Al-composition step-graded buffer layers, and membrane-type MQW-diode architectures are obtained by a combination of silicon removal and III-nitride film backside thinning. Suspended MQW-diodes are directly transferred from silicon to foreign substrates such as metal, glass and polyethylene terephthalate by mechanically breaking the support beams. The transferred MQW-diodes display strong electroluminescence under current injection and photodetection under light irradiation. Interestingly, they demonstrate a simultaneous light-emitting light-detecting function, endowing the 1.5-mm-diameter MQW-diode with the capability of producing transferrable optoelectronics for adjustable displays, wearable optical sensors, multifunctional energy harvesting, flexible light communication and monolithic photonic circuit.

Pulsed laser deposition of single layer, hexagonal boron nitride (white graphene, h-BN) on fiber-oriented Ag(111)/SrTiO3(001)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Velázquez, Daniel; Seibert, Rachel; Man, Hamdi; Spentzouris, Linda; Terry, Jeff

2016-03-01

We report on the growth of 1-10 ML films of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), also known as white graphene, on fiber-oriented Ag buffer films on SrTiO3(001) by pulsed laser deposition. The Ag buffer films of 40 nm thickness were used as substitutes for expensive single crystal metallic substrates. In-situ, reflection high-energy electron diffraction was used to monitor the surface structure of the Ag films and to observe the formation of the characteristic h-BN diffraction pattern. Further evidence of the growth of h-BN was provided by attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy, which showed the characteristic h-BN peaks at ˜780 cm-1 and 1367.4 cm-1. Ex-situ photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the surface of the h-BN films is stoichiometric. The physical structure of the films was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The h-BN films grew as large, sub-millimeter sheets with nano- and micro-sheets scattered on the surface. The h-BN sheets can be exfoliated by the micromechanical adhesive tape method. Spectral analysis was performed by energy dispersive spectroscopy in order to identify the h-BN sheets after exfoliation. The use of thin film Ag allows for reduced use of Ag and makes it possible to adjust the surface morphology of the thin film prior to h-BN growth.

Formation of porous surface layers in reaction bonded silicon nitride during processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaw, N. J.; Glasgow, T. K.

1979-01-01

An effort was undertaken to determine if the formation of the generally observed layer of large porosity adjacent to the as-nitride surfaces of reaction bonded silicon nitrides could be prevented during processing. Isostatically pressed test bars were prepared from wet vibratory milled Si powder. Sintering and nitriding were each done under three different conditions:(1) bars directly exposed to the furnance atmosphere; (2) bars packed in Si powder; (3) bars packed in Si3N4 powder. Packing the bars in either Si of Si3N4 powder during sintering retarded formation of the layer of large porosity. Only packing the bars in Si prevented formation of the layer during nitridation. The strongest bars (316 MPa) were those sintered in Si and nitrided in Si3N4 despite their having a layer of large surface porosity; failure initiated at very large pores and inclusions. The alpha/beta ratio was found to be directly proportional to the oxygen content; a possible explanation for this relationship is discussed.

Enhancing the Hardness of Sintered SS 17-4PH Using Nitriding Process for Bracket Orthodontic Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suharno, B.; Supriadi, S.; Ayuningtyas, S. T.; Widjaya, T.; Baek, E. R.

2018-01-01

Brackets orthodontic create teeth movement by applying force from wire to bracket then transferred to teeth. However, emergence of friction between brackets and wires reduces load for teeth movement towards desired area. In order to overcome these problem, surface treatment like nitriding chosen as a process which could escalate efficiency of transferred force by improving material hardness since hard materials have low friction levels. This work investigated nitriding treatment to form nitride layer which affecting hardness of sintered SS 17-4PH. The nitride layers produced after nitriding process at various temperature i.e. 470°C, 500°C, 530°C with 8hr holding time under 50% NH3 atmosphere. Optical metallography was conducted to compare microstructure of base and surface metal while the increasing of surface hardness then observed using vickers microhardness tester. Hardened surface layer was obtained after gaseous nitriding process because of nitride layer that contains Fe4N, CrN and Fe-αN formed. Hardness layers can achieved value 1051 HV associated with varies thickness from 53 to 119 μm. The presence of a precipitation process occurring in conjunction with nitriding process can lead to a decrease in hardness due to nitrogen content diminishing in solid solution phase. This problem causes weakening of nitrogen expansion in martensite lattice.

Improvement of crystalline quality of N-polar AlN layers on c-plane sapphire by low-pressure flow-modulated MOCVD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeuchi, M.; Shimizu, H.; Kajitani, R.; Kawasaki, K.; Kumagai, Y.; Koukitu, A.; Aoyagi, Y.

2007-01-01

The growth of N-polar AlN layers on c-plane sapphire is reported. Low-temperature AlN (LT-AlN) layers were used as seeding buffer layers with pre-nitridation for sapphire. To avoid strong vapor-phase reaction between trimethylaluminum (TMA) and ammonia (NH 3) and to improve the crystalline quality, low-pressure flow-modulated (FM) metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) technique was introduced with careful optimization of the FM sequence. The surface morphologies and the crystalline quality defined by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) (0 0 2) and (1 0 0) rocking curve measurements strongly depended on the LT-AlN thickness and on the TMA coverage per cycle of the FM growth. The sample showing the best XRD data with a good morphology was almost completely etched in aqueous KOH solution owing to N-polarity. From the plan-view transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation, the dislocation density was counted to be about 3×10 10 cm -2.

Nitridation of a Super-Ferritic Stainless Steel for PEMFC Bipolar Plate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, H.; Turner, J. A.; Brady, M. P.

2007-01-01

AL29-4C alloy nitrided in pure nitrogen resulted in a nitrogen-modified oxide surface, which is the same as AISI446 nitrided under identical conditions. When the alloy was nitrided 24h at 900 C in N2-4H2, XRD and XPS analysis indicated that the surface layer consisted of a nitride outer layer ({approx}0.20 {micro}m) and an oxide inner layer ({approx} 0.82 {micro}m). According to XPS, the nitride outer layer is composed of CrN and [Cr(N),Fe]2N1-x, with much more Cr2N than Fe2N. Mn is migrated and enriched in the oxide inner layer and combined with chromium oxide.AL29-4C alloy nitrided in N2-4H2 resulted in low ICRmore » and excellent corrosion resistance in simulated PEMFC environments. Current was at ca. -3.0 {micro}A/cm2 in the PEMFC anode environment, and at ca. 0.3 {approx} 0.5 {micro}A/cm2 in the cathode environment. This is considered to be rather stable. After being polarized in a PEMFC environment, the ICR increased slightly compared with the as-nitrided sample, but was still rather low.« less

Discontinuous Inter-Granular Separations (DIGS) in the Gas Nitride Layer of ISS Race Rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Figert, John; Dasgupta, Rajib; Martinez, James

2010-01-01

The starboard solar alpha rotary joint (SARJ) race ring on the International space station (ISS) failed due to severe spalling of the outer diameter, 45 degree (outer canted) nitrided surface. Subsequent analysis at NASA-KSC revealed that almost all of the debris generated due to the failure was nitrided 15-5 stainless steel. Subsequent analysis of the nitride control coupons (NCC) at NASA-JSC revealed the presence of discontinuous inter-granular separations (DIGS) in the gas nitride layer. These DIGS were present in the inter-granular networking located in the top 2 mils of the nitride layer. The manufacturer's specification requires the maximum white structure to be 0.0003 inches and intergranular networking below the allowable white structure depth to be cause for rejection; a requirement that the NCCs did not meet. Subsequent testing and analysis revealed that lower DIGS content significantly lowered the probability of nitride spalling in simulated, dry condition runs. One batch of nitride samples with DIGS content similar to the port SARJ (did not fail on orbit) which exhibited almost no nitride spalling after being run on one test rig. Another batch of nitride samples with DIGS content levels similar to the starboard SARJ exhibited significant nitride spalling on the same test rig with the same load under dry conditions. Although DIGS were not the root cause of starboard race ring failure, testing indicates that increased DIGS reduced the robustness of the gas nitride layer under dry operating conditions.

Effects of the Process Parameters on the Microstructure and Properties of Nitrided 17-4PH Stainless Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jun; Lin, Yuanhua; Zeng, Dezhi; Yan, Jing; Fan, Hongyuan

2013-04-01

The effects of process parameters on the microstructure, microhardness, and dry-sliding wear behavior of plasma nitrided 17-4PH stainless steel were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and wear testing. The results show that a wear-resistant nitrided layer was formed on the surface of direct current plasma nitrided 17-4PH martensitic stainless steel. The microstructure and thickness of the nitrided layer is dependent on the treatment temperature rather than process pressure. XRD indicated that a single α N phase was formed during nitriding at 623 K (350 °C). When the temperature increased, the α N phase disappeared and CrN transformed in the nitrided layer. The hardness measurement demonstrated that the hardness of the stainless substrate steel increased from 320 HV0.1 in the untreated condition increasing to about 1275HV0.1 after nitriding 623 K (350 °C)/600 pa/4 hours. The extremely high values of the microhardness achieved by the great misfit-induced stress fields associated with the plenty of dislocation group and stacking fault. Dry-sliding wear resistance was improved by DC plasma nitriding. The best wear-resistance performance of a nitrided sample was obtained after nitriding at 673 K (350 °C), when the single α N-phase was produced and there were no CrN precipitates in the nitrided layer.

Iron-based alloy and nitridation treatment for PEM fuel cell bipolar plates

DOEpatents

Brady, Michael P [Oak Ridge, TN; Yang, Bing [Oak Ridge, TN; Maziasz, Philip J [Oak Ridge, TN

2010-11-09

A corrosion resistant electrically conductive component that can be used as a bipolar plate in a PEM fuel cell application is composed of an alloy substrate which has 10-30 wt. % Cr, 0.5 to 7 wt. % V, and base metal being Fe, and a continuous surface layer of chromium nitride and vanadium nitride essentially free of base metal. A oxide layer of chromium vanadium oxide can be disposed between the alloy substrate and the continuous surface nitride layer. A method to prepare the corrosion resistant electrically conductive component involves a two-step nitridization sequence by exposing the alloy to a oxygen containing gas at an elevated temperature, and subsequently exposing the alloy to an oxygen free nitrogen containing gas at an elevated temperature to yield a component where a continuous chromium nitride layer free of iron has formed at the surface.

Nanoscale Visualization of Elastic Inhomogeneities at TiN Coatings Using Ultrasonic Force Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidalgo, J. A.; Montero-Ocampo, C.; Cuberes, M. T.

2009-12-01

Ultrasonic force microscopy has been applied to the characterization of titanium nitride coatings deposited by physical vapor deposition dc magnetron sputtering on stainless steel substrates. The titanium nitride layers exhibit a rich variety of elastic contrast in the ultrasonic force microscopy images. Nanoscale inhomogeneities in stiffness on the titanium nitride films have been attributed to softer substoichiometric titanium nitride species and/or trapped subsurface gas. The results show that increasing the sputtering power at the Ti cathode increases the elastic homogeneity of the titanium nitride layers on the nanometer scale. Ultrasonic force microscopy elastic mapping on titanium nitride layers demonstrates the capability of the technique to provide information of high value for the engineering of improved coatings.

Atomic layer deposition of insulating nitride interfacial layers for germanium metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors with high-κ oxide/tungsten nitride gate stacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kyoung H.; Gordon, Roy G.; Ritenour, Andrew; Antoniadis, Dimitri A.

2007-05-01

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used to deposit passivating interfacial nitride layers between Ge and high-κ oxides. High-κ oxides on Ge surfaces passivated by ultrathin (1-2nm) ALD Hf3N4 or AlN layers exhibited well-behaved C-V characteristics with an equivalent oxide thickness as low as 0.8nm, no significant flatband voltage shifts, and midgap density of interface states values of 2×1012cm-1eV-1. Functional n-channel and p-channel Ge field effect transistors with nitride interlayer/high-κ oxide/metal gate stacks are demonstrated.

Growth of single-layer boron nitride dome-shaped nanostructures catalysed by iron clusters.

PubMed

Torre, A La; Åhlgren, E H; Fay, M W; Ben Romdhane, F; Skowron, S T; Parmenter, C; Davies, A J; Jouhannaud, J; Pourroy, G; Khlobystov, A N; Brown, P D; Besley, E; Banhart, F

2016-08-11

We report on the growth and formation of single-layer boron nitride dome-shaped nanostructures mediated by small iron clusters located on flakes of hexagonal boron nitride. The nanostructures were synthesized in situ at high temperature inside a transmission electron microscope while the e-beam was blanked. The formation process, typically originating at defective step-edges on the boron nitride support, was investigated using a combination of transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy and computational modelling. Computational modelling showed that the domes exhibit a nanotube-like structure with flat circular caps and that their stability was comparable to that of a single boron nitride layer.

Method and apparatus for stable silicon dioxide layers on silicon grown in silicon nitride ambient

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, R. A.; Wheeler, R. K. (Inventor)

1974-01-01

A method and apparatus for thermally growing stable silicon dioxide layers on silicon is disclosed. A previously etched and baked silicon nitride tube placed in a furnace is used to grow the silicon dioxide. First, pure oxygen is allowed to flow through the tube to initially coat the inside surface of the tube with a thin layer of silicon dioxide. After the tube is coated with the thin layer of silicon dioxide, the silicon is oxidized thermally in a normal fashion. If the tube becomes contaminated, the silicon dioxide is etched off thereby exposing clean silicon nitride and then the inside of the tube is recoated with silicon dioxide. As is disclosed, the silicon nitride tube can also be used as the ambient for the pyrolytic decomposition of silane and ammonia to form thin layers of clean silicon nitride.

Control of the Structure of Diffusion Layer in Carbon Steels Under Nitriding with Preliminary Deposition of Copper Oxide Catalytic Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrova, L. G.; Aleksandrov, V. A.; Malakhov, A. Yu.

2017-07-01

The effect of thin films of copper oxide deposited before nitriding on the phase composition and the kinetics of growth of diffusion layers in carbon steels is considered. The process of formation of an oxide film involves chemical reduction of pure copper on the surface of steel specimens from a salt solution and subsequent oxidation under air heating. The oxide film exerts a catalytic action in nitriding of low- and medium-carbon steels, which consists in accelerated growth of the diffusion layer, the nitride zone in the first turn. The kinetics of the nitriding process and the phase composition of the layer are controlled by the thickness of the copper oxide precursor, i.e., the deposited copper film.

Physical fundamentals of criterial estimation of nitriding technology for parts of friction units

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuksenova, L. I.; Gerasimov, S. A.; Lapteva, V. G.; Alekseeva, M. S.

2013-03-01

Characteristics of the structure and properties of surface layers of nitrided structural steels and alloys, which affect the level of surface fracture under friction, are studied. A generalized structural parameter for optimizing the nitriding process and a rapid method for estimating the quality of the surface layer of nitrided parts of friction units are developed.

Large-roll growth of 25-inch hexagonal BN monolayer film for self-release buffer layer of free-standing GaN wafer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Chenping; Soomro, Abdul Majid; Sun, Feipeng; Wang, Huachun; Huang, Youyang; Wu, Jiejun; Liu, Chuan; Yang, Xiaodong; Gao, Na; Chen, Xiaohong; Kang, Junyong; Cai, Duanjun

2016-10-01

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is known as promising 2D material with a wide band-gap (~6 eV). However, the growth size of h-BN film is strongly limited by the size of reaction chamber. Here, we demonstrate the large-roll synthesis of monolayer and controllable sub-monolayer h-BN film on wound Cu foil by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) method. By winding the Cu foil substrate into mainspring shape supported by a multi-prong quartz fork, the reactor size limit could be overcome by extending the substrate area to a continuous 2D curl of plane inward. An extremely large-size monolayer h-BN film has been achieved over 25 inches in a 1.2” tube. The optical band gap of h-BN monolayer was determined to be 6.0 eV. The h-BN film was uniformly transferred onto 2” GaN or 4” Si wafer surfaces as a release buffer layer. By HVPE method, overgrowth of thick GaN wafer over 200 μm has been achieved free of residual strain, which could provide high quality homo-epitaxial substrate.

Method of fabricating boron containing coatings

DOEpatents

Makowiecki, Daniel M.; Jankowski, Alan F.

1999-01-01

Hard coatings are fabricated from boron nitride, cubic boron nitride, and multilayer boron/cubic boron nitride, and the fabrication thereof involves magnetron sputtering in a selected atmosphere. These hard coatings may be applied to tools and engine and other parts, as well to reduce wear on tribological surfaces and electronic devices. These boron coatings contain no morphological growth features. For example, the boron is formed in an inert (e.g. argon) atmosphere, while the cubic boron nitride is formed in a reactive (e.g. nitrogen) atmosphere. The multilayer boron/cubic boron nitride, is produced by depositing alternate layers of boron and cubic boron nitride, with the alternate layers having a thickness of 1 nanometer to 1 micrometer, and at least the interfaces of the layers may be discrete or of a blended or graded composition.

Method of fabricating boron containing coatings

DOEpatents

Makowiecki, D.M.; Jankowski, A.F.

1999-04-27

Hard coatings are fabricated from boron nitride, cubic boron nitride, and multilayer boron/cubic boron nitride, and the fabrication thereof involves magnetron sputtering in a selected atmosphere. These hard coatings may be applied to tools and engine and other parts, as well to reduce wear on tribological surfaces and electronic devices. These boron coatings contain no morphological growth features. For example, the boron is formed in an inert (e.g. argon) atmosphere, while the cubic boron nitride is formed in a reactive (e.g. nitrogen) atmosphere. The multilayer boron/cubic boron nitride, is produced by depositing alternate layers of boron and cubic boron nitride, with the alternate layers having a thickness of 1 nanometer to 1 micrometer, and at least the interfaces of the layers may be discrete or of a blended or graded composition. 3 figs.

Tensile strength of aluminium nitride films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zong, Deng Gang; Ong, Chung Wo; Aravind, Manju; Tsang, Mei Po; Loong Choy, Chung; Lu, Deren; Ma, Dejun

2004-11-01

Two-layered aluminium nitride (AlN)/silicon nitride microbridges were fabricated for microbridge tests to evaluate the elastic modulus, residual stress and tensile strength of the AlN films. The silicon nitride layer was added to increase the robustness of the structure. In a microbridge test, load was applied to the centre of a microbridge and was gradually increased by a nano-indenter equipped with a wedge tip until the sample was broken, while displacement was recorded coherently. Measurements were performed on single-layered silicon nitride microbridges and two-layered AlN/silicon nitride microbridges respectively. The data were fitted to a theory to derive the elastic modulus, residual stress and tensile strength of the silicon nitride films and AlN films. For the AlN films, the three parameters were determined to be 200, 0.06 and 0.3 GPa, respectively. The values of elastic modulus obtained were consistent with those measured by conventional nano-indentation method. The tensile strength value can be used as a reference to reflect the maximum tolerable tensile stress of AlN films when they are used in micro-electromechanical devices.

Vertical integration of high-Q silicon nitride microresonators into silicon-on-insulator platform.

PubMed

Li, Qing; Eftekhar, Ali A; Sodagar, Majid; Xia, Zhixuan; Atabaki, Amir H; Adibi, Ali

2013-07-29

We demonstrate a vertical integration of high-Q silicon nitride microresonators into the silicon-on-insulator platform for applications at the telecommunication wavelengths. Low-loss silicon nitride films with a thickness of 400 nm are successfully grown, enabling compact silicon nitride microresonators with ultra-high intrinsic Qs (~ 6 × 10(6) for 60 μm radius and ~ 2 × 10(7) for 240 μm radius). The coupling between the silicon nitride microresonator and the underneath silicon waveguide is based on evanescent coupling with silicon dioxide as buffer. Selective coupling to a desired radial mode of the silicon nitride microresonator is also achievable using a pulley coupling scheme. In this work, a 60-μm-radius silicon nitride microresonator has been successfully integrated into the silicon-on-insulator platform, showing a single-mode operation with an intrinsic Q of 2 × 10(6).

On the photon annealing of silicon-implanted gallium-nitride layers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seleznev, B. I., E-mail: Boris.Seleznev@novsu.ru; Moskalev, G. Ya.; Fedorov, D. G.

2016-06-15

The conditions for the formation of ion-doped layers in gallium nitride upon the incorporation of silicon ions followed by photon annealing in the presence of silicon dioxide and nitride coatings are analyzed. The conditions of the formation of ion-doped layers with a high degree of impurity activation are established. The temperature dependences of the surface concentration and mobility of charge carriers in ion-doped GaN layers annealed at different temperatures are studied.

Modeling the Gas Nitriding Process of Low Alloy Steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, M.; Zimmerman, C.; Donahue, D.; Sisson, R. D.

2013-07-01

The effort to simulate the nitriding process has been ongoing for the last 20 years. Most of the work has been done to simulate the nitriding process of pure iron. In the present work a series of experiments have been done to understand the effects of the nitriding process parameters such as the nitriding potential, temperature, and time as well as surface condition on the gas nitriding process for the steels. The compound layer growth model has been developed to simulate the nitriding process of AISI 4140 steel. In this paper the fundamentals of the model are presented and discussed including the kinetics of compound layer growth and the determination of the nitrogen diffusivity in the diffusion zone. The excellent agreements have been achieved for both as-washed and pre-oxided nitrided AISI 4140 between the experimental data and simulation results. The nitrogen diffusivity in the diffusion zone is determined to be constant and only depends on the nitriding temperature, which is ~5 × 10-9 cm2/s at 548 °C. It proves the concept of utilizing the compound layer growth model in other steels. The nitriding process of various steels can thus be modeled and predicted in the future.

Effect of substrate nitridation temperature on the persistent photoconductivity of unintentionally-doped GaN layer grown by PAMBE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Prakash, Nisha, E-mail: prakasnisha@gmail.com; Barvat, Arun; Anand, Kritika

2016-05-23

The surface roughness and defect density of GaN epitaxial layers grown on c-plane sapphire substrate are investigated and found to be dependent on nitridation temperature. GaN epitaxial layers grown after nitridation of sapphire at 200°C have a higher defect density and higher surface roughness compared to the GaN layers grown at 646°C nitridation as confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The persistent photoconductivity (PPC) was observed in both samples and it was found to be decreasing with decreasing temperature in the range 150-300°C due to long carrier lifetime and high electron mobility at low temperature. The photoresponse of the GaNmore » films grown in this study exhibit improved PPC due to their better surface morphology at 646°C nitrided sample. The point defects or extended microstructure defects limits the photocarrier lifetime and electron mobility at 200°C nitrided sample.« less

Highly nonlinear sub-micron silicon nitride trench waveguide coated with gold nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Yuewang; Zhao, Qiancheng; Sharac, Nicholas; Ragan, Regina; Boyraz, Ozdal

2015-05-01

We demonstrate the fabrication of a highly nonlinear sub-micron silicon nitride trench waveguide coated with gold nanoparticles for plasmonic enhancement. The average enhancement effect is evaluated by measuring the spectral broadening effect caused by self-phase-modulation. The nonlinear refractive index n2 was measured to be 7.0917×10-19 m2/W for a waveguide whose Wopen is 5 μm. Several waveguides at different locations on one wafer were measured in order to take the randomness of the nanoparticle distribution into consideration. The largest enhancement is measured to be as high as 10 times. Fabrication of this waveguide started with a MEMS grade photomask. By using conventional optical lithography, the wide linewidth was transferred to a <100> wafer. Then the wafer was etched anisotropically by potassium hydroxide (KOH) to engrave trapezoidal trenches with an angle of 54.7º. Side wall roughness was mitigated by KOH etching and thermal oxidation that was used to generate a buffer layer for silicon nitride waveguide. The guiding material silicon nitride was then deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition. The waveguide was then patterned with a chemical template, with 20 nm gold particles being chemically attached to the functionalized poly(methyl methacrylate) domains. Since the particles attached only to the PMMA domains, they were confined to localized regions, therefore forcing the nanoparticles into clusters of various numbers and geometries. Experiments reveal that the waveguide has negligible nonlinear absorption loss, and its nonlinear refractive index can be greatly enhanced by gold nano clusters. The silicon nitride trench waveguide has large nonlinear refractive index, rendering itself promising for nonlinear applications.

Surface Texturing-Plasma Nitriding Duplex Treatment for Improving Tribological Performance of AISI 316 Stainless Steel

PubMed Central

Lin, Naiming; Liu, Qiang; Zou, Jiaojuan; Guo, Junwen; Li, Dali; Yuan, Shuo; Ma, Yong; Wang, Zhenxia; Wang, Zhihua; Tang, Bin

2016-01-01

Surface texturing-plasma nitriding duplex treatment was conducted on AISI 316 stainless steel to improve its tribological performance. Tribological behaviors of ground 316 substrates, plasma-nitrided 316 (PN-316), surface-textured 316 (ST-316), and duplex-treated 316 (DT-316) in air and under grease lubrication were investigated using a pin-on-disc rotary tribometer against counterparts of high carbon chromium bearing steel GCr15 and silicon nitride Si3N4 balls. The variations in friction coefficient, mass loss, and worn trace morphology of the tested samples were systemically investigated and analyzed. The results showed that a textured surface was formed on 316 after electrochemical processing in a 15 wt % NaCl solution. Grooves and dimples were found on the textured surface. As plasma nitriding was conducted on a 316 substrate and ST-316, continuous and uniform nitriding layers were successfully fabricated on the surfaces of the 316 substrate and ST-316. Both of the obtained nitriding layers presented thickness values of more than 30 μm. The nitriding layers were composed of iron nitrides and chromium nitride. The 316 substrate and ST-316 received improved surface hardness after plasma nitriding. When the tribological tests were carried out under dry sliding and grease lubrication conditions, the tested samples showed different tribological behaviors. As expected, the DT-316 samples revealed the most promising tribological properties, reflected by the lowest mass loss and worn morphologies. The DT-316 received the slightest damage, and its excellent tribological performance was attributed to the following aspects: firstly, the nitriding layer had high surface hardness; secondly, the surface texture was able to capture wear debris, store up grease, and then provide continuous lubrication. PMID:28773996

Suppression of carbon desorption from 4H-SiC by irradiating a remote nitrogen plasma at a low temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimabayashi, Masaharu; Kurihara, Kazuaki; Sasaki, Koichi

2018-05-01

We remotely irradiated a nitrogen plasma onto the carbon-side surface of 4H-SiC at a low temperature, and examined the effect of sample cooling on the characteristics of the nitride layer. An improved nitride layer, which had higher concentrations of carbon and silicon and a lower concentration of oxygen, was formed in the region at depths of more than 0.6–0.9 nm from the top surface. The depth of the fragile nitride layer in the top region, where no improved characteristics of the nitride layer were observed, became smaller with sample cooling. In addition, on the basis of the experimental results, we discussed the difference in the activation energy of the nitriding reaction of 4H-SiC supported by atomic nitrogen and molecular nitrogen in the metastable \\text{A}3Σ \\text{u} + state.

Frictional and structural characterization of ion-nitrided low and high chromium steels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spalvins, T.

1985-01-01

Low Cr steels AISI 41410, AISI 4340, and high Cr austenitic stainless steels AISI 304, AISI 316 were ion nitrided in a dc glow discharge plasma consisting of a 75 percent H2 - 25 percent N2 mixture. Surface compound layer phases were identified, and compound layer microhardness and diffusion zone microhardness profiles were established. Distinct differences in surface compound layer hardness and diffusion zone profiles were determined between the low and high Cr alloy steels. The high Cr stainless steels after ion nitriding displayed a hard compound layer and an abrupt diffusion zone. The compound layers of the high Cr stainless steels had a columnar structure which accounts for brittleness when layers are exposed to contact stresses. The ion nitrided surfaces of high and low Cr steels displayed a low coefficient of friction with respect to the untreated surfaces when examined in a pin and disk tribotester.

Protecting the properties of monolayer MoS 2 on silicon based substrates with an atomically thin buffer

DOE PAGES

Man, Michael K. L.; Deckoff-Jones, Skylar; Winchester, Andrew; ...

2016-02-12

Semiconducting 2D materials, like transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), have gained much attention for their potential in opto-electronic devices, valleytronic schemes, and semi-conducting to metallic phase engineering. However, like graphene and other atomically thin materials, they lose key properties when placed on a substrate like silicon, including quenching of photoluminescence, distorted crystalline structure, and rough surface morphology. The ability to protect these properties of monolayer TMDs, such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2), on standard Si-based substrates, will enable their use in opto-electronic devices and scientific investigations. Here we show that an atomically thin buffer layer of hexagonal-boron nitride (hBN) protects themore » range of key opto-electronic, structural, and morphological properties of monolayer MoS 2 on Si-based substrates. The hBN buffer restores sharp diffraction patterns, improves monolayer flatness by nearly two-orders of magnitude, and causes over an order of magnitude enhancement in photoluminescence, compared to bare Si and SiO 2 substrates. Lastly, our demonstration provides a way of integrating MoS 2 and other 2D monolayers onto standard Si-substrates, thus furthering their technological applications and scientific investigations.« less

Passivation coating for flexible substrate mirrors

DOEpatents

Tracy, C. Edwin; Benson, David K.

1990-01-01

A protective diffusion barrier for metalized mirror structures is provided by a layer or coating of silicon nitride which is a very dense, transparent, dielectric material that is impervious to water, alkali, and other impurities and corrosive substances that typically attack the metal layers of mirrors and cause degradation of the mirrors' reflectivity. The silicon nitride layer can be deposited on the substrate before metal deposition thereon to stabilize the metal/substrate interface, and it can be deposited over the metal to encapsulate it and protect the metal from corrosion or other degradation. Mirrors coated with silicon nitride according to this invention can also be used as front surface mirrors. Also, the silver or other reflective metal layer on mirrors comprising thin, lightweight, flexible substrates of metal or polymer sheets coated with glassy layers can be protected with silicon nitride according to this invention.

Selective layer disordering in intersubband Al 0.028Ga 0.972 N/AlN superlattices with silicon nitride capping layer

DOE PAGES

Wierer, Jonathan J.; Allerman, Andrew A.; Skogen, Erik J.; ...

2015-06-01

We demonstrate the selective layer disordering in intersubband Al 0.028Ga 0.972 N/AlN superlattices using a silicon nitride (SiN x) capping layer. The (SiN x) capped superlattice exhibits suppressed layer disordering under high-temperature annealing. In addition, the rate of layer disordering is reduced with increased SiN x thickness. The layer disordering is caused by Si diffusion, and the SiN x layer inhibits vacancy formation at the crystal surface and ultimately, the movement of Al and Ga atoms across the heterointerfaces. In conclusion, patterning of the SiN x layer results in selective layer disordering, an attractive method to integrate active and passivemore » III–nitride-based intersubband devices.« less

Integration of Electrodeposited Ni-Fe in MEMS with Low-Temperature Deposition and Etch Processes

PubMed Central

Schiavone, Giuseppe; Murray, Jeremy; Perry, Richard; Mount, Andrew R.; Desmulliez, Marc P. Y.; Walton, Anthony J.

2017-01-01

This article presents a set of low-temperature deposition and etching processes for the integration of electrochemically deposited Ni-Fe alloys in complex magnetic microelectromechanical systems, as Ni-Fe is known to suffer from detrimental stress development when subjected to excessive thermal loads. A selective etch process is reported which enables the copper seed layer used for electrodeposition to be removed while preserving the integrity of Ni-Fe. In addition, a low temperature deposition and surface micromachining process is presented in which silicon dioxide and silicon nitride are used, respectively, as sacrificial material and structural dielectric. The sacrificial layer can be patterned and removed by wet buffered oxide etch or vapour HF etching. The reported methods limit the thermal budget and minimise the stress development in Ni-Fe. This combination of techniques represents an advance towards the reliable integration of Ni-Fe components in complex surface micromachined magnetic MEMS. PMID:28772683

Investigation on Surface Polarization of Al2O3-capped GaN/AlGaN/GaN Heterostructure by Angle-Resolved X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Duan, Tian Li; Pan, Ji Sheng; Wang, Ning; Cheng, Kai; Yu, Hong Yu

2017-08-17

The surface polarization of Ga-face gallium nitride (GaN) (2 nm)/AlGaN (22 nm)/GaN channel (150 nm)/buffer/Si with Al 2 O 3 capping layer is investigated by angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS). It is found that the energy band varies from upward bending to downward bending in the interface region, which is believed to be corresponding to the polarization variation. An interfacial layer is formed between top GaN and Al 2 O 3 due to the occurrence of Ga-N bond break and Ga-O bond forming during Al 2 O 3 deposition via the atomic layer deposition (ALD). This interfacial layer is believed to eliminate the GaN polarization, thus reducing the polarization-induced negative charges. Furthermore, this interfacial layer plays a key role for the introduction of the positive charges which lead the energy band downward. Finally, a N 2 annealing at 400 °C is observed to enhance the interfacial layer growth thus increasing the density of positive charges.

Effect of plasma nitriding on the structural stability and hydrogen absorption capability of Pd-coated Nb during thermal treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohtsu, Naofumi; Kozuka, Taro; Shibata, Yuga; Yamane, Misao

2017-11-01

Plasma nitriding was explored for improving the thermal stability of a composite hydrogen permeable membrane comprising a Pd coating on Nb substrate. A NbN intermediate layer was formed on the Nb substrate, and the progress of interdiffusion and deterioration of hydrogen absorption behavior after a thermal treatment at 573 and 773 K, respectively, were investigated. The intermediate layer significantly suppressed the interdiffusion between the coating and the substrate. Furthermore, an increase in the NbN concentration of the intermediate layer enhanced the suppression efficiency. However, the hydrogen permeability of the intermediate layer was significantly low, and hence, an increase in NbN concentration further decreased the hydrogen permeability. We concluded that the nitride layer with a high NbN content was unsuitable as an intermediate layer owing to its low hydrogen permeability, while the partial nitride layer with a low NbN content was inefficient in suppressing the interdiffusion.

Silicon nitride protective coatings for silvered glass mirrors

DOEpatents

Tracy, C. Edwin; Benson, David K.

1988-01-01

A protective diffusion barrier for metalized mirror structures is provided by a layer or coating of silicon nitride which is a very dense, transparent, dielectric material that is impervious to water, alkali, and other impurities and corrosive substances that typically attack the metal layers of mirrors and cause degradation of the mirrors' reflectivity. The silicon nitride layer can be deposited on the substrate before metal deposition to stabilize the metal/substrate interface, and it can be deposited over the metal to encapsulate it and protect the metal from corrosion or other degradation. Mirrors coated with silicon nitride according to this invention can also be used as front surface mirrors.

Silicon nitride protective coatings for silvered glass mirrors

DOEpatents

Tracy, C.E.; Benson, D.K.

1984-07-20

A protective diffusion barrier for metalized mirror structures is provided by a layer or coating of silicon nitride which is a very dense, transparent, dielectric material that is impervious to water, alkali, and other impurities and corrosive substances that typically attack the metal layers of mirrors and cause degradation of the mirrors' reflectivity. The silicon nitride layer can be deposited on the substrate prior to metal deposition thereon to stabilize the metal/substrate interface, and it can be deposited over the metal to encapsulate it and protect the metal from corrosion or other degradation. Mirrors coated with silicon nitride according to this invention can also be used as front surface mirrors.

A study of vapor-phase deposition of silicon nitride layers by ammonolysis of dichlorosilane at lowered pressure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Manzha, N. M., E-mail: magazine@miee.ru

2010-12-15

Deposition kinetics of silicon nitride layers at lowered reactor pressures of 10-130 Pa and temperatures in the range 973-1073 K has been studied. The equilibrium constant of the bimolecular reaction of dichlorosilane with ammonia has been calculated. The apparent activation energies calculated taking into account the experimental growth rate nearly coincide with the experimental data. Recommendations for improving the quality of silicon nitride layers are made.

Ultra-thin ohmic contacts for p-type nitride light emitting devices

DOEpatents

Raffetto, Mark [Raleigh, NC; Bharathan, Jayesh [Cary, NC; Haberern, Kevin [Cary, NC; Bergmann, Michael [Chapel Hill, NC; Emerson, David [Chapel Hill, NC; Ibbetson, James [Santa Barbara, CA; Li, Ting [Ventura, CA

2012-01-03

A semiconductor based Light Emitting Device (LED) can include a p-type nitride layer and a metal ohmic contact, on the p-type nitride layer. The metal ohmic contact can have an average thickness of less than about 25 .ANG. and a specific contact resistivity less than about 10.sup.-3 ohm-cm.sup.2.

Reaction layer characterization of the braze joint of silicon nitride to stainless steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, R.; Indacochea, J. E.

1994-10-01

This investigation studies the role of titanium in the development of the reaction layer in braze joining silicon nitride to stainless steel using titanium-active copper-silver filler metals. This reaction layer formed as a result of titanium diffusing to the filler metal/silicon nitride interface and reacting with the silicon nitride to form the intermetallics, titanium nitride (TiN) and titanium suicide (Ti 5Si3). This reaction layer, as recognized in the literature, allows wetting of the ceramic substrate by the molten filler metal. The reaction layer thickness increases with temperature and time. Its growth rate obeys the parabolic relationship. Activation energies of 220.1 and 210.9 kj/mol were calculated for growth of the reaction layer for the two filler metals used. These values are close to the activation energy of nitrogen in TiN (217.6 kj/mol). Two filler metals were used in this study, Ticusil (68.8 wt% Ag, 26.7 wt% Cu, 4.5 wt% Ti) and CB4 (70.5 wt% Ag, 26.5 wt% Cu, 3.0 wt% Ti). The joints were processed in vacuum at temperatures of 840 to 900 °C at various times. Bonding strength is affected by reaction layer thickness in the absence of Ti-Cu intermetallics in the filler metal matrix.

High Kinetic Energy Penetrator Shielding and High Wear Resistance Materials Fabricated with Boron Nitride Nanotubes (BNNTS) and BNNT Polymer Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kang, Jin Ho (Inventor); Sauti, Godfrey (Inventor); Smith, Michael W. (Inventor); Jordan, Kevin C. (Inventor); Park, Cheol (Inventor); Bryant, Robert George (Inventor); Lowther, Sharon E. (Inventor)

2015-01-01

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs), boron nitride nanoparticles (BNNPs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphites, or combinations, are incorporated into matrices of polymer, ceramic or metals. Fibers, yarns, and woven or nonwoven mats of BNNTs are used as toughening layers in penetration resistant materials to maximize energy absorption and/or high hardness layers to rebound or deform penetrators. They can be also used as reinforcing inclusions combining with other polymer matrices to create composite layers like typical reinforcing fibers such as Kevlar.RTM., Spectra.RTM., ceramics and metals. Enhanced wear resistance and usage time are achieved by adding boron nitride nanomaterials, increasing hardness and toughness. Such materials can be used in high temperature environments since the oxidation temperature of BNNTs exceeds 800.degree. C. in air. Boron nitride based composites are useful as strong structural materials for anti-micrometeorite layers for spacecraft and space suits, ultra strong tethers, protective gear, vehicles, helmets, shields and safety suits/helmets for industry.

Effects of Temperature on Microstructure and Wear of Salt Bath Nitrided 17-4PH Stainless Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jun; Lin, Yuanhua; Fan, Hongyuan; Zeng, Dezhi; Peng, Qian; Shen, Baoluo

2012-08-01

Salt bath nitriding of 17-4 PH martensitic precipitation hardening stainless steels was conducted at 610, 630, and 650 °C for 2 h using a complex salt bath heat-treatment, and the properties of the nitrided surface were systematically evaluated. Experimental results revealed that the microstructure and phase constituents of the nitrided surface alloy are highly process condition dependent. When 17-4PH stainless steel was subjected to complex salt bathing nitriding, the main phase of the nitrided layer was expanded martensite (α'), expanded austenite (γN), CrN, Fe4N, and (Fe,Cr) x O y . In the sample nitrided above 610 °C, the expanded martensite transformed into expanded austenite. But in the sample nitrided at 650 °C, the expanded austenite decomposed into αN and CrN. The decomposed αN then disassembled into CrN and alpha again. The nitrided layer depth thickened intensively with the increasing nitriding temperature. The activation energy of nitriding in this salt bath was 125 ± 5 kJ/mol.

Single-layer ZnMN2 (M = Si, Ge, Sn) zinc nitrides as promising photocatalysts.

PubMed

Bai, Yujie; Luo, Gaixia; Meng, Lijuan; Zhang, Qinfang; Xu, Ning; Zhang, Haiyang; Wu, Xiuqiang; Kong, Fanjie; Wang, Baolin

2018-05-30

Searching for two-dimensional semiconductor materials that are suitable for visible-light photocatalytic water splitting provides a sustainable solution to deal with the future energy crisis and environmental problems. Herein, based on first-principles calculations, single-layer ZnMN2 (M = Si, Ge, Sn) zinc nitrides are proposed as efficient photocatalysts for water splitting. Stability analyses show that the single-layer ZnMN2 zinc nitrides exhibit energetic and dynamical stability. The electronic properties reveal that all of the single-layer ZnMN2 zinc nitrides are semiconductors. Interestingly, single-layer ZnSnN2 is a direct band gap semiconductor with a desirable band gap (1.74 eV), and the optical adsorption spectrum confirms its optical absorption in the visible light region. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) calculations show that the catalytic activity for single-layer ZnMN2 (M = Ge, Sn) is better than that of single-layer ZnSiN2. Furthermore, the band gaps and band edge positions for the single-layer ZnMN2 zinc nitrides can be effectively tuned by biaxial strain. Especially, single-layer ZnGeN2 can be effectively tuned to match better with the redox potentials of water and enhance the light absorption in the visible light region at a tensile strain of 5%, which is confirmed by the corresponding optical absorption spectrum. Our results provide guidance for experimental synthesis efforts and future searches for single-layer materials suitable for photocatalytic water splitting.

The effect of surface nanocrystallization on plasma nitriding behaviour of AISI 4140 steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yang; Wang, Liang; Zhang, Dandan; Shen, Lie

2010-11-01

A plastic deformation surface layer with nanocrystalline grains was produced on AISI 4140 steel by means of surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT). Plasma nitriding of SMAT and un-SMAT AISI 4140 steel was carried out by a low-frequency pulse excited plasma unit. A series of nitriding experiments has been conducted at temperatures ranging from 380 to 500 °C for 8 h in an NH 3 gas. The samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy and Vickers microhardness tester. The results showed that a much thicker compound layer with higher hardness was obtained for the SMAT samples when compared with un-SMAT samples after nitriding at the low temperature. In particular, plasma nitriding SMAT AISI 4140 steel at 380 °C for 8 h can produced a compound layer of 2.5 μm thickness with very high hardness on the surface, which is similar to un-SMAT samples were plasma nitrided at approximately 430 °C within the same time.

Photoinduced doping in heterostructures of graphene and boron nitride.

PubMed

Ju, L; Velasco, J; Huang, E; Kahn, S; Nosiglia, C; Tsai, Hsin-Zon; Yang, W; Taniguchi, T; Watanabe, K; Zhang, Y; Zhang, G; Crommie, M; Zettl, A; Wang, F

2014-05-01

The design of stacks of layered materials in which adjacent layers interact by van der Waals forces has enabled the combination of various two-dimensional crystals with different electrical, optical and mechanical properties as well as the emergence of novel physical phenomena and device functionality. Here, we report photoinduced doping in van der Waals heterostructures consisting of graphene and boron nitride layers. It enables flexible and repeatable writing and erasing of charge doping in graphene with visible light. We demonstrate that this photoinduced doping maintains the high carrier mobility of the graphene/boron nitride heterostructure, thus resembling the modulation doping technique used in semiconductor heterojunctions, and can be used to generate spatially varying doping profiles such as p-n junctions. We show that this photoinduced doping arises from microscopically coupled optical and electrical responses of graphene/boron nitride heterostructures, including optical excitation of defect transitions in boron nitride, electrical transport in graphene, and charge transfer between boron nitride and graphene.

Impurity-induced disorder in III-nitride materials and devices

DOEpatents

Wierer, Jr., Jonathan J; Allerman, Andrew A

2014-11-25

A method for impurity-induced disordering in III-nitride materials comprises growing a III-nitride heterostructure at a growth temperature and doping the heterostructure layers with a dopant during or after the growth of the heterostructure and post-growth annealing of the heterostructure. The post-growth annealing temperature can be sufficiently high to induce disorder of the heterostructure layer interfaces.

Atomic-order thermal nitridation of group IV semiconductors for ultra-large-scale integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murota, Junichi; Le Thanh, Vinh

2015-03-01

One of the main requirements for ultra-large-scale integration (ULSI) is atomic-order control of process technology. Our concept of atomically controlled processing for group IV semiconductors is based on atomic-order surface reaction control in Si-based CVD epitaxial growth. On the atomic-order surface nitridation of a few nm-thick Ge/about 4 nm-thick Si0.5Ge0.5/Si(100) by NH3, it is found that N atoms diffuse through nm-order thick Ge layer into Si0.5Ge0.5/Si(100) substrate and form Si nitride, even at 500 °C. By subsequent H2 heat treatment, although N atomic amount in Ge layer is reduced drastically, the reduction of the Si nitride is slight. It is suggested that N diffusion in Ge layer is suppressed by the formation of Si nitride and that Ge/atomic-order N layer/Si1-xGex/Si (100) heterostructure is formed. These results demonstrate the capability of CVD technology for atomically controlled nitridation of group IV semiconductors for ultra-large-scale integration. Invited talk at the 7th International Workshop on Advanced Materials Science and Nanotechnology IWAMSN2014, 2-6 November, 2014, Ha Long, Vietnam.

FT-IR characterization of the acidic and basic sites on a nanostructured aluminum nitride surface

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baraton, M.I.; Chen, X.; Gonsalves, K.E.

1997-12-31

A nanostructured aluminum nitride powder prepared by sol-gel type chemical synthesis is analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. The surface acidic and basic sites are probed out by adsorption of several organic molecules. Resulting from the unavoidable presence of oxygen, the aluminum nitride surface is an oxinitride layer in fact, and its surface chemistry should present some analogies with alumina. Therefore, a thorough comparison between the acido-basicity of aluminum nitride and aluminum oxide is discussed. The remaining nitrogen atoms in the first atomic layer modify the acidity-basicity relative balance and reveals the specificity of the aluminum nitride surface.

Boron containing multilayer coatings and method of fabrication

DOEpatents

Makowiecki, D.M.; Jankowski, A.F.

1997-09-23

Hard coatings are fabricated from multilayer boron/boron carbide, boron carbide/cubic boron nitride, and boron/boron nitride/boron carbide, and the fabrication thereof involves magnetron sputtering in a selected atmosphere. These hard coatings may be applied to tools and engine and other parts, as well to reduce wear on tribological surfaces and electronic devices. These boron coatings contain no morphological growth features. For example, the boron and boron carbide used in forming the multilayers are formed in an inert (e.g. argon) atmosphere, while the cubic boron nitride is formed in a reactive (e.g. nitrogen) atmosphere. The multilayer boron/boron carbide, and boron carbide/cubic boron nitride is produced by depositing alternate layers of boron, cubic boron nitride or boron carbide, with the alternate layers having a thickness of 1 nanometer to 1 micrometer, and at least the interfaces of the layers may be of a discrete or a blended or graded composition. 6 figs.

Boron containing multilayer coatings and method of fabrication

DOEpatents

Makowiecki, Daniel M.; Jankowski, Alan F.

1997-01-01

Hard coatings are fabricated from multilayer boron/boron carbide, boron carbide/cubic boron nitride, and boron/boron nitride/boron carbide, and the fabrication thereof involves magnetron sputtering in a selected atmosphere. These hard coatings may be applied to tools and engine and other parts, as well to reduce wear on tribological surfaces and electronic devices. These boron coatings contain no morphological growth features. For example, the boron and boron carbide used in forming the multilayers are formed in an inert (e.g. argon) atmosphere, while the cubic boron nitride is formed in a reactive (e.g. nitrogen) atmosphere. The multilayer boron/boron carbide, and boron carbide/cubic boron nitride is produced by depositing alternate layers of boron, cubic boron nitride or boron carbide, with the alternate layers having a thickness of 1 nanometer to 1 micrometer, and at least the interfaces of the layers may be of a discrete or a blended or graded composition.

High sensitivity pH sensing on the BEOL of industrial FDSOI transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahhal, Lama; Ayele, Getenet Tesega; Monfray, Stéphane; Cloarec, Jean-Pierre; Fornacciari, Benjamin; Pardoux, Eric; Chevalier, Celine; Ecoffey, Serge; Drouin, Dominique; Morin, Pierre; Garnier, Philippe; Boeuf, Frederic; Souifi, Abdelkader

2017-08-01

In this work we demonstrate the use of Fully Depleted Silicon On Insulator (FDSOI) transistors as pH sensors with a 23 nm silicon nitride sensing layer built in the Back-End-Of-Line (BEOL). The back end process to deposit the sensing layer and fabricate the electrical structures needed for testing is detailed. A series of tests employing different pH buffer solutions has been performed on transistors of different geometries, controlled via the back gate. The main findings show a shift of the drain current (ID) as a function of the back gate voltage (VB) when different pH buffer solutions are probed in the range of pH 6 to pH 8. This shift is observed at VB voltages swept from 0 V to 3 V, demonstrating the sensor operation at low voltage. A high sensitivity of up to 250 mV/pH unit (more than 4-fold larger than Nernstian response) is observed on FDSOI MOS transistors of 0.06 μm gate length and 0.08 μm gate width. She is currently working as a Postdoctoral researcher at Institut des nanotechnologies de Lyon in collaboration with STMicroelectronics and Université de Sherbrook (Canada) working on ;Integration of ultra-low-power gas and pH sensors with advanced technologies;. Her research interest includes selection, machining, optimisation and electrical characterisation of the sensitive layer for a low power consumption gas sensor based on advanced MOS transistors.

Investigation of titanium-nitride layers for solar-cell contacts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Von Seefeld, H.; Cheung, N. W.; Nicolet, M.-A.; Maenpaa, M.

1980-01-01

Reactively sputtered titanium-nitride layers have been incorporated as diffusion barriers in a titanium-silver metallization scheme on silicon. Backscattering analysis (2-MeV He/+/, RBS) indicates that the integrity of the system is basically preserved during annealing at 600 C for 10 min. Electrical properties were determined for titanium-nitride layers prepared under different deposition conditions. Resistivity and Hall mobility appear to depend on the oxygen contamination of the deposited material. For the lowest oxygen concentration (less than 5 at %) a resistivity of 170 microohms/cm has been found.

Silicon-nitride and metal composite

DOEpatents

Landingham, R.L.; Huffsmith, S.A.

A composite and a method for bonding the composite are described. The composite includes a ceramic portion of silicon nitride, a refractory metal portion and a layer of MoSi/sub 2/ indirectly bonding the composite together. The method includes contacting the layer of MoSi/sub 2/ with a surface of the silicon nitride and with a surface of the metal; heating the layer to a temperature below 1400/sup 0/C; and, simultaneously, compressing the layer such that the contacting is with a pressure of at least 30 MPa. This composite overcomes useful life problems in the fabrication of parts for a helical expander for use in power generation.

Silicon-nitride and metal composite

DOEpatents

Landingham, Richard L.; Huffsmith, Sarah A.

1981-01-01

A composite and a method for bonding the composite. The composite includes a ceramic portion of silicon nitride, a refractory metal portion and a layer of MoSi.sub.2 indirectly bonding the composite together. The method includes contacting the layer of MoSi.sub.2 with a surface of the silicon nitride and with a surface of the metal; heating the layer to a temperature below 1400.degree. C.; and, simultaneously with the heating, compressing the layer such that the contacting is with a pressure of at least 30 MPa. This composite overcomes useful life problems in the fabrication of parts for a helical expander for use in power generation.

Nitridation of silicon by nitrogen neutral beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hara, Yasuhiro; Shimizu, Tomohiro; Shingubara, Shoso

2016-02-01

Silicon nitridation was investigated at room temperature using a nitrogen neutral beam (NB) extracted at acceleration voltages of less than 100 V. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed the formation of a Si3N4 layer on a Si (1 0 0) substrate when the acceleration voltage was higher than 20 V. The XPS depth profile indicated that nitrogen diffused to a depth of 36 nm for acceleration voltages of 60 V and higher. The thickness of the silicon nitrided layer increased with the acceleration voltages from 20 V to 60 V. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis indicated a Si3N4 layer thickness of 3.1 nm was obtained at an acceleration voltage of 100 V. Moreover, it was proved that the nitrided silicon layer formed by the nitrogen NB at room temperature was effective as the passivation film in the wet etching process.

Thin films of aluminum nitride and aluminum gallium nitride for cold cathode applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sowers, A.T.; Christman, J.A.; Bremser, M.D.

1997-10-01

Cold cathode structures have been fabricated using AlN and graded AlGaN structures (deposited on n-type 6H-SiC) as the thin film emitting layer. The cathodes consist of an aluminum grid layer separated from the nitride layer by a SiO{sub 2} layer and etched to form arrays of either 1, 3, or 5 {mu}m holes through which the emitting nitride surface is exposed. After fabrication, a hydrogen plasma exposure was employed to activate the cathodes. Cathode devices with 5 {mu}m holes displayed emission for up to 30 min before failing. Maximum emission currents ranged from 10{endash}100 nA and required grid voltages rangingmore » from 20{endash}110 V. The grid currents were typically 1 to 10{sup 4} times the collector currents. {copyright} {ital 1997 American Institute of Physics.}« less

Method to grow group III-nitrides on copper using passivation layers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Qiming; Wang, George T; Figiel, Jeffrey T

Group III-nitride epilayers can be grown directly on copper substrates using intermediate passivation layers. For example, single crystalline c-plane GaN can be grown on Cu (110) substrates with MOCVD. The growth relies on a low temperature AlN passivation layer to isolate any alloying reaction between Ga and Cu.

Interlayer interaction and mechanical properties in multi-layer graphene, Boron-Nitride, Aluminum-Nitride and Gallium-Nitride graphene-like structure: A quantum-mechanical DFT study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghorbanzadeh Ahangari, Morteza; Fereidoon, A.; Hamed Mashhadzadeh, Amin

2017-12-01

In present study, we investigated mechanical, electronic and interlayer properties of mono, bi and 3layer of Boron-Nitride (B-N), Aluminum-Nitride (Al-N) and Gallium-Nitride (Ga-N) graphene sheets and compared these results with results obtained from carbonic graphenes (C-graphenes). For reaching this purpose, first we optimized the geometrical parameters of these graphenes by using density functional theory (DFT) method. Then we calculated Young's modulus of graphene sheet by compressing and then elongating these sheets in small increment. Our results indicates that Young's modulus of graphenes didn't changed obviously by increasing the number of layer sheet. We also found that carbonic graphene has greatest Young's modulus among another mentioned sheets because of smallest equilibrium distance between its elements. Next we modeled the van der Waals interfacial interaction exist between two sheets with classical spring model by using general form of Lennard-Jones (L-J) potential for all of mentioned graphenes. For calculating L-J parameters (ε and σ), the potential energy between layers of mentioned graphene as a function of the separation distance was plotted. Moreover, the density of states (DOS) are calculated to understand the electronic properties of these systems better.

Method of depositing an electrically conductive oxide buffer layer on a textured substrate and articles formed therefrom

DOEpatents

Paranthaman, M. Parans; Aytug, Tolga; Christen, David K.

2005-10-18

An article with an improved buffer layer architecture includes a substrate having a textured metal surface, and an electrically conductive lanthanum metal oxide epitaxial buffer layer on the surface of the substrate. The article can also include an epitaxial superconducting layer deposited on the epitaxial buffer layer. An epitaxial capping layer can be placed between the epitaxial buffer layer and the superconducting layer. A method for preparing an epitaxial article includes providing a substrate with a metal surface and depositing on the metal surface a lanthanum metal oxide epitaxial buffer layer. The method can further include depositing a superconducting layer on the epitaxial buffer layer, and depositing an epitaxial capping layer between the epitaxial buffer layer and the superconducting layer.

Method of depositing an electrically conductive oxide buffer layer on a textured substrate and articles formed therefrom

DOEpatents

Paranthaman, M. Parans; Aytug, Tolga; Christen, David K.

2003-09-09

An article with an improved buffer layer architecture includes a substrate having a textured metal surface, and an electrically conductive lanthanum metal oxide epitaxial buffer layer on the surface of the substrate. The article can also include an epitaxial superconducting layer deposited on the epitaxial buffer layer. An epitaxial capping layer can be placed between the epitaxial buffer layer and the superconducting layer. A method for preparing an epitaxial article includes providing a substrate with a metal surface and depositing on the metal surface a lanthanum metal oxide epitaxial buffer layer. The method can further include depositing a superconducting layer on the epitaxial buffer layer, and depositing an epitaxial capping layer between the epitaxial buffer layer and the superconducting layer.

Structure and properties of nitrided surface layer produced on NiTi shape memory alloy by low temperature plasma nitriding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czarnowska, Elżbieta; Borowski, Tomasz; Sowińska, Agnieszka; Lelątko, Józef; Oleksiak, Justyna; Kamiński, Janusz; Tarnowski, Michał; Wierzchoń, Tadeusz

2015-04-01

NiTi shape memory alloys are used for bone and cardiological implants. However, on account of the metallosis effect, i.e. the release of the alloy elements into surrounding tissues, they are subjected to various surface treatment processes in order to improve their corrosion resistance and biocompatibility without influencing the required shape memory properties. In this paper, the microstructure, topography and morphology of TiN surface layer on NiTi alloy, and corrosion resistance, both before and after nitriding in low-temperature plasma at 290 °C, are presented. Examinations with the use of the potentiodynamic and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy methods were carried out and show an increase of corrosion resistance in Ringer's solution after glow-discharge nitriding. This surface titanium nitride layer also improved the adhesion of platelets and the proliferation of osteoblasts, which was investigated in in vitro experiments with human cells. Experimental data revealed that nitriding NiTi shape memory alloy under low-temperature plasma improves its properties for bone implant applications.

Structural, Electrical and Optical Properties of Sputtered-Grown InN Films on ZnO Buffered Silicon, Bulk GaN, Quartz and Sapphire Substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bashir, Umar; Hassan, Zainuriah; Ahmed, Naser M.; Afzal, Naveed

2018-05-01

Indium nitride (InN) films were grown on Si (111), bulk GaN, quartz and sapphire substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. Prior to the film deposition, a zinc oxide (ZnO) buffer layer was deposited on all the substrates. The x-ray diffraction patterns of InN films on ZnO-buffered substrates indicated c-plane-oriented films whereas the Raman spectroscopy results indicated A1 (LO) and E2 (high) modes of InN on all the substrates. The crystalline quality of InN was found to be better on sapphire and quartz than on the other substrates. The surface roughness of InN was studied using an atomic force microscope. The results indicated higher surface roughness of the film on sapphire as compared to the others; however, roughness of the film was lower than 8 nm on all the substrates. The electrical properties indicated higher electron mobility of InN (20.20 cm2/Vs) on bulk GaN than on the other substrates. The optical band gap of InN film was more than 2 eV in all the cases and was attributed to high carrier concentration in the film.

Effects of the Treating Time on Microstructure and Erosion Corrosion Behavior of Salt-Bath-Nitrided 17-4PH Stainless Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jun; Lin, Yuanhua; Li, Mingxing; Fan, Hongyuan; Zeng, Dezhi; Xiong, Ji

2013-08-01

The effects of salt-bath nitriding time on the microstructure, microhardness, and erosion-corrosion behavior of nitrided 17-4PH stainless steel at 703 K (430 °C) were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and erosion-corrosion testing. The experimental results revealed that the microstructure and phase constituents of the nitrided surface alloy are highly process condition dependent. When 17-4PH stainless steel was subjected to complex salt-bathing nitriding, the main phase of the nitrided layer was expanded martensite ( α`), expanded austenite (S), CrN, Fe4N, and Fe2N. The thickness of nitrided layers increased with the treating time. The salt-bath nitriding improves effectively the surface hardness. The maximum values measured from the treated surface are observed to be 1100 HV0.1 for 40 hours approximately, which is about 3.5 times as hard as the untreated material (309 HV0.1). Low-temperature nitriding can improve the erosion-corrosion resistance against two-phase flow. The sample nitrided for 4 hours has the best corrosion resistance.

Growth of high-quality InGaN/GaN LED structures on (1 1 1) Si substrates with internal quantum efficiency exceeding 50%

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, JaeWon; Tak, Youngjo; Kim, Jun-Youn; Hong, Hyun-Gi; Chae, Suhee; Min, Bokki; Jeong, Hyungsu; Yoo, Jinwoo; Kim, Jong-Ryeol; Park, Youngsoo

2011-01-01

GaN-based light-emitting-diodes (LEDs) on (1 1 1) Si substrates with internal quantum efficiency (IQE) exceeding 50% have been successfully grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). 3.5 μm thick crack-free GaN epitaxial layers were grown on the Si substrates by the re-growth method on patterned templates. Series of step-graded Al xGa 1- xN epitaxial layers were used as the buffer layers to compensate thermal tensile stresses produced during the post-growth cooling process as well as to reduce the density of threading dislocations (TDs) generated due to the lattice mismatches between III-nitride layers and the silicon substrates. The light-emitting region consisted of 1.8 μm thick n-GaN, 3 periods of InGaN/GaN superlattice, InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) designed for a peak wavelength of about 455 nm, an electron blocking layer (EBL), and p-GaN. The full-widths at half-maximum (FWHM) of (0 0 0 2) and (1 0 -1 2) ω-rocking curves of the GaN epitaxial layers were 410 and 560 arcsec, respectively. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigation revealed that the propagation of the threading dislocations was mostly limited to the interface between the last Al xGa 1- xN buffer and n-GaN layers. The density of the threading dislocations induced pits of n-GaN, as estimated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), was about 5.5×10 8 cm -2. Temperature dependent photoluminescence (PL) measurements with a relative intensity integration method were carried out to estimate the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of the light-emitting structures grown on Si, which reached up to 55%.

Predicting the structural and electronic properties of two-dimensional single layer boron nitride sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiao-Dong; Cheng, Xin-Lu

2018-02-01

Three two-dimensional (2D) single layer boron nitride sheets have been predicted based on the first-principles calculations. These 2D boron nitride sheets are comprised of equivalent boron atoms and nitride atoms with sp2 and sp bond hybridization. The geometry optimization reflects that they all possess stable planar crystal structures with the space group P 6 bar 2 m (D3h3) symmetry. The charge density distribution manifests that the B-N bonds in these boron nitride sheets are covalent in nature but with ionic characteristics. The tunable band gaps indicate their potential applications in nanoscale electronic and optoelectronic devices by changing the length of sp-bonded Bsbnd N linkages.

Glass-Based Transparent Conductive Electrode: Its Application to Visible-to-Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Diodes.

PubMed

Lee, Tae Ho; Kim, Kyeong Heon; Lee, Byeong Ryong; Park, Ju Hyun; Schubert, E Fred; Kim, Tae Geun

2016-12-28

Nitride-based ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV LEDs) are promising replacements for conventional UV lamps. However, the external quantum efficiency of UV LEDs is much lower than for visible LEDs due to light absorption in the p-GaN contact and electrode layers, along with p-AlGaN growth and doping issues. To minimize such absorption, we should obtain direct ohmic contact to p-AlGaN using UV-transparent ohmic electrodes and not use p-GaN as a contact layer. Here, we propose a glass-based transparent conductive electrode (TCE) produced using electrical breakdown (EBD) of an AlN thin film, and we apply the thin film to four (Al)GaN-based visible and UV LEDs with thin buffer layers for current spreading and damage protection. Compared to LEDs with optimal ITO contacts, our LEDs with AlN TCEs exhibit a lower forward voltage, higher light output power, and brighter light emission for all samples. The ohmic transport mechanism for current injection and spreading from the metal electrode to p-(Al)GaN layer via AlN TCE is also investigated by analyzing the p-(Al)GaN surface before and after EBD.

III-Nitride Digital Alloy: Electronics and Optoelectronics Properties of the InN/GaN Ultra-Short Period Superlattice Nanostructures.

PubMed

Sun, Wei; Tan, Chee-Keong; Tansu, Nelson

2017-07-27

The III-Nitride digital alloy (DA) is comprehensively studied as a short-period superlattice nanostructure consisting of ultra-thin III-Nitride epitaxial layers. By stacking the ultra-thin III-Nitride epitaxial layers periodically, these nanostructures are expected to have comparable optoelectronic properties as the conventional III-Nitride alloys. Here we carried out numerical studies on the InGaN DA showing the tunable optoelectronic properties of the III-Nitride DA. Our study shows that the energy gap of the InGaN DA can be tuned from ~0.63 eV up to ~2.4 eV, where the thicknesses and the thickness ratio of each GaN and InN ultra-thin binary layers within the DA structure are the key factors for tuning bandgap. Correspondingly, the absorption spectra of the InGaN DA yield broad wavelength tunability which is comparable to that of bulk InGaN ternary alloy. In addition, our investigation also reveals that the electron-hole wavefunction overlaps are remarkably large in the InGaN DA structure despite the existence of strain effect and build-in polarization field. Our findings point out the potential of III-Nitride DA as an artificially engineered nanostructure for optoelectronic device applications.

Selective layer disordering in III-nitrides with a capping layer

DOEpatents

Wierer, Jr., Jonathan J.; Allerman, Andrew A.

2016-06-14

Selective layer disordering in a doped III-nitride superlattice can be achieved by depositing a dielectric capping layer on a portion of the surface of the superlattice and annealing the superlattice to induce disorder of the layer interfaces under the uncapped portion and suppress disorder of the interfaces under the capped portion. The method can be used to create devices, such as optical waveguides, light-emitting diodes, photodetectors, solar cells, modulators, laser, and amplifiers.

Shear-Assisted Production of Few-Layer Boron Nitride Nanosheets by Supercritical CO2 Exfoliation and Its Use for Thermally Conductive Epoxy Composites.

PubMed

Tian, Xiaojuan; Li, Yun; Chen, Zhuo; Li, Qi; Hou, Liqiang; Wu, Jiaye; Tang, Yushu; Li, Yongfeng

2017-12-19

Boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) hold the similar two-dimensional structure as graphene and unique properties complementary to graphene, which makes it attractive in application ranging from electronics to energy storage. The exfoliation of boron nitride (BN) still remains challenge and hinders the applications of BNNS. In this work, the preparation of BNNS has been realized by a shear-assisted supercritical CO 2 exfoliation process, during which supercritical CO 2 intercalates and diffuses between boron nitride layers, and then the exfoliation of BN layers is obtained in the rapid depressurization process by overcoming the van der Waals forces. Our results indicate that the bulk boron nitride has been successfully exfoliated into thin nanosheets with an average 6 layers. It is found that the produced BNNS is well-dispersed in isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a higher extinction coefficient compared with the bulk BN. Moreover, the BNNS/epoxy composite used as thermal interface materials has been prepared. The introduction of BNNS results in a 313% enhancement in thermal conductivity. Our results demonstrate that BNNS produced by supercritical CO 2 exfoliation show great potential applications for heat dissipation of high efficiency electronics.

Effect of Plasma Nitriding and Nitrocarburizing on HVOF-Sprayed Stainless Steel Coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Gayoung; Bae, Gyuyeol; Moon, Kyungil; Lee, Changhee

2013-12-01

In this work, the effects of plasma nitriding (PN) and nitrocarburizing on HVOF-sprayed stainless steel nitride layers were investigated. 316 (austenitic), 17-4PH (precipitation hardening), and 410 (martensitic) stainless steels were plasma-nitrided and nitrocarburized using a N2 + H2 gas mixture and the gas mixture containing C2H2, respectively, at 550 °C. The results showed that the PN and nitrocarburizing produced a relatively thick nitrided layer consisting of a compound layer and an adjacent nitrogen diffusion layer depending on the crystal structures of the HVOF-sprayed stainless steel coatings. Also, the diffusion depth of nitrogen increased when a small amount of C2H2 (plasma nitrocarburizing process) was added. The PN and nitrocarburizing resulted in not only an increase of the surface hardness, but also improvement of the load bearing capacity of the HVOF-sprayed stainless steel coatings because of the formation of CrN, Fe3N, and Fe4N phases. Also, the plasma-nitrocarburized HVOF-sprayed 410 stainless steel had a superior surface microhardness and load bearing capacity due to the formation of Cr23C6 on the surface.

Microstructural Characteristics of Plasma Nitrided Layer on Hot-Rolled 304 Stainless Steel with a Small Amount of α-Ferrite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Xiaolei; Yu, Zhiwei; Cui, Liying; Niu, Xinjun; Cai, Tao

2016-02-01

The hot-rolled 304 stainless steel with γ-austenite and approximately 5 pct α-ferrite elongated along the rolling direction was plasma-nitrided at a low temperature of 693 K (420 °C). X-ray diffraction results revealed that the nitrided layer was mainly composed of the supersaturated solid solution of nitrogen in austenite ( γ N). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations showed that the microstructure of the γ N phase exhibited "fracture factor contrast" reflective of the occurrence of fine pre-precipitations in γ N by the continuous precipitation. The occurrence of a diffuse scattering effect on the electron diffraction spots of γ N indicated that the pre-precipitation took place in γ N in the form of strongly bonded Cr-N clusters or pairs due to a strong attractive interaction of nitrogen with chromium. Scanning electron microscopy and TEM observations indicated that the discontinuous precipitation initiated from the γ/ α interfaces and grew from the austenite boundaries into austenite grains to form a lamellar structure consisting of CrN and ferrite. The orientation relationship between CrN and ferrite corresponded to a Baker-Nutting relationship: (100)CrN//(100) α ; [011]CrN//[001] α . A zigzag boundary line following the banded structure of alternating γ-austenite and elongated α-ferrite was presented between the nitrided layer and the substrate to form a continuous varying layer thickness, which resulted from the difference in diffusivities of nitrogen in α-ferrite and γ-austenite, along the γ/ α interfaces and through the lattice. Microstructural features similar to the γ N were also revealed in the ferrite of the nitrided layer by TEM. It was not excluded that a supersaturated solid solution of nitrogen in ferrite ( α N) formed in the nitrided layer.

Aluminum Coating Influence on Nitride Layer Performance Deposited by MO-CVD in Fluidized Bed on Austenitic Stainless Steel Substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Găluşcă, D. G.; Perju, M. C.; Nejneru, C.; Burduhos Nergiş, D. D.; Lăzărescu, I. E.

2018-06-01

The modification of surface properties by duplex treatments, involving the overlapping of two surface treatment techniques, has been established as an intelligent solution to create new applications for the substrate metallic material. There are driveline components operating under very tough wear and corrosion conditions, with high temperature and humidity variations. Such components are usually made of high Cr and Ni stainless steel and for the hardening of surfaces it is recommended a thermo chemical treatment. Since stainless steels, especially austenitic stainless steels, are difficult to nitride, experimental studies focus on increasing the depth of the nitride layer and surface hardness. Achieving the goal involves changing active layer chemical composition by introducing aluminum in the surface layer. In order to find a solution, a new surface treatment technique is produced by combining aluminum thin films by MO-CVD in a fluidized bed using a triisobutylaluminum precursor with a thermo chemical nitriding treatment.

Gallium nitride based logpile photonic crystals.

PubMed

Subramania, Ganapathi; Li, Qiming; Lee, Yun-Ju; Figiel, Jeffrey J; Wang, George T; Fischer, Arthur J

2011-11-09

We demonstrate a nine-layer logpile three-dimensional photonic crystal (3DPC) composed of single crystalline gallium nitride (GaN) nanorods, ∼100 nm in size with lattice constants of 260, 280, and 300 nm with photonic band gap in the visible region. This unique GaN structure is created through a combined approach of a layer-by-layer template fabrication technique and selective metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). These GaN 3DPC exhibit a stacking direction band gap characterized by strong optical reflectance between 380 and 500 nm. By introducing a "line-defect" cavity in the fifth (middle) layer of the 3DPC, a localized transmission mode with a quality factor of 25-30 is also observed within the photonic band gap. The realization of a group III nitride 3DPC with uniform features and a band gap at wavelengths in the visible region is an important step toward realizing complete control of the electromagnetic environment for group III nitride based optoelectronic devices.

Low temperature production of large-grain polycrystalline semiconductors

DOEpatents

Naseem, Hameed A [Fayetteville, AR; Albarghouti, Marwan [Loudonville, NY

2007-04-10

An oxide or nitride layer is provided on an amorphous semiconductor layer prior to performing metal-induced crystallization of the semiconductor layer. The oxide or nitride layer facilitates conversion of the amorphous material into large grain polycrystalline material. Hence, a native silicon dioxide layer provided on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H), followed by deposited Al permits induced crystallization at temperatures far below the solid phase crystallization temperature of a-Si. Solar cells and thin film transistors can be prepared using this method.

Large-area few-layer hexagonal boron nitride prepared by quadrupole field aided exfoliation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lun Lu, Han; Zhi Rong, Min; Qiu Zhang, Ming

2018-03-01

A quadrupole electric field-mediated exfoliation method is proposed to convert micron-sized hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) powder into few-layer hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets (h-BNNS). Under optimum conditions (400 Hz, 40 V, 32 μg ml-1, sodium deoxycholate, TAE medium), the h-BN powders (thickness >200 nm, horizontal scale ˜10 μm) are successfully exfoliated into 0.5-4 nm (1-10 layers) thick h-BNNS with the same horizontal scale. Dynamic laser scattering and atomic force microscope data show that the yield is 47.6% (for the portion with the thickness of 0.5-6 nm), and all of the vertical sizes are reduced to smaller than 18 nm (45 layers).

Surface Area, and Oxidation Effects on Nitridation Kinetics of Silicon Powder Compacts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhatt, R. T.; Palczer, A. R.

1998-01-01

Commercially available silicon powders were wet-attrition-milled from 2 to 48 hr to achieve surface areas (SA's) ranging from 1.3 to 70 sq m/g. The surface area effects on the nitridation kinetics of silicon powder compacts were determined at 1250 or 1350 C for 4 hr. In addition, the influence of nitridation environment, and preoxidation on nitridation kinetics of a silicon powder of high surface area (approximately equals 63 sq m/g) was investigated. As the surface area increased, so did the percentage nitridation after 4 hr in N2 at 1250 or 1350 C. Silicon powders of high surface area (greater than 40 sq m/g) can be nitrided to greater than 70% at 1250 C in 4 hr. The nitridation kinetics of the high-surface-area powder compacts were significantly delayed by preoxidation treatment. Conversely, the nitridation environment had no significant influence on the nitridation kinetics of the same powder. Impurities present in the starting powder, and those accumulated during attrition milling, appeared to react with the silica layer on the surface of silicon particles to form a molten silicate layer, which provided a path for rapid diffusion of nitrogen and enhanced the nitridation kinetics of high surface area silicon powder.

GaN grown on nano-patterned sapphire substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jing, Kong; Meixin, Feng; Jin, Cai; Hui, Wang; Huaibing, Wang; Hui, Yang

2015-04-01

High-quality gallium nitride (GaN) film was grown on nano-patterned sapphire substrates (NPSS) and investigated using XRD and SEM. It was found that the optimum thickness of the GaN buffer layer on the NPSS is 15 nm, which is thinner than that on micro-patterned sapphire substrates (MPSS). An interesting phenomenon was observed for GaN film grown on NPSS:GaN mainly grows on the trench regions and little grows on the sidewalls of the patterns at the initial growth stage, which is dramatically different from GaN grown on MPSS. In addition, the electrical and optical properties of LEDs grown on NPSS were characterized. Project supported by the Suzhou Nanojoin Photonics Co., Ltd and the High-Tech Achievements Transformation of Jiangsu Province, China (No.BA2012010).

Inter-layer potential for hexagonal boron nitride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leven, Itai; Azuri, Ido; Kronik, Leeor; Hod, Oded

2014-03-01

A new interlayer force-field for layered hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) based structures is presented. The force-field contains three terms representing the interlayer attraction due to dispersive interactions, repulsion due to anisotropic overlaps of electron clouds, and monopolar electrostatic interactions. With appropriate parameterization, the potential is able to simultaneously capture well the binding and lateral sliding energies of planar h-BN based dimer systems as well as the interlayer telescoping and rotation of double walled boron-nitride nanotubes of different crystallographic orientations. The new potential thus allows for the accurate and efficient modeling and simulation of large-scale h-BN based layered structures.

Development of silicon nitride of improved toughness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brennan, J. J.

1979-01-01

The application of reaction sintered Si2N4 energy absorbing surface layers to hot-pressed Si3N4 was investigated. The surface layer was formed by in-place nitridation of silicon powder. It was found that reaction sintered Si3N4 layers of 1 mm thickness, fabricated from either -100, +200, -200, or -325 mesh Si powder and nitrided in 96% N2/4% H2 so that approximately 20-25 vol % unnitrided Si remained in the layer, resulted in a sevenfold increase in ballistic impact resistance of a 0.64 cm thick hot-pressed SI3N4 substrate from RT 1370 C. Both NC-132 SI3N4, with MgO additive, and NCX-34 Si3N4, with Y2O3 additive, were evaluated as substrate material. The finer grain size -200 and -325 mesh nitrided Si layers were for their smoothness and relatively high density. It was found that nitriding in N2/H2 mixtures, rather than pure N2, resulted in a microstructure that did not substantially degrade the strength of the hot-pressed Si3N4 substrate. Thermal cycling tests on the RSSN/HPSN combinations from 200 C to 1370 C for 75 cycles in air did not degrade the impact resistance nor the interfacial bonding, although a large amount of internal silica formation occurred within the RSSN layer. Mach 0.8, 5 hr, hot gas erosion tests showed no surface recession of RSSN layers at 1200 C and slight surface recession at 1370 C.

Lateral electrochemical etching of III-nitride materials for microfabrication

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Han, Jung

Conductivity-selective lateral etching of III-nitride materials is described. Methods and structures for making vertical cavity surface emitting lasers with distributed Bragg reflectors via electrochemical etching are described. Layer-selective, lateral electrochemical etching of multi-layer stacks is employed to form semiconductor/air DBR structures adjacent active multiple quantum well regions of the lasers. The electrochemical etching techniques are suitable for high-volume production of lasers and other III-nitride devices, such as lasers, HEMT transistors, power transistors, MEMs structures, and LEDs.

Thin Thermal-Insulation Blankets for Very High Temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, Michael K.

2003-01-01

Thermal-insulation blankets of a proposed type would be exceptionally thin and would endure temperatures up to 2,100 C. These blankets were originally intended to protect components of the NASA Solar Probe spacecraft against radiant heating at its planned closest approach to the Sun (a distance of 4 solar radii). These blankets could also be used on Earth to provide thermal protection in special applications (especially in vacuum chambers) for which conventional thermal-insulation blankets would be too thick or would not perform adequately. A blanket according to the proposal (see figure) would be made of molybdenum, titanium nitride, and carbon- carbon composite mesh, which melt at temperatures of 2,610, 2,930, and 2,130 C, respectively. The emittance of molybdenum is 0.24, while that of titanium nitride is 0.03. Carbon-carbon composite mesh is a thermal insulator. Typically, the blanket would include 0.25-mil (.0.00635-mm)-thick hot-side and cold-side cover layers of molybdenum. Titanium nitride would be vapor-deposited on both surfaces of each cover layer. Between the cover layers there would be 10 inner layers of 0.15-mil (.0.0038-mm)-thick molybdenum with vapor-deposited titanium nitride on both sides of each layer. The thickness of each titanium nitride coat would be about 1,000 A. The cover and inner layers would be interspersed with 0.25-mil (0.00635-mm)-thick layers of carbon-carbon composite mesh. The blanket would have total thickness of 4.75 mils (approximately equal to 0.121 mm) and an areal mass density of 0.7 kilograms per square meter. One could, of course, increase the thermal- insulation capability of the blanket by increasing number of inner layers (thereby unavoidably increasing the total thickness and mass density).

Reducing interface recombination for Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} by atomic layer deposited buffer layers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hultqvist, Adam; Bent, Stacey F.; Li, Jian V.

2015-07-20

Partial CuInGaSe{sub 2} (CIGS) solar cell stacks with different atomic layer deposited buffer layers and pretreatments were analyzed by photoluminescence (PL) and capacitance voltage (CV) measurements to investigate the buffer layer/CIGS interface. Atomic layer deposited ZnS, ZnO, and SnO{sub x} buffer layers were compared with chemical bath deposited CdS buffer layers. Band bending, charge density, and interface state density were extracted from the CV measurement using an analysis technique new to CIGS. The surface recombination velocity calculated from the density of interface traps for a ZnS/CIGS stack shows a remarkably low value of 810 cm/s, approaching the range of single crystallinemore » II–VI systems. Both the PL spectra and its lifetime depend on the buffer layer; thus, these measurements are not only sensitive to the absorber but also to the absorber/buffer layer system. Pretreatment of the CIGS prior to the buffer layer deposition plays a significant role on the electrical properties for the same buffer layer/CIGS stack, further illuminating the importance of good interface formation. Finally, ZnS is found to be the best performing buffer layer in this study, especially if the CIGS surface is pretreated with potassium cyanide.« less

Reducing interface recombination for Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 by atomic layer deposited buffer layers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hultqvist, Adam; Li, Jian V.; Kuciauskas, Darius

2015-07-20

Partial CuInGaSe2 (CIGS) solar cell stacks with different atomic layer deposited buffer layers and pretreatments were analyzed by photoluminescence (PL) and capacitance voltage (CV) measurements to investigate the buffer layer/CIGS interface. Atomic layer deposited ZnS, ZnO, and SnOx buffer layers were compared with chemical bath deposited CdS buffer layers. Band bending, charge density, and interface state density were extracted from the CV measurement using an analysis technique new to CIGS. The surface recombination velocity calculated from the density of interface traps for a ZnS/CIGS stack shows a remarkably low value of 810 cm/s, approaching the range of single crystalline II-VImore » systems. Both the PL spectra and its lifetime depend on the buffer layer; thus, these measurements are not only sensitive to the absorber but also to the absorber/buffer layer system. Pretreatment of the CIGS prior to the buffer layer deposition plays a significant role on the electrical properties for the same buffer layer/CIGS stack, further illuminating the importance of good interface formation. Finally, ZnS is found to be the best performing buffer layer in this study, especially if the CIGS surface is pretreated with potassium cyanide.« less

Reducing interface recombination for Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 by atomic layer deposited buffer layers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hultqvist, Adam; Li, Jian V.; Kuciauskas, Darius

2015-07-20

Partial CuInGaSe2 (CIGS) solar cell stacks with different atomic layer deposited buffer layers and pretreatments were analyzed by photoluminescence (PL) and capacitance voltage (CV) measurements to investigate the buffer layer/CIGS interface. Atomic layer deposited ZnS, ZnO, and SnOx buffer layers were compared with chemical bath deposited CdS buffer layers. Band bending, charge density, and interface state density were extracted from the CV measurement using an analysis technique new to CIGS. The surface recombination velocity calculated from the density of interface traps for a ZnS/CIGS stack shows a remarkably low value of 810 cm/s, approaching the range of single crystalline II–VImore » systems. Both the PL spectra and its lifetime depend on the buffer layer; thus, these measurements are not only sensitive to the absorber but also to the absorber/buffer layer system. Pretreatment of the CIGS prior to the buffer layer deposition plays a significant role on the electrical properties for the same buffer layer/CIGS stack, further illuminating the importance of good interface formation. Finally, ZnS is found to be the best performing buffer layer in this study, especially if the CIGS surface is pretreated with potassium cyanide.« less

Nitride stabilized core/shell nanoparticles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kuttiyiel, Kurian Abraham; Sasaki, Kotaro; Adzic, Radoslav R.

Nitride stabilized metal nanoparticles and methods for their manufacture are disclosed. In one embodiment the metal nanoparticles have a continuous and nonporous noble metal shell with a nitride-stabilized non-noble metal core. The nitride-stabilized core provides a stabilizing effect under high oxidizing conditions suppressing the noble metal dissolution during potential cycling. The nitride stabilized nanoparticles may be fabricated by a process in which a core is coated with a shell layer that encapsulates the entire core. Introduction of nitrogen into the core by annealing produces metal nitride(s) that are less susceptible to dissolution during potential cycling under high oxidizing conditions.

Semipolar III-nitride laser diodes with zinc oxide cladding.

PubMed

Myzaferi, Anisa; Reading, Arthur H; Farrell, Robert M; Cohen, Daniel A; Nakamura, Shuji; DenBaars, Steven P

2017-07-24

Incorporating transparent conducting oxide (TCO) top cladding layers into III-nitride laser diodes (LDs) improves device design by reducing the growth time and temperature of the p-type layers. We investigate using ZnO instead of ITO as the top cladding TCO of a semipolar (202¯1) III-nitride LD. Numerical modeling indicates that replacing ITO with ZnO reduces the internal loss in a TCO clad LD due to the lower optical absorption in ZnO. Lasing was achieved at 453 nm with a threshold current density of 8.6 kA/cm 2 and a threshold voltage of 10.3 V in a semipolar (202¯1) III-nitride LD with ZnO top cladding.

Microplasma Processed Ultrathin Boron Nitride Nanosheets for Polymer Nanocomposites with Enhanced Thermal Transport Performance.

PubMed

Zhang, Ri-Chao; Sun, Dan; Lu, Ai; Askari, Sadegh; Macias-Montero, Manuel; Joseph, Paul; Dixon, Dorian; Ostrikov, Kostya; Maguire, Paul; Mariotti, Davide

2016-06-01

This Research Article reports on the enhancement of the thermal transport properties of nanocomposite materials containing hexagonal boron nitride in poly(vinyl alcohol) through room-temperature atmospheric pressure direct-current microplasma processing. Results show that the microplasma treatment leads to exfoliation of the hexagonal boron nitride in isopropyl alcohol, reducing the number of stacks from >30 to a few or single layers. The thermal diffusivity of the resulting nanocomposites reaches 8.5 mm(2) s(-1), 50 times greater than blank poly(vinyl alcohol) and twice that of nanocomposites containing nonplasma treated boron nitride nanosheets. From TEM analysis, we observe much less aggregation of the nanosheets after plasma processing along with indications of an amorphous carbon interfacial layer, which may contribute to stable dispersion of boron nitride nanosheets in the resulting plasma treated colloids.

Early stages of plasma induced nitridation of Si (111) surface and study of interfacial band alignment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shetty, Satish; Shivaprasad, S. M., E-mail: smsprasad@jncasr.ac.in

2016-02-07

We report here a systematic study of the nitridation of the Si (111) surface by nitrogen plasma exposure. The surface and interface chemical composition and surface morphology are investigated by using RHEED, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). At the initial stage of nitridation two superstructures—“8 × 8” and “8/3 × 8/3”—form, and further nitridation leads to 1 × 1 stoichiometric silicon nitride. The interface is seen to have the Si{sup 1+} and Si{sup 3+} states of silicon bonding with nitrogen, which suggests an atomically abrupt and defect-free interface. The initial single crystalline silicon nitride layers are seen to become amorphous at higher thicknesses.more » The AFM image shows that the nitride nucleates at interfacial dislocations that are connected by sub-stoichiometric 2D-nitride layers, which agglomerate to form thick overlayers. The electrical properties of the interface yield a valence band offset that saturates at 1.9 eV and conduction band offset at 2.3 eV due to the evolution of the sub-stoichiometric interface and band bending.« less

Large Area Few Layers Hexagonal Boron Nitride Prepared by Quadrupole Field Aided Exfoliation.

PubMed

Hanlun, Lu; Rong, Min Zhi; Zhang, Ming Qiu

2018-01-16

A quadrupole electric field mediated exfoliation method is proposed to convert micron sized hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) powders into few layers hexagonal boron nitride nano-sheets (h-BNNS). Under the optimum conditions (400 Hz, 40 V, 32μg/mL, sodium deoxycholate, TAE medium), the hBN powders (thickness > 200 nm, horizontal scale ~ 10 μm) are successfully exfoliated into 0.5-4 nm (1-10 layers) thick h-BNNS with the same horizontal scale. Dynamic laser scattering (DLS) and atomic force microscope (AFM) statistics show that the yield is 47.6 % (for the portion with the thickness of 0.5-6 nm), and all of the vertical sizes are reduced to smaller than 18 nm (45 layers). © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Nanotribological response of a plasma nitrided bio-steel.

PubMed

Samanta, Aniruddha; Chakraborty, Himel; Bhattacharya, Manjima; Ghosh, Jiten; Sreemany, Monjoy; Bysakh, Sandip; Rane, Ramkrishna; Joseph, Alphonsa; Jhala, Ghanshyam; Mukherjee, Subroto; Das, Mitun; Mukhopadhyay, Anoop K

2017-01-01

AISI 316L is a well known biocompatible, austenitic stainless steel (SS). It is thus a bio-steel. Considering its importance as a bio-prosthesis material here we report the plasma nitriding of AISI 316L (SS) followed by its microstructural and nanotribological characterization. Plasma nitriding of the SS samples was carried out in a plasma reactor with a hot wall vacuum chamber. For ease of comparison these plasma nitrided samples were termed as SSPN. The experimental results confirmed the formations of an embedded nitrided metal layer zone (ENMLZ) and an interface zone (IZ) between the ENMLZ and the unnitrided bulk metallic layer zone (BMLZ) in the SSPN sample. These ENMLZ and IZ in the SSPN sample were richer in iron nitride (FeN) chromium nitride (CrN) along with the austenite phase. The results from nanoindentation, microscratch, nanoscratch and sliding wear studies confirmed that the static contact deformation resistance, the microwear, nanowear and sliding wear resistance of the SSPN samples were much better than those of the SS samples. These results were explained in terms of structure-property correlations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Leakage effects in n-GaAs MESFET with n-GaAs buffer layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Y. C.; Bahrami, M.

1983-01-01

Whereas improvement of the interface between the active layer and the buffer layer has been demonstrated, the leakage effects can be important if the buffer layer resistivity is not sufficiently high and/or the buffer layer thickness is not sufficiently small. It was found that two buffer leakage currents exist from the channel under the gate to the source and from drain to the channel in addition to the buffer leakage resistance between drain and source. It is shown that for a 1 micron gate-length n-GaAs MESFET, if the buffer layer resistivity is 12 OHM-CM and the buffer layer thickness h is 2 microns, the performance of the device degrades drastically. It is suggested that h should be below 2 microns.

Remarkable biocompatibility enhancement of porous NiTi alloys by a new surface modification approach: in-situ nitriding and in vitro and in vivo evaluation.

PubMed

Li, H; Yuan, B; Gao, Y; Chung, C Y; Zhu, M

2011-12-15

An in-situ nitriding method has been developed to modify the outer surface and the pore walls of both open and closed pores of porous NiTi shape memory alloys (SMAs) as part of their sintering process. XRD and XPS examinations revealed that the modified layer is mainly TiN. The biocompatibility of the in-situ nitrided sample has been characterized by its corrosion resistance, cell adherence, and implant surgery. The in-situ nitrided porous NiTi SMAs exhibit much better corrosion resistance, cell adherence, and bone tissue induced capability than the porous NiTi alloys without surface modification. Furthermore, the released Ni ion content in the blood of rabbit is reduced greatly by the in-situ nitriding. The excellent biocompatibility of in-situ nitrided sample is attributed to the formation of the TiN layer on all the pore walls including both open and closed pores. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Broadband wavelength conversion in hydrogenated amorphous silicon waveguide with silicon nitride layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jiang; Li, Yongfang; Wang, Zhaolu; Han, Jing; Huang, Nan; Liu, Hongjun

2018-01-01

Broadband wavelength conversion based on degenerate four-wave mixing is theoretically investigated in a hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) waveguide with silicon nitride inter-cladding layer (a-Si:HN). We have found that enhancement of the non-linear effect of a-Si:H waveguide nitride intermediate layer facilitates broadband wavelength conversion. Conversion bandwidth of 490 nm and conversion efficiency of 11.4 dB were achieved in a numerical simulation of a 4 mm-long a-Si:HN waveguide under 1.55 μm continuous wave pumping. This broadband continuous-wave wavelength converter has potential applications in photonic networks, a type of readily manufactured low-cost highly integrated optical circuits.

Effect of ZnO seed layer on the morphology and optical properties of ZnO nanorods grown on GaN buffer layers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nandi, R., E-mail: rajunandi@iitb.ac.in; Mohan, S., E-mail: rajunandi@iitb.ac.in; Major, S. S.

2014-04-24

ZnO nanorods were grown by chemical bath deposition on sputtered, polycrystalline GaN buffer layers with and without ZnO seed layer. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction show that the ZnO nanorods on GaN buffer layers are not vertically well aligned. Photoluminescence spectrum of ZnO nanorods grown on GaN buffer layer, however exhibits a much stronger near-band-edge emission and negligible defect emission, compared to the nanorods grown on ZnO buffer layer. These features are attributed to gallium incorporation at the ZnO-GaN interface. The introduction of a thin (25 nm) ZnO seed layer on GaN buffer layer significantly improves the morphology andmore » vertical alignment of ZnO-NRs without sacrificing the high optical quality of ZnO nanorods on GaN buffer layer. The presence of a thick (200 nm) ZnO seed layer completely masks the effect of the underlying GaN buffer layer on the morphology and optical properties of nanorods.« less

Back contact buffer layer for thin-film solar cells

DOEpatents

Compaan, Alvin D.; Plotnikov, Victor V.

2014-09-09

A photovoltaic cell structure is disclosed that includes a buffer/passivation layer at a CdTe/Back contact interface. The buffer/passivation layer is formed from the same material that forms the n-type semiconductor active layer. In one embodiment, the buffer layer and the n-type semiconductor active layer are formed from cadmium sulfide (CdS). A method of forming a photovoltaic cell includes the step of forming the semiconductor active layers and the buffer/passivation layer within the same deposition chamber and using the same material source.

Preparation of nanocrystalline TiN coated cubic boron nitride powders by a sol-gel process.

PubMed

Park, Hee S; Umer, M Adeel; Ryu, Ho J; Hong, Soon H

2011-01-01

Cubic boron nitride (cBN) particles coated with 20 wt% nanocrystalline TiN were prepared by coating the surface of cBN particles with TiO2, followed by nitridation with NH3 gas at 900 degrees C. Coating of TiO2 on cBN powders was accomplished by a sol-gel process from a solution of titanium (IV) isopropoxide and anhydrous ethanol. An amorphous TiO(x) layer of 50 nm thickness was homogenously formed on the surface of the cBN particles by the sol-gel process. The amorphous layer was then crystallized to an anatase TiO2 phase through calcination in air at 400 degrees C. The crystallized TiO2 layer was 50 nm in thickness, and the size of TiO2 particles comprising the layer was nearly 10 nm. The TiO2 on cBN surfaces was completely converted into nanocrystalline TiN of uniform particles 20 nm in size on cBN particles by nitridation under flowing NH3 gas.

Synthesis, Properties, and Applications Of Boron Nitride

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pouch, John J.; Alterovitz, Samuel A.

1993-01-01

Report describes synthesis, properties, and applications of boron nitride. Especially in thin-film form. Boron nitride films useful as masks in x-ray lithography; as layers for passivation of high-speed microelectronic circuits; insulating films; hard, wear-resistant, protective films for optical components; lubricants; and radiation detectors. Present status of single-crystal growth of boron nitride indicates promising candidate for use in high-temperature semiconductor electronics.

Doped LZO buffer layers for laminated conductors

DOEpatents

Paranthaman, Mariappan Parans [Knoxville, TN; Schoop, Urs [Westborough, MA; Goyal, Amit [Knoxville, TN; Thieme, Cornelis Leo Hans [Westborough, MA; Verebelyi, Darren T [Oxford, MA; Rupich, Martin W [Framingham, MA

2010-03-23

A laminated conductor includes a metallic substrate having a surface, a biaxially textured buffer layer supported by the surface of the substrate, the biaxially textured buffer layer comprising LZO and a dopant for mitigating metal diffusion through the LZO, and a biaxially textured conductor layer supported by the biaxially textured buffer layer.

Lattice matched crystalline substrates for cubic nitride semiconductor growth

DOEpatents

Norman, Andrew G; Ptak, Aaron J; McMahon, William E

2015-02-24

Disclosed embodiments include methods of fabricating a semiconductor layer or device and devices fabricated thereby. The methods include, but are not limited to, providing a substrate having a cubic crystalline surface with a known lattice parameter and growing a cubic crystalline group III-nitride alloy layer on the cubic crystalline substrate by coincident site lattice matched epitaxy. The cubic crystalline group III-nitride alloy may be prepared to have a lattice parameter (a') that is related to the lattice parameter of the substrate (a). The group III-nitride alloy may be a cubic crystalline In.sub.xGa.sub.yAl.sub.1-x-yN alloy. The lattice parameter of the In.sub.xGa.sub.yAl.sub.1-x-yN or other group III-nitride alloy may be related to the substrate lattice parameter by (a')= 2(a) or (a')=(a)/ 2. The semiconductor alloy may be prepared to have a selected band gap.

Gradient microstructure and microhardness in a nitrided 18CrNiMo7-6 gear steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, R.; Wu, G. L.; Zhang, X.; Fu, W. T.; Huang, X.

2017-07-01

A commercial gear steel (18CrNiMo7-6) containing a tempered martensite structure was nitrided using a pressurized gas nitriding process under a pressure of 5 atm at 530 °C for 5 hours. The mechanical properties and microstructure of the nitrided sample were characterized by Vickers hardness measurements, X-ray diffraction, and backscatter electron imaging in a scanning electron microscope. A micro-hardness gradient was identified over a distance of 500 μm with hardness values of 900 HV at the top surface and 300 HV in the core. This micro-hardness gradient corresponds to a gradient in the microstructure that changes from a nitride compound layer at the top surface (∼ 20 μm thick) to a diffusion zone with a decreasing nitrogen concentration and precipitate density with distance from the surface, finally reaching the core matrix layer with a recovered martensite structure.

Atomic Layer Deposition of HfO2 and Si Nitride on Ge Substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Shiyang; Nakajima, Anri

2007-12-01

Hafnium oxide (HfO2) thin films were deposited on Ge substrates at 300 °C using atomic layer deposition (ALD) with tetrakis(diethylamino)hafnium (termed as TDEAH) as a precursor and water as an oxidant. The deposition rate was estimated to be 0.09 nm/cycle and the deposited HfO2 films have a smooth surface and an almost stoichiometric composition, indicating that the growth follows a layer-by-layer kinetics, similarly to that on Si substrates. Si nitride thin films were also deposited on Ge by ALD using SiCl4 as a precursor and NH3 as an oxidant. Si nitride has a smaller deposition rate of about 0.055 nm/cycle and a larger gate leakage current than HfO2 deposited on Ge by ALD.

Redeposition in plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition: Silicon nitride film quality ruled by the gas residence time

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Knoops, Harm C. M., E-mail: h.c.m.knoops@tue.nl, E-mail: w.m.m.kessels@tue.nl; Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology, North End, Bristol BS49 4AP; Peuter, K. de

2015-07-06

The requirements on the material properties and growth control of silicon nitride (SiN{sub x}) spacer films in transistors are becoming ever more stringent as scaling of transistor structures continues. One method to deposit high-quality films with excellent control is atomic layer deposition (ALD). However, depositing SiN{sub x} by ALD has turned out to be very challenging. In this work, it is shown that the plasma gas residence time τ is a key parameter for the deposition of SiN{sub x} by plasma-assisted ALD and that this parameter can be linked to a so-called “redeposition effect”. This previously ignored effect, which takesmore » place during the plasma step, is the dissociation of reaction products in the plasma and the subsequent redeposition of reaction-product fragments on the surface. For SiN{sub x} ALD using SiH{sub 2}(NH{sup t}Bu){sub 2} as precursor and N{sub 2} plasma as reactant, the gas residence time τ was found to determine both SiN{sub x} film quality and the resulting growth per cycle. It is shown that redeposition can be minimized by using a short residence time resulting in high-quality films with a high wet-etch resistance (i.e., a wet-etch rate of 0.5 nm/min in buffered HF solution). Due to the fundamental nature of the redeposition effect, it is expected to play a role in many more plasma-assisted ALD processes.« less

Piezoelectric actuated micro-resonators based on the growth of diamond on aluminum nitride thin films.

PubMed

Hees, J; Heidrich, N; Pletschen, W; Sah, R E; Wolfer, M; Williams, O A; Lebedev, V; Nebel, C E; Ambacher, O

2013-01-18

Unimorph heterostructures based on piezoelectric aluminum nitride (AlN) and diamond thin films are highly desirable for applications in micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems. In this paper, we present a new approach to combine thin conductive boron-doped as well as insulating nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) with sputtered AlN films without the need for any buffer layers between AlN and NCD or polishing steps. The zeta potentials of differently treated nanodiamond (ND) particles in aqueous colloids are adjusted to the zeta potential of AlN in water. Thereby, the nucleation density for the initial growth of diamond on AlN can be varied from very low (10(8) cm(-2)), in the case of hydrogen-treated ND seeding particles, to very high values of 10(11) cm(-2) for oxidized ND particles. Our approach yielding high nucleation densities allows the growth of very thin NCD films on AlN with thicknesses as low as 40 nm for applications such as microelectromechanical beam resonators. Fabricated piezo-actuated micro-resonators exhibit enhanced mechanical properties due to the incorporation of boron-doped NCD films. Highly boron-doped NCD thin films which replace the metal top electrode offer Young's moduli of more than 1000 GPa.

Corrosion of V?Ti?Cr alloys in liquid lithium: influence of alloy composition and concentration of nitrogen in lithium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eliseeva, O. I.; Fedirko, V. N.; Chernov, V. M.; Zavialsky, L. P.

2000-12-01

The effect of V-(0-70)Ti-(0-30)Cr (at.%) compositions on their compatibility with nitrogen-containing lithium (0.0015-0.67 at.% N) at 7000°C under steady-state test conditions and long-term contact with lithium (up to 2000 h) has been studied. The conditions for formation and stable coexistence of nitride layers on the surface of various compositions under variable nitrogen concentration in lithium have been defined. The V-(8-10)Ti-(4-5)Cr compositions showed the best characteristics from the standpoint of corrosion resistance, nitride layer stability under conditions of variable nitrogen concentration in lithium, and the possibility of 'in situ' protective nitride layer formation.

Simulation study on single event burnout in linear doping buffer layer engineered power VDMOSFET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yunpeng, Jia; Hongyuan, Su; Rui, Jin; Dongqing, Hu; Yu, Wu

2016-02-01

The addition of a buffer layer can improve the device's secondary breakdown voltage, thus, improving the single event burnout (SEB) threshold voltage. In this paper, an N type linear doping buffer layer is proposed. According to quasi-stationary avalanche simulation and heavy ion beam simulation, the results show that an optimized linear doping buffer layer is critical. As SEB is induced by heavy ions impacting, the electric field of an optimized linear doping buffer device is much lower than that with an optimized constant doping buffer layer at a given buffer layer thickness and the same biasing voltages. Secondary breakdown voltage and the parasitic bipolar turn-on current are much higher than those with the optimized constant doping buffer layer. So the linear buffer layer is more advantageous to improving the device's SEB performance. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61176071), the Doctoral Fund of Ministry of Education of China (No. 20111103120016), and the Science and Technology Program of State Grid Corporation of China (No. SGRI-WD-71-13-006).

Self-assembled growth of GaN nanowires on amorphous Al x O y : from nucleation to the formation of dense nanowire ensembles.

PubMed

Sobanska, M; Fernández-Garrido, S; Zytkiewicz, Z R; Tchutchulashvili, G; Gieraltowska, S; Brandt, O; Geelhaar, L

2016-08-12

We present a comprehensive description of the self-assembled nucleation and growth of GaN nanowires (NWs) by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on amorphous Al x O y buffers (a-Al x O y ) prepared by atomic layer deposition. The results are compared with those obtained on nitridated Si(111). Using line-of-sight quadrupole mass spectrometry, we analyze in situ the incorporation of Ga starting from the incubation and nucleation stages till the formation of the final nanowire ensemble and observe qualitatively the same time dependence for the two types of substrates. However, on a-Al x O y the incubation time is shorter and the nucleation faster than on nitridated Si. Moreover, on a-Al x O y we observe a novel effect of decrease in incorporated Ga flux for long growth durations which we explain by coalescence of NWs leading to reduction of the GaN surface area where Ga may reside. Dedicated samples are used to analyze the evolution of surface morphology. In particular, no GaN nuclei are detected when growth is interrupted during the incubation stage. Moreover, for a-Al x O y , the same shape transition from spherical cap-shaped GaN crystallites to the NW-like geometry is found as it is known for nitridated Si. However, while the critical radius for this transition is only slightly larger for a-Al x O y than for nitridated Si, the critical height is more than six times larger for a-Al x O y . Finally, we observe that in fully developed NW ensembles, the substrate no longer influences growth kinetics and the same N-limited axial growth rate is measured on both substrates. We conclude that the same nucleation and growth processes take place on a-Al x O y as on nitridated Si and that these processes are of a general nature. Quantitatively, nucleation proceeds somewhat differently, which indicates the influence of the substrate, but once shadowing limits growth processes to the upper part of the NW ensemble, they are not affected anymore by the type of substrate.

Transition metal nitride coated with atomic layers of Pt as a low-cost, highly stable electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction

DOE PAGES

Tian, Xinlong; Adzic, Radoslav R.; Luo, Junming; ...

2016-02-10

Here, the main challenges to the commercial viability of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells are (i) the high cost associated with using large amounts of Pt in fuel cell cathodes to compensate for the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction, (ii) catalyst degradation, and (iii) carbon-support corrosion. To address these obstacles, our group has focused on robust, carbon-free transition metal nitride materials with low Pt content that exhibit tunable physical and catalytic properties. Here, we report on the high performance of a novel catalyst with low Pt content, prepared by placing several layers of Pt atoms on nanoparticles ofmore » titanium nickel binary nitride. For the ORR, the catalyst exhibited a more than 400% and 200% increase in mass activity and specific activity, respectively, compared with the commercial Pt/C catalyst. It also showed excellent stability/durability, experiencing only a slight performance loss after 10,000 potential cycles, while TEM results showed its structure had remained intact. The catalyst’s outstanding performance may have resulted from the ultrahigh dispersion of Pt (several atomic layers coated on the nitride nanoparticles), and the excellent stability/durability may have been due to the good stability of nitride and synergetic effects between ultrathin Pt layer and the robust TiNiN support.« less

Photo-induced wettability of TiO{sub 2} film with Au buffer layer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Purkayastha, Debarun Dhar; Sangani, L. D. Varma; Krishna, M. Ghanashyam

2014-04-24

The effect of thickness of Au buffer layer (15-25 nm) between TiO{sub 2} film and substrate on the wettability of TiO{sub 2} films is reported. TiO{sub 2} films grown on Au buffer layer have a higher contact angle of 96-;100° as compared to 47.6o for the film grown without buffer layer. The transition from hydrophobicity to hydrophilicity under UV irradiation occurs within 10 min. for the buffer layered films whereas it is almost 30 min. for the film grown without buffer layer. The enhanced photo induced hydrophilicity is shown to be surface energy driven.

Enhanced electrical stability of flexible indium tin oxide films prepared on stripe SiO 2 buffer layer-coated polymer substrates by magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Zhi-nong; Zhao, Jian-jian; Xia, Fan; Lin, Ze-jiang; Zhang, Dong-pu; Leng, Jian; Xue, Wei

2011-03-01

The electrical stability of flexible indium tin oxide (ITO) films fabricated on stripe SiO 2 buffer layer-coated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates by magnetron sputtering was investigated by the bending test. The ITO thin films with stripe SiO 2 buffer layer under bending have better electrical stability than those with flat SiO 2 buffer layer and without buffer layer. Especially in inward bending text, the ITO thin films with stripe SiO 2 buffer layer only have a slight resistance change when the bending radius r is not less than 8 mm, while the resistances of the films with flat SiO 2 buffer layer and without buffer layer increase significantly at r = 16 mm with decreasing bending radius. This improvement of electrical stability in bending test is due to the small mismatch factor α in ITO-SiO 2, the enhanced interface adhesion and the balance of residual stress. These results indicate that the stripe SiO 2 buffer layer is suited to enhance the electrical stability of flexible ITO film under bending.

Zinc nitride thin films: basic properties and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Redondo-Cubero, A.; Gómez-Castaño, M.; García Núñez, C.; Domínguez, M.; Vázquez, L.; Pau, J. L.

2017-02-01

Zinc nitride films can be deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering using a Zn target at substrate temperatures lower than 250°C. This low deposition temperature makes the material compatible with flexible substrates. The asgrown layers present a black color, polycrystalline structures, large conductivities, and large visible light absorption. Different studies have reported about the severe oxidation of the layers in ambient conditions. Different compositional, structural and optical characterization techniques have shown that the films turn into ZnO polycrystalline layers, showing visible transparency and semi-insulating properties after total transformation. The oxidation rate is fairly constant as a function of time and depends on environmental parameters such as relative humidity or temperature. Taking advantage of those properties, potential applications of zinc nitride films in environmental sensing have been studied in the recent years. This work reviews the state-of-the-art of the zinc nitride technology and the development of several devices such as humidity indicators, thin film (photo)transistors and sweat monitoring sensors.

Tensile Properties and Microstructural Characterization of Hi-Nicalon SiC/RBSN Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhatt, Ramakrishna T.

1998-01-01

The room temperature physical and mechanical properties of silicon carbide fiber-reinforced reaction-bonded silicon nitride matrix composites (SiC/RBSN) were measured, and the composite microstructure was analyzed. The composites consist of nearly 24 vol% of aligned Hi-Nicalon SiC fiber yarns in a approx. 30 vol% porous silicon nitride matrix. The fiber yarns were coated by chemical vapor deposition with a 0.8 mm layer of boron nitride (BN) followed by a 0.2 mm layer of SiC. In the as-fabricated condition, both 1-D and 2-D composites exhibited high strength and graceful failure, and showed improved properties w en compared with unreinforced matrix of comparable density. No indication of reaction between the SiC fiber and BN coating was noticed, but the outer SiC layer reacted locally with the nitridation enhancing additive in the RBSN matrix. A comparison is made between the predicted and measured values of matrix cracking strength.

Tensile Properties and Microstructural Characterization of Hi-Nicalon SiC/RBSN Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhatt, Ramakrishna T.

1998-01-01

The room temperature physical and mechanical properties of silicon carbide fiber-reinforced reaction-bonded silicon nitride matrix composites (SiC/RBSN) were measured, and the composite microstructure was analyzed. The composites consist of nearly 24 vol% of aligned Hi-Nicalon SiC fiber yarns in a approx. 30 vo1% porous silicon nitride matrix. The fiber yarns were coated by chemical vapor deposition with a 0.8 micron layer of boron nitride (BN) followed by a 0.2 micron layer of SiC. In the as-fabricated condition, both 1-D and 2-D composites exhibited high strength and graceful failure, and showed improved properties when compared with unreinforced matrix of comparable density. No indication of reaction between the SiC fiber and BN coating was noticed, but the outer SiC layer reacted locally with the nitridation enhancing additive in the RBSN matrix. A comparison is made between the predicted and measured values of matrix cracking strength.

Design, Control and in Situ Visualization of Gas Nitriding Processes

PubMed Central

Ratajski, Jerzy; Olik, Roman; Suszko, Tomasz; Dobrodziej, Jerzy; Michalski, Jerzy

2010-01-01

The article presents a complex system of design, in situ visualization and control of the commonly used surface treatment process: the gas nitriding process. In the computer design conception, analytical mathematical models and artificial intelligence methods were used. As a result, possibilities were obtained of the poly-optimization and poly-parametric simulations of the course of the process combined with a visualization of the value changes of the process parameters in the function of time, as well as possibilities to predict the properties of nitrided layers. For in situ visualization of the growth of the nitrided layer, computer procedures were developed which make use of the results of the correlations of direct and differential voltage and time runs of the process result sensor (magnetic sensor), with the proper layer growth stage. Computer procedures make it possible to combine, in the duration of the process, the registered voltage and time runs with the models of the process. PMID:22315536

Catalyst-free one step synthesis of large area vertically stacked N-doped graphene-boron nitride heterostructures from biomass source.

PubMed

Esteve-Adell, Ivan; He, Jinbao; Ramiro, Fernando; Atienzar, Pedro; Primo, Ana; García, Hermenegildo

2018-03-01

A procedure for the one-step preparation of films of few-layer N-doped graphene on top of nanometric hexagonal boron nitride sheets ((N)graphene/h-BN) based on the pyrolysis at 900 °C under an inert atmosphere of a film of chitosan containing about 20 wt% of ammonium borate salt as a precursor is reported. During the pyrolysis a spontaneous segregation of (N)graphene and boron nitride layers takes place. The films were characterized by optical microscopy that shows a thin graphene overlayer covering the boron nitride layer, the latter showing characteristic cracks, and by XPS measurements at different monitoring angles from 0° to 50° where an increase in the proportion of C vs. B and N was observed. The resulting (N)graphene/h-BN films were also characterized by Raman, HRTEM, SEM, FIB-SEM and AFM. The thickness of the (N)graphene and h-BN layers can be controlled by varying the concentration of precursors and the spin coating rate and is typically below 5 nm. Electrical conductivity measurements using microelectrodes can cause the burning of the graphene layer at high intensities, while lower intensities show that (N)graphene/h-BN films behave as capacitors in the range of positive voltages.

Buffer architecture for biaxially textured structures and method of fabricating same

DOEpatents

Norton, David P.; Park, Chan; Goyal, Amit

2004-04-06

The invention relates to an article with an improved buffer layer architecture comprising a substrate having a metal surface, and an epitaxial buffer layer on the surface of the substrate. The epitaxial buffer layer comprises at least one of the group consisting of ZrO.sub.2, HfO.sub.2, and compounds having at least one of Ca and a rare earth element stabilizing cubic phases of ZrO.sub.2 and/or HfO.sub.2. The article can also include a superconducting layer deposited on the epitaxial buffer layer. The article can also include an epitaxial capping layer between the epitaxial buffer layer and the superconducting layer. A method for preparing an epitaxial article comprises providing a substrate with a metal surface, depositing on the metal surface an epitaxial buffer layer comprising at least one material selected from the group consisting of ZrO.sub.2, HfO.sub.2, and compounds having at least one of Ca and a rare earth element stabilizing cubic phases of at least one of ZrO.sub.2 and HfO.sub.2. The epitaxial layer depositing step occurs in a vacuum with a background pressure of no more than 1.times.10.sup.-5 Torr. The method can further comprise depositing a superconducting layer on the epitaxial layer, and depositing an epitaxial capping layer between the epitaxial buffer layer and the superconducting layer.

Initial stages of growth and the influence of temperature during chemical vapor deposition of sp{sup 2}-BN films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chubarov, Mikhail; Pedersen, Henrik; Högberg, Hans

2015-11-15

Knowledge of the structural evolution of thin films, starting by the initial stages of growth, is important to control the quality and properties of the film. The authors present a study on the initial stages of growth and the temperature influence on the structural evolution of sp{sup 2} hybridized boron nitride (BN) thin films during chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with triethyl boron and ammonia as precursors. Nucleation of hexagonal BN (h-BN) occurs at 1200 °C on α-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} with an AlN buffer layer (AlN/α-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}). At 1500 °C, h-BN grows with a layer-by-layer growth mode on AlN/α-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} upmore » to ∼4 nm after which the film structure changes to rhombohedral BN (r-BN). Then, r-BN growth proceeds with a mixed layer-by-layer and island growth mode. h-BN does not grow on 6H-SiC substrates; instead, r-BN nucleates and grows directly with a mixed layer-by-layer and island growth mode. These differences may be caused by differences in substrate surface temperature due to different thermal conductivities of the substrate materials. These results add to the understanding of the growth process of sp{sup 2}-BN employing CVD.« less

Nitriding of titanium and titanium: 8 percent aluminum, 1 percent molybdenum, 1 percent vanadium alloy with an ion-beam source

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gill, A.

1983-01-01

Titanium and Ti-8Al-1Mo-1V alloy were nitrided with an ion-beam source of nitrogen or argon and nitrogen at a total pressure of 2 x 10 to the minus 4th power to 10 x 10 to the minus 4th power torr. The treated surface was characterized by surface profilometry, X-ray diffractometry, Auger electron spectroscopy and microhardness measurements. The tetragonal Ti2N phase formed in pure titanium and Ti-8Al-1Mo-1V alloy with traces of AlN in the alloy. Two opposite processes competed during the ion-beam-nitriding process: (1) formation of nitrides in the surface layer and (2) sputtering of the nitrided layers by the ion beam. The highest surface hardnesses, about 500 kg/sq mm in titanium and 800 kg/sq mm in Ti-8Al-1Mo-1V, were obtained by ion nitriding with an ion beam of pure nitrogen at 4.2 x 10 to the minus 4th power torr at a beam voltage of 1000 V.

Quantifying electronic band interactions in van der Waals materials using angle-resolved reflected-electron spectroscopy.

PubMed

Jobst, Johannes; van der Torren, Alexander J H; Krasovskii, Eugene E; Balgley, Jesse; Dean, Cory R; Tromp, Rudolf M; van der Molen, Sense Jan

2016-11-29

High electron mobility is one of graphene's key properties, exploited for applications and fundamental research alike. Highest mobility values are found in heterostructures of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride, which consequently are widely used. However, surprisingly little is known about the interaction between the electronic states of these layered systems. Rather pragmatically, it is assumed that these do not couple significantly. Here we study the unoccupied band structure of graphite, boron nitride and their heterostructures using angle-resolved reflected-electron spectroscopy. We demonstrate that graphene and boron nitride bands do not interact over a wide energy range, despite their very similar dispersions. The method we use can be generally applied to study interactions in van der Waals systems, that is, artificial stacks of layered materials. With this we can quantitatively understand the 'chemistry of layers' by which novel materials are created via electronic coupling between the layers they are composed of.

A nitride-based epitaxial surface layer formed by ammonia treatment of silicene-terminated ZrB{sub 2}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wiggers, F. B., E-mail: F.B.Wiggers@utwente.nl; Van Bui, H.; Schmitz, J.

We present a method for the formation of an epitaxial  surface layer involving B, N, and Si atoms on a ZrB{sub 2}(0001) thin film on Si(111). It has the potential to be an insulating growth template for 2D semiconductors. The chemical reaction of NH{sub 3} molecules with the silicene-terminated ZrB{sub 2}  surface was characterized by synchrotron-based, high-resolution core-level photoelectron spectroscopy and low-energy electron diffraction. In particular, the dissociative chemisorption of NH{sub 3} at 400 °C leads to surface  nitridation, and subsequent annealing up to 830 °C results in a solid phase reaction with the ZrB{sub 2} subsurface layers. In this way, amore » new nitride-based epitaxial  surface layer is formed with hexagonal symmetry and a single in-plane crystal orientation.« less

Caracterisation of Titanium Nitride Layers Deposited by Reactive Plasma Spraying

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roşu, Radu Alexandru; Şerban, Viorel-Aurel; Bucur, Alexandra Ioana; Popescu, Mihaela; Uţu, Dragoş

2011-01-01

Forming and cutting tools are subjected to the intense wear solicitations. Usually, they are either subject to superficial heat treatments or are covered with various materials with high mechanical properties. In recent years, thermal spraying is used increasingly in engineering area because of the large range of materials that can be used for the coatings. Titanium nitride is a ceramic material with high hardness which is used to cover the cutting tools increasing their lifetime. The paper presents the results obtained after deposition of titanium nitride layers by reactive plasma spraying (RPS). As deposition material was used titanium powder and as substratum was used titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V). Macroscopic and microscopic (scanning electron microscopy) images of the deposited layers and the X ray diffraction of the coatings are presented. Demonstration program with layers deposited with thickness between 68,5 and 81,4 μm has been achieved and presented.

Experimental observation of boron nitride chains.

PubMed

Cretu, Ovidiu; Komsa, Hannu-Pekka; Lehtinen, Ossi; Algara-Siller, Gerardo; Kaiser, Ute; Suenaga, Kazu; Krasheninnikov, Arkady V

2014-12-23

We report the formation and characterization of boron nitride atomic chains. The chains were made from hexagonal boron nitride sheets using the electron beam inside a transmission electron microscope. We find that the stability and lifetime of the chains are significantly improved when they are supported by another boron nitride layer. With the help of first-principles calculations, we prove the heteroatomic structure of the chains and determine their mechanical and electronic properties. Our study completes the analogy between various boron nitride and carbon polymorphs, in accordance with earlier theoretical predictions.

Influences of urea and sodium nitrite on surface coating of plasma electrolytic oxidation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeh, Shang-Chun; Tsai, Dah-Shyang; Guan, Sheng-Yong; Chou, Chen-Chia

2015-11-01

Urea and sodium nitrite are generally viewed as nitridation additives in the electrolyte for plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) of aluminum alloys. We study the influences of these two convenient chemicals in presence of sodium aluminate and find very different effects on film growth. Urea addition enhances the nitrogen content of PEO layer, diminishes the layer thickness, increases the porosity, interferes with the α-alumina formation, and promotes precipitation in the electrolyte. Hence, the electrolytic urea content ought to be maintained less than 45 g dm-3. On the other hand, sodium nitrite behaves like an oxidation additive, more than a nitridation additive. NaNO2 addition effectively introduces nitrogen in the PEO layer at low concentration, yet the nitrogen content of oxide layer decreases with increasing NaNO2 concentration. The effects of NaNO2, such as increasing layer thickness, reducing porosity, promoting α-alumina formation are attributed to oxidation enhancement, not because of nitridation.

MOCVD growth and study of thin films of indium nitride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Abhishek

This thesis is focused on a study of MOCVD growth of InN with the goal of providing new information on the effects of growth conditions and buffer/substrate materials on InN film properties. Initial studies, using both (111) Si and (0001) sapphire substrates, identified an optimum growth temperature window of 540--560°C for the formation of stable InN films. When attempting to grow InN films on sapphire with thicknesses greater than approximately 150 nanometers using an AlN buffer layer, the InN films were observed to delaminate from the buffer/substrate at growth temperature. The combined effect of compressive stress due to high lattice mismatch between InN and AlN (˜14%) and tensile stress due to grain coalescence along with the relatively weak bond strength of InN compared to GaN and AlN, is believed to cause the InN film to crack along the interface and delaminate. To further investigate the effect of the buffer layer on InN growth, studies were carried out using GaN films grown on sapphire as the growth template. Recent MBE results had indicated a significant difference in the thermal stability and growth mode of In-polar and N-polar InN, with improved properties reported for N-polar material grown on N-polar GaN. MOCVD growth of N-polar GaN is very difficult; consequently, all of the results reported in the literature for InN growth on GaN were likely carried out on Ga-polar material resulting in films with a high surface roughness. By utilizing N-polar and Ga-polar GaN films, it was possible to produce N-polar and In-polar InN films by MOCVD, as determined by convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) analysis. Furthermore, the polarity was found to dramatically alter the surface roughness and growth mode of the InN films with enhanced lateral growth and reduced surface roughness obtained for N-polar InN. A qualitative model was proposed to explain the different growth mechanisms observed for In-polar and N-polar InN. In spite of the improvements in surface morphology obtained with growth of N-polar InN, delamination at the InN/GaN interface was still observed in these films, and was also present in In-polar InN samples. Attempts were made to further reduce the lattice mismatch and improve the adhesion between InN and GaN by using a compositionally graded InGaN buffer layer. The fabrication of InGaN over its entire composition range is challenging since the optimal growth parameters window for InGaN varies with composition and film quality is strongly dependent on temperature and precursor flow rates. The structural properties of the InN films grown on the graded InGaN layers were comparable to films grown directly on GaN, however, the film adhesion was significantly improved with no evidence of interfacial cracks between the InN and GaN. These preliminary results indicate that graded InGaN layers can be used to improve the adhesion of InN on both Ga-polar and N-polar GaN, however, further work is needed to develop graded InGaN buffer layers or constant composition InGaN interlayers with improved structural properties for InN growth. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Structural stability and electronic properties of an octagonal allotrope of two dimensional boron nitride.

PubMed

Takahashi, Lauren; Takahashi, Keisuke

2017-03-27

An octagonal allotrope of two dimensional boron nitride is explored through first principles calculations. Calculations show that two dimensional octagonal boron nitride can be formed with a binding energy comparable to two dimensional hexagonal boron nitride. In addition, two dimensional octagonal boron nitride is found to have a band gap smaller than two dimensional hexagonal boron nitride, suggesting the possibility of semiconductive attributes. Two dimensional octagonal boron nitride also has the ability to layer through physisorption. Defects present within two dimensional octagonal boron nitride also lead toward the introduction of a magnetic moment through the absence of boron atoms. The presence of defects is also found to render both hexagonal and octagonal boron nitrides reactive against hydrogen, where greater reactivity is seen in the presence of nitrogen. Thus, two dimensional octagonal boron nitride is confirmed with potential to tailor properties and reactivity through lattice shape and purposeful introduction of defects.

Tunable Patch Antennas Using Microelectromechanical Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-11

Figure 28, was selected as most suitable to this application. MetalMUMPs is a surface micromachining process with polysilicon , silicon nitride, nickel...yields. MEMS Variable Capacitor Design The MEMS capacitors reported here were an original design that features nickel and polysilicon layers as...the movable plates of a variable parallel plate capacitor. The polysilicon layer was embedded in silicon nitride for electrical isolation and suspended

Method for integrating microelectromechanical devices with electronic circuitry

DOEpatents

Barron, Carole C.; Fleming, James G.; Montague, Stephen

1999-01-01

A method is disclosed for integrating one or more microelectromechanical (MEM) devices with electronic circuitry on a common substrate. The MEM device can be fabricated within a substrate cavity and encapsulated with a sacrificial material. This allows the MEM device to be annealed and the substrate planarized prior to forming electronic circuitry on the substrate using a series of standard processing steps. After fabrication of the electronic circuitry, the electronic circuitry can be protected by a two-ply protection layer of titanium nitride (TiN) and tungsten (W) during an etch release process whereby the MEM device is released for operation by etching away a portion of a sacrificial material (e.g. silicon dioxide or a silicate glass) that encapsulates the MEM device. The etch release process is preferably performed using a mixture of hydrofluoric acid (HF) and hydrochloric acid (HCI) which reduces the time for releasing the MEM device compared to use of a buffered oxide etchant. After release of the MEM device, the TiN:W protection layer can be removed with a peroxide-based etchant without damaging the electronic circuitry.

Thin film photovoltaic devices with a minimally conductive buffer layer

DOEpatents

Barnes, Teresa M.; Burst, James

2016-11-15

A thin film photovoltaic device (100) with a tunable, minimally conductive buffer (128) layer is provided. The photovoltaic device (100) may include a back contact (150), a transparent front contact stack (120), and an absorber (140) positioned between the front contact stack (120) and the back contact (150). The front contact stack (120) may include a low resistivity transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer (124) and a buffer layer (128) that is proximate to the absorber layer (140). The photovoltaic device (100) may also include a window layer (130) between the buffer layer (128) and the absorber (140). In some cases, the buffer layer (128) is minimally conductive, with its resistivity being tunable, and the buffer layer (128) may be formed as an alloy from a host oxide and a high-permittivity oxide. The high-permittivity oxide may further be chosen to have a bandgap greater than the host oxide.

Structural evaluation of InAsP/InGaAsP strained-layer superlattices with dislocations as grown by metal-organic molecular beam epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakashima, Kiichi; Sugiura, Hideo

1997-08-01

The relaxation process in InAsP/InGaAsP strained-layer superlattices (SLSs) with interfacial misfit dislocations has been investigated systematically by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and x-ray analyses. The TEM analysis reveals that dislocations locate a little inside the buffer layer near the interface between the buffer and first well layer in the SLS. The x-ray analysis of (400) azimuthal angle dependence indicates the buffer layer has a large macroscopic tilt. Using a curve fitting analysis of various (hkl) x-ray profiles and reciprocal lattice mapping measurements, residual strain was determined quantitatively, i.e., Δa∥ and Δa⊥, in the SLS and buffer layer. These results reveal that the dislocations mainly cause lattice distortion of the buffer layer rather than relaxation of the SLS layer. The most remarkable result is that the change of a∥ is not equal to that of a⊥ in the buffer layer. This phenomenon strongly suggests that microplastic domains are generated in the buffer layer.

Doped Y.sub.2O.sub.3 buffer layers for laminated conductors

DOEpatents

Paranthaman, Mariappan Parans [Knoxville, TN; Schoop, Urs [Westborough, MA; Goyal, Amit [Knoxville, TN; Thieme, Cornelis Leo Hans [Westborough, MA; Verebelyi, Darren T [Oxford, MA; Rupich, Martin W [Framingham, MA

2007-08-21

A laminated conductor includes a metallic substrate having a surface, a biaxially textured buffer layer supported by the surface of the metallic substrate, the biaxially textured buffer layer comprising Y.sub.2O.sub.3 and a dopant for blocking cation diffusion through the Y.sub.2O.sub.3, and a biaxially textured conductor layer supported by the biaxially textured buffer layer.

Numerical and Experimental Study on the Residual Stresses in the Nitrided Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, X.; Zhang, Zhi-Qian; Narayanaswamy, S.; Huang, Y. Z.; Zarinejad, M.

2016-09-01

In the present work, residual stresses distribution in the gas nitrided AISI 4140 sample has been studied using finite element (FE) simulation. The nitrogen concentration profile is obtained from the diffusion-controlled compound layer growth model, and nitrogen concentration controls the material volume change through phase transformation and lattice interstitials which results in residual stresses. Such model is validated through residual stress measurement technique—micro-ring-core method, which is applied to the nitriding process to obtain the residual stresses profiles in both the compound and diffusion layer. The numerical and experimental results are in good agreement with each other; they both indicate significant stress variation in the compound layer, which was not captured in previous research works due to the resolution limit of the traditional methods.

Metal surface nitriding by laser induced plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomann, A. L.; Boulmer-Leborgne, C.; Andreazza-Vignolle, C.; Andreazza, P.; Hermann, J.; Blondiaux, G.

1996-10-01

We study a nitriding technique of metals by means of laser induced plasma. The synthesized layers are composed of a nitrogen concentration gradient over several μm depth, and are expected to be useful for tribological applications with no adhesion problem. The nitriding method is tested on the synthesis of titanium nitride which is a well-known compound, obtained at present by many deposition and diffusion techniques. In the method of interest, a laser beam is focused on a titanium target in a nitrogen atmosphere, leading to the creation of a plasma over the metal surface. In order to understand the layer formation, it is necessary to characterize the plasma as well as the surface that it has been in contact with. Progressive nitrogen incorporation in the titanium lattice and TiN synthesis are studied by characterizing samples prepared with increasing laser shot number (100-4000). The role of the laser wavelength is also inspected by comparing layers obtained with two kinds of pulsed lasers: a transversal-excited-atmospheric-pressure-CO2 laser (λ=10.6 μm) and a XeCl excimer laser (λ=308 nm). Simulations of the target temperature rise under laser irradiation are performed, which evidence differences in the initial laser/material interaction (material heated thickness, heating time duration, etc.) depending on the laser features (wavelength and pulse time duration). Results from plasma characterization also point out that the plasma composition and propagation mode depend on the laser wavelength. Correlation of these results with those obtained from layer analyses shows at first the important role played by the plasma in the nitrogen incorporation. Its presence is necessary and allows N2 dissociation and a better energy coupling with the target. Second, it appears that the nitrogen diffusion governs the nitriding process. The study of the metal nitriding efficiency, depending on the laser used, allows us to explain the differences observed in the layer features as purity, thickness, and surface morphology.

Characterization of Cu buffer layers for growth of L10-FeNi thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mizuguchi, M.; Sekiya, S.; Takanashi, K.

2010-05-01

A Cu(001) layer was fabricated on a Au(001) layer to investigate the use of Cu as a buffer layer for growing L10-FeNi thin films. The epitaxial growth of a Cu buffer layer was observed using reflection high-energy electron diffraction. The flatness of the layer improved drastically with an increase in the substrate temperature although the layer was an alloy (AuCu3). An FeNi thin film was epitaxially grown on the AuCu3 buffer layer by alternate monatomic layer deposition and the formation of an L10-FeNi ordered alloy was expected. The AuCu3 buffer layer is thus a promising candidate material for the growth of L10-FeNi thin films.

Advances and directions of ion nitriding/carburizing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spalvins, Talivaldis

1989-01-01

Ion nitriding and carburizing are plasma activated thermodynamic processes for the production of case hardened surface layers not only for ferrous materials, but also for an increasing number of nonferrous metals. When the treatment variables are properly controlled, the use of nitrogenous or carbonaceous glow discharge medium offers great flexibility in tailoring surface/near-surface properties independently of the bulk properties. The ion nitriding process has reached a high level of maturity and has gained wide industrial acceptance, while the more recently introduced ion carburizing process is rapidly gaining industrial acceptance. The current status of plasma mass transfer mechanisms into the surface regarding the formation of compound and diffusion layers in ion nitriding and carbon build-up ion carburizing is reviewed. In addition, the recent developments in design and construction of advanced equipment for obtaining optimized and controlled case/core properties is summarized. Also, new developments and trends such as duplex plasma treatments and alternatives to dc diode nitriding are highlighted.

High efficiency III-nitride light-emitting diodes

DOEpatents

Crawford, Mary; Koleske, Daniel; Cho, Jaehee; Zhu, Di; Noemaun, Ahmed; Schubert, Martin F; Schubert, E. Fred

2013-05-28

Tailored doping of barrier layers enables balancing of the radiative recombination among the multiple-quantum-wells in III-Nitride light-emitting diodes. This tailored doping enables more symmetric carrier transport and uniform carrier distribution which help to reduce electron leakage and thus reduce the efficiency droop in high-power III-Nitride LEDs. Mitigation of the efficiency droop in III-Nitride LEDs may enable the pervasive market penetration of solid-state-lighting technologies in high-power lighting and illumination.

Homogeneous and heterogeneous micro-structuring of austenitic stainless steels by the low temperature plasma nitriding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aizawa, T.; Yoshihara, S.-I.

2018-06-01

The austenitic stainless steels have been widely utilized as a structural component and member as well as a die and mold substrate for stamping. AISI316 dies and molds require for the surface treatment to accommodate the sufficient hardness and wear resistance to them. In addition, the candidate treatment methods must be free from toxicity, energy consumption and inefficiency. The low temperature plasma nitriding process has become one of the most promising methods to make solid-solution hardening by the nitrogen super-saturation. In the present paper, the high density RF/DC plasma nitriding process was applied to form the uniform nitrided layer in the AISI316 matrix and to describe the essential mechanism of inner nitriding in this low temperature nitriding process. In case of the nitrided AISI316 at 673 K for 14.4ks, the nitrided layer thickness became 60 μm with the surface hardness of 1700 HV and the surface nitrogen content of 7 mass %. This inner nitriding process is governed by the synergetic interrelation among the nitrogen super-saturation, the lattice expansion, the phase transformation, the plastic straining, the microstructure refinement and the acceleration of nitrogen diffusion. As far as this interrelation is sustained during the nitriding process, the original austenitic microstructure is homogeneously nitrided to have fine grains with the average size of 0.1 μm and the high crystallographic misorientation angles and to have two phase (γ + α’) structures with the plateau of nitrogen content by 5 mass%. Once this interrelation does not work anymore, the homogeneous microstructure changed itself to the heterogeneous one. The plastic straining took place in the selected coarse grains; they were partially refined into subgrains. This plastic localization accompanied the localized phase transformation.

Thickness determination of few-layer hexagonal boron nitride films by scanning electron microscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sutter, P., E-mail: psutter@bnl.gov; Sutter, E.

2014-09-01

We assess scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) for thickness measurements on few-layer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), the layered dielectric of choice for integration with graphene and other two-dimensional materials. Observations on h-BN islands with large, atomically flat terraces show that the secondary electron intensity in SEM reflects monolayer height changes in films up to least 10 atomic layers thickness. From a quantitative analysis of AES data, the energy-dependent electron escape depth in h-BN films is deduced. The results show that AES is suitable for absolute thickness measurements of few-layer h-BN of 1 to 6 layers.

Method of deforming a biaxially textured buffer layer on a textured metallic substrate and articles therefrom

DOEpatents

Lee, Dominic F.; Kroeger, Donald M.; Goyal, Amit

2000-01-01

The present invention provides methods and biaxially textured articles having a deformed epitaxial layer formed therefrom for use with high temperature superconductors, photovoltaic, ferroelectric, or optical devices. A buffer layer is epitaxially deposited onto biaxially-textured substrates and then mechanically deformed. The deformation process minimizes or eliminates grooves, or other irregularities, formed on the buffer layer while maintaining the biaxial texture of the buffer layer. Advantageously, the biaxial texture of the buffer layer is not altered during subsequent heat treatments of the deformed buffer. The present invention provides mechanical densification procedures which can be incorporated into the processing of superconducting films through the powder deposit or precursor approaches without incurring unfavorable high-angle grain boundaries.

Passivation on High Q Acoustic Strain Sensor for Accelerometer.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-11-01

selection of passivation layers. Preliminary results indicated that V203 , (yttrium oxide ) and AIN (aluminum nitride) were the best materials for...thickness selection of passivation layers. Preliminary results indicated that Y203 (yttrium oxide ) and AIN (aluminum nitride) were the best materials...crystal, in this case a parabolic temperature characteristic. Several circuits were designed using varactor diode phase shifting networks. FOjcTl Ta tor

Fabrication of Ta2O5/GeNx gate insulator stack for Ge metal-insulator-semiconductor structures by electron-cyclotron-resonance plasma nitridation and sputtering deposition techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otani, Yohei; Itayama, Yasuhiro; Tanaka, Takuo; Fukuda, Yukio; Toyota, Hiroshi; Ono, Toshiro; Mitsui, Minoru; Nakagawa, Kiyokazu

2007-04-01

The authors have fabricated germanium (Ge) metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structures with a 7-nm-thick tantalum pentaoxide (Ta2O5)/2-nm-thick germanium nitride (GeNx) gate insulator stack by electron-cyclotron-resonance plasma nitridation and sputtering deposition. They found that pure GeNx ultrathin layers can be formed by the direct plasma nitridation of the Ge surface without substrate heating. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed no oxidation of the GeNx layer after the Ta2O5 sputtering deposition. The fabricated MIS capacitor with a capacitance equivalent thickness of 4.3nm showed excellent leakage current characteristics. The interface trap density obtained by the modified conductance method was 4×1011cm-2eV-1 at the midgap.

Selectively Enhanced UV-A Photoresponsivity of a GaN MSM UV Photodetector with a Step-Graded AlxGa1-xN Buffer Layer.

PubMed

Lee, Chang-Ju; Won, Chul-Ho; Lee, Jung-Hee; Hahm, Sung-Ho; Park, Hongsik

2017-07-21

The UV-to-visible rejection ratio is one of the important figure of merits of GaN-based UV photodetectors. For cost-effectiveness and large-scale fabrication of GaN devices, we tried to grow a GaN epitaxial layer on silicon substrate with complicated buffer layers for a stress-release. It is known that the structure of the buffer layers affects the performance of devices fabricated on the GaN epitaxial layers. In this study, we show that the design of a buffer layer structure can make effect on the UV-to-visible rejection ratio of GaN UV photodetectors. The GaN photodetector fabricated on GaN-on-silicon substrate with a step-graded Al x Ga -x N buffer layer has a highly-selective photoresponse at 365-nm wavelength. The UV-to-visible rejection ratio of the GaN UV photodetector with the step-graded Al x Ga 1-x N buffer layer was an order-of-magnitude higher than that of a photodetector with a conventional GaN/AlN multi buffer layer. The maximum photoresponsivity was as high as 5 × 10 - ² A/W. This result implies that the design of buffer layer is important for photoresponse characteristics of GaN UV photodetectors as well as the crystal quality of the GaN epitaxial layers.

Feasibility study of silicon nitride protection of plastic encapsulated semiconductors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peters, J. W.; Hall, T. C.; Erickson, J. J.; Gebhart, F. L.

1979-01-01

The application of low temperature silicon nitride protective layers on wire bonded integrated circuits mounted on lead frame assemblies is reported. An evaluation of the mechanical and electrical compatibility of both plasma nitride and photochemical silicon nitride (photonitride) passivations (parallel evaluations) of integrated circuits which were then encapsulated in plastic is described. Photonitride passivation is compatible with all wire bonded lead frame assemblies, with or without initial chip passivation. Plasma nitride passivation of lead frame assemblies is possible only if the chip is passivated before lead frame assembly. The survival rate after the environmental test sequence of devices with a coating of plasma nitride on the chip and a coating of either plasma nitride or photonitride over the assembled device is significantly greater than that of devices assembled with no nitride protective coating over either chip or lead frame.

Synthesis of reduced carbon nitride at the reduction by hydroquinone of water-soluble carbon nitride oxide (g-C3N4)O

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kharlamov, Alexey; Bondarenko, Marina; Kharlamova, Ganna; Fomenko, Veniamin

2016-09-01

For the first time at the reduction by hydroquinone of water-soluble carbon nitride oxide (g-C3N4)O reduced carbon nitride (or reduced multi-layer azagraphene) is obtained. It is differed from usually synthesized carbon nitride by a significantly large (on 0.09 nm) interplanar distance is. At the same time, the chemical bonds between atoms in a heteroatomic plane of reduced carbon nitride correspond to the bonds in a synthesized g-C3N4. The samples of water-soluble carbon nitride oxide were synthesized under the special reactionary conditions of a pyrolysis of melamine and urea. We believe that reduced carbon nitride consists of weakly connected carbon-nitrogen monosheets (azagraphene sheets) as well as reduced (from graphene oxide) graphene contains weakly connected graphene sheets.

Alloy Effects on the Gas Nitriding Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, M.; Sisson, R. D.

2014-12-01

Alloy elements, such as Al, Cr, V, and Mo, have been used to improve the nitriding performance of steels. In the present work, plain carbon steel AISI 1045 and alloy steel AISI 4140 were selected to compare the nitriding effects of the alloying elements in AISI 4140. Fundamental analysis is carried out by using the "Lehrer-like" diagrams (alloy specific Lehrer diagram and nitriding potential versus nitrogen concentration diagram) and the compound layer growth model to simulate the gas nitriding process. With this method, the fundamental understanding for the alloy effect based on the thermodynamics and kinetics becomes possible. This new method paves the way for the development of new alloy for nitriding.

Mitigation of substrate defects in reticles using multilayer buffer layers

DOEpatents

Mirkarimi, Paul B.; Bajt, Sasa; Stearns, Daniel G.

2001-01-01

A multilayer film is used as a buffer layer to minimize the size of defects on a reticle substrate prior to deposition of a reflective coating on the substrate. The multilayer buffer layer deposited intermediate the reticle substrate and the reflective coating produces a smoothing of small particles and other defects on the reticle substrate. The reduction in defect size is controlled by surface relaxation during the buffer layer growth process and by the degree of intermixing and volume contraction of the materials at the multilayer interfaces. The buffer layers are deposited at near-normal incidence via a low particulate ion beam sputtering process. The growth surface of the buffer layer may also be heated by a secondary ion source to increase the degree of intermixing and improve the mitigation of defects.

In-situ NC-AFM measurements of high quality AlN(0001) layers grown at low growth rate on 4H-SiC(0001) and Si(111) substrates using ammonia molecular beam epitaxy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chaumeton, Florian, E-mail: florian.chaumeton@cemes.fr; Gauthier, Sébastien, E-mail: gauthier@cemes.fr; Martrou, David, E-mail: david.martrou@cemes.fr

Nitride wide-band-gap semiconductors are used to make high power electronic devices or efficient light sources. The performance of GaN-based devices is directly linked to the initial AlN buffer layer. During the last twenty years of research on nitride growth, only few information on the AlN surface quality have been obtained, mainly by ex-situ characterization techniques. Thanks to a Non Contact Atomic Force Microscope (NC-AFM) connected under ultra high vacuum (UHV) to a dedicated molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) chamber, the surface of AlN(0001) thin films grown on Si(111) and 4H-SiC(0001) substrates has been characterized. These experiments give access to a quantitativemore » determination of the density of screw and edge dislocations at the surface. The layers were also characterized by ex-situ SEM to observe the largest defects such as relaxation dislocations and hillocks. The influence of the growth parameters (substrate temperature, growth speed, III/V ratio) and of the initial substrate preparation on the dislocation density was also investigated. On Si(111), the large in-plane lattice mismatch with AlN(0001) (19%) induces a high dislocation density ranging from 6 to 12×10{sup 10}/cm{sup 2} depending on the growth conditions. On 4H-SiC(0001) (1% mismatch with AlN(0001)), the dislocation density decreases to less than 10{sup 10}/cm{sup 2}, but hillocks appear, depending on the initial SiC(0001) reconstruction. The use of a very low growth rate of 10 nm/h at the beginning of the growth process allows to decrease the dislocation density below 2 × 10{sup 9}/cm{sup 2}.« less

Buffer layer dependence of magnetoresistance effects in Co2Fe0.4Mn0.6Si/MgO/Co50Fe50 tunnel junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Mingling; Kubota, Takahide; Takahashi, Shigeki; Kawato, Yoshiaki; Sonobe, Yoshiaki; Takanashi, Koki

2018-05-01

Buffer layer dependence of tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) effects was investigated in Co2Fe0.4Mn0.6Si (CFMS)/MgO/Co50Fe50 magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). Pd, Ru and Cr were selected for the buffer layer materials, and MTJs with three different CFMS thicknesses (30, 5, and 0.8 nm) were fabricated. A maximum TMR ratio of 136% was observed in the Ru buffer layer sample with a 30-nm-thick CFMS layer. TMR ratios drastically degraded for the CFMS thickness of 0.8 nm, and the values were 26% for Cr buffer layer and less than 1% for Pd and Ru buffer layers. From the annealing temperature dependence of the TMR ratios, amounts of interdiffusion and effects from the lattice mismatch were discussed.

Nitride based quantum well light-emitting devices having improved current injection efficiency

DOEpatents

Tansu, Nelson; Zhao, Hongping; Liu, Guangyu; Arif, Ronald

2014-12-09

A III-nitride based device provides improved current injection efficiency by reducing thermionic carrier escape at high current density. The device includes a quantum well active layer and a pair of multi-layer barrier layers arranged symmetrically about the active layer. Each multi-layer barrier layer includes an inner layer abutting the active layer; and an outer layer abutting the inner layer. The inner barrier layer has a bandgap greater than that of the outer barrier layer. Both the inner and the outer barrier layer have bandgaps greater than that of the active layer. InGaN may be employed in the active layer, AlInN, AlInGaN or AlGaN may be employed in the inner barrier layer, and GaN may be employed in the outer barrier layer. Preferably, the inner layer is thin relative to the other layers. In one embodiment the inner barrier and active layers are 15 .ANG. and 24 .ANG. thick, respectively.

Dispersion engineering of thick high-Q silicon nitride ring-resonators via atomic layer deposition.

PubMed

Riemensberger, Johann; Hartinger, Klaus; Herr, Tobias; Brasch, Victor; Holzwarth, Ronald; Kippenberg, Tobias J

2012-12-03

We demonstrate dispersion engineering of integrated silicon nitride based ring resonators through conformal coating with hafnium dioxide deposited on top of the structures via atomic layer deposition. Both, magnitude and bandwidth of anomalous dispersion can be significantly increased. The results are confirmed by high resolution frequency-comb-assisted-diode-laser spectroscopy and are in very good agreement with the simulated modification of the mode spectrum.

Corrosion resistant PEM fuel cell

DOEpatents

Li, Yang; Meng, Wen-Jin; Swathirajan, Swathy; Harris, Stephen Joel; Doll, Gary Lynn

2001-07-17

The present invention contemplates a PEM fuel cell having electrical contact elements (including bipolar plates/septums) comprising a titanium nitride coated light weight metal (e.g., Al or Ti) core, having a passivating, protective metal layer intermediate the core and the titanium nitride. The protective layer forms a barrier to further oxidation/corrosion when exposed to the fuel cell's operating environment. Stainless steels rich in CR, Ni, and Mo are particularly effective protective interlayers.

Corrosion resistant PEM fuel cell

DOEpatents

Li, Yang; Meng, Wen-Jin; Swathirajan, Swathy; Harris, Stephen Joel; Doll, Gary Lynn

2002-01-01

The present invention contemplates a PEM fuel cell having electrical contact elements (including bipolar plates/septums) comprising a titanium nitride coated light weight metal (e.g., Al or Ti) core, having a passivating, protective metal layer intermediate the core and the titanium nitride. The protective layer forms a barrier to further oxidation/corrosion when exposed to the fuel cell's operating environment. Stainless steels rich in CR, Ni, and Mo are particularly effective protective interlayers.

Corrosion resistant PEM fuel cell

DOEpatents

Li, Yang; Meng, Wen-Jin; Swathirajan, Swathy; Harris, Stephen J.; Doll, Gary L.

1997-01-01

The present invention contemplates a PEM fuel cell having electrical contact elements (including bipolar plates/septums) comprising a titanium nitride coated light weight metal (e.g., Al or Ti) core, having a passivating, protective metal layer intermediate the core and the titanium nitride. The protective layer forms a barrier to further oxidation/corrosion when exposed to the fuel cell's operating environment. Stainless steels rich in CR, Ni, and Mo are particularly effective protective interlayers.

Tribological properties of CrN coatings deposited by nitro-chromizing treatment on AISI D2 steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durmaz, M.; Kilinc, B.; Abakay, E.; Sen, U.; Sen, S.

2015-03-01

In this work, the wear test of uncoated and chromium nitride coated AISI D2 cold work tool steel against alumina ball realized at 0.1 m/s sliding speeds and under the loads of 2.5N, 5N and 10N. Steel samples were nitrided at 575°C for 8 h in the first step of the coating process, and then chromium nitride coating was performed thermo-reactive deposition technique (TRD) in a powder mixture consisting of ferro-chromium, ammonium chloride and alumina at 1000°C for 2 h. Nitro-chromized samples were characterized by X-Ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), micro-hardness and ball on disk wear tests. The coating layer formed on the AISI D2 steel was compact and homogeneous. X-ray studies showed that the phase formed in the coated layer is Cr2N. The depth of the layer was 8.15 µm. The average hardness of the layer was 2160±15 HV0.025. For uncoated and chromium nitride materials, wear rate increased with increasing load. The results of friction coefficient and wear rate of the tested materials showed that the CrN coating presents the lowest results.

Interface Engineering of Monolayer MoS2/GaN Hybrid Heterostructure: Modified Band Alignment for Photocatalytic Water Splitting Application by Nitridation Treatment.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhaofu; Qian, Qingkai; Li, Baikui; Chen, Kevin J

2018-05-23

Interface engineering is a key strategy to deal with the two-dimensional (2D)/three-dimensional (3D) hybrid heterostructure, since the properties of this atomic-layer-thick 2D material can easily be impacted by the substrate environment. In this work, the structural, electronic, and optical properties of the 2D/3D heterostructure of monolayer MoS 2 on wurtzite GaN surface without and with nitridation interfacial layer are systematically investigated by first-principles calculation and experimental analysis. The nitridation interfacial layer can be introduced into the 2D/3D heterostructure by remote N 2 plasma treatment to GaN sample surface prior to stacking monolayer MoS 2 on top. The calculation results reveal that the 2D/3D integrated heterostructure is energetically favorable with a negative formation energy. Both interfaces demonstrate indirect band gap, which is a benefit for longer lifetime of the photoexcited carriers. Meanwhile, the conduction band edge and valence band edge of the MoS 2 side increases after nitridation treatment. The modification to band alignment is then verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurement on MoS 2 /GaN heterostructures constructed by a modified wet-transfer technique, which indicates that the MoS 2 /GaN heterostructure without nitridation shows a type-II alignment with a conduction band offset (CBO) of only 0.07 eV. However, by the deployment of interface nitridation, the band edges of MoS 2 move upward for ∼0.5 eV as a result of the nitridized substrate property. The significantly increased CBO could lead to better electron accumulation capability at the GaN side. The nitridized 2D/3D heterostructure with effective interface treatment exhibits a clean band gap and substantial optical absorption ability and could be potentially used as practical photocatalyst for hydrogen generation by water splitting using solar energy.

Corrosion resistance of monolayer hexagonal boron nitride on copper

PubMed Central

Mahvash, F.; Eissa, S.; Bordjiba, T.; Tavares, A. C.; Szkopek, T.; Siaj, M.

2017-01-01

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is a layered material with high thermal and chemical stability ideal for ultrathin corrosion resistant coatings. Here, we report the corrosion resistance of Cu with hBN grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Cyclic voltammetry measurements reveal that hBN layers inhibit Cu corrosion and oxygen reduction. We find that CVD grown hBN reduces the Cu corrosion rate by one order of magnitude compared to bare Cu, suggesting that this ultrathin layer can be employed as an atomically thin corrosion-inhibition coating. PMID:28191822

Passivation of uranium towards air corrosion by N 2+ and C + ion implantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arkush, R.; Mintz, M. H.; Shamir, N.

2000-10-01

The passivation of uranium surfaces against air corrosion, by ion implantation processes was studied, using surface analysis methods. Implanting 45 keV N +2 and C + ions produces thin modified surface layers with gradual gradients of the corresponding compounds (i.e., nitrides and carbides, respectively), which avoid the formation of discontinuous interfaces typical to coatings. Such gradual interfaces impart excellent mechanical stability and adhesion to the modified layers, in spite of the large misfit between the metal substrate and the implantation on induced compounds. It turns out that these layers provide an almost absolute protection against air corrosion. A rapid initial stage of oxidation of the modified surface layers takes place, forming very thin protective oxidation zones (1-4 nm thick), which practically stop further air oxidation for years. The mechanism of the initial oxidation stage of the modified layers seems to vary with the type of surface (i.e., either nitrides or carbides). However, in any case the protection ability of the formed oxidation products is excellent, probably due to the close match between these compounds and the underlying nitrides or carbides.

Quantifying electronic band interactions in van der Waals materials using angle-resolved reflected-electron spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Jobst, Johannes; van der Torren, Alexander J. H.; Krasovskii, Eugene E.; Balgley, Jesse; Dean, Cory R.; Tromp, Rudolf M.; van der Molen, Sense Jan

2016-01-01

High electron mobility is one of graphene's key properties, exploited for applications and fundamental research alike. Highest mobility values are found in heterostructures of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride, which consequently are widely used. However, surprisingly little is known about the interaction between the electronic states of these layered systems. Rather pragmatically, it is assumed that these do not couple significantly. Here we study the unoccupied band structure of graphite, boron nitride and their heterostructures using angle-resolved reflected-electron spectroscopy. We demonstrate that graphene and boron nitride bands do not interact over a wide energy range, despite their very similar dispersions. The method we use can be generally applied to study interactions in van der Waals systems, that is, artificial stacks of layered materials. With this we can quantitatively understand the ‘chemistry of layers' by which novel materials are created via electronic coupling between the layers they are composed of. PMID:27897180

Chemical trends of Schottky barrier behavior on monolayer hexagonal B, Al, and Ga nitrides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Haichang; Guo, Yuzheng; Robertson, John

2016-08-01

The Schottky Barrier Heights (SBH) of metal layers on top of monolayer hexagonal X-nitrides (X = B, Al, Ga, and h-XN) are calculated using supercells and density functional theory so as to understand the chemical trends of contact formation on graphene and the 2D layered semiconductors such as the transition metal dichalcogenides. The Fermi level pinning factor S of SBHs on h-BN is calculated to be nearly 1, indicating no pinning. For h-AlN and h-GaN, the calculated pinning factor is about 0.63, less than for h-BN. We attribute this to the formation of stronger, chemisorptive bonds between the nitrides and the contact metal layer. Generally, the h-BN layer remains in a planar sp2 geometry and has weak physisorptive bonds to the metals, whereas h-AlN and h-GaN buckle out of their planar geometry which enables them to form the chemisorptive bonds to the metals.

Buffer layers for REBCO films for use in superconducting devices

DOEpatents

Goyal, Amit; Wee, Sung-Hun

2014-06-10

A superconducting article includes a substrate having a biaxially textured surface. A biaxially textured buffer layer, which can be a cap layer, is supported by the substrate. The buffer layer includes a double perovskite of the formula A.sub.2B'B''O.sub.6, where A is rare earth or alkaline earth metal and B' and B'' are different transition metal cations. A biaxially textured superconductor layer is deposited so as to be supported by the buffer layer. A method of making a superconducting article is also disclosed.

Study of SiO{sub 2}/4H-SiC interface nitridation by post-oxidation annealing in pure nitrogen gas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chanthaphan, Atthawut, E-mail: chanthaphan@asf.mls.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp; Hosoi, Takuji, E-mail: hosoi@mls.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp; Shimura, Takayoshi

An alternative and effective method to perform interface nitridation for 4H-SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices was developed. We found that the high-temperature post-oxidation annealing (POA) in N{sub 2} ambient was beneficial to incorporate a sufficient amount of nitrogen atoms directly into thermal SiO{sub 2}/SiC interfaces. Although N{sub 2}-POA was ineffective for samples with thick thermal oxide layers, interface nitridation using N{sub 2}-POA was achieved under certain conditions, i.e., thin SiO{sub 2} layers (< 15 nm) and high annealing temperatures (>1350°C). Electrical characterizations of SiC-MOS capacitors treated with high-temperature N{sub 2}-POA revealed the same evidence of slow trap passivation and fast trapmore » generation that occurred in NO-treated devices fabricated with the optimized nitridation conditions.« less

AlGaSb Buffer Layers for Sb-Based Transistors

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

transistor ( HEMT ), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), field-effect transistor (FET), buffer layer INTRODUCTION High-electron-mobility transistors ( HEMTs ) with InAs...monolayers/s. The use of thinner buffer layers reduces molecular beam epitaxial growth time and source consumption. The buffer layers also exhibit...source. In addition, some of the flux from an Sb cell in a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system will deposit near the mouth of the cell, eventually

Gallium nitride optoelectronic devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chu, T. L.; Chu, S. S.

1972-01-01

The growth of bulk gallium nitride crystals was achieved by the ammonolysis of gallium monochloride. Gallium nitride single crystals up to 2.5 x 0.5 cm in size were produced. The crystals are suitable as substrates for the epitaxial growth of gallium nitride. The epitaxial growth of gallium nitride on sapphire substrates with main faces of (0001) and (1T02) orientations was achieved by the ammonolysis of gallium monochloride in a gas flow system. The grown layers had electron concentrations in the range of 1 to 3 x 10 to the 19th power/cu cm and Hall mobilities in the range of 50 to 100 sq cm/v/sec at room temperature.

Molten tin reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel elements

DOEpatents

Heckman, Richard A.

1983-01-01

A method and apparatus for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel is described. Within a containment vessel, a solid plug of tin and nitride precipitates supports a circulating bath of liquid tin therein. Spent nuclear fuel is immersed in the liquid tin under an atmosphere of nitrogen, resulting in the formation of nitride precipitates. The layer of liquid tin and nitride precipitates which interfaces the plug is solidified and integrated with the plug. Part of the plug is melted, removing nitride precipitates from the containment vessel, while a portion of the plug remains solidified to support the liquid tin and nitride precipitates remaining in the containment vessel. The process is practiced numerous times until substantially all of the precipitated nitrides are removed from the containment vessel.

Investigating Tribological Characteristics of HVOF Sprayed AISI 316 Stainless Steel Coating by Pulsed Plasma Nitriding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mindivan, H.

2018-01-01

In this study, surface modification of aluminum alloy using High-Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) thermal spray and pulsed plasma nitriding processes was investigated. AISI 316 stainless steel coating on 1050 aluminum alloy substrate by HVOF process was pulsed plasma nitrided at 793 K under 0.00025 MPa pressure for 43200 s in a gas mixture of 75 % N2 and 25 % H2. The results showed that the pulse plasma nitriding process produced a surface layer with CrN, iron nitrides (Fe3N, Fe4N) and expanded austenite (γN). The pulsed plasma nitrided HVOF-sprayed coating showed higher surface hardness, lower wear rate and coefficient of friction than the untreated HVOF-sprayed one.

Selective excitation of window and buffer layers in chalcopyrite devices and modules

DOE PAGES

Glynn, Stephen; Repins, Ingrid L.; Burst, James M.; ...

2018-02-02

Window and buffer layers in chalcopyrite devices are well known to affect junctions, conduction, and photo-absorption properties of the device. Some of these layers, particularly 'buffers,' which are deposited directly on top of the absorber, exhibit metastable effects upon exposure to light. Thus, to understand device performance and/or metastability, it is sometimes desirable to selectively excite different layers in the device stack. Absorption characteristics of various window and buffer layers used in chalcopyrite devices are measured. These characteristics are compared with emission spectra of common and available light sources that might be used to optically excite such layers. Effects ofmore » the window and buffer absorption on device quantum efficiency and metastability are discussed. For the case of bath-deposited Zn(O,S) buffers, we conclude that this layer is not optically excited in research devices or modules. Furthermore, this provides a complimentary mechanism to the chemical differences that may cause long time constants (compared to devices with CdS buffers) associated with reaching a stable 'light-soaked' state.« less

Selective excitation of window and buffer layers in chalcopyrite devices and modules

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Glynn, Stephen; Repins, Ingrid L.; Burst, James M.

Window and buffer layers in chalcopyrite devices are well known to affect junctions, conduction, and photo-absorption properties of the device. Some of these layers, particularly 'buffers,' which are deposited directly on top of the absorber, exhibit metastable effects upon exposure to light. Thus, to understand device performance and/or metastability, it is sometimes desirable to selectively excite different layers in the device stack. Absorption characteristics of various window and buffer layers used in chalcopyrite devices are measured. These characteristics are compared with emission spectra of common and available light sources that might be used to optically excite such layers. Effects ofmore » the window and buffer absorption on device quantum efficiency and metastability are discussed. For the case of bath-deposited Zn(O,S) buffers, we conclude that this layer is not optically excited in research devices or modules. Furthermore, this provides a complimentary mechanism to the chemical differences that may cause long time constants (compared to devices with CdS buffers) associated with reaching a stable 'light-soaked' state.« less

Heuristic Analysis Model of Nitrided Layers’ Formation Consisting of the Image Processing and Analysis and Elements of Artificial Intelligence

PubMed Central

Wójcicki, Tomasz; Nowicki, Michał

2016-01-01

The article presents a selected area of research and development concerning the methods of material analysis based on the automatic image recognition of the investigated metallographic sections. The objectives of the analyses of the materials for gas nitriding technology are described. The methods of the preparation of nitrided layers, the steps of the process and the construction and operation of devices for gas nitriding are given. We discuss the possibility of using the methods of digital images processing in the analysis of the materials, as well as their essential task groups: improving the quality of the images, segmentation, morphological transformations and image recognition. The developed analysis model of the nitrided layers formation, covering image processing and analysis techniques, as well as selected methods of artificial intelligence are presented. The model is divided into stages, which are formalized in order to better reproduce their actions. The validation of the presented method is performed. The advantages and limitations of the developed solution, as well as the possibilities of its practical use, are listed. PMID:28773389

Buffer layer for thin film structures

DOEpatents

Foltyn, Stephen R.; Jia, Quanxi; Arendt, Paul N.; Wang, Haiyan

2006-10-31

A composite structure including a base substrate and a layer of a mixture of strontium titanate and strontium ruthenate is provided. A superconducting article can include a composite structure including an outermost layer of magnesium oxide, a buffer layer of strontium titanate or a mixture of strontium titanate and strontium ruthenate and a top-layer of a superconducting material such as YBCO upon the buffer layer.

Buffer layer for thin film structures

DOEpatents

Foltyn, Stephen R.; Jia, Quanxi; Arendt, Paul N.; Wang, Haiyan

2010-06-15

A composite structure including a base substrate and a layer of a mixture of strontium titanate and strontium ruthenate is provided. A superconducting article can include a composite structure including an outermost layer of magnesium oxide, a buffer layer of strontium titanate or a mixture of strontium titanate and strontium ruthenate and a top-layer of a superconducting material such as YBCO upon the buffer layer.

On buffer layers as non-reflecting computational boundaries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayder, M. Ehtesham; Turkel, Eli L.

1996-01-01

We examine an absorbing buffer layer technique for use as a non-reflecting boundary condition in the numerical simulation of flows. One such formulation was by Ta'asan and Nark for the linearized Euler equations. They modified the flow inside the buffer zone to artificially make it supersonic in the layer. We examine how this approach can be extended to the nonlinear Euler equations. We consider both a conservative and a non-conservative form modifying the governing equations in the buffer layer. We compare this with the case that the governing equations in the layer are the same as in the interior domain. We test the effectiveness of these buffer layers by a simulation of an excited axisymmetric jet based on a nonlinear compressible Navier-Stokes equations.

Mechanical behavior enhancement of defective graphene sheet employing boron nitride coating via atomistic study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setoodeh, A. R.; Badjian, H.

2017-12-01

The most stable form of boron nitride polymorph naming hexagonal boron nitride sheet has recently been widely concerned like graphite due to its interesting features such as electrical insulation and high thermal conductivity. In this study, the molecular dynamic simulations are implemented to investigate the mechanical properties of single-layer graphene sheets under tensile and compressive loadings in the absence and presence of boron-nitride coating layers. In this introduced hybrid nanostructure, the benefit of combining both individual interesting features of graphene and boron-nitride sheets such as exceptional mechanical and electrical properties can be simultaneously achieved for future potential application in nano devices. The influences of chiral indices, boundary conditions and presence of mono-atomic vacancy defects as well as coating dimension on the mechanical behavior of the resulted hybrid structure are reported. The interatomic forces between the atoms are modeled by employing the AIREBO and Tersoff-Brenner potentials for carbon-carbon and boron-nitrogen atoms in each layer, respectively. Furthermore, the van der Waal interlayer forces of carbon-boron and carbon-nitrogen are estimated by the Lennard-Jones potential field. Besides the potential improvement in electrical and physical properties of the nanostructure, it is demonstrated that the buckling load capacity of the fully coated graphene sheet with 3% concentration of mono-atomic vacancy defects noticeably enhances by amounts of 24.1%.

The Effect of Buffer Types on the In0.82Ga0.18As Epitaxial Layer Grown on an InP (100) Substrate.

PubMed

Zhang, Min; Guo, Zuoxing; Zhao, Liang; Yang, Shen; Zhao, Lei

2018-06-08

In 0.82 Ga 0.18 As epitaxial layers were grown on InP (100) substrates at 530 °C by a low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (LP-MOCVD) technique. The effects of different buffer structures, such as a single buffer layer, compositionally graded buffer layers, and superlattice buffer layers, on the crystalline quality and property were investigated. Double-crystal X-ray diffraction (DC-XRD) measurement, Raman scattering spectrum, and Hall measurements were used to evaluate the crystalline quality and electrical property. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used to characterize the surface morphology and microstructure, respectively. Compared with the In 0.82 Ga 0.18 As epitaxial layer directly grown on an InP substrate, the quality of the sample is not obviously improved by using a single In 0.82 Ga 0.18 As buffer layer. By introducing the graded In x Ga 1−x As buffer layers, it was found that the dislocation density in the epitaxial layer significantly decreased and the surface quality improved remarkably. In addition, the number of dislocations in the epitaxial layer greatly decreased under the combined action of multi-potential wells and potential barriers by the introduction of a In 0.82 Ga 0.18 As/In 0.82 Al 0.18 As superlattice buffer. However, the surface subsequently roughened, which may be explained by surface undulation.

Corrosion resistant PEM fuel cell

DOEpatents

Li, Y.; Meng, W.J.; Swathirajan, S.; Harris, S.J.; Doll, G.L.

1997-04-29

The present invention contemplates a PEM fuel cell having electrical contact elements (including bipolar plates/septums) comprising a titanium nitride coated light weight metal (e.g., Al or Ti) core, having a passivating, protective metal layer intermediate the core and the titanium nitride. The protective layer forms a barrier to further oxidation/corrosion when exposed to the fuel cell`s operating environment. Stainless steels rich in Cr, Ni, and Mo are particularly effective protective interlayers. 6 figs.

Solar cell with a gallium nitride electrode

DOEpatents

Pankove, Jacques I.

1979-01-01

A solar cell which comprises a body of silicon having a P-N junction therein with a transparent conducting N-type gallium nitride layer as an ohmic contact on the N-type side of the semiconductor exposed to solar radiation.

Blueish green photoluminescence from nitrided GaAs(100) surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimaoka, Goro; Udagawa, Takashi

1999-04-01

Optical and structural studies were made on the Si-doped (100)GaAs surfaces nitrided at a temperature between 650° and 750°C for 15 min in the flowing NH 3 gas. The wavelength of photoluminescence (PL) spectra were observed to be shortened from 820 nm of the GaAs nitrided at 650°C with increasing nitridation temperature. Blueish green PL with wavelengths of approx. 490 nm and 470 nm were emitted from the nitrided surfaces at 700° and 750°C, respectively. Results of AES and SIMS indicated that the surfaces are nitrided as GaAs 1- xN x, (0< x≤1) alloy layer, and the nitrided region also tended to increase as the temperature raised. High-resolution transmission electron microscopic (HRTEM), transmission electron diffraction (TED) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) results showed that films peeled off from the nitrided surfaces consisted mainly of hexagonal, wurtzite-type gallium nitride (GaN) with stacking faults and microtwins.

Electron transport in zinc-blende wurtzite biphasic gallium nitride nanowires and GaNFETs

DOE PAGES

Jacobs, Benjamin W.; Ayres, Virginia M.; Stallcup, Richard E.; ...

2007-10-19

Two-point and four-point probe electrical measurements of a biphasic gallium nitride nanowire and current–voltage characteristics of a gallium nitride nanowire based field effect transistor are reported. The biphasic gallium nitride nanowires have a crystalline homostructure consisting of wurtzite and zinc-blende phases that grow simultaneously in the longitudinal direction. There is a sharp transition of one to a few atomic layers between each phase. Here, all measurements showed high current densities. Evidence of single-phase current transport in the biphasic nanowire structure is discussed.

New MBE buffer for micron- and quarter-micron-gateGaAs MESFETs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

A new buffer layer has been developed that eliminates backgating in GaAs MESFETs and substantially reduces short-channel effects in GaAs MESFETs with 0.27-micron-long gates. The new buffer is grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) at a substrate temperature of 200 C using Ga and As sub 4 beam fluxes. The buffer is crystalline, highly resistive, optically inactive, and can be overgrown with high quality GaAs. GaAs MESFETs with a gate length of 0.27 microns that incorporate the new buffer show improved dc and RF properties in comparison with a similar MESFET with a thin undoped GaAs buffer. To demonstrate the backgating performance improvement afforded by the new buffer, MESFETs were fabricated using a number of different buffer layers and structures. A schematic cross section of the MESFET structure used in this study is shown. The measured gate length, gate width, and source-drain spacing of this device are 2,98, and 5.5 microns, respectively. An ohmic contact, isolated from the MESFET by mesa etching, served as the sidegate. The MESFETs were fabricated in MBE n-GaAs layers grown on the new buffer and also in MBE n-GaAs layers grown on buffer layers of undoped GaAs, AlGaAs, and GaAs/AlGaAs superlattices. All the buffer layers were grown by MBE and are 2 microns thick. The active layer is doped to approximately 2 x 10 to the 17th/cu cm with silicon and is 0.3 microns thick.

Mitigation of substrate defects in reflective reticles using sequential coating and annealing

DOEpatents

Mirkanimi, Paul B.

2002-01-01

A buffer-layer to minimize the size of defects on a reticle substrate prior to deposition of a reflective coating on the substrate. The buffer-layer is formed by either a multilayer deposited on the substrate or by a plurality of sequentially deposited and annealed coatings deposited on the substrate. The plurality of sequentially deposited and annealed coating may comprise multilayer and single layer coatings. The multilayer deposited and annealed buffer layer coatings may be of the same or different material than the reflecting coating thereafter deposited on the buffer-layer.

Effects of Fiber Coatings on Tensile Properties of Hi-Nicalon SiC/RBSN Tow Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhatt, Ramakrishna T.; Hull, David R.

1997-01-01

Uncoated Hi-Nicalon silicon carbide (SiC) fiber tows and those coated with a single surface layer of pyrolytic boron nitride (PBN), double layers of PBN/Si-rich PBN, and boron nitride (BN)/SiC coatings deposited by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method were infiltrated with silicon slurry and then exposed to N2, for 4 hr at 1200 and 1400 C. Room temperature ultimate tensile fracture loads and microstructural characterization of uncoated and CVD coated Hi-Nicalon SiC fiber reinforced reaction-bonded silicon nitride (RBSN) tow composites were measured to select suitable interface coating(s) stable under RBSN processing conditions. Results indicate that room temperature ultimate fracture loads of the uncoated Hi-Nicalon SiC/RBSN tow composites nitrided at both temperatures were significantly lower than those of the uncoated Hi-Nicalon tows without slurry infiltration. In contrast, all CVD coated Hi-Nicalon SiC/RBSN tow composites retained a greater fraction of the dry tow fracture load after nitridation at 1200 C, but degraded significantly after nitridation at 1400 C. Reaction between metal impurities (Fe and Ni) present in the attrition milled silicon powder and uncoated regions of SiC fibers appears to be the probable cause for fiber degradation.

Distortion control in 20MnCr5 bevel gears after liquid nitriding process to maintain precision dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahendiran, M.; Kavitha, M.

2018-02-01

Robotic and automotive gears are generally very high precision components with limitations in tolerances. Bevel gears are more widely used and dimensionally very close tolerance components that need stability without any backlash or distortion for smooth and trouble free functions. Nitriding is carried out to enhance wear resistance of the surface. The aim of this paper is to reduce the distortion in liquid nitriding process, though plasma nitriding is preferred for high precision components. Various trials were conducted to optimize the process parameters, considering pre dimensional setting for nominal nitriding layer growth. Surface cleaning, suitable fixtures and stress relieving operations were also done to optimize the process. Micro structural analysis and Vickers hardness testing were carried out for analyzing the phase changes, variation in surface hardness and case depth. CNC gear testing machine was used for determining the distortion level. The presence of white layer was found for about 10-15μm in the case depth of 250± 3.5μm showing an average surface hardness of 670 HV. Hence the economical liquid nitriding process was successfully used for producing high hardness and wear resistant coating over 20MnCr5 material with less distortion and reduced secondary grinding process for dimensional control.

Electrode structure and method for making the same

DOEpatents

Affinito, John D.; Lowe, Gregory K.

2015-05-26

Electrode structures, and more specifically, electrode structures for use in electrochemical cells, are provided. The electrode structures described herein may include one or more protective layers. In one set of embodiments, a protective layer may be formed by exposing a lithium metal surface to a plasma comprising ions of a gas to form a ceramic layer on top of the lithium metal. The ceramic layer may be highly conductive to lithium ions and may protect the underlying lithium metal surface from reaction with components in the electrolyte. In some cases, the ions may be nitrogen ions and a lithium nitride layer may be formed on the lithium metal surface. In other embodiments, the protective layer may be formed by converting lithium to lithium nitride at high pressures. Other methods for forming protective layers are also provided.

Process for manufacture of semipermeable silicon nitride membranes

DOEpatents

Galambos, Paul Charles; Shul, Randy J.; Willison, Christi Gober

2003-12-09

A new class of semipermeable membranes, and techniques for their fabrication, have been developed. These membranes, formed by appropriate etching of a deposited silicon nitride layer, are robust, easily manufacturable, and compatible with a wide range of silicon micromachining techniques.

Inverted bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells with the transfer-printed anodes and low-temperature-processed ultrathin buffer layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Itoh, Eiji; Sakai, Shota; Fukuda, Katsutoshi

2018-03-01

We studied the effects of a hole buffer layer [molybdenum oxide (MoO3) and natural copper oxide layer] and a low-temperature-processed electron buffer layer on the performance of inverted bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells in a device consisting of indium-tin oxide (ITO)/poly(ethylene imine) (PEI)/titanium oxide nanosheet (TiO-NS)/poly(3-hexylthiopnehe) (P3HT):phenyl-C61-butyric acid methylester (PCBM)/oxide/anode (Ag or Cu). The insertion of ultrathin TiO-NS (˜1 nm) and oxide hole buffer layers improved the open circuit voltage V OC, fill factor, and rectification properties owing to the effective hole blocking and electron transport properties of ultrathin TiO-NS, and to the enhanced work function difference between TiO-NS and the oxide hole buffer layer. The insertion of the TiO-NS contributed to the reduction in the potential barrier at the ITO/PEI/TiO-NS/active layer interface for electrons, and the insertion of the oxide hole buffer layer contributed to the reduction in the potential barrier for holes. The marked increase in the capacitance under positive biasing in the capacitance-voltage characteristics revealed that the combination of TiO-NS and MoO3 buffer layers contributes to the selective transport of electrons and holes, and blocks counter carriers at the active layer/oxide interface. The natural oxide layer of the copper electrode also acts as a hole buffer layer owing to the increase in the work function of the Cu surface in the inverted cells. The performance of the cell with evaporated MoO3 and Cu layers that were transfer-printed to the active layer was almost comparable to that of the cell with MoO3 and Ag layers directly evaporated onto the active layer. We also demonstrated comparable device performance in the cell with all-printed MoO3 and low-temperature-processed silver nanoparticles as an anode.

Buffer layers on metal alloy substrates for superconducting tapes

DOEpatents

Jia, Quanxi; Foltyn, Stephen R.; Arendt, Paul N.; Groves, James R.

2004-06-29

An article including a substrate, a layer of an inert oxide material upon the surface of the substrate, a layer of an amorphous oxide or oxynitride material upon the inert oxide material layer, a layer of an oriented cubic oxide material having a rock-salt-like structure upon the amorphous oxide material layer, and a layer of a SrRuO.sub.3 buffer material upon the oriented cubic oxide material layer is provided together with additional layers such as a HTS top-layer of YBCO directly upon the layer of a SrRuO.sub.3 buffer material layer. With a HTS top-layer of YBCO upon at least one layer of the SrRuO.sub.3 buffer material in such an article, J.sub.c 's of up to 1.3.times.10.sup.6 A/cm.sup.2 have been demonstrated with projected IC's of over 200 Amperes across a sample 1 cm wide.

Chemical solution deposition method of fabricating highly aligned MgO templates

DOEpatents

Paranthaman, Mariappan Parans [Knoxville, TN; Sathyamurthy, Srivatsan [Knoxville, TN; Aytug, Tolga [Knoxville, TN; Arendt, Paul N [Los Alamos, NM; Stan, Liliana [Los Alamos, NM; Foltyn, Stephen R [Los Alamos, NM

2012-01-03

A superconducting article includes a substrate having an untextured metal surface; an untextured barrier layer of La.sub.2Zr.sub.2O.sub.7 or Gd.sub.2Zr.sub.2O.sub.7 supported by and in contact with the surface of the substrate; a biaxially textured buffer layer supported by the untextured barrier layer; and a biaxially textured superconducting layer supported by the biaxially textured buffer layer. Moreover, a method of forming a buffer layer on a metal substrate includes the steps of: providing a substrate having an untextured metal surface; coating the surface of the substrate with a barrier layer precursor; converting the precursor to an untextured barrier layer; and depositing a biaxially textured buffer layer above and supported by the untextured barrier layer.

Effect of hydrogen on the device performance and stability characteristics of amorphous InGaZnO thin-film transistors with a SiO2/SiNx/SiO2 buffer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Ki-Lim; Ok, Kyung-Chul; Cho, Hyeon-Su; Oh, Saeroonter; Park, Jin-Seong

2017-08-01

We investigate the influence of the multi-layered buffer consisting of SiO2/SiNx/SiO2 on amorphous InGaZnO (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs). The multi-layered buffer inhibits permeation of water from flexible plastic substrates and prevents degradation of overlying organic layers. The a-IGZO TFTs with a multi-layered buffer suffer less positive bias temperature stress instability compared to the device with a single SiO2 buffer layer after annealing at 250 °C. Hydrogen from the SiNx layer diffuses into the active layer and reduces electron trapping at loosely bound oxygen defects near the SiO2/a-IGZO interface. Quantitative analysis shows that a hydrogen density of 1.85 × 1021 cm-3 is beneficial to reliability. However, the multi-layered buffer device annealed at 350 °C resulted in conductive characteristics due to the excess carrier concentration from the higher hydrogen density of 2.12 × 1021 cm-3.

Threading Dislocations in InGaAs/GaAs (001) Buffer Layers for Metamorphic High Electron Mobility Transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Yifei; Kujofsa, Tedi; Ayers, John E.

2018-07-01

In order to evaluate various buffer layers for metamorphic devices, threading dislocation densities have been calculated for uniform composition In x Ga1- x As device layers deposited on GaAs (001) substrates with an intermediate graded buffer layer using the L MD model, where L MD is the average length of misfit dislocations. On this basis, we compare the relative effectiveness of buffer layers with linear, exponential, and S-graded compositional profiles. In the case of a 2 μm thick buffer layer linear grading results in higher threading dislocation densities in the device layer compared to either exponential or S-grading. When exponential grading is used, lower threading dislocation densities are obtained with a smaller length constant. In the S-graded case, lower threading dislocation densities result when a smaller standard deviation parameter is used. As the buffer layer thickness is decreased from 2 μm to 0.1 μm all of the above effects are diminished, and the absolute threading dislocation densities increase.

Final Report: Rational Design of Wide Band Gap Buffer Layers for High-Efficiency Thin-Film Photovoltaics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lordi, Vincenzo

The main objective of this project is to enable rational design of wide band gap buffer layer materials for CIGS thin-film PV by building understanding of the correlation of atomic-scale defects in the buffer layer and at the buffer/absorber interface with device electrical properties. Optimized wide band gap buffers are needed to reduce efficiency loss from parasitic absorption in the buffer. The approach uses first-principles materials simulations coupled with nanoscale analytical electron microscopy as well as device electrical characterization. Materials and devices are produced by an industrial partner in a manufacturing line to maximize relevance, with the goal of enablingmore » R&D of new buffer layer compositions or deposition processes to push device efficiencies above 21%. Cadmium sulfide (CdS) is the reference material for analysis, as the prototypical high-performing buffer material.« less

Hydrogen adsorption capacities of multi-walled boron nitride nanotubes and nanotube arrays: a grand canonical Monte Carlo study.

PubMed

Ahadi, Zohreh; Shadman, Muhammad; Yeganegi, Saeed; Asgari, Farid

2012-07-01

Hydrogen adsorption in multi-walled boron nitride nanotubes and their arrays was studied using grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation. The results show that hydrogen storage increases with tube diameter and the distance between the tubes in multi-walled boron nitride nanotube arrays. Also, triple-walled boron nitride nanotubes present the lowest level of hydrogen physisorption, double-walled boron nitride nanotubes adsorb hydrogen better when the diameter of the inner tube diameter is sufficiently large, and single-walled boron nitride nanotubes adsorb hydrogen well when the tube diameter is small enough. Boron nitride nanotube arrays adsorb hydrogen, but the percentage of adsorbed hydrogen (by weight) in boron nitride nanotube arrays is rather similar to that found in multi-walled boron nitride nanotubes. Also, when the Langmuir and Langmuir-Freundlich equations were fitted to the simulated data, it was found that multi-layer adsorptivity occurs more prominently as the number of walls and the tube diameter increase. However, in single-walled boron nitride nanotubes with a small diameter, the dominant mechanism is monolayer adsorptivity.

Buffer layers for high-Tc thin films on sapphire

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, X. D.; Foltyn, S. R.; Muenchausen, R. E.; Cooke, D. W.; Pique, A.; Kalokitis, D.; Pendrick, V.; Belohoubek, E.

1992-01-01

Buffer layers of various oxides including CeO2 and yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) have been deposited on R-plane sapphire. The orientation and crystallinity of the layers were optimized to promote epitaxial growth of YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) (YBCO) thin films. An ion beam channeling minimum yield of about 3 percent was obtained in the CeO2 layer on sapphire, indicating excellent crystallinity of the buffer layer. Among the buffer materials used, CeO2 was found to be the best one for YBCO thin films on R-plane sapphire. High Tc and Jc were obtained in YBCO thin films on sapphire with buffer layers. Surface resistances of the YBCO films were about 4 mOmega at 77 K and 25 GHz.

Mechanics of graded glass composites and zinc oxide thin films grown at 90 degrees Celsius in water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fillery, Scott Pierson

2007-06-01

The purpose of this research was to study the mechanical stability of two different material systems. The glass laminate system, exhibiting a threshold strength when placed under an applied load and ZnO thin films grown on GaN buffered Al2O3 substrates, exhibiting variations in film stability with changes to the Lateral Epitaxial Overgrowth architecture. The glass laminates were fabricated to contain periodic thin layers containing biaxial compressive stresses using ion exchange treatments to create residual compressive stresses at the surface of soda lime silicate glass sheets. Wafer direct bonding of the ion exchanged glass sheets resulted in the fabrication of glass laminates with thin layers of compressive stress adjacent to the glass interfaces. The threshold flexural strength of the ion exchanged glass laminates was determined to be 112 MPa after the introduction of indentation cracks with indent loads ranging from 1kg to 5kg and the laminates were found to exhibit a threshold strength, i.e., a stress below which failure will not occur. Contrary to similar ceramic laminates where cracks either propagate across the compressive layer or bifurcate within the compressive layer, the cracks in the glass laminates were deflected along the interface between the bonded sheets. ZnO films were grown on (0001) GaN buffered Al2O3 substrates by aqueous solution routes at 90°C. The films were found to buckle under compressive residual stresses at film thicknesses greater than 4mum. Lateral epitaxial overgrowth techniques using hexagonal hole arrays showed an increasing film stability with larger array spacing, resulting in film thicknesses up to 92mum. Stress determinations using Raman spectroscopy indicated that stress relaxation at the free surface during film growth played a major role in film stability. Investigations using Finite Element Analysis and Raman spectroscopy demonstrated that the strain energy within the film/substrate system decreased with increasing array spacing. ZnO films grown on III-nitride LED devices for use as transparent conducting layers showed intrinsic n-type doping, high transparency and adequate electrical contact resistance, resulting in linear light output with forward bias current and improved light extraction.

Non-polar a-plane ZnO films grown on r-Al2O3 substrates using GaN buffer layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, C. X.; Chen, W.; Pan, X. H.; Chen, S. S.; Ye, Z. Z.; Huang, J. Y.

2016-09-01

In this work, GaN buffer layer has been used to grow non-polar a-plane ZnO films by laser-assisted and plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The thickness of GaN buffer layer ranges from ∼3 to 12 nm. The GaN buffer thickness effect on the properties of a-plane ZnO thin films is carefully investigated. The results show that the surface morphology, crystal quality and optical properties of a-plane ZnO films are strongly correlated with the thickness of GaN buffer layer. It was found that with 6 nm GaN buffer layer, a-plane ZnO films display the best crystal quality with X-ray diffraction rocking curve full-width at half-maximum of only 161 arcsec for the (101) reflection.

Improving fatigue resistance of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films by using PbZrO3 buffer layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mensur Alkoy, Ebru; Uchiyama, Kiyoshi; Shiosaki, Tadashi; Alkoy, Sedat

2006-05-01

Ferroelectric Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) thin films with PbZrO3 (PZ) buffer layers were prepared on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO2/Si(100) substrates using a hybrid rf magnetron sputtering and sol-gel process. Texture of PZT films was found to depend on Pb content of PZ buffer layers. Buffered PZT films displayed comparable ferroelectric properties (2Pr=38-53 μC/cm2,2Ec=136-170 kV/cm) with unbuffered PZT. Asymmetric leakage current and fatigue behavior with superior fatigue resistance was observed in PZ buffered PZT compared to unbuffered films. PZ buffer layers were found to affect crystallization and texture of PZT, and act as a capacitive interface layer possibly blocking charge injection from electrodes.

Nitride-Based Materials for Flexible MEMS Tactile and Flow Sensors in Robotics

PubMed Central

Abels, Claudio; Mastronardi, Vincenzo Mariano; Guido, Francesco; Dattoma, Tommaso; Qualtieri, Antonio; Megill, William M.; De Vittorio, Massimo; Rizzi, Francesco

2017-01-01

The response to different force load ranges and actuation at low energies is of considerable interest for applications of compliant and flexible devices undergoing large deformations. We present a review of technological platforms based on nitride materials (aluminum nitride and silicon nitride) for the microfabrication of a class of flexible micro-electro-mechanical systems. The approach exploits the material stress differences among the constituent layers of nitride-based (AlN/Mo, SixNy/Si and AlN/polyimide) mechanical elements in order to create microstructures, such as upwardly-bent cantilever beams and bowed circular membranes. Piezoresistive properties of nichrome strain gauges and direct piezoelectric properties of aluminum nitride can be exploited for mechanical strain/stress detection. Applications in flow and tactile sensing for robotics are described. PMID:28489040

Molten tin reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel elements. [Patent application; continuous process

DOEpatents

Heckman, R.A.

1980-12-19

A method and apparatus for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel is described. Within a containment vessel, a solid plug of tin and nitride precipitates supports a circulating bath of liquid tin therein. Spent nuclear fuel is immersed in the liquid tin under an atmosphere of nitrogen, resulting in the formation of nitride precipitates. The layer of liquid tin and nitride precipitates which interfaces the plug is solidified and integrated with the plug. Part of the plug is melted, removing nitride precipitates from the containment vessel, while a portion of the plug remains solidified to support te liquid tin and nitride precipitates remaining in the containment vessel. The process is practiced numerous times until substantially all of the precipitated nitrides are removed from the containment vessel.

The effect of surfactants on epitaxial growth of gallium nitride from gas phase in the Ga-HCl-NH3-H2-Ar system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhilyaev, Yu. V.; Zelenin, V. V.; Orlova, T. A.; Panteleev, V. N.; Poletaev, N. K.; Rodin, S. N.; Snytkina, S. A.

2015-05-01

We have studied epitaxial layers of gallium nitride (GaN) in a template composition grown by surfactant-mediated hydride-chloride vapor phase epitaxy. The surfactant component was provided by 5 mass % additives of antimony and indium to the source of gallium. Comparative analysis of the obtained results shows evidence of the positive influence of surfactants on the morphology of epitaxial GaN layers.

Development of III-nitride semiconductors by molecular beam epitaxy and cluster beam epitaxy and fabrication of LEDs based on indium gallium nitride MQWs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Tai-Chou Papo

The family of III-Nitrides (the binaries InN, GaN, AIN, and their alloys) is one of the most important classes of semiconductor materials. Of the three, Indium Nitride (InN) and Aluminum Nitride (AIN) have been investigated much less than Gallium Nitride (GaN). However, both of these materials are important for optoelectronic infrared and ultraviolet devices. In particular, since InN was found recently to be a narrow gap semiconductor (Eg=0.7eV), its development should extend the applications of nitride semiconductors to the spectral region appropriate to fiber optics communication and photovoltaic applications. Similarly, the development of AIN should lead to deep UV light emitting diodes (LEDs). The first part of this work addresses the evaluation of structural, optical and transport properties of InN films grown by two different deposition methods. In one method, active nitrogen was produced in the form of nitrogen radicals by a radio frequency (RF) plasma-assisted source. In an alternative method, active nitrogen was produced in the form of clusters containing approximately 2000 nitrogen molecules. These clusters were produced by adiabatic expansion from high stagnation pressure through a narrow nozzle into vacuum. The clusters were singly or doubly ionized with positive charge by electron impact and accelerated up to approximately 20 to 25 KV prior to their disintegration on the substrate. Due to the high local temperature produced during the impact of clusters with the substrate, this method is suitable for the deposition of InN at very low temperatures. The films are auto-doped n-type with carrier concentrations varying from 3 x 1018 to 1020 cm-3 and the electron effective mass of these films was determined to be 0.09m0. The majority of the AIN films was grown by the cluster beam epitaxy method and was doped n- and p- type by incorporating silicon (Si) and magnesium (Mg) during the film deposition. All films were grown under Al-rich conditions at relatively high temperatures (800˜1050°C) in order to increase the solubility of nitrogen into the free Al on the surface of the growing film. The films were found to have smooth surface morphology with narrow on-axis X-ray diffraction (XRD) rocking curves and relatively broad off-axis XRD rocking curves attributed to the lack of a buffer layer during the film growth. The device aspect of this work involves the material formation and the device fabrication of Indium Gallium Nitride (InGaN) based LEDs on textured GaN templates produced spontaneously by either hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) or using a method of natural lithography and reactive ion etching. This part of the work includes the film deposition and characterization of InGaNJGaN quantum wells on smooth and textured GaN template.

Rare earth zirconium oxide buffer layers on metal substrates

DOEpatents

Williams, Robert K.; Paranthaman, Mariappan; Chirayil, Thomas G.; Lee, Dominic F.; Goyal, Amit; Feenstra, Roeland

2001-01-01

A laminate article comprises a substrate and a biaxially textured (RE.sub.x A.sub.(1-x)).sub.2 O.sub.2-(x/2) buffer layer over the substrate, wherein 0

Improvement in temperature dependence and dielectric tunability properties of PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 thin films using Ba(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O3 buffer layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Zhi; Zhou, Jing; Chen, Wen; Shen, Jie; Yang, Huimin; Zhang, Shisai; Liu, Yueli

2016-12-01

In this paper, Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) thin films were prepared via sol-gel method. The effects of Ba(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O3 (BMT) buffer layer on the temperature dependence and dielectric tunability properties of PZT thin films were studied. As the thickness of BMT buffer layer increases, the tan δ and tunability of PZT thin films decrease while tunability still maintains above 10%. This result shows that BMT buffer layer can improve the dielectric tunability properties of PZT thin films. Furthermore, the temperature coefficient of the dielectric constant decreases from 2333.4 to 906.9 ppm/°C with the thickness of BMT buffer layer increasing in the range from 25 to 205 °C, indicating that BMT buffer layer can improve the temperature stability of PZT thin films. Therefore, BMT buffer layer plays a critical role in improving temperature dependence and dielectric tunability properties of PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 thin films.

Study of the effects of GaN buffer layer quality on the dc characteristics of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

DOE PAGES

Ahn, Shihyun; Zhu, Weidi; Dong, Chen; ...

2015-04-21

Here we studied the effect of buffer layer quality on dc characteristics of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility (HEMTs). AlGaN/GaN HEMT structures with 2 and 5 μm GaN buffer layers on sapphire substrates from two different vendors with the same Al concentration of AlGaN were used. The defect densities of HEMT structures with 2 and 5 μm GaN buffer layer were 7 × 10 9 and 5 × 10 8 cm ₋2, respectively, as measured by transmission electron microscopy. There was little difference in drain saturation current or in transfer characteristics in HEMTs on these two types of buffer. However, theremore » was no dispersion observed on the nonpassivated HEMTs with 5 μm GaN buffer layer for gate-lag pulsed measurement at 100 kHz, which was in sharp contrast to the 71% drain current reduction for the HEMT with 2 μm GaN buffer layer.« less

Thermal insulation for high temperature microwave sintering operations and method thereof

DOEpatents

Holcombe, Cressie E.; Dykes, Norman L.; Morrow, Marvin S.

1995-01-01

Superior microwave transparent thermal insulations for high temperature microwave sintering operations were prepared. One embodiment of the thermal insulation comprises granules of boron nitride coated with a very thin layer of glassy carbon made by preparing a glassy carbon precursor and blending it with boron nitride powder to form a mixture. The blended mixture is granulated to form a grit which is dried and heated to form the granules of boron nitride coated with a glassy carbon. Alternatively, grains of glassy carbon are coated with boron nitride by blending a mixture of a slurry comprising boron nitride, boric acid binder, and methyl alcohol with glassy carbon grains to form a blended mixture. The blended mixture is dried to form grains of glassy carbon coated with boron nitride. In addition, a physical mixture of boron nitride powder and glassy carbon grains has also been shown to be an excellent thermal insulation material for microwave processing and sintering.

Method of preparing thermal insulation for high temperature microwave sintering operations

DOEpatents

Holcombe, Cressie E.; Dykes, Norman L.; Morrow, Marvin S.

1996-01-01

Superior microwave transparent thermal insulations for high temperature microwave sintering operations were prepared. One embodiment of the thermal insulation comprises granules of boron nitride coated with a very thin layer of glassy carbon made by preparing a glassy carbon precursor and blending it with boron nitride powder to form a mixture. The blended mixture is granulated to form a grit which is dried and heated to form the granules of boron nitride coated with a glassy carbon. Alternatively, grains of glassy carbon are coated with boron nitride by blending a mixture of a slurry comprising boron nitride, boric acid binder, and methyl alcohol with glassy carbon grains to form a blended mixture. The blended mixture is dried to form grains of glassy carbon coated with boron nitride. In addition, a physical mixture of boron nitride powder and glassy carbon grains has also been shown to be an excellent thermal insulation material for microwave processing and sintering.

Tunable hole injection of solution-processed polymeric carbon nitride towards efficient organic light-emitting diode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaowen; Zheng, Qinghong; Tang, Zhenyu; Li, Wanshu; Zhang, Yan; Xu, Kai; Xue, Xiaogang; Xu, Jiwen; Wang, Hua; Wei, Bin

2018-02-01

Polymeric carbon nitride (CNxHy) has been facilely synthesized from dicyandiamide and functions as a solution-processed hole injection layer in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The measurements using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, and impedance spectroscopy elucidate that CNxHy exhibits superior film morphology and extra electric properties such as tailored work function and tunable hole injection. The luminous efficiency of CNxHy-based OLED is found to improve by 76.6% in comparison to the counterpart using favorite solution-processed poly(ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) as the hole injection layer. Our results also pave a way for broadening carbon nitride applications in organic electronics using the solution process.

Boron nitride encapsulated graphene infrared emitters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnard, H. R.; Zossimova, E.; Mahlmeister, N. H.; Lawton, L. M.; Luxmoore, I. J.; Nash, G. R.

2016-03-01

The spatial and spectral characteristics of mid-infrared thermal emission from devices containing a large area multilayer graphene layer, encapsulated using hexagonal boron nitride, have been investigated. The devices were run continuously in air for over 1000 h, with the emission spectrum covering the absorption bands of many important gases. An approximate solution to the heat equation was used to simulate the measured emission profile across the devices yielding an estimated value of the characteristic length, which defines the exponential rise/fall of the temperature profile across the device, of 40 μm. This is much larger than values obtained in smaller exfoliated graphene devices and reflects the device geometry, and the increase in lateral heat conduction within the devices due to the multilayer graphene and boron nitride layers.

Electrically dependent bandgaps in graphene on hexagonal boron nitride

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kaplan, D., E-mail: daniel.b.kaplan.civ@mail.mil; Swaminathan, V.; Recine, G.

2014-03-31

We present first-principles calculations on the bandgap of graphene on a layer of hexagonal boron nitride in three different stacking configurations. Relative stability of the configurations is identified and bandgap tunability is demonstrated through the application of an external, perpendicularly applied electric field. We carefully examine the bandgap's sensitivity to both magnitude of the applied field as well as separation between the graphene and hexagonal boron nitride layers. Features of the band structure are examined and configuration-dependent relationships between the field and bandgap are revealed and elucidated through the atom-projected density of states. These findings suggest the potential for openingmore » and modulating a bandgap in graphene as high as several hundred meV.« less

Ultra-low threshold gallium nitride photonic crystal nanobeam laser

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Niu, Nan, E-mail: nanniu@fas.harvard.edu; Woolf, Alexander; Wang, Danqing

2015-06-08

We report exceptionally low thresholds (9.1 μJ/cm{sup 2}) for room temperature lasing at ∼450 nm in optically pumped Gallium Nitride (GaN) nanobeam cavity structures. The nanobeam cavity geometry provides high theoretical Q (>100 000) with small modal volume, leading to a high spontaneous emission factor, β = 0.94. The active layer materials are Indium Gallium Nitride (InGaN) fragmented quantum wells (fQWs), a critical factor in achieving the low thresholds, which are an order-of-magnitude lower than obtainable with continuous QW active layers. We suggest that the extra confinement of photo-generated carriers for fQWs (compared to QWs) is responsible for the excellent performance.

Formation of porous surface layers in reaction bonded silicon nitride during processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaw, N. J.; Glasgow, T. K.

1979-01-01

Microstructural examination of reaction bonded silicon nitride (RBSN) has shown that there is often a region adjacent to the as-nitrided surfaces that is even more porous than the interior of this already quite porous material. Because this layer of large porosity is considered detrimental to both the strength and oxidation resistance of RBSN, a study was undertaken to determine if its formation could be prevented during processing. All test bars studied were made from a single batch of Si powder which was milled for 4 hours in heptane in a vibratory mill using high density alumina cylinders as the grinding media. After air drying the powder, bars were compacted in a single acting die and hydropressed.

John Simon | NREL

Science.gov Websites

novel crystalline substrates for growth of III-V Nitride semiconductors for solid-state lighting applications. Since then he has been involved in various projects involving the growth of III-V semiconductor .; Romero, M.; and Lee, M.J. "Metamorphic GaAsP buffers for growth of wide-bandgap InGaP solar cells

Structure and hemocompatibility of nanocrystalline titanium nitride produced under glow-discharge conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sowińska, Agnieszka; Czarnowska, Elżbieta; Tarnowski, Michał; Witkowska, Justyna; Wierzchoń, Tadeusz

2018-04-01

Significant efforts are being made towards developing novel antithrombotic materials. The purpose of the presented study was to characterize two variants of nitrided surface layers produced on alloy Ti-6Al-4V in different areas of low-temperature plasma - at the plasma potential (TiNp) or at the cathode potential (TiNc). The layers were characterized in terms of their microstructure, surface topography and wettability, and platelet response to the environment of different pH. The produced layers were of the TiN + Ti2N + αTiN-type, but the layer produced at the plasma potential was thinner, smoother and had lower surface free energy compared with that produced at the cathode potential. Biological evaluation demonstrated more fibrinogen buildup, less platelet adhesion and aggregation, and fewer strongly activated platelets on the TiNp surface compared with those parameters on the TiNc surface and on the titanium alloy in its initial state. Interestingly, both surface types were significantly resistant to fibrinogen adsorption and platelet adhesion in the environment of lower pH. In conclusion, the nitrided surface layer produced at the plasma potential is a promising material and this basic information is critical for further development of hemocompatible materials.

Buffer layers on metal alloy substrates for superconducting tapes

DOEpatents

Jia, Quanxi; Foltyn, Stephen R.; Arendt, Paul N.; Groves, James R.

2004-10-05

An article including a substrate, at least one intermediate layer upon the surface of the substrate, a layer of an oriented cubic oxide material having a rock-salt-like structure upon the at least one intermediate layer, and a layer of a SrRuO.sub.3 buffer material upon the oriented cubic oxide material layer is provided together with additional layers such as a HTS top-layer of YBCO directly upon the layer of a SrRuO.sub.3 buffer material layer. With a HTS top-layer of YBCO upon at least one layer of the SrRuO.sub.3 buffer material in such an article, J.sub.c 's of up to 1.3.times.10.sup.6 A/cm.sup.2 have been demonstrated with projected I.sub.c 's of over 200 Amperes across a sample 1 cm wide.

Lightweight, durable lead-acid batteries

DOEpatents

Lara-Curzio, Edgar [Lenoir City, TN; An, Ke [Knoxville, TX; Kiggans, Jr., James O.; Dudney, Nancy J [Knoxville, TN; Contescu, Cristian I [Knoxville, TN; Baker, Frederick S [Oak Ridge, TN; Armstrong, Beth L [Clinton, TN

2011-09-13

A lightweight, durable lead-acid battery is disclosed. Alternative electrode materials and configurations are used to reduce weight, to increase material utilization and to extend service life. The electrode can include a current collector having a buffer layer in contact with the current collector and an electrochemically active material in contact with the buffer layer. In one form, the buffer layer includes a carbide, and the current collector includes carbon fibers having the buffer layer. The buffer layer can include a carbide and/or a noble metal selected from of gold, silver, tantalum, platinum, palladium and rhodium. When the electrode is to be used in a lead-acid battery, the electrochemically active material is selected from metallic lead (for a negative electrode) or lead peroxide (for a positive electrode).

Lightweight, durable lead-acid batteries

DOEpatents

Lara-Curzio, Edgar; An, Ke; Kiggans, Jr., James O; Dudney, Nancy J; Contescu, Cristian I; Baker, Frederick S; Armstrong, Beth L

2013-05-21

A lightweight, durable lead-acid battery is disclosed. Alternative electrode materials and configurations are used to reduce weight, to increase material utilization and to extend service life. The electrode can include a current collector having a buffer layer in contact with the current collector and an electrochemically active material in contact with the buffer layer. In one form, the buffer layer includes a carbide, and the current collector includes carbon fibers having the buffer layer. The buffer layer can include a carbide and/or a noble metal selected from of gold, silver, tantalum, platinum, palladium and rhodium. When the electrode is to be used in a lead-acid battery, the electrochemically active material is selected from metallic lead (for a negative electrode) or lead peroxide (for a positive electrode).

Laser Nitriding of the Newly Developed Ti-20Nb-13Zr at.% Biomaterial Alloy to Enhance Its Mechanical and Corrosion Properties in Simulated Body Fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussein, M. A.; Kumar, A. Madhan; Yilbas, Bekir S.; Al-Aqeeli, N.

2017-11-01

Despite the widespread application of Ti alloy in the biomedical field, surface treatments are typically applied to improve its resistance to corrosion and wear. A newly developed biomedical Ti-20Nb-13Zr at.% alloy (TNZ) was laser-treated in nitrogen environment to improve its surface characteristics with corrosion protection performance. Surface modification of the alloy by laser was performed through a Nd:YAG laser. The structural and surface morphological alterations in the laser nitrided layer were investigated by XRD and a FE-SEM. The mechanical properties have been evaluated using nanoindentation for laser nitride and as-received samples. The corrosion protection behavior was estimated using electrochemical corrosion analysis in a physiological medium (SBF). The obtained results revealed the production of a dense and compact film of TiN fine grains (micro-/nanosize) with 9.1 µm below the surface. The mechanical assessment results indicated an improvement in the modulus of elasticity, hardness, and resistance of the formed TiN layer to plastic deformation. The electrochemical analysis exhibited that the surface protection performance of the laser nitrided TNZ substrates in the SBF could be considerably enhanced compared to that of the as-received alloy due to the presence of fine grains in the TiN layer resulting from laser nitriding. Furthermore, the untreated and treated Ti-20Nb-13Zr alloy exhibited higher corrosion resistance than the CpTi and Ti6Al4V commercial alloys. The improvements in the surface hardness and corrosion properties of Ti alloy in a simulated body obtained using laser nitriding make this approach a suitable candidate for enhancing the properties of biomaterials.

Isotope engineering of van der Waals interactions in hexagonal boron nitride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vuong, T. Q. P.; Liu, S.; van der Lee, A.; Cuscó, R.; Artús, L.; Michel, T.; Valvin, P.; Edgar, J. H.; Cassabois, G.; Gil, B.

2018-02-01

Hexagonal boron nitride is a model lamellar compound where weak, non-local van der Waals interactions ensure the vertical stacking of two-dimensional honeycomb lattices made of strongly bound boron and nitrogen atoms. We study the isotope engineering of lamellar compounds by synthesizing hexagonal boron nitride crystals with nearly pure boron isotopes (10B and 11B) compared to those with the natural distribution of boron (20 at% 10B and 80 at% 11B). On the one hand, as with standard semiconductors, both the phonon energy and electronic bandgap varied with the boron isotope mass, the latter due to the quantum effect of zero-point renormalization. On the other hand, temperature-dependent experiments focusing on the shear and breathing motions of adjacent layers revealed the specificity of isotope engineering in a layered material, with a modification of the van der Waals interactions upon isotope purification. The electron density distribution is more diffuse between adjacent layers in 10BN than in 11BN crystals. Our results open perspectives in understanding and controlling van der Waals bonding in layered materials.

Isotope engineering of van der Waals interactions in hexagonal boron nitride.

PubMed

Vuong, T Q P; Liu, S; Van der Lee, A; Cuscó, R; Artús, L; Michel, T; Valvin, P; Edgar, J H; Cassabois, G; Gil, B

2018-02-01

Hexagonal boron nitride is a model lamellar compound where weak, non-local van der Waals interactions ensure the vertical stacking of two-dimensional honeycomb lattices made of strongly bound boron and nitrogen atoms. We study the isotope engineering of lamellar compounds by synthesizing hexagonal boron nitride crystals with nearly pure boron isotopes ( 10 B and 11 B) compared to those with the natural distribution of boron (20 at% 10 B and 80 at% 11 B). On the one hand, as with standard semiconductors, both the phonon energy and electronic bandgap varied with the boron isotope mass, the latter due to the quantum effect of zero-point renormalization. On the other hand, temperature-dependent experiments focusing on the shear and breathing motions of adjacent layers revealed the specificity of isotope engineering in a layered material, with a modification of the van der Waals interactions upon isotope purification. The electron density distribution is more diffuse between adjacent layers in 10 BN than in 11 BN crystals. Our results open perspectives in understanding and controlling van der Waals bonding in layered materials.

Photovoltaic cell

DOEpatents

Gordon, Roy G.; Kurtz, Sarah

1984-11-27

In a photovoltaic cell structure containing a visibly transparent, electrically conductive first layer of metal oxide, and a light-absorbing semiconductive photovoltaic second layer, the improvement comprising a thin layer of transition metal nitride, carbide or boride interposed between said first and second layers.

Method of depositing buffer layers on biaxially textured metal substrates

DOEpatents

Beach, David B.; Morrell, Jonathan S.; Paranthaman, Mariappan; Chirayil, Thomas; Specht, Eliot D.; Goyal, Amit

2002-08-27

A laminate article comprises a substrate and a biaxially textured (RE.sup.1.sub.x RE.sup.2.sub.(1-x)).sub.2 O.sub.3 buffer layer over the substrate, wherein 0

Tunneling Injection and Exciton Diffusion of White Organic Light-Emitting Diodes with Composed Buffer Layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Su-Hua; Wu, Jian-Ping; Huang, Tao-Liang; Chung, Bin-Fong

2018-02-01

Four configurations of buffer layers were inserted into the structure of a white organic light emitting diode, and their impacts on the hole tunneling-injection and exciton diffusion processes were investigated. The insertion of a single buffer layer of 4,4'-bis(carbazol-9-yl)biphenyl (CBP) resulted in a balanced carrier concentration and excellent color stability with insignificant chromaticity coordinate variations of Δ x < 0.023 and Δ y < 0.023. A device with a 2,9-Dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (BCP) buffer layer was beneficial for hole tunneling to the emission layer, resulting in a 1.45-fold increase in current density. The tunneling of holes and the diffusion of excitons were confirmed by the preparation of a dual buffer layer of CBP:tris-(phenylpyridine)-iridine (Ir(ppy)3)/BCP. A maximum current efficiency of 12.61 cd/A with a luminance of 13,850 cd/m2 was obtained at 8 V when a device with a dual-buffer layer of CBP:6 wt.% Ir(ppy)3/BCP was prepared.

The different adsorption mechanism of methane molecule onto a boron nitride and a graphene flakes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seyed-Talebi, Seyedeh Mozhgan; Neek-Amal, M., E-mail: neekamal@srttu.edu

2014-10-21

Graphene and single layer hexagonal boron-nitride are two newly discovered 2D materials with wonderful physical properties. Using density functional theory, we study the adsorption mechanism of a methane molecule over a hexagonal flake of single layer hexagonal boron-nitride (h-BN) and compare the results with those of graphene. We found that independent of the used functional in our ab-initio calculations, the adsorption energy in the h-BN flake is larger than that for graphene. Despite of the adsorption energy profile of methane over a graphene flake, we show that there is a long range behavior beyond minimum energy in the adsorption energymore » of methane over h-BN flake. This result reveals the higher sensitivity of h-BN sheet to the adsorption of a typical closed shell molecule with respect to graphene. The latter gives insight in the recent experiments of graphene over hexagonal boron nitride.« less

Laser sintered thin layer graphene and cubic boron nitride reinforced nickel matrix nanocomposites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Zengrong; Tong, Guoquan

2015-10-01

Laser sintered thin layer graphene (Gr)-cubic boron nitride (CBN)-Ni nanocomposites were fabricated on AISI 4140 plate substrate. The composites fabricating process, composites microstructure and mechanical properties were studied. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy were employed to study the micro structures and composition of the composites. XRD and Raman tests proved that graphene and CBN were dispersed in the nanocomposites. Nanoindentation test results indicate the significant improvements were achieved in the composites mechanical properties.

Anomalous Insulator-Metal Transition in Boron Nitride-Graphene Hybrid Atomic Layers

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-13

REPORT Anomalous insulator-metal transition in boron nitride-graphene hybrid atomic layers 14 . ABSTRACT 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: The study of...from the DFT calculation. The calculated transmission through a N terminated zigzag edged h-BN nanodomain embedded in graphene is shown in Fig. 14 , with...Energy ε − ε F (eV) 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 Tr an sm is si on FIG. 14 . (Color online) Transmission through a N terminated zigzag edged h-BN nanodomain embedded in

Numerical Simulation of Ballistic Impact of Layered Aluminum Nitride Ceramic

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

tile(s) Aluminum nitride (AlN) 163 a Polymer layers Polyurethane foam 18 b Backing metal Aluminum 6061-T6 (Al) 23 c Projectile Tungsten heavy alloy...larger (a factor of 3.8) than the most dense polyurethane foam of the available constitutive models. Default options for element failure were imposed in...AlN), a polycrystalline ceramic. The total thickness of the tile(s) is 38.1 mm in all cases. A thin polyurethane laminate separates neighboring tiles

Matching characteristics of different buffer layers with VO2 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Kai; Zhang, Dongping; Liu, Yi; Guan, Tianrui; Qin, Xiaonan; Zhong, Aihua; Cai, Xingmin; Fan, Ping; Lv, Weizhong

2016-10-01

VO2 thin films were fabricated by reactive DC magnetron sputtering on different buffer layers of MgF2, Al2O3 and TiO2, respectively. The crystallinity and orientation relationship, thickness of VO2 thin films, atoms vibrational modes, optical and electrical property, surface morphology of films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman scattering microscopy, step profiler, spectrophotometer, four-probe technique, and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. XRD results investigated that the films have preferential crystalline planes VO2 (011). The crystallinity of VO2 films grown on TiO2 buffer layers are superior to VO2 directly deposited on soda-lime glass. The Raman bands of the VO2 films correspond to an Ag symmetry mode of VO2 (M). The sample prepared on 100nm TiO2 buffer layer appears nanorods structure, and exhibits remarkable solar energy modulation ability as high as 5.82% in full spectrum and 23% in near infrared spectrum. Cross-sectional SEM image of the thin films samples indicate that MgF2 buffer layer has clear interface with VO2 layer. But there are serious interdiffusion phenomenons between Al2O3, TiO2 buffer layer with VO2 layer.

CHEMICAL SOLUTION DEPOSITION BASED OXIDE BUFFERS AND YBCO COATED CONDUCTORS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Paranthaman, Mariappan Parans

We have reviewed briefly the growth of buffer and high temperature superconducting oxide thin films using a chemical solution deposition (CSD) method. In the Rolling-Assisted Biaxially Textured Substrates (RABiTS) process, developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, utilizes the thermo mechanical processing to obtain the flexible, biaxially oriented copper, nickel or nickel-alloy substrates. Buffers and Rare Earth Barium Copper Oxide (REBCO) superconductors have been deposited epitaxially on the textured nickel alloy substrates. The starting substrate serves as a template for the REBCO layer, which has substantially fewer weak links. Buffer layers play a major role in fabricating the second generation REBCOmore » wire technology. The main purpose of the buffer layers is to provide a smooth, continuous and chemically inert surface for the growth of the REBCO film, while transferring the texture from the substrate to the superconductor layer. To achieve this, the buffer layers need to be epitaxial to the substrate, i.e. they have to nucleate and grow in the same bi-axial texture provided by the textured metal foil. The most commonly used RABiTS multi-layer architectures consist of a starting template of biaxially textured Ni-5 at.% W (Ni-W) substrate with a seed (first) layer of Yttrium Oxide (Y2O3), a barrier (second) layer of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ), and a Cerium Oxide (CeO2) cap (third) layer. These three buffer layers are generally deposited using physical vapor deposition (PVD) techniques such as reactive sputtering. On top of the PVD template, REBCO film is then grown by a chemical solution deposition. This article reviews in detail about the list of oxide buffers and superconductor REBCO films grown epitaxially on single crystal and/or biaxially textured Ni-W substrates using a CSD method.« less

Failure Mechanisms of the Protective Coatings for the Hot Stamping Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Chen

In the present study, four different nitriding techniques were carried on the ductile irons NAAMS-D6510 and cast steels NAAMS-S0050A, which are widely used stamping die materials; duplex treatments (PVD CrN coating+nitriding) were carried on H13 steels, which are common inserts for the hot stamping dies. Inclined impact-sliding wear tests were performed on the nitriding cases under simulated stamping conditions. Surface profilometer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to investigate the wear and failure mechanisms of the protective coatings. It was found that the nitrided ductile iron samples performed better than the nitrided cast steel specimens. High temperature inclined impact-sliding wear tests were carried out on the CrN coatings. It was found that the coating performed better at elevated temperature. XPS analysis indicated the top surface layer (about 3-4nm) of the coating was oxidized at 400 °C and formed a Cr2O3 protective film. The in-situ formation of the thin Cr2O3 protective layer likely led to the change of wear mechanisms from severe adhesive failure to mild abrasive wear.

GaAs buffer layer technique for vertical nanowire growth on Si substrate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Xiaoqing, E-mail: steelxu@stanford.edu; Parizi, Kokab B.; Huo, Yijie

2014-02-24

Gold catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid method is widely applied to III–V nanowire (NW) growth on Si substrate. However, the easy oxidation of Si, possible Si contamination in the NWs, high defect density in the NWs, and high sensitivity of the NW morphology to growth conditions largely limit its controllability. In this work, we developed a buffer layer technique by introducing a GaAs thin film with predefined polarity as a template. It is found that samples grown on these buffer layers all have high vertical NW yields in general, due to the single-orientation of the buffer layers. Low temperature buffer with smoother surfacemore » leads to highest yield of vertical NWs, while high temperature (HT) buffer with better crystallinity results in perfect NW quality. The defect-free property we observed here is very promising for optoelectronic device applications based on GaAs NW. Moreover, the buffer layers can eliminate Si contamination by preventing Si-Au alloy formation and by increasing the thickness of the Si diffusion barrier, thus providing more flexibility to vertical NW growth. The buffer layer technique we demonstrated here could be easily extended to other III-V on Si system for electronic and photonic applications.« less

MgO buffer layers on rolled nickel or copper as superconductor substrates

DOEpatents

Paranthaman, Mariappan; Goyal, Amit; Kroeger, Donald M.; List, III, Frederic A.

2001-01-01

Buffer layer architectures are epitaxially deposited on biaxially-textured rolled-Ni and/or Cu substrates for high current conductors, and more particularly buffer layer architectures such as MgO/Ag/Pt/Ni, MgO/Ag/Pd/Ni, MgO/Ag/Ni, MgO/Ag/Pd/Cu, MgO/Ag/Pt/Cu, and MgO/Ag/Cu. Techniques used to deposit these buffer layers include electron beam evaporation, thermal evaporation, rf magnetron sputtering, pulsed laser deposition, metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), combustion CVD, and spray pyrolysis.

Method for making MgO buffer layers on rolled nickel or copper as superconductor substrates

DOEpatents

Paranthaman, Mariappan; Goyal, Amit; Kroeger, Donald M.; List, III, Frederic A.

2002-01-01

Buffer layer architectures are epitaxially deposited on biaxially-textured rolled-Ni and/or Cu substrates for high current conductors, and more particularly buffer layer architectures such as MgO/Ag/Pt/Ni, MgO/Ag/Pd/Ni, MgO/Ag/Ni, MgO/Ag/Pd/Cu, MgO/Ag/Pt/Cu, and MgO/Ag/Cu. Techniques used to deposit these buffer layers include electron beam evaporation, thermal evaporation, rf magnetron sputtering, pulsed laser deposition, metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), combustion CVD, and spray pyrolysis.

Critical CuI buffer layer surface density for organic molecular crystal orientation change

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ahn, Kwangseok; Kim, Jong Beom; Lee, Dong Ryeol, E-mail: drlee@ssu.ac.kr

We have determined the critical surface density of the CuI buffer layer inserted to change the preferred orientation of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) crystals grown on the buffer layer. X-ray reflectivity measurements were performed to obtain the density profiles of the buffer layers and out-of-plane and 2D grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction measurements were performed to determine the preferred orientations of the molecular crystals. Remarkably, it was found that the preferred orientation of the CuPc film is completely changed from edge-on (1 0 0) to face-on (1 1 −2) by a CuI buffer layer with a very low surface density, so low thatmore » a large proportion of the substrate surface is bare.« less

Hexagonal AlN Layers Grown on Sulfided Si(100) Substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bessolov, V. N.; Gushchina, E. V.; Konenkova, E. V.; L'vova, T. V.; Panteleev, V. N.; Shcheglov, M. P.

2018-01-01

We have studied the influence of sulfide passivation on the initial stages of aluminum nitride (AlN)-layer nucleation and growth by hydride vapor-phase epitaxy (HVPE) on (100)-oriented single-crystalline silicon substrates. It is established that the substrate pretreatment in (NH4)2S aqueous solution leads to the columnar nucleation of hexagonal AlN crystals of two modifications rotated by 30° relative to each other. Based on the sulfide treatment, a simple method of oxide removal from and preparation of Si(100) substrate surface is developed that can be used for the epitaxial growth of group-III nitride layers.

Defect reduction in seeded aluminum nitride crystal growth

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bondokov, Robert T.; Morgan, Kenneth E.; Schowalter, Leo J.

2017-04-18

Bulk single crystal of aluminum nitride (AlN) having an areal planar defect density.ltoreq.100 cm.sup.-2. Methods for growing single crystal aluminum nitride include melting an aluminum foil to uniformly wet a foundation with a layer of aluminum, the foundation forming a portion of an AlN seed holder, for an AlN seed to be used for the AlN growth. The holder may consist essentially of a substantially impervious backing plate.

Defect reduction in seeded aluminum nitride crystal growth

DOEpatents

Bondokov, Robert T.; Morgan, Kenneth E.; Schowalter, Leo J.; Slack, Glen A.

2017-06-06

Bulk single crystal of aluminum nitride (AlN) having an areal planar defect density .ltoreq.100 cm.sup.-2. Methods for growing single crystal aluminum nitride include melting an aluminum foil to uniformly wet a foundation with a layer of aluminum, the foundation forming a portion of an AlN seed holder, for an AlN seed to be used for the AlN growth. The holder may consist essentially of a substantially impervious backing plate.

Defect reduction in seeded aluminum nitride crystal growth

DOEpatents

Bondokov, Robert T.; Schowalter, Leo J.; Morgan, Kenneth; Slack, Glen A; Rao, Shailaja P.; Gibb, Shawn Robert

2017-09-26

Bulk single crystal of aluminum nitride (AlN) having an areal planar defect density.ltoreq.100 cm.sup.-2. Methods for growing single crystal aluminum nitride include melting an aluminum foil to uniformly wet a foundation with a layer of aluminum, the foundation forming a portion of an AlN seed holder, for an AlN seed to be used for the AlN growth. The holder may consist essentially of a substantially impervious backing plate.

Tribological Properties of Surface-Textured and Plasma-Nitrided Pure Titanium Under Oil Lubrication Condition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Baosen; Dong, Qiangsheng; Ba, Zhixin; Wang, Zhangzhong; Shi, Hancheng; Xue, Yanting

2018-01-01

Plasma nitriding was conducted as post-treatment for surface texture on pure titanium to obtain a continuous nitriding layer. Supersonic fine particles bombarding (SFPB) was carried out to prepare surface texture. The surface morphologies and chemical composition were analyzed using scanning electron microscope and energy disperse spectroscopy. The microstructures of modified layers were characterized by transmission electron microscope. The tribological properties of surface-textured and duplex-treated pure titanium under oil lubrication condition were systematically investigated in the ball-on-plate reciprocating mode. The effects of applied load and sliding velocity on the tribological behavior were analyzed. The results show that after duplex treatments, the grains size in modified layer becomes slightly larger, and hardness is obviously improved. Wear resistance of duplex-treated pure titanium is significantly improved referenced to untreated and surface-textured pure titanium, which is 3.22 times as much as untreated pure titanium and 2.15 times of that for surface-textured pure titanium, respectively.

Boron nitride encapsulated graphene infrared emitters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barnard, H. R.; Zossimova, E.; Mahlmeister, N. H.

2016-03-28

The spatial and spectral characteristics of mid-infrared thermal emission from devices containing a large area multilayer graphene layer, encapsulated using hexagonal boron nitride, have been investigated. The devices were run continuously in air for over 1000 h, with the emission spectrum covering the absorption bands of many important gases. An approximate solution to the heat equation was used to simulate the measured emission profile across the devices yielding an estimated value of the characteristic length, which defines the exponential rise/fall of the temperature profile across the device, of 40 μm. This is much larger than values obtained in smaller exfoliated graphene devicesmore » and reflects the device geometry, and the increase in lateral heat conduction within the devices due to the multilayer graphene and boron nitride layers.« less

Improved memory characteristics by NH3-nitrided GdO as charge storage layer for nonvolatile memory applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, L.; Xu, J. P.; Ji, F.; Chen, J. X.; Lai, P. T.

2012-07-01

Charge-trapping memory capacitor with nitrided gadolinium oxide (GdO) as charge storage layer (CSL) is fabricated, and the influence of post-deposition annealing in NH3 on its memory characteristics is investigated. Transmission electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction are used to analyze the cross-section and interface quality, composition, and crystallinity of the stack gate dielectric, respectively. It is found that nitrogen incorporation can improve the memory window and achieve a good trade-off among the memory properties due to NH3-annealing-induced reasonable distribution profile of a large quantity of deep-level bulk traps created in the nitrided GdO film and reduction of shallow traps near the CSL/SiO2 interface.

Coaxial metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) Au/Ga2O3/GaN nanowires.

PubMed

Hsieh, Chin-Hua; Chang, Mu-Tung; Chien, Yu-Jen; Chou, Li-Jen; Chen, Lih-Juann; Chen, Chii-Dong

2008-10-01

Coaxial metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) Au-Ga2O3-GaN heterostructure nanowires were successfully fabricated by an in situ two-step process. The Au-Ga2O3 core-shell nanowires were first synthesized by the reaction of Ga powder, a mediated Au thin layer, and a SiO2 substrate at 800 degrees C. Subsequently, these core-shell nanowires were nitridized in ambient ammonia to form a GaN coating layer at 600 degrees C. The GaN shell is a single crystal, an atomic flat interface between the oxide and semiconductor that ensures that the high quality of the MOS device is achieved. These novel 1D nitride-based MOS nanowires may have promise as building blocks to the future nitride-based vertical nanodevices.

A novel anti-frictional multiphase layer produced by plasma nitriding of PVD titanium coated ZL205A aluminum alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, C.; Yao, J. W.; Wang, Y. X.; Zhu, Y. D.; Guo, J. H.; Wang, Y.; Fu, H. Y.; Chen, Z. B.; Yan, M. F.

2018-02-01

The heat treatment (consisting of solid solution and aging), is integrated with the nitriding process of titanium coated ZL205A aluminum alloy to improve the surface and matrix mechanical properties simultaneously. Two-step duplex treatment is adopted to prepare the gradient multiphase layer on a magnesium-free ZL205A aluminum-copper based alloy. Firstly, pure titanium film is deposited on the aluminum alloy substrate using magnetron sputtering. Secondly, the Ti-coated specimen is nitrided at the solid solution temperature of the substrate alloying elements in a gas mixture of N2 and H2 and aged at 175 °C. The microstructure evolution, microhardness as well as the wear resistance of obtained multiphase layers are investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), microhardness tester and pin-on-disc tribometer. The multiphase layer, dominated by TiN0.3 or Al3Ti, is prepared with significantly increased layer depth after duplex treatment. The surface hardness of multiphase layer is remarkably improved from 23.7HV to 457HV. The core matrix hardness is also increased to 65HV after aging. The wear rate of the multiphase layer decreases about 55.22% and 49.28% in comparison with the aged and Ti coated specimens, respectively. The predominant wear mechanism for the multiphase layer is abrasive and oxidation, but severe adhesive wear for the aged and Ti coated specimens.

Contribution of ion beam analysis methods to the development of second generation high temperature superconducting wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usov, I. O.; Arendt, P. N.; Foltyn, S. R.; Stan, L.; DePaula, R. F.; Holesinger, T. G.

2010-06-01

One of the crucial steps in the second generation high temperature superconducting wire program was development of the buffer-layer architecture. The architecture designed at the Superconductivity Technology Center at Los Alamos National Laboratory consists of several oxide layers wherein each layer plays a specific role, namely: nucleation layer, diffusion barrier, biaxially textured template, and intermediate layer providing a suitable lattice match to the superconducting Y 1Ba 2Cu 3O 7 (YBCO) compound. This report demonstrates how a wide range of ion beam analysis techniques (SIMS, RBS, channeling, PIXE, PIGE, NRA and ERD) was employed for analysis of each buffer layer and the YBCO film. These results assisted in understanding of a variety of physical processes occurring during the buffer layer fabrication and helped to optimize the buffer-layer architecture as a whole.

Modified band alignment effect in ZnO/Cu2O heterojunction solar cells via Cs2O buffer insertion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eom, Kiryung; Lee, Dongyoon; Kim, Seunghwan; Seo, Hyungtak

2018-02-01

The effects of a complex buffer layer of cesium oxide (Cs2O) on the photocurrent response in oxide heterojunction solar cells (HSCs) were investigated. A p-n junction oxide HSC was fabricated using p-type copper (I) oxide (Cu2O) and n-type zinc oxide (ZnO); the buffer layer was inserted between the Cu2O and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO). Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and x-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy analyses were performed to characterize the electronic band structures of cells, both with and without this buffer layer. In conjunction with the measured band electronic structures, the significantly improved visible-range photocurrent spectra of the buffer-inserted HSC were analyzed in-depth. As a result, the 1 sun power conversion efficiency was increased by about three times by the insertion of buffer layer. The physicochemical origin of the photocurrent enhancement was mainly ascribed to the increased photocarrier density in the buffer layer and modified valence band offset to promote the effective hole transfer at the interface to FTO on the band-alignment model.

Tribological properties of CrN coatings deposited by nitro-chromizing treatment on AISI D2 steel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Durmaz, M., E-mail: mdurmaz@sakarya.edu.tr; Abakay, E.; Sen, U.

2015-03-30

In this work, the wear test of uncoated and chromium nitride coated AISI D2 cold work tool steel against alumina ball realized at 0.1 m/s sliding speeds and under the loads of 2.5N, 5N and 10N. Steel samples were nitrided at 575°C for 8 h in the first step of the coating process, and then chromium nitride coating was performed thermo-reactive deposition technique (TRD) in a powder mixture consisting of ferro-chromium, ammonium chloride and alumina at 1000°C for 2 h. Nitro-chromized samples were characterized by X-Ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), micro-hardness and ball on disk wear tests. The coating layermore » formed on the AISI D2 steel was compact and homogeneous. X-ray studies showed that the phase formed in the coated layer is Cr{sub 2}N. The depth of the layer was 8.15 µm. The average hardness of the layer was 2160±15 HV{sub 0.025}. For uncoated and chromium nitride materials, wear rate increased with increasing load. The results of friction coefficient and wear rate of the tested materials showed that the CrN coating presents the lowest results.« less

Current isolating epitaxial buffer layers for high voltage photodiode array

DOEpatents

Morse, Jeffrey D.; Cooper, Gregory A.

2002-01-01

An array of photodiodes in series on a common semi-insulating substrate has a non-conductive buffer layer between the photodiodes and the semi-insulating substrate. The buffer layer reduces current injection leakage between the photodiodes of the array and allows optical energy to be converted to high voltage electrical energy.

Semiconductor films on flexible iridium substrates

DOEpatents

Goyal, Amit

2005-03-29

A laminate semiconductor article includes a flexible substrate, an optional biaxially textured oxide buffer system on the flexible substrate, a biaxially textured Ir-based buffer layer on the substrate or the buffer system, and an epitaxial layer of a semiconductor. Ir can serve as a substrate with an epitaxial layer of a semiconductor thereon.

AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistor Grown and Fabricated on ZrTi Metallic Alloy Buffer Layers

DOE PAGES

Ren, Fan; Pearton, Stephen J.; Ahn, Shihyun; ...

2017-09-26

AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) were demonstrated for structures grown on ZrTi metallic alloy buffer layers, which provided lattice matching of the in-plane lattice parameter (“a-parameter”) to hexagonal GaN. The quality of the GaN buffer layer and HEMT structure were confirmed with X-ray 2θ and rocking scans as well as cross-section transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. The X-ray 2θ scans showed full widths at half maximum (FWHM) of 0.06°, 0.05° and 0.08° for ZrTi alloy, GaN buffer layer, and the entire HEMT structure, respectively. TEM of the lower section of the HEMT structure containing the GaN buffer layer andmore » the AlN/ZrTi/AlN stack on the Si substrate showed that it was important to grow AlN on the top of ZrTi prior to growing the GaN buffer layer. Finally, the estimated threading dislocation (TD) density in the GaN channel layer of the HEMT structure was in the 10 8 cm -2 range.« less

Long life hydrocarbon conversion catalyst and method of making

DOEpatents

Tonkovich, Anna Lee Y [Pasco, WA; Wang, Yong [Richland, WA; Gao, Yufei [Kennewick, WA

2002-11-12

The present invention includes a catalyst that has at least four layers, (1) porous support, (2) buffer layer, (3) interfacial layer, and optionally (4) catalyst layer. The buffer layer provides a transition of thermal expansion coefficient from the porous support to the interfacial layer thereby reducing thermal expansion stress as the catalyst is heated to high operating temperatures. The method of the present invention for making the at least three layer catalyst has the steps of (1) selecting a porous support, (2) solution depositing an interfacial layer thereon, and optionally (3) depositing a catalyst material onto the interfacial layer; wherein the improvement comprises (4) depositing a buffer layer between the porous support and the interfacial layer.

Method of preparing thermal insulation for high temperature microwave sintering operations

DOEpatents

Holcombe, C.E.; Dykes, N.L.; Morrow, M.S.

1996-07-16

Superior microwave transparent thermal insulations for high temperature microwave sintering operations were prepared. One embodiment of the thermal insulation comprises granules of boron nitride coated with a very thin layer of glassy carbon made by preparing a glassy carbon precursor and blending it with boron nitride powder to form a mixture. The blended mixture is granulated to form a grit which is dried and heated to form the granules of boron nitride coated with a glassy carbon. Alternatively, grains of glassy carbon are coated with boron nitride by blending a mixture of a slurry comprising boron nitride, boric acid binder, and methyl alcohol with glassy carbon grains to form a blended mixture. The blended mixture is dried to form grains of glassy carbon coated with boron nitride. In addition, a physical mixture of boron nitride powder and glassy carbon grains has also been shown to be an excellent thermal insulation material for microwave processing and sintering. 1 fig.

Thermal insulation for high temperature microwave sintering operations and method thereof

DOEpatents

Holcombe, C.E.; Dykes, N.L.; Morrow, M.S.

1995-09-12

Superior microwave transparent thermal insulations for high temperature microwave sintering operations were prepared. One embodiment of the thermal insulation comprises granules of boron nitride coated with a very thin layer of glassy carbon made by preparing a glassy carbon precursor and blending it with boron nitride powder to form a mixture. The blended mixture is granulated to form a grit which is dried and heated to form the granules of boron nitride coated with a glassy carbon. Alternatively, grains of glassy carbon are coated with boron nitride by blending a mixture of a slurry comprising boron nitride, boric acid binder, and methyl alcohol with glassy carbon grains to form a blended mixture. The blended mixture is dried to form grains of glassy carbon coated with boron nitride. In addition, a physical mixture of boron nitride powder and glassy carbon grains has also been shown to be an excellent thermal insulation material for microwave processing and sintering. 1 fig.

Validity of "sputtering and re-condensation" model in active screen cage plasma nitriding process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saeed, A.; Khan, A. W.; Jan, F.; Abrar, M.; Khalid, M.; Zakaullah, M.

2013-05-01

The validity of "sputtering and re-condensation" model in active screen plasma nitriding for nitrogen mass transfer mechanism is investigated. The dominant species including NH, Fe-I, N2+, N-I and N2 along with Hα and Hβ lines are observed in the optical emission spectroscopy (OES) analysis. Active screen cage and dc plasma nitriding of AISI 316 stainless steel as function of treatment time is also investigated. The structure and phases composition of the nitrided layer is studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Surface morphology is studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and hardness profile is obtained by Vicker's microhardness tester. Increasing trend in microhardness is observed in both cases but the increase in active screen plasma nitriding is about 3 times greater than that achieved by dc plasma nitriding. On the basis of metallurgical and OES observations the use of "sputtering and re-condensation" model in active screen plasma nitriding is tested.

Enhanced adhesion for LIGA microfabrication by using a buffer layer

DOEpatents

Bajikar, Sateesh S.; De Carlo, Francesco; Song, Joshua J.

2004-01-27

The present invention is an improvement on the LIGA microfabrication process wherein a buffer layer is applied to the upper or working surface of a substrate prior to the placement of a resist onto the surface of the substrate. The buffer layer is made from an inert low-Z material (low atomic weight), a material that absorbs secondary X-rays emissions from the substrate that are generated from the substrate upon exposure to a primary X-rays source. Suitable materials for the buffer layer include polyamides and polyimide. The preferred polyimide is synthesized form pyromellitic anhydride and oxydianiline (PMDA-ODA).

Enhanced adhesion for LIGA microfabrication by using a buffer layer

DOEpatents

Bajikar, Sateesh S.; De Carlo, Francesco; Song, Joshua J.

2001-01-01

The present invention is an improvement on the LIGA microfabrication process wherein a buffer layer is applied to the upper or working surface of a substrate prior to the placement of a resist onto the surface of the substrate. The buffer layer is made from an inert low-Z material (low atomic weight), a material that absorbs secondary X-rays emissions from the substrate that are generated from the substrate upon exposure to a primary X-rays source. Suitable materials for the buffer layer include polyamides and polyimide. The preferred polyimide is synthesized form pyromellitic anhydride and oxydianiline (PMDA-ODA).

Enhanced cell adhesion on severe peened-plasma nitrided 316L stainless steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jayalakshmi, M.; Bhat, Badekai Ramachandra; Bhat, K. Udaya

2018-04-01

Plasma nitriding is an effective technique to enhance the wear resistance of austenitic stainless steels. Recently, severe surface deformation techniques are extensively used prior to nitriding to enhance diffusion kinetics. In the present study, AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel is subjected to peening-nitriding duplex treatment and biocompatibility of treated surfaces is assessed through adhesion of the fibroblast cells. Three-fold increase in the surface microhardness is observed from the un-peened sample to the peened-nitrided sample; with severe peened sample showing intermediate hardness. Similar trend is observed in the number of the fibroblast cells attached to the sample surface. Spreading of some of the fibroblast cells is observed on the sample subjected to duplex treatment; while the other two samples showed only the spindle shaped fibroblasts. Combined influence of surface nanocrystallization and presence of nitride layer is responsible for the improved biocompatibility.

Effect of Variation of Silicon Nitride Passivation Layer on Electron Irradiated Aluminum Gallium Nitride/Gallium Nitride HEMT Structures

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-19

the AlGaN is unintentionally doped . Figure 2.3. AlGaN/GaN band diagram showing polarization charges. The band diagram in Figure 2.3 shows...intentionally doped as are MESFETS, and the channel gets its electrons from the unintentional doping . There is less Coulomb scattering in the...temperature measurements are often used to provide spatial PL maps of doping and trap densities. Laser excitation (quasi-monochromatic) is

Nitriding of Polymer by Low Energy Nitrogen Neutral Beam Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hara, Yasuhiro; Takeda, Keigo; Yamakawa, Koji; Den, Shoji; Toyoda, Hirotaka; Sekine, Makoto; Hori, Masaru

2012-03-01

Nitriding of polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) has been carried out at room temperature using a nitrogen neutral beam with kinetic energy of less than 100 eV. The surface hardness of nitrided samples increased to two times that of the untreated sample, when the acceleration voltage was between 30 and 50 V. The thickness of the hardened polymer layer was estimated to be 1 µm. It was concluded that the hardness enhancement was caused by the diffusion of nitrogen atoms into the polymer.

Determination of lattice parameters, strain state and composition in semipolar III-nitrides using high resolution X-ray diffraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frentrup, Martin; Hatui, Nirupam; Wernicke, Tim; Stellmach, Joachim; Bhattacharya, Arnab; Kneissl, Michael

2013-12-01

In group-III-nitride heterostructures with semipolar or nonpolar crystal orientation, anisotropic lattice and thermal mismatch with the buffer or substrate lead to a complex distortion of the unit cells, e.g., by shearing of the lattice. This makes an accurate determination of lattice parameters, composition, and strain state under assumption of the hexagonal symmetry impossible. In this work, we present a procedure to accurately determine the lattice constants, strain state, and composition of semipolar heterostructures using high resolution X-ray diffraction. An analysis of the unit cell distortion shows that four independent lattice parameters are sufficient to describe this distortion. Assuming only small deviations from an ideal hexagonal structure, a linear expression for the interplanar distances dhkl is derived. It is used to determine the lattice parameters from high resolution X-ray diffraction 2ϑ-ω-scans of multiple on- and off-axis reflections via a weighted least-square fit. The strain and composition of ternary alloys are then evaluated by transforming the elastic parameters (using Hooke's law) from the natural crystal-fixed coordinate system to a layer-based system, given by the in-plane directions and the growth direction. We illustrate our procedure taking an example of (112¯2) AlκGa1-κN epilayers with Al-contents over the entire composition range. We separately identify the in-plane and out-of-plane strains and discuss origins for the observed anisotropy.

A Low-Noise NbTiN Hot Electron Bolometer Mixer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tong, C. Edward; Stern, Jeffrey; Megerian, Krikor; LeDuc, Henry; Sridharan, T. K.; Gibson, Hugh; Blundell, Raymond

2001-01-01

Hot electron bolometer (HEB) mixer elements, based on niobium titanium nitride (NbTiN) thin film technology, have been fabricated on crystalline quartz substrates over a 20 nm thick AlN buffer layer. The film was patterned by optical lithography, yielding bolometer elements that measure about 1 micrometer long and between 2 and 12 micrometers wide. These mixer chips were mounted in a fixed-tuned waveguide mixer block, and tested in the 600 and 800 GHz frequency range. The 3-dB output bandwidth of these mixers was determined to be about 2.5 GHz and we measured a receiver noise temperature of 270 K at 630 GHz using an intermediate frequency of 1.5 GHz. The receiver has excellent amplitude stability and the noise temperature measurements are highly repeatable. An 800 GHz receiver incorporating one of these mixer chips has recently been installed at the Sub-Millimeter Telescope in Arizona for field test and for astronomical observations.

Structural and Optical Studies of ZnCdSe/ZnSe/ZnMgSSe Separate Confinement Heterostructures with Different Buffer Layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tu, Ru-Chin; Su, Yan-Kuin; Huang, Ying-Sheng; Chen, Giin-Sang; Chou, Shu-Tsun

1998-09-01

Detailed structural and optical studies of ZnCdSe/ZnSe/ZnMgSSe separate confinementheterostructures (SCH) grown on ZnSe, ZnSe/ZnSSe strained-layer superlattices (SLS),and GaAs buffer layers at the II VI/GaAs interface have been carried out by employingtransmission electron microscopy, variable temperature photoluminescence (PL), andcontactless electroreflectance (CER) measurements. A significant improvement onthe defect reduction and the optical quality has been observed by using either theZnSe/ZnSSe SLS or GaAs as the buffer layers when compared to that of the sample usingonly ZnSe as the buffer layer. However, the sample grown with the SLS buffer layersreveals a room temperature PL intensity higher than that of the sample grown witha GaAs buffer layer, which may still suffer from the great ionic differences betweenthe II V and III V atoms. Using 15 K CER spectra, we have also studied variousexcitonic transitions originating from strained Zn0.80Cd0.20Se/ZnSe single quantumwell in SCH with different buffer layers. An analysis of the CER spectra has ledto the identification of various excitonic transitions, mnH (L), between the mthconduction band state and the nth heavy (light)-hole band state. An excellentagreement between experiments and theoretical calculations based on the envelopefunction approximation model has been achieved.

Improved properties of barium strontium titanate thin films grown on copper foils by pulsed laser deposition using a self-buffered layer.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, S.; Ma, B.; Narayanan, M.

2012-01-01

Ba{sub 0.6}Sr{sub 0.4}TiO{sub 3} (BST) films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition on copper foils with low-temperature self-buffered layers. The deposition conditions included a low oxygen partial pressure and a temperature of 700 C to crystallize the films without the formation of secondary phases and substrate oxidation. The results from x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy indicated that the microstructure of the BST films strongly depended on the growth temperature. The use of the self-buffered layer improved the dielectric properties of the deposited BST films. The leakage current density of the BST films on the copper foil was 4.4 xmore » 10{sup -9} A cm{sup -2} and 3.3 x 10{sup -6} A cm{sup -2} with and without the self-buffered layer, respectively. The ferroelectric hysteresis loop for the BST thin film with buffer layer was slim, in contrast to the distorted loop observed for the film without the buffer layer. The permittivity (7 0 0) and dielectric loss tangent (0.013) of the BST film on the copper foil with self-buffered layer at room temperature were comparable to those of the film on metal and single-crystal substrates.« less

The role of hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxide buffer layer on improving the performance of hydrogenated amorphous silicon germanium single-junction solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sritharathikhun, Jaran; Inthisang, Sorapong; Krajangsang, Taweewat; Krudtad, Patipan; Jaroensathainchok, Suttinan; Hongsingtong, Aswin; Limmanee, Amornrat; Sriprapha, Kobsak

2016-12-01

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxide (a-Si1-xOx:H) film was used as a buffer layer at the p-layer (μc-Si1-xOx:H)/i-layer (a-Si1-xGex:H) interface for a narrow band gap hydrogenated amorphous silicon germanium (a-Si1-xGex:H) single-junction solar cell. The a-Si1-xOx:H film was deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) at 40 MHz in a same processing chamber as depositing the p-type layer. An optimization of the thickness of the a-Si1-xOx:H buffer layer and the CO2/SiH4 ratio was performed in the fabrication of the a-Si1-xGex:H single junction solar cells. By using the wide band gap a-Si1-xOx:H buffer layer with optimum thickness and CO2/SiH4 ratio, the solar cells showed an improvement in the open-circuit voltage (Voc), fill factor (FF), and short circuit current density (Jsc), compared with the solar cells fabricated using the conventional a-Si:H buffer layer. The experimental results indicated the excellent potential of the wide-gap a-Si1-xOx:H buffer layers for narrow band gap a-Si1-xGex:H single junction solar cells.

Low-Cd CIGS solar cells made with a hybrid CdS/Zn(O,S) buffer layer

DOE PAGES

Garris, Rebekah L.; Mansfield, Lorelle M.; Egaas, Brian; ...

2016-10-27

In Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells, CdS and Zn(O,S) buffer layers were compared with a hybrid buffer layer consisting of thin CdS followed Zn(O,S). We explore the physics of this hybrid layer that combines the standard (Cd) approach with the alternative (Zn) approach in the pursuit to unlock further potential for CIGS technology. CdS buffer development has shown optimal interface properties, whereas Zn(O,S) buffer development has shown increased photocurrent. Although a totally Cd-free solar module is more marketable, the retention of a small amount of Cd can be beneficial to achieve optimum junction properties. As long as the amount of Cdmore » is reduced to less than 0.01% by weight, the presence of Cd does not violate the hazardous substance restrictions of the European Union (EU). We estimate the amount of Cd allowed in the EU for CIGS on both glass and stainless steel substrates, and we show that reducing Cd becomes increasingly important as substrate weights decrease. As a result, this hybrid buffer layer had reduced Cd content and a wider space charge region, while achieving equal or better solar cell performance than buffer layers of either CdS or Zn(O,S) alone.« less

Depth Measurements Using Alpha Particles and Upsettable SRAMs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buehler, M. G.; Reier, M.; Soli, G. A.

1995-01-01

A custom designed SRAM was used to measure the thickness of integrated circuit over layers and the epi-layer thickness using alpha particles and a test SRAM. The over layer consists of oxide, nitride, metal, and junction regions.

Engineering and Localization of Quantum Emitters in Large Hexagonal Boron Nitride Layers.

PubMed

Choi, Sumin; Tran, Toan Trong; Elbadawi, Christopher; Lobo, Charlene; Wang, Xuewen; Juodkazis, Saulius; Seniutinas, Gediminas; Toth, Milos; Aharonovich, Igor

2016-11-02

Hexagonal boron nitride is a wide-band-gap van der Waals material that has recently emerged as a promising platform for quantum photonics experiments. In this work, we study the formation and localization of narrowband quantum emitters in large flakes (up to tens of micrometers wide) of hexagonal boron nitride. The emitters can be activated in as-grown hexagonal boron nitride by electron irradiation or high-temperature annealing, and the emitter formation probability can be increased by ion implantation or focused laser irradiation of the as-grown material. Interestingly, we show that the emitters are always localized at the edges of the flakes, unlike most luminescent point defects in three-dimensional materials. Our results constitute an important step on the roadmap of deploying hexagonal boron nitride in nanophotonics applications.

Erosion-corrosion resistance properties of 316L austenitic stainless steels after low-temperature liquid nitriding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiangfeng; Wang, Jun; Fan, Hongyuan; Pan, Dong

2018-05-01

The low-temperature liquid nitriding of stainless steels can result in the formation of a surface zone of so-called expanded austenite (S-phase) by the dissolution of large amounts of nitrogen in the solid solution and formation of a precipitate-free layer supersaturated with high hardness. Erosion-corrosion measurements were performed on low-temperature nitrided and non-nitrided 316L stainless steels. The total erosion-corrosion, erosion-only, and corrosion-only wastages were measured directly. As expected, it was shown that low-temperature nitriding dramatically reduces the degree of erosion-corrosion in stainless steels, caused by the impingement of particles in a corrosive medium. The nitrided 316L stainless steels exhibited an improvement of almost 84% in the erosion-corrosion resistance compared to their non-nitrided counterparts. The erosion-only rates and synergistic levels showed a general decline after low-temperature nitriding. Low-temperature liquid nitriding can not only reduce the weight loss due to erosion but also significantly reduce the weight loss rate of interactions, so that the total loss of material decreased evidently. Therefore, 316L stainless steels displayed excellent erosion-corrosion behaviors as a consequence of their highly favorable corrosion resistances and superior wear properties.

The effect of the carbon nanotube buffer layer on the performance of a Li metal battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ding; Zhou, Yi; Liu, Changhong; Fan, Shoushan

2016-05-01

Lithium (Li) metal is one of the most promising candidates as an anode for the next-generation energy storage systems because of its high specific capacity and lowest negative electrochemical potential. But the growth of Li dendrites limits the application of the Li metal battery. In this work, a type of modified Li metal battery with a carbon nanotube (CNT) buffer layer inserted between the separator and the Li metal electrode was reported. The electrochemical results show that the modified batteries have a much better rate capability and cycling performance than the conventional Li metal batteries. The mechanism study by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveals that the modified battery has a smaller charge transfer resistance and larger Li ion diffusion coefficient during the deposition process on the Li electrode than the conventional Li metal batteries. Symmetric battery tests show that the interfacial behavior of the Li metal electrode with the buffer layer is more stable than the naked Li metal electrode. The morphological characterization of the CNT buffer layer and Li metal lamina reveals that the CNT buffer layer has restrained the growth of Li dendrites. The CNT buffer layer has great potential to solve the safety problem of the Li metal battery.Lithium (Li) metal is one of the most promising candidates as an anode for the next-generation energy storage systems because of its high specific capacity and lowest negative electrochemical potential. But the growth of Li dendrites limits the application of the Li metal battery. In this work, a type of modified Li metal battery with a carbon nanotube (CNT) buffer layer inserted between the separator and the Li metal electrode was reported. The electrochemical results show that the modified batteries have a much better rate capability and cycling performance than the conventional Li metal batteries. The mechanism study by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveals that the modified battery has a smaller charge transfer resistance and larger Li ion diffusion coefficient during the deposition process on the Li electrode than the conventional Li metal batteries. Symmetric battery tests show that the interfacial behavior of the Li metal electrode with the buffer layer is more stable than the naked Li metal electrode. The morphological characterization of the CNT buffer layer and Li metal lamina reveals that the CNT buffer layer has restrained the growth of Li dendrites. The CNT buffer layer has great potential to solve the safety problem of the Li metal battery. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr00465b

High dielectric constant and energy density induced by the tunable TiO2 interfacial buffer layer in PVDF nanocomposite contained with core-shell structured TiO2@BaTiO3 nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Penghao; Jia, Zhuye; Shen, Zhonghui; Wang, Peng; Liu, Xiaoru

2018-05-01

To realize application in high-capacity capacitors and portable electric devices, large energy density is eagerly desired for polymer-based nanocomposite. The core-shell structured nanofillers with inorganic buffer layer are recently supposed to be promising in improving the dielectric property of polymer nanocomposite. In this work, core-shell structured TO@BT nanoparticles with crystalline TiO2 buffer layer coated on BaTiO3 nanoparticle were fabricated via solution method and heat treatment. The thickness of the TO buffer layer can be tailored by modulating the additive amount of the titanate coupling agent in preparation process, and the apparent dielectric properties of nanocomposite are much related to the thickness of the TO layer. The relatively thin TO layer prefer to generate high polarization to increase dielectric constant while the relatively thick TO layer would rather to homogenize field to maintain breakdown strength. Simulation of electric field distribution in the interfacial region reveals the improving effect of the TO buffer layer on the dielectric properties of nanocomposite which accords with the experimental results well. The optimized nanoparticle TO@BT-2 with a mean thickness of 3-5 nm buffer layer of TO is effective in increasing both the ε and Eb in the PVDF composite film. The maximal discharged energy density of 8.78 J/cm3 with high energy efficiency above 0.6 is obtained in TO@BT-2/PVDF nanocomposite with 2.5 vol% loading close to the breakdown strength of 380 kV/mm. The present study demonstrates the approach to optimize the structure of core-shell nanoparticles by modulating buffer layer and provides a new way to further enlarge energy density in polymer nanocomposite.

Cooptimization of Adhesion and Power Conversion Efficiency of Organic Solar Cells by Controlling Surface Energy of Buffer Layers.

PubMed

Lee, Inhwa; Noh, Jonghyeon; Lee, Jung-Yong; Kim, Taek-Soo

2017-10-25

Here, we demonstrate the cooptimization of the interfacial fracture energy and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of poly[N-9'-heptadecanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4',7'-di-2-thienyl-2',1',3'-benzothiadiazole)] (PCDTBT)-based organic solar cells (OSCs) by surface treatments of the buffer layer. The investigated surface treatments of the buffer layer simultaneously changed the crack path and interfacial fracture energy of OSCs under mechanical stress and the work function of the buffer layer. To investigate the effects of surface treatments, the work of adhesion values were calculated and matched with the experimental results based on the Owens-Wendt model. Subsequently, we fabricated OSCs on surface-treated buffer layers. In particular, ZnO layers treated with poly[(9,9-bis(3'-(N,N-dimethylamino)propyl)-2,7-fluorene)-alt-2,7-(9,9-dioctylfluorene)] (PFN) simultaneously satisfied the high mechanical reliability and PCE of OSCs by achieving high work of adhesion and optimized work function.

Adjusting resonant wavelengths and spectral shapes of ring resonators using a cladding SiN layer or KOH solution.

PubMed

Park, Sahnggi; Kim, Kap-Joong; Lee, Jong-Moo; Kim, In-Gyoo; Kim, Gyungock

2009-07-06

It is shown that the resonant frequencies and the transmission spectra of ring resonators can be adjusted by depositing or etching the cladding nitride layer on the ring waveguide without introducing an extra loss or extra variations of channel spacing. The cladding nitride layer increases the minimum width of the gap in the coupling region to larger than 150nm which makes it possible to consider photolithography instead of E-beam lithography for the typical design rule of ring filters. KOH silicon etching can also adjust not only the resonance frequencies but also coupling coefficients with a small sacrifice of guiding loss.

Magnetic tunnel junctions with monolayer hexagonal boron nitride tunnel barriers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Piquemal-Banci, M.; Galceran, R.; Bouzehouane, K.

We report on the integration of atomically thin 2D insulating hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) tunnel barriers into Co/h-BN/Fe magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). The h-BN monolayer is directly grown by chemical vapor deposition on Fe. The Conductive Tip Atomic Force Microscopy (CT-AFM) measurements reveal the homogeneity of the tunnel behavior of our h-BN layers. As expected for tunneling, the resistance depends exponentially on the number of h-BN layers. The h-BN monolayer properties are also characterized through integration into complete MTJ devices. A Tunnel Magnetoresistance of up to 6% is observed for a MTJ based on a single atomically thin h-BN layer.

High-Performance Core–Shell Catalyst with Nitride Nanoparticles as a Core: Well-Defined Titanium Copper Nitride Coated with an Atomic Pt Layer for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

DOE PAGES

Tian, Xinlong; Tang, Haibo; Luo, Junming; ...

2017-04-25

A class of core–shell structured low-platinum catalysts with well-dispersed inexpensive titanium copper nitride nanoparticles as cores and atomic platinum layers as shells exhibiting high activity and stability for the oxygen reduction reaction is successfully developed. In using nitrided carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) as the support greatly improved the morphology and dispersion of the nitride nanoparticles, resulting in significant enhancement of the performance of the catalyst. The optimized catalyst, Ti 0.9Cu 0.1N@Pt/NCNTs, has a Pt mass activity 5 times higher than that of commercial Pt/C, comparable to that of core–shell catalysts with precious metal nanoparticles as the core, and much higher thanmore » that the latter if we take into account the mass activity of all platinum group metals. Furthermore, only a minimal loss of activity can be observed after 10000 potential cycles, demonstrating the catalyst’s high stability. After durability testing, atomic-scale elemental mapping confirmed that the core–shell structure of the catalyst remained intact. This approach may open a pathway for the design and preparation of high-performance inexpensive core–shell catalysts for a wide range of applications in energy conversion processes.« less

Alkaline fuel cell with nitride membrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Shen-Huei; Pilaski, Moritz; Wartmann, Jens; Letzkus, Florian; Funke, Benedikt; Dura, Georg; Heinzel, Angelika

2017-06-01

The aim of this work is to fabricate patterned nitride membranes with Si-MEMS-technology as a platform to build up new membrane-electrode-assemblies (MEA) for alkaline fuel cell applications. Two 6-inch wafer processes based on chemical vapor deposition (CVD) were developed for the fabrication of separated nitride membranes with a nitride thickness up to 1 μm. The mechanical stability of the perforated nitride membrane has been adjusted in both processes either by embedding of subsequent ion implantation step or by optimizing the deposition process parameters. A nearly 100% yield of separated membranes of each deposition process was achieved with layer thickness from 150 nm to 1 μm and micro-channel pattern width of 1μm at a pitch of 3 μm. The process for membrane coating with electrolyte materials could be verified to build up MEA. Uniform membrane coating with channel filling was achieved after the optimization of speed controlled dip-coating method and the selection of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) as electrolyte solvent. Finally, silver as conductive material was defined for printing a conductive layer onto the MEA by Ink-Technology. With the established IR-thermography setup, characterizations of MEAs in terms of catalytic conversion were performed successfully. The results of this work show promise for build up a platform on wafer-level for high throughput experiments.

High-Performance Core–Shell Catalyst with Nitride Nanoparticles as a Core: Well-Defined Titanium Copper Nitride Coated with an Atomic Pt Layer for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tian, Xinlong; Tang, Haibo; Luo, Junming

A class of core–shell structured low-platinum catalysts with well-dispersed inexpensive titanium copper nitride nanoparticles as cores and atomic platinum layers as shells exhibiting high activity and stability for the oxygen reduction reaction is successfully developed. In using nitrided carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) as the support greatly improved the morphology and dispersion of the nitride nanoparticles, resulting in significant enhancement of the performance of the catalyst. The optimized catalyst, Ti 0.9Cu 0.1N@Pt/NCNTs, has a Pt mass activity 5 times higher than that of commercial Pt/C, comparable to that of core–shell catalysts with precious metal nanoparticles as the core, and much higher thanmore » that the latter if we take into account the mass activity of all platinum group metals. Furthermore, only a minimal loss of activity can be observed after 10000 potential cycles, demonstrating the catalyst’s high stability. After durability testing, atomic-scale elemental mapping confirmed that the core–shell structure of the catalyst remained intact. This approach may open a pathway for the design and preparation of high-performance inexpensive core–shell catalysts for a wide range of applications in energy conversion processes.« less

Method of Fabricating Double Sided Si(Ge)/Sapphire/III-Nitride Hybrid Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, Sang Hyouk (Inventor); Park, Yeonjoon (Inventor)

2017-01-01

One aspect of the present invention is a double sided hybrid crystal structure including a trigonal Sapphire wafer containing a (0001) C-plane and having front and rear sides. The Sapphire wafer is substantially transparent to light in the visible and infrared spectra, and also provides insulation with respect to electromagnetic radio frequency noise. A layer of crystalline Si material having a cubic diamond structure aligned with the cubic <111> direction on the (0001) C-plane and strained as rhombohedron to thereby enable continuous integration of a selected (SiGe) device onto the rear side of the Sapphire wafer. The double sided hybrid crystal structure further includes an integrated III-Nitride crystalline layer on the front side of the Sapphire wafer that enables continuous integration of a selected III-Nitride device on the front side of the Sapphire wafer.

Effect of polymer residues on the electrical properties of large-area graphene–hexagonal boron nitride planar heterostructures

DOE PAGES

Voyloy, Dimitry; Lassiter, Matthew G.; Sokolov, Alexei P.; ...

2017-06-19

Polymer residue plays an important role in the performance of 2D heterostructured materials. Herein, we study the effect of polymer residual impurities on the electrical properties of graphene–boron nitride planar heterostructures. Large-area graphene (Gr) and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) monolayers were synthesized using chemical vapor deposition techniques. Atomic van-der-Waals heterostructure layers based on varied configurations of Gr and h-BN layers were assembled. The average interlayer resistance of the heterojunctions over a 1 cm 2 area for several planar heterostructure configurations was assessed by impedance spectroscopy and modeled by equivalent electrical circuits. As a result, conductive AFM measurements showed that themore » presence of polymer residues on the surface of the Gr and h-BN monolayers resulted in significant resistance deviations over nanoscale regions.« less

Double Sided Si(Ge)/Sapphire/III-Nitride Hybrid Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Yeonjoon (Inventor); Choi, Sang Hyouk (Inventor)

2016-01-01

One aspect of the present invention is a double sided hybrid crystal structure including a trigonal Sapphire wafer containing a (0001) C-plane and having front and rear sides. The Sapphire wafer is substantially transparent to light in the visible and infrared spectra, and also provides insulation with respect to electromagnetic radio frequency noise. A layer of crystalline Si material having a cubic diamond structure aligned with the cubic <111> direction on the (0001) C-plane and strained as rhombohedron to thereby enable continuous integration of a selected (SiGe) device onto the rear side of the Sapphire wafer. The double sided hybrid crystal structure further includes an integrated III-Nitride crystalline layer on the front side of the Sapphire wafer that enables continuous integration of a selected III-Nitride device on the front side of the Sapphire wafer.

Effect of polymer residues on the electrical properties of large-area graphene–hexagonal boron nitride planar heterostructures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Voyloy, Dimitry; Lassiter, Matthew G.; Sokolov, Alexei P.

Polymer residue plays an important role in the performance of 2D heterostructured materials. Herein, we study the effect of polymer residual impurities on the electrical properties of graphene–boron nitride planar heterostructures. Large-area graphene (Gr) and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) monolayers were synthesized using chemical vapor deposition techniques. Atomic van-der-Waals heterostructure layers based on varied configurations of Gr and h-BN layers were assembled. The average interlayer resistance of the heterojunctions over a 1 cm 2 area for several planar heterostructure configurations was assessed by impedance spectroscopy and modeled by equivalent electrical circuits. As a result, conductive AFM measurements showed that themore » presence of polymer residues on the surface of the Gr and h-BN monolayers resulted in significant resistance deviations over nanoscale regions.« less

One-step synthesis of 2D-layered carbon wrapped transition metal nitrides from transition metal carbides (MXenes) for supercapacitors with ultrahigh cycling stability.

PubMed

Yuan, Wenyu; Cheng, Laifei; Wu, Heng; Zhang, Yani; Lv, Shilin; Guo, Xiaohui

2018-03-13

A novel one-step method to synthesize 2D carbon wrapped TiN (C@TiN) was proposed via using 2D metal carbides (MXenes) as precursors. This study provides a novel approach to synthesize carbon wrapped metal nitrides.

Laminate article

DOEpatents

Williams, Robert K.; Paranthaman, Mariappan; Chirayil, Thomas G.; Lee, Dominic F.; Goyal, Amit; Feenstra, Roeland

2002-01-01

A laminate article comprises a substrate and a biaxially textured (RE.sub.x A.sub.(1-x)).sub.2 O.sub.2-(x/2) buffer layer over the substrate, wherein 0

Redox buffered hydrofluoric acid etchant for the reduction of galvanic attack during release etching of MEMS devices having noble material films

DOEpatents

Hankins, Matthew G [Albuquerque, NM

2009-10-06

Etchant solutions comprising a redox buffer can be used during the release etch step to reduce damage to the structural layers of a MEMS device that has noble material films. A preferred redox buffer comprises a soluble thiophosphoric acid, ester, or salt that maintains the electrochemical potential of the etchant solution at a level that prevents oxidation of the structural material. Therefore, the redox buffer preferentially oxidizes in place of the structural material. The sacrificial redox buffer thereby protects the exposed structural layers while permitting the dissolution of sacrificial oxide layers during the release etch.

Spectroscopic Ellipsometry Measurements of Wurtzite Gallium Nitride Surfaces as a Function of Buffered Oxide Etch Substrate Submersion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szwejkowski, Chester; Constantin, Costel; Duda, John; Hopkins, Patrick; Optical Studies of GaN interfaces Collaboration

2013-03-01

Gallium nitride (GaN) is considered the most important semiconductor after the discovery of silicon. Understanding the optical properties of GaN surfaces is imperative in determining the utility and applicability of this class of materials to devices. In this work, we present preliminary results of spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements as a function of surface root mean square (RMS). We used commercially available 5mm x 5mm, one side polished GaN (3-7 μm)/Sapphire (430 μm) substrates that have a wurtzite crystal structure and they are slightly n-type doped. The GaN substrates were cleaned with Acetone (20 min)/Isopropanol(20 min)/DI water (20 min) before they were submerged into Buffered Oxide Etch (BOE) for 10s - 60s steps. This BOE treatment produced RMS values of 1-30 nm as measured with an atomic force microscope. Preliminary qualitative ellipsometric measurements show that the complex refractive index and the complex dielectric function decrease with an increase of RMS. More measurements need to be done in order to provide explicit quantitative results. This work was supported by the 4-VA Collaborative effort between James Madison University and University of Virginia.

Method for producing chemical energy

DOEpatents

Jorgensen, Betty S.; Danen, Wayne C.

2004-09-21

Fluoroalkylsilane-coated metal particles having a central metal core, a buffer layer surrounding the core, and a fluoroalkylsilane layer attached to the buffer layer are prepared by combining a chemically reactive fluoroalkylsilane compound with an oxide coated metal particle having a hydroxylated surface. The resulting fluoroalkylsilane layer that coats the particles provides them with excellent resistance to aging. The particles can be blended with oxidant particles to form energetic powder that releases chemical energy when the buffer layer is physically disrupted so that the reductant metal core can react with the oxidant.

Energetic powder

DOEpatents

Jorgensen, Betty S.; Danen, Wayne C.

2003-12-23

Fluoroalkylsilane-coated metal particles. The particles have a central metal core, a buffer layer surrounding the core, and a fluoroalkylsilane layer attached to the buffer layer. The particles may be prepared by combining a chemically reactive fluoroalkylsilane compound with an oxide coated metal particle having a hydroxylated surface. The resulting fluoroalkylsilane layer that coats the particles provides them with excellent resistance to aging. The particles can be blended with oxidant particles to form energetic powder that releases chemical energy when the buffer layer is physically disrupted so that the reductant metal core can react with the oxidant.

The effect of the MgO buffer layer thickness on magnetic anisotropy in MgO/Fe/Cr/MgO buffer/MgO(001)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kozioł-Rachwał, Anna, E-mail: a.koziolrachwal@aist.go.jp; AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków; Nozaki, Takayuki

2016-08-28

The relationship between the magnetic properties and MgO buffer layer thickness d was studied in epitaxial MgO/Fe(t)/Cr/MgO(d) layers grown on MgO(001) substrate in which the Fe thickness t ranged from 0.4 nm to 1.1 nm. For 0.4 nm ≤ t ≤ 0.7 nm, a non-monotonic coercivity dependence on the MgO buffer thickness was shown by perpendicular magneto-optic Kerr effect magnetometry. For thicker Fe films, an increase in the buffer layer thickness resulted in a spin reorientation transition from perpendicular to the in-plane magnetization direction. Possible origins of these unusual behaviors were discussed in terms of the suppression of carbon contamination at the Fe surface and changes inmore » the magnetoelastic anisotropy in the system. These results illustrate a method to control magnetic anisotropy in MgO/Fe/Cr/MgO(d) via an appropriate choice of MgO buffer layer thickness d.« less

Control of iron nitride layers growth kinetics in the binary Fe-N system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torchane, L.; Bilger, P.; Dulcy, J.; Gantois, M.

1996-07-01

This study is within the framework of a research program dedicated to defining the optimal conditions for the nitriding of iron and steels at atmospheric pressure by using various mixtures, NH3-N2-H2 and NH3-Ar. After studying the mechanisms of phase formation and mass transfer at the gas-solid interface, a mathematical model is developed in order to predict the nitrogen transfer rate in the solid, the nitride layer growth rate, and the nitrogen concentration profiles. In order to validate the model and to show its possibilities, it is compared with thermogravimetric experiments, analyses, and metallurgical observations (X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, and electron microprobe anal-ysis). The results obtained allow us to demonstrate the sound correlation between the experimental results and the theoretical predictions. By applying the model to the iron-nitrogen binary system, when the ɛ/γ/α configuration referred to the Fe-N phase diagram is formed, we have experimentally determined the effective diffusion coefficient of nitrogen in the ɛ phase. The latter is constant for a composition of the ɛ nitride between 8 and 9.5 wt pct nitrogen. All the results obtained show that it is possible, by means of dynamic gas flow regulation, to eliminate the incubation period and to control the thickness, composition, and structure of the compound layer at the beginning of the treatment.

Corrosion Behavior of Active Screen Plasma Nitrided 38CrMoAl Steel under Marine Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Li; He, Yongyong; Mao, JunYuan; Zhang, Lei

2017-10-01

The 38CrMoAl steels were nitrided at different temperatures for 7 h using active screen plasma discharge. The analysis showed that the thick compound layer composed of ɛ-Fe2-3N and γ‧-Fe4N was formed on the surface. The corrosion behavior was evaluated by measuring the anodic polarization curves in natural sea water (similar 3.5% NaCl solution), and observation of corroded surface were conducted. The electromechanical measurements indicated that the corrosion potential of the nitrided specimens shifted to a nobler value compared to that of untreated specimens. Passive regions were also observed in the polarization curves for all the nitrided specimens. These results indicate that active screen plasma nitriding can enhance the corrosion resistance of the 38CrMoAl steel under marine environment.

Laminate articles on biaxially textured metal substrates

DOEpatents

Beach, David B.; Morrell, Jonathan S.; Paranthaman, Mariappan; Chirayil, Thomas; Specht, Eliot D.; Goyal, Amit

2003-12-16

A laminate article comprises a substrate and a biaxially textured (RE.sup.1.sub.x RE.sup.2.sub.(1-x)).sub.2 O.sub.3 buffer layer over the substrate, wherein 0

Tubes of rhombohedral boron nitride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourgeois, L.; Bando, Y.; Sato, T.

2000-08-01

The structure of boron nitride bamboo-like tubular whiskers grown from boron nitride powder is investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Despite the relatively small size of the tubes (20-200 nm in diameter), they all exhibit rhombohedral-like ordering in their layer stacking. The tubular sheets also tend to have their [10 bar 1 0] direction parallel to the fibre axis. Particles of iron alloys are commonly found encapsulated inside or at the end of the filaments. It is suggested that iron plays an active role in the growth of the fibres.

Electric field dynamics in nitride structures containing quaternary alloy (Al, In, Ga)N

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Borysiuk, J., E-mail: jolanta.borysiuk@ifpan.edu.pl; Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 5, 02-093 Warsaw; Sakowski, K.

2016-07-07

Molecular beam epitaxy growth and basic physical properties of quaternary AlInGaN layers, sufficiently thick for construction of electron blocking layers (EBL), embedded in ternary InGaN layers are presented. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurement revealed good crystallographic structure and compositional uniformity of the quaternary layers contained in other nitride layers, which are typical for construction of nitride based devices. The AlInGaN layer was epitaxially compatible to InGaN matrix, strained, and no strain related dislocation creation was observed. The strain penetrated for limited depth, below 3 nm, even for relatively high content of indium (7%). For lower indium content (0.6%), the strain wasmore » below the detection limit by TEM strain analysis. The structures containing quaternary AlInGaN layers were studied by time dependent photoluminescence (PL) at different temperatures and excitation powers. It was shown that PL spectra contain three peaks: high energy donor bound exciton peak from the bulk GaN (DX GaN) and the two peaks (A and B) from InGaN layers. No emission from quaternary AlInGaN layers was observed. An accumulation of electrons on the EBL interface in high-In sample and formation of 2D electron gas (2DEG) was detected. The dynamics of 2DEG was studied by time resolved luminescence revealing strong dependence of emission energy on the 2DEG concentration. Theoretical calculations as well as power-dependence and temperature-dependence analysis showed the importance of electric field inside the structure. At the interface, the field was screened by carriers and could be changed by illumination. From these measurements, the dynamics of electric field was described as the discharge of carriers accumulated on the EBL.« less

Continuous Growth of Hexagonal Graphene and Boron Nitride In-Plane Heterostructures by Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition

PubMed Central

Han, Gang Hee; Rodríguez-Manzo, Julio A.; Lee, Chan-Woo; Kybert, Nicholas J.; Lerner, Mitchell B.; Qi, Zhengqing John; Dattoli, Eric N.; Rappe, Andrew M.; Drndic, Marija; Charlie Johnson, A. T.

2013-01-01

Graphene-boron nitride monolayer heterostructures contain adjacent electrically active and insulating regions in a continuous, single-atom thick layer. To date structures were grown at low pressure, resulting in irregular shapes and edge direction, so studies of the graphene-boron nitride interface were restricted to microscopy of nano-domains. Here we report templated growth of single crystalline hexagonal boron nitride directly from the oriented edge of hexagonal graphene flakes by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition, and physical property measurements that inform the design of in-plane hybrid electronics. Ribbons of boron nitride monolayer were grown from the edge of a graphene template and inherited its crystallographic orientation. The relative sharpness of the interface was tuned through control of growth conditions. Frequent tearing at the graphene-boron nitride interface was observed, so density functional theory was used to determine that the nitrogen-terminated interface was prone to instability during cool down. The electronic functionality of monolayer heterostructures was demonstrated through fabrication of field effect transistors with boron nitride as an in-plane gate dielectric. PMID:24182310

Continuous growth of hexagonal graphene and boron nitride in-plane heterostructures by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition.

PubMed

Han, Gang Hee; Rodríguez-Manzo, Julio A; Lee, Chan-Woo; Kybert, Nicholas J; Lerner, Mitchell B; Qi, Zhengqing John; Dattoli, Eric N; Rappe, Andrew M; Drndic, Marija; Johnson, A T Charlie

2013-11-26

Graphene-boron nitride monolayer heterostructures contain adjacent electrically active and insulating regions in a continuous, single-atom thick layer. To date structures were grown at low pressure, resulting in irregular shapes and edge direction, so studies of the graphene-boron nitride interface were restricted to the microscopy of nanodomains. Here we report templated growth of single crystalline hexagonal boron nitride directly from the oriented edge of hexagonal graphene flakes by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition, and physical property measurements that inform the design of in-plane hybrid electronics. Ribbons of boron nitride monolayer were grown from the edge of a graphene template and inherited its crystallographic orientation. The relative sharpness of the interface was tuned through control of growth conditions. Frequent tearing at the graphene-boron nitride interface was observed, so density functional theory was used to determine that the nitrogen-terminated interface was prone to instability during cool down. The electronic functionality of monolayer heterostructures was demonstrated through fabrication of field effect transistors with boron nitride as an in-plane gate dielectric.

Estimation of sensing characteristics for refractory nitrides based gain assisted core-shell plasmonic nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shishodia, Manmohan Singh; Pathania, Pankaj

2018-04-01

Refractory transition metal nitrides such as zirconium nitride (ZrN), hafnium nitride (HfN) and titanium nitride (TiN) have emerged as viable alternatives to coinage metals based plasmonic materials, e.g., gold (Au) and silver (Ag). The present work assesses the suitability of gain assisted ZrN-, HfN- and TiN-based conventional core-shell nanoparticles (CCSNPs) and multilayered core-shell nanoparticles (MCSNPs) for refractive index sensing. We report that the optical gain incorporation in the dielectric layer leads to multifold enhancement of the scattering efficiency (Qsca), substantial reduction of the spectral full width at half maximum, and a higher figure of merit (FOM). In comparison with CCSNPs, the MCSNP system exhibits superior sensing characteristics such as higher FOM, ˜ 45% reduction in the critical optical gain, response shift towards the biological window, and higher degree of tunability. Inherent biocompatibility, growth compatibility, chemical stability and flexible spectral tuning of refractory nitrides augmented by superior sensing properties in the present work may pave the way for refractory nitrides based low cost sensing.

Improved high temperature integration of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} on MoS{sub 2} by using a metal oxide buffer layer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Son, Seokki; Choi, Moonseok; Kim, Dohyung

2015-01-12

We deposited a metal oxide buffer layer before atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} onto exfoliated molybdenum disulfide (MoS{sub 2}) in order to accomplish enhanced integration. We demonstrate that even at a high temperature, functionalization of MoS{sub 2} by means of a metal oxide buffer layer can effectively provide nucleation sites for ALD precursors, enabling much better surface coverage of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. It is shown that using a metal oxide buffer layer not only allows high temperature ALD process, resulting in highly improved quality of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/MoS{sub 2} interface, but also leaves MoS{sub 2} intact.

A template-free solvent-mediated synthesis of high surface area boron nitride nanosheets for aerobic oxidative desulfurization.

PubMed

Wu, Peiwen; Zhu, Wenshuai; Chao, Yanhong; Zhang, Jinshui; Zhang, Pengfei; Zhu, Huiyuan; Li, Changfeng; Chen, Zhigang; Li, Huaming; Dai, Sheng

2016-01-04

Hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets (h-BNNs) with rather high specific surface area (SSA) are important two-dimensional layer-structured materials. Here, a solvent-mediated synthesis of h-BNNs revealed a template-free lattice plane control strategy that induced high SSA nanoporous structured h-BNNs with outstanding aerobic oxidative desulfurization performance.

Chemical shielding properties for BN, BP, AlN, and AlP nanocones: DFT studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirzaei, Mahmoud; Yousefi, Mohammad; Meskinfam, Masoumeh

2012-06-01

The properties of boron nitride (BN), boron phosphide (BP), aluminum nitride (AlN), and aluminum phosphide (AlP) nanocones were investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The investigated structures were optimized and chemical shielding (CS) properties including isotropic and anisotropic CS parameters were calculated for the atoms of the optimized structures. The magnitudes of CS parameters were observed to be mainly dependent on the bond lengths of considered atoms. The results indicated that the atoms could be divided into atomic layers due to the similarities of their CS properties for the atoms of each layer. The trend means that the atoms of each layer detect almost similar electronic environments. Moreover, the atoms at the apex and mouth of nanocones exhibit different properties with respect to the other atomic layers.

Lateral Hydrogen Diffusion at p-GaN Layers in Nitride-Based Light Emitting Diodes with Tunnel Junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuwano, Yuka; Kaga, Mitsuru; Morita, Takatoshi; Yamashita, Kouji; Yagi, Kouta; Iwaya, Motoaki; Takeuchi, Tetsuya; Kamiyama, Satoshi; Akasaki, Isamu

2013-08-01

We demonstrated lateral Mg activation along p-GaN layers underneath n-GaN surface layers in nitride-based light emitting diodes (LEDs) with GaInN tunnel junctions. A high temperature thermal annealing was effective for the lateral Mg activation when the p-GaN layers were partly exposed to an oxygen ambient as etched sidewalls. The activated regions gradually extended from the etched sidewalls to the centers with an increase of annealing time, observed as emission regions with current injection. These results suggest that hydrogen diffuses not vertically thorough the above n-GaN but laterally through the exposed portions of the p-GaN. The lowest voltage drop at the GaInN tunnel junction was estimated to be 0.9 V at 50 mA with the optimized annealing condition.

The preparation and application of white graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Chenghong

2014-12-01

In this article, another thin film named white graphene is introduced, containing its properties, preparation and potential applications. White graphene, which has the same structure with graphene but quite different electrical properties, can be exfoliated from its layered crystal, hexagonal boron nitride. Here two preparation methods of white graphene including supersonic cleavage and supercritical cleavage are presented. Inspired by the cleavage of graphene oxide, supersonic is applied to BN and few-layered films are obtained. Compared with supersonic cleavage, supercritical cleavage proves to be more successful. As supercritical fluid can diffuse into interlayer space of the layered hexagonal boron nitride easily, once reduce the pressure of the supercritical system fast, supercritical fluid among layers expands and escapes form interlayer, consequently exfoliating the hexagonal boron nitride into few layered structure. A series of characterization demonstrate that the monolayer white graphene prepared in the process matches its theoretical thickness 0.333nm and has lateral sizes at the order of 10μm. Supercritical cleavage proves to be successful and shows many advantages, such as good production quality and fast production cycle. Furthermore, the band energy of white graphene, which shows quite different from graphene, is simulated via tight-bonding in theory. The excellent properties will lead to extensive applications of white graphene. As white graphene has not received enough concern and exploration, it's potential to play a significant role in the fields of industry and science.

Comparative study on nitridation and oxidation plasma interface treatment for AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMTs with AlN gate dielectric

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Jie-Jie; Ma, Xiao-Hua; Hou, Bin; Chen, Li-Xiang; Zhu, Qing; Hao, Yue

2017-02-01

This paper demonstrated the comparative study on interface engineering of AlN/AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistors (MIS-HEMTs) by using plasma interface pre-treatment in various ambient gases. The 15 nm AlN gate dielectric grown by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition significantly suppressed the gate leakage current by about two orders of magnitude and increased the peak field-effect mobility by more than 50%. NH3/N2 nitridation plasma treatment (NPT) was used to remove the 3 nm poor-quality interfacial oxide layer and N2O/N2 oxidation plasma treatment (OPT) to improve the quality of interfacial layer, both resulting in improved dielectric/barrier interface quality, positive threshold voltage (V th) shift larger than 0.9 V, and negligible dispersion. In comparison, however, NPT led to further decrease in interface charges by 3.38 × 1012 cm-2 and an extra positive V th shift of 1.3 V. Analysis with fat field-effect transistors showed that NPT resulted in better sub-threshold characteristics and transconductance linearity for MIS-HEMTs compared with OPT. The comparative study suggested that direct removing the poor interfacial oxide layer by nitridation plasma was superior to improving the quality of interfacial layer by oxidation plasma for the interface engineering of GaN-based MIS-HEMTs.

Nitriding of AISI 4140 steel by a low energy broad ion source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ochoa, E. A.; Figueroa, C. A.; Alvarez, F.

2006-11-15

A comprehensive study of the thermochemical nitriding process of steel AISI 4140 by low energy ion implantation (Kaufmann cell) is reported. Different times of implantation were employed and the studied samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction, in situ photoemission electron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and hardness (nanoindentation) measurements. The linear relationship between nitrogen content and hardness was verified. The structure of the nitrided layer was characterized yielding that the compound layer is formed by coarse precipitates, around small grains, constituted principally by {epsilon}-Fe{sub 2-3}N and {gamma}-Fe{sub 4}N phases and the diffusion zone is formed by fine precipitates, around big grainsmore » of the original martensitic phase, constituted principally by {gamma}-Fe{sub 4}N phase. Finally, a diffusion model for multiphase systems was applied to determine effective diffusion coefficients of nitrogen in the different phases.« less

Nitrided SrTiO3 as charge-trapping layer for nonvolatile memory applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, X. D.; Lai, P. T.; Liu, L.; Xu, J. P.

2011-06-01

Charge-trapping characteristics of SrTiO3 with and without nitrogen incorporation were investigated based on Al/Al2O3/SrTiO3/SiO2/Si (MONOS) capacitors. A Ti-silicate interlayer at the SrTiO3/SiO2 interface was confirmed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Compared with the MONOS capacitor with SrTiO3 as charge-trapping layer (CTL), the one with nitrided SrTiO3 showed a larger memory window (8.4 V at ±10 V sweeping voltage), higher P/E speeds (1.8 V at 1 ms +8 V) and better retention properties (charge loss of 38% after 104 s), due to the nitrided SrTiO3 film exhibiting higher dielectric constant, higher deep-level traps induced by nitrogen incorporation, and suppressed formation of Ti silicate between the CTL and SiO2 by nitrogen passivation.

Accurate calibration for the quantification of the Al content in AlGaN epitaxial layers by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy in a Transmission Electron Microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amari, H.; Lari, L.; Zhang, H. Y.; Geelhaar, L.; Chèze, C.; Kappers, M. J.; McAleese, C.; Humphreys, C. J.; Walther, T.

2011-11-01

Since the band structure of group III- nitrides presents a direct electronic transition with a band-gap energy covering the range from 3.4 eV for (GaN) to 6.2 eV (for AlN) at room temperature as well as a high thermal conductivity, aluminium gallium nitride (AlGaN) is a strong candidate for high-power and high-temperature electronic devices and short-wavelength (visible and ultraviolet) optoelectronic devices. We report here a study by energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) of the micro structure and elemental distribution in different aluminium gallium nitride epitaxial layers grown by different research groups. A calibration procedure is out-lined that yields the Al content from EDXS to within ~1 at % precision.

Ultrahigh mobility and efficient charge injection in monolayer organic thin-film transistors on boron nitride.

PubMed

He, Daowei; Qiao, Jingsi; Zhang, Linglong; Wang, Junya; Lan, Tu; Qian, Jun; Li, Yun; Shi, Yi; Chai, Yang; Lan, Wei; Ono, Luis K; Qi, Yabing; Xu, Jian-Bin; Ji, Wei; Wang, Xinran

2017-09-01

Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) with high mobility and low contact resistance have been actively pursued as building blocks for low-cost organic electronics. In conventional solution-processed or vacuum-deposited OTFTs, due to interfacial defects and traps, the organic film has to reach a certain thickness for efficient charge transport. Using an ultimate monolayer of 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2- b ][1]benzothiophene (C 8 -BTBT) molecules as an OTFT channel, we demonstrate remarkable electrical characteristics, including intrinsic hole mobility over 30 cm 2 /Vs, Ohmic contact with 100 Ω · cm resistance, and band-like transport down to 150 K. Compared to conventional OTFTs, the main advantage of a monolayer channel is the direct, nondisruptive contact between the charge transport layer and metal leads, a feature that is vital for achieving low contact resistance and current saturation voltage. On the other hand, bilayer and thicker C 8 -BTBT OTFTs exhibit strong Schottky contact and much higher contact resistance but can be improved by inserting a doped graphene buffer layer. Our results suggest that highly crystalline molecular monolayers are promising form factors to build high-performance OTFTs and investigate device physics. They also allow us to precisely model how the molecular packing changes the transport and contact properties.

Ultrahigh mobility and efficient charge injection in monolayer organic thin-film transistors on boron nitride

PubMed Central

He, Daowei; Qiao, Jingsi; Zhang, Linglong; Wang, Junya; Lan, Tu; Qian, Jun; Li, Yun; Shi, Yi; Chai, Yang; Lan, Wei; Ono, Luis K.; Qi, Yabing; Xu, Jian-Bin; Ji, Wei; Wang, Xinran

2017-01-01

Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) with high mobility and low contact resistance have been actively pursued as building blocks for low-cost organic electronics. In conventional solution-processed or vacuum-deposited OTFTs, due to interfacial defects and traps, the organic film has to reach a certain thickness for efficient charge transport. Using an ultimate monolayer of 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (C8-BTBT) molecules as an OTFT channel, we demonstrate remarkable electrical characteristics, including intrinsic hole mobility over 30 cm2/Vs, Ohmic contact with 100 Ω · cm resistance, and band-like transport down to 150 K. Compared to conventional OTFTs, the main advantage of a monolayer channel is the direct, nondisruptive contact between the charge transport layer and metal leads, a feature that is vital for achieving low contact resistance and current saturation voltage. On the other hand, bilayer and thicker C8-BTBT OTFTs exhibit strong Schottky contact and much higher contact resistance but can be improved by inserting a doped graphene buffer layer. Our results suggest that highly crystalline molecular monolayers are promising form factors to build high-performance OTFTs and investigate device physics. They also allow us to precisely model how the molecular packing changes the transport and contact properties. PMID:28913429

Is hexagonal boron nitride always good as a substrate for carbon nanotube-based devices?

PubMed

Kang, Seoung-Hun; Kim, Gunn; Kwon, Young-Kyun

2015-02-21

Hexagonal boron nitride sheets have been noted especially for their enhanced properties as substrates for sp(2) carbon-based nanodevices. To evaluate whether such enhanced properties would be retained under various realistic conditions, we investigate the structural and electronic properties of semiconducting carbon nanotubes on perfect and defective hexagonal boron nitride sheets under an external electric field as well as with a metal impurity, using density functional theory. We verify that the use of a perfect hexagonal boron nitride sheet as a substrate indeed improves the device performances of carbon nanotubes, compared with the use of conventional substrates such as SiO2. We further show that even the hexagonal boron nitride with some defects can show better performance as a substrate. Our calculations, on the other hand, also suggest that some defective boron nitride layers with a monovacancy and a nickel impurity could bring about poor device behavior since the imperfections impair electrical conductivity due to residual scattering under an applied electric field.

Strengthening of oxidation resistant materials for gas turbine applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Platts, D. R.; Kirchner, H. P.; Gruver, R. M.

1972-01-01

Compressive surface layers were formed on hot-pressed silicon carbide and nitride. The objective of these treatments was to improve the impact resistance of these materials at 1590 K (2400 F). Quenching was used to form compressive surface layers on silicon carbide. The presence of the compressive stresses was demonstrated by slotted rod tests. Compressive stresses were retained at elevated temperatures. Improvements in impact resistance at 1590 K (2400 F) and flexural strength at room temperature were achieved using cylindrical rods 3.3 mm (0.13 in.) in diameter. Carburizing treatments were used to form the surface layers on silicon nitride. In a few cases using rectangular bars improvements in impact resistance at 1590 K (2400 F) were observed.

Stressor-layer-induced elastic strain sharing in SrTiO 3 complex oxide sheets

DOE PAGES

Tilka, J. A.; Park, J.; Ahn, Y.; ...

2018-02-26

A precisely selected elastic strain can be introduced in submicron-thick single-crystal SrTiO 3 sheets using a silicon nitride stressor layer. A conformal stressor layer deposited using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition produces an elastic strain in the sheet consistent with the magnitude of the nitride residual stress. Synchrotron x-ray nanodiffraction reveals that the strain introduced in the SrTiO 3 sheets is on the order of 10 -4, matching the predictions of an elastic model. Using this approach to elastic strain sharing in complex oxides allows the strain to be selected within a wide and continuous range of values, an effect notmore » achievable in heteroepitaxy on rigid substrates.« less

Stressor-layer-induced elastic strain sharing in SrTiO 3 complex oxide sheets

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tilka, J. A.; Park, J.; Ahn, Y.

A precisely selected elastic strain can be introduced in submicron-thick single-crystal SrTiO 3 sheets using a silicon nitride stressor layer. A conformal stressor layer deposited using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition produces an elastic strain in the sheet consistent with the magnitude of the nitride residual stress. Synchrotron x-ray nanodiffraction reveals that the strain introduced in the SrTiO 3 sheets is on the order of 10 -4, matching the predictions of an elastic model. Using this approach to elastic strain sharing in complex oxides allows the strain to be selected within a wide and continuous range of values, an effect notmore » achievable in heteroepitaxy on rigid substrates.« less

New CVD-based method for the growth of high-quality crystalline zinc oxide layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huber, Florian; Madel, Manfred; Reiser, Anton; Bauer, Sebastian; Thonke, Klaus

2016-07-01

High-quality zinc oxide (ZnO) layers were grown using a new chemical vapour deposition (CVD)-based low-cost growth method. The process is characterized by total simplicity, high growth rates, and cheap, less hazardous precursors. To produce elementary zinc vapour, methane (CH4) is used to reduce a ZnO powder. By re-oxidizing the zinc with pure oxygen, highly crystalline ZnO layers were grown on gallium nitride (GaN) layers and on sapphire substrates with an aluminum nitride (AlN) nucleation layer. Using simple CH4 as precursor has the big advantage of good controllability and the avoidance of highly toxic gases like nitrogen oxides. In photoluminescence (PL) measurements the samples show a strong near-band-edge emission and a sharp line width at 5 K. The good crystal quality has been confirmed in high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) measurements. This new growth method has great potential for industrial large-scale production of high-quality single crystal ZnO layers.

High-pressure study of layered nitride superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taguchi, Y.; Hisakabe, M.; Ohishi, Y.; Yamanaka, S.; Iwasa, Y.

2004-09-01

Pressure dependence of critical temperature, lattice constant, and phonon frequency has been investigated for layered nitride superconductors, ZrNCl0.7 and Li0.5(THF)yHfNCl . The analysis of the data in terms of MacMillan’s theory indicated that the relevant phonon frequencies are low ( ≈50 and 100cm-1 , respectively), and that the electron-phonon coupling constant λ is larger than 3 in both compounds in sharp contrast with previous experimental and theoretical results. This result may suggest a possibility that other bosonic excitation than phonon additionally contributes to the pairing interaction in these materials.

High pressure study on layered nitride superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taguchi, Y.; Hisakabe, M.; Ohishi, Y.; Yamanaka, S.; Iwasa, Y.

2004-03-01

Pressure dependence of critical temperature, lattice constant, and phonon frequency has been investigated for layered nitride superconductors, Li_0.5(THF)_yHfNCl and ZrNCl_0.7. The data have been analyzed in terms of MacMillan's theory, and electron-phonon coupling constant λ (=1.3), Coulomb pseudopotential μ^* (=0.31), and relevant phonon frequency (=630 cm-1) have been extracted. The obtained value of λ exceeds 1 in contrast with previous experimental and theoretical results. The present result indicates that, if the superconductivity is within a MacMillan scheme, it is mediated by high frequency phonons in a strong coupling regime.

A platform for large-scale graphene electronics--CVD growth of single-layer graphene on CVD-grown hexagonal boron nitride.

PubMed

Wang, Min; Jang, Sung Kyu; Jang, Won-Jun; Kim, Minwoo; Park, Seong-Yong; Kim, Sang-Woo; Kahng, Se-Jong; Choi, Jae-Young; Ruoff, Rodney S; Song, Young Jae; Lee, Sungjoo

2013-05-21

Direct chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of single-layer graphene on CVD-grown hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) film can suggest a large-scale and high-quality graphene/h-BN film hybrid structure with a defect-free interface. This sequentially grown graphene/h-BN film shows better electronic properties than that of graphene/SiO2 or graphene transferred on h-BN film, and suggests a new promising template for graphene device fabrication. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Q factor limitation at short wavelength (around 300 nm) in III-nitride-on-silicon photonic crystal cavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tabataba-Vakili, Farsane; Roland, Iannis; Tran, Thi-Mo; Checoury, Xavier; El Kurdi, Moustafa; Sauvage, Sébastien; Brimont, Christelle; Guillet, Thierry; Rennesson, Stéphanie; Duboz, Jean-Yves; Semond, Fabrice; Gayral, Bruno; Boucaud, Philippe

2017-09-01

III-nitride-on-silicon L3 photonic crystal cavities with resonances down to 315 nm and quality factors (Q) up to 1085 at 337 nm have been demonstrated. The reduction of the quality factor with decreasing wavelength is investigated. Besides the quantum well absorption below 340 nm, a noteworthy contribution is attributed to the residual absorption present in thin AlN layers grown on silicon, as measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry. This residual absorption ultimately limits the Q factor to around 2000 at 300 nm when no active layer is present.

Method of depositing epitaxial layers on a substrate

DOEpatents

Goyal, Amit

2003-12-30

An epitaxial article and method for forming the same includes a substrate having a textured surface, and an electrochemically deposited substantially single orientation epitaxial layer disposed on and in contact with the textured surface. The epitaxial article can include an electromagnetically active layer and an epitaxial buffer layer. The electromagnetically active layer and epitaxial buffer layer can also be deposited electrochemically.

High quality Ge epilayer on Si (1 0 0) with an ultrathin Si1-x Ge x /Si buffer layer by RPCVD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Da; Guo, Qinglei; Zhang, Nan; Xu, Anli; Wang, Bei; Li, Ya; Wang, Gang

2017-07-01

The authors report a method to grow high quality strain-relaxed Ge epilayer on a combination of low temperature Ge seed layer and Si1-x Ge x /Si superlattice buffer layer by reduced pressure chemical vapor deposition system without any subsequent annealing treatment. Prior to the growth of high quality Ge epilayer, an ultrathin Si1-x Ge x /Si superlattice buffer layer with the thickness of 50 nm and a 460 nm Ge seed layer were deposited successively at low temperature. Then an 840 nm Ge epilayer was grown at high deposition rate with the surface root-mean-square roughness of 0.707 nm and threading dislocation density of 2.5  ×  106 cm-2, respectively. Detailed investigations of the influence of ultrathin low-temperature Si1-x Ge x /Si superlattice buffer layer on the quality of Ge epilayer were performed, which indicates that the crystalline quality of Ge epilayer can be significantly improved by enhancing the Ge concentration of Si1-x Ge x /Si superlattice buffer layer.

The effect of the carbon nanotube buffer layer on the performance of a Li metal battery.

PubMed

Zhang, Ding; Zhou, Yi; Liu, Changhong; Fan, Shoushan

2016-06-07

Lithium (Li) metal is one of the most promising candidates as an anode for the next-generation energy storage systems because of its high specific capacity and lowest negative electrochemical potential. But the growth of Li dendrites limits the application of the Li metal battery. In this work, a type of modified Li metal battery with a carbon nanotube (CNT) buffer layer inserted between the separator and the Li metal electrode was reported. The electrochemical results show that the modified batteries have a much better rate capability and cycling performance than the conventional Li metal batteries. The mechanism study by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveals that the modified battery has a smaller charge transfer resistance and larger Li ion diffusion coefficient during the deposition process on the Li electrode than the conventional Li metal batteries. Symmetric battery tests show that the interfacial behavior of the Li metal electrode with the buffer layer is more stable than the naked Li metal electrode. The morphological characterization of the CNT buffer layer and Li metal lamina reveals that the CNT buffer layer has restrained the growth of Li dendrites. The CNT buffer layer has great potential to solve the safety problem of the Li metal battery.

Near single-crystalline, high-carrier-mobility silicon thin film on a polycrystalline/amorphous substrate

DOEpatents

Findikoglu, Alp T [Los Alamos, NM; Jia, Quanxi [Los Alamos, NM; Arendt, Paul N [Los Alamos, NM; Matias, Vladimir [Santa Fe, NM; Choi, Woong [Los Alamos, NM

2009-10-27

A template article including a base substrate including: (i) a base material selected from the group consisting of polycrystalline substrates and amorphous substrates, and (ii) at least one layer of a differing material upon the surface of the base material; and, a buffer material layer upon the base substrate, the buffer material layer characterized by: (a) low chemical reactivity with the base substrate, (b) stability at temperatures up to at least about 800.degree. C. under low vacuum conditions, and (c) a lattice crystal structure adapted for subsequent deposition of a semiconductor material; is provided, together with a semiconductor article including a base substrate including: (i) a base material selected from the group consisting of polycrystalline substrates and amorphous substrates, and (ii) at least one layer of a differing material upon the surface of the base material; and, a buffer material layer upon the base substrate, the buffer material layer characterized by: (a) low chemical reactivity with the base substrate, (b) stability at temperatures up to at least about 800.degree. C. under low vacuum conditions, and (c) a lattice crystal structure adapted for subsequent deposition of a semiconductor material, and, a top-layer of semiconductor material upon the buffer material layer.

Comparative analysis of strain fields in layers of step-graded metamorphic buffers of various designs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aleshin, A. N.; Bugaev, A. S.; Ruban, O. A.; Tabachkova, N. Yu.; Shchetinin, I. V.

2017-10-01

Spatial distribution of residual elastic strain in the layers of two step-graded metamophic buffers of various designs, grown by molecular beam epitaxy from ternary InxAl1-xAs solutions on GaAs(001) substrates, is obtained using reciprocal space mapping by three-axis X-ray diffractometry and the linear theory of elasticity. The difference in the design of the buffers enabled the formation of a dislocation-free layer with different thickness in each of the heterostructures, which was the main basis of this study. It is shown that, in spite of the different design of graded metamorphic buffers, the nature of strain fields in them is the same, and the residual elastic strains in the final elements of both buffers adjusted for the effect of work hardening subject to the same phenomenological law, which describes the strain relief process in single-layer heterostructures.

Low-temperature direct synthesis of mesoporous vanadium nitrides for electrochemical capacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hae-Min; Jeong, Gyoung Hwa; Kim, Sang-Wook; Kim, Chang-Koo

2017-04-01

Mesoporous vanadium nitrides are directly synthesized by a one-step chemical precipitation method at a low temperature (70 °C). Structural and morphological analyses reveal that vanadium nitride consist of long and slender nanowhiskers, and mesopores with diameters of 2-5 nm. Compositional analysis confirms the presence of vanadium in the VN structure, along with oxidized vanadium. The cyclic voltammetry and charge-discharge tests indicate that the obtained material stores charges via a combination of electric double-layer capacitance and pseudocapacitance mechanisms. The vanadium nitride electrode exhibits a specific capacitance of 598 F/g at a current density of 4 A/g. After 5000 charge-discharge cycles, the electrode has an equivalent series resistance of 1.42 Ω and retains 83% of its initial specific capacitance. This direct low-temperature synthesis of mesoporous vanadium nitrides is a simple and promising method to achieve high specific capacitance and low equivalent series resistance for electrochemical capacitor applications.

Solid solution lithium alloy cermet anodes

DOEpatents

Richardson, Thomas J.

2013-07-09

A metal-ceramic composite ("cermet") has been produced by a chemical reaction between a lithium compound and another metal. The cermet has advantageous physical properties, high surface area relative to lithium metal or its alloys, and is easily formed into a desired shape. An example is the formation of a lithium-magnesium nitride cermet by reaction of lithium nitride with magnesium. The reaction results in magnesium nitride grains coated with a layer of lithium. The nitride is inert when used in a battery. It supports the metal in a high surface area form, while stabilizing the electrode with respect to dendrite formation. By using an excess of magnesium metal in the reaction process, a cermet of magnesium nitride is produced, coated with a lithium-magnesium alloy of any desired composition. This alloy inhibits dendrite formation by causing lithium deposited on its surface to diffuse under a chemical potential into the bulk of the alloy.

Effect of organic buffer layer in the electrical properties of amorphous-indium gallium zinc oxide thin film transistor.

PubMed

Wang, Jian-Xun; Hyung, Gun Woo; Li, Zhao-Hui; Son, Sung-Yong; Kwon, Sang Jik; Kim, Young Kwan; Cho, Eou Sik

2012-07-01

In this research, we reported on the fabrication of top-contact amorphous-indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with an organic buffer layer between inorganic gate dielectric and active layer in order to improve the electrical properties of devices. By inserting an organic buffer layer, it was possible to make an affirmation of the improvements in the electrical characteristics of a-IGZO TFTs such as subthreshold slope (SS), on/off current ratio (I(ON/OFF)), off-state current, and saturation field-effect mobility (muFE). The a-IGZO TFTs with the cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol (c-PVA) buffer layer exhibited the pronounced improvements of the muFE (17.4 cm2/Vs), SS (0.9 V/decade), and I(ON/OFF) (8.9 x 10(6)).

Dependence of magnetic properties on different buffer layers of Mn3.5Ga thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Y.; Sato, K.; Shima, T.; Doi, M.

2018-05-01

D022-Mn3.5Ga thin films were prepared on MgO (100) single crystalline substrates with different buffer layer (Cr, Fe, Cr/Pt and Cr/Au) using an ultra-high-vacuum electron beam vapor deposition system. From XRD patterns, a fundamental (004) peak has clearly observed for all samples. The relatively low saturation magnetization (Ms) of 178 emu/cm3, high magnetic anisotropy (Ku) of 9.1 Merg/cm3 and low surface roughness (Ra) of 0.30 nm were obtained by D022-Mn3.5Ga film (20 nm) on Cr/Pt buffer layer at Ts = 300 °C, Ta = 400 °C (3h). These findings suggest that MnGa film on Cr/Pt buffer layer is a promising PMA layer for future spin electronics devices.

Y1Ba2Cu3O(6+delta) growth on thin Y-enhanced SiO2 buffer layers on silicon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robin, T.; Mesarwi, A.; Wu, N. J.; Fan, W. C.; Espoir, L.; Ignatiev, A.; Sega, R.

1991-01-01

SiO2 buffer layers as thin as 2 nm have been developed for use in the growth of Y1Ba2Cu3O(6+delta) thin films on silicon substrates. The SiO2 layers are formed through Y enhancement of silicon oxidation, and are highly stoichiometric. Y1Ba2Cu3O(6+delta) film growth on silicon with thin buffer layers has shown c orientation and Tc0 = 78 K.

The effects of the porous buffer layer and doping with dysprosium on internal stresses in the GaInP:Dy/por-GaAs/GaAs(100) heterostructures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seredin, P. V.; Gordienko, N. N.; Glotov, A. V.

2009-08-15

In structures with a porous buffer layer, residual internal stresses caused by a mismatch between the crystal-lattice parameters of the epitaxial GaInP alloy and the GaAs substrate are redistributed to the porous layer that acts as a buffer and is conducive to disappearance of internal stresses. Doping of the epitaxial layer with dysprosium exerts a similar effect on the internal stresses in the film-substrate structure.

Tetradymite layer assisted heteroepitaxial growth and applications

DOEpatents

Stoica, Vladimir A.; Endicott, Lynn; Clarke, Roy; Uher, Ctirad

2017-08-01

A multilayer stack including a substrate, an active layer, and a tetradymite buffer layer positioned between the substrate and the active layer is disclosed. A method for fabricating a multilayer stack including a substrate, a tetradymite buffer layer and an active layer is also disclosed. Use of such stacks may be in photovoltaics, solar cells, light emitting diodes, and night vision arrays, among other applications.

Wafer-scale controlled exfoliation of metal organic vapor phase epitaxy grown InGaN/GaN multi quantum well structures using low-tack two-dimensional layered h-BN

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ayari, Taha; Li, Xin; Voss, Paul L.

Recent advances in epitaxial growth have led to the growth of III-nitride devices on 2D layered h-BN. This advance has the potential for wafer-scale transfer to arbitrary substrates, which could improve the thermal management and would allow III-N devices to be used more flexibly in a broader range of applications. We report wafer scale exfoliation of a metal organic vapor phase epitaxy grown InGaN/GaN Multi Quantum Well (MQW) structure from a 5 nm thick h-BN layer that was grown on a 2-inch sapphire substrate. The weak van der Waals bonds between h-BN atomic layers break easily, allowing the MQW structure tomore » be mechanically lifted off from the sapphire substrate using a commercial adhesive tape. This results in the surface roughness of only 1.14 nm on the separated surface. Structural characterizations performed before and after the lift-off confirm the conservation of structural properties after lift-off. Cathodoluminescence at 454 nm was present before lift-off and 458 nm was present after. Electroluminescence near 450 nm from the lifted-off structure has also been observed. These results show that the high crystalline quality ultrathin h-BN serves as an effective sacrificial layer—it maintains performance, while also reducing the GaN buffer thickness and temperature ramps as compared to a conventional two-step growth method. These results support the use of h-BN as a low-tack sacrificial underlying layer for GaN-based device structures and demonstrate the feasibility of large area lift-off and transfer to any template, which is important for industrial scale production.« less

Effect of ZnO buffer layer on phase transition properties of vanadium dioxide thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Huiqun; Li, Lekang; Li, Chunbo

2016-03-01

VO2 thin films were prepared on ZnO buffer layers by DC magnetron sputtering at room temperature using vanadium target and post annealing at 400 °C. The ZnO buffer layers with different thickness deposited on glass substrates by magnetron sputtering have a high visible and near infrared optical transmittance. The electrical resistivity and the phase transition properties of the VO2/ZnO composite thin films in terms of temperature were investigated. The results showed that the resistivity variation of VO2 thin film with ZnO buffer layer deposited for 35 min was 16 KΩ-cm. The VO2/ZnO composite thin films exhibit a reversible semiconductor-metal phase transition at 48 °C.

Silicon Nitride Antireflection Coatings for Photovoltaic Cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, C.; Wydeven, T.; Donohoe, K.

1984-01-01

Chemical-vapor deposition adapted to yield graded index of refraction. Silicon nitride deposited in layers, refractive index of which decreases with distance away from cell/coating interface. Changing index of refraction allows adjustment of spectral transmittance for wavelengths which cell is most effective at converting light to electric current. Average conversion efficiency of solar cells increased from 8.84 percent to 12.63 percent.

A template-free solvent-mediated synthesis of high surface area boron nitride nanosheets for aerobic oxidative desulfurization

DOE PAGES

Wu, Peiwen; Zhu, Wenshuai; Chao, Yanhong; ...

2015-10-16

Hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets (h-BNNs) with rather high specific surface area (SSA) are important two-dimensional layer-structured materials. Here in this study, a solvent-mediated synthesis of h-BNNs revealed a template-free lattice plane control strategy that induced high SSA nanoporous structured h-BNNs with outstanding aerobic oxidative desulfurization performance.

Tribology of nitrided-coated steel-a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhaskar, Santosh V.; Kudal, Hari N.

2017-01-01

Surface engineering such as surface treatment, coating, and surface modification are employed to increase surface hardness, minimize adhesion, and hence, to reduce friction and improve resistance to wear. To have optimal tribological performance of Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) hard coating to the substrate materials, pretreatment of the substrate materials is always advisable to avoid plastic deformation of the substrate, which may result in eventual coating failure. The surface treatment results in hardening of the substrate and increase in load support effect. Many approaches aim to improve the adhesion of the coatings onto the substrate and nitriding is the one of the best suitable options for the same. In addition to tribological properties, nitriding leads to improved corrosion resistance. Often corrosion resistance is better than that obtainable with other surface engineering processes such as hard-chrome and nickel plating. Ability of this layer to withstand thermal stresses gives stability which extends the surface life of tools and other components exposed to heat. Most importantly, the nitrogen picked-up by the diffusion layer increases the rotating-bending fatigue strength in components. The present article reviews mainly the tribological advancement of different nitrided-coated steels based on the types of coatings, structure, and the tribo-testing parameters, in recent years.

Growth mechanism and microstructure of low defect density InN (0001) In-face thin films on Si (111) substrates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kehagias, Th.; Dimitrakopulos, G. P.; Koukoula, T.

2013-10-28

Transmission electron microscopy has been employed to analyze the direct nucleation and growth, by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy, of high quality InN (0001) In-face thin films on (111) Si substrates. Critical steps of the heteroepitaxial growth process are InN nucleation at low substrate temperature under excessively high N-flux conditions and subsequent growth of the main InN epilayer at the optimum conditions, namely, substrate temperature 400–450 °C and In/N flux ratio close to 1. InN nucleation occurs in the form of a very high density of three dimensional (3D) islands, which coalesce very fast into a low surface roughness InN film.more » The reduced reactivity of Si at low temperature and its fast coverage by InN limit the amount of unintentional Si nitridation by the excessively high nitrogen flux and good bonding/adhesion of the InN film directly on the Si substrate is achieved. The subsequent overgrowth of the main InN epilayer, in a layer-by-layer growth mode that enhances the lateral growth of InN, reduces significantly the crystal mosaicity and the density of threading dislocations is about an order of magnitude less compared to InN films grown using an AlN/GaN intermediate nucleation/buffer layer on Si. The InN films exhibit the In-face polarity and very smooth atomically stepped surfaces.« less

Transfer matrix method solving interface optical phonons in wurtzite core-multishell nanowires of III-nitrides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Z. X.; Qu, Y.; Xie, H.; Ban, S. L.

2016-12-01

Within the framework of dielectric continuum and Loudon's uniaxial crystal models, the transfer matrix method (TMM) is developed to investigate interface optical phonons (IOPs) in cylindrical wurtzite core-multishell nanowires (CMSNWs) consisting of ternary mixed crystals (TMCs). The IOPs in GaN/InxGa1-xN/InyGa1-yN and GaN/InxGa1-xN/InyGa1-yN/InzGa1-zN CMSNWs are calculated as examples. The results show that there may be several types of IOPs existing in certain frequency regions in CMSNWs for a given component due to the phonon dispersion anisotropy in wurtzite nitrides. The IOPs are classified by possible combinations of the interfaces in CMSNWs. Furthermore, the dispersion relations and electro-static potentials of each kind of IOPs are discussed in detail. The dispersion relations of IOPs in CMSNWs is found to be the combination of that in each nearest two layer CSNW. It can explain the fact that the total branch number of IOPs obey the 2n rule. It is also found that the peak positions of electro-static potentials are decided by the layer component order from the inner layer to outside in CMSNWs. The results indicate that TMM for IOPs is available and can be commodiously extended to other cylindrical wurtzite III-nitride CMSNWs. Based on this method, one can further discuss the IOPs related photoelectric properties in nitride CMSNWs consisting of TMCs.

Integrated circuit with dissipative layer for photogenerated carriers

DOEpatents

Myers, D.R.

1988-04-20

The sensitivity of an integrated circuit to single-event upsets is decreased by providing a dissipative layer of silicon nitride between a silicon substrate and the active device. Free carriers generated in the substrate are dissipated by the layer before they can build up charge on the active device. 1 fig.

Rich interfacial chemistry and properties of carbon-doped hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets revealed by electronic structure calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Wei; Tamura, Takahiro; Yanase, Takashi; Nagahama, Taro; Shimada, Toshihiro

2018-04-01

The effect of C doping to hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) to its electronic structure is examined by first principles calculations using the association from π-electron systems of organic molecules embedded in a two-dimensional insulator. In a monolayered carbon-doped structure, odd-number doping with carbon atoms confers metallic properties with different work functions. Various electronic interactions occur between two layers with odd-number carbon substitution. A direct sp3 covalent chemical bond is formed when C replaces adjacent B and N in different layers. A charge transfer complex between layers is found when C replaces B and N in the next-neighboring region, which results in narrower band gaps (e.g., 0.37 eV). Direct bonding between C and B atoms is found when two C atoms in different layers are at a certain distance.

Hexagonal boron nitride intercalated multi-layer graphene: a possible ultimate solution to ultra-scaled interconnect technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yong-Jun; Sun, Qing-Qing; Chen, Lin; Zhou, Peng; Wang, Peng-Fei; Ding, Shi-Jin; Zhang, David Wei

2012-03-01

We proposed intercalation of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) in multilayer graphene to improve its performance in ultra-scaled interconnects for integrated circuit. The effect of intercalated hBN layer in bilayer graphene is investigated using non-equilibrium Green's functions. We find the hBN intercalated bilayer graphene exhibit enhanced transport properties compared with pristine bilayer ones, and the improvement is attributed to suppression of interlayer scattering and good planar bonding condition of inbetween hBN layer. Based on these results, we proposed a via structure that not only benefits from suppressed interlayer scattering between multilayer graphene, but also sustains the unique electrical properties of graphene when many graphene layers are stacking together. The ideal current density across the structure can be as high as 4.6×109 A/cm2 at 1V, which is very promising for the future high-performance interconnect.

Raman study of annealed two-dimensional heterostructure of graphene on hexagonal boron nitride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Souibgui, Mourad; Ajlani, Hosni; Cavanna, Antonnella; Oueslati, Meherzi; Meftah, Abdelaziz; Madouri, Ali

2017-12-01

In this paper, we investigate stacked 2D graphene layers on hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). The graphene is obtained by high-quality chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and transferred to the h-BN substrate. We focus our attention on annealing effect at 1040 °C on single graphene layer (SGL) and bilayer graphene (BLG) on h-BN substrate using Raman spectroscopy. Our results show, before annealing, a twist angle θ = 0.63 ° between the SGL and the h-BN substrate and a twist angle 3 ° <θG1G2 < 8 ° between the two graphene layers of the BLG. After annealing, the analysis of the graphene G and 2D bands show a rotational reorientation of the graphene layer with respect to the h-BN substrate. Raman mapping also shows that the rotational reorientation is spatially dependent.

A MEMS-based Air Flow Sensor with a Free-standing Micro-cantilever Structure

PubMed Central

Wang, Yu-Hsiang; Lee, Chia-Yen; Chiang, Che-Ming

2007-01-01

This paper presents a micro-scale air flow sensor based on a free-standing cantilever structure. In the fabrication process, MEMS techniques are used to deposit a silicon nitride layer on a silicon wafer. A platinum layer is deposited on the silicon nitride layer to form a piezoresistor, and the resulting structure is then etched to create a freestanding micro-cantilever. When an air flow passes over the surface of the cantilever beam, the beam deflects in the downward direction, resulting in a small variation in the resistance of the piezoelectric layer. The air flow velocity is determined by measuring the change in resistance using an external LCR meter. The experimental results indicate that the flow sensor has a high sensitivity (0.0284 Ω/ms-1), a high velocity measurement limit (45 ms-1) and a rapid response time (0.53 s). PMID:28903233

Dilute group III-V nitride intermediate band solar cells with contact blocking layers

DOEpatents

Walukiewicz, Wladyslaw; Yu, Kin Man

2015-02-24

An intermediate band solar cell (IBSC) is provided including a p-n junction based on dilute III-V nitride materials and a pair of contact blocking layers positioned on opposite surfaces of the p-n junction for electrically isolating the intermediate band of the p-n junction by blocking the charge transport in the intermediate band without affecting the electron and hole collection efficiency of the p-n junction, thereby increasing open circuit voltage (V.sub.OC) of the IBSC and increasing the photocurrent by utilizing the intermediate band to absorb photons with energy below the band gap of the absorber layers of the IBSC. Hence, the overall power conversion efficiency of a IBSC will be much higher than an conventional single junction solar cell. The p-n junction absorber layers of the IBSC may further have compositionally graded nitrogen concentrations to provide an electric field for more efficient charge collection.

Dilute Group III-V nitride intermediate band solar cells with contact blocking layers

DOEpatents

Walukiewicz, Wladyslaw [Kensington, CA; Yu, Kin Man [Lafayette, CA

2012-07-31

An intermediate band solar cell (IBSC) is provided including a p-n junction based on dilute III-V nitride materials and a pair of contact blocking layers positioned on opposite surfaces of the p-n junction for electrically isolating the intermediate band of the p-n junction by blocking the charge transport in the intermediate band without affecting the electron and hole collection efficiency of the p-n junction, thereby increasing open circuit voltage (V.sub.OC) of the IBSC and increasing the photocurrent by utilizing the intermediate band to absorb photons with energy below the band gap of the absorber layers of the IBSC. Hence, the overall power conversion efficiency of a IBSC will be much higher than an conventional single junction solar cell. The p-n junction absorber layers of the IBSC may further have compositionally graded nitrogen concentrations to provide an electric field for more efficient charge collection.

Antifuse with a single silicon-rich silicon nitride insulating layer

DOEpatents

Habermehl, Scott D.; Apodaca, Roger T.

2013-01-22

An antifuse is disclosed which has an electrically-insulating region sandwiched between two electrodes. The electrically-insulating region has a single layer of a non-hydrogenated silicon-rich (i.e. non-stoichiometric) silicon nitride SiN.sub.X with a nitrogen content X which is generally in the range of 0

Mechanical properties of atomically thin boron nitride and the role of interlayer interactions

PubMed Central

Falin, Aleksey; Cai, Qiran; Santos, Elton J. G.; Scullion, Declan; Qian, Dong; Zhang, Rui; Yang, Zhi; Huang, Shaoming; Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Barnett, Matthew R.; Chen, Ying; Ruoff, Rodney S.; Li, Lu Hua

2017-01-01

Atomically thin boron nitride (BN) nanosheets are important two-dimensional nanomaterials with many unique properties distinct from those of graphene, but investigation into their mechanical properties remains incomplete. Here we report that high-quality single-crystalline mono- and few-layer BN nanosheets are one of the strongest electrically insulating materials. More intriguingly, few-layer BN shows mechanical behaviours quite different from those of few-layer graphene under indentation. In striking contrast to graphene, whose strength decreases by more than 30% when the number of layers increases from 1 to 8, the mechanical strength of BN nanosheets is not sensitive to increasing thickness. We attribute this difference to the distinct interlayer interactions and hence sliding tendencies in these two materials under indentation. The significantly better interlayer integrity of BN nanosheets makes them a more attractive candidate than graphene for several applications, for example, as mechanical reinforcements. PMID:28639613

Laser Beam Welding of Nitride Steel Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Hongping; Yin, Guobin; Shulkin, Boris

Laser beam welding is a joining technique that has many advantages over conventional GMAW welding, such as low heat input, short cycle time as well as good cosmetic welds. Laser beam welding has been widely used for welding powertrain components in automotive industry. When welding nitride steel components, however, laser beam welding faces a great challenge. The difficulty lies in the fact that the nitride layer in the joint releases the nitrogen into the weld pool, resulting in a porous weld. This research presents an industrial ready solution to prevent the nitrogen from forming gas bubbles in the weld.

Efficiency enhancement of polymer solar cells by applying poly(vinylpyrrolidone) as a cathode buffer layer via spin coating or self-assembly.

PubMed

Wang, Haitao; Zhang, Wenfeng; Xu, Chenhui; Bi, Xianghong; Chen, Boxue; Yang, Shangfeng

2013-01-01

A non-conjugated polymer poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) was applied as a new cathode buffer layer in P3HT:PCBM bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells (BHJ-PSCs), by means of either spin coating or self-assembly, resulting in significant efficiency enhancement. For the case of incorporation of PVP by spin coating, power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the ITO/PEDOT:PSS/P3HT:PCBM/PVP/Al BHJ-PSC device (3.90%) is enhanced by 29% under the optimum PVP spin-coating speed of 3000 rpm, which leads to the optimum thickness of PVP layer of ~3 nm. Such an efficiency enhancement is found to be primarily due to the increase of the short-circuit current (J(sc)) (31% enhancement), suggesting that the charge collection increases upon the incorporation of a PVP cathode buffer layer, which originates from the conjunct effects of the formation of a dipole layer between P3HT:PCBM active layer and Al electrodes, the chemical reactions of PVP molecules with Al atoms, and the increase of the roughness of the top Al film. Incorporation of PVP layer by doping PVP directly into the P3HT:PCBM active layer leads to an enhancement of PCE by 13% under the optimum PVP doping ratio of 3%, and this is interpreted by the migration of PVP molecules to the surface of the active layer via self-assembly, resulting in the formation of the PVP cathode buffer layer. While the formation of the PVP cathode buffer layer is fulfilled by both fabrication methods (spin coating and self-assembly), the dependence of the enhancement of the device performance on the thickness of the PVP cathode buffer layer formed by self-assembly or spin coating is different, because of the different aggregation microstructures of the PVP interlayer.

Quality-enhanced In{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As film grown on GaAs substrate with an ultrathin amorphous In{sub 0.6}Ga{sub 0.4}As buffer layer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gao, Fangliang; Li, Guoqiang, E-mail: msgli@scut.edu.cn

2014-01-27

Using low-temperature molecular beam epitaxy, amorphous In{sub 0.6}Ga{sub 0.4}As layers have been grown on GaAs substrates to act as buffer layers for the subsequent epitaxial growth of In{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As films. It is revealed that the crystallinity of as-grown In{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As films is strongly affected by the thickness of the large-mismatched amorphous In{sub 0.6}Ga{sub 0.4}As buffer layer. Given an optimized thickness of 2 nm, this amorphous In{sub 0.6}Ga{sub 0.4}As buffer layer can efficiently release the misfit strain between the In{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As epi-layer and the GaAs substrate, trap the threading and misfit dislocations from propagating to the following In{sub 0.3}Ga{submore » 0.7}As epi-layer, and reduce the surface fluctuation of the as-grown In{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As, leading to a high-quality In{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As film with competitive crystallinity to that grown on GaAs substrate using compositionally graded In{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}As metamorphic buffer layers. Considering the complexity of the application of the conventional In{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}As graded buffer layers, this work demonstrates a much simpler approach to achieve high-quality In{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As film on GaAs substrate and, therefore, is of huge potential for the InGaAs-based high-efficiency photovoltaic industry.« less

Integration of (208) oriented epitaxial Hf-doped Bi4Ti3O12 with (0002) GaN using SrTiO3/TiO2 buffer layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, W. B.; Zhu, J.; Li, Y. R.; Wang, X. P.; Zhang, Y.

2009-05-01

Hf-doped Bi4Ti3O12 (BTH) ferroelectric films with excellent electrical properties were epitaxially integrated with GaN semiconductor using (111) SrTiO3 (STO)/rutile (200) TiO2 as buffer layer. The STO/TiO2 buffer layer was deposited by laser molecular beam epitaxy. The structural characteristics of the buffer layer were in situ and ex situ characterized by reflective high energy electron diffraction, x-ray diffraction (XRD), and high resolution transmission microscopy. The overlaying SrRuO3 (SRO) and BTH films were then deposited by pulsed laser deposition. XRD spectra, including θ-2θ and Φ scans, show that the (208) BTH films were epitaxially grown on GaN, and the BTH films inherit the in-plane twin-domain of STO buffer layer. Electrical measurements demonstrate that the non-c axis BTH films possess a large remnant polarization (2Pr=45 μC/cm2), excellent fatigue endurance (10.2% degradation after 1.1×1010 switching cycles), and a low leakage current density (1.94×10-7 A/cm2 at an electric field of 200 kV/cm). These results reveal that the (208) BTH films with favorable electrical performance could be epitaxially grown on GaN template using STO/TiO2 buffer layer.

Electrical properties of n-type GaSb substrates and p-type GaSb buffer layers for InAs/InGaSb superlattice infrared detectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mitchel, W. C., E-mail: William.Mitchel.1@us.af.mil; Haugan, H. J.; Mou, Shin

2015-09-15

Lightly doped n-type GaSb substrates with p-type GaSb buffer layers are the preferred templates for growth of InAs/InGaSb superlattices used in infrared detector applications because of relatively high infrared transmission and a close lattice match to the superlattices. We report here temperature dependent resistivity and Hall effect measurements of bare substrates and substrate-p-type buffer layer structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Multicarrier analysis of the resistivity and Hall coefficient data demonstrate that high temperature transport in the substrates is due to conduction in both the high mobility zone center Γ band and the low mobility off-center L band. High overallmore » mobility values indicate the absence of close compensation and that improved infrared and transport properties were achieved by a reduction in intrinsic acceptor concentration. Standard transport measurements of the undoped buffer layers show p-type conduction up to 300 K indicating electrical isolation of the buffer layer from the lightly n-type GaSb substrate. However, the highest temperature data indicate the early stages of the expected p to n type conversion which leads to apparent anomalously high carrier concentrations and lower than expected mobilities. Data at 77 K indicate very high quality buffer layers.« less

Sulfide Stress Cracking and Electrochemical Corrosion of Precipitation Hardening Steel After Plasma Oxy-Nitriding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Granda-Gutiérrez, E. E.; Díaz-Guillén, J. C.; Díaz-Guillén, J. A.; González, M. A.; García-Vázquez, F.; Muñóz, R.

2014-11-01

In this paper, we present the results of a duplex plasma nitriding followed by an oxidizing stage process (which is also referred as oxy-nitriding) on the corrosion behavior of a 17-4PH precipitation hardening stainless steel. The formation of both, expanded martensite (b.c.t. α'N-phase) and chromium oxide (type Cr2O3) in the subsurface of oxy-nitrided samples at specific controlled conditions, leads in a noticeable increasing in the time-to-rupture during the sulfide stress cracking test, in comparison with an untreated reference sample. Oxy-nitriding improves the corrosion performance of the alloy when it is immersed in solutions saturated by sour gas, which extends the application potential of this type of steel in the oil and gas extraction and processing industry. The presence of the oxy-nitrided layer inhibits the corrosion process that occurs in the near-surface region, where hydrogen is liberated after the formation of iron sulfides, which finally produces a fragile fracture by micro-crack propagation; the obtained results suggest that oxy-nitriding slows this process, thus delaying the rupture of the specimen. Moreover, oxy-nitriding produces a hard, sour gas-resistant surface, but do not significantly affect the original chloride ion solution resistance of the material.

Improvement of transmission properties of visible pilot beam for polymer-coated silver hollow fibers with acrylic silicone resin as buffer layer for sturdy structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwai, Katsumasa; Takaku, Hiroyuki; Miyagi, Mitsunobu; Shi, Yi-Wei; Zhu, Xiao-Song; Matsuura, Yuji

2017-02-01

Flexible hollow fibers with 530-μm-bore size were developed for infrared laser delivery. Sturdy hollow fibers were fabricated by liquid-phase coating techniques. A silica glass capillary is used as the substrate. Acrylic silicone resin is used as a buffer layer and the buffer layer is firstly coated on the inner surface of the capillary to protect the glass tube from chemical damages due to the following silver plating process. A silver layer was inner-plated by using the conventional silver mirror-plating technique. To improve adhesion of catalyst to the buffer layer, a surface conditioner has been introduced in the method of silver mirror-plating technique. We discuss improvement of transmission properties of sturdy polymer-coated silver hollow fibers for the Er:YAG laser and red pilot beam delivery.

Optical and electrical characterization methods of plasma-induced damage in silicon nitride films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuyama, Tomohiro; Eriguchi, Koji

2018-06-01

We proposed evaluation methods of plasma-induced damage (PID) in silicon nitride (SiN) films. The formation of an oxide layer by air exposure was identified for damaged SiN films by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Bruggeman’s effective medium approximation was employed for an optical model consisting of damaged and undamaged layers, which is applicable to an in-line monitoring by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). The optical thickness of the damaged layer — an oxidized layer — extended after plasma exposure, which was consistent with the results obtained by a diluted hydrofluoric acid (DHF) wet etching. The change in the conduction band edge of the damaged SiN films was presumed from two electrical techniques, i.e., current–voltage (I–V) measurement and time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) test with a constant voltage stress. The proposed techniques can be used for assigning the plasma-induced structural change in an SiN film widely used as an etch-protecting layer.

Stability and rheology of dispersions of silicon nitride and silicon carbide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feke, Donald L.

1987-01-01

The relationship between the surface and colloid chemistry of commercial ultra-fine silicon carbide and silicon nitride powders was examined by a variety of standard characterization techniques and by methodologies especially developed for ceramic dispersions. These include electrokinetic measurement, surface titration, and surface spectroscopies. The effects of powder pretreatment and modification strategies, which can be utilized to augment control of processing characteristics, were monitored with these technologies. Both silicon carbide and nitride were found to exhibit silica-like surface chemistries, but silicon nitride powders possess an additional amine surface functionality. Colloidal characteristics of the various nitride powders in aqueous suspension is believed to be highly dependent on the relative amounts of the two types of surface groups, which in turn is determined by the powder synthesis route. The differences in the apparent colloidal characteristics for silicon nitride powders cannot be attributed to the specific absorption of ammonium ions. Development of a model for the prediction of double-layer characteristics of materials with a hybrid site interface facilitated understanding and prediction of the behavior of both surface charge and surface potential for these materials. The utility of the model in application to silicon nitride powders was demonstrated.

Hardness, microstructure and surface characterization of laser gas nitrided commercially pure titanium using high power CO{sub 2} laser

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Selvan, J.S.; Subramanian, K.; Nath, A.K.

Surface nitriding of commercially pure (CP) titanium was carried out using high power CO{sub 2} laser at pure nitrogen and dilute nitrogen (N{sub 2} + Ar) environment. The hardness, microstructure, and melt pool configuration of the laser melted titanium in helium and argon atmosphere was compared with laser melting at pure and dilute nitrogen environment. The hardness of the nitrided layer was of the order of 1000 to 1600 HV. The hardness of the laser melted titanium in the argon and helium atmosphere was 500 to 1000 HV. Using x-ray analysis of the formation of TiN and Ti{sub 2}N phasemore » was identified in the laser nitrided titanium. The presence of nitrogen in the nitrided zone was confirmed using secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) analysis. The microstructures revealed densely populated dendrites in the sample nitrided at 100% N{sub 2} environment and thinly populated dendrites in dilute environment. The crack intensity was large in the nitrided sample at pure nitrogen, and few cracks were observed in the 50% N{sub 2} + 50% Ar environment.« less

Finding the lost open-circuit voltage in polymer solar cells by UV-ozone treatment of the nickel acetate anode buffer layer.

PubMed

Wang, Fuzhi; Sun, Gang; Li, Cong; Liu, Jiyan; Hu, Siqian; Zheng, Hua; Tan, Zhan'ao; Li, Yongfang

2014-06-25

Efficient polymer solar cells (PSCs) with enhanced open-circuit voltage (Voc) are fabricated by introducing solution-processed and UV-ozone (UVO)-treated nickel acetate (O-NiAc) as an anode buffer layer. According to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data, NiAc partially decomposed to NiOOH during the UVO treatment. NiOOH is a dipole species, which leads to an increase in the work function (as confirmed by ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy), thus benefitting the formation of ohmic contact between the anode and photoactive layer and leading to increased Voc. In addition, the UVO treatment improves the wettability between the substrate and solvent of the active layer, which facilitates the formation of an upper photoactive layer with better morphology. Further, the O-NiAc layer can decrease the series resistance (Rs) and increase the parallel resistance (Rp) of the devices, inducing enhanced Voc in comparison with the as-prepared NiAc-buffered control devices without UVO treatment. For PSCs based on the P3HT:PCBM system, Voc increases from 0.50 to 0.60 V after the NiAc buffer layer undergoes UVO treatment. Similarly, in the P3HT:ICBA system, the Voc value of the device with a UVO-treated NiAc buffer layer increases from 0.78 to 0.88 V, showing an enhanced power conversion efficiency of 6.64%.

Evaluation of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors grown on ZrTi buffer layers with sapphire substrates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ren, Fan; Pearton, Stephen J.; Ahn, Shihyun

Here, AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) have been grown on sapphire substrates, using ZrTi buffer layers to provide in-plane lattice-matching to hexagonal GaN. X-ray diffraction (XRD) as well as cross-section transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to assess the quality of the HEMT structure. The XRD 2θ scans showed full-width-at-half-maximum values of 0.16°, 0.07°, and 0.08° for ZrTi alloy, GaN buffer layer, and the entire HEMT structure, respectively. TEM studies of the GaN buffer layer and the AlN/ZrTi/AlN stack showed the importance of growing thin AlN buffer layers on the ZrTi layer prior to growth of the GaN buffermore » layer. The density of threading dislocations in the GaN channel layer of the HEMT structure was estimated to be in the 10 8 cm –2 range. The HEMT device exhibited a saturation drain current density of 820 mA/mm, and the channel of the fabricated HEMTs could be well modulated. A cutoff frequency (f T) of 8.9 GHz and a maximum frequency of oscillation (f max) of 17.3 GHz were achieved for HEMTs with gate dimensions of 1 × 200 μm.« less

Evaluation of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors grown on ZrTi buffer layers with sapphire substrates

DOE PAGES

Ren, Fan; Pearton, Stephen J.; Ahn, Shihyun; ...

2016-09-21

Here, AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) have been grown on sapphire substrates, using ZrTi buffer layers to provide in-plane lattice-matching to hexagonal GaN. X-ray diffraction (XRD) as well as cross-section transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to assess the quality of the HEMT structure. The XRD 2θ scans showed full-width-at-half-maximum values of 0.16°, 0.07°, and 0.08° for ZrTi alloy, GaN buffer layer, and the entire HEMT structure, respectively. TEM studies of the GaN buffer layer and the AlN/ZrTi/AlN stack showed the importance of growing thin AlN buffer layers on the ZrTi layer prior to growth of the GaN buffermore » layer. The density of threading dislocations in the GaN channel layer of the HEMT structure was estimated to be in the 10 8 cm –2 range. The HEMT device exhibited a saturation drain current density of 820 mA/mm, and the channel of the fabricated HEMTs could be well modulated. A cutoff frequency (f T) of 8.9 GHz and a maximum frequency of oscillation (f max) of 17.3 GHz were achieved for HEMTs with gate dimensions of 1 × 200 μm.« less

Laser-induced amorphization of silicon during pulsed-laser irradiation of TiN/Ti/polycrystalline silicon/SiO2/silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chong, Y. F.; Pey, K. L.; Wee, A. T. S.; Thompson, M. O.; Tung, C. H.; See, A.

2002-11-01

In this letter, we report on the complex solidification structures formed during laser irradiation of a titanium nitride/titanium/polycrystalline silicon/silicon dioxide/silicon film stack. Due to enhanced optical coupling, the titanium nitride/titanium capping layer increases the melt depth of polycrystalline silicon by more than a factor of 2. It is found that the titanium atoms diffuse through the entire polycrystalline silicon layer during irradiation. Contrary to the expected polycrystalline silicon growth, distinct regions of polycrystalline and amorphous silicon are formed instead. Possible mechanisms for the formation of these microstructures are proposed.

Computational simulation of subatomic-resolution AFM and STM images for graphene/hexagonal boron nitride heterostructures with intercalated defects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Junsu; Kim, Minjung; Chelikowsky, James R.; Kim, Gunn

2016-07-01

Using ab initio density functional calculations, we predict subatomic-resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images of vertical heterostructures of graphene/hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) with an intercalated metal atom (Li, K, Cr, Mn, Co, or Cu), and study the effects of the extrinsic metal defect on the interfacial coupling. We find that the structural deformation of the graphene/h-BN layer caused by the metal defect strongly affects the AFM images, whereas orbital hybridization between the metal defect and the graphene/h-BN layer characterizes the STM images.

Method of preparing fiber reinforced ceramic material

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhatt, Ramakrishna T. (Inventor)

1987-01-01

Alternate layers of mats of specially coated SiC fibers and silicon monotapes are hot pressed in two stages to form a fiber reinforced ceramic material. In the first stage a die is heated to about 600 C in a vacuum furnace and maintained at this temperature for about one-half hour to remove fugitive binder. In the second stage the die temperature is raised to about 1000 C and the layers are pressed at between 35 and 138 MPa. The resulting preform is placed in a reactor tube where a nitriding gas is flowed past the preform at 1100 to 1400 C to nitride the same.

Structure and magnetic properties of FeSiAl-based soft magnetic composite with AlN and Al2O3 insulating layer prepared by selective nitridation and oxidation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Xiaoxi; Liu, Ying; Li, Jun; Wang, Yiwei

2012-08-01

FeSiAl is widely used in switching power supply, filter inductors and pulse transformers. But when used under higher frequencies in some particular condition, it is required to reduce its high-frequency loss. Preparing a homogeneous insulating coating with good heat resistance and high resistivity, such as AlN and Al2O3, is supposed to be an effective way to reduce eddy current loss, which is less focused on. In this project, mixed AlN and Al2O3 insulating layers were prepared on the surface of FeSiAl powders after 30 min exposure at 1100 °C in high purity nitrogen atmosphere, by means of surface nitridation and oxidation. The results revealed that the insulating layers increase the electrical resistivity, and hence decrease the loss factor, improve the frequency stability and increase the quality factor, especially in the high-frequency range. The morphologies, microstructure and compositions of the oxidized and nitrided products on the surface were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Disperse Spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction, Transmission Electron Microscopy, Selected Area Electron Diffraction and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy.

Vertical transport in graphene-hexagonal boron nitride heterostructure devices

PubMed Central

Bruzzone, Samantha; Logoteta, Demetrio; Fiori, Gianluca; Iannaccone, Giuseppe

2015-01-01

Research in graphene-based electronics is recently focusing on devices based on vertical heterostructures of two-dimensional materials. Here we use density functional theory and multiscale simulations to investigate the tunneling properties of single- and double-barrier structures with graphene and few-layer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) or hexagonal boron carbon nitride (h-BC2N). We find that tunneling through a single barrier exhibit a weak dependence on energy. We also show that in double barriers separated by a graphene layer we do not observe resonant tunneling, but a significant increase of the tunneling probability with respect to a single barrier of thickness equal to the sum of the two barriers. This is due to the fact that the graphene layer acts as an effective phase randomizer, suppressing resonant tunneling and effectively letting a double-barrier structure behave as two single-barriers in series. Finally, we use multiscale simulations to reproduce a current-voltage characteristics resembling that of a resonant tunneling diode, that has been experimentally observed in single barrier structure. The peak current is obtained when there is perfect matching between the densities of states of the cathode and anode graphene regions. PMID:26415656

Effect of Homo-buffer Layers on the Properties of Sputtering Deposited Ga2O3 Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Jian; Li, Bing; Ma, Yuncheng; Tang, Ke; Huang, Haofei; Hu, Yan; Zou, Tianyu; Wang, Linjun

2018-05-01

β- Ga2O3 films were grown by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering method. The influence of Ga2O3 buffer layers and annealing treatment on the structural, optical, morphological and electrical properties of Ga2O3 films was studied. The results revealed an improvement of crystalline quality and transmittance of annealed β- Ga2O3 films prepared with homo-buffer layers. Ga2O3 film UV photodetectors were fabricated with a new B and Ga co-doped ZnO films (BGZO)/Au interdigitated electrode. A good ohmic contact was formed between the film and the electrode. For the detector based on Ga2O3 films with buffer layers, a higher value of photo response and faster response times was obtained.

Optimization of the Energy Level Alignment between the Photoactive Layer and the Cathode Contact Utilizing Solution-Processed Hafnium Acetylacetonate as Buffer Layer for Efficient Polymer Solar Cells.

PubMed

Yu, Lu; Li, Qiuxiang; Shi, Zhenzhen; Liu, Hao; Wang, Yaping; Wang, Fuzhi; Zhang, Bing; Dai, Songyuan; Lin, Jun; Tan, Zhan'ao

2016-01-13

The insertion of an appropriate interfacial buffer layer between the photoactive layer and the contact electrodes makes a great impact on the performance of polymer solar cells (PSCs). Ideal interfacial buffer layers could minimize the interfacial traps and the interfacial barriers caused by the incompatibility between the photoactive layer and the electrodes. In this work, we utilized solution-processed hafnium(IV) acetylacetonate (Hf(acac)4) as an effective cathode buffer layer (CBL) in PSCs to optimize the energy level alignment between the photoactive layer and the cathode contact, with the short-circuit current density (Jsc), open-circuit voltage (Voc), and fill factor (FF) all simultaneously improved with Hf(acac)4 CBL, leading to enhanced power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). Ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS) and scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) were performed to confirm that the interfacial dipoles were formed with the same orientation direction as the built-in potential between the photoactive layer and Hf(acac)4 CBL, benefiting the exciton separation and electron transport/extraction. In addition, the optical characteristics and surface morphology of the Hf(acac)4 CBL were also investigated.

Photovoltaic devices comprising zinc stannate buffer layer and method for making

DOEpatents

Wu, Xuanzhi; Sheldon, Peter; Coutts, Timothy J.

2001-01-01

A photovoltaic device has a buffer layer zinc stannate Zn.sub.2 SnO.sub.4 disposed between the semiconductor junction structure and the transparent conducting oxide (TCO) layer to prevent formation of localized junctions with the TCO through a thin window semiconductor layer, to prevent shunting through etched grain boundaries of semiconductors, and to relieve stresses and improve adhesion between these layers.

Modulating the fixed charge density in silicon nitride films while monitoring the surface recombination velocity by photoluminescence imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bazilchuk, Molly; Haug, Halvard; Marstein, Erik Stensrud

2015-04-01

Several important semiconductor devices such as solar cells and photodetectors may be fabricated based on surface inversion layer junctions induced by fixed charge in a dielectric layer. Inversion layer junctions can easily be fabricated by depositing layers with a high density of fixed charge on a semiconducting substrate. Increasing the fixed charge improves such devices; for instance, the efficiency of a solar cell can be substantially increased by reducing the surface recombination velocity, which is a function of the fixed charge density. Methods for increasing the charge density are therefore of interest. In this work, the fixed charge density in silicon nitride layers deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition is increased to very high values above 1 × 1013 cm-2 after the application of an external voltage to a gate electrode. The effect of the fixed charge density on the surface recombination velocity was experimentally observed using the combination of capacitance-voltage characterization and photoluminescence imaging, showing a significant reduction in the surface recombination velocity for increasing charge density. The surface recombination velocity vs. charge density data was analyzed using a numerical device model, which indicated the presence of a sub-surface damage region formed during deposition of the layers. Finally, we have demonstrated that the aluminum electrodes used for charge injection may be chemically removed in phosphoric acid without loss of the underlying charge. The injected charge was shown to be stable for a prolonged time period, leading us to propose charge injection in silicon nitride films by application of soaking voltage as a viable method for fabricating inversion layer devices.

19.5%-Efficient CuIn1-xGaxSe2 Photovoltaic Cells Using A Cd-Zn-S Buffer Layer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bhattacharya. R. N.

2008-01-01

CuIn1-xGaxSe2 (CIGS) solar cell junctions prepared by chemical-bath-deposited (CBD) Zn1-xCdxS (CdZnS), ZnS, and CdS buffer layers are discussed. A 19.52%-efficient, CIGS-based, thin-film photovoltaic device has been fabricated using a single-layer CBD CdZnS buffer layer. The mechanism that creates extensive hydroxide and oxide impurities in CBD-ZnS and CBD-CdZnS thin films (compared to CBD-CdS thin film) is presented.

Structural modifications due to interface chemistry at metal-nitride interfaces

DOE PAGES

Yadav, S. K.; Shao, S.; Wang, J.; ...

2015-11-27

Based on accurate first principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations, an unusual phenomenon of interfacial structural modifications, due to the interface chemistry influence is identified at two metal-nitride interfaces with strong metal-nitrogen affinity, Al/TiN {111} and Al/VN {111} interfaces. It is shown that at such interfaces, a faulted stacking structure is energetically preferred on the Al side of the interface. And both intrinsic and extrinsic stacking fault energies in the vicinity Al layers are negligibly small. However, such phenomenon does not occur in Pt/TiN and Pt/VN interfaces because of the weak Pt-N affinity. As a result, corresponding to structural energiesmore » of metal-nitride interfaces, the linear elasticity analysis predicts characteristics of interfacial misfit dislocations at metal-nitride interfaces.« less

Structural modifications due to interface chemistry at metal-nitride interfaces

PubMed Central

Yadav, S. K.; Shao, S.; Wang, J.; Liu, X.-Y.

2015-01-01

Based on accurate first principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations, an unusual phenomenon of interfacial structural modifications, due to the interface chemistry influence is identified at two metal-nitride interfaces with strong metal-nitrogen affinity, Al/TiN {111} and Al/VN {111} interfaces. It is shown that at such interfaces, a faulted stacking structure is energetically preferred on the Al side of the interface. And both intrinsic and extrinsic stacking fault energies in the vicinity Al layers are negligibly small. However, such phenomenon does not occur in Pt/TiN and Pt/VN interfaces because of the weak Pt-N affinity. Corresponding to structural energies of metal-nitride interfaces, the linear elasticity analysis predicts characteristics of interfacial misfit dislocations at metal-nitride interfaces. PMID:26611639

Conduction Mechanism and Improved Endurance in HfO2-Based RRAM with Nitridation Treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Fang-Yuan; Deng, Ning; Shih, Chih-Cheng; Tseng, Yi-Ting; Chang, Ting-Chang; Chang, Kuan-Chang; Wang, Ming-Hui; Chen, Wen-Chung; Zheng, Hao-Xuan; Wu, Huaqiang; Qian, He; Sze, Simon M.

2017-10-01

A nitridation treatment technology with a urea/ammonia complex nitrogen source improved resistive switching property in HfO2-based resistive random access memory (RRAM). The nitridation treatment produced a high performance and reliable device which results in superior endurance (more than 109 cycles) and a self-compliance effect. Thus, the current conduction mechanism changed due to defect passivation by nitrogen atoms in the HfO2 thin film. At a high resistance state (HRS), it transferred to Schottky emission from Poole-Frenkel in HfO2-based RRAM. At low resistance state (LRS), the current conduction mechanism was space charge limited current (SCLC) after the nitridation treatment, which suggests that the nitrogen atoms form Hf-N-Ox vacancy clusters (Vo +) which limit electron movement through the switching layer.

Electron-Selective TiO 2 Contact for Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 Solar Cells

DOE PAGES

Hsu, Weitse; Sutter-Fella, Carolin M.; Hettick, Mark; ...

2015-11-03

The non-toxic and wide bandgap material TiO 2 is explored as an n-type buffer layer on p-type Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGS) absorber layer for thin film solar cells. The amorphous TiO 2 thin film deposited by atomic layer deposition process at low temperatures shows conformal coverage on the CIGS absorber layer. Solar cells from non-vacuum deposited CIGS absorbers with TiO 2 buffer layer result in a high short-circuit current density of 38.9 mA/cm 2 as compared to 36.9 mA/cm 2 measured in the reference cell with CdS buffer layer, without compromising open-circuit voltage. The significant photocurrent gain, mainly in the UVmore » part of the spectrum, can be attributed to the low parasitic absorption loss in the ultrathin TiO 2 layer (~10 nm) with a larger bandgap of 3.4 eV compared to 2.4 eV of the traditionally used CdS. Overall the solar cell conversion efficiency was improved from 9.5% to 9.9% by substituting the CdS by TiO 2 on an active cell area of 10.5 mm2. In conclusion, optimized TiO 2/CIGS solar cells show excellent long-term stability. The results imply that TiO 2 is a promising buffer layer material for CIGS solar cells, avoiding the toxic CdS buffer layer with added performance advantage.« less

In situ self-sacrificed template synthesis of vanadium nitride/nitrogen-doped graphene nanocomposites for electrochemical capacitors.

PubMed

Liu, Hong-Hui; Zhang, Hong-Ling; Xu, Hong-Bin; Lou, Tai-Ping; Sui, Zhi-Tong; Zhang, Yi

2018-03-15

Vanadium nitride and graphene have been widely used as pseudo-capacitive and electric double-layer capacitor electrode materials for electrochemical capacitors, respectively. However, the poor cycling stability of vanadium nitride and the low capacitance of graphene impeded their practical applications. Herein, we demonstrated an in situ self-sacrificed template method for the synthesis of vanadium nitride/nitrogen-doped graphene (VN/NGr) nanocomposites by the pyrolysis of a mixture of dicyandiamide, glucose, and NH 4 VO 3 . Vanadium nitride nanoparticles of the size in the range of 2 to 7 nm were uniformly embedded into the nitrogen-doped graphene skeleton. Furthermore, the VN/NGr nanocomposites with a high specific surface area and pore volume showed a high specific capacitance of 255 F g -1 at 10 mV s -1 , and an excellent cycling stability (94% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles). The excellent capacitive properties were ascribed to the excellent conductivity of nitrogen-doped graphene, high surface area, high pore volume, and the synergistic effect between vanadium nitride and nitrogen-doped graphene.

Effect of low NH3 flux towards high quality semi-polar (11-22) GaN on m-plane sapphire via MOCVD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Omar, Al-Zuhairi; Shuhaimi Bin Abu Bakar, Ahmad; Makinudin, Abdullah Haaziq Ahmad; Khudus, Muhammad Imran Mustafa Abdul; Azman, Adreen; Kamarundzaman, Anas; Supangat, Azzuliani

2018-05-01

The effect of ammonia flux towards the quality of the semi-polar (11-22) gallium nitride thin film on m-plane (10-10) sapphire is presented. Semi-polar (11-22) gallium nitride epi-layers were obtained using a two-step growth method, consisting of high temperature aluminum nitride followed by gallium nitride via metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The surface morphology analysis via field emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy of the semi-polar (11-22) gallium nitride has shown that low ammonia flux promotes two-dimensional growth with low surface roughness of 4.08 nm. A dominant diffraction peak of (11-22) gallium nitride was also observed via X-ray diffraction upon utilizing low ammonia flux. The on- and off-axis X-ray rocking curve measurements illustrate the enhancement of the crystal quality, which might result from the reduction of the basal stacking faults and perfect dislocation. The full width half maximum values were reduced by at least 15% for both on- and off-axis measurements.

Nitridation of silicon. M.S. Thesis Case Western Reserve Univ.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaw, N. J.

1981-01-01

Silicon powders with three levels of impurities, principally Fe, were sintered in He or H2. Non-densifying mechanisms of material transport were dominant in all cases. High purity Si showed coarsening in He while particle growth was suppressed in H2. Lower purity powder coarsened in both He and H2. The same three Si powders and Si /111/ single crystal wafers were nitrided in both N2 and N2/H2 atmospheres. Hydrogen increased the degree of nitridation of all three powders and the alpha/beta ratio of the lower purity powder. Some Si3N4 whiskers and open channels through the surface nitride layer were observed in the presence of Fe, correlating with the nitridation-enhancing effects of Fe. Thermodynamic calculations showed that when SiO2 is present on the Si, addition of H2 to the nitriding atmosphere decreases the amount of SiO2 and increases the partial pressure of Si-containing vapor species, that is, Si and SiO. Large amounts of NH3 and SiH4 were also predicted to form.

Effect of annealing on magnetoresistance and microstructure of multilayered CoFe/Cu systems with different buffer layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bannikova, N. S.; Milyaev, M. A.; Naumova, L. I.; Proglyado, V. V.; Krinitsina, T. P.; Chernyshova, T. A.; Ustinov, V. V.

2015-02-01

The effects of annealing on the structure, magnetic hysteresis, and magnetoresistance of [Co90Fe10(15 Å)/Cu(23 Å)] n superlattices with Cr and Co90Fe10 buffer layers of different thicknesses have been studied. The optimum temperature and time of annealing that increase the magnetoresistance were shown to depend on the buffer layer thickness. The coefficients of effective interlayer diffusion due to the annealing have been determined.

Structural and luminescent Properties of Bulk InAsSb

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-21

have used compositionally graded metamorphic buffer layers to accommodate the misfit strain between InAsxSb1-x alloys and GaSb and InSb substrates in...wavelength range. The authors have used compositionally graded metamorphic buffer layers to accommodate the misfit strain between InAsxSb1x alloys...long wave IR range. We used compositionally graded GaInSb, AlGaInSb, and InAsxSb1x metamorphic buffer layers to accommodate the misfit strain between

The roles of buffer layer thickness on the properties of the ZnO epitaxial films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Kun; Huang, Shimin; Gu, Shulin; Zhu, Shunming; Ye, Jiandong; Xu, Zhonghua; Zheng, Youdou

2016-12-01

In this article, the authors have investigated the optimization of the buffer thickness for obtaining high-quality ZnO epi-films on sapphire substrates. The growth mechanism of the buffers with different thickness has been clearly revealed, including the initial nucleation and vertical growth, the subsequent lateral growth with small grain coalescence, and the final vertical growth along the existing larger grains. Overall, the quality of the buffer improves with increasing thickness except the deformed surface morphology. However, by a full-scale evaluation of the properties for the epi-layers, the quality of the epi-film is briefly determined by the surface morphology of the buffer, rather than the structural, optical, or electrical properties of it. The best quality epi-layer has been grown on the buffer with a smooth surface and well-coalescent grains. Meanwhile, due to the huge lattice mismatch between sapphire and ZnO, dislocations are inevitably formed during the growth of buffers. More importantly, as the film grows thicker, the dislocations may attracting other smaller dislocations and defects to reduce the total line energy and thus result in the formation of V-shape defects, which are connected with the bottom of the threading dislocations in the buffers. The V-defects appear as deep and large hexagonal pits from top view and they may act as electron traps which would affect the free carrier concentration of the epi-layers.

Chemically Deposited CdS Buffer/Kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 Solar Cells: Relationship between CdS Thickness and Device Performance.

PubMed

Hong, Chang Woo; Shin, Seung Wook; Suryawanshi, Mahesh P; Gang, Myeng Gil; Heo, Jaeyeong; Kim, Jin Hyeok

2017-10-25

Earth-abundant, copper-zinc-tin-sulfide (CZTS), kesterite, is an attractive absorber material for thin-film solar cells (TFSCs). However, the open-circuit voltage deficit (V oc -deficit) resulting from a high recombination rate at the buffer/absorber interface is one of the major challenges that must be overcome to improve the performance of kesterite-based TFSCs. In this paper, we demonstrate the relationship between device parameters and performances for chemically deposited CdS buffer/CZTS-based heterojunction TFSCs as a function of buffer layer thickness, which could change the CdS/CZTS interface conditions such as conduction band or valence band offsets, to gain deeper insight and understanding about the V oc -deficit behavior from a high recombination rate at the CdS buffer/kesterite interface. Experimental results show that device parameters and performances are strongly dependent on the CdS buffer thickness. We postulate two meaningful consequences: (i) Device parameters were improved up to a CdS buffer thickness of 70 nm, whereas they deteriorated at a thicker CdS buffer layer. The V oc -deficit in the solar cells improved up to a CdS buffer thickness of 92 nm and then deteriorated at a thicker CdS buffer layer. (ii) The minimum values of the device parameters were obtained at 70 nm CdS thickness in the CZTS TFSCs. Finally, the highest conversion efficiency of 8.77% (V oc : 494 mV, J sc : 34.54 mA/cm 2 , and FF: 51%) is obtained by applying a 70 nm thick CdS buffer to the Cu 2 ZnSn(S,Se) 4 absorber layer.

Growing GaN LEDs on amorphous SiC buffer with variable C/Si compositions

PubMed Central

Cheng, Chih-Hsien; Tzou, An-Jye; Chang, Jung-Hung; Chi, Yu-Chieh; Lin, Yung-Hsiang; Shih, Min-Hsiung; Lee, Chao-Kuei; Wu, Chih-I; Kuo, Hao-Chung; Chang, Chun-Yen; Lin, Gong-Ru

2016-01-01

The epitaxy of high-power gallium nitride (GaN) light-emitting diode (LED) on amorphous silicon carbide (a-SixC1−x) buffer is demonstrated. The a-SixC1−x buffers with different nonstoichiometric C/Si composition ratios are synthesized on SiO2/Si substrate by using a low-temperature plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The GaN LEDs on different SixC1−x buffers exhibit different EL and C-V characteristics because of the extended strain induced interfacial defects. The EL power decays when increasing the Si content of SixC1−x buffer. The C-rich SixC1−x favors the GaN epitaxy and enables the strain relaxation to suppress the probability of Auger recombination. When the SixC1−x buffer changes from Si-rich to C-rich condition, the EL peak wavelengh shifts from 446 nm to 450 nm. Moreover, the uniform distribution contour of EL intensity spreads between the anode and the cathode because the traping density of the interfacial defect gradually reduces. In comparison with the GaN LED grown on Si-rich SixC1−x buffer, the device deposited on C-rich SixC1−x buffer shows a lower turn-on voltage, a higher output power, an external quantum efficiency, and an efficiency droop of 2.48 V, 106 mW, 42.3%, and 7%, respectively. PMID:26794268

Benzocyclobutene (BCB) Polymer as Amphibious Buffer Layer for Graphene Field-Effect Transistor.

PubMed

Wu, Yun; Zou, Jianjun; Huo, Shuai; Lu, Haiyan; Kong, Yuecan; Chen, Tangshen; Wu, Wei; Xu, Jingxia

2015-08-01

Owing to the scattering and trapping effects, the interfaces of dielectric/graphene or substrate/graphene can tailor the performance of field-effect transistor (FET). In this letter, the polymer of benzocyclobutene (BCB) was used as an amphibious buffer layer and located at between the layers of substrate and graphene and between the layers of dielectric and graphene. Interestingly, with the help of nonpolar and hydrophobic BCB buffer layer, the large-scale top-gated, chemical vapor deposited (CVD) graphene transistors was prepared on Si/SiO2 substrate, its cutoff frequency (fT) and the maximum cutoff frequency (fmax) of the graphene field-effect transistor (GFET) can be reached at 12 GHz and 11 GHz, respectively.

An over 18%-efficiency completely buffer-free Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishizuka, Shogo; Nishinaga, Jiro; Koida, Takashi; Shibata, Hajime

2018-07-01

In this letter, an independently certified photovoltaic efficiency of 18.4% demonstrated from a completely buffer-layer-free Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cell is reported. A Si-doped CIGS thin film was used as the photoabsorber layer and a conductive B-doped ZnO (BZO) front electrode layer was directly deposited on the CIGS layer. Metastable acceptor activation by heat-light soaking treatment was performed to maximize the efficiency. The results presented here are expected to serve as a benchmark for simplified-structure CIGS devices as well as a reference for discussions on the role of buffer layers used in conventional CIGS solar cells.

Domain matched epitaxial growth of (111) Ba{sub 0.5}Sr{sub 0.5}TiO{sub 3} thin films on (0001) Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} with ZnO buffer layer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krishnaprasad, P. S., E-mail: pskrishnaprasu@gmail.com, E-mail: mkj@cusat.ac.in; Jayaraj, M. K., E-mail: pskrishnaprasu@gmail.com, E-mail: mkj@cusat.ac.in; Antony, Aldrin

2015-03-28

Epitaxial (111) Ba{sub 0.5}Sr{sub 0.5}TiO{sub 3} (BST) thin films have been grown by pulsed laser deposition on (0001) Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} substrate with ZnO as buffer layer. The x-ray ω-2θ, Φ-scan and reciprocal space mapping indicate epitaxial nature of BST thin films. The domain matched epitaxial growth of BST thin films over ZnO buffer layer was confirmed using Fourier filtered high resolution transmission electron microscope images of the film-buffer interface. The incorporation of ZnO buffer layer effectively suppressed the lattice mismatch and promoted domain matched epitaxial growth of BST thin films. Coplanar inter digital capacitors fabricated on epitaxial (111) BSTmore » thin films show significantly improved tunable performance over polycrystalline thin films.« less

Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells with In2S3 buffer layer deposited by thermal evaporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, SeongYeon; Rana, Tanka R.; Kim, JunHo; Yun, JaeHo

2017-12-01

We report on physical vapor deposition of indium sulfide (In2S3) buffer layers and its application to Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGSe) thin film solar cell. The Indium sulfide buffer layers were evaporated onto CIGSe at various substrate temperatures from room temperature (RT) to 350 °C. The effect of deposition temperature of buffer layers on the solar cell device performance were investigated by analyzing temperature dependent current-voltage ( J- V- T), external quantum efficiency (EQE) and Raman spectroscopy. The fabricated device showed the highest power conversion efficiency of 6.56% at substrate temperature of 250 °C, which is due to the decreased interface recombination. However, the roll-over in J- V curves was observed for solar cell device having buffer deposited at substrate temperature larger than 250 °C. From the measurement results, the interface defect and roll-over related degradation were found to have limitation on the performance of solar cell device.

The Influence of Plasma-Based Nitriding and Oxidizing Treatments on the Mechanical and Corrosion Properties of CoCrMo Biomedical Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noli, Fotini; Pichon, Luc; Öztürk, Orhan

2018-04-01

Plasma-based nitriding and/or oxidizing treatments were applied to CoCrMo alloy to improve its surface mechanical properties and corrosion resistance for biomedical applications. Three treatments were performed. A set of CoCrMo samples has been subjected to nitriding at moderate temperatures ( 400 °C). A second set of CoCrMo samples was oxidized at 395 °C in pure O2. The last set of CoCrMo samples was nitrided and subsequently oxidized under the experimental conditions of previous sets (double treatment). The microstructure and morphology of the layers formed on the CoCrMo alloy were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Atomic Force Microscopy, and Scanning Electron Microscopy. In addition, nitrogen and oxygen profiles were determined by Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy, Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy, Energy-Dispersive X-ray, and Nuclear Reaction Analysis. Significant improvement of the Vickers hardness of the CoCrMo samples after plasma nitriding was observed due to the supersaturated nitrogen solution and the formation of an expanded FCC γ N phase and CrN precipitates. In the case of the oxidized samples, Vickers hardness improvement was minimal. The corrosion behavior of the samples was investigated in simulated body fluid (0.9 pct NaCl solution at 37 °C) using electrochemical techniques (potentiodynamic polarization and cyclic voltammetry). The concentration of metal ions released from the CoCrMo surfaces was determined by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis. The experimental results clearly indicate that the CoCrMo surface subjected to the double surface treatment consisting in plasma nitriding and plasma oxidizing exhibited lower deterioration and better resistance to corrosion compared to the nitrided, oxidized, and untreated samples. This enhancement is believed to be due to the formation of a thicker and more stable layer.

Influence of interfaces density and thermal processes on mechanical stress of PECVD silicon nitride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Picciotto, A.; Bagolini, A.; Bellutti, P.; Boscardin, M.

2009-10-01

The paper focuses on a particular silicon nitride thin film (SiN x) produced by plasma enahanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique with high deposition rate (26 nm/min) and low values of mechanical stress (<100 MPa). This was perfomed with mixed frequency procedure varying the modulation of high frequency at 13.56 MHz and low frequency at 308 kHz of RF power supply during the deposition, without changing the ratio of reaction gases. Low stress silicon nitride is commonly obtained by tailoring the thickness ratio of high frequency vs. low frequency silicon nitride layers. The attention of this work was directed to the influence of the number of interfaces per thickness unit on the stress characteristics of the deposited material. Two sets of wafer samples were deposited with low stress silicon nitride, with a thickness of 260 nm and 2 μm, respectively. Thermal annealing processes at 380 and 520 °C in a inert enviroment were also performed on the wafers. The Stoney-Hoffman model was used to estimate the stress values by wafer curvature measurement with a mechanical surface profilometer: the stress was calculated for the as-deposited layer, and after each annealing process. The thickness and the refractive index of the SiN x were also measured and charaterized by variable angle spectra elliposometry (VASE) techinique. The experimental measurements were performed at the MT-LAB, IRST (Istituto per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica) of Bruno Kessler Foundation for Research in Trento.

Using Noise and Fluctuations for In Situ Measurements of Nitrogen Diffusion Depth.

PubMed

Samoila, Cornel; Ursutiu, Doru; Schleer, Walter-Harald; Jinga, Vlad; Nascov, Victor

2016-10-05

In manufacturing processes involving diffusion (of C, N, S, etc.), the evolution of the layer depth is of the utmost importance: the success of the entire process depends on this parameter. Currently, nitriding is typically either calibrated using a "post process" method or controlled via indirect measurements (H2, O2, H2O + CO2). In the absence of "in situ" monitoring, any variation in the process parameters (gas concentration, temperature, steel composition, distance between sensors and furnace chamber) can cause expensive process inefficiency or failure. Indirect measurements can prevent process failure, but uncertainties and complications may arise in the relationship between the measured parameters and the actual diffusion process. In this paper, a method based on noise and fluctuation measurements is proposed that offers direct control of the layer depth evolution because the parameters of interest are measured in direct contact with the nitrided steel (represented by the active electrode). The paper addresses two related sets of experiments. The first set of experiments consisted of laboratory tests on nitrided samples using Barkhausen noise and yieded a linear relationship between the frequency exponent in the Hooge equation and the nitriding time. For the second set, a specific sensor based on conductivity noise (at the nitriding temperature) was built for shop-floor experiments. Although two different types of noise were measured in these two sets of experiments, the use of the frequency exponent to monitor the process evolution remained valid.

Using Noise and Fluctuations for In Situ Measurements of Nitrogen Diffusion Depth

PubMed Central

Samoila, Cornel; Ursutiu, Doru; Schleer, Walter-Harald; Jinga, Vlad; Nascov, Victor

2016-01-01

In manufacturing processes involving diffusion (of C, N, S, etc.), the evolution of the layer depth is of the utmost importance: the success of the entire process depends on this parameter. Currently, nitriding is typically either calibrated using a “post process” method or controlled via indirect measurements (H2, O2, H2O + CO2). In the absence of “in situ” monitoring, any variation in the process parameters (gas concentration, temperature, steel composition, distance between sensors and furnace chamber) can cause expensive process inefficiency or failure. Indirect measurements can prevent process failure, but uncertainties and complications may arise in the relationship between the measured parameters and the actual diffusion process. In this paper, a method based on noise and fluctuation measurements is proposed that offers direct control of the layer depth evolution because the parameters of interest are measured in direct contact with the nitrided steel (represented by the active electrode). The paper addresses two related sets of experiments. The first set of experiments consisted of laboratory tests on nitrided samples using Barkhausen noise and yielded a linear relationship between the frequency exponent in the Hooge equation and the nitriding time. For the second set, a specific sensor based on conductivity noise (at the nitriding temperature) was built for shop-floor experiments. Although two different types of noise were measured in these two sets of experiments, the use of the frequency exponent to monitor the process evolution remained valid. PMID:28773941

Sulfide and Oxide Heterostructures For the SrTiO3 Thin Film Growth on Si and Their Structural and Interfacial Stabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoo, Young‑Zo; Song, Jeong‑Hwan; Konishi, Yoshinori; Kawasaki, Masashi; Koinuma, Hideomi; Chikyow, Toyohiro

2006-03-01

Epitaxial SrTiO3 (STO) thin films with high electrical properties were grown on Si using ZnS single- and SrS/MnS hetero-buffer layers. STO films on both ZnS-buffered and SrS/MnS-buffered Si showed two growth orientations, (100) and (110). The temperature dependence of the growth orientation for STO films was different for the ZnS single-buffer layer in comparison with the SrS/MnS heterobuffer layers. (100) growth of STO films on SrS/MnS-buffered Si became dominant at high temperatures about 700 °C, while (100) growth of STO films on ZnS-buffered Si became dominant at a relatively low growth temperature of 550 °C. STO(100) films on ZnS-buffered and SrS/MnS-buffered Si showed lattice and domain matches for epitaxial relationships with [001]ZnS\\parallel[011]STO and SrS[001]\\parallel[011]STO, respectively via 45° in-plane rotation of STO films relative to both ZnS and SrS layers. The ZnS buffer layer contained many stacking faults because of the mismatch between ZnS and Si, however, those defects were terminated at the ZnS/STO interface. In contrast, the MnS buffer was very stable against stacking defect formation. Transmission electron microscopy measurements revealed the presence of a disordered region at the ZnS/Si and MnS/Si interfaces. Auger electron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy results showed that a good MnS/Si interface at the initial growth stage degraded to a SiS2-x-rich phase during MnS deposition and again into a SiO2-x-rich phase during STO deposition at the high growth temperature of 700 °C. It was also observed that STO on SrS/MnS-buffered Si showed a markedly high dielectric constant compared with that of STO on ZnS-buffered Si.

Carbon doped GaN buffer layer using propane for high electron mobility transistor applications: Growth and device results

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, X.; Nilsson, D.; Danielsson, Ö.

2015-12-28

The creation of a semi insulating (SI) buffer layer in AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) devices is crucial for preventing a current path beneath the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG). In this investigation, we evaluate the use of a gaseous carbon gas precursor, propane, for creating a SI GaN buffer layer in a HEMT structure. The carbon doped profile, using propane gas, is a two stepped profile with a high carbon doping (1.5 × 10{sup 18 }cm{sup −3}) epitaxial layer closest to the substrate and a lower doped layer (3 × 10{sup 16 }cm{sup −3}) closest to the 2DEG channel. Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry measurement showsmore » a uniform incorporation versus depth, and no memory effect from carbon doping can be seen. The high carbon doping (1.5 × 10{sup 18 }cm{sup −3}) does not influence the surface morphology, and a roughness root-mean-square value of 0.43 nm is obtained from Atomic Force Microscopy. High resolution X-ray diffraction measurements show very sharp peaks and no structural degradation can be seen related to the heavy carbon doped layer. HEMTs are fabricated and show an extremely low drain induced barrier lowering value of 0.1 mV/V, demonstrating an excellent buffer isolation. The carbon doped GaN buffer layer using propane gas is compared to samples using carbon from the trimethylgallium molecule, showing equally low leakage currents, demonstrating the capability of growing highly resistive buffer layers using a gaseous carbon source.« less

Corrosion resistance of inconel 690 to borax, boric acid, and boron nitride at 1100{degrees}C

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Imrich, K.J.

1996-12-12

Significant general and localized corrosion was observed on Inconel 690 coupons following exposure to borax, boric acid and boron nitride at 1100{degrees}C. Severe localized attack at and below the melt line was observed on coupons exposed to borax. An intergranular attack at and below the melt line was observed on coupons exposed to borax. An intergranular attack (IGA) of the Inconel 690 was also observed. Severe internal void formation and IGA (30 mils penetration after 3 days) was observed in the coupon exposed to boric acid. Both borax and boric acid remove the protective chromium oxide; however, this layer canmore » be reestablished by heating the Inconel 690 to 975 {degrees}C in air for several hours. Inconel 690 in direct contact with boron nitride resulted in the formation of a thick chromium borate layer, a general corrosion rate of 50 to 90 mils per year, and internal void formation of 1 mil per day.« less

New frontiers of atomic layer etching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sherpa, Sonam D.; Ranjan, Alok

2018-03-01

Interest in atomic layer etching (ALE) has surged recently because it offers several advantages over continuous or quasicontinuous plasma etching. These benefits include (1) independent control of ion energy, ion flux, and radical flux, (2) flux-independent etch rate that mitigates the iso-dense loading effects, and (3) ability to control the etch rate with atomic or nanoscale precision. In addition to these benefits, we demonstrate an area-selective etching for maskless lithography as a new frontier of ALE. In this paper, area-selective etching refers to the confinement of etching into the specific areas of the substrate. The concept of area-selective etching originated during our studies on quasi-ALE of silicon nitride which consists of sequential exposure of silicon nitride to hydrogen and fluorinated plasma. The findings of our studies reported in this paper suggest that it may be possible to confine the etching into specific areas of silicon nitride without using any mask by replacing conventional hydrogen plasma with a localized source of hydrogen ions.

The interaction between nitride uranium and stainless steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shornikov, D. P.; Nikitin, S. N.; Tarasov, B. A.; Baranov, V. G.; Yurlova, M. S.

2016-04-01

Uranium nitride is most popular nuclear fuel for Fast Breeder Reactor New Generation. In-pile experiments at reactor BOR-60 was shown an interaction between nitride fuel and stainless steel in the range of 8-11% burn up (HA). In order to investigate this interaction has been done diffusion tests of 200 h and has been shown that the reaction occurs in the temperature range 1000-1100 ° C. UN interacted with steel in case of high pollution oxygen (1000-2000 ppm). Also has been shown to increase interaction UN with EP-823 steel in the presence of cesium. In this case the interaction layer had a thickness about 2-3 μm. Has been shown minimal interaction with new ODS steel EP-450. The interaction layer had a thickness less then 2 μm. Did not reveal the influence of tellurium and iodine increased interaction. It was show compatibility at 1000 °C between UN and EP-450 ODS steel, chrome steel, alloying aluminium and silicium.

Chemisorption of Hydroxide on 2D Materials From DFT Calculations: Graphene Versus Hexagonal Boron Nitride

PubMed Central

Grosjean, Benoit; Pean, Clarisse; Siria, Alessandro; Bocquet, Lyderic; Vuilleumier, Rodolphe; Bocquet, Marie-Laure

2017-01-01

Recent nanofluidic measurements revealed strongly different surface charge measurements for boron-nitride and graphitic nanotubes when in contact with saline and alkaline water. 1,2 These observations contrast with the similar reactivity of a graphene layer and its boron nitride counterpart, using Density Functional Theory (DFT) framework, for intact and dissociative adsorption of gaseous water molecules. Here, we investigate, by DFT in implicit water, single and multiple adsorption of anionic hydroxide on single layers. A differential adsorption strength is found in vacuum for the first ionic adsorption on the two materials – chemisorbed on BN while physisorbed on graphene. The effect of implicit solvation reduces all adsorption values resulting in a favorable (non-favorable) adsorption on BN (graphene). We also calculate a pKa ≃ 6 for BN in water, in good agreement with experiments. Comparatively, the unfavorable results for graphene in water echoes the weaker surface charge measurements, but points to an alternative scenario. PMID:27809540

Investigation and process optimization of SONOS cell's drain disturb in 2-transistor structure flash arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Zhaozhao; Qian, Wensheng; Chen, Hualun; Xiong, Wei; Hu, Jun; Liu, Donghua; Duan, Wenting; Kong, Weiran; Na, Wei; Zou, Shichang

2017-03-01

The mechanism and distribution of drain disturb (DD) are investigated in silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) flash cells. It is shown that DD is the only concern in this paper. First, the distribution of trapped charge in nitride layer is found to be non-localized (trapped in entire nitride layer along the channel) after programming. Likewise, the erase is also non-localized. Then, the main disturb mechanism: Fowler Nordheim tunneling (FNT) has been confirmed in this paper with negligible disturb effect from hot-hole injection (HHI). And then, distribution of DD is confirmed to be non-localized similarly, which denotes that DD exists in entire tunneling oxide (Oxide for short). Next, four process optimization ways are proposed for minimization of DD, and VTH shift is measured. It reveals that optimized lightly doped drain (LDD), halo, and channel implant are required for the fabrication of a robust SONOS cell. Finally, data retention and endurance of the optimized SONOS are demonstrated.

Polyethylenimine Interfacial Layers in Inverted Organic Photovoltaic Devices: Effects of Ethoxylation and Molecular Weight on Efficiency and Temporal Stability.

PubMed

Courtright, Brett A E; Jenekhe, Samson A

2015-12-02

We report a comparative study of polyethylenimine (PEI) and ethoxylated-polyethylenimine (PEIE) cathode buffer layers in high performance inverted organic photovoltaic devices. The work function of the indium-tin oxide (ITO)/zinc oxide (ZnO) cathode was reduced substantially (Δφ = 0.73-1.09 eV) as the molecular weight of PEI was varied from 800 g mol(-1) to 750 000 g mol(-1) compared with the observed much smaller reduction when using a PEIE thin film (Δφ = 0.56 eV). The reference inverted polymer solar cells based on the small band gap polymer PBDTT-FTTE (ITO/ZnO/PBDTT-FTTE:PC70BM/MoO3/Ag), without a cathode buffer layer, had an average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.06 ± 0.22%. Incorporation of a PEIE cathode buffer layer in the same PBDTT-FTTE:PC70BM blend devices gave an enhanced performance with a PCE of 7.37 ± 0.53%. In contrast, an even greater photovoltaic efficiency with a PCE of 8.22 ± 0.10% was obtained in similar PBDTT-FTTE:PC70BM blend solar cells containing a PEI cathode buffer layer. The temporal stability of the inverted polymer solar cells was found to increase with increasing molecular weight of the cathode buffer layer. The results show that PEI is superior to PEIE as a cathode buffer layer in high performance organic photovoltaic devices and that the highest molecular weight PEI interlayer provides the highest temporal stability.

Ultra-high current density thin-film Si diode

DOEpatents

Wang; Qi

2008-04-22

A combination of a thin-film .mu.c-Si and a-Si:H containing diode structure characterized by an ultra-high current density that exceeds 1000 A/cm.sup.2, comprising: a substrate; a bottom metal layer disposed on the substrate; an n-layer of .mu.c-Si deposited the bottom metal layer; an i-layer of .mu.c-Si deposited on the n-layer; a buffer layer of a-Si:H deposited on the i-layer, a p-layer of .mu.c-Si deposited on the buffer layer; and a top metal layer deposited on the p-layer.

Structural characteristics of a non-polar ZnS layer on a ZnO buffer layer formed on a sapphire substrate by mist chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okita, Koshi; Inaba, Katsuhiko; Yatabe, Zenji; Nakamura, Yusui

2018-06-01

ZnS is attractive as a material for low-cost light-emitting diodes. In this study, a non-polar ZnS layer was epitaxially grown on a sapphire substrate by inserting a ZnO buffer layer between ZnS and sapphire. The ZnS and ZnO layers were grown by a mist chemical vapor deposition system with a simple setup operated under atmospheric pressure. The sample was characterized by high-resolution X-ray diffraction measurements including 2θ/ω scans, rocking curves, and reciprocal space mapping. The results showed that an m-plane wurtzite ZnS layer grew epitaxially on an m-plane wurtzite ZnO buffer layer formed on the m-plane sapphire substrate to provide a ZnS/ZnO/sapphire structure.

Properties of unrelaxed InAs{sub 1-X}Sb{sub X} alloys grown on compositionally graded buffers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Belenky, G.; Donetsky, D.; Kipshidze, G.

Unrelaxed InAs{sub 1-x}Sb{sub x} layers with lattice constants up to 2.1% larger than that of GaSb substrates were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaInSb and AlGaInSb compositionally graded buffer layers. The topmost section of the buffers was unrelaxed but strained. The in-plane lattice constant of the top buffer layer was grown to be equal to the lattice constant of unrelaxed and unstrained InAs{sub 1-x}Sb{sub x} with given X. The InAs{sub 0.56}Sb{sub 0.44} layers demonstrate photoluminescence peak at 9.4 {mu}m at 150 K. The minority carrier lifetime measured at 77 K for InAs{sub 0.8}Sb{sub 0.2} was {tau} = 250 ns.

Phase formation in selected surface-roughened plasma-nitrided 304 austenite stainless steel.

PubMed

Singh, Gajendra Prasad; Joseph, Alphonsa; Raole, Prakash Manohar; Barhai, Prema Kanta; Mukherjee, Subroto

2008-04-01

Direct current (DC) glow discharge plasma nitriding was carried out on three selected surface-roughened AISI 304 stainless steel samples at 833 K under 4 mbar pressures for 24 h in the presence of N 2 :H 2 gas mixtures of 50 : 50 ratios. After plasma nitriding, the phase formation, case depth, surface roughness, and microhardness of a plasma-nitrided layer were evaluated by glancing angle x-ray diffractogram, optical microscope, stylus profilometer, and Vickers microhardness tester techniques. The case depth, surface hardness, and phase formation variations were observed with a variation in initial surface roughness. The diffraction patterns of the plasma-nitrided samples showed the modified intensities of the α and γ phases along with those of the CrN, Fe 4 N, and Fe 3 N phases. Hardness and case depth variations were observed with a variation in surface roughness. A maximum hardness of 1058 Hv and a case depth of 95 μm were achieved in least surface-roughened samples.

Mechanisms of Loss in Internal Quantum Efficiency in III-Nitride-based Blue-and Green-Light Emitting Diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Li

The overarching goals of the research conducted for this dissertation have been to understand the scientific reasons for the losses in the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) in Group III-nitride-based blue and especially green light-emitting diodes (LEDs) containing a multi-quantum well (MQW) active region and to simultaneously develop LED epitaxial structures to ameliorate these losses. The p-type AlGaN EBL was determined to be both mandatory and effective in the prevention of electron overflow from the MQW region into the p-type cladding layer and the resultant lowering of the IQE. The overflow phenomenon was partially due to the low concentration (˜ 5 x 1017 cm-3) and mobility (˜ 10 cm2/(V•s)) of the holes injected into the active region. Electroluminescence (EL) studies of LEDs without an EBL revealed a dominant emission from donor-acceptor pair recombination in the p-type GaN layer. The incorporation of a 90 nm compositionally graded In0-0.1 Ga1-0.9N buffer layer between each MQW and n-GaN cladding layer grown on an Al/SiC substrate resulted in an increase in the luminescence intensity and a blue-shift in the emission wavelength, as observed in photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The graded InGaN buffer layer reduced the stress and thus the piezoelectric field across the MQW; this improved the electron/hole overlap that, in turn, resulted in an enhanced radiative recombination rate and an increase in efficiency. A direct correlation was observed between an increase in the IQE measured in temperature-dependent PL (TDPL) and an increase in the roughness of all the upper InGaN QW/GaN barrier interfaces, as determined using cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy of the MQW. These results agreed in general with the average surface roughness values of the pit-free region on the top GaN barrier determined via atomic force microscopy and the average roughness values of all the interfaces in the MQW calculated from the FWHM of the emission peak in the PL spectra acquired at 10 K for LED structures grown on both SiC and GaN substrates. This improvement occurred as a result of carrier localization at the rougher interfaces that, in turn, resulted in shorter carrier lifetimes and faster decay rates, as determined using time-resolved PL. The peak current densities determined from the curves of external quantum efficiency as a function of current density calculated from EL spectra acquired from a set of LEDs having 3 QWs, 5 QWs, and 6 QWs were 63 A/cm2, 78 A/cm2 and 78 A/cm2, respectively. These data indicated that the minority carrier (holes) in our powered devices penetrated into at least the 4th QW from the top p-type cladding layer. The peak emission from these LEDs occurred at 522 nm. The hole density decreased with distance away from the top p-type layer. Finally, a new process route was developed in this research for the epitaxial deposition of GaN(0001) thin films on chemo-mechanically polished GaN(0001) substrates. The latter possessed threading dislocations (TDs) having a density of the order of 5 x 107 cm-2, predominantly edge in character and oriented along [0001]. Step-flow-controlled growth of the films was achieved; thus, no additional TDs were generated at the film/substrate interface. The density of V-defects in InGaN films and in subsequently grown MQWs containing In0.26Ga0.74N wells grown on the GaN substrates was also reduced to within an order of 107 cm -2. The density of the latter defects was determined to be a function of both the density of the TDs and the growth temperature when the latter was > 900 °C. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Low-Temperature Nitriding of Pure Titanium by using Hollow Cathode RF-DC Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Windajanti, J. M.; S, D. J. Djoko H.; Abdurrouf

2017-05-01

Pure titanium is widely used for the structures and mechanical parts due to its high strength, low density, and high corrosion resistance. Unfortunately, titanium products suffer from low hardness and low wear resistance. Titanium’s surface can be modified by nitriding process to overcome such problems, which is commonly conducted at high temperature. Here, we report the low-temperature plasma nitriding process, where pure titanium was utilized by high-density RF-DC plasma combined with hollow cathode device. To this end, a pure titanium plate was set inside a hollow tube placed on the cathode plate. After heating to 450 °C, a pre-sputtering process was conducted for 1 hour to remove the oxide layer and activate the surface for nitriding. Plasma nitriding using N2/H2 gasses was performed in 4 and 8 hours with the RF voltage of 250 V, DC bias of -500 to -600 V, and gas pressure of 75 to 30 Pa. To study the nitriding mechanism as well as the role of hollow cathode, the nitrided specimen was characterized by SEM, EDX, XRD, and micro-hardness equipment. The TiN compound was obtained with the diffusion zone of nitrogen until 5 μm thickness for 4 hours nitriding process, and 8 μm for 8 hours process. The average hardness also increased from 300 HV in the untreated specimen to 624 HV and 792 HV for 4 and 8 hours nitriding, respectively.

Dynamic determination of secondary electron emission using a calorimetric probe in a plasma immersion ion implantation experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haase, Fabian; Manova, Darina; Hirsch, Dietmar; Mändl, Stephan; Kersten, Holger

2018-04-01

A passive thermal probe has been used to detect dynamic changes in the secondary electron emission (SEE). Oxidized and nitrided materials have been studied during argon ion sputtering in a plasma immersion ion implantation process. Identical measurements have been performed for the metallic state with high voltage pulses accelerating nitrogen ions towards the surface, supposedly forming a nitride layer. Energy flux data were combined with scanning electron microscopy images of the surface to obtain information about the actual surface composition as well as trends and changes during the process. Within the measurements, a direct comparison of the SEE within both employed ion species (argon and nitrogen) is possible while an absolute quantification is still open. Additionally, the nominal composition of the investigated oxide and nitride layers does not always correspond to stoichiometric compounds. Nevertheless, the oxides showed a remarkably higher SEE compared to the pure metals, while an indistinct behavior was observed for the nitrides: some higher, some lower than the clean metal surfaces. For the aluminum alloy AlMg3 a complex time dependent evolution was observed with consecutive oxidation/sputtering cycles leading to a very rough surface with a diminished oxide layer, leading to an almost black surface of the metal and non-reproducible changes in the SEE. The presented method is a versatile technique for measuring dynamic changes of the surface for materials commonly used in PVD processes with a time resolution of about 1 min, e.g. magnetron sputtering or HiPIMS, where changes in the target or electrode composition are occurring but cannot be measured directly.

Dependence of Magnetic Properties of Co/Pt Multilayers on Deposition Temperature of Pt Buffer Layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiomi, Shigeru; Nishimura, Tomotaka; Kobayashi, Tadashi; Masuda, Morio

1993-04-01

A 15-nm-thick Pt buffer layer was deposited on a glass slide at temperature Ts(Ptbuf) ranging from 30 to 300°C by e-gun evaporation. Following the cooling in vacuum to ambient temperature, Co and Pt layers have been alternately deposited on it. Very large perpendicular anisotropy and coercivity have been obtained at Ts(Ptbuf) higher than 200°C. The (111) preferred orientation of the Co/Pt multilayer as well as the Pt buffer layer became more pronounced with elevating Ts(Ptbuf), to which the enhancement of perpendicular anisotropy with elevating Ts(Ptbuf) might be ascribable.

Atomically Thin Hexagonal Boron Nitride Nanofilm for Cu Protection: The Importance of Film Perfection.

PubMed

Khan, Majharul Haque; Jamali, Sina S; Lyalin, Andrey; Molino, Paul J; Jiang, Lei; Liu, Hua Kun; Taketsugu, Tetsuya; Huang, Zhenguo

2017-01-01

Outstanding protection of Cu by high-quality boron nitride nanofilm (BNNF) 1-2 atomic layers thick in salt water is observed, while defective BNNF accelerates the reaction of Cu toward water. The chemical stability, insulating nature, and impermeability of ions through the BN hexagons render BNNF a great choice for atomic-scale protection. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Cathode buffer composed of fullerene-ethylenediamine adduct for an organic solar cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimoto, Yoshinori; Akiyama, Tsuyoshi; Fujita, Katsuhiko

2017-02-01

We developed a fullerene-ethylenediamine adduct (C60P-DC) for a cathode buffer material in organic bulk heterojunction solar cells, which enhance the open-circuit voltage (V oc). The evaporative spray deposition using ultra dilute solution (ESDUS) technique was employed to deposit the buffer layer onto the organic active layer to avoid damage during the deposition. By the insertion of a C60P-DC buffer layer, V oc and power conversion efficiency (PCE) were increased from 0.41 to 0.57 V and from 1.65 to 2.10%, respectively. The electron-only device with the C60P-DC buffer showed a much lower current level than that without the buffer, indicating that the V oc increase is caused not by vacuum level shift but by hole blocking. The curve fitting of current density-voltage (J-V) characteristics to the equivalent circuit with a single diode indicated that the decrease in reversed saturation current by hole blocking increased caused the V oc.

Study of a MHEMT heterostructure with an In{sub 0.4}Ga{sub 0.6}As channel MBE-grown on a GaAs substrate using reciprocal space mapping

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aleshin, A. N., E-mail: a.n.aleshin@mail.ru; Bugaev, A. S.; Ermakova, M. A.

2015-08-15

The crystallographic characteristics of the design elements of a metamorphic high-electron-mobility (MHEMT) heterostructure with an In{sub 0.4}Ga{sub 0.6}As channel are determined based on reciprocal space mapping. The heterostructure is grown by molecular beam epitaxy on the vicinal surface of a GaAs substrate with a deviation angle from the (001) plane of 2° and consists of a stepped metamorphic buffer containing six layers including an inverse step, a high-temperature buffer layer with constant composition, and active HEMT layers. The InAs content in the layers of the metamorphic buffer is varied from 0.1 to 0.48. Reciprocal space maps are constructed for themore » (004) symmetric reflection and (224)+ asymmetric reflection. It is found that the heterostructure layers are characterized both by a tilt angle relative to the plane of the (001) substrate and a rotation angle around the [001] axis. The tilt angle of the layer increases as the InAs concentration in the layer increases. It is shown that a high-temperature buffer layer of constant composition has the largest degree of relaxation compared with all other layers of the heterostructure.« less

Surface cleaning and pure nitridation of GaSb by in-situ plasma processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gotow, Takahiro; Fujikawa, Sachie; Fujishiro, Hiroki I.; Ogura, Mutsuo; Chang, Wen Hsin; Yasuda, Tetsuji; Maeda, Tatsuro

2017-10-01

A clean and flat GaSb surface without native oxides has been attained by H2 plasma cleaning and subsequent in-situ N2 plasma nitridation process at 300 oC. The mechanisms of thermal desorption behavior of native oxides on GaSb have been studied by thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) analysis. The suitable heat treatment process window for preparing a clean GaSb surface is given. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) analysis indicates that native oxides were completely removed on the GaSb surface after H2 plasma exposure and the pure nitridation of the clean GaSb surface was obtained at a relatively low temperature of 300 °C. This pure nitridation of GaSb have a possibility to be used as a passivation layer for high quality GaSb MOS devices.

Structure and Growth of Hexagonal Boron Nitride on Ir(111).

PubMed

Farwick Zum Hagen, Ferdinand H; Zimmermann, Domenik M; Silva, Caio C; Schlueter, Christoph; Atodiresei, Nicolae; Jolie, Wouter; Martínez-Galera, Antonio J; Dombrowski, Daniela; Schröder, Ulrike A; Will, Moritz; Lazić, Predrag; Caciuc, Vasile; Blügel, Stefan; Lee, Tien-Lin; Michely, Thomas; Busse, Carsten

2016-12-27

Using the X-ray standing wave method, scanning tunneling microscopy, low energy electron diffraction, and density functional theory, we precisely determine the lateral and vertical structure of hexagonal boron nitride on Ir(111). The moiré superstructure leads to a periodic arrangement of strongly chemisorbed valleys in an otherwise rather flat, weakly physisorbed plane. The best commensurate approximation of the moiré unit cell is (12 × 12) boron nitride cells resting on (11 × 11) substrate cells, which is at variance with several earlier studies. We uncover the existence of two fundamentally different mechanisms of layer formation for hexagonal boron nitride, namely, nucleation and growth as opposed to network formation without nucleation. The different pathways are linked to different distributions of rotational domains, and the latter enables selection of a single orientation only.

All-nitride AlxGa1−xN:Mn/GaN distributed Bragg reflectors for the near-infrared

PubMed Central

Capuzzo, Giulia; Kysylychyn, Dmytro; Adhikari, Rajdeep; Li, Tian; Faina, Bogdan; Tarazaga Martín-Luengo, Aitana; Bonanni, Alberta

2017-01-01

Since the technological breakthrough prompted by the inception of light emitting diodes based on III-nitrides, these material systems have emerged as strategic semiconductors not only for the lighting of the future, but also for the new generation of high-power electronic and spintronic devices. While III-nitride optoelectronics in the visible and ultraviolet spectral range is widely established, all-nitride efficient devices in the near-infrared (NIR) are still wanted. Here, through a comprehensive protocol of design, modeling, epitaxial growth and in-depth characterization, we develop AlxGa1−xN:Mn/GaN NIR distributed Bragg reflectors and we show their efficiency in combination with GaN:(Mn,Mg) layers containing Mn-Mgk complexes optically active in the near-infrared range of wavelengths. PMID:28198432

Simultaneous enhancement of photovoltage and charge transfer in Cu{sub 2}O-based photocathode using buffer and protective layers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Changli; Delaunay, Jean-Jacques, E-mail: jean@mech.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp; Hisatomi, Takashi

2016-07-18

Coating n-type buffer and protective layers on Cu{sub 2}O may be an effective means to improve the photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting performance of Cu{sub 2}O-based photocathodes. In this letter, the functions of the buffer layer and protective layer on Cu{sub 2}O are examined. It is found that a Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} buffer layer can form a buried junction with Cu{sub 2}O, which inhibits Cu{sub 2}O self-reduction as well as increases the photovoltage through a small conduction band offset between the two semiconductors. The introduction of a TiO{sub 2} thin protective layer not only improves the stability of the photocathode but alsomore » enhances the electron transfer from the photocathode surface into the electrolyte, thus resulting in an increase in photocurrent at positive potentials. These results show that the selection of overlayers with appropriate conduction band positions provides an effective strategy for obtaining a high photovoltage and high photocurrent in PEC systems.« less

Rebar graphene from functionalized boron nitride nanotubes.

PubMed

Li, Yilun; Peng, Zhiwei; Larios, Eduardo; Wang, Gunuk; Lin, Jian; Yan, Zheng; Ruiz-Zepeda, Francisco; José-Yacamán, Miguel; Tour, James M

2015-01-27

The synthesis of rebar graphene on Cu substrates is described using functionalized boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) that were annealed or subjected to chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of graphene. Characterization shows that the BNNTs partially unzip and form a reinforcing bar (rebar) network within the graphene layer that enhances the mechanical strength through covalent bonds. The rebar graphene is transferrable to other substrates without polymer assistance. The optical transmittance and conductivity of the hybrid rebar graphene film was tested, and a field effect transistor was fabricated to explore its electrical properties. This method of synthesizing 2D hybrid graphene/BN structures should enable the hybridization of various 1D nanotube and 2D layered structures with enhanced mechanical properties.

Evidence for Defect-Mediated Tunneling in Hexagonal Boron Nitride-Based Junctions.

PubMed

Chandni, U; Watanabe, K; Taniguchi, T; Eisenstein, J P

2015-11-11

We investigate electron tunneling through atomically thin layers of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). Metal (Cr/Au) and semimetal (graphite) counter-electrodes are employed. While the direct tunneling resistance increases nearly exponentially with barrier thickness as expected, the thicker junctions also exhibit clear signatures of Coulomb blockade, including strong suppression of the tunnel current around zero bias and step-like features in the current at larger biases. The voltage separation of these steps suggests that single-electron charging of nanometer-scale defects in the hBN barrier layer are responsible for these signatures. We find that annealing the metal-hBN-metal junctions removes these defects and the Coulomb blockade signatures in the tunneling current.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Korolev, D. S.; Mikhaylov, A. N.; Belov, A. I.

The composition and structure of silicon surface layers subjected to combined gallium and nitrogen ion implantation with subsequent annealing have been studied by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering, electron spin resonance, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy techniques. A slight redistribution of the implanted atoms before annealing and their substantial migration towards the surface during annealing depending on the sequence of implantations are observed. It is found that about 2% of atoms of the implanted layer are replaced with gallium bonded to nitrogen; however, it is impossible to detect the gallium-nitride phase. At the same time, gallium-enriched inclusions containingmore » ∼25 at % of gallium are detected as candidates for the further synthesis of gallium-nitride inclusions.« less

Interface amorphization in hexagonal boron nitride films on sapphire substrate grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xu; Nitta, Shugo; Pristovsek, Markus; Liu, Yuhuai; Nagamatsu, Kentaro; Kushimoto, Maki; Honda, Yoshio; Amano, Hiroshi

2018-05-01

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) films directly grown on c-plane sapphire substrates by pulsed-mode metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy exhibit an interlayer for growth temperatures above 1200 °C. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy shows that this interlayer is amorphous, while the crystalline h-BN layer above has a distinct orientational relationship with the sapphire substrate. Electron energy loss spectroscopy shows the energy-loss peaks of B and N in both the amorphous interlayer and the overlying crystalline h-BN layer, while Al and O signals are also seen in the amorphous interlayer. Thus, the interlayer forms during h-BN growth through the decomposition of the sapphire at elevated temperatures.

Mapping the layer count of few-layer hexagonal boron nitride at high lateral spatial resolutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohsin, Ali; Cross, Nicholas G.; Liu, Lei; Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Duscher, Gerd; Gu, Gong

2018-01-01

Layer count control and uniformity of two dimensional (2D) layered materials are critical to the investigation of their properties and to their electronic device applications, but methods to map 2D material layer count at nanometer-level lateral spatial resolutions have been lacking. Here, we demonstrate a method based on two complementary techniques widely available in transmission electron microscopes (TEMs) to map the layer count of multilayer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) films. The mass-thickness contrast in high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) imaging in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) mode allows for thickness determination in atomically clean regions with high spatial resolution (sub-nanometer), but is limited by surface contamination. To complement, another technique based on the boron K ionization edge in the electron energy loss spectroscopy spectrum (EELS) of h-BN is developed to quantify the layer count so that surface contamination does not cause an overestimate, albeit at a lower spatial resolution (nanometers). The two techniques agree remarkably well in atomically clean regions with discrepancies within  ±1 layer. For the first time, the layer count uniformity on the scale of nanometers is quantified for a 2D material. The methodology is applicable to layer count mapping of other 2D layered materials, paving the way toward the synthesis of multilayer 2D materials with homogeneous layer count.

Topotactical growth of thick perovskite oxynitride layers by nitridation of single crystalline oxides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebbinghaus, Stefan G.; Aguiar, Rosiana; Weidenkaff, Anke; Gsell, Stefan; Reller, Armin

2008-06-01

Thick films of the perovskite-related oxynitrides LaTiO 2N, NdTiO 2N, SrNbO 2N and SrTaO 2N were synthesised by nitridation of single crystals of the corresponding oxides with general composition ABO 3.5. The oxide crystals were obtained by optical floating zone growth. They correspond to n = 4 member of the A nB nO 3 n+2 family of layered perovskites and were reacted at temperatures between 900 °C and 1050 °C to form the oxynitrides. Electron probe microanalysis proved the presence of nitrogen in a surface layer of a few micrometer thickness. Cross-section SEM revealed additional thin stripes of oxynitride within the bulk of the crystals, indicating that nitrogen is incorporated preferably parallel to the perovskite-type layers, which in turn are connected in a zipper-type mechanism. The formation of the desired perovskite-type oxynitrides was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. Pole figure measurements proved an epitaxial orientation ABO 2N (110)[001] ‖ ABO 3.5 (001)[100]. The mosaicity of the oxynitrides both in polar and azimuthal direction was very small (<2°) indicating a nearly single crystalline quality of the surface layer. The nitridation of the crystals results in a dramatic change in colour. Optical spectroscopy revealed shifts of the absorption edge by more than 200 nm to longer wavelengths with respect to the parent oxides, corresponding to a reduction of the band gap energies by 1.4-1.8 eV.

Fabrication of AlN/BN bishell hollow nanofibers by electrospinning and atomic layer deposition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haider, Ali; Kayaci, Fatma; Uyar, Tamer

2014-09-01

Aluminum nitride (AlN)/boron nitride (BN) bishell hollow nanofibers (HNFs) have been fabricated by successive atomic layer deposition (ALD) of AlN and sequential chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of BN on electrospun polymeric nanofibrous template. A four-step fabrication process was utilized: (i) fabrication of polymeric (nylon 6,6) nanofibers via electrospinning, (ii) hollow cathode plasma-assisted ALD of AlN at 100 °C onto electrospun polymeric nanofibers, (iii) calcination at 500 °C for 2 h in order to remove the polymeric template, and (iv) sequential CVD growth of BN at 450 °C. AlN/BN HNFs have been characterized for their chemical composition, surface morphology, crystal structure, and internal nanostructuremore » using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and selected area electron diffraction. Measurements confirmed the presence of crystalline hexagonal BN and AlN within the three dimensional (3D) network of bishell HNFs with relatively low impurity content. In contrast to the smooth surface of the inner AlN layer, outer BN coating showed a highly rough 3D morphology in the form of BN nano-needle crystallites. It is shown that the combination of electrospinning and plasma-assisted low-temperature ALD/CVD can produce highly controlled multi-layered bishell nitride ceramic hollow nanostructures. While electrospinning enables easy fabrication of nanofibrous template, self-limiting reactions of plasma-assisted ALD and sequential CVD provide control over the wall thicknesses of AlN and BN layers with sub-nanometer accuracy.« less

Tunnel barrier schottky

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chu, Rongming; Cao, Yu; Li, Zijian

2018-02-20

A diode includes: a semiconductor substrate; a cathode metal layer contacting a bottom of the substrate; a semiconductor drift layer on the substrate; a graded aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) semiconductor barrier layer on the drift layer and having a larger bandgap than the drift layer, the barrier layer having a top surface and a bottom surface between the drift layer and the top surface, the barrier layer having an increasing aluminum composition from the bottom surface to the top surface; and an anode metal layer directly contacting the top surface of the barrier layer.

Simple O2 plasma-processed V2O5 as an anode buffer layer for high-performance polymer solar cells.

PubMed

Bao, Xichang; Zhu, Qianqian; Wang, Ting; Guo, Jing; Yang, Chunpeng; Yu, Donghong; Wang, Ning; Chen, Weichao; Yang, Renqiang

2015-04-15

A simple O2 plasma processing method for preparation of a vanadium oxide (V2O5) anode buffer layer on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass for polymer solar cells (PSCs) is reported. The V2O5 layer with high transmittance and good electrical and interfacial properties was prepared by spin coating a vanadium(V) triisopropoxide oxide alcohol solution on ITO and then O2 plasma treatment for 10 min [V2O5 (O2 plasma)]. PSCs based on P3HT:PC61BM and PBDTTT-C:PC71BM using V2O5 (O2 plasma) as an anode buffer layer show high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 4.47 and 7.54%, respectively, under the illumination of AM 1.5G (100 mW/cm(2)). Compared to that of the control device with PBDTTT-C:PC71BM as the active layer and PSS (PCE of 6.52%) and thermally annealed V2O5 (PCE of 6.27%) as the anode buffer layer, the PCE was improved by 15.6 and 20.2%, respectively, after the introduction of a V2O5 (O2 plasma) anode buffer layer. The improved PCE is ascribed to the greatly improved fill factor and enhanced short-circuit current density of the devices, which benefited from the change in the work function of V2O5, a surface with many dangling bonds for better interfacial contact, and the excellent charge transport property of the V2O5 (O2 plasma) layer. The results indicate that an O2 plasma-processed V2O5 film is an efficient and economical anode buffer layer for high-performance PSCs. It also provides an attractive choice for low-cost fabrication of organic electronics.

Effect of Alloy 625 Buffer Layer on Hardfacing of Modified 9Cr-1Mo Steel Using Nickel Base Hardfacing Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, Gopa; Das, C. R.; Albert, S. K.; Bhaduri, A. K.; Murugesan, S.; Dasgupta, Arup

2016-04-01

Dashpot piston, made up of modified 9Cr-1Mo steel, is a part of diverse safety rod used for safe shutdown of a nuclear reactor. This component was hardfaced using nickel base AWS ER NiCr-B alloy and extensive cracking was experienced during direct deposition of this alloy on dashpot piston. Cracking reduced considerably and the component was successfully hardfaced by application of Inconel 625 as buffer layer prior to hardface deposition. Hence, a separate study was undertaken to investigate the role of buffer layer in reducing the cracking and on the microstructure of the hardfaced deposit. Results indicate that in the direct deposition of hardfacing alloy on modified 9Cr-1Mo steel, both heat-affected zone (HAZ) formed and the deposit layer are hard making the thickness of the hard layer formed equal to combined thickness of both HAZ and deposit. This hard layer is unable to absorb thermal stresses resulting in the cracking of the deposit. By providing a buffer layer of Alloy 625 followed by a post-weld heat treatment, HAZ formed in the modified 9Cr-1Mo steel is effectively tempered, and HAZ formed during the subsequent deposition of the hardfacing alloy over the Alloy 625 buffer layer is almost completely confined to Alloy 625, which does not harden. This reduces the cracking susceptibility of the deposit. Further, unlike in the case of direct deposition on modified 9Cr-1Mo steel, dilution of the deposit by Ni-base buffer layer does not alter the hardness of the deposit and desired hardness on the deposit surface could be achieved even with lower thickness of the deposit. This gives an option for reducing the recommended thickness of the deposit, which can also reduce the risk of cracking.

Interplay between strain, quantum confinement, and ferromagnetism in strained ferromagnetic semiconductor (In,Fe)As thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasaki, Daisuke; Anh, Le Duc; Nam Hai, Pham; Tanaka, Masaaki

2014-04-01

We systematically investigated the influence of strain on the electronic structure and ferromagnetism of (In,Fe)As thin films. It is found that while the shift of the critical point energies of compressive-strained (In,Fe)As layers grown on (In1-y,Gay)As (y = 0.05, 0.1) buffer layers can be explained by the hydrostatic deformation effect (HDE) alone, those of tensile-strained (In,Fe)As layers grown on (Ga1-z,Alz)Sb (z = 0, 0.5, 1) buffer layers can be explained by the combination of HDE and the quantum confinement effect (QCE). The Curie temperature TC of the (In,Fe)As layers strongly depends on the strain, and shows a maximum for the (In,Fe)As layer grown on a GaSb buffer layer. The strain dependence of TC can be explained by the s-d exchange mechanism taking into account HDE and QCE.

Fluorinated tin oxide back contact for AZTSSe photovoltaic devices

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gershon, Talia S.; Gunawan, Oki; Haight, Richard A.

A photovoltaic device includes a substrate, a back contact comprising a stable low-work function material, a photovoltaic absorber material layer comprising Ag.sub.2ZnSn(S,Se).sub.4 (AZTSSe) on a side of the back contact opposite the substrate, wherein the back contact forms an Ohmic contact with the photovoltaic absorber material layer, a buffer layer or Schottky contact layer on a side of the absorber layer opposite the back contact, and a top electrode on a side of the buffer layer opposite the absorber layer.

Effect of dopent on the structural and optical properties of ZnS thin film as a buffer layer in solar cell application

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vashistha, Indu B., E-mail: indu-139@yahoo.com; Sharma, S. K.; Sharma, Mahesh C.

2015-08-28

In order to find the suitable alternative of toxic CdS buffer layer, deposition of pure ZnS and doped with Al by chemical bath deposition method have been reported. Further as grown pure and doped thin films have been annealed at 150°C. The structural and surface morphological properties have been characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM).The XRD analysis shows that annealed thin film has been polycrystalline in nature with sphalerite cubic crystal structure and AFM images indicate increment in grain size as well as growth of crystals after annealing. Optical measurement data give band gap of 3.5more » eV which is ideal band gap for buffer layer for solar cell suggesting that the obtained ZnS buffer layer is suitable in a low-cost solar cell.« less

Growth and micro structural studies on Yittria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) and Strontium Titanate (STO) buffer layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srinivas, S.; Pinto, R.; Pai, S. P.; Dsousa, D. P.; Apte, P. R.; Kumar, D.; Purandare, S. C.; Bhatnagar, A. K.

1995-01-01

Microstructure of Yittria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) and Strontium Titanate (STO) of radio frequency magnetron sputtered buffer layers was studied at various sputtering conditions on Si (100), Sapphire and LaAlO3 (100) substrates. The effect of substrate temperatures up to 800 C and sputtering gas pressures in the range of 50 mTorr. of growth conditions was studied. The buffer layers of YSZ and STO showed a strong tendency for columnar growth was observed above 15 mTorr sputtering gas pressure and at high substrate temperatures. Post annealing of these films in oxygen atmosphere reduced the oxygen deficiency and strain generated during growth of the films. Strong c-axis oriented superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) thin films were obtained on these buffer layers using pulsed laser ablation technique. YBCO films deposited on multilayers of YSZ and STO were shown to have better superconducting properties.

Buffer layer between a planar optical concentrator and a solar cell

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Solano, Manuel E.; Barber, Greg D.; Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802

2015-09-15

The effect of inserting a buffer layer between a periodically multilayered isotropic dielectric (PMLID) material acting as a planar optical concentrator and a photovoltaic solar cell was theoretically investigated. The substitution of the photovoltaic material by a cheaper dielectric material in a large area of the structure could reduce the fabrication costs without significantly reducing the efficiency of the solar cell. Both crystalline silicon (c-Si) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) were considered as the photovoltaic material. We found that the buffer layer can act as an antireflection coating at the interface of the PMLID and the photovoltaic materials, and the structuremore » increases the spectrally averaged electron-hole pair density by 36% for c-Si and 38% for GaAs compared to the structure without buffer layer. Numerical evidence indicates that the optimal structure is robust with respect to small changes in the grating profile.« less

Tuning the Two-Dimensional Electron Liquid at Oxide Interfaces by Buffer-Layer-Engineered Redox Reactions.

PubMed

Chen, Yunzhong; Green, Robert J; Sutarto, Ronny; He, Feizhou; Linderoth, Søren; Sawatzky, George A; Pryds, Nini

2017-11-08

Polar discontinuities and redox reactions provide alternative paths to create two-dimensional electron liquids (2DELs) at oxide interfaces. Herein, we report high mobility 2DELs at interfaces involving SrTiO 3 (STO) achieved using polar La 7/8 Sr 1/8 MnO 3 (LSMO) buffer layers to manipulate both polarities and redox reactions from disordered overlayers grown at room temperature. Using resonant X-ray reflectometry experiments, we quantify redox reactions from oxide overlayers on STO as well as polarity induced electronic reconstruction at epitaxial LSMO/STO interfaces. The analysis reveals how these effects can be combined in a STO/LSMO/disordered film trilayer system to yield high mobility modulation doped 2DELs, where the buffer layer undergoes a partial transformation from perovskite to brownmillerite structure. This uncovered interplay between polar discontinuities and redox reactions via buffer layers provides a new approach for the design of functional oxide interfaces.

La0.7Sr0.3MnO3: A single, conductive-oxide buffer layer for the development of YBa2Cu3O7-δ coated conductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aytug, T.; Paranthaman, M.; Kang, B. W.; Sathyamurthy, S.; Goyal, A.; Christen, D. K.

2001-10-01

Coated conductor applications in power technologies require stabilization of the high-temperature superconducting (HTS) layers against thermal runaway. Conductive La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) has been epitaxially grown on biaxially textured Ni substrates as a single buffer layer. The subsequent epitaxial growth of YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) coatings by pulsed laser deposition yielded self-field critical current densities (Jc) of 0.5×106A/cm2 at 77 K, and provided good electrical connectivity over the entire structure (HTS+conductive-buffer+metal substrate). Property characterizations of YBCO/LSMO/Ni architecture revealed excellent crystallographic and morphological properties. These results have demonstrated that LSMO, used as a single, conductive buffer layer, may offer potential for use in fully stabilized YBCO coated conductors.

Schottky barrier detection devices having a 4H-SiC n-type epitaxial layer

DOEpatents

Mandal, Krishna C.; Terry, J. Russell

2016-12-06

A detection device, along with methods of its manufacture and use, is provided. The detection device can include: a SiC substrate defining a substrate surface cut from planar to about 12.degree.; a buffer epitaxial layer on the substrate surface; a n-type epitaxial layer on the buffer epitaxial layer; and a top contact on the n-type epitaxial layer. The buffer epitaxial layer can include a n-type 4H--SiC epitaxial layer doped at a concentration of about 1.times.10.sup.15 cm.sup.-3 to about 5.times.10.sup.18 cm.sup.-3 with nitrogen, boron, aluminum, or a mixture thereof. The n-type epitaxial layer can include a n-type 4H--SiC epitaxial layer doped at a concentration of about 1.times.10.sup.13 cm.sup.-3 to about 5.times.10.sup.15 cm.sup.-3 with nitrogen. The top contact can have a thickness of about 8 nm to about 15 nm.

Kinetics of self-induced nucleation and optical properties of GaN nanowires grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on amorphous Al{sub x}O{sub y}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sobanska, M., E-mail: sobanska@ifpan.edu.pl; Zytkiewicz, Z. R.; Klosek, K.

Nucleation kinetics of GaN nanowires (NWs) by molecular beam epitaxy on amorphous Al{sub x}O{sub y} buffers deposited at low temperature by atomic layer deposition is analyzed. We found that the growth processes on a-Al{sub x}O{sub y} are very similar to those observed on standard Si(111) substrates, although the presence of the buffer significantly enhances nucleation rate of GaN NWs, which we attribute to a microstructure of the buffer. The nucleation rate was studied vs. the growth temperature in the range of 720–790 °C, which allowed determination of nucleation energy of the NWs on a-Al{sub x}O{sub y} equal to 6 eV. Thismore » value is smaller than 10.2 eV we found under the same conditions on nitridized Si(111) substrates. Optical properties of GaN NWs on a-Al{sub x}O{sub y} are analyzed as a function of the growth temperature and compared with those on Si(111) substrates. A significant increase of photoluminescence intensity and much longer PL decay times, close to those on silicon substrates, are found for NWs grown at the highest temperature proving their high quality. The samples grown at high temperature have very narrow PL lines. This allowed observation that positions of donor-bound exciton PL line in the NWs grown on a-Al{sub x}O{sub y} are regularly lower than in samples grown directly on silicon suggesting that oxygen, instead of silicon, is the dominant donor. Moreover, PL spectra suggest that total concentration of donors in GaN NWs grown on a-Al{sub x}O{sub y} is lower than in those grown under similar conditions on bare Si. This shows that the a-Al{sub x}O{sub y} buffer efficiently acts as a barrier preventing uptake of silicon from the substrate to GaN.« less

Transport properties of ultrathin black phosphorus on hexagonal boron nitride

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Doganov, Rostislav A.; Özyilmaz, Barbaros; Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, 2 Science Drive 3, 117542 Singapore

2015-02-23

Ultrathin black phosphorus, or phosphorene, is a two-dimensional material that allows both high carrier mobility and large on/off ratios. Similar to other atomic crystals, like graphene or layered transition metal dichalcogenides, the transport behavior of few-layer black phosphorus is expected to be affected by the underlying substrate. The properties of black phosphorus have so far been studied on the widely utilized SiO{sub 2} substrate. Here, we characterize few-layer black phosphorus field effect transistors on hexagonal boron nitride—an atomically smooth and charge trap-free substrate. We measure the temperature dependence of the field effect mobility for both holes and electrons and explainmore » the observed behavior in terms of charged impurity limited transport. We find that in-situ vacuum annealing at 400 K removes the p-doping of few-layer black phosphorus on both boron nitride and SiO{sub 2} substrates and reduces the hysteresis at room temperature.« less

In-plane heterostructures of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride with controlled domain sizes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zheng; Ma, Lulu; Shi, Gang; Zhou, Wu; Gong, Yongji; Lei, Sidong; Yang, Xuebei; Zhang, Jiangnan; Yu, Jingjiang; Hackenberg, Ken P.; Babakhani, Aydin; Idrobo, Juan-Carlos; Vajtai, Robert; Lou, Jun; Ajayan, Pulickel M.

2013-02-01

Graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) have similar crystal structures with a lattice constant difference of only 2%. However, graphene is a zero-bandgap semiconductor with remarkably high carrier mobility at room temperature, whereas an atomically thin layer of h-BN is a dielectric with a wide bandgap of ~5.9 eV. Accordingly, if precise two-dimensional domains of graphene and h-BN can be seamlessly stitched together, hybrid atomic layers with interesting electronic applications could be created. Here, we show that planar graphene/h-BN heterostructures can be formed by growing graphene in lithographically patterned h-BN atomic layers. Our approach can create periodic arrangements of domains with size ranging from tens of nanometres to millimetres. The resulting graphene/h-BN atomic layers can be peeled off the growth substrate and transferred to various platforms including flexible substrates. We also show that the technique can be used to fabricate two-dimensional devices, such as a split closed-loop resonator that works as a bandpass filter.

Light emission in forward and reverse bias operation in OLED with amorphous silicon carbon nitride thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reyes, R.; Cremona, M.; Achete, C. A.

2011-01-01

Amorphous silicon carbon nitride (a-SiC:N) thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering were used in the structure of an organic light emitting diode (OLED), obtaining an OLED operating in forward and reverse bias mode. The device consist of the heterojunction structure ITO/a-SiC:N/Hole Transport Layer (HTL)/ Electron Transport Layer (ETL)/a-SiC:N/Al. As hole transporting layer was used a thin film of 1-(3-methylphenyl)-1,2,3,4 tetrahydroquinoline - 6 - carboxyaldehyde - 1,1'- diphenylhydrazone (MTCD), while the tris(8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum) (Alq3) is used as electron transport and emitting layer. A significant increase in the voltage operation compared to the conventional ITO/MTCD/Alq3/Al structure was observed, so the onset of electroluminescence occurs at about 22 V in the forward and reverse bias mode of operation. The electroluminescence spectra is similar in both cases, only slightly shifted 0.14 eV to lower energies in relation to the conventional device.

Heat resistive dielectric multi-layer micro-mirror array in epitaxial lateral overgrowth gallium nitride.

PubMed

Huang, Chen-Yang; Ku, Hao-Min; Liao, Wei-Tsai; Chao, Chu-Li; Tsay, Jenq-Dar; Chao, Shiuh

2009-03-30

Ta2O5 / SiO2 dielectric multi-layer micro-mirror array (MMA) with 3mm mirror size and 6mm array period was fabricated on c-plane sapphire substrate. The MMA was subjected to 1200 degrees C high temperature annealing and remained intact with high reflectance in contrast to the continuous multi-layer for which the layers have undergone severe damage by 1200 degrees C annealing. Epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) of gallium nitride (GaN) was applied to the MMA that was deposited on both sapphire and sapphire with 2:56 mm GaN template. The MMA was fully embedded in the ELO GaN and remained intact. The result implies that our MMA is compatible to the high temperature growth environment of GaN and the MMA could be incorporated into the structure of the micro-LED array as a one to one micro backlight reflector, or as the patterned structure on the large area LED for controlling the output light.

Spotting 2D atomic layers on aluminum nitride thin films.

PubMed

Chandrasekar, Hareesh; Bharadwaj B, Krishna; Vaidyuala, Kranthi Kumar; Suran, Swathi; Bhat, Navakanta; Varma, Manoj; Srinivasan Raghavan

2015-10-23

Substrates for 2D materials are important for tailoring their fundamental properties and realizing device applications. Aluminum nitride (AIN) films on silicon are promising large-area substrates for such devices in view of their high surface phonon energies and reasonably large dielectric constants. In this paper epitaxial layers of AlN on 2″ Si wafers have been investigated as a necessary first step to realize devices from exfoliated or transferred atomic layers. Significant thickness dependent contrast enhancements are both predicted and observed for monolayers of graphene and MoS2 on AlN films as compared to the conventional SiO2 films on silicon, with calculated contrast values approaching 100% for graphene on AlN as compared to 8% for SiO2 at normal incidences. Quantitative estimates of experimentally measured contrast using reflectance spectroscopy show very good agreement with calculated values. Transistors of monolayer graphene on AlN films are demonstrated, indicating the feasibility of complete device fabrication on the identified layers.

Magnetic properties of Pr-Fe-B thick-film magnets deposited on Si substrates with glass buffer layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakano, M.; Kurosaki, A.; Kondo, H.; Shimizu, D.; Yamaguchi, Y.; Yamashita, A.; Yanai, T.; Fukunaga, H.

2018-05-01

In order to improve the magnetic properties of PLD-made Pr-Fe-B thick-film magnets deposited on Si substrates, an adoption of a glass buffer layer was carried out. The glass layer could be fabricated under the deposition rate of approximately 70 μm/h on a Si substrate using a Nd-YAG pulse laser in the vacuum atmosphere. The use of the layer enabled us to reduce the Pr content without a mechanical destruction and enhance (BH)max value by approximately 20 kJ/m3 compared with the average value of non-buffer layered Pr-Fe-B films with almost the same thickness. It is also considered that the layer is also effective to apply a micro magnetization to the films deposited on Si ones.

Improved fill factor in inverted planar perovskite solar cells with zirconium acetate as the hole-and-ion-blocking layer.

PubMed

Zhang, Xuewen; Liang, Chunjun; Sun, Mengjie; Zhang, Huimin; Ji, Chao; Guo, Zebang; Xu, Yajun; Sun, Fulin; Song, Qi; He, Zhiqun

2018-03-14

Planar perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have gained great interest due to their low-temperature solution preparation and simple process. In inverted planar PSCs, an additional buffer layer is usually needed on the top of the PCBM electron-transport layer (ETL) to enhance the device performance. In this work, we used a new buffer layer, zirconium acetate (Zr(Ac) 4 ). The inclusion of the Zr(Ac) 4 buffer layer leads to the increase of FF from ∼68% to ∼79% and PCE from ∼14% to ∼17% in the planar PSCs. The UPS measurement indicates that the Zr(Ac) 4 layer has a low HOMO level of -8.2 eV, indicating that the buffer layer can act as a hole-blocking layer. Surface morphology and surface chemistry investigations reveal that the elements I, MA and Pb can diffuse across the PCBM ETL, damaging the device performance. The covering Zr(Ac) 4 molecules fill in the pinholes of the PCBM layer and effectively block the ions/molecules of the perovskite from diffusion across the ETL. The resulting more robust PCBM/Zr(Ac) 4 ETL leads to weaker ionic charge accumulation and lower diode leakage current. The double role of hole-and-ion blocking of the Zr(Ac) 4 layer explains the improved FF and PCE in the PSCs.

Substrate Structures For Growth Of Highly Oriented And/Or Epitaxial Layers Thereon

DOEpatents

Arendt, Paul N.; Foltyn, Stephen R.; Groves, James R.; Jia, Quanxi

2005-07-26

A composite substrate structure including a substrate, a layer of a crystalline metal oxide or crystalline metal oxynitride material upon the substrate, a layer of an oriented cubic oxide material having a rock-salt-like structure upon the crystalline metal oxide or crystalline metal oxynitride material layer is provided together with additional layers such as one or more layers of a buffer material upon the oriented cubic oxide material layer. Jc's of 2.3×106 A/cm2 have been demonstrated with projected Ic's of 320 Amperes across a sample 1 cm wide for a superconducting article including a flexible polycrystalline metallic substrate, an inert oxide material layer upon the surface of the flexible polycrystalline metallic substrate, a layer of a crystalline metal oxide or crystalline metal oxynitride material upon the layer of the inert oxide material, a layer of an oriented cubic oxide material having a rock-salt-like structure upon the crystalline metal oxide or crystalline metal oxynitride material layer, a layer of a buffer material upon the oriented cubic oxide material layer, and, a top-layer of a high temperature superconducting material upon the layer of a buffer material.

Impact of the deposition conditions of buffer and windows layers on lowering the metastability effects in Cu(In,Ga)Se2/Zn(S,O)-based solar cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naghavi, Negar; Hildebrandt, Thibaud; Bouttemy, Muriel; Etcheberry, Arnaud; Lincot, Daniel

2016-02-01

The highest and most reproducible (Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGSe) based solar-cell efficiencies are obtained by use of a very thin n-type CdS layer deposited by chemical bath deposition (CBD). However because of both Cadmium's adverse environmental impact and the narrow bandgap of CdS (2.4-2.5 eV) one of the major objectives in the field of CIGSe technology remains the development and implementation in the production line of Cd-free buffer layers. The CBDZn( S,O) remains one the most studied buffer layer for replacing the CdS in Cu(In,Ga)Se2-based solar cells and has already demonstrated its potential to lead to high-efficiency solar cells up to 22.3%. However one of the key issue to implement a CBD-Zn(S,O) process in a CIGSe production line is the cells stability, which depends both on the deposition conditions of CBD-Zn(S,O) and on a good band alignment between CIGSe/Zn(S,O)/windows layers. The most common window layers applied in CIGSe solar cells consist of two layers : a thin (50-100 nm) and highly resistive i-ZnO layer deposited by magnetron sputtering and a transparent conducting 300-500 nm ZnO:Al layer. In the case of CBD-Zn(S,O) buffer layer, the nature and deposition conditions of both Zn(S,O) and the undoped window layer can strongly influence the performance and stability of cells. The present contribution will be specially focused on the effect of condition growth of CBD-Zn(S,O) buffer layers and the impact of the composition and deposition conditions of the undoped window layers such as ZnxMgyO or ZnxSnyO on the stability and performance of these solar cells.

Comparative study of the interfaces of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride with silver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garnica, Manuela; Schwarz, Martin; Ducke, Jacob; He, Yuanqin; Bischoff, Felix; Barth, Johannes V.; Auwärter, Willi; Stradi, Daniele

2016-10-01

Silver opens up interesting perspectives in the fabrication of complex systems based on heteroepitaxial layers after the growth of a silicene layer on its (111) face has been proposed. In this work we explore different synthesis methods of hexagonal boron nitride (h -BN) and graphene sheets on silver. The resulting layers have been examined by high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy. A comparison of the interfacial electronic band structure upon growth of the distinct two-dimensional (2D) layers has been performed by scanning tunneling spectroscopy and complementary first-principle calculations. We demonstrate that the adsorption of the 2D layers has an effect on the binding energy of the Shockley state and the surface potential by lowering the local work function. These effects are larger in the case of graphene where the surface state of Ag(111) is depopulated due to charge transfer to the graphene. Furthermore, we show that the electronic properties of the h -BN/silver system can be tuned by employing different thicknesses of silver ranging from a few monolayers on Cu(111) to the single crystal Ag substrate.

The improvement of GaN-based LED grown on concave nano-pattern sapphire substrate with SiO2 blocking layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Jyun-Hao; Huang, Shyh-Jer; Su, Yan-Kuin; Huang, Kai-Wen

2015-11-01

In contrast to convex nano-pattern sapphire substrates (NPSS), which are frequently used to fabricate high-quality nitride-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs), concave NPSS have been paid relatively less attention. In this study, a concave NPSS was fabricated, and its nitride epitaxial growth process was evaluated in a step by step manner. A SiO2 layer was used to avoid nucleation over the sidewall and bottom of the nano-patterns to reduce dislocation reformation. Traditional LED structures were grown on the NPSS layer to determine its influence on device performance. X-ray diffraction, etched pit density, inverse leakage current, and internal quantum efficiency (IQE) results showed that dislocations and non-radiative recombination centers are reduced by the NPSS constructed with a SiO2 blocking layer. An IQE twice that on a planar substrate was also achieved; such a high IQE significantly enhanced the external quantum efficiency of the resultant device. Taken together, the results demonstrate that the SiO2 blocking layer proposed in this work can enhance the performance of LEDs.